Glenn Kirschner – Will judge impose gag order to stop defendant Trump’s lies, threats & inciting imminent lawlessness?
MSNBC – SCOTUS under new ethics rule thanks to Sen. Whitehouse
Ring of Fire – Elise Stefanik Promised Trump That House GOP Would Handle Alvin Bragg (I’m with Farron)
Six13 – The Prince of Egypt (for Passover CE 2023)
Pittie Is Obsessed With Her New Cinderella Carriage
Beau – Let’s talk about Trump, political reactions, and personal opinions….
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….
Glenn Kirschner – Trump set to be arraigned on his criminal indictment on Tuesday. Then, it’s on to “The Trump Trials”
MSNBC – New Fox emails: CEO says Trump fact-checks are ‘bad for business’
Ring of Fire – Trump’s Entire Life Just Got Turned Upside Down
Rocky Mountain Mike – I’m So Indicted
Cat Hides From Her Foster Mom For A Year — Then She Does This
Beau – Let’s talk about the GOP, Obamacare, and Wyoming….
Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Falstaff,” based on Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor. Back in the day when the filmed matinees were replayed on PBS, I remember there were a couple of very odd (to put it nicely) schedulings – like for instance “Medea” being replayed on Mothers’ Day (and there were others.) And then, of course, , hthey were being played after the fact, so that those scheduling them could have looked at the calendar and noted that “Medea,” for instance, was not the best choice for Mothers’ Day. That’s the one I remember, but I also remember that similar contretemps occurred several times. They seem to do better when the related real life occurrences are spontaneous – such as “Falstaff” being on radio (and also HD broadcast into theaters) in a week when a real life misogynistic conman has just been indicted after way too long a hiatus (of course, they were thinking of April Fools’ Day). There are differences – Falstaff gets his comeuppance from the very ladies he planned to seduce and swindle, and (ar least apparently) learns from the experience. I don’t anticipate any learning from experience to be happening in a Manhattan courtroom any time soon. The prodution is apparently the second one within about ten years – the previous one was very 1950’s, including a midcentury modern kitchen (through the window of which Falstaff got dumped into the Thames in a laundry basket.) This production doesn’t look consistently like any particular time and place, but it does appear to have a lot of color – reds, blues, and for one of Falstaff’s costimes an almost flueorescent orange. Also a lot of standing on tables. But then with such an absurd play it’s not out of line for the production to be a bit absurdist. (The play was supposed to have been inspired by Queen ELizabeth I telling Shakespeare she wanted to see “Sir John in love.” If so, evidently the best he could do was Sir John in heat, and certainly not forgetting about money. Falstaff may have been a knight, but he was not a noble character.) But it’s all in good fun, and the singers always seem to have at least as much fun as the audience – maybe more.
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Crooks & Liars – DeSantis Gets Caught In The Disney Mousetrap
Quote – The previous board, Disney controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District, approved the last minute agreement on Feb. 8, the very day before the Florida House voted to put the governor in charge. They knew what was coming and had a plan. The Board had a public meeting, but didn’t get into great detail about the document before unanimously voting to approve it…. One of the funniest parts of the declaration is the following rule: The declaration is valid until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England.”
Click through for details. DeSantis thought he was so smart appointing his own board to control Disnet territory. Dunning-Kruger prevented him from realizing that Disney has real lawyers – and real mockery.
The First Amendment Encyclopedia – Actual Malice
Quote – Actual malice is the legal standard established by the Supreme Court for libel cases to determine when public officials or public figures may recover damages in lawsuits against the news media…. Beginning with the unanimous decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), the Supreme Court has held that public officials cannot recover damages for libel without proving that a statement was made with actual malice — defined as “with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not.”
Click through for article. When we non lawyers hear the word “malice,” we think of feelings – a hatred of someone or something, and a desire to harm that target. But that’s not what it means in law. Dominion has received summary judgment against Fox for everything except Actual Malice (and therefore damages.) Given the texts and emails, I believe that too could be proven without a trial. The judge is probably thinking that those texts, emails, and other evidence need to bemore widely publicized.
Bonus: In the Public Interest – The Privatization of Everything: Now in Paperback
Just to announce that this book, subtitled “How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back,” has been reissued, now in paperback, which makes it both easier to handle and less expensive. So many people have fallen for the myth that “Government should be run like a business” -which may be applicable to authoritarian governments, but certainly not to a democracy – and if you are seeking talking points to push back, this would be a great source.
Food For Thought
Talking Feds with Harry Litman – Former Prosecutor Decodes the Manhattan DA’s TRUMP INDICTMENT Plans (long, but very nuts and bolts – and Glenn skipped a day.)
MSNBC – Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg receives threatening letter with white powder
Farron Balanced – Fox Host Whines About Democrats Making Conservatives Look Like Idiots
Afroman – Will You Help Me Repair My Door? (This is funny [and the CC is not bad], but the incident was not at all funny.} https://www.wonkette.com/humiliated-cops-sue-afroman
Bulldog Obsessed With His Skateboard Hates When His Parents Try To Take It Away From Him
Beau – Let’s talk about the permafrost zombie virus….
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.)
Glenn Kirschner – Trump posts about his arrest, urges protest; NY DA Bragg reassures his employees of their safety
The Lincoln Project – Victory
Farron Balanced – Trump’s Lawyer Says Trump Isn’t Lying, He’s Just Not Telling The Truth
Parody Project – WHITER SHADE OF FAIL (Totally useless information – “Procul Harum” is actual Latin for “At a distance [from] these [females])
Dog Scared Of Kittens Becomes Proudest Foster Mom
Beau – Let’s talk about Russia recovering it….