Glenn Kirschner – Two Standards of Justice: Fed Worker Jailed for Mishandling Classified Docs, While Trump Golfs (Apparently, that was the only crime in the completed case. It does take limger to write a term paper than it does to write a 500-word essay. Just a thought.)
Yesterday, I got boosted – yippee! There was virtually no snow on the ground. but there was a lot of ice on the glass, and between the windows steaming up and my glasses steaming up, it was terrible. If they decide on another booster, or if they come up with a universal vaccine, I surely hope it is in the summer.
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Crooks and Liars – Colleyville’s Synagogue Hostage Crisis And White Supremacy
Quote – The fact that millions of Jews watch in horror, generational trauma triggered, the oldest bigotry still raging, as four innocent Jews are held captive by someone we recognize we’ll need to protect once it is over — even while it is going on — is a mind-f*ck of epic proportions. Click through. Every person in the United States needs to read this.
Huff Post Fringe – How Hatred Of Women Is Fueling The Far-Right
Quote – McLeod’s case is an example of the ties between misogyny and easy access to guns that Everytown for Gun Safety highlights in a new report this week, which was shared with HuffPost ahead of its publication. The group documents at least six high-profile misogyny-driven mass shootings in the U.S. since 2014, and the ways that guns and hatred of women have served as a unifying tie for many far-right groups online. Click through for more. We, at least we on the left, have figured out that pointing out that racism exists is not itself racist. But we don’t seem to have figured out that pointing out that misgyny exists is not itself misogynistic. Well, we need to. Because misgyny is even more prevalent than racism, has a much larger persentage of the marginalized who buy into it themselves, and will destroy the country if we try to elect a woman President before the nation is ready, even if she walks on water.
Medium – Restoring the Senate to Protect the Freedom to Vote {Op-Ed)
Quote – If the Senate cannot even begin to debate and vote on something as foundational as voting rights, we must reform Senate rules and restore the chamber to its rightful place as “the world’s greatest deliberative body.”
Protecting the freedom to vote should not be a partisan issue. In 2006, for example, the Senate voted 98–0 to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act. The Help America Vote Act passed 98–2 in the wake of the chaos of the 2000 election. One of its primary proponents was Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Click through for full letter. Nine former Senators have signed it, including Doug Jones (who sent it to me) and Mark Udall (IMO the best Senator Colorado has ever had – at least since I have lived here.)
Glenn Kirschner – House Postpones Flynn & Luna Testimony; Flynn Should be Returned to Active Duty and Court-Martialed (I’ll bet Miles Taylor could tell us what a “body man”s duties were – and I’ll bet it had something to do with adult diapers.)
The Lincoln Project – Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day
CNN – Meadows SPOOKED, Subpoena Coming Next? (If he thought he could “make a deal,” he has no idea who the committe members are.)
RepresentUs – This Is What Corporate Welfare Looks Like
politicsrus – Democracy Is Hard Earned
Six13 a capella – West Side Chanukah Story (I really do think Lenny must be smiling down. BTW you can close it when they start talking – pitching – at the end.)
Glenn Kirschner – All the President’s Lackeys: Bannon, Clark, Eastman & the Others. Watergate vs. the Insurrection
MSNBC – Biden Breaks Down How Build Back Better Act Will Lower Cost For Families Dealing With Diabetes
Meidas Touch – SCOTUS Poised to Strike Down Legal Precedent from Roe v. Wade
Rebel HQ – Ethan Crumbly’s Parents Face Justifiable Consequences. I’m not sure how long I have been saying “Responsible gun ownners should take the lead in drafting legislation to regulate gun ownership and use – because, if they don’t, the rest of us will, and they won’t like it,” but it’s been since before I was married, an our next anniversaty will be our 38th. It was so long ago that the NRA was still considered a responsible organization.
Really American – Madison Cawthorn Claims Women Are “Earthen Vessels” (but Chip has a good idea)
Beau – Let’s talk about not talking about race…. Most of the time I agree with Beau, and he’s right on the institutional level. But he’s wrong on the individual level. On the individual level, it’s more like, yeah, if you don’t have pancreatic cancer for example, you don’t need to talk about it in order not to be hurt by it. But if you are being eatne away by pancreatic cancer, not talking about it won’t make it go away.
Yesterday also quiet. Not that I got a whole lot done. I was trying to rest, and more or less did.
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Daily Kos (David Neiwert) – Right-wing so-called ‘journalists’ exploit Waukesha tragedy, drawing neo-Nazis there to protest
Quote – Ngo also disingenuously proffered as evidence a post by Brooks he described as “about how to get away with running people over on the street”—even though the post in question was actually written by an ex-Minneapolis police officer who encouraged drivers to run down BLM protesters, and Brooks had posted it as evidence of violent police attitudes. Of course, there is still zero evidence that Brooks ever participated in any BLM march or engaged in any protest organizing. Click through for details. I am honestly more sick of fake journalists than I am of fake news itself. And don’t think there aren’t any on the left. We have to be responsible for moderating our confirmation bias … because RWNJs certainly will not moderate theirs.
The Nib – Why Are Everyone’s Catalytic Converters Being Stolen?
Quote – But catalytic converters have been round for nearly 50 years. So why is this happening now? The economic downturn caused by the pandemic might be one factor. Another is the soaring price of the precious metals that put the catalyst in catalytic. Click through. Yes, this is what you might call a “graphic article.” But try to find a non-graphic one which lays out this information so clearly.
The 19th Explains: Women may soon qualify for the draft. Here’s what you need to know.
Quote – Kara Dixon Vuic, who studies gender and the U.S. military at Texas Christian University, said the passage of this amendment would be “huge, though largely symbolic” when it comes to the fight for women’s rights and gender equity in the military. “Right now, the only legal difference between what men and women do as civilians is men sign up for selective service,” said Vuic, who is currently writing a book on the history of military draft eligibility in the country. “It’s not that women don’t have to; it’s that they can’t.” Click through for the scoop. I have always felt that if one really wants to be treated equally, then one must accept being treated equally. As obvious as that soounds, it seems to be a difficult concept when it comes to feminism. Perhaps that at least partially explains why misogyny is more powerful than racism (as the 2016 election proved.)
Yesterday was, of course, Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I hope everyone had a wonderful day whether or not you are in the United States. Tomorrow, I will be going to see Virgil. I think I’m ready.
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The New Yorker – Could One Shot Kill the Flu?
Quote – For decades, scientists have dreamed of what some call a “universal” flu vaccine—one that could target many strains of the virus. A universal vaccine would save countless lives not just this year but every year; as those numbers add up, it would become one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in history. Until recently, it’s been beyond the reach of molecular biology. But new technologies are extending our abilities, and researchers are learning how to see through the flu’s disguises. Without knowing it, we’re living on the cusp of a remarkable scientific achievement. One of the world’s longest pandemics could soon be coming to an end. Click through for complications. It’s not a certainty – but it is a possibiity -and that is progress. If you re paywalled out, feel free to email me and I’ll send a pdf.
Crooks and Liars – Justice For Ahmaud Arbery: ALL 3 Defendants Found GUILTY
Quote – The jury was not representative of the community, with 11 white and only 1 Black member, which was a concern that even the judge raised. They deliberated for roughly 10 hours and there was concern that this could be a Kyle Rittenhouse or George Zimmerman repeat. But JUSTICE PREVAILED. Click through for details. I put up a tag Wednesday when this was announced, but I wanted to featureit also. It’s important.
The New Yorker – Peng Shuai and the High Stakes of Business in China
Quote – The post was up for about ten minutes before the state’s well-oiled machinery of censorship kicked into gear and took it down. Comments on Peng’s account were locked. Screenshots of her sixteen-hundred-word post, which were spreading, were scrubbed. Her name disappeared from Internet searches. Emojis and words related to the case did, too. For a while, even the word “tennis” was blocked. Behind the state’s erasure of Peng’s presence on the Chinese Internet was another urgent and troubling question: What would happen to her? Click through for the story which is not at all simple. I never expected to be looking to “The Sporting Scene” for a short take, but pf coourse, she’s not the first sports woman, and will not be the last, whose life clashes in some way with authoritarian leadership.
Yesterday, I did sleep in,and I feel much more rested. I hope I can translate that into fewer typos – or at the very least, more easily interpreted typos. We shall see.
Cartoon – Another prescient one from 2013
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Crooks and Liars – Oath Keepers’ Jan. 6 Trial Delayed Because Evidence Keeps Rolling In
Quote – The federal judge overseeing the Oath Keepers conspiracy case in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection ordered their trial delayed this week, primarily because of the overwhelming amount of evidence still being produced in their cases. Though the delay was expected, its reasons are stark reminders that Jan. 6 will be one of the most complex prosecutions in history and that the investigation remains very active as more evidence piles up. There are likely some very big shoes still to drop. Click through for examples and more explanation. I know it’s tough. We don’t hear much if at all about people being impatient and frustrated about Al Capone … but if there had been an internet and social media then, I’ll bet we would have.
Buzzfeed – “DANGER WARNING”: WOMEN SAY MADISON CAWTHORN HARASSED THEM IN COLLEGE
Quote – BuzzFeed News spoke with more than three dozen people, including more than two dozen former students, their friends, and their relatives, who described or corroborated instances of sexual harassment and misconduct on campus, in Cawthorn’s car, and at his house near campus. Four women told BuzzFeed News that Cawthorn, now a rising Republican star, was aggressive, misogynistic, or predatory toward them. Their allegations include calling them derogatory names in public in front of their peers, including calling one woman “slutty,” asking them inappropriate questions about their sex lives, grabbing their thighs, forcing them to sit in his lap, and kissing and touching them without their consent. Click through for story. Like other Republican politicians, this dude is a real piece of work.
Yes, Colin Powell Was Fully Vaccinated. He Was Also Seriously Immunocompromised.
Quote – Here’s another bit of nuance that I haven’t seen anyone really talking about but seems the most significant: The reason Colin Powell died of COVID-19 is that he caught it—which meant that it was still circulating among people he had contact with. This point may seem obvious, but too often we forget that one of the greatest risk factors for contracting COVID-19 is community spread. The more people around you who have the disease, the more likely you are to catch it. Click through for some truth. I saw one meme or tweet which said “Colin Powell did not die because he was vaccinated. He died because you weren’t.”
Glenn Kirschner – Steve Bannon Headed for Prosecution for Criminal Contempt. Here’s What Congress Should Tackle Next.
Meidas Touch – Ivermectin-pushing doctor cited by far right EXPOSED as a fraud
The Lincoln Project – Dragon of Budapest
MSNBC – Rep. Raskin: ‘Steve Bannon Committed A Crime Today’
Ring of Fire – Lauren Boebert Ripped To Shreds Over Misspelled ‘Imeach Biden’ Effort
Police Scotland – “Don’t be That Guy”
Most guys don’t look in the mirror & see a problem. But it’s staring us in the face. Sexual violence begins long before you think it does. #DontBeThatGuypic.twitter.com/78B05S5lRk
