Chit-Chat: The Feels

[mostlylurking]

I thought I’d add my little escapism viewing as well.  I started watching Call the Midwife on Netflix which is excellent.  I’ve also started watching classic Hallmark movies, the old ones are actually pretty good (nothing wrong with the new ones either for that matter).  I saw a really good one with Keri Russell and Skeet Urlich today.  

[Anela]

I didn't get very far with anything listed, except Frasier, and I don't really know why. Not that I'm getting through much right now. I started Buffy, yet again, recently. I like it, but I've barely watched it.

Dad watches Midsomer Murders, on the Roku channel. 

[Annber03]

I've also been getting into "Deep Space Nine" these last couple months, and that show's been quite cathartic for me as well - all the political stuffi n there is so relevant and it's a good way for me to get out some of my feelings about all the insanity going on now. Plus, it's just nice to watch a show with a team full of, y'know, competent, intelligent people who know what the fuck they're doing and actually give a shit about doing their jobs like professionals. 

[EtheltoTillie]

8 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

I thought I’d add my little escapism viewing as well.  I started watching Call the Midwife on Netflix which is excellent.  I’ve also started watching classic Hallmark movies, the old ones are actually pretty good (nothing wrong with the new ones either for that matter).  I saw a really good one with Keri Russell and Skeet Urlich today.  

The Magic of Ordinary Days. One of my favorites. 

Edited Tuesday at 01:47 PM by EtheltoTillie

[Kemper]

I love seeing all the "comfort viewing" posts. Hallmark movies...I used to disdain them; but now they are another source of comfort; with my cup of tea. Sometimes with a dash of Irish Whiskey stirred in. 

Yesterday on Morning Joe. Claire McCaskill, who I have always loved. She praised the Populist rallies being held by Bernie, AOC and others. Then. She said she was not in favor of ousting Chuck Schumer. And there it is. Same as it ever was. 

You know what? The inability of the Dems to effectively fight back against the Tea Party, the trashing of Obama by Rethugs in Congress, etc. resulted in Rethugs winning those midterms. And the beginning of the meanness and ugliness of the Republican Party that now has control of it all.

Sorry, I know I go on too long and end up sounding unhinged. But where we are, as a country, is terrifying. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight back. The leadership needs to have courage and fire. Schumer (among others) are not suited for this fight.

Edited Tuesday at 11:27 AM by Kemper

[EtheltoTillie]

On a recent rewatch I was surprised to

Spoiler

recognize the German POW, who now plays Sergeant Bradford on The Rookie.  

 

Edited Tuesday at 01:47 PM by EtheltoTillie

[fastiller]

8 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Found out Sen. Schumer will be on Late Show on Thursday night. I didn't think there would be a new episode, since CBS will be broadcasting NCAA tournament games. The episode would probably start airing after midnight . . . so maybe it's fitting for Chuck?

Left another message for my Congresswoman. I said the line I thought up about the picture of her at Mar-a-Lago looking at Trump like a little girl seeing Santa Claus for the first time. It's not quite "indiscreet HJ at a Broadway show," but it should be considered as embarrassing.

ETA: I'm still rooting for administration officials to get their clocks cleaned.

ETA2: Here is the picture. Maybe I'm being too hard on her?

Is that Stefanik?  I do understand the 'little girl seeing Santa' vibe.  I also see a bit of 'I'm terrified of what I'm seeing here' in that too.  Though that could be me projecting.

[bluegirl147]

9 hours ago, ProudMary said:

My question is: Where the hell are the elected Democrats? Why aren't they all over my feeds with the same level of intensity?

It's almost as if they are being told to stand down.  Hakeem Jeffries a few weeks back saying there is nothing they can is maddening and horrifying at the same time.  Right about now is when we should be changing from the Neville Chamberlain era to the Winston Churchill era. Appeasement never works.

8 hours ago, Makai said:

Personally, I am going to give them a couple of days because they should be dealing with this officially first given the seriousness of the breach.

If this had happened during Biden's term Republicans would already be filing articles of impeachment because it  happened on his watch. I know Dems are in the minority right now but they at the very least need to be on the record saying how careless and dangerous this was.

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Plus, it's just nice to watch a show with a team full of, y'know, competent, intelligent people who know what the fuck they're doing and actually give a shit about doing their jobs like professionals. 

They don't call it science fiction for nothing.

1 hour ago, Kemper said:

You know what? The inability of the Dems to effectively fight back against the Tea Party, the trashing of Obama by Rethugs in Congress, etc. resulted in Rethugs winning those midterms. And the beginning of the meanness and ugliness of the Republican Party that now has control of it all.

Democrats always worry about offending voters.  The Tea Party was not a big faction of the Republican party. It just looked that way because the media covered every single rally.  And also they were funded by the Koch brothers. This was not some grassroot effort to do whatever they claimed to be doing.  But for some reason Dems were afraid to call them out. Maybe if they had we wouldn't have people like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz in the Senate. 

1 hour ago, Kemper said:

Sorry, I know I go on too long and end up sounding unhinged. But where we are, as a country, is terrifying. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight back. The leadership needs to have courage and fire. Schumer (among others) are not suited for this fight.

Yeah this sure doesn't feel like the United States of America that fought fascism and Nazis in WW II.

[Yeah No]

18 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

During the start of the pandemic when it seemed like the world was on fire I would watch the Golden Girls before bed.  It was like comfort food.

I watched Golden Girls and made banana bread. I thought it was just me until I found out everyone else was doing it too.

[graybrown bird]

My comfort watch these days is "Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs," a gentle show about the ongoing work done at London's Battersea Home for dogs and cats.  Each half-hour show follows the stories of three different dogs new to the shelter, how their needs for comfort, vet care, and training are met -- usually each ending with adoption into a loving new home.  It shows humans being kind and empathetic to dogs, balm to my sore heart after seeing so much cruelty every day in the news.

[bluegirl147]

Speaking of dogs I recently discovered Sue Thomas FB EYE about an FBI agent who is deaf and has a hearing dog.  It aired on PAX in the early 2000s and I had never heard of it.  I like it because of the dog, a beautiful golden retriever but also because back then the FBI was the good guys and they always the got the bad guys. Things sure are different now.

 

[fairffaxx]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Yeah this sure doesn't feel like the United States of America that fought fascism and Nazis in WW II.

Don't forget that WWII started when Great Britain & France declared war against Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, in response to Germany's invasion of Poland on Aug. 31.  The USA didn't declare war against Japan until Dec. 8, 1941 & against Germany until Dec. 11, following Japan's attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7.  America was slow to act even back then, & even after its steadfast allies had been fighting in Europe for over 2 years.

[Dimity]

But at least they did act and prior to their own declaration of war they did support the Allied forces.  I don't see that happening this time.  The US isn't just going isolationist it's going full blown Fascist regime.  They aren't the good guys and they aren't on the side of the good guys. 

That the Republicans in Congress and the Senate are focusing their efforts on eliminating libraries, school lunches and Social Security rather than demanding that heads roll as a consequence of this blatant security breach is pretty telling.

They don't care.

[Anela]

21 minutes ago, fairffaxx said:

Don't forget that WWII started when Great Britain & France declared war against Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, in response to Germany's invasion of Poland on Aug. 31.  The USA didn't declare war against Japan until Dec. 8, 1941 & against Germany until Dec. 11, following Japan's attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7.  America was slow to act even back then, & even after its steadfast allies had been fighting in Europe for over 2 years.

This was why my Great Uncle was pissed that mum was marrying an American. He didn't go to their wedding. When my parents remarried, and we moved back over here, I wrote letters to family, including him, and he apologized when I asked him about it. 

[tearknee]

14 hours ago, tearknee said:

 

It will suck to be Taylor Wedell that night... and for the next several years ("Mom, please!" :'( )

[Makai]

2 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

If this had happened during Biden's term Republicans would already be filing articles of impeachment because it  happened on his watch. I know Dems are in the minority right now but they at the very least need to be on the record saying how careless and dangerous this was.

I agree but the fact that we haven’t heard from those that have been vocal, like AOC, Crockett, Sanders and Green, makes me think they are still in process of being debriefed, determining the full extent of exactly how big of a problem this is and figuring what they can do officially. 

[bluegirl147]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/man-drives-into-anti-musk-tesla-protesters_n_67e2b635e4b0caf90a2231b5

Trump will probably give him a medal or something.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Speaking of dogs I recently discovered Sue Thomas FB EYE about an FBI agent who is deaf and has a hearing dog.  It aired on PAX in the early 2000s and I had never heard of it.  I like it because of the dog, a beautiful golden retriever but also because back then the FBI was the good guys and they always the got the bad guys. Things sure are different now.

 

The actor who plays Jack Hudson, the head of their unit, is Yannick Bisson the titular Murdoch form one of my favorite comfort shows, Murdoch Mysteries. It's on Ovation and CBC.

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

The actor who plays Jack Hudson, the head of their unit, is Yannick Bisson the titular Murdoch form one of my favorite comfort shows, Murdoch Mysteries. It's on Ovation and CBC.

He was also on the Aurora Teagarden mysteries on Hallmark Mysteries that I used to watch. Until Candace Cameron Bure left for the family friendly not friendly to LGTBQ Great American Family network.

[Makai]

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing into the Signal app fuckup ended within the last hour. I’m starting to see clips on social media. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Here is a recording of the entire hearing.  I just started watching.

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:36 PM by EtheltoTillie

[Lantern7]

5 hours ago, fastiller said:

Is that Stefanik?  I do understand the 'little girl seeing Santa' vibe.  I also see a bit of 'I'm terrified of what I'm seeing here' in that too.  Though that could be me projecting.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).

[bluegirl147]

I have a question for the MAGA world.  If you thought Hillary should have been charged or worse for using a private email server where no classified information was shared why aren't you outraged about this text chain about an impending military action that accidently included a journalist?  If this journalist hadn't been an ethical person he could have done some bad things with that information.  Just think if this had happened when Biden was president and someone from Fox News had been on a text chain about military action.  The fact nobody is going to be punished or even reprimanded for this is not surprising but still disgusting.  And we all know this is just the beginning.  There are going to be many more fuck ups.  And I read this is Pete Hegseth sober.  I don't know about that.  He is an alcoholic who was known to binge drink.  You don't just stop cold turkey with that.  My husband would show signs of withdrawal after a few hours.  I won't be surprised if we find out he hasn't quit drinking.

Edited Tuesday at 05:52 PM by bluegirl147

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).

She's been CNN's "go-to girl" when they want to appear unbiased. I always change the channel when I see/hear her babbling inane excuses for the latest GOP/Trump crap.

 

 

[Lantern7]

24 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

She's been CNN's "go-to girl" when they want to appear unbiased. I always change the channel when I see/hear her babbling inane excuses for the latest GOP/Trump crap.

She's not a total idiot, I guess. Maybe that's CNN main criteria for female Reps?

Does she act snotty whenever Trump or his minions push their regressive agenda?

[mostlylurking]

7 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

16 hours ago, Makai said:

Personally, I am going to give them a couple of days because they should be dealing with this officially first given the seriousness of the breach.

If this had happened during Biden's term Republicans would already be filing articles of impeachment because it  happened on his watch. I know Dems are in the minority right now but they at the very least need to be on the record saying how careless and dangerous this was.

Both things should be happening simultaneously.  This is making me crazy.  Dems should not be waiting for official orders, they should be out there loudly condemning this whether they have any authority to change things or not.  They are still not getting it 🤦🏻‍♀️

[annzeepark914]

10 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

She's not a total idiot, I guess. Maybe that's CNN main criteria for female Reps?

Does she act snotty whenever Trump or his minions push their regressive agenda?

There's something about her (maybe it's the GOP nonsense she's spouting) that really irritates me. I also avoid the CNN panel discussions because of the GOP talking heads (especially that big guy, can't remember his name) and Scott-- someone who may have gotten a job in the Trump administration.

[fastiller]

10 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

There's something about her (maybe it's the GOP nonsense she's spouting) that really irritates me. I also avoid the CNN panel discussions because of the GOP talking heads (especially that big guy, can't remember his name) and Scott-- someone who may have gotten a job in the Trump administration.

To me it's how she -like most of the GOP- became so held fast by Trump & his idiocy. She wasn't always this hard-right. 

On the topic of distractions: I will often try my hand at locating all the countries in Africa or all the Counties in the UK or all the NHL teams or other quizzes at Seterra - The Ultimate Map Quiz Site.  I can now do the 50 states in about 90 seconds (cartoon version is fun!) & counties in Ireland in about a minute.  I'm actually learning where countries are.  I never realised how little I know about  geography in Africa and Asia and South America.  

.

 

 

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, fastiller said:

To me it's how she -like most of the GOP- became so held fast by Trump & his idiocy. She wasn't always this hard-right. 

Neither was Elise Stefanik or Nancy Mace.  They have shown themselves to be nothing more than opportunists who only care about themselves. Which describes pretty much the entire GOP.  It happens on the Dem side too.  Krysten Sinema was a huge disappointment. And now John Fetterman.

[Dimity]

The only thing that's going to happen in regard to the gross breach of security is a rash of new memes and political cartoons.

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:06 PM by Dimity

[Anela]

7 minutes ago, Dimity said:

The only think that's going to happen in regard to the gross breach of security is a rash of new memes and political cartoons.

 

I have that “new phone, houthis” tweet ready to go, the next time I get a “crickets” post directed at me, elsewhere, from MAGA. They defend every part of this free-flying shit show. It’s a reminder that I don’t need to comment on a damned thing they think is a “gotcha”. 

Edited Tuesday at 09:31 PM by Anela

[tearknee]

This was a few years ago and it is more awful than Lisa Simpson and the "Hitachi tribe" episode of the Simpsons :(

 

[Dimity]

So apparently Joe Rogan has gone on the record as saying he "won't step foot in Canada" and would rather go to Russia.

On behalf of my fellow Canadians may I just say:

[tearknee]

Given his parents, Mike Myers is more Scouse than Ontarian.

[PRgal]

I just checked my voting package status, and it says it's on its way!  No need to go to the polls on 4/28.  I'll just fill it in and send it on its way.  

[Lantern7]

Joe Rogan is for entertainment purposes early. You want to hear about the intensity and awesomeness of tigers fucking, he’s your guy. You want to base your political identity off someone? Reevaluate your life, don’t listen to him.

[ebk57]

Nothing about this situation is funny.  Except maybe this.

 

[bluegirl147]

48 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Joe Rogan is for entertainment purposes early. You want to hear about the intensity and awesomeness of tigers fucking, he’s your guy. You want to base your political identity off someone? Reevaluate your life, don’t listen to him.

On election night one of the networks interviewed some guy standing in line to vote in Arizona said he was voting for Trump because Kamala didn't go on Joe Rogan.  I knew we were doomed.  I still can't wrap my head around the fact the guy from Fear Factory has so much influence.

2 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

Nothing about this situation is funny.  Except maybe this.

 

This is the best one yet.

[ProudMary]

I haven't watched MSNBC for close to a year now, but this link to an interview with Former National Security Advisor and Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice that was in my BlueSky feed is worth a few minutes of your time. She raises several good points about this national security disaster. It certainly is "bizarre" that the (Acting) Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wouldn't be a member of the group preparing to launch an attack on an adversary. I think we all know why. 🙁 

'This is an extraordinary breach': Amb. Susan Rice reacts to leaked Trump war plans group chat

https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/-this-is-an-extraordinary-breach-amb-susan-rice-reacts-to-leaked-trump-war-plans-group-chat-235339845938

 

[ProudMary]

My nightmares were just amped up a level. 

https://bsky.app/profile/drjacekdebiec.bsky.social/post/3llaiupoefk2v

This speaks volumes: 

Yale professors, Timothy Snyder, a historian of totalitarianism and the author of "On Tyranny," and Jason Stanley, a philosopher and the author of "How Fascism Works", move to Canada. 

https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2025/03/stanley-from-yale-to-toronto.html

https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/person/timothy-snyder

[Anela]

9 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

My nightmares were just amped up a level. 

https://bsky.app/profile/drjacekdebiec.bsky.social/post/3llaiupoefk2v

 

 

I just saw that on FB. :(

[Annber03]

Everyone involved in this insane chat story should be automatically escorted out of the White House in handcuffs. Right now. No exceptions. 

Sure am glad we got rid of all that pesky DEI stuff so that these "merit-based" people could be in charge of such important information. 

I do not want to hear a single defense of Trump and this adminsitaration ever again. From anyone who posts in this thread. Not. One. Not even for the mildest of reasons. Anyone still supporting this bullshit at this point needs to just not talk anymore. At all. Those still supporting Trump all ought to be ashamed of themselves, but that would require them  to actually grasp the concept of shame in the first place. 

[Lantern7]

34 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Everyone involved in this insane chat story should be automatically escorted out of the White House in handcuffs. Right now. No exceptions. 

Sure am glad we got rid of all that pesky DEI stuff so that these "merit-based" people could be in charge of such important information. 

I do not want to hear a single defense of Trump and this adminsitaration ever again. From anyone who posts in this thread. Not. One. Not even for the mildest of reasons. Anyone still supporting this bullshit at this point needs to just not talk anymore. At all. Those still supporting Trump all ought to be ashamed of themselves, but that would require them  to actually grasp the concept of shame in the first place. 

Agreed, I'm afraid. I keep saying it . . . I almost envy the Republicans' ability to not give a flying fuck about anything and anyone that stands in their way. Empathy might be an outdated commodity in the world to come. I feel like I could be on the other side of the glass at the museum.

[Anela]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5214236-democrat-james-malone-wins-pennsylvania-senate/

Democrat wins special state Senate election in Pennsylvania in major upset

Quote

 

Democrat James Malone has won an open Pennsylvania state Senate seat in a major upset in a district that comfortably voted for President Trump in November, Decision Desk HQ projects. 

Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, is projected to defeat Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons to represent Senate District 36 for the remainder of former state Sen. Ryan Aument’s (R) term. Aument resigned from his office in December to become the state director for McCormick, who took office in January. 

Parsons was considered likely to win in the conservative-leaning district, which President Trump carried in November with 57 percent of the vote and McCormick won with 56 percent. Aument had even been unopposed in his last election in 2022. 

But Malone was able to overcome the odds, and the Democratic Party continued its strong performance in under-the-radar elections since Trump took office. Democrats notched another major upset in a strongly conservative Iowa state Senate district in January, also winning a county executive seat in New York, among other more low-key successes. 

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin celebrated Malone’s victory, calling it a “shockwave” to the system and the way Republicans have run the government. 

“In a district that went to Trump by 15 in 2024 and has a 23-point Republican voter registration advantage, Malone’s victory is a loud and clear rebuke to Republicans’ threats to the programs Pennsylvania families rely on – from Social Security and Medicaid to our public schools,” Martin said. 

“To protect working Americans, Democrats like Senator-elect Malone are competing everywhere, and in special elections throughout the country, we continue to overperform as voters join us in fighting back against the Trump-Musk agenda,” he continued. 

Malone’s victory will narrow the GOP majority in the state Senate to 27-23.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 04:48 AM by Anela

[jessiebell]

Hegseth is really a piece of work - his first interview about the security snafu was to belittle the journalist (or in Hegseth's words "the so called journalist") calling him deceitful, highly descredited who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes.   Sounds more like a description of Hegesth himself.

At the hearing for the head of Social Security Agency the guy couldn't bring himself to say Social Security isn't a ponzi scheme.  He hemmed and hawed and asked to say yes or no he still answered "it's a promise to pay."

These people aren't even the bottom of the barrel - they're beneath the barrel.

 

[CheshireCat]

On 3/21/2025 at 8:55 AM, bluegirl147 said:

I recently watched a documentary about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Before it fell people were terrified of the border officers. 

Yes. People from East Berlin were because any indiscretion could land you in jail. But border officers also had permission to shoot to kill. There was a piece of grassland between the East Berlin border and the wall that was called the death strip. 

I think for people from West Berlin, it was more that East Berlin officers could make your life difficult. They could detain you for hours at the border just because they felt like it. Sometimes, they would shut down the border for a while just to back up traffic or they'd be deliberately slow. 

At the same time, there was this weird "we know what you're doing but we pretend we don't" attitude. For example, people from West Berlin weren't supposed to have passports. West Berlin issued passports regardless. (But if we wanted to travel internationally, we could only travel by plane because you did not want to be caught with a passport traveling into East Germany). 

My grandparents both worked for the RIAS (Radio in the American Sector). My granddad was a driver, so, he crossed the border frequently and the border officers knew him. But when he traveled privately, he couldn't say that he worked for the Americans. So, the border officers knew he wasn't telling the truth when he was asked about his job but pretended not to. 

 

On 3/21/2025 at 8:55 AM, bluegirl147 said:

And now people here are afraid of border guards. 

As a former tourist, I wouldn't say that I was afraid of CBP, however, I can't say that immigrating to the US was relaxing after 9/11. When you travel as a tourist, CBP tends to treat you as guilty until you have proven your innocence.  

 

On 3/21/2025 at 8:55 AM, bluegirl147 said:

We cheered that wall falling and now people are cheering for a wall to be built here. 

Which, based on Berlin's experience, I consider a huge waste of money. If people were able to build around 70 tunnels in a city like Berlin, what do officials think happens along a wall that would run mostly through the desert? 

 

On 3/21/2025 at 8:55 AM, bluegirl147 said:

My mother had friends who were lifetime Democrats and they didn't vote for Obama.  Were afraid he would do "too much for black people". 

I find that sad, however, I also think it shows where some of the failure lies. I don't know whose failure but it sounds like there needed to be public conversations that never happened. 

 

On 3/21/2025 at 8:55 AM, bluegirl147 said:

Yes but there was election interference both times. Russia in 2016 and Musk in 2024. I will never not believe if not for Musk becoming a "donor" to Trump Kamala would have won at least a couple swing states.

I don't know enough about this election cycle to have an opinion either way. The bits that I saw felt like it was 2016 all over again and I didn't have the mental capacity to watch it unfold and not be able to do anything about it. 

I guess, there were a few things that should probably be looked into. Didn't Musk offer voters money in one state or something? 

 

On 3/21/2025 at 11:11 AM, lookeyloo said:

 One thing now vs Nazi Germany is that we have 24 hour news, internet, cell phones, cameras, etc.  

Well, Germans were aware of what was happening. But fear is a powerful motivator. Getting caught doing the right thing meant either prison or death. 

If someone built a facility somewhere in Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, the Dakotas... would we really know without a whistle blower? 

 

On 3/23/2025 at 1:52 PM, PRgal said:

Polls currently say that the Liberals and Conservatives are basically tied, with some saying the Cons are slightly ahead and others saying the Liberals are.  

That sounds scary! 

 

On 3/24/2025 at 8:55 PM, Makai said:

MAGA genuinely cannot understand that. It’s why they constantly bring upon various Democrats in any discussion of Trump’s bad behavior. They don’t understand that playing tit-for-tat does not work with most Democrats. 

I agree that liberals' opinion of electric vehicles hasn't changed just because their opinion of Musk might have changed (I think many people had started to dislike Musk's cars before the election because he'd kind of dropped the ball when it came to innovation. He'd been the first and then missed that the competition had caught up. From what I understand, this is how we ended up with the cybertruck). 

However, what makes you believe that Trump supporters can't understand it? 

 

19 hours ago, fairffaxx said:

Don't forget that WWII started when Great Britain & France declared war against Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, in response to Germany's invasion of Poland on Aug. 31. The USA didn't declare war against Japan until Dec. 8, 1941 & against Germany until Dec. 11, following Japan's attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7.  America was slow to act even back then, & even after its steadfast allies had been fighting in Europe for over 2 years.

Additionally, the US also denied at least one ship with Jewish refugees to dock. 

(On a side note, Germans are taught that WWII started with Germany's invasion of Poland). 

 

16 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

 And I read this is Pete Hegseth sober.  I don't know about that.  He is an alcoholic who was known to binge drink. 

Where is that information coming from, though? Was it reported by reliable media outlets or is it speculation? 

 

[tres bien]

In localish news 

Fellow Minnesotan and now chair of the DNC Ken Martin “Pete Hegseth (who grew up in MN) is the worst export from Minnesota that we’ve ever seen”

And the wife of former MN State Senator Justin Eichorn (in jail for soliciting sex from an underage woman which was an undercover police officer) filed for divorce on Monday 

[annzeepark914]

9 hours ago, ProudMary said:

I haven't watched MSNBC for close to a year now, but this link to an interview with Former National Security Advisor and Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice that was in my BlueSky feed is worth a few minutes of your time. She raises several good points about this national security disaster. It certainly is "bizarre" that the (Acting) Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wouldn't be a member of the group preparing to launch an attack on an adversary. I think we all know why. 🙁 

'This is an extraordinary breach': Amb. Susan Rice reacts to leaked Trump war plans group chat

https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/-this-is-an-extraordinary-breach-amb-susan-rice-reacts-to-leaked-trump-war-plans-group-chat-235339845938

 

I watched this interview yesterday and was stunned when she said that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wasn't even in on this discussion. I hope she'll be interviewed on other networks as she made a lot of interesting & important observations about this.

[Ohiopirate02]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Where is that information coming from, though? Was it reported by reliable media outlets or is it speculation? 

 

Pete's history of alcohol abuse is well-documented and also discussed during his confirmation hearing. His coworkers at Fox News knew he was a drunk, and the family of his ex-wife wrote letters to Congress detailing it.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/24/pete-hegseth-what-we-know

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseths-drinking-worried-colleagues-fox-news-sources-tell-nbc-ne-rcna181471

 

[fastiller]

On 3/21/2025 at 8:55 AM, bluegirl147 said:

My mother had friends who were lifetime Democrats and they didn't vote for Obama.  Were afraid he would do "too much for black people".  I do think his being elected scared a lot of white people. Add to that the study that came out saying this country was on course to become a minority majority in our lifetime just added to their belief they were going to be fucked. So they decided to fuck everyone first. If Hillary had won in 2008 I wonder if Mitch McConnell and his cabal would have met to promise to make her a one term president by obstructing everything she wanted to do. 

I know fairly liberal Democratic voters here in NYC who thought the same about Eric Adams during his run for Mayor.  In conversations, I would counter that I thought he'd do 'too much for cops/NYPD'.  

22 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Speaking of dogs I recently discovered Sue Thomas FB EYE about an FBI agent who is deaf and has a hearing dog.  It aired on PAX in the early 2000s and I had never heard of it.  I like it because of the dog, a beautiful golden retriever but also because back then the FBI was the good guys and they always the got the bad guys. Things sure are different now.

 

Odd timing: Deanne Bray (Sue Thomas) was on Will Trent last night.