;)
Thursday
Jul272023
July 28, 2023
Afternoon Update:
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden gave final approval on Friday to the biggest reshaping in generations of the country's Uniform Code of Military Justice, stripping commanders of their authority over cases of sexual assault, rape and murder to ensure prosecutions that are independent of the chain of command. By signing a far-reaching executive order, Mr. Biden ushered in the most significant changes to the modern military legal system since it was created in 1950. The order follows two decades of pressure from lawmakers and advocates of sexual assault victims, who argued that victims in the military were too often denied justice, culminating in a bipartisan law mandating changes. The White House called the changes to the military justice system 'a turning point for survivors of gender-based violence in the military' and said they kept promises Mr. Biden made as a candidate.... The changes had for years been opposed by military commanders. But they were finally embraced by the Pentagon in 2021 and mandated by a law spearheaded by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York."
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post on the main things we learned from the superseding classified documents indictment: "The superseding indictment drives home how much this trial will be about the alleged coverup.... The document [Trump 'presented' in Bedminster is one] that he acknowledged in real time he hadn't declassified.... With De Oliveira, the government has another strong candidate for flipping...."
I Take My Science-y Advice From Sen. Potato Head. Chris D'Angelo & Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: <"Two global climate organizations on Thursday confirmed that July is on track to be the single hottest month on record. It is also likely the hottest monthlong stretch in 120,000 years. Nearly 200 million people -- 60% of the U.S. population -- are currently under an extreme heat or flood advisory. But as usual, Republican climate deniers are quick to dismiss the dire impacts. 'There is a very scientific word for this: It's called summer,' Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told HuffPost when asked about the heat on Thursday. 'It's no hotter right now than it's ever been. I've been in this heat all my life in July and August as a football coach. This world's not heating up, come on.'... 'Southern Louisiana, it's always hot,' [House Majority Leader Steve] Scalise [said'. 'Thank God for air conditioning.'... Meanwhile, the Republican Party is attacking the Biden administration's effort to make home appliances, including air conditioners and dishwashers, more efficient. Fox News and other right-wing media have dutifully dubbed the federal effort as Biden's 'war on appliances.'"
~~~~~~~~~~
The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand. -- Mark Felt a/k/a Deep Throat, to Bob Woodward, on the Watergate conspirators ~~~
** ~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors on Thursday added major accusations to an indictment charging ... Donald J. Trump with mishandling classified documents after he left office, presenting evidence that he told the property manager of Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, that he wanted security camera footage there to be deleted. The new accusations were revealed in a superseding indictment that named the property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, as a new defendant in the case. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Miami on Monday.... The revised indictment added three serious charges against Mr. Trump: attempting to 'alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal evidence'; inducing someone else to do so; and a new count under the Espionage Act related to a classified national security document that he showed to visitors at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J." (This is a rewrite of a story linked yesterday.) The AP's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is obstruction upon obstruction. On May 11, 2022, the DOJ subpoenaed all classified documents in Trump's possession. In Obstruction Scheme 1, which takes place in late May & early June, Trump has Nauta & De Oliveira move around boxes of various items & papers, including classified docs, so Trump can sift through the boxes and rearrange their contents. He has the guys move boxes containing more than 100 classified docs to places where Trump's own attorneys cannot access them. Then Trump falsely tells his lawyers that all of the classified docs in his possession are in a basement storage closet. The attorneys produce 37 classified documents and turn them over to investigators who come to Mar-a-Lago. While there, those investigators see some surveillance cameras. So in Obstruction Scheme 2, which takes place in late June, a grand jury subpoenas the surveillance video. Trump immediately tells Laurel & Hardy to have the surveillance server destroyed. Nauta secretly rushes from Bedminster to Palm Beach to carry out Trump's order, but a reluctant co-worker foils the scheme. ~~~
~~~ You can read the new indictment, via CNN, here. Mission Fail. MB: The section labeled "The Attempt to Delete Security Camera Footage" (begins at page 26) is a hoot. The guys walk through dark tunnels with flashlights & hold clandestine meetings in the bushes next door to Mar-a-Lardo and in a windowless closet. They sound like mobsters: Carlos tells an IT employee he had better delete the footage because "the boss" wanted it done; then Walt checks with another employee because "someone [MB: i.e., Trump] just wants to make sure Carlos is good," and that person's assures Walt that Carlos is loyal. On that assurance, Trump calls Carlos to tell him not to worry as He Trump would pay for Carlos' lawyer. Oh, and the upshot of all this is that neither the Frick & Frack team nor "the boss" get the IT guy to delete the surveillance footage or deep-six the server. The life of Trump would make a decent "B" mob movie. Better yet, maybe the Coen brothers are taking notes. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~
~~~ From CNN's liveblog: "Special counsel Jack Smith has brought additional charges against ... Donald Trump in the case surrounding his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House, according to the court docket. Trump has been charged with three new counts, including one additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts, related to alleged attempts to delete surveillance video footage at the Mar-a-Lago resort in summer 2022." You'll have to scroll down to read this content. AND ~~~
~~~ "... Smith has filed an additional charge against ... Donald Trump for willfully retaining a top-secret document about Iran attack plans, which he discussed with biographers during a taped meeting at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey in July 2021, according to the indictment." Scroll down. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Here's Jack Smith's description of the indictment and a rationale why the superseding indictment should not delay the court's trial schedule. Via Marcy Wheeler.
Marcy Wheeler points to "... a key paragraph of the superseding indictment ... [which] shows how Trump uses legal representation to secure loyalty. It's a fact pattern that crosses both of Trump's crimes, and may well be in the expected January 6 indictment. It may help to break down the omerta currently protecting Trump." That is, Trump keeps poor people from testifying against him by promising to pay their lawyers' fees. MB: It isn't surprising that both Nauta & De Oliveira have Trump-PAC-paid lawyers. Legal codes of ethics demand that lawyers represent their clients, not the entities who pay them, but it would appear Frick's & Frack's are, um, conflicted. You may recall that January 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson said that her Trump-allied lawyer urged her to "forget" what she heard at the White House and hinted her "faulty memory" would pay off in the form of lucractive job offers; it was not until she got another lawyer that she testified truthfully to the January 6 investigators.
Tierney Sneed of CNN: "Special counsel Jack Smith has charged a third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, in the Trump Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, according to court files.... De Oliveira was the maintenance worker who helped Nauta move boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago after the Justice Department first subpoenaed Trump for classified documents last May." (Also linked yesterday.)
Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: “If the allegations in the latest indictment of Donald Trump hold up, the former president is a common criminal -- and an uncommonly stupid one.... According to the superseding indictment handed up late Thursday, even after Trump knew the FBI was onto his improper retention of classified information, and even after he knew they were seeking security camera footage from the Mar-a-Lago storage areas where the material was kept -- in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes -- Trump made matters infinitely worse. The alleged conduct ... is nothing short of jaw-dropping...." ~~~
~~~ Oh, Yeah? Let's Ask the Trumpettes! Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "Former President Trump's campaign lashed out Thursday at new charges levied against him and his associates in his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, calling it an attempt to harass Trump and those around him. 'This is nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him,' the campaign said in a statement."
Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out Thursday that the superseding indictment makes clear that Walt Nauta was not an unwitting employee who accidentally got caught up in a misadventure that got away from him; rather, he was a willing & enthusiastic co-conspirator, who went to great lengths to implement Trump's scheme.
Chutzpah! Laura Jarrett of NBC News: "On top of the new charges against the former president about his alleged mishandling of classified documents comes word from the special counsel that Trump wants to be able to discuss classified discovery [at Mar-a-Lago] outside of a classified setting. Clearly baffled, prosecutors from the special counsel's team write in part in the latest court filing: 'There is no basis for the defendant's request that he be given the extraordinary authority to discuss classified information at his residence, and it is particularly striking that he seeks permission to do so in the very location at which he is charged with willfully retaining the documents charged in this case...." This is part of a liveblog and you may have to scroll down.
**Uh-oh. Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump were meeting Thursday morning with prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office, more than a week after Trump said he received a letter from the Justice Department telling him he could face criminal charges in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The meeting, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter..., is another sign that Smith could be close to seeking an indictment of Trump in the Justice Department's long-running elections probe." At 8:35 am ET Thursday, this was a developing story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update: Adam Reiss & Vaughn Hillyard of NBC News (at 11:14 am ET): "Trump's attorneys Todd Blanche and John Lauro have met with prosecutors in Smith's office, according to three sources. The lawyers were told to expect an indictment, two sources said." This is part of a liveblog. You'll have to scroll down. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update 2: Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying his lawyers met on Thursday to appeal to special counsel Jack Smith that 'an indictment would only further destroy the country.' Trump's attorneys went into their meeting with the special counsel Thursday not to argue the facts of the case against indicting Trump, but instead with a broader appeal that indicting him would only cause more turmoil in the country's political environment, two sources familiar with the meeting said." This is part of a liveblog. You'll have to scroll down. (Also linked yesterday.)
Chang Che of the New York Times: "A Kentucky man who used a flagpole to batter a door near the House chamber during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was found guilty in federal court in Washington on Wednesday on nine counts, including civil disorder and disruption of an official proceeding, prosecutors said. Chad Barrett Jones, 45, of Mount Washington, Ky., was part of a standoff in the Speaker's Lobby that ended in the death of Ashli Babbitt, 35, an Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police lieutenant as rioters tried to breach the House chamber, prosecutors said. During the encounter, which was captured on video from multiple angles, rioters came close enough to lock eyes with lawmakers, separated only by a few officers and antique wood-and-glass doors. Judge Richard J. Leon of the Federal District Court in Washington found Mr. Jones guilty after a bench trial on two felony and seven misdemeanor charges, including the destruction of government property."
Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley pleaded guilty to a federal crime on Thursday in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Kelley pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining on restricted grounds.... Kelley ran for governor in Michigan in 2022 as a Republican, He was arrested last June, before the Republican primary, and was, for a time, leading in the polls." MB: Too bad it's just a misdemeanor. Kelley probably won't get jail time. And I was thinking he would have made a nice simpatico cellmate for Donald Trump. (Also linked yesterday.)
Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The Senate on Thursday gave overwhelming approval to the annual defense policy bill, sidestepping a contentious debate over abortion access for service members and quashing efforts to limit aid for Ukraine in a show of bipartisanship that set up a bitter showdown with the House. The vote was 86 to 11 to pass the bill, which would authorize $886 billion for national defense over the next year. It includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for troops and civilian employees, investments in hypersonic missile and drone technology, and measures to improve competition with China. But its fate is deeply in doubt as the measure heads for what is expected to be a contentious negotiation between the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House, where right-wing hard-liners have attached a raft of conservative social policy mandates." MB: And then the whole damned Congress packed up and went home for a five-week summer vacay. ~~~
~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "House Republicans abandoned efforts to pass a spending bill to fund the Agriculture Department and the F.D.A. on Thursday before heading home for summer break, stymied by internal divisions over funding and social policy that threaten to make it impossible for them to avoid a shutdown in the fall. Caught between hard-right conservatives who wanted tens of billions of dollars cut from the legislation and more mainstream Republicans who oppose abortion-related restrictions that the far right insisted upon adding, G.O.P. leaders abruptly pulled the plug on their plans to pass the $25 billion bill. That added the agriculture measure to a looming legislative pileup in September, when Congress will have just weeks to pass a dozen spending bills or a temporary patch to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1." Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Meanwhile, I heard on the teevee tape of Kevin McCarthy boasting Thursday about how Republicans in Congress, unlike Democrats, get things done. It's like Donald Trump's boasting about his "perfect phone calls"; i.e., the one to Zelensky that got him impeached and the one to Raffensperger that is about to get him indicted, probably twice.
Annie Karni & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "It has been decades since there was any real uncertainty at the top of the Republican Party in the Senate. But Senator Mitch McConnell's alarming freeze-up at a news conference on Wednesday at the Capitol, as well as new disclosures about other recent falls, have shaken his colleagues and intensified quiet discussion about how long he can stay in his position as minority leader, and whether change is coming at the top.For months even before he had an apparent medical episode on camera on Wednesday while speaking to the press, Mr. McConnell, the long-serving Republican leader from Kentucky, has been weakened, both physically and politically."
Manu Raju of CNN: "Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who froze during a news conference Wednesday and earlier this year suffered a concussion after falling down, has also endured two other falls this year, according to multiple people familiar with the matter," once in Finland in February & earlier this month at Reagan International while deplaning. (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: Early Thursday, I wrote in the Comments, "Like Dianne Feinstein, Mitch should retire." The next thing you know, ~~~
~~~ Kristin Wilson of CNN: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein had to be corrected and told to vote during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.... During Thursday's hearing, Feinstein was meant to cast her vote on the Defense Appropriations bill, requiring her to say 'Aye' or 'Nay,' when her name was called. When she didn't answer, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state tried to prompt her. 'Say aye,' she said, repeating herself three times to Feinstein. Feinstein then started to read from prepared remarks, and was interrupted by an aide whispering in her ear. 'Yeah,' Murray said once again. 'Just say "aye."' 'OK, just,' Feinstein replied. 'Aye,' Murray repeated once more. Then Feinstein sat back in her chair. 'Aye,' she said, casting her vote." (Also linked yesterday.)
Maegan Vazquez & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) reportedly scolded a group of Senate pages late Wednesday evening, using expletives to curse out the teenagers because they were lying on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda. According to Punchbowl News, Van Orden was giving a tour 'for several dozen visitors around midnight' when he saw the pages lying on the floor in the Rotunda and taking photos because it was their final week as pages. Van Orden called the pages 'lazy s----' and told them to 'get the f--- up' off the floor, sources told the outlet. Senate pages are typically high school students who have a number of responsibilities assisting with the day-to-day operations at the Capitol, including shuttling material within the halls of Congress and acting as support staff. When the Senate continues its work late into the night, as it did Wednesday evening, pages are known to rest in the Rotunda -- which is midway between the House and Senate chambers." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I was preparing to write something like, "In fairness to Van Orden, at midnight he was probably drunk," when I read this graf down-story: "The lawmaker's communications director, Anna Kelly, also sought to provide additional context after a photo circulated of Van Orden's Capitol Hill office, appearing to show several empty bottles of alcohol in the trash and on a desk shortly before the incident with the pages allegedly occurred. Kelly shared a tweet with The Post, which said the congressman 'regularly hosts beer and cheese tours with constituents. The congressman hosted roughly 50 constituents and visitors yesterday before a private tour of the Capitol.'" So I'll have to remove the "probably." Both Senate Leaders -- Schumer & McConnell -- expected Van Orden to apologize to the teenagers. He did not.
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way to complete a controversial Mid-Atlantic natural gas pipeline, agreeing that Congress greenlighted the project as part of a behind-the-scenes deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Without comment, the justices lifted a lower court's halt on the remaining construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which will stretch 300 miles through rugged mountains in West Virginia and Virginia. Environmentalists claim that the pipeline threatens lands, water resources and endangered species along the way, and have found some success blocking final approval at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond. But much of the pipeline is already built. During the tense negotiations earlier this summer to keep the nation from defaulting on its debts, House Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia wrangled a deal with the Biden administration to cut the courts out of the process. The bill ... expressly stripped courts of jurisdiction to review 'any action' by a federal agency granting authorization for the construction and operation of the pipeline." Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Now, there's a great way to avoid judicial review. Just tuck into every bill a "mitts off, judges" clause. And Democrats could sweeten their bills with, "no Republican-appointed judges may review or rescind any part of this law." If Bibi Netanyahu had thought of this, he could have avoided all those problems with his effort to neuter Israel's judiciary.
Erica Green & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Biden will announce new measures on Thursday aimed at helping communities across the country deal with extreme weather, as rising temperatures scorch much of the country and amplify alarms about the climate crisis. The announcement, to be made in an auditorium on the White House grounds, will come on a day when the National Weather Service is warning that temperatures in the nation's capital could hit triple digits for the first time in nearly seven years. White House officials said the new measures would include funding to improve weather prediction, grants to help ensure clean drinking water across the West and protections for workers who are most vulnerable to heat deaths." MB: I sure as hell hope this invalidates the Texas legislature/Greg Abbott's law outlawing water breaks for construction workers. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Marie: Here are some measures President Biden announced, via NPR. It doesn't appear he has precluded enforcement of Texas' no-water-breaks-for-workers law, which goes into effect in September. (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Raymond Zhong of the New York Times: "Weeks of scorching summer heat in North America, Europe, Asia and elsewhere are putting July on track to be Earth's warmest month on record, the European Union climate monitor said on Thursday, the latest milestone in what is emerging as an extraordinary year for global temperatures. Last month, the planet experienced its hottest June since records began in 1850. July 6 was its hottest day. And the odds are rising that 2023 will end up displacing 2016 as the hottest year. At the moment, the eight warmest years on the books are the past eight." (Also linked yesterday.)
Presidential Race 2024
Too askeert to go after frontrunner Donald Trump (he's about 30 points ahead of his nearest rival), GOP presidential candidates attack each other:
Lucy Hodgman of Politico: "Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott on Thursday criticized competitor Ron DeSantis on his support for Florida education standards requiring students to be instructed on the 'benefits' of slavery. Asked by a Politico reporter about the curriculum requirement at a campaign stop outside Des Moines, the South Carolina senator said he hoped that 'every person in our country, and certainly running for president, would appreciate that' slavery had no benefits to enslaved people. 'There is no silver lining in slavery,' Scott said. 'Slavery was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating."
Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: "GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is pushing back against fellow White House hopeful Chris Christie's (R) claims that she and some other candidates do not call out former President Trump enough. 'Well I'm not obsessively anti-Trump like he is,' Haley said in an interview with Fox News Digital. 'I talk about policies,' she added, pointing to times she has 'disagreed with Trump,' including over Jan. 6, government spending and the Russia-Ukraine war."
Capitalism Is Awesome -- Just Ask Elon. Steve Stecklow & Norihiko Shirouzu of Reuters: "About a decade ago, Tesla rigged the dashboard readouts in its electric cars to provide 'rosy' projections of how far owners can drive before needing to recharge, a source told Reuters. The automaker last year became so inundated with driving-range complaints that it created a special ... 'Diversion Team' in Las Vegas to cancel as many range-related appointments as possible.... The directive to present the [overly] optimistic range estimates came from Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk.... Driving range is among the most important factors in consumer decisions on which electric car to buy, or whether to buy one at all.... Tesla was fined earlier this year by South Korean regulators who found the cars delivered as little as half their advertised range in cold weather."
Beyond the Beltway
Tennessee. David Nakamura & Mark Berman of the Washington Post: “The Justice Department on Thursday opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into allegations that the Memphis Police Department systematically used excessive force and discriminated against Black residents, dramatically escalating federal oversight seven months after the police beating death of Tyre Nichols. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said the probe is not based on any single instance of misconduct but was launched after the department's broad review of public records and information provided by community members." (Also linked yesterday.)
Way Beyond
Israel. The Plot Thickens. Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: “... on Wednesday night, some of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's closest allies provided a glimpse of how they could intervene in his prosecution. Eleven lawmakers from Mr. Netanyahu's right-wing party, Likud, introduced a bill that would strip the attorney general -- who has been critical of the government -- of the right to oversee the prosecution of government ministers, including the prime minister. The move sparked anger among the opposition and an Israeli public that has taken to the streets for months to protest the government's efforts to assert more authority over the judiciary.... Although the Likud leadership disowned the bill and its lead proponent pulled it back, its introduction by about a third of its legislators in Parliament, raised questions about the party's intent."
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "Ukraine has reported gains in the southeast after launching a new counteroffensive push.... Ukraine's defense ministry said a U.S. citizen was killed in battle near Bakhmut. It identified him as a volunteer fighter and former Green Beret named Nicholas Maimer, the latest American veteran to die fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.... Vladimir Putin said 'Russia's attention to Africa is growing steadily' and that this 'is reflected in our plans to step up our diplomatic presence on the continent.' He said Russia was 'ready to restore and open new Russian missions abroad.' The Russian leader, seeking to boost ties, is hosting African leaders at the St. Petersburg summit, although far fewer African heads of state are attending compared to the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019." MB: Yeah, too bad Russia's refusal to allow safe passage to ships carrying Ukrainian ag products is starving Africans.
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Reader Comments (13)
Marie,
Funny you mentioned Emmy Lou yesterday. I saw her not long ago. I was in Nashville to see my goddaughter and towards the end of the show, Emmy Lou got up onstage with her and they did a duet*. Very cool. And you’re right, Emmy Lou is always a good pick.
* It’s early and I almost wrote “did a duet…together” Haha. Reminds me…in my first band (we were still in the eighth grade), towards the end of a set, our drummer announced “And now Akhilleus will play a solo…by himself.” Ha. Ahhh…those were the days. So many songs still left to sing, so much stuff still left to learn. And so many solos still left to play. By myself. Haha.
My Kevin sez “Yeah! We Republicans know how to get things done! Not like them Demycrats.”
Oh, you mean like your great big beautiful wall, Kevin?
I think what My Kevin means is “We Republicans fantasize about getting things done. Not actually doing them, like Democrats.”
They really believe if they just say shit, it must be true. Ahhh…that’s the way to go through life…dense and delusional.
A former DHS official says he had to "dumb" down classified
memos for Trump. Normally, a president would receive memos
of about 50 pages on subjects relating to security matters that
were classified.
Trump couldn't handle anything over one page, so all the info in
those 50 page memos had to be condensed to only one page and it
had to be in a language Trump could understand, the "best" language.
In the officer's words, Trump was "incandescently stupid".
That's not and adverb I would have used since to me it is sort of the
opposite of stupid, like "bright" or "radiant", but that's just me.
https://news.yahoo.com/incandescently-stupid-former-dhs-official-
145845005.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00
IF EMMY LOU ONLY KNEW:
Here's another tale: When Joe and I were teaching we ran around with a group of other teachers socially. One of the members was an arrogant, self serving rather snotty history teacher. One evening we went to his home for a dinner party and to my suprise, on the turntable was a large picture of Emmy Lou Harris and of course I asked did he know her? No, he answered, not personally but she resides in my heart. His wife chirped up---"He also has her picture on our dresser in the bedroom!" I couldn't tell whether this was said with venom or pride but thought, wow!, this is one besotted fan of a man who Emmy Lou, if she knew him. would snatch her pictures straightaway.
And speaking of devotion: I am waiting for others beside Tim Scott to put the kibash on how slavery was so full of opportunity. I am waiting for others to denounce the ex- prezie Mob boss besides Christi. I am wating for so many things to change that I sometimes feel fed up with the whole ball of wax––––am waiting for me to feel optimistic.
P.D.Pepe: Emylou Harris must have know lots of men like your
arrogant history teacher associate.
She was married 3 times and divorced 3 times.
I don't think a wife should trust a husband who has another woman's
photo in the bedroom.
In my late teens, I, too, was in love with Emmylou. I thought she was gorgeous, and a good musician/singer. The first live performance of hers that I went to was during Fall 1975 at a small venue called The Church Key in Madison, WI. It was great music with a great view.
I just pulled out two of her LPs: Pieces of the Sky, and Elite Hotel, her first solo albums from 1975 as well. I guess that means that I saw her during her first solo tour. I know what I'll be listening to today.
We are getting close to the end of the month and my grief over the end of website is increasing. I will miss you all, especially Akihilleus' relevant and humorous comments. I may have to take up a malt liquor hobby to fill up the void the end of realitychex will cause.
@Donna: Would that be making it or drinking it?
I read somewhere that every alcoholic beverage we consume takes
9 minutes off our life.
If that's a fact, I should have died in about the year 1640.
@Donna and @Forrest and so many others. One thing I will most definitely miss is all that I learn here, often from offhand comments from some very smart and well-read people. The discussion the other day about TIAs was informative, and reminded me of how much I have appreciated Victoria's contributions to medical/psychological discussions. Then there are Patrick's insights into the government, coupled with his mordant wit, not to mention Forrest's occasional gardening advice as well as his view of nature and his own witty commentary. Nine minutes lost per drink, Forrest? Oh, dear. And Ken's weekly sermons. Wonderful. And Akhilleus? Not even gonna try to keep up with the reading list.
As for Emmylou, I saw her in 2003 in Manchester NH. She was opening for Neil Young on his "Greendale" tour. She was wonderful, but it was bittersweet, at least for me. Warren Zevon, a longtime favorite of mine, had died that day, and Emmylou had sung with him (a duet together, I suppose one could say) one of the songs on his last album, "The Wind."
Donna,
You ain’t alone. But it’s been a great run. I guess now we can all catch up on our drinking!
Forrest, my man, you are a biological marvel. What were you drinking in 1640, mead? Not exactly Pinot Grigio, but I guess it got the job done.
Having done quite a bit of brewing over the years, including mead, I'll just say it can be the nectar of the gods, sweet aroma, and a good honest mule's kick in the bargain.
"Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott on Thursday criticized competitor Ron DeSantis on his support for Florida education standards requiring students to be instructed on the 'benefits' of slavery."
I wonder if Scott followed that up by reciting the benefits of forcing women to be gestational vessels.