Diversity – Politics Plus

Open Thread February 26, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 262024

Yesterday, Trinette was by to bring in mail, take out trash and recyclables, and start the car. (Hi back to all.) While here, she noticed I had acquired an HD antenna and had not done anything with it. I know you all think I am highly computer literate, but the truth is, I had no more idea what to do with it than a dog who has caught a car. With a book or pamphlet of instructions, I could have coped, but it didn’t come with one. But Trinette got it working and set on PBS in practically no time. What a gem!

As a veteran, I’m deeply interested in this, because no one can be a MAGAt and a good soldier at the same time, any more than one can be a MAGAt and a patriot at the same time. The mention of individual unit commanders developing their own training tells me two things – first, that there are multiple unit commanders whose hearts are in the right place (and in sync with their brains), and second, that these commanders’ own superior officers have failed them. Yes, there’s much more to get out of this report; those were just what struck me.

Dearfield, Colorado, a town in Weld County (Northeast of Denver), now a ghost town, began to be homesteaded by black people in 1910. Eventually it became the home of 300 people of color, making it the largest black homestead in the state. It is already on the National Register of Historic Places. Now, descendants of the homesteaders, historians, and others who care, want it to be designated as a National Park. I for one certainly hope the effort succeeds.

Open Thread October 21, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 212023

Yesterday, Lona put up a comment on the video thread for the 18th which included a video she hopes everyone hare will look at and read. I can’t link directly to the comment, as I used to be able to do in the old system, but I can link to the thread, so that you only need to scroll down and expand the comment. Between this and the short takes – I’m sorry I had to put up such a downer on a weekend. But it’s important – and it’s important to address this stuff right away before too many people get sucked in to the information silo.

Cartoon – 21 Nelson

Short Takes –

Protect Democracy – Poland just showed the world how democracy wins
Quote – At a gathering of pro-democracy organizations in 2017, a Polish opposition member of parliament named Agnieszka Pomaska was asked: “What’s your number one piece of advice for democracy advocates in the United States?” Poland has been at the front lines between democracy and authoritarianism, between freedom and repression — not just in the current era, but arguably throughout modern history. Pomaska’s response was simple: “Don’t let the pro-democracy coalition fracture.” On Sunday, Polish voters showed the world just how effective that strategy can be.
Click through for details. Look, I would never say that, for instance, Hamas would never attack Israel or anything else Jewish for no reason at all. Nor would I ever say that Bibi’s government is desirable, or anything otjher than authoritarian and inhumane. But the timing of this war in the Midddle East looks to me designed to fracture the coalition. Just as attacks on Hillary, mostly made up and even the small errors far less important than Republican crime, were designed to fracture the coalition – and they succeeded. And, yes, there are people who are willing to kill for political theater if it strengthens their position or their base.

The 19th – What it takes to defend diversity
Quote – Just three years after the racial reckoning that made much of society examine the ongoing legacy and harm of systemic inequality, a parallel reckoning has also unfolded. It’s one driven by a sense of grievance from White American men, a movement that often co-opts women and even people of color, making them out to be victims of current efforts that are designed to right historic wrongs. Such efforts, Abrams told me, are part of a larger strategy to roll back attempts to make our country more free and fair for women and people of color. It’s the same playbook that dismantled voting and abortion rights, aimed at rolling back racial progress in institutions across the country. “The through line is that our progress as a nation, our economic uplift, our continued dominance, is predicated on full participation, and diversity, equity and inclusion is the roadmap to get us there,” Abrams said. “The threat of lawsuits, the threat of public castigation, the threat of being called out for doing right, is compelling some to retrench. That is dangerous.”
Click through for article. We’ve seen this before. We’re seeing it again. And then things will get better for a while, and then we’ll see it again – those of us who are still around. I don’t know what it will take to make it go away forever, and maybe that’s not possible. I’m pretty sure it’s not possible to eliminate misogyny. It doesn’t appear to be hereditary (Exhibits A, B, and C Stephen Miller, Paul Gosar, RFK Jr), so selective breeding wouldn’t do it, even if that were feasible.

Food For Thought

Open Thread August 5, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 052023

Yesterday, It was fairly quiet. Actually, it was really quiet around here – and there wasn’t that much in the news. Of course Thursday was the big news day. After that, most other news is going to be anticlimactic. I did manage to find a couple of things to say, though. WRT the FFT, ordinarily I’d put it in the video thread. But the success story, which I covered here, but not from this angle, is a victory most of us, maybe all of us were part of, as he points out.

Cartoon – 05 0805Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

The 19th – Young Americans who identify with gun culture are more likely to believe in male supremacy, research shows
Quote – Pasha Dashtgard, the director of research at PERIL and an expert on male supremacy and online radicalization, said one factor propelling this sentiment is a shifting economic landscape in America. “In places of economic instability, men are shifting from this attitude of man as provider to man as protector,” he said. “You may not be able to, as a man, be the primary breadwinner, but you can — through acquiring guns and the willingness to use guns for violence — reclaim your masculinity as a protector.” Even in young people, this sentiment was notable and behind many of the things that participants expressed to the researchers during interviews. Dashtgard said this speaks to a larger cultural dynamic at play currently, where many White men are feeling unsure of how to articulate themselves as men in current society. As a result, many young men are turning to guns as an “unimpeachable access to masculinity.”
Click through for details. “What a surprise!” said no one ever.Apparently we need to provide education to teach people who don’t realize it that a gun and a penis are not the same.

Colorado Public Radio – ‘I Am the Bridge’: How a poem being presented at an African cultural event in Arvada was created by 50 people from different ethnicities and cultures
Quote – Words of resilience, marginalization, trepidation and community were spoken when about 50 people showed up on July 1 at a spiritual center in Arvada to brainstorm lines for what eventually became “I Am the Bridge: A Poem By All Of Us.” It’s a four-page poem with contributions from local Native Americans, Asians, Hispanic people, Jewish people, European people, Black Americans and African immigrants. It will be performed by seven people, one representing each of these groups, at the Arvada Center on Saturday evening.
Click through for a few quotes and more information. It isn’t Amanda Gorman, but it is powerful nevertheless.

Food For Thought

Open Thread November 2, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:49 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 022022

Yesterday, another update from Axios was interesting. You may remember that Lindsay Graham filed an emergency appeal of his subpoena to testify for Fani Willis’s grand jury, and Justice Clarence Thomas granted him a temporary stay. Subsequently, two othwer temporary stays were granted on emergency appeals – one by Justice Kagan (and I forget for whom that was), and more recently still, one by Chief Justice Roberts for Trump**. Even before the third stay, a legal expert pointed out that the granting of a temporary stay on an emergency appeal is normal, that the full court would have to concur in order for it to stand, and that that was extremely unlikely in both of the first two cases (and the third had not het happened.) Well, this update proved that expert correct in the case of Lindsay Graham. He has been told he must testify. Expect the second and third temporary stays to end up being just that – temporary. On a completely different toipc, if you watch TV or stream any news, you will probaby hear many pronunciations of the name “DePape.” But I note that the local police (who would be the ones who have actuallt spoken to him) are pronouncing it in three syllables, with the accent on the middle one. Sor of like “De-Poppy” (or “duh-Poppy.”) The inference is that they got that pronunciation from him, and that he knows how to pronounce his own name.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Popular Information – “What happens when you put ideologues in charge of a university”
Quote – “It looks like the right-wing fantasy of what happens when you put ideologues in charge of a university,” Colson told Popular Information. Colson was one of 33 employees, most tenured faculty, that were terminated from [Emporia State University in Kansas] last month. The firings were made possible through a state-wide policy change introduced in early 2021 by the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR), the board that oversees Kansas’ public colleges and universities. The other five public universities in Kansas declined to violate the principles of tenure to cut costs.
Click through for story. If I were thinking about going to college again (which I’m not – I have credentials I haven’t even used yet already), I would be seriously considering a HBCU just to avoid this crap.

The 19th Explains: How two Supreme Court cases could end affirmative action in colleges
Quote – Women represent about 60 percent of enrollment in universities and colleges around the country. Among Black students, women make up about 64 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 71 percent of master’s degrees. College-degree attainment for Latinas also outpaces Latinos. About 27 percent of Latinas have a college degree compared to about 21 percent of Latinos. As a result, any decision the Supreme Court makes on affirmative action will disproportionately impact women of color. Advocates for equity in education are concerned about what the upcoming decision could mean for groups of qualified students who are already underrepresented in the country’s most competitive schools.
Click through for details. They are already hearing oral arguments on one, and you will not believe what Clarence Thomas asked an attorney to explain. Proof in the Video Thread, not in today’s but in tomorrow’s.

Food For Thought

Incidentally, “poll watcher” is, at least in Colorado, a legitimate term, But it’s nothing like what Republicans are doing. Ther are duplicate records of voters by name only on small papers with a hole punched in them. A poll watcher is entitled to look through those, make a few notes, then leave. There can be one from each party who visits each precinct (although one person might be a watcher for more than one precinct.) The purpose is so that parties can look far names missing of people who need assistance getting to the polls, and offer it – and not bother those who don’t need it. The watchers are not allowed to talk to anyone except the election staff, and any conversation they do have with staff may not interfere with the staff’s duties. Election staff are trained before the election as to what poll watchers may and may not do. In any election I have ever worked, I and the staff working with me have been conscientious to maintain good order.

Video Thread 12/16/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:51 am Open Thread, Politics

Dec 162021

Glenn Kirschner – Rep. Swalwell Announces New Federal Bill: Help for Families Who Lost a Loved One to Homicide

MSNBC – Mary Trump: Donald Trump Had The Power To Stop Jan. 6 Riot

Thom Hartmann – Trump Overruling Michigan Governor (w/ Judd Legum)

Rebel HQ – Mark Meadows Is SCREWED As Text Messages Surface (Ordinarily I don’t use material that jumps to conclusions – such as Mark Meadows being screwed – but there is good factual stuff in here.)

Robert Reich – Can Congress Really Use Insider Information to Trade Stocks?

Liberal Redneck – War on Christmas

Beau – Let’s talk about semantics, Shepherd’s Pie, liberals, and leftists….

Open Thread for November 7, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 072021

Yesterday the radio opera was Carmen – an opera set in Spain, by a French composer. The Carmen was from Georgia (not ours, the one in Asia.) The Don Jose was from Poland, and the Escamillo from Germany. The performance was done in Vienna, Austria, and the radio station broadcasting it is in Chicago. I suspect Republican heads would explode.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

PoliticusUSA – Adam Schiff Confirms That Trump’s Staff Are Flipping On Him
Quote – When MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell asked if any of the nearly 150 interviews conducted by the 1/6 Committee contained Trump officials, Rep. Schiff answered: They do include people from the former administration. They include people in the private sector. They include people are experts in some of the — for example, the social media issues that we’re investigating. So they run the gamut.
Click through for a little more. Of course he can’t name names at this point.

Crooks and Liars – Rittenhouse Juror Dismissed After Telling Racist Joke
Quote – To make matters worse, the jokester tried to defend himself by claiming that the so-called joke had nothing to do with the current trial, showing how utterly clueless the juror was not only to what the trial was about but to his own inherent racism.
Click through for story, including complete “joke.” I am so glad the bailiff reported him …

Politizoom – Thank You Brandon Trends As October Jobs Report Is So Stellar Not Even Fox News Can Spin It
Quote – Revenge may be best served cold but Crow is a dish that Fox News really does not digest well at any temperature. Be that as it may, they’re eating a lot of it. The October jobs growth exceeded the original prediction of 450K and came in at 531K. People are rejoicing, and right-wing media is not sure quite what to do.
Click through for more detailed good news. If you have no idea how “Brandon” got into this, you can look here (NSFW).

Food for Thought –