Open Thread October 28, 2023

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 282023
 

Yesterday, the mass shooting in Maine reached some other news outlets, including Wonkette. I heard about it a couple of days ago from Joyce Vance. I wanted more detail before passing it on, but her take did inspire me to make today’s cartoon, and bump a different one (which I hadn’t finished anyway). Also, I received the email that my ballot has been counted. I can now display the “I voted” sticker, which was thoughtfully included in the envelope with the blank ballot. And I came across today’s Food for Thought, which is clearly a Public Service Announcement, so by all means pass it on.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Wonkette (Substack) – Search Continues For Whichever Antifa Biden Lib Forced Maine Shooter To Pretend To Be A Right-Winger
Quote – America is picking its way through the aftermath of yet another mass shooting, this time in Lewiston, Maine, where at least 18 people died and at least 13 others were wounded … when another previously law abiding gun owner stopped abiding the law and shot up a bowling alley and a restaurant. The reported casualty numbers … have varied widely, and may well rise. The suspected shooter is still at large as we write this, as law enforcement from all over join in searching for the shooter or perhaps his body and cable news fills time with expert opinion. People in the area have been told to shelter in place until the shooter is found. Businesses and schools are closed in Lewiston and several other locations around the state.
Click through for details – not that they aren’t much like every other details from every other mass shooting ever. Only the names and the numbers seem to change.

The Root – Freddie Krueger Who? Karen is the Real Face of Terror For Black America
Quote – In a world where law enforcement violence against Black Americans is far too common, where stereotypes still abound, the true face of terror is not Chucky or the Nun. It’s Karen…. Doesn’t matter if the Black person in question is a man or a woman. Doesn’t matter if they are strong or weak. Doesn’t matter if they are an adult or a child. Karen can get them. She can still drag them to hell.
Click through for story. Heaven knows people of any hue can find Karens annoying. But white people tend not to think of them as weapons of war. We need to look harder – and deeper. This goes back at leeast to the antebellum south and the character of “Miss Ann.” And it has been, and still can be, deadly.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread February 11, 2023

 Posted by at 6:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 112023
 

Yesterday, after reading about this development in Jackson County, MS, I decided it was time to resurrect and update a joke I first heard in somewhere around 1967. (If anyone has any fine tuning ideas before I start making it into a meme, I’m listening.) Anyway, it seems a brand new college graduate was trying to figure out how to get ahead the fastest, when he came upon an internet ad for BrainZinc, a company selling brains. So he sent off an email to ask what kind of brains were available, and what price range.
From: BrainZinc To: NewGrad Just about any kind of brains. For instance, teachers’ brains are $45.00 a pound.
From: NewGrad To: BrainZinc That sounds reasonable. Do you have small business owners’ brains?
From: BrainZinc To: NewGrad Of course. Those run $90.00 a pound.
From: NewGrad To: BrainZinc Golly. Maybe I can afford something even a little better. Do you carry billionaires’ brains?
From: BrainZinc To: NewGrad Yes. Those run $10,000.00 an ounce.
From: NewGrad To: BrainZinc Ouch. Are they really that much better?
From: BrainZinc To: NewGrad No, it’s just that we have to put so many billionaires together before we come up with an ounce of brains.

A Black History event – the Theater of War presented on Zoom, and recorded, “The Frederick Douglass Project” and it’s now available on YouTube. The presentation portion comprises Keith David performing a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass at the National Convention of Colored Men in Louisville, Kentucky on September 24, 1883. After that there is community discussion, which can also be very revealing, but I’d call it optional. So don’t get scared off by the length. There is CC.

For anyone who plays cards with real cards, Banana Republic Cards has a satirical deck with TFG as the Joker and featuring 52 useful idiots. there’s a discount code, bananas!elPresidente45theflusherking, good for $5 off per pack up to 3 packs, through Thursday 2/16.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Mother Jones – The Website That Wants You to Kill Yourself—and Won’t Die
Quote – Most websites aren’t known for having a “kill count.” Kiwi Farms is. Its victims reportedly include Julie Terryberry, who in 2016 took her life after being targeted by users of the site. Two years later, after years of harassment from Kiwi Farms trolls, Chloe Sagal lit herself on fire in a public park. In June 2021, an American video game developer based in Japan, named David Ginder, took their life amid a campaign of Kiwi Farms abuse.
Click through for story. The site has been removed from Cloudflare, but it isn’t over.

Civil Discourse – They wanted to take down the power grid. Now they’re facing federal charges.
Quote – There is a long history of domestic terror in this country, much of it centered around white supremacist groups like the KKK that committed acts of violence to preserve what they saw as their way of life. That history includes people like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who wanted to topple the government and set off the Oklahoma City bomb that killed 168 people, including 19 children, injuring several hundred more. It includes Richard Poplawski, a white supremacist with anti-government leanings, who gunned down three police officers in Pittsburgh. It includes Eric Robert Rudolph, responsible for three bombings in Atlanta, including one at Olympic Park and others at LGBTQ clubs, as well as one at a Birmingham, Alabama, abortion clinic that killed an off-duty policy officer. The shooting deaths of nine people at Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina. The deadly protest in Charlottesville. And it includes hundreds of others, both familiar names and acts, and lesser-known ones. But the point is, domestic terror is a pervasive problem in modern-day America, and instead of treating each crime as a one-off incident, it’s time to address it systemically, in the same way law enforcement  attacked foreign terror after 9/11.

Click through for details.This may be the end of this incident, but it’s very likely the start of a trend. Beau of the Fifth Column (whose videos appears on our Video Thread – not all of them as he makes three to four a day) is recommending that everyone in the US – literally everyone – prepare for an nearby attack as one would prepare for a natural disaster – evacuation plans, a bag packed in advance, deciding in advance where to evacuate to, etc.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread December 1, 2022

 Posted by at 6:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 012022
 

Yesterday, the newsletter from The Conversation had three different articles onn genetics, two of which related directly to conflict during pregnancy between the mother’s and father’s genes, The third focused on how assumptions can disguise the meaning of the evidence as to whether certain traits are genetic or not. Coming so soon after the short take we had on genetic anomalies, I was interested, but a short take will not do justice to the subject. Instead, I’ll provide links to all of them, here, here, and here. I will warn you that the authors use anthromorphism to make some points – genes don’t (as far as we can tell have consciousness, and therefore they don’t “want” to do things, nor do they experience feelings of hostility. But the effects are as if they did.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Report: Feds Are Still Not Concentrating On Domestic Terror
Quote – Although the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have identified domestic terrorism, specifically white supremacist violence, as “the most persistent and lethal terrorist threat,” the federal government has continued to allocate resources to focus on international terrorist threats instead, according to the report.
Click through for article (and a link to C&L’s source.) I can think of reasons – mostly having to do with relative difficulty. But, doggonit, if one thing is more dangerous than another, we need to focus on the thing which is more dangerous, no matter how difficult it is to do so.

Axios – Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes found guilty of seditious conspiracy
Quote – Why it matters: Rhodes, a prominent figure within far-right American politics, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison from the conviction, [and] the jury also found him guilty on other charges…. The big picture: The verdicts may serve as a preview for the upcoming trial against Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and other members who were also charged with seditious conspiracy for their actions around and on the day of the riot.
Click through for details. While technically this does not set a “legal precedent” (but it will, I’m betting – Rhodes lawyer says he will appeal, and I trust it will fail), it will help give confedence to any other prosecutors wh, becaue the last time before not the charges was pressed (in 2010),the jury failed to convict.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread May 29, 2022

 Posted by at 7:16 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 292022
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Akhnaten” the third opera in Philip Glass’s “portrait trilogy” (the first two being “Einstein on the Beach” and “Satyagraha.” The three touch on science, politics, and religion respectively, Glass explains.) Akhnaten was (as far as we know) the first monotheist in history. He decreed that Aten (the sun) be the only god worshiped in Egypt (Akhnaten was not the name he was given at birth, but the name he chose to honor Aten.) Needless to say the priests, especially the priests of Amon-Ra, who had been considered the king of the gods, were not happy. And it will come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to history, or to contemporary politics, that the people were also not happy. Theocracy can only hang on to power when thee are enough people in sympathy with its exact teachings to cush those who aren’t. Still, he might have been more successful had he paid more attention to governance – and defense. Without his failure to send reinforcements to his armies fighting on the borders, there might not have been quite such an opening for him to be overthrown. (And the Egyptians were not as dilatory as we are about removing monuments to discredited figures, so there is much about the historical Akhnaten we don’t know.)

Cartoon – 29 0529Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

CPR News – Wildfire smoke and poor air quality are coming. Here’s how scientists protect their homes.
Quote – [Alex] Huffman[, an associate professor studying air contaminants at the University of Denver,] recommends households explore … methods to monitor outdoor and indoor air quality. To help manage his asthma, he keeps a careful eye on the EPA’s fire and smoke map, which tracks nationwide smoke plumes and air quality readings. To monitor indoor air quality, he purchased an egg-shaped monitor from PurpleAir, which now sits on a table inside the front door of his home in Centennial. It glows green, yellow or red depending on the severity of suspended particulates.
Click through for methods and details.   This is applicable, not only to Colorado and California, not only to the entire southwestern US, but really to everywhere. Sadly.

Mother Jones – He Did Not Act Alone
Quote – [W]hatever we learn about the Uvalde shooter, or any future ones—because there will be more—don’t say they “acted alone,” which is largely media code for “this doesn’t appear to be Islamic terrorism.” No matter the particulars, these “lone” gunmen all have scores of accomplices. Here is a wholly incomplete list of those who bear direct responsibility in this slaughter of 19 children and two teachers, and the brutality visited on those still in the hospital, all the families, and the community and country at large:
Click through for [in]complete list.  Did you find your Representative or Senator in there? Or maybe even yourself?

The Daily Beast – The Texan Working Overtime to Customize 19 Little Caskets (hanky alert)
Quote – The funeral directors in Uvalde decided that it should all go through a single casket distributor and customizer, Trey Ganem of SoulShine Industries in Edna, Texas…. “The funeral directors know who I am, and they said, ‘If anybody can do it, you can. Would you help out in Uvalde?’” Ganem told The Daily Beast. “I said, ‘100 percent.’” Ganem added that he would cover the cost of the coffins, around $3,400 each. And he would not charge for any customizing.
Click through for full story.  There is a reason why the motto of The Daily Beast is “Truth is a beast.”

Food For Thought (  Nameless)

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Video Thread 11/3/21

 Posted by at 11:39 am  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 032021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Washington Post’s January 6 Deep Dive; Is AG Garland/DOJ Criminally Investigating Donald Trump?

Ring of Fire – Cyber Ninjas Isn’t Turning Over Their Documents And Republicans Are Getting Angry

Everett Stern – almost 22 minutes and he’s not the world’s greatest orator. But the material is – plutonium. There is a related article in Newsweek 

RepresentUs – Two riffs on the gerrymandered pizza.

Sprouts – We all know about the Dunning-Kruger effect in dumb folks. But the corollaries go all the way up.

Beau – Let’s talk about roses, history, and a reality check….

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Video Thread 10/1/21

 Posted by at 11:39 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 012021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Why Weaponizing the Law is a Losing Republican Strategy; Republicans Seek to Defund Federal Police

politicsrus – Get Up Stand Up HD

Meidas Touch – Trump Cult KILLS

MSNBC – FBI And Homeland Security Dept. Warn Of Domestic Extremists

Really American – Republicans Try And Humiliate Military Leaders

Puppet Regime – Boris Johnson’s AUKward Phone Call

Beau – Let’s talk about the debt ceiling and calling the bluff….

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Open Thread for August 20, 2021

 Posted by 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 –

 

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Open Thread for August 15, 2021

 Posted by at 6:28 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 152021
 

Yesterday it was pretty hot again. My lab results came, and look pretty good. They actually arrived Friday, but I was expecting 3 packages yesterday (which turned out to be four), so I waited in order not to go out more than necessary. Between the heat, the smoke, and the idiots, I really don’t feel terribly safe outside, even though vaccinated.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Intercept – SECRET DONORS TO NONPROFIT PUSHING TRUMP’S “BIG LIE” ELECTION CONSPIRACY REVEALED
Quote – The tax document obtained by The Intercept, a publicly filed IRS form that included a list of donors, shows a handful of large corporate and individual donors to the Bradley Impact Fund. The contributions listed in the fiscal year 2018 filing range from roughly $782,000 to $1.5 million. The Bradley Impact Fund operates as a donor-advised fund, a vehicle frequently used to allow anonymous contributions by letting donors give to a fund and then directing their contributions to particular recipients…. “It might seem improbable that a low-profile family foundation in Wisconsin has assumed a central role in current struggles over American democracy,” [investigative reporter Jane] Mayer wrote. “But the modern conservative movement has depended on leveraging the fortunes of wealthy reactionaries.”
Click through for a whole lotta detail. You will recognize some names, others maybe not so much. But if you’re going to follow the money, you can expect that.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/homeland-security-warns-fresh-covid-19-restrictions-could-spark-violent-attacks-2021-08-13/
Reuters – U.S. Homeland Security warns fresh COVID-19 restrictions could spark violent attacks
Quote – In an interview with CNN, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said his department considered domestic violent extremists to constitute “the greatest terrorist-related threat to our homeland.” He said the Department was seeing expressions of extremism fueled by “false narratives” and “ideologies of hate.”
Click through for story. If they’d do this because of CoViD restrictions, what do you suppose they would do if their God-Emperor were arrested and held without bail? Asking for a friend.

Common Dreams – Child Hospitalization for Covid-19 Hits All-Time High in US: Report
Quote – The Delta variant, which is rapidly spreading among mostly the unvaccinated portion of the U.S. population, has caused hospitalizations to spike in recent weeks, driving up the number of pediatric hospitalizations to 1,902 on Saturday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children currently make up about 2.4% of the nation’s COVID-19 hospitalizations. Kids under 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine, leaving them more vulnerable to infection from the new, highly transmissible variant.
Click through for more. I really can’t even.

Food for Thought –

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