Friday
Aug072020
The Commentariat -- August 8, 2020
Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here: "Hundreds of children in America, most of them previously healthy, have experienced an inflammatory syndrome associated with Covid-19, and most became so ill that they needed intensive care, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The syndrome, which can be deadly, has rattled parents and education officials as schools across the United States struggle with the prospect of reopening in the fall and the coronavirus continues its spread."
Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "Last week, as leaders in Silicon Valley, China and Washington raced to seal the fate of one of the world's fastest-growing social media companies, a shouting match broke out in the Oval Office between two of President Trump's top advisers. In front of Trump, trade adviser Peter Navarro and other aides late last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began arguing that the Chinese-owned video-sharing service TikTok should be sold to a U.S. company. Mnuchin had talked several times to Microsoft's senior leaders and was confident that he had rallied support within the administration for a sale to the tech giant on national security grounds. Navarro pushed back, demanding an outright ban of TikTok, while accusing Mnuchin of being soft on China, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions freely.... The ensuing argument -- which was described by one of the people as a 'knockdown, drag-out' brawl -- was preceded by months of backroom dealings among investors, lobbyists and executives." The reporters go on to explain the the issues in the TikTok debate.
Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "Two former members of U.S. Special Forces were sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Venezuelan court for taking part in a murky raid in May to oust President Nicolás Maduro, the country's attorney general announced on Twitter. In the only official statement on the previously unannounced trial, Tarek William Saab tweeted late Friday that Airan Berry, 42, and Luke Denman, 34, admitted 'to having committed the crimes of conspiracy, association, illicit trafficking of weapons of war and terrorism' in connection with the botched mission known as Operation Gideon. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request to comment.... The U.S. government has denied any involvement." Mrs. McC: Murky, indeed.
Maureen Dowd recalls Geraldine Ferraro's experiences as a candidate for vice president in 1984. "We don't know whom Biden will choose but we do know the sort of hell she will endure at the hands of Team Trump."
~~~~~~~~~~
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Annie Karni & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "After spending a day huddled with his campaign advisers at his private club in Bedminster, N.J., President Trump emerged on Friday night for a surprise 'news conference' that seemed at times to be as much a benefit for his loyal club members as it was about making any news or addressing the crisis facing the nation. Speaking in front of dozens of members who gathered in a ballroom to see him, many of them holding wine glasses and forgoing masks, Mr. Trump ... described the back-and-forth he expected as 'always a lot of fun.' The audience even had a chance to participate, booing loudly when it was suggested by a reporter [Mrs. McC: Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post] that the largely unmasked crowd in the room was violating social distancing guidelines, and then cheering when the president noted that the club's members 'know the news is fake.' As millions of Americans faced threats of eviction and a loss of income or benefits without a deal in Congress, and with the Washington dysfunction Mr. Trump promised to solve reaching new levels, the president rambled, bludgeoned, vowed to take action by presidential fiat and insisted again that the virus was already disappearing -- all from the confines of a gilded room beneath chandeliers, far from Washington, ensconced in his private club." ~~~
~~~ Brooke Seipel of the Hill: "'You said that the pandemic is disappearing, but we lost 6,000 Americans this week and just in this room you have dozens of people who are not following the guidelines in New Jersey,' a reporter said while asking Trump a question.... 'You're wrong about that because it's a political activity,' Trump argued. 'And it's also a peaceful protest. To me they all look like they pretty much all have masks on.'... He went on to argue the crowd was protesting the news media.... New Jersey's coronavirus restrictions require that golf courses limit the number of patrons in an indoor part of the property to 25 percent capacity or no more than 25 people, while also requiring that all workers and customers wear face coverings.... 'You have an exclusion in the law it says peaceful protest,' Trump continued. 'I'd call it peaceful protest because they know you're coming up and they know the news is fake.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Glad to hear Trump admits his so-called press conference was a political event. As such, his campaign should pay for this weekend's golf outing instead of foisting the costs on us taxpayers. Trump, of course, was not wearing a mask. According to Seipel's report, "Guests at the golf club were seen joining in the crowd at the press conference. Initial photos appeared to show a lack of social distancing and mask wearing. Later photos showed guests wearing masks that were handed out by officials." ~~~
~~~ Public Enemy No. 1. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: Two weeks ago at a signing ceremony aides set up to provide social distancing, Donald "Trump invited a dozen people to crowd behind him shoulder-to-shoulder as he signed several executive actions and handed out ceremonial pens. Four wore face masks, while the others did not, including the president and four doctors in white medical smocks. The juxtaposition of the safeguards set up to protect the president and model safe behavior for the public with Trump's seemingly arbitrary decision to override them in pursuit of a photo op illustrates his administration's ongoing inability or unwillingness to send a clear message to the public on how to protect themselves against a pandemic...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday signaled he was ready to forge ahead without Congress to try to address lapsed economic relief measures for millions of Americans, but he stopped short of declaring negotiations dead. The path forward remained unclear, as he used a press conference Friday evening to discuss steps he might take but he didn't stipulate whether he would follow through.... Democratic leaders on Friday said the White House refused to meet them even halfway in negotiations, which dragged on for two weeks with little signs of progress. The discussions were meant to provide additional relief to address the coronavirus pandemic's economic fallout."
"The Lost Year." Heather Long of the Washington Post: "The U.S. economy is facing one of its most uncertain moments ever as the deadly coronavirus remains a constant threat. According to Pew Research, people are growing more pessimistic about how America's leaders have handled the virus and the nation's ability to contain it, which only digs a deeper hole for the economy. As soon as the virus flares in a part of the country, cellphone data show people immediately stay home instead of instead of venturing out to restaurants, stores and entertainment.... When uncertainty is high, it usually triggers more layoffs, less investment and more business closures. Business investment fell to the lowest level in 68 years this spring, and consumer spending has stalled in recent weeks.... For many, there's a growing sense it's a 'lost year.'"
"The Lost Summer." Dana Goldstein of the New York Times: "... many educators spent their summers planning, in minute detail, how to safely reopen classrooms. Teachers stocked up on sanitation supplies as superintendents took a crash course in epidemiology and studied supply chain logistics for portable air filters. But with the pandemic now surging across a wide swath of the country, many of those plans have been shelved.... Millions of American children will spend their fall once again learning in front of laptop screens.... [Now] educators are spending the little time they have left before the new academic year moving to focus more fully on improving online instruction, which failed to reach and engage many children in the spring, leading to growing achievement gaps by income and race." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is yet another way the Trump administration has dramatically failed American families. Besides the petty, mean-assed threat to withhold funds from schools that don't fully re-open, Trump & his toadies repeatedly insisted the virus was on the wane ("about to disappear"), misdirecting school boards and administrators to spend their efforts & money preparing to re-open rather than beefing up their physical plants & lessons plans to accommodate online learning. Children, teachers, the cafeteria lady are going to get sick & die because of Trump's lies and deception.
Freedumb. Andy Fies of ABC News: "Despite concerns about large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 250,000 motorcycle enthusiasts from around the country are expected to roll into western South Dakota for the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally beginning Friday and lasting 10 days. Such a crowd would make it the largest event in the country to take place during the pandemic. In a survey by the city in May, 60% of Sturgis residents said they preferred to cancel the event. But local business owners who rely on this once-a-year gathering for a huge percentage of their revenues, combined with a realization by city managers that the bikers were going to come to the area no matter what, prompted the city council to sanction the rally.... Brent Bertlson, who has a home in Sturgis and will be attending his 26th rally this year..., called Sturgis 'a freedom rally,' adding, 'Bikers are big believers in freedom. I've heard from people tired of being locked down and being told what they can and can't do. A lot of these people are saying, "I'm going to Sturgis."'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Pompeo Goes Behind Trump's Back to Undo the Treachery. Edward Wong & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Russia’s foreign minister against Moscow paying bounties to Taliban-linked militants and other Afghan fighters for killing American service members, U.S. officials said. Mr. Pompeo's warning is the first known rebuke from a senior American official to Russia over the bounties program, and it runs counter to President Trump's insistence that the intelligence from U.S. government agencies over the matter is a 'hoax.' The action indicates that Mr. Pompeo, who previously served as Mr. Trump's C.I.A. director, believes the intelligence warranted a stern message. Mr. Pompeo delivered the warning in a call on July 13 with the minister, Sergey V. Lavrov.... The secretary of state did not explicitly point to the covert bounties scheme organized by a Russian military intelligence unit that was first reported in late June by The New York Times, most likely because the details of what American intelligence has learned and how it gathered the information remain classified, one of the officials said. In public, Mr. Pompeo has carefully avoided answering direct questions about American intelligence on the Russian bounties.... Mr. Pompeo's private move is the latest example of a common occurrence in the administration: American officials quietly carrying out actions that are at odds with Mr. Trump's statements and his stance on important issues." (Also linked yesterday.)
Robert Draper writes a long piece for the New York Times Magazine on Donald Trump's malign effect on the intelligence community, particularly the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. "Under Trump, intelligence officials have been placed in the unusual position of being pressured to justify the importance of their work, protect their colleagues from political retribution and demonstrate fealty to a president. Though intelligence officials have been loath to admit it publicly, the cumulative result has been devastating..., [revealing] a sobering new development of the Trump era: the intelligence community's willingness to change what it would otherwise say straightforwardly so as not to upset the president.... Those who remain in the community are acutely mindful of the risks of challenging Trump's 'alternative facts.'..." More on the intel community linked under "Elections 2020."
McGahn, DOJ Lose Appeal, But They're Running Out the Clock. Mark Sherman of the AP: "A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday revived House Democrats' lawsuit to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee, but left other legal issues unresolved with time growing short in the current Congress. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-2 in ruling that the House Judiciary Committee can make its claims in court, reversing the judgment of a three-judge panel that would have ended the court fight. The matter now returns to the panel for consideration of other legal issues. The current House of Representatives session ends on Jan. 3. That time crunch means 'the chances that the Committee hears McGahn's testimony anytime soon are vanishingly slim,' dissenting Judge Thomas Griffith wrote. Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson also dissented. A separate case in which the House is suing to stop the Trump administration from spending billions of dollars that Congress didn't authorize for the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border also was returned to a lower court. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the administration would continue to seek dismissal of both cases." A Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
"Take the Oil." Kylie Atwood & Ryan Browne of CNN: "The Trump administration has approved the first-ever deal for an American firm to develop and modernize oil fields in northeast Syria under control of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The secretive contract ... was signed in Syria last month, is expected to produce billions of dollars for Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria, none of which will be shared with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.... News of the deal drew an immediate rebuke from the Assad government in Damascus.... The State Department and the Pentagon have officially sought to distance themselves from the project, but sources tell CNN that behind the scenes the State Department was active in making the deal happen. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the first time confirmed the deal in answering a question from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham during a hearing on Capitol Hill.... Russia ... was also competing to win the contract. --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Hajar Haammado of CREW: "The Environmental Protection Agency illegally destroyed records, deceived the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) about that destruction, and falsely blamed the coronavirus pandemic to escape accountability, according to internal documents uncovered by CREW." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Adolfo Flores & Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "The deaths of two men this week made it the most fatal year for immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2006. The men, a 51-year-old from Taiwan and a 72-year-old from Canada, died on Wednesday, according to ICE, which provided no additional information. The total number of ICE deaths so far this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, is now 17, making it the highest total since 2006, when 19 immigrants died, according to ICE records." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Michigan. Not All the Rabid Racists Live in Dixie. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "A local road commission meeting in northern Michigan on Monday started with one commissioner asking another why he wasn't wearing a mask.... The unmasked official responded with a racist slur and an angry rant against the Black Lives Matter movement. 'Well, this whole thing is because of them n-----s in Detroit,' Tom Eckerle, who was elected to his position on the Leelanau County Road Commission..., said. The commission chairman, Bob Joyce, immediately rebuked his colleague, but Eckerle, who is White, continued his diatribe. 'I can say anything I want,' Eckerle said at the meeting, which the public could listen to via a dial-in number, the Leelanau Enterprise first reported. 'Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.' Eckerle's remarks came the same week Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) declared racism a public health crisis.... Michigan has reported at least 94,656 cases and 6,506 deaths since the start of the pandemic.... The racist remark spurred widespread condemnation of Eckerle, who is a Republican, and calls to resign from party officials.... 'I don't regret calling it a n----r,' Eckerle told Interlochen Public Radio. 'A n----r is a n----r is a n----r. That's not a person whatsoever.'" ~~~
~~~ Update. John Flesher of the AP: "An elected official in a mostly white county in northern Michigan who used a racist slur prior to a public meeting to describe Black people in Detroit will resign, the county administrator said Friday. Leelanau County Administrator Chet Janik said Tom Eckerle, a member of the county road commission, would step down after receiving criticism from across the U.S. for his comments.... Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Eckerle's fellow road commission members were among those demanding he step down."
Elections 2020
** Deb Riechmann & Eric Tucker of the AP: "U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting ... Donald Trump's reelection bid, the country's counterintelligence chief said Friday. U.S. officials also believe that China does not want Trump to win a second term and that Beijing has accelerated its criticism of the president and its efforts to shape American opinion and public policy. The statement from William Evanina comes amid criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats that the intelligence community has been withholding from the public specific intelligence information about the threat of foreign election interference in the upcoming election.... The latest intelligence assessment reflects concerns to varying degrees about China, Russia and Iran, warning that hostile foreign actors may seek to compromise election infrastructure and interfere with the voting process." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Obviously, it is not only Evanina who has been withholding evidence that Russia is interfering on Trump's behalf; Donald Trump is the withholder-in-chief. ~~~
~~~ Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russia is 'using a range of measures' to interfere in the 2020 election and has enlisted a pro-Russian lawmaker from Ukraine -- who has met with President Trump's personal lawyer -- 'to undermine former vice president [Joe] Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party,' a top U.S. intelligence official said in a statement Friday. The remarks by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, were some of the most detailed to date about foreign interference in the presidential race and come after earlier criticism from Democratic lawmakers that he had not shared with the public some of the alarming intelligence he gave them in classified briefings. Evanina also said that the government of China does not want Trump to win reelection in November, seeing the incumbent as 'unpredictable.' Evanina described China's efforts to date as largely rhetorical and aimed at shaping policy and criticizing the Trump administration for actions Beijing sees as harmful to its long-term strategic interests. By contrast, Evanina described Russia as actively engaged in efforts that are reminiscent of the Kremlin's attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It appears that Evanina has tried a little sleight-of-hand -- and it has worked on a number of reporters, and will therefore work on most of their readers -- to equate Russia's active efforts to aid Trump with China's "preferences" -- preferences shared by the heads of state of most liberal democracies, BTW -- and speculation about what Iran may do. But one of these things is not like the others. "I'm working on Donnie's campaign" is not the same as "I hope Joe wins but I'm not gonna vote." Much further down in the WashPo story, the reporters make this same point, citing that famous unnamed "U.S. official": "Between China and Russia, only one of those two is trying to actively influence the outcome of the 2020 election, full stop." As Robert Draper writes in his NYT Mag article linked above, Evanina's "statement seemed to be tortured with political calculation -- an implicit declaration of anguish rather than of independence." ~~~
~~~ Pretty much the only specific Evanina mentions in his statement is this: "For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption -- including through publicizing leaked phone calls -- to undermine ... Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party." Mrs. McC: Well, the Post tells us a little more about Derkach, some of which you may recall from earlier reporting: "Derkach met in December with [Trump's personal lawyer Rudy] Giuliani as part of an effort by Trump's allies to obtain damaging information about Biden in Ukraine, The Washington Post has reported. Giuliani also hosted Derkach on his podcast in February and has said the two have spoken repeatedly about Ukraine and Biden, terming the Ukrainian lawmaker 'very helpful.'" ~~~
~~~ Oh, and there's this from Natasha Bertand & others of Politico (July 20): "Democratic leaders are asking the FBI for an urgent briefing arising out of concern that members of Congress are being targeted by a foreign operation intended to influence the 2020 presidential election, according to a letter they released publicly on Monday. Among the Democrats' concerns is that a Senate investigation being led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has become a vehicle for 'laundering' a foreign influence campaign to damage ... Joe Biden....&" On July 23, the same Politico team reported, "Top congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm about a series of packets mailed to prominent allies of ... Donald Trump -- material they say is part of a foreign disinformation plot to damage... Joe Biden, according to new details from a letter the lawmakers delivered to the FBI last week. The packets ... were sent late last year to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and then-White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.... The packets, the sources said, were sent by Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who met with ... Rudy Giuliani in Kyiv last December to discuss investigating the Biden family." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: That "vast right-wing conspiracy" now has the best offices in the White House and the Capitol. ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Chait of New York has a good take on Evanina's statement: "In reality, it is not a scandal about Biden at all. It’s a scandal about Republican cooperation with a Russian propaganda campaign.... What makes Evanina's statement today so significant is that it makes clear that the passing of information, real or otherwise, from various Ukrainian figures to various Trump allies is part of a Russian-directed scheme to help Trump win." Firewalled. ~~~
~~~ Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "President Trump dismissed new intelligence that Russia is working to denigrate former Vice President Joe Biden, maintaining he's taken a tough stance on Moscow during his time in the White House. '... I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody's been tougher on Russia than I have, ever,' Trump said at a briefing Friday when asked about the intelligence. When pressed by a reporter over the new report's conclusion that Russia is working to hinder Biden's presidential bid, Trump fired back: 'I don't care what anybody says.'... 'China would love us to have an election where Donald Trump lost to sleepy Joe Biden. They would dream, they would own our country,' Trump said. 'If Joe Biden was president, China would own our country.""
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general and a major donor to Mr. Trump's campaigns..., on Friday..., shifted top personnel, including some decades-long veterans of the Postal Service, and made changes to its organizational structure." Mrs. McC: Surely DeJoy is up to no good. I'm hoping reporters will soon get some first-hand evidence of his malign intent.
Maanvi Singh of the Guardian: "Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff notorious for his abusive policing and hardline anti-immigration tactics, has lost his bid to win back the post he held for 24 years. An early Donald Trump supporter and proponent of the racist theory that Barack Obama was not born in the US, Arpaio lost the Republican primary for Maricopa county sheriff to a former aide, Jerry Sheridan. Sheridan will face off against Democrat Paul Penzone in the November elections. This is Arpaio's second failed attempt to return to politics since Trump pardoned him in 2017, months after he was convicted of criminal contempt of court for violating a judge's order to stop racially profiling Latinos. In 2018, he finished last in a three-way race for a Senate nomination in Arizona."
Michael Stratford of Politico: "Jerry Falwell Jr., one of ... Donald Trump's leading evangelical supporters, has agreed to take 'an indefinite leave of absence' from his role as president of Liberty University after the release of a viral photo that showed him vacationing on a yacht with his pants unzipped, holding a drink, and with his arm around a woman. 'The Executive Committee of Liberty University's Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as President and Chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately,' the university said in a statement on Friday.... Liberty University has a strict code of conduct for students that, among other things, prohibits students from having sexual relations outside of a 'biblically-ordained' marriage and consuming media with lewd lyrics, sexual content and nudity." Mrs. McC: Hey, more time to go yachting & whatever with his young lady friends. ~~~
~~~ A New York Times story is here.
News Lede
New York Times: "Brent Scowcroft, a pre-eminent foreign policy expert who helped shape America's international and strategic decisions for decades as the national security adviser to Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George Bush and as a counselor to seven administrations, died on Thursday at his home in Falls Church, Va. He was 95."
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Reader Comments (15)
Yesterday, I found the parts I saw of the Pretender's mini-presser at his golf club typically offensive, but a new note crept in. I also thought it sadly comic..
He at the dais, performing his usual awkward readings, displaying his usual ignorance, spewing his ususal lies, and in the background a small contingennt of privileged white idiot loyalists (and their children, innocent victims of the parents they did not choose ), as pathetic stand-ins for the crowds the Pretender once attracted.
A toy mini-rally put together, staged to make the big baby feel better about himself.
Full circle maybe.
After all. that’s the way it began. A similar display, but much grander, with hIs announcement of his candidacy, kicked off.by cheering hired actors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/20/even-the-firm-that-hired-actors-to-cheer-trumps-campaign-launch-had-to-wait-to-be-paid/
And now a sad, in all but girth, diminished con who can’t understand why so few love him.
Still a con, with an aging act and a down-sized fake.
Had to see what Michigan's "Tom Eckerle" looked like! Hooboy! He's definitely the poster boy for fat old white guys who love Trump and believe saying despicable things is their right.
Here's an interesting video and transcript about John Hersey–-"the intrepid journalist who exposed Hiroshima's horror." I did not know that the results of the bomb was kept from the public for over a year until the New Yorker story by Hersey came out.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-intrepid-journalist-who-exposed-hiroshimas-horror
As usual the news is full of eye-rolling "Oh, my gods!" starting with Fatty fomenting once again but this time in his own elite setting at his wet Bed–Mini-minster golf club among a crowd of rich people, half not wearing masks––-"a peaceful protest" he called it while back at the ranch the Dems and the Dummies still hasn't reached an agreement.
The optics of this doesn't bother the King much–-his cruel jaded eye is out for only one thing––himself.
What stood out for me was Tom Eckercle ––a local Michigan road commissioner–-with what he spouted at a R.C. meeting: (see above story)
"Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us"
And I thought–-well, yes, that's exactly how these racists feel–-their sense of black power is so threatening and so powerful that soon they will be able to stand tall and strong right beside us white folk and then we be reduced to something like equal? Our sense of selves has always been superior. We can't let that happen––not in my lifetime, says Tommy or "not on my watch!" say Donnie.
I vaguely remember a book I read to my kids about this very thing taking place in the jungle: The lions lording it over all the other creatures who complained of unfair treatment. One day a troop of gorillas entered their space and the lions tried to prevent them from co-mingling but the gorillas proved strong enough to persevere plus they bonded with the other animals and voiced their concern for fair treatment for all. The lions recanted and had to admit they were wrong. In the end all creatures were considered equal.
A fairy tale worth wishing for.
Maybe if Eckercle's mom had read this story over and over to him when he was growing up he may not have turned out to be such a putz
The Lady or the Tiger?
Depends on the test.
Bottom line: In corona virus tests, false negatives are more common that false positives.
A long, good account:
https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/496651-false-positive-and-false-negative-coronavirus
I wonder which test Ohio Governor DeWine believes today?
(And Republicans so like certainty...sigh...)
Ken,
Excellent observation. The fat monster is a sad little man. But he’s still extremely dangerous. Toddlers who are overtaken by frustration cry and throw things. Trump uses the power of the presidency, unchecked and unremarked by an entire party full of frustrated babies, to express his anger. He—and they—have been put in positions of power by millions of frustrated, colicky babies. We don’t have a nursery big enough to contain them all so we must reserve space for the biggest, meanest, most angry babies. The rest will never grow up, so they will be consigned to sitting in their soiled diapers and whining about how the babies of color get the best toys.
This Eckerle person at least has the...courage? of his convictions. It’s clear to all within earshot what a raging, reprehensible racist douchebag he is. But many (most?) R’s now sniffing about how awful it is to use the N word (in public, that is), and how he simply MUST resign, are, in many ways worse. They hide their racism behind winger nostrums employed to make the policies they support and enact go into effect without the glacial striations of racism on full display.
The thing that bothers them is that a blabbermouth like Eckerle says things like blacks aren’t real people. Their policies are in full agreement with that pronouncement. They just don’t say it out loud.
TREAT YOURSELVES!
This is extraordinary: A Picture of Change for a World in Constant Motion: (NYT) The works of Katsushika Hokusai shown with poetic commentary in virtual movement.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/07/arts/design/hokusai-fuji.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage
More pre-election flailing?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/canada-us-trade-trump-aluminum-tariffs/2020/08/07/793f30ba-d8b0-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html?
I sometimes think that the U. S. is too big and complex for anyone to govern, that institutional and policy incoherence and knee-jerk ad hoc actions are baked in, but I would like to see someone try.
With no help from the R's, Obama did for eight years.
Since then, nada.
MAG: thanks for taking the bullet and viewing the bag of bones from Michigan. As was seen a month or two in North Idaho, the Aryan Nations types are still with us and still heavily armed.
As an addition to PD's note about the "Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us": these Conferate, Nazi, Dixiecrats see the world as a zero-sum situation. They know in their heart of hearts when when everyone can float to the surface, they and their antediluvian shit will be flushed down a deep, fetid hole. Thus, they are invalidated and marginalized. People with guns like and expect to be listened to and validated.
Welcome back to school, kids! Here is your Trump approved supply list!
MAGA t-shirts
MAGA hats
No masks
Now here is the actual supply list:
Masks
Ventilator
Ambulance (for trip to the hospital)
Plot in graveyard of your choice
Fatty has become broadminded. Now, instead of killing only brown and black babies, he's happy to murder white suburban kids too!
Is this what winning looks like?
On a lighter (local) note.
Tim Eyman, not a household name outside of Washington State, was one of 30 plus candidates for governor this time around who won't make the general election ballot. Not even close.
But over the years he has mounted numerous anti-tax initiatives here, some successful enough to mess up our very regressive tax system even further, frequently getting himself in legal trouble for paying himself handsomely from initiative campign funds.
In short, he's another small time Republican con man whose most famous recent exploit was stealing an office chair and getting caught, summarized (with accompanying commentary) here:
https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article233184516.html
This morning I drove past one of his campaign signs, a big one. posted on a road paralleling I-5.
Some wonderful wit with a flair for visual political commentary, had placed a battered office chair next to it.
Wish I had a picture.
I'm still smiling.
I'm more and more convinced that the Dear Leader has realized he's heading into the sunset of defeat and has begun the scorched earth program to give Biden all the grief he can. Holding maskless rallies, denying funds needed to save jobs may seem bad now, but just wait for the transition period.
Only anecdotal, I know, but though we receive a significant amount of mail, much of it important, twice this week we've received no first class in our PO box.
It's happened before, but the frequency of no first class seems to be increasing.
Who says the Pretender can't do anything right?
There is also a video that Falwell posted in addition to the single pix of himself with a woman. The single pix is apparently part of the larger production on the yacht. It imitates a long running (14 seasons) Canadian series, "Trailer Park Boys". Described by wiki as a "mockumentary." Never seen it, never want to see it. This from Wikipedia:
"Episodes revolve around Sunnyvale Trailer Park residents Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles trying to make money through petty crimes while avoiding the police. Their schemes are complicated by the interference of the park's vindictive alcoholic supervisor Jim Lahey and his assistant and lover, Randy. Ricky and Julian's incompetence is rivaled by Lahey's drunken ineptitude."
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_Park_Boys
Falwell deleted the video, but it is on this site:
https://vimeo.com/444300274
Just checked out Dowd’s piece on the Biden VP question. So, she thinks whichever woman Biden chooses will be raked over the coals by Trump and his misogynistic minions? She’s right. Know who else will be snarking up Biden’s choice?
Dowd. It’s what she does. Don’t forget her non-stop assault on Hillary Clinton, which helped Fatty slither into the White House.
Just sayin’. Maybe she can do a few puff pieces on Kanye West. I’m sure that would help.