#Russia #Crimea #Ukraine #EnergyEconomy
Showing posts with label Witness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Witness. Show all posts
Friday, July 10, 2026
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Wishing Mitch McConnell a "speedy recovery?"
#Senate #KYpol #McConnell
Speedy recovery?
The whole internet is full of people with medical credentials saying various versions of "Not Bloody likely."
The norm in modern hospitals is to kick people out as quickly as possible for many many conditions. If the good Senator were a regular person, most likely he would already have been kicked out to Skilled Nursing or dumped into the lap of family ordered to find an appropriate placement. But no.
Instead, we have multiple voices asserting that they had 20-minute conversations? Was it REALLY the Senator and not AI? Was it 20 minutes of raise one finger for a yes vote and two fingers for a no vote.
Is it gauche just to say
"May God rest Mitch McConnell's soul and may he not be forced endlessly to suffer in the hospital"?
The internet of course is also full of various versions of "May he be dragged immediately to hell to burn forever."
But what if the #GOP, instead of demanding proof of life, just started singing his praises, lauding every outrageous thing that Mitch has pulled off. Play recordings about this in his hospital room daily. Convince him that he has done, cough, so much for the US already and there are others who can carry on the fight.
RantWoman is not proud that it would be fine with her if the good Senator remains on life support and cannot vote anymore BUT KY voters absolutely deserve full competent representation.
Monday, July 6, 2026
TYT reports on the Grand Ayatollah's funeral with a generous dose of ranting.
#Iran #Shia #Israel
12 million people in the streets of Tehran. As TYT puts it, probably the largest funeral ever in the history of humanity.
What? The Iranian people don't like being bombed and foreigners bombing the country generated a Rally Around the flag effect? Imagine that.
RantWoman does not dispute the body counts and issues raised by Cenk about Israel but also finds it unsatisfying to completely ignore everything to do with global oil / energy markets.
God is smiting President #StableGenius. The stone presidents are weeping and heavy fireworks haze clouds the nation's capital.
As the US stumbles into the 251st year since the signing of the declaration of independence, RantWoman offers the following half-formed reflections:
1. Whatever one thinks of the whole text and circumstances of the Declaration of Independence--and there is a lot to think--it matters to take at least one day a year to reflect on where the country has been, where it is, where it is going. We are not required to LIKE the reflections but it matters to do them.
2. RantWoman is a grownup and is perfectly capable of using a search engine to round up some videos of celebrations in the small communities of this country, the kind of celebration where the volunteer of the year rides in a convertible ahead of the portable toilet company and the elementary schoolkids pedaling their kid bikes along the route, where there is a high school marching band and assorted kind of homely floats. RantWoman definitely thinks this would be a valuable addition to notes of a fireworks setting the Brooklyn bridge on fire, a plane flying into Chicago complaining about fireworks interference, and arrests of 400 people in LA.
3. Sleep is resistance. RantWoman woke up too late to make it to the worship outside the federal building. RantWoman does not, unfortunately, foresee a shortage of reasons to need to stand in silent witness and is glad to hear glowing reports of Saturday's event.
4. Friends generally are not down with the concept of divine smiting, but Mother Nature definitely does not approve of this year's celebration. It's summer. Thunderstorms happen and so do heat waves. But ping pong sized hail just in time for the President to visit Mt. Rushmore: that is just ...timing. L
ikewise the horrific heat dome and last-minute thunderstorm blessing the President's Fourth of July speech and fireworks. The nation is, perhaps, supposed to be grateful that the thunderstorm probably cooled things off enough to save #DementiaDon from cooking himself with his determination to give his speech no matter what.
After all is said and done, RantWoman is permitting herself a measure of snark: RantWoman's favorite social media swamp prominently features voices talking about how God spared the President and the whole weather thing is the result of "geoengineering" by antifa all suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, TDS. That idea, to RantWoman, is giving the nonexistent antifa organization WAY too much credit. If anyone is "geoengineering" the perpetuation and increasing severity of summer weather patterns, could it POSSIBLY be the President's petroleum-guzzling cronies and bizarro efforts to undo all the measures people are taking to address #ClimateChange?
Just wondering.
Anyway, please "enjoy" the following videos and any videos YouTube may lead readers to besides the ones featured here.
The 1963 March on Washington where MLK gave his "I have a dream" speech did not have people falling out and fainting from the heat--despite the fact that people came in their good clothes. The sartorial standards in 1983 for the 20th anniversary were, um, looser. The planning was also a lot more realistic.
Thursday, June 18, 2026
#AbolishICE and STAY OUT OF JAIL.
#Protest #ICE #Injury
Hoopes Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Assaulting an ICE Agent - Friends Journal
Article contains clear acceptance of responsibility as well as statements from the government and the judge.
Previously
Hoopes Pleads Guilty to Assaulting an ICE Agent, Faces Up to 20-Year Sentence - Friends Journal
RantWoman's judgmental and possibly unhelpful comments:
DO NOT DO ANYTHING that might be construed as assault at a protest!
Anyone not confident that they can stay centered in a given situation should definitely consider sitting out a protest. There are MANY ways to stand for justice. Know yourself. Know the situation. Know the people you are with. Avoid actions that you might be embarrassed about later.
Even though information suggests the officer's injury was comparatively minor, RantWoman is SEVERELY humor-impaired about any and all injuries around someone's eyes or face.
And at the same time, plenty of undertrained #ICE agents perpetrating the current barbarities, in RantWoman's eyes, also bloody well deserve prison sentences for the many assaults and injuries that come with their nearly lawless operational rules.
#AbolishICE
End the barbaric mass deportation efforts and get our collective legislative and national acts together to do serious immigration reform.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Lest we forget about "old" war crimes.
#Venezuela #FishingBoat #ColdBloodedMurder
As reported in The Intercept
CBC correspondent in Iran with an 8-day visa
#Iran
RantWoman is posting as is. An important perspective on many grounds.
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Thou shalt not protest in groups of more than 4 people outside Rep. Adam Smith's house in Bellevue
RantWoman notes, according to local public radio, a new ordinance in Bellevue prohibiting more than 4 people at once from protesting outside individual homes.
Rep. Adam Smith lives in Bellevue. His house has been targeted by protestors, possibly protestors collaborating with Kshama Sawant, his opponent in this election cycle.
In RantWoman's view, Rep. Smith does a decent job about reflecting his constituents' diversity in programs he supports, in staffing his offices, and bringing money back to the district.
Rep. Smith is the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee and is getting a LOT of face time in various news outlets. RantWoman definitely wishes he would take stronger positions on some topics and completely different positions on other topics.
Rep. Smith receives millions of dollars in campaign contributions from AIPAC.
Twitter / X is the social media platform besides YouTube that RantWoman is most familiar with so RantWoman has dabbled in Saturday Night sleuthing.
A review of Rep. Smith's Twitter / X posts over the last 10 days shows:
1 post thanking interns in his office
A number of posts about the costs of the Iran war and defense issues
posts about how "complex" it is to investigate the bombing of the Iranian girls school at the beginning of the US attack.
Posts about the housing crisis including critique of private equity.
posts in support of transgender people
posts about economic development in the 9th district.
A post recognizing a Jewish holiday RantWoman is unfamiliar with
Posts about the #TrumpCrimeFamily, though he is too polite to refer to President #StableGenius that way.
Absent, among other topics: ANY mention of the DISGUSTING video made by Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir gloating over treatment of participants in the humanitarian effort to deliver aid to Gaza.
Just sayin'
For comparison, RantWoman looked at the Twitter / X feed of Jewish Voice for Peace. Not surprisingly, there are posts about multiple disgraceful Israeli actions. To be fair, RantWoman also did not find anything yet about Mr. Ben Gvir's disgusting video. Maybe the video will be a topic for the Sunday morning talkies.
RantWoman is having trouble getting past Ms. Sawant's reputation for stridency and irritating protests to evaluate what she is actually basing her campaign on but RantWoman did notice:
A site called the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights has endorsed a number of candidates who have pledged to oppose aid to Israel. Ms. Sawant is not listed--yet?
Ms Sawant's Twitter / X feed mostly includes campaign events and links to other progressive thinkers. ALice Walker has endorsed her campaign. The King County labor council has not. And so far, no mention of Mr. Ben Gvir's video or a lot of other relatable policy points.
Here are links to two videos RantWoman has not yet taken time to pick through.
Back to the new ordinance. RantWoman is not a lawyer. The ordinance sounds dubious on first amendment grounds but public radio reports that similar ordinances have survived in other jurisdictions.
RantWoman appreciates CREATIVE protests. For example, people placed bottles of fake urine strategically around the Met Gala to remind celebrants that workers at Amazon warehouse pee into soda bottles because they are penalized for taking breaks. Say what you will about worker rights--and there is a LOT to say. But robots do not need bathroom breaks.
RantWoman thinks different things on different days about protests directly at someone's home. That said, RantWoman is having NO trouble thinking of protests that would comply with the letter of the law, share protest with the entire neighborhood and regularly leave other evidence of all the things to protest about Israeli behavior.
Round the clock silent vigil up and down the entire street?
Random dumping of rubble reminiscent of Gaza bombing rubble?
RantWoman HAS OPINIONS about many issues in the 9th district campaign. RantWoman also considers it very important to uphold freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Enough said?
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Speaking of loss of life: Owwww
#Ukraine #Russia #DroneAttack
"I cannot shed tears for loss of life on either side"
ordinary people on either side did not ask for this war
Speaking of loss of life.
Kremlin’s FSB Elite JUST Hit: 100+ Officers Gone
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Earth Day plus or minus earth
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| Jessie, Aka "RantMom" with a picture of the farm where she grew up |
Grieving sucks, okay. If RantWoman were not frazzled enough by news timelines, there is always RANTMOM to keep one awake.
Saturday was 3 months to the day since RantMom departed to other realms. RantWoman had an in-person gig that went well, thanks be to God, despite RantWoman giving in at 2:30 am to waves of RantMom battering any attempt to sleep.
Then yesterday was one month to the day since RantMom's memorial. RantWoman unintentionally spent the night before on an all-night YouTube news binge and had a lovely walk in balmy weather before breakfast. RantWoman was basically a zombie all day.
Today is #EarthDay so bless us all with too much to say and a sort of ragged reflection that is half annotated playlist from the memorial, half tribute to all kinds of things, and half just attempting to ride today's waves of whatever is going on.
As for the playlist, there is a site called something like Hymnary that has a ton of interesting info but RantWoman wants some audible experience opportunity. Hence links, and sometimes several per hymn.
Cope.
This list is only the ones RantWoman remembers; Little Sister contributed some other suggestions which RantWoman will look up. The RantSisters did well about each other's preferences. Plus neither one of us wanted Amazing Grace. If Little Sister had wanted Amazing Grace, RantWoman would to have the drums from RantMom's church that she did not entirely relate to as part of worship. The whole playlist and modern renditions is a bit of a timewarp and in several cases RantWoman has vivid memory of considerably more old-fashioned renditions. But this is YouTube.
RantMom, basically tone-deaf herself, was unflagging in her support of RantDad's music. Music has always been part of the backbone of RantWoman's experience of God. YouTube is quite the fountain of musical performances, though in a couple cases RantWoman notes that it seems to be fashionable not to perform some verses.
Now the playlist
In the prelude. Who one earth puts perfectly lovely hymns in the prelude? Little Sister. That's who.
RantWoman wanted For the Beauty of the Earth on the hymns list partly because it is lovely and simple, partly because we also had it at RantDad's memorial.
Asterisk about European song festival tradition andsinging of hymns as resistance during Soviet times.
More overdone than RantWoman is used to but ....
RantWoman does not remember the other hymns in the prelude or the first hymn, a requested solo from the music director at Little Sister's church because he sang it solo over li-ve-streamed services during the #Pandemic
There was another hymn and then Little Sister spoke.
Next,
RantWoman decided to stop at one version.
A favorite from Baptist Sunday school but also a lead-in to RantWoman speaking about she and RantBrother inheriting RantDad's congenital cataracts. It never occurred to RantMom that thick glasses should interfere with expectations about making our beds, doing dishes, and other chores.
Also a bit about God at work in the form of others from her church in Billings who also had, um, challenged adult children.
Then before an invitation to others to speak a hymn about the People of God. RantWoman is not familiar with the tune and might have preferred something more inclusive than just Jesus. But RantWoman was grateful for all who attended regardless of faith.
Next, after many memories, especially of how RantMom made newcomers feel welcome at her church or in her retirement communities:
with cello
with choir
LOVE THS VIDEO. It's long and the story speaks deeply.
Then Pastor Jane spoke.
There is a whole thread about RantMom and PastorJane and #COVID
Pastor Jane also elegantly dispatched emotional landmines about RantBrother who, as Pastor Jane put it, RantMom just had to hand to God.
And in the postlude, again all instrumental
two other hymns RantWoman does not remember and How Great Thou Art. RantWoman in general has heard too many way too dirge-like renditions of How Great Thou Art but the Google says that is where a verse about "Bread of Heaven...Feed me til I want no More " can be found.
The bread of heaven part is important because of MANY frustrations about RantMom not wanting to eat, trying to feed herself, and other details that tore at RantWoman's heart as she read about a weighty Friend's parallel journey out of this world.
still no feed me till I want no more.
a gorgeous view
RantWoman has other #EarthDay reflections and of course more, more, more reflections of RantMom but this is what RantWoman has to offer today.
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| What's left of RantMom in her new home |
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Veterans Protest Iran War at US Capitol.
#Iran #Veterans
whether or not readers need for RantWoman to go off: it is offensive to be shipping more people off to another foreign war when the US is still not fully paying off the costs of previous endless wars. Especially offensive is the veterans' administration' chicanery with VA supported housing financing now forcing many military families into foreclosure and homelessness. And we will not even talk about PTSD and other service-related medical issues.
Anyway, now the protest videos
This video is incredibly moving
"It is absurd to me that (Congress isn't) doing anything.
And words from the generals
Friday, April 17, 2026
Your friendly local police union is just here to protect...
We interrupt RantWoman's daily diet of #Iran #Russia #Ukraine postings for something a little more local.
Enjoy?
Adventures of RantWoman: SPOG says city's ICE policies put public at risk: Oh PLEASE
Adventures of RantWoman: AHEM. Blowing whistles is protected first amendment activity...and...
Friday, March 27, 2026
Center on Conscience and War interview on Zeteo
Right to conscientious objection is enshrined in military regulations.
Get help here!
EXTREMELY Topical resource: the Center on Conscience and War
 |
| Image shamelessly grabbed from the CCW website |
202.483.2220
To make financial contributions:
Support the Center on Conscience and War
and some other much-needed insights
Let's talk about Trump claiming victory and Iran publicly mocking Trump....
Trump Claims Iran War Is Won, But Hegseth’s New Recruitment Standards Say Otherwise | The Daily Show
Friday, March 20, 2026
Oh No. Russia running out of drones, and Ukraine is becoming a world leader
#Russia #Ukraine #MiddleEast
This references a clip by Russian propagandist and loudmouth Vladimir Solovyov. RantWoman may or may not go find it.
This video nicely summarizes a number of current realities in the world of drone warfare.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
The WAR as of 3 9: Nuclear issues, family and otherwise.
#Iran #NavalWarfare
RantWoman is making a practice of presenting multiple points of view, without comment about whether specific points are credible.
Basic points:
There are offramps but lots of voices on all sides polarized.
US resources are stretched.
US is not making friends expecting Gulf countries to keep taking Iranianhits.
Who is killing ciilian? Everyone is killing civilians.
Iran's leader has n theological credentials but does have ties to IRGC.
More on the shift in location, "tactical redeployment" of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
REALLY interesting insights.
Comments about the new Iran leader.
DW Interviews spokeman from Iranian Foreign Ministry
"Infiltrators from US or Israel turned protests violent."
second time in nine months that Iran is attacked in the middle of negotiations.
Stop normalizing threats to assassinate duly elected leaders. History
Meidas Touch
President #StableGenius calls CBS reporter and mumbles things that halted the stick market drop.
Putin offers to mediate and the President wants to relax sanctions in return.
Ben Meiselas takes apart administration speeches.
Pyotr Kurzin
Mujtaba Khamanei has no theological credentials but has deep ties to IRGC
Agreement with other sources about regime survival succession plan and decentralization of command and control
Expecting Kurds to bring on regime change throughout the country is not realistic
TYT Weighs in
From a few days ago
From Newsweek
Bolton speaks truth about Venezuela
Bolton thinks GCC countries taking Iranian hits and feeling undefended by US will make the countries more on the US side.
Re IraQ: I am not a believer in nation-building.
No. He cannot imaging Rumsfeld giving a presser like Hegseth. "It's juvenile."
From Times of India
competine narratives reported
Mandatory evacuation of nonessential personnel from US Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Similar attacks in other Gulf countries
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