Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s Newly Issued “Statement” Suggests that he Knows & Fears that Justice is Coming for Him
The Lincoln Project – Corporate Accountability
Now This News – Psaki Responds to Joe Manchin Not Supporting Build Back Better [She has the patience of Job.]
politicsrus – Voting Rights HD
Armageddon Update – Present Traumatic Stress Disorder
If Tax Prep Ads Were Honest
Beau – Let’s talk about Fox News and grocery stores….
Yesterday, I slept in. However, I had done enough extra the day before I that I didn’t fall behind.
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Short Takes
Newsweek – Millions of Angry, Armed Americans Stand Ready to Seize Power If Trump Loses in 2024
Quote – One indication of how far Republicans may be willing to go in violently opposing the government is their sanguine reaction to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Republicans by and large see no problem with a mob of hundreds swarming and forcing their way into the seat of American government. Half of Republicans said that the mob was “defending freedom,” according to a CBS/YouGov poll taken just after the insurrection. Today two-thirds of Republicans have come to deny that it was an attack at all, according to an October survey by Quinnipiac University. “There’s been little accountability for that insurrection,” says UCLA’s Winkler. “The right-wing rhetoric has only grown worse since then.”
Click through for the full story. The consensus at DU is that these “warriors” are all hat, no cattle. And don’t exist in the numbers claimed. (And even it they did, “millions” in a nation of 330 million people is in the neighborhood of 3% looked at generously, which would give us the advantage.)
Wonkette – Steve Bannon Isn’t Nearly As Smart As He Thinks He Is. And Neither Are His Lawyers.
Quote – Bannon’s legal team includes Trump impeachment lawyer David Schoen and Bannon’s old lawyer Robert Costello, the guy who told Bannon it was a great idea to give the House January 6 Select Committee two middle fingers and shout EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE, MOTHERFUCKERS. And if his name sounds familiar, it’s because Costello is the one who tried to dangle a presidential pardon to Michael Cohen via a mangled Garth Brooks lyric.
Click through for more. Wonkette sourced this from The Daily Beast, but I think the sardonic style adds something.
AP News -Pentagon issues rules aimed at stopping rise of extremism
Quote – Officials said the new policy doesn’t largely change what is prohibited but is more of an effort to make sure troops are clear on what they can and can’t do, while still protecting their First Amendment right to free speech. And for the first time, it is far more specific about social media.
Click thrpugh for more specific info. This is a very good thing. The U.S. military may not even attempt to reach hearts and minds (probably futile anyway) but is very cpmpetent at defining activities and prohibiting harmful ones. And holding individuals accountble.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Judge Chutkan Imposes Stiffest Sentence Yet on Trump Foot Soldier Who Attacked the Capitol on 1/6
Don Winslow – Don Winslow Films – #JoeManchinRichAndShameless
VoteVets – Jonathan Capehart Discusses WaPo Op-Ed Featuring Three Retired Generals Warning Of New Insurrection [Well, this got real quickly]
No Dem Left Behind – TikTok’s school shooting challenge is PROOF we’ve failed our kids.
The Lincoln Project – Don Jr’s CPAC Speech In 30 Seconds
Karens Sing Christmas Carols – Put down any beverages before watching
Beau – Let’s talk about Earth’s Black Box….
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Yesterday, although I had slept reasonably well, I couldnt seem to get in gear. I don’t know why that sometimes happens, but it certainly does. But I did get everything done eventually.
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Short Takes
npr: A tantalizing clue to why omicron is spreading so quickly
Quote – “Strikingly, Omicron was 4-fold more infectious than wild type [the original version of the virus] and 2-fold more infectious than Delta,” Garcia-Beltran and colleagues wrote in their study. The data suggests omicron may be able to infect people at a lower dose than delta or the original variant, Garcia-Beltran says. “That’s a very far-out interpretation,” he cautions. “But we think it will probably pan out that way, given that we’re looking at a variant with more efficient entry into human cells.”
Click through for details. Please ne careful out there.It might be well to go to N95 masks, if you haven’t already. Please stay safe. We need you. (And, no, I don’t know why they call the section “Goats and Soda.”)
The 19th – It’s OK to cut back on the holiday gifts this year. Here’s why.
Quote – At the end of the day, [Dr. Michelle Martel, director of clinical training at the University of Kentucky’s psychology department] said she always reminds people struggling during the holidays that they’re not alone — because a lot of people are struggling right now, whether it’s due to loss or financial stress or being overwhelmed by plans to meet loved ones in groups, and it’s only been made worse by the pandemic. And when so many people are carrying emotional and financial burdens, many of them made worse by a pandemic that they didn’t expect to be enduring for another year, it makes sense to find one less thing to worry about.
Click through for full analysis. There’s a fine line between responsibility and guilt, and it’s not always easy to stay on the right side of it.
Bloomberg – Biden’s Economic Performance Has Proved Unbeatable
Quote – All of which makes Biden’s first year in the White House the standout among the seven previous presidents, based on 10 market and economic indicators given equal weight. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, no one comes close to matching Biden’s combination of No. 1 and No. 2 rankings for each of the measures:
Click through for the measures and the stats. You get one or two free articles a month. If anyone needs a copy, I’ve printed a pdf. No one here needs me to tell tham about Manchin. But you might need some help on responding to it.
Food For Thought:
Glenn Kirschner – Roger Stone Pleads the 5th Before Congress. Should Congress Immunize Stone & Force Him to Testify?
Meidas Touch – Southwest CEO tests positive for Covid right after testifying against masks on planes
The Lincoln Project – Trump Won
Now This News – Couple Feeds Those Hard-Hit by Tornadoes in Kentucky
Really American – Traitors
The Late Show Presents: A Conspiracy Carol
Beau – Let’s talk about the important question about the texts….
Yesterday, I looked at “Law and Crime” for possible short takes, and it’s another day when it isn’t just filled with crime stories, but instead with weird crime stories. Like, not just murder, but “God told him to sacrifice.” Not just murder, but cannibalism to “cure his brain.” Not just hit and run, but fatal hit and run while fleeing another hit and run. A dude who committed a string of crimes who, when arrested, had a checklist in his pocket (not for the crimes, but for supplies to commit them, e.g. a lighter and lighter fluid to commit arson.) So I checked the almanac. And we were just coming off a full moon – waning gibbous 99% visible. Go figure.
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Short Takes
Crooks and Liars – Rick Perry Sent Meadows Text Outlining ‘Aggressive’ Strategy To Invalidate Election
Quote – Members of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol believe that former Texas Governor and Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry was the author of a text message sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows the day after the 2020 election pushing an “AGRESSIVE (sic) STRATEGY” for three state legislatures to ignore the will of their voters and deliver their states’ electors to Donald Trump, three sources familiar with the House Committee investigation tell CNN.
Click through for details (and a bit of background). At this point, what they actually know is that it was sent from his phone. He claims ignorance. I Know what I believe, but I also know a little bit about slander and libel.
Reuters – U.S. Senators Warren, Booker test positive for COVID-19
Quote – Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, 72, said on Twitter she is vaccinated and boosted and regularly tested for COVID-19, and “while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case.” Booker, 52, a New Jersey Democrat, said on Twitter he had learned Sunday of his positive test “after first feeling symptoms on Saturday.” He added he had “relatively mild” symptoms and recently had received a vaccine booster. “I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse,” he said.
Click through for more, and don’t panic, they are both doing well, with only mild symptoms. Both have taken 3 shots.
The Guardian – Capitol attack panel will determine if Trump committed crime – Republican
Quote – Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the House committee investigating the deadly 6 January Capitol attack incited by Donald Trump, said on Sunday he was not “yet” ready to declare the former president guilty of a crime – but that the panel was investigating the likelihood that he is. “Nobody is above the law,” the Illinois congressman told CNN’s State of the Union. “And if the president knowingly allowed what happened on 6 January to happen, and, in fact, was giddy about it, and that violates a criminal statute, he needs to be held accountable for that.”
Click through. The headline promises a little more than the quotes deliver, but not much. Cheney and Kinzinger are two extremely unusual Republoicans.
Food For Thought (actually, no wine needed):
Glenn Kirschner – Jim Jordan’s Text to Mark Meadows & the Crime of Obstructing a Congressional Proceeding
The Lincoln Project – The Fight
MSNBC – New Details Paint ‘Insane’ Picture Of How Right Wing Media Obtained Biden Daughter’s Diary
Robert Reich – How the Grinch Stole the Post Office
Armageddon Update – Taking The World By Storm
Puppet Regime – A Kremlin Christmas
Beau – Let’s talk about the post-Christian church…. (Oh wow.)
Yesterday, the opera was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” in English, in an abridged version so kids are able to sit through it. The costumes and puppets (yes, puppets) were designed by Julie Taymor, who is probably most famous for having designed the live stage version of “The Lion King.” If you see pictures of the production, you don’t even have to know what’s going on to realize how appealing it would be to kids of all ages just visually. Sort of like Maurice Sendak on acid. The singer/actor playing the birdcatcher really got into the spirit, producing in addition to his lines a dizzying array of bird calls – including Woody Woodpecker’s laugh (I think we’re all old enough to remember that, though some kids might have wondered what was so funny to their parents… or grandparents.)
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Short Takes
Axios – Capitol rioter who threw fire extinguisher at police gets more than 5 years in prison
Quote – “It has to be made clear … trying to stop the peaceful transition of power and assaulting law enforcement officers is going to be met with certain punishment,” said [U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan]. “There are going to be consequences. I’m not making an example of you. I’m sentencing you for the conduct you did.”
Click through for a little more. I have seen a claim (in at least one place that should know better) that it was a “hydrant” he threw. It wasn’t There is a difference.
Crooks and Liars – Chauvin Pleads Guilty To Federal Civil Rights Charge
Quote – [R]eporter Julia Jenaé… tweeted: “#DerekChauvin agrees to the plea details just read in open court. Max sentence of 300 months = 25 yrs. He’s already serving 22.5 year sentence for 2nd degree murder. These would run simultaneous, fed case adds 2.5 years. He faced life in prison but for the plea agreement”
Click through for details. That puts him behind bars until he is seventy. There may be some life left in hom, but no police department is going to hire a 70-year-old.
The New Yorker – A Person of the Year: Jamie Raskin [hanky alert]
Quote – This bloody assault, which threatened constitutional democracy and the nation’s democratically elected leaders, came just one day after the burial of Thomas Bloom Raskin, the congressman’s beloved twenty-five-year-old son. At the Capitol, Raskin told me, he could still hear the sounds of the day before: the prayers of mourning, the clods of dirt shovelled onto the casket. Meanwhile, maniacs shouting deranged slogans and threats were storming down the hallways of Congress in search of enemies.
Click through for story. If paywalled out, let me know and I will send a PDF. Rep. Raskin has been going through what I canonly describe as trial by fire … and he is passing the test. Not without pain.
Food For Thought:
