January 30, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Backfire! Banned in Bumpkinville, a 30-Year-Old Novel Is a Bestseller. David Cohen of Politico: "Just days after the banning of 'Maus' by a Tennessee school district made national news, two editions of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust have reached the top 20 on Amazon.com and are in limited supply. 'Maus' was No. 12 on Amazon as of early Friday evening, and was not available for delivery until mid-February. 'The Complete Maus,' which includes a second volume, was No. 9 and out of stock."
Welcome to America! Antonio Olivo of the Washington Post: "Scores of Afghan evacuees in the Washington region have been languishing inside cramped hotel rooms, where parents sleep on the floor while their bored children share one bed. Months after their arrivals, overwhelmed resettlement groups have been unable to find many of the evacuees affordable permanent homes. So while those organizations attend to other newly arrived families, the evacuees are left to their own devices for weeks at a time inside rooms shared by as many as five people, community activists say. During the day, the families have little to do, because the adults have yet to receive Social Security numbers or federal work authorization documents. The children, lacking a permanent address, are unable to enroll in school. The problem is particularly acute in Maryland -- and may soon grow worse, resettlement groups say, as federal officials plan to send more evacuees to the area."
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "The White House on Saturday issued a forceful rebuke to a U.S. senator [-- Roger Wicker (R) --] from Mississippi who said President Biden's promise to pick a Black woman for the Supreme Court would ensure that the nominee is a 'beneficiary' of affirmative action.... On Saturday, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement that Biden's promise to elevate a Black woman to the highest U.S. court 'is in line with the best traditions of both parties and our nation.' Bates noted that Ronald Reagan had pledged during his presidential campaign to send the first woman to the court, saying that it 'symbolized' the American ideal that 'permits persons of any sex, age, or race, from every section and every walk of life to aspire and achieve in a manner never before even dreamed about in human history.'" See related report linked yesterday.
Matt Viser, et al., of the Washington Post: In April of 2021, there began "a remarkably public push on the political left to pressure [Justice Stephen] Breyer, 83, the high court's oldest justice and one of its three liberals, to retire while Democrats controlled the White House and Senate and make way for a younger nominee installed by President Biden.... The campaign was carried out by various groups and politicians -- not always acting together, and with some delivering their messages far more discreetly than others.... Breyer's brother, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, said in an interview, 'Of course he was aware of this campaign. I think what impressed him was not the campaign but the logic of the campaign. And he thought he should take into account the fact that this was an opportunity for a Democratic president -- and he was appointed by a Democratic president -- to fill his position with someone who is like-minded.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: In her column last week, Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times decried the "vociferous" campaign to encourage Breyer to retire, arguing that "he certainly deserves better." I disagreed with her then, and I disagree with her now. It's evident from his brother's statement that Stephen Breyer needed that push out the door. He really didn't understand, according to Charles, what all the fuss was about. You may recall that when Stephen Breyer went on a book tour last year, he repeatedly made the most disingenuous statements about how he didn't know when he would retire but, in any event, he would not hitch his retirement to "political" considerations.
Ian Dennis & Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Nearly three months after President Biden signed a roughly $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law, federal transportation officials say much of their work is on hold -- stuck in limbo as a result of an unresolved congressional fight over federal spending. The result is billions of dollars unable to be spent, blunting the immediate impact of one of Biden's signature accomplishments."
Victory at Sea! Stephen Murphy of Sky News: "Russia has announced it will move controversial naval exercises out of Ireland's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The war games had angered Irish fishermen, who said up to 60 trawlers would continue to fish as normal in the area, peacefully disrupting the Russian manoeuvres. But while Ireland did fire a broadside at Russia over the drills, it lacked the military muscle to do much else. This evening, however, Russia's ambassador to Ireland said the exercises would be moved." An AP story is here. ~~~
Another Crack in the Great Wall of Trumpty-Dumpty. Katherine Huggins of Mediaite: "Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) made it clear on Saturday that he does not want ... Donald Trump to run for -- or win -- a second term. 'I do not believe Trump is the one to lead our party and our country again, as president,' Hutchinson told Insider during a National Governors Association meeting. Hutchinson, the chairman of the NGA, told Insider that determining who should be president instead is 'what the election is all about,' and noted there's many possible choices. Hutchinson's comments follow a video from earlier this week in which Trump called himself both the 45th and 47th president of the United States."
And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons. Because they are being treated so unfairly. -- Donald Trump, on the January 6 insurrectionists ~~~
~~~ The Insurrectionist-in-Chief. David Goodman of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump said on Saturday that if elected to a new term as president, he would consider pardoning those prosecuted for attacking the United States Capitol on Jan. 6 of last year. He also called on his supporters to mount large protests in Atlanta and New York if prosecutors in those cities, who are investigating him and his businesses, take action against him. The promise to consider pardons is the furthest Mr. Trump has gone in expressing support for the Jan. 6 defendants." A CNN report is here.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Anti-Vax Disinformation Is a Human Rights Abuse -- Pope Francis. María Paúl & Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "Pope Francis denounced on Friday the 'distortion of reality based on fear' that has ripped across the world during the coronavirus pandemic, but he also called for compassion, urging journalists to help those misled by coronavirus-related misinformation and fake news to better understand the scientific facts. 'We can hardly fail to see that these days, in addition to the pandemic, an "infodemic" is spreading: A distortion of reality based on fear, which in our global society leads to an explosion of commentary on falsified if not invented news,' the leader of the world's Catholics said. Meeting with members of the International Catholic Media Consortium on COVID-19 Vaccines -- a fact-checking network that aims to combat misinformation -- the pope said that being fully informed by scientific data was a human right."
Aidin Vaziri of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Spotify lost $4 billion in market value this week after rock icon Neil Young called out the company for allowing comedian Joe Rogan to use its service to spread misinformation about the COVID vaccine on his popular podcast.... At the end of the day Friday, Jan. 28, shares of Spotify were down about 12% from where they closed last week, according to data from Nasdaq, against a broader index that was flat over the same period. The hashtags #DeleteSpotify and #CancelSpotify also gained traction on social media, with many websites offering step-by-step instructions for users to remove the app from their devices. Spotify took down nearly all of Young's music on Wednesday, Jan. 26, two days after the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician reportedly issued the streaming service an ultimatum via his management and record company: 'They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.'" ~~~
~~~ Adam Schrader of UPI: "Nils Lofgren, the renowned rock guitarist and longtime member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has joined Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in pulling his music from Spotify."
New York. Another Amityville Horror. Jessica Bursztynsky of CNBC: "Two nurses on New York's Long Island are being charged with forging Covid-19 vaccination cards and entering the fake jabs in the state's database, a scam that allegedly raked in more than $1.5 million. The Suffolk County District Attorney on Friday arrested Julie DeVuono, 49, the owner and operator of Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville and her employee, Marissa Urraro, 44, according to a complaint. From November 2021 to January 2022, the pair allegedly forged vaccination cards, charging adults $220 apiece and $85 per child for a fake record that would land in the New York State Immunization Information System database.... During a search of DeVuono's home, officials said officers seized roughly $900,000.... DeVuono's husband Derin DeVuono, who is a New York Police Department officer, is being investigated by the department&'s Internal Affairs Bureau in terms of his possible involvement in his wife's alleged scheme, sources told the New York Daily News." A New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: So that means about 7,000 Long Islanders would rather pay a couple of hundred dollars each not to get vaccines than accept free, life-saving vaccines. People are stupid. Very stupid. And how did so many stupid people find out about this fake ID shop? It's not as if the nurses could advertise in Your Weekly Shopper: "Anti-Vaxxers Alert! Qualified nurses will give you fake Covid shots and issue fake Covid ID cards. Only $220 each. Cut rates for families with children. Make an appointment now! Phone 631-555-1212."
Canada. John Tasker of CBC News: "A convoy of thousands of truckers and other protesters converged on Parliament Hill [in Ottawa] Saturday to call for an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health restrictions -- a raucous demonstration that has police on high alert for possible violence even as organizers urge the crowd to be peaceful. Hundreds of protesters on foot flooded into the parliamentary precinct on Saturday in the midst of an extreme cold warning, joining a lineup of truckers that started to arrive on the scene late Friday night.... The convoy has snarled traffic throughout the region.... The many trucks that have gathered along Wellington Street in front of the Parliament Buildings are adorned with banners denouncing public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.... Amid security concerns, Trudeau and his family have been moved from their home to an undisclosed location in the nation's capital, sources said."
News Ledes
New York Times: "Howard Hesseman, the actor and improvisational comedian best known for playing a stuck-in-the-'60s radio disc jockey in the TV sitcom 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 81."
AP: "Gusty winds and falling temperatures have plunged the East Coast into a deep freeze as people dig out after a powerful nor'easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power to tens of thousands. Dangerous wind chills have fallen below zero in many locations across the region on Sunday after the storm dumped snow from Virginia to Maine.... Massachusetts bore the brunt of the storm, with the town of Sharon getting more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow before the storm moved out. The wind continued raging as over 100,000 lost power, mostly in Massachusetts, hampering crews' ability to work on overhead lines. No other states reported widespread outages." MB: It's a balmy 6 degrees in my hometown. ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE, one Reality Chex reader "baked" a perfect snowconut cake in his back yard:
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Loved the Snowconut cake! Having spent many hard winters in Wisconsin where snow was always abundant, we kids would make igloos that sometimes were a fourth of a block long. At times after a heavy snow storm people would ski to work or in my case my uncle would send out his horse and long sled and we'd have an hour of riding around, picking up the neighborhood crew of kids on the way. And of course the toboggans –––the thrill of it all–-all gone now in my dotage.
The story above about the two nurses involved in a vax scam: Marie mentions stupidity by those that paid for a false certificate rather than get a free vaccination. I think that when it comes to money, as it comes to in this case, it must be more than stupidity–--but I can't for the life of me figure out WHAT it is and so yes, perhaps these people ARE that stupid? But since it's Sunday I'm reminded of God's way in the world and then my question may be answered.
news.yahoo.com/texas-rally-trump-recited-lyrics-030338908.html
Trump recites the lyrics to "The Snake" which was written by a
Black activist who was also a member of the Communist party.
I wonder which adviser snuck that into his speech. I wonder if trump
was aware of what or who he was quoting.
Vlad would be so proud of him.
Here's a "Sunday sermon" that won't post from the Far Coast:
By KEN WINKES:
Thought to give Pope Francis a little support with this Sunday Sermon published in the local paper this last week:
Last Sunday’s on-line Go Skagit page (goskagit.com) carried a very sad story about one of our state’s true sports heroes.
John Stockton, who retired from his Hall of Fame basketball career holding the NBA's record of steals and assists, had his season ticket suspended by Gonzaga, his alma mater, because he refused to wear a mask at its home basketball games where he has been a prominent fixture for years.
In explaining his unwillingness to mask up, he also justified his unvaccinated status with the claim that Covid vaccinations have killed more than one hundred professional athletes “in the prime of their life.”
I have no doubt that Mr. Stockton is sincere in his beliefs, but his claims about Covid vaccines invite a response.
Mr. Stockton offered no evidence for his claims about the dead athletes, perhaps because there is none (spokesman.com). Nor are his other assertions about Covid vaccines' risks backed by the numbers. He went on to say that Gonzaga students, who are also required to wear masks at home games, are more likely to be harmed by Covid vaccines than by Covid itself, another claim that is patently untrue (politifact.com).
I cannot explain why a man who has risen into basketball’s top tier, hoisted there by his towering statistical dominance of assists made and balls stolen, can so cavalierly dismiss any numbers he does not like.
No, I cannot explain it. But we can learn a few things from his sad situation.
Belief is often untied to reality.
Nor are skills and talents always transferable. Expertise in dribbling, passing, shooting or anything else does not make one an expert on everything.
Stockton’s extraordinary assist and steal numbers elevated him to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Denying Covid reality should place him in the Public Health Hall of Infamy."