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| #455 [archive] SEPT. 18, 2024 |
Georgia election skeptic challenged hundreds of voter registrations
November's election is going to be such a shitstorm, and the aftermath will be uglier, but we beat the bastards in 1865 and we can beat 'em again.
Network of right-wing Georgia election officials strategizing to undermine 2024 result
Yet another study shows: Increasing minimum wage does not reduce jobs
Where I live, Washington, the minimum wage is $16.28 p/hour. Across the border in Idaho, the federal minimum applies — $7.25. Bur businesses on the higher-wage side of the border are doing fine, and Spokaners do not drive across the border into Coeur d'Alene for cheaper groceries or a half-price Big Mac.
There are no negative consequences to raising the minimum wage, unless
lowering corporate profits by a smidgen is classified as a negative.
Raise the minimum to a living wage, and workers and their families will be less
stressed, healthier (because they might be able to afford medical care), and happier. And we can't have that.
Inside Columbia University's surveillance and disciplinary operation for student protesters
Liz Cheney blocked January 6 scrutiny of Ginni Thomas, book says
Yeah, of course. Cheney was always one of the most reprehensibly right-wing Congresscritters, but lots of lefties love her because she voted to impeach Donnie Trump, and she gives great lip service to the Constitution.
I have enthusiastically never been in the love-Liz crowd. She's opposed to gay rights, women's rights, minority rights, health care rights, human rights, etc, and she doesn't give a damn about the Constitution — she just doesn't like Donnie.
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Trump-appointed judge gives right-wing a big win on labor law, undercutting NLRB
Judge frees Colorado paramedic convicted in death of Elijah McClain from prison
We are shocked, shocked to learn that Libertarians are kooks
The New York Times asks: Will TikTok be banned in January?
What a stupid question. There's big money involved, so no, TikTok will not be banned, in January or ever.
The doomed sub's final messages before imploding are pretty grim
Four out of five of the dead were billionaires, happily turning the Titanic into a tourist attraction. I have no particular sadness about their deaths, and find their last communique — "all good here" — more amusing than grim.
The Department of Everything: Dispatches from the telephone reference desk
Do you remember the library's "information line"? You could call and ask 'em anything, and always get a reliable answer, plus a nudge toward which reference books would have more details.
Sunday night, hanging out with a friend of mine. [Ace Backwords]
Nathan Lane: Robin Williams "protected me" from being outed on Oprah
It's a great story, and I always get the impression Robin Williams was a mensch, but also: I can't imagine a time when anyone anywhere wouldn't have known Nathan Lane was gay.
⚰️ DEAD PEOPLE ⚰️
George Berci
developed laparoscopy
Franca Bettoia
actress, The Last Man on Earth
Derek Boshier
artist
Tommy Cash
brother
Inez Crutchfield
activist
Chalmers Davis
keyboardist for Little Richard
Nelson DeMille
author, The General's Daughter
Ted Fang
former publisher, San Francisco Examiner
Kenny Hyslop
drummer, Simple Minds
Tito Jackson
one of five
Juan Lopez
activist, assassinated
Javion Magee
not lynched
Cathy Merrick
activist
Benjamin Robertson
in county jail
JD Souther
singer-songwriter, "New Kid in Town"
John Surette
forgotten person
Amber Nicole Thurman
woman
Billy Edd Wheeler
songwriter, "Coward of the County"
9/18/2024
Logo illustration by Jeff Meyer. All opinions fresh from my ass. Click any image to enlarge. Comments & conversations invited.
Tip 'o the hat to the Anderson Valley Advertiser, Atomic Raunch, Bleepity-Bleep, Breakfast at Ralf's, Dopplegänger Rental, Ensalada de lengua de pajaritos, A Sudden Violent Jerk, Mr Souza's Happy Place, Voenix Rising, and anywhere else I've stolen links, illustrations, or inspiration.
Special thanks to Linden Arden, Becky Jo, Wynn Bruce, Joey Jo Jo emeritus, Jeff Meyer, John the Basket, Dave S, Name Withheld, and always extra special thanks to my lovely late Stephanie, who gave me 21 years and proved that the world isn't always shitty.
Re: Cheney and these other "mavericky" Republicans, I read someone point out that they vote the same way as their colleagues 95% of the time anyway, probably more. She likely cheered when that judge just ruled that the NLRB is illegal. That's the world she wants, she just wants it not to shout so much.
ReplyDeleteI've learned on this site that people are either all good or all bad, but I had the same negative perspective of Liz until she, in 2022, went to Michigan to campaign for a Democrat, Rep. Elissa Slotkin who was running against a conservative Republican. Rep. Slotkin isn't your kind of Democrat, but she's my kind of Democrat in the context of central Michigan, a fairly conservative area. The CD in which Ms Slotkin was running was about R+4 (exact numbers unavailable due to 2020 redistricting). Rep Slotkin has been considerably more progressive than most other Michigan Congresspeople, and I've always liked her: I've followed her career since the Obama Administration. On her extended trip, Liz actually stayed a few extra days and doorbelled the most Republican of the newly created district. Slotkin won her district and we came within 4 or 5 seats of taking the house. Elissa has been a reliable D-vote in the house. She's not as progressive as I am, but she's a hell of a lot more progressive than the Republican she was running against. So sometimes I like Liz and sometimes she pisses me off. I can tell you that it takes balls to doorbell for a Democrat in a Republican district, and I frequently admire balls. So Liz took two weeks of her life and used her own AMEX card, because she admired Elissa's fierce independence. I'm OK with that.
DeleteJohn
That was the most expensive House race of 2022 so I am not at all taking for granted she used her own AMEX. I also doubt Liz did more for Slotkin than she did for the Liz Cheney brand. I don't know how a person who is deeply unpopular with Republicans is supposed to persuade Republicans. It doesn't make any sense.
DeleteI've pondered it staring at the wall for a good fifteen seconds, and I don't seem to have enough interest in Liz Cheney to form a second semi-coherent thought, let alone another coherent sentences. Maybe after dinner?
DeleteI think Liz is not particularly unpopular with Republicans who are not MAGA Republicans. Michigan is probably R+3 or so, but Trump is running a couple of points behind Harris with six weeks to go, so we'll see how MAGA Michigan is. That congressional race was expensive partly because there was going to be a Senate vacancy and both candidates (but particularly Slotkin) were considered potential candidates for the Senate opening.
DeleteI got the AMEX info from a comment in Politico in 2022. Politico isn't infallible, but I've found them to be pretty good on details -- not perfect, just pretty good.
Nonetheless, your points were well made and my responses don't explain everything. In part, it's just a crazy world with Trump in it -- and a very dangerous one. Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
John
It's a crazy world with Trump in it, indeedy do, and your sentence structure is exactly right. Too many folks imagine Trump himself made this craziness, but he lacks the intelligence to be that stupid. The crazy has been with for a long while longer than Trump.
DeleteAgain, there's more to be said and I hope to say it later, but my bus for a day's adventure is coming in 24 minutes and I haven't yet braided my pubic hair and I must get on it, first the pubes and then the bus...
Fair enough on her AMEX, I am pleasantly surprised since Liz and her family have enriched themselves beyond belief in my lifetime.
DeleteBut Liz Cheney's favorability by party in 2022 had her at 12% for Republicans, which is pretty close to where Joe Biden was polling among them.
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1323832/favorability-liz-cheney-party-id/
She is, as you can see from that, fantastically popular among Democrats. Which is I think no big secret: she's a Democratic talking point now. I would expect that like Cindy McCain and others, she's expecting an ambassadorship if not a cabinet position (for some reason Democrats love giving Republicans cabinet positions, usually Defense, often CIA and almost ALWAYS director of the FBI. It's puzzling.)
Being not a paying customer, statista.com won't let me see the stats, but 100% of Democrats who've mentioned the dickless Cheney to me love her.
DeleteHow depressing to read, and especially to know you're right, that she'll probably get an important post in a Harris administration, if we're lucky enough to have one.
It's not really puzzling, though.
Oh sorry, I have Bypass Paywalls and wasn't aware of that. Here you go: https://i.imgur.com/kjirsmX.png
Delete^ by me. And yeah, you're right, it is not puzzling at all.
DeleteThanks. So more than half the Republicans hate her because of who she hates, and more than half of Democrats like her for the same reason. Both sides do it, both sides do it.
DeleteI used to have and love Bypass Paywalls, but they no longer offer it for Firefox.
Still there I think? The developer had some issues with his repos being shut down by the usual suspects:
Deletehttps://github.com/bpc-clone/bypass-paywalls-firefox-clean
Thanks... Curiously, searching for "Bypass Paywalls" in Firefox's add-on index yields lots of close matches but not that one. I remember loving it, but even without it there's next to nothing I want to access but can't, except money and women.
Delete