Yesterday, SCROTUS released more decisions, and JOyce Vance is going to have a lot to say. So are others – most everyone I subcribe to on Substack and also many others. And I’m sure all of you will also have opinions. It may take me a while, but I’ll share a few evemntually which I consider the best thought out and worded.
It’s always possible that our altitude might exacerbate this effect (the lowest point in Colorado is between 3000 and 4000 feet. It’s in some riverbed.) But I doubt that accounts for all of these effects. I’d recommend not living near an oil well in any state.
A DU member who received a somewhat detailed summary of the Biden/Harris team’s response to the debate reactions posted it in full. It should be somewhat reassuring. Here it is.
Yesterday was quite a day.When I got into the car to go see Virgil, of course it started right up, but when I backed up and started to turn, the power steering was clearly dead. I decided not to call USAA, even though that’s already paid for through my insurance, because they are kind of a one-trick pony – if it doesn’t fit into the most common categories, they’ll only tow it. And if it turned out to be just brake fluid, I wanted to be able to see Virgil. Instead I called the guy who (you may or may not remember) I called on our anniversary who successfully jumped it, noticed there was a spill under my front end ad topped up the radiator, and noticed my tires were low and inflated them all. Well, it wasn’t the fluid, and it wasn’t any of the fuses,so he went under the car, and it turned out it was simple after all. I learned that under the car there are spindles around which the belts get rotated which send electric power to whatever needs it. there are more than one (I think he said three) and there are at least two belts on any one of them. It turns out the steering is on the same one as the air conditioner. The steering belt was in place, but the air conditioner one had gotten knocked off (which can happen if one hits a pothole or a bump) and without both belts, the spindle wasn’t turning right. He put the A/C belt back in place and that fixed the steering belt and therefore the steering. Trying to explain it to Virgil, I just said “Dude’s a wizard,” but actually he’s just a mechanic who is trained all around and therefore has a lot more know-how than the guys who just jump or change tires or bring gas or tow cars. And, yes, he charges, but he also gives veterans a discount. So I got there, almost 2 hours later than I had planned, but I was and am so happy to have gotten there. We weren’t able to play as much cribbage as usual but we did play some. The hands ranhed from dire through mediocre up to halfway decent. But we enjoyed it. Also – las night – my local radio station devoted is pretty new Broadway show to “1776” For me that’s a hanky alert in a good way
On Friday, Marian Wright Edelmann posted a piece on the Sandy Hook survivors now graduating from high school. It’s a hanky alert. and I held it over the weekend to try to stay upbeat. But it deserves a read.
It’s anybody’s guess what SCROTUS is going to do with this when it gets there – and, in some form, it will. Personlly, I think if they ere truly the originalists they claim to be, they would decide, Sure, anyone can have a gun, aslong as it was made prior to 1800, or a replica of a gun made prior to 1800 with no updates. (‘m inclined to doubt whther any of the RW gun nuts can even load a musket.
Yesterday, the radio opera was “The Fairy Queen” by Purcell, which is an adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” recorded by an early music group in Utrecht, Netherlands. I streamed it – my local radio staion is now broadcasting the summer schedule, but they started a week late, so, if I don’t sream, I’ll miss the last one, and I don’t want to do that. However, The Fairy Queen is just over half the length of last week’s, so when The Fairy Queen ended, I switched over to the radio, just in time for the third and fourth acts. An also just in time for the static it was making earlier to have quieted down. So, the best of both worlds. And today, I’m off to see Virgil. As always, I’ll post a quick comment when I get back.
If you need a lift, and need to see Joe being Joe and apreciated for it, here’s a link to the North Carolina rally from Friday.
This is short, and simple.. Though about a complex issue, it makes it not to difficult to understand. And it’s good news, as far as it goes.
Remember the mayor elected in Alabama with an overwhelming majority, who couldn’t take office because the previous, unelected white mayor (who had not even bothered to run against him) would not turn over the keys? Well. Here’s the latest in that saga – and, hopefully,the last we’ll ever need to hear about it. Though I’m not holding my breath.
Yesterday, Robert Reich posted episode 5 in his DEBUNK series. Joyce Vance summarized what happened in SCOTUS Thursday, and what didn’t happen (more important actually). And it’s worth reading her post to the end for a little good news. And, SCOTUS told Steve Bannon to go pound sand (they declined yo hear his emergency appeal.) And then there was this: “Supreme Court guts agency power in seismic Chevron ruling.” And finally, Heather Cox Richardson and Robert Hubbell were the only two in my feed who saw the same debate I saw. I’ll let Heather tell it.
If you are looking for actual information about performance-enhancing drugs (which Joe Biden is not taking), I can recommend Evan Hurst’s article at Wonkette, from which I want to share this quote: “Every Republican accusation — literally every one — is a confession. If they’re talking about things, they’re talking about the things they do, and that’s why they know about them.” This weekend I am trying to keep the reference to either good news or funny/amusing. I for one need that break. We’ll see how it works.
This is short and succinct, and absolutely right on target. It hits literally close to home. It might even influence somebody. (and with all that, it’s also amusing.)
Yesterday, Ballotpedia announced a new feature: users will now be able to specifically track, from proposal through passage (or failure) legislation regarding AI deepfakes. They sent me an email, but its content is also in an article on their home page. I’m thinking that trying to identify deepfakes and distinguish them from real information is probably a very different experience depending on which state one lives in. At least with this, it should be possible to get an idea of just how tough it is depending on where one lives. And also maybe what to do about deepfakes one identifies. Also the “Debate” was last night. I watched it so you don’t have to. and that wasn’t easy. 28 minutes in I almost dropped out. Listening to all those lies literally hurts my ears. I did make it to the end – but I didn’t stay for the analysis.
I can affirm that trans people exist. I can also affirm that teans people are neither something new nor something liberals made up. There are references to trans people in literarure going back to the fifth century BCE. There are references to, and discussions of, trans people in Jewish scriptures going back thousands of years. We don’t have written records for Egypt on this, but both Ikhnaten and Hatshepsut were depicted in the visual arts as being somewhere between male and female. It would not surprise me to learn that trans people were known of and existed in ancient Africa, Ancient Europe, and Ancient Asia (it would surprise me no end to lean that they didn’t.) Yes, there are Republicans claiming that transgender is a concept liberals just made up withi the last 40 or 50 years. It isn’t. And it is real. Transgender people are not crazy. (Republicans are crazy, but that’s a different matter.)
There are few things I want to do less than reading 920 pages of Project 2025. Frankly, I’d rather have a root canal. But if anyone can make it bearable, it’s Joyce Vance. And when it’s so important, and so few people have even heard of it, let alone what’s in it, she makes a good case for paying attention to it. She starts here with the question, “If immigrants were deported… what would it mean for her grocery bill and access to food?” I can tell you it would be horrible, but she has the facts, including the numbers.
On Tuesday, Ukraine began official accession negotiations with the European Union. It’s nice to have some good news to offset what came out of the Supreme Court yesterday, and the ridiculous number of decisions not yet decided by the same. Also, I learned that Steve Schmidt has a wicked sense of humor, as is shown by his remarks about the Alan Shepard prayer.
I would think that Pete Buttigieg would be among the very last of white people to think that black lives – quality as well as quantity – don’t matter. I’d advise them to go directly to him. But I do realize that’s not as easy as it sounds.
Of course this is a concern, because bullies willalways look stronger to stupid people than they in fact are, and leaders with genuine inner strength will not look strong to stupid people. But if Joe just does what he did in the latest SOTU (and we know he can, bcause we watched him pull it off), people who are not brainwashed will get the point.
Yesterday, having been up the previous night well into the morning, I slept late. I did manage to get up soon enough to call my doctor’s ofice about an appoinrment, but I still had to leave a message. But not that i can drive again, I need to get there and get labs so I can get a prescription straight. They’ll call back. Also, Andy Borowitz came up with this idea. What do you think?
Now that we know who is doing this, I suppose the next step is a cease and desist order, and then a big money lawsuuit. At least I hope so. This dude must be stopped (and not rreplaced.)
I always thought Crooks and Liars was progressive – but apparently someone thinks they are not progressive enough, so they are “curating” some articles now, such as this one. Both Elizabeth Warren and Robert Reich weigh in.
Yesterday was the second anniversary of the Dobbs decision. Two effing years. Here’s a link to what Mary Trump and two of her friends, both of whom have worked on the Lincoln Project but have now founded what’s called The Seneca Project, have to say about it. There’s both a 37 minute video and a full transcript.
Heather Cox Richardson on the rconomy compared and consrasted baased on who wins the election. I am not convince that all those “business leaders” are as smart as Heather appears to think they are (I know for a fact that Elon isn’t). but even a few of them that smart would hlp.
Joyce Vance, because the Supremes aren’t finished for the year. In fact, tere are 12 undecided cases to go/ The earliest we can expect another opinion to drop is Wednesday. (As Joyce points out, and as I have often noticed, anything that happens during a President’s term of office, 17% at least will think is his fault. Or to his credit – it works both ways.)
