Yesterday, I continued some computer chores of moving infornation from one to the other. I also took in a grocery delivery, and though I haven’t checked it all yet against the order, I don’t think anything was missing. I aldo noticed – yes, I’m late to the party – that Elon Musk had posted something quite a while ago calling Kamala Harris “the ultimate diversity hire.” You may remember that my definition of “diversity hire” is “I can’t stand another ignorant white boy, I need someone who comes with actual qualifications.” Now that definition she might fit.
Our states are by no means all the same. I don’t suppose Ruben Gallego’s campaign strategy, as described by Huff Post, would work in every state. In fact, I believe that in many states our candidates should sound more progressive rather than moving center. But it did work for him (which means it also worked for all of us). and would work in many states.
Joyce Vance will sound overly optimistic to many of us, but she has some good points. And no one ever said or suggested that getting the Republic back could be done without a powerful resistance.
Yesterday, for a change, I caught up on my email. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find anything in my inbox this morning, of course. I hope the featured image doesn’t squish today. I tripped over the quote, from a survivor of the Holocaust, but finding the right background and getting the quote into the right place took time. Just in case: “I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and braving the worst conditions conceivable
“I wasn’t going to post anything about Matt Gaetz following his dropout, but Amanda Marcotte used him as our poster boy to help us decide exactly what to oppose and exactly how to oppose it. Of course at this point I don’t suppose anyone ia 100% correct on that (though there probably are some who are 100% wrong), but Amanda Marcotte writes well and makes a good case. There isn’t a pay wall, but there is an ad blocker wall. You can keep the trackers blocked.
You may have already heard this from The F* News, but maybe not said so well, and maybe not in quite as much detail. This would not be the only thing where what’s floating around is not 100% accurate. In fact, I used one yesterday.
I wanted to get this up for the holiday because is is something I have been concerned about for a while now off and on, and maybe you have also – conservatives pushing an Article V convention. In fact, I’m going to quote a couple of sentences: “Two bodies can propose constitutional amendments: Congress or a “convention of the states” called under Article V of the Constitution. But regardless of which body proposes a constitutional amendment, an amendment does not become effective until it is ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (38). Accordingly, any 13 state legislatures can block ratification of a constitutional amendment.
Yesterday, I checked to see where a small amount of money had gone – I have been a monthly donor to Adam Frisch’s campaign since he first lost to BoBo by 500 and some odd votes. Sadly, he lost again, just not to BoBo this time. I’m aware that campaigns almost always still have bills after the election, so I was going to leave it at least till the end of the yras and then maybe check with the campaign to see if they still needed it. Well, I won’t be doing that. The campaign cancelled it for me and even sent me a refund. I had no idea they would do that. I’m very impressed. And also sad to learn he apparently won’t be running again. We really could have benefitted from having a man of his principles in Congress. Sigh. Also yesterday I managed to get my phone working by switching around eleven cables attached to three boxed until I got the maximum number of green lights showing. However, my 8.1 still has no internet, and I really need it to. Where the 10 is, I have no room for anything else, so all my accessories, including the scanner/printer need to stay there. So I am still troubleshooting.
The F* News has its finger on the Christian Nationalism. I don’t know why the rest of the media cannot or will not see it or print it.
Yes, I know, two from The F* News in one day. But the first one is an important point which should not be missed, and the second is, if not exactly great news, a little better than everyone is saying.
Yesterday, The 19th (though its editor) ask the question, “What will it take for America tohave a woman President?” You’re probably familiar with the concept of necessary and sufficient conditions. Well, IMO, a necessary condition would be for Democrats to sontrol the standards for primary and secondary education nationall, in all states and territories, wit enforcement, for 40 years (one generation.) But i can’t claim that would be sufficient. The 19th is a Creative Commons source, so I posted it to Democratic Underground. and put my pwn opinion in a comment. By yhe time I posted the comment there was already ne comment other than mine, and by the time I got there to read it there were two more. I must have touched a nerve.
Yes, this leads to a video – from “Legal AF” which is affiliated with Meidas Touch, although if I understand him correctly, it’s now being opened as a seperate channel. Being part of a Resistance is hard, but in the long run not being in a resistance may be harder. I have to add to what Popok says: he speaks about watching blue states go purple, and purple states go red, and by larhe margins, but he doesn’t really address why. The reason is MISOGYNY. As in 2016, misogynists managed to hide in plain sight for months, even years – and then cpme out of hiding in droves. How long are we going to ignore this? Until it kills us, like the cancer it is? I’m providing the link to the new channel, not the main link, but the one to the “Videos” page because that is the page which has all the videos in chronological order (newest first) which makes it possible to follow a complete timeline. I am not going to be posting one daily, though I shall certainly try to be following the channel daily.)
Defending Rights and Dissent sent me an email outlining their plans for the next four years. (Of course it’s requesting donations.) They didn’t provide a direct link to the content, but I’m pretty sure I found the same article. Since we are now the Resistance, you might want to read it and at least know there are places to turn (ACLU is not alone). You know, Audrey Hepburn, when she was a teenager, worked with the Resistance in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. She had health issues for the rest of her life – not I think because of the work, but because everyone was starving. They ate tu;lip bulbs just to survive, for instance.
This link is to the home page of New Mexico Political Report. Which means it almost certainly will not look the same to you reading this as it did to me posting it. But here re the headlines I am seeing (sorry about the all caps. I cut and pasted.):
HEINRICH WINS THIRD TERM IN SENATE
VASQUEZ WINS REELECTION TO CONGRESS IN CLOSELY FOUGHT RACE
DEMOCRATS DEFEND LARGE MAJORITIES IN STATE HOUSE, SENATE
DEMOCRATS WIN 1ST, 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
SECRETARY OF STATE: 2024 ELECTIONS A SUCCESS
They are probably all still findable.
Colorado also could have done a lot worse. We still have one House seat that’s too close to call, but we did well with initiatives. The only big one we lost was trying to outlaw sport hunting of big cats. So, if you are considering to a different state, here we are. I can’t say what our job markets are like, but our prices are certainly lower than California’s.
Yesterday, The technician came to install what was necessary for the phone and internet to work. He arrived exactly at the start of the time window I was given, and I think finished up a little early. So I am actually typing on a windows 10 desktop. I don’t promise to stay on Windows 10 (not, I suppose, that there’s any difference readers could see), but most of my information is now on both computers (technically, on separate portable hard drive of which each has one, and yes, I did that in advance and it took forever,) so I can start transitioning in earnest. Also, I received 2 emails from the Election Department – first that my ballot was received, and the second that it had been counted. Yippee: I can put up that “I voted” sticker now11/
Heather Cox Richardson writes about control of the Senate – why it’s so important, how it is determined, how the 2024 election could affect it, what the Republican Party is doing to influence the election, how events in the 1890’s led to the passage of the 17th Amendment, and why the events of that decade resemble events today.
Recently, I started a subscription to the newsletter of “The F*cking News” whose motto is something like “If you prefer your news delivered with profanity, this is the news for you.” I can take or leave profanity, but I do like the attitudes and world views which lead journalists to use profanity, so I thought I’d give it a go. This report which headlines my first newsletter from them (and also the page to which it links – they are apparently using old print newspapers’ quaint habit of putting multiple unrelated articles on the same page) doesn’t have much profanity but it is chock full of attitude, and presents demonstrable facts from a perspective of the appropriate reaction to them.
Yesterday, VoteVets advised me that the Trump** campaign is swiftboating Tim Walz already. And they are already pushing back. (For the record, if anyone had asked me while I was on active duty what a “Command Sergeant Major” is, I would most likey have said, “That’s a Sergeant Major who can walk on water.”) I have no link to Vote Vets, but here’s one to Wonkette.
And yes, I realize the whole couch story may be just fake news (if a little more believeable than most), but the gif (from Wonkette) was just too good not to share.
This is a couple of days old, but this kind of thing will never get old. I’ve found that on DU one can watch an embed from Xitter full size, without having to go there. Hopefully that will also work for y’all.
They are now trying to break Project 2025 down into “This is what we’re really going to do” and “Just kidding.” Aside from the fact I don’t (and you shouldn’t) believe the “just kidding,” there is literally nothing inthe more than 900 pages of Project 2025, not one thing, which is acceptable or tolerable.
Yesterday, as usual on a Monday, I slept later than usual. It’s not the sress on the driving and the visit that does it. It’s appears to be that the stress of worrying about it ahead of and during is my last atraw – and Sunday night, that stress is gone. I still have plenty to worry about … but when that last straw drops off, I apparently can relax enough to get to sleep and keep it up. Who knew?
There is more in this than the US Postal Service, but that’s the main point. Does the Senate have a provison for Discharge Petitons, or something similar?
In a development which should surprise no one, Climate Change is now affecting the quality of education. I feel for the kids who will grow up inadequately educated because of this (and other Republican ideas.) /and I feel even worse fo those who will in the future have to deal with them.
Yesterday, the radio opera was Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.” Composed in 1762, it was part of his “reform” project to simplify both operatic plots and operatic music. Allow me to suggest that the story is of universal appeal by pointing out that the most famous aria in it, “Che faro senza Euridice,” has the same content as irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do,” both being in language appropriate to their time periods (for example, Orpheus didn’t have access to photographs.) I sang the aria (badly) when I was taking voice lessons – it’s in the mezzo-soprano range, but sung yesterday by a counter tenor – Anthony Roth Constanzo – of whom I’m a fan. As I guess is the Philadelphia Opera – they just named him their General Director) This is the last opera in the Met season, so next week I’ll be streaming a summer season opera broadcast from Chicago (performed and recorded in Vienna).
For pride month. I guess I don’t need to go over again how so-called Christians who think being anti-gay is Christian annoy me (not a strong enough word but I’m trying to be civil.) The image below is also from this article.
Sheesh. I remember when it was anthrax. I’m sure this is coming from the right … but there are too many suspects to nail it down. I hope we can get a clearer picture by November – maybe even put a stop to it.
