Last night’s opera was “The Ghosts of Versailles” by John Corigliano. It’s based on “The Guilty Mother” which is the third Beaumarchais play about Figaro, the erstwhile barber of Seville. But llike pretty much everything Corigliano does it’s all mixed up with other things. It’s set in Versaille, where the ghosts of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Beaumarchais himself, and a bunch of scruffy-looking courtiers (all of whom are bored out of their skulls) are to be amused by a new opera (play within a play.) At first it goes well, but then Figaro balks, and Beumarchais has to show him scenes of Antoinette’s kangaroo court trial to convince him she was wronged and deserves to be saved. It’s not as hard to follow as it sounds, even though I am leaving out major plot points. It has a stunning cast, including Renee Fleing, Marilyn Horne, and Teresa Stratas as Marie Antoinette, which is perfect casting -no one ever in opera has been able to convey “fragile” as well as Stratas does. Also yesterday was a Theater of War Zoom production. I didn’t stay for the discussion, but I did want to see the actors.
Cartoon
Wednesday late night update – indictments have been issued namig the Trump Cprporation andAllenWeisselberg, but will remain sealed untill this afternoon. So it will be tomorrow before I will post details. You can probably find some details sooner.
Short Takes –
Wonkette – 17-Year-Old Caught In Deadly Crossfire Between Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputy, Jug Of Antifreeze
Quote – Brittain was an aspiring NASCAR driver from McRae, Arkansas. He’d worked at Hundley Construction for the past few years. His boss, Scott Hundley, described Brittain as a dedicated, hard worker. Brittain had spoken with Hundley the night before he was killed. He explained he was having trouble with his truck but would make every effort to arrive at work on time.
Click through for the rest of what is known, which is not much. Wonkette is (obviously) back from vacation. Seems like they cut it short, but then, they were trying to vacation in Washington state.
AP – GOP donor funds South Dakota National Guard troops in Texas
Quote – Johnson said he approached Noem about making a donation after hearing about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border barrier push. He figured Texas “has plenty of money” so he decided to help Noem, who governs a state with a significantly smaller budget. He also said he had no plans to donate to other states to send law enforcement officers to the border. Johnson added that he would have preferred to stay anonymous but that Noem’s office told him they had to at least disclose his name. He declined to say how much he was giving. “America gave a lot of money to get that border wall done,” Johnson said. “It takes private individuals now.”
Click through for more. Beau addressed this (see video thread) and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so angry. He is almost incoherent – especially for him.
19th – ‘There is rarely, if ever, justice’: Advocates and survivors seethe after Cosby is freed
Quote – Christian F. Nunes, president of National Organization for Women, said agreements like these can be made in sexual assault cases without consideration for the humanity of those of have suffered. She added that the issue is bigger than Cosby and speaks to the additional steps that need to be taken to better protect all survivors: women, LGBTQ+ people and men.
Click through for full article.
Food for Thought
This is a petition to all state Secretaries of State to respect the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment. Besides the petiton itself, there is an explanation of what this implies and why it is important (although that last part is pretty clear.) I honestly don’t know, not being a lawyer, how such action by Secretaries of State would hold up in court. But I don’t see any serious negatives down the road from bringing this up – nor from applying it to other federal elected officials. Probably everyone who reads here has at least one Representative or Senator to whom it might profitably be applied. If you agree, don’t just sign, but also share.
7 Responses to “Open Thread for July 1, 2021”
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The needless killing of Brittain is so sad. I thought the first Comment at the article was spot-on:
We live in a world where trained cops can panic & act on impulse & shoot someone dead.
But untrained civilians MUST remain calm – even with a gun in their face.
I hope the courts will rule that you can’t use private funds to make the National Guard your private mercenaries. This is a very dangerous misuse of our troops!
Apologies for not wishing the country with the BEST NATIONAL ANTHEM a “Happy Canada Day!”
Glad that you are enjoying your Opera.
Cartoon: YAY!
Wonkette: A crying shame, at the loss of life.
FFT: Remi Bald Eagle said it best.
This just in: TJI: A month ago, we broke quorum to kill the Texas voter suppression bill. A week ago, Gov. Abbott defunded the entire legislative branch in retaliation. Today, we’re suing Abbott in the Texas SupremeCourt. Texas is the frontline in the fight for democracy. #txlege ~ James Talarico ~
2. “The right to vote is sacred—it is the foundation of our democracy. Congress cannot stand idly by as attacks on the ballot box ramp up nationwide. This body has a solemn duty to protect the people’s voice. We must pass voting rights. No matter what.”~ SenatorReverend Raphael Warnock~
3. “The filibuster undermines the basic principle that makes our democracy work: government of the people, by the people, for the people. Our Constitution puts its trust in the American people. So do I.” ~ Val Demmings ~
4. “For peace, dignity & equality on a healthy planet.” ~ United Nations ~
5. “”I have every confidence that Nancy [Pelosi] working in conjunction with Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden and others, including people like Joe Manchin, are going to figure out a way in which there’s an up- and- down vote on the #ForThePeopleAct.” ~ BarackObama~
TJI #1 – “Retaliation” IMO is a word and a concept which has NO place in government whatsoever. But I seem to be in the minority. Good on your legislators!
TJI #3 – Well, Val, it puts its trust in the American people now, except when it doesn’t – but it really didn’t start thay way. We’ve come a long way – but not yet far enough.
TJI #5 – I wish I did. I will say, if anyone can, they can.
The opera sounds wonderful! But, I expect you meant Renee Fleming…indeed, what a cast!
‘Toon: Eh?
Indictments are reportedly to be disclosed at 2:00 PM, today. Waiting with baited breath; glad to read that they have already been issued.
Wonkette: It’s been a long, long time since I called a cop a pig, but goddamn!!!
AP: “Stupid is as stupid does.” Nameless makes a good point. this has to be referred to me court, or other, for us to find out.
Cosby: A shame! A technicality frees this once loved POS. I do not believe victims should not come forward because of this, but prosecutors need to be hugely on their toes!
FFT: Standing with Remi Bald Eagle!!!!!!!!! Noem is a jackass governor of a state that seems to vote for the idea, like Texas, that there is no one else in the world but us, so we have to be utterly independent, and self-contained; nothing is connected to nothing else!
Petition signed, now for the severalith time, will forward.
Yes, Fleming – a very young Renee Fleming in 1991. And that just touches the tip of the iceberg of the cast. The storyteller playing the villain,of whom I’d never heard until seeing this, was a tenor, not uoung, but who could (and did) do backflips while sneering (and at the curtain call). But there was not a single dud, right through the chorus and dancers.
Two pm eastern – that’s noon here, and it’s almost that now. I’ll be on alert (I know it was today but not when today.).
Your Canada cartoon prompted me on the following: Has anyone heard from our Squatch? She’s in the red-hot zone in Northern America at the moment, but I don’t think I’ve seen/heard from Lynn even before TomCat died. Has she quit the site? I’ve sent her an email asking how she is a few days ago, but haven’t heard back.
I have to Zoom meet with Europe in half an hour to record to accept an honorary fellowship for my late husband. Preparations have kept me busy most of the day, so I won’t have time to comment today. I’ll do better tomorrow.
What a happy (although bittersweet) occasion to miss commenting fo. Even if the day has not quite arrived when is memory brings a smile to your face befoe it brings a tear to your eye, such an honor does deserve a smile. Don;t worry about us, but get all the enjoyment you can out of the ceremony.