Apr 072025
 

Yesterday, I saw Virgil, found a deck of cards, and we played cribbage. We had a range of hands from awful to unusually good. Today I have an appointment to have blood work done again. My original appointment was cancelled and rescheduled twice – after the second time, instead of changing the day, I went back to the original day and changed the location. My original appointment was at the lab closest to me, but they have just undergone major repairs, and are struggling to pass all the inspections. The location I changed to is the one I got lost finding last time – now that I’ve been there once, that won’t happen again. I know exactly where it is and how to get there now.

In case anyone who participated in “Hands Off” didn’t get pictures, here are some samples. It must have been quite a day. There are so many and they are all so good I’m just going to give a string of links. There must have been close to a million, maybe more than a million, in the US. Andy Borowitz says there were half a million just on Fifth Avenue in NYC. And these links are just a sample.
Some here. More here. Also here. And here. Several states here. Several states here too.

I think Robyn (from Wonkette) may be on to something here. The only small town I have ever lived in was Alamosa, and it was a college town (now a university town.) The presence of liberal arts higher education tones down the Parochiality. As, may I add, does the presence of citizen neighbors in large numbers who speak a different language but have nonetheless been there for a lot longer than you have (and many of whom have PhDs.) So I didn’t find it a bad experience. But I’m sure small town exactly like what she describes are more the rule than the exception, and that their primary export may well be Karens.

John Pavlovitz, who always IMO has something to say worth thinking about, makes a confession here which will probably be no surprise to any reader – I think we’ve probably all said much the same at one time or another. But knowing it is not the same as actually feeling the full scope of it. This post and today’s other post are in different ways describing the same thing.

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Apr 032025
 

Yesterday, the Supreme Court election if Wisconsin was called for the Democratic judge. Sadly, we lost both special elections for Congress in Florida. But if we were only going to win one of the three, Wisconsin is the one we wanted to win. I don’t know why it has taken so long for Repubs in Wisconsin to be looking at re-gerrymandering after the 2020 census, but apparently it has, because that is what they campaigned on (and apparently plenty of Democrats heard and came out to vote.) So now he districting will be fair. Bob La Follette can rest easy in his grave for a while (he’s been spinning since Scott Walker was elected Governor.) Joyce Vance has a bit more detail. Also Yesterday, Mallory McMorrow – the Wisconsin State Senator who attracted national attention some time ago with a “no BS” statement, announced a run to be the next Senator from Wisconsin. She’s raising funds through the Defeat Republicans PAC.

Robert Reich addresses the regime’s current war on lawyers (not all lawyers-jus honest and courageous ones.) Many of the founding fathers were lawyers – courageous ones – and I would expect earthquakes up and down the eastern seaboard over this. I don’t think all legislators should be lawyers, but there is a good reason why some should be. Lawyers are trained to be able to write legislation which is enforceable, and in particular enforces what it is intended to enforce. Most of us aren’t (although many of us think we have the ability anyway.😉)

Yes, as Joyce Vance says, the Mango Monster is serious. He can’t run for Vice President (and has enough lawyers that he should know it – read Article I of the Constitution.) He might conceivably somehow get himself elected as Speaker of the House and get in that way, however. I’d keep that quiet – but someone’s bound to think of it eventually. I actually think he’s more likely to just refuse to leave. But whatever his plans, he is dead serious.

Just in case you didn’t see this – it is jaw-dropping. I don’t know whether you’d call it “malevolence tempered by incompetence” or “incompetence tempered by malevolence”. But I think we can agree on “despicable.”

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