Glenn Kirschner – What will J6 committee do if Trump defies subpoena? Rep Adam Kinzinger answers that question
Meidas Touch – Ron Johnson gets UTTERLY HUMILIATED with the MOST SAVAGE Response During Debate (Not sure you can humiliate someone who has no shame – but it’s short at least)
The Lincoln Project – Protecting The Capitol
Robert Reich – Election Deniers Could Pick the Next President Without You
Crooks and Liars – A Ukrainian Boy Laments Attack On His Playground (hanky alert)
Beau – Let’s talk about hybrid Abrams…. [nothing to do with Stacey]
Yesterday, my radio station started its fall fund drive, so I started audio streaming, beginning with “The Score” – a one-hour program about music in film which I listen to weekly, generally during that one hour every weekday when there’s a program I don’t care for. This week’s theme was “mad scientists.” Timely for me, both because I had used that hour just the day before to watch a short biography of Thomas Midgley, Jr., called “The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History.” I thought of him when the host remarked that “mad scientists” in film seem to share a total disregard for the dangers of their creations. But throughout the program, I was also wondering if the whole mad scientist thing hd become so pervasive that the concept became part of the inspiration for QAnon, and other creations of the Alt-Right, with their disdain for actual science and facts. If so, it took long enough. In literature, it traces back to the 16th Century (Christopher Marlowe) and, considering actual science developed out of alchemy, almost certainly goes back to the dawn of humanity. Has anyone besides me ever wondered how humans, with all our crazy tendencies that are hard wired into us managed to survive this long at all?
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The Daily Beast – Kremlin TV Exposes the Real Goal of Putin’s ‘Revenge-Bombs’
Quote – [State Duma Defense Committee’s head Andrey] Kartapolov urged Russians to unite behind Putin, and his desperate plea spotlighted the true reason behind Moscow’s barrage of missiles: to curb waning public support for Putin’s mindless war…. Konstantin Dolgov, the former Russian commissioner for human rights,… yearned for pained reactions from Ukrainians affected by the strikes, asking: “Are they whining yet? Are they howling yet?” Click through for the story. My visceral response is, “Republicans, everywhere, by any name, are all the same – the cruelty is the point.” However, Republicans everywhere, by any name, also lie. A lot. So who knows.
CPR News – Republicans hope to take back the House. Here’s what it could mean for Colorado’s representatives
Quote – While he’s not measuring any drapes, GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn said he would seek the chairmanship of the Strategic Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services committee. He was named the ranking member of that committee in January. The delegation’s longest serving Republican, Lamborn… also currently sits on the House Natural Resources committee[.] Click through for full article – or, even better, check out your own state’s representatives – not just yours, but all of them. Every state almost certainly has one or more reps whose presence, or chairmanship, on this committee or that committee could turn the House into even more of a horrorscape than their mere presence in the House suggests.
Yesterday, the radio opera was “A Village Teacher” in Mandarin. While it is an opers, it is in Chinese, and was written by Chinese people, it is not a “Chinese Opera” – it is a “Chinese contemporary classical opera.” Traditional Chinese opera, which goes back thousands of years, had its golden age in the 13th century under the Song dynasty (It’s pure coincidence that the dynastic name sounds musical to us.) The art form’s name – well, one of its Chinese name – is Xipu. There are regional variations, including the name of the form. Tan Dun (who scored the film “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” has written several western operas, including one for Placido Domingo, called “The First Emperor,” in which he inlcuded a traditional Chinese opera character and trraditional style – I saw that one on TV so long ago I think I have a VHS of it. But I digress. “A Village teacher,” just as it sounds, is about a teacher and her efforts to teach and help her students be their best selves. It premiered in 2009.
I also learned (I am now listening on the internet – my local station decided not to finish carrying the full season) that Chicago is already calling the holiday of October 10 “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” And I got confirmation to see Virgil tomorrow.
Cartoon – 09 Manhattan Project RTL
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Steve Schmidt – The Warning – Christian nationalism
Quote – Christian nationalism is evil and dangerous. It is antithetical to Christianity. It is profoundly dangerous. It is on the ballot all across America. Christian nationalism is incompatible with American democracy and pluralism. When political extremists take power in the name of God there is always death…. The separation of church and state and religious freedom are profoundly important foundational achievements of the American republic. The extremists who seek power in God’s name are not benign men and women. I hope this will be a warning. Click through for the article and a video, which will also appear in today’s Video Thread (It has CC but you may need to enable it.) To share it with others, this is the link to use: https://youtu.be/XzKc748F34g
The Daily Beast – Russians Terrified by Putin’s Bunker Mentality as He Turns 70 With His Finger on the Nuclear Button
Quote – Russians are growing increasingly worried about their leader’s state of mind. In his most recent public appearance, Putin’s eyes looked sunk and foggy. He spoke to a group of teachers from a small office over Zoom. The idea was to celebrate Wednesday’s “Teachers’ Day”—but Putin couldn’t resist ranting about the so-called “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine. “That part looked really insane,” 17-year-old student Vitaly Shatrov from St. Petersburg, whose last name has been changed for privacy reasons, told The Daily Beast. “Putin, who many compare to Hitler for the violence against Ukrainian people, speaks with teachers from some bunker about Nazis.” Click through for story. I’m 7 years older than he is, and my doctor says I look around that much younger than he is (I think I’ve already shared this.) A different source says he has mobilized about 200,000 – and also that 335,000 have fled to avoid the draft. And he’s well aware what the repercussions would be of even a “small” (“tactical”) strike. I cannot get into the mindset well enough to predict what he might do. But I might point out that for four years we were all terrified that Trump** would press that button.
Yesterday, the plumber came around 9:00 and was finished before 10:00. I had two separate small problems, one in the bathroom sink and one in the stool. That was a good thing – because with both stopped up, I was afraid there was one problem, farther out, that would require expensive digging. At least I dodged that bullet.
Some information I have come across recently I think is interesting, though it may not mean anything (but it is suggestive.) The area which is now Russia had indigenous peole in the Middle Ages, and was invaded by Vikings – whom the indigenous people called “the Rus.” Those people actually asked the Vikings to stay and rule over them, because the Vikings appeared to be more organized than they were. (Incidentally the Vikings were not an ethniv group – it was more like a career choice – there were Vikings of many ethnicities.) The name “Russia” comes from their name for the Vikings. Ukrainians, however, are descended from Cossacks (if their national anthem is to be believed.) The Cossacks were an ethnic group’ They were semi-nomadic. Groups of them settled in varioua eastern nations, making a deal that they would providwe military service to those nations in return for being allowed self-government – which was mostly democratic. Don’t be discouraged by the length of this video on the Vikings – you only need to listen about a minute and a half to get the content. And this article is on the Cossacks. Those are my sources.
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Letters from an American – September 24, 2022
Quote – In Arizona, Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson has restored a law put into effect by Arizona’s Territorial legislature in 1864 and then reworked in 1901 that has been widely interpreted as a ban on all abortions except to save a woman’s life. Oddly, I know quite a bit about the 1864 Arizona Territorial legislature, and its story matters as we think about the attempt to impose its will in modern America. In fact, the Civil War era law seems not particularly concerned with women handling their own reproductive care—it actually seems to ignore that practice entirely. The laws for this territory, chaotic and still at war in 1864, appear to reflect the need to rein in a lawless population of men. Click through for story. I believe I see a huge Plan B loophole in the way this law is worded – provided the user orders it from, or buys it in person, out of state (i.e., receives it from a person not under Arizona’s jurisdiction.)
ABC News [Australian Broadcasting Company] – Indigenous activists condemn New York Times obituary of Uncle Jack Charles as offensive Lona
Quote – The lede paragraph of the New York Times story initially read: “MELBOURNE, Australia — Jack Charles, one of Australia’s leading Indigenous actors, who has been called the “grandfather of Aboriginal theatre” but whose heroin addiction and penchant for burglary landed him in and out of jail throughout his life, died on September 13 in Melbourne. He was 79.” It was updated to read: “MELBOURNE, Australia — Jack Charles, one of Australia’s leading Indigenous actors and activists, who has been called the “grandfather of Aboriginal theatre” and who spent years in prison for burglaries that he saw as acts of reparations, died on September 13 in Melbourne. He was 79.” Click through for story (I had no trouble so I assume y’all can see it – if not I’ll be happy to “print” it and sent a pdf) The ironic thing is that the Old Gray Lady is supposedly trying to be more sensitive in obituaries. Apparently, that only aqpplies to Americans.
Yesterday, the radio opera was Rúsalka, sung in Czech, by Antonín Dvořák (there’s not actually an accent on the u -I put one there to remind myself that’s where the stress is.) Like every other culture, the Czech cultur is rich in fairy tales. But, if you think the Brothers Grimm are grim, don’t look up the Czech ones, because they are grimmer. A Rúsalka is a female water spirit (it isn’t her name), and her story is that of the Llittle Mermaid, only darker. She is a fresh water being, she doesn’t go to a sea witch, but a lake or river witch called Jezibaba, and forfeits her voice to become human. The prince falls for her but everyone in his castle is terrified of this speechless woman who seems so cold (she didn’t get a soul in the deal, you see.) A foreign princess comes to visit, and the Prince is tempted, and the Rúsalka fears all is lost and goes back to the water. The prince tries to stop her but it is too late. She has become a different kind of water spirit, one who exists to lure human men and kiss them, which condemns tham to hell for eternity (she did get her voice back, so she tells him this – she doesn’t want to doom him.) But he chooses to kiss her anyway. Not exactly a happily ever after ending for sure. The one aria from it which is often concertized is the “Song to the Moon,” about how much she loves the prince and wants to be with him. The role is for a soprano, but this aria isn’t high, and a mezzo-soprano can sing it, and in fact the best, IMO, I ever heard it was done by a mezzo, Frederica von Stade (also, Joshua Bell did a lovely violin version). But I digress. Dvořák also used Czech fairy tales as the bases for some tone poems, of which the three I can remember are “The Noon Witch,” “The Wood Dove,” and “The Golden Spinning Wheel.” All the music is lovely, and all the stories are gruesome.
Cartoon – 25 0925Cartoon.jpg also Rosh Hashanah loaded
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CPR News – Elijah McClain’s autopsy report changed to death by ketamine
Quote – “The forensic evidence revealed that the cause of death was undetermined. Specifically, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy stated that he was unable to conclude that the actions of any law enforcement officer caused Mr. McClain’s death. In order to prove any form of Homicide in the state of Colorado it is mandatory that the prosecution prove that the accused caused the death of the victim.” Even with this new cause of death being ketamine, it is unclear how prosecutors move forward with holding those who touched McClain that evening accountable for his death without a homicide declaration on the death certificate. Click through for updates. We pretty well knew this. But now it’s official – but the manner of death is still wrong. I think our AG tried hard for accountability, but has been stymied, as usual, by law enforcement sticking together regardless.
Crooks & Liars – Ukraine Returns 215 POWs, Including Azovstal Defenders In Prisoner Swap
Quote – An amazing swap, as in total Ukraine returned 215 prisoners of war, 205 Ukrainians and 10 foreigners. The entire leadership of the Azov regiment appears to have survived and were freed, including commander Denys Prokopenko. British national Aidan Aslin, sentenced to death by Russian proxies of Donetsk, also swapped. Ukrainian medic and songstress Kateryna “Ptashka” Polishchuk aka “Birdie” was also among those released, just days after Russia released an interrogation video of her. Click through for more details. This is astonishing, particularly since Putin has started conscripting. But I’ll definitely tke it.
Before there was Saint Javelin, there were Eastern Orthodox icons of many saints, including, of course, the Virgin Mary. She is more often than not shown with the Baby Jesus. This has often given people the impression that Mary was sweet, submissive, and silent. But that’s not entirely accurate. What do we know about Mary from the Bible? Most of what we know is from the Gospel of Luke.
We don’t know her exact age when Jesus was born. The youngest I have heard her age speculated on is thirteen – the same age that Margaret Beaufort was when she gave birth to Henry Tudor (later Henry VII). Henry was certainly no Jesus, but Margaret Beaufort was definitely a tough cookie. But I digress.
The Biblical story goes (and please suspend disbelief if necessary, in order to appreciate the flavor) that an angel appeared to her and told her Jehovah (westernized spelling in my attempt to avoid cultural appropriation) had chosen her to be the mother of his son. Her first response was, “Yeah, right. How is that going to happen to someone who’s never had sex?” The angel gave her a mystical explanation involving the Holy Spirit and the Power of the Most High, and added that her childless and now post-menopausal cousin Elizabeth had conceived and was now in her 6th month of pregnancy. At that point, Mary said, “All right then, I consent.” You may not consider that fully informed consent, but she’d clearly had at least some sex education, and likely had a pretty good idea of what she was getting into socially. And, like it or not, children were expected to grow up faster up to and including the Indistrial Revolution.
But she didn’t fail to do the fact checking. The first thing she did was go visit Elizabeth to see if this unlikely story was true. It was – and Elizabeth had also been informed somehow about Mary – because the first thing she said was “You? The mother of God? Visiting me? I’m overwhelmed!”
And that was when Mary on the spot composed the poem the church calls the “Magnificat.” A poem which has been around so long that its edge has been blunted. It was actually quite revolutionary.
In drastic paraphrase, but you can check it against any translation and see why you think: “Now I get it. This is a BFD. For the rest of time, everyone in the world will know about me and know my name. What an honor. Our god is amazing, and strong. He’s going to show the privileged elites they are just dirt. He’s going to kick out the powerful and give power to us nobodies. He’s going to feed the poor and starve the rich.” And, of course, that’s what Jesus told us to do. It was revolutionary then, and it’s revolutionary now. And you still have to be a badass if you are actually going to make it happen – or even try to.
Jumping to modern times, in 2012, an artist named Chris Shaw was inspired to do an acrylic-on-canvas painting of Mary holding an AK-47, in a style inspired by Orthodox Iconography. He called it Madonna Kalashnikov. He doesn’r seem to have been thinking specifically about Mary’s character – he says, “The initial idea for the image was conceived during the post 9/11 era. I have always juxtaposed and mixed concepts about culture and religion into my icons, and had long been intrigued at how weapons can be perceived as both evil and good – especially if they are doing God’s work. The concept was brought a bit further in another painting I made around the same time, ‘Madonna of the Suicide Vest’.”
“I first exhibited Madonna Kalashnikov at Varnish Gallery (2012), then at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2013)” he says. “She received plenty of attention but also came back unsold after both exhibits, I think she was a bit too subversive for the times. I eventually sold her directly out of the studio.”
After that, “I can’t say she was ever a meme or went viral after her debut, but the image of Madonna Kalashnikov from my website got shared around. I’d look it up occasionally and typically got a kick out of where she ended up, eventually she was getting all over the place. Unfortunately that also meant unauthorized prints and merchandise started showing up too, ever since it’s been extremely labor intensive trying to keep people from printing her on shirts or other items to sell. Bootleg Madonna Kalashnikov merchandise has been popular in East Europe, which isn’t surprising. Less frustrating are the tattoos, there’s a lot of great Madonna Kalashnikov tattoos, I always enjoy seeing them.” She even became a patch for the Ukrainian military
Still later, “The story continues, in 2018 someone in Ukraine altered an image of the Madonna Kalashnikov painting. She now held a Javelin missile launcher and was posted on twitter, shortly after she was named, ‘Saint Javelin’. Not many people saw it then, I didn’t. However, in 2022 amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the St.Javelin version of Madonna Kalashnikov went hyper-viral, eventually becoming the face of the conflict and a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.”
While Chris is not thrilled with the unauthorized uses, he is grateful that the images are being used to raise money for Ukrainians battling totalitarianism. “I feel better knowing that she’s become an icon of hope, freedom, and good.”
I don’t know what he would think of the interpretation of her in stained glass, which is quite recent. It was created by an American artist, Sheila Noseworthy, using vintage glass, made in West Germany, which is no longer obtainable, but which she had been saving. I think Chris would approve – not only is the work exquisite, but the purpose is to raise funds for Ukrainian defense.
Nor do I have a clue what he would think of this, or other videos at the “Saint Javelin Official” YouTube site. I can tell you it made me laugh and cry. The CC ss good, the voices of the judges sound authentic. The voice of HIMARS is that of a wise child.
There are other Saints being called upon also. You can see quite a variety at the Saint Javelin Official Site. One is Saint Neptune, Protector of the Seas. I would call the site, among other things, ecumenical.
Lona
seem to have been thinking specifically about Mary’s character – he says, “The initial idea for the image was conceived during the post 9/11 era. I have always juxtaposed and mixed concepts about culture and religion into my icons, and had long been intrigued at how weapons can be perceived as both evil and good – especially if they are doing God’s work. The concept was brought a bit further in another painting I made around the same time, ‘Madonna of the Suicide Vest’.”
her debut, but the image of Madonna Kalashnikov from my website got shared around. I’d look it up occasionally and typically got a kick out of where she ended up, eventually she was getting all over the place. Unfortunately that also meant unauthorized prints and merchandise started showing up too, ever since it’s been extremely labor intensive trying to keep people from printing her on shirts or other items to sell. Bootleg Madonna Kalashnikov merchandise has been popular in East Europe, which isn’t surprising. Less frustrating are the tattoos, there’s a lot of great Madonna Kalashnikov tattoos, I always enjoy seeing them.” She even became a patch for the Ukrainian military
I don’t know what he would think of the interpretation of her in stained glass, which is quite recent. It was created by an