Open Thread for June 20, 2021

 Posted by at 7:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 202021
 

It is now possible to hear an opera broadcast on every Saturday all year round, and not just during the Metropolitan Opera’s season. Yesterday’s opera is “Tosca,” by Puccini, which premiered in 1900, based on an 1887 play. In it the political is the personal, and I would ccll it prescient except that, sadly, the struggle between authoritarians and the rest of us has been going on forever. But it does, at least to me, make it more poignant to consider that what happened to Tosca and Mario (and Angelotti) could conceivably happen to any of us at any time if we fail to preserve our democracy.

Cartoon TomCat has run this cartoon every Father’s Day since at least 2010 (probably before that, but I don’t think the prior blog, which was on Blogspot, remains accessible). He always protested strongly that the litter was not his progeny.

Short Takes

INDEOENDENT (UK) – The Republican Party has turned fascist – it is now the most dangerous threat in the world. (And apparently everyone can see it except us.)
Quote: Two strategies, though never entirely absent from Republican behaviour in the past, have become far more central to their approach. One is a greater willingness to use or tolerate violence against their opponents, something that became notorious during the invasion of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters on 6 January. The other change among Republicans is much less commented on, but is more sinister and significant. This is the systematic Republican takeover of the electoral machinery that oversees elections and makes sure that they are fair. Minor officials in charge of them have suddenly become vital to the future of American democracy. Remember that it was only the refusal of these functionaries to cave in to Trump’s threats and blandishments that stopped him stealing the presidential election last November.
Click through for the full article. Share it if you can.

Crooks and Liars – What’s The ‘Critical Race Theory’ Uproar Really About? Making Enemies For 2022
Quote : The whole campaign against CRT, in fact, appears to be primarily the work of a handful of astroturfing “dark money” right-wing organizations. And its central figure is named Christopher Rufo, a longtime right-wing think tank activist with a history of promoting various kinds of spurious enemy concoctions.
Click through for details. But remember, just because only one person is behind it doesn’t mean it hasn’t already infected multitudes. Donald Trump** ia onlt one person too.

Sad news – Champ has passed. (BTW this looks like a Twitter account worth following if one were on Twitter.)

Food for Thought

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Video Thread 6/19/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 192021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Breaking News: FBI/DOJ Investigating Possible Complicity of Members of Congress in the Insurrection

Don Winslow – This is 3 days old, and there has been some mitigating news since then. But it’s still a good point.

Armageddon Update – Snark lives!

Now This News – Scare off scammers (ad at end)

Ring of Fire – Mostly opinion here – and I don’t always agree with Farron – but today I applaud him unconditionally. (Ad at end)

Decoding cat emotions

Beau – Let’s talk about the weather and record breaking heat…

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Open Thread for June 17, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 172021
 

Yesterday was another boring day. Not even any internet outage – and my ISP (CenturyLink) is getting terrible press for outages, including days-long outages, all over the place, including as close as Denver. I hope it stays boring!

Cartoon

Short Takes

The New Yorker – The Political, Legal, and Moral Minefield That Donald Trump Left for Merrick Garland
Quote: The array of politically sensitive Trump-related cases currently before the Garland Justice Department is startling. The Attorney General is overseeing the prosecution of the more than four hundred Trump supporters who were arrested in connection with the January 6th Capitol riot; the department’s response to a Republican-led recount of 2020 election returns in Arizona; its response to Republican-led efforts to restrict voting, based on Trump’s false claims of election fraud; the reinstatement of consent decrees designed to prevent police abuses; the criminal investigation of Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant Rudy Giuliani, for illegal lobbying; and a criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, the current President’s son, which was launched under Barr. Hanging over all these cases are demands from Democrats that Garland investigate whether Trump committed federal crimes while in office.
Click through fo the full article.

The Hill – Five takeaways from the Biden-Putin summit
I’m just going to list all five and let you follow up on the ones you want to.
– A return to pragmatism
– Capitol riot rears its head
– Biden praised as ‘not Trump’
– Putin relishes occasion
– Questions linger about details
Click through for details.

I can’t possibly cut this feelgood story. Everything in it is necessary for the effect so-
* Here’s my feelgood story of the day LOL Back in 2012, I went to game 4 of the world series in Detroit. The Giants clinched that night and while I was rooting for the Tigers, what a great thing to actually be there in the park and see the final out of a world series.
* I recently found a pin they gave out at the game. A State Farm sponsored world series 2012 pin. I looked on ebay and they were only selling for a few bucks, but I figured, I have no use for it. So I listed it for 99 cents + $8.55 for priority mail shipping.
* Well it sold for only 99 cents. No big deal, someone will enjoy it! I figure it is some Tigers fan, though I didn’t think they would want to be reminded of that World Series lol
* Buyer sent me the money including the shipping. ebay sent me his address and it turns out he lives only about 4 miles from where I work, and more or less on my way home. So I say, hey, if you want, I’ll just drop it off on your porch and refund your shipping cost. He says, sure that’s fine, but you don’t need to give me a refund.
* I pulled up at his house and there is a guy pulling weeds in a flowerbed. I get his attention and hand it to him, and he smiles and says “Hey, I work for Ford too!” We chat for a second, I tell him I’m a Red Sox fan and hope he’ll enjoy the pin because it was just collecting dust in a drawer.
* He reiterates again not to refund the shipping cost, that I can keep it.
* THEN he tells me his son is severely autistic. He didn’t buy the pin for the Tigers. He bought it because his son autistic love is ANYTHING State Farm related, and to make him happy he lets his son buy some small State Farm item every day on ebay.
* So needless to say I’m absolutely thrilled now to know it is really going to bring some joy for his autistic son.
* I left and went home, and despite what he said, immediately refunded his shipping and told him to use that $8.55 for the next State Farm prize for his son.

Food for Thought

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Open Thread for June 15, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 152021
 

Well, still a little bit of tenderness and temperature around the injection site – but my actual normal temperature is so low that slight increas is probably right around normal. I’m now feeling confident and won’t mention it again unless something negative happens. So – now one to go. And now to business.

Cartoon

Short Takes

New York Times – Warnings of Democracy in Peril
Quote: [Senator Angus] King [I-ME] said the only reason voters lacked confidence in the voting system was that Republicans — especially Mr. Trump — told them for months that it was rigged, despite all evidence to the contrary, and now continued to insist that there were abuses in the process that must be fixed. “That’s like pleading for mercy as an orphan after you killed both your parents,” he said.
Click through for the full article. There is a paywall but you get one or two free articles a month.

The 19th – Barack Obama: Women have found themselves “in an impossible situation” – from a socially distanced interview
Quote – I’m just incredibly proud of the kind of human beings Sasha and Malia have become. Of course, like all of us, they followed the protests around our country. They got involved. And we had conversations about all of it. My advice to them is the same as it is to all young people, which is that protesting — raising public awareness, putting a spotlight on injustice, making the powers that be uncomfortable — that kind of civil disobedience couldn’t be more important. Throughout our history, that has often been the only way to get the political system to pay attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, I tell them, movements have to be translated into laws and policies — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands. Basically, my advice is to reject the false choice between participating in protests and politics. Do both!
Click through for the rest of what made it in to the interview.

Rolling Stone – Al Franken – Tax the Rich! Also the Very Affluent! But Mainly the Rich!
Quote: Biden is eager for the infrastructure bill to be a bipartisan effort, however, and has been negotiating with Republicans to find a deal everyone can feel good about. But if the Obama years are any indication, Republicans will only feel good if a Democrat in the White House fails. So we shouldn’t hold our breath. Democrats can pass an infrastructure bill through the fast-track reconciliation process if they need to, which only requires a simple majority of 51 votes to pass, which still may prove difficult but is a lot more doable. Because Mitch McConnell naturally doesn’t like any of Biden’s big plans one bit.
Click througfh for a very clearly explained article.

Food for Thought

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Video Thread 6/11/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 112021
 

Glenn Kirschner – “DOJ’s Position in the E. Jean Carroll Case Explained” – but not justified. I’ll look for Ted Lieu’s letter for tomorrow’s Open Thread. And he’ll talk a little more about it too.

Meidas Tough – Ruth Ben-Ghiat: Republicans Want to Turn America Into An Electoral Autocracy

Crooks and Liars – It keeps becoming more and mmore evident why history nd the teaching of it is suppressed.

Robert Reich – CoViD-19 vaccine

Now This News – This is …bizarre.

Liberal Redneck on Louie Gohmert – Personally, I was surprised. I didn’t know he knew the earth isn’t flat.

Beau – Let’s talk about which party is most gullible and confirmation bias….

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Video Thread 6/10/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 102021
 

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Announces it will Defend Donald Trump in Defamation Lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll this week is turning into a workshop on how decent people express anger. Glenn makes his voice into silk dripping with sarcasm.

Meidas Touch – with Stuart Stevens

The Lincoln Project – The Line

BARF BAG ALERT! Campaign “ad” from Lauren Boebert. Yecccch!

Liberal Redneck on Manchin

Now This News – Magawa the Landmine-Sniffing Rat is Retiring a Hero (Just a little break. There are actually maany of these rats and the lives they have saved, and are saving, are priceless.)

Beau – What National Security REALLY needs

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Open Thread for June 8, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 082021
 

My mechanic and I (I say “my mechanic,” but it’s actually a team) are in consensus that a new battery was needed, so I am calling and emailing around to find one that can be delivered. I’m ot committed as yet, but it’s still a relief to feel that I know what I need to do and have started doing it.

 

Cartoon

Short Takes

The Borowitz Report – Putin Says He Has No Intention of Reinstating Trump
MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report)—Calling recent speculation “absurd,” Vladimir Putin said that he has “no intention whatsoever” of reinstating Donald J. Trump as President of the United States.
Speaking to reporters, the Russian President bristled at the suggestion that he would reinstall Trump in the White House “this August or any other month, for that matter.”
Click through for details. I certainly hope this is straight news!

MSNBC – The GOP’s base is preparing for a holy war — and Democrats need to pay attention
Yes, another opinion piece – one which it’s hard to disagree with if one is paying attention and is honest. Quote:
The sentiments that these Republicans share differ at times in the particulars — not all believe, for example, that the Democratic Party is a front for blood-drinking, Satanic pedophilia, but many do…. If one believes a priori that one’s opponents are thieves, would-be totalitarians, drinkers of children’s blood, wresting back power becomes in and of itself a moral imperative, regardless of the means.
Click through for the full piece.

The New Yorker – How Nasty Was Nero, Really?
Fake news is not news. It’s been around forever. I’ve been defending Nero for a while now – along with Marie Antoinette, Richard III, and Hillary Clinton. Not one of them was guilty of the arson, murder, incest, or miscellaneous crimes he or she was accused of. Can we hope that Hillary’s reputation will fare any better than that of the other three? Here’s a quote:
Opper told me, “They had a term for it—vituperatio, or ‘vituperation,’ which meant that you could say anything about your opponent. You can really invent all manner of things just to malign that character. And that is exactly the kind of language and stereotypes we find in the source accounts.”
Click through for details. Why is it relevant now? Well, look what Qpublicans are saying about us.

Food for Thought:

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