Open Thread January 17, 2023

 Posted by at 6:40 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 172023
 

Yesterday, I looked at my cartoon calendar, and said to myself, “Well, shoot – I really have to seriously get down to making cartoons for the rest of the month – I need nine and the first one I need tomorrow (the 18th).” Also – I know people here disdain Chuck Todd, and with good reason, but he appears to have actually stood up to Sen. Ron Johnson. Stece Schmidt was the first one to say it, and now PolitiZoom is on it too. I don’t know what could have happened to bring it aout – but it’s welcome. If Chuck Todd can grow a spine, I would think almost anyone could.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Conversation – How the distortion of Martin Luther King Jr.‘s words enables more, not less, racial division within American society
Quote – Even after Reagan finally signed the King holiday into law in 1983, he would write letters of assurance to angry political allies that only a selective version of King would be commemorated. That version was free of not only the racial politics that shaped the civil rights movement but also of the vision of systemic change that King envisioned. In addition, Reagan’s version left out the views that King held against the Vietnam War. Instead, the GOP’s sanitized version only comprises King’s vision of a colorblind society – at the expense of the deep, systemic change that King believed was needed to achieve a society in which character was more important than race.
Click through for essay. Certainly this isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a sirprise. If so-called Christians with their “Prosperity Gospel” can distor the words and actions of Jesus to justify their crimes, clearly MLK would not be immune. But it’s definitely sad – and dangerous.

The Nib – Martin Luther King, Jr. Was More Radical Than You Think
Quote:
Click through for full article. Graphics, or any type of visual, can, I think, help to clarifythings that are complicated. This may not be an artice you need – but it may be handy to pass on.

Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance – The Week Ahead
Quote – The past couple of weeks have been intense and draining. It’s clear things won’t ease up as we head into this week. But it’s impossible to live at this level of intensity on an ongoing basis, so if you’re like me, you probably need to ease back off the gas pedal a little. We’ll hit the high points this week but try to have a bit of fun too. We all need the sanity break.
Click through. Despite the intro, she doesn’t let us completely off the hook. She addresses MLK Day in Alabama and also the two Special Counsels.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread January 1, 2023

 Posted by at 6:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 012023
 

Yesterday, the opera wasn’t an opera, but a collection of excerpts from operas previously broadcast, some more or less recently, some way, WAY back. What they had in common was that each was from the Met debut of a singer(/actor/storyteller – plus one conductor) who later became an international star. Kiri Te Kanawa was one, and another was Latonia Moore (you may remember I heard that debut – she stepped in as understudy and I was, like, “Wow!”) Not all, of course, were quite that “A Star Is Born” dramatic – some stars were pretty well established elsewhere before coming to the Met – but some were (Astrid Varnay and Te Kanama). The range was from Moore (2012), the newest, all the way back to Bidu Sayão on February 13, 1937.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

ProPublica – They Called 911 for Help. Police and Prosecutors Used a New Junk Science to Decide They Were Liars.
Quote – Junk science in the justice system is nothing new. But unvarnished correspondence about how prosecutors wield it is hard to come by. It can be next to impossible to see how law enforcement — in league with paid, self-styled “experts” — spreads new, often unproven methods. The system is at its most opaque when prosecutors know evidence is unfit for court but choose to game the rules, hoping judges and juries will believe it and vote to convict.
Click through for details. You thought facial recognition technology was bad? Hold these p[eople’s beer (And I use the term “people” loosely. I questin their humanity.)

National Public Radio – Why scientists dug up the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel, and analyzed his DNA
Quote – Sequencing his DNA revealed genetic variants linked to diabetes, heart problems, and kidney disease. The variant that most intrigued Fairbanks was in a gene that has been associated with epilepsy and neurological issues. “He suffered throughout his life from some sort of a psychological or neurological disorder that caused him to have very severe nervous breakdowns,” says Fairbanks. “That may well have been an inherited condition – and that was a fascinating discovery that these scientists made.”
Click through for story. At first it sounds morbid – but on reflection, I think he would take it in the sirit of homage in which it was done. (He might have even gotten a chuckle out of it.)

Food For Thought

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Open Thread December 27, 2022

 Posted by at 6:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 272022
 

Yesterday, I got a “best-of-the-year” email from The Conversation (there are going to be a lot of those from every publication – articles as well as emails) and skimmed it. They asked all the editors what their favority article under their purview was. The answers were not that surprising, but what did catch my eye was that, among their politics editors, they now have a Democracy Editor, new this year. Now that scared me. If democracy is in such peril that they need a specialist just to watch it – cleary, we are not out of the woods. There is a new article on new legislation, which I’ll make a short take for tomorrow.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Happy Holidays! Welcome To Our 2022 Crookie Awards!
Quote – It’s been a long and sometimes frustrating year, but still one of the better ones we’ve had. Thanks to vaccines, we were able to get out and do things even if we had to wear a mask, the January 6 hearings came off monumentally well, and heroes and villains were everywhere. We’ve put together our own list of naughty and nice people this year, along with some overall failures and successes worthy of recognition. All of our staff has been busy at work in the Crooks and Liars workshop writing posts to honor and dishonor this year’s awardees.
Click through – The point of the “Crookies” is to call out crooks and liars (says Captain Obvious), but there are some good person and hero awards too.

CPR News – Club Q [couldn’t] have its annual Christmas dinner tradition this year, so a Colorado Springs church [stepped] up to host it
Quote – Every year, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Club Q was the home of a special tradition. A community tradition that brought together a lot of different kinds of folks to a place that meant so much to them. They sat and laughed — and they shared a meal…. The [Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church] congregation stepped in with an initial plan to host a potluck dinner on Christmas Day — as a stand-in for the Club Q traditional dinner.
Click through for story … which actually gets bigger and better.

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 12/26/2022

 Posted by at 11:46 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 262022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump White House Attorney Stefan Passantino tampers with witness Cassidy Hutchinson

Meidas Touch – DOJ busts INSURRECTIONIST PLOT to ATTACK Investigators

Farron Balanced – Republicans Tout Homeland Security Chief’s Successes While Calling For His Impeachment

Six13 – Elton Johnukah (just barely got it in)

This Perfect Little Baby Is Called A ZEBU

Beau – Let’s talk about responses to Minnesota’s proposed regulations….

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Open Thread December 26, 2022

 Posted by at 6:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 262022
 

Yesterday, of course, was Christmas Day. I got to the mailbox to pick up the cards which had come since the recent snowfall. As I was doing that, the “neighborhood cat” came byand I found him some treats. Sadly, he doesn’t like to be touched. But he did like the treats. I did a little knotting – though at the point I was in the project, I did more counting and calculating than actual knitting. Just a nice, peaceful day. Hope all of your days were equally peaceful!

Cartoon – 26 george RTL (and Kwanzaa-RTL)

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Trump-Paid Lawyer Takes Sudden ‘Leave Of Absence’
Quote – Stefan Passantino, the original advisor to key Jan. 6 witness former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, has taken a leave of absence from law firm effective immediately, as documented evidence and related scrutiny grows about his initial guidance for Hutchinson to mislead the Jan. 6 committee during her testimony.
Click through for a few details. It’s the arrogance that gets me. When she fired him, and hired someone unconnected with Trumpworld, why would he think she would not testify, and testify truly, about the “advice” he gave her? He should have quit long before now, and left the country. But I’m glad he didn’t.

Common Dreams – Biden Admin Opens First-of-Its-Kind Civil Rights Probe Into Book Banning in Texas Schools
Quote – The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has opened an investigation into Granbury Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as NBC News, ProPublica, and The Texas Tribune first reported Tuesday. The district was the subject of a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) earlier this year regarding school superintendent Jeremy Glenn’s order that school librarians remove 130 titles from library shelves–“one of the largest mass book removals in the state,” according to NBC News. Nearly 75% of the books that were flagged for removal had LGBTQ+ characters or plot themes, said the ACLU of Texas.
Click through for story. The “Independent State Legislature Theory” is a pipe dream – but I’m sure there are limits to what the Feds can enforce in a state. And I’, just as confident that Biden and his staff know those limits precisely as I am that Abbott will lie about them.

Food For Thought

 

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Open Thread December 25, 2022

 Posted by at 6:41 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 252022
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” – not the whole thing, but an abridged version aimed at children. And sung (and spoken) in English. With sets and costumes by Julie Taymor (very fairy-tale-y and lots of puppets.) The Queen of the Night‘s famous “Holy Racket” aria is included, of course. They’ve been using this production for some time (they have another production for the full opera in German) and their experience is that the kids are always most enthralled by Papageno. Not unexpected. He’s the most childlike – not in the sense ob being uncomplicated, but in the sense of being easily distractable, and that’s where all the humor comes from.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Good Word News – How do Christmas traditions vary around the world? See the pictures
Quote – In a show of resilience among Christmas celebrants, 40 Ukrainian refugees in Krakow, Poland, sold handmade items such as candles, tree ornaments and gingerbread cookies during a Christmas craft fair organized with the help of the United Nations Refugee Agency. A stall at the Ukrainian Christmas Market in Krakow, Poland…. It was an opportunity to showcase the “great talent within the refugee community,” Argaz said, adding that the idea for the event was born when UN staff members received a stone “ intricately painted” by one of the residents of a collective center, which is a dwelling that houses a large number of refugees.
Click through. There are other parts of the world included, but this struck me as special.

Good News Network – Man Spells Out ‘Hi Kevin’ in Lights for 20 Years–to Honor His Neighbor
Quote – Witmer says passersby are sometimes confused by his lights, which read ‘Hi Kevin’ across his roof, but it’s to honor the memory of a young boy who passed away from cancer in 2010…. “When I heard he had cancer and was going through chemo and radiotherapy, I wanted to support him. I had this idea to write ‘Get Well Kevin’ in my Christmas lights—what 11-year-old doesn’t want to see their name in lights?” Witmer continued to do it every year, even after his cancer went into remission and Kevin went off to college….
Click through for full story.  (Hanky alert)

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Video Thread 12/24/2022

 Posted by at 12:10 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 242022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Despite criticism, J6 committee’s criminal referral of Donald Trump to DOJ was right thing to do

Farron Balanced – Republicans STILL Don’t Understand Why The Public Hates Them

Puppet Regime – Zelensky vs Santa Claus

Rocky Moutain Mike – Elon Musk is Watching Your Feed

Wild Groundhog Won’t Let Woman Go Home Without Her

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s move with McCarthy….

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Open Thread December 24, 2022

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 242022
 

Yesterday, to be honest, I concentrated on getting posts ready for today, tomorrow, and Monday – which means all three days will contain a lot of fluff.That’s probably fine – this is supposed to be a season of peace. If something horrendous (or stupendous) breaks, I’ll squeeze it in somehow. But I’ll be content if it ddoesn’t.

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Short Takes –

Common Dreams – Record Number of US Cities, Counties, and States to Raise Minimum Wage in 2023
Quote – By the end of 2023, additional increases are planned in five states and 22 localities—with 21 reaching or topping $15 an hour—bringing the total for next year to 86: 27 states and 59 cities and counties, says the report, Raises From Coast to Coast in 2023. The totals take into account that multiple increases are planned in Michigan and four local jurisdictions. “The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the power of organizing,” said Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst at NELP, in a statement. “These raises were achieved in a variety of ways, from ballot initiatives to statehouses to workers making their demands to employers directly.”
Click through for details.  At least it is something.

The Grio – McClellan wins Democratic nomination for Virginia US House seat
Quote – McClellan won the nomination with 23,661 votes in Tuesday’s firehouse primary over [State] Sen. Joe Morrissey, who netted just 3,782, and two other candidates. She will be the overwhelming favorite in the heavily Democratic 4th Congressional District when a special election is held Feb. 21.
Click through. The special election is February 21. No, this wouldn’t give us the House. But it couldn’t hirt.

Food For Thought

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