;)
The Commentariat -- September 1, 2021
Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "Unvaccinated people should avoid traveling during the Labor Day holiday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.... Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the C.D.C., identified vaccination and masking as key factors in preventing the spread of the virus.... Dr. Walensky said that gatherings -- among vaccinated relatives and friends -- should take place outdoors. And everyone, including those who are vaccinated, should wear masks in public indoor settings." MB: Dr. Walensky is just one of those left-coast elite control freaks who is trying to take away my freedom to snort horse dewormer.
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "We're now beginning to see just how ugly a House GOP takeover would be for the country. What is unmistakable is that a Republican House would be singularly devoted to using its power to avenge Donald Trump's 2020 loss -- and to whitewashing his efforts to overturn it in every way possible. Case in point: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has now openly threatened to use a GOP-controlled House to punish private companies that comply with lawful subpoenas issued by the House select committee examining the Jan. 6 insurrection.... [He made] an explicit threat to use the 'Republican majority' -- his words -- to punish compliance with congressional subpoenas that serve an investigation into an effort to overturn U.S. democracy through mob intimidation and violence.... One option for Democrats would be to refer McCarthy's threat to the House Ethics Committee, [ethicist Norm] Eisen says, under a House rule against bringing discredit on the House. That could result in punitive action, such as censure or a fine." The Ethics Committee's investigation could lead to a criminal referral to the DOJ. "'I see it as clear obstruction of justice,' Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) told me."
Zak Hudak of CBS News: "One of the two Republicans who sit on the House select committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol said a GOP colleague is 'using language that seems intended to incite violence.' 'I think every member ought to condemn that, and I'd like to see Leader McCarthy very clearly condemn it and explain how dangerous that is,' Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney told CBS News. She was talking about freshman GOP Congressman Madison Cawthorn's remarks last weekend; while in his home state of North Carolina, he said that there would be 'bloodshed' if elections continue to be 'rigged' and even suggested he, too, might join the fight." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Looks like Cheney is doing reporters' work for them. Yesterday I linked to a Vice story about Cawthorn's remarks. According to the Vice report, "When asked about Cawthorn's comments about busting out prisoners, [Cawthorn spokesman Luke] Ball said his boss 'wants due process for the prisoners and does not believe that is what they are currently receiving. He was not advocating for any form of illegal action, only that they receive full due process.'..." Patrick, in yesterday's Comments, responded, in part, "GOP person A says something provocatively criminal-ish, and when asked about it his/her bobblehead talker explains it was all OK because it was not intended to be illegal, defamatory, whatever.... We need to get reporters who take the next step and challenge that type of answer, develop the fact that it is evasive and deceitful, and continue to write the story that Rep X advocates political violence despite disclaimers." I agree with Patrick. These spokesmen's after-remarks are not mere clean-up of a garbled message; they're a kind of disingenuous both-siderism, as in both sides of one mouth. The principal says something outrageous, and the spokesperson denies he meant anything outrageous.
Caroline Kitchener, et al., of the Washington Post: "A Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect Wednesday, as a midnight deadline for the Supreme Court to stop it came and went without action.... For now, abortion providers in Texas, including Planned Parenthood and Whole Woman's Health, said they will no longer terminate pregnancies more than six weeks from a woman's last period.... The Texas law ... was designed to make it more difficult for abortion rights advocates to win ... pre-enforcement injunctions. The statute empowers individuals, instead of state government officials, to bring legal action in civil court against those who help women seeking a prohibited abortion.... A [federal] District Court judge in Austin said the case could proceed and scheduled a hearing for Monday to consider whether to block the law. But the Texas-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit called off the hearing. That action led to the emergency petition to the Supreme Court requesting a stay of the law[, but the Supreme Court failed to grant the request].... In a tweet on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the Supreme Court's 'failure to block #SB8 has delivered catastrophe to women in Texas. This radical law is an all-out effort to erase the rights and protections of Roe v. Wade.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: As I understand it, under the Texas law, a Texan could successfully sue me for $10K, as I am a contributor to Planned Parenthood (although I haven't contributed since this morning, when the law went into effect). Maybe it's a good thing I also contribute to the ACLU. ~~~
~~~ Donna Cassata of the Washington Post: "President Biden called a Texas law prohibiting most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy a blatant violation of a woman's constitutional right to abortion established under the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling. In a statement Wednesday, the president said his administration is committed to Roe v. Wade and will 'protect and defend that right.'" President Biden's full statement, via the White House, is here.
From the New York Times' live storm updates: Don't Jack with Shaq. "An arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday for a man who angrily confronted an NBC News reporter [Shaquille Brewster] live on TV while covering Hurricane Ida in Gulfport, Miss., screaming, 'Report accurately!' in his face. The man, Benjamin Eugene Dagley, 54, of Wooster, Ohio, will be charged with two counts of simple assault, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of violating an emergency curfew, the Gulfport Police Department said. Mr. Dagley, who is on probation for an incident in Ohio involving a break-in at a metal plating shop, may also be in violation of travel restrictions that are part of his probation, the police said.... t was unclear why Mr. Dagley had been in Gulfport -- about 1,000 miles from his home -- a day after a major hurricane hit the area." MB: Apparently Ben did not go a thousand miles for one of Shaq's smiles.
Aina Khan of the New York Times: "The British TV personality Piers Morgan was cleared on Wednesday by Britain's communications regulator over critical comments he made on air about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, after her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Mr. Morgan had been under investigation by Ofcom, the media regulator, which received a record number of complaints in March after he criticized Meghan on air and said he did not believe her accounts of being poorly treated by the royal establishment." But he isn't likely to get back his old job as host of ITV's "Good Morning, Britain." MB: Morgan is a twit, and I hate to be on his side, but anybody ought to be able to question the veracity of a royal or other public figure.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Wednesday are here. The New York Times' live updates for Wednesday are here.
I don't think enough people understand how much we've asked of the one percent of this country who put that uniform on. -- President Joe Biden, in a speech Tuesday ~~~
~~~ Michael Shear & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden on Tuesday forcefully rejected criticism of his decision to end America's 20-year war in Afghanistan, hailing what he called the 'extraordinary success' of the evacuation of Kabul and declaring the end of an era in which the United States uses military power 'to remake other countries.'... Mr. Biden said the costs to the United States would have been even higher if he had allowed the nation to remain mired for years in a civil war that has dragged on for decades. In blunt terms, he claimed the only alternative to the departure he oversaw was another escalation of the war.... The president sought to justify his handling of the final weeks of the war, saying that the U.S. military and its diplomats deserved credit and thanks for ferrying out more than 120,000 Americans and Afghan allies.... Mr. Biden expressed deep remorse for the loss of lives in the explosions at the airport last Thursday, including scores of Afghans, but he dismissed the argument that his administration should have -- or could have -- conducted the final withdrawal in a 'more orderly manner' by evacuating people earlier, before the Taliban takeover of the country was complete." ~~~
~~~ Here's a transcript of the speech, via the White House. ~~~
~~~ Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "The speech was one of the most forceful of [Joe Biden's] career, as much laying out the rationale for his own actions as an indictment of the mind-set that supports indefinite wars whose cost is borne by others. For a White House on defense for two weeks, this was as robust a defense as one could imagine.... We need to understand how a war built on wishful thinking and cultural ignorance could grind on for two decades and why our intelligence community consistently gets really big issues wrong (from failing to anticipate the fall of the Soviet Union to the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction in Iraq). If we do not address these more fundamental problems, we will repeat the errors of Afghanistan just as certainly as we repeated the errors of Vietnam in Afghanistan."
Barbara Starr & Brianna Keilar of CNN: "The US military negotiated a secret arrangement with the Taliban that resulted in members of the militant group escorting clusters of Americans to the gates of the Kabul airport as they sought to escape Afghanistan, two defense officials told CNN. One of the officials also revealed that US special operations forces set up a 'secret gate' at the airport and established 'call centers' to guide Americans through the evacuation process. While one of the military officials said the arrangement with the Taliban 'worked beautifully,' Americans involved in an unofficial network dedicated to helping Americans and vulnerable Afghans said there were problems -- particularly in the beginning -- as the Taliban turned away US citizens and legal permanent residents the militant group was supposed to allow through."
Left Behind: An Afghan Who Rescued Biden, Other U.S. Senators. Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday praised the Afghan interpreter in hiding who helped rescue then-Sen. Joe Biden during a 2008 rescue mission as she reaffirmed the US' commitment to helping Afghan allies. 'Our message to him is: Thank you for fighting by our side for the last 20 years. Thank you for the role you played in helping a number of my favorite people out of a snowstorm and for all the work you did. And our commitment is enduring, not just to American citizens but to our Afghan partners who have fought by our side,' Psaki said.... The interpreter, who is going only by his first name, Mohammed, told the Wall Street Journal that he is asking the President to 'save me and my family' after US forces allowed him to enter Kabul's airport during their evacuation mission but restricted his wife and children." MB: There's a hint in the story that Mohammed's plight might have been sealed by the Trump administration's slow-walking SIV applications.
Tyler Page & John Hudson of the Washington Post: When the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan refused to help Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) enter the country with an over-the-limit amount of cash so he could chopper into Afghanistan & rescue an Afghan family, "Mullin was outraged by the response, the officials said -- threatening U.S. ambassador John Mark Pommersheim and embassy staff and demanding to know the name of staff members he was speaking with. The episode marked Mullin's second attempt to travel to Afghanistan in as many weeks for an unauthorized evacuation effort despite the perilous security environment. Last week, Mullin traveled to Greece and asked the Department of Defense for permission to visit Kabul. The Pentagon denied Mullin's request.... Mullin's behavior has alarmed top U.S. officials who say he has gone to extraordinary lengths to defy U.S. warnings.... As of late Tuesday, U.S. officials said they were unsure of Mullin's location.... On Tuesday, [Senate Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy went silent and walked away after being asked if he had spoken to Mullin or if he knew where the Oklahoman was." A summary report by the Hill is here. MB: It would be a shame if Markwayne was lost & alone in Afghanistan with nothing but a sackload of U.S. dollars.
The New York Times' live updates of developments in Afghanistan Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates of developments in Afghanistan Tuesday are here: "The Taliban took control of the Kabul airport Tuesday as celebratory gunfire echoed across the city, capping the militant group's victory in a 20-year war with the United States after the last U.S. military flight left the country. One of the Taliban's top officials, however, cautioned its fighters to be careful in how they treated the local population. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called for international investment and national unity in the country during a speech at the airport." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Marie: No Way to Run a Country. It's impossible to look at the photos coming out of Afghanistan without noticing that almost all of the people controlling the new government are carrying repeating rifles.
Philip Kennicott of the Washington Post complains about the meaning attributed to the green night-goggle photos of Army Maj. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, whose boots were the last on the ground in our quixotic adventures in Afghanistan. MB: The photos, at least one of which was taken by Army Master Sgt. Alex Burnett are pretty powerful, at least when you know the context.
Myah Ward of Politico: "Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday threatened to use a future GOP majority to punish companies that comply with the House's Jan. 6 investigators, warning that 'a Republican majority will not forget.' McCarthy called out Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for what he called 'attempts to strong-arm private companies to turn over individuals' private data.' He asserted that such a forfeiture of information would 'put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians.'... On the substance of McCarthy's complaint, congressional committees have routinely used subpoena power to obtain data from private companies.... The Jan. 6 committee has not identified whose communications it is seeking, but it has made clear that members of Congress are among the potential targets, which would be a departure from past practices.... The Democratic-led committee's investigators are looking for a fuller picture of the communications between ... Donald Trump and members of Congress during the attack. McCarthy is among the Republicans known to have spoken with Trump on Jan. 6."
A Florida Man.... Sometimes a Plot Against a Conspiracy Theorist Is Real. Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department on Tuesday arrested a Florida man over a scheme that involved seeking money from Florida Republican Don Gaetz to help halt the sex-trafficking investigation of his son, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), according to court records and a person familiar with the matter. Stephen M. Alford, 62, was charged with wire fraud in connection with the alleged $25 million plot, which famously came to light months ago -- shortly after the revelation that Matt Gaetz was under investigation. In response to the reporting on that probe in March, the congressman said his family had been cooperating with an FBI investigation of people trying use the investigation of his alleged conduct to extort his father. His father, Matt Gaetz said, had even been wearing a wire for investigators." A Politico story is here.
Lying Is Essential to the GOP. Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "I never thought I'd be nostalgic for the era when big money ruled the right. But traditional corporate influence looks benign compared with where we are now. At this point, to be a conservative in good standing you have to pledge allegiance to blatant lies -- Democrats are Marxists, the election was stolen, basic public health measures are sinister assaults on freedom.... [Possibly because Democrats are a looser, less-organized coalition than the GOP monolith,] the blend of craziness and corruption taking place on the American right is special, without anything comparable on the left. Don't both-sides this." ~~~
~~~ Marie: In yesterday's Comments, PD Pepe pointed to an incident in which a fat old white guy accosted MSNBC reporter Shaq Brewster, who is Black, while Brewster was reporting from Coastal Mississippi on the effects of Hurricane Ida. The fat guy repeatedly shouted at Brewster to "report accurately." It's impossible to know whether or not this was a racist attack: did the guy recognize the MSNBC logo on nearby equipment or did he just assume that Brewster was not "reporting accurately" because he was Black? I'll lean toward the former explanation, which lines up with Krugman's thesis. The white guy no doubt get his "news" from Fox or Worse, where he is fed a diet of lies, lies in which he is invested. So anything any other reporter says about anything, including a fairly nonpolitical event like a hurricane, is not "accurate."
Sony Suits Notice Sexist, Offensive Remarks & Behavior Are Bad for Brand. Michael Grynbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Sony said on Tuesday that Mike Richards would immediately exit his job as the executive producer of 'Jeopardy!,' completing a stunning downfall for a game-show impresario who just three weeks ago had secured one of the most coveted jobs in television as the replacement for the longtime host Alex Trebek.... Mr. Richards is also set to leave his role as executive producer of 'Wheel of Fortune.'"
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The Washington Post's live udpates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "The actions of Republican governors, some of the leading stewards of the country's response to the virus, reveal how the politics of the party's base have hardened when it comes to curbing Covid. As some Republican-led states, including Florida, confront their most serious outbreaks yet, even rising death totals are being treated as less politically damaging than imposing coronavirus mandates of almost any stripe.... Most top Republicans, including every Republican governor, have been vaccinated and have encouraged others to do so. But most have also stopped short of supporting inoculation requirements and have opposed masking requirements." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Pro-Virus Party. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: “Rather than work with him to vaccinate the country, [President] Biden's Republican opposition has, with only a few exceptions, done everything in its power to politicize the vaccine and make refusal to cooperate a test of partisan loyalty. The party is, for all practical purposes, pro-Covid. If it's sincere, it is monstrous. And if it's not, it is an unbelievably cynical and nihilistic strategy. Unfortunately for both Biden and the country, it appears to be working.... [For instance, after taking aggressive actions to encourage spread of the virus, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Fox 'News.'] 'You know, he said he was going to end Covid. He hasn't done that.... At the end of the day, he is trying to find a way to distract from the failures of his presidency.'... The effect of all of [Republican measures] for the country is a pandemic that won't die. The effect of it for the Republican Party is a substantial part of its base that won't take the vaccine.... [The] Republican effort to prolong the pandemic shows no sign of abating." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Florida. Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post: "Florida officials are now withholding some funding from two counties with tough school mask mandates -- despite a court decision against the state's ban on such restrictions and a move by the U.S. Education Department to investigate states with these bans. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced late Monday that the Florida Department of Education has withheld the monthly salaries of school board members in Alachua and Broward counties who voted to impose mask mandates that only provide for a medical exemption from a doctor." (Also linked yesterday.)
Oregon. Liliana Frankel of the Oregonian: "Kevin Purnell was fired Monday as superintendent of the Adrian School District just one week after students returned to school. The Adrian School Board ... voted 4-1 Monday evening to terminate Purnell after meeting in an executive, or closed door, session for less than half an hour.... The board provided no public explanation for its surprise decision to oust a superintendent who has been on the job for three years and in the district for 14 years. But critics and supporters of Purnell's stance on mask mandates made clear it was a pivotal issue in his fissure with the board." The firing came after Purnell enforced the state's mask mandates in the district.
Beyond the Beltway
The Real Compromisers of Election Integrity Are Republican Officials. Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "... as Republican state and county officials and their allies mount a relentless effort to discredit the result of the 2020 contest, the torrent of election falsehoods has led to unusual episodes like the one in Mesa County [where three people, including the county clerk, sneaked into a secure area to copy election machine hard drives], as well as to a wave of G.O.P.-driven reviews of the vote count conducted by uncredentialed and partisan companies or people. Roughly half a dozen reviews are underway or completed, and more are being proposed. These reviews -- carried out under the banner of making elections more secure, and misleadingly labeled audits to lend an air of official sanction -- have given rise to their own new set of threats to the integrity of the voting machines, software and other equipment that make up the nation's election infrastructure. Election officials and security experts say the reviews have created problems ranging from the expensive inconvenience of replacing equipment or software whose security has been compromised to what they describe as a graver risk: that previously unknown technical vulnerabilities could be discovered by partisan malefactors and exploited in future elections." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Meanwhile, because it's not the focus of his story, Corasaniti doesn't mention Congressional Republicans, who to (or almost to) a person oppose passage of a federal voting rights bill nor the state GOP legislators & governors whom Congressional Republicans have freed up to pass & impose draconian voter suppression laws.
Texas. Either the Supremes Are on Vacation or They're about to Overturn Roe v. Wade. Robert Barnes & Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "A Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect Wednesday, as a midnight deadline for the Supreme Court to stop it came and went without action. The court could still grant a request from abortion providers to halt the law, one of the nation's most restrictive. But both the statute's proponents and opponents had expected word from the high court before the statute went into effect Sept. 1[.] The law effectively eliminates the guarantee in Roe v. Wade and subsequent Supreme Court decisions that women have a right to end their pregnancies before viability, abortion providers said, and that states may not impose undue burdens on that decision." NPR's story is here.
Texas. Legislature Passes Anti-democratic, Anti-Democratic Voter Suppression Bill. David Goodman, et al., of the New York Times: "The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature on Tuesday passed a major bill overhauling the state's elections, overcoming a six-week walkout by Democrats to cement Texas as one of the most difficult states in the country in which to vote. The voting restrictions were a capstone victory in Republicans' national push to tighten voting rules and alter the administration of elections in the wake of false claims about the integrity of the 2020 presidential contest. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, vowed on Tuesday to sign the bill. The legislation takes aim in particular at Harris County, a growing Democratic bastion that includes Houston and is the nation's third most populous county. The legislation forbids balloting methods that the county introduced last year to make voting easier during the pandemic, including drive-through polling places and 24-hour voting, as well as temporary voting locations. It also bars election officials from sending voters unsolicited absentee ballot applications and from promoting the use of vote by mail. The bill greatly empowers partisan poll watchers, creates new criminal and civil penalties for poll workers and erects new barriers for those looking to help voters who need assistance, such as with translations. It requires large Texas counties -- where Democrats perform better -- to provide livestreaming video at ballot-counting locations."
Way Beyond
Isabella Kwai of the New York Times: "The Bank of England has stopped displaying art depicting several former governors and directors after a review found they were connected to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Oil paintings and busts of seven leading figures at the central bank between 1698 and 1814 -- James Bateman, Robert Bristow, Robert Clayton, William Dawsonne, Gilbert Heathcote, William Manning and John Pearse -- have been removed after it was established they had links to slavery, the bank said in a statement Friday. The move was the latest in a difficult reckoning taking place at museums, galleries and longstanding institutions in Britain and other European countries that have begun reframing their exhibitions to more explicitly acknowledge links to slavery and colonialism. Criticism that many had not done enough escalated after the Black Lives Matter protests around the world last summer following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the United States." MB: George Floyd, and even most of those who organized protests against his murder, would be surprised by the far-flung influence they wielded.
News Ledes
Washington Post: "An extremely rare high risk for heavy rain and flash flooding has been declared for parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the most severe outlook category the National Weather Service can hoist ahead of an anticipated flood event. They're calling for 'widespread and potentially life-threatening flooding,' with totals of three to eight inches likely in a broad swath hundreds of miles long. Cities such as New York and Hartford, Conn., are included in the outlook bull's eye, with other places including Baltimore, Philadelphia and Providence, R.I., bracing for major disruptions to travel, too. Flash-flood watches stretch from the Blue Ridge in North Carolina to Maine." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times is live-updating the after-effects of Hurricane Ida & its impact on the mid-Atlantic & Northeast states, where heavy rains & flooding are projected.
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Reader Comments (5)
I've been wondering:
What's the essential difference between a terrorist organization that places toxic chemicals in a nation's water supply or sprays harmful bacteria into a local school's AC system and a political party that insists that those under its control continue to harbor and transmit a deadly disease?
My answer: Little to none.
Markwayne's sackload would quickly become just an empty sack should he enter Afghanistan. P.S. His sackload would quickly become empty should he advertise his stupidity within any of the neighboring countries, either. Likely his sackload would suffer the same emptying if he advertised it in Eastern Oklahoma. P.P.S. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markwayne_Mullin: no amount of 'Native American' washing his background or reputation forgives his stupid redneck status.
Sweet September comes at last, summer's past and we hoped the virus would be just hanging around on a thin thread but if Victoria's post yesterday bears fruit we ain't seen nothin yet!
In 2010 William Pfaff's "The Irony of Manifest Destiny"––the tragedy of American foreign policy was published. We discussed Pfaff and this book some years ago on RC. On the front page of this book he has four quotes, all corresponding to his thesis. Here's two of them:
"The knowledge of past events is the sovereign corrective of human nature." Polybius of Megalopolis (ca. 201B/C.E.)
"We will export death and violence to the four corners of the earth in defense of our great nation." George Bush (quoted in Bob Woodward, "Bush at War, 2003)
When discussing the Thirty Years' War"–-the great post Reformation and Counter-Reformation struggle–-he cites the esteemed English historian, C.V. Wedgwood who wrote of this war:
"This war need not have happened and settled nothing worth settling...the dismal course of the conflict dragging on from one decade to the next, and from one deadlock to the next seems to me an object lesson on the dangerous and disasters which can arise when men of narrow hearts and little minds are in high places."
I especially like this quote since it has wide berth–-it's relevant not only in our foreign policy but within our country's shaky democracy.
And what's with those Supremes???? Lost their voices??? If we lose Abortion rights we will be back to the good ole days when those of means will get them and those of slender means won't, therefore the possibility of bringing more children into this world who will need government assistance, probably won't get it , struggle to get by, by any means possible and that might very well prove disastrous. But Texas operatives are determined to not only put their heavy boots on the necks of women but prevent millions of people of color the right to vote. What a way to go! Slow and steady they be in order to get the GOP on the tippy top of that power grid––with top hats and waving canes they be doing the Jim Crow shuffle––if you look closely you might very well detect deep varicose veins in those legs that keep their jack boots intact.
Oh, thank you! for the story above re: the removal of 'thems' that were complicit in the slave trade and afterwards:
" The move was the latest in a difficult reckoning taking place at museums, galleries and longstanding institutions in Britain and other European countries that have begun reframing their exhibitions to more explicitly acknowledge links to slavery and colonialism."
Boy, do we need to hear this kind of reckoning––it gives us that hope that sometimes seems lost.
How in god’s name did we get saddled with Cawthorn or Boebert or Green or Gaetz or any other preening liar? There are apparently no standards, ethics, morals or intelligence needed to get elected. Stupid? Welcome! Mean, nasty, uneducated, immoral, lying, dishonest, thieving, fake, mouthy? Perfect for the Confederate Party…