The Commentariat -- December 27, 2020
Afternoon Update:
Christina Maxouris, et al., of CNN: "Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake named Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tennessee, as a key person in the investigation into the explosion of a recreational vehicle in Nashville early Christmas morning. 'That is a person of interest -- still there could be several more,' Drake said. Authorities believe Warner's remains were found at the blast site, according to several law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity."
~~~ Marie: In a news conference held at 5 pm ET, authorities confirmed that they had been able to match DNA samples from Warner's home to DNA in tissue found at the scene.
~~~ Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs & Giulia Nieto del Rio of the New York Times: "Federal agents said on Saturday that they did not yet know who carried out the Christmas Day explosion that ripped through the city's downtown, mangling storefronts, injuring three people and leaving the city mystified as to the motive. Investigators were tracking down more than 500 leads, working to piece together what happened before an R.V. -- apparently rigged with explosives and parked on a street in the tourist district -- detonated in the early hours of Christmas. The blast devastated the neighborhood, which regularly draws thousands of people each night, and officials said the city was lucky no one was killed. Douglas Korneski, the F.B.I. special agent in charge of the Memphis office, said at a news conference that more than 250 F.B.I. employees were working the case, but that they still had many unanswered questions.... Mr. Korneski and other officials indicated at the news conference that it was still unclear how many people were involved in the crime." ~~~
~~~ The story has been updated with a new byline & new lede: "Preliminary tests conducted on human remains found in the wreckage of the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville match a 63-year-old man who had been identified as a person of interest in the investigation, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the investigation."
~~~~~~~~~~
A Slow Gnus Day
Evan Semones of Politico: "President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday took ... Donald Trump to task over his refusal so far to sign a coronavirus stimulus package with unemployment benefits for millions set to expire and government funding in limbo. In a statement, Biden slammed Trump for holding up the roughly $900 billion in aid for Americans suffering from economic damage caused by the pandemic, calling the delay an 'abdication of responsibility' on the president's part. 'It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don't know if they'll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump's refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority,' Biden said. 'This bill is critical. It needs to be signed into law now.'" ~~~
~~~ Alexandra Olson & Jill Colvin of the AP: "Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight as ... Donald Trump refused to signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections. The fate of the bipartisan package remained in limbo Sunday as Trump continued to demand larger COVID relief checks and complained about 'pork' spending. Without the widespread funding provided by the massive measure, a government shutdown would occur when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday."
~~~ Peter Wade of Rolling Stone: "Trump's attempt to upend the bipartisan compromise by leadership in the House and Senate, insisting on $2,000 stimulus checks instead of the current $600 in the bill, is as fraudulent as his rigged election claims. It's important to remember that although Trump is now saying, 'Give our people the money!' his administration was involved in the negotiations, and it's his party that is insisting on keeping payments to Americans low."
David Ignatius of the Washington Post: "... the United States will be in the danger zone until the formal certification of Joe Biden's election victory on Jan. 6, because potential domestic and foreign turmoil could give President Trump an excuse to cling to power. This threat, while unlikely to materialize, is concerning senior officials, including Republicans who have supported Trump in the past but believe he is now threatening to overstep the constitutional limits on his power. They described a multifaceted campaign by die-hard Trump supporters to use disruptions at home and perhaps threats abroad to advance his interests." Ignatius goes on to describe a number of possible scenarios Trump might be planning. MB: They sound far-fetched. But it's Trump. Besides, I don't see January 6 as the fail-safe day. Until Trump is actually out the door (whether of his own volition or in a manner depicted in the video in the upper-right column), he remains a clear & present danger.
Zachary Petrizzo of Mediaite: "Roger Stone said he plans to file a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and former Attorney General William Barr, following his presidential pardon from ... Donald Trump. The longtime informal adviser to Trump listed a number of figures he said would be targets of his suit in a post on Parler. The terms of my pardon allow me to sue the Department of Justice, Robert Mueller, James Comey, John Brennan, Rod Rosenstein, Josnathan Kravis (sic), Aaron "Fat Ass" Zelinsky, Jeanie Rhee (sic), and Michael Morando," Stone said on the social media platform Thursday."
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.
Nicole Winfield & Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Doctors, nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and moment of hope for a continent confronting its worse health care crisis in a century. Even though a few countries started giving doses a day early, the coordinated rollout for the 27-nation bloc was aimed at projecting a unified message that the vaccine was safe and Europe's best chance to emerge from the pandemic and the economic devastation caused by months of lockdown. For health care workers who have been battling the virus with only masks and shields to protect themselves, the vaccines represented an emotional relief as well as a public chance to urge Europe's 450 million people to get the shots for their own health and that of others."
Miriam Berger of the Washington Post: "The highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus first detected in England had by Saturday been documented in several European countries, as well as Canada, Japan, Australia and Lebanon, despite efforts to curb its spread through massive global disruptions in travel and movement.... Scientists do not think the British variant is more deadly or resistant to the current coronavirus vaccines. The variant has also been detected in France, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy."
Beyond the Beltway
Tennessee. Kimberlee Kruesi, et al., of the AP: "Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that damaged dozens of buildings on Christmas morning. More than 24 hours after the explosion, a motive remained elusive as investigators worked round-the-clock to resolve unanswered questions about a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate. The attack, which damaged an AT&T building, continued to wreak havoc Saturday on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states."
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To fill in a the hole in a slow gnus day.....a Sunday Sermon entitled Solstice Thoughts:
"At Winter Solstice the sun stands still in the heavens, gathering itself before its headlong rush toward Spring.
It’s a time when we, too, pause to reflect on previous years and wonder what the next year will bring.
We know we will have a new president, because the claims of massive election fraud made by the man stubbornly clinging to office are so unsubstantiated and untrue the lawyers filing his dozens of lawsuits have been careful to avoid claiming outright fraud (theconversation.com).
We know the Covid strangeness of our lives will continue into the new year, that deaths will keep mounting and that the vaccines designed to blunt its effects will be rejected by more than a quarter of Americans, most of them Republicans (thehill.com).
We know the new president will, along with the nation, be confronted with manifold problems. Not only will he have a virtually unchecked epidemic and a massive cybersecurity breach to contend with, he will also have the Republicans who eagerly support tax cuts for the wealthy again wringing their hands about the national debt and its effect on those grandchildren they intermittently worry about (thehill.com).
We know Trump will leave Washington, D. C. far swampier than he found it (marketwatch.com) and much of the government—the USPS, the Justice Department-- in shambles.
But there is even more we don’t know. We don’t know how many more convicted murderers, fraudsters, or perjurers Trump will pardon before he leaves office.
We don’t know if Trump vetoed the Defense Authorization Act because it contained a strong anti-corruption provision, requiring the kind of corporate transparency the Trump Organization shuns (transparency.com).
And we don’t know how much more damage a spiteful Trump can and will do to the nation’s land, people and democracy in the next three weeks."
Thought I submitted this an hour or so ago, but...
...To fill in a hole in a slow gnus day, herewith a Sunday Sermon titled Solstice Thoughts:
"At Winter Solstice the sun stands still in the heavens, gathering itself before its headlong rush toward Spring.
It’s a time when we, too, pause to reflect on previous years and wonder what the next year will bring.
We know we will have a new president, because the claims of massive election fraud made by the man stubbornly clinging to office are so unsubstantiated and untrue the lawyers filing his dozens of lawsuits have been careful to avoid claiming outright fraud (theconversation.com.
We know the Covid strangeness of our lives will continue into the new year, that deaths will keep mounting and that the vaccines designed to blunt its effects will be rejected by more than a quarter of Americans, most of them Republicans (thehill.com).
We know the new president will, along with the nation, be confronted with manifold problems. Not only will he have a virtually unchecked epidemic and a massive cybersecurity breach to contend with, he will also have the Republicans who eagerly support tax cuts for the wealthy again wringing their hands about the national debt and its effect on those grandchildren they intermittently worry about (thehill.com).
We know Trump will leave Washington, D. C. far swampier than he found it (marketwatch.com) and much of the government—the USPS, the Justice Department-- in shambles.
But there is even more we don’t know. We don’t know how many more convicted murderers, fraudsters, or perjurers Trump will pardon before he leaves office.
We don’t know if Trump vetoed the Defense Authorization Act because it contained a strong anti-corruption provision, requiring the kind of corporate transparency the Trump Organization shuns (transparency.com).
And we don’t know how much more damage a spiteful Trump can and will do to the nation’s land, people and democracy in the next three weeks."
So–––what's the answer to the "what we don't know" scenario? Here we are on the brink of madness wrought by a Mad Man who has displayed a stubborn refusal to admit defeat and continues to screw up the works and pardon "thems" that did much of those dirty works. Could someone–-and who would that be?––get a hold of a roll of Ape tape–-the miraculous adhesive that stays put like no other until you can, easily, remove it except when put on skin. As Fatty is busy swinging his lucky iron, come up behind him and wrap the Ape firmly across his puss––"sorry, boss, but the game is over." Poor bastard has to succumb to a feeding tube through another hole.
Thoughts of comfort on a Sunny Sunday.
I would have posted this yesterday, but we have been without internet and phone service since Christmas morning due to someone’s decision to blow up AT&T in Nashville (something I’ve fantasized about quite often after trying for hours to wring a simple answer out of those sonsabitches).
Yesterday was Boxing Day, which began as a medieval holiday on which the well off gave presents to the poor. It has never been an American holiday, largely because we don’t hold with such soschalist nonsense. And, in fact, here in Trump’s Amerika, the impetus for Boxing Day’s kindness to those less well off is reversed. Here, the well off (especially the incredibly, ridiculously well off) give presents to themselves. The less well off are told to take a hike, and the guardians of wealthy privilege, the Li’l Randys, et al, are employed to make sure the door to any stray kind thoughts regarding the poor and less well off is barred shut and sealed with that Gorilla tape PD mentions.
It’s the only right thing to do. Otherwise those undeserving poors might get the idea that they matter, even a little bit, and just think of the state we’d be in then. I mean, they might actually start voting! And for the wrong people.
So, no Boxing Day here. Here we have Fuck Off and Die Day, a celebration greatly enhanced by the Party of Traitors and their little king, who preach that there is no pandemic (but just in case, they cut the line to make sure they get the vaccine ahead of even doctors and nurses.(
See whatamean? The well off give presents to themselves and tell the moochers to scram.
So lovely to see all these nice Christians celebrating in the Christmas spirit!
(Oh, and by the way. A couple of days with no phones and no internet was blissful, like you read about.)
I was wrong to describe today as a slow news day. Actually, it's a repeat news day; same today as yesterday and the day before: it's the holiday season, Americans are dying & getting sick unnecessarily, they are going without unemployment insurance or loans for their small businesses or protection from being thrown out of their homes, and the federal government will shut down Monday night. All because Trump. Who is golfing in South Florida.
I was just watching a news show: one commentator (Don Calloway) said, "The cruelty is the point." The next commentator (Jonathan Alter) disagreed: "Getting attention is the point." They're both right. To me, it's as if Trump were afraid people would forget he was the worst president* in U.S. history, so he's spending his last months in office doubling down to so distinguish himself.
I appreciate everyone consolidating the news of the day here. I found one article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/21/opinion/coronavirus-politics-family.html#commentsContainer. I'm trying to figure the article's point that had I stayed where I grew up 40+ years ago, I'd be like them. I'm reading Marie's reporting about "getting attention is the point" and "cruelty is the point" and while I consider things, I wonder where the niceness went? My own family, my own neighbors: how can people easily support cruelty? The comments from the article I cite are worth reading. Am I only different by the happenstance of reading Elie Weisel and George Orwell in 7th grade study hall? There is no educational substitute for an absent or abbreivated sense of curiousity or compassion. Our modern interpretation of Christianity seems to have replaced consequences with forgiveness with particular regard for the undeserving.
@citizen625 wrote: "Our modern interpretation of Christianity seems to have replaced consequences with forgiveness with particular regard for the undeserving." Very perceptive and particularly true of fundamentalist Protestant Christianity. So long, "sinners in the hands of an angry God."
Citizen,
For far too many, Christianity is a facade. A canard. A scam. A holier than thou bludgeon they can wield against their perceived enemies.
Evangelicals love to portray Christians, especially Catholics, who question their demands that we all bow down to their interpretations of things, along with every other person in the country, as evil proponents of godless socialism or secular ideologies: infidels (yes, Islam is not the only religion that assigns that designation to those they revile).
They, however, are free to worship a deceitful, vainglorious, self-centered criminal who couldn’t quote a single passage from the Bible and tell give you its chapter and verse. Who promotes hatred, violence, chaos, and ignorance.
You either walk the walk, or you’re no better than him. They love him because he hates those they hate. And he promotes anti-American judges who put their interpretations of the Bible before the law. In other words, the ends justify the means, which is 180 degrees from what Jesus preached.
They’re no more Christian than any of the moochers, liars, crooks, and con artists in the Trump Crime Family.
And in other news, a former Green Beret opened fire in and outside an Illinois bowling alley, killing three elderly men and wounding 3 other people, including a teenager who he shot in the face. Shooter is White, which is probably why he is alive and arrested rather than the alternative. No word on the race of his victims, but I’m willing to lay odds that they were Black. What the fucking fuck????