Open Thread April 3 2025

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 032025
 

Yesterday, the Supreme Court election if Wisconsin was called for the Democratic judge. Sadly, we lost both special elections for Congress in Florida. But if we were only going to win one of the three, Wisconsin is the one we wanted to win. I don’t know why it has taken so long for Repubs in Wisconsin to be looking at re-gerrymandering after the 2020 census, but apparently it has, because that is what they campaigned on (and apparently plenty of Democrats heard and came out to vote.) So now he districting will be fair. Bob La Follette can rest easy in his grave for a while (he’s been spinning since Scott Walker was elected Governor.) Joyce Vance has a bit more detail. Also Yesterday, Mallory McMorrow – the Wisconsin State Senator who attracted national attention some time ago with a “no BS” statement, announced a run to be the next Senator from Wisconsin. She’s raising funds through the Defeat Republicans PAC.

Robert Reich addresses the regime’s current war on lawyers (not all lawyers-jus honest and courageous ones.) Many of the founding fathers were lawyers – courageous ones – and I would expect earthquakes up and down the eastern seaboard over this. I don’t think all legislators should be lawyers, but there is a good reason why some should be. Lawyers are trained to be able to write legislation which is enforceable, and in particular enforces what it is intended to enforce. Most of us aren’t (although many of us think we have the ability anyway.😉)

Yes, as Joyce Vance says, the Mango Monster is serious. He can’t run for Vice President (and has enough lawyers that he should know it – read Article I of the Constitution.) He might conceivably somehow get himself elected as Speaker of the House and get in that way, however. I’d keep that quiet – but someone’s bound to think of it eventually. I actually think he’s more likely to just refuse to leave. But whatever his plans, he is dead serious.

Just in case you didn’t see this – it is jaw-dropping. I don’t know whether you’d call it “malevolence tempered by incompetence” or “incompetence tempered by malevolence”. But I think we can agree on “despicable.”

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Open Thread April 2 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 022025
 

Yesterday, both Steve Schmidt and Wonkette singled out the same Senator for praise – Cory Booker. Both are on our side, but they are not the same, so I find this noteworthy. Both were focused on his talking filibuster. I hope this praise will both call attention to how many voters approve of bold action, and inspire other Congressional Dems to do more of it. I had already noticed that it is starting to look as though the Tangerine Palpitine’s regime is getting a little pushback, and likely to get more, from at least some of the Courts. Jen Rubin at the Contrarian ran through some of it on Monday – and pointed out that there is more she did not mention. I am not (nor is she) suggesting we count on the courts to save us. For one thing, the Courts themselves will need loud public support. They won’t get it from this regime.

If I’m reading Harry correctly, and I think I am, he is making the point here that it’s not the individual lies, however disgusting and calumnious they may be, that make the Mango Monster’s regime so very dangerous, as it is the lack of respect for truth itself which is so fatally destructive to democracy. And in the long run he is certainly correct. I really think there are way too many Americans who don’t care much about truth in the abstract and don’t realize how important insistence on the truth is to all our (and our children’s and grandchildren’s) futures. And, incidentally, the House gave its middle finger to Mike Johnson over proxy voting.

And, here at The F* News, is exhibit A. The headline is absolutely correct. The number of people who are saying so (and that includes God knows how many people said so once but no longer are) is staggering. If you give up on truth, you give up on literally everything.

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Open Thread April 1 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 012025
 

Yesterday, I received a petition from Faithful America. Here is a link. I’m not specifically asking anyone here to sign the petition, though of course you can if so moved. Instead, what I want y’all to see here is the back story, and specifically the words of the church’s pastor. TomCat would have been as proud of this statement as I am. He from time to time wrote about authentic Christians as opposed to pseudo-Christians. Both kinds are all over, without regard to denomination or the frequency with which they “go to church.”

This is a guest post to Wonkette by Ali Davis. I don’t know the correct pronouns, so I’ll use they/them. Ali has their own Substack, which appears new, (only 2 posts there including this one), but appears to be speaking toRepublicans, particularly Congressional Republicans, who are closet ant-Trumpers. I don’t know how to get their posts in the attention of the intended audience (I’m pretty sure that Wonkette is not it, but I appreciate Wonkette republishing it so we can read it), but between this one and the first one (which I found by clicking on the live link on their name at the bottom of the post), I can say they address the real issues that no one else is speaking about to that intended audience, and quite frankly too. If you have a Republican Congresscritter or Senator who at least used to be halfway sane, you could do worse than sneak a copy of either article, or both articles, to them.


I may not need that sarcasm tag for this blog, but I want to be sure no one has even a single-point rise in blood pressure from The F* News here. Certainly as you read you’ll see where he’s going with this – “put up or shut up” and there’s nothing to put up. It’s cleverly done, certainly.

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Open Thread March 31 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 312025
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by to help get my trash and recyclables out for Thursday pickup. It had been a while, so I had a fair amount. I told her about that mail piece I had received from “Pure Talk,” and she could only shake her head. Otherwise, not a lot happening here. Which is a pretty good thing. I don’t need any more excitement than I get from the news (and that mostly negative.) I did manage to at least skim Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” before the week actually started, for a change

The F* News has a point. I’d be even more worried than I am if DoD were headed by someone with Hegseth’s ideas and principles but more competent. And if he’s getting negative attention from MAGA – well, that’s just a bonus.

I missed seeing this Wonkette story elsewhere. Not that it contains any surprises, unless taking revenge he said he was going to take is close enough to telling the truth to be a surprise – that certainly could happen.

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Open Thread March 30 2025

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 302025
 

Yesterday, The radio opera was Jake Heggie’s “Moby Dick.” I was a little deflated that two of the six main singers has been replaced, but it’s really more of an ensemble piece than a star turn, plus the other four were still there. Heggie and his librettist chose to call the narrator “Greenhorn” until the very end – but uses the same music for when he does sing “Call me Ishmael” at the end to open it. Twelve years ago (Wikipedia gives the date as 2013), I saw this opera on TV performed in San Francisco in, quite possibly, the same production, one which used a vertical cyc which could be climbed to suggest the depths of the sea. That’s probably not a technically correct description. but this photo from the Met’s web page surely looks like what I remember.

It was that production which is on the DVD – I think even the same performance. And very powerful both then and now. Also yesterday, I was finally able to confirm that today is in fact Eid al-fitr, and not tomorrow. It depends on the sighting of the moon which can’t be done in advance. I can’t reference any dates, as the entire Muslim calendar is so dependent on the sightings of the moon that Ramadan and Eid al-fitr can be literally at any time of the year. Also yesterday, Steve Schmidt called the Mango Monster’s administration “the Trump** Regime” and will refer to it by that term from here on out.

https://www.getty.edu/news/medieval-feminist-manuscript-getty-acquisition-christine-de-pizan/
I’d say it’s good news that the Getty Museum is putting this book from the 15th century by Christine de Pizan on display in Women’s History Month, which some of us still celebrate despite the barbarians in the palace. But maybe not so much for the obvious reason. Rather, because it’s good to be reminded of just how deep misogyny has always run, still runs, and will coninue to run unless we take the right steps to oppose it – if it’s even possible to make a dent. Yes, a few people will “just come around.” But the vast majority will never come around, although they may shut up for a while if pushed to the wall. But they will still vote. It’s barely 70 days into the Jsckfruit Jackass’s regime, and already Democrats are talking about nominating a strong woman in 2028. Apparently they still cannot see that this would be the surest way to seal and deliver permanent authoritarianism to the United States. I hate that that is true. But when did good ever come of refusing to see truth?

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/publishers-roundup-11
I’d call this very good news indeed from Norm Eisen, cofounder and publisher of The Contrarian, and a colleague. You might find the information elsewhere, but probably in bits and pieces – and it’s the roundup which makes it so inspiring, at least to me.

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Open Thread March 29 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 292025
 

Yesterday, I was moving slowly for some hours, at which point I realized I had a mild headache and made myself a cup of coffee, which helped. But I’d like to have accomplished more.

Time for a post from The F* News again. Unfortunately, the title only expresses a wish, not a reality. I had better not start on a rant here, since I might have difficulty stopping.

Oh, what the heck, let’s make it a full rant day. Tomorrow is Sunday and I’ll find good news or die in the attempt. It’s hard to believe that there are people who did not see this coming. Or maybe they did, and are thrilled to see the actual destruction. I’m sure Putin is.

On Thursday, I received an email from Lona with a link to The Guardian, and a note that she observed I am in a wildfire danger zone (which is no surprise, considering how often over the past couple of decades I have had to reassure friends and family that a particular wildfire wasn’t anywhere close to endangering me, other than with smoke in the air, and that we can get from as far as Arizona. I was interested to see the map and noted that what we call the Front Range – the eastern slope of the Rockies at the foot of which Colorado turns into prairie and farmland, is the main corridor of wildfires here, but also not terribly surprised, as the Front Range is where all the cities are, lined up in a row, and I doubt there’s a natural disaster humans can’t manage to make worse. n The map is so useful I’m passing it on – y’all in the US (and I know not everyone is) know where you are on it, and may want to save a copy (or copies – besides wildfires, there are also maps for hurricanes, extreme heat, and drought.) drought.)

Gate

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Open Thread March 28 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Politics
Mar 282025
 

Yesterday, Ilhan Omar announced that she is proposing Articles of Impeachment for Hegseth, Waltz, and Ratcliffe over Signal-Gate. That was a scoop from Axios – I went to the site but what more they has was mostly possibiities and speculation. Of course, by today they may have more. Meanwhile (also from Axios), in the Senate, sixteen Dems led by Jacky Rosen have signed a letter proposing a massive investigation of the debacle. And at least one Republican Senator has called for an IG inspection (do we still have any IGs though?). Finally, in an unrelated piece of news, the Sundance Festival will be moving to Boulder, CO, in 2026. Colorado film junkies and residents of Boulder are over the moon.

Something that happened Wednesday and which y’all may have missed is I believe worthy of note. A Turkish PhD candidate on a student visa was essentially kidnapped off the street by DHS agents for an op-ed she published in the college newspaper last year. The F* News (an alum of that college), Wonkette, and Talking Points Memo all have the story, as does the Associated Press (which provided this video) but I haven’t seen it elsewhere yet. It’s hard to say whether we will see it elsewhere. “In [the United States] today, such things happen every minute.” The student’s name is Rumeysa Ozturk.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-159929854
Well, this didn’t take long. I wish the plaintiffs the best of luck – since they are representing the Constitution, and therefore us. I might also recommend a video conversation on Substack between Harry Litman and Malcolm Nance, mostly about the gravity of the situation, but also addressing the merits of potential remedies.

One more article on Signal-Gate, this one from Robert Hubbell. Except it’s not so much about Signal-Gate as it is about messaging, and what we can learn about messaging from Republicans, even though handicapped by our need to stick to the truth. We might at least consider replacing “But her emails” with “But his Signals.”

I don’t suppose Robert Reich says anything in here that we don’t already know. But I like lists. They tend to put raw data into an order, making it easier to digest and easier to discuss as well.

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Open Thread March 27 2025

 Posted by at 6:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 272025
 

Yesterday, there was an interesting development. Last week the cartoonist Michael deAdder signed up to be exclusive to Meidas Touch. Then yesterday, Ann Telnaes did the same with the Contrarian. It appears that the Progressives on Substack are doing something right. Also yesterday, Joyce Vance wondered what it will take to break through the psychological chains which bind them to the Canteloupe Caligula and his ilk. I can answer that in one short phrase: a resounding defeat. I would like to think it wouldn’t have to be a military defeat, but there is no guarantee. I know this because I am old enough to remember that after the Allies occupied Germany, soldiers consistently said that it was impossible to find anyone who would admit to having been a Nazi. If – and I’m afraid it is an if – we manage to pull off that decisive a victory, it will be difficult to impossible to find anyone who will admit to having been MAGA. But it will have to be a victory as decisive as World War II was. And then we – although I don’t expect to be present – will have to come up with a way to have the First Amendment and at the same time be able to stifle MAGA opinions. That is not going to be easy. But if it isn’t done, there will be another takeover by authoritarians in about 80 years – two generations.

I’m not reading the New Yorker newsletter much any more, but this one’s subject line didn’t say New Yorker, it said Ronan Farrow, and I find him to be both accurate and readable. Besides the horrific callousness in this story, I hope you will pause for a few seconds and think about how much misogyny shared by how many people it took for this to happen. There are more predators here than just the obvious one.

Robert Reich tells it like it is – and without saying so in so many words, demonstrates that Nazi Germany existed not only because of the actions of tha Nazis, but also because of the inaction of non-Nazis. I don’t mean to demean the resistance in Germany – look up Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Society if you don’t know or don’t remember it. They were valiant. But meanwhile, many other Germans were collaborating. There’s a much quoted line from “Judgment at Nuremberg” (so much quoted I am likely not to het it exactly right) when near the end a character playing one of the convicted German judges says to Spencer Tracy’s character, “I swear to you that I did not know it was happening,” and Tracy replies, “You knew the first time you sentences a man to death whom you knew to be innocent.”

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