Open Thread November 11, 2022

 Posted by at 6:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 112022
 

Yesterday, we got some additional election results and we did not get others. Some of the results were good. Others not so much. And some of the undecided races are IMO nervewracking (Boebert’s district is still too close to call.) One thing that we do know is that the Georgia Senate race is headed to a runoff, which is the second-best news we could have from Georgia. We do know that Georgia Democrats are very good at getting turnout for runoffs – that is how Rev. Warnock got into the Senate in the first place. I’m sorry that it means more work (and more anxiety) for Georgia Democrats, but it is better than a simple loss, and it gives me hope. I did find a good news story (at least I think and hope so – one never knows what a fascist is going to spring on one), along with one which makes me want to scream. I do have a couple of new nicknames to share (for people I SO wish would just go away so the nicknames would not be needed) – “Pumpkin Spice Lardass” and “DeSanctimonious.” The latter is being credited to the former, but I seriously doubt whether he knows any five-syllable words.  Oh, and I got the Name Drop right again – but only because I’m not only so old, but because I was raised by my Mom who was born in 1906 and her Mom who was obviously even older (I called a refrigerator an “icebox” until I was in my 20’s.  I had some other paleologisms too.)

Cartoon (Pat B is in her local parade today) –

Short Takes –

Axios – Russia announces retreat from key Ukrainian city of Kherson
Quote – Kherson was the only provincial capital captured by Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February. Its liberation would represent a remarkable victory for Ukrainian forces. It marks another major setback for Moscow in the nine-month war, coming after Ukraine recaptured a major portion of Kharkiv Oblast and made significant gains in Kherson Oblast in earlier this fall Russian forces will also cede all of the territory captured on the western bank of the River Dnipro and will organize defensive lines on the opposite bank of the river.
Click through for article. I cannot guarantee that this is good news, but it certainly seems promising..

Crooks and Liars – Man Allegedly Shoots Neighbor Dead Because He Thought He Was A Democrat
Quote – An Ohio man died of multiple gunshot wounds, and according to the 911 call, the victim’s wife said that the armed neighbor murdered her husband because he thought he was a Democrat. The chilling 911 call reveals that Austin Combs had confronted Anthony Lee King, 43, over his perceived party affiliation on multiple occasions.
Click through for the (literally) gory details. I have heard many times people in AA saying, when someone started a sentence with “I thought…” “Did your sponsor tell you you could think?” Seems appropriate to me for MAGAts – except, who is going to tell them? Who would they listen to?

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 10/31/22

 Posted by at 11:52 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 312022
 

Glenn Kirschner – How federal law enforcement should respond to the attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi

Farron Balanced – January 6th Committee Gives Georgia Prosecutors Evidence That Could Sink Trump

MSNBC – Pelosi Home Invasion Comes After Years Of Trump Targeting The Speaker

Really American – Chip Franklin EXPOSES Republicans abundance of hate and absence of solutions

Rocky Mountain Mike (for Hallowe’en) – Ivana’s Casket (with CC) and if you miss the original – https://youtu.be/yuy2fA6alfE

Beau – Let’s talk about the exit strategy for Ukraine….

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Open Thread August 29, 2022

 Posted by at 7:11 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 292022
 

Yesterday, I went to see Virgil, arriving about 11:00 am and staying until visitation was over at 3:30.We enjoyed each other’s company, and Virgil returns all greetings. This facility is ony about 35 miles away, mostly on the nterstateand Sundat traffic isn’t bad, so it was not difficult going or coming back. There was a rainstorm on the way back … some of it was heavy, but all of it was brief. They say in Colorado if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes, but I think it’s more accurate to say move 5 miles. I’ve known a co-worker to have dry weather at home, while the weather is dry at th e workplace, and still not be able to get to work because, inbetween, there was impassible snow. But I digress. I got home safely, but found myself fresh out of energy.  I did just manage to place a grocery delivery order and that was about it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker – The Dangers of Trump-Prosecution Syndrome (opinion)
Quote – The legal process that the case is following illustrates the procedures in American jurisprudence that help to insure that prosecutors proceed methodically and fairly…. Legal experts and former Justice Department officials told me that, based on the publicly known evidence, prosecuting Trump for mishandling classified documents appears simpler than bringing criminal charges against him for his role in the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol. [Stephen] Gillers[, a professor of legal ethics at New York University,] [said] that, fairly or unfairly, prosecuting a former President requires meeting a higher legal and political threshold. “It has to be one-hundred-per-cent irresistible as a matter of law,” he said. “There can be no fact, no event, no piece of evidence that could support any room for ambiguity.”
Click through for full article. I was thinking myself even before i started reading that the insurrection was far more obviously harmful but much harder to prove his criminal intent, whereas the mishandling of documents is easier to prove, but possibly harder to generate interest in. (The dates of his speaking with Putin, sending something in writing to Putin – delivered, I believe, by Rand Paul – and the daytes of our highest and most qualified agents starting to die off could possibly be coincidental – though I would not believe that for an instant.) I do think he should be charged for both, if for no other reason, because then the coase would not necessarily be tried in the federal district in which the crime was committed – since they are different.

The New York Times – Captured, Killed or Compromised: C.I.A. Admits to Losing Dozens of Informants
Quote – The message, in an unusual top secret cable, said that the C.I.A.’s counterintelligence mission center had looked at dozens of cases in the last several years involving foreign informants who had been killed, arrested or most likely compromised. Although brief, the cable laid out the specific number of agents executed by rival intelligence agencies — a closely held detail that counterintelligence officials typically do not share in such cables. The cable highlighted the struggle the spy agency is having as it works to recruit spies around the world in difficult operating environments. In recent years, adversarial intelligence services in countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan have been hunting down the C.I.A.’s sources and in some cases turning them into double agents.
Click through – it is not paywalled, but is a gift link, so you will be able to read it in full with the possible exception of Lona – though she is good with VPNs. These events, not this specific article is what I was referring to in my comment on the other short take.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread July 18, 2022

 Posted by at 7:21 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 182022
 

Yesterday, I got to see Virgil. I got to the facitity a coupe of minutes after the – I don’t think this is what they call it – but I’ll say screening time started (11:30). We fill out forms (if we haven’t done so at home), get searched, turn over our driver’s licenses and car keys and receive a numbered brass disc for a receipt, then go through two electronically locked gates, go into the main building, ago and go theough two electronically locked doors to the visitng room – where I arrived at just about 12:00, which is when visitation itself starts. Virgil was asleep at the time, and between waking him up and getting him to the visitation room with his walker, it was about 12:30. (If I had a nickel for every time he has been asleep when I got there for a visit – well, I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d have maybe $10.00.) I passed on all wished, including the ones I didn’t see till I got home but knew they were coming, and he was appreciative. The next time I see him he will have turned 79. He never expected to live that long. Only one of his six uncles on his mother’s side did, and that was the one who was married to a diabetic (he may even have hit 90 – but at least lived well into his 80’s. But i digress. Coming home I forgot that to go south and west from the facility, I first need to get on the interstate eastbound. So I got a little tour of some odd parts of Denver. Though irritated with myself, I had no trouble staying calm, knowin I was in a triangle of interstates and that it didn’t really matter which I found first – they’d all get me home eventually. It didn’t consume all that much time either – less than a half hour. And I wasn’t going for speed.

Cartoon – If ha had been playing an instrment, that is the one it would have been.  However, he was not in Rome when the fire broke out, and by the time he got there his own home was destroyed – so he certainly didn’t play and sing from his balcony, because it was gone.  He seems to have acted like a conscientious ruler for a white – raising money to help rebuild – but what pissed people off was that he earmarnked far too much of it for his own home instead of theirs.

Short Takes –

PolitiZoom – Fulton County DA Fani Willis Just Took Off The Kid Gloves.Exploding GOP Heads To Follow
Quote – One former federal prosecutor appearing on MSNBC today referred to the target letter by its internal nickname, the heart attack letter. Think about it. A prosecutor has just told you that you are at serious risk of indictment on criminal charges. The letter always reminds the target of his or her 5th Amendment rights, advises them to seek and obtain legal counsel, and carries an oblique reminder that if the target is having a Come to Jesus moment, it’s always the first rat to jump on the government gravy train that gets the most cheese.
Click through for story. This broke Friday evening, and whatever else it is, it is delightful.

Crooks and Liars – Ex-US Attorney Lays Out How To Charge Donald Trump For Manslaughter
Quote – “The other thing that is coming clear to me is there is a potential charge here against Donald Trump for manslaughter,” McQuade said, referring to the seven deaths connected to the Jan. 6 attack. “The other thing that is coming clear to me is there is a potential charge here against Donald Trump for manslaughter,” McQuade said, referring to the seven deaths connected to the Jan. 6 attack. She added: “Knowing that this crowd is armed, he has a duty as the president of the United States, as the commander-in-chief to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, to call off that mob and do everything he can to stop it. Instead, he sits idly by during those 187 minutes.”
Click through for reasoning. I realize at this point prety much no one (incliding me) caress “for what” as much as “how soon” and “how long.”Plus, the more potential charges, the better the likelihood that some will stick.

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 6/19/22

 Posted by at 11:41 am  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 192022
 

Glenn Kirschner – GA Rep Loudermilk gave tour on 1/5 to man who threatened Pelosi, Nadler, Schumer at Capitol on 1/6

Meidas Touch – GOP Plot EXPOSED to END social security and medicare (If they are saying the quiet part out loud, I hope everyone is listening.)

The Lincoln Project – Detached from Reality

MSNBC – DOJ Reveals Investigations, Prosecutions In Request For January 6th Interview Transcripts (What a star-studded panel!)

Liberal Redneck – Mike Pence and “Team Normal” on January 6

Beau – Let’s talk about Patterson’s comment on race….

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Open Thread June 18, 2022

 Posted by at 7:26 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 182022
 

Yesterday, I got to thinking about a red flag that hit me in the gut back in the seventis. When I retuend from overseas duty, the Catholic Charismaic Movement was in full swing, as was the evangelical trend in Christianity. Both trends appeared to be good. The Jesus evangelicals then worshipped was then the real one, and many Catholics, wittingly or not, were looking for the same kind of emotional commitment to spirituality that evangelicals appeared to have found a way to achieve (the Cursillo movement was also prominent and was a more intellectual approach but looking for the same kind of commitment.) But the charismatic movement also had its intellectual side, and there was authorized iterature under a heading of “Life in the Spirit.” However, by the end of the decade, “Life in the Spirit” had been officially changed to “You Will Receive Power.” Even though the material was then the same, the change in emphasis struck me as a huge red flag. The way I put it to myself was that the movement was going to attract all the “wrong kind of people” – which sounds bigited, but I didn;t mean any ethnic or gender or any other kind of superficial group, I just meant “people who want power.” And forty years later, here we are.

Of course like everyone else, I grew up with Lord Acton’s “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It’s a good thing to keep in mind, but I think it’s flawed. I think there are two kinds of people – those who want power, and those who don’t (and the latter probably want autonomy – power over one’s own life but not those of others – but I haven’t thought that through so I’ll say no more at this point.) It’s easy to see how the first group would be attracted to public office and public influence, and harder to see how the second group would, but it does happen, thank God. And of course, it’s the second kind we need to be in office if we want to maintain a democracy. Because, not wanting power, they can resist the corruption that comes with power. [After reading and thinking a little more, I came back here to add that, though we need this second type in [ower, we also need them to learn when it is and is not legitimate to use the power they are entrusted with, and must not be afraid to use it appropriately.  Refraining from using it inappropriately is good, but failing to use it when it is needed is not.]  If you have the time and energy, think about that for a little while, and then go back to the hearing and this conversation: Pence: “I wouldn’t even want that kind of power.” Trump**: “Oh, come on, Mike, wouldn’t it be cool to have that kind of power?”

One last observation – people who are driven by wanting powe also respond to others who ae the same. Bullies follow bullies; even if they are not the top bully, they can respond to, and feel that they vicariously share, the bullying power of their leaders. Also, many – maybe most – of us will never learn which kind of person we are (or even what the two types are.) We all tend to think other people think and feel like us until proven otherwise. I apologize for the rant, but I needed to say it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

HuffPost – The Anti-Abortion Movement Killed People. Now Victims’ Families Face A Post-Roe World.
Quote – From 1977 to 2020 in America, anti-abortion activists committed at least 11 murders, 26 attempted murders, 956 threats of harm or death, 624 stalking incidents and four kidnappings, according to data collected by the National Abortion Federation. They have bombed 42 abortion clinics, set 194 on fire, attempted to bomb or burn an additional 104 and made 667 bomb threats.
Click through for story (which is part of a series). It’s not as if we didn’t know that conservatives and terrorists have a major overlap. Liberals are more likely to attempt to use rational thinking to persuade.

The 19th – Medication abortion and clinics on federal land: Here are Democrats’ ideas to protect abortion access
Quote – To that end, the senators suggested a host of potential actions the administration could take via federal agencies. Among those: educating the public about and expanding access to medication abortion, the two-pill reigmen that can be administered from home to terminate pregnancies within the first trimester; providing vouchers for people who will have to travel out of state for abortions once Roe is overturned; assessing whether abortions can be provided on federal lands, even in states that have restricted access; and using existing laws and regulations to limit cell phone applications’ ability to sell data that might reveal whether someone got an abortion.
Click through for details. Meds are a great option if they’re an option – they aren’t always (and they’re not pain free). I love the thought of clinics on federal land in reactionary states. There aren’t many ways for us to give them the finger that they understand

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 6/8/22

 Posted by at 11:53 am  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 082022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Liz Cheney on Trump’s “extremely well-organized conspiracy” while Gohmert wants to lie with impunity

Don Winslow – #RepublicanSchoolDay

CNN – Extraordinary’: NYT reporter says Pence aide gave warning before January 6

Rebel HQ – Uvalde Police Enlist Biker Gangs To Intimidate Media

MSNBC – Deadline White House – “Bug-Eyed Gibberish”

Huge Mastiff Mix Has The BEST Reaction To Getting Adopted

Beau – Let’s talk about when a bee isn’t a bee but a fish…. After the last tewo Beaus I for one needed this one.)

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Open Thread May 27, 2022

 Posted by at 6:36 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 272022
 

Yesterday, I received my grocery order and put it away. No substitutions – a few things missing, but I wasn’t charged for them. While waiting, I started working on cartoons for June. It’s a month with a lot missing and also a few dated, so it’s a ;large project. I got four put together (but not framed) which took me up through the ninth. I’d kind of like to get the tenth done this week yet, and then get farther next week, but we’ll see how it goes.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Daily Beast – The Supreme Court Just Said That Evidence of Innocence Is Not Enough
Quote – After losing in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Arizona’s attorney general appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. During those oral arguments, state prosecutors repeatedly argued that “innocence isn’t enough” of a reason to throw out Jones’ conviction. On Monday morning, by a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court concurred: Barry Jones’ innocence is not enough to keep him off of death row. The state of Arizona can still kill Jones, even if there exists a preponderance of evidence that he committed no crime.
Click through for verdist ana analysis. I don’t have any idea how to react to this – it is that warped.

CPR News – Hate crimes are on the rise. Here’s what you can do to help prevent them
Quote – If someone says something that I have never heard them say before, like something racist, as uncomfortable as that would be, I would want to say, “I’ve never heard you talk like that. Why are these things appealing to you? What’s changed with you?” Actually express concern about them, that something is off and they’re becoming angry and blaming people, which is really a warning sign. If, instead, you come with the opposite opinion, or try to use facts to dispute someone’s beliefs, sometimes it ends up having the effect of making you impossible to talk to. They think you’re the “other,” or shaming them, and they will pull away, and then maybe they won’t express these things to you, but they can continue to get more strident.
Click through for full conversation – and, since after all this is radio, you can also listen to it if thet works for you.

Letters From An American – May 25, 2022
Quote – It seems that during the Cold War, American leaders came to treat democracy and capitalism as if they were interchangeable. So long as the United States embraced capitalism, by which they meant an economic system in which individuals, rather than the state, owned the means of production, liberal democracy would automatically follow. That theory seemed justified by the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The crumbling of that communist system convinced democratic nations that they had won, they had defeated communism, their system of government would dominate the future…. In fact, the apparent success of capitalism actually undercut democracy in the U.S.
Click through as she bolsters the argument. It’s depressing, but iit’s also important. And it’s why it’s also so important to distinguish between Left v. Right economically and Autocracy v. Democracy as governance. See (and shre) The Political Compass.

Food For Thought

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