Politics Plus – Overcoming Republican insaniTEA, one day at a time.

Open Thread September 30 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 302026

Yesterday,

Referred by Vote Vets and archived from the New York Times so I could read it myself (and now everyone can.) Yes, it’s big money. But it’s big money raised from ordinary people who have served or have connections to people who have served, who understand the Constitution and want to preserve it. And isn’t there a saying about fighting fire with fire? I’m worried about elected officials being beholden to billionaires. Elected officials being beholden to people who love the Constitution – not so much.

This is not a premise I am prepared to defend – it’s more of a gut feeling which sometimes (and this is one of those times) strikes me as a possibility. When an individual or a group has an outspoken enemy – or enemies – that are inarguably abhorrent – does that make a valid case that the person or group who is the target of thet enmity are clearly the good guys? For example – every antisemite – every Nazi, historical or modern – puts me in mind of Corrie ten Boom’s father, and his remark about the Nazis of the 1930s – “They have touched the apple of God’s eye.” He went on – I forget the exact wording – to say that they would have to pay for that big time. Every anti-semite – every Nazi – strikes me as evidence that the Jews always were and still are God’s chosen people. Only something supernatural can explain the existence and the intensity of hatred that is so irrational. And I have the same visceral reaction to racism and misogyny. Of course, that doesn’t make it fun to be on the receiving end of any of those. But I think it can bolster one’s courage to persevere. And this would also apply to the irrational hatred currently being directed to Democrats by MAGA. Keep persevering. We are the good guys.

I have no idea what JoJo said (or when – the “where” is probably on Substack, and though she has more than one, it certainly could be this one). But since I was just addressing courage and how to get it and keep it going – this just fit right in – and JoJo has a knack for nailing things.

Open Thread September 28 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 282026

Over the weekend, it came out that the grand jury in the Nolan Wells case returned a no bill. I get that, because law enforcement and the DA have no evu=idence (or are not releasing any that they have) to suggest anyone to charge with anything. As far as I can see, they had nothing with which to present a grand jury, and should not have convened one or presented anything to an existing one, because they have nothing. But the grand jury, or its spokesperson, added that they believe that Wells drowned. However, the autopsy found no water in his lungs – no water anywhere in his respiratory system – no water even in his stomach. But the grand jury believes he drowned? Really? Apparently Mississippi is still Mississippi is still the same Mississippi it has been since before the Civil War. Who here, wxactly, thinks whom is the dumbest?

Yes, I am fixated with AI. Because I am finding it literally impossible to wrap my head around machines which can decide on and do things completely independently of any command from any being which has consciousness. I would have expected cats to take over the world before machines. (I would also have preferred it.)

I seriously doubt that anyone here needs to see this – but when the stakes are as high as they are, I don’t want to take any chances.

Harry Dunn – one of the Capitol Police officsers (then) who defended the Capitol on Jnuary 6 – has been running for Congress – until he lost his primary. I would love to provide a link to the email he sent just after the primary was called – but there’s no link. But I will quote part of it because it’s just too much how all politics should be not to:
“Me and Adrian Boafo sat down last week. A lot of people found that surprising. He beat me in the Maryland 5th primary. We’re still friends. They shouldn’t be surprised… We stood at the same forums in southern Maryland for six months and said basically the same things. The tactics were different. The goals weren’t.” I hope Harry will not be too disheartened by this loss. I hope he willinstead run for aomething at municipal or county level – or school district level – which in addition to giving him experience will increase his electability at state or federal levels.

Open Thread September 27 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 272026

Yesterday, the radio opera was not an opera but a series of excerpts from operas. An opera house will often do this for a special anniversary – of the house or of the music director – or if a log-time music director is leaving or retiring. This one was in the last category – James Conlon is retiring after 20 years with LA opera, which is now the4th largest opera company in the US – and he did that. I am assuming it’s a retirement because he’s 76 (not that 76 is all that old for a conductor, but it’s just my guess.) Since to me the drama is the point of opera- a complete opera is always worth getting up for, even if it’s not one of my favorites. A concert, not so much – even if it’s staged scenes and not just isolated arias. So I slept through it. But I salute Conlon and what he has achieved in Los Angeles, andI wish LA Opera the best with his successor, whoever that may be.

Open Thread September 26 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:14 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 262026

Yesterday, I did some searching and saving of animal videos. As always, I ran short on cats compared to dogs. There are more dogs than cats in the US – but not in the proportions I was running short – it’s around 89 million dogs to 76 million cats. I had to dive into the Dodo’s “Cat Crazy” section to catch up. And I may have picked some which will be reruns. It’ll be a while before we get to that point, and I can stretch it out a bit farther by slipping some in which are neither dogs nor cats, but I thought I’ let y’all know we are moving toward that point. Also, Frank Figliuzzi, speaking of the Supreme Court, said: “I’m going to stop calling them the three liberal justices and start calling them the three sane justices.”

Yes, back to back Robert Reich. Both look forward to -hopefully – better days. This first article looks to what needs to be done once we manage to get a sane administration.

This second article looks to how badly our reputation with sane nations has been damaged – an how we are going to need to accept that, and not take it peraonally – because, frankly, they are correct in their assessment. Yes, it breaks my heart also.

Heather Cox Richardson – and the General Accounting Office – know precisely where the waste and fraud are in the current regime – and they are not in Medicare, Social Security, MedicAid, or any other program designed to help citizens who need help.

Open Thread September 25 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 252026

It isn’t a holiday where I am, and it’s probably not where you are. But in California, starting today and in perpetuity (or until some Republican ruins it),, September 25 is and will be Dolly Parton Day. (And why didn’t Tennessee think of that?)

So true – so simple – and so sad that some people need to be told it.

This may ask you to subscribe, but you shouldn’t need to just inorder to read it. I found it encouraging.

No, I wasn’t particularly looking for encouraging news today – I just happened to tripover some in my inbox. This takes me back to the sixties – not that I remember actual candidates for Congress taking this risk then. Outrage and resistance are not dead.

Open Thread September 24 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 242026

Yesterday, I slept until later than I have been lately, but at least was awake when up, and no dizzy spells.

Not good – but better to know about it than not to.

More about AI, his time from Robert Reich, and extending as far as China.

Yes, this is 40 pages. And, at least as long as Medicare stands, it doesn’t affect me as a veteran (although it does, of course, as a taxpayer. Privatization of anything is a bad idea for taxpayers.) Naturally, the idea traces back to the Kochs – to when more of them were still alive – but there are plenty to carry on.

One thing Steve Schmidt is good at is history. Maybe not as good as a professional historian, but able to make it easy for a reader to get a feeling of the time in question, and in this case, a feeling for what we have lost and are losing more of.

RR Cleanup

Dog 2fer

Open Thread September 23 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 232026

Yesterday, It was surprisingly cold … or at least I was. Of course staying up late at night and then sleeping late into the day may have something to do with that. But that’s just how my Circadian rhythm works – and has, really, as long as I can remember. Retirement was my first chance to really start paying the sleep debt which had built up for so long.

David Sirota – who is no fool – wrote this for The Lever. It got me thinking that – throughout history, we have had multiple situations where innovations theoretically intended to make work easier have threatened to eliminate the human race by making workers redundant. Yet here we are. But the predictions have never been 100% wrong. There have always been people who literally died as a result of the consequences of the innovations. And at least since the 19th century, someone has said that those deaths were merely evolution doing its job – and that we were simply becoming more fit as a race. I would invite those people to look at MAGA. I don’t expect to be around to see the full consequences of any AI apocalypse – not because I expect AI to kill me, but because I am 81. Nor do I expect there to be anyone who will be able to accurately predict, nor to prevent the casualties of the next time around. I do wish the human race the best of luck.

Please be sitting down and be sure there is nothing in your mouth when you read this. I will not be responsible for personal or property damage when you realize Fox is included on the right side of this action – voluntarily.

Jesse Wegman (with the Brennan Center) is mostly concerned with law and the courts, and this is o exception – it’s a fairly deep dive into (one aspect of) legal ethics – as they should be. It’s not brand new news, but a response to recent news. I might call it food for thought.