tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post4114546727414214564..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: If Pelosi pushes these quick bills, they might achieve wonders… even if blocked!David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63007821586249817272020-11-27T16:40:33.761-08:002020-11-27T16:40:33.761-08:00Please note the "onward" DP, when a thre...Please note the "onward" DP, when a thread is done./<br /><br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23253306812237124192020-11-27T14:59:17.482-08:002020-11-27T14:59:17.482-08:00I'm still trying to wrap my head around the &q...I'm still trying to wrap my head around the "blackmail is the only explanation" for certain behaviors line. I read the linked-to article and it seems to be a generic argument that blackmail is probably being practiced by somebody somewhere, given its historical prevalence and practical utility. It doesn't seem to follow that high-level US political figures are currently being blackmailed. What are the specific behaviors that can't be accounted for any other way? Wouldn't it be hard to hide such blackmail from US intelligence services?Dave Peticolashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09196931169705519715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21548244191663019962020-11-25T16:49:13.055-08:002020-11-25T16:49:13.055-08:00onward
onwardonward<br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24002696541028986612020-11-25T16:30:50.000-08:002020-11-25T16:30:50.000-08:00Duncan yeah the postal bank has long been one of m...Duncan yeah the postal bank has long been one of my 'fuggestions' though using it as an ID dispensary is somethin I shall add!David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16380583938118118222020-11-25T15:06:28.532-08:002020-11-25T15:06:28.532-08:00Access to DMV offices
How about a solution to a t...Access to DMV offices<br /><br />How about a solution to a ton of other problems as well<br /><br />Make your Post Office a bank and give EVERYBODY - all legal residents - or all Citizens - a bank account<br />This would make things like stimulus "cheques" dead easy - would remove the problems of people who don't have a bank account and would provide a simple "proof of identity" for everyone - it could also be used for Voter Registration<br />Your State system could mean that the last one was a stretchduncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87177965108698553552020-11-25T12:13:40.627-08:002020-11-25T12:13:40.627-08:00Keith absolutely none of those goals will be achie...Keith absolutely none of those goals will be achieved without first restoring the primacy of demonstrable fact, in argument.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91432991206890973952020-11-25T12:12:47.547-08:002020-11-25T12:12:47.547-08:00Thanks for the update TCB. Weird! To see Diebold b...Thanks for the update TCB. Weird! To see Diebold become a TRUSTWORTHY voting machine maker hated by Repubs is amazing. But even more so is the fact that paperless machine voting is now being hated-on by the right! And it became a much lesser factor, with all the mail-in and drop-off voting, this year. And with early voting, it appears that there will be no need for a national bill ending the Tuesday-only election day that prejudiced against working people. Some solutions happen organically.<br /><br />It is still essential to file suit against states who limit access to DMV offices in poor areas with blatantly deliberate intent to prevent poor folks and minorities/women etc from getting the very same ID that would improve their lives, beyond just voting. It's been so blatant that such a case - under the 14th Amendment - could pass even this Court. Voter ID laws should only happen where voter ID compliance assistance is vigorous and sincere. (See Polemical Judo.)<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61057694004842228262020-11-25T11:46:36.847-08:002020-11-25T11:46:36.847-08:00Hi Folks,
I finally re-found this:
Commission on...Hi Folks,<br /><br />I finally re-found this:<br /><br />Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship <br />(A PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES)<br />(https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/report)<br />The Commission spent two years engaging with communities all over the U.S. to explore how best to respond to the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in our political and civic life. <br />Its final and bipartisan report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, was released in June 2020 and includes six strategies and 31 ambitious recommendations to help the nation emerge as a more resilient democracy by 2026, <br />the nation's 250th anniversary. <br /><br />The Way Forward: Essential Reinvention of American Constitutional Democracy<br />The Six Strategies and Thirty-One Recommendations <br />(These struck me as rather "Brinnish" and are detailed here: https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/report/section/3)<br />Strategy 1<br />Achieve Equality of Voice and Representation<br />Strategy 2<br />Empower Voters<br />Strategy 3<br />Ensure the Responsiveness of Political Institutions<br />Strategy 4<br />Dramatically Expand Civic Bridging Capacity<br />Strategy 5<br />Build Civic Information Architecture that Supports Common Purpose<br />Strategy 6<br />Inspire a Culture of Commitment to American Constitutional Democracy and One AnotherKeith Halperinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09841504651752178493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9336227743552186402020-11-25T08:52:47.473-08:002020-11-25T08:52:47.473-08:00TCB:
My shoot-from-the-hip impression is that Rep...TCB:<br /><i><br />My shoot-from-the-hip impression is that Republicans are raising a stink over Dominion machines in particular because that is a company Republicans do not control.<br /></i><br /><br />That's exactly the Republican definition of "rigging the election." It means "Not rigged by us". Just as their "fake news" means "Actual facts that we don't like." And the only judges who are not "biased against Trump" are Trump <b>supporters</b>.<br /><br />See how that works?<br /><br />A line from the movie <i>The Sting</i> comes to mind, when Robert Shaw's character angrily asks, "What was I supposed to do? Call him out for cheatin' better than me in front of the others?"<br /><br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-26346084948951604712020-11-25T00:07:28.121-08:002020-11-25T00:07:28.121-08:00There are several manufacturers of voting machines...There are several manufacturers of voting machines and software, including Election Systems & Software, Inc (ES&S) which bought Diebold but then spun it off because of monopoly accusations. The Diebold assets, now called Premier, were bought by Dominion which is a Canadian company (their products are used in elections in the US, Canada, and I think Serbia!?). I strongly suspect that the company would run afoul of the Canadian regulators if they were still carrying water for GOP interests. My shoot-from-the-hip impression is that Republicans are raising a stink over Dominion machines in particular because that is a company Republicans do <b>not</b> control.TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87178660305133936172020-11-24T18:25:00.685-08:002020-11-24T18:25:00.685-08:00https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/527253-mi...https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/527253-michigan-county-board-approves-resolution-to-support-impeaching-gov<br /><i><br /><b>Michigan county board approves resolution in support of impeaching Whitmer</b><br /></i><br /><br />Gretchen Whitmer is now The X-Men. "Hated and feared by those they are sworn to protect."Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65396696850112694032020-11-24T17:02:41.042-08:002020-11-24T17:02:41.042-08:00https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/opinion/electio...https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/opinion/election-integrity.html<br /><br /><i><br />There is a notable overlap of interests. Voting machines are distrusted by people in both parties, and postelection audits help everyone. Improving voter registration makes registration easier (usually a Democratic demand) and removes suspicions of voter fraud (usually a Republican demand).<br /></i><br /><br />The problem with such bipartisan pleading is that it ignores what the Republicans are actually up to. The man on the street might suspect voter fraud by Democrats, but that's because it's the line that their leaders are feeding them. The Republicans in power don't believe that voter fraud is rampant. They just use it as an excuse to justify their voter suppression. So removing the suspicion of voter fraud wouldn't be a "Republican demand." In fact, they'd do all they could to <b>prevent</b> such a thing, as more trustworthiness would make it more difficult for them to justify voter suppression.<br /><br />So when people ask why both parties don't agree to something they both want--that's why.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2320739341714152512020-11-24T16:54:43.550-08:002020-11-24T16:54:43.550-08:00Der Oger:
Couldn't this rule be lifted by the...Der Oger:<br /><i><br />Couldn't this rule be lifted by the courts before the election? Poll tax and all such stuff?<br /></i><br /><br />I'm not a Georgia resident, so I'm not familiar with their specific election laws. If the courts wanted to get involved, I'm sure they could, but I don't know if they are Republican operatives as well.<br /><br />But their argument is that they're not requiring voters to buy a car in order to vote (which would be a poll tax). No, they're simply using vehicle registration as a means of determining residency. Non owners of cars will have their chance to establish residency a different way--just not in time for that particular runoff election on January 5.<br /><br /><i><br />And if an election is proven to be fraudulent, can't the result be nullified and a new election be held?<br /></i><br /><br />That's what they're trying to do with the presidential election, and it's not even working <b>for</b> Republicans. Hard to imagine that it would work opposing them. In the previous Georgia governor's race, the current (Republican) governor won by blatant cheats, such as people "collecting" mail-in ballots from black neighborhoods and throwing them in the trash. But the Georgia secretary of state overseeing the election certified the result. Incidentally, he himself was the victor in that election. The secretary of state overseeing the election was running for governor, and won.<br /><br />That's what we're up against.<br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28593179605603965062020-11-24T14:59:29.420-08:002020-11-24T14:59:29.420-08:00Everyone's a motivated buyer when the guy who ...<i>Everyone's a motivated buyer when the guy who speaks in ALL CAPS is nearby.</i><br /><br />Hahahaha! I, too, have read some Pratchett.<br /><br />Re: Greg Palast: Why weren't the Dems paying attention to him ten or fifteen years ago???<br /><br />Re: Robert Smalls: Yeah, that needs to be a movie.<br /><br />Trump has directed the GSA to certify and allow the transition. Word is, some of the big GOP donors threatened to pull their money out of Georgia if he didn't.TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63314307266816917862020-11-24T13:33:18.548-08:002020-11-24T13:33:18.548-08:00@Larry Hart: "Voter suppression in plain sigh...@Larry Hart: "Voter suppression in plain sight..."<br /><br />Couldn't this rule be lifted by the courts before the election? Poll tax and all such stuff?<br /><br />And if an election is proven to be fraudulent, can't the result be nullified and a new election be held?<br /><br />______________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />@TCB: The Sophie Scholl comparison made me read the leaflets again. I'll quote a passage from the first one, in regards to Trump losing to Biden and the transition phase:<br /><br />From Goethe’s The Awakening of Epimenides, Act II, Scene 4:<br /><br />SPIRITS<br />Though he who has boldly risen from the abyss<br />Through an iron will and cunning<br />May conquer half the world,<br />Yet to the abyss he must return.<br />Already a terrible fear has seized him;<br />In vain will he resist!<br />And all who still hung onto him<br />Must perish in his fall.<br /><br />HOPE<br />Now I meet my good men<br />Who have gathered in the night,<br />To wait in silence, not to sleep.<br />And the glorious word of liberty<br />They lisp and stammer,<br />Till in unaccustomed newness,<br />On the steps of our temple<br /><br />Once again in delight we cry:<br />(with conviction, loudly:)<br />Freedom!<br />(more moderately:)<br />Freedom!<br />(echo from all sides and ends:)<br />Freedom!<br /><br />https://www.weisse-rose-stiftung.de/white-rose-resistance-group/leaflets-of-the-white-rose/i-leaflet-of-the-white-rose/<br /> Der Ogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00977602334642769985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9810199592306399322020-11-24T10:23:06.908-08:002020-11-24T10:23:06.908-08:00From the Twitter thread matthew links to:
Sometim...From the Twitter thread matthew links to:<br /><i><br />Sometimes, in Alabama, you might meet Black people who know the Constitution like the back of their hands. That's because these "literacy" tests required Black people to recite whole passages, take handwriting tests, do math etc. Basically most WHITE people couldn't pass the test<br /><br />But again, Amelia was smart. In 1934, Amelia took the literacy test in spite of everyone telling her it was an impossible feat. <br /><br />Amelia Boynton passed that shit on her first try.<br /><br />And guess what she did?<br /><br />She started traveling around Alabama teaching people how to pass the test!<br /></i><br /><br />That reminds me of a tale I heard about university admissions in the Soviet Union. Apparently, Jewish applicants were given "Jewish questions", which were so difficult that it was virtually impossible to answer them correctly. And then, to add insult to injury, even if a Jewish applicant did somehow manage to pass the test, they were still denied admission.<br /><br />I'm sure black Alabamians received the same treatment if they passed their "literacy tests".<br /><br />Come to think of it, that's similar to the way Democrats have to win an overwhelming majority in multiple states to keep from being cheated out of a presidential run. And even when they do so, the win is not a sure thing.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88883246454446777032020-11-24T10:14:00.328-08:002020-11-24T10:14:00.328-08:00As MAGAs spend the inheritances they are about to ...<i>As MAGAs spend the inheritances they are about to receive by deliberately murdering Nana and Gramps over the 'holidays.' Ho, ho.</i><br /><br />Reminds me of something I posted over on Ornery American. I said that Republicans used to advocate starving their grandmothers. Now (by calling for herd immunity before a vaccine is available), they want to kill them outright.<br /><br />I guess you can call that "progress." Just don't ask me toward what. :)A.F. Reyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08102355714883828348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6798445246979050592020-11-24T09:28:59.103-08:002020-11-24T09:28:59.103-08:00Please read this Twitter thread from Michael Harri...Please read this Twitter thread from Michael Harriot. It's an amazing read. <br /><br />Probably you've heard of Robert Smalls but I'd bet dollars to donuts you do not know the whole story and how it relates to the Freedom Riders, Selma, and the last living slave. <br /><br />https://twitter.com/michaelharriot/status/1331129594292936709?s=20<br /><br />Oh, and I want to see the Robert Smalls movie. So badly. <br /><br />matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-73889065942867504832020-11-24T08:18:39.430-08:002020-11-24T08:18:39.430-08:00Voter suppression in plain sight...
https://www.g...Voter suppression in plain sight...<br /><br />https://www.gregpalast.com/georgia-tries-to-block-new-voters-ahead-of-runoff/<br /><i><br />Georgia’s Board of Elections is trying to sneak through a new rule that could block new registrations before the Senate runoff to people who don’t have a car registered in the state.<br /><br />This knocks out students and lower income urban voters (i.e. Black Atlantans) without cars. Of course, you can’t force people to buy a car in order to vote. The voters will be allowed on the rolls after a hearing, which will of course be after the January 5 election.<br /><br />The GOP Secretary of State’s excuse? To prevent voter fraud. Brad Raffensperger claims people from out of state will be driving into Georgia to register to vote in the runoff.<br />...<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-59543991914554076312020-11-23T06:49:19.215-08:002020-11-23T06:49:19.215-08:00If only, Lord; if only.
https://www.electoral-vot...If only, Lord; if only.<br /><br />https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2020/Pres/Maps/Nov23.html#item-11<br /><i><br />While various Republican pooh-bahs are campaigning for [Georgia Senate candidate] Loeffler and Perdue, some Trump supporters are so angry with the Republicans who have congratulated Joe Biden as president-elect that they are calling for a boycott of the runoffs to punish the Party. This is like a terrorist who threatens to shoot himself if his demands aren't met. The protesters (on Parler) call the Republicans who think Biden won RINOs and worse. One post said victories of Warnock and Ossoff were a small price to pay to teach the Republicans a lesson. Many Democrats would have agreed had they been on Parler. <br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-49820517149417472922020-11-23T01:40:22.401-08:002020-11-23T01:40:22.401-08:00Larry Hart said: "this is the sort of infight...Larry Hart said: "this is the sort of infighting that Democrats usually destroy their own political chances with. Who knew that Republicans were capable?"<br /><br />We're accustomed to seeing coalitions come together and fall apart in parliamentary systems, but lets remember that our two-party system has similar internal coalitions. <br /><br />The Repubs are particularly unstable right now. Winning was the glue that kept it together but we could be seeing a meltdown. <br /><br />Trump is threatening to blow-up the Elephant House. These are the kinds of power struggles that normal politicians have indoors, but Trump is not a politician. He's doing it over twitter. It appears to have just about zero chance of working, but if he does manage to put a bullet in the spinal cord of the Republican Party the nation will owe him a smirk.<br />geroldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140093281920523064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86139631020072809362020-11-23T01:28:37.014-08:002020-11-23T01:28:37.014-08:00Heh. I get the snark and appreciate it, but Nana a...Heh. I get the snark and appreciate it, but Nana and Gramps will die slowly enough to rack up hospital bills. Yah. Even if they can't get to ICU beds. Everyone's a motivated buyer when the guy who speaks in ALL CAPS is nearby.<br /><br />Then there are the relatives who will suffer chronic (long lasting) damage who won't have incomes for a while. Those 'costs' are almost as bad as hospital bills per capita, but will likely aggregate as MUCH more.<br /><br />My initial gloomy death toll prediction was for something like a WWII body count in the US. I was happy to see that as unlikely after the first wave, thought we might still avoid it with the second wave, and now I'm back to gloomy. The two vaccine studies reported recently look great, but mass production isn't magic. Maybe we will squeak under that bar? If so, I'll have something to be thankful for next Turkey Day. For this one I'm settling for the fact that my relatives have enough functioning brain cells to stay away from each other. <br /><br />We can always jump on Zoom and wave turkey legs at each other. Hah! I got one this time!Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-75473178770340797162020-11-22T14:09:49.878-08:002020-11-22T14:09:49.878-08:00TCB:
hey, what if Dems gained a Senate majority f...TCB:<br /><i><br />hey, what if Dems gained a Senate majority from GOP senators dying of covid? *<br /></i><br /><br />My "Mike Doonesbury's summer daydream" for years has been that The Rapture actually happens and takes the "good Christian" Republican politicians up, leaving the rest of us free of their continual interference. This might be the mysterious way that the Lord works in.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70638428570936627872020-11-22T13:18:53.059-08:002020-11-22T13:18:53.059-08:00Der Oger, that Sophie Scholl comparison was pure g...Der Oger, that Sophie Scholl comparison was pure gold. Gold, I'm tellin' ya! Hahaaaaaa, the security guard did the right thing and showed the rest of us how to do it too.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.cracked.com/article_29031_chiles-protesters-just-changed-their-constitution-pay-attention-us.html" rel="nofollow">Meanwhile in Chile!</a><br /><br />Cracked used to be a magazine, a second-tier knockoff of Mad. But the internet turned it into something else.<br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Dr. Brin reminded me of something I saw a few days ago about "anti-maskers going home for Thanksgiving gonna need to sell their dead parent's stuff in estate sales".<br /><br />Hard to feel bad for such people... hey, what if Dems gained a Senate majority from GOP senators dying of covid? *chef kiss*TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20151803917909469422020-11-22T13:04:25.366-08:002020-11-22T13:04:25.366-08:00Expect an economic BOOM in RED America! As MAGAs s...Expect an economic BOOM in RED America! As MAGAs spend the inheritances they are about to receive by deliberately murdering Nana and Gramps over the 'holidays.' Ho, ho.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.com