Robert Reich explains how so in this video.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Bernie: It's time for real justice
We're going to need a real US Attorney General for this to be the case. Just another reason to vote Democratic in 2020.
Jacobin: Who exactly is doing the looting?
Accurate article on how we shun the looting of street people after a murder but there's no outcry, or even reporting, on the massive looting by corporations every single minute.
"We live in an Orwellian era, in which working-class people pilfering convenience store goods is called 'looting.' Rich people stealing hundreds of billions of dollars, on the other hand, is just well-functioning 'public policy.'"
"We live in an Orwellian era, in which working-class people pilfering convenience store goods is called 'looting.' Rich people stealing hundreds of billions of dollars, on the other hand, is just well-functioning 'public policy.'"
Who is looting whom?
Something to remember. And we white folk committed genocide for our privileged ignorance of violent theft. Wake the f___ up.
Game B(ullshit)
New article by Brent Cooper. I agree with him, why I left their FB
forum months ago. Much like the integral movement, it seems more about
who gets to decide what it is and everyone else is shunned or eliminated
if you don't buy their dogma. I created a neologism for the AQALifried:
kennilingus. Game B(ullshit) is an apt nickname for the B'ers.
And it's one reason I stick with the collaborative commons movement of the P2P Foundation, Commons Transition and others. They work collaboratively to enact what Hanzi calls green social liberalism 2.0. Social justice is critical to that project. It's also why I stick with Bernie, AOC and The Squad and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as they are how we get from here to there.
And it's one reason I stick with the collaborative commons movement of the P2P Foundation, Commons Transition and others. They work collaboratively to enact what Hanzi calls green social liberalism 2.0. Social justice is critical to that project. It's also why I stick with Bernie, AOC and The Squad and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as they are how we get from here to there.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Friday, May 29, 2020
Free speech contradictions
Funny had purported liberals want to allow lies under free speech but not allow those who call out lies as free speech.
Ana has a different take on Twitler's Tweets
She rightly notes that Twitler's lying Tweets are a huge manipulation of the voting public and Twitter rightly fact checked as demonstrably false information about voting by mail. If they let it slide than fools will believe the lies. Ana then rails on Suckerborg who also finds it censorship to point out facts, that lies should be spread as free speech. The provable lies are not a matter of equal opinion. We do need reliable fact checkers to set the record straight.
Ana notes Sucker hides behind the free speech rationale but documents show that he actually likes the divisiveness Facef___ creates because it leads to more "user engagement." Which, not coincidentally is exactly Pox Views rationalization for their format. People that buy the fake front excuses are enabling these media outlets to continue their lying ways for clicks and bucks while not really giving one shit about free speech or its defenders. You're being played as dupes.
Cenk and Ana then point out that Facef___ indeed does fact checking but only from crackpot white nationalists while never including any progressive or reputable news fact checkers. But that's yet another story.
Ana notes Sucker hides behind the free speech rationale but documents show that he actually likes the divisiveness Facef___ creates because it leads to more "user engagement." Which, not coincidentally is exactly Pox Views rationalization for their format. People that buy the fake front excuses are enabling these media outlets to continue their lying ways for clicks and bucks while not really giving one shit about free speech or its defenders. You're being played as dupes.
Cenk and Ana then point out that Facef___ indeed does fact checking but only from crackpot white nationalists while never including any progressive or reputable news fact checkers. But that's yet another story.
Rising is wrong yet again
Saager is wrong on this one. He first notes Twitler's Tweet saying "When the looting starts the shooting starts." Twitter then noted on the Tweet that it was "glorifying violence" and required one click on it to read the whole thing. Saager goes into a rant about free speech and that it's censorship. But he qualified only if "it is in the realm of reasonable speech." So you found that statement reasonable then?
Kyrstal does no better. She finds the Tweet outrageous, unconscionable, deeply irresponsible but agrees it is censorship. She thinks it Twitter made it a 'terms of service violation' applicable to all that might be acceptable. But she still thinks it censorship particular to one person, Twitler. She sounds like a Twitler apologist, using his own whining complaints that he's being treated unfairly. How about the entire country that is being raped by this guy? How about how he's destroying all sense of truth and reality? That's not free speech; it's tyranny and fascism and there's no justification for it.
The President of the US is indeed in a unique situation and should be held to the highest standard. His Tweets have far more influence that anyone else. He is no way should be allowed to lie and fact checking is appropriate. And he is no way should be allowed to incite violence. To hide behind freedom of speech and fake censorship is to excuse the very behaviors Krystal and Saager find reprehensible. Instead they're making excuses for it.
Twitter: Twitler glorifies violence
He always has and always will. It's about time a media source did something about it. And don't give me that free speech or censorship BS. Inciting violence is specifically spelled out in the 1st Amendment free speech exceptions and not protected. Same goes for Twitler's proven, blatant lies that Twitter pointed out. Again, not protected and needs to be called out. Don't confuse censorship with truth telling.
The real looting
Lamestream media are aghast at those poor black folk looting in MN over yet another white policeman murdering one of their kin. Meanwhile, the real looting goes completely unnoticed by the lamestream. Maybe because they are bought off by the rich swamp creatures doing the looting?
WI reopens, gets record number of new cases
Who could have imagined? Anyone with a brain and a heart. Two weeks after Wisconsin's Supreme Corp struck down the stay-at-home order they "saw a record number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported in a single day on Wednesday. The state reported 599 new known COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with 22 known deaths." Remember this in November: Twitler and Repugnantans are sacrificing our lives and health for their own benefit.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Has Twitler ever considered this?
Nah. I doubt he has the capacity to even recognize he's lying. What's that called again?
Liz Warren to Mark Suckerborg
From her FB post:
"Mark
Zuckerberg went on Fox News—a hate-for-profit machine that gives a
megaphone to racists and conspiracy theorists—to talk about how social
media platforms should essentially allow politicians to lie without
consequences. This is eroding our democracy."
Twiter wants to shut down Twitter for fack check
You don't have that power yet Twitler. Until then, take a hike.
"On Wednesday, the president threatened to regulate and shut down Twitter after the company placed a fact-check on two misleading tweets he made about mail-in balloting."
"On Wednesday, the president threatened to regulate and shut down Twitter after the company placed a fact-check on two misleading tweets he made about mail-in balloting."
Properly framing propaganda
Progressives, learn from the master. We can tailor it to the truth and facts, but it must be in this format to be effective.
Twitler executive order against spell check
Borowitz does it again:
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Accusing it of treating him “very unfairly,” Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at the widely used spelling tool spell-check.
“Almost every time I type a word, spell-check puts a red squiggly line under it,” he tweeted. “It never put a red squiggly line under Obama’s words.”
“Spell-check is rigged against conservatives,” he charged.
Trump accused spell-check of infringing on his First Amendment rights by interfering with what he called “freedom of spelling.”
“Freedom of Spelling is guaranteed by the Conitution,” he wrote.
In his most direct threat to the spelling tool, he warned that, if spell-check did not stop putting red squiggly lines under his words, he would “close it down.”
Trump also said that he was in talks with the Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, about eliminating spelling altogether.
Being smart
Sensible living means taking reasonable precautions to prevent accidents
or illness based on scientific evidence. It's just smart, but that right
there eliminates those who reject smarts or science.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Savannah Manzel on WOD
Then there was this 9 year-old phenom. She's got quite a professional career ahead of her.
Jake and Chau - World of Dance
Really special performance last night. Something to feed us partner dancers who can't do it right now.
This is why we kneel
Amazing how those who cheer for police brutality hate those who merely protest police brutality.
AL beachgoers defend idiocy
True, it's not politically correct to call it that. But the truth is not bound by PC.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Monday, May 25, 2020
Some States covering up pandemic stats
In order to re-open. They don't care if human lives are lost if they can get re-elected. Flush the turds on November 3.
"As states ramp up their reopenings, some are coming under criticism for making public misleading statistics or concealing information related to the coronavirus outbreak. [...] Such data has been the basis for how quickly states are beginning to open up and return to a sense of normalcy. But government officials in a number of states are facing questions about how open and honest they're being about how the virus is impacting their state."
"As states ramp up their reopenings, some are coming under criticism for making public misleading statistics or concealing information related to the coronavirus outbreak. [...] Such data has been the basis for how quickly states are beginning to open up and return to a sense of normalcy. But government officials in a number of states are facing questions about how open and honest they're being about how the virus is impacting their state."
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Continuing this post: This excerpt from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Kuhn about paradigms supports my claim
that worldviews are transcended and replaced, not included. Kuhn, by
the way, got his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard before going into the
philosophy of science.
“The functions of a paradigm are to supply puzzles for scientists to solve and to provide the tools for their solution. A crisis in science arises when confidence is lost in the ability of the paradigm to solve particularly worrying puzzles called ‘anomalies’. Crisis is followed by a scientific revolution if the existing paradigm is superseded by a rival. Kuhn claimed that science guided by one paradigm would be ‘incommensurable’ with science developed under a different paradigm, by which is meant that there is no common measure for assessing the different scientific theories. This thesis of incommensurability, developed at the same time by Feyerabend, rules out certain kinds of comparison of the two theories and consequently rejects some traditional views of scientific development, such as the view that later science builds on the knowledge contained within earlier theories, or the view that later theories are closer approximations to the truth than earlier theories.”
“The functions of a paradigm are to supply puzzles for scientists to solve and to provide the tools for their solution. A crisis in science arises when confidence is lost in the ability of the paradigm to solve particularly worrying puzzles called ‘anomalies’. Crisis is followed by a scientific revolution if the existing paradigm is superseded by a rival. Kuhn claimed that science guided by one paradigm would be ‘incommensurable’ with science developed under a different paradigm, by which is meant that there is no common measure for assessing the different scientific theories. This thesis of incommensurability, developed at the same time by Feyerabend, rules out certain kinds of comparison of the two theories and consequently rejects some traditional views of scientific development, such as the view that later science builds on the knowledge contained within earlier theories, or the view that later theories are closer approximations to the truth than earlier theories.”
Are my testicles black?
I'll have to remember this one when I'm in the hospital. Or even
when I'm next in physical proximity of any woman under any circumstance. From this source:
A suspected Covid-19 male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. A young student female nurse appears and gives him a partial sponge bath.
"Nurse," he mumbles from behind the mask, "are my testicles black?"
Embarrassed, the young nurse replies, "I don't know, Sir. I'm only here to wash your upper body and feet."
He struggles to ask again, "Nurse, please check for me. Are my testicles black?"
Concerned that he might elevate his blood pressure and heart rate from worrying about his testicles, she overcomes her embarrassment and pulls back the covers. She raises his gown, holds his manhood in one hand and his testicles gently in the other. She looks very closely and says, "There's nothing wrong with them, Sir. They look fine."
The man slowly pulls off his oxygen mask, smiles at her, and says very slowly, "Thank you very much. That was wonderful. Now listen very, very, closely: Are - my - test - results - back?"
A suspected Covid-19 male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. A young student female nurse appears and gives him a partial sponge bath.
"Nurse," he mumbles from behind the mask, "are my testicles black?"
Embarrassed, the young nurse replies, "I don't know, Sir. I'm only here to wash your upper body and feet."
He struggles to ask again, "Nurse, please check for me. Are my testicles black?"
Concerned that he might elevate his blood pressure and heart rate from worrying about his testicles, she overcomes her embarrassment and pulls back the covers. She raises his gown, holds his manhood in one hand and his testicles gently in the other. She looks very closely and says, "There's nothing wrong with them, Sir. They look fine."
The man slowly pulls off his oxygen mask, smiles at her, and says very slowly, "Thank you very much. That was wonderful. Now listen very, very, closely: Are - my - test - results - back?"
2 stylists test positive, expose 140 people
And so it begins. Everyone with half a brain knew that this kind of re-opening of the economy would cause more transmission. Probably even the Repugnantan Governors doing such re-opening, although their denial in the name of ideology is itself quite virulent. So remember this when it comes time to vote: They are sacrificing your very life for their own benefit.
"One hundred and forty clients at a Missouri hair salon were potentially exposed to the coronavirus after two hairstylists worked while symptomatic, and then later tested positive for COVID-19."
"One hundred and forty clients at a Missouri hair salon were potentially exposed to the coronavirus after two hairstylists worked while symptomatic, and then later tested positive for COVID-19."
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Same difference with the mask issue
Let me be irresponsible with other people's lives because of freedom. I know, same stupid rationalization because it is in no way reasonable.
Biden: If you don't let me sniff your hair
Then you ain't a woman. Satire from the Babylon Bee taking off on Joe's recent comments about blacks.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a recent interview with a female representative of the segment of the human species identifying as female, Biden made a strong case for why all women everywhere should vote for him without question, or at least let him sniff their hair.
"Look, the thing, you know what it is," Biden said. "The womenfolk know what's at stake in this election. It's hairy simple. Just let me vote on you, or you vote for me, the vote, b-b-b-blond applesauce baloney. Simple choice. If you don't let me smell your hair, you ain't a woman!" Biden then sat back in his chair with a smile, having "totally nailed" another interview.
The female interviewer blinked a couple of times and followed up with some clarifying questions. "Mr. Vice President Biden, sir, if I may follow up on that, did you just say that if a woman doesn't let you stick your nose in her hair then she's not a real woman?"
"I b-didn't think I could possibly be more not clear!" Biden said with a perplexed look on his face. "If you don't let me personally walk up behind you unannounced and bury my shnozzola deep within your flowing locks of cascading curly hair, YOU AIN'T A REAL WOMAN! NO MALARKEY!"
Witnesses then walked in on Biden conversing with a Cabbage Patch doll who he mistook for a female interviewer. After hearing the news, feminists around the country responded by lining up outside Biden's house to get a complimentary hair sniff, thereby affirming their statuses as real women.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a recent interview with a female representative of the segment of the human species identifying as female, Biden made a strong case for why all women everywhere should vote for him without question, or at least let him sniff their hair.
"Look, the thing, you know what it is," Biden said. "The womenfolk know what's at stake in this election. It's hairy simple. Just let me vote on you, or you vote for me, the vote, b-b-b-blond applesauce baloney. Simple choice. If you don't let me smell your hair, you ain't a woman!" Biden then sat back in his chair with a smile, having "totally nailed" another interview.
The female interviewer blinked a couple of times and followed up with some clarifying questions. "Mr. Vice President Biden, sir, if I may follow up on that, did you just say that if a woman doesn't let you stick your nose in her hair then she's not a real woman?"
"I b-didn't think I could possibly be more not clear!" Biden said with a perplexed look on his face. "If you don't let me personally walk up behind you unannounced and bury my shnozzola deep within your flowing locks of cascading curly hair, YOU AIN'T A REAL WOMAN! NO MALARKEY!"
Witnesses then walked in on Biden conversing with a Cabbage Patch doll who he mistook for a female interviewer. After hearing the news, feminists around the country responded by lining up outside Biden's house to get a complimentary hair sniff, thereby affirming their statuses as real women.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
No masks allowed
This story notes that some stores that will not allow entrance if you're wearing a mask. I'm going to be partisan on
the side of science and say those who do not wear masks in public to protect
others are sick. It is assault with a potentially deadly weapon and they
should be legally charged accordingly.
"In the last few weeks a spate of American stores have made headlines after putting up signs telling customers who wear masks they will be denied entry. [...] Anti-lockdown protesters have argued that it is anti-American for the government to curtail people’s freedoms in order to reduce deaths as a result of Covid-19. Meanwhile, store owners tell customers what they can and cannot wear before entering, and customers cough in the faces of workers in the name of freedom. [...] It is, of course, a minority of people willfully misinterpreting what freedom means – freedom to choose, until the choice is one that they do not like."
"In the last few weeks a spate of American stores have made headlines after putting up signs telling customers who wear masks they will be denied entry. [...] Anti-lockdown protesters have argued that it is anti-American for the government to curtail people’s freedoms in order to reduce deaths as a result of Covid-19. Meanwhile, store owners tell customers what they can and cannot wear before entering, and customers cough in the faces of workers in the name of freedom. [...] It is, of course, a minority of people willfully misinterpreting what freedom means – freedom to choose, until the choice is one that they do not like."
Maher on monopoly
Senator Warren proposed breaking up the Big Giants like Amazon and Maher agrees. He admits he is a capitalist but when Amazon becomes the only game in town by quashing the competition this is a corruption of capitalism and needs to be corrected. It of course leads to the types of labor and environment abuses for which Amazon is famous. He also comments that part of the problem is our consumer sickness in buying useless shit because we can. That too needs correction.
Maher interviews Moore
On Real Time last night. Some takeaways. Repugs cannot win fairly so they have to cheat, so we must vote in massive numbers. We should not let the gun nuts at these rallies terrorize us because underneath they are cowards that would run from any fair, equally armed fight. It would be great if we could have the national guard out in front of these armed protests to prove that point.
Biden's latest gaff
I know. Poor Biden means well
but he can't help himself. He should choose a female running
mate and then stay the hell out of media as much as possible. He had to apologize (again) after he said:
"If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black"
"If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black"
Friday, May 22, 2020
Bernie on the unity task forces
He makes the case that by including progressives on the task forces it will move Biden further to the left. And that the more we keep pressuring the Biden campaign the more he'll be likely to name some progressives to Cabinet positions. Cenk tells Bernie that some progressives are worried that Biden is throwing bones to get elected and has no intention of implementing any of our policies. Bernie thinks that if Biden wants to beat Dump he's going to need progressives and the youth vote so he'll need to stick to at least some of what we demand in these committees.
Cenk and Ana debate about Warren on MFA
Ana takes the strong progressive stance that Warren is hedging once
again on Medicare For All to hopefully get picked for VP. And that is so
doing she's abandoning progressive values. Cenk argues that Warren is
being practical, that she really does want MFA eventually and is being
smart by accepting incremental steps to get the job done . Ana thinks
there's no way Biden will pick Warren as VP, Cenk is hopeful that he
will. Ana thinks the establishment Dems including Biden just plain hate
progressives and are only appearing to throw bones in their direction,
whereas Cenk thinks Biden appointing some progressives to his unity
committees is a sign he'll shift left in the Presidential campaign.
I must admit I'm with Cenk on this. Biden won and progressives have to be practical. If they just hate on Biden and company they won't get shit out of them. If they play along as least a little, and keep up constant pressure to include their policies, they leave open the chance of attaining some steps in the right direction. We do know for a fact that Dump and the Dumpsters are not only not going to give anything to progressives but to the contrary will only continue to go down the fascist road to hell. If we want to prevent a full-blown fascist state and make some progress toward our goals the strategy seems quite clear. Cenk wins this one.
I must admit I'm with Cenk on this. Biden won and progressives have to be practical. If they just hate on Biden and company they won't get shit out of them. If they play along as least a little, and keep up constant pressure to include their policies, they leave open the chance of attaining some steps in the right direction. We do know for a fact that Dump and the Dumpsters are not only not going to give anything to progressives but to the contrary will only continue to go down the fascist road to hell. If we want to prevent a full-blown fascist state and make some progress toward our goals the strategy seems quite clear. Cenk wins this one.
US 45th in freedom of the press
Dump fascism continues its march in the US. As usual with other indices, Scandinavian countries top the list. From NGO Reporters Without Borders:
"The U.S. dropped two spots on this year’s list. The report specifically calls out new leadership under President Donald Trump as the driver behind the U.S.’s fall. 'A media-bashing enthusiast, Trump has referred to reporters as "enemies of the people," the term once used by Joseph Stalin,' the report says. Trump has also attempted to block White House access to multiple media outlets, routinely uses the term 'fake news' in retaliation for critical reporting, and has called for revoking certain media outlets’ broadcasting licenses. Trump’s anti-media tweets have included a doctored pro wrestling video showing Trump body slamming an opponent who has the CNN logo superimposed over their head."
"The U.S. dropped two spots on this year’s list. The report specifically calls out new leadership under President Donald Trump as the driver behind the U.S.’s fall. 'A media-bashing enthusiast, Trump has referred to reporters as "enemies of the people," the term once used by Joseph Stalin,' the report says. Trump has also attempted to block White House access to multiple media outlets, routinely uses the term 'fake news' in retaliation for critical reporting, and has called for revoking certain media outlets’ broadcasting licenses. Trump’s anti-media tweets have included a doctored pro wrestling video showing Trump body slamming an opponent who has the CNN logo superimposed over their head."
Dump rigged the system even worse
Like Dump did in 2016, we need to take over this meme because it's true.
Alongside it we need to reinforce at the same time that Dump has made
the rigged swamp even worse so is part of the problem.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
FL, GA manipulating pandemic data
Both run by Repugnantans, hence their motto: Lie, cheat, steal. So to re-open they're doing more of the same.
"In Florida, the lead software developer for the state’s coronavirus data portal says she was forced to resign after she refused to censor information about Florida’s outbreak. Rebekah Jones told CBS 12 News she was pushed out of her job as architect of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard after she declined to 'manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen.'
"In Georgia, Republican Governor Brian Kemp was forced to apologize after a state website falsely showed a downward trend in COVID-19 infections. A bar chart published by the Georgia Department of Public Health had dates along the x-axis reordered, creating the illusion of a decline in cases. Democratic state representative and microbiologist Jasmine Clark told reporters, 'Sadly it feels like there’s been an attempt to make the data fit the narrative, and that’s not how data works.'"
"In Florida, the lead software developer for the state’s coronavirus data portal says she was forced to resign after she refused to censor information about Florida’s outbreak. Rebekah Jones told CBS 12 News she was pushed out of her job as architect of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard after she declined to 'manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen.'
"In Georgia, Republican Governor Brian Kemp was forced to apologize after a state website falsely showed a downward trend in COVID-19 infections. A bar chart published by the Georgia Department of Public Health had dates along the x-axis reordered, creating the illusion of a decline in cases. Democratic state representative and microbiologist Jasmine Clark told reporters, 'Sadly it feels like there’s been an attempt to make the data fit the narrative, and that’s not how data works.'"
Another IG fired
This one was looking into a pay-off scheme involving McConnell and his wife, Chao. You say you hate the swamp? Can't get any swampier than Dump and his Dumpsters.
"Mitch Behm, a 17-year veteran with the Office of Inspector General who was acting IG at the Department of Transportation, was booted. Behm was conducting a highly sensitive and high-profile investigation into Secretary Elaine Chao's potential favoritism benefitting her husband's election prospects. Her husband is, of course, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the pair have been shoveling money into Kentucky, with friends of McConnell and local officials from Kentucky getting fast-tracked for meetings with Chao, and for money. Lots of money."
"Mitch Behm, a 17-year veteran with the Office of Inspector General who was acting IG at the Department of Transportation, was booted. Behm was conducting a highly sensitive and high-profile investigation into Secretary Elaine Chao's potential favoritism benefitting her husband's election prospects. Her husband is, of course, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the pair have been shoveling money into Kentucky, with friends of McConnell and local officials from Kentucky getting fast-tracked for meetings with Chao, and for money. Lots of money."
538: Pandemic moving Biden to the left
I hope they are right:
"If Biden is elected in November, the left may get a presidency it likes after all — or at least one it hates less than anticipated. The coronavirus outbreak and the resulting massive surge in unemployment has moved American political discourse to the left: Ideas that would have been considered too liberal for most Democrats a few months ago are now being proposed by Republicans. And if American politics is moving left, expect Biden to do the same. Biden was often cast as a centrist or a moderate during the Democratic primaries, but those labels don’t really describe his politics that well — he doesn’t really seem to have any kind of set ideology at all.
"Instead, Biden’s long record in public office suggests that he is fairly flexible on policy — shifting his positions to whatever is in the mainstream of the Democratic Party at a given moment. So if Biden wins the presidency and his fellow Democrats are still clamoring for more government spending to help the pandemic recovery, Biden is likely to be a fairly liberal president, no matter how moderate he sounded in the primaries."
"If Biden is elected in November, the left may get a presidency it likes after all — or at least one it hates less than anticipated. The coronavirus outbreak and the resulting massive surge in unemployment has moved American political discourse to the left: Ideas that would have been considered too liberal for most Democrats a few months ago are now being proposed by Republicans. And if American politics is moving left, expect Biden to do the same. Biden was often cast as a centrist or a moderate during the Democratic primaries, but those labels don’t really describe his politics that well — he doesn’t really seem to have any kind of set ideology at all.
"Instead, Biden’s long record in public office suggests that he is fairly flexible on policy — shifting his positions to whatever is in the mainstream of the Democratic Party at a given moment. So if Biden wins the presidency and his fellow Democrats are still clamoring for more government spending to help the pandemic recovery, Biden is likely to be a fairly liberal president, no matter how moderate he sounded in the primaries."
NYT: Delayed pandemic response cost 36,000 lives
From the NYT daily briefing I got on this article. This is literally genocide and government officials need to be held accountable.
"By the final days of February, many public health experts were sounding the alarm about the coronavirus, and some people were listening.
In the San Francisco area, major employers began directing their employees to stay home. Washington State declared a state of emergency. South Korea, Vietnam and other countries ordered aggressive measures.
President Trump did not.
On Feb. 26, he said — incorrectly — that the number of cases was “going very substantially down, not up.” As late as March 10, he promised: “It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”
Some local leaders also continued to urge business as usual. In early March, Mayor Bill de Blasio told New Yorkers to “get out on the town despite coronavirus.”
This kind of advice appears to have cost tens of thousands of American lives, according to a new analysis by researchers at Columbia University.
If
the U.S. had enacted social-distancing measures a week earlier than it
did — in early March rather than mid-March — about 36,000 fewer
Americans would have died, the study found. That’s more than one third
of the current death toll, which is about 100,000.
If the measures had been in place two weeks earlier, on March 1, the death toll would be 54,000 lower."
Walker: Conspiracies abound on the right and left
Good one Julian. Ever day I see it on Facebook coming from some in the left. It's amazing what a pandemic can do to us when our very lives
hang in the balance.
"Many yogis, ecstatic dancers, bodyworkers, meditators, people focused on health and well-being, are all right now clogging my feed with the ever morphing paranoid memes that seek to frame the quarantine, the pandemic, WiFi/cell tower technology, and vaccines as all being part of a vast conspiracy designed to take away our freedoms, track our movements, poison our bodies, and enact an ominous new world order."
"Many yogis, ecstatic dancers, bodyworkers, meditators, people focused on health and well-being, are all right now clogging my feed with the ever morphing paranoid memes that seek to frame the quarantine, the pandemic, WiFi/cell tower technology, and vaccines as all being part of a vast conspiracy designed to take away our freedoms, track our movements, poison our bodies, and enact an ominous new world order."
"In the overlapping center of the Venn-diagram lie figures like yoga
community YouTube comedian JP Sears, who’s recent video satirizing
people who believe the “mainstream media” on Covid-19 is approaching 4
million views. His legions of subscribers and followers see him as
having taken the red pill. Sears today published another video satire
featuring a pathetic, fearful quarantine-follower who is painted blue
(because he took the blue pill and chose to stay enslaved and asleep you
see) weakly accepting being told what to do by the government and
media. I am gonna go ahead and predict that Sears will soon be appearing
on FOX News and alt-right YouTube podcasts aplenty. Next stops: Steven
Crowder, Candace Owens, Dave Rubin, Tucker Carlson."
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Colbert Show: Cartoon skit with Rep. Karen Bass
Bass responds to the lampooned cartoon characters on hydroxycholoquine, Pelosi calling Dump morbidly obese, Biden's new nickname for Dump and more.
CNN's Cuomo: Dump's idiotic badge of honor
Continuing this post, Cuomo plyas Dump's comment and then examines the facts on per capita testing. The US ranks 30th. Dump just wants business to reopen recklessly, endangering human lives so he can get re-elected.
Dump's executive order eliminates regulations for profit
He's given his Dumpster disadministrators carte blanch to gut any and all regulations that impede restarting the economy. Meaning, for example, all environmental, public safety, labor protection etc. regulations. He's just allowing companies to destroy and kill in the name of profit. And not be held liable for their destruction. We really have to drain this stinking f___ing swamp come November.
Biden's and my new nickname for Dump
Joe calls him President Tweety. I expanded it to Tweety Turd.
"Trump is out there tweeting again this morning. I call him President Tweety!"
"Trump is out there tweeting again this morning. I call him President Tweety!"
Dump: It's a badge of honor to have so many cases
Amazing what an idiot Dump proves to be on a daily basis. He really thinks that the US has the most cases and deaths from the pandemic due to our great testing, when in fact the US sucks at testing compared with other countries. Dump:
"When we have a lot of cases, I don’t look at that as a bad thing — I look at that in a certain respect as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better. ... So I view it as a badge of honour, really."
"When we have a lot of cases, I don’t look at that as a bad thing — I look at that in a certain respect as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better. ... So I view it as a badge of honour, really."
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
To mask or not to mask
Recent study from the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences published in the Journal of Infectious Disease Modeling:
"People can spread COVID-19 to others, even if they don’t feel sick. Wearing a face covering over the nose and mouth can be effective in protecting other people in case the wearer is affected but doesn’t show symptoms. If the wearer is healthy, a face covering also helps to prevent them from being infected by others."
"The team performed simulated case studies using mortality data compiled by Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University from Jan. 22, 2020, through April 2, 2020, for New York and Washington state. The case studies again showed that mass adoption of even poor quality homemade masks has a positive benefit. [...] The researchers emphasize that masks should not be viewed as an alternative but as a complement to other public health control measures including social distancing, consistent hand-washing, self-isolation, etc."
"People can spread COVID-19 to others, even if they don’t feel sick. Wearing a face covering over the nose and mouth can be effective in protecting other people in case the wearer is affected but doesn’t show symptoms. If the wearer is healthy, a face covering also helps to prevent them from being infected by others."
"The team performed simulated case studies using mortality data compiled by Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University from Jan. 22, 2020, through April 2, 2020, for New York and Washington state. The case studies again showed that mass adoption of even poor quality homemade masks has a positive benefit. [...] The researchers emphasize that masks should not be viewed as an alternative but as a complement to other public health control measures including social distancing, consistent hand-washing, self-isolation, etc."
Current pandemic stats
From John Hopkins University of Medicine. The US has 1,508,957 cases with 90,369 deaths, FAR more cases and deaths than anywhere else. If that doesn't tell you how callous and inhumane, and yes even criminal, Dump's response is then you need a brain implant. Seriously.
It's not the Chinese
It's our own oligarchs that did this, Dump included, with most of his goods being produced there. Don't fall for the misdirection and put the blame where it belongs.
Universal healthcare is humane
Which is exactly why Repugnantans must in their excuse for minds negatively frame it as 'socialism.' It is simply humane and they can't stand anything that helps we the people instead of giving them all the money and power while letting us suffer and die.
To answer the question below: Are we that stupid? Yes, some of us are.
To answer the question below: Are we that stupid? Yes, some of us are.
Monday, May 18, 2020
Fascism on the march
Getting faster by the day. Five Inspector Generals gone in 45 days. The last of which was
investigating a corrupt arms sale to Saudi Arabia, one of Pompeo's pet
projects. From Robert Reich commenting on this article.
"Late last Friday night, Trump continued his war against independent oversight and announced he would be firing the State Department’s Inspector General, Steve Linick, at the recommendation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Initial reports indicated that Linick was investigating Pompeo for misusing a political appointee for personal tasks, like walking Pompeo’s dog and picking up his dry cleaning, and his ouster was in retribution for that investigation.
"But new reporting today reveals that Linick’s firing might be for a far more insidious reason: He was investigating Trump’s 2019 emergency declaration that allowed the administration to override Congressional opposition and complete an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, rubber-stamped by Mike Pompeo. Congress must immediately call Linick to testify and begin investigating Pompeo’s retaliation against him. This is the fifth Inspector General Trump has fired in 45 days — it’s far past time Congress hold him accountable for his abuse of power."
"Late last Friday night, Trump continued his war against independent oversight and announced he would be firing the State Department’s Inspector General, Steve Linick, at the recommendation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Initial reports indicated that Linick was investigating Pompeo for misusing a political appointee for personal tasks, like walking Pompeo’s dog and picking up his dry cleaning, and his ouster was in retribution for that investigation.
"But new reporting today reveals that Linick’s firing might be for a far more insidious reason: He was investigating Trump’s 2019 emergency declaration that allowed the administration to override Congressional opposition and complete an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, rubber-stamped by Mike Pompeo. Congress must immediately call Linick to testify and begin investigating Pompeo’s retaliation against him. This is the fifth Inspector General Trump has fired in 45 days — it’s far past time Congress hold him accountable for his abuse of power."
UCS holds hearing on EPA's no science rule
Like Dump's EPA is going to consider actual science in its decisions? So the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) held a virtual meeting questioning the EPA's new rule to forget science.
"On March 18th, a date when many of us were already sheltering in place, the EPA announced a proposal to restrict how the agency uses science to protect public health. [...] We urged the agency, repeatedly, to hold a virtual hearing on the proposal. Each time, they refused. So UCS decided that if the EPA would not do its job, someone would need to do it for them. [...] Dozens of scientists, advocates, and regular citizens showed up ready to share substantive feedback on the proposal and its impact on the EPA’s ability to meet its mission. Earlier this week, we submitted a transcript of each person’s remarks, along with any associated documents, to the agency for review. The EPA must consider every substantive argument made before it can finalize its proposal."
"On March 18th, a date when many of us were already sheltering in place, the EPA announced a proposal to restrict how the agency uses science to protect public health. [...] We urged the agency, repeatedly, to hold a virtual hearing on the proposal. Each time, they refused. So UCS decided that if the EPA would not do its job, someone would need to do it for them. [...] Dozens of scientists, advocates, and regular citizens showed up ready to share substantive feedback on the proposal and its impact on the EPA’s ability to meet its mission. Earlier this week, we submitted a transcript of each person’s remarks, along with any associated documents, to the agency for review. The EPA must consider every substantive argument made before it can finalize its proposal."
538: Dump doing worse with older voters
Hopefully this will keep up. Or even better, Dump will lose more voters in this demo. Especially when the elderly figure out he's trying to kill them off. Then we can finally vote out the worst Presidunce in our history.
"Recent public polls — and the president’s own private polling — suggest that Trump may be doing worse among older voters against former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. In national head-to-head polls conducted since April 1, Trump is barely breaking even with most older Americans — and in some age groups, he’s even trailing Biden by as much as 1.4 points (see 45- to 64-year-olds)."
"The most startling shift, though, is among voters age 65 and older. [...] Biden narrowly leads Trump 48 percent to 47 percent, based on an average of 48 national polls that included that age group.1 If those figures hold until November, they would represent a seismic shift in the voting behavior of America’s oldest voters."
"Recent public polls — and the president’s own private polling — suggest that Trump may be doing worse among older voters against former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. In national head-to-head polls conducted since April 1, Trump is barely breaking even with most older Americans — and in some age groups, he’s even trailing Biden by as much as 1.4 points (see 45- to 64-year-olds)."
"The most startling shift, though, is among voters age 65 and older. [...] Biden narrowly leads Trump 48 percent to 47 percent, based on an average of 48 national polls that included that age group.1 If those figures hold until November, they would represent a seismic shift in the voting behavior of America’s oldest voters."
The swamp gets deeper and more toxic by the day
Now funds supposedly targeted for small businesses are going to oil companies. Robert Reich said about this article:
"Oil
companies have claimed more than $1.9 billion in federal relief
intended for small businesses, according to a new report. Many of the
same companies already pay a fraction in taxes through a host of
different loopholes and accounting tricks. For example, Phillips 66
boasted an effective tax rate of just 2 percent in the first quarter.
One company even used federal tax write-offs under the coronavirus
stimulus package to secure bonuses for top executives. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans complain that bailing out working families
will make them lazy. The GOP's double standard when it comes to
corporate welfare is a cruel joke on the American people."
Sunday, May 17, 2020
TX reopens, sees spike in deaths and new cases
Duh. From Forbes:
"Two weeks after Texas began to roll back coronavirus restrictions, the Lone Star State counted its largest single-day totals in new cases and deaths as local and state governments grapple for power over reopening. [...] The state health agency reported 58 deaths from coronavirus and 1,448 new confirmed cases on Thursday, both records as the state continues to ease restrictions."
"Two weeks after Texas began to roll back coronavirus restrictions, the Lone Star State counted its largest single-day totals in new cases and deaths as local and state governments grapple for power over reopening. [...] The state health agency reported 58 deaths from coronavirus and 1,448 new confirmed cases on Thursday, both records as the state continues to ease restrictions."
Progressive populism needs an inspiring leader
Rising responds to a question about what a progressive populist response to the pandemic would look like. Krystal notes it is not inevitable, given we the people have been so beaten down prior to the pandemic with a corrupt economic system. Add the pandemic on top of it and she doubts we have the will to fight back. Saager though notes that if we had the right leader who could inspire and organize us we'd have a chance.
Thing is, we had that leader in Bernie and the system once again cut him down. But Bernie hasn't gone away; he's still out there fighting for us. As usual he just doesn't get corporate press. It's up to us to scour progressive press and share widely what he, the Squad and the Congressional Progressive Caucus are up to so we can retain our hope and our drive to support them and other progressives in this long, hard war to return this country to we the people.
Thing is, we had that leader in Bernie and the system once again cut him down. But Bernie hasn't gone away; he's still out there fighting for us. As usual he just doesn't get corporate press. It's up to us to scour progressive press and share widely what he, the Squad and the Congressional Progressive Caucus are up to so we can retain our hope and our drive to support them and other progressives in this long, hard war to return this country to we the people.
Dumpsters want to know why we call them idiots
A partial list of valid reasons from this FB post:
That when you saw a man who had owned a fraudulent University, intent on scamming poor people, you thought "Fine." (https://www.usatoday.com/
That when you saw a man who had made it his business practice to stiff his creditors, you said, "Okay." (https://
That when you heard him proudly brag about his own history of sexual abuse, you said, "No problem." (https://abcnews.go.com/
That when he made up stories about seeing Muslim-Americans in the thousands cheering the destruction of the World Trade Center, you said, "Not an issue." (https://
That when you saw him brag that he could shoot a man on Fifth Avenue and you wouldn't care, you exclaimed, "He sure knows me." (https://www.usatoday.com/
That when you heard him relating a story of an elderly guest of his country club, an 80-year old man, who fell off a stage and hit his head, to Trump replied: “‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. I couldn’t—you know, he was right in front of me, and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him. He was bleeding all over the place. And I felt terrible, because it was a beautiful white marble floor, and now it had changed color. Became very red.” You said, "That's cool!" (https://www.gq.com/story/
That when you saw him mock the disabled, you thought it was the funniest thing you ever saw. (https://www.nbcnews.com/
That when you heard him brag that he doesn't read books, you said, "Well, who has time?" (https://
That when the Central Park Five were compensated as innocent men convicted of a crime they didn't commit, and he angrily said that they should still be in prison, you said, "That makes sense." (https://www.usatoday.com/
That when you heard him tell his supporters to beat up protesters and that he would hire attorneys, you thought, "Yes!" (https://www.latimes.com/
That when you heard him tell one rally to confiscate a man's coat before throwing him out into the freezing cold, you said, "What a great guy!" (https://
That you have watched the parade of neo-Nazis and white supremacists with whom he curries favor, while refusing to condemn outright Nazis, and you have said, "Thumbs up!" (https://
That you hear him unable to talk to foreign dignitaries without insulting their countries and demanding that they praise his electoral win, you said, "That's the way I want my President to be." (https://www.huffpost.com/
That you have watched him remove expertise from all layers of government in favor of people who make money off of eliminating protections in the industries they're supposed to be regulating and you have said, "What a genius!" (https://www.politico.com/
That you have heard him continue to profit from his businesses, in part by leveraging his position as President, to the point of overcharging the Secret Service for space in the properties he owns, and you have said, "That's smart!" (https://www.usnews.com/
That you have heard him say that it was difficult to help Puerto Rico because it was in the middle of water and you have said, "That makes sense." (https://
That you have seen him start fights with every country from Canada to New Zealand while praising Russia and quote, "falling in love" with the dictator of North Korea, and you have said, "That's statesmanship!" (https://www.cnn.com/2019/
That Trump separated children from their families and put them in cages, managed to lose track of 1500 kids, has opened a tent city incarceration camp in the desert in Texas - he explains that they’re just “animals” - and you say, “Well, OK then.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/
That you have witnessed all the thousand and one other manifestations of corruption and low moral character and outright animalistic rudeness and contempt for you, the working American voter, and you still show up grinning and wearing your MAGA hats and threatening to beat up anybody who says otherwise. (https://
What you don't get, Trump supporters, is that our succumbing to frustration and shaking our heads, thinking of you as stupid, may very well be wrong and unhelpful, but it's also...hear me...charitable. Because if you're NOT stupid, we must turn to other explanations, and most of them are less flattering.
- Adam-Troy Castro
That when you saw a man who had owned a fraudulent University, intent on scamming poor people, you thought "Fine." (https://www.usatoday.com/
That when you saw a man who had made it his business practice to stiff his creditors, you said, "Okay." (https://
That when you heard him proudly brag about his own history of sexual abuse, you said, "No problem." (https://abcnews.go.com/
That when he made up stories about seeing Muslim-Americans in the thousands cheering the destruction of the World Trade Center, you said, "Not an issue." (https://
That when you saw him brag that he could shoot a man on Fifth Avenue and you wouldn't care, you exclaimed, "He sure knows me." (https://www.usatoday.com/
That when you heard him relating a story of an elderly guest of his country club, an 80-year old man, who fell off a stage and hit his head, to Trump replied: “‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. I couldn’t—you know, he was right in front of me, and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him. He was bleeding all over the place. And I felt terrible, because it was a beautiful white marble floor, and now it had changed color. Became very red.” You said, "That's cool!" (https://www.gq.com/story/
That when you saw him mock the disabled, you thought it was the funniest thing you ever saw. (https://www.nbcnews.com/
That when you heard him brag that he doesn't read books, you said, "Well, who has time?" (https://
That when the Central Park Five were compensated as innocent men convicted of a crime they didn't commit, and he angrily said that they should still be in prison, you said, "That makes sense." (https://www.usatoday.com/
That when you heard him tell his supporters to beat up protesters and that he would hire attorneys, you thought, "Yes!" (https://www.latimes.com/
That when you heard him tell one rally to confiscate a man's coat before throwing him out into the freezing cold, you said, "What a great guy!" (https://
That you have watched the parade of neo-Nazis and white supremacists with whom he curries favor, while refusing to condemn outright Nazis, and you have said, "Thumbs up!" (https://
That you hear him unable to talk to foreign dignitaries without insulting their countries and demanding that they praise his electoral win, you said, "That's the way I want my President to be." (https://www.huffpost.com/
That you have watched him remove expertise from all layers of government in favor of people who make money off of eliminating protections in the industries they're supposed to be regulating and you have said, "What a genius!" (https://www.politico.com/
That you have heard him continue to profit from his businesses, in part by leveraging his position as President, to the point of overcharging the Secret Service for space in the properties he owns, and you have said, "That's smart!" (https://www.usnews.com/
That you have heard him say that it was difficult to help Puerto Rico because it was in the middle of water and you have said, "That makes sense." (https://
That you have seen him start fights with every country from Canada to New Zealand while praising Russia and quote, "falling in love" with the dictator of North Korea, and you have said, "That's statesmanship!" (https://www.cnn.com/2019/
That Trump separated children from their families and put them in cages, managed to lose track of 1500 kids, has opened a tent city incarceration camp in the desert in Texas - he explains that they’re just “animals” - and you say, “Well, OK then.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/
That you have witnessed all the thousand and one other manifestations of corruption and low moral character and outright animalistic rudeness and contempt for you, the working American voter, and you still show up grinning and wearing your MAGA hats and threatening to beat up anybody who says otherwise. (https://
What you don't get, Trump supporters, is that our succumbing to frustration and shaking our heads, thinking of you as stupid, may very well be wrong and unhelpful, but it's also...hear me...charitable. Because if you're NOT stupid, we must turn to other explanations, and most of them are less flattering.
- Adam-Troy Castro
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)