Government – Politics Plus

Yesterday, both Steve Schmidt and Wonkette singled out the same Senator for praise – Cory Booker. Both are on our side, but they are not the same, so I find this noteworthy. Both were focused on his talking filibuster. I hope this praise will both call attention to how many voters approve of bold action, and inspire other Congressional Dems to do more of it. I had already noticed that it is starting to look as though the Tangerine Palpitine’s regime is getting a little pushback, and likely to get more, from at least some of the Courts. Jen Rubin at the Contrarian ran through some of it on Monday – and pointed out that there is more she did not mention. I am not (nor is she) suggesting we count on the courts to save us. For one thing, the Courts themselves will need loud public support. They won’t get it from this regime.

If I’m reading Harry correctly, and I think I am, he is making the point here that it’s not the individual lies, however disgusting and calumnious they may be, that make the Mango Monster’s regime so very dangerous, as it is the lack of respect for truth itself which is so fatally destructive to democracy. And in the long run he is certainly correct. I really think there are way too many Americans who don’t care much about truth in the abstract and don’t realize how important insistence on the truth is to all our (and our children’s and grandchildren’s) futures. And, incidentally, the House gave its middle finger to Mike Johnson over proxy voting.

And, here at The F* News, is exhibit A. The headline is absolutely correct. The number of people who are saying so (and that includes God knows how many people said so once but no longer are) is staggering. If you give up on truth, you give up on literally everything.

Yesterday, Andy Borowitz was doing straight news again: “Florida Teacher Arrested for Showing Disney Movie Featuring Boy Character with Girl’s Name.” Actually, I kind of wish the news from Florida were that mild. Joyce Vance has the real details.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – Meet the women working to grow local food systems on U.S. island territories
Quote – Through working on their presentation, the students learned of a national initiative … called the National Farm to School Network, and it’s a nonprofit organization that works to connect local farms with school cafeterias — a model that both bolsters local food systems and provides healthier school lunches for kids — a win-win for farmers and their communities. But the network didn’t reach the U.S. Virgin Islands, and [teacher Sommer] Sibilly-Brown remembers one of her students asking: If the program was national, why didn’t it reach their territory? “That question has been the question that has driven my work,” Sibilly-Brown said. “If we are the United States, why not here?”
Click through for story. Good for them. But this is another huge reason why our territories should be granted statehood. Far too much of the country thinks residents there are “not American.” And that just isn’t right.

In The Public Interest – Should we talk about the government?
Quote – I would also argue that some of the criticism of government—from the left and right–makes it harder for it to do the things that can only be accomplished if we do them together– through public action. In my book, The Privatization of Everything, I argue that, while people are understandably skeptical of “government,” many of the things Americans don’t like about government actually stem from too much corporate influence in politics. It’s important we continue to make that distinction clear.
Click through for full discussion. In a free and democratic society, the government is all of us. So, yes, we should talk about it. If you don’t provide cnstructive input, you really have no right to complain when you don’t like the result.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread April 2 2025

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