Florida – Page 2 – Politics Plus

Open Thread July 27, 2023

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

Jul 272023

Yesterday, I won’t say I overslept, becuse that implies I was planning to get up at a certain time, and I wasn’t. But I did sleep for a long time. I’m sure I needed it. But I did wake up in time to get ready for, and take in, a grocery order (which was rather a disappointment. But I did get everything I was actually out of, so at least I have time on my side.) Incidentally, I was also very late getting the Video Thread up – I had scheduled it for a day late and had to correct that, and I was late in discovering it. Sorry about that.

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Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Inside the DeSantis Doc That Showtime Didn’t Want You to See
Quote – The Daily Beast has obtained a transcript of that unaired documentary, “The Guantanamo Candidate,” which was anchored by Seb Walker, a longtime correspondent for the Emmy-winning newsmagazine. Among a number of insights into DeSantis’ past, the transcript features interviews with former prisoners and a former Naval staff sergeant-turned-Gitmo whistleblower who overlapped with DeSantis. All three allege inhumane treatment at the hands of the U.S. government, with the detainees directly implicating DeSantis—at the time, a junior-level military legal adviser—in approving and overseeing brutal measures…. Showtime’s decision to muzzle a report critical of a high-profile conservative politician also epitomizes the complaints that conservative politicians—including DeSantis—have habitually brayed in their crusade against so-called liberal “cancel culture.”
Click through for story. I can’t say I’m surprised that DeSaster didn’t want this to come out. Showtime – well, their defense woulf likely be the truth of the shade, but I can just see wanting to avoid an expensive lawsuit (especially since Republican candidates at all levels seem to be mostly deadbeats.) Of course VICE is not happy … but VICE is also apparently bankrupt.

Democratic Underground (quoted in full from Facebook, with permission) – Dear Jason Aldean – Father Nathan Monk
Quote – When I moved back to Tennessee a couple of years ago, I decided to stop by the corner store near my house to introduce myself to the neighbors. The lady working there was very friendly, and a guy was sitting in a rocking chair, going back and forth. It was country as hell, and I loved it. She starts to whisper in the way that Southern folks do when they are about to spill the sweet tea. She looks back and forth and then says, “Now, there is someone who lives on your street I wanna talk to you about. Now, sometimes, they dress as a man, but other times they dress as a woman…” I start to get nervous about what she will say next, but I bite my tongue and wait. “…well, you just better be okay with that. Because they are a nice fella and a sweet lady.”
Click through for full article, which is heartwarming. I’m not sure it’s even necessary to know what Nathan is responding to, but Jason Aldean (I don’t know for sure, but that’s probably him in the green T-shirt in the FFT) released a country song “Don’t Try That in a Small Town” (his “small town” is purely a majority white small town in the 1930’s or so) and it’s getting a lot of blowback. This is just one – but I think an outstanding one.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 7/5/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:57 am Open Thread, Politics

Jul 052023

Glenn Kirschner – Biden says world leaders ask him why Trump has not been held accountable for Jan. 6 insurrection

The Lincoln Project – Raging Ron

Thom Hartmann – Unmasking the Ring Leader: Is Mark Meadows Pulling the Strings Behind the Scenes?

Parody Project – Happy Happy 4th of July (CC by creators, and full lyrics here )

The Tiniest Puppy Grows Up Wrestling With His Cat Foster Brother

Beau – Let’s talk about Kremlin games and generals….

Open Thread June 14, 2023

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

Jun 142023

Yesterday, I was astonished to receive a “Tuesday Trivia” email from Ken Jennings. He stopped doing those years ago (after having done 800 of them.) But this one is because he has a new book. And I have to think that this is a terrific marketing strategy – emails to a list of people who followed you for 800 weeks (that’s more than 15 years.) If you are curious about the book, the trivia, or both, you can see the questions and answers here (I got two- Mahler and Marley – which is IIRC about average for me, and I don’t remember ever getting a Question 7.) The book is a compendium of everything anyone has ever believed about the afterlife, through history and across cultures, and down at the bottom of the page there is a left arrow (much like the ones under our comment sections) to the book’s main page.

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The New Yorker – Will the Judge in Trump’s Case Recuse Herself—or Be Forced To?
Quote – Someone has to win the lottery, right? [On Saturday, just after we spoke, the Southern District confirmed to the Times that Cannon was randomly chosen, stating, “Normal procedures were followed.” Because the judge was chosen based, in part, on proximity to West Palm Beach, Cannon was one of seven active judges and three senior judges in the pool for the random draw.]
Click through for more speculation. I have used two videos, one in Sunday’s video thread and one in yesterday’s, made by Michael Popok for Meidas Touch. He lives and has worked in the Southern District of Florida, and is the only attorney I have found who points out that Cannon is in the Palm Beach Division, whereas the grand jury and the indictment and the arraignment (and presumably the trial itself) are in the Miami Division – not only a separate Division, but als a 200-mile round trip if it comes to that. He is also the only one to notice that the Magistrate Judge assigned is from the Miami Divison. This is going to have to be addressed. A 200 mile round trip is four hours – and that’s in Colorado, which is much less highly populated than southern Florida. It’s not reasonable to expect that of anyone. I am expecting less bickering than many experts are expecting.

HuffPost – Donald Trump Becomes First U.S. President To Be Formally Charged With Federal Crimes
Quote – Trump lawyer Todd Blanche entered the plea on Trump’s behalf shortly after 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, according to reporters in the room. Trump spent much of the time stonefaced, arms crossed, as the proceeding unfolded over the course of an hour. The judge released both Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta, a personal aide to Trump, without bail and travel restrictions. Trump was, however, ordered not to contact or speak with witnesses about the case, including Nauta, who continues to work for him.
Click through for story. As expected, the presiding judge was a Magiatrate Judge, not a District Judge, and specifically, one from the Miami Division (also specifically, not Judge Reinhart.) I’m going to avoid as much as possible even mentioning Judge Cannon, unless something comes up that is factual in nature and well-substantiated, because – to quote C. S. Lewis quoting an inagined afterlife spirit of George MacDonald, “all answers deceive.”

The Nib (Kay Sohini) – Breathless
Quote – I grew up in a sleepy little suburb parallel to the Ganges, and we were forever privy to a vast expanse of sky stretching from the shore. On the weekends after dinner, my grandfather woud take us stargazing. We only had to walk up to the roof. When I moved to Calcutta for college,… I could not see the stars. And I could not breathe.
Click through for graphic essay. This is the last one I have been sitting on, but I don’t rule out using another if one comes up.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/12/2023

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

Jun 122023

Yes, this is long. But Glenn today is almost twice as long, and IMO needlessly alarmist, as well as repetitive. I get that. But despite the clickbait Meidas Touch headline, I think this is more realistic – and more accurate.
Meidas Touch – Jack Smith has PLAN to DEAL with CORRUPT Judge Aileen Cannon – long but meaty

The Lincoln Project – Pence Knows

Thom Hartmann – Unsealed! Donald Trump’s Indictment (And More)

Armageddon Update – Florida Is A DeSaster

Guy Finds Tiny Frog In His Salad

Beau – Let’s talk about McCarthy’s dream and the GOP’s future….

Open Thread June 9, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 092023

Yesterday, Pat Robertson died. He was 93. “I was always taught never to say anything about the dead unless it’s good. He’s dead. Good.” – Moms Mabley. You can read about it in lots of places (AP is one) but this Wonkette remembrance may be the most – satisfying. Also yesterday, it was dry enough to put the sticker om my car (and of course put a copy of the registration into the glove box). So I did. We’re expecting more rain, so I carped the diem. And one more thing: Trump** stated publicly that he has been indicted (in the documents case).

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Crooks & Liars – FL GOPers Panicking As Immigrants Flee Ahead Of New Law
Quote – Florida Republicans concerned about the state’s new anti-immigration law and its potential impacts on Florida’s economy… admit the bill is “100% meant to scare” immigrants and beg the crowd to “urgently” convince “your people” to not leave Florida since folks in the agriculture industry are mad workers are leaving.
Click through for story. Now that the debt ceiling is off the table for a while, the news stream is so fast and furious that I think I’ll have to do three a day for a while to catch up. Just for a while. I won’t be able to keep it up.

HuffPost – DHS Launches Major Effort To Stem Human Trafficking In Indigenous Communities
Quote – One of the “brutal realities” is that Native women command more money from sex traffickers, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has been a leader in combating violence against Indigenous women, previously told HuffPost. “Native women, because of their looks, can be viewed as more exotic, more Asian, and apparently there is a higher market for women that are of Asian descent,” Murkowski said. “When I heard that, it just … It just sickens me.”
Click through for details. It’s no surprise that people who would profit from, or pay into, human trafficking objectify women. But this certainly brings that fact home.

Civil Discourse . Today in Trump
Quote – Venue, as a legal proposition, is the place or location where conduct that prosecutors want to charge took place—the judicial district where the crime was committed. Sometimes that’s obvious, like in a bank robbery. Other times, it can be more difficult to determine, and there may be more than one possible venue. Imagine a drug-dealing network that operates across a region of the country. There can be more than one proper venue for a case. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 18 provides that “Unless a statute or these rules permit otherwise, the government must prosecute an offense in a district where the offense was committed.[“]
Click through for more explanation and the news which prompted it. As usual, click “no” or “continue” on the popup(s). Venue decisions may be the most important ones that DOJ must make in these cases. I don’t want anyone here to be crying “foul!” if Jack Smith ends up trying the documents cse in Florida. If that happens, it will be because it was legally necessary.

Food For Thought

Open Thread April 14, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 142023

Yesterday, a new transaction came out in the Clarence Thomas scandal. Harlan Crow purchsed some property from Thomas. Per ProPublica – “The sale netted the GOP megadonor two vacant lots and the house where Thomas’ mother was living.” You’ve heard the expression “He’d sell his own mother…” Well, here’s someone who actually did. That sale made her a tenant of Harlan Crow. Apparently Crow remodeled and repaired the place – butshe is still his tenant (assuming she’s still alive) and therefore owes him rent shold he decide to demand any.

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Daily Beast – How Ron DeSantis Is Taking a Page Out of Nixon’s Playbook
Quote – [Steven] Jarvis, who has tracked disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories as an off-duty hobby since the 2016 election, said he’s developed a thick skin. But seeing pro-DeSantis accounts, and other apparent bot networks, accusing him of being a pedophile—and posting details of his marriage that could only have been gleaned from direct messages on Facebook, Jarvis said—shattered the barrier between his compartmentalized worlds. It wasn’t an isolated incident. For some who criticize the Florida governor and likely 2024 presidential candidate, a pattern appears to be emerging: attack DeSantis publicly, and risk your personal information posted online by pro-DeSantis accounts.
Click through for specifics. Just what I would expect from a man who laughs at his murder victims as they are dying.

The Bulwark – Jim Jordan Takes His Clown Show on the Road
Quote – Now Jordan has announced that he’s packing up the tent and hitting the road: Next week, the committee will be taking a taxpayer-funded field trip to New York. Why New York? To go after Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, whom Donald Trump, in his patented racist style, has called an “animal” and about whom Trump has screeched that “THE DEMOCRATS HAVE TOTALLY WEAPONIZED LAW ENFORCEMENT IN OUR COUNTRY . . . TO INTERFERE WITH OUR ALREADY UNDER SIEGE ELECTIONS!”
Click through for details. Maybe he’ll do somethiing illegal and get arrested We can hope.

Food For Thought

The Law, paking ticket, Trump indictment, arraignment, history, NYPD, political cartoon

Open Thread April 11, 2023

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

Apr 112023

Yesterday, I realized I had inadvertently provided proof that when I get home from a visit with Virgil I am not running on all cylinders. I did this by scheduling yesterday’s Video Thread for the morning and the Open Thread for midday. Well, it wasn’t the first time I did this and it undoubtedly will not be the last. I can only promise not to do it on purpose; I can’t promise not to do it. Appsrently I had recovered, since i got the New Yorker’sName Drop on the first clue – but I went to the same high school as the subject, who had graduated the year before I was a first- year student, so I had some inside information. (I’ll give this hint in case anyone wants to pursue it: the person is mentioned in yesterday’s TJIs.)
If anyone is interested in taking in more information about ProPublica’s investigation of Clarence Thomas, there’s a “virtual event” today at 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm Eastern, here’s a link. It isn’t clear whether it is boing to be more like a Zoom call or more like a podcast, but it is clear it will be live, because there’s a space in the reservation form for any question you might want to ask. I won’t be there, but I didn’t want anyone who is interested to miss it on account of my inaction.

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PoltiZoom – BUSTED: Sadist DeSantis Laughed At Tortured Guantanamo Inmates
Quote – Inmates in Guantanamo used to die from being force fed Ensure which was laced with laxatives, which caused vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously. Having once had that myself due to food poisoning, I can assure you it is an unbelievable experience. The electrolytes in the body become unbalanced, which can lead to heart arrhythmia, which can lead to death. And Ron DeSantis thinks it’s funny, according to the testimony of one inmate.
Click through for evidence in detail, if you can stand to. It’s no surprise or secret that DeSantis is DeMonic, nor that “Cruelty is the point” – but the evidence is damning (to anyone but another fascist.)

the 19th – ‘We will not be defeated’: Vice President Kamala Harris stands with expelled representatives in Nashville
Quote – Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Jones’ alma mater — Fisk University, a historically Black institution — delivering a message of praise for the lawmakers and an indictment of the Republican supermajority that expelled them. “A democracy says you don’t silence the people,” Harris said. “You don’t stifle the people. You don’t turn off their microphones when they are speaking about the importance of life and liberty. That is not what a democracy does.”
Click through for story. Sometimes beauty emerges as a response to evil, and that is what we have here. And Kamala is not the only respondent. See today’s video thread for an unplanned inspirational duet.

Food For Thought