Monday, January 31, 2022

Tweets Of The Day

 

Trump's sedition confession and the imaginary New York Times -- 

 

 

 


Republicans own this (misspelling and all) --  


 

 

And this --

 

 

And, quite possibly, this --

 


Proceed with caution (might explain why Aunt Pittypat is praising her) --

 


Vaccine mandates work on all kinds of nasty diseases! --

 

 

 

Trump's "Civil War" Message To His Cult

 

Earlier today on CNN, Tasha Adams, the former wife of deranged far-right brownshirt "Oath Keepers" leader Stewart "Hidey Hole" Rhodes explained what message the Malignant Loser sent to his violent cult in his infamous speech on Saturday in Texas:

"Donald Trump is trying to weaponize his supporters and I think he is afraid. I don't know Donald Trump personally, obviously, but I lived under the Stewart Rhodes regime for a long time, so I certainly know the patterns and the behaviors of a grandiose narcissist who has a bit of a messiah complex. So I recognize an underlying threat immediately when I hear one and the threat is that he's afraid he's going to be indicted and wants to weaponize his supporters and it's an absolute threat."  (our emphasis)

Adams notes that Rhodes was a serial domestic abuser, which explains his violent acting out as an "Oath Keeper." Asked what Trump's violent cult members hear when he threatens mass protests if he's prosecuted for his multiple crimes (e.g., seditious conspiracy, bank/tax/insurance fraud, money laundering, obstruction, etc., etc.), Adams explained:

"They hear civil war. To them, this is the civil war they've been waiting for. A lot of these guys live for this, they have been waiting for this, they spend their lives preparing for it, they look forward to it. There's an air of disappointment when it doesn't turn violent with these guys, I think, a lot of them. These guys want a civil war."  (our emphasis)

The legal system, as well as the House Committee on the January 6 insurrection, must move with all deliberate speed in bringing civil actions and criminal indictments against the Malignant Loser and his enablers. Especially, indictments for criminal code violations must move forward, and protection afforded to prosecutors, grand jurors, and State and Federal law enforcement officials in light of physical threats from Trump cultists.

 

Today's Tomorrow Cartoon: Some Perils We Face

 

 (click to enlarge)



Each panel of today's cartoon touches on perils that we face, from Maserati Joe Manchin's incremental backsliding, to the Trumpist right's manifest bigotry against a yet-unnamed Supreme Court nominee who will be a black woman, to the "I'm done with COVID" selfishness that ignores still-struggling hospital workers, to the cab riding Tom Friedmans of journalism looking for Dems to reach across the aisle unilaterally because that's what he projects the "common man" wants.

You can support Tom Tomorrow's work by going here.

 

Monday Reading

 

As always, please go to the links for the full articles/op eds.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Will Bunch summarizes the imminent danger posed by the most evil personage ever to appear in American politics, after his most recent rally in Texas:

What happened in Conroe, Texas, on Saturday night was not politics. A politician seeking to regain the White House might craft a narrative around Biden’s struggles with inflation or with COVID-19 and make a case — no matter how absurd, given Trump’s failings on the pandemic and elsewhere — that he could do better for the voters. But increasingly Trump is less a politician and more the leader of a politics-adjacent cult. He does not want to make America great again so much as he wants to keep Donald Trump out of prison, and the most narcissistic POTUS of all time is willing to rip the United States in two to make this happen.

Trump’s chief weapons are fear and intimidation. To save American democracy, the people tasked with getting to the bottom of a former president’s high crimes and misdemeanors — on Capitol Hill and in those key courthouses — must be ready for the violence that Trump is inciting, and must summon the courage to finish their job. My fear is that Trump’s speech in Conroe will live in infamy — but the only reason it happened at all is because we have not held Trump to account for attempting to wreck American democracy on Jan. 6 ... not yet. Now, Trump has told us in no uncertain terms how he plans to break the nation this time. We can act forcefully to stop his new insurrection and punish his past crimes — or we can sit back and let the comet of autocracy strike.

The totality of what the Malignant Loser said in his Texas rally crossed several lines, including dangling pardons for the January 6 insurrectionists, and basically calling for an insurrection in the event of his indictment on any number of charges at the local, State and Federal levels.  A cornered animal like the Malignant Loser is going to use every means available to fight back, and we must be prepared for even more unprecedented, unhinged behavior from him and his cult.

The Malignant Loser's violent rhetoric has already triggered a reaction from a potential target:

The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is asking for the FBI's help in providing security for buildings and staff one day after former President Donald Trump called prosecutors investigating him "racists" and said his supporters should hold "the biggest protests we have ever had" in cities like Atlanta if the prosecutors "do anything wrong or illegal."

DA Fani Willis and her office are investigating Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. A special grand jury will be seated as part of that investigation on May 2.
 
At a rally in Conroe, Texas, Saturday night, Trump, without naming them, railed against Willis plus New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr., who are investigating his business empire, calling them "racists." The three are Black. Trump provided no evidence of racial discrimination.
"These prosecutors are vicious, horrible people. They're racists and they're very sick -- they're mentally sick," he said. "They're going after me without any protection of my rights from the Supreme Court or most other courts. In reality, they're not after me, they're after you."
 
No, they're after you, just you, you corrupt piece of rancid, racist shit (well, maybe your corrupt spawn, too). 
 

Democratic state legislators in New York released a congressional redistricting map Sunday that redrew House lines to give Democrats as many as three more seats at a time when the party’s majority is in jeopardy.

The New York map is the latest redistricting win for Democrats who had been expected to suffer at the hands of Republican state legislatures that control map-drawing in many more states. But maps in two of those states, Ohio and Alabama, have already been struck down by the courts. In a third Republican state, Texas, the Justice Department has sued over lines it said discriminated against Latinos.

So far, in more than two dozen maps passed around the country, Democrats would net an additional five districts that Joe Biden would have won in 2020. The New York map, which is expected to be voted on this week and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), would bring that up to eight seats. As redistricting began last year, Republicans hoped to gain at least enough seats to overcome the current 10-member advantage held by Democrats.

Democrats are not guaranteed wins in those districts in November. The party in the White House has historically lost ground in midterm elections and turnout is generally much lower in non-presidential-election years.

The map made public Sunday would result in lines that would give Democrats 22 seats to four Republican ones. The New York delegation is currently 19 Democratic seats to eight seats for Republicans. The state lost a seat because of slow growth over the past 10 years.

As the article points out, nothing is guaranteed due to the redistricting, so Democrats still need to out strategize, out organize and out vote the party of sedition in every Congressional district and every Senate race in November.

Vox's Ellen Ioanes writes about Russian thug Vladimir Putin's myth-making about Ukraine and its ties to Russia:

As Russian troops mass on the Ukrainian border and worries of an invasion grow, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to push a familiar Russian line about the conflict: that Ukraine belongs to Russia and that the two are “one people — a single whole.”

Specifically, much of Russia’s political positioning to launch an incursion into Ukrainian territory is based on Putin’s claim that Ukraine — like Russia, a former Soviet state — is an extension of Russia, the “little brother” that has been led astray by the West and must be reincorporated into the family. Thus, he sees Ukraine’s increasing westward turn as a provocation, by both Ukraine and NATO.

In reality, however, Ukraine has long been distinct from Russia, experts told Vox, and Putin’s current mythologizing of the Russia-Ukraine relationship fits a pattern of falsehoods designed to reconstitute imperial glory, and more importantly, to shield Putin from the threat of democracy in former Soviet republics — and possibly in Russia itself.

Finally, please make a visit to Infidel 753's link round-up for the most comprehensive, interesting collection of links from the Internet.  He also offers thoughtful essays on a regular basis, so it's always worthwhile to check in over there to see what's new.

Trump Confesses

 

The January 6 select committee would like to thank the increasingly unhinged Malignant Loser for making their job much easier today (click to enlarge):

 

What the moron is referring to is legislation to further clarify the language of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, based on the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, which already states that the VP merely opens the envelopes, not that he has a right to "change the outcome" as the Malignant Loser writes.

So, culminating in that last sentence, the Malignant Loser provides a written statement of intent and "guilty knowledge" of a seditious conspiracy to overturn the results of a free and fair election.  While it's been reported for some time in books and leaked testimony to the committee, this is the first time the Malignant Loser himself has fessed up to his intent and knowledge of the unlawful scheme.  Some reactions here.


Sunday, January 30, 2022

Across The Universe (Cont.) -- Galactic Interactions

 

(click on image to enlarge)


From NASA/ESA, January 24, 2022: The subject of this image is a group of three galaxies, collectively known as NGC 7764A. They were imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, using both its Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The two galaxies in the upper right of the image appear to be interacting with one another — indeed, the long trails of stars and gas extending from them both give the impression that they have both just been struck at great speed, thrown into disarray by the bowling-ball-shaped galaxy to the lower left of the image. In reality, however, interactions between galaxies happen over very long time periods, and galaxies rarely collide head-on with one another. It is also unclear whether the galaxy to the lower left is actually interacting with the other two, although they are so relatively close in space that it seems possible that they are. By happy coincidence, the collective interaction between these galaxies have caused the two on the upper right to form a shape, which from our Solar System's perspective, ressembles the starship known as the USS Enterprise from Star Trek!

NGC 7764A, which lies about 425 million light years from Earth in the constellation Phoenix, is a fascinating example of just how awkward astronomical nomenclature can be. The three galaxies are individually referred to as NGC 7764A1, NGC 7764A2 and NGC 7764A3, and just to be really difficult, an entirely separate galaxy, named NGC 7764, sits in the skies about a Moon’s distance (as seen from Earth) away. This rather haphazard naming makes more sense when we consider that many of the catalogues for keeping track of celestial bodies were compiled well over 100 years ago, long before modern technology made standardising scientific terminology much easier. As it is, many astronomical objects have several different names, or might have names that are so similar to other objects’ names that they cause confusion.

Credit:  ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey, DOE, FNAL, DECam, CTIO, NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, ESO

Acknowledgement: J. Schmidt

 

Tweets Of The Day


"You have the right to remain silent... no?  OK, please proceed"--

 

 

 

 

Even those who don't matter don't give a rat's ass what these hypocritical phonies think --

 

 

Youngkin's snitch line and what a Virginia school board member would like parents to do instead --

 

 


Natural selection culling of covidiots continues --

 


Black TikTok art survey (sound on!) --

 

 

 

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Matt Davies, Newsday)

(David Horsey, The Seattle Times)

(Gary Markstein, gocomics.com)

(Bill Day, FloridaPolitics.com)

(Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

(Jimmy Margulies, jimmymargulies.com)

(Ed Hall, Artizans.com)

(Tom Chitty, drawnbytom.com)


Sunday Reflection: "Government Is Ourselves"




"Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials but the voters of this country." -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, speaking in Marietta, Ohio, on July 8, 1938, to mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Northwest Territory.

Considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest President, Roosevelt, whose birthday anniversary is today, was the champion of working families and the poor, fighting against many of the same entrenched monied interests that we see today. His "New Deal" boosted the nation in the midst of the Great Depression, brought on by greed and lax investment and banking laws favored by his predecessor Republican administrations. Social Security was perhaps his greatest domestic achievement, helping to ensure that elderly Americans would have an economic "safety net" as they grew older. His reminder in this speech that government is "not an alien power over us" stands in stark contrast to Republican conservative / right-wing orthodoxy over the past 50 years.

(photo: Roosevelt speaking in Marietta, OH. Getty Images)

Trump's Seditious Conspiracy, Cont'd.




At a rally in Texas last night for his most devoted cultists, the Malignant Loser lamented the "unfair" treatment of the domestic terrorist thugs who trashed the Capitol on his behalf on January 6, suggesting that if he's elected in 2024, there will be pardons passed out to them. Or, translated from mob speech, "don't cooperate with the authorities, do time / pay a fine, and I'll make you whole later." In the same rant, he also called for massive demonstrations / riots if he is prosecuted for his numerous crimes (seditious conspiracy, fraud, election tampering, money laundering, etc. etc.) 

The Justice Department is pursuing seditious conspiracy charges against members of the right-wing paramilitary group the "Oath Keepers" who provided much of the strong-arming when the Capitol was breached and Capitol and Metropolitan D.C. police were injured and overwhelmed. Earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged to hold:

"....all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law — whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy. We will follow the facts wherever they lead."

The Malignant Loser's statements concerning his failed coup need to be part of the body of evidence against him, not only for his catalytic role in the insurrection but his attempts at January 6 witness tampering by dangling future pardons to discourage their cooperation with authorities. 

QOTD -- Don't Screw It Up, Dems

 

"... Qualifications are critical and must be verified. But speed is also essential. Democrats should take a page from Mr. McConnell’s book and move as quickly as possible. Senators who stoke suspense over how they will vote only create fodder for the news media to focus on divisions among Democrats, rather than on the Republicans who are already laying the groundwork to oppose this historic pick. Although Justice Breyer won’t step down until June or July, Mr. Biden should narrow his list and announce his selection as soon as possible, and Senate Democrats should move quickly to confirm her." -- Stephanie Cutter, former advisor to President Obama and aide to Sens. Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy, writing in the New York Times ($) about the need to expedite filling the Stephen Breyer spot on the SCOTUS before Republicans somehow find a way to make it a Democratic debacle.  

There's no reason -- none -- to wait until the end of February to announce a nomination, as President Biden has indicated he wanted to do.  The administration has been anticipating a vacancy on the court for at least a year, and have doubtless vetted the candidates named so far, all of whom had already been vetted prior to their current appointments.  The more time elapses, the more mischief Republicans and their media enablers will make, and they are already getting their smear machines cranked up.

 

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(Clay Jones, claytoonz.com)

(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Ed Hall, Artizans.com)

(Andy Marlette, Pensacola News-Journal, FL)

(David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Daily Star)

(John Branch, branchtoon.com)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Stuart Carlson, gocomics.com)


Tweets Of The Day


White Republican meritocracy --

 


Reminders --

 

 

 

Natural selection culls another militant covidiot -- --

 

 

 

 

TikTockers spam Youngkin's snitch line --

 

 

Not the brightest chandelier in the ... uh;  the sharpest shed in the... uh --

 


Wow --

 

 

 

Racist Republicans Don't Like Women Of Color Nominees

 

What could possibly be the common thread here?

-- Susan Rice, former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor and current head of the Domestic Policy Council, withdrew her name from consideration for Secretary of State after Senate Republicans made it known she was "un-confirmable."

-- Neera Tanden was forced to withdraw her nomination to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget following a  right- wing smear campaign (with an assist from Maserati Joe Manchin); she's now White House staff secretary, a position not requiring Senate confirmation.

-- Vanita Gupta, barely confirmed as Assistant Attorney General after another smear campaign by Republican groups.

-- Prof. Lisa Cook, President Biden's nominee for the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, is under attack by Republicans in another racist smear campaign.

Now we have the prospect of an eminently qualified black woman being nominated to the Supreme Court and, on schedule, Republicans have tuned up their dog whistles bull horns in going after the concept of such an appointment, which Biden had made as a campaign promise back in February 2020.  Smarmy hypocrite Republican Sen. "Moscow Mitch" McConnell has already had the gall to "warn" President Biden not to pick a "radical" nominee, by which standard he would likely judge any woman of color "radical" because yada yada BLM, The Squad, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, etc., etc. 

Then there's Mississippi Republican redneck Sen. Roger "You Don't Get Thicker Than" Wicker who opened his sexist/ racist hole yesterday:

During an appearance on a Mississippi radio program on Friday, Wicker dismissed Biden’s eventual choice as a “beneficiary” of “affirmative racial discrimination,” lamenting that the court would be saying goodbye to a “nice, stately” justice.  [snip]

 “The irony is that the Supreme Court is, at the very time, hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota,” Wicker told SuperTalk Mississippi’s Paul Gallo.

The irony is that Wicker is the beneficiary of "good ol' boy affirmative action" that elevated his wrinkly white ass to the U.S. Senate, regardless of his obvious lack of two brain cells to rub together.

Insurrectionist Sen. Josh "HawHaw" Hawley (Sedition-MO) provided a statement lacking in self- awareness but full of shit, that included the buzz words "woke left," "race-obsessed, gender-obsessed," and the ne plus ultra, "I hope Republicans are ready to stand up for the Constitution," which surprisingly didn't cause him to combust on the spot.

Perpetually concerned hypocrite Sen. Susan Collins (FU- Maine), having gone along with the flash confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett shortly before the 2020 election, now wants to take all the time necessary (possibly hoping one of her octogenarian Senate Democrat colleagues won't make it to 2022, and flip the Senate back to the fascists):

“This time," Collins continued, "there is no need for any rush. We can take our time, have hearings, go through the process — which is a very important one. It is a lifetime appointment, after all.” So true! Now is the time to really sit and deliberate. The past two nominees were, only in the strictest and most literal sense, the deciding votes that could overturn Roe v. Wade; this nominee will be the one who has to sit there collegially dissenting after it happens, a role that requires a great deal more scrutiny.

We'll just mention in passing the now- deleted tweet from far- right libertarian and recent, lesser Georgetown Law hire Ilya Shapiro that has all the blatant sexist racism that others prefer to couch in softer terms.

It's all par for the course for what has become a thoroughly white nationalist party, with all its toxic masculinity in full bloom.

BONUSThe white nationalist scream machine is riling up the knuckle-draggers again.


A Guide To Spotting Violent Extremists




Every two years since 2015, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center have published a guide for identifying U.S. -based domestic terrorists before they commit a heinous act.  Titled "U.S. Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators," the booklet has been updated for the first time since the violent insurrection by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021. Released yesterday, the 34-page 2021 update includes such fairly obvious but ignored indicators as:

  • Expressing a hardened point of view or new sense of purpose associated with violent extremist causes, particularly after a catalyzing event,
  • Posing with weapons and imagery associated with violent extremism in photos or videos, and
  • Deleting, hiding or manipulating social media as part of an effort to conceal a plan for specific act of violence.
As the linked article notes, the Justice Department launched a domestic terrorism unit earlier this month to combat the doubling of suspected violent domestic terrorist actions currently under investigation. The "if you see something, say something" mantra that applies to seeing something unusual in public places applies just as well to someone exhibiting the kinds of behavior, opinions, and associations discussed in the booklet, now more than ever.

(photo: "Oath Keepers" extremists at the Capitol on January 6. Jim Bourg/Reuters)

Colbert's Treatment For Dr. Oz And More

 

In his monologue last night, Stephen Colbert covered the landscape from a "blizzard of lizards" in Florida, to the chemically-treated water at the Olympics, to urine-drinking anti-vaxxer COVIDiot Chris Key, ending with quack medicine pusher and candidate for the Republican Senate nomination in Pennsylvania Dr. Mehmet Oz, offering Oz a pill to "swallow." 

Friday, January 28, 2022

Fake Electors Subpoenaed By Jan. 6 Committee

 

Tick tick tick.

Part of the "paper coup" after the Malignant Loser lost the 2020 election was for Trump's electors in several swing states to falsely certify that he won that state, in violation of election laws in an attempt to defraud the Government. This afternoon, the House Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection issued subpoenas to 14 of the false electors in an effort to identify the leaders of the plot:

"The panel is demanding information and testimony from 14 people who the panel says allegedly met and submitted false Electoral College certificates declaring Trump the winner of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to a letter from Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the panel. President Joe Biden won all seven states.

'We believe the individuals we have subpoenaed today have information about how these so-called alternate electors met and who was behind that scheme,' Thompson said in the letter. 'We encourage them to cooperate with the Select Committee’s investigation to get answers about January 6th for the American people and help ensure nothing like that day ever happens again.'  [snip]

The nine-member panel said it has obtained information that groups of individuals met on Dec. 14, 2020 — more than a month after Election Day — in the seven states. The individuals, according to the congressional investigation, then submitted fake slates of Electoral College votes for Trump. Then “alternate electors” from those seven states sent those certificates to Congress, where several of Trump’s advisers used them to justify delaying or blocking the certification of the election during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021."  (our emphasis)

Several Trumpist dead enders, particularly his zealous, bungling, hair dye-leaking consigliere Rudy "Toot Toot" Giuliani, are believed to have been involved in planning the false electors scheme to block President Biden's certification by Congress on January 6, 2021. With their actions under review by the Justice Department, the 14 false electors could face years in prison if convicted on counts ranging from election fraud to conspiracy. That should give them all plenty of incentive to talk.

BONUS: Reptilian goon Stephen Miller boasted of the plan back in December 2020. He's already been subpoenaed by the Committee last November.

Tweets Of The Day

 

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, anti- Semite white nationalist hack has thoughts --

 

 

A day after Holocaust Remembrance Day --

 



But, less charitably, Politico itself is based on nothing --

 


Let's be accommodating! --

 

 

 

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

 

(Robert Ariail, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, SC)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ)

(Christopher Weyant, Boston Globe)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

(Pat Byrnes, caglecartoons.com)

(Avi Steinberg, The New Yorker)


Weekend Music

 

Georgia native and former Drive-By Truckers' Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit released their latest album "Georgia Blue" last October, following a pledge by Isbell that, if Georgia went for Joe Biden, he'd record a charity album using songs by Georgia artists, including R.E.M.  Just a few days ago, at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit performed R.E.M.'s "Driver 8", with guest Mike Mills of R.E.M.  (To order the album, go here.  Proceeds benefit Black Voters Matter, Georgia Stand-Up, and Fair Fight.)  Hope you enjoy.

Bridge Collapse In PA As Biden Set To Visit





Today's bridge collapse in Pittsburgh on the day that President Biden visits is a bizarre coincidence that only emphasizes the need to get on with infrastructure repairs and replacements under the President's $1 trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which he signed into law on November 15. Fortunately, the reports from the collapse indicate that there were no fatalities. The bridge carries roughly 14,000 vehicles per day. More from AP:

"Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones said three or four vehicles were involved in the collapse and there were 10 minor injuries with three brought to the hospital. None of the injuries were life-threatening, Jones said.

At the site of the collapse, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said 'it’s just an awful surreal scene.'

'I hope it’s a wake-up call to the nation that we need to make these infrastructure investments.'

Authorities told motorists to avoid the area.

In a statement, the White House said Biden would proceed with his planned trip to Pittsburgh.

'Our team is in touch with state and local officials on the ground as they continue to gather information about the cause of the collapse,' the statement said. 'The President is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time.'”  (our emphasis)

Thirty Republican Senators voted against the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, including right-wing corporate shill Sen. Pat Toomey (Club for Plutocrat Growth - PA), who has chosen not to run for reelection in November. Those 30 should not be allowed to escape blame the next time a bridge or tunnel collapses in their state.

(photo: Collapsed bridge on Forbes Ave. Gene J. Puskar / AP)

 

QOTD -- Vigilantism Is The Point

 


 

"I’m hardly the first to worry that states racing to enact ever more insane incursions on educational freedom and a teacher’s right to speak and book bans are destined to end in reprisals and mass resignations and bounty schemes and threats of violence. At this point, I must assume that such vigilantism is the point. Parents are frayed and starved for leadership. Some leaders have realized that the inflaming of tensions around masks garners votes. The problem is it also destabilizes government authority. Youngkin didn’t just turn student against student, parent against parent, or pit principals against educators and states against federal rules with the stroke of a pen the day he was sworn in. He personally modeled contempt for authority—he encouraged it and rewarded it. He did so in the full knowledge that he was essentially deputizing furious parents to follow only the kinds of laws they liked and conscripting their kids into participating..." -- Dahlia Lithwick, in Slate, on the crisis Virginia's Trump- in- a- fleece- vest Gov. Glenn Youngkin has wrought in the state's public schools since taking office just a week ago.  The anti- mask mandate is just one example of the chaotic rush to the far right that's been the hallmark of Youngkin's fledgling administration so far, as Lithwick details.  Good read.

Elections have consequences.


Thursday, January 27, 2022

COVID-Positive Palin Out On The Town




Failed vice presidential candidate and half-term Governor of Alaska Sarah "Sarah the Spreader" Palin is in New York City to pursue a frivolous lawsuit against the New York Times for defamation. The defiantly unvaccinated clown also tested positive for COVID before the trial could begin, so according to the city's health policies she should self-quarantine for at least 5 days to protect others. According to reports, that didn't stop the recklessly clueless sociopath from dining out at two Italian restaurants Tuesday and Wednesday nights:

"Sarah Palin is not letting COVID-19 stop her from enjoying New York City’s culinary offerings.

The former Alaska governor returned to Elio's restaurant Wednesday night and dined outdoors just days after it was revealed she tested positive for COVID-19. Palin, who has touted the fact that she is not vaccinated, was seen dining inside the Upper East Side Italian restaurant on Saturday, before her diagnosis. The city requires proof of vaccination to eat indoors.

And WNYC/Gothamist confirmed the former vice presidential candidate dined al fresco Tuesday night at Campagnola, another Italian restaurant in the area."

You need a certificate of vaccination to eat indoors at New York City restaurants so the nitwit avoided a violation of COVID health restrictions after receiving the positive test. But the city had to issue a statement encouraging, 

"...any New Yorker who came into contact with Ms. Palin to get tested, just as we encourage all New Yorkers to get tested regularly, especially those who believe they may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.”

Palin obviously doesn't care whom she infects with COVID, as long as she grabs the spotlight for a day or two. The sooner she returns to Alaska the better, where she can keep an eye on Russia -- if not her kids -- from her house. 

(photo: Jim Ruymen/UPI)

Tweets Of The Day


Holocaust Remembrance Day;  Never Forget;  Never Again --

 


SCOTUS vacancy rules --

 

 

 

... and Trump? --

 

 

 

Peak Fox "News" --

 

 

Voter suppression/ election fraud, with an assist from Sen. Sinema --

 

 

Obamacare thrives --

 

 

The traffic is baaaaaad --

 

 

 

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(David Horsey, The Seattle Times)

(Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Examiner, KY)

(Paresh Nath, caglecartoons.com)

(Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(Marty Two Bulls, m2bulls.com)

(Jason Adam Katzenstein, The New Yorker)