Talking Feds (while Glenn is on vacation) – Fani Willis Reveals DETAILS of Plan for Sweeping MAGA Indictments
Farron Balanced – National Archives Has Evidence That Could Guarantee A Trump Conviction
Waldorf Nation – School BANS Parents For Not Being Hateful To LGBTQIA+ People
Puppet Regime – Surprise party for Putin
Cat Falls In Love With Stray Cat Who Shows Up Outside
Beau – Let’s talk about expanding confidence in SCOTUS….
Yesterday, I got an email advising me that eight fake electors in Georgia have accepted immunity. You probably saw or heard that, but it’s such good news I wanted to make sure you did. Also, anyone here who plays yesterday’s New Yorker Name Drop is going to get it. Maybe not on the first two clues, but at least one of the last four will give it away. Finally, there’s a petition which is sponsored by several groups, one of which is Faithful America, which is how I heard of it. It asks Congress tp pass the Supreme Court Ethics Act.
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HuffPost – Kansas City Council Votes To Become Sanctuary For Trans Health Care
Quote – Kansas City council members agreed by an 11-1 vote to bar city personnel from punishing individuals who seek out gender-affirming care or the organizations that provide gender-affirming care. They also instructed city personnel to make it their “lowest priority” to cooperate with enforcing state law targeting trans health care. “Kansas City government is committed to ensuring Kansas City is a welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for everyone, including our transgender and LGBTQ+ community,” Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) said in a statement.
Click through for details. Nameless has every right to be bursting with pride for his city (if not for the state which made this necessary.)
Crooks & Liars – Does Congress Have Power To Override The President’s Duty?
Quote – Lawrence O’Donnell invited constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe onto his show last night to explain how he changed his thinking on Biden using the 14th Amendment as authority to pay the nation’s debt. “What I changed my mind about is, what is the right question to ask,” Tribe said…. [“T]he real question isn’t what powers the president have. It is, what duties the president has. Does the president have a duty to execute all of the laws of the United States, the ones that Congress passed, telling him to spend money? He does have that duty.”
Click through for article. Put like that, it is a no-brainer.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, Crooks & Liars found a video which shows Republican leaders as drag queens, thanks to judicious use of AI. Frankly, some of them look more like drag wenches or other drag commoners than drag queens (not that that doesn’t make them even weirder.) But it’s good for a laugh if you need one. Otherwise, there’s no news – unless snow on the ground is news. But it’s not like we haven’t seen snow as late as the third week of May here. Also, Name Drop was kind to me. i did not get it on the first clue, but did on thesecond.
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Crooks & Liars – Anonymous: We Will Release Info On GOP Sexual Predators
Crooks & Liars – Anonymous Announces Plans To Highlight GOP Sex Predators
Quote – “Over the next 50 days, we will be releasing every Republican sexual predator, abuser and enabler, focusing on underage and consent.” They attached a reel about Trump’s accused sex crimes, including the 13-year-old who said he raped her. My response is, is 50 days enough?
Click through to one or both. When Crooks & Liars posts a video, they often post it twice. One post will jave just the video, or if there are words at all, they are few. The other will have more detail in text. When they put them into their newsletter, for soeme reason, they put the one with no words in the regular news part, and the one with detailinto the “CLTV” section. This time I just decided to share both, even though it’s the same story. I haven’t seen it elsewhere. But I hope it’s real.
5280 Magazine – Did Any Coloradans Pay Their State Income Taxes in Crypto?
Quote – Last September, Governor Jared Polis kicked things off when he announced that, effective immediately, Colorado would begin accepting cryptocurrencies as payments for a number of different taxes, most notably state income taxes. The move wasn’t entirely surprising for Polis, who has been a noted fan of blockchain technology since before he became Colorado’s governor and who has since made multiple appearances at ETHDenver, the annual crypto conference that’s hosted in the Mile High City. What is surprising is just how few Coloradans actually did it: As of April 14, only 11 people paid their state income taxes using crypto, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. Of the roughly 3.1 million individual tax returns Colorado can expect to receive this year, that represents just 0.00035 percent.
Click through for story. Well, I mean, why not? If it gets the job done, why not use it? Apparently we are the first state to allow it. But everything new has to start somewhere.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Trump-appointed Judge sides w/Jim Jordan against DA Alvin Bragg; uses Trumpian rhetoric in opinion
Politics Girl – To My Republican Friends…
Twitter – Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC)
I’ve been in Congress for 100 days.
Most of the really angry voices here are faking it. pic.twitter.com/fdWgve81FZ
— Rep. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) April 17, 2023
Farron Balanced – Trump Admits Asking 5 Year Old Child For Foreign Policy Advice
Police Cat Keeps A Close Eye On All The Officers
Beau – Let’s talk about rights, grinding to a halt, and a republican question….
Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s attorney Tacopina spouts nonsense on TV; why Trump’s statute of limitations claim will fail
MSNBC – New Fox emails: CEO says Trump fact-checks are ‘bad for business’
Farron Balanced – Jim Jordan’s Report On ‘Weaponization’ Of Government Blows Up In His Face
Mark Russell died last week, aged 93. I surely remember him – there don’t seem to be any short clips from his prime, but he made this when h was 80.
Dog Dumped At The Shelter Discovers The Great Outdoors
Beau – Let’s talk about Nebraska, allies, and holding the line….
Yesterday, I made a couple of cartoons. I don’t need all that many, but I did need two for the first week. I won’t need another before the 20th, so that gives me some slack. And did y’all see the breaking news comment in yesterday’s OT? Or did you get the news elsewhere? Are the able bodied among you dancing in the streets?
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The Conversation – This course uses science fiction to understand politics
Quote – What does the course explore? We explore issues of racism, gender, anarchy and the end of civilization. I chose books that encourage students to focus on the political aspects of each work. At the beginning of the course, I ask students how closely they connect science fiction and politics. At the end of the course, students have the opportunity to revisit and revise their response to that question. By that point, students have participated in discussions, written papers and completed short assignments that ask them to explore and articulate political themes in each book.
Click through for details. If Beau sees this, he’ll be tickled. He’s a big fan of using science fiction to understand, not just politics, but much of the human codition.
The Atlantic (no paywall) – My 6-Year-Old Son Died. Then the Anti-vaxxers Found Out.
Quote – My grief is profound, ragged, desperate. I cannot imagine how anything could feel worse But vaccine opponents on the internet, who somehow assumed that a COVID shot was responsible for my son’s death, thought my family’s pain was funny. “Lol. Yay for the jab. Right? Right?” wrote one person on Twitter. “Your decision to vaccinate your son resulted in his death,” wrote another. “This is all on YOU.” “Murder in the first.”
Click through for full story. This is no way to run a civilization. This kind of harassment needs to be made a felony in all states and all territories (and, as I think I may have said before, there will be plenty of room in prisons if we just release all those convicted of personal use drug possession and breathing while black.)
Food For Thought
Yesterday, the radio opera was “Norma,” by Vincenzo Bellini, who died young, but during his lifetime was known for his long flowing melodic lines; at a time when everyone was wrtting long, flowing melodic lines (the bel canto period), he was nicknamed the Swan of Catania. Norma’s plot is quite intense, and yesterday the intensity was heightened by the illness of the intended soprano star, which led to the debut of a relative unknown (here. She’s very well known in Australia and Europe.) This does happen in real life, not just in the movies, and sometimes it is a triumph, but it’s not guaranteed. Judging by the applause after her opening aria, “Casta Diva,” at the very least this performance will open doors for her here, and deservedly so. Had she been married to a conductor (as Sutherland was) we would have heard of her long before now. The plot of “Norma” is a love triangle, but an unusual one. the sisterly relationship between the two women turns out to be stronger than either of their relationships with the tenor, and in the end Norma’s principle is stronger than both. (In fact both women are principled, which confounds the tenor, who is accustomed to having women do as he says, and here there are, not just one, but two, who don’t. I find it refreshing.)
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Colorado Public Radio – Colorado Springs mayor says Trump told him he was holding Space Command decision until after the election
Quote – Outgoing Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers wrote to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall earlier this month to air his concern that former President Donald Trump’s decision to move Space Command Headquarters to Alabama was a political one…. Suthers said he decided to write the letter after talking with Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper. “Senator Hickenlooper suggested that it may be important for me to weigh in and relate these conversations because they do clearly show that it was [Trump’s] perspective, this was gonna be a political decision,” Suthers said,
Click through for story – I have lived in the Colorado Springs area since 1991, but outside the city lmits since 2002 so its mayor does not affect me. As Republicans go, he keeps a low profile, but I still would not have expected him to confide in Hickenlooper, let alone take his advice. Not that we needed any more evidence that Trump** cannot keep his mouth shut.
Wonkette – Li’l Nebraska State Sen Lady Machaela Cavanaugh Sets Up Early Bid For BADASS OF THE YEAR!
Quote – Last month, Nebraska state Senator Machaela Cavanaugh declared that she’d filibuster every damn bill the Republican-controlled legislature put forward unless it pulled proposed legislation banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youth…. Cavanaugh wasn’t shy about her intentions. She said, “If people are like, ‘Is she threatening us?’ let me be clear: Yes, I am. I am threatening you.” She added, “If this Legislature collectively decides that legislating hate against children is our priority, then I am going to make it painful; painful for everyone. Because if you want to inflict pain upon our children, I am going to inflict pain upon this body.”
Click through for details. I’m glad this came out in Women’s History Month, because it’s more proof that we are not done with making history.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, there was a very odd story out of Russia – first a bit of background: “eternal flames” are not unknown here, but apparently in Russia there are a gazillion of them, relics of the Soviet era. In a town in the Moscow region but not Moscow, a fifth-grade boy apparently had had enough of the one there, and literally estinguished it. Using a fire extinguisher of the type that are required in cars there), he didn’t spray it (which would not have worked) but tossed it into the flame. An explosion ensued and the flame was gone. I guess there are bunches of dissatisfied people just about everywhere, and some will go to ridiculous lengths to make it known.)
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Crooks and Liars – Dark Money Groups Sue To Remain Anonymous
Quote – At the heart of the lawsuit is the argument that anonymous political speech is protected by the First Amendment. Terry Goddard, a former Arizona attorney general and the driving force behind the Voters’ Right to Know Act, said the arguments against disclosure aren’t new — and have been rejected by courts.
Click through. Because of course they do. If you were pouring money into taking away other people’s money so you could kep more of yours (and keep getting more), you’d not want anyone to know who you are either.
ABC News – What is gender dysphoria and what does transgender youth care consist of?
Quote – Across the country, Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that restricts transgender health care for minors. At least eight states have passed laws or policies restricting this care, and 23 more state legislatures are considering similar legislation of their own. Medical experts say that understanding transgender identities, gender dysphoria and how gender-affirming treatments work is key to understanding the impact these bans may have on patients.
Click through for details. I’m counting this as a women’s history month article. That’s because I have a theory that LGBTQIA+ phobia ia all based in misogyny. Anything other than straight male is othered. (And if we could eliminate all fear of LGBTQIA+, misogyny would remain.) But we must keep trying. All of us.
CPR – The beloved musical ‘1776’ is coming to Denver, and its cast is as diverse as the Second Continental Congress was not
Quote – A reimagined take on a Broadway classic is coming to Denver, and it’s challenging audiences to think about our country — who we are and why — with a new perspective…. When it premiered on Broadway in 1969, the musical “1776” won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. This iteration of the musical still depicts the Second Continental Congress meeting in the summer of 1776 to write the Declaration of Independence. But, this new production — by directors Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus — features a diverse cast reflecting many representations of race, gender, and ethnicity. That is to say, it’s not all white guys.
Click through – in a way this is fluff – which is why I made it an extra – but I bring it up not because it’s Denver, or because it’s a musical I love, but because of the inclusivity.
Food For Thought
(I wish this were actually from Campbell’s. But “Customer Service” ia a private account, a person or geoup that loves returning the finger to those who give it to “woke” products.)
