Open Thread - Thurs 13 Nov 2025: Sometimes...
Sometimes...
Sometimes people change for the better. Alvaro M. Bedoya, recently on the Federal Trade Commission (appointed by Biden) before being fired by Trump, is an example*. He writes about the things that made him change into a populist and his story is very enlightening.
His appointment as a FTC commissioner (in 2022) was troublesome to begin with, at least in the usual Republican political circles. He had spent his career working on privacy and immigrant rights. It took a vote from Kamala Harris to overcome the 50/50 vote on his appointment. So, he was already controversial.
Here's a quote from the article (see link above) which he wrote about his change which is quite informative:
I used to think that the defining fight for our country was between the left and the right. Now, I am much more worried about the money at the top crushing everyone underneath.
'The money at the top crushing everyone underneath'... isn't that the truth. So, what steps, what actions as 'the people underneath' do we take to stop this? Is it even possible? I don't think it is right now, that's for sure 
, although the elections of people like Mamdani, and probably Katie Wilson in Seattle (she's leading by about 1900 votes right now), and more, might help make it possible.
A Politician that Did Good
This is a little tidbit of info that I learned a few days ago. I was diving down the rabbit hole of the sinking of the Costa Concordia, in 2012. I found and watched a very recent video which covers the sinking, the captain's actions and so on. One thing which happened after the ship sunk, and which the video mentions, is that a local deputy mayor (Mario Pellegrini), of the island/commune (Isola del Giglio) closest to the sinking, boarded the sinking ship and organized people so they could escape and be rescued. This is after the captain fled. Kinda jaw dropping in a way, that an elected public servant would ... serve the public. I also love how he and a doctor he had been working with to rescue people went to a bar to get a drink after being ferried to land amongst the last to leave the ship.
Here's the video (c. 15 minutes long), in case you are interested. It's worth the view!
Ok, here's the open thread! What's up, whatcha doing? Reading? Thinking? Listening to? Remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so tell us about where you're diving!
*And no, I'm not saying this because his wife and I share a name 
.
Comments
Happy Thursday!
I'm still having internet trouble, maybe it'll be fixed when the repair appointment happens a week from Friday, or maybe they'll put the appointment off, who knows. But, I'm here for now, so there's that
. We are dealing with a rodent invasion in our farm buildings right now. I don't think it's related to the recent elections, but who knows? Gotta get some rodent removal people in, and, sad to say, some new cats. Most of our cats have died in the last year of old age. We've one cat left from the three feral cats we had, and this cat, Ashe, is so old she can barely move. She lives inside now, which is only fair. She served the farm for a long time. So, time for new rodent hunters!
What's up with you all? How you doing? Hope all is well!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
internet in the boonies is a challenge...
Fortunately we've been pretty stable the last couple of years, but in the past our internet has been very sketchy. What can you do? Nothing but wait.
As to politics, I don't see how it is an answer when the oligarchs own both parties.
Jimmy explains...
Mamdani Secretly Funded By Globalist Billionaires! (23 min)
Well, it’s over — after much controversy and ugliness through a lengthy campaign, New York City has elected Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor. Contrary to the consensus on the left, however, Jimmy and Due Dissidence’s Russell Dobular do not believe Mamdani’s victory represents a radical political shift but rather a continuation of establishment politics backed by elite interests, including figures like Alex Soros.
Russell suggests that while Mamdani may implement limited reforms such as a rent freeze, his administration is unlikely to deliver transformative change, comparing his prospects to past Democratic mayors like Bill de Blasio. The discussion also highlights how demographic shifts and frustration with entrenched political power shaped the election, signaling the end of an era for New York’s old political establishment.
This Mamdani ANTI-WORKER Position Will SHOCK You! (25 min)
One aspect of the Zohran Mamdani story few others are focusing on is NYC mayor elect’s stated refusal to rehire workers fired over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. This, Jimmy says, reveals Mamdani’s true colors and his anti-worker, pro-corporate stance aligned with pharmaceutical interests.
Jimmy and Due Dissidence host Russell Dobular contend that both major political parties serve corporate power, using cultural divisions to distract the public from economic exploitation and loss of civil liberties. The discussion extends to media manipulation, coordination of talking points, and how both left- and right-wing elites reinforce a system of control through surveillance, automation, and financial dependency.
My thoughts on electing people that will serve citizens...
...is like letting Lucy hold the football.
Hope all is well on the homestead. Thanks for the OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning
.
.
Interesting perspective on the potential for positive
growth in individuals. The Concordia story is cool too.
Today marks the 83 rd birthday of John P. Hammond,
the legendary blues musician. He played with the likes
of John Lee Hooker, Tom Waites and many others.
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning, sima, et al!
The cat that was hanging around my barn is now hanging out under my house, raising hell until we feed it. Even my secretary saves leftovers for me to take home so it can avoid having to chase after rats, the intended original purpose.
I have court this morning. I might ask the judge to take it up in chambers. My elderly client walked into the bedroom in their home to happen upon her husband of 45 years sexually assaulting a child. A stay at home wife, a man with a union job and pension, and the case is about how to divide up the assets and debts in a way to reflect the egregious fault of the breakup of the long marriage. 50/50 split is the norm, but I am shooting for 80/20, her favor.
The judge has 3 young daughters. He is very protective. We shall see.
Thanks for the OT, chica, and may your internet soon be fine and dandy!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Bedoya? I'll give you Bedoya
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
good morning Sima et. al. We iz back and it is
raining like there's no tomorrow. Sorry to hear about your gatos, I would assign a very high priority to procuring replacements. I/we wuz largely able to avoid and ignore news during our little mini-vacation but I did learn today that Trump is trying to tell that Supremes that the tariffs aren't intended to be a revenue generating project after having claimed the opposite in public for the longest time and still doing so for all other appearances. Further Tariff news is that the announced tariff "dividend" would vastly exceed the tariff revenues.
I assume that you all knew all of that, but it seems so emblematic of this government. We did, of course, hear that the shutdown is oveer and, seemingly, Obamacare premium subsidies as well, which is really no surprise. The whole purpose of that farce was not pto provide actual health care, or even mere medical care, but to enshrime the principle that any sicknedd and injury diagnosis and treatment dispensed in this country must be paid for via some form of insurance into law. That much became clear early on, and all else ever since has simply been haggling around the edges.
meanwhole, I still haven't taken any kind of dive into the news, which will wait until I finish unpacking and putting stuff.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Just for the
amusement of anybody who has any investments in the marketcasino currently, which I really don't (other than an utterly vestigial 401K):
https://archive.ph/FRd5s
Some days, I'm actually glad to be essentially asset-free. This is one of those days.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Bedoya is very articulate.
I don't know if it's just me, but so many of these article present the America of workers as something just discovered. What life did Bedoya live before, that this is all new to him? Were privacy and immigrant rights blinders to the plight of the rest of us? Is this something just discovered? Not dissing him, really, but places like Public Broadcasting carry a similar.....tone?.... That they relate a story from a loftier perch, from above, and the life of the working class might as well be about Ethiopian farmers it's that far removed from the day to day of the writer. The story seems aimed at an audience similarly uninformed, a National Geographic tour of diminished American citizens. I mean, we live it, it tells me nothing new. So after decades of this, who are they trying to convince, and about what? Maybe it's as Bedoya says, it's normal.
Heard this earlier
.
.
peace but no justice
Zionism is a social disease