Friday Stuff

Kyle Kulinski informs us here that Missouri has basically legalized kids possessing guns, with the state house voting against a bill to keep minors from open carrying on public land without adult supervision...good for Kyle to point out that, when the Second Amendment was written, the weapon of choice was a FREAKING MUSKET! Of course, the ammo-sexuals in this country want everyone to have weapons of death and oppose a national “red flag” law as Kyle says (about 35K gun deaths a year in this country – ugh!...NSFW/H)...



Update: And in a related item, I know there will be more to say about this.

...and Chris Hayes calls out Our Treasonous Former preznit on his “are you better off now than you were five years ago” BS; I guess this pretty much means that the presidential contest is underway...actually, I have to say that I am better off, by all objective metrics (and of course, that’s a riff on The Sainted Ronnie R’s “four years ago” tag line as Hayes explains)...



...and in a bit of a related item, senor economic advisor Jared Bernstein went on Fix Noise (where everything is slanted against “team D,” of course) and gave a pretty good endorsement of Biden’s record on the economy...David Pakman tells us more...



...and speaking of Our Ochre Abomination, Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about all of the countries who paid off #45; Jared Moskowitz and Jamie Raskin also appear (mildly NSFW/H – more here, and let's not forget this too)...



...and it’s taken me a few days to get around to this, but I’m glad I did; Robert Reich gives us seven pieces of advice to help persuade folks to vote for Biden this fall (as opposed to you-know-who of course)...



...and this video from More Perfect Union tells us about the life saving drug marketed by Merck (apparently, it trains the cells in your body to fight cancer) which they didn’t even manufacture on their own, but significant taxpayer assistance went into it, but now the drug is priced beyond anyone’s reach...ought to be a special kind of hell for people engaging in this sort of thing...



...and when it comes to bad behavior in the pharma sector, Sam and Emma of The Majority Report tell us that it looks like the Sackler family could be on the hook for $6 billion, but they may be protected from personal prosecution – hopefully not, but we’ll see (more here)...and I didn’t know that 36 states had anti-BDS laws (you can’t get a state contract if you support BDS, which is garbage IMO...with Ian Millhiser, who is someone whose legal opinion I respect because he does his homework...I would agree with him on his example of a school lunch person having an opinion on Israel/Palestine if it weren’t for the fact that The Supremes are constantly ignoring precedent they don’t like and making up new bogus law as they go along)...



...and Sonny Bono died 26 years ago today in a skiing accident; can’t think of a context in which this song doesn’t apply.

Thursday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore brings us this item timed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein docs yesterday in accordance with a court order (here)...it seems that former great quarterback and aging football knucklehead Aaron Rodgers has alleged that Jimmy Kimmel was named in the docs, resulting in threats to Kimmel’s family; I’m sure Kimmel has already been on the phone to his lawyer...Rodgers should be forced to fork over a ton of dough at a minimum...meanwhile, it looks like this Pat McAfee person is trying to get out of the potential legal mess before it all starts (here – mildly NSFW/H)...



...and on the subject of the Epstein docs, Mike Figueredo tells us that Marjorie Traitor Greene went after Bill Clinton recently but defended Mango Mussolini, with both on the list...and by the way, I share Figueredo’s sentiments on this; follow the evidence wherever it goes, and I don’t care if the person found to be liable is on the “D” team or the “R” team...if they’re guilty, they should be punished in accordance with the law (NSFW/H)...



...and sticking with the subject of congressional wingnuttia, David Shuster of Rebel HQ (definitely not him) tells us that Bo-Bo Boebert is blaming Barbra Streisand and Ryan Reynolds for giving up in CO-03 and running in CO-04 instead (which, accidentally pretty much, shines a spotlight on the comparative big money dollars from conservatives which definitely exceeds what these two have donated...clip goes back over prior stoo-pidity from Boebert and also teases a segment on “diaper Don,” which seems to be a recurring theme any more)...



...and Farron Cousins relates to us that a Fix Noise reporter blasted some knucklehead on Twitter/X/whatever for lying about “migrant caravans”...the OMIGOD HERE THEY COME! ultra-scary video came from (wait for it)...Colombia!...



...and Ana and Cenk of TYT discuss the departure of Harvard president Claudine Gay from her role (I’m glad Cenk didn’t lose his damn mind this time)...maybe Gay’s response to the question about antisemitism at Harvard was couched in bureaucratic-ese a little more than it should have been, but she was essentially right...Elise Stefanik was looking for a scalp and some prime time coverage on Fix Noise, and that’s about it – as usual, this dustup is about butt-hurt wingnuts and giving them nice fee fees, fairness and anything approximating perspective be damned (Cenk kind of monopolized this segment, but he’s essentially right, particularly about the character assassination stuff, and he’s also spot-on about “cancel culture 101”; that donor giving all those millions told the school administration that he wanted Gay out, and that was it)...



...and David Pakman tells us about Kentucky clerk Kim Davis (remember her?), who now is forced to pay a total of about $360K for denying a gay couple a marriage license (including legal fees...on top of the $100K in damages...I’m sure she’ll go crying to Fix Noise over this shortly, if she hasn’t already...more here)...



...and Beau discusses Repug U.S. House Rep Bill Johnson of Ohio resigning on 1/21...I didn’t realize that the “party of Lincoln” pretty much has only a two-seat majority at this point...can’t think of a word to describe how contemptible it is that 2 from that side can’t switch to independent, and then we’d have to have a coalition in that body for real...and yeah, I’m looking at you, @RepBrianFitz...



...and RIP legendary jazz pianist Les McCann; here he is performing his signature hit with saxophonist Eddie Harris.

Wednesday Stuff

Farron Cousins brings us this story concerning Alabama’s U.S. senatorial mistake Tommy Tuberville, who apparently still has a residence in Flori-DUUH! and must be living in his son’s house in the state he allegedly represents...and yeah, apparently that whole military blockade thing didn’t amount to anything either (and in a bit of a related item, condolences to former Dem Senator Doug Jones for this)...



...and apparently the Fix Noise assclowns are big mad about Green Day getting in a dig at MAGA during a New Years Eve performance, as David Doel informs us; umm...what the hell did you think the song “American Idiot” was about anyway? A Biden supporter??...and I agree with Doel about the Dick Clark thing (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and Kyle Kulinski tells us about Repug Ohio guv Mike DeWine vetoing a trans health care ban...good for a change, though the Repugs running that state’s legislature could still override his veto (and I really couldn’t care less about what Marjorie Trailer Park Greene thinks – to the extent that she thinks at all of course – about “MAGA Mike” Johnson, and I also don’t care about what the WaPo thinks were Biden screwups, and I’d heard the “Diaper Don” stuff before now...gross! And yes, to Kyle’s point, DeWine is pretty enlightened on this as opposed to the rest of the troglodytes in his party, but kids aren’t getting top or, especially, bottom surgery)...



...and when it comes to our mental and physical health, it looks like Gallup has been doing polling on COVID since lockdowns and/or living our lives as remotely as possible are both still having an impact in a variety of ways... and yeah, those obesity numbers are really high (John and Mondale Robinson discuss)...



...and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is interviewed here on keeping the Gropenfuhrer off that state’s primary ballot for violating Section 3 of the 14th Amendment...sounds like she was duly obligated to look into it, has done her duty and is now leaving it up to Maine’s superior court (Bellows was targeted for a swatting call...I think this Linsey Davis person on ABC is a really dim bulb – yet another reason to basically not give corporate media the time of day)...



...and yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of President Nixon imposing a federal 55 mph speed limit partly because of OPEC cutting the supply of oil and subsequently raising the price of gas; the measure was eventually repealed...brings to mind this tune.

Monday Stuff

It seems that what’s old is new again...John and Aida Rodriguez begin 2024 by telling us about a Massachusetts cop going into a library to act like he’s going to confiscate books that offend his sensibilities somehow...I guess I’m a little surprised that this is happening in a blue state, but I know I shouldn’t be...when a kid grows up and tries to carry out a mass casualty event with a weapon of death because they were radicalized after reading “And Tango Makes Three,” let me know, OK?...



...and I couldn’t quite get to this item from a week or so ago in my ‘hood, more or less, but I should do so now; it seems that one of these “parental rights” idiots named Clarice Schillinger had a beer party for her daughter and a bunch of her friends who were minors (oopsie!), and things got out of hand with incidents of assaults involving Schillinger and other family members (allegedly!)...Ben Gleib, Mondale Robinson and Cenk discuss (more here)...



...and here is an item timed for the recent holiday that’s a little more upbeat; Brittany Page and Jesse Dollemore introduce us here to a guy named Colin McConnell in Detroit, who helped widower Don Wilson, who had just lost his wife at 39, leaving Wilson as the primary caregiver for three young kids...there is good in the world, though I know it’s hard to find sometimes (more here)...



...and author Diane Winston speaks with Sam and Emma on The Majority Report on the media’s support of The Sainted Ronnie R way back when; I forgot about the impact of USA Today, but I think corporate consolidation (including media companies) and the quest for “balance” at the expense of actual reporting had more to do with excusing the excesses of the “party of Lincoln”...and yes, I think it matters to point out how apocalyptic terms reeking of something approximating religiosity first worked their way into our political dialogue (again, under #40); Jerry Falwell does indeed deserve a heaping helping of blame for that as far as I’m concerned...those sentiments have been in our politics probably since this country’s founding, but they were more carefully coded until about the ‘80s when all of that was brought into the open...



...and Thom Hartmann gives us a brief excerpt from the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon debate, with a question focused on racial equality and educational opportunity...I thought Nixon was categorically wrong on a lot of issues, not just in that campaign but during his presidency, but he was also a formidable intellect; however, JFK pretty much “cleaned his clock” on this answer, being in command of this issue and a lot more...and boy, is Thom ever right about the League of Women Voters and debates, and yes, we can thank Poppy Bush in ’92 for putting us on the sorry path to the point where candidates’ debates (Repug debates for sure, and Dem also at times) are carried out like steel cage wrestling matches...



...and speaking of combat, I have a feeling that this year is going to be one big fight, so I might as well set the tone right now.

Sunday Stuff

Beau of the Fifth Column does a bit of a “compare and contrast” exercise with U.S. and Egyptian peace plans over the Israel/Gaza slaughter...and yeah, wondering who the “Palestinian experts” would be is indeed a high hurdle, but as Beau says, this is progress, and it also sounds like, on balance, the Egyptian plan could work out better than the U.S. one...



...and Ana Kasparian of TYT brings us more horror stories from Israel’s incursion into Gaza, including IDF dogs attacking an elderly man in a wheelchair at a hospital, all within the view of kids needing treatment (and sure, they won’t grow up to be terrorists, will they, assuming they live)...as bad as this stuff is, and it is that, I believe we also need to address the sickening Hamas atrocities documented here (and John Fetterman gets a completely deserved shot in this clip also)...



...and when it comes to barbarism, Thom Hartmann tells us that Alabama is threatening to kill Kenneth Eugene Smith with a method deemed to be too cruel for euthanizing animals; sounds like asphyxiation...yes, Smith was a bad guy as Thom points out, but really? As Thom says, at this point, if you’re going to go this route, just crucify him and send a message to the world that we’re no better than, say, Iran...



...and Ben Gleib of Rebel HQ informs us that the usual right-wing creatures are losing what’s left of their minds over a “lesbian Virgin Mary”!! And of course, Fix Noise is ALL OVER IT, PEOPLE...and it looks like the human race was saved by a Times Square Christmas display from the Mormons – trying desperately hard not to sacrifice any brain cells over this...



...and Vox News gives us the top stories of the year that is about to end; I was hoping for something kind of upbeat here, though I guess that’s not possible at the moment...



...and Mike Figueredo gives us the Humanist Report awards for 2023...yeah, I would say “Bibi” being the biggest scumbag is completely deserved, but I honestly don’t know why Biden was a nominee in that category – no disrespect to the MVP winner, who was a fine choice, but I also would have selected Shawn Fain (NSFW/H)...



...and whaddaya say to rockin’ in the New Year a bit with this newer tune?...



...and in accordance with my annual custom, I want to thank anyone who has spent any time at this site over the prior year; I hope some of this has been enlightening and/or informative. I know it’s a broken record to point out that I’m simply not able to author longer-form posts full of content and links, so I rely on other folks (and their video clips basically) who are at least as knowledgeable on the topics in question, and often more so. My goal all along has been to promote informed dialogue and thus a deeper understanding of the most important issues we face and not necessarily to shove my opinion down anybody’s throat. Yes, this site definitely is liberal/progressive, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s because people of our ideological bent live in the reality-based community more do than the other side (or I try to anyway, as much as possible).

As a bit of self-promotion, I just want to note that, if I’m able to keep doing this next June, it will mark the 20th year of this site, believe it or not. I never expected it to last this long, seeing as how I started it to find a way to bitch over George W. Bush and the lowlifes of his regime, and that was my only goal way back when. This really is a week-to-week thing, and I‘m just lucky more than anything else that I’ve been able to keep it going. If anything ends up affecting that in ’24, I’ll let you know as soon as I can.

Most years at this time, I say, “Next year is going to be a big year,” and I’m saying that again now because, yeah, 2024 is going to be a big year. We need to hold the Senate somehow, take the House and hold the White House, and that means ALL OF US getting off the sidelines and doing what we can to elect Democrats, even some who don’t deserve it to be honest (and that doesn’t even take into account the battles for state and local government going on across the country). To me, it’s not hyperbole to say that if we end up giving control to the “party of Lincoln,” this could be the last open election that we actually have (and anybody who thinks that, say, Nikki Haley would govern differently than #45 must be living under a rock). The other side has been creeping towards fascism and authoritarianism for about the last 40 years, and voters looking to reward that either don’t have the intellectual capacity to care about it or are too busy living their lives to properly understand what’s going on (and no, I don’t think that’s an excuse either). This means that ALL OF US need to find a way to engage these folks somehow...and I’m not calling for confrontation by saying that, but only for a patient, peaceful resolve in discussing the issues. Of course, if someone doesn’t want to be bothered but only seeks confrontation, I would just walk away and let them stew in their own rage, since that will eat them up faster than anything we could ever do on our own.

I wish all good things for you in the new year and the ability for all of us to keep up the fight, and though it may seem trite to include this tune given all of the wreckage going on in the world right now, I still believe in its message, and I hope you do too.

Onward!