Labor – Politics Plus

Open Thread May 6, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:14 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 062024

Yesterday, I was able to see Virgil for the first time in just about six months. I hadn’t told him I was coming, for two reasons. First, when I emailed on Monday for a reservation, they immediately replied that I had been move to the inactive list and needed new paperwork. I know exactly where to go on the web to find the right forms and make sure they are the most up to date. So I got them done, scanned them, and emailed them back the same day (after their office closes, but waiting for them the first thing Tuesday morning. Between waiting for that, and this being the first time I was driving for just about six months, I was worried that something might go wrong. And that leads me to the second reason. Virgil does not handle disappointment well at all, but he’s just fine with being surprised pleasantly. (I’ about the opposite. I can handle disappointment, but not so good with surprises.) Well, i made the right decision. Turned out I had four almost-flat tires an a possible radiator leak. No tire needed to be changed, but inflating them was time consuming. I had allowed an extra hour, but was still 20 minutes later than I intended. But it was all well worth it. He was delighted. And we even got a “Happy Anniversary” from the prison dog (a black lab named JJ) including a few doggy kisses. I had no trouble getting my wheel chair the way I always have, but putting it back in, I had to come up with a different strategy. It took me several tries, but I came up with a process that works. And now that I know I need a plan B, I don’t expect to waste as much time in the future. Also, if anyone cares, the railroad bridge is functional again.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-3-2024
Heather Cox Richardson was tired Friday night, so decided to “look elsewhere for a break.” For her , that means an article on “Ten Famous American Horses” as a nod to the Kentucky Derby. Enjoy.

Since May 1 is Labor Day everywhere but here, and May is Labor History Month here, I thought it might be interesting to look at a situation in Canada where both the labor and the customers are fed up (but not, alas, with food, but with those proces.)

Open Thread August 31, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:50 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 312023

Yesterday, Mitch McConnell froze again, Idalia made landfall in Florida’s “Big Bend” region (which is exactly where you think it would be), our Mitch emailed his list that he and his are in no danger, and, by evening, Idalia was down to a tropical storm. Late the night before, I read that Fani Willis has asked the judge to put all the speedy-trial-demanders into a single trial, and therefore on the same date, October 23, if legally possible. It hadn’t occurred to me that it might not be so I was assuming they would all be tried together (Eastman is number three.) It’s consederably more complex than I thought. Harry Litman explains the contingencies, in this vodeo, which has CC and therefore generates a transcript (click the 3 dots tp the right of the up-down-share line and “open trancript”.) I hope it works out with the minimum number of seperate trials (which i believe would be four – but what do I know.) Georgia’s doing us all a big favor and should not be required to break the bank to do it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Family Recalls Jacksonville Shooting Victim’s Last Call With Daughter
Quote – Several other relatives told the Associated Press that Gallion was a devoted father, and though his relationship with the child’s mother didn’t work out, he still had the respect of her family. “He never missed a beat,” Sabrina Rozier, the child’s maternal grandmother, said Sunday at a vigil honoring the victims. “He got her every weekend. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to have her (Saturday).”… “My heart melted for my granddaughter, because she was his world and he was her world. And now we’re trying to figure out how to tell her, because we haven’t told her yet and she’s only 4.”
Click through for more. I do appreciate the Beast telling the story in a respectful way. We don’t always see that.

Robert Reich – Globaloney: Why the Democrats’ love affair with “free trade” is over
Quote – But “globalization” is not a force of nature. How it works and whom it benefits or harms depend on specific, negotiated rules about which assets will be protected and which will not. In most trade deals, the assets of American corporations (including intellectual property) have been protected. If another nation adopts strict climate regulations that reduce the value of U.S. energy assets in that country, the country must compensate the American firms. Wall Street has been granted free rein to move financial assets into and out of our trading partners. But the jobs and wages of American workers have not been protected. Why shouldn’t American corporations that profit from trade be required to compensate American workers for job losses due to trade?
Click through for full assessment. It’s not news that unregulated anything helps only the wealthiest and hurts the reat of us. This does point up that regulation itself needs to be both accurately designed andproperly administered

CPR – [Senator] John Hickenlooper showed up at a SAG-AFTRA rally, and not just as a supporter — he’s paid his dues (literally)
Quote – He was there not just as a supporter, he said, but as a dues-paying member of SAG-AFTRA’s local chapter. That’s because the senator’s cousin, the late filmmaker George Hickenlooper, had a habit of casting him for bit parts. Among them was the film “Casino Jack,” released in 2010 when Hickenlooper was mayor of Denver. He played a U.S. Senator with one big line: “Remove that man.” “My cousin George made me do 28 takes,” Hickenlooper told the crowd near the City Park boathouse.
Click through – I’m not going to be able to keep up three a day, even in a week like this, but I thought this was cute, and I didn’t want to bump anything else for something this light. It was news to me.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/16/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:56 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 162023

Glenn Kirschner – NY AG James says NY civil case may take a back seat to Trump’s federal case; what about other cases?

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – June 13, 2023

Robert Reich – Busting the “Paid What You’re Worth” Myth

Parody Project – Whn Will He Ever Learn?

No One Wanted To Be This Baby Mini Cow’s Friend Until…❤️

Beau – Let’s talk about a european cop asking about black Americans….

Video Thread 3/6/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:07 pm Open Thread, Politics

Mar 062023

Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump announces he WILL continue to run for the presidency even if he’s criminally indicted

The Lincoln Project – It’s Time

Robert Reich – Debunking “No One Wants To Work Anymore”

Brent Terhune – They Cancelled Dilbert

This Pregnant Pittie Foster Story Is The Happiest Thing Ever

Beau – Let’s talk about cookies, college, and cons….

Open Thread December 5, 2022

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

Dec 052022

Yesterday, I visited Virgil – I passed all greetings on to him, and he returns them all. The deck of cards was in use when I got there, but tat visitor left after a while and I acarfed them up. I got home safely ithout incident … but without a whole lot of energy. So I’m being brief.

Cartoon 05 Charlemagne loaded

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – The one thing you need to know about the railroads
Quote – Let me be clear. A strike and shutdown of the nation’s railroads would be terrible for the economy. It would worsen inflation. But legislation effectively prohibiting a strike would impose unfair working conditions on employees in one of the most profitable industries in America — further tilting the nation’s economic imbalance toward large corporations and Wall Street, and against working people. Here, a concentrated industry has gained record profits by understaffing — squeezing its workers to the breaking point. Prodded by Wall Street, the big rail companies have intentionally gutted their own spare capacity.
Click through for full opinion. Well, it’s done now. I do hope it comes back to bite railroad owners and executives. It would be nice if it were to happen in some way that doesnt hurt all the American people. But I don’t know whether that’s possible.

HuffPost – Three Ways The New Primary Calendar Could Change The Nominating Process
Quote – The proposed changes come from President Joe Biden, although they have the support of a large chorus of party leaders, activists and officials — all of whom have grown frustrated with the outsized influence of Iowa and New Hampshire, which have traditionally gone first and second. Under the plan, South Carolina would go first, replacing Iowa. New Hampshire would still have its primary one week later, but it would share its day with Nevada. Two larger states, Georgia and then Michigan, would be next.
Click through for more specifics. If you read down on why this is desired, you will see one word – diversity. I hope it goes through in all the states.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/epz7ej/is-cocaine-bear-really-based-on-a-true-story
Vice – Is ‘Cocaine Bear’ Really Based on a True Story?
Quote – The upcoming Cocaine Bear movie does what it says on the tin: it’s all about a bear getting high on cocaine. [NSFW]
Click through for more. Apparently the short answer is yes. Poor thing.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 7, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 072022

Yesterday, I received a fund raising email from Adam Schiff. That’s not unusual, but I usually don’t read them. This one drew me in with the subject line, and it turned out to be mostly about his daughter, Alexa, with a photo from when she was four. She’s now 24 and getting established in a career in fashion (Adam stresses that her fashion sense is and always was far superior to his.) Of course it gets more serious, but it’s very well written, and put a smile on my face. I also puttered arond a bit trying to organize more. And started on a new bag for the next pickup … which I have not scheduled, wanting to be under less pressure this time. Finally, yesterday, the first public servant since Reconstruction was disqualified under the 14th Amendment. He was a County Commissioner in New Mexico who took part in Jan. 6. But even though he wasn’y a Senator or a House rep, it’s still a BFD. Cheers for New Mexico!

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – For Labor Day: My “we-they” test for good places to work
Quote – In honor of Labor Day, I want to give you a simple way to test for a good workplace. I came up with it years ago when as secretary of labor I visited workplaces all over America. I call it the “we-they” test. Ask a front-line worker a general question like “how is it work here?” or “how’s your job?” or “how would you describe this workplace?” Then listen for the pronoun. If workers describe the company as “they” or “them,” it’s a tipoff that workers regard the company and its executives as being on a different planet.
Click through for examples. I sure wish I’d known this when I was twenty.

NPR – Fox producer’s warning against Jeanine Pirro surfaces in Dominion defamation suit
Quote – The November 2020 email from an anguished Fox News news producer to colleagues sent up a flare amid a fusillade of false claims. The producer warned: Fox cannot let host Jeanine Pirro back on the air. She is pulling conspiracy theories from dark corners of the Web to justify then-President Donald Trump’s lies that the election had been stolen from him. The existence of the email, confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of it, is first publicly disclosed by NPR in this story. Fox News declined comment.
Click through for story (read or listen, or both.) This is definitely going to undermine any chance of theit claiming not to know any better.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 4/9/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:11 pm Open Thread, Politics

Apr 092022

Glenn Kirschner – Is DOJ Investigating Boxes of Classified Documents Trump Unlawfully Took to Mar-a-Lago? Glenn is wrong – the 1/6 committee is not accusing the Justice Department of anything. It is the House Oversight committee which is complaining about the Justice Department. It is not Bennie Thomas but Carolyn Maloney who is demanding these documents at this moment. Clearly he is frustrated – likely more so than he says directly. I barely looked at the comments, so I don’t know whether anyone else caught that.

Meidas Touch – Psaki HUMILIATES Republican with perfect response to classless stunt during confirmation vote

Thom Hartmann – Will the Billionaires Be Able to Quell the Growing Union Movement?

RepresentUs – The Problem With Wisconsin’s Election Investigation

MSNBC – Trump Criminal Case ‘Ongoing’: NY Prosecutor Makes Unusual Statement (Ve-ry In-ter=est-ing.0

Guy Offers Hand to a Giant Octopus — You Won’t Believe How He Reacts

Beau – Let’s talk about Russian state media telling us what’s coming….

Open Thread April 3, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 032022

Yesterday, the radio opera was Eugene Onegin, a title charcter who would certainly be a poster child for FAFO except tht these days our MAGAts are doing so much more. It’s from a work by Pushkin which kind of foreshadoed Pushkin’s own death, containing as it does the death of a poet in a duel. But the music (Tchaikovsky) is gorgeous. And it certainly demonstrates some of the harms of unchecked privilege.And it’s not such an unusual story, especially then. There’s a duet at the beginning there’s a duet between the heroine’s mother and her housekeeper on the theme of “God sends us habit instead of happiness,” which I find terribly poignant.

Cartoon 03 PonyxTrail loaded

Short Takes –

HuffPost – Amazon Workers On Staten Island Vote To Form Union In Historic Upset
Quote – The labor victory in Staten Island is all the more remarkable because of the union’s unlikely roots. Amazon Labor Union was formed just last year by a group of workers in New York. It is led by Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker whom the company controversially fired early in the pandemic after he spoke out about safety concerns, and Derrick Palmer, who works at JFK8.
Click through for this story. There was also a vote in Alabama, of which the results are not in as I type. It’s a long shot – but not impossible – but IF this Chris (short for Christian) Smalls is a direct descendant of Robert Smalls, Jeff Bezos does not have a clue what and who he is up against.

Artists paint Ukrainian sunflowers and dozens of other murals as art returns to the levee in Pueblo
Quote – Pueblo’s levee once held the Guinness World Record for the largest outdoor mural. For decades, hundreds of artists like Ramu painted on the nearly three-mile-long structure, creating one big mural. But eight years ago repairs to the levee destroyed that artwork. Now construction is done and artists have been back at work…. Their first goal is to be the largest outdoor mural in the United States. But they won’t stop there. The plan is to regain the world record, which is currently held by a site in South Korea. There’s a lot more levee to paint before that happens though.
Click through for story and some pictures. It’s always fun to hear about something practically in my own back yard I did not know about, especially when it’s somethng I can take pride in.

Ukraine Awards Medal To Border Guard Who Told ‘Russian Warship, Go F*** Yourself’
Quote – The Ukrainian border guard who said “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” during the defense of Snake Island has been released from captivity, Ukraine’s military announced on Tuesday…. Thirteen Ukrainian border guards stationed on the tiny Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea, known in English as Snake Island, defiantly told a Russian ship to “go fuck yourself” when they were asked to surrender in February. The border guards were originally thought to have then been killed by Russian forces.
Click through. There’s a short video (in Ukranian.) “Glory to the hero” indeed.

Food For Thought:

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