Bodega Boycott in New York City

Stepping into his Brooklyn bodega, Mohammed Almuntaser recalled how his heart sank. Staring up at him from the entryway was a copy of The New York Post, with a picture of the World Trade Center in flames on the cover and a headline attacking a Muslim member of Congress, Ilhan Omar.
“It was disgusting. It was racist. I couldn’t believe this racist thing was sitting at my store,” said Mr. Almuntaser, 29, who owns four bodegas in the city. “The very next day, I told everyone who works at my stores not to accept the paper.”
He was not alone, and a boycott of The Post began.

Authoritarians are only about 25-30% of us. We just need to babysit them to make sure they do not hurt themselves or us. Takes person power. Yemeni Merchants believe in democracy and they know how to use it. I want such human beings as citizens. They have a twitter account.

My Grands were immigrants from Italy and Poland. I do not know if they were ever citizens. I spoke two languages when I was a child. I am too close to the immigrant experience to vote for any Republican as they now stand politically re immigration and immigrants.

Smack him again for me, Miss Maxine Waters.

Auntie Maxine enjoyed this encounter thoroughly. Minuchin turned red. Miss Waters did not work hard or turn a well coiffed hair. Go get him, Madame Chair. I cannot wait to watch another encounter. 

Republicans have been humiliating, stalking, shaming, blaming, denigrating and attacking women for more than a decade now. If you need references because you doubt it is all that bad, try http://goprapeadvisorychart... for starters. Remember 'rape is just another form of conception?'

A "progressive" person made this comment:

"I have nothing but contempt for Mnuchin, but Waters' handling of the situation was petty and childish. Rather than flexing her chairperson muscles and trying to force him to commit to future appearances, and basically daring him to leave without permission, she should have just politely pressed on with the questions. Bickering like that is unbecoming."

Sick of people who call themselves progressive denigrating Maxine Waters for making Mnuchin squirm. Politics is more than 'the rules.' Politics is emotional and psychological in large part as well. Yes, Virginia, there really are Alt-Left Authoritarians.

Note that as Chair Ms. Waters has subpoena power. There is no 'force him to come back.' Congress has oversight of the Executive Branch. It is Mnuchin's job to show up.

Maxine Waters was magnificent in that hearing. She made clear to Mnuchin that Congress is in charge and he is an ant in this struggle. She won a significant battle. Waters made me proud. She handled baby Steve perfectly.

Why do I write this. Republicans are at again.

Mississippi’s governor has signed into law one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, making it even more difficult for women to get abortions in a state where only one clinic still operates.

The bill, set to take effect in July, bans abortions after a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat during an ultrasound, unless the mother’s health is at extreme risk. Heartbeats can be found just six weeks into pregnancy — before some women even know they are pregnant. - Reis Thebault. 

I am tired of Repubs and fellow travelers. Auntie Maxine did it right. God bless you, Maxine Waters. Especially now that it looks like gay men and men of color will have their 'equal rights' before any woman in this country. Think we will ever get the Equal Rights Amendment passed?

If women ever get equal civil rights in the United States, efforts to control women's bodies by legislative fiat like the new effort to push heartbeat bills would be made inoperative and moot in my opinion. Your opinion is...?

SALMAGUNDI

Rodriguez 

Graphics are from Favianna Rodriguez and Buddy McCue in that order.

RANT:

PutinPoot has troops in South America. Trump intends to stop aid to 3 South American countries to assist him. And nobody is talking about it. I am going to say it again. There are Russian troops in South America. Some of us too busy hating on Sarah Slanders. Counterproductive to do that bigtime. 

Roman Catholic priests are burning Harry Potter books. Tit for tat I say. Harry Potter fans get to burn pedophile priests and those who covered for them. One flaming priest for 10 books. I think that is reasonable.

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Kings and Barons are back in style. You know - feudal system. A Corporation is now a legal person with religion and freedom of speech. Only difference between a human person and a corporation? A Corpo never dies. A Monarchy never dies. Takes messy revolutions to move such cultural institutions. 

Men: do not touch women without asking if it is OK. Especially do not give women a little pat on the shoulder in a formal setting like government, medicine etc. That is how women's careers are halted. Gives rise to 'she slept her way up' for example.

The Old Men who are in power are moldy old men. Hat tip to Moms Mably. They lived their lives and formed their young selves when women were significantly enchained. So they treat women with a combination of 'isn't she adorable' and 'get that cunt cuz she persisted...bitch' in a situation of political or economic combat. It is what they know. Habit. 

I advise women: get a small Italian stiletto, offer to kiss their Uncle cheeks, and shove it into a buttock. "Sting like a bee." Practice at home on an orange. It will be 7-10 minutes before they even know they are bleeding.

I have reached peak bipolar rage obviously. These whackadoos are putting children in cages. I cannot take it any more. That fact has taken me so low it is making me sick in body and mind. I have to avoid going to places or the News because no one can grieve all the time. Not without breaking.

A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more (Jeremiah 31:15 NIV).

No Biden. I remember Hill/Thomas hearing. I want Warren and/or Abrams. It is going to take charisma and intelligence to beat the traitors in our midst and the corpos. Both have it. The rest of the field is not one bit possible.

Pompeo is a pompous, obese, weak and sweaty guy trying hard to convince us he is a warrior. Epic fail.

It is bad. We are all at the mercy of rich people. We have to stop this now. 

I say we all march on DC and surround the White House, sing kumbaya songs, and refuse to leave until Trumpus leaves. Nothing in and nothing out until he leaves. Let us see if our government will fire on us. We call it the NOTHING IN AND NOTHING OUT MARCH. I am serious as a heart attack.

McCue

The Surrender of General R. E. Lee to General U.S. Grant

Note: Repeating because of increased interest in the era. Published April 9, 2010

April 9 is the anniversary of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant which ended the military phase of the American Civil War.

To mark the occasion, Bede's Beat brings you a sample of Kurt Weill's settings of four of Walt Whitman Civil War poems.



Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the German declaration of war against the U.S., Kurt Weill -- who had fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and moved to the U.S. in 1935 -- began to set three of Walt Whitman's Civil War poems to music.

The poems Weill chose form a cycle which was completed by the addition of the setting of a fourth poem in 1947.

The first poem, Beat! Beat! Drums!, begins the cycle with an enthusiastic martial call to arms. The middle part of the cycle is devoted to the inevitable result of war: death.

The second, O Captain! My Captain!, about death of a leader in time of war, proved prophetic.

The third poem, Come Up from the Fields Father uses the imagery of autumn and the harvest to presage the grief of a mother upon learning of her son’s death -- a reminder of the toll of war on the home front.

The cycle concludes with Dirge for Two Veterans, and the contrast of Whitman's lament with the first poem in the cycle is reflected in music for each: while the first movement is sprightly, martial and optimistic, the final poem is set to a funeral march.