Yesterday, I learned that Steve Schmidt will be speaking at the Oxford Union’s annual debate, along with other Americans Julian Castro and Jeh Johnson. Steve is on the pro side and the other two on the anti. The proposition is “The House believes America is a failing democracy.” The whole thing will be videotaped, and should be on the Oxford Union’s YouTube channel next week. Steve will link to it when it is available. You know, 200 years ago, it might have made some sense to be an isolationist in America. Today, it’s impossible.
Joyce Vance brings together 1984 (with a nod to The Handmaid’s Tale), the Federalist Papers, and a letter to President Biden from two concerned Senators into a warning which we will heed – but a lot more people are needed to heed it. Not that I’m optimistic.
I am sourcing this from PolitiZoom rather than directly from Pavlovitz because I think the commentary adds a little something, as a second look at the same material from a different angle often does.
This is from Wonkette and ties together Trump**, cryptocurrency, and China. Sigh. I can see I am going to be missing more stories for longer than I had hoped. (There are emojis for sighing, but, except for the “sigh of relief” ones, which are pretty cute, they are all awful.)
Yesterday, the exterminator came and checked inside and out. He said there was a little activity indoors, which didn’t surprise me because last time he came too early and didn’t check inside. I just need to make sure that either the email specified an afternoon time or else I call to confirm that. Here are a couple of extras – Andy Borowitz Richardson on the failed coup in Korea
This is from Driftglass, though I found it through Crooks and Liars. Sometimes a really crude analogy is what is needed to make a point (and this one is about as crude as it gets.)
This is a history from Heather Cox Richardson specifically of how the liberal consensus, which I grew up with and so did many of you, was formed – and of what happened to it. And why we need it back – but not exactly how to do that. In my opinion, it’s a keeper – not that I expect to be able to do much of the work. And I have no children or grandchildren. But those of you who do will want, I am sure, to preserve for them as much of it as possible.
Robert Reich endorses Ben Winkler for DNC Chair, and makes what I would consider a strong case. But, you know, there are a lot of Democrats in leadership positions who would disagree. We’d need to convincing that it isn’t just that we are losing with their mode – it’s that their model is causing the losing trend. (BTW, everyone else spells it “Wikler” so Robert Reich may be wrong in his spelling.
Yesterday (Giving Tuesday), I had almost 200 emails before noon (and only 3 were from the previous day.) I am betting all or most of you had similar experiences, since we all are caring people, and if nothing else, we sign petitions for non-profits. In fact, probably many of you had many more. Today I’m expecting the exterminator to come on a follow=up visit (they come every three months, and I really appreciate that.) Tomorrow I may be able to get back to what passes for normal around here. I’d like that.
This was in yesterday’s Talking Points Memo morning newsletter, and I thought I’d squeeze it in before Patel is dumped or forced to drop out.
I don’t always agree with every point Steve Schmidt makes – but oh boy, is he ever singing my song on Native Americans and our treaties with them. (And if you’d like more history, Heather Cox Richardson has that.)
Yesterday, I had blood drawn for four tests. The appointment was for 3:00 pm, and I was prompt. The actual draw too well under a minute, and by 6:00 pm I could see the results on line. If I had been worried, that would have been a real blessing. In fact, just about everything was in normal range, and most right in the middle of normal range (I didn’t have to do the math – they gave me colored graphs.) I also had over 100 emails – but it was Cyber Monday and today is Giving Tuesday and Thursday is Colorado Gives Day. So that comes as no surprise. I have a bunch of stuff picked out, and most of it I still think is important, but I’ll try to put newer stuff in as extras this week. Also, as I came to post this, I realized I hadn’t posted yesterday. I do apologize.
Robert Reich provides the news sources he relies on for the truth. All are good (I will say the New Yorker has become a little to far right for me, and there are others.) I would add to Reich’s list Wonkette, The F*ing News because I often don’t have the time or energy to do my own sarcasm, and from them I get it ready made. For people who can tolerate videos, there’s “Legal AF” with Harry Litman, which is under the Meidas Touch umbrella, and he doesn’t have the annoying habit the brothers do of repeating things over and over, On Substack you can take your pick – besides Cox Richardson and Reich himself, I trust Joyce Vance, who doesn’t just stick to law and the courts, though that’s her area of expertise. Also, sign up for one unpaid subscription on Substack and whoever you subscribe to will occasionally (not often enough to drive you nuts) recommend other Substackers, and Substack will send you a short email with those recommendations. As Joyce often says, We are in this together.
So Erin Burnett at CNN is “an observant Catholic.” Well, I’m a Catholic. And I’d like to tell Erin Burnett a story. Many years ago – in the late seventies, to be precise, a gentleman named Charles Buswell was the bishop of the Pueblo, CO diocese. And I use the word “gentleman” advisedly. He was such a sweet, real Christian that he was written up by Time magazine. Alamosa was in that diocese then (may still be), and he had come to Sacred Heart parish there for I forget what ceremony – it might have been confirmations – and was relaxing at a barbecue afterward when I got into a conversation with him. In that conversation be mentioned that he has released from his vows a priest who was trans, and had recently completed surgery. “He said, I think that transgender is considered to be when the soul of one sex is born in the body of the other?” and I replied, “That is what I have always understood.” He grinned and replied, “Our diocese then should get the credit for having ordained the first woman priest.” That is how a real Catholic responds to transgender. You know, Christine Jorgenson was still alive then (she died in 1989). Her glory days were over then, but they lasted long enough into my childhood for her to be discussed in our home and for my mother to have given me the explanation on which I agreed with the bishop. Gender affirming care is not something frivolous. It’s much like needing an abortion when the fetus is already dead. Oh, wait – they oppose that too.
Yesterday, the radio opera was “Capriccio” by Richard Strauss. It addresses the age-old questin of whether the music or the words are more important in an opera. It does this theough the mechanism of featuring a poet and a composer both in love with the same woman expecting her to choose between them, In the end, she can’t. Some people think that Strauss hid the answer in the scoring of the final scene. But those people don’t always agree in which choice they think she made. So I don’t believe that. Operas have succeeded with strong music and weak libretti, and also the other way around. And some have failed in both of those categories. But a strong libretto with strong music is also no guarantee of success – and a weak libretto with weak music may be a hit for a while (though it’s unlikely to be remembered long. But good ones can be forgotten also. Welp, I’m off to see Virgil. I will check in in a comment when I get home.
This is late for Thanksgiving, I grant. But Andy Borowitz‘s tips may give you a SUnday smile or at least a Sunday snicker. nd Christmas is coming. And there’s always next year. And, speaking of Andy, there’s a video here – it’s about 15 minutes and is very funny, though just at the very end you may want a tissue.
This also appears to be good news, although Republicans seem always to find ways to take the joy out of everything. The F* News is snarky, of course. But it appears to be baseline true.
Yesterday, I continued some computer chores of moving infornation from one to the other. I also took in a grocery delivery, and though I haven’t checked it all yet against the order, I don’t think anything was missing. I aldo noticed – yes, I’m late to the party – that Elon Musk had posted something quite a while ago calling Kamala Harris “the ultimate diversity hire.” You may remember that my definition of “diversity hire” is “I can’t stand another ignorant white boy, I need someone who comes with actual qualifications.” Now that definition she might fit.
Our states are by no means all the same. I don’t suppose Ruben Gallego’s campaign strategy, as described by Huff Post, would work in every state. In fact, I believe that in many states our candidates should sound more progressive rather than moving center. But it did work for him (which means it also worked for all of us). and would work in many states.
Joyce Vance will sound overly optimistic to many of us, but she has some good points. And no one ever said or suggested that getting the Republic back could be done without a powerful resistance.
Yesterday, I actually cooked – oven roasted a chicken breast with a sauce I came up with. My oven won’t do any temperature but 350 °F, which is not high enough to get it as crisp as I would have liked, but it still tasted nice. And it wouldn’t be Thanks giving if I didn’t have leftovers – it looked more like a turkey breast than a chicken breast. I managed to eat about a third of it. 🙂 And, also of course, Virgil called. And I managed to make an appointment on line for blood work to be taken Monday. I am liking being able to do things on line.
This is from Colorado Public Radio. I did not know about these geological features – but it certainly makes sense, and makes the most sense to put it out. I hope that we are allowed to complete the project, which requires us ti get already authorized federal fundings. Just now, I wouldn’t bet on it.
Robert Reich writes about the misogyny, not just of Trump**, but of those with whom he surrounds himself, and those with whom he wants to associate in his cabinet. I haven’t heard the expression “testosterone poisoning” in quite a while. But it certainly fits.
Yesterday, for a change, I caught up on my email. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find anything in my inbox this morning, of course. I hope the featured image doesn’t squish today. I tripped over the quote, from a survivor of the Holocaust, but finding the right background and getting the quote into the right place took time. Just in case: “I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and braving the worst conditions conceivable
“I wasn’t going to post anything about Matt Gaetz following his dropout, but Amanda Marcotte used him as our poster boy to help us decide exactly what to oppose and exactly how to oppose it. Of course at this point I don’t suppose anyone ia 100% correct on that (though there probably are some who are 100% wrong), but Amanda Marcotte writes well and makes a good case. There isn’t a pay wall, but there is an ad blocker wall. You can keep the trackers blocked.
You may have already heard this from The F* News, but maybe not said so well, and maybe not in quite as much detail. This would not be the only thing where what’s floating around is not 100% accurate. In fact, I used one yesterday.
I wanted to get this up for the holiday because is is something I have been concerned about for a while now off and on, and maybe you have also – conservatives pushing an Article V convention. In fact, I’m going to quote a couple of sentences: “Two bodies can propose constitutional amendments: Congress or a “convention of the states” called under Article V of the Constitution. But regardless of which body proposes a constitutional amendment, an amendment does not become effective until it is ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (38). Accordingly, any 13 state legislatures can block ratification of a constitutional amendment.
