Goons & Words & Shitty Deals while Mimi cracks wise about Nazis
So Dan Meuser (R-PA) apparently dropped out of the House Speaker race before the first vote last night. Figures; I thought him the least objectionable of the sorry lot. Somebody must have informed him this was a sick family fight he better stay outa because, well, just because. Saving his ammo for another day.
Based on the rumors afoot, there’s 3 with substantive support. Emmer gave old Donnie a let’s kiss and make up call. Then Donnie publicly mocked him with intent to humiliate in that skanky whiny ‘poor me’ bitchy voice of his. The legal doc paper cuts are taking their toll.
Byron Daniels (R-FL) is the 2nd with support but from the Freedom Fried brigade may face an uphill battle because lots of Rs are just sick of the Crazy 8 puppetry show.
Bergman, the Upper Peninsula Michigan military general guy, is the 3rd with substantive support. Can he emerge as a compromise choice? He’s close to the edge over there on the right but for any chance at the 2024 president race, Michigan’s a swing state they’re gonna need a good shot at.
Not much early support for the 5 remaining candidates. The Republicans would like to have a new Speaker today but their grasp of civil and strategic choicemaking has been overloading their neural circuits, it seems. After the 3 year effort to steal the presidential race from most voters, they haven’t had much time left to devote to DOING THE REPRESENTING stuff. I wouldn’t bet a dime on any of those mooks.
I’ll trot this out now and again. Would you buy envelopes or postcards with this message on it? I could use a tiny bit of side income here. I don’t have the printing set up as yet but testing whether pithy human rights messages would have a reasonable market.
.On the flip side, small print would say ‘End human slavery. End hostage taking. End conscripton that puts your body in a war.End substandard wage slavery. Equal choices for all. Win 60% of Congressional seats in 2024. Get the hecking ERA passed (finally). Then we figure out the next great step forward.’
Some important reads that excerpts can’t do justice to:
Thoughts on Israel and Gaza, from Barack Obama, an important message for the country and the world.
’Five Families’ and factions within factions: Why the House G.O.P. Can’t Unite, by Luke Broadwater at the NY Times.
Trump Plots to Pull Out of NATO - If He Doesn’t Get His Way, by Asawin Suebsaeng & Adam Rawnsley at Rolling Stone.
Statement from the King Center Calling For Cease-Fire In Israel-Gaza Strip, on Twitter.
It makes me sad that the Carter family and Center are so busy tending to the declining health of Rosalynn and Jimmy that their words can’t be added. Former President Carter invested a lot of expertise and effort to build more peace and pursue more justice in the lands of the Palestinians, Israelis and Egyptians.
Perfect costumes for a family of four.
Relentless Wrestler by David Mariniss & Sally Jenkins at Washington Post is a detailed definitive work describing what Jim Jordan is made of. Grit and determination are worthy traits in a wrestler but when evangelicism is mixed in, it’s a rather toxic mix of giving no legislation and getting no compromises done. How he neglected to protect the students he coached from a serial sex offender is pretty chilling reading.
At the Philly Inquirer columnist Will Bunch wrote recently “America needs to talk about the right’s ‘Red Caesar’ plan for U.S. dictatorship”. It’s quite the eye-opener too.
Nir Avishai Cohen is in the Israeli Defense Forces reserves. Called to duty after the brutal HAMAS attack, he wrote a guest opinion in the NY Times: I’m Going to War for Israel. Palestinians Are Not My Enemy, on October 16th.
Finish your reading with ‘An end of American democracy’: Heather Cox Richardson on Trump’s historic threat’ by David Smith at The Guardian. From the picture, Smith found the acclaimed historian in her natural habitat of messy desk and handy bookshelves.
As expected, lawyer Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty today to one Fulton County GA charge, the third Trump lawyer to do so. She’s guilty for a single count: "aiding and abetting false statements/writings." Her tearful words after her plea are the first to include an apology to the people of Georgia.
Last March, I began attending Improv Comedy classes as a fresh means to socialize with a rather creative and funny bunch. The most intriguing one goes by a nickname, Mimi. We celebrated her birthday in July amid our move by taking her out for a night of karaoke, another passion of hers. She turned 91 I believe. Could be 92.
Mimi is funny, she can go places in Improv where others fear to tread. Though she moves with a walker and her caregiver comes and takes part in the merriment, as well, her background in consulting and seminars gives her an added stage presence. Multi-lingual, she retains a German accent. She was 14 when WWII ended. As a Jewish child in the death camps she experienced too much fear, pain and misery. Yet is bright and sharp and funny as hell, a living example of resilience.
She missed a couple of meetings and I was planning to check in on her. At last night’s Improv session it was announced that she has a rare, aggressive cancer and was told she might be done in the next six months. I plan to visit her. What should I bring?
Also over the weekend, one of my oldest cousins, in her early 80s, posted on FB that her husband’s dementia has reached a point where they can no longer converse. She also takes care of a younger sister who has some lifelong disabilities. She sounded overwhelmed and tired.
`I’ve struggled recently with a few lesser health issues and bigger financial woes. My car’s electrical system is haunted with a faulty kind of module. When the headlights are on, so are the backup lights. When I start the car, the gas gauge and radio quickly cut out. Sometimes the interior lights come on and the sensor says ‘Door’s ajar’ but the door isn’t. Because it’s a 23 year old car, a new module is probably impossible. A used one from a junkyard has to be tracked down. The repair will cost nearly $700.
New eyeglasses are needed. And a new cellphone. The cost to renew a wholesale license for a little cookie jar money also must be paid for. I’m brainstorming to find a way to raise $1600. This comes with the added issue of the actions of our outgoing landlord. The explanation he wrote begins with a sentence about how clean the house was. Followed by an added $1800 in deductions that didn’t meet that standing. Having rented for more than 40 years, I’ve never been charged a penny for cleaning or security. I’m in the process of filing to take him to small claims court. Otherwise, my financial distress would be far smaller.
I’m sure in your lives there are sadnesses and difficulties to contend with. Mimi’s experienced far worse. If you or your loved ones struggle with illness, loneliness, grief or any kind of difficulty, check in on the regular. Go and listen to their hearts while you can & provide some comfort. You’re needed.
I don't have a suggestion for your visit with Mimi, but tell her I'm thinking of her. <3