Open Thread January 12, 2023

 Posted by at 6:56 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 122023
 

Yesterday, there was news about Damar Hamlin. I didn’t report when he was moved from the hospital he was originally in to one nearer home, because he was still hospoitalized. But now, after probably every test they could come up woth, he has been released from the hosppitsl entirely.

You may see a theme in the short takes today. I am beginning to see some thoughtful reporting about what Republicans are threatening to do, and what they can’t, or, if they can, why it cannot have the effects they claim it will. However, if they are able to get control of all three houses (Representatives, Senate, and White), it will be a different story. Campaign 2024 begins now.

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Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Democrats Have Little to Fear From GOP House Investigations
Quote – [McCarthy] announced Republicans’ intent to investigate everything from active criminal investigations being conducted by the Justice Department to “the withdrawal of Afghanistan [sic], to the origins of COVID, and to the weaponization of the F.B.I.” A resolution to create a special House Judiciary Committee “select subcommittee” to get this laundry list of investigations done will be voted on later this week. The intention to make this committee the Republican answer to the Jan. 6 Committee was made clear by Rep. Chip Roy’s disclosure that Speaker McCarthy has promised the select subcommittee at least as much funding and staffing as was given to the Jan. 6 committee.
Click through for details. The advice contained in this artocle is good, but probably unnecessary. No elected Democrat is going to be stupid enough to blow off a request from a lawfully formes committee just because it is made up of idiot and the request is laughable. None of us has anything to hide.

Crooks & Liars – No, House GOPers Can’t Block Additional IRS Funding
Quote – Maybe these Republicans would have been happier if they’d done high school theater when they were kids, and gotten it all out of their systems. Because there’s no way, no how they get to stop this IRS funding. They just have to be seen trying to stop it to make their donors happy!
Click through for exactly why not. (Not that you don’t already know this if you have ever seen Schoolhouse Rock.)

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Open Thread January 11, 2023

 Posted by at 6:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 112023
 

Yesterday, after having set my alarm and arisen for it three days in a row, I slept in. But I still managed to find some cool stuff, one of the coolest of which was a Mother Jones article about coolness at government agencies. In sure we’ve all seen the occasional example of a government agency putting out some kind of warnin with verbiage and phrasng which draws attention because of its humor, but I didn’t realize it was becoming a trend. If you’re looking for an extra chuckle today, this is the place.

I also got an email from my cousin that the Army Corps of Engineers has a downloadable cat calendar for this year.  My first thought was, “Why would th Army Corps of Engineers put out a calendar with cats?”  But as soon as  I looked at the cover it was immediately obvious …. and then it just got better.  Also, this is not from the entire Corps, but specifically from the Portland (OR) District.  TomCAt would have absolutely loved it.

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Short Takes –

Huff Post – Republicans Who Voted To Overturn The 2020 Election Get Top Committee Posts
Quote – House Republican leaders on Tuesday announced their picks for powerful committee chairs in the new Congress, and most of them have an inherent character flaw: They voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results after fueling the lie that the election was stolen from Donald Trump. “Our committee chairs represent the very best of our conference,” House Majority Leader Scalise (R-La.) said when announcing the GOP’s choices for chairmanships.
Click through fpr details. Of course this is bad news. But probably not more so than we expected.

The 19th – Two stories
Quote 1 – The Presidential Citizen Medal is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, given to those who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” Today marks the first time Biden has awarded this medal. Of the 12 recipients, four are women.
Quote 2 – [R]eproductive rights advocates and physicians say, the rights of infants born by any method, including after an attempted abortion, are already protected by a bipartisan 2002 law that established that infants have the rights of a full human. Live births after an attempted abortion are exceedingly rare, and the proposed measure would take away power over medical interventions from families and physicians.
Click through to one or both. As I’ve said, the 19th tends to focus on women, and these are no exception, One is good news, the other bad news.

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Open Thread January 10, 2023

 Posted by at 6:57 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 102023
 

Yesterday, the Smithsonian newsletter included a link to their Andean Bear cub cam (at a month and a half, their eyes have not yet opoened, nor can they hear), and that page also includes a link to the Giant Panda cam. I didn’t try the pandas. I watched the cubs for a minute or teo, saw no motion, but heard a tiny “squeep.” It might have been a baby snore – not, I think, a baby sneeze. Also, I received a grocery delivery.It looks like i got everything except the lip balm, and there’s no huge hurry on that.  In actual news, The PCCC (Bold Progressives wants to know whether or not we think it would be a good idea for Katie Porter to run for the Senate next time.  Initially I shuddered, thnking of Tim Ryan (and so many others),.  and then I thought, wait a minute – her district was already red, and redistricting just made it redder – she probably actually has better prospects state wide.  So I answered yes.  Of course they also want funds but they’ve labeled it “optional,” so no pressure.  Here’s the link.

I cannot say it was a slow news day.  In fact, it was so much the opposite that it’s going to take me a while to digest it.

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Russian Wife Wants Her Husband To Go Die In Ukraine For A New Car
Quote – A Russian woman named her goal in the war against Ukraine…. [O]ne Russian woman confirmed that she wanted to send her husband to die to get a car for him…. And she did it right in his presence…. The Russian confirms that he supports the dictator Vladimir Putin and will go to the front when he is summoned.
Click through – If this is real, and not some twisted joke, it’s easy to see why GQP voters are so in sync with Russia.

CPR News – Colorado sees more avalanche deaths than any other state. A training course at this mountain park hopes to change that
Quote – While carrying avalanche safety equipment has become the norm for many backcountry skiers and other recreators, remembering how to use it in an emergency properly is another skill entirely. So where can one practice for the unthinkable? At a park just outside of Minturn, now open for its third season, there are eight transmitters that people can practice finding with their beacons.
Click through for story. Good thing we have technology, because avalanches are a phenomenon which climate change is not going to make less common. Now people just need to learn how to use it.

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Open Thread January 9, 2023

 Posted by at 6:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 092023
 

Yesterday, Joyce Vance wrote a prequel column to her normal “The Week Ahead” column which comes out today. It’s called, “How does the First Day of a New Congress Work?,” and she wrote it in order to get the normal stuff out of the way so she can pay more attention to the abnormal stuff she, and everyone else, is expecting. Even professional analysts are overwhelmed by the happenings of last week. Actually, it’s quite possible that te more one knows, the more overwhelmed one is. Heather Cox Richardson quoted some from Jeffries’s speech, including the entire A-to-Z section, which I re-quote here because it is so comprehensive:

“American values over autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the Constitution over the cult, democracy over demagogues, economic opportunity over extremism, freedom over fascism, governing over gaslighting, hopefulness over hatred, inclusion over isolation, justice over judicial overreach, knowledge over kangaroo courts, liberty over limitation, maturity over Mar-a-Lago, normalcy over negativity, opportunity over obstruction, people over politics, quality of life issues over QAnon, reason over racism, substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over ugliness, voting rights over voter suppression, working families over the well-connected, xenial over xenophobia, ‘yes, we can’ over ‘you can’t do it,’ and zealous representation over zero-sum confrontation. We will always do the right thing by the American people.”

Also there was a Trump**-style coup attempt in Brazil.  And Brazil may not be the last country to play copycat (thoughwhy it’s called copycat, I can’t imagine – cats are not known for being followers, of anyone or anything.)This is a deeloping story and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding developments.

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Short Takes –

Southern Poverty Law Center – Rosewood Remembered
Quote – For almost 60 years the massacre, which left at least six murdered while the rest, including dozens of children, escaped in the middle of the night, running through swamps, hiding in the woods and leaping onto train cars, was all but erased from historical memory. No law enforcement agency investigated, and no one was ever charged with crimes. The erasure mirrored that of racial violence across the U.S., where lynchings and mob attacks in Chicago, Tulsa, Omaha, and in small towns and large cities across the country were, and in many cases continue to be, left unremarked and unremembered save by communities of survivors.
Click through for article. It does frost me that white Floridians (and Georgias, and Oklahomans, and Illinoisians, and Nebraskans, and white people alll over our country were are are so hell-bent on covering up our real history. The cover-up really is worse than the crome. Obviously they don’t get that.

The Daily Beast – New Congresswoman Fights Rival Over Witchcraft Accusation
Quote – Rep. Anna Paulina Luna came to Congress on her first day in office ready to do battle—not just with Democrats, but also with her own party, as she became one of the 20 Republicans to vote against electing Kevin McCarthy speaker. But back home in her conservative Florida district, Luna is waging a very different kind of war: a legal fight with political enemies who say she is a literal witch. A letter obtained by The Daily Beast reveals that the Florida Republican retained the high-powered law firm Holland & Knight to go after a would-be rival who leveled a series of outlandish allegations against Luna on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show in the fall.
Click through for details. The legal action itself proves she is not a witch. Casting a spell would be easier and cheaper than going to court – if sh could do so . So, she can’t. (And I have to say the title “Bubba the Love SPonge” doubtless tells you everything you need to know about the intellectual level of the program.)

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Open Thread January 8, 2023

 Posted by at 6:53 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 082023
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Medea,” by Luigi Cherubini. Cherubini ws a contemporary of Beethoven, and was considered by him to be (as one musicologist put it) “the greatest living composer not named ‘Beethoven.'” Maria Callas was a big fan of this opera, and while I was still in the military I found a (vinyl) recording of her performance of it, and snapped it up. From the first measure of the overture (which still sends chills down my spine) I was hooked. While stationed in Washington (DC), I was privileged to see a performance live at Wolf Trap (where we had thunder and a little lightning during the overture – which would not enhance every opera, but did this one.) All of those people (on the record and at Wolf Trap) are gone now. But this cast did not disappoint. The intermission features included the annual review of those singers we lost in 2022. This year there was only one singer whose name I recognized – Maria Ewing – she didn’t sing a whole lot of roles, but during the pandemic one of the videos available was “Dialogues of the Carmelites” in which she sang the leading role of Blanche. Sigh. (Her daughter, Rebecca Hall, was on “Finding Your Roots,” I forget which season.)

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Short Takes –

Mother Jones – American Myths Are Made of White Grievance—and the Jan. 6 Big Lie Is Just the Latest
Quote – [I]t is insufficient to claim that the Big Lie is merely that the 2020 presidential election was stolen or that Trump’s election-fraud conspiracy was the root cause of the riots. As we confront the insurrection on its two-year anniversary, it’s important to remind ourselves of what motivated the rioters that day: the idea that the United States is for white people, whose power must be protected at all costs.
Click through for full article. I might add that the phrase “Christian Nationalism” really means “white nationalism” – as if people of colorwere not as good Christians (they’re usually better, in my experience) as wypipo. “Patriarchal Nationalism” would be closer to the truth.

Denverite – Colorado’s plan to relieve pressure on Denver: busing migrants and state workers volunteering at shelters
Quote – The state said it was partnering with two nonprofits to help migrants move to their intended destinations, where some may have friends or family waiting for them. So far, Polis said, many who have arrived and overwhelmed Denver’s existing and emergency shelters actually planned to be in Miami, New York and Chicago. Migrants do not have to prove that they have friends or family in other cities, but Polis said the local emergency managers are coordinating the arrival of larger groups of migrants with other cities.
Click through for details. Since MY governor is not a Nazi, I want to stress that THIS busing is 100% voluntary, and will be to places they were intending to go to before getting sidetracked. Also that the state employees who volunteer will be doing so on (paid) administrative leave.

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Open Thread January 7, 2023

 Posted by at 7:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 072023
 

Yesterday, the Daily Beast newsletter was a gosip rag, and Steve Schmidt wrote about January 6. Rep. Scott Perry told us that the adage “Be nice to people you meet on the way up; you’ll meet them again on the way down” even applies to Republicans like Kevin McCarthy. In other news, Bold Progressives is collecting signatures for a Get-Well message to Jamie Raskin.

Also yesterday, my new space heater (and a spare) arrived 5 days earlier than promised. They are larger than I expected but they fit in the space, and they are most definitely adequate for the job. So I expect to be able to qui wearing socks with my (faux of course) fur lined shoes and boots.

And I would add Cavin’Kevin was finally elected on the 15th ballot … but it was after midnight in DC, so it actually happened today.

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Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Now It’s The Proud Boys’ Turn To Find Out
Quote – The seditious conspiracy trial of Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four [other] members of the Proud Boys … is underway. Opening statements have not yet begun, however. Instead, jury selection has moved at a glacial pace at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C…. [They] face nine charges apiece including seditious conspiracy; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their duties; obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder; destruction of government property; and aiding and abetting, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
Click through for story. The seating of the jury is taking longer, because the Proud Boys are a tad more notorious than the Oath Keepers – otherwise, we can hope this trial will go pretty much like that one.

Wonkette – Dipsh*ts Charged In Christmas Attacks On Four Washington Substations
Quote – Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were charged in federal court Tuesday with conspiracy to damage energy facilities, and Greenwood also caught charges of possessing unregistered firearms. When Greenwood was arrested, he was found with an illegally modified short-barreled rifle with a homemade silencer, as well as a short-barreled shotgun, neither registered as required by law. In the Justice Department press release announcing the charges, US Attorney Nick Brown noted, “We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously. The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”
Click through for details. Basically, these people are murderers who are too cowadly to face their victims. There are colder places than Western Washington (the ocean to its west gives it some protection from the kind of blizzarda and sub-zero temperatures we see on the prairie and in the northeast) but it can still get cold enough fot hypothermia to kill- even if one doesn’t need oxygen or other electric-powered medical support.

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Open Thread January 6, 2023

 Posted by at 6:56 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 062023
 

Yesterday, Steve Schmidt published a Substack column about which he felt so strongly that he made the whole thing available to unpaid subscribers. Basically, he wanted to oppose the idea that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He refers to the inability to see situations and alignments as other than binary as “an addlement in the American character.” I’d’ love to tell him it’s not limited to Americans – C. S, Lewis complained about the same “addlement” in Brits in the 1940’s and 50’s. It isn’t specifically American. It’s just human. He got onto the subject – the rant, if you will – because Sean Hannity and Stephanie Ruhle were both on their respective netwotks tring to tell Boebert the same thing and he wanted to point out that, because Hannity and Ruhle agree on this one thing, and both oppose Boebert, that doesn’t make Hannity a good guy. I’m sure the fact that Hannity is not a good guy is not news to anyone here… but he was right to point it out. There is a lot more in the column, so I’ve linked it in case anyone wants to pursue the idea. Aside from that, and the fact that it’s still cold, and my space heater for the computer room died, and the one from the living room is inadequate for this space (but I do have a new one on order), it’s pretty quiet.

Cartoon – 06 Jan6 in used

Short Takes –

Newsweek – Secret Service Members Found To Be Part of Far-Right Extremist Group—Report
Quote – The list of dues-paying Oath Keepers included 21 people who said they were currently employed by DHS at the time their names were added to the list. A total of 306 identified themselves as being affiliated with DHS…. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors extremist groups, describes the Oath Keepers as advocating “for Americans to prepare for inevitable conflict with the government by stockpiling goods and supplies, engaging in paramilitary training and working to create small, self-reliant community networks.”
Click through for details. Surely no one is surprised by this. But it’s always good to have proof. And, of course, the question is – “Now what?”

Colorado Public Radio – This Ukrainian refugee is sharing her country’s history, culture and spirit through cooking classes in Fort Collins
Quote – “My idea was to make a cooking class about Ukraine, Ukrainian food, Ukrainian tradition,” said [chef Tetiana] Stratilat, who mentioned in an interview that she speaks fluent Russian and Ukrainian and “a little bit English.” What she decided to bring to the cooking classroom was not just ingredients. “I explain the Ukrainian tradition, how we serve [the] table, what‘s the symbol of these dishes, give some history so the people more understand about my country,” she said.
Click through for story. Anyone surorised that all the best “Russian” food is actually Ukranian? I suppose for those of us who grew up and really spent most of our lives equating the Soviet Union with Russia, it’s understandable. But it’s time to learn the truth.

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Open Thread January 4, 2023

 Posted by at 7:17 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 042023
 

Yesterday, I decided, with everthing else here quiet, to give you an update on the mailbox for tomcat@politicsplus.org. After getting it cleaned out initially, I’ve been trying to check it every week, or at least every other week. I tried at one point to close his Twitter account, but was not successful. However, this last week he did not get any emails from Twitter … so maybe Elon Musk suspended him for something (non-payment of the new feea?) I’ll just hope there aren’t any more. I did manage to close his account at Fantasy Pros – the fantasy football site. I don’t think there is enough interest for it, and in any case, I would be incompetent to run it. I am only aware of football when something horrible happens, such as the Bengals-Bills game this week. I certainly hope Hamlin survives, but the longer he has to stay in intensive care, the less likely it is that he will ever be able to play again (in fact he may already be past that point) and that will certainly be hard on him emotionally. Back to TC’s inbox, at this point everything that is coming is is emails from WordPress or their partners such as updates or expirations, many of which I already know about because alerts on the Dashboard have advised me. Besides that, there is only spam, and there really is no way to get rid of that.

These articles are not old news yet, since after 3 failed ballots they adjourned. Anyway, one has to take the Schadenfreude where one can get it.
Black Woman – Beforre Noon – Round 1 – Chaos

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Zelenskyy Delivers Most Powerful Speech Yet To Ukraine
Quote – “Of course it was hard to celebrate fully because we understand that our soldiers can’t be with their family,” Evheniya Shulzhenko said while sitting with her husband on a park bench overlooking the city. But a “really powerful” end-of-year speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on New Year’s Eve lifted her spirits and made her proud to be Ukrainian, Shulzhenko said.
Click through. The full video in the headline has a voiced-over English translation, but no CC. But the Twitter clip in the body does have CC. And it’s pretty powerful by itself. I’m not sure I could take much more without melting into a puddle.

Washington Post (no paywall) – White contractors wouldn’t remove Confederate statues. So a Black man did it.
Quote – As a small group of Confederate heritage defenders assembled nearby — at least one of them armed — city safety coordinator Miles Jones lectured the work crew on wearing hard hats and eye protection. And who, he asked, would be the site supervisor? A bearded man in Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Norfolk State University sweatshirt stepped forward. “What’s your name, sir?” Jones asked. “Devon Henry.” “Devon Hen—” Jones began, then dropped his voice respectfully. “Oh, Mr. Henry. Of course.”
Click through for story. This mixes my emotions. Sadness because so many wypipo are so bitter and small minded, but happiness that the statues are coming down and that Devon Green exists.

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