Open Thread February 29, 2024

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 292024
 

Yesterday, apparently, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and even Mitch McConnell read Mike Johnson the riot act, at the White House. When you are the Republican Speaker of the House and even Mitch gangs up against you, you are not just doing something wrong, you are doing everything wrong, and you are probably also a worm (no offense meant to earthworms, which are vital to plants.)  On the personal side, I made a casserole in my crockpot which I had not made for literally decades, and found it as tasty as ever.  It was something I threw together after receiving all the food allergy diagnoses of both me and Virsgil.  It was a tremendous success thenm and still is.

I rooted for Alvin Bragg to win the election for DA in New York City, probably like everyone here. And also like everyone here, I was disappointed when he did not jump on Trump** immediately. And probably like everyone else, I suspected a lack of courage. Well, if it was, he appears to have grown a spine (or whatever body part you associate with courage. He has, as any same person would do in his position filed for protective and gag orders. With one exception. Joyce Vance writes:
“The threats made against Bragg personally were highly specific and graphic. They include threats to kill him, down to the type of weapon and scenario that would be used. Bragg nonetheless exempts himself from the order, and would permit Trump to continue to attack him, likely leading to more of this abuse and risk. That’s a feature that shows how reasonable Bragg’s approach is.”

Robert Reich writes on Bezos and Musk. Musk is clearly a Nazi. Bezos, I think , is just greedy, but I would not expect him to oppose Naziism if he thought he could make it pay.

I don’t claim that Heather Cox Richardson breaks down all the foreign policy considerations which are important just now – but she does discuss some you probaly didn’t know about. Not trying to be condescending – virtually no one (except professionals and maybe Beau) is ever interested in foreign policy unless something goes sour. And that’s not really the best time to start taking an interest.

(Bonus – this may give you a chuckle. Not that it’s out of character.)

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Open Thread February 16, 2024

 Posted by at 6:24 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 162024
 

Yesterday, I got a grocery delivery, and the driver was very helpful. I adjusted her tip accordingly.

Even if you know most of these, you will probably still learn something – I did. And your jaw may drop at the ignorance of people who believe some of the myths. Mine did at one in particular.

HuffPost Headline: The Biden Administration Is Investigating Israel’s Possible War Crimes — Despite Public Claims To The Contrary
If this surprises you, I won’t say you haven’t been paying attention, because you probably have. But maybe not to foreign policy in general and the Middle East in particular. If you are a country you simply cannot afford to break ties with a longtims ally, as an individual person might if their SO tried to kill them, or attacked one of their children. Because other allies would – not might – lose confidence in yo as an ally, and that could endanger the whole country – possibly the whole world. You have to publicly express support while privately trying to talk them down. If that doesn’t work, the smart thing is to go into detective mode, so that if you have to cut ties, the reason will be seen to be compelling, and your other allies can feel safe, while also being aware what they should not be doing if they value your support. This can be a painful process because it pretty much comes with bad things happenings. But at least you haven’t started a World War.

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Open Thread February 12, 2024

 Posted by at 5:56 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 122024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came over again, to run the car, bring in mail, and take out recyclables (I didn’t have enough trash to make that worth while.) She says “Hi back, especially to Nameless.

This is late news, but as Susie Madrak points out, you wouldn’t know it, from the coverage it didn’t get. And it’s game-changing – if only it can gain traction.

This article from Democratic Underground is exactly what ALL the media SHOULD be saying about Joe Biden.

Dr. Biden Has much to say, and she also references Heather Cox Richardson, so I don’t have to.

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Video Thread 10/29/2023

 Posted by at 12:03 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 292023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Thus far, DA Willis has made NO plea offers to Trump, Meadows, Giuliani or other top conspirators.

The Lincoln Project – Trump Rally 10/23

Farron Balanced – Boebert’s Reelection Campaign Is Going Down In Flames

Liberal Redneck – New Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson

Woman Becomes Third Wheel In Her Cat And Husband’s Relationship

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden, diplomacy, and parallel tracks….

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Open Thread August 31, 2023

 Posted by at 5:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 312023
 

Yesterday, Mitch McConnell froze again, Idalia made landfall in Florida’s “Big Bend” region (which is exactly where you think it would be), our Mitch emailed his list that he and his are in no danger, and, by evening, Idalia was down to a tropical storm.  Late the night before, I read that Fani Willis has asked the judge to  put all the speedy-trial-demanders into a single trial, and therefore on the same date, October 23, if legally possible.  It hadn’t occurred to me that it might not be so I was assuming they would all be tried together (Eastman is number three.)  It’s consederably more complex than I thought.  Harry Litman explains the contingencies, in this vodeo, which has CC and therefore generates a transcript (click the 3 dots tp the right of the up-down-share line and “open trancript”.)  I hope it works out with the minimum number of seperate trials (which i believe would be four – but what do I know.)   Georgia’s doing us all a big favor and should not be required to break the bank to do it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Family Recalls Jacksonville Shooting Victim’s Last Call With Daughter
Quote – Several other relatives told the Associated Press that Gallion was a devoted father, and though his relationship with the child’s mother didn’t work out, he still had the respect of her family. “He never missed a beat,” Sabrina Rozier, the child’s maternal grandmother, said Sunday at a vigil honoring the victims. “He got her every weekend. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to have her (Saturday).”… “My heart melted for my granddaughter, because she was his world and he was her world. And now we’re trying to figure out how to tell her, because we haven’t told her yet and she’s only 4.”
Click through for more. I do appreciate the Beast telling the story in a respectful way. We don’t always see that.

Robert Reich – Globaloney: Why the Democrats’ love affair with “free trade” is over
Quote – But “globalization” is not a force of nature. How it works and whom it benefits or harms depend on specific, negotiated rules about which assets will be protected and which will not. In most trade deals, the assets of American corporations (including intellectual property) have been protected. If another nation adopts strict climate regulations that reduce the value of U.S. energy assets in that country, the country must compensate the American firms. Wall Street has been granted free rein to move financial assets into and out of our trading partners. But the jobs and wages of American workers have not been protected. Why shouldn’t American corporations that profit from trade be required to compensate American workers for job losses due to trade?
Click through for full assessment. It’s not news that unregulated anything helps only the wealthiest and hurts the reat of us. This does point up that regulation itself needs to be both accurately designed andproperly administered

CPR – [Senator] John Hickenlooper showed up at a SAG-AFTRA rally, and not just as a supporter — he’s paid his dues (literally)
Quote – He was there not just as a supporter, he said, but as a dues-paying member of SAG-AFTRA’s local chapter. That’s because the senator’s cousin, the late filmmaker George Hickenlooper, had a habit of casting him for bit parts. Among them was the film “Casino Jack,” released in 2010 when Hickenlooper was mayor of Denver. He played a U.S. Senator with one big line: “Remove that man.” “My cousin George made me do 28 takes,” Hickenlooper told the crowd near the City Park boathouse.
Click through – I’m not going to be able to keep up three a day, even in a week like this, but I thought this was cute, and I didn’t want to bump anything else for something this light. It was news to me.

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 1/10/2023

 Posted by at 12:13 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jan 102023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Scott “Pardon Me” Perry wants on the congressional committee to oversee DOJ’s criminal probe of HIM!

The Lincoln Project – Violence

Ring of Fire – Republicans Plan To Gut IRS And Ethics Office To Protect Themselves And Their Donors (I’m not sure why he pictured Mitch, when it’s the House that’s pushing this.  It will never get through the Senate.)

Armageddon Update – New Year, New World! (First new one for some time)

Woman Rescues Feral Kittens From An Abandoned Mansion

Beau – Let’s talk about what national interests are….

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Video Thread 12/17/2022

 Posted by at 12:04 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 172022
 

Political Voices Network – Joyce Vance: There’s Now a Serious Path for Jack Smith & DOJ to Make a Charge on Trump. Here’s How..

The Gateway Pundit – If you haven’t already seen or read about tis, you are going to have difficulty believing your eyes.

Parody Project – Prison Cells

Picky Kitten Refuses To Give Up His Bottle

Beau – Let’s talk about Libya, the US, and Pan Am….

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Open Thread August 23, 2022

 Posted by at 7:20 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 232022
 

Yesterday, I slept in about an hour – again. I’ve been having a glitch or two getting to sleep, so that when the alarm goes, I’m not ready to get up. I do realize this is a self-sustaining thing … but it has happened before and usually resolve within a week. I refuse to fret about it – I only mention it in case anyone has noticed I’m running a little late on comment replies. It’s not to worry.

Cartoon –


Short Takes –

Just Security – Trump Associate’s Stated Plan to Publicly Release “Declassified” Documents
Quote – As this article was going to press, ABC News published a report that weeks before the Mar-a-Lago search, former President Donald Trump’s associate Kash Patel “vowed to retrieve classified documents from the National Archives and publish them on his website.” If that scheme involved Trump himself and the Mar-a-Lago documents, it could have significant legal implications for the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal investigation. Any plan to release the documents could potentially trigger specific elements of the Espionage Act and other criminal statutes designed with the core purpose of preventing unlawful dissemination of classified and other sensitive government documents. As I discuss below, credible evidence of such a plan also would likely factor into the Justice Department’s decision on whether to bring criminal charges.
Click through for details. “Just Security” you might say is a specialty news website. I’m linking to their mission statement. (I also bookmarked then, since they don’t call attention to themselves – they just quietly analyze.

Letters from an American – August 20,2022
Quote – When former president Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he left the participants to continue without the U.S., which they did as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He also left open the way for a free trade deal in the region dominated by China, called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or RCEP, which went into effect on January 1, 2022. This left the Biden administration with two politically poor choices: try to reestablish U.S. participation in the region through the CPTPP, which would have been hotly contested at home and thus unlikely to get through Congress, or let China dominate the region, with damaging long-term effects. So the administration found a third way.
Click through for background. This is kind of a compliation of who has visited Taiwan from the United States recently, and when, and under what circumstances (not what you probably think from the press coverage.) Also, other recent history, including Trump**’s destructive actions (in my quote).

Food For Thought

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