The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, but Akhilleus found this new one that he says is easy to use.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

Contact Marie

Click on this link to e-mail Marie.

Page Links
Sunday
Mar312024

The Conversation -- March 31, 2024

Say, here's an Easter surprise: ~~~

~~~ Donald Trump Doesn't Care about Jesus. Nick Robertson of the Hill: "President Biden and former President Trump shared starkly different Easter messages Sunday. Biden marked the holy day with a solemn message, while Trump lashed out at political opponents in an all-caps post on Truth Social. Trump went after the prosecutors organizing criminal cases against him, reiterating claims that federal special counsel Jack Smith is 'deranged,' calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg 'lazy' and lashing out against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The former president also hurled insults at the Department of Justice and 'crooked Joe,' in reference to the president. Biden, a devout Catholic, marked Easter with reminders of the story of Jesus's sacrifice and with blessings. 'Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating Easter Sunday. Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ's Resurrection,' the president said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For Christians, Easter is the highest holy day of the year. It's a reverential celebration of the miracle of resurrection. For Trump, it's just another day of vicious attacks.

~~~~~~~~~~

Transgender Day of Visibility. Samantha Waldenberg of CNN: "Republicans are taking aim at President Joe Biden for proclaiming Easter Sunday as the Transgender Day of Visibility, though the two days only coincided this year by chance. The Transgender Day of Visibility, which was started in 2009 as a day of awareness to celebrate the successes of transgender and gender-nonconforming people, is held annually on March 31. The date of Easter, meanwhile, changes from year to year.... 'It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden's White House ... formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as "Trans Day of Visibility,"' ... Donald Trump's campaign said in a statement. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Biden administration had 'betrayed the central tenet of Easter' in a post on X.... White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement Saturday, 'As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American.... Sadly, it's unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit,' Bates said." ~~~

     ~~~ A Bible Story for Bible Mike. Marie: One of the better-known New Testament stories (though admittedly Trump may not have heard of it) is the miracle of Jesus' healing the Roman centurion's slave (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10). Most Christians interpret the story as evidence of Jesus' ability to heal at a distance. But most Bible stories, including this one, teach more than one lesson. This one is about inclusion as much as it is about another miraculous healing. The centurion's beloved slave -- a young man -- was likely a sex slave, historians say, and the people who observed the miracle would have known that. So not precisely trans, as far as we know, but not straight, either. In Matthew's telling, Jesus praised the soldier for his faith and said of the Bible Mikes who would criticize him, they "will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "Donald Trump is presenting himself as the Man on the Cross, tortured for our sins.... In January, he put up a video on Truth Social about how he is a messenger from God, 'a shepherd to mankind.'... More and more, Trump is wallowing in his Messiah complex... Weaponizing his martyrdom, Trump is selling $59.99 'God Bless the USA' Bibles.... Just what the world needs: a soul cleanse with a grifter Bible, where the profits could well be going to pay legal costs in trials about breaking commandments -- bearing false witness to try to steal democracy, coveting a porn star, then paying the star hush money to keep quiet about the sex." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump has read neither the Bible nor the U.S. Constitution, which is packaged inside the Trump Bible. Slapping the Constitution in among a series of religious tracts is rather odd, only partly because Trump plans to undo or at least ignore it. The Constitution is such a secular document that it not only guarantees that the Congress will establish no religion, it does not otherwise mention religion. It does not mention God (or Christianity) at all. In fact, the U.S. Constitution stands in stark opposition to Old World governments of the day which centered on God-anointed, heredity monarchs imbued with the "divine right of kings." The Founders came from countries where top-down governance was the rule, yet they claimed in their preamble that "We the People" were the ultimate governors here.

** Nate White, a British writer, explains why the British don't like Donald Trump. For starters, "Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace -- all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump's limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief." Read on. Many thanks to Gonzo for the link. A much better holiday gift than a package of Peeps.

Joyce Vance, on Substack, on Trump's sharing an image of President Biden bound and gagged: "It's time for the people with authority ... to deal with [Trump].... It's time to stop letting him break the rules.... It's unthinkable, unconscionable for a former president to even intimate that violence against the current president is acceptable.... No one is saying Trump can't campaign or that he can't criticize Biden. What he can't do is suggest he should be kidnapped, knocked out, and bound in the back of a pickup truck.... So, where is the Secret Service? I hope they had a serious talk with the former president this afternoon. But his post is still up on Truth Social, which suggests that either they didn't or that, if they did, he didn't take it very seriously. Either way, that means something more is required."

A Globe-Trotting Trumpy Traitor. Beth Reinhard, et al., of the Washington Post (March 28): Richard Grenell, a former Trump administration "diplomat," "has carved out ... an extraordinary role ... in the three years since Trump left the White House. From Central America to Eastern Europe and beyond, Grenell has been acting as a kind of shadow secretary of state, meeting with far-right leaders and movements, pledging Trump's support and, at times, working against the current administration's policies.... Grenell's globe-trotting has sparked deep concern among career national security officials and diplomats, who warn that he emboldens bad actors and jeopardizes U.S. interests in service of Trump's personal agenda. In the process, Grenell is openly charting a foreign policy road map for a Republican presidential nominee who has found common cause with authoritarian leaders and threatened to blow up partnerships with democratic allies.... Grenell is in regular contact with the former president and his family, though it's unclear when or if he's acting on Trump's directions." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race. Tara Suter of the Hill:"Former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday said he is not voting for his old boss but left the door open to voting for President Biden. 'I'm not there yet,' Esper said after being asked by comedian Bill Maher on his HBO show, 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' if he would vote for the current president. 'I'm definitely not voting for [former President Trump]....'"

Presidential Election 2000. If you're old enough to remember the 2000 presidential election, you probably don't need this reminder: ~~~

Nate Cohn of the New York Times: Al "Gore would have won Florida, and therefore the presidency, if it weren't for the infamous 'butterfly ballot' in Palm Beach County.... After the election, many voters from Palm Beach claimed they had inadvertently voted for Mr. Buchanan when they meant to vote for Mr. Gore. This is clear in the data. Mr. Buchanan fared far better in Palm Beach County than he did on the other side of the county line. Indeed, Mr. Buchanan fared far better in Palm Beach County than any politically or demographically comparable area in the country. Mr. Buchanan also fared much better among Election Day voters -- who used the butterfly ballot -- than among absentee voters, who did not, a pattern not seen elsewhere in the state.... At least 2,000 voters who meant to vote for Gore-Lieberman ended up voting for Mr. Buchanan. All else being equal, that would have been enough to decide the election." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Cohn's written description of the butterfly ballot is even more confusing than the ballot itself. There are some images of the ballot in this Smithsonian Magazine article.

Melissa Burke of the Detroit News: "Michigan U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg suggested that nuclear weapons should be dropped on Gaza, which his office said was a metaphor to 'support Israel's swift elimination of Hamas.' 'It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick,' Walberg says in a video circulating on social media.... Walberg, a Republican from Lenawee County, also is heard in the video speaking out against humanitarian aid for those in the Gaza Strip.... 'We shouldn't be spending a dime on humanitarian aid,' Walberg said." MB: Yes, there's something definitely wrong with people like Walberg, yet Americans keep electing them to public office.

~~~~~~~~~~

Maryland. Peter Hermann & Danny Nguyen of the Washington Post: "Workers began clearing wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on Saturday, officials said, with crews cutting massive steel trusses and hoisting them onto barges, part of what will be a long, complicated and dangerous effort to clear the vital shipping channel serving the Port of Baltimore."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (9)

I know “I agree” posts are frowned upon, but yeah, what Joyce Vance wrote.

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterNiskyGuy

@NiskyGuy: Me too. And, while they're at it, I think the Secret Service should get the license plate of that truck off Trump's video and haul in the owner.

March 31, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

David French in The New York Times
"It is fitting that the biggest movie in the world this year is the story of a messiah gone wrong....
The “Dune” movies present a beautifully shot, marvelously acted, fantastical tale set in a distant future, but they’re very much grounded in the dark reality of human nature here and now. When people are angry and afraid, they will look for a savior. When that anger and fear is latched to faith and prophecy, they will yearn for a religious crusade....
There’s a version of this same story playing out in the United States, but because the anger and fear are so overwrought, the prophecies so silly, and the savior so patently absurd, we may be missing the religious and cultural significance of the moment. A significant part of American Christianity is spiraling out of control.
The MAGA method is clear. First, it whips up its people into a religious frenzy. It lies to convince them that the Democrats are an existential threat to the country and the church. It tells worried Christians that the fate of the nation is at stake. Then, just as it builds up the danger from the Democrats, it constructs an idol of Trump, declaring his divine purpose and spreading the prophecies of his coming return. He is to be the instrument of divine vengeance against his foes, and his frenzied foot soldiers are eager to carry out his will. They march eagerly to culture war, flying the flag of the House of Trump."
Trump Is No Savior

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterlaura hunter

Easter indoctrination

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Nancy Thompson of Mothers Against Greg Abbott linked to this clip of the extremist group True Texas Project calling for prison or execution of women (and children!) who obtain abortions (and their providers).

goals of the forced birth movement

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterlaura hunter

@laura hunter: What? You mean there's a MAGA movement I wouldn't mind joining?

March 31, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Laura, David French starts as he always does from the premise that religion is a wonderful thing that has been bastardized by Trump rather than an authoritarian grift that has been exposed by Fatty. The following is from my reply to him this morning that probably won't be published:

"Ask any Christian if he or she believes that religion should be a democracy. How can the answer be yes when all the answers to the world's problems are in a book that was written when the wisest people on the planet were absolutely sure that the Earth (and by extension each of its residents) was the absolute center of the universe, with the rings of Heaven and Purgatory close by overhead where one's ancestors could look on?"

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterJack Mahoney

Marie -
Absolutely! Nancy jokingly refers to her organization as MAGA the good.

Jack -
I'll look for your comment today.

My father thought the Methodist church he and my mother attended became way too liberal with anti-war and civil rights messaging - the DEI indoctrination of the early 1960s, i guess - and stopped attending any church so that is where my religious training ended.

Easter - a day to enjoy a long brunch and chocolate bunnies.

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterlaura hunter

Is it possible that the Right's outrage over transgender recognition day has anything to do with questions that have swirled for centuries about Jesus' sexuality?

Naw, not a chance.

March 31, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.