Shit sneaks up on ya sometimes.
Jun 4, 2021
Jun 3, 2021
The 2nd
Do Black people have full Second Amendment rights?
That's the question historian Carol Anderson set out to answer after Minnesota police killed Philando Castile, a Black man with a license to carry a gun, during a 2016 traffic stop.
"Here was a Black man who was pulled over by the police, and the police officer asked to see his identification. Philando Castile, using the NRA guidelines, alerts to the officer that he has a licensed weapon with him," she says. "[And] the police officer began shooting."
It's about the Daddy State, and the rights of slave owners to own slaves.
Like that one lady said, "Count yourselves lucky we just want equality and not revenge."
A Special Meme
This showed up on one of my social media feeds:
"I never cared..." being the operative phrase.
Classic non-acknowledging acknowledgement of an abusive gaslighter.
He still doesn't care about anyone but himself - but now he seems to be feeling defensive because he's been called out for being an uncaring asshole. And of course he doesn't like it, but instead of stopping for a little reflection and self-examination, he externalizes it by getting hostile and aggressive.
And like others have pointed out, he's adopted the technique of turning it around so he can claim to be the real victim.
"I never cared..." being the operative phrase.
Classic non-acknowledging acknowledgement of an abusive gaslighter.
He still doesn't care about anyone but himself - but now he seems to be feeling defensive because he's been called out for being an uncaring asshole. And of course he doesn't like it, but instead of stopping for a little reflection and self-examination, he externalizes it by getting hostile and aggressive.
And like others have pointed out, he's adopted the technique of turning it around so he can claim to be the real victim.
This shit is rife across the intertubes.
It's almost like somebody's out there actively recruiting these assholes, trying to radicalize them for some odd unimaginable political purpose.
Today's Reddit etc
A little something from a guy who's my kinda Christian.
And one from the Catholics:
Go Red Dogs Go
The bad news: A megalomaniacal, corrupt leader of a democracy becomes convinced that the fate of the country depends on him retaining his power. His allies are religious extremists who piggyback off his authoritarian agenda. The domestic police apparatus abuses minorities, thereby satisfying an increasingly nationalistic base. He refuses to leave office quietly once defeated, screaming “fraud” and labeling his opponents as traitors.
The good news: A broad coalition of politicians sublimates its substantial differences on ideology. They understand no leader in a democracy should be able to convert the instruments of state power for his own benefit. Corruption and intimidation, they know, will devour democracy, so they join hands to banish the increasingly autocratic leader.
Israel or the United States? The “bad news” applies to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the 45th U.S. president. Netanyahu is already on trial; Donald Trump is at this stage only facing multiple inquiries and lawsuits. In the main, however, the narrative applies to both countries. It is noteworthy that religious factions often ally themselves with a secularized authoritarian whose nationalistic message serves those who want to use the authority of the state to enforce religious doctrine.
Also in both countries, the right has sought to diminish judicial independence, making judges allies in their ideological designs. (As Jonathan Cook reported for Middle East Eye in 2019, Ayelet Shaked, a secular Israeli politician and leader of the New Right, “intimidated the courts and promoted a large number of conservative religious judges, including to the supreme court” and reversed the Justice Ministry’s position to legalize outpost settlements.)
When it comes to the “good news,” however, the two countries diverge. In Israel, a coalition that includes Arab Israeli, ultranationalist and center-left parties — despite having little in common — came together this week to end Netanyahu’s power. In essence, they seek to normalize politics and observe a central tenet of democracy: Elected leaders are entrusted with power for the benefit of the country, not for personal gain, political vendettas and ego gratification. Their policy positions on many issues might be irreconcilable (a two-state solution vs. a one-state solution), but even fundamental policy positions must be deferred for the sake of democratic stability.
Unlike Netanyahu’s right-leaning opponents (such as Naftali Bennett), however, even Trump-wary Republicans still prioritize retention of power over the health of the democracy. Republicans refuse to allow an independent commission to investigate the Trump-inspired insurrection. They continue to propagate the “big lie" that the election was stolen, and worse, they use it as a justification for rigging elections.
Vice News, in surveying scholars alarmed by the descent of the GOP, finds:
Vice News, in surveying scholars alarmed by the descent of the GOP, finds:
Even the most enlightened, pro-democratic Republicans do not grasp the stakes. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) confesses she voted for Trump because she could not fathom voting for President Biden. She now “regrets” her vote, but apparently not enough to cease supporting a party that remains in Trump’s thrall or to stop defending voter suppression tactics.
Cheney and other Republican dissidents might look to Bennett for inspiration. Bennett owes his entire political career to ultranationalists and retains his foundational belief that Israel should retain Judea and Samaria. On that issue, there is a far greater difference between Bennett and his allies (including Arab Israeli parties!) than between Republicans and Democrats on any issue on which they disagree (e.g., how much to spend on infrastructure, which gun regulations are acceptable).
Bennett nevertheless put that aside for the sake of national preservation. "The political crisis in Israel is unprecedented on a global level,” he said on Sunday. “We could end up with fifth, sixth, even 10th elections, dismantling the walls of the country, brick by brick, until our house falls in on us. Or we can stop the madness and take responsibility.”
Stop the madness and take responsibility. Not a bad rallying cry for an anti-authoritarian coalition to drive the MAGA crowd out of power.
Never Trumpers Tim Miller and William Kristol, playing off of “Blue Dog” Democrats (conservative Democrats who might have been former Republicans), have urged the formation of “Red Dog” Democrats — disaffected former or almost-former Republicans who understand the need to make common cause with the only pro-democracy party around. Miller wrote for the Bulwark in December:
The differences are also surely less significant than what Israeli coalition partners must navigate.
In essence, the choice in both Israel and the United States is whether normal democracy or some semi-authoritarian, illiberal regime should prevail. This is the only issue that truly matters. It is time for pro-democracy patriots to copy the Israeli example: Get on the right side of democracy, and fight about the rest later.
COVID-19 Update
World
USA
Vaccination Scorecard
Total Vaccinations: 168.7 million (⬆︎ .12%) 🤨 paltry
Total Eligible Population: 60.2%
Total Population: 50.8%
Offering beer, babysitting and barbershop outreach, the White House launches new initiatives to boost vaccinations
President Biden announced a raft of new private-sector initiatives on Wednesday to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, as his administration increasingly looks to outside partners to help meet its goal of 70 percent of adult Americans with at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine by the Fourth of July.
Declaring June a “national month of action,” the administration wants to incentivize Americans who are hesitant about getting vaccinated with a range of perks, including free food delivery, baseball tickets, Xboxes and chances to win cruise tickets, groceries for a year and free airline flights.
The White House also announced the launch of a handful of community-based outreach initiatives, including blanketing local media, providing colleges with resources and launching an effort to recruit 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons across the country.
The more aggressive push to vaccinate Americans comes as just under 63 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, but demand is dropping and the remaining unvaccinated population is becoming harder to reach and convince that the vaccine is safe.
As part of the announcement, Biden underscored the safety and efficacy of the authorized vaccines, while warning of the dangers of remaining unvaccinated heading into the fall.
“For all the progress we’re making as a country, if you are unvaccinated, you are still at risk of getting seriously ill or dying or spreading disease to others, especially when Americans spend more time indoors again, closely gathered in the fall,” Biden said in his speech announcing the initiatives.
Drawing on political campaign tactics, Biden said the vaccination efforts will include canvassing and phone and texting banks to reach people in areas with low vaccination rates.
“We need everyone across the country to pull together to get us over the finish line,” he said.
Speaking to the partisan divides in vaccine uptake, Biden emphasized the Trump administration’s role in developing the vaccines. Many conservative areas, in particular, lag behind in vaccinating their populations as rates vary widely across the country. Some states have given at least one dose to two-thirds of the population, while others have reached slightly more than one-third.
“Getting the vaccine is not a partisan act,” Biden said. “The science was done under Democratic and Republican administrations. Matter of fact, the first vaccines were authorized under a Republican president.”
The private-sector enticements include a CVS-run sweepstakes to win free cruises, tickets to Super Bowl LVI and cash prizes; gift cards from DoorDash; free tickets to Major League Baseball games for those vaccinated at stadiums; Xboxes distributed by Microsoft through Boys and Girls Clubs in hard-hit areas; free groceries from Kroger; and a sweepstakes run by United Airlines to win a year of free flights.
Anheuser-Busch also announced it would give away free beverages if the country reaches Biden’s 70 percent goal.
“Get a shot and have a beer,” Biden said Wednesday.
The administration’s wide-ranging efforts to encourage Americans to get vaccinated stands in stark contrast to much of the rest of the world, where vaccines are still scarce. The United States has started to share more vaccines with the world, but it has been criticized for not doing enough, especially as cases and deaths plummet in the country.
“All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore,” Biden said, acknowledging the disparity in vaccine access.
Biden also tasked Vice President Harris with leading a “We Can Do This” national tour to highlight ways to get vaccinated. The White House said her focus will be on Southern states, where vaccinations lag much of the rest of the country.
To increase vaccine accessibility for parents, the White House said that four of the nation’s largest child-care providers will offer free child care to all parents and caregivers getting vaccinated or recovering from vaccination from now until July 4.
The announcement of “Shots at the Shop” builds on the success of several barbershops around the country, including one in Hyattsville, Md., that have held vaccination clinics. Vaccination levels lag in Black and Brown communities, among others, and the barbershop initiative is seen as one way to persuade those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic but are often reluctant to get the shots.
It is a collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services; the Black Coalition Against Covid-19 (BCAC), a D.C.-based community organization; the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, and the SheaMoisture hair products company. The kickoff event is a Zoom Town Hall Wednesday evening.
The four partners are encouraging barbers and stylists to take part in a training session about the coronavirus vaccines this month and hold vaccination clinics in their shops in partnership with health providers, said Cameron Webb, a senior health equity adviser on the administration’s coronavirus response team.
“We are acknowledging the critical role barbershops and beauty salons play in these communities hard hit by the pandemic,” Webb said in an interview.
Barbershops in any community will be able to apply to participate in the new program, but priority will be given to those in parts of the country where vaccination rates are lowest. Webb said the priority will be about 30 cities where there are still significant gaps. Many are in the South, including places such as Atlanta, Charlotte, San Antonio, Greensboro, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala.
Webb said officials “would love to see all 1,000 shops do vaccination events,” noting that is the goal. But organizers also are relying on the unique role of barbershops and beauty salons as gathering places to dispel disinformation and misinformation about the vaccines.
Barbers and stylists have been hubs of information in the Black community for generations, he said. “The conversations happen naturally, and by having barbers and stylists gain insight and knowledge about how vaccines work and their key mechanisms, that information can be spread to the rest of the community through a trusted messenger,” he added.
The Anheuser-Busch campaign will offer adults 21 and older a virtual debit card once the United States hits that 70 percent milestone.
“Let’s get ready for a summer like no other,” says a new ad from the company about the push. “Let’s get ready for the greatest time in history to grab a beer.”
Cesar Vargas, Anheuser-Busch’s chief external affairs officer, said the company wanted to encourage vaccinations for those who haven’t received it yet, “because that’s one big part of how we can all get back together.”
“Whether that’s reuniting at local neighborhood bars and restaurants, getting together at a ballgame or getting together in your backyard over a barbecue, we want people to start getting back together again,” Vargas said in an interview. “Vaccinations are one part of that.”
Reed Tuckson, a former D.C. health director and founder of the BCAC, said the country is at a “very, very critical stage.” Those who were eager to get vaccinated have already done so, but “now we’re down to needing to close out those still waiting, those who still have questions and another group that is really digging in” to decline the shots, he said.
Biden’s strategy of reaching out to specific communities “is very appropriate” because “we cannot overemphasize enough how this is a true race to the finish before [virus] variants take root,” he said. “This is the moment to pour everything we have into it.”
New Cases: 491,374 (⬆︎ .29%)
New Deaths: 10,956 (⬆︎ .31%)
USA
New Cases: 16,974 (⬆︎ .05%)
New Deaths: 514 (⬆︎ .08%)
Vaccination Scorecard
Total Vaccinations: 168.7 million (⬆︎ .12%) 🤨 paltry
Total Eligible Population: 60.2%
Total Population: 50.8%
Yesterday, June 2, 2021
0 Vaccinated people
and
10,956 Un-Vaccinated people
were killed by COVID-19
Business beginning to sag a little? Looking for a way to break through and boost sales?
Premiums, bitches - ya gotta throw some premiums at 'em - like a new towel in every box of laundry detergent, or a free dessert plate when you fill up at Conoco, or that jar your peanut butter comes in is actually an elegant looking drinking glass you can use with your best China next Sunday at dinner.
Supplies are limited - offer subject to change - get yours while you still can.
I'm not saying this is a terrible thing - if it works, then OK.
I just really really really wish we could do this kind of thing because we understand it's the smart (and right) thing to do - and do it without need for extra compensation.
Offering beer, babysitting and barbershop outreach, the White House launches new initiatives to boost vaccinations
President Biden announced a raft of new private-sector initiatives on Wednesday to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, as his administration increasingly looks to outside partners to help meet its goal of 70 percent of adult Americans with at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine by the Fourth of July.
Declaring June a “national month of action,” the administration wants to incentivize Americans who are hesitant about getting vaccinated with a range of perks, including free food delivery, baseball tickets, Xboxes and chances to win cruise tickets, groceries for a year and free airline flights.
The White House also announced the launch of a handful of community-based outreach initiatives, including blanketing local media, providing colleges with resources and launching an effort to recruit 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons across the country.
The more aggressive push to vaccinate Americans comes as just under 63 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, but demand is dropping and the remaining unvaccinated population is becoming harder to reach and convince that the vaccine is safe.
As part of the announcement, Biden underscored the safety and efficacy of the authorized vaccines, while warning of the dangers of remaining unvaccinated heading into the fall.
“For all the progress we’re making as a country, if you are unvaccinated, you are still at risk of getting seriously ill or dying or spreading disease to others, especially when Americans spend more time indoors again, closely gathered in the fall,” Biden said in his speech announcing the initiatives.
Drawing on political campaign tactics, Biden said the vaccination efforts will include canvassing and phone and texting banks to reach people in areas with low vaccination rates.
“We need everyone across the country to pull together to get us over the finish line,” he said.
Speaking to the partisan divides in vaccine uptake, Biden emphasized the Trump administration’s role in developing the vaccines. Many conservative areas, in particular, lag behind in vaccinating their populations as rates vary widely across the country. Some states have given at least one dose to two-thirds of the population, while others have reached slightly more than one-third.
“Getting the vaccine is not a partisan act,” Biden said. “The science was done under Democratic and Republican administrations. Matter of fact, the first vaccines were authorized under a Republican president.”
The private-sector enticements include a CVS-run sweepstakes to win free cruises, tickets to Super Bowl LVI and cash prizes; gift cards from DoorDash; free tickets to Major League Baseball games for those vaccinated at stadiums; Xboxes distributed by Microsoft through Boys and Girls Clubs in hard-hit areas; free groceries from Kroger; and a sweepstakes run by United Airlines to win a year of free flights.
Anheuser-Busch also announced it would give away free beverages if the country reaches Biden’s 70 percent goal.
“Get a shot and have a beer,” Biden said Wednesday.
The administration’s wide-ranging efforts to encourage Americans to get vaccinated stands in stark contrast to much of the rest of the world, where vaccines are still scarce. The United States has started to share more vaccines with the world, but it has been criticized for not doing enough, especially as cases and deaths plummet in the country.
“All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore,” Biden said, acknowledging the disparity in vaccine access.
Biden also tasked Vice President Harris with leading a “We Can Do This” national tour to highlight ways to get vaccinated. The White House said her focus will be on Southern states, where vaccinations lag much of the rest of the country.
To increase vaccine accessibility for parents, the White House said that four of the nation’s largest child-care providers will offer free child care to all parents and caregivers getting vaccinated or recovering from vaccination from now until July 4.
The announcement of “Shots at the Shop” builds on the success of several barbershops around the country, including one in Hyattsville, Md., that have held vaccination clinics. Vaccination levels lag in Black and Brown communities, among others, and the barbershop initiative is seen as one way to persuade those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic but are often reluctant to get the shots.
A new national model? Barbershop offers coronavirus shots in addition to cuts and shaves.
It is a collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services; the Black Coalition Against Covid-19 (BCAC), a D.C.-based community organization; the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, and the SheaMoisture hair products company. The kickoff event is a Zoom Town Hall Wednesday evening.
The four partners are encouraging barbers and stylists to take part in a training session about the coronavirus vaccines this month and hold vaccination clinics in their shops in partnership with health providers, said Cameron Webb, a senior health equity adviser on the administration’s coronavirus response team.
“We are acknowledging the critical role barbershops and beauty salons play in these communities hard hit by the pandemic,” Webb said in an interview.
Barbershops in any community will be able to apply to participate in the new program, but priority will be given to those in parts of the country where vaccination rates are lowest. Webb said the priority will be about 30 cities where there are still significant gaps. Many are in the South, including places such as Atlanta, Charlotte, San Antonio, Greensboro, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala.
Webb said officials “would love to see all 1,000 shops do vaccination events,” noting that is the goal. But organizers also are relying on the unique role of barbershops and beauty salons as gathering places to dispel disinformation and misinformation about the vaccines.
Barbers and stylists have been hubs of information in the Black community for generations, he said. “The conversations happen naturally, and by having barbers and stylists gain insight and knowledge about how vaccines work and their key mechanisms, that information can be spread to the rest of the community through a trusted messenger,” he added.
The Anheuser-Busch campaign will offer adults 21 and older a virtual debit card once the United States hits that 70 percent milestone.
“Let’s get ready for a summer like no other,” says a new ad from the company about the push. “Let’s get ready for the greatest time in history to grab a beer.”
Cesar Vargas, Anheuser-Busch’s chief external affairs officer, said the company wanted to encourage vaccinations for those who haven’t received it yet, “because that’s one big part of how we can all get back together.”
“Whether that’s reuniting at local neighborhood bars and restaurants, getting together at a ballgame or getting together in your backyard over a barbecue, we want people to start getting back together again,” Vargas said in an interview. “Vaccinations are one part of that.”
Reed Tuckson, a former D.C. health director and founder of the BCAC, said the country is at a “very, very critical stage.” Those who were eager to get vaccinated have already done so, but “now we’re down to needing to close out those still waiting, those who still have questions and another group that is really digging in” to decline the shots, he said.
Biden’s strategy of reaching out to specific communities “is very appropriate” because “we cannot overemphasize enough how this is a true race to the finish before [virus] variants take root,” he said. “This is the moment to pour everything we have into it.”
Jun 2, 2021
Today's Tweet
Leave them kids alone.
In Texas, Lake Highlands High School valedictorian, Paxton Smith, switched out her approved speech to talk about abortion rights. pic.twitter.com/4xsoHARDSs
— Kolleen (@littlewhitty) June 2, 2021
The Chickenshit Caucus
WaPo: (pay wall)
Before Senate Republicans blocked the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6, Gladys Sicknick, the mother of late U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick — who lost his life shortly after defending the Capitol that day — requested meetings with every GOP senator to advocate for the proposal.
At least 20 Republican senators did not meet with Sicknick's mother, according to a list obtained by The Washington Post. Asked why they were not able to meet with Gladys Sicknick, who was accompanied by her son's former partner, Sandra Garza, several of the offices cited scheduling issues.
A spokesperson for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) told us “the senator was not available due to scheduling conflicts, but a staff level meeting was offered.”
A spokesperson for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said Burr “was already fully committed the day of the requested meeting and was unable to meet given the short notice.”
Sen. James E. Risch (R-Idaho) was “not able to accommodate a meeting on short notice, but indicated his openness to setting up a time to meet with Mrs. Sicknick following the recess,” a spokesperson told Power Up in an email.
A spokesperson for Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) responded that the top Republican on the Senate Rules Committee had instead “extended an invitation to meet with Officer Sicknick's family to discuss the findings and recommendations included in the bipartisan report on the January 6 attack that will be issued jointly by the Senate Rules and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees next week.”
A spokesperson for Sen. Shelley Moore Capito Moore (R-W.Va.) said that Capito would have liked to meet with Sicknick's family but was unavailable the morning they requested due to infrastructure negotiations.
“If they responded with additional days to meet, our office would happily review his schedule to see if something could work,” a spokesperson for Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told us.
Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) also did not meet with Gladys Sicknick and did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.
Despite the last-minute request from Sicknick's family, several Republican lawmakers cleared their schedule to accommodate a request to meet. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were among the GOP lawmakers who did meet with Gladys Sicknick before last week's vote on the commission — and ultimately voted to create it. But the commission was never established after it failed to pass the Senate's 60-vote bar, with only six Senate Republicans voting to create it.
Some offices did not respond to the requests from the family for a meeting, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). Their offices did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
After it became increasingly clear the commission proposal backed by 35 House Republicans faced long odds in the Senate, Gladys Sicknick requested meetings last Wednesday with every GOP senator in hopes of mustering enough votes to pass it.
“Mrs. Sicknick understands this is a last minute request but would appreciate any time the Senator can spare,” reads the email sent to schedulers on behalf of Gladys Sicknick. “We hope Senator NAME will make time to meet with Mrs. Sicknick considering the sacrifice her son made in defending members of the House and Senate, and our democracy itself.”
In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper following the vote, Gladys Sicknick described the meetings she did have as “tense”: “I don't understand it. They are elected for us, the people, and they don't care about that,” she added. “They care about money, I guess, their pocketbooks. So they'll be in front of the cameras when they feel like it. They just don't care, and it's not right.”
“I said to him that he got lucky. He got lucky. It could have been very different that day,” Garza told CNN of her meeting with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) before the vote. “Those who want to run with this narrative that, 'Well it was tourists that day, and I didn't feel threatened' — they got lucky. That's the truth of it.”
On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) ruled out the possibility of a presidential commission to study the Jan. 6 insurrection, “telling House Democrats that having President Joe Biden appoint a panel is unworkable even after the Senate blocked an independent probe last week,” the Associated Press's Mary Clare Jalonick reports. “She proposed four options for an investigation of the attack, according to a person on the private Democratic caucus call who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations.”“I'm disgusted that the Republican senators, that decided to vote no. It's a spit in the face to Brian, it's a spit in the face to all the officers that were there that day,” Garza told CBS News's Nikole Killion.
“The first option, Pelosi said, is to give the Senate another chance to vote on the commission.”
“The other options involve the House investigating the attack, meaning the probes would be inherently partisan. Pelosi suggested that she could appoint a new select committee to investigate the siege or give the responsibility to a single committee, like the House Homeland Security panel, which wrote the original bipartisan bill to create the commission. Alternately, Pelosi said committees could simply push ahead with their own investigations that are already underway.”
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)