Monday, July 04, 2016

4th of July



19 comments:

  1. I took that photo during this evening's fireworks over Lake Champlain at Burlington. That it's discernible at all is impressive, as we were aboard a ferry and it was moving. Ha!

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  2. I just saw an interesting article on what might have happened if Biden had rum. As the article emphasizes, no one can possibly know. So much could and would have changed over the course of the campaign. But polling in September and October for a potential three-way race suggests that Biden would have pulled more support from Clinton than from Bernie. The numbers from October, when she was doing relatively well, suggest she would still have ended up with more delegates than either of the others. The numbers from September, when she wasn't doing as well, would make the results a toss-up. But in September and October Clinton still had a big lead over Bernie (the calculations assume he continued to make the sort of gains he actually did), so it's hard to even guess how things would have ended up.

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  3. Very grateful to have a day off here; rooting around the InnerTubes I came across a couple of columns I was tempted to post links to, but they appealed to me because I am tired, thus emotionally down. Tomorrow I will be in a better frame of mind.

    Yes, Bill, it could have been interesting if Biden had made a serious run, but that is the stuff of alternative history--always a risky business with too many possible twists and turns. I can't say as I approve of Biden's foreign policy positions, I don't know much about his domestic positions--but I believe he is a very decent man.

    Alan

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  4. There's a link on the last thread that mentions the mind of Trump. That gave me a chortle. Mind? What's this mind you refer to?

    Other than sharing a nice photo of Bernie saying 'Happy Independence Day' which, I suppose, some might construe as political, I've been sticking to strictly non political stuff today on FB celebrating America's birthday. It's our 240th, you know.

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  5. Thanks, Cat.

    Bill and Alan, your posts underscore for me that, while I oppose SOOOO much of Clinton's view, it is really more her character that makes it impossible for me to vote for her. That is, if Joe Biden were running, even with nearly the same views, it would be easier for me to vote for him, being a truly decent man. That said, I would still want Bernie, his excellent character, his consistent decency AND his views…!!!

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    1. Not to mention his willingness to jump into the breach, and his ability to understand the tenor of the times. But your point is very well taken, listener. Character will out. I remain impressed by Biden's push to make Obama "evolve" on marriage equality; it was gutsy--and read the political tea leaves very well. A Biden/Sanders ticket would get my vote all right--although my favorite remains Sanders/Grijalva. If some person should have access to disqualifying information about Clinton and were to leak it before the Democratic convention, that would recalibrate the nomination. But releasing it AFTER HRC became the nominee would cause havoc. October Surprise, anyone? [Click] or even a Zinoviev Letter? [Click]

      --Alan

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    2. At one level, I don't care about character -- policy is all that matters. But because of Hillary's character, I don't feel I know what her policies will actually be once she's in office. That does make me reluctant to vote for her, although I can't see any alternative I view as practical.

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    3. In a way it is liberating to be a voter in California--the Dems figure they have California in the bag no matter who they nominate, and they are probably right. The Republicans cut their own throats (politically speaking) quite some time ago, and the institutional Dems' attitude has long been "Who else you gonna vote for?" Well, I'll find someone else if they don't do better. Somewhere I was reading that GOP registration in California has been running about 25-30% for decades, while the Democratic registration has fallen from 49% to 30-35% (those figures might be a bit off, but are about right). And this election may well propel independents into at least second place. Someone pointed out that Trump realized that almost nobody actually liked the GOP; if the Dems aren't careful, they will get into the same situation, I fear. I set up a small monthly contribution to the Green Party last week--because I like Jill Stein.

      --Alan

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  6. Sorry, but I don't know how to link to audio that's not on YouTube:(

    The Kingston Trio: "This Land Is Your Land" - Click

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  7. Juno main engine burn successful; now in orbit about Jupiter. Still awaiting confirmation that solar panels are aimed toward the sun (and that therefore the high-gain antenna will be pointing earthwards).

    Alan

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    1. Turn to sun completed, on solar power, so batteries will not go dead during time behind Jupiter. High gain antenna transmitting. In that 35 minutes of firing the main engine (a little thing!) used nearly a half ton of fuel.

      --Alan

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    2. Thanks, Alan. I'd completely forgotten that I should be following this today.

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    3. My pleasure, Bill. It IS mind-boggling. --Alan

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  8. No comment. Just passing along from Politico for information.

    "This is a platform that will make history. For the first time, it explicitly calls for repealing the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funds for reproductive health care and disproportionately affects low-income women and women of color. It sets down a marker that every American should earn at least $15 an hour. And it contains a robust, detailed, ambitious section on one of the most serious challenges we face: tackling climate change."

    The Truth Behind the Democratic Platform Debate - CVlick

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    1. I saw that headline, but didn't read it until now. Basically a Clintonite defense of a part their platform committee work and a denigration some of the Sanders members' suggestions, which flat out ignores several issues. My weasel-words detectors went off, but they may be too sensitive.

      --Alan

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  9. My computer is driving me BATTY! Not scrolling properly, not reading properly, not letting me get into edit boxes to type... ARG!!!

    In any case, it's time for me to go to bed. Last night I started rereading a favorite, Mary Roberts Rineheart's The Amazing Interlude. So, I'll snuggle up with that and may be able to settle down.

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  10. Oh--quite a few fireworks to be seen from our back yard; we have never seen so many before. Hope they don't start any grass fires.

    Alan

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