(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Cheers and Jeers: Thursday [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-10-24 Election Season Reminder for America - “If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a ‘Liberal,’ then I'm proud to say I'm a Liberal.” —John F. Kennedy “I believe in a relatively equal society, supported by institutions that limit extremes of wealth and poverty. I believe in democracy, civil liberties, and the rule of law. That makes me a liberal, and I’m proud of it.” —Paul Krugman "Reality has a well-known liberal bias." —Stephen Colbert “Today’s so-called ‘conservatives’ don’t even know what the word means. They think I’ve turned liberal because I believe a woman has a right to an abortion. That’s a decision that’s up to the pregnant woman, not up to the pope or some do-gooders or the Religious Right. It’s not a conservative issue at all.” —Barry Goldwater “Being a liberal is the best thing on earth you can be. You are welcoming to everyone when you're a liberal. You do not have a small mind... I'm total, total, total liberal and proud of it. And I think it's outrageous to say "The L word". I mean, excuse me. They should be damn lucky that they were liberals here. Liberals gave more to the population of the United States than any other group.” —Lauren Bacall "Everybody knows God is nonpartisan, but I swear Jesus was a liberal—the best, the biggest, the original bleeding heart—the one who embraced the outcasts, the model for us all. Just read the stuff in the New Testament written in red." —Molly Ivins Please vote responsibly. And now, our feature presentation... Cheers and Jeers for Thursday, October 24, 2024 Note: Because you people insist I do this every October: "Blehhh! Blehhh! I vant to suck your blood." [Sigh] There. I said it. Same time next year? - By the Numbers: 8 days!!! Days 'til we turn our clocks back: 10 Days 'til the Urbanna Oyster Festival in Virginia: 8 Percent chance that the Fed’s latest beige book report shows that economic activity is still growing modestly: 100% Rank of Maine among all states for having the lowest violent crime rate, according to the FBI: #1 Maine's violent crime rate per 100,000 people, versus the national average of 381: 103 Portion of Americans who plan to hand out candy to trick or treaters this year: 2/3 Percent of haunted houses that are operated by charities: 80% - Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment: Trouble is, this is a freak election on many levels. For one thing, only fifteen states were ever in play, leaving those of us in the nonswinging thirty-five hearing little more than distant rumors of a campaign. Meanwhile, the hapless citizens in the swingers are drowning in all this. Nasty TV ads, e-mail, campaign mail, phone banks out the wazoo. Friendly progressives from neighboring states are descending on the beleaguered citizens of swing states like a horde of political Jehovah's Witnesses (no offense intended to the tireless purveyors of The Watchtower). Poor bastards in the swing states, especially those who have voluntarily confessed to either party they are undecided, are suffering from campaign fatigue. By the time it's over, they'll probably have post-traumatic stress disorder. […] Women are key in this election. […] Another potentially fertile field is Republicans for Kerry, mostly upper class R's. Quite a few of them are alarmed by Bush's fiscal irresponsibility and others by his Christian right emphasis. Call it the Episcopal vote. This election has been a stinker, a stew of irrelevancies, distortions, and lies. Yes, we're entitled to bitch and moan about it. Yes, our political debate becomes ever sorrier. Yes, Jeremiah, it's all a mess and getting worse. Makes no difference. Despair is the only sin. —November, 2004 - Puppy Pic of the Day: Our heroes… - CHEERS or JEERS to where we stand. A lot of folks (read: a pair of spiders in our cellar) have been asking me for an update on all the 2024 elections, which are only 12 days away. This morning I spent a good 90 seconds minutes reviewing the latest polling data, number-crunchers' predictions, and the word on the street. Here's what it looks like as of this morning: ??????????????????? Disclaimer: The margin of error is plus or minus ??? CHEERS to paying the piper. We'll file this under "Finally." One of the most disgusting parasites to ever piss away whatever positive reputation he might've had is finally being forced to pay for his crimes: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has seven days to turn over luxury items and shares of his New York City co-op apartment to cover much of what he owes to two Georgia poll workers he defamed in 2020, a federal judge in New York ruled Tuesday. How many worms crawled up and died in that noggin? Giuliani must transfer all personal property "including cash accounts, jewelry and valuables, a legal claim for unpaid attorneys' fees, and his interest in his Madison Avenue co-op apartment" to former election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. […] Freeman and Moss last year won a $148 million judgment after a judge found Giuliani guilty of defaming them when he falsely accused the mother and daughter of committing election fraud while they were counting ballots in Georgia's Fulton County on Election Day in 2020. Wisely, they're letting him keep the hair dye. CHEERS to World Peace...or something like it. Today is United Nations Day. On October 24, 1945, the U.N. charter took effect. Their mission: » To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind. “People, people! Can’t we all just get along???” » To reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. » To establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained. » To promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. Which, when translated for the Republican Party, means: "To enact Agenda 21 when America least expects it and turn all our oilfields into gay Muslim indoctrination camps that replace our precious bodily fluids with zombie juice." And they say liberals are the stoners? - BRIEF SANITY BREAK - x Brazilian musician and pianist Fabrício Di Paolo. gently and slowly plays Debussy's "Clair de Lune" for his beloved son Bernardo, allowing the baby to feel the vibrations. [🎹 Lord Vinheteiro]pic.twitter.com/nCFWnhc9sU — Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 22, 2024 - END BRIEF SANITY BREAK - CHEERS to nukin' your dinner. 69 years ago this week, in 1955, the microwave oven was introduced by Tappan in Mansfield, Ohio (just a stone's throw from my hometown Mt. Vernon). Cost of the appliance: $1,200. Protection against gremlins: Priceless. CHEERS to balls and strikes. The major League World Series starts tomorrow night—the New York Yankees vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. You can read about why the Yankees will win, unless you prefer Los Angeles, in which case the same link explains why the Dodgers will win. Me, I look at these things literally. You got the Yankees on the one hand—patriots with muskets who face down the British scum under George III, but are often too preoccupied with their doodle dandys. Then you've got the Dodgers, who can evade a musket ball—let alone a fastball—with the greatest of ease, but whose sole focus on their reflexes comes at the expense of strategy. But…the Yankees might feel obligated to obey the Dodgers when they're given a command like, "Don’t pitch ye a strike until you see the whites of our eyes!" But if I was a Yankee, I'd do it anyway. I want that World Series ring! But in the final analysis, put me down for Los Angeles to win it 4 games to 2. And then pass me a dog and a beer. Sports analysis is very tiring. - Ten years ago in C&J: October 24, 2014 CHEERS to European exceptionalism. They have great castles, they have amazing transportation and health care systems, they have the Eurovision Song Contest, and now they're on the cusp of having a helluva plan to save the planet: [O]n Friday morning, the European Union showed America up, striking an initial deal to legally require its member countries to cut their GHG emissions 40 percent below their 1990 levels by 2030. It’s the first substantive offer from any member of the international community ahead of the United Nations climate talks that will be held in Paris in 2015. Once final approval happens, things should move quickly. Britain says it'll take the lead by instituting a new program of carb offsets to reduce its haggis footprint. - And just one more… CHEERS to music from the bridge. As we all fixated on the craziness of the election season, something happened up yonder last month that deserves some fixating of its own: On Friday, September 13, 2024, Polaris Dawn Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, an accomplished musician/astronaut, performed “Rey’s Theme” by composer John Williams on her custom-made violin while in orbit aboard the Dragon spacecraft, launching her campaign to raise support for music education back on Earth. Gillis was joined in performance by youth musicians from around the world, all of them students in the international El Sistema network of organizations, specifically: the inaugural El Sistema program in Venezuela, The Boston String Academy in the United States, NEOJIBA in Brazil, Dream Orchestra in Sweden, Brass for Africa in Uganda, and BLUME Haiti. The coordination on this project must've been insane, especially considering that John Williams helped work on it in his usual fastidious way, re-arranging his Oscar-nominated music at a spry 92. Enjoy… - You can read an interview with Sarah Gillis here at the JWFan site. If you’re taking requests, NASA, do Darth Vader’s theme in space on the tuba next. Please, please! Have a nice Thursday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today? - Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial “She is a spicy old lady. She has her little area. She will nip anyone who gets near her. She moves around the exhibit very well for 37. She’ll take the occasional dip and play in the Cheers and Jeers kiddie pool daily.” —Whitney Geslois - [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/10/24/2278778/-Cheers-and-Jeers-Thursday?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/