dailykos--2020-07-27--BLM Vandalism = Reichstag Fire?

BLM Vandalism = Reichstag Fire?

You ’ re the President of the United States .
Your chances of being re-elected to a second term are getting less likely by the day .
Three and a half years into your first term you begin to see that the public , in particular the bloc of votes you call your base seems to be deserting you .
Three and a half years of lying , dissembling , of policy failure and smearing your opposition has now worn so thin with most Americans that every meaningful poll is prognosticating that you will be shown the door .
Three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oval office as though it was a throne room—as you have—has soured a solid majority of the voting public .
Your party ’ s caucus in the legislative branch of government , particularly the Senate , appears to be getting cold feet day by day .
Your threats to its members are becoming noticeably empty as your standing in the polls drops .
Worst of all , a once in a century pandemic has infected the entire nation and you have not been able to turn a corner in the number of infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 150 thousand Americans have died as a result of inaction on your part .
Your comments about Covid-19 being “ just a flu ” stick in your craw .
Your political opposition are pummeling you with your own words .
What do you do ?
What does any would-be dictator do in such a situation—a situation which is so anathema to your belief , no , your certainty , that there are only winners and losers in this world .
To lose your re-election is unthinkable .
It is to be avoided at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be loved by the public but increasingly , the level of disgust for you by Americans requires that some new strategy , some new ploy , some way of bringing voters back to the fold be used to once again put your star in some sort of ascendancy .
What you do know , from watching Americans ’ reaction to civil unrest is that they rally behind their leader in times of great stress .
That is what happened when the nation watched in horror as the events of September 11 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ W. Bush , standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero in New York City , bullhorn in hand , promising tit for tat retaliation .
It is what happened when Bill Clinton bombed Kosovo and put American troops there in order to stem the greatest modern slaughter of Europeans since the Holocaust .
It is what happened when George H.W .
Bush invaded Panama .
In other words , a national crisis brings any possibility of peaceful political change to a screeching halt because Americans inevitably rally behind the leader in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of all of this , is to create one of your own .
And there ’ s one going on which is made to order .
It is right in front of you every day and night .
It is the sight of Americans in protest , most of them young .
After 40 years of relative quietude , Americans are protesting the unequal treatment of people of color , mostly African-Americans , by the police , the courts , the prison system , by realtors , bankers , storekeepers , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goods and services are exchanged for their money .
The solution is right there in front of you : manufacture a crisis .
In 1933 , shortly after Adolph Hitler was declared chancellor of Germany after having won a plurality of the vote , a fire occurred In Berlin at the Reichstag where the German parliament met .
Though a local communist was believed to have caused the fire , Hitler put forth the idea that the communists were about to steal the government .
A frightened public bought into the idea and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control of what was left of the Weimar Republic .
The rest is history .
And now we have Portland .
A city noted for being “ weird ” kicks off a BLM protest .
So now , Trump has sent in militarized , federal goons , disguised as some sort of peacekeeping force , to beat the bejesus out of protesters who , almost on cue , reacted and some of whom reacted with acts of vandalism , which the nation now watches happen on nightly television .
“ Walls of Moms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most all trying to protest nonviolently are being subsumed by what the TV cameras cover : broken windows , graffiti , tear gas floating everywhere , rising anger by protesters , and now a persistent daily message sent out by the president that anarchy and liberal mayhem reigns over the land ( in urban—and therefore Democratic—communities ) .
Some even suspect that foreign powers , most likely Vladimir Putin in Russia , are once again meddling in this drama .
Putin has much to gain in another Trump term , since the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he in the thrall of the pint-sized ex-KGB functionary .
First Portland , now Seattle , and then Oakland , and Los Angeles .
Chicago is next .
Perhaps Minneapolis ?
Or Detroit ?
What voters are seeing is a completely self-constructed crisis by Donald J. Trump and his porcine Attorney General , Mr. Barr .
We will shortly see how well Trump ’ s last ditch attempt at ensuring his own re-election “ plays in Peoria.
” Will the desire for order among Americans be such that Trump once again is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea of representative democracy ?
Will they buy into the idea that a Wall of Moms is a menace to law and order ?
This is Donald J. Trump ’ s new strategy : Anger enough ordinary Americans and they will return to you , seeking peace and quiet .

You’re the President of the United States. Your chances of being re-elected to a second term are getting less likely by the day. Three and a half years into your first term you begin to see that the public, in particular the bloc of votes you call your base seems to be deserting you. Three and a half years of lying, dissembling, of policy failure and smearing your opposition has now worn so thin with most Americans that every meaningful poll is prognosticating that you will be shown the door. Three and a half years of operating the oval office as though it was a throne room—as you have—has soured a solid majority of the voting public. Your party’s caucus in the legislative branch of government, particularly the Senate, appears to be getting cold feet day by day. Your threats to its members are becoming noticeably empty as your standing in the polls drops.
Worst of all, a once in a century pandemic has infected the entire nation and you have not been able to turn a corner in the number of infections, now approaching 4.5 million Americans. 150 thousand Americans have died as a result of inaction on your part. Your comments about Covid-19 being “just a flu” stick in your craw. Your political opposition are pummeling you with your own words. What do you do?
What does any would-be dictator do in such a situation—a situation which is so anathema to your belief, no, your certainty, that there are only winners and losers in this world. To lose your re-election is unthinkable. It is to be avoided at any cost. Your greatest desire is to be loved by the public but increasingly, the level of disgust for you by Americans requires that some new strategy, some new ploy, some way of bringing voters back to the fold be used to once again put your star in some sort of ascendancy.
What you do know, from watching Americans’ reaction to civil unrest is that they rally behind their leader in times of great stress. That is what happened when the nation watched in horror as the events of September 11, 2001 occurred. They rallied around George W. Bush, standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero in New York City, bullhorn in hand, promising tit for tat retaliation. It is what happened when Bill Clinton bombed Kosovo and put American troops there in order to stem the greatest modern slaughter of Europeans since the Holocaust. It is what happened when George H.W. Bush invaded Panama.
In other words, a national crisis brings any possibility of peaceful political change to a screeching halt because Americans inevitably rally behind the leader in crises. The solution, you suss out of all of this, is to create one of your own. And there’s one going on which is made to order. It is right in front of you every day and night. It is the sight of Americans in protest, most of them young. After 40 years of relative quietude, Americans are protesting the unequal treatment of people of color, mostly African-Americans, by the police, the courts, the prison system, by realtors, bankers, storekeepers, the education system and almost any place where goods and services are exchanged for their money. The solution is right there in front of you: manufacture a crisis.
In 1933, shortly after Adolph Hitler was declared chancellor of Germany after having won a plurality of the vote, a fire occurred In Berlin at the Reichstag where the German parliament met. Though a local communist was believed to have caused the fire, Hitler put forth the idea that the communists were about to steal the government. A frightened public bought into the idea and thus Hitler’s Nazis took total control of what was left of the Weimar Republic. The rest is history.
And now we have Portland. A city noted for being “weird” kicks off a BLM protest. So now, Trump has sent in militarized, federal goons, disguised as some sort of peacekeeping force, to beat the bejesus out of protesters who, almost on cue, reacted and some of whom reacted with acts of vandalism, which the nation now watches happen on nightly television. “Walls of Moms,” Walls of Vets,” most all trying to protest nonviolently are being subsumed by what the TV cameras cover: broken windows, graffiti, tear gas floating everywhere, rising anger by protesters, and now a persistent daily message sent out by the president that anarchy and liberal mayhem reigns over the land (in urban—and therefore Democratic—communities). Some even suspect that foreign powers, most likely Vladimir Putin in Russia, are once again meddling in this drama. Putin has much to gain in another Trump term, since the American president has shown time and time again that he in the thrall of the pint-sized ex-KGB functionary.
First Portland, now Seattle, and then Oakland, and Los Angeles. Chicago is next. Perhaps Minneapolis? Or Detroit? What voters are seeing is a completely self-constructed crisis by Donald J. Trump and his porcine Attorney General, Mr. Barr.
We will shortly see how well Trump’s last ditch attempt at ensuring his own re-election “plays in Peoria.” Will the desire for order among Americans be such that Trump once again is given another four years to shred the idea of representative democracy? Will they buy into the idea that a Wall of Moms is a menace to law and order?
This is Donald J. Trump’s new strategy: Anger enough ordinary Americans and they will return to you, seeking peace and quiet.


dailykos--2020-07-27--VIDEO: Trump's "Personal Vietnams"

VIDEO: Trump's "Personal Vietnams"

no , but then we 'd finally get paid to take care of them I thought they already were I @ @ @ @ @ dreams , he or she is plotting to kill me

© Kos Media, LLC. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC.


dailykos--2020-07-26--Extrajudicial Punishment In America

Extrajudicial Punishment In America

Extrajudicial beatings are one of the trademark tools used by despotic regimes to suppress public dissent .
They are not supposed to happen in America .
In America , police are supposed to use force only as necessary either 1 ) in self defense or defense of others , or 2 ) to effect a lawful arrest .
The four videos below reflect use of force that can not be characterized as either self defense or required to effect a lawful arrest .
In the first video , mystery Federal forces in Portland wail with batons on a Navy veteran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amazing self discipline and toughness he takes repeated blows without flinching or moving .
There is no aggression on his part at all .
He outlasts the two-handed clubbing ( apparently it ’ s rather tiring work for the uniformed thug ) until the goon squad pepper sprays him and he calmly moves on .
He ’ s not quite superhuman , they did break his wrist .
In the second video , medics — marked with red crosses on their backpacks and shirts — are also confronted by the mystery Federal forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a man collapsed on the sidewalk .
Nonetheless they fully comply with orders to back away .
Even so , as they are backing away the brown shirts assault them with their nightsticks , knock one down and then kick him .
These appear to be simply thugs empowered by the government to indulge their unfettered sadistic desire to hurt people .
The next video created an international incident .
Australian television reporters — plainly just reporters , what with the camera and all — are covering protests in Washington D.C .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they pass the reporters , the Federal thugs shield-punch the cameraman in the gut and then punch him in the head .
The 1st Amendment ’ s freedom of the press is simply ignored in a frenzy of thuggish violence enacted against the press under the authority of the United States Government .
In the next video , a 75-year-old man in Buffalo , New York , approaches police , apparently giving them a grandfatherly tongue lashing .
That ’ s not against the law .
They shove him to the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his ear , step over him and refuse to allow others to assist him .
It ’ s sickening to watch that blood .
He suffered severe brain damage .
Of all these videos , this is the only one where the officers involved were charged .
This may reflect that the perpetrators were local police and not Trump ’ s mystery Federal forces goon squads .
Trump himself got involved by absurdly suggested the victim faked the whole thing .
Trump doubled down on that insanity by further suggesting the old man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ double-naught spy secret device to blackout police communications equipment .
Yes , this complete separation from reality actually happened .
It ’ s not wonder that some question the President ’ s mental fitness when he says whackadoodle stuff like this .
Amazingly , some defend the police in these incidents , saying the victims failed to leave the area and could have been arrested .
Very well .
If they broke the law , then arrest them .
Advise them that they are under arrest and present them the opportunity to submit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any punishment will then be handed out , with due process , by our judicial system .
That ’ s how it is supposed to work in America .
In none of these incidents did the officers involved even attempt to give those subjected to violence the opportunity to submit to arrest .
Not once did the officers advise those they beat that they were under arrest or direct them to turn around to be cuffed .
Had the subject then resisted arrest , force would have been permitted to arrest them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , uniformed thugs preferred the approach of administering extrajudicial beatings against individuals who were unarmed , and were not threatening either them or others .
The required elements to use force either in defense or to effect arrest were simply not present .
These are simply extrajudicial beatings administered by sadists who do so overly confident that they can get away with it .
They should all be charged for their assaults , as we would be .
No one is above the law .
Certainly , those who enforce it should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be held to a higher standard .
Is that what you see in those videos ?
These uniformed thugs believe they are above the law because the President tells them they are .
He encourages this violence against Americans because he believes it makes him look tough — a supporter of law and order .
What you see in the videos above is the opposite of law and order .
Trump does this because he believes Americans will admire him for doing so .
So far , all too many have .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it means to be American .

Extrajudicial beatings are one of the trademark tools used by despotic regimes to suppress public dissent. They are not supposed to happen in America. In America, police are supposed to use force only as necessary either 1) in self defense or defense of others, or 2) to effect a lawful arrest.
The four videos below reflect use of force that cannot be characterized as either self defense or required to effect a lawful arrest.
In the first video, mystery Federal forces in Portland wail with batons on a Navy veteran who is simply standing there. With amazing self discipline and toughness he takes repeated blows without flinching or moving. There is no aggression on his part at all. He outlasts the two-handed clubbing (apparently it’s rather tiring work for the uniformed thug) until the goon squad pepper sprays him and he calmly moves on. He’s not quite superhuman, they did break his wrist.
In the second video, medics — marked with red crosses on their backpacks and shirts — are also confronted by the mystery Federal forces in Portland. They are clearly tending to a man collapsed on the sidewalk. Nonetheless they fully comply with orders to back away. Even so, as they are backing away the brown shirts assault them with their nightsticks, knock one down and then kick him. These appear to be simply thugs empowered by the government to indulge their unfettered sadistic desire to hurt people.
The next video created an international incident. Australian television reporters — plainly just reporters, what with the camera and all — are covering protests in Washington D.C. Suddenly, the cops surge forward and as they pass the reporters, the Federal thugs shield-punch the cameraman in the gut and then punch him in the head. The 1st Amendment’s freedom of the press is simply ignored in a frenzy of thuggish violence enacted against the press under the authority of the United States Government.
In the next video, a 75-year-old man in Buffalo, New York, approaches police, apparently giving them a grandfatherly tongue lashing. That’s not against the law. They shove him to the ground, and despite blood pouring out of his ear, step over him and refuse to allow others to assist him. It’s sickening to watch that blood. He suffered severe brain damage.
Of all these videos, this is the only one where the officers involved were charged. This may reflect that the perpetrators were local police and not Trump’s mystery Federal forces goon squads. Trump himself got involved by absurdly suggested the victim faked the whole thing. Trump doubled down on that insanity by further suggesting the old man’s cell phone was some sort double-naught spy secret device to blackout police communications equipment. Yes, this complete separation from reality actually happened.
x Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2020
It’s not wonder that some question the President’s mental fitness when he says whackadoodle stuff like this.
Amazingly, some defend the police in these incidents, saying the victims failed to leave the area and could have been arrested. Very well. If they broke the law, then arrest them. Advise them that they are under arrest and present them the opportunity to submit to arrest. Assuming they do, any punishment will then be handed out, with due process, by our judicial system. That’s how it is supposed to work in America.
In none of these incidents did the officers involved even attempt to give those subjected to violence the opportunity to submit to arrest. Not once did the officers advise those they beat that they were under arrest or direct them to turn around to be cuffed. Had the subject then resisted arrest, force would have been permitted to arrest them, but that is not what happened.
Instead, uniformed thugs preferred the approach of administering extrajudicial beatings against individuals who were unarmed, and were not threatening either them or others. The required elements to use force either in defense or to effect arrest were simply not present.
These are simply extrajudicial beatings administered by sadists who do so overly confident that they can get away with it. They should all be charged for their assaults, as we would be. No one is above the law. Certainly, those who enforce it should not be. If anything, they should be held to a higher standard. Is that what you see in those videos?
These uniformed thugs believe they are above the law because the President tells them they are. He encourages this violence against Americans because he believes it makes him look tough — a supporter of law and order. What you see in the videos above is the opposite of law and order. Trump does this because he believes Americans will admire him for doing so. So far, all too many have. It is they who have forgotten what it means to be American.


dailykos--2020-07-25--Does McConnell WANT an Economic Crash?

Does McConnell WANT an Economic Crash?

I was thinking about why McConnell and the GOP would want to be seen as not supporting the millions of @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic .
Of course they do n't care about them , but it @ @ @ @ @ appear not to care during this crisis .
Then I thought that perhaps they hope @ @ @ @ @ crash !
If the GOP is resigned to losing this fall , why not saddle @ @ @ @ @ economy so they can spend their time out of power hammering those in power for @ @ @ @ @ created .
It ’ s not like I ’ m going out on a limb @ @ @ @ @ the same playbook as 2008… and that worked well for them !

I was thinking about why McConnell and the GOP would want to be seen as not supporting the millions of Americans who are unemployed due to the pandemic. Of course they don't care about them, but it seems like bad politics to appear not to care during this crisis.
Then I thought that perhaps they hope there will be an economic crash! If the GOP is resigned to losing this fall, why not saddle the Democrats with a horrible economy so they can spend their time out of power hammering those in power for the bad economy the GOP created. It’s not like I’m going out on a limb here! It’s the same playbook as 2008… and that worked well for them!


dailykos--2020-07-28--Lessons from Covid:  Part Fourteen--
Eight Tenets for Now and post-Covid

I was listening to a podcast on servant leadership , and bam , it hit me .
This is what our country is missing—servant leaders .
Sure , we have leaders .
But no one wants to serve the people , and do what is best for our country , so I ’ ve decided to share some of my tenets for living with you .
1 .
Have faith .
In these times ( and in many times ) , it ’ s hard .
But I would be very lonely if I didn ’ t have my church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early church was often used as a safe haven ( and still is ) for those being persecuted and harmed .
Inside the walls of the “ church , ” members felt safe and secure .
We know all too well that shootings and bombings can happen in places that are supposed to feel safe .
But , the bottom line is to have a faith .
Believe in something higher than yourself that will help you get through the hard times , and provide you with a gentle ear .
2 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am the first to admit , that to my detriment , I often put my family , students , children and animals ahead of my needs .
And as a woman , let ’ s face it , the world has come to expect that if something needs fixing , if a doctor ’ s appointment needs to be made , if the car needs a lube change , if the kids need to see the dentist and then the orthodontist , it usually falls to us ( or at least me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after my kids first well visit ( when they had just been born ) , if I hadn ’ t arranged the next 100+ appointments , my kids would be wild children -- “ tays in the wind ” ( Google Nell , with Jodi Foster ) .
Before I go off on a rant about overworked mothers , I advise you not to let yourself to be swallowed whole by whatever beast is out there greedily chewing away at your time .
If you need to go to Target ( with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , out for a glass of wine , to try on some shoes or just to take a long car ride , do it .
Your family may not get it , but somewhere along the way many of us forgot we were Lizzys ( or if my parents were mad , Elizabeth Rachel !
! )
before we were teachers , wives , mothers and administrative assistants .
Being kind to you is often the gift that keeps on giving .
And believe me , no one is going to turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Hey Mom , remember all those games you took me to , all the years you paid for my fees , washed my uniform before a game and spent a portion of your paycheck on athletic paraphernalia ?
You ’ re the best !
Thank you.
” This gratitude will seldom or ever get acknowledged .
They will remember when they had the crappy cleats from Shopko for t-ball .
This is a given .
Hallmark moments are a sham .
They lie to you , so you ’ ll feel badly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that cozy glow like the one on Candace Cameron ’ s Hallmark movie ( this week ) or buy their over-priced cards that your teenager will forget to open when you locate it in laundry a year later .
Don ’ t be mad .
Grab that MFing card , tear the heck out of it in order to release some endorphins , smile and head to your favorite wine bar .
You more than deserve this , sister .
3 .
Be kind and remember the Golden Rule .
Part of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world is that no one is putting others ’ first .
From our POTUS on down , it seems all to be about self .
There is no shame in saying “ I ’ m sorry , ” or “ I was wrong about that .
Forgive me.
” It took me two years of teaching to realize that kids react much more humanly to someone who treats them with civility and kindness ( it shouldn ’ t have taken me that long , but I never said I was swift ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hell no !
This year I had a pregnant student who was just vile .
Really bitter and angry at the world , but I was concerned for her and her unborn child .
I tried to make small talk with her about baby names , infant care , and her plans for the future .
I wasn ’ t always successful , but I tried to show her some support throughout her day .
And everyone needs to feel worthy .
We all need that extra pat on the back that says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re important and loved , ” and “ Your ideas count for something .
They have value.
” Pre-masks , I used to smile at everyone .
I think my students would think I was goofy .
But I told them that I never knew if that was the 10th smile they received that day or the first .
Everyone deserves a smile .
And particularly in this divisive nation we live in , smiles go farther than shouts .
Sometimes shouts are necessary , but as my dear mother used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with honey than vinegar.
” So true , mom .
4 .
Do your best .
If you work your ultimate hardest , no one can accuse you of being lazy .
Today ’ s best may look a little different than tomorrow ’ s , but that ’ s okay .
Sift through the sludge of the day , and locate those diamonds in the rough ( or sludge ) .
But , when it ’ s time to leave , go home .
Or , if you work from home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It took me years , actually decades , to realize this .
It hit me during Covid , to recognize that I was burning out .
I was literally running out of steam and patience .
I decided in five years ( when I can retire ) that I may move somewhere warm and green .
I always believed in staying in the Midwest for my family .
It was great when my parents were living , but my brother ( who lived all of five hours away ) visited me five times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s brothers visited two-three times each .
So , I ’ m not sure this is a reason to put up with Wisconsin winters .
This isn ’ t meant to guilt trip anyone , and I am so glad I was near my parents , and my husband is still near his father ( who is 90 and doing quite well ) .
But if my kids end up in Hoboken , Grand Forks or Minnetonka , I am not to start looking for real estate there .
I love them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have their own decisions to make and lives to lead .
I ’ m a part of the background .
Ultimately , do the best you can for you .
Text , Zoom , write letters , call .
Stay in touch , and if it happens , it happens .
And at work , be your best , but realize you are not Wonder Woman or Superman .
I can ’ t get 200 papers graded in two days .
I can ’ t .
I ’ ll do my best , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s all I can do .
That ’ s all any of us can do .
Do your best , but if you come up short , don ’ t beat yourself up .
Tomorrow is another day , Scarlet .
5 .
Love Others : You can love your family , friends and tolerate your co-workers ( and vice versa ) , but you may never understand them ( and vice versa ) .
I am definitely the square peg trying to fit into the round hole .
Try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fit .
I just can ’ t .
Sometimes that made it fun and exotic .
Other times it made me cry and was horribly lonely .
But that ’ s okay .
For most of us , we are just trying to do our best and trying to get by .
Sometimes a basic stranger will offer his cabin to your family because you all look like you could use a break , and other times , the crabby octogenarian will cut in front of you at the Piggly Wiggly .
Shit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Magic .
And that basic stranger , who isn ’ t really a stranger , but a fellow parent ( and I ’ ve also had all his children as students ) made that offering out of the goodness of his heart .
I was blown away .
Showing love and kindness to those you know and don ’ t , will come back to you threefold .
Maybe not right away .
But it will .
History will not be kind to the haters .
History never is .
Love .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of shelter animals could use some love as well .
In a town near me , Charlie , has been at the shelter for one year .
Come on someone .
You need Charlie , and he needs you .
6 .
Be on time and be prepared .
I ’ m always prepared , but I ’ m also ALWAYS running late .
It ’ s a horrible habit which tells my co-workers , family members , doctors , coaches and friends that their time isn ’ t as valuable as mine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I mean , but that ’ s how it will be interpreted .
I realize lateness can ’ t always be helped .
Life happens .
Kids get sick , emergencies come up , car accidents happen .
But if you can , be early .
That really throws everyone for a loop .
In fact , if you can be early , strive for that .
And bring treats .
That group won ’ t know what hit them .
Not only will they be astonished , but you might get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meetings , all the comfy chairs are at the front .
I don ’ t want to look like a suck up , but the early birds do get the comfy chairs .
That ’ s a life lesson you can carry to the bank .
7 .
Laugh a little each day .
Smiles and laughter use up more calories than frowns and grimaces .
I didn ’ t just make that up .
That ’ s science .
It may be pathetic humor , like laughing at our president who thinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remembering “ person , woman , man , camera and t.v.
” But it ’ s better than crying , and throwing a hard object at that expensive plasma t.v .
Let ’ s be honest .
There isn ’ t a lot to laugh at these days .
Life pretty much sucks .
But as Annie said in my one time favorite musical , Annie , “ Gosh darn it , smile.
” Smile at others through your masks and find humor .
I love MST3K , Schitt ’ s Creek , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ole ’ Andy Griffith .
I adore Stephen Colbert , Trevor Noah and Seth Myers .
My husband likes watching a show about old movies called , Tired Old Queen at the Movies .
It ’ s hosted by an hysterical guy named Steve Hayes who knows his movies and the uber juicy gossip of Hollywood during its heyday ( Sidebar : As some of you who have read other entries know , I have questioned and lamented about my husband sexuality .
Why won ’ t he touch me ?
Why was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is MY Mr. Darcy ?
Is this one of the nails in the coffin ?
I really do appreciate the input .
My conclusion is that basically he has an awesome sense of humor but is lazy or asexual .
Sorry to get off-track ) .
By the way , the show is a hoot .
At any rate , whatever makes you smile , and adds some chuckles to your day , can help .
Read something funny .
Listen to an amusing podcast .
Watch something on t.v .
or Netflix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Our news is oppressive , depressive and not for the faint of heart .
But a line from Jim Gaffigan about taking his third nap of the day can be amusing and downright hilarious .
And if you haven ’ t met John Mulaney , you need to .
Now .
Youtube that hilarious bastard now .
You will thank me .
He ’ s adorable .
And then we can make jokes about his infamous lines .
8 .
Be forgiving .
I see so much anger and resentment .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing masks .
Other countries mock us for this , and they should .
It ’ s a MASK .
I wear glasses and have asthma , but I will make this work .
If it means that the older senior citizen next to me might be kept safe , I ’ ll do it .
Forgiveness is tough .
I ’ ve carried around anger about big , significant things and petty things .
Both are exhausting .
Back to faith , God wants us to forgive .
I might not forget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me or others , but I can forgive .
In church the other day , my pastor said not to forget that everyone has a backstory .
That ’ s true .
I ’ m not saying that I condone the Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun of Marshall , MN when they wore their swastika masks ( they weren ’ t even fashioned into a clever mask .
They were plopped on their heads .
And the woman wore an ill-fitting brown ( oh , some irony there .
Interesting ) shirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local Wal-Mart .
But believe it or not , they may have some awful backstory .
Or maybe they ’ re just hateful , and the Price Is Right had just ended .
So forgive them ( they truly must not know what they do ) .
My dad used to say , “ Don ’ t worry about them , Lizzy .
Let God worry about them .
You just worry about you.
” I hate that dad ( and mom ) were always right .
No one was a better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mom would concur .
He expected a lot , but forgave easily , and when he went to bad at night , he slept soundly because there was never any rancor in his heart .
And there could have been .
Also , that ’ s not to say that he was a pushover .
He wasn ’ t .
He was pretty strict .
But he was also the most loving , gentle and kind man I ever knew .
My dad loved me like no other , and I miss him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him , but he loved me for me .
And because of my dad and mom , I am going to work on these tenets .
I ’ m still going to be sarcastic and ( hopefully ) whimsical .
But I ’ ll keep trying .
Love and light to all of you .
As a final comment , my husband and I had our 25th anniversary not long ago .
He is not very romantic or clever .
Every year he gets me flowers .
I adore flowers , so that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the flowers started showing their brief lifespan within two-three days .
But there ’ s still this perfect pink rose looking right at me .
Isn ’ t that just life ?
Life has its shiny baubles ( that tarnish ) , gorgeous flowers ( that will fade ) , and yes there will be the occasional thorn .
However , there is also that unassuming perfect rose waiting patiently to be noticed .
Be the pink rose .

I was listening to a podcast on servant leadership, and bam, it hit me. This is what our country is missing—servant leaders. Sure, we have leaders. But no one wants to serve the people, and do what is best for our country, so I’ve decided to share some of my tenets for living with you.
1. Have faith. In these times (and in many times), it’s hard. But I would be very lonely if I didn’t have my church home and my belief system. The early church was often used as a safe haven (and still is) for those being persecuted and harmed. Inside the walls of the “church,” members felt safe and secure. We know all too well that shootings and bombings can happen in places that are supposed to feel safe. But, the bottom line is to have a faith. Believe in something higher than yourself that will help you get through the hard times, and provide you with a gentle ear.
2. Make time for yourself and others. I am the first to admit, that to my detriment, I often put my family, students, children and animals ahead of my needs. And as a woman, let’s face it, the world has come to expect that if something needs fixing, if a doctor’s appointment needs to be made, if the car needs a lube change, if the kids need to see the dentist and then the orthodontist, it usually falls to us (or at least me). I’m confident that after my kids first well visit (when they had just been born), if I hadn’t arranged the next 100+ appointments, my kids would be wild children--“tays in the wind” (Google Nell, with Jodi Foster). Before I go off on a rant about overworked mothers, I advise you not to let yourself to be swallowed whole by whatever beast is out there greedily chewing away at your time. If you need to go to Target (with a mask please, and with social distancing), out for a glass of wine, to try on some shoes or just to take a long car ride, do it. Your family may not get it, but somewhere along the way many of us forgot we were Lizzys (or if my parents were mad, Elizabeth Rachel!!) before we were teachers, wives, mothers and administrative assistants. Being kind to you is often the gift that keeps on giving. And believe me, no one is going to turn to you one day and say, “Hey Mom, remember all those games you took me to, all the years you paid for my fees, washed my uniform before a game and spent a portion of your paycheck on athletic paraphernalia? You’re the best! Thank you.” This gratitude will seldom or ever get acknowledged. They will remember when they had the crappy cleats from Shopko for t-ball. This is a given. Hallmark moments are a sham. They lie to you, so you’ll feel badly that your tree doesn’t have that cozy glow like the one on Candace Cameron’s Hallmark movie (this week) or buy their over-priced cards that your teenager will forget to open when you locate it in laundry a year later. Don’t be mad. Grab that MFing card, tear the heck out of it in order to release some endorphins, smile and head to your favorite wine bar. You more than deserve this, sister.
3. Be kind and remember the Golden Rule. Part of what’s happening in today’s world is that no one is putting others’ first. From our POTUS on down, it seems all to be about self. There is no shame in saying “I’m sorry,” or “I was wrong about that. Forgive me.” It took me two years of teaching to realize that kids react much more humanly to someone who treats them with civility and kindness (it shouldn’t have taken me that long, but I never said I was swift). Is it always easy? Oh, hell no! This year I had a pregnant student who was just vile. Really bitter and angry at the world, but I was concerned for her and her unborn child. I tried to make small talk with her about baby names, infant care, and her plans for the future. I wasn’t always successful, but I tried to show her some support throughout her day. And everyone needs to feel worthy. We all need that extra pat on the back that says, “You matter.” “You’re important and loved,” and “Your ideas count for something. They have value.” Pre-masks, I used to smile at everyone. I think my students would think I was goofy. But I told them that I never knew if that was the 10th smile they received that day or the first. Everyone deserves a smile. And particularly in this divisive nation we live in, smiles go farther than shouts. Sometimes shouts are necessary, but as my dear mother used to say, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” So true, mom.
4. Do your best. If you work your ultimate hardest, no one can accuse you of being lazy. Today’s best may look a little different than tomorrow’s, but that’s okay. Sift through the sludge of the day, and locate those diamonds in the rough (or sludge). But, when it’s time to leave, go home. Or, if you work from home, separate work life from home life. It took me years, actually decades, to realize this. It hit me during Covid, to recognize that I was burning out. I was literally running out of steam and patience. I decided in five years (when I can retire) that I may move somewhere warm and green. I always believed in staying in the Midwest for my family. It was great when my parents were living, but my brother (who lived all of five hours away) visited me five times in 20 years, and my husband’s brothers visited two-three times each. So, I’m not sure this is a reason to put up with Wisconsin winters. This isn’t meant to guilt trip anyone, and I am so glad I was near my parents, and my husband is still near his father (who is 90 and doing quite well). But if my kids end up in Hoboken, Grand Forks or Minnetonka, I am not to start looking for real estate there. I love them, but they are grown, and have their own decisions to make and lives to lead. I’m a part of the background. Ultimately, do the best you can for you. Text, Zoom, write letters, call. Stay in touch, and if it happens, it happens. And at work, be your best, but realize you are not Wonder Woman or Superman. I can’t get 200 papers graded in two days. I can’t. I’ll do my best, but at the end of the day, that’s all I can do. That’s all any of us can do. Do your best, but if you come up short, don’t beat yourself up. Tomorrow is another day, Scarlet.
5. Love Others: You can love your family, friends and tolerate your co-workers (and vice versa), but you may never understand them (and vice versa). I am definitely the square peg trying to fit into the round hole. Try as I may, I could never fit. I just can’t. Sometimes that made it fun and exotic. Other times it made me cry and was horribly lonely. But that’s okay. For most of us, we are just trying to do our best and trying to get by. Sometimes a basic stranger will offer his cabin to your family because you all look like you could use a break, and other times, the crabby octogenarian will cut in front of you at the Piggly Wiggly. Shit happens. But so does Wonder and Magic. And that basic stranger, who isn’t really a stranger, but a fellow parent (and I’ve also had all his children as students) made that offering out of the goodness of his heart. I was blown away. Showing love and kindness to those you know and don’t, will come back to you threefold. Maybe not right away. But it will. History will not be kind to the haters. History never is. Love. And if you’re lonely, lots of shelter animals could use some love as well. In a town near me, Charlie, has been at the shelter for one year. Come on someone. You need Charlie, and he needs you.
6. Be on time and be prepared. I’m always prepared, but I’m also ALWAYS running late. It’s a horrible habit which tells my co-workers, family members, doctors, coaches and friends that their time isn’t as valuable as mine. I know that’s not what I mean, but that’s how it will be interpreted. I realize lateness can’t always be helped. Life happens. Kids get sick, emergencies come up, car accidents happen. But if you can, be early. That really throws everyone for a loop. In fact, if you can be early, strive for that. And bring treats. That group won’t know what hit them. Not only will they be astonished, but you might get some interesting gossip! At our school meetings, all the comfy chairs are at the front. I don’t want to look like a suck up, but the early birds do get the comfy chairs. That’s a life lesson you can carry to the bank.
7. Laugh a little each day. Smiles and laughter use up more calories than frowns and grimaces. I didn’t just make that up. That’s science. It may be pathetic humor, like laughing at our president who thinks he will be inducted into MENSA for remembering “person, woman, man, camera and t.v.” But it’s better than crying, and throwing a hard object at that expensive plasma t.v. Let’s be honest. There isn’t a lot to laugh at these days. Life pretty much sucks. But as Annie said in my one time favorite musical, Annie, “Gosh darn it, smile.” Smile at others through your masks and find humor. I love MST3K, Schitt’s Creek, Parks and Rec. and even good ole’ Andy Griffith. I adore Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and Seth Myers. My husband likes watching a show about old movies called, Tired Old Queen at the Movies. It’s hosted by an hysterical guy named Steve Hayes who knows his movies and the uber juicy gossip of Hollywood during its heyday (Sidebar: As some of you who have read other entries know, I have questioned and lamented about my husband sexuality. Why won’t he touch me? Why was all okay before we married? Where is MY Mr. Darcy? Is this one of the nails in the coffin? I really do appreciate the input. My conclusion is that basically he has an awesome sense of humor but is lazy or asexual. Sorry to get off-track). By the way, the show is a hoot. At any rate, whatever makes you smile, and adds some chuckles to your day, can help. Read something funny. Listen to an amusing podcast. Watch something on t.v. or Netflix. Do whatever stretches that funny bone. Our news is oppressive, depressive and not for the faint of heart. But a line from Jim Gaffigan about taking his third nap of the day can be amusing and downright hilarious. And if you haven’t met John Mulaney, you need to. Now. Youtube that hilarious bastard now. You will thank me. He’s adorable. And then we can make jokes about his infamous lines.
8. Be forgiving. I see so much anger and resentment. People are angry. People are mad about wearing masks. Other countries mock us for this, and they should. It’s a MASK. I wear glasses and have asthma, but I will make this work. If it means that the older senior citizen next to me might be kept safe, I’ll do it. Forgiveness is tough. I’ve carried around anger about big, significant things and petty things. Both are exhausting. Back to faith, God wants us to forgive. I might not forget some of the mean things you did to me or others, but I can forgive. In church the other day, my pastor said not to forget that everyone has a backstory. That’s true. I’m not saying that I condone the Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun of Marshall, MN when they wore their swastika masks (they weren’t even fashioned into a clever mask. They were plopped on their heads. And the woman wore an ill-fitting brown (oh, some irony there. Interesting) shirt and kept giving everyone the finger at the local Wal-Mart. But believe it or not, they may have some awful backstory. Or maybe they’re just hateful, and the Price Is Right had just ended. So forgive them (they truly must not know what they do). My dad used to say, “Don’t worry about them, Lizzy. Let God worry about them. You just worry about you.” I hate that dad (and mom) were always right.
No one was a better servant leader than my dad. My mom would concur. He expected a lot, but forgave easily, and when he went to bad at night, he slept soundly because there was never any rancor in his heart. And there could have been. Also, that’s not to say that he was a pushover. He wasn’t. He was pretty strict. But he was also the most loving, gentle and kind man I ever knew. My dad loved me like no other, and I miss him daily. I confused him and confounded him, but he loved me for me. And because of my dad and mom, I am going to work on these tenets. I’m still going to be sarcastic and (hopefully) whimsical. But I’ll keep trying. Love and light to all of you.
As a final comment, my husband and I had our 25th anniversary not long ago. He is not very romantic or clever. Every year he gets me flowers. I adore flowers, so that suits me fine. Interestingly, most of the flowers started showing their brief lifespan within two-three days. But there’s still this perfect pink rose looking right at me. Isn’t that just life? Life has its shiny baubles (that tarnish), gorgeous flowers (that will fade), and yes there will be the occasional thorn. However, there is also that unassuming perfect rose waiting patiently to be noticed. Be the pink rose.
9. Show Integrity: Another area sorrily lacking in today’s world in truth, that is integrity. I might be so bold as to say that some don’t even know what acting with integrity means. Albert Einstein was rather prophetic when he said, “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” The U.S. has been hit particularly hard with a pandemic for this very reason. First there were fifteen cases, then it was a hoax driven by the democrats, then it would get better and probably be over by April. Now our POTUS is saying, “It will get worse before it gets better.” Imagine where we would be if he had acknowledged that we had a crisis on our hands in March? Integrity is being willing to be wrong. To hear another side of an argument (or several sides) and possibly change direction. Integrity is doing the right thing, and admitting when we don’t.
10. Be a lifelong learner: Integrity plays into this well. Your education shouldn’t stop just because you may have received a diploma. I like to think I am way more “woke” now than I was 20-30 years ago. I hope I learn everyday. I’m not sure I want to spend two hours on how to create a better Zoom classroom, but I better be willing to do so, if I want to keep up with the times and stay hired. Learning keeps us young and vital. I learned so much about the Civil Rights Movement and BLM this past month. I was oblivious to the treatment of my black and brown sisters and brothers. I need to do better. We need to do better. And there is no shame in saying, “I don’t know.” We’ve been served a generous helping of humble pie this past spring and summer, and it would be a shame to come out on the other side of this uninformed. Be open to change and to learning. It isn’t easy. Often it is downright humiliating and frustrating, but if we allow our chance to learn, we’ll be better people for it. And isn’t that what we want? To contribute to something and make the world bettter. I maintain that it is. Read a book. Read the paper. Talk (with a mask on) to a stranger. Talk to your kids. Talk to a colleague or a neighbor.
Hope this helps make your Tuesday a tad more joyous. Thank you for reading. Your comments are always welcome.


dailykos--2020-07-28--Goodbye, John.  We'll Miss You - Good News Roundup, Bluesday July 28th, 2020

100 days of protesting on the mall , midnight comes and another day falls .
99 days of protesting on the mall , midnight comes and another day falls .
98 days of protesting on the mall , midnight comes… Two days ago John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the last time .
55 years ago , on Bloody Sunday , March 7th , 1965 , he crossed that bridge with 600 fellow protestors into a sea of night sticks and tear gas .
His skull was fractured for his effort .
Two weeks later , John Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 8,000 fellow marchers , protected by the federalized Alabama National Guard , as part of the first stage of the march from Selma to Montgomery .
By the time they reached Montgomery on March , 25th , there were 25,000 people in the procession .
That day , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his How Long , Not Long speech .
Amid the shouts of “ Thank you , John , ” and “ Good trouble , ” as we say goodbye to John Lewis , there ’ s another sentiment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this now , John , we ’ ve got this .
Throughout his life , John Lewis displayed an indefatigable belief in our future .
We owe it to John and to his legacy to carry on his fight — We ’ ve got this .
Today , in Portland , we don ’ t know the identities of the John Clouds ( major of the Alabama State Troopers ) and Jim Clarks ( sheriff of Dallas county , Alabama ) because the people directly brutalizing protestors are afraid to be associated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald tRump is reprising the role of George Wallace ( governor of Alabama ) with Chad Wolf in the role of Al Lingo ( colonel of the Alabama State Troopers ) .
Whether we call them Magastapo or KKKommandos or StormtRumpers , tRump ’ s paramilitary secret police are flying the same racist flags they used back in 1965 .
It didn ’ t work then and it won ’ t work now .
We ’ ve got this .
The brutal murder of George Floyd ignited a wave of revulsion that echoed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since revisited dozens of other recent examples of extra-legal murders and criminal assaults by untrained and unconstrained police .
The momentum for substantive change is strong .
The push back by the tRumpistas is to commit more acts of wanton cruelty .
The walls of moms , dads , vets and all of us linked together will stop them .
We ’ ve got this .
The legacy of hatred and bigotry in this country is being addressed on our streets .
Things won ’ t fix themselves overnight .
We have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s because of racism , misogyny , homophobia , xenophobia , or simple bigotry , the demonization of the other is being utilized as a unifying property by the republican party as a poor substitute for actual progress .
Their philosophy is empty ; their ethics non-existent ; their vision blind — they are a shrinking cult of inept whiny victims of their own greed and corruption .
They will not succeed .
We ’ ve got this .
Rest in peace , John Lewis .
We ’ ve got this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the news , Republicans in Retreat at the White House Why am I not surprised ?
tRump not only can ’ t get out of his own way .
He falls on his face every time he tries .
Huffington Post : Curve Ball : Trump Reportedly Never Got The Yankees Pitch Invitation He Canceled Not satisfied with that bit of unforced idiocy , he went on to tell us tweeting mean things about him is illegal ( in a mean tweet ) .
The replies to his tweet amplified the trending topic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He may have entered an infinite loop .
I really hope so .
There ’ s more .
Donnie ’ s not happy with possible competition for his hotel ( the one we ’ ll take away from him next year for all the emoluments violations ) , so he added a personal bit of pork to the republican stimulus proposal .
McConnell and Shelby both said , “ Ask tRump.
” Newsweek : Republicans Struggle to Explain $ 1.75 Billion Trump Demand for New FBI HQ in Stimulus Not satisfied with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the act too .
Republicans in Retreat in the Congress McConnell and tRump own the damage they are doing to the economy .
They ’ ll try to dance and sing about it , but they own it .
It will cost them .
We ’ ll make sure of it .
Rolling Stone : The GOP Is About to Do to the American Economy What Thelma and Louise Did to the Car In a normal country , we wouldn ’ t need a second round of expanded unemployment insurance benefits .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ March would have been sufficient to see us through a temporary lockdown — the time it took to scale up testing , contact tracing , and the emergency production of masks , gowns , and ventilators .
By now , we ’ d be savoring the few summer evenings left before students return to campuses and the rest of us resume our anxious tiptoe toward November .
Instead , four month of relentless carnage later , we have four million coronavirus cases and counting , states around the country are going back into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new campaign ad decrying “ the left ’ s assault on Goya.
” ( The bean company . )
The pandemic is nowhere close to under control in America , but despite levels of unemployment not observed since the Great Depression , the economy hasn ’ t totally collapsed yet .
And there is a good reason for that but , thanks to Republicans in Congress , it ’ s about to disappear .
Republicans in Retreat at the Courts Seems that wrong wing SCOTUS court isn ’ t always dancing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mother Jones : Conservatives Are Really Not Happy With “ Swamp-Infected ” Supreme Court Justice John Roberts A Petty Piece of Shit Does Another Petty Thing Every time Donald tRump does something petty , he makes it harder for himself to get reelected .
Since he can ’ t stop doing petty things , the hole gets deeper .
That ’ s a good thing .
It ’ s also a good thing that he didn ’ t demean our remembrance of John Lewis with his toxic presence .
Wonkette : Trump Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because Trump Is Garbage Let ’ s Look at Some Numbers Yosef 52 brings it every day .
Yesterday he brought numbers .
Such lovely numbers .
The Never tRumpers Are on Fire The folks at the Lincoln Project , Republican Voters Against tRump , Republicans for the Rule of Law and so on have been merciless .
Individual anti-tRump republicans have been writing op-eds and speaking out in Interviews .
Some have left the republican party .
Peter Wehner is one of the vintage republican never-tRumpers that have been railing against since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t spare any sympathy , although he did suggest he might have given some if tRump wasn ’ t such a total disaster .
Even though he keeps stealing my ideas before I think of them , I rely on Andy Borowitz to lighten my mood .
In case you aren ’ t familiar with Andy , he writes satire .
The New Yorker : The Borowitz Report : Rand Paul Thanks Tom Cotton for Replacing Him as Most Hated Person in Senate For a while , on Sunday , there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hanna blowing down tRump ’ s wall .
It gave rise to this question and video .
I really like the video so the article is gone but the rest stays .
I wonder how the talibangelicals will try to spin tRump ’ s vanity wall falling down in a light breeze named Hanna ?
The Smell , the Smell … I Can ’ t Quite Place the Smell I don ’ t know quite why , but this made me chortle .
The Kickstarter campaign still has 20 days left to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moon .
GoodNewsNetwork : NASA-Designed Perfume Gives You The Smell Of Outer Space – Without Leaving Orbit Some Medical Progress to Close Out the News The earlier it ’ s caught , the easier it is to treat .
This is a breakthrough to be excited about .
Scientific American : Experimental Blood Test Detects Cancer up to Four Years before Symptoms Appear For years scientists have sought to create the ultimate cancer-screening test—one that can reliably detect a malignancy early , before tumor cells spread and when treatments are more effective .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communications brings researchers a step closer to that goal .
By using a blood test , the international team was able to diagnose cancer long before symptoms appeared in nearly all the people it tested who went on to develop cancer .
“ What we showed is : up to four years before these people walk into the hospital , there are already signatures in their blood that show they have cancer , ” says Kun Zhang , a bioengineer at the University of California , San Diego , and a co-author of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never been done before.
” Past efforts to develop blood tests for cancer typically involved researchers collecting blood samples from people already diagnosed with the disease .
They would then see if they could accurately detect malignant cells in those samples , usually by looking at genetic mutations , DNA methylation ( chemical alterations to DNA ) or specific blood proteins .
“ The best you can prove is whether your method is as good at detecting cancer as existing methods , ” Zhang says .
“ You can never prove it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resonates with what we are trying to do .
I am a big fan .
This space will magically fill up with our friend WineRev ’ s daily history lesson , once it is released into the comments .
tRump is like a real president except for , well , everything .
Why did tRump cross the road ?
He was avoiding the ramp .
tRump was recently awarded the dumbbell prize in Medicine for his brainbreaking work in UV insertion and innovative bleach solutions .
tRump is a sight that causes sore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be held this November , 330,000,000 million Americans were asked , “ Which republicans do you most wish to see defeated ?
” The number one answer was , “ All of them.
” How many crimes could a tRump crook do if a tRump crook were subject to indictment in spite of DOJ guidelines ?
Given a choice between loud & obnoxious and honest & truthful , Gym Jordan chose LOUDLY .
tRump and his enablers have embraced the Timothy McVeigh definition of patriotism .
Don ’ t try to tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recycling — they ’ ve been recycling the same tired excuses for their poor performance for generations .
If it is not right do not do it ; if it is not true do not say it .
— Marcus Aurelius If we believe a thing to be bad , and if we have a right to prevent it , it is our duty to try to prevent it and damn the consequences .
— Lord Milner Always do right .
This will gratify some people and astonish the rest .
— @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is integrity .
— Dwight D. Eisenhower We learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters… that you don ’ t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules… and success doesn ’ t count unless you earn it fair and square — Michelle Obama Yosef 52 ’ s latest guide to how to help get rid of republicans : FIRST GOTV STEP : Identify Our Voters Last night the Shade got a hold of a new tRump ad transcript : The Search for Support - Evening Shade , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us out with a song that I first heard them play during the Dylan and Dead tour at JFK Stadium back in 1987 ( They opened with Iko Iko ) .
This performance is from later on that tour .
They stopped playing the song in 1989 .
DIsclaimer : Not all republicans are racists .
It ’ s just that all racists vote republican .

100 days of protesting on the mall, midnight comes and another day falls. 99 days of protesting on the mall, midnight comes and another day falls. 98 days of protesting on the mall, midnight comes…
Two days ago John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the last time. 55 years ago, on Bloody Sunday, March 7th, 1965, he crossed that bridge with 600 fellow protestors into a sea of night sticks and tear gas. His skull was fractured for his effort. Two weeks later, John Lewis crossed the bridge again, this time with 8,000 fellow marchers, protected by the federalized Alabama National Guard, as part of the first stage of the march from Selma to Montgomery. By the time they reached Montgomery on March, 25th, there were 25,000 people in the procession. That day, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his How Long, Not Long speech.
The end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. ... I know you are asking today, How long will it take? I come to say to you this afternoon however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., March 25, 1965
Amid the shouts of “Thank you, John,” and “Good trouble,” as we say goodbye to John Lewis, there’s another sentiment to share: We’ve got this now, John, we’ve got this. Throughout his life, John Lewis displayed an indefatigable belief in our future. We owe it to John and to his legacy to carry on his fight — We’ve got this.
Today, in Portland, we don’t know the identities of the John Clouds (major of the Alabama State Troopers) and Jim Clarks (sheriff of Dallas county, Alabama) because the people directly brutalizing protestors are afraid to be associated with their actions. We do know that Donald tRump is reprising the role of George Wallace (governor of Alabama) with Chad Wolf in the role of Al Lingo (colonel of the Alabama State Troopers). Whether we call them Magastapo or KKKommandos or StormtRumpers, tRump’s paramilitary secret police are flying the same racist flags they used back in 1965. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. We’ve got this.
The brutal murder of George Floyd ignited a wave of revulsion that echoed around the planet. We’ve since revisited dozens of other recent examples of extra-legal murders and criminal assaults by untrained and unconstrained police. The momentum for substantive change is strong. The push back by the tRumpistas is to commit more acts of wanton cruelty. The walls of moms, dads, vets and all of us linked together will stop them. We’ve got this.
The legacy of hatred and bigotry in this country is being addressed on our streets. Things won’t fix themselves overnight. We have a lot of work to do. Whether it’s because of racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, or simple bigotry, the demonization of the other is being utilized as a unifying property by the republican party as a poor substitute for actual progress. Their philosophy is empty; their ethics non-existent; their vision blind — they are a shrinking cult of inept whiny victims of their own greed and corruption. They will not succeed. We’ve got this.
Rest in peace, John Lewis. We’ve got this.
x YouTube Video
x YouTube Video
And it’s on to the news,
Republicans in Retreat at the White House
Why am I not surprised? tRump not only can’t get out of his own way. He falls on his face every time he tries.
Huffington Post: Curve Ball: Trump Reportedly Never Got The Yankees Pitch Invitation He Canceled
New York Yankees officials and White House staff were stumped when President Donald Trump announced — then canceled — a date to throw out the first pitch at a Yankee Stadium game next month — because he hadn’t been invited, The New York Times reported Monday. Trump said Sunday he just couldn’t make it to the Yankees game with the Red Sox in New York because he’s too focused on “the China virus” — meaning COVID-19. Trump had announced Thursday that he was invited to throw out the ceremonial pitch by his “great friend” Yankee President Randy Levine. “I think I’m doing that on Aug. 15 at Yankee Stadium,” he added.
Not satisfied with that bit of unforced idiocy, he went on to tell us tweeting mean things about him is illegal (in a mean tweet). The replies to his tweet amplified the trending topic that tRump will probably complain about again. He may have entered an infinite loop. I really hope so.
Huffington Post: Trump Claims Twitter’s Trending Topics Are Illegal, And ‘Very Unfair’
Donald Trump may have sent out his most birdbrained tweet yet. On Monday, the president decided ― in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and an ensuing economic crisis, no less! ― that his priorities should be focused on how badly he’s treated by Twitter’s trending topics: x So disgusting to watch TwitterÃ¢ÂÂs so-called Ã¢ÂÂTrendingÃ¢ÂÂ, where sooo many trends are about me, and never a good one. They look for anything they can find, make it as bad as possible, and blow it up, trying to make it trend. Really ridiculous, illegal, and, of course, very unfair! Ã¢ÂÂ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2020 HuffPost reached out to Twitter, which declined to comment. However, a page on its platform explains how trending topics are chosen. Apparently, it’s not done by a bunch of people looking for ways to be mean to the 74-year-old leader of the free world.
There’s more. Donnie’s not happy with possible competition for his hotel (the one we’ll take away from him next year for all the emoluments violations), so he added a personal bit of pork to the republican stimulus proposal. McConnell and Shelby both said, “Ask tRump.”
Newsweek: Republicans Struggle to Explain $1.75 Billion Trump Demand for New FBI HQ in Stimulus
Not satisfied with Donald’s buffoonery, Melania got into the act too.
Daily Beast: America Collapses, Melania Decides to Revamp the Rose Garden
Amid a global pandemic that has killed 150,000 Americans and is slowing like a train that just started to choo choo over a cliff, 100 days from an election that is the fifth consecutive most important election in our lifetimes, first lady Melania Trump will begin the important work of renovating the Rose Garden to more closely resemble its original 1960s design. Finally! This is what we elected her for.
Republicans in Retreat in the Congress
McConnell and tRump own the damage they are doing to the economy. They’ll try to dance and sing about it, but they own it. It will cost them. We’ll make sure of it.
Rolling Stone: The GOP Is About to Do to the American Economy What Thelma and Louise Did to the Car
In a normal country, we wouldn’t need a second round of expanded unemployment insurance benefits. The back-of-the-envelope math lawmakers did in late March would have been sufficient to see us through a temporary lockdown — the time it took to scale up testing, contact tracing, and the emergency production of masks, gowns, and ventilators. By now, we’d be savoring the few summer evenings left before students return to campuses and the rest of us resume our anxious tiptoe toward November. Instead, four month of relentless carnage later, we have four million coronavirus cases and counting, states around the country are going back into lockdown and the president has just released a new campaign ad decrying “the left’s assault on Goya.” (The bean company.) The pandemic is nowhere close to under control in America, but despite levels of unemployment not observed since the Great Depression, the economy hasn’t totally collapsed yet. And there is a good reason for that but, thanks to Republicans in Congress, it’s about to disappear.
Republicans in Retreat at the Courts
Seems that wrong wing SCOTUS court isn’t always dancing to the whackadoodle lockstep. How sad.
Mother Jones: Conservatives Are Really Not Happy With “Swamp-Infected” Supreme Court Justice John Roberts
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Nevada church’s attempt to circumvent state limits on attendees at religious services during the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s four liberal members in ruling against the church, which had said it was unfair for houses of worship to be limited to 50 attendees, while casinos in the state could still operate at 50 percent occupancy. Roberts’ deciding vote sent right-wing Twitter, and at least two US senators, into a frenzy. “John Roberts has abandoned his oath,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted early Saturday morning. “But, on the upside, maybe Nevada churches should set up craps tables? Then they could open?” Cruz’s post included a screenshot of Justice Neil Gorsuch’s one-paragraph dissenting opinion, which said, “In Nevada, it seems, it is better to be in entertainment than religion.”
A Petty Piece of Shit Does Another Petty Thing
Every time Donald tRump does something petty, he makes it harder for himself to get reelected. Since he can’t stop doing petty things, the hole gets deeper. That’s a good thing. It’s also a good thing that he didn’t demean our remembrance of John Lewis with his toxic presence.
Wonkette: Trump Not Paying Respects To John Lewis Today, Because Trump Is Garbage
Today was the day civil rights hero and longtime Georgia congressman John Lewis lay in state at the Capitol, the second Black lawmaker ever to do that. (Elijah Cummings was the first.) The timing had been delayed because fellow civil rights hero C.T. Vivian died the very same day Lewis did, and the Lewis family wanted to let Vivian's family move forward with memorial plans, and they'd go afterward. Joe Biden came to Washington to pay his respects. Much of Congress did, too, both Democrats and Republicans. Hell, Mitch McConnell even managed to say words that were not grotesque, but they weren't "I have spent my entire career fighting against everything John Lewis ever did," so he can get fucked. Mike Pence came by. Not Donald Trump, though. He had to go to North Carolina, and also he probably just didn't want to, because he's petty, broken garbage:
Let’s Look at Some Numbers
Yosef 52 brings it every day. Yesterday he brought numbers. Such lovely numbers.
Daily Kos: Yosef 52: FIRST GOTV STEP: Identify Our Voters
BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS: Of the approximately 137,000,000 people who voted in 2016: --About 65.76 million were men --About 71.24 million were women --About 100.4 million were white --About 17.7 million were black --About 10.1 million were Hispanic --About 7.5 million were Asians and others (numbers don’t quite add up to 137 million because of rounding) IF OUR CANDIDATE GOT THE SHARE OF VOTES DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATES GOT IN 2018, WITH THE SAME TURNOUT MODEL AS IN 2016, THAT CANDIDATE WOULD GET 73,000,000 VOTES. In 2020, with 50% of men voting Democratic, and 63% of women voting Democratic, on a turnout of 150 million, with 48% of the electorate male and 52% female, our candidate would get 85,000,000 votes.
The Never tRumpers Are on Fire
The folks at the Lincoln Project, Republican Voters Against tRump, Republicans for the Rule of Law and so on have been merciless. Individual anti-tRump republicans have been writing op-eds and speaking out in Interviews. Some have left the republican party. Peter Wehner is one of the vintage republican never-tRumpers that have been railing against since he announced his candidacy. He doesn’t spare any sympathy, although he did suggest he might have given some if tRump wasn’t such a total disaster.
The Atlantic: Peter Wehner: Donald Trump Is a Broken Man
“I think I was very unfairly treated,” Trump responded. “From before I even won, I was under investigation by a bunch of thieves, crooks. It was an illegal investigation.” Peter Wehner: The president is unraveling When Wallace interrupted, trying to get Trump to focus on the positive achievements of his presidency—“What about the good parts, sir?”—Trump brushed the question aside, responding, “Russia, Russia, Russia.” The president then complained about the Flynn investigation, the “Russia hoax,” the “Mueller scam,” and the recusal by his then–attorney general, Jeff Sessions. (“Now I feel good because he lost overwhelmingly in the great state of Alabama,” Trump said about the first senator to endorse him in the 2016 Republican primary.) Donald Trump is a psychologically broken, embittered, and deeply unhappy man. He is so gripped by his grievances, such a prisoner of his resentments, that even the most benevolent question from an interviewer—what good parts of your presidency would you like to be remembered for?—triggered a gusher of discontent.
I Love Me Some Andy Borowitz
Even though he keeps stealing my ideas before I think of them, I rely on Andy Borowitz to lighten my mood. In case you aren’t familiar with Andy, he writes satire.
The New Yorker: The Borowitz Report: Rand Paul Thanks Tom Cotton for Replacing Him as Most Hated Person in Senate
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Calling it the “passing of the baton,” Senator Rand Paul on Monday thanked Senator Tom Cotton for replacing him as the most hated person in the United States Senate. Paul expressed surprise and no small amount of admiration at Cotton’s feat, telling reporters that being ousted from the most-detested perch was “something that, quite frankly, I didn’t see coming.” “When I started attacking Dr. Fauci, I pretty much thought I had the title sewn up,” Paul said. “What I didn’t count on was that someone like Tom was going to come out of nowhere, saying slavery was necessary.”
Some Actual Fake News
For a while, on Sunday, there was a, since discredited, story about Hanna blowing down tRump’s wall. It gave rise to this question and video. I really like the video so the article is gone but the rest stays.
I wonder how the talibangelicals will try to spin tRump’s vanity wall falling down in a light breeze named Hanna?
x YouTube Video
The Smell, the Smell … I Can’t Quite Place the Smell
I don’t know quite why, but this made me chortle. The Kickstarter campaign still has 20 days left to go and they are also selling eau de Moon.
GoodNewsNetwork: NASA-Designed Perfume Gives You The Smell Of Outer Space – Without Leaving Orbit
Decades ago, NASA asked specialists to develop the “smell of space” in order to help prepare astronauts for the experience of outer space. …a rather pleasant metallic sensation... [like] ... sweet-smelling welding fumes, burning metal, a distinct odour of ozone, an acrid smell, walnuts and brake pads, gunpowder, fruit, rum, and even burnt almond cookie." Now, a perfume, Eau de Space, has attracted eager buyers where it’s trial orbit on Kickstarter has raised $516,000 in preorders. “The history of the ‘smell of space’ has been clouded behind various accounts of its development. Ever since the first space walk, astronauts were shocked by the lingering odor when returning back into the spacecraft,” according to the campaign on Kickstarter. NASA Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield said, “The only time you can smell space is when you come back in from a space walk. As you open the hatch, there is a distinctive smell.”
Some Medical Progress to Close Out the News
The earlier it’s caught, the easier it is to treat. This is a breakthrough to be excited about.
Scientific American: Experimental Blood Test Detects Cancer up to Four Years before Symptoms Appear
For years scientists have sought to create the ultimate cancer-screening test—one that can reliably detect a malignancy early, before tumor cells spread and when treatments are more effective. A new method reported today in Nature Communications brings researchers a step closer to that goal. By using a blood test, the international team was able to diagnose cancer long before symptoms appeared in nearly all the people it tested who went on to develop cancer. “What we showed is: up to four years before these people walk into the hospital, there are already signatures in their blood that show they have cancer,” says Kun Zhang, a bioengineer at the University of California, San Diego, and a co-author of the study. “That’s never been done before.” Past efforts to develop blood tests for cancer typically involved researchers collecting blood samples from people already diagnosed with the disease. They would then see if they could accurately detect malignant cells in those samples, usually by looking at genetic mutations, DNA methylation (chemical alterations to DNA) or specific blood proteins. “The best you can prove is whether your method is as good at detecting cancer as existing methods,” Zhang says. “You can never prove it’s better.”
Musical Interlude
Playing for Change really resonates with what we are trying to do. I am a big fan.
x YouTube Video
The WineRev History Lesson
Promoted from today’s comment section, this is the famous History Lesson from WineRev.
>>>Love the elephant button that if you can name that animal you too can be President (at least in your own mind…..) The other day I saw a caption along the same lines: Silver Lining: “Since Trump passed the Cognition Test, he can’t plead impaired judgment/insanity in any of his coming trials.” Works for me!
>>>>>We’ve all been heartened by the cracks in the opposing side, especially the RVAT (Reagan Voters Against Trump) and the Lincoln Project and their laser focused advertising. As an Ohio man I am delighted to read the two groups are launching Operation Grant to move Ohio out of Trump’s column into Biden’s come Nov. (For reference, Trump carried the state by 8 points in 2016. Recent polls have shown a Trump lead of 2-3, so at the margin of error.) More power to them and THANK YOU for raising up Grant’s ghost as the face of it. As I put it whenever I need to debate a Neo-Confederate still sore about 1865, “I’ll see your Lee, Jackson & Stuart and raise you Grant, Sherman, Thomas and Sheridan!”
>>» From Grant to Us. Very early in the Civil War, after Fort Sumter. lots of Mexican War veterans like Grant applied for new commissions in the Union Army. Although Grant had been forced out for excessive drinking he applied and thanks to his congressman, got a command. He drilled his men for a couple months, then was ordered to take them into Missouri. Several weeks later came a report of 3000 Confederates on the march toward various Union positions, and Grant was ordered out to stop them. Scouts brought back word of where the Rebels were camping for the night and Grant ordered a night march and assault to surprise them. He admitted in his diary that as his troops came up the last little rise before the Confederate camp would be in sight, he was ‘a-quiver, but lacked the nerve as well to order a ‘halt.’” They column went over the rise…..and the fields were empty except for some smoldering campfires.
The Confederates had had scouts of their own out and had reported back Grant’s movements. Grant had been so worried about his own position and dangers he had not considered his enemy’s dangers (that he, Grant, was causing!) "I never forgot," he wrote, "that he (the Rebel commander) had as much reason to fear my forces as I had his. The lesson was valuable."
While we American patriots have much to watch out for with unmarked federal agents, Putin meddling, computer hacking and voter suppression, let us also read these as signs of FEAR among our foes that we are imposing on them by our Resistance, our writing, our organizing, our GOTV efforts. These all show in the polls, national and state-by-state. Let us march on, past smoldering embers of Trumposity, to bring down the the thunderclap of Victory upon the foes of our Democracy!
July 28ths (not like those pry it loose events from July 27th; sheesh, yesterday was an effort) of the Past, featuring the Good (yeah) and the Goofy (tee-hee) and even the Tasty (East Haven CT rules!) July 28ths that have gone before us
1586 England Sir Thomas Harriot returns from tramping around the New World and shows off one of his finds, a root vegetable called the potato. Caught on slowly at first as somehow the word it was a root vegetable was misunderstood or missed. But then….from patate, kartoffel, patata, ziemniak, brambor to burgonya and beyond, whatever you called bangers and mash in your language, spuds and taters became a staple against the winter famine and everyone’s side dish.
1717 Berlin. Prussian king Frederik Willhelm I (reigned 1713-1740) issues an edict requiring compulsory education for Prussian children (both boys and girls, despite grumbling from the sexists) from age 5-12 (later 14). Built over 2000 schools during his reign to make it a reality. (First US state to require compulsory education was Massachusetts as a colony in 1647; in the current era, in 1852; the last was Mississippi in 1918.)
1821 Peru declares independence from Spain, and makes it stick, returning to self-rule for the first time since the Incas of the mid-1500s.
1851 Königsburg, Prussia Astronomer Julius Berkowski at the Royal Observatory captures a total solar eclipse on a daguerreotype photograph. Allowed study of sun’s corona for the first time and the beginning of photography in astronomy, by which many things have been discovered.
1858 Petit-Becetre, France Speaking of early photography (and those cameras often weighed 80 pounds or more, and the glass plates for negatives were often 10 pounds each) French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, (known to history as simply Nadar) takes the 1st airborne photo, in a balloon, of the French village below, from about 80 meters in the air.
1868 Washington DC US Secretary of State William Seward announces the 14th Amendment has been ratified by the required number of states and so now is in effect. (Defines citizenship, declares equal protection under the laws regardless of race, sex or “previous condition of servitude.”) Decades of Jim Crow followed to blunt it, and decades of activism and civil rights work followed to enforce and expand it.
1900 East Haven, CT Louis Lassen ran a restaurant in town, (after several moves, now located on Crown Street ) close to two large factories, so the lunch trade was big. On this day a customer asked him for something quick, “whatever you can throw together. I gotta get back to work so I gotta eat it on the way.” Lassen cranked some cubed beef through his kitchen grinder, threw it on the griddle with some chopped onions and stuffed the patty between a couple slices of white: the hamburger is born. If you go there today, you get the original: on white, Pepperidge Farm toast (a Norwalk neighbor) with the sandwich sliced on the diagonal, served on a paper plate (invented in 1904) and with a bottle of Foxon Park soda, the local soda. (There are other claimants but ya gotta love the story and the faithfulness for 120 years.)
1914 New York City. This evening, on the Roof Garden (for dancing under the stars here in summer) of the New Amsterdam Theater ,(42nd street; how New York can you get?) there was a minor celebrity present, Arthur Carringford. Carringford was an entertainer and famous dancer in vaudeville and known along the Eastern Seaboard. He’d even been in a silent picture. Tonight, he asked the band to play something in an easy 4/4, picked a lady out of the crowd and showed everyone a new dance step he had created. The basic step was in a line, gentleman forward, lady stepping back, in a slow/slow/quick-quick pattern. Arthur led the lady through a move to the side, a balancing sway, and even in a traveling spin as he stepped alongside her for balance. It was a smash hit and everyone tried it out. He was born Arthur Carringford but they all called him by his stage name, “Harry Fox” and his new dance the “fox trot.”
1933 Hollywood, CA. George Oslin was an executive with Western Union who came up with a new idea for the telegraph business. Since getting a telegram was often associated with a serious accident or death, he wanted to change the mood of getting one. A fan sent a “happy birthday” telegram for celebrity Rudy Vallee’s 32nd birthday . Oslin found out Vallee had a telephone, so he had telephone operator Lucille Lipps call him and sing him the telegram. It worked for decades (especially in person from a Western Union messenger) even though everyone thought it was a gimmick. Western Union discontinued them in 1974 but independent companies still deliver them.
1959 Honolulu, HI Having been admitted as the 50th state a few months before, special elections were held today to send 1 Congressman and 2 Senators to Congress. Daniel Inouye won the House seat and Hiram Fong won one of the two Senate seats, becoming the first Asian Americans elected to Congress.
May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring.
Shalom.
On the Lighter Side
tRump is like a real president except for, well, everything.
Why did tRump cross the road? He was avoiding the ramp.
tRump was recently awarded the dumbbell prize in Medicine for his brainbreaking work in UV insertion and innovative bleach solutions.
tRump is a sight that causes sore eyes.
In a recent survey, to be held this November, 330,000,000 million Americans were asked, “Which republicans do you most wish to see defeated?” The number one answer was, “All of them.”
How many crimes could a tRump crook do if a tRump crook were subject to indictment in spite of DOJ guidelines?
Given a choice between loud & obnoxious and honest & truthful, Gym Jordan chose LOUDLY.
tRump and his enablers have embraced the Timothy McVeigh definition of patriotism.
Don’t try to tell me that republicans don’t believe in recycling — they’ve been recycling the same tired excuses for their poor performance for generations.
Quote(s) of the Day
If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. — Marcus Aurelius If we believe a thing to be bad, and if we have a right to prevent it, it is our duty to try to prevent it and damn the consequences. — Lord Milner Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. — Mark Twain The supreme quality for leadership is integrity. — Dwight D. Eisenhower We learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters… that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules… and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square — Michelle Obama
Required Pet Photo
Pressley sez, “I wish you would hold the election tomorrow. I want more walks and less typing, ok?”
Closing Notes
To all of our fellow resisters, rounderuppers and gnusies recovering from illness or injury lots of hugs, including {{{{oldhippiedude}}}}, {{{{Msdude}}}}, our Tuesday partner {{{{niftywriter}}}}, {{{{karij}}}}, {{{{ElizabethinNYC}}}}, {{{{Arel1}}}}, {{{{Crankylib}}}} and to our entire {{{{Gnuville}}}} community during this time of uncertainty.
Yosef 52’s latest guide to how to help get rid of republicans: FIRST GOTV STEP: Identify Our Voters
Last night the Shade got a hold of a new tRump ad transcript: The Search for Support - Evening Shade, Monday
Today, the lads will play us out with a song that I first heard them play during the Dylan and Dead tour at JFK Stadium back in 1987 (They opened with Iko Iko). This performance is from later on that tour. They stopped playing the song in 1989.
x YouTube Video
DIsclaimer: Not all republicans are racists. It’s just that all racists vote republican.