It’s another busy day as I had to find a replacement fort Julie. A woman she recommended has agreed to take the job, and another woman she recommended, has agreed to be on-call backup. Both are registered with the same agency. I have to use it, because the state pays for six hours per month of my care through their disabled seniors program. I have to pay for the rest, but every little bit helps. Tomorrow, I have my last pre-surgery blood tests, so please expect no more than a Personal Update tomorrow.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:46 (average 5:46). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: The Dixie Chicks are back, and they’re already making trouble. The much-loved liberal bad girls of country/pop kicked off their North American tour this month with a nice big flip-off to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Unabashed in their political views, the three Grammy-winning musicians have taken the long way getting back on tour, after dissing George W. Bush in 2003 while on stage in London. The trio suffered a backlash not many artists can or will survive. Like millions around the world, they were angry at “W” for starting the Iraq War. In comparison to the racist and incredibly disrespectful remarks made publicly about President Obama on the likes of Fox News every day, the Dixie Chicks’ lead singer Natalie Maines merely said she, "Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."… [emphasis original]
The article did not include a picture of what they did to Rump Dump. Here it is.
The article did include the song they played right after dissing Crawford Caligula. Here it is.
I love that tune!! Kudos to the Dixie Chicks!!
From NY Times: After the Central Intelligence Agency transferred Abu Zubaydah to the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and he was brought before a panel of officers for a hearing in March 2007, he described in broken English how he had been tortured in the agency’s black-site prisons.
He said his body had shaken when he stood for hours, naked and shackled in a cold room and unable to shift his weight to an injured leg. He spoke of his humiliation at having to relieve himself in a bucket in front of other people, “like an animal.” And he described being waterboarded until he stopped breathing and required resuscitation.
“They shackle me completely, even my head; I can’t do anything,” Mr. Zubaydah said. “Like this, and they put one cloth in my mouth and they put water, water, water.” At the “last point before I die,” he said, interrogators stood the board back up and “make like this” — he made breathing noises — “again and again they make it with me, and I tell him, ‘If you want to kill me, kill me.’ ”
Mr. Zubaydah’s testimony was contained in newly declassified transcripts of military hearings for the C.I.A.’s former prisoners. The government disclosed the accounts this week in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which provided the documents to The New York Times.
Bush, Chaney, Rice, Rumsfeld Gonzalez, Yoo and more belong behind bars for this.
From Alternet: At first blush it seems almost un-American—a universal basic income (UBI) that grants an income to every US citizen without any obligation to work or perform a socially mandated task. In a country that celebrates hard work as the path to fulfillment and riches, the idea of getting money for nothing—even if it’s just enough to keep you and your family off the debt collector’s call list and above the poverty line—is heresy. And yet, in some ways, UBI is as idealistic, optimistic, and American as the Declaration of Independence and its foundational principle that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Even with our current economic problems, we live in a land of abundant wealth and resources. And UBI is rooted in the belief that every human being should have at least the basic means to choose the life they want for themselves and their families. At a time when the tried-and-true twentieth-century solutions are failing us, UBI has the potential to give our troubled economy a twenty-first-century shot in the arm by transforming the technological disruption that’s been causing us so much anxiety into a force for self-fulfillment and the common good.
If these sentiments sound lofty and gilded, as I’m sure they do, my hope is that the conversations here will inspire you to see UBI as a policy that can raise the floor and reinvigorate our nation’s founding principles while providing new scaffolding for the American Dream.
Click through for his detailed support for his position. I agree with him.
Cartoon:
We need it back!
18 Responses to “Open Thread – 6/16/2016”
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6:33 Mooooo.
Glad you have had progress on "replacing" Julie (who sounds irreplaceable, but at least you can find someone to do the job.) You are in my prayers. Hubby says his too.
DKos – Love it. Mentioned it yesterday WRT the "Antichrist." Donald is too awful to just be the Antichrist. They did the right thing to take it all the way. BTW one article somewhere also included their "Traveling Soldier." Anti-war of course, and so strong a message it needs to come with a trigger warning.
NYTimes – Kudos to the Gray Lady for publishing it. Even the Gray Lady can't make those read it who really need to, however.
AlterNet – And it has been tried, and everywhere it has been tried, it has been successful.
Cartoon – We do indeed need it back, and maybe even more strongly worded.
P. S. – I'll bet you'll miss Killer Dawg too. Sniff. But you'll get through.
3:40 Pas de boeuf haché ce soir Puddy Tat!!!
Ce Sasquatch a mangé ma vache!!
Prayers continue. Glad you used this kind of approach when you hired Julie to make the replacement process this easy.
The Dixie Chicks are examples of standing up for what you believe in, like Christians are called to do, even when it has consequences that hurt.
Hopefully this new release of information strengthens the International Court's case even if it doesn't affect the Spokane case
Agree with JD on UBI..
If you live in CA, and voted by mail, you can check on your ballot at:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/
I just did mine and last action is that it was received by them on May 12th–does not show as counted yet.
DK: Love these gals!!! How awesome! Love the picture of Drumpf!!
NYT: Sad, and so sickening. That place should have never been. Those that think think they are above the law, in committing those atrocities should be found, tried, convicted, and sent to prison for a long time.
Cartoon: What JD said.
Do hope that all goes well with your replacement for Julie. I know that you will miss her. Good thoughts as you go to get your blood tests, and all comes out good. lol. Enjoy your evening, and get some rest. Take care, and Thanks, Tom.
Glad to hear you've made progress WRT replacing your health aide (or w/e the official name is).
Sounds like you mirror-imaged my Mom's experience, as I posted in your "Open Thread" of yesterday.
Hope the experience works out as well for you as it did for my Mom.
I hope the new ladies work out as well as Julie. Sometimes, the new one is better! Good luck tomorrow.
Daily KOs: I am not a big country music fan, surprise, surprise, a Kentucky woman! That said, I do like the Dixie Chicks and admired them for taking a stand. What was done to them by Fox news and the Republicans was a travesty. I wish every one who has maligned President Obamawould get the same treatment.
NY Times: Everyone involved with this horrible treatment of a human being should be behind bars!
Alternet: I agree with the basic premise of this, but who would provide the money for the UBI?
Cartoon: And we really need it back.
End welfare for the 1%.
Puzzle — 3:40 Pas de boeuf haché ce soir Puddy Tat!!!
Daily Kos — AMEN to the larger than life picture of the evil one, Drumpf. Very cool! The posting must have been updated as the picture of Drumpf is in the article. Dixie Chicks rock for speaking out!
NY Times — This should be enough to get an investigation going and Baby Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, Yoo and more on a direct one way flight to The Hague for a court date for violation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment which the US signed 18/04/1988 and ratified 21/10/1994. They must be held accountable!
Alternet — For all their talk about the threats of ISIS, the Congress, and particulary the Republicans, have failed to note the threat to national security that sis domestic. "An underclass of youth without hope and jobs is capable of becoming violent and spawning terrorists. For all these reasons, technological unemployment is a national security issue." This very issue can also be seen in Europe only it is being masked, or perhaps exacerbated by migrants arriving from the Middle East.
Cartoon — Enlightened move by FDR.
I'm so glad you found a replacement for Julie so fast, and a back-up too. You had to stick to this agency and you were in a hurry with the upcoming operations and Julie leaving so soon, so you can't have been too choosy I suppose. But I'm sure you have picked two people you're comfortable with showering and doing chores together. Let's hope they turn out to be copies of Julie in all other aspects too.
DK: So good to see the Dixie Chicks stayed true to themselves and had the courage to speak their minds on Drumpf when they returned to the stage after 10 years. Way to go, girls; Kudos to you!
NYT: The cat's been let out of the bag on CIA torture of Guantanamo prisoners quite a while ago, but they're still trying to keep further details from the public to this day. It's a very sad state of affairs that it takes the American Civil Liberties Union to bring in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the government to get these details straight from the prisoners' mouths out in the open. If the ACLU had not gone through all that trouble the government would still be sitting on this information after almost 10 years in order to protect it's predecessors. The reason for ACLU bringing the lawsuit is a very significant one: “At a time when some politicians are proposing that the torture program be resurrected, it’s crucial that the American public have access to these firsthand statements, and not only to the self-serving accounts offered by those who authorized the torture.” Kudos to the ACLU.
Alternet: The idea of a UBI has been going around in Europe for a long time and is making a come back after its near-death at the hands of a succession of austerity-preaching right wing governments. The Swiss have had a referendum on it only a few weeks ago on this left-over idea from the 90s and, as was to be expected from its increasing shift to the right, have voted against it. Afraid that it'll attract more immigrants looking for a better life for themselves, perhaps. On local level, one or two of the larger cities in The Netherlands have taken the idea on board again for the same reasons mentioned by Andy Stern. However, in the current political climate there's little chance that the experiments will be a success. We all need an economical and political revolution before these very worthwhile ideas have a chance to be put to the test, I'm afraid.
SORRY – HUGE PC PROBLEMS
Following the Automatic "Windows Update" of the other day on Windows 10, I've developed MAJOR problems.
My Friday is doubtful – need to get this corrected first
Sorry
Ouch!! Hope you get debugged soon.
Thanks for letting us know!
Of course, Cheney has already been indited by the( International court of justice) for crimes against humanity. They should have indited the whole bunch of them.Where is the justice?? Damned if I know.
Wishing you all good luck with the Monday surgery!!
DK: I saw that, and loved it!
NY T: "Bush, Chaney, Rice, Rumsfeld Gonzalez, Yoo and more belong behind bars for this." No doubt about it! So, that's how "exceptional" America behaves? These aases run around waving the flag, and proclaim exceptionalism, "One nation under God?" What damned blaphemy (if one is a beliver) these pigs create in the country's name! Bush is a "Born again" what? Boy, I hope there is such a thing as Karma. But, it might be hard to tell which which dung beetle any of them might be!
Alternet: Gald to see this idea simply being considered, in Finland, or anywhere!
Thanks all!! Hugs!! 7/6 will probably be Julie's last day. I will miss her. I refuse ti admit that I
ll miss Killer Dawg.