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Cheers and Jeers: Tuesday [1]
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Date: 2023-06-20
Energize An Ally Tuesday
Latest word from Jose Andres at World Central Kitchen:
In Ukraine, our team is headed into cities that have been recently liberated from Russian occupation. The situation is dire. Homes, buildings, and businesses have been destroyed, grocery stores are closed, and many families are still without light, gas, or heat. Your support will help us continue serving hot meals to families in need.
WCK is one of four organizations the Daily Kos community has supported—to the tune of over $3.3 million thus far—since the start of Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Now, with the counteroffensive underway, the reach of aid is expanding into territory that the Russians turned into a toxic mix of rubble and war crimes. The other three groups are AmeriCares, Razom for Ukraine, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They remain active and in need of funding to carry out their humanitarian missions there.
If you feel inclined to add a bit to the fund, click here and ActBlue will help you take care of the rest. Many thanks. And to our tenacious ally and future NATO partner now in the process of kicking the Russians out: Glory to Ukraine, baby. Hit ‘em where the sun don’t shine.
Cheers and Jeers for Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Note: Breaking at this hour—Police warn of new underground activist group comprised of militant opponents of mildly-disappointed Americans, prompting Justice Department to launch investigation into Antifeh. Film at 11.
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5 days!!!
By the Numbers:
Days 'til National Coconut Day: 6
Days 'til the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City: 5
Percent of U.S. GDP that comes from blue counties: 71%
Number of the top 10 states most dependent on federal money that are red states: 7
Percent of MAGA cultists polled by ABC News/Ipsos in early April and early June, respectively, who believed the charges against Trump are serious: 21%, 38%
Number of anti-LGBTQ bills Texas and Oklahoma, respectively, have introduced this year, making them the current #1 and #2 states with the most hateful legislatures: 51 / 35
Years Bishop William Barber preached at Greenleaf Christian Church before retiring as pastor Sunday: 30
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Wink and a smile…
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CHEERS to earning your paycheck. While the previous Republican president chose incompetent layabouts (Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson) to serve as Secretary of State, President Biden picked a competent, indefatigable winner in Antony Blinken. A quiet globetrotter in a demanding job, Blinken fired up his jetpack Diplomacy One and rocketed over to China to apply a soothing salve of smiles and praise on China's delicate little despot president. It seems to be working:
China and the United States agreed on Monday to try and stabilise their intense rivalry to avoid veering into conflict, but did not announce any major breakthroughs during a rare visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken with his excellent boss. Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed "progress" after shaking hands with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People, a grand venue usually reserved for greeting heads of state. Xi's comments, and the diplomatic choreography of the visit, appeared to signal a will to make progress, analysts said. "China's messaging has been pretty positive," said Wu Xinbo, a professor and director at the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
The talks centered around child labor abuses, alarming military spending, growing authoritarianism, a war on truth, and second-class treatment of minorities. Then they focused on similar stuff happening in China.
CHEERS to swishing toward Gomorrah. Despite persistent rain from above, sunshine and rainbows were the order of business on the ground Saturday afternoon for the 40-somethingth annual Pride Parade that wound its way through the streets of Portland, Maine. In fact, attendance wasn't affected a whit by the weather…a clear signal to the haters that we ain't no shrinking violets:
“I’m here to show pride and support for our community, and for the great city of Portland,” [Michael] Patterson said. “Nothing can dampen the spirit of Pride. Look at all the people here. The streets are lined. There’s a lot of energy.” Equality Maine marches down High Street. Nearby, Wendy Chapkis smiled, holding a yellow umbrella and a sign that read: “Not Made of Sugar. Won’t Melt in the Rain. Queers are the Rainbow.” […] Justine Ravenscroft of Pride Portland, the group that organizes the annual parade celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, said more than 120 organizations registered to be in Saturday’s parade. Most showed up, with only a handful of groups bowing out because of the weather. “It’s a really great turnout. People came out in the rain. It’s going to be a good day,” Ravenscroft said. The annual parade is important, said the tutu-clad Patterson, “given what’s happened nationally relative to (anti-LGBTQ+) legislation happening in a variety of states. It’s really important to get out, make sure our voices are heard. To be vocal and show ourselves.”
Oh, and for other pride march organizers out there, we found an effective way to keep the loudmouth protesters from ruining things. Toss 'em some Tootsie Rolls.
CHEERS to seals that can’t balance a beach ball on their nose. On June 20, 1782, the Great Seal of the United States was finally adopted by Congress. They sure took their sweet time getting there:
On July 4, 1776,the same day that independence from Great Britain was declared by the thirteen states, the Continental Congress named the first committee to design a Great Seal, or national emblem, for the country. The eye, of course, is Hillary Clinton’s. (She sees you, Q-Anon. Ooga Booga!) Similar to other nations, The United States needed an official symbol of sovereignty to formalize and seal (or sign) international treaties and transactions. It took six years, three committees, and the contributions of fourteen men before the Congress finally accepted a design (which included elements proposed by each of the three committees) in 1782.
Taking our annual inventory: 13 stars, 13 stripes, 13 arrows in the eagle’s talon,13 letters in the mottos "e pluribus unum" and "annuit coeptis," 52 total letters on it (which is divisible by 13), 13 olive leaves, 13 olives on the branch, 13 levels in the pyramid, and 13 sides showing on the ribbon. But designer Charles Thomson stopped short of including a black cat walking under a ladder. That would've been considered unlucky.
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BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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x A very interesting video by Eugenio Monesma shows the traditional wine barrel manufacturing process: this excerpt shows how wood is bent in making a barrel
[full video:
https://t.co/qoYLGuGzQw]pic.twitter.com/ia5RgGO5Mp — Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 18, 2023
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END BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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CHEERS to the beginning of the end. 51 years ago this week, five burglars were arrested inside DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex:
They possessed burglary tools, cameras, film and pen-size tear gas guns. Ah, the old bug in the nickel trick. Diabolical. In rooms the men had rented at a motel across Virginia Avenue from the burglary scene, police found electronic bugging equipment. Three of those arrested were Cuban exiles and one was a Cuban-American. Their leader was James McCord, a former CIA agent and a security coordinator for President Richard Nixon’s Committee for the Reelection of the President. Prosecutors also charged E. Howard Hunt Jr., a former White House aide, and G. Gordon Liddy, a CREEP finance counsel, as accomplices.
It was the start of a chain of events that led to Nixon's resignation, punctuated by the now-shocking notion that prominent members of Nixon's own party would help drag the scandal into the sunlight instead of burying it in the backyard under a smokescreen of spin and faux-outrage at Democrats. When the crisis had passed, Republicans paused a moment to reflect on the fact that they'd done something right and honorable...and vowed to never make that mistake again.
JEERS to the extended forecast. Sorry to bring this up while you're trying to psych yourself to face another day with a caffeinated spring in your step, but you may want to add a titanium umbrella to your shopping list. While reading up on the possible demise of the star Betelgeuse (where I have substantial real estate holdings), I learned that we're at the mercy of stars that turn into explosive supernovas:
A supernova explosion would also create radioactive iron. In fact, this substance has been found in Earth’s seabed and on the Moon, believed to have formed in a supernova explosion between 2 and 3 million years ago. “Ma, better fetch the SPF 5,000 Coppertone.” That supernova was perhaps 300 light years from us, closer than Betelgeuse, but far enough to cause no major problems for life on Earth. A very close supernova, closer than 30 light years, could cause major problems: the cosmic rays could cause ozone destruction and dangerous UV levels on Earth. It could reduce ozone by half over a period lasting hundred to thousands of years: this level is considered capable of causing an extinction event.
I believe I speak on behalf of the planet when I say to any supernova putting us on their target list: aim for the Freedom Caucus.
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Ten years ago in C&J: June 20, 2013
CHEERS to Barackin' Berlin. After yakkety yakking it up at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, President Obama flew to Germany, where he gave a speech at the Brandenburg Gate. He spoke of lofty goals and dreams that have no chance of seeing the light of day as long as Congress remains broken. But it was stirring stuff, and also symbolic…
Obama faced the East in contrast to Reagan's appearance when the Berlin Wall still divided the city. While the crowd was much smaller than the estimated 200,000 who jammed the area in 2008 to hear then Sen. Obama speak, people waved U.S. and German flags and regularly erupted in cheers and applause. Near the front was Gail Halvorsen, known as the Candy Bomber for being the first to drop candy to kids during the U.S. airlift of 1948-49 that supplied West Berlin following a Soviet blockade. Obama paid tribute to that moment, noting that the 92-year-old Halvorsen, who he called "the original candy bomber," was present. "We could not be prouder of him," Obama said as Halvorsen stood and waved. The president added: "I hope I look that good, by the way, when I'm 92."
Nice shoutout. Very classy. And extra points for invoking JFK's immortal 50-year-old words, "Ich bin ein Berliner." Which according to my Google Translator app means, "I have a lovely bunch of coconuts." [Wipes tear] So true.
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And just one more…
JEERS to the Night of A Thousand New Coronavirus Cases. Feel free to skip this—it has to do with "him." But there's no way we can't revisit June 20, 2020, a date which will live in infamy.
Three years ago our COVID death toll stood at 122,000 on its way, thanks to dithering and moronic Republican cult management, to over a million-plus. And what did our face-painted moron-in-chief decide would be a great idea in the middle of all the chaos and death? Of course—a MAGA rally with no mask mandate or social distancing rules because NO ONE TELLS REPUBLICANS WHAT TO DO THEY TELL YOU WHAT TO DO! Trump flew Air Force One down to Tulsa, having pre-boasted of "a million ticket registrations," only to discover that a few thousand bothered to show up.
Among the few in attendance for Trump's sweaty, nonsensical hour of gaslighting was former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, whom Trump rewarded for joining his merry band by exposing him to COVID and killing him. What a friend. Only the best thoughts and prayers, believe me.
All hail the conquering hero.
As a disheveled and depressed Trump slumped across the White House lawn and back to his room for a night of rage-tweeting while the world laughed at his pathetic spectacle, this guy—Mike Brooks—was deemed the smartest one in the arena:
Seven months to the day later, Trump would again slump across the White House lawn, this time to board Marine One as the roundly-defeated one-term, twice-impeached (and now twice-indicted) ex-president whose approval never reached 50 percent and who almost died from COVID himself. And we all lived happily ever after. Except Herman Cain and 1,167,334 other Americans. The End.
Have a tolerable Tuesday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial Bill in Portland Maine is like a 9-year-old—a defiant 9-year-old kid who’s always pushing the glass toward the edge of the table, defying his parents to stop him from doing it. —Bill Barr
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[END]
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