I am reposting this because brucedesertrat had a great comment and when I went to the link the site demanded I stop my ad blockers and sigh in. I refused to do both. So a few minutes ago I posted a fresh article on the NIH funding and in this original post I added three links to the Kennedy Center and Felon president tRump. Hugs
So I’m Trying To Clear Some Tabs
because I’m somewhat compulsive about clutter, but everytime I finish one, I think, “I need to post that,” so I can’t close them. I’m going to do another multi-post here; links and a snip, but all are good/important/pertinent to our interests, so enjoy/read, anyway, these stories.
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Salient points in this one, and she’s not the only one to whom this has occurred:
Snippet:
<snip> So, the Bush folks felt ecstatic when they got the White House–finally! In 2001. After two long terms of the Bubbas! The grown-ups were in charge! And they pretended the little thing with the missing “W”‘s was a big old riot of Democrat malfeasing–
And they didn’t have their eye on the ball about the PDB that said Bin Laden was planning an attack on our soil.
This is where I think the Trump people are. Trump is off-gassing about “owning” Gaza, He wants to ship about 2 million human beings who have already been through some major shit to Jordan or Egypt. These countries obviously don’t want to be responsible for about 1 million each refugees. Trump should know that, because he doesn’t want any kind of refugees, ever, here in the US.
He’s taking out experienced foreign office and military professionals, He’s offending the hell out of our allies, and making the likelihood of sharing intelligence less favorable. He’s putting in naifs and flakes in important roles.
And then says really offensive shit absolutely guaran-damn-teed to stir up some pot somewhere.
It’s like he figured out antifa isn’t going do a Reichstag with any credibility, so he needs an international crisis to go create bizarre national powers for himself. <snip>
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The Eyes Have It by Samantha Bee
What’s next? Read on Substack
<snip> Not to be all Cassandra about it, but a very big part of the problem is that we are incapable of anticipating what Donald Trump can whip up in his imagination.
Like you know how sometimes you wake up from a dream and you say “oh my god I just had the funniest dream that the dog wouldn’t stop laughing, and her laugh sounded like James Earl Jones!!” and everyone is just thinking “stop telling me about your dreams.”
I think he wakes up from his dreams and says “I am the boss of Canada now.” Or, he takes an elderly man’s nappie-poo in the afternoon, wakes up groggy, slurps a Diet Coke and muses “wouldn’t it be fun to do a WWE RAW in the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center? The acoustics are huge.” “Or what about one of those cool political rallies where we all do this random gesture together because no one is capable of stopping us?”
Well, we better damn well figure out how to stop this mayhem, because we are learning that things change quickly and without warning. <snip>
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(This one’s just, well, holy-shit-what’s-happened-to-her-brain weird.)
Rep. Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé and associates of assaulting her and raping others in House speech
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fiancé of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual misconduct.
Mace said she was speaking out because her home state’s top prosecutor didn’t take action even after she alerted investigators. That same prosecutor is likely to be Mace’s opponent if she runs for governor of South Carolina in 2026, which she is considering. <snip>
The AP wasn’t able to independently verify Mace’s claims. Bryant told AP: “I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.”
Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to state authorities.<snip>
Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is “seriously considering” a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson — in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson — in the Republican primary. <snip-the whole thing makes better sense as a whole, but not a lot more sense.>
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And finally, a little statement for hope:
What Can Be Done?
Civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill, on setting realistic expectations and saving enough of the foundational bricks of democracy to be able to rebuild in the future:
The truth is that we will NOT be able to stop every terrible thing that this administration seeks to do. Elections really do have consequences – as many of us tried with tremendous urgency to make clear last year. But we can slow things down, win some battles, throw sand in the gears of others. If we save some lives, some jobs, some critical government agencies, some measure of press freedom, some medical and subsistence benefits, academic freedom for some schools and universities, and protect the dignity, safety and constitutional rights of some of our most vulnerable fellow Americans, it will be worth it.
And it will be from whatever remainder of democratic structure, values, and policies we are able to protect that we will have the space and platform on which to do the work of building an urgently needed new democracy in our country. So our fight today is worth it.
NotGonnaDon’WannaPleaseDon’MakeMe (Get Up)
Or else, “Happiness is a Warm Puppy.”
It was cold out in Ollie’s potty area this morning!
Later this evening and overnight, we should get between 2-4 in. of snow, which is fine, then the temps will be below 20 degrees for a few days. Poor little guy’s gonna have to chase his favorite ball inside for a while.
———–Other Thoughts————————————–
I enjoy spicing my oatmeal differently each morning. I think I especially like ginger with a dash of vanilla, but my top favorite is cocoa and cayenne pepper. It’s really awesome, and puts a fine shine on the day, for me. Ollie can’t clean my bowl for me, though, when I do that one.
Our kid’s birthday is this week. I have no good ideas; he himself has no good ideas; we’re all sort of at the place where if we need something, we just get it. I’m thinking of something to cook. And trying to decide between ice cream cake, or lava cake, both of which are his favorites.
I’ve been really relishing a TV show on Tuesdays, now at 8PM but used to be at 9PM on ABC, called “High Potential.” It’s really good, and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who might try it; it’s a mystery show with a high IQ neurodivergent (show’s description) woman who becomes a detective while juggling family life and a missing husband. I really like it, and recommend it to anyone with an hour at 8PM on a Tuesday night! They stream it on Hulu, too.
I know no one thinks it’s much justice for We The People to see the FBI reports on the stolen documents found at Mar-A-Lago. It isn’t, really, except we’ll know if we want to, and will be yet better informed as we go about our civic duty of directing our government. And he’s still a convicted felon, as well.
I hope everyone’s got sun today, at some point. I usually prefer cloudy days with temps between 35-48 degrees, but since the election, for some reason, I’ve noticed I prefer a sunny day after a cloudy day, and maybe slightly higher temps, like between 42-60. Go figure.
That’s what I’ve got. I need to sweep the floor to make room for the new dog hair!
Some Justice
thanks to FOIA and Jason Leopold:
By Susie Madrak — February 11, 2025
The dismissal of criminal charges against the Yam Man for concealing classified records at Mar-a-Lago eliminated a significant barrier to making records about the probe public, a federal judge ruled Monday. Via Politico:
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said Trump’s election as president — which forced the end of the criminal case — combined with the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity mean Trump is effectively insulated from any criminal responsibility for his conduct. That means the FBI’s previous reasons for refusing to gather and disclose records related to the probe no longer apply, Howell wrote in a ruling in a Freedom of Information Act case brought by journalist Jason Leopold.
She noted that while the dismissal of charges against Trump may have reduced his criminal exposure, it “ironically” made him more susceptible to public scrutiny for his conduct. “With the far dampened possibility of any criminal investigation to gather evidence about a president’s conduct and of any public enforcement proceeding against a president, the [Supreme Court’s] decision … has left a FOIA request as a critical tool for the American public to keep apprised of a president’s conduct,” Howell ruled.
https://bsky.app/profile/plaintanjane.bsky.social/post/3lhu7clii5s2v
https://bsky.app/profile/luciecatnip.bsky.social/post/3lhu27ltj422c
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/02/judge-fbi-must-disclose-records-trump
ETTD
😀
Totally unrelated but really fun, so here it is:
Peace & Justice History for 2/11
February 11, 1790 The Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, composed mostly of Quakers and Mennonites, petitioned Congress for emancipation of all slaves. Benjamin Franklin had become vocal as an abolitionist and in 1787 began to serve as President of the Society which not only advocated the abolition of slavery, but made efforts to integrate freed slaves into American society. The proposed resolution was immediately denounced by pro-slavery congressmen and sparked a heated debate in both the House and the Senate. More on early Abolitionist and Anti-Slavery Movements |
| February 11, 1916 Emma Goldman was arrested for lecturing on birth control, presumed a violation of the 1873 Comstock Law which prohibited distribution of literature on birth control, considered obscene under the act. Goldman considered such knowledge essential to women’s reproductive and economic freedom; she had worked as a nurse and midwife among poor immigrant workers on New York’s Lower East Side in the 1890s. She also organized for womens’ suffrage, later opposed U.S. involvement in World War I, and was imprisoned for allegedly obstructing military conscription.  Emma Goldman speaking on Birth Control -Union Square, New York City May 20, 1916 “. . . those like myself who are disseminating knowledge [of birth control] are not doing so because of personal gain or because we consider it obscene or lewd. We do it because we know the desperate condition among the masses of workers and even professional people, when they cannot meet the demands of numerous children.” – Goldman letter to the press following her arrest  Emma Goldman’s courageous efforts ————————————————————————————– February 11, 1937 Forty-eight thousand General Motors workers won their 44-day sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan. On December 30 workers at Fisher Plants 1 & 2 sat down and refused to leave, forcing workers around them to stop work and preventing the next shift from starting.  The sit-down strike ended when the company agreed to recognize the United Automobile Workers union as the representative bargaining agent for the striking hourly employees. Other automakers gradually accepted the legitimacy of the union. The success of the sit-down was an inspiration to workers in other industries to organize their own unions. Nearly 100 images on the Flint sit-down from Detroit’s Wayne State University Walter Reuther Archive —————————————————————————————- February 11, 1978 Native Americans began The Longest Walk, a march from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay to Washington, D.C. Native American Activism: 1960s to Present A Brief History of the American Indian Movement  photo Ilka Hartmann The Walk was intended to be a reminder of the forced removal of American Indians from their homelands across the continent, and drew attention to the continuing problems plaguing the Indian community, particularly joblessness, lack of health care, education and adequate housing. —————————————————————————————– February 11, 1979 Poet John Trudell, a former national chairman of the American Indian Movement (AIM), burned an upside-down flag and spoke from the steps of the FBI building in Washington, D.C. during a vigil for Leonard Peltier. Peltier, also a leader of AIM, was imprisoned (and is still today after 30 years,) and is considered a political prisoner by Amnesty International. (NOTE: Leonard Peltier’s sentence was commuted to home confinement in 2025.) Twelve hours later Trudell’s wife Tina, her mother, and their three children died in an arsonist’s attack of their home on the Duck Valley Reservation in Nevada. The FBI did not investigate even though the crime fell under its jurisdiction. Learn about Leonard Peltier Remembering John Trudell ———————————————————————————————- February 11, 1990  Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in a South African prison following months of secret negotiations with South African President F.W. (Frederik Willem) de Klerk. In 1952, Mandela became deputy national president of the African National Congress (ANC), the oldest black political organization in South Africa, having joined as a young lawyer in 1944. He advocated nonviolent resistance to apartheid – South Africa’s institutionalized system of white supremacy, black disenfranchisement and rigid racial segregation. However, after the massacre of peaceful black demonstrators at Sharpeville in 1960, Mandela helped organize a paramilitary branch of the ANC to engage in guerrilla warfare against the white minority government.  He and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1993 “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.” Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/11/newsid_2539000/2539947.stm |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryfebruary.htm#february11
More Brain-Clearing Fun… 💃
Read it when you get a chance, and get a good look at those covers! Holy cow-
I Really Like This.
I think you will, too.
Scottie's Playtime 