Afghanistan – Page 3 – Politics Plus

Video Thread for 8/22/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:05 pm Open Thread, Politics

Aug 222021

Glenn Kirschner – As Frustration Grows w/DOJ’s Inaction, Let’s Compare the 1/6 Insurrection Investigation w/Watergate

Meidas Touch – More of Alexander Vindman

The Lincoln Project – Ducey

Really American – The Real Taliban. Chip is back (so I’m a little behind. But I’ll catch up.)

Egberto Willies – I cut off the opening rant – I think the clip speaks for itself, and the little that he has to say at the end is plenty.

Soldier Saves Puppy Then Realizes He Can’t Live Without Her

Beau – Let’s talk about your questions on over there…. (20+ minutes of pretty much straight fact, sans ideology)

Video Thread for 8/21/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Aug 212021

Glenn Kirschner – Reuters: FBI Finds “Scant” Evidence of Groups Planning Insurrection. Here’s why this HURTS Trump

The Lincoln Project – The Best of Us

Meidas Touch – with Alexandr Vindman

Thom Hartmann – The “Great” America Trump & His MAGATs Want Exposed. I seriously doubt anyone here didn’t know this. But here it is – admitted.

Al Franken – Tucker Carlson – Most COVID-Vaccinated American?

This Wild Baby Monkey is Obsessed With Her Cat

Beau – Let’s talk about getting out from over there and a teachable moment….

Open Thread for August 21, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:09 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 212021

Yesterday, after reading the manual for the player with the opera on it, I realized the reason I wasn’t able to load anything was that I didn’t have the software installed on this computer (or on any compluter I’m currently using), and I couldn’t find the CD. I tried downloading it, but that didn’t work. However, what did work is the FM Radio feature, and I managed to get it tuned to my favorite station and get a strong signal. I also pulled out everything I intend to wear from the skin up and put it all together so I won’t be scrambling at the last minute. Then I pulled out the insulated bag for my water (which will go in frozen), my way-back snack, and to prevent a few ohther things from becoming untouchably hot while I’m inside – and found a sealable plastic bag to protect them from condensation. Finally, I printed and filled out the form that needs to be filled out and put it and the player and speaker with my purse and lunchbox I could have waited and filled it out when I get there, but with my limited eyesight and having to repeatedly remove and replace my glasses to see what I’m writing that small, I’d just rather do it ahead. So I think I’m pretty well set.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Mother Jones – To Beat Anti-Vaccine Trolls, Sometimes You Have to Think Like One
Quote – The first example is typical of how scientists communicate with us: Most major scientific bodies instruct scientists to stick to the facts when correcting misinformation. Yet a growing number of experts believe that facts alone can’t compete with the narrative techniques deployed by the purveyors of bunk. In her forthcoming book, Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them, Seema Yasmin, a professor of primary care at Stanford University, argues that science communicators must harness the power of storytelling to beat the trolls at their own game. “Facts don’t really seem to be able to change people’s minds,” Yasmin says. “Stories can be much more powerful.”
Click through for the full article. I’ve been pushing the communication power of stories as opposed to straught facts for years … and so have religions, including the crazy ones, which means they have a terrifying head start on us.

Democratic Underground – Nicolle Wallace On What Everyone Got Wrong About Biden – The Beat – MSNBC
I could have just put this into the Video Thread, but that thread is fairly full, and I liked the comments here. Several anecdotes about the contributions of immigrants, a little abut Nicolle’s background, and her track record since joining MSNBC.
Click through for the video and comments.

NBC News – Woman who drove into 2 children because of their race gets 25 years in federal prison
Quote – Poole Franklin sped from the scene and saw the 14-year-old victim walking near Indian Hills Junior High School in Clive about 30 minutes later. Believing the girl was Hispanic, prosecutors said Poole Franklin drove her Jeep over the curb, struck the child and drove away. The girl hobbled to the school for help and was taken to the hospital to be treated for serious injuries, including a concussion and bruises, court documents state. Poole Franklin was arrested later that same day after police responded to an incident at a gas station. According to court documents, she allegedly tried to steal items from a convenience store and began yelling racial slurs when she was confronted by an employee. It wasn’t until days later, while still in custody, that police connected Poole Franklin to the hit-and-runs.
Click through for a little more. It’s too bad, IMO, that the Federal and state sentences will run concurrently.

Food for Thought – animated – wait for it.

Open Thread for August 20, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:11 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 202021

Yesterday, I finished loading meds to shift my replacement times to the opposite weekends and free up this one. Since I can’t seem to get my car radio working and don’t have time to get it repaired or replaced, I started hunting up my mp3 players to find one that works. The first one i found, though it said it was working (with a new battery,) I couldn’t get any sound out of, either with earphones nor with the portable speaker, which I would prefer to use. The second one has its battery built in but it was competely discharged, so I started charging it up, and, when partiallly charged, it started to play. I tried it with the speaker and the speaker works with it. However, I did not figure out how to add additional music to it, nor how to turn it off. So I started looking for an owner’s manual on line. I also completed my draft of the Furies (if any day of the blog suffers from this visit, it won’t be Sunday, it’ll be Monday.)

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Hill – Suspect taken into custody after claiming to have bomb near Capitol
Quote – Manger said police were able to see a propane gas container on the truck. But he said officials have not yet been able to search his vehicle, adding they still need to “render it safe.” “It will take hours to assess the scene,” he said.
Click through for developments. Well, this was exciting (and a good reason to prefer boredom to excitement.)

HuffPost – Top General: No Intel That Afghan Government Would Fall In 11 Days
Quote – “There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days,” said Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said the U.S. anticipated “multiple scenarios.”
Click through for more. High tech intelligence is wonderful, but one can become too dependent o it. There’s a line from “Dr. Atomic”: “With respect, sir, anyone could have founf Los Alamos just by following the trail of beer cans from Santa Fe.” Beer cans (and the like) sould never be discounted.

Mother Jones – “Bar Rescue” Host and Laura Ingraham Discuss Cutting Unemployment Aid to Make Workers “Hungry” Like an “Obedient Dog”
Quote – I have a friend in the military who trains military dogs, Laura. And they only feed a military dog at night. Because a hungry dog is an obedient dog. Well, if we’re not causing people to be hungry to work then we’re providing them with all the meals they need sitting at home. I’m completely with you Laura. These benefits make absolutely no sense to us.
Click through for details, including nopologies. If you ever needed proof that the right wing does not consider “some people” to be human – here it is.+

Food for Thought –

Open Thread for August 19, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 192021

Yesterday, I got confirmation that I can see Virgil Sunday. That doesn’t give me a whle lot of notice, but I wanted to be as quick as I can, because, what with the Delta, I believe the US is looking at another lockdown, and I’d like to visit as much as I can before that happens. Because the new visitation procedures afford some social distancing, not every weekend is available for every inmate. The scheduler gave me enough possible dates to construct the schedule, bless her. So I can sort of plan. I idled the car for about a quarter hour (not sure it needed it, but that’s OK) and started setting up an extra week of meds so visits will be on the off weekends and I won’t have to do everything at once.

Cartoon – (Yeah, I know – actual elephants don’t deserve that. But the GQP does.)

Short Takes –

The Hill – Trump’s deal with the Taliban set the stage for the Afghan collapse
Quote – History will mark Aug. 15, 2021, as the date that the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban retook control over this troubled and war-torn country. But the real date that the Taliban’s victory was assured is Feb. 29, 2020, the day the Trump administration signed what it characterized as a “peace” deal with the Taliban. Once this agreement was signed — the tragic collapse we witnessed this weekend was inevitable. Of course, the agreement was not, and could not possibly have been, a “peace” deal since one of the parties currently at war — the Afghan government — was not a signatory. Rather, this was a “withdrawal” agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban that set the terms for the complete departure of American troops from Afghanistan by May 2021.
Click through for the story. Of course the facts that Bush and Trump** are traitors and that Obama was hamstrung by Republicans for eight years does not automatically mean that Biden is handling this as well as anyone possibly could. But I tend to believe he is.

HuffPost – A Powerful New Deepfake Tool Has Digitally Undressed Thousands Of Women
Quote – (HuffPost is not naming the site in order to avoid directing further traffic to it.) It went offline briefly Monday after HuffPost reached out to its original web host provider, IP Volume Inc., which quickly terminated its hosting services. But the site was back up less than a day later with a new host — as is often the case with abusive websites. Launched in 2020, the site boasts that it developed its own “state of the art” deep-learning image translation algorithms to “nudify” female bodies, and that the technology is so powerful there is not a woman in the world, regardless of race or nationality, who is safe from being “nudified.” But it doesn’t work on men. When fed a photo of a cisgender man’s clothed body, the site gave him breasts and a vulva.
Click through for details. This is just what we didn’t need. Of course, given the fact that vulvae and even nipples are as different as fingerprints, theooretically, it might be possible to prove in a lawsuit that this software was used. Except who wants her vulva photographed for comparison? Would testimony from a wona’s OBG be acceptable in lieu of photos? Jurors don’t actually look at fingerprints in the court, do they?

Democratic Underground – CNN and MSNBC are no better this morning. From a Marine who served in Afghanistan
Quote – Man, I picked a good day to mostly stay off this site today. The number of bad takes by people who couldn’t find Afghanistan on a map were coming fast and thick, and simultaneously ignoring the actual experts, ie those of us who survived by understanding Afghanistan is NOT the west.
Click through for the full Twitter thread, laid out for readability (the quote is just the first tweet.) It’s well thought out ans clearly explained. Who says Marines are dumb?

Food for Thought –

Video Thread for 8/18/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:16 pm Open Thread, Politics

Aug 182021

Glenn Kirschner – Not Enough Evidence to Criminally Investigate Trump? Really? Here’s Why That Assertion is Dead Wrong

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party

Meidas Touch – EXPOSED: Laura Ingraham Was Raised by a Nazi Sympathizer, Brother Reveals

“Airborne” Richard Ojeda – Who’s to Blame For Afghanistan?

The Ring of Fire – Perverts Have Found A New Home At A Pro Trump Social Media Site

Rocky Mountain Mike (is on a roll) – Reinstatement Day

Beau – Let’s talk about numbers, mistakes, and getting ready…. This is not something I haven’t thought about, and I think it quite likely that it may prevent my visiting Virgil again (still).

Video Thread for 8/17/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:30 pm Open Thread, Politics

Aug 172021

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Rules Dominion Defamation Suit Will Proceed Against Giuliani, Powell and Lindell

Now This News – Jon Ossoff on Being an Effective Ally

Rebel HQ – Homeless Man’s Emotional Response To Small Miracle

Ring of Fire – Ted Cruz Calls Capitol Rioters ‘Peaceful Supporters’ In Gross Defense Of Insurrection

Bruce Nelson – The Ultimate Tucker Carlson Folk Song

Liberal Redneck – Liberal Redneck – Biden, Trump, and the Taliban. Pretty good for somepne who admits he’s not knowledgeable. Beau, however, is knowledgeable.

Beau – Let’s talk about some questions about leaving over there…. (Yup.) The back-to-back is because they are related.

Beau – Let’s talk about who’s to blame for all this…. I can’t help but agree with his assessments of blame. But I also wish, as he does, that we could stop trying to assign blame right now. “Not very conducive to stopping it” is throwing roses at it.