Justice – Page 109 – Politics Plus

Open Thread for January 28, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:45 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 282022

Yesterday, I heard from WWWendy (we are still working on my getting ownership of the blog esablished at BlueHost) She added a personal update:

Right now, I am continuing work as a caregiver – I care for two clients – one with alzheimers and one with dementia. Both will probably need to be placed soon so I want to stay with them until the transition is made. What will I do after that? Not really sure- guess I will deal with that when the time comes. Give my best to everyone.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Capitol Rioter Invoked ‘Game Of Thrones’: ‘I Choose Violence’
Quote – “In stating, ‘I choose violence’, Cersei Lannister embraced — and then carried out — mass murder to achieve her political ends,” the document adds. “In the context of Caplinger posting this just two days after January 6, Caplinger’s adoption of this quote is alarming and provides insight into his mental state and intent in storming the Capitol.”
Click through for story. Maybe I should try to figure out the poll app so we can vote on who is stupider – this dude or the ones who called the “Lost and Founf.”

Mother Jones – Oath Keepers Anticipated “a Bloody and Desperate Fight” to Overturn the Election for Trump
Quote – “[Edwards] Vallejo and his co-conspirators coordinated at least three regional QRF teams stationed at a Comfort Inn in Arlington, Virginia, to support the co-conspirators’ plot and the January 6 Capitol attack. The QRF teams guarded an arsenal of firearms and related equipment and were prepared to speed those weapons into the hands of co-conspirators on the ground in Washington, D.C., when directed by Rhodes or other conspiracy leaders.”
Click through for details. We are not making this up. I don’t understand why more people aren’t terrified.

The Jerusalem Post – Biden references Colleyville in Holocaust Remembrance Day statement
Quote – “Today, and every day, we have a moral obligation to honor the victims, learn from the survivors, pay tribute to the rescuers, and carry forth the lessons of last century’s most heinous crime,” said Biden. “From the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, to a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, we are continually and painfully reminded that hate doesn’t go away; it only hides.” The president stressed the need to teach accurately about the Holocaust and to push back against attempts to ignore, deny, distort, and revise history, making reference to a US co-sponsored United Nations resolution to combat Holocaust denial.
Click through for more. Yes, I’m a day late. It isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. In any case, as Joe said, “and every day.”

Food For Thought:

Video Thread 1/27/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:42 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 272022

Glenn Kirschner – Jan. 6 Committee is Talking with Former AG Bill Barr, Signaling Further Trouble for Donald Trump

The Lincoln Project – Bloodlines

Ring of Fire – Some Of The Capitol Rioters Were Even Dumber Than Previously Thought

MSNBC – Records Request Points To Congressman’s Role In Assisting Fake Elector Meeting
Records Request Points To Congressman’s Role In Assisting Fake Elector Meeting

Liberal Redneck – Biden “Attacks the Press”

Mrs. Betty Bowers – Reading Ted Cruz

Beau – Let’s talk about agents, influence, and cultural opinion makers….

Open Thread for January 27, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:35 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 272022

Yesterday, It was pretty quiet. I ws able to assemble some earrings I had already put together the components of but not gotten any farther. One small thing off the desk. I also managed to do a little knitting.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Aeon – Those born later
Quote – Some local historians wrote about nefarious hometown Nazis – as was the case in Passau, where the teenager Anna Rosmus (aka the ‘Nasty Girl’) accessed municipal archives for a school essay competition in 1980, and exposed a web of complicity and cover-up. Other historians worked out the fate that befell local Jews, ‘members of our community’ (Mitbürger), as many Germans began to call them.
Click through for article. I don’t know how we can call ourselves “the home of the brave” with straight faces when we have no one speaking like this – and so many people so cowardly as to resist learning the tiniest truths about our own history.

Wonkette – Office Of Congressional Ethics Finds None In Rep. Doug Lamborn’s Congressional Office
Quote – Yesterday the Office of Congressional Ethics put out a wild report on the eight-term Colorado Republican, and it is not great. As first flagged by the Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger, the OCE found what appear to be multiple ethics violations by the congressman, his wife, and his chief of staff. The investigation was prompted by a lawsuit filed a by a former staffer who says he was fired for objecting to the congressman’s refusal to adhere to any COVID protocols because “I don’t care about you guys getting it.” The complaint alleged that staff were routinely forced to help the congressman and his family with personal tasks, and also made bizarre claims about members of the Lamborn clan bunking down in the Capitol building.
Click through. It’s no news he’s a scumbag. But it’s nice to see him get national attention for being one. I am aware of the Law of Unintended Consequences, but I’m still hoping to get him disqualified from the 2022 ballot (I have written our SoS).

https://crooksandliars.com/2022/01/rick-wilson-paints-picture-what-happens
Crooks and Liars – Rick Wilson Paints Picture Of What Happens Next If GOP Wins
Quote – McCarthy and McConnell are still playing the old game of Washington and their corporate donors are flooding them with cash. Little do those corporations understand that in the New Order, they’ll either toe the line politically or they’ll be punished for it. Bannon came right out and said, “We’re going to nationalize the social media companies.”
Click through for details. I’s basically an unscrolled Twitter thread. “When the autocrat tells you who he is, believe him.” And you’d also better believe it when his former closest associates tell you who he is.

Food For Thought:

Video Thread 1/26/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:17 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 262022

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s Draft Executive Order for Military Seizure of Voting Machines: Deeply Dangerous+Dictatorial

Biden Inaugural Committee – Year One of the Biden-Harris Administration

Ring of Fire (co-produced) – New Report Reveals US Chamber Of Commerce Criminal History

Political Voices Network – Top 3 stories last week

Rebel HQ – Fauci Goes Scorched Earth On Conservatives (ROTFL at Ojeda’s name for R Paul !!)

Pitties Who Lost Their Dad Do a Magical Thing When Meeting Their New Family (hanky alert)

Beau – Let’s talk about Mitch McConnell’s tribute to Malcolm X….

Open Thread for January 26, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 262022

Yesterday, I looked at the WordPress update and how to install it, and learned that I will need to do a manual backup. While it is going on (and possibly also during the installation), the site will be in “maintenence mode” so I want to make sure to give some notice. Sure, I can do it inthe middle of the night – but I don’t want to be doing it in that part of the middle of the night which is when Lona is able to comment. Today is Wednesday – I won’t do it tonight. Instead, I’ll plan on Thursday night (Friday in Oz). So if anyone is up and looking at some odd hour Thursday night/Friday morning, and you can’t get in, please be patient.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

PEN America – STEEP RISE IN GAG ORDERS, MANY SLOPPILY DRAFTED
Quote – To appreciate the nature of this new crop of bills, it is helpful to focus on legislation from a single state: Indiana. With eight bills currently under consideration, only Missouri (at 19) has made a greater contribution. Of the eight in Indiana, all target public K-12 schools, two target private K-12 as well, six would regulate speech in public colleges and universities, four affect various state agencies, and two threaten public libraries. All are sweeping, all are draconian, and few make any kind of sense.
Click through for story, with illustrative examples. PEN America’ main focus is free speech, but it also does prison work, encouraging creativity in writing, nd rewarding some of the best.

First look: Biden inaugural to blanket airwaves today [Jan 20]
Quote – The committee, which was nominated for an Emmy, is spending several million dollars in leftover inaugural funds to air the ad on broadcast and cable TV today…. “In recognition of the President’s first year in office, the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee believed it was important to celebrate the strength and perseverance of the American people in the face of extraordinary adversity, just as we did a year ago today.”
Click through for article. Yes, this is about a video, and yes, yhat video will show up in the video thread. But it’s more than just a video. There’s a story attached, and that should not be missed.

The Conversation – 5 things to know about why Russia might invade Ukraine – and why the US is involved
Quote – Military support for Ukraine and political and economic sanctions are ways the U.S. can make clear to Moscow that there will be consequences for its encroachment on an independent country. The risk, otherwise, is that the Kremlin might undertake other military and political actions that would further threaten European security and stability.
Click thrugh for article, which you may want to keep for reference. Heather Cox Richarrdson also has some thoughts – and informtaion.

Bonus Borowitz: Biden Proves Mental Sharpness by Accurately Identifying Peter Doocy

Food For Thought:

Video Thread 1/25/2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:47 am Open Thread, Politics

Jan 252022

Glenn Kirschner – NY Subpoenas, GA Special Grand Jury Subpoenas, Congressional Subpoenas: All Subpoenas Are Not Equal

The Guardian – Tonga: new footage shows aftermath of volcano eruption and tsunami

Meidas Touch – A Coup in Plain Sight

The Lincoln Project – What Are They For?

The Ring of Fire – January 6th Committee Targets Social Media Companies With Subpoenas

MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross explains Mitch McConnell –

In this week’s essay, @TiffanyDCross discusses Mitch McConnell’s message to voters of color who were concerned that they wouldn’t be able to vote during this year’s midterm elections #CrossConnection pic.twitter.com/HKV9Sjtuhy

— The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross (@CrossConnection) January 22, 2022

Beau – Let’s talk about executive orders, doubt, and machinery….

Open Thread for January 25, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:35 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 252022

Yesterday, I learned a couple of things about Disqus which I didn’t know, although have used it for years. I did know that you can post a video by simply including the USL in a comments. I didn’t realize, however, that if you include a video URL in a comment, the video will post whether you want it to or not, and the only way to remove it is to delete the whole comment. Secondly, I learned how to delete a comment. Anyone can do this unless you are not registered with Disqus (commenting as a guest.) If you look at the top right of your comment, you’ll see (I see it very fainyly, but knowing what to look for helps) you will see three dots and a down arrow: … v Hover on the down arrow and you will get a dropdown list which includes the option to delete. Isn’t it fun to learn from one’s mistakes?

Also, starting today, Mitch will be off line, so I won’t be posting comments from him. I don’t know the exact reason, but it’s a pleasant one, and he doesn’t have an exact return date, but expects to be back within two weeks.

Cartoon – 25 Thomas Jefferson Loaded

Short Takes –

ABC News – US preparing to approve evacuation from embassy in Ukraine: Sources
Quote – That contingency planning has been underway for weeks now, as ABC News first reported last month that the embassy was preparing for an authorized or ordered departure. An authorized departure allows families and non-emergency staff to evacuate, usually on commercial flights, while an ordered departure requires them to do so.
Click through for context. Here we go again. Sigh. At least this is very early notice, just a heads up really, so hopefully it can be avoided.

Newsweek – Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn Stripped of Honorary Degrees From University of Rhode Island
Quote – “After reviewing the recommendation from the President, who endorsed the committee’s recommendation, the Board voted to approve the revocation of these honorary degrees,” URI Board of Trustees chair Margo Cook said in the press release. “The Board of Trustees supports the University and its mission to uphold its values, especially its commitment to intellectual and ethical leadership and fostering an environment of diversity and respect.”
Click through for background. If I told you this was going up yesterday, I apologize. I don’t always have tim to double checy which day something is scheduled for (and I also sometimes don’t have a very strong sense of what day it is.)

Mother Jones – Newt Gingrich Sure Sounds Like He Wants January 6 Committee Members Jailed
Quote – Gingrich’s suggestion is a spectacular escalation of the concern that should Democrats lose the House, Republicans will start launching various efforts, including investigations, aimed at impeaching President Joe Biden…. But, rather unsurprisingly, the suggestion that committee members could face jail time does appear to have landed with some of the more colorful members of the GOP.
Click through for one of multiple stories on this. I can’t figure ut whether he is serious, or simply wants his base (and as many others as he can reach) to view Trump** and Co.’s real and serious crimes as no worse that pissing off the other side. Either way, it’s beyond scary.

Food For Thought: