GOP Lies – Page 9 – Politics Plus

Open Thread February 6, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:07 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 062023

Yesterday, it was pretty quiet – until late last night, when there was (literally) earthshaking news – from Turkey ans Syria. To quote Heather Cox Richardson, ”

A deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey late tonight has caused damage in Syria, and was felt in Lebanon, and Israel, as well. It has collapsed buildings, sparked fires in ruptured gas lines, and prompted Italian authorities to warn of potential tsunami waves. Aftershocks, including one of 6.7 magnitude and another of 5.6, have continued to hit in the wake of the first quake. Millions of refugees from Syria’s civil war and internally displaced persons live in the region of the epicenter, in tents and other temporary housing. It is winter there.” Winter in the Mediterranean is not the same as winter in the Colorado Rockies, but it is still no picnic. At least our President is on top of it.

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – With A One-Word Answer, Maxine Waters Startles GOP ‘Colleague’
Quote – “You can’t condemn socialism?” Reschenthaler said. “In your opening remarks, you were talking about Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi. You know what they all have in common, right?” “Trump,” Waters said.
Click through. Auntie Maxine – making Black History since 1938

The 19th – Two years in, Biden has prioritized nominating women of color as judges
Quote – While Jackson’s historic confirmation was the most visible sign of systemic change in the judiciary, the president has prioritized diversity throughout the federal court system. Biden’s judicial appointees are the most diverse of any U.S. president to date in terms of race, gender and professional background. Of the judges appointed by Biden in the past two years, 75 percent are women, 47 percent are women of color and 67 percent are people of color.
Click through for details. Few white people are in a position to make Blck History – and of those few, most don’t (or do it wrong.) I’m pretty sure Joe doesn”t expect (or care about) being named in Black HIstory. He’s just doing the right thing.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 2/5/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:18 pm Open Thread, Politics

Feb 052023

Glenn Kirschner – McCarthy wields speaker gavel for political revenge; removes Schiff, Swalwell & Omar from committees

The Lincoln Project – Nikki Haley

Thom Hartmann – The Racist Origins of the Anti-Abortion Movement Exposed (are there any American laws that are NOT racist?)

MSNBC – Rep. Plaskett: We’ll be a “truth squad” on Congress’ new Weaponization Committee

Tiny Feral Kittens Learn To Accept Love

Beau – Let’s talk about Social Security and why the GOP is going after it….

Video Thread 2/3/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:56 am Open Thread, Politics

Feb 032023

Glenn Kirschner – Rep. Jim Jordan demands details of pending DOJ investigations. DOJ tells Jordan to ‘pound sand.’

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – January 31, 2023

Ring of Fire – Ted Cruz Refuses To Apology For Spreading Pelosi Conspiracies

Really American – Chip Franklin RIPS Conservative talking heads over their CREEPY obsession with M&Ms sexuality.

This Cat’s Favorite Word Is Exactly What You’d Expect

Beau – Let’s talk about the Constitution and mixed messages….

Video Thread 2/1/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:58 am Open Thread, Politics

Feb 012023

Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump goes out for ice cream while the folks he told to attack the US Capitol go to prison

PoliticsGirl – Why Less Tax is Actually More Tax

Farron Balanced – Kevin McCarthy Goes Absolutely Nuts When Reporter Asks About George Santos

Robert Reich – The One Thing That Would Make Elections Better For Everyone

This Cat’s Obsessed With One Movie

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden’s impeachment and the GOP Senate….

Open Thread February 1, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:48 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 012023

Yesterday, I received a breaking news alert from Axios – ” George Santos tells colleagues he’s stepping down from House committees.” That will be nice if it happens. But he’s such a liar, how can one tell? I also spent way too much time untangling – but that, alas, is what it takes, and it has to be done if I’m going to use the yarn. Today is the first day of Black History Month (except in FLorida.) I”ll be doing what I can – which means not every short take is going to be current.

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Short Takes –

Mother Jones – How a Sunken Slave Ship Set Off “a Search for Ourselves”
Quote – [M]aritime archaeology has tended to focus its masked eye on the wrecks of rich and famous ships rather than those that traded in flesh and blood. Redressing that archaeological, academic and sociocultural imbalance was the driving force behind the Slave Wrecks Project, a partnership established in 2008 between the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and other institutions and organizations in Africa and the US. “People talk about the slave trade; they talk about the millions of people who were transported, but it’s hard to really imagine that, so we wanted to reduce it to human scale by really focusing on a single ship, on the people on the ship, and the story around the ship,” says [Lonnie] Bunch [NMAAHC Director]. “Yes, we tell you about the thousands of ships that brought the enslaved, but we also say: ‘Here’s a way to humanize it.’”
Click through for story. Not everyone wants to know about their ancestral history, and that is true of people from all backgrounds (and compinations of backgrounds. But those who do want to know should have equal access to that information. Henry Louis Gates Jr. has done wonderful work in that field, but anyone who has watched his show knows that the history of slavery in the U.S. presents a huge stumbling block, much as fires destroying records do, with the revealing difference that this suppression was deliberate. Anything which can help cut through that curtain is welcome.

Daily Beast – Florida Explains Why It Blocked Black History Class—and It’s a Doozy
Quote – The Florida Department of Education says it banned AP African American History because it teaches students about activism, intersectionality and encourages “ending the war on Black trans, queer, gender non-conforming, and intersex people,” according to a document the department sent to The Daily Beast…. DeSantis’ administration further made their anti-LGBTQ stance known in their explanation for prohibiting the class, simply listing “Black Queer Studies” as a violation of state law. The document further admonishes the teaching of intersectionality, claiming it is “foundational to” Critical Race Theory, without explaining how.
Click through for details. I’m not sure “doozy” is the right word – “doozies” are supposed to be positive (it’s derived from “Duesenberg.”) This is so negative, and so far right – I’d call it a “Q-zy,” as in QAnon.

Food For Thought

Open Thread January 30, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 302023

Yesterday, I did get to see Virgil. It was snowing and cold – but I really had to see him because omething had gone wrong in the phone system; he had tried 3 times to call me Friday but I wasn’t able to accept ythe call and I wanted to tell him it was not I who was haning up on him. Fortunately, he didn’t think that, and I got to talk with the inmate who helps him place calls and tell him what happened. I had called the provider, and I did get an answer – frankly it didn’t make sense to me, but I shared it anyway because it’s not something I can fix, and if they are going to they need all available information – at least. I wasn’t able to finish scraping the windshield before starting out in the morning; I got the driver’s side and part of the passenger side clear, but part of it was just rock solid, despite my having turned the defrost on for over a half hour and of course kept it on while driving. I was worried about having to deal with that before leaving for home, and I was also worried, as by this time the snow had reached Pueblo and was coming down, about getting on to the interstate. But by the time I left, the rock hard ice had melted so thoroughly that a couple swipes of the windshield wipers took care of it, and when I got to the interstate there was a huge gap to get into, and just about everyone was driving slowly anyway, plus it was practically dry, both directions (I don’t know how Colorado snowstorms know to fall most heavily on residential areas and frequesntted commercial areas, and less on highways, but they do a good job of it.) So there are three more proofs of one of my favorite sayings (see right). As usual, Virgil returns all greetings. He does appreciate all of you – he knows, among other things, you are company for me, which he can’t be under the circumstances.

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Washington Post (no paywall) – Justice Department asks FEC to stand down as prosecutors probe Santos
Quote – The Justice Department has asked the Federal Election Commission to hold off on any enforcement action against George Santos, the Republican congressman from New York who lied about key aspects of his biography, as prosecutors conduct a parallel criminal probe, according to two people familiar with the request…. “Basically they don’t want two sets of investigators tripping over each other,” said David M. Mason, a former FEC commissioner. “And they don’t want anything that the FEC, which is a civil agency, does to potentially complicate their criminal case.”
Click through for story – From WaPo’s keyboards to God’s iPhone.

Timothy Snyder – Thinking about… – The Specter of 2016
Quote – The reporting on this so far seems to miss the larger implications. One of them is that Trump’s historical position looks far cloudier. In 2016, Trump’s campaign manager (Manafort) was a former employee of a Russian oligarch (Deripaska), and owed money to that same Russian oligarch. And the FBI special agent (McGonigal) who was charged with investigating the Trump campaign’s Russian connections then went to work (according to the indictment) for that very same Russian oligarch (Deripaska). This is obviously very bad for Trump personally. But it is also very bad for FBI New York, for the FBI generally, and for the United States of America.
Click through for analysis. Snyder is a historian and this falls right into his special area, namely Europe. What strikes me here is that we all seem to be laboring under themistaken impression that if a responsible adult is aware that there is a problem under his or her purview, he or she will take some action. That does not appear to be the case Look at the 6-year-old school shooter – other students reported to multiple adults that he had a gun, starting early in the day. One of, I guess, the last to hear, just said, “Don’t worry, the school day’s almost over.” And then there was the entire police department in Uvalde. I understand the impulse, I really do, to mind one’s own business, but we citizens deserve better. Just because fascists want to supervise inappropriately doesn’t mean that we must fail to exercise supervision at all.

Food For Thought

Open Thread January 28, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:52 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 282023

Yesterday, there was an unusual article picked up from Jezebel by CPR about a bear who has used a wildlife research camera to take more than 400 selfies, all very professional looking. If we humans want to stay at the top of the food chain we had better start improving our game. Also, the weather forecast indicated a possibility of snow tonight – only about one chance in four, but if it does snow, they think it will be a fair amount. I’ not holding my breath, but it is something to keep in mind. I’ll slip in a comment before I leave, and of course will comment when I get back.

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Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Inside the Democratic ‘SWAT Team’ Combating the GOP’s Biden Probes
Quote – Now, a more conspiratorial and hard-edged crop of House Republicans is sharpening their investigative knives for President Joe Biden, eyeing everything from his handling of the Department of Justice to his son’s business dealings. Determined to prevent a rerun of the Obama years, top Democrats are standing up a pair of outside groups—the Congressional Integrity Project and Facts First USA—and building them for the sole purpose of running aggressive interference for Biden on the barrage of GOP probes from Capitol Hill.
Click through for more information. I don’t know whether this is the best way to function because it hasn’t been tried before. But at least we can stop saying the Democratic party is not even trying to message.

The Daily Beast – ould a Secret Contract Halt This Tell-All Book on the Trump Probe?
Quote – The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is warning that a tell-all book about its stalled investigation into former President Donald Trump could derail the office’s probe and leave the author of the book, a former top prosecutor there, in legal jeopardy for violating a secretive nondisclosure agreement. The NDA, obtained exclusively by The Daily Beast, warns that “any work performed for the office” is “privileged and confidential.” That clause appears to directly conflict with a memoir that promises juicy details in what has so far been a failed effort to indict Trump. People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account, written by former special assistant DA Mark Pomerantz, is due to hit bookshelves on Feb. 7—and it’s being billed as a “fascinating inside account of the attempt to prosecute former president Donald Trump.”
Click through for details. Not unexpectedly, I have mixed feelings here. My desire to have all the facts of TFG’s sordid Presidency become public knowledge is tempered by my desire to see him convicted, and have those convictions (plural, ues) stick and keep him locked up permanently.

Food For Thought