Open Thread August 4 2024

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 042024
 

Yesterday, my Informed Delivery email showed a note from Paul Whelan in my mailbox. I’ll be picking it up today. I can’t imagine how many notes were sent to him that he wasn’t allowed to answer (or maybe even to see.) I hope (and kind of assume) he has people helping him to answer every single one. I’m so glad he’s home (and of course the others.) I gather Kamala had a big part in the dilomacy, though I haven’t (as I type) seen any details yet (too busy listening to the opera –  Berlioz “Damnation of Faust”). If you see any details on that before I can post, feel free to share in a comment.
Also – I don’t intend to start adding commentary on Beau as a regular thing. But if you ever watch him at all, do so today. If you don’t, the next time you do, you will think that either he or I, or maybe both, have lost our collective minds. That’s not actually the case.

Weekends tend to be slim pickings. But this is as good a summary of the week (actually the last two weeks) as you are likely to find. And if you’re interested in astronomy, don’t leave the page without scrolling to the bottom. I am pretty sure he is no relation to the telescope (it’s not even spelled the same) but I did wonder.

This appears to be extremely good news. I have a lot of respect for retired Judge Luttig. Of course, he’s 70, which means he’s not only old enough to remember when there were Republicans with honor – he’s old enough to be one.

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Open Thread August 3 2024

 Posted by at 6:15 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 032024
 

Yesterday, I started the day by looking for baby booties, and in fact found 9 pair (10 if I can find the mate to the last one.) I can’t just ignore a baby born on my birthday. So I am now ready, be it boy or girl. Also, since it was Friday, here is Robert Reich’s episode #10 of DEBUNK.  In regard to Beau, since I live in Colorado, I should tell you that I followed that Democratic primary – started in advance, right after the state Democratic convention, and it appeared there were two front runners. She wiped out both of them, seemingly coming from nowhere. Not that it will make a difference in a district as red as that, but she’s remarkable.

Wonkette sent me to this article in People magazine. But The Root also had thoughts. I can’t begin to sort out my mixed feelings about this – but one thought which leaps out is “Now all the gun nuts will be saying, ‘See! We told you it wasn’t the guns!'”

I’m not sure when I subscribed to Press Watch, but I’m glad I did. What POGO (Project on Government Oversight) does for the Federal Government (some would say “to” the Federal government), Press Watch does for – or to – the main stream media. I like that – and I think the Founders would too. They were under very few illusions about what can go wrong in a democracy.

 

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Open Thread August 2 2024

 Posted by at 6:12 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 022024
 

Yesterday, I was schedued to get a maintenance visit from the exterminator. But his wife went into labor, so they postponed it until Tuesday. Well, that will give me time to see whether I can find a pair of baby booties. I almost certainly can. But in case I can’t, I know I can find a sweater.Also, I replaced the pads on the bottom of my mouse, which works just fine but has been driving me nuts with the way it moves over the desk.  I knew there was a reason I had been saving those scraps of fuzzy Contact paper.  It works so smoothely and quietly now.  Oh, and the news was released that 3 prisoners of Russia are being released and returning to the US, and one of them is Paul Whelan!  Did you write to him when his brother asked people to do so?  I did, and even printed some labels because I don’t expect even American to read my 79 year old writing with ease, let alone Russians.  I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy to be recycling something as I am recycling those which are left.

Tina Peters’s trial started this week. CPR posted an article on the back story of how she got here. She’s really creepy (a word I personally prefer to “weird,” because good weird exists – but good creepy does not).  Apparently the evidence will remove any lingering suspicion that her actions might have been impulsive.  I wonder how many like her there are in how many states.

I don’t often send you to Steve Schmidt these days, but this time he was the first (at least the first I have seen) to tie JD Vance to Himmler, and I find it convincing (and, of course, frightening.)  Himmler was almost certainly smarter.  But it’s not necessary to be smart to do monumental damage.

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Open Thread August 1 2024

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 012024
 

Yesterday, my computer speaker died. Actually, it was a couple of days prior, but yesterday was when I actually went through the steps to learn whether some adjustmeny would fix it – and none wuuld. So I had to get out the new one I had planned to use on a newer computer and set it up. This one does work – good thing, since I will need it Saturday to stream that day’s opera. It’s possible that the old one still works – but it’s highly unlikely it will work on a newer computer. But it might work on an older one, and I do have several of those. Meanwhile, I’ll shop for another newer one.

This, dated Monday but more accurately from Tuesday (it may have reached Alaska and Hawaii while it was still Monday, but it was not still Monday anywhere in the lower 48 when sent) addresses SCOTUS (or SCROTUS if you prefer), its various issues, and what might be done and how it might get through. I am still no fan of term limits, so I made a little model.If this system has started with Reagan’s first term, it would have taken us until Biden’s pPresidency to win a slim majority under it – and thats assuming starting from scratch. If I go back to the actual composition of the court in 1980 and apply the concept (and assun that coonservative presidents never nominate liberals and vice versa), then by the end of Reagam’s term, and through Bush 1’s term, there qould have been 9 conseervative justices, and at the end the end of Trump**’s term we’d have exactly what we have now – 6 conservative and 3 liberal justices – just different faces..  Biden would be able to get that down to 5-4 and then o 4-5.  But after that the lomgest serving justices would be Clinton- appointed liberals, so there’s be no change in the court for a while.  (I didn’t take into considerations death, because it would likely not have been Scalia in that seat, and the same with Ginsburg.  I’m giving Ike credit for appointing liberal judges, because at least they would have been sane.

I assume you saw this news two days ago. But your source may not have included the audio with the departing Kevin Roberts admitting that he knows Donald Trump** is lying about not knowing about Project 2025 in order to fool Americans into voting for him.  (And at least one source now says he is not “stepping down” but “stepping over” – I find that believable.)

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Open Thread July 31 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 312024
 

Yesterday, I came across a short post sharing that MSNBC had shown an image of JD Vance over the chron “Look what the cat dragged in.” That gave me a smile. I also attempted making cookies, oatmeal raisin, with a non-wheat flour. I knew I would need more liquid than I normally use on account of the oatmeal (I used instant) but I overdid it a little. So they look odd. But they taste alright.

It may have been done before – but I have not seen this quote about fascism applied to democracy (don’t worry, it’s not negative) in this way – particularly combined with the concept that it happens a lot, in and outside of government in both small and large ways.

(non-paywall link) I don’t know how Rolling Stone does it – but so many scoops that are truly significant seem to start there. The New Yorker used to do that, with reporters like David Remnick and Ronan Farrow, but I’ve lost confidence in them. This story, of course, we’ve known what seems like forever – at least in the general outlines – but the details are now included.

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Open Thread July 30 2024

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 302024
 

Yesterday, as usual on a Monday, I slept later than usual. It’s not the sress on the driving and the visit that does it. It’s appears to be that the stress of worrying about it ahead of and during is my last atraw – and Sunday night, that stress is gone. I still have plenty to worry about … but when that last straw drops off, I apparently can relax enough to get to sleep and keep it up. Who knew?

There is more in this than the US Postal Service, but that’s the main point. Does the Senate have a provison for Discharge Petitons, or something similar?

In a development which should surprise no one, Climate Change is now affecting the quality of education. I feel for the kids who will grow up inadequately educated because of this (and other Republican ideas.) /and I feel even worse fo those who will in the future have to deal with them.

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Open Thread July 29 2024

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 292024
 

Yesterday, I was able to visit VirgilI arrived late, but he was just as happy as if I’d been on time.The drive was uneventful both ways but I still didn’t get my home safe comment up as fast as I would have liked. I am trying t work withmy Windows 10 laptop, and it is slower than molasses in July at the South Pole. Eventually I gave up and came to the Windows 8.1. It has glitches , but it basicallly works, and I am used to its glitches so I can deal with them. My week off helped. I am encouraged by the speed with which Democrats united behind Kamala, and also with the way younger voters, many of them first-time voters, mobilized in support, including with cash. I’m ready to get behind Kamala as much as I was behind Joe. However, I can’t not be worried about misogyny, which killed us in the Electoral College in 2016. Hemce the link today to Joyce Vance. I’ll try not to let it affect my mood here. I can’t promise to be able to sleep at night without worrying. That’s not really in my control.

Many thanks to Nameless, who put up some splendid memes while i was out – and also to everyone who commented this week.

If this is what has been keeping him going – well, he may still be around for another nine months. (Barf bag alert on article – it describes the syptoms, and links to pictures. Just don’t follow the links to the pictures.  The description is more than enough.)

Joyce Vance addresses what I fear most about the election in November. She sees what I see – and has highly positives about how to combat it – some in social media, others IRL.

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SOUND OFF! 7/28/24 Bang Bang

 Posted by at 6:46 am  Politics
Jul 282024
 

No doubt you have heard a lot about the attempt on Donald Tump’s life. As much as I detest the Orange Ogre, I also realize that violence is never a solution. An imp of the perverse in many of us may cackle at this incident and wish that the creep had better aim, but if we are noble and honorable we know that blowing away the man trying to be POTUS #47 would not help anything; in fact, had the shooter been successful, a wave of bloody violence would very likely have followed as Trump chumps lashed out in their bestial thirst for revenge.

President Biden was quick to condemn the attack, and he did so sincerely, though some right-wingers have accused him of shedding crocodile tears. There is only one real way to stop the Mango Menace from retaking the Oval Office, and that is voting for Kamala Harris. Assassination of one’s political opponents is for unfree countries.

Being the target of an assassination attempt, whether it succeeds or no, does not make one automatically worthy of veneration. President Kennedy’s death made him look more saintly than he actually was. Adolf Hitler survived at least 43 assassination attempts – does that make him any better?

The would-be assassin apparently had a sad life, bullied and ostracized, making him the kind of person who would attempt such a drastic and absurd act. All the twerp did was give Trump a bunch of brownie points. MAGAsshats are already taking advantage of this incident to rally around TFG and raise more money for his campaign. Never mind that the would-be slayer of Trump was registered as a Republican. Since he is dead, unless somebody can communicate with him via Ouija board, we may never know his actual motivation. Did he hope to blow Trump away for the good of the country, or for the good of the Republican Party? Or did he have a different incentive?

Conspiracy theories about the assassination attempt abound. Some people on the Right claim that Biden, Antifa, or some other left-wing/liberal person or organization was behind it. Some people on the left dare to suggest that the MAGA movement was behind it, hoping to make Trump look like a victim – and then pin the blame on Democrats.

Violence for political gain is never acceptable. Even if the man who tried to slay Trump had good intentions, remember just what road is paved with them. Maybe he wanted to force Republicans to choose a different candidate, one who had a better chance of winning in 2024. That is still no justification for the assassination attempt. No matter which way you slice it, the ballot is better than the bullet.

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