To be slightly fair, I have seen people no position is not a yes or a no and I think most of them will vote no for cloture but we are still rudderless.
A big problem here is that the Democratic Party does not really have a base and every constituent group of the Democratic Party considers itself the true base. To the extent the Democratic Party has a based, it is probably black women of a certain age and/or the dreaded In This House winemom.
Ever since I was a college student, the most liberal parts of the Democratic Party insisted they were the real base and they seem to light their hair on fire every time a Democratic politician does something they dislike. Now this part is the terminally online.
You can see this on bsky every time a Democratic politician announces "we can't just be the party of no, we have to be for something."* Will Stancil** and others will run around in circles screaming and refuse to realize that Slotkin probably has half her voters telling her that she needs to be for something.***
*This does seem to be pathological and my guess is that it is because they don't want to be Republicans who just say no.
**To his credit, he did attempt to run for office so he puts his ideas into practice.
***Though my understanding is that 2/3rds of Democrats at least now want a total wall of no from their electeds. Democrats have gotten better on this but not completely. There are too many Senators being wishy-washy about the CR which allows Musk and Co to proceed with their rapid and rabid cuts because they are demoralized and think any concessions will just be ignored.
ICE arrested a pro-Palestinian protestor with a Green Card and his precise whereabouts are not known currently: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/nyregion/ice-arrests-palestinian-activist-columbia-protests.html
University of Michigan Professor Don Moynihan has a good run down of the chilling effects going on against dissent currently: https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/real-chilling-effects
"Normally I record the classes I teach. It gives students who miss class a chance to catch up. I also make space in my classes to talk about what is happening in government right now. A couple of weeks ago, students asked we keep the discussions, but stop recording the class. They worried about any record of their words that might be viewed as criticism of the current administration, and somehow weaponized against them."
"Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, and he may not have been aware she was dead because he showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease, authorities revealed Friday."
And here comes the CDC planning a study on the link between vaccines and autism again. Bye bye childhood vaccine schedule: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-plans-study-into-vaccines-autism-sources-say-2025-03-07/
You should have stayed at home yesterday
Ah-ha, words can't describe
The feeling and the way you lied
These games you play
They're gonna end in more than tears some day
Ah-ha, Enola Gay
It shouldn't ever have to end this way
With the order, Perkins Coie becomes the second such firm to be targeted by the president. Late last month, he signed a similar memorandum attacking Covington & Burling, which has done pro bono legal work for Jack Smith, who as special counsel pursued two separate indictments of Mr. Trump.
While the Covington memorandum sought to strip clearances and contracts from that firm, the Perkins Coie order goes much further, seeking to also limit its lawyers’ access to federal buildings, officials and jobs in a way that could cast a chilling effect over the entire legal profession.
The president’s animosity toward Perkins Coie dates back eight years, to when two lawyers at the firm, Marc Elias and Michael Sussmann, played roles in what eventually became an F.B.I. investigation to determine if anyone on the 2016 Trump presidential campaign conspired with Russian agents to influence the outcome of that election. Both lawyers left that firm years ago.
I generally think Newsom is a good governor and gets way more heat than he deserves but his new podcast and comments on transathletes are perplexing and boneheaded
Trump revokes legal status for 240K Ukrainians because he is a cruel and malignant king: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-plans-revoke-legal-status-ukrainians-who-fled-us-sources-say-2025-03-06/
Maybe on this one but Trump and Co are still basically dismantling the Federal Government in ways which could take decades to unwind, if it could be unwound at all.
I agree with Bouie’s take that Trump wants revenge against the entire American population for rejecting him. He is going to destroy our standing, our reputation, and our national parks, one of our great collective treasures. I am not in a mood to be blase about anything he does.
And Jaybird, your panda bear contrarian can’t give a straight yes or no answer on whether I have to deal with a Leo Frank denier or other anti-Semites in good faith or if I can just dismiss them.
I am not sure why I should be required to find this kind of willful contrarianism cute, endearing, or acceptable.
Wishy-washy defenses of anti-Semites have the same issue as ironic goat fornication.
Oppositional Defiance Disorder is not a carte blanche excuse against human dignity or decency.
I’m sorry but this is not the time for indulgence in such antics
If someone is advocating blood libel against Jews and/or is a Leo Frank Truther, am I supposed to treat their argument with good faith? Yes or no answer only please.
Macron warns Europe that the United States might not be on their side if there is war with Russia: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/05/macron-will-make-televised-address-to-ease-french-voters-concerns-about-trump
Bouie argues that Trump's second term is an act of revenge against the American People for rejecting him in 2020: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/opinion/trump-revenge-american-people.html
Okay. I don't care if Manicheanism is a heresy or not. Yes, there should be difficult conversations on contentious issues but there are limits and things must be conducted in good-faith.
I see very little reason to see that things conversations can happen with Trump supporters or Musk supporters. As pointed out above, the Deputy Press Secretary for the Department of Defense is a Leo Frank truther. This is rank blood libel and anti-Semitic conspiracy. I'm not morally required to state confronting this as evil is a heresy and I am not required to debate Leo Frank truthism endlessly.
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre
The articles I read implied that the Parks Service could charge things from $2 to $10,000 without sending it to a regional office for approval and this is the change
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/10/25”
To be slightly fair, I have seen people no position is not a yes or a no and I think most of them will vote no for cloture but we are still rudderless.
"
https://www.westernstandard.news/watch/watch-trump-refers-to-canada-us-border-as-artificial-line-in-latest-call-for-annexation/62988
We might try very stupid things with Canada is an increasing possibility.
"
A big problem here is that the Democratic Party does not really have a base and every constituent group of the Democratic Party considers itself the true base. To the extent the Democratic Party has a based, it is probably black women of a certain age and/or the dreaded In This House winemom.
Ever since I was a college student, the most liberal parts of the Democratic Party insisted they were the real base and they seem to light their hair on fire every time a Democratic politician does something they dislike. Now this part is the terminally online.
You can see this on bsky every time a Democratic politician announces "we can't just be the party of no, we have to be for something."* Will Stancil** and others will run around in circles screaming and refuse to realize that Slotkin probably has half her voters telling her that she needs to be for something.***
*This does seem to be pathological and my guess is that it is because they don't want to be Republicans who just say no.
**To his credit, he did attempt to run for office so he puts his ideas into practice.
***Though my understanding is that 2/3rds of Democrats at least now want a total wall of no from their electeds. Democrats have gotten better on this but not completely. There are too many Senators being wishy-washy about the CR which allows Musk and Co to proceed with their rapid and rabid cuts because they are demoralized and think any concessions will just be ignored.
"
Multiple Myleoma does not really go into remission and generally people can beat it for 10-15 years before it gets you.
"
Kevin Drum died on Friday after a long battle with cancer
"
ICE arrested a pro-Palestinian protestor with a Green Card and his precise whereabouts are not known currently: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/nyregion/ice-arrests-palestinian-activist-columbia-protests.html
This is bad.
"
University of Michigan Professor Don Moynihan has a good run down of the chilling effects going on against dissent currently: https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/real-chilling-effects
"Normally I record the classes I teach. It gives students who miss class a chance to catch up. I also make space in my classes to talk about what is happening in government right now. A couple of weeks ago, students asked we keep the discussions, but stop recording the class. They worried about any record of their words that might be viewed as criticism of the current administration, and somehow weaponized against them."
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/3/2025”
https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/investigation-advances-into-gene-hackman-s-20207912.php
"Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, and he may not have been aware she was dead because he showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease, authorities revealed Friday."
"
As a Jewish person, I think this is extremely bone-headed and more likely to increase anti-Semitism than anything else.
"
Today's euphemism for recession/depression is "economic detox" https://thehill.com/homenews/5182666-us-economy-government-spending-detox/
"
And here comes the CDC planning a study on the link between vaccines and autism again. Bye bye childhood vaccine schedule: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-plans-study-into-vaccines-autism-sources-say-2025-03-07/
"
You should have stayed at home yesterday
Ah-ha, words can't describe
The feeling and the way you lied
These games you play
They're gonna end in more than tears some day
Ah-ha, Enola Gay
It shouldn't ever have to end this way
"
Authoritarianism continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/trump-perkins-coie.html
With the order, Perkins Coie becomes the second such firm to be targeted by the president. Late last month, he signed a similar memorandum attacking Covington & Burling, which has done pro bono legal work for Jack Smith, who as special counsel pursued two separate indictments of Mr. Trump.
While the Covington memorandum sought to strip clearances and contracts from that firm, the Perkins Coie order goes much further, seeking to also limit its lawyers’ access to federal buildings, officials and jobs in a way that could cast a chilling effect over the entire legal profession.
The president’s animosity toward Perkins Coie dates back eight years, to when two lawyers at the firm, Marc Elias and Michael Sussmann, played roles in what eventually became an F.B.I. investigation to determine if anyone on the 2016 Trump presidential campaign conspired with Russian agents to influence the outcome of that election. Both lawyers left that firm years ago.
"
https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/national-park-record-visitor-numbers-downplayed-20206558.php
National Parks staff told to downplay record number of visitors in 2024. They want to destroy our greatest treasures
"
I generally think Newsom is a good governor and gets way more heat than he deserves but his new podcast and comments on transathletes are perplexing and boneheaded
"
Trump revokes legal status for 240K Ukrainians because he is a cruel and malignant king: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-plans-revoke-legal-status-ukrainians-who-fled-us-sources-say-2025-03-06/
"
Maybe on this one but Trump and Co are still basically dismantling the Federal Government in ways which could take decades to unwind, if it could be unwound at all.
I agree with Bouie’s take that Trump wants revenge against the entire American population for rejecting him. He is going to destroy our standing, our reputation, and our national parks, one of our great collective treasures. I am not in a mood to be blase about anything he does.
And Jaybird, your panda bear contrarian can’t give a straight yes or no answer on whether I have to deal with a Leo Frank denier or other anti-Semites in good faith or if I can just dismiss them.
I am not sure why I should be required to find this kind of willful contrarianism cute, endearing, or acceptable.
Wishy-washy defenses of anti-Semites have the same issue as ironic goat fornication.
Oppositional Defiance Disorder is not a carte blanche excuse against human dignity or decency.
I’m sorry but this is not the time for indulgence in such antics
"
https://www.mediamatters.org/manosphere/youtube-andrew-tate-claims-america-doesnt-have-free-speech-because-you-cant-speak-out
Andrew Tate claims the United States doesn’t have free speech because you can’t speak out against Jews.
Am I supposed to argue with him
in good faith, Jaybird?
Yes or no?
"
Yes or no, Jaybird?
"
If someone is advocating blood libel against Jews and/or is a Leo Frank Truther, am I supposed to treat their argument with good faith? Yes or no answer only please.
"
Macron warns Europe that the United States might not be on their side if there is war with Russia: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/05/macron-will-make-televised-address-to-ease-french-voters-concerns-about-trump
"
Bouie argues that Trump's second term is an act of revenge against the American People for rejecting him in 2020: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/opinion/trump-revenge-american-people.html
"
Would you say you are pathologically incapable of a non-contrarian response?
"
Okay. I don't care if Manicheanism is a heresy or not. Yes, there should be difficult conversations on contentious issues but there are limits and things must be conducted in good-faith.
I see very little reason to see that things conversations can happen with Trump supporters or Musk supporters. As pointed out above, the Deputy Press Secretary for the Department of Defense is a Leo Frank truther. This is rank blood libel and anti-Semitic conspiracy. I'm not morally required to state confronting this as evil is a heresy and I am not required to debate Leo Frank truthism endlessly.
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre
"
The articles I read implied that the Parks Service could charge things from $2 to $10,000 without sending it to a regional office for approval and this is the change
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.