;)
The Commentariat -- May 13, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
~~~ ** Yasmeen Abutaleb & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "Americans who are fully vaccinated can go without masks or physical distancing in most cases, even when they are indoors or in large groups, federal officials said Thursday, paving the way for a full reopening of society. The change represents a huge shift symbolically and practically for pandemic-weary Americans.... More than 117 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, or about 35 percent of the population.... The relaxation of restrictions does not apply to airplanes or health-care settings. Officials also noted that some occupational settings may still require masks. They urged those who are immune-compromised to speak with their doctors before giving up their masks.... Officials cautioned the guidelines could change again if the pandemic should worsen." The story is free to nonsubscribers.
** Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "Surrounded by rioters who had dragged him down the U.S. Capitol steps, beaten him and Tasered him, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone screamed in pain. 'I got one!' one of the rioters yelled triumphantly. As the crowd pushed in, grabbing at his head, Fanone screamed again and then pleaded for help. 'I got kids!' he yelled. The intense scene plays out in body-camera footage of the attack broadcast by CNN on Wednesday evening, casting new light on Fanone's struggle to escape a clash he later described as 'the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life.' Fanone suffered a mild heart attack and a concussion in the melee. The vivid violence in the clip stands in stark contrast to claims by some Republicans on Wednesday, who sought to downplay the severity of the deadly insurrection -- with one GOP lawmaker even describing the attack as a 'normal tourist visit.'"
William Watts of MarketWatch: "Colonial Pipeline paid Eastern European hackers nearly $5 million in an untraceable cryptocurrency last week in response to a ransomware attack, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the transaction."
Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "Mysterious episodes that caused brain injuries in spies, diplomats, soldiers and other U.S. personnel overseas starting five years ago now number more than 130 people, far more than previously known, according to current and former officials. The number of cases within the C.I.A., the State Department, the Defense Department and elsewhere spurred broad concern in the Biden administration. The initial publicly confirmed cases were concentrated in China and Cuba and numbered about 60, not including a group of injured C.I.A. officers whose total is not public. The new total adds cases from Europe and elsewhere in Asia and reflects efforts by the administration to more thoroughly review other incidents amid concern over a spate of them in recent months.... The Biden administration has not determined who or what is responsible for the episodes or whether they constitute attacks.... 'As of now, we have no definitive information about the cause of these incidents, and it is premature and irresponsible to speculate,' said Amanda J. Schoch, the spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence."
Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Thursday moved to repeal a Trump-era regulation that it said weakened the government's ability to curb air pollution that threatens public health and is driving climate change. Critics said the regulation distorted the costs of reducing air pollution while diminishing the associated benefits. It is one of several Trump administration policies that have been reversed by Michael S. Regan since he became the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in March. Finalized at the end of the Trump administration, the so-called cost-benefit rule was designed to change how the E.P.A. calculated the economic costs and benefits of new clean-air and climate-change rules.... Experts said [the Trump rule] appeared designed to give industries a way to legally block the E.P.A. over future air pollution rules."
Daniella Diaz & Annie Grayer of CNN: "The vote to oust Liz Cheney took only 16 minutes. Here's what happened."
~~~~~~~~~~
Josh Boak of the AP: "The Biden administration swung aggressively into action after a primary gasoline pipeline fell prey to a cyberattack -- understanding that the situation posed a possible series of political and economic risks. The pipeline shutdown was an all-hands-on-deck situation for a young presidency that has also had to deal with a pandemic, a recession, an influx of unaccompanied children at the southern border, a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and high-stakes showdowns globally that carry the specter of war.... Hours before the Colonial Pipeline was restarted, President Joe Biden signaled Wednesday that there were reasons for optimism. 'We have been in very, very close contact with Colonial Pipeline,' Biden said. 'I think you're going to hear some good news in the next 24 hours and I think we'll be getting that under control.' The president followed up later Wednesday with an executive order to improve cybersecurity. Biden's team seized on the shutdown as an argument for approving the president's $2.3 trillion infrastructure package. Keeping up Biden's focus, the White House said the president would deliver remarks on the pipeline incident Thursday morning." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If the Former Guy hadn't lost his job, you can bet the whole episode would have been dismissed with a bombastic tweet blaming ... somebody ... and threatening ... somebody. ~~~
~~~ David Sanger & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "As the East Coast suffered from the effects of a ransomware attack on a major petroleum pipeline, President Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that placed strict new standards on the cybersecurity of any software sold to the federal government. The move is part of a broad effort to strengthen the United States' defenses by encouraging private companies to practice better cybersecurity or risk being locked out of federal contracts. But the bigger effect may arise from what could, over time, become akin to a government rating of the security of software products, much the way automobiles get a safety rating or restaurants in New York get a health safety grade. The order comes amid a wave of new cyberattacks, more sophisticated and far-reaching than ever before. Over the past year, roughly 2,400 ransomware attacks have hit corporate, local and federal offices in extortion plots that lock up victims' data -- or publish it -- unless they pay a ransom. The most urgent fear is an attack on critical infrastructure, a point made clear this week to Americans, who were panic-buying gasoline." ~~~
~~~ Hordes of Hoarders. Clifford Krauss & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Anxious drivers circled from one filling station to another, gasoline prices rose and thousands of stations were out of fuel in the Southeast on Wednesday as a ransomware attack continued to cripple a vital fuel pipeline. There was a sign of relief late Wednesday when the operator of the pipeline, which transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Texas to New Jersey, said it had 'initiated the restart' of operations. But the company, Colonial Pipeline, said supplies would take several days to return to normal. Since the pipeline was shut down on Friday, the uncertainty about supplies has prompted a growing frenzy among motorists determined to fill up." The article also describes some of the ways the Biden administration is addressing (or not addressing) the shortage. MB: In keeping with unwashed's note at the end of yesterday's thread, I would add that if reporters were more thorough, they would have checked the trunks of vehicles in the gas lines to see if they were full of year-old-plus toilet paper.
Morgan Chalfant & Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Biden hosted the 'Big Four' congressional leaders for the first time at the White House on Wednesday in hopes of finding areas of common agreement amid high partisan tensions in Washington." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Michael Shear & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "To hear the participants tell it, President Biden's first-ever meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders from both houses of Congress was 90 minutes of productive conversation. It was cordial. There were no explosions of anger. But the agreeable tenor could barely mask the legislative reality: The two parties remain deeply divided over the president's proposal for $2.3 trillion in spending to upgrade the nation's crumbling infrastructure.... 'It was different than other meetings,' marveled Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader and a veteran of chaotic White House meetings with President Donald J. Trump. 'Everybody was pleasant.'" MB: So apparently even Kevin was able to behave himself. ~~~
~~~ But of course telling the truth remains beyond Kevin: "Asked afterward about the election, Mr. McCarthy ... [said,] 'I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.'... 'I think that is all over with.' That is not true. Mr. Trump continues on a near daily basis to insist, contrary to fact, that the election was corrupt and stolen from him. And only hours before the discussion at the White House on Wednesday, Mr. McCarthy himself led the charge to oust Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming from her position as the No. 3 Republican in House leadership because she refused to drop her public criticisms of the former president and her party for the election falsehoods."
Harper Neidig & Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The Biden administration's top law enforcement officials on Wednesday pledged to dedicate their resources to combat domestic violent extremists amid questions over whether the agencies are equipped to monitor such threats in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee for a hearing on domestic extremism as Congress ramped up its scrutiny this week of the circumstances around the attack on the Capitol. Both Garland and Mayorkas testified that white supremacist groups pose the most serious domestic national security threat in the U.S., reinforcing what analysts have long concluded about far-right organizations.... Garland dismissed concern from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) who asked whether the Justice Department was investigating with 'equal vigor' protests in Portland, Ore., and other cities that were often a focus of former President Trump. 'We don't care what the ideology is, violations of law are pursued and are prosecuted. I think it's fair to say that in my career as a judge, and in law enforcement, I have not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy than the invasion of the Capitol,' Garland said."
Mike Lillis & Scott Wong of the Hill: "In an extraordinary bow to former President Trump, House Republicans voted Wednesday to purge GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her leadership post, punishing the conservative Wyoming Republican for daring to refute Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The closed-door, secret-ballot vote to oust Cheney represented a remarkable shift from a similar challenge to her leadership status in February, when she won handily. And it marked the first time in recent memory that a congressional GOP leader was toppled by rank-and-file Republicans in the middle of their term through a formal vote." MB: According to CNN, there was a quick voice vote, & Minority "Leader" Kevin McCarthy announced Cheney was out. After the vote & out in the hall, Cheney told the press she would do everything she could to make sure Donald Trump never gets near the Oval Office again. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update: The Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Karoun Demirjian & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Christopher C. Miller, the former senior Trump administration official who presided over the Pentagon's Capitol-riot response, told lawmakers Wednesday that he believed 'an organized conspiracy with assault elements in place' orchestrated the Jan. 6 insurrection. The assessment -- a departure from Miller's previous public statements about what led to the assault on Congress -- set off a political mudfight, as Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee accused the former acting defense secretary of 'incompetence,' and being 'AWOL' and 'disloyal to the country,' while Republicans accused their counterparts of harassing the hearing's witnesses to further what they characterized as a partisan investigation.... Miller offered defiance in the face of Democrats' questions, refusing to share fault for the failures that transpired -- and blaming officials on Capitol Hill for never sending the Pentagon a 'valid request.'... Miller's timeline differs from the Pentagon's official rundown of events. He conceded, under questioning from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), that he did not give approval to the final mobilization plans until 4:32 p.m. -- after speaking with Pence, and nearly three hours after [D.C. Mayor Muriel] Bowser first called him, requesting additional forces be sent to the Capitol to quell the swelling crowds.' An AP report is here. ~~~
~~~ Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller clashed with Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) on Wednesday over former President Trump's culpability in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after the ex-Pentagon chief appeared to walk back previous comments blaming Trump. At a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, Lynch asked Miller whether the attack would have happened without Trump's speech at a rally that preceded the breach, noting comments Miller made to Vice in March blaming Trump. 'I think I'd like to modify my original assessment,' Miller said. 'Why am I not surprised,' Lynch interjected, laughing. Arguing that 'we are getting more information by the day, by the minute, about what happened,' Miller said it now 'seems clear that there was some sort of conspiracy where there were organized assault elements that intended to assault the Capitol that day.' Later in the exchange, when Lynch accused Miller of reversing his stance, Miller replied, 'that's ridiculous.' 'You're ridiculous,' Lynch shot back."(Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It's clear from reports that Miller repeatedly contradicted himself. this is not, IMO, simply revisionist history (tho it's that, too); it's the hallmark of a cover-up. ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "... a funny thing happened when Miller testified: He seemed to back away from his comments laying this at Trump's feet. Miller's opening statement was previewed Tuesday evening. In it, he stated that although he couldn't offer an official conclusion about Trump's culpability, 'I stand by my prior observation that I personally believe his comments encouraged the protestors that day.'... Miller, notably, did not include that particular statement in his oral opening remarks.... As [the hearing] progressed, that seemed less like a coincidence.... 'I would like to offer -- I've reassessed. It's not the unitary factor [-- that is, Trump's incitement --] at all. It seems clear there was an organized conspiracy with assault elements in place.' [Miller testified.] This set [Rep. Stephen] Lynch [D-Mass.] off. He accused Miller of walking back his written testimony that Trump had encouraged the protesters that day." ~~~
~~~ Jan Wolfe of Reuters: "... Donald Trump wanted National Guard troops in Washington to protect his supporters at a Jan. 6 rally that ended with them attacking the U.S. Capitol, leaving five dead, Trump's former Pentagon chief testified on Wednesday. Former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told a House of Representatives panel that he spoke with Trump on Jan. 3, three days before the now-former president's fiery speech that preceded the violence and led to his second impeachment. According to Miller's testimony, Trump asked during that meeting whether the District of Columbia's mayor had requested National Guard troops for Jan. 6, the day Congress was to ratify Joe Biden's presidential election victory. Trump told Miller to "fill" the request, the former defense secretary testified. Miller said Trump told him: 'Do whatever is necessary to protect demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights.'" MB: IOW, Trump was not concerned about protecting the Capitol & members of Congress & their staffs; his concern was for his backers. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I read a while back that Reuters would firewall its reports. I was able to read this report with no problem, but if you can't, the Raw Story has a brief report.
~~~ Adam Edelman & Garrett Haake of NBC News: "Multiple Republican members of Congress on Wednesday offered a false retelling of the devastating events that occurred during the Capitol riot, with one calling the entire event a 'bold faced lie' that more closely resembled a 'normal tourist visit' than a deadly attack. During a House Oversight Committee hearing on the Jan. 6 riot, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said the House floor was not breached and that the supporters of ... Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol behaved 'in an orderly fashion.'... Meanwhile, other Republicans during the hearing Wednesday falsely painted the riot as an event that saw Trump supporters needlessly harassed by law enforcement authorities. 'It was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others,' Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., said. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., claimed that law enforcement officials were 'harassing peaceful patriots.'"
Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "Gary Wickersham of West Chester, Pa., ... was arrested Tuesday and faces a charge of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and one for unlawful entry into a restricted area.... Wickersham ... offered federal investigators a bizarre narrative of debunked conspiracy theories and contradictory statements surrounding the attack, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court this week. The 80-year-old told investigators in January that the insurrection was a 'staged' act and that many of the people he saw 'cursing, screaming, knocking cops away, breaking windows and doors, and entering the Capitol' were 'members of antifa.' According to the complaint, Wickersham also believed his 20 minutes inside the Capitol were authorized 'because he pays his taxes.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: If Wickersham's claims about antifa sound crazy, he is not alone. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) at Wednesday's hearing of the House Oversight Committee said pretty much the same when he complained that the media were constantly referring to the insurrectionists as "Trump supporters" when there was no indication that was the case. Nobody took a poll, he said.
Misbehavin'. Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday and falsely accused her of supporting 'terrorists,' leading the New York congresswoman's office to call on leadership to ensure that Congress remains 'a safe, civil place for all Members and staff.' Two Washington Post reporters witnessed Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) exit the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene (Ga.), who shouted 'Hey Alexandria' twice in an effort to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene picked up her pace and began shouting at her and asking why she supports antifa, a loosely knit group of far-left activists, and Black Lives Matter, falsely labeling them 'terrorist' groups. Greene also shouted that Ocasio-Cortez was failing to defend her 'radical socialist' beliefs by declining to publicly debate the freshman from Georgia."
Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe told a female Environmental Protection Agency nominee on Wednesday that if she did not 'behave,' then 'I'm going to talk to your daddy.' The awkward exchange was during Radhika Fox's confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to be the assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Water. Fox currently serves in the role on an acting basis and is the Office of Water's principal deputy assistant administrator." MB: Fox is a person of color; Inhofe is not.
The Representatives of the People. Marshall Cohen & Jeremy Herb of CNN present an overview of what happened in Congress Wednesday. Devastating.
Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "Former Trump White House counsel Donald McGahn is expected to answer questions 'as soon as possible' in a closed session with House lawmakers about former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation, according to an agreement outlined in court filings Wednesday. McGahn will appear before the House Judiciary Committee, the court filing states, after House Democrats sued to enforce a subpoena for his testimony about whether ... Donald Trump obstructed justice in Mueller's Russia investigation. A transcript of the interview, which will be closed to the public and the media, will be 'promptly provided to all involved parties' for review before it is released publicly, according to the court filing. The agreement was negotiated by President Biden's Justice Department and House lawyers to end the long-running litigation over McGahn's testimony that the Trump administration had blocked." A CNN story is here.
Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Inflation in April accelerated at its fastest pace in more than 12 years as the U.S. economic recovery kicked into gear and energy prices jumped higher, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods as well as energy and housing costs, rose 4.2% from a year earlier. A Dow Jones survey had expected a 3.6% increase. The month-to-month gain was 0.8%, against the expected 0.2%." (Also linked yesterday.)
Retired Top Brass Are Bat-shit Crazy. Bryan Bender of Politico: "A day after 124 retired generals and admirals released a letter spreading the lie that President Joe Biden stole the election, current and former military officers are speaking out, calling the missive a dangerous new sign of the military being dragged into the trenches of partisan warfare. The open letter on Monday from a group calling itself Flag Officers 4 America advanced the false conspiracy theory that the presidential vote was rigged in Biden's favor and warned that the nation is 'in deep peril' from 'a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights.' 'Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration,' they wrote, 'our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic.' The broadside also raises questions about 'the mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief' and sounds the alarm about a host of hot-button issues, such as the border wall. It goes on to accuse congressional leaders of 'using the U.S. military as political pawns with thousands of troops deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building.'... [The letter's] fiery, even angry, language and conspiracy-mongering struck multiple long-time observers as particularly out of bounds and dangerous." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ digby: "... their hysteria over America turning Marxist because Joe Biden wants to provide elder care and fix the falling infrastructure is a bit much. It's not like Biden incited his followers to storm the capitol and hang his own VP or anything. That really would be alarming."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Wednesday that the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine be used in children as young as 12, expanding access to adolescents in an important next phase to end the pandemic. The vote was 14 in favor with one recusal. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off within hours, giving the green light for the two-dose vaccine to be used in 12- to 15-year-olds. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine for emergency use in that age group Monday, saying it was safe and effective at the same dose being given to those 16 and older." The article is free to nonsubscribers. (Also linked yesterday.)
Ohio "Vax-a-Million." Neil Vigdor & Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "To the many propositions that governments have used to try to bolster slumping demand for the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio raised the ante considerably on Wednesday, announcing that the state would give five people $1 million each in return for having been vaccinated as part of a weekly lottery program. The lottery, whose legality could raise questions, will be paid for by federal coronavirus relief funds, Mr. DeWine, a Republican, said during a statewide televised address. The first of five weekly drawings will be held on May 26, according to Mr. DeWine, who said that Ohio Lottery would conduct them." MB: IOW, if you pay federal taxes, no matter where you live, you're paying Ohio's lottery winners. Normally, lotteries are revenue enhancing; this one comes out of your pocket.
Beyond the Beltway
Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "Derek Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer when he pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck until he went limp and treated him with 'particular cruelty,' qualifying him for a longer prison sentence, a judge said. In a ruling made public Wednesday, Hennepin County District Judge Peter A. Cahill found state prosecutors had proved beyond a reasonable doubt four of five aggravating factors in Floyd's killing that they argued should result in a tougher prison sentence for the former Minneapolis police officer."
Way Beyond
Israel. Fares Akram & Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Israel killed a string of senior Hamas military figures Wednesday and pounded three multistory towers as it hammered the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and militants in the territory fired barrages of rockets. Dozens have died in the most severe outbreak of violence since a 2014 war, with no resolution in sight. The fighting has taken on many hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, but with a startling new factor: a burst of fury from Israel's Palestinian citizens in support of those living in the territories as well as counterviolence by Jewish Israelis." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~~
~~~ Update. Fares Akram & Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Weary Palestinians somberly marked the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Thursday, as Hamas and Israel traded more rockets and airstrikes and Jewish-Arab violence raged across Israel. The violence has reached deeper into Israel than at any time since the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Arab and Jewish mobs have rampaged through the streets, savagely beating people and torching cars, and flights have been canceled or diverted away from the country's main airport."
News Lede
Politico: "The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 473,000, a new pandemic low and the latest evidence that fewer employers are cutting jobs as consumers ramp up spending and more businesses reopen. Thursday's report from the Labor Department showed that applications declined 34,000 from a revised 507,000 a week earlier. The number of weekly jobless claims == a rough measure of the pace of layoffs -- has fallen significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January. Instead of cutting jobs, many employers are struggling to attract enough applicants for open positions."
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THE MIDAS TOUCH:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rules-of-demagogue-meidastouch_n_609ce651e4b014bd0ca80893
In the wake of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware hack, the Biden administration has come up with an initial set of plans for dealing with this sort criminal activity going forward, including requirements that government agencies and departments, purchase only software that includes specific security features built in (there are plenty of software packages that utilize only minimal, or very shoddy security protocols) with the hope that private sector businesses do the same.
Reporting requirements are also part of the plan. The fact is that companies that try to hide this sort of attack or report them too late help hackers go after other targets using the same methodology. Enacting a law that makes timely reporting mandatory lessens the chances of multiple hacks.
Of course there will always be hackers who find the chinks in the armor, but these are some good first steps.
NOW, consider how Trump would have handled this. First, who was hacked? One of his donors? A company whose business he hates? And, of course doing something about it would depend on the most pressing consideration of all: what’s in it for little Donald? And don’t forget, foreign hackers helped put his fat ass in the White House.
The difference between then and now, in which, previously, the entire force of the federal government was brought to bear for one and only one outcome: how to enrich and empower the Trump Crime Family, cannot in any way be overstated.
An excellent essay by Peter Beinart on the Israeli /Palestinian conflict.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/opinion/israel-palestinian-refugees-right-of-return.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Watching clips last night of certain GOP congress critters describe the insurrection as some holiday outing that got a little out of control was, to me, not astounding as it should have been, but instead I marveled at the sheer lunacy of this display. There is no longer any doubt that we have, in congress, Lemmings of the first order whose mindset is very similar to those spud heads they wet their panties over. How did these people win elections, we used to ask; we no longer ask–-we know.
Reports out today indicate a huge drop in the trust in public health organizations, especially the CDC. An NPR story quotes Susan Collins expressing her Concerns ™, about the lack of public confidence in the CDC. Plenty of hand wringing and boo-hooing about same, in the “I remember when...” vein.
Well, gee, Susan, and all you wingers whining about this problem, let’s look at what your party and your Dear Leader have been up to the last year or so in the public health sphere. The constant lies, politicization of the pandemic based (again) solely on How Can This Be Twisted To Help Trump?, the outlandish conspiracy theories, the tossing out of responsible pandemic protocols, the invention of crazy shit on the fly, the barrels and barrels of snake oil, and the attacks on reporting and response, no wonder people are skeptical.
And STILL we have weasels like the Littlest Liar, the self-certified eye poker, accusing a real doctor, Anthony Fauci, of being secretly in on the creation and the spread of the coronavirus.
All this is being done as a way to jigger things enough to create some small pockets of political power.
Senator What About Me?, taking his cue from TuKKKer KKKarlson, another eminently believable source, finds this sort of thing useful to bolster his visibility with the mouth breathers. There is zero Concern™, even the phony, day late-dollar short Collins kind, for actual public health.
These are the assholes who put away a quart of rye, get into their luxury vehicle, mow down pedestrians, then call a press conference to decry drunk driving, and wonder why Democrats are allowed to get away with it.
@Akhilleus: Ha ha. I'm glad to see that Susan Collins has been able to trademark "Concerns." She's earned it.
@PD Pepe: Yes, as I was knocking out links to stories about the batshit lies Republicans & retired top military brass were spewing about those well-mannered, patriotic Capitol tourists and dangerous Bolshevik Joe, I was dumbfounded all over again. These yokels seem to really believe what they're saying. We all have opinions, but those opinions usually are based on observable facts or expert research & analysis. You'd like to think that with our wunnerful educational system, there would be only a few kooks and nuts with loose screws who got through it. But damned if the kooks & nuts not only were graduated cum laude, they are running the country. Those Congresscritters were hiding under their desks while right outside their locked doors police were engaged in hand-to-hand combat fighting off mobs intent upon murdering said critters in situ. Now, a few months later, the critters look back nostalgically to the day many fine people stopped by to admire Statuary Hall & behold Our Government at Work. I cannot get my head around that.
PD,
The lies about the attempted Trump Putsch, are becoming legion. It’s become gospel that not only was the election stolen from the Dear Leader, but that the Jan. 6 riot to try an actual election theft was either A., a pleasant outing by wonderful Patriots who just wanted to see the Capitol (and maybe break into the odd office or two and rifle the desks, then write their names on the wall in shit), or B., a vicious attack on poor Trump supporters by those awful Capitol Police!
One idiot from Georgia is screaming no harm, no foul! “They never got into the House chamber!” he whines. Oh, well then. No biggie. But that’s not because they didn’t try. This is like saying the gang of masked thugs who stormed the bank shouldn’t be charged with anything because they weren’t able to break into the vault.
I never went to law school, but I’m pretty sure they don’t teach that unsuccessful crimes can’t be punished.
And now we have Kevin McCarthy, who is betting his political future on the Big Lie, saying “Lie? What lie? Of COURSE the election wasn’t rigged. (Oh, back that moving truck up to the House loading dock and have Liz Cheney’s desk and all her shit moved to DuPont Circle, thank you very much...)”
Seriously, it’s like some kind of mental illness. These guys think they can lie their way out of anything. Well, I guess it comes naturally. In most important jobs, if you flunk a lie detector test, they show you the door, if you’re a Republican, they show you to your seat in Congress.
In a nutshell, "These guys think they can lie their way out of anything." AK. that's it.
Liz Cheney tells the truth one-damn-time and it's like the second coming. (Speaking of demagogue, I notice the video PD posted is full of Liz. I saw Liz once in first class flying down to Rio in 2012 or so. I always wondered what mischief she was up to in Brazil...since fascism and demagogery are Cheney family values you be the judge.) She poisons the well of public goodwill and civility over a career and she expects a pass for one simple utterance.
Yesterday was unbelievable. I didn't watch but caught clips later. Ak and Marie are right: it's like listening to people say Riot? What riot? at the same time the tv is playing video of people screaming in pain. It IS mind-blowing. Time doesn't seem to dull the issue at all, and now the whole cult is denying January 6 exists. And slippery slithery Kevin in his spiffy Easter suit saying, huh? no one is denying the election results, that the meeting was "productive" and then calling Biden "corrupt." Those people on that committee from the cult are rank amateurs, new to congress, or totally bonkers. No wonder the Dems were saying baldly that the witnesses were incompetent. They were. The Orange Murderer doesn't even have to be mentioned-- he has corrupted every idiot in congress and every member of the previous "administration." Now that is quite an accomplishment. Should it go on his resume?
Piece in The Root by Michael Harriot posted 5/6: "We Found the Textbooks of Senators Who Oppose The 1619 Project and Suddenly Everything Makes Sense"
The piece does a deep dive on 8 Senators and the history texts they used in school. The beginning point is each Senator's statement on the 1619 Project. The Senators: Blackburn, Cotton, Cruz, Graham, Kennedy, McConnell, Tuberville and Tim Scott - the contemporary confederacy. Although Tuberville is irrelevant as he I'm pretty sure he can't read and I know he can't pour piss out of a boot with directions on the heel.
The approach, using the Senators specific textbooks, is a fresh angle. Its one of those well "duh" moments and an example of how many ways racism is institutionalized in powerful ways.
https://bit.ly/3w2eD9t
Meant to point this out a few days ago...
Word that Kevin (What Lie?) McCarthy and GQP pollster Frank
Luntz were sharing an apartment (although 7,000 sq. ft. sounds more like a six apartments) has sparked the lizard brains of the usual suspects to life. And guess what they’re thinking. Okay, first let’s name the suspects: TuKKKer KKKarlson and MTG, for starters. Now, the premise: one apartment (or, ya know, maybe six), and two guys, as in 2 GUYS!!! Get it?
Nope. I didn’t either. But the wingnut conclusion is: GAY!!
Of course. Well, it doesn’t help that Luntz has released several recent polls which were not appropriately obsequious to you know who. So...GAY!
Plus, in their minds, just the suggestion that these guys might be (must be?) GAAAYYY, is obviously (well, to them), a horrible sin-against-automatic-weapons-apple pie-Jesus, and should be more than enough to cast them out into the MAGA-deprived universe. Hmmm... Is that all it takes? Cool! Hey Marge! TuKKKer! I’m gay! Send me to that place. I’ll tell Kev and Frank you said hey.
Seriously, these people are more predictable than a Trump lie.
U.S. has entered unprecedented climate territory, EPA warns
"The Trump administration delayed the report, which cites urban heat waves and permafrost loss as signs of global warming, for three years.
For years, President Donald Trump and his deputies played down the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and delayed the release of an Environmental Protection Agency report detailing climate-related damage. But on Wednesday, the EPA released a detailed and disturbing account of the startling changes that Earth’s warming had on parts of the United States during Trump’s presidency.
The destruction of year-round permafrost in Alaska, loss of winter ice on the Great Lakes and spike in summer heat waves in U.S. cities all signal that climate change is intensifying, the EPA said in its report. The assessment, which languished under the Trump administration for three years, marks the first time the agency has said such changes are being driven at least in part by human-caused global warming."
@Anonymous. Thanks so much. I don't know what textbook was used in Hialeah, Florida (Dade County) when I took American history (required high school course) in 1960. But I know I learned "the six causes of the Civil War," and none of them was slavery.
I was born in D.C. and went to school there from 3rd grade through high school. The remains of the Civil War were all round in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Near where I lived was the Butternut tree which was the point at which Jubal Early came closest to invading the city, and from which at least one sniper fired on Fort Stevens while Abe Lincoln (and, apocryphally, Oliver Wendell Holmes) was there. The Civil War was very much local history.
When I was a kid, we knew the war was fought over slavery, which had brought on secession. The Union was the object, but there could be no Union with slavery anywhere, so slavery had to go.
Later I learned that many in the North expected the South to capitulate once they thought about the odds, so the North didn't prosecute the war, and many expected the South to accept "slavery as it is." No expansion. After Antietam, that was no longer viable.
Then I spent several years in Texas where I was given to understand that, sure, slavery was an issue, but the really important issue was states' rights.
Over the next few decades, it seemed that the answer to the question of cause was "There were many causes leading up to the war, among them (plug in the list of that time.)
Then, about twenty years ago (or more) I saw an episode of The Simpsons, in which Apu was taking his oral citizenship test. When he confidently started to give his complicated answer to the Q, the Immigration Officer said "Just say 'slavery.'" To which Apu acquiesced.
And we had come full circle.
I grew up also thinking that slavery was a dead issue, ancient history. It was only as I grew older that I saw that its legacy is persistent and still the cause of division. I hope it is done in my grandchildren's lifetime.
As I read Patrick's last sentence the thought occurred to me: what huge changes had to go through German kids heads when "my daddy and mommy were Nazis" came up? Those people, younger and older, had the courage to face change; Southerners and their fellow Northerners aren't handling change well at all.