Sep 022021
 

Yesterday, I got serious about getting ready to go see Virgil tomorrow. Even though I’ve done it once recently, it still requires thought and preparation. But I think I have it pretty much together. As the weather cools down, which I assume it will eventually, it will be easier … there are things I cannot put into the car a day ahead without risking heat damage to them at this point – unless I do so after dark, whidh has its own downsides.

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Short Takes –

The New Yorker (Borowitz) – New Law Requires Texans to Have Counselling Before Being Allowed to Vote
Quote – “Sometimes, a person is upset with their situation and thinks that voting is the only answer,” the Governor said. “A counsellor can sit with them, pray with them, and help them make the right choice.”
Click thgough for deets. For a split second I believed this was straight news.

The Hill – Colorado officers, paramedics charged in 2019 death of Elijah McClain
Quote – An independent probe submitted to the Aurora City Council in February determined that the police and paramedics involved were were at fault in McClain’s death, saying there was no reason to stop McClain, who was walking home from a convenience store. That report also concluded that no crime had been reported when McClain was stopped and he wasn’t exhibiting any threatening behavior.
Click through for a little more. Democratic AG + grand jury = results (sometimes.) You may remember that Elijah used to play the violing in animal shelters. As an animal lover and a former violinist, I took this personally.

The 19th – Even if Texas’ six-week abortion ban is overturned, clinics will close
Quote – “This law will end legal abortion in Texas. Allowing the state to do that and effectively close all abortion clinics — even if the law is ultimately struck down — will give the state what it wants,” said Leah Litman, an assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan and expert in constitutional law. “Just allowing this law to go into effect is ending abortion in Texas.”
Click through for story. In case you missed this (and had no idea what Andy was satirizing) this is it.

Food for Thought –

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Aug 312021
 

Yesterday, I received 3 packages from UPS and one from USPS. The one from USPS was small and delivered to my mailbox, so since I had to go out to the curb anyway, I bindled up a bunch of plastic shipping material (“popcorn” and heavy duty bubble wrap mostly), took it to the trash, and then took the trash to the curb. Today or tomorrow I’ll break up a few boxes and do the same for the recyclables. Pickip os Thursday, and I don’t put stuff out every week. Otherwise, the day was pretty uneventful.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Department of Justice – St. Paul Woman Charged in Child Sex Trafficking Conspiracy
Quote – According to court documents, from May 2020 through December 2020, Gisela Castro Medina, 19, and co-defendant Anton Joseph Lazzaro, 30, conspired with each other and others to recruit and solicit six minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts. Castro Medina, who was arrested on August 12, 2021, in Okaloosa County, Florida, made her initial appearance earlier today before Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon, in U.S. District Court in Pensacola, Florida.
Click through for DOJ press release. This has taken a couple of weeks to surface, but I figured the DOJ version would be the least sensational, and it appears to be. Law & Crime has photos.

The Daily Beast – ‘Wacky Guy’ Angrily Confronts NBC News Correspondent During Live Hurricane Report
Quote – Explaining that the rain had stopped in the area and mail delivery had returned in Gulfport, Brewster reported that the mayor of the town was still enforcing a curfew as they surveyed the damage. At the same time, a pickup truck pulled over in the background of Brewster’s shot, with a large, middle-aged man jumping out of the vehicle and running towards the NBC News crew. Keeping his composure, Brewster attempted to continue to deliver his report on the hurricane’s aftermath, but the man eventually grew disruptive and began shouting at both the camera crew and the reporter.
Click through for story and video. This kind of thing just breaks my heart.

AP News – Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, partner wed in New Mexico
Quote – Haaland wore a dress designed and sewn by her sister, said Interior Department spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz. The ceremony incorporated elements honoring her Native American ancestry. The former New Mexico congresswoman is a member of the Laguna Pueblo. According to Schwartz, guests had to be vaccinated to attend and wear masks per CDC and New Mexico guidelines.
Click through for story and photo. She looks absolutely gorgeous. They both do.

Food for Thought –

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Aug 292021
 

Glenn Kirschner appears to have taken a day off.  He’s entitled.

Don Winslow Films – #TrumpHasAmnesia

Armageddon Update – CoViD-19

Really American – Republicans Terrified of Jen Psaki And Strong Women

Ring of Fire – Even Republicans Are Starting To Realize Arizona’s Ballot Audit Is A Scam

NewsNation Now – RFK-assassin Sirhan Sirhan granted parole (still needs to be approved by full board and governor). Will follow up on this in the Open Thread.

Liberal Redneck – “Spoiled” Little Poor Kids

Beau – Let’s talk about Kennedy, Malcom Nance, and criticism….

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Aug 282021
 

Yesterday, I mostly rested. And thought. And crocheted some. I do have a small tip to share – if you are looking for a product and want to order online, either because of CoViD or any other reason, and would really rather not give money to amazon, consider Chewy. Yes, they’re for pets. But there are products which are needed or useful for pet care but which also have household uses completely unrelated to pets. Like, for instance, a “rug rake.” I am the only one who is shedding around here – but the rug rake I got from them is great and came fast. Other things too – cleaning items – you might be surprised. And they are the customer service polar opposite of amazon. I’ve heard stories of their going above and beyond what anyone might think of, let alone expect – like refunding for an automatic delivery upon the death of a pet -and then also sending flowers! They aren’t going to stock everything under the sun … but what they do stock can be surprising.

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Short Takes –

Dem Underground – Just click through (NSFW)
This could help get male MAGAts vaccinated with Pfizer – eat your heart out, Moderna and J&J!

The Hill – Supreme Court blocks Biden’s eviction moratorium
Quote – Some 15 million people are currently behind on rent in the U.S., according to one recent estimate, though it was not immediately clear how many tenants could be placed at greater risk of eviction as a result of the court’s move. A patchwork of state and local eviction freezes were unaffected by Thursday’s ruling…. The measure aimed in part to provide an additional layer of protection while emergency federal rental aid made its way to tenants. But the Treasury Department on Wednesday said only some $5 billion of the roughly $46 billion allocated for emergency rental aid had been distributed by state governments.
Click through for more. What I think pisses me off the most is that the moratorium might not even be necessary if the states government would get off their posteriors and distribute the over $40 BILLION on rental aid which they are still sitting on.

Wonkette – Texas’s Law Against Critical Race Theory Is Why Kids In One District Can’t Have Nice Things
Quote – Texas’s dumb law forbidding the teaching of “critical race theory” has led the school district in McKinney, Texas, to eliminate a popular elective program that gave students the chance to participate in a mock legislature and learn how bills are written. The district’s Youth and Government program had been a matter of pride for the schools, touted by the district as a “perennial standout” in its middle and high schools. But an attorney for the district advised that the program might fall afoul of the new law, House Bill 3979, which will go into effect September 1. Beyond banning anything that might make white parents uncomfortable about America’s history, HB 3979 also bars classes that require “political activism” or awarding grades or course credit for any classes “involving social or public policy advocacy,” and puts strict limits on classroom discussion of current events, requiring that “both” sides of any issue be presented equally and “fairly.” That must make science classes a load of fun, too.
Click through for story. Look, I’m not trying to dog on Texas (or Florida or Missouri or Alamaba or any other state where readers live). But some things really can’t be ignored. Or shouldn’t.

Food for Thought –

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Aug 262021
 

Glenn Kirschner – House Select Committee Demands Records Relating to 1/6 Attack for Trump, his Family, Advisors & More

Rep. Tim Ryan … in a tweet

Don Winslow Films – #VoteRacistTrumpOut

Really American – Governor Abbott downplays COVID, gets Sick

Liberal Redneck – An excerpt from another profile Trae did for Patreon. The fine print at YouTube show directions to the whole profile.

Frozen Kitten Brought Back To Life by Family UPDATE

Beau – Let’s talk about a technique for reaching out to your parents…. [or anyone older … or anyone who thinks they know more than you for whatever reason]

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Aug 252021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio Sentenced to Prison But the Fed Prosecutors Might Not Be Done With Him Yet. Ask an American what the word “jurisdiction” means, and, unless you are asking an attorney or a cop or an amateur student of crime (in fact or fiction),you may get a blank stare. (And then people complain about the “justice system” – as if there were one, not hundreds.)

Don Winslow Films – #VoteRacistTrumpOut

Really American – Governor Abbott downplays COVID, gets Sick

The Hill – Jen Psaki CALLS OUT Fox News reporter for misrepresenting what she said

PBS – The Pandemic That Lasted 15 Million Years. Well, this is a fine kettle of fish (and other species.) There is A LOT of information in it so you may want to come back to it.

PUPPET REGIME – The Delta Skelter Song

Let’s talk about Trump’s most presidential act….

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Aug 232021
 

Yesterday, I got to see my husband for the first time in a year and a half. Not only he but the staff also made me feel welcome. But it was still a long day, what with 2+ hours driving each way and an almost 5 hour visit. I put some details into a comment in yesterday’s Open Thread, so will try not to repeat myself. And this Open Thread will be short.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

PolitiZoom – FUX News Is Literally Poisoning People
Quote – Rachel reported tonight that in addition to having to deal with a collapsing healthcare system, Mississippi suddenly found today that an incredible 70% of the calls coming into their poison control center were from people who had ingested a drug called Ivermectin. What the hell is Ivermectin? It’s a livestock drug used to deworm horses! And why would a shitload of Mississippi residents suddenly start ingesting a livestock deworming drug?
Click through for more. This loaded quite slowly for me yesterday, but it did load.

Law and Crime – A Federal Judge Struck Down One of the Most Widely Prosecuted Offenses in Immigration Law, Slamming ‘Racist’ Origins
Quote – Gustavo Carrillo-Lopez was indicted in 2020 for a felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1326. That specific felony is one that has been on the books for nearly a century: reentry into the U.S. after having been deported. Carrillo-Lopez argued that his indictment should be dismissed because the statute violates his equal protection rights under of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Despite the statute’s long history of use in cases like Carrillo-Lopez’s, his argument prevailed before U.S. District Judge Miranda Du.
Click through for story. I’m sure this is not the end of it, and it could be inteesting to watch where it goes.

AP News – Beshear critics vow to work with governor to fight pandemic
Quote – Top Republican lawmakers are promising to work with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to fight COVID-19 after a court ruling cleared the way for new limits on the Democratic governor’s emergency powers.
Click through for details. I’ll believe the headline when I see it happening.

Food for Thought –

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Aug 212021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Reuters: FBI Finds “Scant” Evidence of Groups Planning Insurrection. Here’s why this HURTS Trump

The Lincoln Project – The Best of Us

Meidas Touch – with Alexandr Vindman

Thom Hartmann – The “Great” America Trump & His MAGATs Want Exposed. I seriously doubt anyone here didn’t know this. But here it is – admitted.

Al Franken – Tucker Carlson – Most COVID-Vaccinated American?

This Wild Baby Monkey is Obsessed With Her Cat

Beau – Let’s talk about getting out from over there and a teachable moment….

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