Open Thread September 12 2024

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 122024
 

Yesterday, I received a recommendation to see the movie Sugarcane from Tokata Iron Eyes (Chase’s daughter). She writes so passionately ans convincingly that I wish I could share the full letter. Instead, I can provide a link to the National Geographic site (it is a documentary) which is essentially its home page. It will not be shown everywhere in the US – nor everywhere in Canada (though about half – I didn’t count – of the locations it will appear are in Canada, as they should be). The closest to me is Denver; but there is a complete list at the link. And a lot more information of various kinds. And anyone can watch the trailer there. Besides the on-site appearances, it’s planned for Disney and Hulu to stream it (no word on when that will be available yet.) When I was in the hospital last fall, PBS showed a fact-based drama on this subject set in Canada. But it all happened everywhere, at least in North America, and i would not bet against the proposition that it also happened in Central and South America. I also received a surprise. It did not surprise me when Liz Cheney (and even her father endorsed Kamala Harris. But when Liz Cheney also indorsed Colin Allred against Ted Cruz, my jaw dropped. As grateful as I am to all the Republicans who are endorsing Harris, I did not expect any of them to endorse any down-ballot Democrats. I hope this becomes a trend, but am not holding my breath.

Also yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I am not the best person to evaluate debates. In reading around afterwards, I noticed that figures like Robert Reich, Robert Hubbell, and Steve Schmidt were so pleased by Harris’s performance they were almost giddy. Heather Cox Richardson was more restrained, but also felt that Harris had goaded Trump** to fall apart. Joyce Vance had not weighed in yet – but she was hosting an on-line watch party and may simply have been exhausted. My own reaction was most like that of DC Report (written by Terry Schwadron, a name which is new to me.) It’s just not possible for any Democrat (or anyone) to “destroy” Trump** with facts and reason, because his base evaluates him by a different standard.

I got this too late to use yesterday, but I still think it’s worth reading, even if only to evaluate how accurate his predictions were. Did you know the League of Women Voters published a Bingo card for it?

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-9-2024
Yes, this is from Monday, but there is still a lot to consider in it, as for example her remarks on the continuing resolution to fund the government, including details in which the devil exists.

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Open Thread September 11 2024

 Posted by at 5:48 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 112024
 

Yesterday, I organized as much as I could to be free to watch the debate last night. As I typed this, I didn’t know whether the Harris campaign ad discussed by Belle had worked. I do now, though – not as I type, but as you read.

I cancelled my paid subscription to The New Yorker (after I had to get a new water heater), but the email newsletter is free, so they didn’t cancel that. This is the first thing I have seen since which is important enough to make me read it. In case anyone is paywalled out of it, I did print it to a pdf. It’s about 46 and a half pages, but it’s still less than a megabyte, and my email will sent up to 2.5 megabytes per message, so I can send it to anyone who wants it.

Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly deplore Elon Musk any more that you already do, comes this article from The Conversation. He fully justifies my referring to hom as the Muskrat (apologies ao any actual muskrats who may be reading.)

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Open Thread September 9 2024

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 092024
 

Yesterday, I visited Virgil and of course we played cribbage. We had hands ranging from zero (several of those) to 26 (only one of those. I’m thinking next time I go, since I always have to wait a few minutes, I might stack the deck to give him a perfect hand, just to see his face. The drive was easy both ways. A little rain just before getting home, but not enough to annoy me, let alone endanger me.

Also yesterday (late) in her weekly “The Week Ahead” post,. Joyce Vance asks her readers to explain to her, if possible, what makes Trump** voters tick.  I am not a paid subscriber, so i can’t comment on that post, and I am not on Xitter so I can’t reach her that way.  But I would love to recommend that she read the article by Dorothy Thompson in a 1941 issue of Harper’s (link is to archive dot is so no paywall).  There’s a lot in it, but I particularly want to point out that she points out (to bastardize a quote from Shalespeare) that some are born Nazi, some become Nazi, and some have Naziism thrust upon  them.  In other words, there’s not one single reason.  But Thompson’s examples provide clues to determining who is which, which is the only thing I can think of that might help.

There’s a new Schmidt Storm, with the bonus that he provides links to last weeks “The Warning’s. To me, any reportage which promises to answer people’s questions is likely worth looking at – even if the questions aren’t your questions, the answers give insight into what others are thinking and wondering.

Heather Cox Richardson dives into the methods of Russian disinformation work. It’s not pretty. But it shouldn’t be ignored.

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Open Thread September 6 2024

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 062024
 

Yesterday, I read in HuffPost that, now that Jpe Biden has dropped out, his job approval numbers started to go up and have steadily continued to rise. That is certainly a good thing, but it still made me cry, to think of all the artisis, musicians, ans so many others who were nort appreciated until after their deaths. Yes, Joe is still alive to see some of this. But the full measure of his contributions to America will not be appreciated until later – and may be much later. He deserves better. However, there is some bad news with good news. I guess it’s really not news that the Russians are at it again, but it is news that the DOJ just made some important arrests in connection with it. And here’s the official video version.

My response to this was “More of this. Please.” Not just to the story but to the activism iy chronicles. For those of us for whom voting is second nature and not difficult, it’s challenging to grasp how difficult it is made (especially by Republicans) for some (especially for people of color – any color but “white”) and how widespread that suppression is. There really is a need for more – much more – of this kind of activism – and for recognition and praise for what already exists of it.

We could use more of this also. After yesterday, I decided some respite was needed, amd my sources have been co-operating so far.

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Open Thread September 4 2024

 Posted by at 6:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 042024
 

Yesterday, Joyce Vance decided that her (paywalled) post from last Friday was “so timely and so important that I’ve taken it out from behind the paywall” and republished it here. I do realize not everyone knows someone in high school, or a parent with a child in high school, or a grandparent. But lots of people do, and even if one doesn’t – I don’t – it’s still good information to have, and good to know that people are working on it. When more people vote, we win.

Well, this was certainly not on my bingo card. But I like it. A lot. I really hope there is a Democrat somewhere who is just goofy enough to run with it who has, or can get, the funding for it. It might not even need to be a very large run. Just one, with the right publicity, would do teh trick.

Robert Reich takes on mergers – and specifically the proposed Kroger-Albertson’s merger. I expect you all already knew this was a terrible idea. But possibly not all the details of just how terrible an idea it is.

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Open Thread September 2 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 022024
 

Yesterday, Faithful America declared the week which begins today and runs through the 8th to be Christians Against Trump** Week. Now that’s the kind of CAT person you don’t even have to like cats to be. Sane Christians with any pet, or no pets, are welcome. The idea is to use social media for good to spread the truth that Chrisutanity is not about Trump**, and what it is about. Most of us are probably not on social media of any kind, but if anyone is, this is the week to spread truth on it.

Robert Reich is working on another video series whic, like “DEBUNKED!” will air on Fridays, starting September 6. It’ll be called “Spreading the Truth about the 2024 Election,” which seems a little unwieldy, but accurate. There’s more information at the link. I will, as I did with “DEBUNKED!” link to each installment in Saturday’s Open Thread.

This from Talking Points Memo is by itself, at least for me, more than enough reason to defeat DonOLD at all costs. But it’s scary. If I wanted to illustrate this story, it should likely be witha picture of a projector, because this is all projection. Violence is always from people with an authoritarian stand, It’s neither of the right nor of the left. But here in the west authoritarians have drifted strongly to the right, because a righ wing economy produces de facto oligarchy, which assists establishing authoritarian rule.Personally, I have observed violence at leftist protests, but not from the left. Where it has occurred, it has come from right wing counterprotesters.

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Open Thread August 30 2024

 Posted by at 5:53 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 302024
 

Yesterday, I came across a new Randy Rainbow, and this time I can’t cut the ad for Groun News without losing content. But after his last video, I looked it up, and it really isn’t bad. I can see why he and Trey both like it. Even without a subscription, it a lot franker than the MSM. Anyway, here’s the link to Randy

As you can see by her title, Heather Cox Richardson wrote this late on Tuesday (and I saw it Wednesday.) Very little of it was actually news even then. But it’s a nice potpourri of things that happened and what an eventful week it was, even as early as Tuesday. If you haven’t already fastened your psychological seat belts, this might be a good time to do so.

I’m very much not a fan of puppy mills, and I can’t believe that anyone here would be. But murdering a breeder is a couple of bridges too far. And if someone crossed that bridge, and took those puppies, you can bet any important body part that he or she didn’t do it to rescue them.

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Open Thread August 29 2024

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 292024
 

Yesterday, my opinion of Jack Smith rose yet again – not just because of the new indictment, not even just because he has empaneled a new grand jury to authorize the superseding indictment, but because no one outside that tight little circle evenknew that a new grand jury was looking at it until it was published. That’s amazing. Also yesterday, Crooks and Liars had a story about a GOP chair who had been rejected by whatever in-group she was the chair of, but who refused to leave. Law enforcement was needed to remove her from the State Convention (not, obviously, Presidential, but Michigan’s primaried for state legislatures are coming up.) A judge ruled that the use of law enforcement in this case was legitimate. I hope the Colorado GOP is paying attention.

Personally, I don’t need to know something will hurt me directly in order to know that its bad. If it hurts someone else who doesn’t deserve to be hurt, it hurts me too. But I guess that’s just what makes me not a Republican. Still, it can be useful to realize how policies which hurt particular people end up hurting everybody (and the converse.)

Well, this is interesting. (And that’s throwing roses at it.) Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton must have become jealous of all the attention Harris and Walz are getting and decided thay wanted some of that. Sotty, Greg and Ken, attention because people hate you is not the same as attention because people love you. I hope you get sued within an inch of your useless lives.

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