Open Thread September 30, 2022

Yesterday, The Colorado Public Radio newsletter shared a link to a National Public Radio article about a crystal flute which had been custom made for James Madison – and Lizzo (“[t]he superstar singer, rapper and classically trained flutist and, incidentally, a person who I gather has very few, if any, f***s to give) playing it on a visit to the Library of Congress (and, under heavy security, at a concert.) I had no idea that such a thing existed. It doesn’t sound exactly like (Franklin’s) glass harmonica – but it does sound more like that than any of the normal flutes do which are substituted for it these days. To quote Lizzo – “History is freaking cool, you guys!” Also yesterday, the news broke (it actually happened Wednesday) that Marjorie Taylor Greene’s husband has filed for divorce. Does anyone remember which of them owns the company that supports them? I’m afraid I don’t.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – As the EPA introduces environmental justice office, the ‘mother of the movement’ remembers the Black women who led the battle
Quote – When Dollie Burwell, now 74, reflects back on the Warren County protests, she thinks about the Black women who led and supported the protesters…. “That’s what I’ve been reflecting on,” Burwell said. “Those Black women who fed us, who got up early in the morning and came out at the Coley Spring Baptist Church and cooked food to bring to the marches.” It’s what kept Burwell, a mother of two, and other residents marching. Burwell was arrested five times during that period for her activism. Even her 8-year-old daughter was arrested once while participating in the marches. While the community lost the fight against the landfill … the battle helped birth a nationwide movement. Awareness spread around the country that toxic landfills were being placed in predominantly Black and poor communities.
Click through for story. By now I’m sure y’all know that I am a name ggek. Well, back when George Washington died, he freed his slaves, but Martha held some in her own right, some of whom were given ot bequestherd to her daughter. That daughter married a man named “Carter Burwell” (same name, but not the same person obviously, as the award-winning composer of music for movies.) Decades later, when all the slaves were freed during and after the Civil War, many, maybe most, slaves, who had never had surnames, took the surnames of their former masters (which seems a bit too “Handmaid’s Tale” to me, but it certainly would have been easy and have some advantages.) I am not prepared to say that Dollie Burwell (or her husband, if it’s his name) is descended from people who worked at Mount Vernon, but it’s certainly a possibility.

HuffPo – How Progressives Can Win The Long-Term Fights They’re Losing
Quote – As Belkin tells the story, a chronic problem for Democrats and their allies has been their focus on winning debates through better rhetoric. They assume public opinion is relatively static, and think the key to victory in any given argument is picking the right words or trying to shift the focus of conversation, so that the debate can take place on more favorable political grounds…. “As long as we emphasize frame over facts,” Belkin said in a recent interview with HuffPost, “we’re going to be playing small ball.”
Click through for full article. This was a bit hard for me, because the GOP has been all frame and no facts for at least 40 years and they have been killing us. But when he brought up “storytelling” – which to me is a frame – I paid more attention. Most people learn everything they know from one kind of story or another. What is QAnon but a collection of stories? But it doesn’t have to be used only for evil. It’s a technique which can be powerfully used for good.

Food For Thought