;)
The Commentariat -- June 8, 2021
Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here: "Dozens of staff members at a Houston-area hospital protested on Monday night against a policy that requires employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The hospital, Houston Methodist, had told employees that they had to be vaccinated by Monday. Last month, 117 employees filed a lawsuit against the hospital over the vaccine policy.... Those who did not meet the hospital's vaccination deadline on Monday will be placed on a two-week unpaid suspension. If they do not meet the requirements by June 21, Houston Methodist said it would 'initiate the employee termination process.'... On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed a law prohibiting businesses or government entities in the state from requiring vaccine passports, or digital proof of vaccination, joining states such as Florida and Arkansas. It's unclear how or if the new law will affect employer mandates like Houston Methodist's." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here.
Not My Fault, Man. Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: "Colonial Pipeline Co. chief executive Joseph Blount took a defensive stance Tuesday during a Senate hearing amid questioning about his company's handling of a devastating ransomware attack that shut off fuel access to much of the Eastern Seaboard last month. In his first remarks to Congress since the breach, he cast his company as a victim of forces beyond its control.... Hackers were able to gain access to the company's network through an account that was not protected with multi-factor authentication, a basic tenet of corporate cybersecurity. Rather, the account was protected by a single password.... Though companies like Colonial play key roles within the nation's economic infrastructure, they are largely left on their own with respect to cybersecurity....
Yan Zhuang, et al., of the New York Times: "For years, organized crime figures around the globe relied on [cellphones with encryption capabilities & purchased on the black market] to orchestrate international drug shipments, coordinate the trafficking of arms and explosives, and discuss contract killings, law enforcement officials said. Users trusted the devices' security so much that they often laid out their plans not in code, but in plain language, mentioning specific smuggling vessels and drop-off points. Unbeknown to them, however, the entire network was actually a sophisticated sting run by the F.B.I., in coordination with the Australian police. On Tuesday, global law enforcement officials revealed the unprecedented scope of the three-year operation, saying they had intercepted over 20 million messages in 45 languages, and arrested at least 800 people, most of them in the past two days, in more than a dozen countries." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The photo that accompanies the article claims it depicts the arrest of a suspect in Australia. But the suspect sure looks like that fat man on his bed in New Jersey whom Trump blamed for hacking Hillary's emails.
Paul Butler in a Washington Post op-ed: "... the Justice Department is still fighting transparency and accountability in a way that must delight the former attorney general, who led the department into the abyss during the Trump administration. The Justice Department is now defending two of the most controversial acts of the previous administration -- using arguments cribbed from Donald Trump himself.... The ... question may be to what lengths the Justice Department will go to defend the Trump administration's abuse of power -- with its primary concern being preserving that power for the Biden administration and beyond.... There is a fine line between protecting the confidentiality of important records and shielding corrupt officials. [AG Merrick] Garland is walking on the wrong side of that line.... Garland should uphold the values of the Justice Department by exposing the misdeeds of the previous administration and ensuring accountability."
The full public report of two Senate committees' January 6 insurrection investigation is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Technical Difficulties. Marie: At 6:30 am ET, looks as if there may be a big Internet failure around New York City as I am unable to get a connection to sites in that area, including the New York Times. Update: The Times is partially up now, but it doesn't recognize me, & the sign-in page has a "Page Not Found" error message on it. Update 2: CNN reports that "Countless websites and apps around the world went down Tuesday after Fastly, a major content delivery network, reported a widespread failure. Fastly supports news sites and apps like CNN, the Guardian, the New York Times and many others. It also provides content delivery for Twitch, Pinterest, HBO Max, Hulu, Reddit, Spotify and other services. Other major internet platforms and sites including Amazon, Target, and the UK government website -- Gov.uk -- were affected."
** Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Capitol Police had specific intelligence that supporters of ... Donald Trump planned to mount an armed invasion of the Capitol at least two weeks before the Jan. 6 riot, according to new findings in a bipartisan Senate investigation, but a series of omissions and miscommunications kept that information from reaching front-line officers targeted by the violence. A joint report, from the Senate Rules and Administration and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, outlines the most detailed public timeline to date of the communications and intelligence failures that led the Capitol Police and partner agencies to prepare for the 'Stop the Steal' protest as though it were a routine Trump rally, instead of the organized assault that was planned in the open online. Released Tuesday, the report shows how an intelligence arm of the Capitol Police disseminated security assessments labeling the threat of violence 'remote' to 'improbable,' even as authorities collected evidence showing that pro-Trump activists intended to bring weapons to the demonstration and 'storm the Capitol.'" ~~~
~~~ Luke Broadwater & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: “The first congressional report on the Capitol riot is the most comprehensive and detailed account of the dozens of intelligence failures, miscommunications and security lapses that led to what the bipartisan team of senators that assembled it concluded was an 'unprecedented attack' on American democracy and the most significant assault on the Capitol in more than 200 years.... 'If they don't show up, we enter the Capitol as the Third Continental Congress and certify the Trump Electors,' one [online] post said. 'Bring guns. It's now or never,' said another.... 'The failures are obvious,' said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota and the chairwoman of the Rules and Administration Committee. 'To me, it was all summed up by one of the officers who was heard on the radio that day asking a tragically simple question: "Does anybody have a plan? Sadly, no one did.'" ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Wu of Politico: "... now-acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told congressional investigators that data on the social media posts was sent only to 'command staff' and never reached the department's highest level.... leading up to and during the attack. The report faults Pittman, among other officials, for the 'discrepancy' between her division's reports on Trump supporters' public, online threats of violence and a more widely-circulated security assessment issued in late December.... The Senate report cited Donald Trump's speech on Jan. 6 to a massive crowd of supporters that then marched to the Capitol, in an apparent attempt at balance, but did not conduct any thorough analysis of the former president's involvement." An NBC News report is here.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "During her first foreign trip as vice president, Kamala Harris said the United States would bolster investigations into corruption and human trafficking in Guatemala, while also delivering a clear, blunt message to undocumented migrants hoping to reach the United States: 'Do not come.'... Ms. Harris announced new steps in the effort on Monday. The Biden administration will deploy homeland security officers to Guatemala's northern and southern borders to train local officials -- a tactic similar to one used by previous administrations to deter migration. The State and Justice Departments will also establish a task force to investigate corruption cases that have links to Guatemala and the United States, while also training Guatemalan prosecutors.... Rachel Schmidtke, the Latin America advocate for Refugees International..., said in a statement Monday that the organization was concerned Ms. Harris's remarks discouraging migrants from trying to cross to the border undermined their right to seek asylum in the United States."
Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "US investigators have recovered millions of dollars in cryptocurrency paid in ransom to hackers whose attack prompted the shutdown of the key East Coast pipeline last month, according to people briefed on the matter. The Justice Department on Monday is expected to announce details of the operation led by the FBI with the cooperation of the Colonial Pipeline operator, the people briefed on the matter said. The ransom recovery is a rare outcome for a company that has fallen victim to a debilitating cyberattack in the booming criminal business of ransomware." MB: I would not normally be thrilled when a pipeline company gets $5MM, but I'm damned glad the FBI thwarted the hackers. (Also linked yesterday.) the New York Times story is here.
Wake Up, Merrick Garland! Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department's Civil Division under President Biden is continuing the Trump-era push to represent the former president in a defamation lawsuit brought by author E. Jean Carroll, according to a Monday night appellate court filing. The lawsuit brought by Carroll -- who accused Donald Trump two years ago of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s -- has been stalled in litigation over whether the Justice Department had standing to represent him on the grounds that his denials in response to her claim were made while performing his presidential duties." ~~~
~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The brief filed on Monday night with a federal appeals court is an illustration of how administrations of sharply different political outlooks often flock to the same legal positions in court, even if it means seeming to excuse or immunize alleged bad conduct by their predecessors. In the filing with the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Justice Department insisted that it was not endorsing Trump's conduct toward the writer, E. Jean Carroll, even as it argued that a law governing suits against federal officials justified the government's move to take over the former president's defense in the case."
Pam Belluck & Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first new medication for Alzheimer's disease in nearly two decades, a contentious decision, made despite opposition from the agency's independent advisory committee and some Alzheimer's experts who said there was not enough evidence that the drug can help patients. The drug, aducanumab, which will go by the brand name Aduhelm, is a monthly intravenous infusion intended to slow cognitive decline in people with mild memory and thinking problems. It is the first approved treatment to attack the disease process of Alzheimer's instead of just addressing dementia symptoms. Recognizing that clinical trials of the drug had provided incomplete evidence to demonstrate effectiveness, the F.D.A. granted approval on the condition that the manufacturer, Biogen, conduct a new clinical trial." A CBS News report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Jesse Eisinger, et al., of ProPublica: "ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth -- sometimes, even nothing.... Taken together, [the trove of files] demolishes the cornerstone myth of the American tax system: that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most. The IRS records show that the wealthiest can -- perfectly legally -- pay income taxes that are only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions, if not billions, their fortunes grow each year.... According to Forbes, [the] 25 [richest] people saw their worth rise a collective $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid a total of $13.6 billion in federal income taxes in those five years, the IRS data shows. That's a staggering sum, but it amounts to a true tax rate of only 3.4%. It's a completely different picture for middle-class Americans, for example, wage earners in their early 40s who have amassed a typical amount of wealth for people their age. From 2014 to 2018, such households saw their net worth expand by about $65,000 after taxes on average, mostly due to the rise in value of their homes. But ... their tax bills were almost as much, nearly $62,000, over that five-year period."
** Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "A growing body of research shows that FEMA, the government agency responsible for helping Americans recover from disasters, often helps white disaster victims more than people of color, even when the amount of damage is the same. Not only do individual white Americans often receive more aid from FEMA; so do the communities in which they live, according to several recent studies based on federal data. Leaders at FEMA are wrestling with the complicated question of why these disparities exist -- and what to do about them. The problem seems to stem from complex systemic factors, like a real estate market that often places higher values on properties in communities with many white residents, or the difficulty of navigating the federal bureaucracy, which tends to favor people and communities that have more resources from the beginning. The impact from this disparity is long-lasting.... The racial disparities in FEMA's disaster assistance present a test for President Biden...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is one more example -- albeit a glaring one -- of systemic racism for wingers to deny. In fact, everyone -- and especially Joe Manchin -- needs to quite pretending that the leading proponents of systemic racism are Republican politicians, and not just the batshit crazy ones. ~~~
~~~ Telling It Like It Is. Chandelis Duster of CNN: "New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman on Monday compared fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and said he is trying to thwart President Joe Biden's agenda after the West Virginia lawmaker stood by his decision to vote against a sweeping voting rights bill and opposition to gutting the filibuster. 'Joe Manchin has become the new Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell during Obama's presidency said he would do everything in his power to stop (then-President Barack Obama)," Bowman told CNN's John Berman on 'New Day.' 'He's also repeated that now during the Biden presidency by saying he would do everything in his power to stop President Biden, and now Joe Manchin is doing everything in his power to stop democracy and to stop our work for the people, the work that the people sent us here to do.' Bowman continued, 'Manchin is not pushing us closer to bipartisanship. He is doing the work of the Republican Party by being an obstructionist, just like they've been since the beginning of Biden's presidency.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Tim O'Donnell of the Week: Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) wrote in a tweet, "Manchin's op-ed might as well be titled, 'Why I'll vote to preserve Jim Crow.'&" ~~~
~~~ Eugene Robinson of the New York Times: Joe Manchin's "party and his nation will pay a terrible price for his hallucinations about the nature of today's Republican Party. And even this sacrifice might not guarantee that Manchin can hold on to support back home.... Manchin is asking Democrats to respond to ruthlessness with delusion."
More Republicans Double Down on the Party's Relentless Attack on Democracy. Reid Epstein & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "Across the country, a rising class of Republican challengers has embraced the fiction that the 2020 election was illegitimate, marred by fraud and inconsistencies. Aggressively pushing Mr. Trump's baseless claims that he was robbed of re-election, these candidates represent the next generation of aspiring G.O.P. leaders, who would bring to Congress the real possibility that the party's assault on the legitimacy of elections, a bedrock principle of American democracy, could continue through the 2024 contests. Dozens of Republican candidates have sown doubts about the election as they seek to join the ranks of the 147 Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying President Biden's victory. There are degrees of denial.... [But] they are united by a near-universal reluctance to state outright that Mr. Biden is the legitimately elected leader of the country.... To build a campaign in the modern G.O.P., most candidates must embrace -- or at least not openly deny -- conspiracy theories and election lies, and they must commit to a mission of imposing greater voting restrictions and making it easier to challenge or even overturn an election's results." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Democrats must not ignore their opponents' insanity. They must use the Big Lie these Republicans embrace as evidence the candidates are unfit to hold any public office because they oppose the most fundamental principle of democracy.
"My Lips Were Near His Ass So I Kissed It." -- McCarthy. Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney accused ... Donald Trump of having committed the worst violation of a president's oath of office by inciting the January 6 Capitol insurrection -- and taking a jab at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy over his subsequent visit to Trump at Mar-a-Lago. 'I was stunned. I could not imagine any justification for doing that,' Cheney said of McCarthy's visit to Trump during an episode of David Axelrod's 'The Axe Files' podcast, which was taped Saturday afternoon as part of a University of Chicago alumni weekend event. 'And I asked him why he had done it, and he said, well, he had just been in the neighborhood, essentially.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Matthew Chance & Marshall Cohen of CNN: "Never-before-heard audio, obtained exclusively by CNN, shows how ... Donald Trump's longtime adviser Rudy Giuliani relentlessly pressured and coaxed the Ukrainian government in 2019 to investigate baseless conspiracies about then-candidate Joe Biden. The audio is of a July 2019 phone call between Giuliani, US diplomat Kurt Volker, and Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The call was a precursor to Trump's infamous call with Zelensky, and both conversations later became a central part of Trump's first impeachment, where he was accused of soliciting Ukrainian help for his campaign. During the roughly 40-minute call, Giuliani repeatedly told Yermak that Zelensky should publicly announce investigations into possible corruption by Biden in Ukraine, and into claims that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election to hurt Trump. (These separate claims are both untrue.)"
You might be washed up if ... you're a super-Trumpy politician & you can't get a gig on any super-Trumpy, sleazy cable "news" network. ~~~
~~~ Joseph Choi of the Hill: "A spokesman for Newsmax said on Monday that the company had no plans to take up a job request from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).... Shortly after Axios reported that the three-term congressmen would leave his House seat to pursue a career in television, reports emerged that Gaetz was being investigated by the Department of Justice over an alleged relationship with a 17-year-old girl, charges he has denied.... [Gaetz had been] setting his sights on prominent conservative news channels such as Fox News, One America News Network (OANN) and Newsmax.... In April, Fox News confirmed that it had no plans to hire Gaetz.... The founder and CEO of OANN, Robert Herring, later told the Daily Beast that he was 'not really hiring anybody for talk shows,' as Gaetz reportedly desired. Herring said that he advised Gaetz to remain in Congress."
Mark Sherman of the AP: "A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that thousands of people living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons are ineligible to apply to become permanent residents. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that federal immigration law prohibits people who entered the country illegally and now have Temporary Protected Status from seeking 'green cards' to remain in the country permanently. The designation applies to people who come from countries ravaged by war or disaster. It protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally. There are 400,000 people from 12 countries with TPS status. The outcome in a case involving a couple from El Salvador who have been in the U.S. since the 1990s turned on whether people who entered the country illegally and were given humanitarian protections were ever 'admitted' into the United States under immigration law." (Also linked yesterday.)
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to a federal law that requires only men to register for the military draft. As is the court's custom, it gave no reasons for turning down the case. But three justices issued a statement saying that Congress should be allowed more time to consider what they acknowledged was a significant legal issue. 'It remains to be seen, of course, whether Congress will end gender-based registration under the Military Selective Service Act,' Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the statement, which was joined by Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Brett M. Kavanaugh. 'But at least for now, the court's longstanding deference to Congress on matters of national defense and military affairs cautions against granting review while Congress actively weighs the issue.'" The denial of certiorari & Justices' statement are here, via the Supreme Court. The NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
A Very Stupid Federal Judge. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: In his "ruling striking down an assault-weapons ban in California..., U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez ... likened the guns to Swiss army knives.... 'The evidence described so far proves that the "harm" of an assault rifle being used in a mass shooting is an infinitesimally rare event,' Benitez wrote. 'More people have died from the Covid-19 vaccine than mass shootings in California.'... This is, to put it diplomatically, completely baseless." Blake speculates that Benitez got his disinformation from sources like, um, medical expert Tucker Carlson. Emphasis added. MB: As grotesquely Trumpy as Benitez is, he's a Dubya appointee.
Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "By midmorning [Monday], hundreds of protesters, led by Native American women and joined by celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener, had marched into a construction site operated by Enbridge, the Canadian company behind the pipeline, and strapped themselves to bulldozers and other heavy machinery ... to try to stop a border-crossing oil pipeline running from Canada across the wetlands and forests of northern Minnesota.... Protesters hope to intensify pressure on the Biden administration to suspend the pipeline permit before the project is completed.... So far, the activism has done little to impede the $4 billion project, which is a replacement of a decades-old pipeline, although portions of it travel a new route."
Brady Dennis & Steven Mufson of the Washington Post: "Economies worldwide nearly ground to a halt over the 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a startling drop in global greenhouse gas emissions. But the ... [economic downturn] barely made a dent in the steady accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday had reached the highest levels since accurate measurements began 63 years ago. The new figures serve as a sober reminder that even as President Biden and other world leaders make unprecedented promises about curtailing greenhouse gas emissions, turning the tide of climate change will take even more massive efforts over a much longer period of time.... 'Fossil fuel burning is really at the heart of this. If we don't tackle fossil fuel burning, the problem is not going to go away,' Ralph Keeling, a geochemist at Scripps, said in an interview...."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here: "Experts are concerned that states across the South, where vaccination rates are lagging, could face a surge in coronavirus cases over the summer." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Beyond the Beltway
New York. Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed material related to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's book about leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. As part of a broader probe into Covid-19 deaths in New York nursing homes, officials in the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York requested contracts and preparations used to pitch the book ... to publishers, the people told the Journal, adding that the subpoenas signaled interest in nursing home issues in the memoir. The Journal reported Monday that the subpoenas were sent last month to people -- including state officials -- who were involved in editing early drafts of Cuomo's book."
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Reader Comments (15)
Glad to see others are highlighting the Swiss Army knife comedy scripted by that federal judge. Can't have too much mockery made of an arrant fool in robes. I see an SNL skit in the making.
And this:
Repugnants are still eager to lick the boots of their corporate masters in public.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-republicans-vow-oppose-yellens-g7-tax-deal-casting-doubt-its-future-2021-06-08/
The best argument they offer? The plan would lower the taxes the United States could collect, diminishing its revenue.
Huh? Thought that's what the Repugnants wanted.
Thanks to all for your good wishes. It helps to hear stories of others who've survived similar, or even worse, situations. I'm fortunate to have good friends who are helping me through this with both emotional and practical support.
@Ken I remember your birthday wishes, and I thought of you while I was languishing in the ER. They, and your current good wishes, are much appreciated.
I see today's news is as depressing as ever, so I'm off to YouTube for a hefty dose of kitten videos.
Thanks again, everyone.
Just wondering if the Cap Police would have used the terms “remote” and “improbable” to dismiss reports of an imminent attack on the Capitol if those reports referenced Black Lives Matter, Antifa, or some Occupy type progressive movement. They would have been passing out AR-15’s and grenade launchers. After the “attack”, FEMA could stop by to see if any white folks needed help.
I, too, thank everyone for the good wishes for poor Joe who still hasn't passed the gold nugget ( but is smiling, free of pain, and back to tending his gardens) and if not, he'll have to go back to hospital–- gloved hands with expert care will accomplish that feat.
And Rose! holy cow–-just read your comments from yesterday. Loved that Marie told the story of her mother's bravery; you sound as though you have some of that also–-we are all rooting for you. And by the way
watching cat videos ( or dogs and babies) is a very healthy way to deal with whatever bad stuff we have to deal with.
So today I DO care about that Man––Chin dripping from the spittle he spouts! What the hell, Joe–- stats from your state indicate a high percentage of people–-both Dems and Repubs are FOR getting rid of the filibuster–-are FOR the voting rights bill––makes no sense for you to take this stance unless you are getting a lot of $$$$ from some where? or someone? You, buddy, are the Blob that is blocking an essential in our democracy ––-the right to vote freely and easily. We are on the cusp of a complete breakdown in our country––we need you to understand how serious this is––plus I'm sick of seeing your sorry puss on the Teevee––oh, and if you come to your senses be sure you take the Sinima from Sun City with you.
I, too, thank everyone for the good wishes for poor Joe who still hasn't passed the gold nugget ( but is smiling, free of pain, and back to tending his gardens) and if not, he'll have to go back to hospital–- gloved hands with expert care will accomplish that feat.
And Rose! holy cow–-just read your comments from yesterday. Loved that Marie told the story of her mother's bravery; you sound as though you have some of that also–-we are all rooting for you. And by the way
watching cat videos ( or dogs and babies) is a very healthy way to deal with whatever bad stuff we have to deal with.
So today I DO care about that Man––Chin dripping from the spittle he spouts! What the hell, Joe–- stats from your state indicate a high percentage of people–-both Dems and Repubs are FOR getting rid of the filibuster–-are FOR the voting rights bill––makes no sense for you to take this stance unless you are getting a lot of $$$$ from some where? or someone? You, buddy, are the Blob that is blocking an essential in our democracy ––-the right to vote freely and easily. We are on the cusp of a complete breakdown in our country––we need you to understand how serious this is––plus I'm sick of seeing your sorry puss on the Teevee––oh, and if you come to your senses be sure you take the Sinima from Sun City with you.
@Rose & PD: Apparently the weekend was not good for a lot of us.
Our 3 row seated van is now 2 rows. Stopped to make a left turn
and was rear-ended by a 19 year old who was looking down while
texting and speeding. At least we lived to talk about it, unlike so
many friends who have been run down while biking. Everyone's
in a hurry.
Hang in there Rose! I might add, it takes one to know one.
I finally ignored Claire McCaskill and Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News (I wonder why it is named that...) yesterday opining that "lots" of politicians on the Dem side do not support ditching the filibuster. It was completely depressing as they rather gleefully, I thought, reported that minority rule will continue forever. It doesn't matter that there was a landslide vote for Biden over Idiotface, (landslide being the descriptor for the 2016 EC win for said Idiotface)and that the Senate and the House are both majority owned by Dems. This morning Claire, sounding like a demented puppet, declared that we just have to win more seats in 2022 and 2024. Right. Everyone I know is exhausted by six years of fighting the anti-democracy crowd. I am too. I think 40 years of fighting them, and lack of education across their spectrum and the sheer selfishness of almost every person in their political party, as well as having to clean up every f***ing mess they make when in office have exhausted all of us. I realize that those teevee people are making money for themselves and they are told to not be so negative, but it takes too long for major media to catch on to the seriousness of the perfidy of the other side-- Dems end up looking like schmucks. And now, the Blue Dogs rule, gleefully also, and I just can't...
@Forrest: I hope you at least get a new van out of your dangerous encounter. And I am so glad you are all right.
During the winter months, even pre-Covid, I often didn't drive at all for a couple of weeks. As I pulled out of my driveway for a rare excursion, I would actively go over the most basic rules of the road in my mind because in that brief time when I was pulling out, I didn't have confidence that basic driving skills would come to me automatically, as they do when you drive all the time.
So maybe people, especially young people, forgot the rules while they sat home during the pandemic. Yesterday a driver forced me off the road to avoid hitting him (or her). He came to a rolling stop at a stop sign, and then just sped right up, evidently without seeing my car, even though there was no impediment to his sight lines. I would have hit him (driver's side) had there not been a safe, flat shoulder to veer onto, and had I not been such a quick-thinking old gal.
Forest––-an angel was on your shoulder, some would say, but I say you were bloody lucky! Your comment about everybody's in a hurry seems to be accurate but I would add many also are driving erratically and rudely––signs of the Times? A neighbor who is a bus driver ( for 15 years) tells me he has never encountered the kind of wild driving he now sees happening.
And Marie–– Continue being that "quick thinking old gal" ––we want you safe and sound!!
Forgot to mention: Watched a presser yesterday with Jake Sullivan, our National Security Advisor and was most impressed. Guy knows his stuff –-is articulate and easy on the eyes. I liked the way he dealt with reporters–-respectfully and at times with a sense of humor.
In an amendment to the "Both sides do it" lets just acknowledge that Vermonts governor (R) signed legislation authorizing registered voters to be automatically sent a mail in ballot. Lets call it "Both sides COULD do it."
Not the SNL skit I was looking for, but....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/08/swiss-army-knife-ar-15-judge-assault-weapons-ban-no-difference/
This would be my plan.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/06/08/doj-trump-acted-official-capacity-denying-rape-allegation/7599080002/
Step one. Investigate the claim. If it turns out the Pretender lied about the rape, then take it as proof he operated in his patented "official capacity," and defend him, citing in court the proof obtained.
Step two. If it appears he told the truth for a change, he was clearly not acting in his capacity as president, so let him defend himself.
Fair enough?
On a (somewhat) lighter side...
Usually, when I receive my alumni magazine I'll flip through to see what's what, read the captions of the photos, try to recognize the names of recent somebodies (never), and then throw it into the recycling box.
This issue I took the time to read a couple of articles because they seemed germane for this time.
The first was about UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield MA'75. She went from the racism at LSU to that at UW-Madison, but still uses gumbo diplomacy to build bridges.
The second was about Manu Raju '02, CNN chief capitol correspondent and his rise in journalism.
Both articles provide insight into two individuals that would not normally be publicized.
Sin City, Berkeley of the Midwest. The crazy events that we fellow Badgers somehow lived through. All for the better.