Open Thread for September 2, 2021

 Posted by at 6:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 022021
 

Yesterday, I got serious about getting ready to go see Virgil tomorrow. Even though I’ve done it once recently, it still requires thought and preparation. But I think I have it pretty much together. As the weather cools down, which I assume it will eventually, it will be easier … there are things I cannot put into the car a day ahead without risking heat damage to them at this point – unless I do so after dark, whidh has its own downsides.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker (Borowitz) – New Law Requires Texans to Have Counselling Before Being Allowed to Vote
Quote – “Sometimes, a person is upset with their situation and thinks that voting is the only answer,” the Governor said. “A counsellor can sit with them, pray with them, and help them make the right choice.”
Click thgough for deets. For a split second I believed this was straight news.

The Hill – Colorado officers, paramedics charged in 2019 death of Elijah McClain
Quote – An independent probe submitted to the Aurora City Council in February determined that the police and paramedics involved were were at fault in McClain’s death, saying there was no reason to stop McClain, who was walking home from a convenience store. That report also concluded that no crime had been reported when McClain was stopped and he wasn’t exhibiting any threatening behavior.
Click through for a little more. Democratic AG + grand jury = results (sometimes.) You may remember that Elijah used to play the violing in animal shelters. As an animal lover and a former violinist, I took this personally.

The 19th – Even if Texas’ six-week abortion ban is overturned, clinics will close
Quote – “This law will end legal abortion in Texas. Allowing the state to do that and effectively close all abortion clinics — even if the law is ultimately struck down — will give the state what it wants,” said Leah Litman, an assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan and expert in constitutional law. “Just allowing this law to go into effect is ending abortion in Texas.”
Click through for story. In case you missed this (and had no idea what Andy was satirizing) this is it.

Food for Thought –

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Open Thread for August 30, 2021

 Posted by at 6:43 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 302021
 

Yesterday, I mostly rested. Did some crocheting. I had finished the top I was making for my friend, and started another one for another friend. Ordinarily I vastly prefer knitting to crocheting, but this was an unusual pattern and the structure of it hooked me (pun intended.) I may be able to figure out how to translate that look to knitting, but I’ll want to try it doll-size before attempting anything bigger.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Hill – Biden allies say media missing the mark on Afghanistan
Quote – “Every Biden misstep or setback is treated like Trump said COVID will just go away, windmills cause cancer, or that he won re-election,” [Philippe] Reines [a media aficionado and longtime senior adviser to Hillary Clinton] said. “If the goal is to be truly honest, accurate, and fair when covering Biden, there are thousands of adjectives and countless degrees of indignation for the media to choose from. This isn’t hard.”
Click through for other statements. Personally, I would file this under “No shit, Sherlock.” (and I would criticize the media a little more harshly than some), but apparently it needs to be said.

CBS News – Veteran dies of treatable illness as COVID fills hospital beds, leaving doctors “playing musical chairs”
Quote – [Belville emergency room physician Dr. Hasan] Kakli told [“CBS This Morning” lead national correspondent David] Begnaud that if it weren’t for the COVID crisis, the procedure for Wilkinson would have taken 30 minutes, and he’d have been back out the door. I’ve never lost a patient from this diagnosis, ever,” Kakli said. “We know what needs to be done and we know how to treat it, and we get them to where they need to go. I’m scared that the next patient that I see is someone that I can’t get to where they need to get to go. We are playing musical chairs, with 100 people and 10 chairs,” he said. “When the music stops, what happens? People from all over the world come to Houston to get medical care and, right now, Houston can’t take care of patients from the next town over. That’s the reality.”
Click through for story and video. This, along with one other case in Kansas, is the first confirmed case I am aware of where someone died specifically because of unvaccinated CoViD patients. And it’s heartbreaking.

Dem Underground – From the sane Kennedys
Quote – Our father’s death impacted our family in ways that can never adequately be articulated and today’s decision by a two-member parole board [committee] has inflicted enormous additional pain. But beyond just us, six of Robert Kennedy’s nine surviving children, Sirhan Sirhan committed a crime against our nation and its people. He took our father from our family and he took him from America.
Click through to read full statement. I admit this makes me nervous at best.

Food for Thought – kind of related to yesterday’s Furies.

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Open Thread for August 28, 2021

 Posted by at 7:27 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 282021
 

Yesterday, I mostly rested. And thought. And crocheted some. I do have a small tip to share – if you are looking for a product and want to order online, either because of CoViD or any other reason, and would really rather not give money to amazon, consider Chewy. Yes, they’re for pets. But there are products which are needed or useful for pet care but which also have household uses completely unrelated to pets. Like, for instance, a “rug rake.” I am the only one who is shedding around here – but the rug rake I got from them is great and came fast. Other things too – cleaning items – you might be surprised. And they are the customer service polar opposite of amazon. I’ve heard stories of their going above and beyond what anyone might think of, let alone expect – like refunding for an automatic delivery upon the death of a pet -and then also sending flowers! They aren’t going to stock everything under the sun … but what they do stock can be surprising.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Dem Underground – Just click through (NSFW)
This could help get male MAGAts vaccinated with Pfizer – eat your heart out, Moderna and J&J!

The Hill – Supreme Court blocks Biden’s eviction moratorium
Quote – Some 15 million people are currently behind on rent in the U.S., according to one recent estimate, though it was not immediately clear how many tenants could be placed at greater risk of eviction as a result of the court’s move. A patchwork of state and local eviction freezes were unaffected by Thursday’s ruling…. The measure aimed in part to provide an additional layer of protection while emergency federal rental aid made its way to tenants. But the Treasury Department on Wednesday said only some $5 billion of the roughly $46 billion allocated for emergency rental aid had been distributed by state governments.
Click through for more. What I think pisses me off the most is that the moratorium might not even be necessary if the states government would get off their posteriors and distribute the over $40 BILLION on rental aid which they are still sitting on.

Wonkette – Texas’s Law Against Critical Race Theory Is Why Kids In One District Can’t Have Nice Things
Quote – Texas’s dumb law forbidding the teaching of “critical race theory” has led the school district in McKinney, Texas, to eliminate a popular elective program that gave students the chance to participate in a mock legislature and learn how bills are written. The district’s Youth and Government program had been a matter of pride for the schools, touted by the district as a “perennial standout” in its middle and high schools. But an attorney for the district advised that the program might fall afoul of the new law, House Bill 3979, which will go into effect September 1. Beyond banning anything that might make white parents uncomfortable about America’s history, HB 3979 also bars classes that require “political activism” or awarding grades or course credit for any classes “involving social or public policy advocacy,” and puts strict limits on classroom discussion of current events, requiring that “both” sides of any issue be presented equally and “fairly.” That must make science classes a load of fun, too.
Click through for story. Look, I’m not trying to dog on Texas (or Florida or Missouri or Alamaba or any other state where readers live). But some things really can’t be ignored. Or shouldn’t.

Food for Thought –

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Open Thread for July 26, 2021

 Posted by at 6:47 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 262021
 

Yesterday was Sunday … which usually means a slow newsday – and this was no exception. So I don’t have a lot. But there’s always something.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Medium – Ken Starr, Brett Kavanaugh, Jeffrey Epstein and Me
Quote – It was a an interview I watched in 2020 with one of Baylor’s aggrieved accusers that helped me understand how I could have been blind for so long to the pattern of misogyny coursing through Starr’s career. Describing a meeting with Starr about her ordeal, she said that he shed a tear along with her, made her feel heard, but did nothing to help get justice for her or the many other female students who came forward with allegations. Unless you count what he said in one interview, “We grieve for what happened. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t say it’s a new day. That’s the biblical perspective that we try to live up to here at Baylor University.” Shamelessly and effectively, he shoved rape allegations under the carpet in the name of Christianity.
Click through for complete story (you get 2 articles free per month, so maybe “print” if you want to be able to reference it.) I always used to think a person’s sex life did not affct his abiity to govern – and I still think so provided misogyny is not a part of it.

The Guardian – Tennessee man died from heart attack after ‘Swatting’ over Twitter handle
Quote – “Emergency responders were dispatched, and when they arrived at Herring’s home, guns drawn, they called for Herring to walk toward them, keeping his hands visible. As he did so, Herring, 60, appeared to lose his balance and fell to the ground, unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital; cause of death was determined to be a heart attack.”
Click through for details. We’re familiar with “Sex sells,” and “If it bleeds it leads.” Maybe weneed a new saying regarding the amount of media attention triggered by pur craziness.

Democratic Underground – “And there, people, is the story of why I hate people. And why I love people….”
Quote – “I guess I look nice. Approachable. Like I wouldn’t rip your head off. I am nice, most of the time. But not always. And I lost my temper.”
Click through. It’s not terribly long. And I figured we needed a feel-good story after those horror stories above.

Food for Thought:

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Video Thread for 7/23/21

 Posted by at 12:15 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 232021
 

Glenn Kirschner – FBI Admits Failing to Investigate 4,500 Citizen Tips About Kavanaugh’s Suitability to join SCOTUS

Meidas Touch – Marjorie the MANIAC

The Lincoln Project – Fox is Killikg Us

Armageddon Update – Armageddon Update: Waste of Space Race

politicsrus – Who Are We?

Rob Rogers – Deficit Spending

Beau – Let’s talk about 8 months, justice, and fairness…. Beau sides with you, Nameless, rather than with me.

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Video Thread for 7/21/21

 Posted by at 12:08 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 212021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump Associate Tom Barrack Indicted for 7 Felony Crimes, Unlawfully Acted as Foreign Agent (Sure glad Glenn read those 46 pages so I didn’t have to.)

Meidas Touch – Rep. Eric Swalwell SLAMS Republicans for WWE Approach to Politics (Love Eric – not sure about the beard – but it’s not my face.)

politicsrus #3: – GOP Murdering Americans

Now This News – a few moments from the Voting Rights hearing.

Liberal Redneck – Texas Klan Plan

Rob Rogers – Climate Crawl

Keith – OLBERMANN VS…THE NYC WILDFIRE SMOKE AND ACRID SMELL. IT’S FROM THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON FIRES.

Beau – Let’s talk about the Biden administration’s information campaign….

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Video Thread for 7/19/21

 Posted by at 12:25 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 192021
 

Glenn Kirschner appears to have taken a day off – and heaven knows he’s entitled.

Meidas Touch – Here’s Why Republicans are KILLING Their Voters

Pro-Trump, Profanity-laced Signs Cause Problems In Roselle Park. And to think, the family’s name is actually “Dick.” You can’t make this stuff up.

Corey Ryan Forrester – John Jacob Johnson Jr: Walker County Texas Ranger

1. Grumpy Street Cat (Grandpa Mason) LOVES Being A Grandpa To Foster Kittens

2. For Grandpa Mason, on his 3rd gotchaversary (hanky alert)

Beau – Let’s talk about Tucker Carlson, Dietrich, and June….

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Video Thread for 7/18/21

 Posted by at 11:52 am  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 182021
 

Glenn Kirschner – With Donald Trump It’s Always About the Grift: His Latest Plea for Cash from the Red Hat Crowd

Meidas Touch – Jenna Ellis HUMILIATES Herself | Weirdo of the Week

Thom Hartmann – Is This America’s Last Chance At Multiracial Democracy?

RepresentUs – What the F@#k Is the Filibuster? Everyone here knows this, but passing it on could help someone – maybe.

Puppet Regime – Jeff Bezos Has a Solution for Work-Life Balance

Republican Accountability Project on Twitter

Liberal Redneck – PREGNANT MAN EMOJIS AND FREEDOM PHONES YALL I haven’t seen the emoji, but the phone … well, here.

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s coup denial….

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