;)
December 27, 2021
Afternoon Update:
Connor O'Brien of Politico: "President Joe Biden signed a $768 billion defense policy bill on Monday, after Democrats and Republicans rejected his initial Pentagon plans and endorsed a major boost to military spending.... The bill rejects Biden's $715 billion Pentagon budget request and instead calls for $740 billion for the Defense Department."
AND in today's Comments, unwashed puts two and two together and comes up with billions of dollars to pay for Covid-19 vaccinations for the whole world. No magical thinking required; just arithmetic.
Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The Guardian reported last month that [Donald] Trump, according to multiple sources, called lieutenants based at the Willard hotel in Washington DC from the White House in the late hours of 5 January and sought ways to stop [Joe] Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January.... Congressman Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack, has said the panel will open an inquiry into ... [that] phone call.... Trump first told the lieutenants his vice-president, Mike Pence, was reluctant to go along with the plan to commandeer his ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress in a way that would allow Trump to retain the presidency for a second term, the sources said.... But as Trump relayed to them the situation with Pence, the sources said, on at least one call, he pressed his lieutenants about how to stop Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January in a scheme to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress. The former president's remarks came as part of wider discussions he had with the lieutenants at the Willard -- a team led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn and Trump strategist Steve Bannon -- about delaying the certification, the sources said."
OMG! Boy Voted "Most Popular" Is John Roberts. Lydia Saad of Gallup: "Chief Justice John Roberts earns the highest job approval rating of 11 U.S. leaders rated in a Dec. 1-16 Gallup poll with 60% approving of how he is handling his role. Only two other leaders on the list are reviewed positively by majorities of Americans -- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (53%) and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci (52%)."
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Biden's Booming Economy, Ctd. Justin Swanson of the New York Times: "Retail sales in the United States jumped nearly 11 percent this season compared with the holiday period in 2019, the year before the pandemic upended the global economy, according to a report Mastercard published on Sunday.... Despite early fears, holiday shoppers received their gifts mostly on time, with many shopping early and in person. Retailers, as well, placed merchandise orders early and tried to head off other bottlenecks. For their part, delivery companies ramped up hiring to handle the deluge of packages, which crushed the Postal Service last year. Nearly all packages delivered this year by UPS, FedEx and the Postal Service arrived on time or with minimal delays, according to ShipMatrix."
Ruth Marcus explains the First Amendment to a couple of schmucks, one of whom, unfortunately, is a judge. She describes the judge's recent opinion (and reaffirmation) as "The jaw-dropping in its constitutional illiteracy." MB: Sounds right to me. BTW, she skips the part when Schmuck 1 lays claim to his "God-given right" to free speech. God had nothing to do with it; the Constitution was written by men & upheld, more or less, by men & women.
A Christmas Message: The Gospel According to the Son of Donald. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "In a very blunt column for the Atlantic, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and both Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, laid waste to Donald Trump Jr. over his recent comments about biblical principles and called him out for being a callow opportunist taking advantage of the Trump name. Last week, the former president's namesake told young conservatives at a Turning Point USA get-together, 'We've turned the other cheek and I understand sort of the biblical reference, I understand the mentality but it's gotten us nothing. OK? It's gotten us nothing while we've ceded ground in every major institution.' That, in turn, set off Peter Wehner who has used his Christian faith to advocate for conservative policies while also turning on Donald Trump for being antithetical to his beliefs.... 'Throughout his speech Don Jr. painted a scenario in which Trump supporters -- Americans living in red America -- are under relentless attack from a wicked and brutal enemy. He portrayed it as an existential battle between good and evil. One side must prevail; the other must be crushed. This in turn justifies any necessary means to win. And the former president’s son has a message for the tens of millions of evangelicals who form the energized base of the GOP: the scriptures are essentially a manual for suckers,' [Wehner] charged.... You can read his whole piece here -- subscription required." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I have never understood why evangelicals don't consider Donald Trump to be an anti-Christ. Because he is. And so is his greedy son.
Home Alone. Jordan Fischer, et al., of WUSA: "A New York man asked a federal judge on Christmas to allow him to use dating apps while he awaits trial on multiple felony charges for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. The attorney for Thomas Sibick filed a motion on Saturday asking U.S. District Judge Amy B. Jackson to modify her release conditions for Sibick, who is currently on home incarceration at his parents' residence in Buffalo, New York. Sibick is one of multiple rioters now under indictment for the brutal assault on D.C. Police Officer Michael Fanone. While others were beating Fanone, repeatedly tasing him and threatening to kill him with his own gun, federal prosecutors say, Sibick took the opportunity to rob him of his badge and radio. Fanone's badge was later recovered from the spot in Sibick's back yard where he buried it after returning from D.C." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I leave it to you to write a dating app profile for this loser.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Monday are here: "Coronavirus cases are being reported at record levels across the world -- surpassing even last winter;s devastating peak in some places -- as officials grapple with a surge caused by the omicron variant. France recorded more than 104,000 new cases Saturday, reaching a six-figure daily tally for the first time. Britain, Italy, Ireland and the Australian state of New South Wales also reported record high levels of new cases over the weekend. In the United States, the seven-day average of new daily cases was more than 203,000 on Sunday, according to a Washington Post tally, a level not seen since Jan. 19 last year." MB: That should be "January 19 this year." There were no known cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. on January 19, 2020. (That changed January 21, 2020, when the first case was identified.)"
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments for Sunday are here: "Over 1,000 flights in the United States, and thousands more globally, were canceled Sunday as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus sidelined crews during one of the year's busiest weekends for travel. As of Sunday evening, more than 1,300 flights with at least one stop in the United States, and over two times as many around the world, had been canceled, according to FlightAware, which provides aviation data. Sunday's bleak track record followed thousands of global flight cancellations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."
Michael Kranish, et al., of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus pandemic continued to scramble Americans' plans on the day after Christmas, with more than 1,000 flights canceled and virus-related absences and soaring case rates leaving many gatherings and events in limbo.... The airlines said the cancellations were mainly prompted by employees who tested positive for coronavirus, requiring them to quarantine for 10 days. Airline officials have called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut that time to five days, joining an array of industries expressing concern that the highly transmissible omicron variant of the virus has made it impossible to maintain needed staffing levels. Anthony S. Fauci ... said Sunday that he would welcome a requirement that airline passengers be vaccinated, while stressing that masks and air filtration has made it safe for people to be on airplanes."
Gabe Hiatt & Natalie Compton of the Washington Post: "The bad news is your flight has been canceled. The good news is the airline owes you a refund; Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations entitle you to one.... [Here] are a few things you can do to put yourself in a better position for this uncertain time of flying."
Marie: If, like me, you didn't understand how the Webb cam could take pictures of stuff that happened millions or billions of years ago, contributor Gloria, a physicist, gave us an excellent, easy-to-understand explanation in yesterday's Comments thread.
Way Beyond the Beltway
China. Vincent Ni of the Guardian: "China has replaced the Communist party official widely associated with a security crackdown targeting ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in the far-west region of Xinjiang. The state-owned Xinhua news agency said in a brief announcement on Saturday that Ma Xingrui, the governor of the coastal economic powerhouse Guangdong province since 2017, had replaced Chen Quanguo as the Xinjiang party chief. Chen will move to another role. The change came amid a wider reshuffle ahead of next year's 20th party congress, scheduled for the autumn. It is not clear whether the move signals a rethink in China's overall approach to Xinjiang. Beijing would be sensitive to any interpretation that it was bowing to international pressure."
U.K. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "The intruder who was arrested on Christmas morning on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II is living, was carrying a crossbow, police said on Sunday. The man has been detained under the Mental Health Act, they said. Officers arrested the 19-year-old Southampton man shortly after he entered the castle grounds around 8.30 a.m. Saturday, police said. He did not enter any any buildings on the estate. The queen was home at the time." CNNs' report is here.
News Ledes
New York Times: "Edward O. Wilson, a biologist and author who conducted pioneering work on biodiversity, insects and human nature -- and won two Pulitzer Prizes along the way -- died on Sunday in Burlington, Mass. He was 92." See also commentary on Wilson in yesterday's Comments thread.
AP: "Sarah Weddington, a Texas lawyer who as a 26-year-old successfully argued the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court, died Sunday. She was 76.... Raised as a minister's daughter in the West Texas city of Abilene, Weddington attended law school at the University of Texas. A couple years after graduating, she and a former classmate, Linda Coffee, brought a class-action lawsuit on behalf of a pregnant woman challenging a state law that largely banned abortions. The case of 'Jane Roe,' whose real name was Norma McCorvey, was brought against Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade and eventually advanced to the Supreme Court." The Guardian's obituary is here. ~~~
~~~ Update. Sarah Weddington's New York Times obituary is here.
AP: "A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days. Authorities near Reno said three people were injured in a 20-car pileup on Interstate 395, where drivers described limited visibility on Sunday. Further west, a 70-mile (112-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 80 was shut until at least Monday from Colfax, California, through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line."
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Reader Comments (8)
To me, one of the giants:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2021/12/27/013b4bd2-6700-11ec-a76b-374aeb82e811_story.html?
Always admired Wilson's mind. Even when I had some doubt about a conclusion he drew (some things he said about human behavior outraged many), I was frequently in awe of how his mind moved so easily from the specific to the general.
Ir helped, I'm sure, that he knew so damn much.
Only thing I do to quickly these days (with the exception perhaps of sharing opinions): Hit "send."
It helped, I'm sure, that he knew so damn much about everything from ants to (human) apes.
Ken: Yes, Wilson––I have his "Diversity of Life" which is underlined to death–-I credit him for opening up a whole new world for me years ago. When our youngest son, Josh, was only five he and I would spend countless hours roaming forests, fields and the Sleeping Giant –-bringing home fat frogs and snakes as pets. We once observed an ant carry a stick way across our pool surface to its hole in yonder grass and then continued to observe that spot for weeks.
Josh got his masters in environmental science; his son is now embarking on the same at Tulane.
NEW BOOKS UPDATE OUR THINKING OF CRUELTY:
One of these books is Adam Serwer's "The Cruelty is the Point"–– that has been discussed on Chris Hayes quite a few times. Adam describes Trumpism as an eruption of something very old in American politics–-a long history of white supremacy the has nourished itself in others' misery.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/21/books/cruelty-is-point-adam-serwer.html?referringSource=articleShare
One has to stretch the imagination in order to imagine how Tom Sibick (see story above) is presenting himself on that dating apps. "I like hiking, biking, and stealing badges from pummeled police." ??????
Not for nothing but this seems fucked up. Two headlines and ledes from Politico:
Price tag to vaccinate the world: $7 billion. And the U.S. is already coming up short.
In September, U.S. officials noted it would take at least $7 billion in 2022 to ensure shots are administered across the globe.
Biden signs $768B defense policy bill that supersized his original Pentagon request
The bill rejects Biden's $715 billion Pentagon budget request and instead calls for $740 billion for the Defense Department.
What could be better for our national defense than spending a little more than a third of the DOD extra funding to help save the world?
Who could have seen this coming: "US conservative parents push for book bans – and unintentionally make reading cool again
[T]here is no evidence that the wave of book bans are actually accomplishing their intended ambition. If anything they’ve achieved the opposite effect. Sales of Beloved increased after [Glenn] Youngkin transformed Morrison into a partisan figure, and Jerry Craft, an author and artist who found himself on the Krause list for his 2019 graphic novel New Kid, has spoken at length about how legislative suppression is an unlikely boon for his career. “What has happened is so many places have sold so many copies because now people want to see what all the hubbub is,” he said, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. “They’re almost disappointed because there’s no big thing that they were looking for.”
In fact, the booksellers I spoke to for this story all seemed eager to take on the government’s injunction as a spiritual challenge – almost like a test of their moral fortitude."
Re: E.O. Wilson
It's a sad day for naturalists in MA. It's so hard to lose, "one of the the giants". I was fortunate to participate in a Biodiversity event in my hometown where Wilson was the special guest, and as well we celebrated his birthday. I brought a young naturalist friend with me, and Wilson signed his insect net. I recall him explaining to my young friend that he should not let his parents discourage him from pursuing a "career" in natural history, but to tell them there are many opportunities in the natural sciences. This youngster is now studying classical humanities, but I'm sure his knowledge in natural history adds depth to his life.
In the field, as an adult and as observed on our Biodiversity event, E.O. Wilson was ever the young curious boy exploring the nature around him.
I'm beyond surprised that I've not heard a whisper about his death on Boston TV news, yet. Among my naturalists friends, it's the only news out there today.
On book bans. Yes, indeed-y.
Since we're a family of readers, we make a poor test case, but I have one memory that strongly underscores the point of the article RAS linked.
When I was in my twenties and a young father, picked up a heavily used paperback copy of "Lady Chatterley's Lover," thinking I was still short on D. H. Lawrence. Had read some fine short stories, but never a novel and thought what better place to start?
The little paperback almost read itself. At least the passages to which it naturally fell open, one in particular as I remember. Read those pages and a bit more but never finished the novel.
About eight years later found the book next to the bed of our then only son. He had apparently found the novel's good, er, bad parts equally handy to find and pore over.
That now fifty-three year old boy still remarks on the experience.
It seems I had purchased a book already well broken in..by any number of readers whom I'd guess that like me (and my son) never read the whole novel either.
@Ken Winkes: I must have read Lady Chatterley's Lover when I was 19. We had it around the house, which was kind of surprising as the ban on it in the U.S. had just been lifted a few years before.
While I'll admit I wasn't familiar with most of the sexual shenanigans, what I could not wrap my head around was Lady Chatterley's interest in the uneducated gamekeeper. No matter the "mechanical" abilities of a man, I wasn't then -- and still am not -- interested in a man who is short on book-learning. I don't think I finished the book, either, which I read at on winter break, because (a) I didn't anticipate its having a satisfying ending and (b) I probably ran out of time. I caught a terrible case of the stomach flu at the end of that break, which caused me to miss my New Year's Eve date; that was the only good part of the stomach flu: although my date was way too handsome, I decided he also was too boring for me to spend an evening with, and kissing him at midnight would have been horrible. I'm sure he found a lively life's partner & I suppose, in their limited way, they've been very happy. Whatever floats your boat.