In recognition of the energy and movement of Saturday’s marches here are some vibes that hopefully resonate. First, John Legend in Los Angeles performing Preach.
Lin-Manuel Miranda in Washington, D.C. sings the Dear Theodosia lullaby from Hamilton.
And just because I want to hear it: Get Up, Stand Up, Don’t Give Up the Fight! [Read more…]
A request for one more nod to the Summer Solstice as it slips away: Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company – Summertime; from a live 1969 performance. (h/t to AGD) [Read more…]
Cory Booker must have been picking up on our Anna Daniels’ brain waves in the Zeitgeist. Here’s Cory’s depiction of the issues involved in the scenario of a possibly complicit president.
I’ve heard some pushback to this demand for “no nominations until the conclusion of the investigation”, along the lines of not “punishing” someone who must be presumed “innocent until proven guilty”, but I don’t consider this demand to be a punishment. I view it more along the lines of judiciously putting someone suspected of embezzling, on administrative leave until the issue is resolved. If the person is adjudicated as innocent, no harm done, but if the person is determined to have indeed been acting as was believed, any harm done that might have gone unchecked has been prevented.
Mitch McConnell and his allies will, of course, never accept this line of reasoning, so it’s up to us, the people, to make them see the light. [Read more…]
All In’s Chris Hayes interviews Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her campaign and her win. [Read more…]
I’m tired of hearing the “Democrats don’t stand for anything.” refrain. As The Nation notes, Ocasio’s campaign boldly called for “a federal jobs guarantee, a national $15 minimum wage, expanded Medicare for All, tuition-free public college and trade school, 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, immigration reform, and the abolition of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).” Her YouTube web page adds “We can do it now, and we can do it without corporate money.” She just won her primary campaign, defeating a corporate Democrat entrenched in the position for 20 years who raised over $3 million (only $26,496 of it from small individual donations) for his campaign compared to Ocasio’s $300,000 ($208,000 from donations of $200 or less). [Read more…]
If you’ve ever wondered, while watching what purports to pass as TV news and journalism by some of the popular talking heads, “Are they going for ratings?”, Michelle Wolf thinks you’re on to something. She calls it “Entertainment Explosion!” [NSFW – Language (What can I say? It’s cable.)] [Read more…]
Here’s a kick-ass campaign spot. Air Force combat veteran M. J. Hegar is a Democrat running for office in Texas’ deep red 31st Congressional District and this campaign ad explains how doors play a pivotal role in her journey. For those who thought first female fighter pilot Amy McGrath’s campaign ad was inspiring and impressive, Hegar’s ad takes it to the next level. [Read more…]
In a nod to the recent solstice and the rituals for celebrating and observing it, here’s Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge.
[For the Spinal Tap (the band whose amps go up to 11) uninitiated, here’s something you need to know in order to appreciate the last part of this clip. In an earlier scene, when the sketch of the stage prop that is lowered onto the stage was given to the fabrication team, the dimensions were written by someone who apparently believed that one tick (‘) means an inch and two ticks (“) means a foot. Isn’t that right?] [Read more…]
Putting a happy face on human misery. We’ve been here before. Remember how this turned out: litigation, legislation—the Civil Liberties Act of 1988—authorizing reparation payments to Japanese Americans who had been interned, eventually totaling nearly 1.6 billion, that began in 1990, with the last payment occurring in February 1999. [Read more…]
The bilingual band from L.A., The Mexican Standoff, performs Muro (The Wall). From their YouTube site:
“Muro” is the narrative of one of eight hundred thousand stories. Today´s president is making a lot of noise about building a border wall when there are around 344 miles of wall built already. Politics are out of control, and as musicians and story tellers we want to bring some humor and music to today’s issues. We hope to bring people together in these days where America is divided. We support dreamers. We support immigration. We support equality.
Full Frontal’s Samantha Bee regrettably notes that Trump’s Executive Order attempting to “fix” the problem of baby jails that his policy of “zero tolerance” has created, essentially just replaces the baby jails with Mommy & Me jails. In passing she also reveals that Border Patrol is uncomfortable about the use of the “c” word in reporting on its facilities. [Read more…]
Supporters of the current administration’s policy of “zero tolerance” for the federal misdemeanor of illegal entry appear to believe that the vast majority of those seeking asylum are actually dangerous criminals intent on “infesting” the United States. Congressional representative Roger Marshall (R-KS), interviewed by Chris Hayes earlier today, referred to “people that are doing human trafficking, terrorists and cartel members using young kids” as the typical border crossers “posing as families”, even though when pressed by Chris Hayes for evidence, he could only say that the DHS reassured him that it is the truth.
For a more accurate understanding of a typical asylum seeker, watch this interview by MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee of an El Salvadoran mother who sought refuge with her husband and their two children, a four-year old and a fourteen-month old. When the husband presented himself for asylum with the fourteen-month old, the infant was taken from him without explanation and it took eighty-five days for the mother to be reunited with her infant. The father is still in custody. [Read more…]
