Jul 022021
 

Last night’s opera was “Satyagraha” by Philip Glass, and I think I’ve already written about it. Libretto in Sanskrit from the Bhagavad Gita, the whole first scene take place within Gandhi’s meditation, the second and third acts depict actual events but none outside of South Africa, so that it’a more abut his formation than it is about who he became, but it also looks backward to Tolstoy and forward to Dr. King. Minimal titles, because what’s being sung is not directly related to the action. To say “It’s not your usual opera” is a gross understatement. Yet I find it oddly moving. Plus every time I see it I get new insights.  I may have to break down and get the DVD. In unrelated news, yesterday my favorite browser went down, and when it came back up, it looked different I’m still finding things But, basically, just an annoyance. It shouldn’t be crippling.

Cartoon

Short Takes –

Former Mueller Deputy Explains Why Indicting Trump Org Matters
Quote – [T]he one point I would make about the press reports of a company being charged — some viewers may think, “Well, what’s the import of that? Who cares? A company can’t go to jail, and that’s not what I’m really interested in.” But just remember, for a company to be found guilty, the government has to prove that at least one individual at the company is criminally liable, so it means more than just a company,
Click through for the rest. And if you are interested in reading C&L’s fluff story about Spiderman and the Pope, click here. 

The Hill – Kagan rips colleagues in blistering 41-page voting rights dissent
Quote – She cited late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in the 1991 case Chisom v. Roemer in which he opined a supposedly neutral law that limited voter registration to only a few hours a week and thus made it more difficult for Black voters than white voters to register because of life circumstances would result in Black people having “less opportunity to participate in the political process than whites.”
Click through to see that she really let them have it. I figured everyone will have seen the indictments by the time this goes up, and voting rights is actually more important at this point.

The 19th – Women in the Biden White House earn 99 cents for every $1 earned by men
Quote – The gender wage gap is typically a “raw” figure that doesn’t adjust for experience, education, title or other factors. It simply looks at median wages. In past administrations, a lack of women in higher-paid positions widened the gap. But in the Biden administration, there is a wider distribution of women across the pay scale, not just in the lowest paid jobs where they have typically been concentrated. About 56 percent of the senior staff in Biden’s White House are women, and about 36 percent come from racially and ethnically diverse communities.
Click through for details. Nice to have some good news.

Food for Thought

Just for the record, here is the actual indictment from yesterday as a pdf file.

Share
Jun 262021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Giuliani Law License Suspended is Part 1 of Accountability: SDNY Criminal Investigation is Part 2

No Dem Left Behind – Hold Them Responsible

Armageddon Update – “Voting Wrongs”

Rebel HQ – Trump Fanatic Facing Extra Jail Time After GOP Law Backfires (Karma is quite a lady.)

Randy Rainbow has a Tribute Parody for Barbra Streisand – it’s not satirical, so I’m not embedding it, but I thought I’d provide the link for those who love Randy as much as I do (and as mush as he loves Barbra)

Otter Reaction to Popcorn Maker (trilingual CC) These little maniacs are pretty cute. No, we don’t domesticate otters in the US. But this isn’t in the US and these are not US otters.

Beau – Let’s talk about Texas building the wall on its own….

Share
Jun 252021
 

I know all our thoughts are with Colleen, but there’s still some news too, and some commentary. Thank God It’s Friday. I guess.

Cartoon

Short Takes

Washington Post – States across the country are dropping barriers to voting, widening a stark geographic divide in ballot access
Quote – Seventy-one new laws easing voting rules are poised to benefit 63 million eligible voters in 28 states, or about one-quarter of the U.S. voting population, according to the Voting Rights Lab report, which tracked policy changes as of June 13. Thirty-one new laws in 18 states create more barriers to the ballot box, affecting 36 million eligible voters, or 15 percent of the national voting population, the report stated. Legislative debates over restrictions are underway in key states such as Texas and Pennsylvania, leaving open the possibility that new limitations affecting millions more voters still will be enacted this year.
Click through if you don’t mind fighting a paywall. Bottom line, it’s somewhat bleak,but not all break.

CNN – Why Democrats were desperate to win Joe Manchin’s vote for an already-doomed election bill (opinion)
Quote – See, now all 50 Democrats will vote to move forward with election reform legislation and all 50 Republicans are expected to oppose that move, Democrats can then go to their base ahead of the coming 2022 midterms and say something like: Every single Democrat wanted to make elections more fair and open. And every single Republican stood in opposition to that effort.
Click through for full analysis. He may be right, or there may be more, but this theory falls in well with Auntie Maxine’s vide vote request.

Crooks and Liars – Ohio Republican Who Forged His Father’s Signature To Vote Twice Calls It ‘An Honest Mistake’
Quote – “It was there with a pile of other paperwork,” Snodgrass said of the absentee ballot. “I was sleep-deprived and not thinking clearly. But I’m not going to run away from it. I was simply trying to execute a dying man’s wishes,” he added, saying that it would be wrong to characterize what he did as “just Trump voter fraud.”
Click through for a little more. Sadly they must be saving his picture for the poster for IOKIYAAR.

Bonus Headline: Americans Shocked to Learn That Giuliani Had Law License (Borowitz) You can click through also.

Food for Thought

Share
Jun 242021
 

Yesterday was quiet again. And a slow news day, which sound good, but also sends me scrambling. Colleen, sending every good wish to you for smooth surgery tomorrow, and a speedy and smooth recovery.

Cartoon

Short Takes

The Hill – Socialist India Walton scores upset victory in Buffalo mayoral primary
Quote – “We set out about a year ago to do exactly what we did. We knew that this race was going to require help from outside of our local geographic area; we knew that we needed to garner national attention to challenge a 16-year, heavily entrenched incumbent, and the people spoke,” she said on CNN.
Click through for more, though not a lot more. Being elected mayor is exactly how young, Democratic Socialist Bernard Sanders got his start in politics.

The Guardian – Michigan Republicans find no voter fraud and say Trump claims ‘ludicrous
Quote – The Michigan Republican report released on Wednesday followed 28 hours of legislative hearings starring local and national pro-Trump conspiracy theorists such as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. The report labeled many of their claims “ludicrous” and called on the state Democratic attorney general to open investigations into those who may have profited from making false claims.
Click through for more.

The New Yorker – Mitch McConnell Warns That Voting Bill Would Bring U.S. to Brink of Democracy
Quote – Noting that the word “democracy” originated in ancient Greece, he vowed, “I will not sit idly by and watch a foreign form of government sneak across our border.”
Click through for straight news story.

Food for Thought

Share
Jun 222021
 

Glenn Kirschner – WAPO: Weisselberg & Trump Frequenting Trump Tower-DA Vance’s Next Move May be Indicting Weisselberg

Represent Us – Now that Crooks and Liars have pointed out Republicans are throwing fits, I need to share what the fits are about. Rachel has also responded.

Titus (with Bradley) Satire “Press Conference vs. Press Conference” – Well, I laughed out loud (more than once)

Corey Ryan Forrester – “COVIS” vaccine – too subtle for Republicans?

Rocky Mountain Mike – Life With Barack (Right Wing Radio Told Me)

Beau – Let’s talk about Portland cops resigning and what to do…. None of this would have surprised TomCat – unless it were the unanimity of Mayor, Judge, and Prosecutor, which would have pleased him.

Share
Jun 202021
 

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Brief Says “Proud Boy” Defendant Committed Act of “Terrorism.” This is What Trump Incited

The Lincoln Project – Juneteenth

Now This News – Teen Receives Racist Attacks After Anti-Racist Graduation Speech

Ring of Fire – Former Nixon Lawyer Says Trump’s Behavior Was WAY Worse Than Nixon’s

Thom Hartmann – Choose: Voting Rights or The US Chamber? (w/ Karl Frisch)

What Happens When You Leave a Barrel Hanging in a forest

Beau – Juneteenth and reactions to it

(*On You Tube, I can cut miscellaneous stuff at the beginning .. but not at the end. So I like to let you know when you can stop one early without losing content.)

Share
Jun 152021
 

Glenn Kirschner – America Is Back:

The Lincoln Project (released yesterday)

The Franklin Project – Good leaders keep us on track. Good citizens keep them in check.

Now This News – Ohio GOP Backs New Restrictive Voting Bill – MY SOS tells it like it is.

Puppet Regime – Authoritarian Airlines

Liberal Redneck – Flag Day

Corey Ryan Forrester – an a capella country song for Pride month (NSFW)

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump vs McConnell in 2022….

Share
Jun 152021
 

Well, still a little bit of tenderness and temperature around the injection site – but my actual normal temperature is so low that slight increas is probably right around normal. I’m now feeling confident and won’t mention it again unless something negative happens. So – now one to go. And now to business.

Cartoon

Short Takes

New York Times – Warnings of Democracy in Peril
Quote: [Senator Angus] King [I-ME] said the only reason voters lacked confidence in the voting system was that Republicans — especially Mr. Trump — told them for months that it was rigged, despite all evidence to the contrary, and now continued to insist that there were abuses in the process that must be fixed. “That’s like pleading for mercy as an orphan after you killed both your parents,” he said.
Click through for the full article. There is a paywall but you get one or two free articles a month.

The 19th – Barack Obama: Women have found themselves “in an impossible situation” – from a socially distanced interview
Quote – I’m just incredibly proud of the kind of human beings Sasha and Malia have become. Of course, like all of us, they followed the protests around our country. They got involved. And we had conversations about all of it. My advice to them is the same as it is to all young people, which is that protesting — raising public awareness, putting a spotlight on injustice, making the powers that be uncomfortable — that kind of civil disobedience couldn’t be more important. Throughout our history, that has often been the only way to get the political system to pay attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, I tell them, movements have to be translated into laws and policies — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands. Basically, my advice is to reject the false choice between participating in protests and politics. Do both!
Click through for the rest of what made it in to the interview.

Rolling Stone – Al Franken – Tax the Rich! Also the Very Affluent! But Mainly the Rich!
Quote: Biden is eager for the infrastructure bill to be a bipartisan effort, however, and has been negotiating with Republicans to find a deal everyone can feel good about. But if the Obama years are any indication, Republicans will only feel good if a Democrat in the White House fails. So we shouldn’t hold our breath. Democrats can pass an infrastructure bill through the fast-track reconciliation process if they need to, which only requires a simple majority of 51 votes to pass, which still may prove difficult but is a lot more doable. Because Mitch McConnell naturally doesn’t like any of Biden’s big plans one bit.
Click througfh for a very clearly explained article.

Food for Thought

Share