Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Kitchen table activism, various

Today's about doing good stuff. It's all political, as most things are.

First the ruggy thing is coming along, and I already found a box to ship it in when it's done

Next I have another group of small squares to include.

That's practical activism, direct help to people. My crochet ministry.

And I messaged the office of the USAG at the DOJ.  Translation for furriners: the United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, at the Department of Justice. I'm assured by people who have worked there that they read all the mail.

Full credit: I got the idea from a great indie podcast The Daily Beans, and acted on it.

I asked Garland to find a way to release the Jack Smith report to the public, and thanked him for his work. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, let a leak happen.

This report is almost certainly the reason for the latest silly stuff about Panama and Greenland, so instead of watching that, we can give T something to really worry about. 

Anyone can do this kind of messaging. Probably better if you're a voting citizen. Just go to DOJ, to Contact us, to email. Done.

I also, since Z is removing fact checking from his platforms,  I wrote to the indie women owned, very good, publication Dame, talking up Spoutible. 

It's the only online platform  which has excellent fact checking, and the editor if Dame, Jennifer Reitman,  has now undertaken to make sure they have a presence there.  I'm active there, founding member, and I've seen fact checking in action. It works.

Moving along to taking care of people and being united, here's what I baked today.

Left, chocolate walnut cake fresh from the oven. Right, container of same now at Gary's house.

Now I'm going to read. I have plenty of material including the latest Jackson Brodie (Kate Atkinson), Mrs Miniver reissued, the whole of Peter Wimsey, the ongoing Forsytes and more. 

The baking was punctuated by a flying visit from Handsome Son to shower, there being a water emergency repair at his building,  water suddenly shut off, before rushing to work. We exchanged about three sentences in all.

Happy day everyone, do your bit, I will too. It's good for your spirits to do something to counter nonsense.




23 comments:

  1. A flash of Handsome Son is I’m sure better than nothing. I love the ruggy thing!

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  2. I admire your kitchen table activism! I'm going to bake a small chocolate cake this afternoon and was thinking of putting walnuts in it too. Bur then I noticed I had half a leftover container of glace cherries from my Christmas shortbread baking so I'm going to throw them in instead and see how that works out.

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  3. Thanks for the info. I liked the Peter Wimsey program on PBS in the '80s. Haven't read the books.

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    1. There was the production with Edward Petherbridge, pitch perfect, intelligent, just great. Then there was the other one with Ian Carmichael, the less said the better.
      Sayers was a brilliant writer, far beyond what TV can suggest, worth reading. She also had some huge flaws, casual racism,that kind of thing, so a trigger warning fits.

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  4. The ruggy thing is coming along and looking cosy for someone. Hot water can be hit and miss here and it's sometimes an adventure when showering or doing the dishes. They supposedly (key word, that) replaced the boiler over the summer but it hasn't made matters any better.

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    1. I used to live in a beautiful apartment complex on the park, lovely. But after 9 am good luck getting a hot shower. Management blamed building staff who blamed owners etc.

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  5. Well done with the activism, Boud. There is always something people can do!

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    1. It just takes a bit of checking to find useful tasks. Not meetings, which in my experience lead to busywork.

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  6. They were just talking about that on the news a few minutes ago -- and how in the world they can do a Senate hearing on Kash Patel if they can't question him on the things in the 9/6 transcript. We can only hope.

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    1. We're in for a number of conundrums, I think.

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  7. I hope that report gets released. Surely Rump can't win every battle.

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    1. At this point it's legally blocked. I'm hoping some brave soul leaks it.

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  8. Ohhh I am impressed that you have done this. More like this is needed. I do love your crocheting and the baking. yummmmmm Have a nice day.

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    1. It doesn't take long, just a matter of minutes once you get going.

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  9. Well done for prodding the beast. I hope enough follow suit and people realise how dire things can become. In the meantime I watch from afar with fear.
    Baking, crocheting and reading. A perfect antidote to the world's more unpleasant issues.

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    1. I'm encouraging people to just do something other than wring their hands

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  10. I saw the following in the news today (1/8): "The Justice Department told a federal appeals court on Wednesday that Attorney General Merrick Garland intends to release the January 6-related volume of its final report of special counsel Jack Smith before Donald Trump takes office." The article goes on to say Garland isn't publicly releasing the part of the report about trump's mishandling of classified documents, and, of course, Garland is blocked from releasing any part of it now because of a ruling from Aileen Cannon. I'd like to read that report--in its entirety. Here's hoping leakers look out for our interests.

    Love,
    Janie

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  11. I've read "rugby" for "ruggy" every time. Think I'll just let it go and be happy when the rugby thing is gone.

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    1. It's got a way to go yet, whatever it's called!

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