Flashbacks 1975 and 1995: Karen Ann Quinlan … Oklahoma City Bombing

This week marks two milestone Flashback anniversaries of past historic events which had impact on many people here in the United States.

The calendar was the same in 1975 as it is here in 2025. On Tuesday, April 15 exactly 50 years will have been reached since New Jersey resident Karen Ann Quinlan, born March 29, 1954, and at age 21, went to a party and never returned. 

Quinlan mixed alcohol and Valium. Friends found her unconscious. Karen remained that way. 

In a vegetative state for months, her parents, Joseph (1925–1996) and Julia (b. 1928), brought legal action to have Karen removed from life support. They and their case did not succeed, at first, but in 1976 the New Jersey Supreme Court sided with the parents.

Karen Ann Quinlan did not die until June 11, 1985. So, this present year 2025 marks 50 years since she effectively died, yes, and it is 40 years since she legally died.

This tragedy brought to the conscious of United States citizens the matter of dying with dignity and not being artificially kept alive on life support.

Recommended reading:

• Wikipedia — Karen Ann Quinlan

• In Re Quinlan

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This Saturday, April 19, 2025 will mark 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

This occurred on Wednesday, April 19. 1995, at approximately 09:00 a.m. CT.

More than 150 people were killed. There were several hundreds injured.

Responsible for this crime of terrorism was Timothy McVeigh, a former U.S. Army soldier, with co-conspirator Terry Nichols.

McVeigh was born April 23, 1968, in Lockport, New York. This was the birth month of my sibling. At age 33, he was executed June 11, 2001 in Terre Haute, Indiana. That was sixteen years to the date following the death of Karen Ann Quinlan. (Coincidence, here and there, with the calendar.)

Nichols was born April 1, 1955 in Lapeer, Michigan, Now age 70, he is serving life in prison at the United States Penitentiary Florence Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX Florence) in Fremont County (near the city of Florence) in Colorado.

I will leave this with more recommended reading: but any related videos—about Karen Ann Quinlan and the Oklahoma City Bombing—will be posted by me in Comments. (Next week’s blog topic will get publish according to normal schedule.)

• Wikipedia —Oklahoma City bombing

• History — ‘Oklahoma City Bombing’

Election 2025: What These ‘Specials’ Mean

The last two weeks, ending March and beginning April, here in 2025 saw outcomes in Special elections which are indicators of what will likely play out in coming elections which include the midterm elections of 2026.

A reminder: Election 2024 resulted in Republican pickups for U.S. President—a non-consecutive second-term re-election for 45th and 47th Donald Trump—and U.S. Senate. The U.S. House was a Republican hold.

These Special election outcomes say a lot.

Summary

• 03.25.2025 | Pennsylvania Senate District #36 delivered a party switch from Republican to Democratic for James Andrew Malone. This seat was held by Republican Ryan Aument. He resigned to become state director for fellow Republican David McCormick, who unseated then-Democratic incumbent Bob Casey in the state’s 2024 U.S. Senate election. This is a district, as reported by numerous sources, that Trump carried by +15 percentage points.

• 04.01.2025 | Florida had two special U.S. House elections: the 1st and 6th congressional districts. The former was to fill the seat previously held by Matt Gaetz. The latter was for the seat formerly held by Michael Waltz, who is now in Trump’s administration as National Security Advisor and, just recently, became a national security scandal via the Signal chat. Last November 2024, Republican holds were won by Gaetz +32 and Waltz +33 percentage points. They ended up, here in 2025, as Republican holds for Jimmy Patronis +14.6 and Randy Fine +14.

• 04.01.2025 | Wisconsin had two matters. The first was for whether to enshrine into the state’s constitution Voter ID. That has passed. The second issue is with the state’s Supreme Court. The side more generally favorable for Democrats prevailed with Dane County judge Susan Crawford. This win preserves a 4-to-3 majority favoring more liberal-aligned judges. Crawford won by +10 percentage points. (Below is the electoral map image appearing on Wikipedia.)

Opinion

The Wisconsin Supreme Court needed a win for the liberal side, Yes, with Crawford. Reasons are numerous. But there is one particular issue which stands out. 

Wisconsin’s current delegation of seats in the United States House of Representatives is 6-to-2 favoring the Republicans. That is 75 percent. 

Wisconsin is a leading bellwether state. Along with Pennsylvania and Michigan, the Badger State is on the longest active streak with having voted for the winners of United States presidential elections. Currently at five, the streak has been continuous since 2008. Wisconsin, in fact, was the tipping-point state in 2016 and 2020. It was 2016 Donald Trump’s No. 28 best of 30 carried states and his 270th cumulative electoral vote (as one tracks in descending order carried states’s percentage-points margins with their cumulative electoral votes). It was 2020 Joe Biden’s No. 23 best of 25 carried states and his 279th cumulative electoral vote. With Trump’s re-election in 2024, his tipping-point state was Pennsylvania. It was his No. 29 best of 31 carried states and his 287th electoral vote. Michigan ranked No. 30 to give him his 302nd electoral vote. Wisconsin was his No. 31 and delivered him to his official electoral-vote score of 312.

Wisconsin is an Even state. Along with its Rust Belt companions, this trio are likely to continue as the U.S.’s leading bellwether states. The three are now at five in a row—2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. I would not be surprised if, and that I am still alive, they continue for another 20 years with five more consecutive cycles through 2044. (Current record: 60 years and 16 consecutive election cycles, from 1912 to 1972, shared by Nevada and New Mexico.) This is because Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin are not on a trendline to become notably redder or bluer than a host of other states which, in turn, would have to become increasing and eventually purple.

It is my conclusion the Democrats needed this because they have to get the state’s map of U.S. House seats redrawn. Wisconsin is a badly gerrymandered state. (Possibly the worst in the nation.) In a good electoral year for either major U.S. political party, the most either the Republicans or Democrats should be able to have are 5 of the state’s 8 congressional seats. That is the equivalent of 62.50 percent. An equal 4-to-4 is ideal. So, this 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election outcome is necessary.

Conclusion

These Republican underperformances come less than six months after the November 5, 2024 re-election of Trump. Now joined by the most recent controversial—and to many it is alarming—issue on Trump’s tariffs, the honeymoon is over. 

I am leaning—even if it may seem too early—toward predicting the following: In 2024, voters preferred the color red. In 2026, voters will prefer the color blue. Here in April 2025, we know this is true with these Special elections. Come November 3, 2025 will be the gubernatorial elections in the U.S.’s Nos. 11 and 12 populous states, New Jersey and Virginia. (I will write and post about them in a future topic.)

Given the Election 2024 outcome for U.S. House was Republicans 220 vs. Democrats 215, it is important to keep in mind this also means Republicans 50.57% vs. Democrats 49.42% of the overall 435 seats.

There isn’t much work the 2026 Democrats will need to do. (I don’t like admitting that.) Little national shifting is required for voters to re-empower Team Blue with flipping the U.S. House. If things get even uglier, the U.S. Senate—even with a perceived tougher map (Senate Class No. 2)—may follow.

Flashback 1995: The Murder of Selena

Monday, March 31, 2025 marks the 30-year anniversary of the murder of popular and Grammy-winning Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.

Born April 16, 1971, in Freeport, Texas, she was delivered by then-obstetrician-gynecologist Ron Paul (who, years later, would become a member of the United States House of Representatives). 

At age 23, Selena had her life snuffed out in Corpus Christi, Texas by a woman she and her family used to trust to serve as president of her fan club. Her name: Yolanda Saldívar. (She recently applied for possible parole. Last week, Saldivar was denied.)

Saldivar embezzled thousands of dollars from Selena. The singer made the mistake of agreeing to meet at a Days Inn motel with Saldivar on the morning of [Friday,] March 31, 1995. The purpose had to do with business records. Saldivar, brandishing a gun, shot Selena. The singer died in the hospital.

Selena was married to band member and guitarist Chris Pérez (born August 14, 1969 in San Antonio, Texas). He later remarried, and divorced, and has a son and daughter (both are adults).

A 1997 film, Selena, cast then-emerging star Jennifer Lopez with highlights of the singer’s rise…and fall. The film also stars Jon Seda (as Chris). It was directed by Gregory Nava (a 1984 Oscar nominee, with then-wife Anna Thomas, in the Original Screenplay category for The North, also known as El Norte).

The Scam Operation’s Latest Con

Numerous content creators, who I normally follow and are among recommendations, have covered the latest from Team Blue as to what kind of moves they may be making post-Election 2024.

From the latest episode of Democratic Party Masturbatory Theater—a current miniseries production consisting of inadequate material and inept execution—Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez were the old stars who appeared at one or more rallies (something like that) to try to energize people to become enthusiastic and to embrace and to vote for the Ds.

Team Blue has a message: We suck. We admit it. We are going to win you back.

Team Blue says they have learned we U.S. citizens have pain.

Team Blue key players, like former speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi and would-be-next-speaker (if they can become re-empowered) Hakeem Jeffries, also claim Chuck Schumer blows.

If one doesn’t know better, the supposed seriousness of this can be taken at face value.

The Democrats, in effort to become worthwhile again, are apparently ready to do a rebrand.

I am not interested. But if I was, I would look to this Democratic Party like as if they are a dying, corporate restaurant which is coming up with new advertising—and a redesign of its logo and however many of its locations—as an attempt to get people to come back and try it one more time. 

This April 30, here in 2025, will mark the 10-year anniversary of Bernie Sanders having declared his 2016 presidential candidacy. That was in the year 2015. While some people have their minds stuck in time, I have since moved on. I have moved on from the year 2015. I have also moved on from Bernie Sanders. (And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.)

In a future topic, I intend to write an electoral feature of this. When it comes to substance, there isn’t any. The Democrats are a scam operation. This latest con is designed to get people’s votes and their dollars—as well as their minds. Team Blue has no intention in an overhaul to become, as people had considered them in the past, a truly meaningful, left political party for workers.

‘[Democrats’s] Failures…’

I describe the named Democratic Party as follows:

• The Democratic Party is not an actual political party.

• The Democratic Party is a scam operation which is full of con artists.

I don’t tend to go any further because overdoing it runs the risk of being less effective in communication.

Approval on the Democratic Party is lately very low. Which is good. Unfortunately, they still exist.

The above video, livestreamed on Saturday, March 15, 2025 by Hard Lens Media, is titled “[Democrats’s] Failures Cause Infighting As They Gave Away Power & Any Resistance To Trump.” Host Kit Cabello covers a lot, in a period of nearly 90 minutes, and this includes the most recent betrayal by former United States Senate majority leader (now minority leader) Chuck Schumer of New York.

‘…Starmer [War] summit. Coalition of willing to fight Russia’

The Duran published to YouTube on Monday, March 3, 2025 a discussion about United Kingdom prime minister Keir Starmer, and other European allies, wanting to continue backing Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy over war against Russia.

The recent White House meeting between Zelenskyy and United States president Donald Trump resulted in the latter telling the former there is no more fight for Ukraine. They lost. 

Knowing the U.S.—its citizens—has been propping Ukraine…there is no continuation without U.S. involvement. This is with money. This is with weapons.

Zelenskyy, Starmer, and others have not given up. 

Kendrick Lamar’s Breakthrough

At the 67th Grammy Awards, with its live ceremony broadcast on CBS on Sunday, February 2, 2025, Kendrick Lamar won in every category in which he was nominated: Record of the Year; Song of the Yeat; Best Rap Performance; Best Rap Song; and Best Music Video.

Record of the Year and Song of the Year are two of the most prominent categories in the main field. (This is along with Album of the Year and Best New Artist and Producer of the Year—Non-Classical.) Record is for a single recording. Song is for writing.

Lamar was prized—for achievement for the year 2024—with both Record and Song for “Not Like Us.” His breakthrough is that this is only the second hip-hop recording, and it is also recognized as a diss track, to win these categories. “Not Like Us” is a diss against another recording artist, Canada-born Drake, as that performer and Lamar (born in Compton in Los Angeles, California) are in an ongoing feud.

I do not follow the Grammy awards, regularly, as I am in my 50s and tend to listen to music from past decades. Music I grew up with and connect. But I do not begrudge today’s music being enjoyed by anyone. And “Not Like Us” is technically brilliant and creative…the very sound of it combined with the writing and, ultimately, the recording.

I will include the following videos: the music video for “Not Like Us”; Kendrick Lamar winning the 2024 Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year; and Sabby Sabs covering this breakthrough achievement, for which she has appreciation, on her program. (This topic was delayed because there were critical Jimmy Dore Show interviews which were published the last two weeks in February 2025.)

Jimmy Dore Interviews Christian Parenti

Jimmy Dore recently welcomed as a guest investigative reporter Christian Parenti, son of Michael, and they discussed U.S. president Donald Trump’s focus on the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

One point touched on is that the then-nomination for Kash Patel, who is now FBI director, should have people who are truly on the left feeling enthusiastic.

First video’s description: “In this wide-ranging conversation, Jimmy and Parenti discuss why progressives should welcome President Trump’s assault on the FBI, an organization with a long history of targeting, infiltrating and undermining left movements.”

The clips were published to YouTube on February 15 and 16, 2025.

Jimmy Dore Interviews Steve Bannon

Jimmy Dore interviewed Steve Bannon, who was critical in getting Donald Trump elected to the presidency of United States in 2016, on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. 

This is interesting…and I reserved this week to include the clips of that interview which have since been published to YouTube.

 

 

‘All of them’

On February 4, 2025, Caitlin Johnstone wrote and posted on X the following on the alliance—to cleanse Palestinians from Gaza—between U.S. president Donald Trump (two weeks into his second term) and Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.…

Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, Hague fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu sat beside Donald Trump as the US president unequivocally told the press on Tuesday [February 4, 2025] that the plan for Gaza is to permanently remove all Palestinians from the enclave.

“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump said. “I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell.”

Asked for clarification on whether the Palestinians would have a right to return to Gaza after its reconstruction, Trump said the plan is to build them housing in other countries that’s so nice they won’t want to return.

“It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn’t want to return,” Trump said, adding, “I hope that we could do something where they wouldn’t want to go back. Who would want to go back? They’ve experienced nothing but death and destruction.”

Asked how many people he was talking about removing, Trump replied, “All of them.”

Shortly thereafter, the president announced that the US would soon “take over” and “own” Gaza and oversee construction projects there.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings — level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”

Given what Trump previously said about permanently removing all Palestinians from Gaza, there is no question who he is talking about when he says he wants to provide housing for “the people of the area”. He is talking about a very straightforward ethnic cleansing operation, driven by the United States.

Trump clarified that when he said the US would “own” the Gaza Strip, he did not misspeak. “Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land,” he told the press.

Trump reiterated his previously stated position that the people of Gaza could be relocated to Jordan or Egypt or “other countries”. Of course the possibility of Palestinians living anywhere else in their historic homeland has not been mentioned, because that’s not how ethnic cleansing works. The agenda is to remove an undesirable population from the land so that they can be replaced with a desirable one; allowing Palestinians from Gaza to live in Israeli territory or the West Bank during reconstruction would defeat the purpose of Israel’s actions since October 2023.

Trump repeatedly spoke of how devastated, dangerous and uninhabitable Gaza is, making it sound like the area was hit by an unfortunate natural disaster and not a deliberate and methodical operation to make the enclave unlivable. This ethnic cleansing plan is being presented as a humanitarian solution to tragic circumstances, when in reality the US and Israel destroyed Gaza on purpose with the goal of advancing the exact agenda they are working to advance today.

This move is sure to be aggressively resisted, both internally by Hamas and by neighboring powers, even if the Trump administration can find nations willing to facilitate its ethnic cleansing plans. This means we can expect significantly more violence and killing in the region if this agenda moves forward.

And it should here be mentioned that Donald Trump has publicly admitted to being bought and owned by Zionist oligarchs. The president openly acknowledged on the campaign trail that the first time he was president, megadonors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson were at the White House “probably almost more than anybody” demanding favors for Israel like moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and acknowledging Israel’s illegitimate claim to the Golan Heights, which he eagerly granted. Miriam Adelson, who is Israeli-American, gave the Trump campaign $100 million last year.

And that’s the price of entry if you want to become president of the United States. You have to make alliances with oligarchs and empire managers who want very ugly things for our world, and you have to be the sort of person who is sufficiently dead inside to make such Faustian bargains. That’s why US presidents are so consistently evil; if they weren’t, they’d never make it anywhere near the presidency.

Avoiding Super Bowl LIX

Super Bowl LIX is next Sunday, February 9, 2025.

I will not be watching,

The above video is a wonderful discussion which speaks to my decision.

Marital Status for Former First Couple

Recent questions concern the marital status of Barack and Michelle Obama.

Married since 1992, and with their daughters Malia (born in 1998) and Sasha (b. 2001) now adults, the 44th U.S. president (b. 1961) and former first lady (b. 1964) are now subject of rumors about their status.

Michelle was absent at both the funeral for 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter and the inauguration for the re-elected 45th and 47th U.S. president Donald Trump.

This has people—and the media—questioning if there is trouble in the marriage of the Obamas.

I find it credible…more so given Michelle’s absence at Carter’s funeral. Her absence at Trump’s inauguration can be explained as disapproval and displeasure. That she was not willing to attend. But to be absent at Carter’s funeral, where she could have been seated away from Trump, stands out. 

It will be interesting to see if anything is coming up.

It would not surprise me if they are in trouble. Marriages, even ones which lasted more than 30 years, have been known to end. And a lot of what we learn, historically, is information not revealed until much later. A divorce would be the first in U.S. history for a former first couple. If that is to materialize, I would not be surprised if it turns out—as this publishing date—they may be separated.

Donald Trump—Once Again—Is President of the United States!

Following his first term as the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump begins his second non-consecutive term as the nation’s 47th president on Monday, January 20, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

What I am wanting from the second term of Trump’s presidency is improvement with the economy, for people to be able to better survive, and for support for Ukraine to end. I also want an end to the conflict, and the genocide, in Gaza. And, of course, a Ceasefire agreement was reached last week. (Credit not to Joe Biden…but to Trump.)

We will find out how it goes with Trump’s second term. I do not have my hopes up. But I am more encouraged, rather than discouraged, especially given the end of the presidency of Joe Biden (and whoever else has also earned [dis-]credit for that debacle). Perhaps there is some light.

How was your vacation?

After taking a six-week break—like a vacation—from writing and publishing blog topics, Progressives Chat returns to normal schedule.

The break was necessary for me, personally, because I was burned out to some extent. I thank the regulars, here at Progessives Chat, for their understanding.

During my break, I watched some entertainment content which is not of importance. It was good for me. I watched the 1989 film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which is not good and not funny, but it was harmless. I found myself streaming some episodes of the Fox/ABC series 9-1-1, which is often absurd but has appealing and well-developed characters and an excellent cast led by Angela Bassett and Peter Krause, and I am glad I did. I also followed with other content, as I played catch-up with a given series, which I had previously overlooked.

I still watched some content creators for politics…but less so. I took some time off from some political topics which are not worth my attention or concern—like what is to come of this post-Election 2024 Democratic Party (my suggestion: Go the way of the Whigs!)—and this was also good.

My break was not without some problems. 

I experienced a plumbing issue, with a rusted pipe, on Christmas Day. This was a pipe connected to my kitchen faucet. I have no basement; crawl space, instead.. I discovered the problem, that there was leakage, immediately. It was replaced the following day. 

Not once but twice…I experienced a furnace which stopped working. The second occurrence was for good. It died just one hour after midnight New Year’s Eve-to-New Year’s Day. Fortunately, my house includes a family room [an addition] which has its own wall furnace. So, I stayed in that part of the house—while the main areas of my house dropped as low as 50 degrees—on January 1 and 2, 2025. The next day was the installation of my new furnace.

Thanksgiving is in November. But, these are some reminders—one month later—of why I feel thankful. These problems could have been worse.

Next week: Donald Trump returns to the office of the presidency of the United States.

Welcome, 2025!

It is a new year: 2025.

Nice, rounded number.

The last such nicely rounded number of a year: 2020.

That was not a good year.

May 2025 be a good year for us all.

Regularly scheduled topics will resume next Monday, January 13, 2025.