Trump is running concentration camps by paying other nations to help him disappear people.

Trump is trying to avoid the accusation of running concentration camps by outsourcing the "disappeared ones" to prisons in other nations. He knows that such camps in the US would become focal points of protests and demonstrations. They would also take time to build and staff. So, just grab people off the street, ship them to foreign prisons, and pay foreign governments to take them.

DOGE is supposed to cut the costs of government? Well, they could start by eliminating the costs of planes and foreign prisons for Trump's concentration camps.

Trump, Miller, and ICE have already moved beyond imprisoning people who lack documentation. They are now sending legal asylum seekers to Trump's foreign concentration camps. It won't stop there. They are pushing to eliminate birthright citizenship. Then they could then ship US born citizens to the foreign concentration camps if their parents were here with or without documentation.

This unholy trio of Trump, Miller, and ICE would next move on to revoke citizenship for naturalized people that they don't want here.

When will they start shipping American born citizens of US citizen parents to foreign concentration camps because of their political views?

We know this movie. The world has seen it before. Silence about this is complicity. Remember what Martin Niemoller said:

"First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists but I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me."

For MLK Day - archived recording 1963 March on Washington

Includes singing of We Shall Overcome, the entire I Have a Dream speech, and Marian Anderson singing He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. Plus, remarks from JFK on equality.

Some of us will remember these voices of great people from the past. Some might not remember, but will share the ideas and feelings. This is what America is about.

Regarding Biden on the ERA as law

I don't think that the ERA will be accepted as an amendment because of three factors.

1) Some states have rescinded their approval.

2) The deadline was 1982.

3) Biden's statement of agreement with the American Bar Association that the ERA has been approved to become a constitutional amendment has no legal power. It is only a statement of his view.

But, by making this public statement, Biden is stirring conversation again on making women's rights into national law. By doing it just 3 days before Trump's swearing in, it falls to Trump and his MAGA regime to reject it.

Jimmy Carter's passing and a Christmas holiday film.

Like a lot of DUers, I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" during the holiday season. With Carter's passing and funeral so soon after the holidays, maybe there's a combined example for us from both Carter's life and the film.

Like Carter, George Bailey in the film did what was right even when it was difficult. Both of them gained the respect and love of people for their values and integrity. In the end, it was the respect and love of the community for George Bailey that defeated Mr Potter's devious schemes.

There are times when I am so angry at the MAGA greed, power grabs, and lies that I want to see them attacked more harshly, and viciously defeated, no matter what it takes. I sometimes feel angry at our own leaders who don't stand up to him more strongly. I admire people like AOC, Hakeem Jeffries, Jasmine Crocket, and Jamie Raskin for their outspoken criticism of Trump and the MAGA agenda.

George Bailey also spoke out directly on Mr. Potter's greed and cruelty, and he paid a price for it when it looked like all that Bailey had stood for was lost. Jimmy Carter spoke directly and honestly about his values and acted on them. He paid the price of defeat for a second term.

But, despite the low period of apparent defeat by Mr. Potter, Bailey's values were not defeated. It was not attacks on Mr. Potter, or any charges against him that defeated his schemes. It was the values that Bailey had promoted and the positive response to those values from people who respected and believed in him that kept those values alive and defeated Potter.

When Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 election, his values were not defeated. He went through a low period of accepting political defeat and digging himself out of debts that had accrued when he put his business in escrow during his presidency.

Then, following his values, he established the Carter Centers (yes, plural), and succeeded in eradicating diseases around the world, and improving human rights at home and abroad. Carter's successful accomplishments after leaving political life came from continuing his commitment to values despite obstacles.

There are times to fight. But sometimes, just keeping values alive by living them individually and in networking groups becomes an example and rallying point for the values to grow and defeat the opposition. They remind people of what's worth fighting for.

Some notes I took during the Carter funeral.

These are random thoughts that I jotted down as I watched.

BEFORE THE SERVICE STARTED:

Melania looks old, and not well groomed for a former model.

Kamala looks ready to cry.

The hymn being played early on is one of my favorites, Be Still My Soul.

Biden looks near tears as he is seated, passes his hand in front of his face without touching it, as if to wave away grief.

Will American decency get buried with Carter? Or will we be inspired by his example to carry on his legacy, for the sake of the nation and our values?

I was 26 when I voted for Carter the first time. I am 75 now. So long ago. Such a different world now.

Where's Michele Obama?

An era dies with Jimmy Carter's passing.

The first presidential funeral that I saw was JFK's. I was 14 years old.

DURING THE FUNERAL:

Great humor about Ford and Carter promising to do eulogies at each others' funerals.

From Mondale's eulogy, via his son. At the end of their term, Mondale and Carter discussed a summary of their term. Carter said, "We told the truth. We kept the law. We kept peace."

Carter's accomplishments praised in eulogy (by grandson Jason, I think) are now on the MAGA chopping block. Clean energy, conservation, civil rights, women's rights, Department of Education, international human rights, Panama treaty and return, taking in refugees, arms treaties, normalized relations with China, doing the right thing in spite of criticism.

Hillary Clinton is smiling, with a slight nod in agreement with the list of Carter accomplishnents.

Bill Clinton looks bored at religious parts of the service. Gets interested in listening, with slight head tilt when politics are referred to.

Obama looks solemn and thoughtful throughout the service every time the camera is on him.

Carter family passing tissue between them after Jason's eulogy.

Love the story about Jimmy accidentally dialing Jason when Jimmy was trying to take a photo with his phone and being puzzled to hear Jason's voice.

Navy hymn - Eternal Father Strong to Save. The church I grew up in sang that often enough for me to remember the first and last verses.

How do Doug Emhoff, other people of different faiths, and atheists feel at a Christian service during hymns and prayers in Jesus's name?

Joe Biden -- Good eulogy. Strong emphasis on character. Besides being the truth, it's gotta be a dig at Trump.

Does Trump envy the praise that Carter is getting? Fantasizing that people will praise him even more at his own funeral? Count on Trump to trash Carter now because he can't stand for anyone else to be so beloved and praised.

Son James reading the Beatitudes from the book of Matthew.

Amazing Grace -- beautiful rendition -- Amazing performance from a woman who is not a well known professional singer.

Andrew Young??? Did not recognize him.

SOME QUOTES (Not verbatim. I can't write that fast.)

Carter was the most Renaissance president of our modern times.

Carter was driven by his values. Love your neighbor as yourself was a core value to him.

Carter Center has international locations and employees.

Carter's work in small villages around the world -- He treated people as partners, with respect, not pity.

From Andrew Young -- Jimmy's spirit will live on.

At the closing, as people started filing out, the PBS camera showed the Amazing Grace singer. She was struggling not to cry.

SUMMARY OF MY OWN FEELINGS

I am a wimp and a spiritual pygmy. I don't have Carter's IQ, but I do have some abilities. Feels like I've wasted them compared to what Carter did with his abilities. I can't go back and change my life, but what use of my time and abilities could I make from now on?

What cooking or baking mistakes have you made?

My most embarrassing mistake was when I was 11 years old.

My father's family was going to my widower grandfather's house to celebrate his birthday. Everybody was bringing a dish to pass. While my parents were out shopping, I baked a cake (box mix). But then I discovered that we were out of powdered sugar for the frosting. I had never made any kind of frosting without it, so I found a recipe in my mother's cook book for boiled frosting, using granulated sugar.
.
I decided to take a shortcut. I boiled the water and stirred it into the granulated sugar, which dissolved. So I figured that's all I needed to do. Grandpa liked peanut butter frosting, so I added some to the sugar and water mix. It looked ok when I spread it onto the cake. Covered it with foil.

When we got there I proudly announced that I had made a cake and uncovered it in front of aunts, uncles, and cousins. The sugar had crystallized again because it had not been boiled. The cake was covered with granulated sugar and peanut butter. I was horrified.

My grandfather thanked me and said not to worry. We could still eat it the cake after scraping off the top.

Buesky links problem

I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but when someone posts a Bluesky link, all I get is the blue butterfly.

But, earlier, when people first started posting from Bluesky, it opened up completely for me. What changed?

I am still using the same Android phone. Xitter tweets still open up for me when posted, but Bluesky doesn't.

H5N1 bird flu advice and info video from a UK doctor.

Indian Ocean tsunami on this day 20 years ago

Survivors commemorate the 20th anniversary of the world's worst tsunami disaster.

https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-aceh-tsunami-anniversary-489f23bd172fa4c01323567eb4ac842f

CAUTION: Cats are susceptible to the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Indoor cats have died from drinking unpasteurized milk or from eating commercial cat foods that contain raw chicken.

Outdoor cats can become contaminated from hunting birds.

ALL cats are susceptible to this virus. That includes large wild cats, feral domestic cats, and indoor house pets if exposed to contaminated birds, milk, or meat.

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=4918#:~:text=Cats%20infected%20with%20H5%20bird,cats%20from%20a%20different%20household.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/19/bird-flu-zoos-endangered-animals-captive-species-lions-tigers-cheetahs-virus