Open Thread September 4 2024

 Posted by at 6:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 042024
 

Yesterday, Joyce Vance decided that her (paywalled) post from last Friday was “so timely and so important that I’ve taken it out from behind the paywall” and republished it here. I do realize not everyone knows someone in high school, or a parent with a child in high school, or a grandparent. But lots of people do, and even if one doesn’t – I don’t – it’s still good information to have, and good to know that people are working on it. When more people vote, we win.

Well, this was certainly not on my bingo card. But I like it. A lot. I really hope there is a Democrat somewhere who is just goofy enough to run with it who has, or can get, the funding for it. It might not even need to be a very large run. Just one, with the right publicity, would do teh trick.

Robert Reich takes on mergers – and specifically the proposed Kroger-Albertson’s merger. I expect you all already knew this was a terrible idea. But possibly not all the details of just how terrible an idea it is.

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Open Thread September 3 2024

 Posted by at 6:05 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 032024
 

Yesterday, I was referred to this article by a poster at Democratic Underground. It’s at Salon, which I have long thought is one of the most, maybe the most in depth organ on cultural issues at least, and often beyond. Actually,that’s a reason why I don’t cite it more often than I do – I don’t have the time or energy to go that deep often, and I don’t expect you to either. But I am citing this one.

There are ways to sugarcoat this – and that’s part of the problem. It’s gonna take a whole lot of votes to offset it. I think the votes are there, but we will need every single one of them. GOTV matters as – well, not as never before because it mattered this much in 2016 and we didn’t succeed. But it matters that much again.

I would not call this an unseen problem – anyone who looks at national election results nationall since 1980 (and particularly since 2000) sees it clearly. I would call it an unacknowledged problem, since no one but Democrats (and not all of us) and the National Popular Vote interstate Compact is pointing it put. And why would Republicans point it put? It’s the only way they can win ( almost said without cheating, but, for on thing, it is a forme of built-in cheating, and for another, if it isn’t enough for them, they cheat in other ways, as in 1976.) I do not intend to badmouth decent and honorable Republicans (mostly historical) such as Lincoln, Grant, Garfield, T. Roosevelt, Margaret Chase Smith, Mark Hatfield, Adam Kinziger, and others (mostly historical.) But the few that are left had lost control of the party by 1980. None of this is unseed. It’s merely unmentioned.

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Open Thread August 21 2024

 Posted by at 6:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 212024
 

Yesterday, I read an email from Colorado’s Attorney General which had me in tears – good tears for the accomplishment, mixed with sorrow for the lost time. I lived in the San Luis Valley from the time I got out of the Marine Corps (1976) until 1991 when the jpb situation thre pushed me and Virgil to move to Colorado Springs. That was the time of my life when I was a real cat lady. I don’t recall opiates being a problem there then. Alcohol, yes. But the big medical thing was diabetes and the fact that it hit Hispanics so much harder than non-Hispanics. Unfortunately I can’t link to the email, but I can link to the article in the Valley Courier – still in print thankfully – which tells the story also. He’s a Democrat, so I have always voted for him any time he was on my ballot. I hope he stays in office for a long, long time.

Steve Schmidt – a couple of days old – but unless his prediction has alread come to pass, not too old. And we should be ready for it, and then, even if it turns out to be wrong, we’ll be fine.

Personally I would

but I’m glad someone is saying it out loud. because there are people who do not realize how bad it actually is. And you cannot fight something if you don’t know it even exists. I think we can do this, but we cannot forget for a moment what we are up against.

This is the good news. The bad news. of course, it that it’s today’s courts it will have to go through, not, for example the Warren Court (I’m pretty sure no relation to Elizabeth.) Kroger and Albertson’s being the only two big conglomerates is already a monopoly (technically it’s a duopoly, but these two are like-minded like Charlie and David.)

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Open Thread August 12 2024

 Posted by at 5:54 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 122024
 

Yesterday, I managed to see Virgil almost on time (I had to stop for gas on the way down, for one thing.) We played cribbage, of course, and he had the two best hands of the day – a 16 and a 17. He returns any and all greetings. The trip back was uneventful, but I got back tired, so I was slow to post.

Yes, this is alarmist. But, like Project 2025, if we don’t know about it, we won’t be ready – we won’t know what countermeasures to take, and we’ll lose time finding out. And we can’t let them win by cheating (again. Because if’s the only way they can win.)

Well, if I’m going to share one cautionary article, I may as well share this one as well, and it may as well be on a Monday. If kids were taught in school about the Political Compass, it would certainly be easier to identify where politicians are coming from – certainly in this election “right” are practically meaningless. It’s all about “up” and “down.” (Incidentally, they like to use “Authoritarian” and “Libertarian” for up and down respectively, but a better word for the latter would be “Egalitarian” IMO. It’s not only more accurate; it also hasn’t been stolen by crazies.

Belle climate

Dog

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Open Thread July 29 2024

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 292024
 

Yesterday, I was able to visit VirgilI arrived late, but he was just as happy as if I’d been on time.The drive was uneventful both ways but I still didn’t get my home safe comment up as fast as I would have liked. I am trying t work withmy Windows 10 laptop, and it is slower than molasses in July at the South Pole. Eventually I gave up and came to the Windows 8.1. It has glitches , but it basicallly works, and I am used to its glitches so I can deal with them. My week off helped. I am encouraged by the speed with which Democrats united behind Kamala, and also with the way younger voters, many of them first-time voters, mobilized in support, including with cash. I’m ready to get behind Kamala as much as I was behind Joe. However, I can’t not be worried about misogyny, which killed us in the Electoral College in 2016. Hemce the link today to Joyce Vance. I’ll try not to let it affect my mood here. I can’t promise to be able to sleep at night without worrying. That’s not really in my control.

Many thanks to Nameless, who put up some splendid memes while i was out – and also to everyone who commented this week.

If this is what has been keeping him going – well, he may still be around for another nine months. (Barf bag alert on article – it describes the syptoms, and links to pictures. Just don’t follow the links to the pictures.  The description is more than enough.)

Joyce Vance addresses what I fear most about the election in November. She sees what I see – and has highly positives about how to combat it – some in social media, others IRL.

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Open Thread April 11, 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 112024
 

Yesterday, I finally took a few duck eggs out of the freezer ((I’m allergic to chicken eggs, n=but not to duck eggs or goose eggs) to use as toppers to corned beef hash (yes, I’m old – that used to be a popular meal, particularly for breakfast). I froze some when my source retired. Freezing eggs is an awkward business – you have to take them out of the shell, because if you don’t, they will break in the freezer, and you also have to at least pierce the yolk. And if you don’t want to use them all together, you need to put each one into a separate plastic bag. So hardboiled eggs are not an option. Traditionally, with hash, they were poached, but that’s not an option either, since the yolk is pierced. I just made a “valley” in the “mountain” of hash and put an egg (out of the plastic bag) into it, then microwaved it. It wasn’t as good as the meals I remember, but it wasn’t bad either. However, the best use of frozen (and then thawed) eggs is in baking. Maybe I’ll feel up to that eventually.

I always enjoy reading Amanda Marcotte. She sees things that otber people, including me, don’t. I don’t claim she’s always right, but what she has to say always bears consideration. I should point out that Salon, where she is a senior writer, is also now on substack (as is I presume her personal newsletter which they mention.)

As Nameless often says, good news is always welcome. And I find this news particularly good coming from Texas. I suppose the whiny Texas GOP will be taking it to the Supremes, but at least there are injunctions for the interim. And the Supremes might turn it down. If they’re smart enough (I know some are.)

Hanky Alert

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Open Thread March 11, 2024

 Posted by at 5:53 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 112024
 

Yesterday, Trinette was by again and we got stuff done. She says hi back to all. You all know how it is with weekends and news – I selected articles which are less time-sensitive and more long-term. I did find Beau’s T-shirt – I know people wonder about them, and I do myself, so when I can find them, I’ll start sharing.

The SOTU led to some endorsements from groups representing minorities (you and I know that the Democratic Party is the only party which consistently respects minorities, but I realize what we are actually doing doesn’t always get seriously public, so it’s understandable that some need to be told/convinced). Also, someone managed to flip a union member from Trump** to Biden, and there’s a video showing how (and also a brief summary). I don’t know any Union members, and Colorado is still a “Right to Work” state although it’s now blue. But this could help someone.

Heather Cox Richardson also starts with the SOTU, but quickly pivots to SCOTUS, Roe, and misogyny in general. She wrote it on International Women’s Day, which is also three days old now, but the historical knowledge is timeless.

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Open Thread February 17, 2024

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 172024
 

Yesterday, a news alert from Axios alleged that Alex Navalny has died. Their source is the Russian Prison System, which I would not trust to be truuthful, but it’s also hard to believe it didn’t happen earlier. R.I.P. Alexei. Avaaz is collecting signatures for a tribute to him.  Also we had a “mass shooting” here of our own – a little different in that it appears to have happened inside a dorm, during the might, and so far not much evidence – except two dead people with gunshot wounds.

Mary watched Fani Willis’s entire testimony (I only had time for a few clips) and this summary-through-categorized-excerpts is brilliant.

This is not nearly as much fun … but it’s likely to have a more direct effect on all of us. Sigh.

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