Open Thread for October 10, 2021

 Posted by at 7:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 102021
 

Yesterday, the opera was “Billy Budd,” based on the novella by Herman Melville, and composed by Benjamin Britten. It goes to some dark places, and I can’t call the ending happy, though it does achieve a measure of peace. Of course the music is lovely. While it was on I organized both morning and evening meds for the next two weeks … so I am ahead of my usual accomplishment with them.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Bears Ears Inter-Tribla Coalition – “We Did It!”
Quote – The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (BEITC), comprised of delegates from the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Zuni Tribe, issued a statement today in response to President Biden’s upcoming announcement that the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument will be restored…. This statement represents the joint views of the five Tribes making up the Coalition. Each Tribe, acting as sovereign nations, may also offer independent comments.
Click through for quotes from members. I certainly needed some good news today, and assume y’all do too. You can sign a thank-you note here, courtest of the Grand Canyon Trust, if you like (And you’ll get a nice reply pretty quickly.)

Quote – Unfortunately, in a big black eye for her reputation, Beeman’s own racist comments in a University of Connecticut online forum on “critical race theory” were noticed by Hartford TV station WFSB, which reported on the comments yesterday. The station didn’t specify when the forum took place, but it had a screenshot, and Beeman was quick to insist that heavens no, she didn’t mean anything bad when she’d typed “Helping kids of color to feel they belong has a negative effect on white, Christian, or conservative kids.” Of course she didn’t! Here’s the video, cued up to the story so you don’t have to be confused by several minutes of silence at the start, yeesh, guys, you work in teevee.
Click through for clip woth quote. “Tone deaf” doesn’t even begin to describe this. The implication alone that Chrstians can’t possibly be black is nauseating.

Crooks and Liars – Maryland Man Fatally Shot His Pharmacist Brother For ‘Killing People’ With The COVID Vaccine
Quote – Burnham is being held without bond in Allegany County, where he is charged with stabbing Rebecca Reynolds, 83, to death inside her Cumberland home on Sept. 29. Police said he took her car and fled to Ellicott City, where a day later he killed Robinette, 58, and his wife Kelly Sue Robinette, 57. He faces first and second-degree murder charges in the couples’ deaths.
Click through – Apparently we are already in a shooting Civil War. “Brother against btother.” (I didn’t look for Law & Crime’s take on this but I’ll bet it’s epic.)

Food for Thought – Chyron of the Year

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Open Thread for October 8, 2021

 Posted by at 6:54 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 082021
 

Yesterday, I went through all the ballot issues I wil be voting on and figured out all the Yesses and Noes. In Colorado, General Elections in odd-numbered years are never for people but only for issues, and are limited to issues involving money. So it’s a drag reading through all of them. I have 3 state issues, one county issue, and one special district issue to vote on. The special district issue was easy – our fire and EMT response times are dire, all due to insufficuent funds. The others were more difficult, and I had to go to Colorado Public Radio for actual English explanations to determine where the Republican shenanigans are hidden (and there certainly are some.) But I have it figured out now. Also yesterday, Mitch and I figured out a way that I can email him the Open Thread (not a link, the actual content) which is simple and easy. And of course he can reply with comments. So we can keep in touch to that extent anyway.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

USPS Testing Out Postal Banking. Thank The Postal Union!
Quote – The USPS got out of the banking business in 1966, but for decades, think tanks and policy geeks have said it would be a great thing to bring back, because there are millions of Americans who don’t use banks, yes in 2021. Instead, far too many Americans are unbanked — about five percent of us — and pay too much to cash their paychecks at payday lenders, (some) grocery stores, or Walmart. Starting last month, the USPS began testing out a new system where people can cash business checks up to $500 and receive the money in the form of a gift card that can be used pretty much anywhere. As David Dayen puts it at the American Prospect, this is a big effing deal: He calls it “the most far-reaching executive action that the Biden administration has taken since Inauguration Day.”
Click through for story. Elizabeth Warren is one who will certainly be happy. This is a pet project of hers (one of many.)

Rise in New Mexico earthquakes likely triggered by oil industry
Quote – There were 146 quakes through June so far this year. Those numbers are just in New Mexico — they are even higher over the border in the Texas portion of the basin. The overwhelming majority of the quakes are small and barely perceptible to people right in the area where they occur. But Dr. Mairi Litherland, the manager of the Seismological Observatory at New Mexico Tech, is paying close attention because, “we have seen that when you start to see more of these smaller events, it can lead to larger events.”
Click through for details (including bad kitty litter). Gee- ya think?

GOP Senate Candidate Seeks Gag Order On His Wife
Quote – And now, true to Trump form, he’s got problems with his treatment of women in his personal life, ahem. “Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Sean Parnell has asked a judge to seal records in his ongoing custody case and to ban his wife and her attorney from talking publicly about past protection-from-abuse orders against him — matters that have stirred political attacks and media scrutiny.”
Click through – This is just the primary. Lots could happen.

Food for Thought –

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Open Thread for October 4, 2021

 Posted by at 7:17 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 042021
 

Yesterday, I did my best to rest. I worked a little more on that last cotton project I mentioned … I had to undo some after discovering I was working on the wrong side. But not too much. And it gives me a second chance to get a color change over short rows right. So I’m not complaining.

Cartoon – 4 4Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

AP News – NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
Quote – Vaccinated people do not carry more coronavirus than the unvaccinate…. Social media users are misrepresenting comments made by Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner, to make the false claim.
Click through for this and other stories. And maybe boolmark the home page of this feature, which comes out every Friday. 

Law & Crime – Texas Man Accused of Throwing Molotov Cocktail at Democratic Party HQ While Wearing American Flag as Disguise
Quote – Ryan Faircloth, 30, stands accused of arson and possessing a prohibited weapon. He is currently being detained at the Travis County Jail in Austin after being arrested on Friday. He also has a federal charge pending according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Click through for data and reminders of the crime – which we all saw on video. So glad they got him. I hope they keep him.

The Guardian – Facebook whistleblower to claim company contributed to Capitol attack
Quote – A whistleblower at Facebook will say that thousands of pages of internal company research she turned over to federal regulators proves the social media giant is deceptively claiming effectiveness in its efforts to eradicate hate and misinformation and it contributed to the January 6 attack on the Capitol in Washington DC.
Click through for story. This wil have been on 60 Minutes last night. She’s not claiming financial contributions, but she is claiming motivatinal contribution.

Food for Thought –

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Video Thread 9/29/21

 Posted by at 12:28 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 292021
 

Glenn Kirschner – House Investigation of 1/6 Insurrection Issues 4 Subpoenas. Here’s an Overview of the Legal Issues

Meidas Touch – Rep. Dingell on Standing Up to “Hateful Bully” Marjorie Taylor Greene

Really American – Republicans Opposing Paid Sick Leave In Infrastructure

Liberal Redneck – Review of Kyrsten Sinema (Excerpt)

“Mangy Fetlocks” – A Message for Trumpsters About Their Car’s Warranty

Beau – Let’s talk about how white people should respond to racism they see….

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Open Thread for September 15, 2021

 Posted by at 7:18 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 152021
 

Yesterday, I changed my mouse battery – twice – because the first “new” battery didn’t work. That may have been the high point of the day – which is fine with me!

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – Texas is pushing the most anti-trans bills in the country. Advocates fear deadly consequences.
Quote – “We just have a fraction of the data and can see that we’re in crisis,” said Victoria Kirby York, deputy executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition. “It’s past epidemic, and these state legislatures are making things worse.” … As greater numbers of anti-trans bills have been introduced across more states within the last two years, more trans homicides have taken place in those states. Last year, 56 percent of trans homicides took place in states that attempted to pass anti-trans legislation, per a review of ACLU and Human Rights Campaign data by The 19th. Still, research proving any direct link between the deaths and the legislation is lacking.
Click through for story. There have always been trans people and I don’t remember it being an issue when I was a child or a teen or a twenty-something. I do remember Christine Jorgensen, however. (I don’t remember her getting death threats, though yes, she did get some harassment, but it wasn’t amplified, nor was it legitimized.)

The Hill – Five things to watch in the California recall election
They are – 1. What’s turnout like?
2. Does Democrats’ strategy pay off?
3. Were the polls right?
4. What does the result tell us about the state of politics in California and nationwide?
5. How does scrutiny affect Elder?
Click through for discussion of one or more. By the time you read this, it will be over (though mayme not couted.) Even those of us who don’t live there can learn from watching.

Wonkette – Anti-Maskers Try To Pull A January 6 On School Board, Swear Selves In As Replacements
Quote – Last week, a ragtag group of people who don’t even have children in California’s Poway Unified School District invaded a closed school board meeting, as part of a rally organized by dark money-funded astroturf group “Let Them Breathe,” and refused to leave. Police declined to force them out and instead suggested the school board adjourn the meeting instead. You know, for their own safety.
Click through. I’m not trying to terrify Colleen, especially on e recall election day, but this is all over the news and I can see why. These people have what a former boss of mine ised to refer to as “brass balls the size of church bells.”

Food for Thought –

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Video Thread 9/8/2021

 Posted by at 11:38 am  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 082021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Here’s Why Courts Should Strike Down Texas Abortion Law Violating Women’s Constitutional Rights. I do think Glenn is wrong on one thing – not a point of law – I wouldnever argue with him on that. But he says “taking away people’s Constitutional rights is not a winning strategy.” On the contrary, it was a winning strategy for Democrats until Lyndon Johnson renounced it, and it has been a winning strategy for Republicans ever since.

Meidas Touch – Mary Trump Says THIS is One of the Most Diabolic Things Her Uncle Donald Did

The Lincoln Project – Ivermectin

Really American – Larry Elder: Slave Owners Deserve Reparations

Liberal Redneck – “Un-American” Vaccine Mandates

Beau – Let’s talk about what the world’s EMT means for DOD….

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Open Thread for September 5, 2021

 Posted by at 7:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 052021
 

Yesterday, I tried to rest as much as possible. I brought the trash and recyclables carts up to where they “live” and collected a couple of packages from the mailbox — which required shoes but I think was worth it.

Cartoon –

I simply must add that 300 years later, to the day, was the very first Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon.  I’m sure there’s no connection.

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – If God Wills It
Quote – There is no question that Hurricane Ida was a horrible storm which caused a lot of damage. The suffering will continue for weeks as people are without power and it is sweltering hot. But as a friend of mine always says, you gotta look for the happiness in the crappiness. A clear example is that the offices of James O’Keefe and Project Veritas got wiped out:
Click through for comments. The quote is pretty much the whole story, but you know people who read “Crooks and Liars” are going to be smart-alecky, at least some of them.

The Hill – The Memo: Attacks on democracy seep down to school boards, election offices
Quote – In many places there is fear — fear for the safety of the low- and mid-level officials who do the unglamorous work that keeps democracy knitted together and fear for what happens if they decide it’s just not worth it.
Click through for story. This is important. You’ve heard of people who can’t see the forest for the trees – but in my experience, Democrats, politically are more likely to be unable to see the trees for the forest. School Boards (usually unpaid and elective) and election worker (most volunteer, seasonal, and paid a little, but some employed year round by county offices) are critical to our ability to keep our democracy … which is why Republicans, who see every leaf on every tree, and most of the bugs on the leaves, are systematically undermining them.

“my stateline” – Emails released in FOIA show hundreds of parents thanked Pritzker for issuing school mask mandate
Quote – A House Republican who sought “data, studies, scientific or medical articles, and correspondence” from people advocating in support of school mask mandates got her answer in dramatic fashion on Tuesday. Governor Pritzker’s office responded to an August 10th Freedom of Information Act Request filed by Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) by sending a staffer to her legislative office in Springfield to hand-deliver 870 pages of studies and letters from parents that supported the mask mandate.
Click through for details. This is priceless. I realize that even multiplied by 10 or 20 (the numbers usually cited to compare those with opinions to those actually writing) 870 is a drop in the bucket in a state the size f Illinois, but it certainly is impressive. Dumb Republicans. (Yeah, I know, I misspelled “Damn.”)

Food for Thought –

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Video Thread 8/26/2021

 Posted by at 11:32 am  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 262021
 

Glenn Kirschner – House Select Committee Demands Records Relating to 1/6 Attack for Trump, his Family, Advisors & More

Rep. Tim Ryan … in a tweet

Don Winslow Films – #VoteRacistTrumpOut

Really American – Governor Abbott downplays COVID, gets Sick

Liberal Redneck – An excerpt from another profile Trae did for Patreon. The fine print at YouTube show directions to the whole profile.

Frozen Kitten Brought Back To Life by Family UPDATE

Beau – Let’s talk about a technique for reaching out to your parents…. [or anyone older … or anyone who thinks they know more than you for whatever reason]

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