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The Commentariat -- August 22, 2021
Marie: For the FIFTH day, Reality Chex is not accepting comments, through no design or fault of my own. In desperation, I have come up with a brilliant interim plan to get around the problem, one that will mean only a little extra work for those of you who have something to say. Here are the easy instructions:
1. In the URL (address line), enter www.realitychex.com/display/Login and return. The login is case-sensitive, so that "L" in "Login" must be capitalized.
2. A log-in page will come up. Type squarespace in the Login box. Type nonsense in the password box. And return. That will get you page to the standard Reality Chex page. (Note: Don't use boldface type; I've put the stuff you have to use in boldface only to make it easier to see.)
3. Type your comment in the Comments box as usual. But at the end of the comment, sign it with your usual Reality Chex handle, because the name of the poster will say "See Above."
I've tried this a couple of times, and it works. With any luck, you won't have to do this for long.
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Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Activating a plan used only twice before, the Biden administration on Sunday ordered the use of commercial aircraft to help ferry people evacuated from Afghanistan.... The activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, for only the third time in history, was ordered by Lloyd Austin, the defense secretary. A Pentagon spokesman said the aircraft would not fly into Kabul but would be used to transport people already flown out. The administration asked for three planes each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines.
Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "During his 90-minute speech in Alabama on Saturday night..., Donald Trump praised the Taliban and talked up his relationship with them at the same time that President Joe Biden is attempting to conduct the evacuation of Americans out of Afghanistan.... [Trump] called the Taliban 'great negotiators' and 'tough fighters' before adding, '... with me in office the Taliban would not have ever dreamt of capturing our airfield or parading around with our American weapons.' Critics of Trump were quick to note that his negotiations with the Taliban led to the release of 5,000 of their members which has contributed to the turmoil in the country as the U.S military leaves after a fruitless twenty-year war." MB: It isn't that difficult to understand why the Taliban endorsed Trump in 2020. Now he's returned the favor. ~~~
~~~ Let Freedumb Ring. Joshua Zitser of Business Insider, republished in Yahoo! News: "... Donald Trump was booed by some of his supporters at a 'Save America' rally in Cullman, Alabama, on Saturday night after he suggested that they get vaccinated against COVID-19. 'I believe totally in your freedoms, I do, you've got to do what you've got to do,' Trump said to the crowd. 'But I recommend that you take the vaccines.' The former president then told his supporters that the vaccines are 'good' and once again encouraged them to get a shot. This suggestion was met with boos, as can be heard in a video shared by Vox journalist Aaron Rupar.... Trump's speech follows the news that his allies were trying to get him to run a pro-vaccination campaign, the Daily Beast reported."
Jonathan Cooper of the AP: "A cybersecurity firm plucked from relative obscurity to conduct an unprecedented review of ballots in Arizona's largest country is readying to present its findings to Republican lawmakers. Experts say there should be little anticipation about the revelations from the Maricopa County audit -- and whatever those revelations are, they cannot be taken seriously. 'There are too many flaws in the way this review was conducted to trust it,' said Tray Grayson, a former Republican secretary of state in Kentucky who was the coauthor of a paper outlining the extensive problems. Grayson cites a series of red flags, from biased and inexperienced contractors to conspiracy-chasing funders and bizarre, unreliable methods." The story takes ";a look at what election experts cite as the top troubles with the election review in Maricopa County[.]"
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The New York Times' live updates of developments in Afghanistan Sunday are here: "As the United States scrambled Sunday to control the mayhem at the Kabul airport, the situation was growing increasingly dire for the thousands of desperate Afghans trying to flee the Taliban, with surging crowds turning deadly and the potential threat of attacks. The British Defense Ministry, which has troops at the airport, said on Sunday that seven Afghan civilians had died in the crowds, where people have been trampled to death, including a toddler. 'Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging,' the ministry said, offering no details about the deaths." A related AP story is here.
Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "President Biden is scheduled to address the nation Sunday afternoon to provide updates on the administration's evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, as pressure continues to mount for his security team to safely transport thousands of Americans and Afghan allies amid growing security threats. Biden is expected to deliver remarks from the Roosevelt Room at 4 p.m. EST following a closed-door meeting with his national security team in the situation room to receive updates on security in Afghanistan, according to a press schedule shared by the White House Saturday night."
Karoun Demirjian, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Pentagon on Saturday strongly hinted that U.S. troops may stage further operations outside the Kabul airport to help evacuate stranded American citizens and Afghans who aided the war effort, as the threat of violence in the capital grows amid the return of the Taliban's top political leader and increased concern about potential attacks by the Islamic State. The signal that U.S. troops could undertake enhanced efforts to rescue people outside the airport came as the Biden administration scrambles to fly thousands of people per day out of Afghanistan, and amid signs there were still significant bottlenecks to doing so. Numerous gates at the Kabul airport were closed for much of Saturday, as crowds continued to swell inside and the U.S. government struggled to process people quickly enough to alleviate the issues, said three U.S. officials.... Since the evacuation began a week ago, the U.S. military has managed to remove about 17,000 people from Kabul, including 2,500 Americans, Pentagon officials said Saturday -- a fraction of the 10,000 to 15,000 U.S. citizens the Biden administration estimated last week still remained in Afghanistan." ~~~
~~~ Barbara Starr, et al., of CNN: "The US military is establishing 'alternative routes' to Kabul airport because of a threat the terror group ISIS-K poses to the airport and its surroundings, as President Joe Biden met with senior officials Saturday to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan and counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State offshoot. 'There is a strong possibility ISIS-K is trying to carry off an attack at the airport,' a US defense official told CNN. A senior diplomat in Kabul said they are aware of a credible but not immediate threat by Islamic State against Americans at Hamid Karzai International Airport.... [A US defense official said] ...these new routes will be available to Americans, third party nationals and qualified Afghans." ~~~
~~~ Sophie Reardon, et al., of CBS News: "Earlier Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent out an alert on its website 'advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so' due to ongoing security threats. A defense official told CBS News that the warning was prompted by intelligence that ISIS-K is planning an attack." The embassy's alert is here.
Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "President Joe Biden's administration is 'planning a dramatic ramp-up of its airlift from Kabul' by preparing to compel U.S airlines to help transport Afghan refugees, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. 'The White House is expected to consider activating the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, or CRAF, created in 1952 in the wake of the post-World War II Berlin Airlift, to provide nearly 20 commercial jets from up to five airlines to augment U.S. military efforts to transport Afghan evacuees from bases in the region, according to U.S. officials. The civilian planes wouldn't fly in or out of Kabul..., officials said. Instead, commercial airline pilots and crews would help to ferry the thousands of Afghans and others who are stranded at U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Germany,' the newspaper reported."The White House is expected to consider activating the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, or CRAF, created in 1952 in the wake of the post-World War II Berlin Airlift, to provide nearly 20 commercial jets from up to five airlines to augment U.S. military efforts to transport Afghan evacuees from bases in the region, according to U.S. officials. The civilian planes wouldn't fly in or out of Kabul, which fell to Taliban rule Aug. 15, officials said. Instead, commercial airline pilots and crews would help to ferry the thousands of Afghans and others who are stranded at U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Germany," the newspaper reported.
Loveday Morris of the Washington Post: "The [German] government's handling of its 'Ortskräfte,' or local staff, has provoked harsh criticism in Germany. Ministries and officials have traded blame over why the country failed to act sooner on evacuations, piling on pressure ahead of tightly fought elections in September. While other coalition countries are also scrambling to make rescues, Germany's process has been faulted for being particularly narrow in scope, initially only accepting those who had worked for its military or agencies during the past two years. Subcontractors were excluded.... After a public outcry and numerous demonstrations by Afghan workers at German bases, the government expanded its criteria to people it had employed from 2013 on.... The system, [one of Germany's Afghan relief leaders Marcus Grotian] contends, was set up to keep people out instead of letting them in." MB: Gee, that sounds familiar, doesn't it? ~~~
~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: "A homeland security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence accused the Trump administration of distorting the truth about Afghan refugees, writing on Twitter that the former president and Stephen Miller, his top immigration adviser, sought to prevent the refugees from entering the United States. In an interview, Olivia Troye recalled sitting in meetings where Mr. Miller demanded restrictions on refugees, including those from Afghanistan and Iraq. She said the reductions in the refugee program during the Trump years hollowed out the government's ability to bring the interpreters and others to the United States." Related Independent story linked yesterday.
** S.N.A.F.U. Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "The nation's top national security officials assembled at the Pentagon early on April 24 for a secret meeting to plan the final withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.... An intelligence assessment presented at the meeting estimated that Afghan forces could hold off the Taliban for one to two years.... Four months later, the plan [developed at the April meeting] is in shambles as Mr. Biden struggles to explain how a withdrawal most Americans supported went so badly wrong in its execution.... Interviews with key participants in the last days of the war show a series of misjudgments and the failure of Mr. Biden's calculation that pulling out American troops -- prioritizing their safety before evacuating American citizens and Afghan allies -- would result in an orderly withdrawal. Biden administration officials consistently believed they had the luxury of time.... Only in recent weeks did the administration change course from its original plan. By then it was too late." Read on.
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "Americans are not built to occupy feudal countries under scorching suns halfway around the globe.... The idea that we were going to turn Iraq and Afghanistan into mini-mes of Jeffersonian democracy was always an arrogant miscalculation, driven by macho hubris, not national security.... Donald Trump could have made safe and orderly passage a part of his deal when he negotiated his 2020 'surrender agreement,' as his former national security adviser H.R. McMaster called it in an interview with Bari Weiss. We all know Trump is a terrible deal-maker. [President] Biden could have told the Taliban he was not abiding by Trump's fatally flawed deal and renegotiated it to avoid this pell-mell disgrace. But Trump and Biden were so impatient to get out, their screw-ups merged into strangulating red tape.... Still, it is enraging to watch a parade of dunderheads preen on cable -- anchors and generals and chatterers -- the same people whose cheerleading ensnared us in 20 years of quicksand in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Amy Wang & Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily halted a federal judge's order to reinstate the Trump administration's 'Remain in Mexico' policy, which under the previous administration meant asylum seekers needed to wait outside of the United States for their cases to be decided. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. issued the order late Friday, granting a temporary stay until Tuesday night so the full court can consider the case. A federal judge had ordered on Aug. 13 that the program, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, be reinstated Saturday. Biden administration officials appealed the decision, but a federal appellate court on Thursday refused to grant a delay. Shortly after taking office, President Biden used executive orders to suspend 'Remain in Mexico' and other Trump-era immigration policies that he believed to be 'counterproductive' to an 'orderly and humane immigration system.'"
Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Patagonia will no longer sell its merchandise at a popular Wyoming ski resort after one of the owners hosted a fundraiser featuring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans supportive of ... Donald Trump. Patagonia confirmed this week that it was pulling out of three stores operated by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, its largest single customer in the area. The outdoor gear and clothing company acknowledged that the move came after Jay Kemmerer, a co-owner of the facility, co-hosted an Aug. 5 fundraiser for the House Freedom Caucus, a bloc of conservative Congress members...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Say, if you'd like to buy yourself some gear Margie will never wear, here's Patagonia's main page.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.
Facebook, Your No. 1 Source for Bad Healthcare Advice. Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Facebook said Saturday evening that an article raising concerns that the coronavirus vaccine could lead to death was the top performing U.S. link on its platform from January through March of this year, acknowledging the widespread reach of such material for the first time. It also said another site that pushed covid-19 misinformation was also among the top 20 most visited pages on the platform.... The new release of the January through March data by Facebook came one day after the New York Times first reported that it had been withheld by senior executives. The disclosure reflects the challenge of being open with the public at a time when the social network is being attacked by the White House as well as experts for fomenting the spread of health misinformation.... The article that surged earlier this year on Facebook's platform, which is used by more than 2.8 billion people each month, was a factual article from The South Florida Sun Sentinel ... about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigating the death of a doctor who passed away two weeks after taking the coronavirus vaccine, according to the report (Months later, the medical examiner's office found that there wasn't enough evidence to say whether the vaccine played a role in the doctor's death). Facebook has said it will take down outright false information about covid-19, but has argued that conversations about factual articles should not be suppressed." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I can see Facebook's point here. You and I could read the Sun Sentinel story with reasonable objectivity, and not view it as an excuse not to get a vaccine. But a lot of people are too damned dumb to put one factoid in context -- or else they put that factoid in the context of Fox "News" fantasies. Pass me that bottle of horse dewormer, Maude.
Tennessee. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "A conservative radio host from Tennessee who was critical of vaccination efforts and mask mandates died on Saturday, after weeks in a Nashville hospital battling Covid-19. Phil Valentine's death was reported by his station, SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, on Saturday afternoon."
Beyond the Beltway
New York. Out Like a Lion. AP: "Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleaded with New York residents to make last-minute preparations, warning that heavy rain, winds and storm surges from Henri could be as devastating as Superstorm Sandy in some parts of the state. The governor, who will leave office in two days following a sexual harassment scandal, warned that heavy rains were expected to create problems far up into the Hudson River Valley.... New York hasn't had a direct hit from a powerful cyclone since Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc in 2012. Some of the most important repairs from that storm have been completed, but many projects designed to protect against future storms remain unfinished."
News Ledes
The New York Times' live updates of Sunday's storm developments on Long Island & New England are here. No indication the Times has made these updates free to nonsubscribers.
New York Times: "Hurricane Henri churned up the East Coast on Saturday, communities from New York City to Boston prepared for what would be the first hurricane to make landfall on Long Island or in New England in at least 30 years. The governor of Massachusetts activated members of the National Guard to make high-water rescues and clear debris. New York City announced it would suspend outdoor dining and close beaches for swimming. And Connecticut power companies said downed trees might leave hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity for as long as three weeks." ~~~
~~~ Weather Channel: "Hurricane Henri's outer rainbands are moving into the Northeast and landfall is expected in southern New England or on Long Island late Sunday morning or early Sunday afternoon. Henri remains a Category 1 hurricane and is located about 65 miles south-southeast of Montauk, New York. Henri is moving northward at 18 mph." ~~~
~~~ AP Update: "Henri weakened slightly to a tropical storm early Sunday as it was slated to pummel a long stretch of northeastern coastline, where millions on New York's Long Island and in southern New England braced for what may be the worst storm the region has seen in 30 years." ~~~
~~~ NYT Update: "After making landfall in southwestern Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon, Tropical Storm Henri moved slowly northwest across the region, weakening quickly but still bringing heavy rain and 50-mile-an-hour winds. The storm had already left more than 135,000 customers without power from New Jersey to Maine. But heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding were expected to continue through Monday, and the National Hurricane Center said it expected the storm to slow further and linger near the Connecticut-New York border on Sunday night.... In a briefing at the White House on Sunday afternoon, President Biden said he had approved emergency declarations for Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York." (From the NYT's live updates, also linked above.) ~~~
~~~ New York Times Update: "Tropical Storm Henri battered the Northeast with fierce winds and torrential rain on Sunday, knocking out power in most of coastal Rhode Island, forcing evacuations in Connecticut, stranding dozens of motorists in New Jersey and shattering rainfall records in New York City. But the storm, which was downgraded from a hurricane hours before making landfall in Rhode Island, spared the region the worst of what had been predicted, and it weakened quickly as it made its way north. At its peak on Sunday afternoon, the storm left more than 140,000 households without power from New Jersey to Maine."
AP: "Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee left at least ten people dead and dozens missing Saturday as record-shattering rainfall washed away homes and rural roads, authorities said." The story has been updated. ~~~
~~~ New York Times Update: "At least 22 people have been killed and more than two dozen others remain missing on Sunday after a catastrophic flash flood swept through a rural area of rivers, creeks and rolling woods about 90 minutes west of Nashville, the authorities said. The floodwater vanished as quickly as it arrived, and left in its wake was a bewildering display of its fury and strength in a collection of rural communities in and around Humphreys County. Homes had been picked up off their piers and dropped across the street. Bridges and roads were crumbling. Cars were mangled and trucks had been turned upside down."
The Root: "A Montgomery civil rights-era legend, Lucille Times, has passed away at the age of 100. Times is known for getting in a fistfight with a bus driver in 1955. That bus driver would turn out to be driving the same bus Rosa Parks sat on only six months later." Times' Washington Post obituary is here.
New York Times: "Joe Galloway, a war correspondent whose wrenching account of the first major battle of the Vietnam War was the basis for the book 'We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young,' which became a best seller and the basis of a hit movie, died on Wednesday in Concord, N.C. He was 79."
New York Times: "Don Everly, the elder of the two Everly Brothers, the groundbreaking duo whose fusion of Appalachian harmonies and a tighter, cleaner version of big-beat rock 'n' roll made them harbingers of both folk-rock and country-rock, died on Saturday at his home [in Nashville, Tennessee]. He was 84."
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