Biden Tough, Fox Frustration, Trump Secrets, Immunity, Political Prisoners

  • Green Eagle is a little irritated by the journalistic habit of referring to Trump as Mister Trump.
     
    Key counter-examples:
    Nobody ever called Barack Obama “Mister Obama,” or called Bill Clinton “Mister Clinton.”
     
    Mea Culpa (Sort of):
    I generally go with a low key mr Trump.
    Still, it is a bit diminutive, so Mea Minima Culpa.
     
  • Ted McLaughlin at jobsanger has the polling for citizens cursed with curiosity about pardons for the January 6 insurrectionists: who supports and who opposes.
     
  • Chuck Todd made hosting Meet the Press look effortless, possibly because of his lack of effort.
     
    For those of us who started with fond, visionary hopes for new host Kristen Welker, taking over from Mr. Todd, driftglass takes the disappointed lead. Ms. Welker goes all somnambulant at outrageous falsehoods about insurrection convictions (Political prisoners? Really?). To point out obvious lies by a guest would be impolite and decidedly unbalanced.
    Can’t have that.
     
  • In the Palmer Report Republican politicians twist themselves into pretzels over slavery, Black friends, peaceful insurrection, and (of course) innocent political prisoners.
     
  • Max’s Dad is back (Yaaay!). He’s not in Iowa, but lives near enough to experience the tsunami of media ads. He offers his summary of each TV campaign as it wafts through the winter air.
     
  • Dave Dubya helps out with reminder notes for voters this year:
    Nazis=bad, Fascism=bad,
    and concludes with Trump is evil. Trumpism is evil.
     
    Key caveat:
    Again, this is NOT all Trump voters. Some hold their nose as they mark their ballot. They don’t go as far as the others in their hate and aggression.
     
  • Dave Columbo is in dialogue with his inner Republican about immunity to consistent logic.
     
  • In Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson notes that Congress accomplished pretty close to nothing worthwhile in 2023. But it’s a New Year with new beginnings. Sure enough, Congress came back into session this week, and … Okay, 2024 doesn’t look so good.
     
    Key more-of-the-same:
    This afternoon the extremist Republicans made their anger clear when 12 of them opposed the procedural steps required to begin the process of considering three other bills, signaling that they were willing to stop House business to get their way.
     
  • In Hackwhackers a House hearing pretty much falls apart as Hunter Biden shows up, demanding to be heard in front of Republicans, the Committee, TV cameras, God, and everybody, So Republicans vote to ask that he be held in contempt for not showing up to be heard in private secret session, to be completed with later edited leaks.
     
    The entire sordid thing also briefly summarized in a couple of cartoons.
     
  • Julian Sanchez responds to an attack on biased education. His critique should apply to journalistic adherence to balance over truth:

  • In Scotties Playtime a State Representative struggles not to say the obvious reasons out loud as a bill in Tennessee would ban pride flags in public schools.
     
  • Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara objects to the increasingly common convention of capitalizing Black and White.
     
    Key objection:
    I see no other purpose other than the insidious purpose of getting people to automatically include skin race as relevant in judging and identifying a person.
     
    His logic interests me. Apparently, my mama’s mama was ukrainian, not Ukrainian. Otherwise, we’re supplanting her character with respect for her mere personal history.
     
  • Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson doesn’t much care for one reaction by the Red Cross, scolding parents of a hostage held by Hamas: how dare they want her to get needed medication:
     


    Key need:
    Doron needs a medication she takes daily and her parents thought that the Red Cross was finally willing to transfer the medication to her, but instead, they were sat down and reprimanded by representatives of the Red Cross.
     
    Key reprimand:
    “Think about the Palestinian side,” the representatives of the Red Cross told Simona, according to KAN. “It’s hard for the Palestinians, they’re being bombed.”
     

  • Infidel753 goes brick by brick, argument by argument, in deconstructing what many of us have (kind of vaguely) favored in Gaza: a ceasefire, a two-state solution.
     
    Key generally unknown (Which is to say I didn’t realize) fact:
    …there was already a ceasefire in effect on October 7 — Hamas violated it by attacking innocent folks in Israel.
     
    Another informed opinion, followed by my own less than informed response:

  • Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit is inspired by a recent air emergency over Alaska to ask a few common sense questions about air safety, bolts, quality control, and bean counters.
     
  • PZ Myers traces the Boeing door problem back to a major restructuring in the 1990s that took control out of the hands of loud, confrontational, obnoxious engineers.
     
    Key personality clashes:
    I’ve known a few engineers in my time, and they’re a bunch of persnickety, demanding people who would have cut a suit dead if they dared to suggest cutting corners on a basic safety issue to save a few bucks.
     
  • North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz has a word about conservative Christianity:


    I’ll add a thought.

  • At The Moderate Voice, David Robertson has a message about those of us in the faith who judge folks based on religious doctrine. Ignore them.
     
    Key example of spiritual uncertainty:
    Paul admitted that his spiritual knowledge was not perfect. Mine isn’t, either.
     
    The same is true for religious judges.
     
  • A retired United Methodist minister (my kind of guy) wants to get back to Jesus as the earliest followers knew him, before formal structures and rigid doctrines formed a barrier.
    Back to its original intent.
     
    He asks Can Christianity be deinstitutionalized?
     
    In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, Bruce provides an answer:
    Can’t be done!
     
  • Clickbait satirist Reductress provides testimony that mega-church worship succeeds in saving souls, as one new believer explains:
    Why I Didn’t Believe in God Until I Saw a Megachurch Pastor Zipline Onstage in an Auditorium the Size of a Football Stadium
     
  • At Web of Evil, M. Bouffant marks the 30 year mark since Dick Nixon shuffled off this mortal coil.
     
  • In Happiness Between Tails da-AL hosts blogger Solomon Okoli with graphics and insights from and about the great nation of Nigeria.
     
  • The Propaganda Professor counts up a few startling points of general ignorance and draws a timely analogy to an ancient challenge.
     
    One favorite:
    26 percent of Americans don’t know what country the U.S. won its independence from
     
  • Mark Waulberg (No, not Mark Wahlberg, the other Mark) explains how plain old water is the duct tape of good health:
     
  • In New Scientist, Marc Abrahams provides a link as technologists speculate on using blackholes for batteries.
     
    Key safety assurance:
    They handwave away the swath of problems reputed to afflict anyone who suggests even going near a black hole. Their black hole, they specify, will be a “tiny black hole”.
     
  • Legal expert Imani Gandy has a favorite… oh my:
     

  • John Scalzi at Whatever mourns the loss of Sci-Fi writer Terry Bisson, but celebrates his creative work with a brilliant video about whether meat can think.
     
  • YellowDog Granny has a couple of quick points about aging, self-awareness, and more.
     
    I confess, I laughed.
    Out loud, too.
     
  • @whiskeywhistle98 reminds us that we all could use moments of instrospective review
     
  • The cat who owns SilverAppleQueen helps out setting the kitchen table.
     

One thought on “Biden Tough, Fox Frustration, Trump Secrets, Immunity, Political Prisoners”

  1. I totally agree with your comment about us vs them — how is it that people can’t see that our world is getting smaller more quickly than ever & that it’s all ‘us’… tx for including link to my site

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