Glenn Kirschner – Two Standards of Justice: Fed Worker Jailed for Mishandling Classified Docs, While Trump Golfs (Apparently, that was the only crime in the completed case. It does take limger to write a term paper than it does to write a 500-word essay. Just a thought.)
Yesterday, again quiet. I got a few things done (never as much as I’d like to, of course.) I hope you can stand a day of good news … goodness knows there’s enough bad news out there.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Democratic Underground – I think I Spotted Antifa
Quote – Wearing a military beret and a Polish wartime resistance armband, 94-year-old Wanda Traczyk-Stawska stunned the crowd at a pro-EU rally when she thundered “Be quiet, stupid boy! You lousy bastard” at a member of a far-right group attempting to disrupt the gathering over a loudspeaker. Click through for more and a great picture. I couldn’t possibly honor every hero here – if I tried I wouldn’t be able to do anything else – but she is special.
Furtive ferret: one of North America’s rarest mammals turns up in Colorado garage
Quote – “This is extremely rare,” Schmal said. “Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and extremely shy. For some reason, this one left the colony and was seeking shelter. “We’re just glad it appeared healthy, not starving or sick, and we were able to capture it and return it to the colony.” Click through for story. Walker Ranch is in Boulder County, so I’m guessing Nettles lives in or near Boulder. I don’t blame him for not wanting the exact afddress out.
Yesterday, we were a bit shorthanded here. Pat took the day off for her birthday, and SoINeedAName’s computer suffered the Blue Screen Of Death so he was just able to post a short comment from his phone. Never a dull moment!
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Black Girl Dies by Suicide in Utah School District Rife With Racism
Quote – A 10-year-old Black girl who was a student in a Utah school district that had been the subject of a federal racism investigation hanged herself over the weekend, leaving her family distraught over what they say were unanswered calls to address bullying. The girl’s mom, Brittany Tichenor, said she had contacted the Davis School District “multiple times” to discuss how her daughter Isabella was mistreated by her peers after starting fifth grade just months ago. Through sobs, Tichenor described during a news conference the relentless teasing that her daughter—one of just a few Black students at the Foxboro Elementary School—had endured without much help from school administrators. Click through for background and story – if you can stand to. Rest in peace, sweet Izzy.
KSL (Salt Lake City) – District investigates after teacher turns Veterans Day talk into message against vaccine, socialism
Quote – “It was just basically full of anti-Asian rhetoric talking about how people getting free handouts like food from the grocery store is anti-American and for lazy people….” The parent also claimed Law expressed his support for the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C., and that the “government telling us we should get vaccinated is the government being a bully and we need to fight back against the bullies.” Click through for the whole disturbing tale. The station will not back up Linked in’s claim that he attended the Air Force Academy, but it’s certinly not impossible. The AFA has a long and notorious history of denyong church-state separation.
Glenn Kirschner – More Evidence of Trump Crimes Revealed: John Eastman 6-Point-Plan to Overturn Election Results
Thom Hartmann – Why Is Santa Going to Drop A Bomb on Biden? So obvious – unless one is not paying attention. I was brought up -and that was reinforced by – well, everything factual – watching our government, watching other countries – to view taxes as an investment. By paying taxes, I invest in good government, including infrastructure, justice, social programs. It’s only Republicans (and those they influence to be ignorant) who view taxes as theft.
Glenn Kirschner – FBI Give Citizen Tips About Kavanaugh to White House Rather Than Investigate Them. What Now?
The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – July 19, 2021
politicsrus – Covid 19 Get Vaccinated – Aimed at MAGAts, certainly – and they also have one which only has the Hannity-Trump** portion if you have one or more of those to persueade.
VoteVets update – Rachel Maddow showed their “Abdulla” ad (in yesterday’s thread) on her show and briefly interviewed Tammy.
Tiny Kittens Help Heartbroken Pittie To Live Again (hanky alert)
Beau – Let’s talk about wolves, Wisconsin, and tough guys….
Last night’s opera was “Akhnaten,” the third in Philip Glass’s “Portrait Trilogy. In his case, it seems to be the first one – “Einstein on the Beach” – which doesn’t get heard and I don’t know why not. Anyway. Akhnaten was the Pharaoh who tried to eradicate polytheism in favor of monotheism of the sun god, Aten. It did not go well. The role is written for a counter tenor (God’s gift to composers who want to write for characters who are in some way androgynous – and also to revivals of Baroque and early Classical opera filled with “trouser roles.” This one is Anthony Roth Costanzo who comes across as avery sweet person, and those who know him confirm that. He had thyroid surgery, and had to grapple with the possibility of not being able to sing any more – and came to peace with the thought that as long as he could do something to make people happy, that would be acceptable. (Fortunately he is still singing – including at Santa Fe this summer in a world premier.) The libretto of Akhnaten is in ancient languages when possible and random syllables when not, with the exception of the “Hymn to the Sun,” which is to be sung in the primary local language wherever it it performed. Here’s an analysis of why (in case anyone cares.) Akhnaten is the last “American Composer” opera. Next week is Strauss week (Richard, not Johann, sorry) and there’s only one – well, maybe two – I’ll want to see so I’ll try to be more on top of things.
Axios – Biden launches effort to bring back deported veterans (about GD time)
Quote – “The Department of Homeland Security recognizes the profound commitment and sacrifice that service members and their families have made to the United States of America,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement Friday. Click through for a little more.
Washington Examiner – White supremacist marchers ‘ran away’ from Philly residents, police say
Quote – “They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too happy about what they were saying. These males felt threatened, and at one point, somebody threw a smoke bomb to cover their retreat, and they literally ran away from the people of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia Police Officer Michael Crum told reporters. Click through for story.
Food for Thought
Bonus video – Lona suggested this on the 3rd, and between my internet going in and out and some other things, I didn’t get it up then. So here it is now.
