Yesterday, I was working on that final cotton knitting project, and was within spitting distance of finishing it, when the circular needle I was using on it “broke.” I put that in quotes because they don’t actually break – what happens is that the (nylon or plastic) cord which connects the two working ends has a glue failure, and slips out. Dropped stitches do ensue and often so does colorful language. But this time the dropped stitches were few and easily seen and picked up onto a stitch holder. I reglued it right away. But the jewelers’ super glue which I used is not like regular super glue – it has wiggle room and therefore must cure for 24 hours before being subjected to any stress. So I am still waiting. But it’s not like I have nothing else to do.
Cartoon – (This is from 2013. How TC knew that David would die first so that this would still be valid … I can’t explain.)
Short Takes –
The New Yorker – The Battle of January 6th Has Just Begun
Quote – Trump is, per Pew and other recent polls, both the overwhelming favorite among Republicans for 2024 and their continuing spiritual leader. (Two-thirds of the Republicans and Republican-leaning independents that Pew surveyed wanted Trump to continue to be a major national figure, a total that’s gone up by ten points since January. Yes, that’s not a typo—it’s gone up.) Just as important, he has succeeded in selling his party on his Big Lie about the 2020 election, on January 6th revisionism, and on taking a series of specific actions—from changing how states certify elections to purging state Republican officials who did not go along with his 2020 coup attempt—that will affect American democracy for years to come, whether or not Trump runs again.
Click through for opinion. I see a lot of different takes on just how popular Trump** is or isn’t. I fear this one is closest to fact.
Crooks and Liars – Minn. Cops Went Hunting For Civilians During Protests
Quote – A sergeant leading the unit says, “Let ’em have it, boys, let ’em have it … Right there, get ’em, get ’em, get ’em, hit ’em, hit ’em!” At one point, an officer firing less-lethal rounds on a distant group of protesters says “Gotcha!” as he hits someone. There’s laughter, and the officer is congratulated on his shot with a fist bump and “Good hit, buddy.” “You guys are out hunting people now and it’s just a nice change of tempo,” one officer says. “F*** these people.”
Click through for details. I didn’t put this in the video thread because the video is not the point. The video is merely evidence for the point which needs to be taken fron this story.
ProPublica – Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge
Quote – A few weeks before, a video had appeared on YouTube. It showed two small boys, 5 and 6 years old, throwing feeble punches at a larger boy as he walked away, while other kids tagged along, some yelling. The scuffle took place off school grounds, after a game of pickup basketball. One kid insulted another kid’s mother, is what started it all. The police were at Hobgood because of that video. But they hadn’t come for the boys who threw punches. They were here for the children who looked on.
Click Through. You don’t need to read every word, but the title and one quote are not enough either. As Mark asks in today’s Doonesbury … “What country is this?”
Food for Thought –
And … for Squatch …
