Yesterday, I was pretty well exhausted. I had hoped to sleep in, but woke up about an hour and a half before my guideline alarm (which I would cheerfully have slept through) with just enough tickle in my throat to keep me awake. Nothing serious, just a small allergic reaction, most likely to a piece of red or yellow pepper. It vanished quickly once I was vertical. But I may well be sleeping in today. Expect me when you see me.
Cartoon – (from 2013 – nothing’s changed)
Short Takes –
Crooks and Liars – Fox Commenters’ Response To Bill Clinton News Is What You’d Expect
Quote – CNN reports that the former president, who is 75, has a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream, a fairly common medical condition in the elderly. It’s a relatively minor medical problem, so why is the story so prominent at Fox? Because it’s an excellent opportunity for Fox fans to demonstrate the kind of high-minded civic engagement they’re known for. From the comments:
Click through if you can stand to. The comments are pretty disgusting. Big Dog also experienced sepsis, which I would not call minor, but IANAD, and thankfully they were right on that, and he is out of the hospotal now according to various sources.
Vox – The case against means testing
Quote – Means testing have also long been associated with a moral argument that some segments of the population are deserving of government benefits, while others are not. This idea undercuts the belief that a social safety net is intended to help support those broadly in need, and shifts the burden onto individuals to prove that they’re worthy of getting basic help.
Click through for evidence. Means testing sounds so reasonable – until you realize that $100 for groceries if you live alone doesn’t exactly go as far as $100 for groceries if you hve three kids. Furthermore. $100 fpr groceries if your body is perfectly normal doesn’t quite go as far as $100 for groceries if you have food allergies, or any other specialized dietary needs. And actually, the same is true for shopping in just about every category of consumables.
The Hill – Arbery murder trial set to begin this week
Quote – When Arbery, who was unarmed, was cornered by the two trucks he ran at Travis McMichael in an attempt to seize his shotgun, but was then fatally shot. In April, both the McMichaels and Bryan were charged with federal hate crimes in connection to Arbery’s death. The indictment accuses the men of using force and threatening to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to utilize a public street, and alleges that Bryan joined the chase and used his truck during the incident.
Click through for story. I’m surely glad it has come to a trial. I wish I could have higher hopes for its results. They are certainly taking their time over jury selection – I hope that’s a good sign.
Food for Thought –
12 Responses to “Open Thread for October 18, 2021”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Good for you in sleeping in, as for me…those are
moments to be relished.
Cartoon: Yikes!
Crooks and Liars: Those comments are so mean and hateful. But then again, they lack empathy.
The Hill: Finally! Glad that this is coming to jury selection and upcoming trial. Ahmaud Arbery’s life & memory should never be forgotten.
FFT: Of course not. Oops!
THIS JUST IN: “Want a better world? Just be kind.” ~ John Pavolovitz ~
2. “Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has died, age 84. Died of complications of Covid 19, although he was fully vaccinated. He will be greatly missed. ~ Donna Peifer ~
3. “Imagine a president proposing to have $25 Billion spent on building up our nation’s education system instead of a wall. ~ Maria Cortes ~
4. “If Trump is subpoenaed, he will be expected to testify or face charges like Steve Bannon.” ~ 1/6 Committee Member James Raskin ~
5. “In 1954, 4 pro-independent Puerto Ricans stormed the Capitol. They were given 50 to 75 year sentences. Anyone looking for sentencing guidelines to apply to every single person who put one foot inside our Capitol on January 6th, should look no further.” ~ Keith Steffen ~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_United_States_Capitol_shooting
TJI #1 – And John would be correct.
TJI #2 – Oh no! That hurts. Next year’s Memorial Day Concert will be grim (and probably cathartic.) I have never believed he was so much as told the truth about some of the decisions the W administration made on his watch. He was always a better person than eny of them. I think he was put in to make them look legit (and I suppose for some it may have worked, at least for a time.)
TJI #3 – Imagine a nation of citizens who unanimously care far more about education than about a wall. I don’t think the world has ever seen one.
TJI #4 – Yup.
TJI #5 – And Keith Steffen would be correct. (I assume he is someone on Twitter or a similar platform. I’d like to hear more from him.)
TJI –
“Jill and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend, and Patriot of unmatched honor and dignity, General Colin Powell. Time and again, he put country before self, before party, before all else – in uniform and out. He will be remembered as one of our great Americans.”
~ President Joe Biden, US govt. official ~
H/T Joanne Dixon
Comment from Mitch –
‘Toon: Of course; hope that thing is well loaded!C&L: Of course!
Vox: Much as I’d like to see the affluent be cut out of basic gov’t supports, it’s not something that I would struggle against, given the massive need
for so much of the general population. It might be possible, however, to have a cut-off point as part of the package.
TH: It’s Georgia, of course, and good for Kemp getting rid of that law.
FFT: Yup!
Mitch
Fox Commenters’ Response To Bill Clinton News Is What You’d Expect
Faux folks staying “classy” like they always do.
The case against means testing
To a great extent, it’s onerous, time-consuming and degrading. Sadly, those are the goals the GQP want from means testing.
But to get a level playing field, how about Means Testing all the tax breaks republicans eagerly hand out to big corporations and the wealthy?
Arbery murder trial set to begin this week
They mailed out 1,000 Jury Notices for the trial. They anticipate it will take two weeks just to seat a jury or 12 & 4 alternates.
Frankly, I’ll be surprised if they can do it in two weeks. And I wonder whether four alternates will be enough, given the length of time till the trial hearings begin. But it will eventually happen.
TJI #2 – Of course anti-vaxxers are using this as a propaganda weapon against vaccinating.
But Gen. Colin Powell had a huge comorbidity: He suffered from multiple myeloma.
TJI #4 – DAMN RIGHT!
TJI #5 – Good guideline for sentencing, although I realize there are new guideline restrictions in place now.
Cartoon: These R’s enjoy threating others.
C & L: Despicable the way these people speak of him. Heartless idiots.
The Vox: After reading it, I feel it sounds senseless. I tend to agree with Nameless on this one.
The Hill: It’s about time. Hopefully they’ll be able to get a good jury to make sure these creeps are punished for their violent acts of hatred. They’ve been showing the video the last two nights on the news.
Hope you’re feeling better, that it was just allergies.
Take care. Thanks Joanne
Thanks, Colleen. I’m fine – I was fine within about a quarter hur of getting up yesterday. But next time I order gluten free pizza, I won’t order the mixed vegetable. I’ll stick to 3-cheese and pepperoni.
Don’t take this one personally, Joanne.
C&L: Faux News & its viewers are so classy.
Vox: There’s no optimal statistical solution for pov3erty except for eradication.
TH: Another one of those trials where it’s perfectly clear what the outcome should be but all we can do is hope.
FFT: Of course.
LOL! I won’t.