Yesterday, I got my grocery deliviery and managed to get it all put away – not just the perishables. They were out of some things, but they didn’t attempt to substitute, for which I am most grateful. And i won’t run low on anything they didn’t have – I was ordering ahead.While I was in the living room waitig at the laptop, I decided to start going through TC’s old cartoons for September, and I found about 2/3 of the are usable. The ones which, for one reason or another, aren’t, I went theough a history site and found events to use to make new ones (a few days I am spoiled for choice.) That is quite a relief actually – getting that done, I mean. It was unbelievably humid here – for a while I thought I was back in the tropics. But it stared raining and cooled down. i wish that meant we were not in drought conditions, but alas, it doesn’t.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
I normally feature a video clip daily by “Beau of the Fifth Column,” and I have one today. It’s factual, and timely, and good information. But I also wanted to share a second one, and decided to do so here. This one is also relevant and factual, but it also pokes well deserved fun at MAGAts, anti-vaxxers, who don’t liev in really rural areas – I’m afraid it cracked me up.
Click through to watch.
Wonkette – Massachusetts Schoolchildren Saw Goody Johnson … Wait, No, They’re Calling For Her Pardon
Quote – Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was 22 when she was among those convicted of being in league with the devil and sentenced to death. She was never executed, but her conviction for being a witch remains on the books in Massachusetts. More than 300 years later, an eighth-grade civics class and a state senator are trying to do right by Johnson and finally get her an official exoneration. Of the 30 people convicted of witchcraft, Johnson is the only one the state of Massachusetts still legally classifies as a convicted felon and a witch.
Click through for the story It always makes me happy when a school class or group takes on an injustice.I realize not all the kids are all right, but many more are than not, and the experience of this accomplishment is a wonderful thing for them to have to prepare for the responsibilities of adult citizenship.
Democratic Underground – David Rothkopf: The reality of what we’re getting from our government right now.
I’m going to quote heavily from this because it’s from an (unrolled) Twitter thread, which makes it hard to see how heavy quoting would violate copyright. And also because the vastness of what it covers is such a big part of the message. But I cant quote it all. So you may still want to cleck through.
Quote – Right now, the administration is conducting a massive operation in Kabul that has resulted in the evacuation of 50,000 people in eight days. It is also overseeing a life and death battle against COVID that has already resulted in over 200,000,000 Americans receiving the vaccine.It is also in the midst of negotiations in support of the passage of a vitally needed $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the biggest the US has passed in decades. It is also, at the same time on Capitol Hill involved in negotiations to pass a $3.5 trillion budget package. Taken together these two congressional initiatives would lead to the biggest investment America has made in itself and in projects vital to our national security and well-being in more than half a century.
The Department of Justice is working on hundreds of cases related to the attempted coup against the United States government on January 6th while actively conducting programs to reduce the future risk of domestic violent extremism. DoJ has also made it a priority to combat a nationwide voter suppression campaign by the GOP and abuses in the country’s police departments. Elsewhere the government has mounted an unprecedented campaign to battle the climate crisis, its consequences and to undo widespread efforts to put our environment at risk. Part of the effort to get out of Afghanistan involves ramping up programs to help Afghans who aided us find refuge in our country–programs that were shut down, stopped cold, under the Trump Administration.
At the same time, the administration is also trying to undo the damage done by their predecessors at the southern border and the Vice President has been instrumentally involved in seeking to restore programs that would reduce migrant flows at their sources in Central America.
in addition, the administration has been appointing judges at a faster clip than its predecessors and doing so in way that is bringing unprecedented diversity to the nation’s courts after years of efforts by the opposition to pack those courts.
What is more it is not just doing all these things–all these big, complex, urgent, essential things–at once, but it is doing them against scorched earth opposition that does not care who dies, whether they tell truth or lies, or whether the national interest is protected.
Because you likely have never seen this kind of display of government management virtuosity before. It’s hard to see the big picture sometimes for all the headlines…but this is the reality of what we’re getting from our government right now.
Food for Thought –
9 Responses to “Open Thread for August 27, 2021”
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Cartoon: Scary, glad the island was uninhabited.
Beau: Great video.
Wonkette: How awesome is this? Good to read that students/teacher(s) are working this exoneration from 300 years ago. btw…texas is sick, and way out of bounds for citizen’s rights re: abortion.
FFT: Yep.
Gotta run, sure hope a good day is in store for all. Thanks, Joanne for post.
This just in: “Gotta admit my empathy muscles are failing out ‘just a bit’ in trying to understand people ingesting horse de-worming agents.” ~ Chris Hayes ~
2. “We have helped to evacuate 70,700 people since August 14. This is a testament to the efforts of our brave service women and men, to our diplomats on the ground in Kabul, and to the Allies still standing with us.” ~ White House ~
3. “If you think that you’ve made poor life decisions, just remember that someone married Matt Gaetz.” (Ginger Luckey). ~ anon ~
4. “Biden didn’t lose the war. Biden is finally getting out of a war that we lost a long, long time ago.” ~ Joe Walsh~
5. “Just an unfriendly reminder: Every single House Republican voted AGAINST protecting the right to vote yesterday. EVERY single Republican.” ~ Rep Adam Schiff ~
TJI #1 – So it boggles the mind AND the heart.
TJI #2 – Yes. And there has been assistance from commercial airlines and private citizens. So, it actually is a lot like Dunkirk. And that’s a compliment. (Another thing which resembles Dunkirk was the way private citizens – just about everyone on our East Coast who owned a boat -stepped up to get survivors out of New York on and immediatle after 9/11.)
TJI #3 – Isn’t that thr truth!
TJI #4 – Is this THAT Joe Walsh? If so, I’m impressed.
TJI #5 – But every single House Democrat voted FOR it. EVERY single Democrat.
TJI – “John Pavlovitz has a (hopefully benign) tumor in his pituitarygland which will require brain surgery. Probably within 3 weeks butnot yet scheduled as not all tests complete – from his email.” ~ h/t – Joanne D. ~
*Joe Walsh? imho —- I’m thinking this is him – “Former Candidate for President. Former Congressman. Author, “F*ck Silence.” Patriot, Husband, Father, Brother, Son. #BeBrave”.
Not the musician. Would be really cool if it was though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Walsh_(American_politician)
John is positive, even joking some. But, dear God, pleas consider that his is a voice we can ill afford to lose.
The Joe Walsh I was think of was the one who shouted “You lie” at President Obama. Of course that’s ancient history … but I’m ancient, and haven’t forgotten. Thanks.
TJI #3: This is a joke, right? Did someone actually marry that creep? Ginger Luckey sounds so made up.
Of course it’s for real. This is ‘MURIKA.
Cartoon: Was so tragic. I went to read about it and it stated the following:”At least 36,417 deaths are attributed to the eruption and the tsunamis it created. The sound was claimed to be heard in 50 different locations around the world and the sound wave is recorded to have travelled the globe seven times over.”
Beau Video: Great one. It’s too bad we have idiots out there who aren’t listening and still trying crazy ways to avoid getting vaccinated.
Wonkette: Good for these kids. Hope they are successful.
Democrat Underground: Good for President Biden and his team. They’re going full speed ahead with multiple important/urgent actions. What I appreciate is that he speaks truth to us and keeps us well informed.
Food for Thought: So much chaos has happened with the show, Jeopardy since Alex has died.
You sure have been keeping yourself busy this past week. Happy you got your groceries with no problems. Hope you had a good day.
Take care. Thanks Joanne
Cartoon: That eruption was disastrous, even before the days of air traffic. I understand that Krakatoa is still letting out little belches now and again, or her daughters are, to be precise.
Beau: Spot on, as usual. The irony of it all is that people rather risk their lives slurping some snake oil than backtracking on their conviction not to get vaccinated, but then having to go through the agony of their self-poisoning because all the anti-vaxxers are taking up the hospital beds demanding help after getting infected with Delta COVID.
DU: Just and overdue praise for a government that is working its socks off to repair what the previous government has wrecked. Work that has been made almost impossible by the ongoing efforts of the Republicans to steer the ship back upon the cliffs. And, yes, the to-do list is still longer than the list of ticked-off items. But give them time; they’ll get there.
Just and overdue indeed. I couldn’t agree more. Sadly, never having seen it before in one’s lifetime is not the only reason some may be unable to see it. And I certainly hope we can dig up enough time to give them. We can’ if we lose even one of our majorities.