Open Thread for November 1, 2021

 Posted by at 7:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 012021
 

Yesterday was the first day of COP-26. Having been to a conference or two in my life, I am assuming that means today is the first full day of it. So I am trying to feature climate. You may have noticed we all are. Speaking of which, it was overcast and wet here. Since it was, and it’s expected to stay wet for at least a few days, I pushed myself to go out and put down some iris food. And to being the trash/recyclable carts to where they live. And to deal with the mail from the car and the mailbox (most of which went straight to recycle.) Incidentally it was also cold with a high of 36°F.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Toni Morrison’s 1998 Interview Speaks To ‘GOP Mom’
Quote – Youngkin tweeted a campaign video on Monday that featured the outrage of Laura Murphy, a white mom who years earlier tried to get Morrison’s classic novel, Beloved, banned from her son’s Advanced Placement English curriculum.
Click through – in case you mised Youngkin’s incendiary Tweet (recalling the infamous “Willie Horton” ad), it’s there. Sigh.

Reuters – G20 offers little new on climate, leaving uphill task for COP26
Quote – Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who chaired the Rome gathering, hailed the final accord, saying that for the first time all G20 states had agreed on the importance of capping global warming at the 1.5 degrees Celsius level that scientists say is vital to avoid disaster. “We made sure that our dreams are not only alive but they are progressing,” Draghi told a closing news conference, brushing off criticism from environmentalists that the G20 had not gone nearly far enough to resolve the crisis.
Click through for details.

AP News – ‘Last, best hope:’ Leaders launch crucial UN climate summit
Quote – Government leaders face two choices in Glasgow, Patricia Espinosa, head of the U.N. climate office, declared at the summit’s opening: They can sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions and help communities and countries survive what is becoming a hotter, harsher world, Espinosa said. “Or we accept that humanity faces a bleak future on this planet. It is for these reasons and more that we must make progress here in Glasgow. We must make it a success.”
Click through for more. If only today’s lead (right after Glenn) video would come true.)

Food for Thought –

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Video Thread 10/31/21

 Posted by at 11:57 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 312021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Bannon Indictment Watch Day 8: DOJ Has Yet to Indict Bannon for his Crime of Contempt of Congress

Meidas Touch – Let’s WIN Virginia! | 50K Doors in 50 Days

The Lincoln Project – Critical Race Theory

Robert Reich – What Happened to the Party of Limited Government?

MSNBC – The Purge Of GOP Truth Tellers Claims Its Biggest Trophy Yet (This is actually scarier than I was looking for…)

Hallowe’en – Vincent Price Performs The Thriller Rap Live 1987 Enhanced HD

Beau – Let’s talk about a leading cause, #SaferStorage, and T4CIP…. The date on this is 10/27, in case anyone wants to make a note of it. I have said for over 40 years that gun owners – responsible gun owners – should draft model legislation for public safety, or at least encourage it being drafted – because if they won’t, the resy of us most (and they will not like it.) Beau is the girst gun owner I have ever heard actually speak in this way.

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Open Thread for October 30, 2021

 Posted by at 7:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 302021
 

Yesterday, I essentially got ready for today. That didn’t leave much time free. By the time this posts, I’ll be on the road, and by the tie the video thread posts, I’ll be in the middle of my visit. See you all when I get back.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Pattern Of Democratic Clean-up On Aisle Republican Deficit Continues
Quote – Now we have the Biden economy doing what Trump had promised, but without having reversed any of the Trump tax cuts (yet). Just think how much better off our national finances could be if at least certain Democrats (cough, Sens. Manchin and Sinema, cough) would acknowledge that and help the president take the obvious next steps.
Click through for column. It’s short but meaty.

Mother Jones – The Owners of the Democrats’ Big Data Firm Have a Side Gig: Working to Elect Far-Right Republicans
Quote – The involvement of TargetSmart’s owners in electing right-wing Republicans has remained unknown among the political professionals within Democratic and progressive campaign circles. Informed about this, a former technology specialist for the Democrats says, “This is not a good look for TargetSmart.” And a union official notes, “This is pretty damning…In the world [TargetSmart] occupies, it couldn’t be much worse. A lot of Democratic consulting firms do work for corporations that don’t always support Democrats or progressives. But to have a sister company working on behalf of Republicans is not good for its standing.”
Click through for full story. Sadly, the cold fact is that big successful businesses and Republicans go together We all would be better off to stay aware of thet.

The Revelator (Center for Biological Diversity) – A Nose for Science: Conservation Dogs May Help in Search for Endangered Franklin’s Bumblebee
Quote – The quest to save a rare pollinator from extinction has just gained an unlikely ally: a mutt named Filson. A six-year-old Australian cattle dog mix with black and tan fur and oversized ears, Filson will soon join the mission to find the endangered Franklin’s bumblebee (Bombus franklini). The fuzzy pollinator, which no one has observed in 15 years, became a federally protected species this summer.
Click through for more, and not just bees. This really is exciting for anyone who realizes how connected we all are.

Food for Thought –

Bonus – a comment from the Wonkette newsletter:
A Journey Of One Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Baby Step. And we really do have a thousand miles to go when it comes to fixing America’s infrastructure, and this bill that was going to be a giant stride forward is ending up to be just one step. But it is a step, in the right direction for once. And we should embrace that, and own that, and harken back to a time when all the steps were backwards, into authoritarian nativism, which really wasn’t all that long ago.

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Video Thread 10/21/2021

 Posted by at 12:27 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 212021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Why Trump’s Frivolous Executive Privilege Lawsuit Will Fail AND Why It Won’t Help Steve Bannon

MSNBC – Adam Schiff On Jan. 6 Vote To Hold Bannon In Contempt

Thom Hartmann – Was This SCOTUS Judge Working With Jan 6th Coup Plotter?

Ring of Fire – Republicans Are Terrified That Trump Will Destroy The Party Next Year

politicsrus – Native America

Liberal Redneck – To All the Americans Leaving Their Jobs

Beau – Let’s talk about an update on Biden’s wind-power push…

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Video Thread 10/20/2021

 Posted by at 12:04 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 202021
 

Glenn Kirschner – The Late Colin Powell: From WMD’s to Secretary of State to Announcing “Trump is a Liar”. (Glenn and I believe much the same about him; I’m just a trifle more outspoken because I’m not a public figure.)

MSNBC – Trump Goes Under Oath For First Time Since His Presidency

Thom Hartmann – He Refused Vaccine Only For COVID Complications To Ruin His Life

Ring of Fire – Big Trouble For Matt Gaetz As Judge Postpones His ‘Wingman’s’ Sentencing

Armageddon Update – Layer upon Layer –

Really American – Lauren Boebert: Dangerously Dumb

Beau – Let’s talk about a crashed tractor and unskilled labor…..

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Video Thread 10/19/2021

 Posted by at 11:55 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 192021
 

Glenn Kirschner – NY Judge Orders Trump to Testify at a Deposition on Monday, October 18-What Could Possibly Go Wrong

Don Winslow – #JoeManchinSenatorForSale. Gotta say, Don doesn’t mince words.

The Lincoln Project – Morph

CNN – Acosta Reminds Us That Trump Knows He Is A Snake

MSNBC – Mother Of Ahmaud Arbery: We Will Get Justice For Ahmaud

Now This News – Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin Remembers Colin Powell

Beau – Let’s talk about prices and supply chains….

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Open Thread for October 19, 2021

 Posted by at 6:54 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 192021
 

Yesterday, I did sleep in,and I feel much more rested. I hope I can translate that into fewer typos – or at the very least, more easily interpreted typos. We shall see.

Cartoon – Another prescient one from 2013

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Oath Keepers’ Jan. 6 Trial Delayed Because Evidence Keeps Rolling In
Quote – The federal judge overseeing the Oath Keepers conspiracy case in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection ordered their trial delayed this week, primarily because of the overwhelming amount of evidence still being produced in their cases. Though the delay was expected, its reasons are stark reminders that Jan. 6 will be one of the most complex prosecutions in history and that the investigation remains very active as more evidence piles up. There are likely some very big shoes still to drop.
Click through for examples and more explanation. I know it’s tough. We don’t hear much if at all about people being impatient and frustrated about Al Capone … but if there had been an internet and social media then, I’ll bet we would have.

Buzzfeed – “DANGER WARNING”: WOMEN SAY MADISON CAWTHORN HARASSED THEM IN COLLEGE
Quote – BuzzFeed News spoke with more than three dozen people, including more than two dozen former students, their friends, and their relatives, who described or corroborated instances of sexual harassment and misconduct on campus, in Cawthorn’s car, and at his house near campus. Four women told BuzzFeed News that Cawthorn, now a rising Republican star, was aggressive, misogynistic, or predatory toward them. Their allegations include calling them derogatory names in public in front of their peers, including calling one woman “slutty,” asking them inappropriate questions about their sex lives, grabbing their thighs, forcing them to sit in his lap, and kissing and touching them without their consent.
Click through for story. Like other Republican politicians, this dude is a real piece of work.

Yes, Colin Powell Was Fully Vaccinated. He Was Also Seriously Immunocompromised.
Quote – Here’s another bit of nuance that I haven’t seen anyone really talking about but seems the most significant: The reason Colin Powell died of COVID-19 is that he caught it—which meant that it was still circulating among people he had contact with. This point may seem obvious, but too often we forget that one of the greatest risk factors for contracting COVID-19 is community spread. The more people around you who have the disease, the more likely you are to catch it.
Click through for some truth. I saw one meme or tweet which said “Colin Powell did not die because he was vaccinated. He died because you weren’t.”

Food for Thought –

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Open Thread for October 18, 2021

 Posted by at 6:57 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 182021
 

Yesterday, I was pretty well exhausted. I had hoped to sleep in, but woke up about an hour and a half before my guideline alarm (which I would cheerfully have slept through) with just enough tickle in my throat to keep me awake. Nothing serious, just a small allergic reaction, most likely to a piece of red or yellow pepper. It vanished quickly once I was vertical. But I may well be sleeping in today.  Expect me when you see me.

Cartoon – (from 2013 – nothing’s changed)

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Fox Commenters’ Response To Bill Clinton News Is What You’d Expect
Quote – CNN reports that the former president, who is 75, has a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream, a fairly common medical condition in the elderly. It’s a relatively minor medical problem, so why is the story so prominent at Fox? Because it’s an excellent opportunity for Fox fans to demonstrate the kind of high-minded civic engagement they’re known for. From the comments:
Click through if you can stand to. The comments are pretty disgusting. Big Dog also experienced sepsis, which I would not call minor, but IANAD, and thankfully they were right on that, and he is out of the hospotal now according to various sources.

Vox – The case against means testing
Quote – Means testing have also long been associated with a moral argument that some segments of the population are deserving of government benefits, while others are not. This idea undercuts the belief that a social safety net is intended to help support those broadly in need, and shifts the burden onto individuals to prove that they’re worthy of getting basic help.
Click through for evidence. Means testing sounds so reasonable – until you realize that $100 for groceries if you live alone doesn’t exactly go as far as $100 for groceries if you hve three kids. Furthermore. $100 fpr groceries if your body is perfectly normal doesn’t quite go as far as $100 for groceries if you have food allergies, or any other specialized dietary needs. And actually, the same is true for shopping in just about every category of consumables.

The Hill – Arbery murder trial set to begin this week
Quote – When Arbery, who was unarmed, was cornered by the two trucks he ran at Travis McMichael in an attempt to seize his shotgun, but was then fatally shot. In April, both the McMichaels and Bryan were charged with federal hate crimes in connection to Arbery’s death. The indictment accuses the men of using force and threatening to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to utilize a public street, and alleges that Bryan joined the chase and used his truck during the incident.
Click through for story.  I’m surely glad it has come to a trial. I wish I could have higher hopes for its results. They are certainly taking their time over jury selection – I hope that’s a good sign.

Food for Thought –

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