December 12, 2021
John Hudson of the Washington Post: :The Group of Seven leading industrial democracies warned Russia on Sunday of 'massive consequences' and 'severe cost' if it launches an attack on Ukraine, a day before President Biden's top diplomat for Europe travels to Kyiv and Moscow to address the high-stakes standoff. The joint statement from G-7 ministers meeting in [Liverpool, England,] said they are united in their opposition to Russia's military buildup near the border of Ukraine and called on the Kremlin to de-escalate. The statement ... is the latest effort by the Biden administration to rally international support for Ukraine as U.S. intelligence finds that the Kremlin has planned out a potential multifront offensive in Ukraine involving up to 175,000 troops. Russia has denied having any such plans." Politico's story is here.
Oliver Darcy & Brian Stelter of CNN: "Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, one of the few high-profile news personalities who retained a reputation of integrity as the channel he worked for leaned hard into right-wing and conspiratorial programming, announced Sunday that he is departing the network and joining CNN+ to host a weekday show. Wallace made the stunning announcement of his departure from Fox News at the end of 'Fox News Sunday,' the channel's flagship weekly program that he has moderated since 2003." A New York Times story is here. MB: I don't watch Fox "News," but Wallace's departure must nearly complete the purge of any on-air personalities in touch with reality.
Dave Philipps, et al., of the New York Times: "A single top secret American strike cell launched tens of thousands of bombs and missiles against the Islamic State in Syria, but in the process of hammering a vicious enemy, the shadowy force sidestepped safeguards and repeatedly killed civilians, according to multiple current and former military and intelligence officials.... People who worked with the strike cell say in the rush to destroy enemies, it circumvented rules imposed to protect noncombatants, and alarmed its partners in the military and the C.I.A. by killing people who had no role in the conflict: farmers trying to harvest, children in the street, families fleeing fighting, and villagers sheltering in buildings. [The strike cell, called] Talon Anvil, was small -- at times fewer than 20 people operating from anonymous rooms cluttered with flat screens -- but it played an outsize role in the 112,000 bombs and missiles launched against the Islamic State, in part because it embraced a loose interpretation of the military's rules of engagement."
Risa Brooks & Erica De Bruin in the Washington Post's Outlook: "Democracy is most likely to break down through a series of incremental actions that cumulatively undermine the electoral process, resulting in a presidential election that produces an outcome clearly at odds with the voters' will. It is this comparatively quiet but steady subversion, rather than a violent coup or insurrection against a sitting president, that Americans today have to fear most. Five sets of actions fuel this corrosion: limiting participation in elections; controlling election administration; legitimizing and mobilizing social support for methods to obstruct or overturn an election; using political violence to further that end; and politicizing the regular military or National Guard to delegitimize election outcomes. We have identified 18 steps to democratic breakdown and assigned a score of one to three alarm bells for each step, which indicates how big a threat we believe it poses to our democracy now."
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Ray Hartmann of the Raw Story: "Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky dashed off a letter to President Joe Biden [Sunday] pleading for expeditious federal relief aid to victims of a deadly 200-mile tornado that struck his state Friday.... Throughout his two terms in the U.S. Senate, Paul has prided himself as a Tea Party fiscal conservative willing to say no to the most milquetoast causes if federal spending is involved. Opposing federal disaster relief is one of his pastimes."
Washington Post Editors: "Texas's six-week abortion ban is an insult to the Supreme Court, designed to eliminate abortion rights that the court has upheld for decades and to curtail the judiciary's ability to stop the state from committing this brazen legal maneuver. It threatens not only Americans who might ever need an abortion, but all manner of constitutional rights. The nation needed the court to condemn definitively Texas's ploy. A narrow majority has instead responded with a weak shrug.... If Texas's bounty system enables states to violate people's constitutional rights without direct and efficient recourse to the courts, any number of constitutional guarantees would be in danger. California could ban all guns and empower private parties to enforce the law. Vermont could ban religious services as long as legal vigilantes were the ones punishing those who disobeyed." ~~~
If the legislatures of the several states may, at will, annul the judgments of the courts of the United States, and destroy the rights acquired under those judgments, the constitution itself becomes a solemn mockery.... The nature of the federal right infringed does not matter; it is the role of the Supreme Court in our constitutional system that is at stake. -- Chief Justice John Roberts, dissent in Whole Woman's Health ~~~
~~~ Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: "The decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson ... represents the latest and perhaps most alarming indication yet of just how radical this new conservative majority is. And as the four dissenters -- including Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. -- warned, it presents a threat to the rule of law and the Constitution, not just in Texas but also nationwide.... The worst part isn't what the conservative majority is allowing Texas to do to the constitutional rights of women, although that is terrible. The worst part -- truly, the most shocking part -- is what the majority is doing to its own authority, and the authority of all federal courts presented with claims that state laws violate constitutional rights." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Perhaps I should add that the warnings from Roberts & Sotomayor in their dissents are not big news to the Supreme Confederates. Before they write their opinions, all the justices sit around at a table & discuss their views. So it's not as if Amy Phony Barrett first heard these warnings when she skimmed the dissents & perhaps did a head-slapper; she & her buddies heard the warnings & went ahead anyway with their ruling against the U.S. Constitution. Unless these yokels "undo" their decision in a subsequent ruling, this is the Dred Scott for the 21st century, but this times the rights of Black citizens are not the only ones on the chopping block. The Tenther Movement has moved on up -- to the Supreme Court majority. ~~~
~~~ Gavin Newsom Plays Along. Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "Angered by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to continue allowing private citizens to sue Texas abortion providers, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Saturday called for a similar law giving ordinary residents legal standing to file lawsuits against purveyors of restricted firearms. 'SCOTUS is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?!' Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, tweeted. 'If that's the precedent, then we'll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets. If TX can ban abortion and endanger lives, CA can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives.' The governor's response seemed to contradict his earlier criticism of the Texas law, which Mr. Newsom had previously described as a cynical attempt to undercut federal rights." MB: Um, I don't think Hubler gets it. Besides, the Texas law, until the confederate Supremes blessed it, was crap. Newsom's proposal is a slap in the collective face of the Five Farts.
Emma Brown, et al., of the Washington Post: "A retired U.S. Army colonel who circulated a proposal to challenge the 2020 election, including by declaring a national security emergency and seizing paper ballots, said that he visited the White House on multiple occasions after the election, spoke with ... Donald Trump's chief of staff [Mark Meadows] 'maybe eight to 10 times' and briefed several members of Congress on the eve of the Jan. 6 riot. Phil Waldron, the retired colonel, was working with Trump's outside lawyers and was part of a team that briefed the lawmakers on a PowerPoint presentation detailing 'Options for 6 JAN,' Waldron told The Washington Post. He said his contribution to the presentation focused on his claims of foreign interference in the vote, as did his discussions with the White House.... The PowerPoint circulated by Waldron included proposals for Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6 to reject electors from 'states where fraud occurred' or replace them with Republican electors. It included a third proposal in which the certification of Joe Biden's victory was to be delayed, and U.S. marshals and National Guard troops were to help 'secure' and count paper ballots in key states.... Waldron's account ... [s] that Meadows ... was more directly in contact with proponents of [baseless conspiracy] theories than was previously known.” This is an elaboration of a New York Times story, linked yesterday.
Ron Filipkowski in a Washington Post op-ed: Last winter, "... many of the activists and influencers who promoted and attended the [January 6] rally that became the violent attempt to stop the certification of President Biden's election have now turned their attention to three primary targets: school boards, city and county commissions, and secretaries of state and supervisors of elections. The new endeavors give the appearance of grass-roots efforts but feature familiar characters teaming up with organizations long involved with financing and leading disruptions, protests and disinformation campaigns on a variety of issues.... Some of these activists have harnessed the anger, fear and resentment they have helped churn up and are using it for their personal and financial benefit.... Figures like Stephen K. Bannon, Roger Stone, Alex Jones, Charlie Kirk and [Michael] Flynn are regulars on the circuit mobilizing people to take on local governments."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "A senior Trump administration official told the House panel probing the government's coronavirus response that he will not comply with their subpoena, escalating a fight with Democrats investigating the handling of the pandemic. Peter Navarro, who served as ... Donald Trump's trade adviser and closely consulted on the White House's virus strategy, cited a 'direct order' from the former president to claim executive privilege, according to a letter released on Saturday by the panel." Politico's story is here.
Beyond the Beltway
Nevada. David Charns of KLAS Las Vegas: "Las Vegas' airport will drop the McCarran name and will instead honor Nevada's longest-serving senator, Harry Reid, starting Tuesday. The airport will officially be referred to as Harry Reid International Airport. Its FAA code, LAS, will not change. The Clark County Commission voted Feb. 16 to approve the new name, and the commission stipulated that private donations would have to pay for the costs in making the change. Earlier actions leading up to the decision have included a move to raise $4.5 million in donations to pay for the name change. In October, Commissioner Tick Segerblom said $4.2 million was already in place."
Texas. David Goodman of the New York Times: "For several months now, Texas has been engaged in an effort to repurpose the tools of state law enforcement to stem the sudden increase of people crossing illegally into the country. To do this, Texas officials led by Gov. Greg Abbott developed a way around the fact that immigration enforcement is a federal government job: State and local police departments partner with the owners of borderland ranches, and use trespassing laws to arrest migrants who cross their land.... The new approach relies on the participation of local officials and, so far, it has been adopted in just two of the state's 32 border region counties.... [In Bracketville, where Abbott's troops are operating,] high speed chases are so frequent that the local school installed rock barriers to protect against crashes. Helicopters patrol the night sky.... Town residents, a majority of whom are poor and Hispanic, complain they are routinely followed by officers newly assigned to the area.... [Many of the migrants the Texas troops arrested] have languished in state prisons awaiting a hearing, raising constitutional concerns." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Actually, if the Whole Woman's Health ruling by the John C. Calhoun Club at the Supreme Court are precedent, there's no constitutional question at all. States' rights are settled law.
Way Beyond
Afghanistan. New York Times reporter Matthieu Aikins & photographer Jim Huylebroek document the (most recent) fall of Kabul.
News Ledes
New York Times: "Anne Rice, the Gothic novelist best known for 'Interview With the Vampire,' the 1976 book that in 1994 became a popular film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, died on Saturday. She was 80."
The Washington Post's: live updates of developments along the paths of tornado destruction in the Midwest are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.
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Reader Comments (8)
McCarran was a man of his time, and that time was not all good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_McCarran
I'm happy to see the name change. Would love to put the 1950's behind.
But why does it take $4.5 million to change the name? she asks.
@PD Pepe: Very big letters on the new sign?
Yeah, PD. Wondered the same thing. Thought maybe the Las Vegas airport signage would begin in Seattle. In any case, getting rid of memorials to anti-semites (and other proponents of "conservative" values from our shared American past is easily worth the price).
On another note, a Sunday Sermon:
More than 13,000 have contracted Covid in Skagit County, and 139 have died. Because the county’s vaccination rates are below 70%, our county’s Covid risk remains high.
Here as elsewhere, it’s impossible to identify who has been vaccinated, but across the country the pattern is evident. As the number of deaths has climbed (now 778,000 nationwide) the link between political party affiliation and vaccination and mask-wearing rates is very clear.
If you live in a county that voted heavily for Trump in 2020, you are between three and six times as likely to die from Covid as are those in counties that cast their ballots for Biden (npr.org).
Rejecting sensible precautions tells us a lot about today’s Republican Party. Not only is it willing to endanger people’s lives to score a political point, but now that so many Republicans’ masks are literally off, we can better see how deadly their party has become.
Republicans’ love affair with guns puts everyone at risk. Although gun sales and gun deaths in 2020 hit a high mark (washingtonpost.com), Republican leaders still refuse to support reasonable gun legislation, even making thoughtless gun-toting a point of pride. Days after the latest school shooting in Michigan, Kentucky Republican Representative Massie posted a Christmas photo of his family brandishing guns and asking for “ammo” (npr.com).
Unmasked and showing their true faces, Republicans also have democracy in their sights. Taking their cue from the January 6th insurrection and persisting in fraudulent claims about rigged elections, Red states are redrawing district voting maps to favor their party and even toying with legislation that will allow them to set aside popular vote results they don’t like (washingtonpost.com, and nytimes.com).
For the same party that sees vaccinations and masks as a sign of weakness, blindfolds have become an emblem of strength.
As I was sitting in the Las Vegas airport, I looked around me and realized that the men had had as much 'work' done on themselves as the women. And, they used as much hair dye. Odd place, that Vegas.
Ken: next up on the airport name change docket: Anchorage International.
P.D.: the cost of the name change was likely not included in the former Sackler galleries announcement for a reason.
Since it's Sunday: In the film "Tender Mercies" the Robert Duvall character, after learning that his only daughter has been killed in an auto accident, asks his wife how is it that God takes away life that precious but leaves others far less honorable ( and he means himself) able to go on. I'm wondering if those who lost loved ones along with their homes and businesses due to the tornado's are asking the same question. The ubiquitous 'thoughts and prayers' means what to whom?
After watching part of the Bob Dole's send off I was struck once again by how deeply we cling to religious edicts and I wondered whether I'd ever see this same ceremony without any mention of a deity and heaven sent "I know he's looking down on us now and..."
Now I know this is a leap, but this must have been like Black and Brown members of the human race once wondered when they rarely saw themselves represented on T.V. or films.
Ah, but I forget––America is a Christian Nation and if you doubt that take a look at the Supreme Court.
Am pleased with Newsom's predictable proposal with its finger in the eye of selected Supremes but don't think it will provide much beyond entertainment.
Conservative Supremes have long ago proven adept at picking the parts they like of the Constitution and ignoring what they don't.
When they rediscover that "well ordered militia" language they lost, I'll begin to take them more seriously. As things stand, they will say, ala Scalia, that guns are right there in (modified) black and white, but that abortion thing isn't.
Period.
And oh yes, corporate personhood, too. Those Founders we so revere must have meant to include that but it slipped their minds, so we're taking care of that omission for them. It's the least we can do.
Government of laws, not of men, my ass.
All indications are we have a Court of at least four damaged men and one nutty woman.
How to tell the vaccinated from the unvaccinated. Did you vote for
trump or Biden?
I personally would never be so bold as to ask that question and often
you don't need to, but I was really flummoxed yesterday at the
Post Office. My old friend Judy (Ted Turner's first wife) was there,
maskless, so I kept my distance, asked her if she was going to the
Art Club party. No, not vaccinated so can't attend. She said I've
lived a good life, if I die, I die.
I'm about 100% sure she would never have voted for trump, being
very liberal, so I guess my theory doesn't always work.