Open Thread August 22 2024

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 222024
 

Yesterday, I got an email from Vote Vets regarding Republican members of Congress who, while accusing Tim Walz of stolen valor, are themselves stealing valor as they speak “A full 29 of the 50 signatures come from Republicans who falsely claimed they are retired. Calling yourself Retired means something. It speaks to a length of time in service that many of the people on that list of Republicans never fulfilled.” They singled out Ronny Jackson and Troy NEhs – but that’s just two out of 29. In case anyone here has a veteran in your life who is Republican, Vote Vets is the place to go for the facts = any and all facts regarding MAGA lies about active duty military and/or veterans. Also, this popped up in Colorado – has any other state done this? Or could this be a model? And all this while Andy Borowitz got some giggles about Melania.

Joyce Vance has a subhead under the title of this post: “I’m not about to let up on this, and you shouldn’t either!” And, you know, she’s right. So I’m adding an extra link here, to her home page. By clicking on “No thanks” you will have access to a sort of “front page” of recent posts.And there are already a few newer than this one. It was a hot week for articles and columns (and the Convention hadn’t even started yet.) But this one is a good introduction. Also, here is something that is getting lost in all the other outrages

I have no doubt that the Obama presidency was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK )and other groups), nor that it was successful (I mean, all you have to do is to look at MAGA to see that), nor that the same is true for protests against wypipo murdering black citizens with no accountability. But that is on them, not on the decent and caring people who voted for Obama or those who object to people getting away with murder. In fact, Pro Publica recently completed an investigation on the phenomenon of radical racists getting more radicalized by Obama, and what can come of that.

There is so much crap in Project 2025 (and in Don-OLD Trump* for that matter) that it’s prectically impossible to keep up with it all. Of course, thet’s what sources like Talking Point Memo, and others, are for.

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Open Thread August 21 2024

 Posted by at 6:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 212024
 

Yesterday, I read an email from Colorado’s Attorney General which had me in tears – good tears for the accomplishment, mixed with sorrow for the lost time. I lived in the San Luis Valley from the time I got out of the Marine Corps (1976) until 1991 when the jpb situation thre pushed me and Virgil to move to Colorado Springs. That was the time of my life when I was a real cat lady. I don’t recall opiates being a problem there then. Alcohol, yes. But the big medical thing was diabetes and the fact that it hit Hispanics so much harder than non-Hispanics. Unfortunately I can’t link to the email, but I can link to the article in the Valley Courier – still in print thankfully – which tells the story also. He’s a Democrat, so I have always voted for him any time he was on my ballot. I hope he stays in office for a long, long time.

Steve Schmidt – a couple of days old – but unless his prediction has alread come to pass, not too old. And we should be ready for it, and then, even if it turns out to be wrong, we’ll be fine.

Personally I would

but I’m glad someone is saying it out loud. because there are people who do not realize how bad it actually is. And you cannot fight something if you don’t know it even exists. I think we can do this, but we cannot forget for a moment what we are up against.

This is the good news. The bad news. of course, it that it’s today’s courts it will have to go through, not, for example the Warren Court (I’m pretty sure no relation to Elizabeth.) Kroger and Albertson’s being the only two big conglomerates is already a monopoly (technically it’s a duopoly, but these two are like-minded like Charlie and David.)

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Open Thread August 20 2024

 Posted by at 5:57 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 202024
 

Yesterday, the Atlanta Black Star had a story which horrified me – not that that is unusual – but this one is a bit out of the ordinary. Stories of abusive cops assaulting people of color are, sadly, still a dime a dozen. But when the abusive cop is running for Congress – that puts it into a different category. The ABS doesn’t mention the District number, but it is the one currently served by Democrat Pat Ryan, so it’s the 18th, in the Hudson Valley. This is his official site. If you can spare anything for an election other than the Presidential one, this would be one to consider.

I have alluded to this before – and I don’t want anyone to forget it. As Joyce Vance says, “History is full of failed coups that were preludes to successful ones.” So we must take it seriously and use every means at our disposal.

Posted without comment. I’m sorry. But I just can’t.

Seems like absolutely no one except Mary Trump wants to talk about this. I saw somewhere that the statute of limitations had expired, since the incident occurred in 2015.I don’t know what the Federal statute of limitations is on taking a bribe. But I’m pretty sure that there’s no statute of limitations in a Federal RICO case.

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Open Thread August 19 2024

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 192024
 

Yesterday, Trinette was by and helped me by bringing the mal in and the trash and recyclables out. I am still “gun-shy” about going out of and back in my front door, having tripped on the threshhold too many times. I can do it, but I really have to concentrate and it isn’t the greatest thing in the world for my blood pressure. So I do so appreciate her help with this. I had found some time this week to work on something i had promised her – to burn some CDs of works by black classical composers. I found enough for 6 CDs, and I have a playlist for the 7th, but I hot my download limit until today (I’, also almost out of blank CDs, but I have more on order). And I have still barely scratched the surface of what’s available. But I am having so much fun doing it – it’s a good thing it’s not illegal.

The article is about the secretly recorded tape made of Russell Vought, a big player on Project 2025. Besides quotes from the undercovers, they also have the video. Watch it if you dare. I doubt I need to say it’s all unconstitutional.

This is regarding fundraisers and volunteering on behalf of Kamala Harris. After that video, I figured we needed some good news badly.

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Open Thread August 18 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 182024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Rusalka” by Dvorak, which is the Czech version of the little mermaid. Like the Andersen original, it does not end well (Czech folk tales in general tend to be noticeably grimmer than Grimm). After the prince spurns the rusalka for the foreign princess, the former princess spurns him, devastatingly, telling him to follow his witch to hell. Which he pretty much does. Wonderful music. The “Song to the Moon” may be the best known, but the Polonaise also gets a lot of play. And short enough for me to go back to local radio and hear again almost the last almost-an- hour of “Don Carlo.”

As you watch the Democratic National Convention on TV (or whatever) from the comfort of your home, be glad you are not a Smithsonian curator. Seriously, it’s difficult to keep track of everything the Smithsonian does to preseerve American culture and history. Every once in a while I like to take a look at it, and also remind others.

I realize everyone and his dog (or her cat) is coming out with information on Project 2025. If the aggregate of these guides does not yet surpass the number of pages in the Poject itself, it likely will soon. This is Lakota Law’s version, based on comparing it to “settler violence,” otherwise known as “US policy throughout the 19th century.” The comparison is, IMO, apt, and I think examining it can benefit far more people than just Native Americans and people of color.

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Open Thread August 17 2024

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 172024
 

Yesterday, I learned that the same artist who created the Obana “Hope” poster has now made one for Kamala called “FORWARD.” It’s 18×24 but you can download it as a pdf on a single page. And if you don’t have an 18×24 space, you can get “labels” (actually just sticky paper) at an office supply store. (I just used my last one for something else, but have ordered more.) And, yes, this is the same poster I wrote about in yesterday’s email – I didn’t want anyone to miss it. It is Creative Commons, which means you may print it and put it up without worrying about copyright. You are, as it were, pre-licensed.  Also, I received a grocery delivery.

Margaret Atwood has a new French Revolution post out. She explains why it took her this long … but frankly I think this is exactly the right time for it. Not, I suppose, that the people who most need to be warned will see it – or not in large numbers – but at least we will.

I don’t suppose anyone who comes here is any more interested in crowd sizes in general than I am. I’m all too aware that crowd sizes are not even as good an indicator of electoral victory than the polls. But there is something they do measure, and that’s what this article is about. It appears that HuffPost is willing to print what is right before their eyes when the New York Times will not.

Belle Louisiana

Dog

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Open Thread August 16 2024

 Posted by at 5:49 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 162024
 

Yesterday, I wondered whether anyone who comes here lives in Chicago. Because Wonkette is having a sort of party there on Sunday. I believe there will be snacks, and I’m certain there will be drinks. (If they were bringing their own bartender, there would be drinks you did not know existed. I’ve read some of his recipes and he is a perfectionist. But they’re not. So it will be mostly beer.) It will be between 5 and 7:30 PM in the bar of the Kaiser Tiger. Details here. Also, Tim Walz’s dog Scout is on the cover of Vogue’s September issue, Also, too my stuff got picked p – so my porch is cleared and ready for more.

Robert Reich on what Harris could do as President to make the economy better. Yes, it gets a bit technical. But it’s Robert Reich, so it’s clearly explained.

CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has done an investigation of the Republican plan to infiltrate state election systems with themselves in order to refuse to certify elections they don’t like the results of. I’ve seen stories on this, and I’m sure you have too, but nothing beats an investigation report from a responsible citizens’ group. You do have to use the “download” button in order to read it. It downloads as a PDF and does so very rapidly, and it requires less than 7MB of disc space.

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Open Thread August 15 2024

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 152024
 

Yesterday, I learned there’s a new Randy Rainbow out. I also learned Randy has a sponsor now. I have doctored the URL to omit it – but I might point out that it is “Ground News,” which Trae Crowder has also accepted as a sponsor, so you know it’s going to be a reliable source. If you want the coupon, you can start it at the beginning. The parody is of “The farmer and the cowman should be friends,” from “Pklahoma,”which also is about division, so very appropriate. Here’s the link. With that accomplished, I also requested to schedule a donation pickup – and got today for a date. Well, I was ready; all I needed to do was move the chair I want to keep away from the boxes, and put out a note. Since I was going out to the porch anyway, I replaced my “No solicitation” sign, which was getting pretty worn, and put up a new one (if you are on our Mitch’s email list you probably saw it) “Warning! Retired person on premises. Knows everything and has plenty of time to tell it.”

Brooke Binkowski is new at Wonkette. She is a “counterdisinformationist*. In this article she addresses what counterdisinformation is and why it differs from fact-checking and debunking (both of which are also in her CV.) Even though she writes with Wonkette’s trademark irreverence (Rebecca appears to have a knack for hiring people who take to irreverence like ducks to water) some of her suggestions are quite doable. Of course, the more successful one is at it, the more likely one is to start receiving death threats, so take that into consideration too.

There’s a great deal wrong with people who to remove from society those wom they believe to be the “underclass.” But the one thing that may make them the most likely to rethink this is to point out that, without the “underclass,” they would have to clean their own toilets, scrub their own floors, at the very least harvest, and possibly also grow, their own food – and on and on. No, he’s not running for PResident – yet – but as an adviser th JD Vance, if Republicans win, he could still see the inside of the White House.

Belle Ukraine

Dog

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