hotair--2020-06-09--Trump wonders: Did that old man in Buffalo who got his head cracked try to set up the cops?

This single tweet captures why it ’ s so silly for his advisors to want him to deliver a speech about national reconciliation and unity or whatever .
That ’ s not who he is .
This is who he is .
And this is who he would revert to being the minute the speech was finished .
Everyone knows it too .
Many things can be , and already have been , said about this tweet but virtually no one has called it surprising .
The president is an authoritarian , and will — almost — always side with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gratuitously .
See , e.g.
, Lafayette Park one week ago .
I say that he ’ ll “ almost ” side with the authorities because thus far he ’ s said the right things about the death of George Floyd in his limited remarks about it .
But that ’ s the exception that proves the rule : It took a cop kneeling on a man ’ s neck for nine minutes until he died , with the whole thing caught on video , for Trump to say “ too far.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all it would take for him to reconsider that position would be a single “ Fox & Friends ” segment speculating that Floyd was a member of Antifa .
BuzzFeed has the best rundown I ’ ve seen of how Trump got this idea in his head about the incident in Buffalo , which has resulted in both cops involved being charged with felony assault .
It ’ s a standard , if unusually sordid , example of him amplifying fringey allegations for no better reason than that he wants to believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a YouTube video accusing the old man , Martin Gugino , of trying to somehow scramble the police ’ s communications ; it was picked up at One America News , which Trump has been promoting lately as a more loyal alternative to Fox News because Fox will very occasionally tell him things he doesn ’ t want to hear , like the fact that he ’ s clearly losing the presidential race right now .
It appears that Trump saw the segment on OAN .
Then , rather than ask his intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he just farted it out onto Twitter , because why not casually smear an old man who ’ s still in the hospital from his injuries ?
I don ’ t know if Gugino is connected to Antifa .
I doubt it , mainly because he ’ s about 55 years older than what the average member seems to be .
Given his age and the nature of the groups he is known to belong to , agitating on behalf of street violence would seem to be a departure for him : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Western New York Peace Center .
As for him hacking or scrambling the police ’ s communications or whatever , I ’ ll leave that to techies .
One Times reporter consulted with an expert and was told that it ’ s “ impossible technically.
” But to analyze what happened between Gugino and the police in terms of his affiliations or his intentions is to miss the point .
The only relevant question is this : Was he physically threatening the cops ?
Did they have a good reason to shove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they saw him lying unconscious and bleeding ?
If the answers are no , that ’ s the end of the story .
If he ’ s “ agitating ” in a way that ’ s unlawful , arrest him ; if he isn ’ t , keep your hands off of him .
Trump ’ s instinct to justify violence perpetrated by the “ good guys ” retroactively by finding something objectionable about their victim reminds me of people digging up Ahmaud Arbery ’ s and George Floyd ’ s criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unmistakable insinuation is that extrajudicial killings ( or woundings ) of the “ bad guys ” are fine , maybe even a social good by removing a dangerous figure from the community .
The task afterward is simply to establish that the “ bad guy ” was in fact bad .
That ’ s the point of Trump ’ s tweet .
Reactions to his Twitter musings are almost always unimportant because I think very few voters actually see those tweets .
The universe of Twitter users is relatively small , much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In this case an average voter who saw this morning ’ s tweet would need to take the time to familiarize himself with what happened in Buffalo to understand it .
Even with the media chattering about it , I don ’ t know how far its reach will be .
But it sure is interesting that Matt Drudge is using his own considerable reach to call attention to it : Trump ’ s biggest liability against Biden right now is how far he ’ s slid since 2016 among older voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is calling attention to Gugino ’ s age to sharpen the antagonism .
Drudge isn ’ t the only person who ’ s going to use this to hurt Trump either .
Varad Mehta reminds us that Trump will inevitably hurt Trump too : Just so .
Politico reported yesterday that Trump rallies are set to resume this month , a fraught moment at which to hand the president an open mic and let him indulge his stream of consciousness .
There ’ ll no doubt be strident defenses from the podium of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are already voting for him and not terribly well at the moment with anyone else , but he may well veer into crankery of the sort Mehta ’ s worried about too .
He ’ s going to make this worse for himself , not better .
Because , again , that ’ s who he is .
Here ’ s Andrew Cuomo , the one person who *is* surprised at Trump ’ s tweet , responding at today ’ s coronavirus briefing .
Republican senators are already being asked about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some cases openly lying about their Twitter practices in order to avoid having to comment on it .
I ’ m curious to see what they ’ ll do if/when Trump start preemptively rejecting any sort of federal legislation aimed at reforming police behavior .
It ’ s easy to oppose defunding the police ; Chuck Schumer won ’ t even propose that , fearing the political consequences .
It would be somewhat harder to oppose ending qualified immunity , although Trump has given GOPers cover to do so by opposing it himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do , though , if Trump starts opposing really basic reforms that are highly germane to Floyd ’ s death , like banning police chokeholds ?
There ’ s no question he ’ s going to revert to his authoritarian “ defend cops at all costs ” views once the political heat from Floyd ’ s killing cools off a bit .
How many Senate Republicans are going to side with him ?

This single tweet captures why it’s so silly for his advisors to want him to deliver a speech about national reconciliation and unity or whatever.
That’s not who he is. This is who he is. And this is who he would revert to being the minute the speech was finished.
Everyone knows it too. Many things can be, and already have been, said about this tweet but virtually no one has called it surprising. The president is an authoritarian, and will — almost — always side with authority figures on getting rough with citizens gratuitously. See, e.g., Lafayette Park one week ago.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1270333484528214018
I say that he’ll “almost” side with the authorities because thus far he’s said the right things about the death of George Floyd in his limited remarks about it. But that’s the exception that proves the rule: It took a cop kneeling on a man’s neck for nine minutes until he died, with the whole thing caught on video, for Trump to say “too far.” And let’s face it, all it would take for him to reconsider that position would be a single “Fox & Friends” segment speculating that Floyd was a member of Antifa.
BuzzFeed has the best rundown I’ve seen of how Trump got this idea in his head about the incident in Buffalo, which has resulted in both cops involved being charged with felony assault. It’s a standard, if unusually sordid, example of him amplifying fringey allegations for no better reason than that he wants to believe that they’re true. Someone made a YouTube video accusing the old man, Martin Gugino, of trying to somehow scramble the police’s communications; it was picked up at One America News, which Trump has been promoting lately as a more loyal alternative to Fox News because Fox will very occasionally tell him things he doesn’t want to hear, like the fact that he’s clearly losing the presidential race right now. It appears that Trump saw the segment on OAN. Then, rather than ask his intelligence advisors to confirm the claim about Gugino, he just farted it out onto Twitter, because why not casually smear an old man who’s still in the hospital from his injuries?
I don’t know if Gugino is connected to Antifa. I doubt it, mainly because he’s about 55 years older than what the average member seems to be. Given his age and the nature of the groups he is known to belong to, agitating on behalf of street violence would seem to be a departure for him:
#MartinGugino, the 75 year old man knocked to the ground by police in Buffalo, is a longtime peace activist and volunteer at the Catholic Worker, a movement dedicated to justice and peace, founded by Servant of God Dorothy Day, who also took to the streets to advocate for justice pic.twitter.com/9SxDS0705Y — James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) June 6, 2020
He’s also been linked to the Western New York Peace Center. As for him hacking or scrambling the police’s communications or whatever, I’ll leave that to techies. One Times reporter consulted with an expert and was told that it’s “impossible technically.”
But to analyze what happened between Gugino and the police in terms of his affiliations or his intentions is to miss the point. The only relevant question is this: Was he physically threatening the cops? Did they have a good reason to shove him away and then not help him after they saw him lying unconscious and bleeding? If the answers are no, that’s the end of the story. If he’s “agitating” in a way that’s unlawful, arrest him; if he isn’t, keep your hands off of him. Trump’s instinct to justify violence perpetrated by the “good guys” retroactively by finding something objectionable about their victim reminds me of people digging up Ahmaud Arbery’s and George Floyd’s criminal records after they were killed. The unmistakable insinuation is that extrajudicial killings (or woundings) of the “bad guys” are fine, maybe even a social good by removing a dangerous figure from the community. The task afterward is simply to establish that the “bad guy” was in fact bad. That’s the point of Trump’s tweet.
Reactions to his Twitter musings are almost always unimportant because I think very few voters actually see those tweets. The universe of Twitter users is relatively small, much more so than the universe of Facebook users. In this case an average voter who saw this morning’s tweet would need to take the time to familiarize himself with what happened in Buffalo to understand it. Even with the media chattering about it, I don’t know how far its reach will be.
But it sure is interesting that Matt Drudge is using his own considerable reach to call attention to it:
Trump’s biggest liability against Biden right now is how far he’s slid since 2016 among older voters. Drudge surely knows it, and is calling attention to Gugino’s age to sharpen the antagonism.
Drudge isn’t the only person who’s going to use this to hurt Trump either. Varad Mehta reminds us that Trump will inevitably hurt Trump too:
The problem with saying Trump needs to start doing rallies so he's not stuck at the White House with nothing to do but tweet is that if he were doing rallies, instead of sending a tweet or two he'd riff on this for twenty minutes and it would be a thousand times worse. https://t.co/TozdVY8AWJ — Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) June 9, 2020
Just so. Politico reported yesterday that Trump rallies are set to resume this month, a fraught moment at which to hand the president an open mic and let him indulge his stream of consciousness. There’ll no doubt be strident defenses from the podium of the police, which plays well with people who are already voting for him and not terribly well at the moment with anyone else, but he may well veer into crankery of the sort Mehta’s worried about too. He’s going to make this worse for himself, not better. Because, again, that’s who he is.
Here’s Andrew Cuomo, the one person who *is* surprised at Trump’s tweet, responding at today’s coronavirus briefing. Republican senators are already being asked about it and dodging the question, in some cases openly lying about their Twitter practices in order to avoid having to comment on it. I’m curious to see what they’ll do if/when Trump start preemptively rejecting any sort of federal legislation aimed at reforming police behavior. It’s easy to oppose defunding the police; Chuck Schumer won’t even propose that, fearing the political consequences. It would be somewhat harder to oppose ending qualified immunity, although Trump has given GOPers cover to do so by opposing it himself. What would McConnell’s caucus do, though, if Trump starts opposing really basic reforms that are highly germane to Floyd’s death, like banning police chokeholds? There’s no question he’s going to revert to his authoritarian “defend cops at all costs” views once the political heat from Floyd’s killing cools off a bit. How many Senate Republicans are going to side with him?


hotair--2020-06-09--Chicago Mayor Lightfoot during last weekend's riots: 'I haven’t seen s--t like this before'

Yesterday I wrote about Sunday May 31 which turned out to be the deadliest single day of violence in Chicago ’ s history going back to at least 1961 .
On that one day 18 people were killed .
While that was happening Mayor Lori Lightfoot was on a conference call with aldermen , all of whom were complaining about the devestation and violence they were seeing in their wards .
A recording of that call wound up in the hands of WTTW which published a report last Friday .
The discussion on the call was very blunt .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would never come back after the looting .
The recording begins with Ald .
Michelle Harris ( 8th Ward ) wondering how she could convince businesses like Walmart and CVS to rebuild on the South Side after the destruction .
“ It ’ s like , what are we going to have left in our community ?
” Harris asks her colleagues before answering herself .
“ Nothing.
” … “ I feel like I am at ground zero , ” Harris responded .
“ My major business district is shattered .
Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our communities ?
” Five minutes into the call , Lightfoot finally chimed in saying police were overwhelmed and were involved in “ armed combat ” with looters .
Lightfoot said officers were in “ armed combat ” with those intent on committing crimes on the West Side only making progress after bringing in “ heavy equipment and stronger pepper spray.
” Lightfoot said a crowd of 30-40 people gathered outside a clothing store near 111th Street and Michigan Avenue as a “ dude with a sledgehammer ” broke into the store to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t know about you , but I haven ’ t seen s–t like this before , not in Chicago , ” Lightfoot said .
An Alderman named Susan Sadlowski-Garza from the 10th ward begged the mayor for help saying , “ My ward is a s–t show .
They are shooting at the police.
” Then she began to cry on the call saying she was “ scared.
” Mayor Lightfoot responded , “ This is a massive , massive problem .
People are just f—–g lawless right now.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gang members were threatening to shoot looters and demanded to know what the Mayor ’ s plan was for restoring order .
The mayor replied that he was “ 100 % full of s–t.
” Alderman Lopez responded to that by saying , “ Well , f–k you then.
” Alderman Lopez would later go on television and claim that Mayor Lightfoot had intentionally worked with gang members to act as a protective force in certain wards .
When challenged on this on Twitter , Lopez refused to back down .
There doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mayor condoned or sanctioned anything like that but there are plenty of videos on Twitter and YouTube showing people identified as gang members chasing black people out of Chicago neighborhoods over that weekend .
And this tweet from a Fox News contributor got a lot of attention : So it sounds like the gangs did see themselves as policing their own streets .
Maybe the CPD decided not to disabuse them of this notion when they were already overwhelmed .
In any case , the chaos on the street was reflected in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call with city leaders .
No one was prepared for what happened and as Lightfoot has said several times , even a police force 3 or 4 times as large as Chicago ’ s current one couldn ’ t have responded effectively to the violence that broke out that weekend .
If you want to listen to the full recording it ’ s here .
This local news report focuses in on the argument between Mayor Lightfoot and Alderman Lopez .

Yesterday I wrote about Sunday May 31 which turned out to be the deadliest single day of violence in Chicago’s history going back to at least 1961. On that one day 18 people were killed. While that was happening Mayor Lori Lightfoot was on a conference call with aldermen, all of whom were complaining about the devestation and violence they were seeing in their wards. A recording of that call wound up in the hands of WTTW which published a report last Friday. The discussion on the call was very blunt. Some aldermen were crying, worried that businesses would never come back after the looting.
The recording begins with Ald. Michelle Harris (8th Ward) wondering how she could convince businesses like Walmart and CVS to rebuild on the South Side after the destruction. “It’s like, what are we going to have left in our community?” Harris asks her colleagues before answering herself. “Nothing.”… “I feel like I am at ground zero,” Harris responded. “My major business district is shattered. Why would Walmart or CVS come back to our communities?”
Five minutes into the call, Lightfoot finally chimed in saying police were overwhelmed and were involved in “armed combat” with looters.
Lightfoot said officers were in “armed combat” with those intent on committing crimes on the West Side only making progress after bringing in “heavy equipment and stronger pepper spray.” Lightfoot said a crowd of 30-40 people gathered outside a clothing store near 111th Street and Michigan Avenue as a “dude with a sledgehammer” broke into the store to allow it to be looted. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen s–t like this before, not in Chicago,” Lightfoot said.
An Alderman named Susan Sadlowski-Garza from the 10th ward begged the mayor for help saying, “My ward is a s–t show. They are shooting at the police.” Then she began to cry on the call saying she was “scared.” Mayor Lightfoot responded, “This is a massive, massive problem. People are just f—–g lawless right now.”
At one point Alderman Raymond Lopez said gang members were threatening to shoot looters and demanded to know what the Mayor’s plan was for restoring order. The mayor replied that he was “100% full of s–t.” Alderman Lopez responded to that by saying, “Well, f–k you then.”
Alderman Lopez would later go on television and claim that Mayor Lightfoot had intentionally worked with gang members to act as a protective force in certain wards. When challenged on this on Twitter, Lopez refused to back down.
“Who are you gonna believe me or your own yes?” 100s of videos. alds telling mayor how happy “ members of the community w/ questionable backgrounds” stepped up. Who in their right mind thought this was a good strategy? Oh wait….. https://t.co/UxglQ2WWPQ — Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RLopez15thWard) June 3, 2020
There doesn’t seem to be any evidence the mayor condoned or sanctioned anything like that but there are plenty of videos on Twitter and YouTube showing people identified as gang members chasing black people out of Chicago neighborhoods over that weekend. And this tweet from a Fox News contributor got a lot of attention:
A cop friend just texted me that the “Latin Kings” sent a message to the cops in his town that they would “take care” of the rioters and to not come around. Are we in an episode of SOA?? — Joey Jones (@Johnny_Joey) June 1, 2020
So it sounds like the gangs did see themselves as policing their own streets. Maybe the CPD decided not to disabuse them of this notion when they were already overwhelmed. In any case, the chaos on the street was reflected in the anger and concern on that conference call with city leaders. No one was prepared for what happened and as Lightfoot has said several times, even a police force 3 or 4 times as large as Chicago’s current one couldn’t have responded effectively to the violence that broke out that weekend.
If you want to listen to the full recording it’s here. This local news report focuses in on the argument between Mayor Lightfoot and Alderman Lopez.


hotair--2020-06-09--Minneapolis police make arrest in 3rd Precinct arson, and ... looks not so outsidery after all

And none too bright , either .
When Minneapolis and then Saint Paul went up in flames during the protests over the George Floyd homicide by police , both mayors and the state ’ s governor rushed to assure us that the riots were perpetrated by “ outsiders.
” Oddly enough , however , most of the arrests related to rioting have been of Minnesotans , a point that the Star Tribune noted in its slap at the state ’ s leadership on “ misinformation.
” The first arrest in the most notorious of the arsons also looks like an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police arrested Branden Wolfe of St. Paul , whose intellectual approach to the crime speaks for itself , too : A St. Paul man has been charged in connection to the fires set at the Minneapolis Police Department ’ s Third Precinct during unrest in the city two weeks ago .
The United States Attorney ’ s Office has issued a federal criminal complaint against 23-year-old Branden Michael Wolfe .
He has been charged with one count of aiding and abetting arson at the Third Precinct .
… On June 3 , St. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improvement store in St. Paul after receiving a complaint that an individual , later identified as Wolfe , was wearing body armor and a law enforcement duty belt while carrying a baton attempting to get into the store .
According to employees , Wolfe had been employed as a security guard at the store , but was fired earlier that day after referring to social media posts about stealing items from the Third Precinct .
Officers located Wolfe and took him into custody .
At the time of his arrest , Wolfe was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Precinct , including body armor , a police-issued duty belt with handcuffs , an earphone piece , baton and a knife .
Also , Wolfe ’ s name was handwritten in duct tape on the back of the body armor .
According to the indictment unsealed last night , Wolfe isn ’ t disputing the elements of the crimes .
Not only did he pillage the 3rd Precinct , he helped set it on fire and got his picture taken doing it , the Star Tribune reports .
He had also bragged about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Menards , which is what got him fired and prompted his colleagues to call the police .
Thus far his social-media footprint seems almost non-existent , except for a possible Facebook public page from four years ago that seems to be related to his high-school athletic career .
A few old Twitter accounts that fit Wolfe ’ s description still exist but appear defunct , so it ’ s possible that Wolfe or someone else has seen fit to erase his social-media history .
If so , it might be the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don ’ t believe that ?
Just ask his father , who remains “ proud ” of his son but says he has “ zero common sense ” : Wolfe has been convicted of a petty-misdemeanor trespass charge and interfering with a 911 call , which is a gross misdemeanor .
On the 911 case , charges of domestic assault , property damage , trespass and disorderly conduct were dismissed .
He is on probation in that case until September 2021 .
Wolfe ’ s father , Robert Wolfe of Macon , Ga. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son ’ s legal troubles or his political leanings .
He said his son was raised by his mother and home-schooled in a suburb of Pensacola , Fla. “ He has grandiose ideas , a lot of them … and zero common sense , ” Robert Wolfe said .
As for the alleged arson , he said , “ I ’ m still proud of him , whether he burned down the police station or not .
He didn ’ t hurt nobody , did he ?
” The apple falleth not far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , this does raise a couple of questions .
First , it ’ s not easy to see what Wolfe ’ s politics might be , or whether he has any at all .
With his track record , Wolfe ’ s motive might have just been personal animus against the police , let loose thanks to the general retreat of law enforcement , as well as the retreat by city and state government .
It ’ s a reminder that law enforcement exists to establish safety and public peace against an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it political or charming .
The second question is whether the feds are getting closer to the organized elements that set the Twin Cities on fire .
Wolfe ’ s a rube — a dangerous rube when let off the leash , but a rube nonetheless .
He probably couldn ’ t organize a game of charades , let alone the street action we saw during the riots .
Would Wolfe know who did do the organizing ?
He ’ d better hope so , because unless the feds get bigger fish , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the example by the Department of Justice .

And none too bright, either. When Minneapolis and then Saint Paul went up in flames during the protests over the George Floyd homicide by police, both mayors and the state’s governor rushed to assure us that the riots were perpetrated by “outsiders.” Oddly enough, however, most of the arrests related to rioting have been of Minnesotans, a point that the Star Tribune noted in its slap at the state’s leadership on “misinformation.”
The first arrest in the most notorious of the arsons also looks like an inside job, so to speak. Police arrested Branden Wolfe of St. Paul, whose intellectual approach to the crime speaks for itself, too:
A St. Paul man has been charged in connection to the fires set at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct during unrest in the city two weeks ago. The United States Attorney’s Office has issued a federal criminal complaint against 23-year-old Branden Michael Wolfe. He has been charged with one count of aiding and abetting arson at the Third Precinct. … On June 3, St. Paul police officers responded to a home improvement store in St. Paul after receiving a complaint that an individual, later identified as Wolfe, was wearing body armor and a law enforcement duty belt while carrying a baton attempting to get into the store. According to employees, Wolfe had been employed as a security guard at the store, but was fired earlier that day after referring to social media posts about stealing items from the Third Precinct. Officers located Wolfe and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, Wolfe was wearing multiple stolen items from the Third Precinct, including body armor, a police-issued duty belt with handcuffs, an earphone piece, baton and a knife. Also, Wolfe’s name was handwritten in duct tape on the back of the body armor.
According to the indictment unsealed last night, Wolfe isn’t disputing the elements of the crimes. Not only did he pillage the 3rd Precinct, he helped set it on fire and got his picture taken doing it, the Star Tribune reports. He had also bragged about stealing items from the fire while working at Menards, which is what got him fired and prompted his colleagues to call the police.
Thus far his social-media footprint seems almost non-existent, except for a possible Facebook public page from four years ago that seems to be related to his high-school athletic career. A few old Twitter accounts that fit Wolfe’s description still exist but appear defunct, so it’s possible that Wolfe or someone else has seen fit to erase his social-media history. If so, it might be the first smart thing Wolfe has ever done.
Don’t believe that? Just ask his father, who remains “proud” of his son but says he has “zero common sense”:
Wolfe has been convicted of a petty-misdemeanor trespass charge and interfering with a 911 call, which is a gross misdemeanor. On the 911 case, charges of domestic assault, property damage, trespass and disorderly conduct were dismissed. He is on probation in that case until September 2021. Wolfe’s father, Robert Wolfe of Macon, Ga., said he knew nothing of his son’s legal troubles or his political leanings. He said his son was raised by his mother and home-schooled in a suburb of Pensacola, Fla. “He has grandiose ideas, a lot of them … and zero common sense,” Robert Wolfe said. As for the alleged arson, he said, “I’m still proud of him, whether he burned down the police station or not. He didn’t hurt nobody, did he?”
The apple falleth not far from the tree, it seems. However, this does raise a couple of questions. First, it’s not easy to see what Wolfe’s politics might be, or whether he has any at all. With his track record, Wolfe’s motive might have just been personal animus against the police, let loose thanks to the general retreat of law enforcement, as well as the retreat by city and state government. It’s a reminder that law enforcement exists to establish safety and public peace against an array of nonsense, not all of it political or charming.
The second question is whether the feds are getting closer to the organized elements that set the Twin Cities on fire. Wolfe’s a rube — a dangerous rube when let off the leash, but a rube nonetheless. He probably couldn’t organize a game of charades, let alone the street action we saw during the riots. Would Wolfe know who did do the organizing? He’d better hope so, because unless the feds get bigger fish, Wolfe’s going to serve as the example by the Department of Justice.


hotair--2020-06-09--Has the second wave begun?

Has the second wave begun?

Not everywhere , obviously .
The most basic fact about COVID-19 in the United States in April was how stark regional disparities can be .
New York City became the global epicenter of the disease while much of the U.S. remained largely untouched ; right now NYC is seeing daily deaths shrink to nearly zero while cases are ticking up elsewhere .
There won ’ t be a *national* second wave — I hope — for the simple reason that different regions are at different stages of containment , recovery , and reopening .
But statewide or regional second waves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WaPo , they may be underway : The problem with using case counts to try to measure a new outbreak is that they don ’ t take into account the effect that increased testing might have on those counts .
If confirmed cases are up five percent in a given state but that state is suddenly testing 25 percent more patients than it used to , the apparent “ rise ” in cases may be a simple matter of better detection .
It ’ s not that there are more infections out there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the ones that already exist .
We look to the positivity rate ( the number of confirmed infections divided by the number of tests ) , not the raw case count , for a truer gauge of whether the disease is spreading .
That logic doesn ’ t apply to deaths and hospitalizations , though .
There ’ s no “ detection ” problem there ; if those numbers are up , it ’ s a strong sign that the total number of infections really has risen .
CNBC notes today that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas .
And the positivity rate ?
That ’ s up too .
“ Texas was among the first states to relax its statewide stay-at-home order , allowing it to expire April 30 and some businesses to resume operations May 1 , ” the report adds .
The good news , though , is that there ’ s still plenty of ICU capacity in Texas hospitals at the moment , with 1,600 beds available .
An increase in infections is an inevitable and foreseeable consequence of reopening ; the key is holding those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services aren ’ t overwhelmed .
Texas is managing that .
For the moment .
Arizona isn ’ t so lucky .
Cases are rising there too , enough so that some hospitals are already under strain .
And as in Texas , it ’ s the positivity rate that ’ s increasing , not just the case count .
There ’ s every reason to believe that the COVID-19 epidemic there is getting substantially worse : New , confirmed cases in Arizona totaled 4,500 from May 24 to May 30 , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as of Saturday morning .
That ’ s nearly a 50 % increase from the week before… Across all Arizona hospitals , 34 % of ventilators were in use on [ Thursday ] , according to the Arizona Department of Health Services .
In late March , by comparison , 20 % to 23 % of ventilators were in use… The health department ’ s data show cases increasing at a faster rate than diagnostic testing .
The week ending on May 30 saw tests increase by about 14 % statewide , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
The same week saw tests increase by about 34 % in Pima County , compared to the 85 % increase in cases .
The report adds that “ Banner Health is reporting its ICUs are at full capacity in Maricopa County and rapidly approaching full capacity in Tucson.
” Over the weekend the Arizona Department of Health Services sent a letter to all state hospitals urging them to activate emergency plans , like preparing surge beds and postponing elective surgeries , so that ERs are ready for rising demand .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like in Arizona and Texas .
Overall , across the entire U.S. , the rate is waaaaaaay down off its peak and holding steady below five percent for the moment , which is great .
But in AZ , it looks like this : And like this in Texas : It ’ s up in states like Georgia and South Carolina too since late May .
There may be a “ protest effect ” in that , with the virus spreading at demonstrations and then showing up in the positivity rate as protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too recent to be driving the rise in hospitalizations , I think .
That ’ s mainly a function of reopening and/or people choosing to start ignoring lockdown orders .
( Texas began lifting restrictions at the very end of April and Arizona ’ s stay-at-home order expired in mid-May . )
There ’ s every reason to think the protests will exacerbate this ominous trend with even greater hospitalizations and deaths in a week or two , though .
Relatedly , one more data point from Nate Silver , who noticed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week on the subject of lockdowns : Silver wonders if the hypocrisy of public health experts , who turned on a dime from opposing mass gatherings to supporting them for the cause of social justice , has caught up to them by weakening overall support for social distancing , at least among non-Democrats .
If the local health department is fine with protesters flouting the rules for political reasons , why shouldn ’ t business owners and consumers get to flout them for economic reasons ?
In lieu of an exit question , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California .
The positivity rate there is flat , which is reassuring , but there are other signs of a crisis developing .
Infections apparently originating in Mexico have begun to overwhelm hospitals in the southeastern corner of the state , requiring some patients to be transferred hundreds of miles to the north , where there ’ s capacity , for treatment .
Stay tuned .

Not everywhere, obviously. The most basic fact about COVID-19 in the United States in April was how stark regional disparities can be. New York City became the global epicenter of the disease while much of the U.S. remained largely untouched; right now NYC is seeing daily deaths shrink to nearly zero while cases are ticking up elsewhere. There won’t be a *national* second wave — I hope — for the simple reason that different regions are at different stages of containment, recovery, and reopening.
But statewide or regional second waves? That’s possible.
Per WaPo, they may be underway:
Since the start of June, 14 states and Puerto Rico have recorded their highest-ever seven-day average of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to data tracked by The Washington Post: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah… Adding to the disparity in health-care support, residents in states such as Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina are living under only minor-to-moderate restrictions — even as their average daily infection rate is rising.
The problem with using case counts to try to measure a new outbreak is that they don’t take into account the effect that increased testing might have on those counts. If confirmed cases are up five percent in a given state but that state is suddenly testing 25 percent more patients than it used to, the apparent “rise” in cases may be a simple matter of better detection. It’s not that there are more infections out there, we’re just seeing more of the ones that already exist. We look to the positivity rate (the number of confirmed infections divided by the number of tests), not the raw case count, for a truer gauge of whether the disease is spreading.
That logic doesn’t apply to deaths and hospitalizations, though. There’s no “detection” problem there; if those numbers are up, it’s a strong sign that the total number of infections really has risen. CNBC notes today that hospitalizations are indeed on the rise in Texas. And the positivity rate? That’s up too.
There are currently 1,935 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the state, topping the previous hospitalization record of 1,888 patients on May 5, according to new data from the Texas Department of State Health Services… The coronavirus has infected more than 75,400 people in Texas, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The positivity rate for Covid-19 tests in Texas reached a low of 4.27% toward the end of May but has since jumped to 7.55%, according to the state’s health department.
“Texas was among the first states to relax its statewide stay-at-home order, allowing it to expire April 30 and some businesses to resume operations May 1,” the report adds. The good news, though, is that there’s still plenty of ICU capacity in Texas hospitals at the moment, with 1,600 beds available. An increase in infections is an inevitable and foreseeable consequence of reopening; the key is holding those infections down at a level where hospital services aren’t overwhelmed. Texas is managing that. For the moment.
Arizona isn’t so lucky. Cases are rising there too, enough so that some hospitals are already under strain. And as in Texas, it’s the positivity rate that’s increasing, not just the case count. There’s every reason to believe that the COVID-19 epidemic there is getting substantially worse:
New, confirmed cases in Arizona totaled 4,500 from May 24 to May 30, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, as of Saturday morning. That’s nearly a 50% increase from the week before… Across all Arizona hospitals, 34% of ventilators were in use on [Thursday], according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. In late March, by comparison, 20% to 23% of ventilators were in use… The health department’s data show cases increasing at a faster rate than diagnostic testing. The week ending on May 30 saw tests increase by about 14% statewide, compared to the 50% increase in cases. The same week saw tests increase by about 34% in Pima County, compared to the 85% increase in cases.
The report adds that “Banner Health is reporting its ICUs are at full capacity in Maricopa County and rapidly approaching full capacity in Tucson.” Over the weekend the Arizona Department of Health Services sent a letter to all state hospitals urging them to activate emergency plans, like preparing surge beds and postponing elective surgeries, so that ERs are ready for rising demand.
Here’s what the positivity rates look like in Arizona and Texas. Overall, across the entire U.S., the rate is waaaaaaay down off its peak and holding steady below five percent for the moment, which is great. But in AZ, it looks like this:
And like this in Texas:
It’s up in states like Georgia and South Carolina too since late May. There may be a “protest effect” in that, with the virus spreading at demonstrations and then showing up in the positivity rate as protesters get tested. But the protests are too recent to be driving the rise in hospitalizations, I think. That’s mainly a function of reopening and/or people choosing to start ignoring lockdown orders. (Texas began lifting restrictions at the very end of April and Arizona’s stay-at-home order expired in mid-May.)
There’s every reason to think the protests will exacerbate this ominous trend with even greater hospitalizations and deaths in a week or two, though.
Relatedly, one more data point from Nate Silver, who noticed a dramatic shift in polling in Pennsylvania last week on the subject of lockdowns:
This is a BIG shift toward reopening in a Pennsylvania poll. Independents went from 30/57 against reopening in April to 48/40 in favor of reopening now. Republicans went from 50/26 in favor to 78/8 in favor. Democrats went from 4/92 against to 9/76 against. https://t.co/gm1CUgXFSR — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 9, 2020
Also, we’ve gone from 87% (!) of Republicans having a good/great deal of trust in medical experts in April to 35% (!) now. Also a decline (88% to 66%) among independents, though smaller. Not as much decline (99% to 91%) among Democrats.https://t.co/lnExdAl9CT — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 9, 2020
Silver wonders if the hypocrisy of public health experts, who turned on a dime from opposing mass gatherings to supporting them for the cause of social justice, has caught up to them by weakening overall support for social distancing, at least among non-Democrats. If the local health department is fine with protesters flouting the rules for political reasons, why shouldn’t business owners and consumers get to flout them for economic reasons?
In lieu of an exit question, keep your eye on this trend in California. The positivity rate there is flat, which is reassuring, but there are other signs of a crisis developing. Infections apparently originating in Mexico have begun to overwhelm hospitals in the southeastern corner of the state, requiring some patients to be transferred hundreds of miles to the north, where there’s capacity, for treatment. Stay tuned.


hotair--2020-06-09--Governor Abbott : "George Floyd Act" will address police brutality in Texas

On Monday , a six-hour visitation was held for George Floyd in Houston .
More than 6800 people are reported to have paid their respects , standing in the blistering heat of the city ’ s hottest day of the year so far as they waited to go into Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center , the funeral home where the visitation took place .
Today the funeral for Floyd will be a private one at The Fountain of Praise church with about 500 people attending .
It will be live-streamed .
After the funeral service , he will be buried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mia K. Wright , the co-pastor of The Fountain of Praise church said it will be a celebration of his life .
Among those invited to speak will be civil rights leaders .
“ We celebrate a life that had its ups and downs as many lives do but also a life that was connected to God and one that all people around the world have now connected to because of the tragedy and the trauma by which he passed , ” Wright said .
“ And so we want to have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his name , ” she added .
Wright said the service will include multiple speakers — including civil rights leaders who will “ have a call to justice , a call for social reform.
” “ It is so important that we move forward from here from a place of healing and wholeness because if we expect change to happen in our community , we can ’ t come from anger and hurt and loss , ” she said .
“ We have to learn how to move as a whole unit.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a eulogy .
He also spoke during the memorial service in Minneapolis .
I can ’ t help but think he will do the same as he did there – turn the memorial into a political rally .
The service in Minneapolis brought back memories of the Wellstone memorial .
Senator Paul Wellstone died in 2002 and his memorial turned political .
It was ugly .
Sharpton didn ’ t quite go to that level during the Floyd memorial but he sure made an attempt .
He clearly wanted to take shots at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as though Floyd ’ s death wasn ’ t at the hands of local police but at the president ’ s hands .
It is a standard operating procedure for Sharpton , who has made a career as a race hustler and agitator .
I pray it doesn ’ t happen again during the Houston service .
Joe Biden met with the Floyd family during the visitation hours Monday .
He will speak at the funeral service via video .
Governor Abbott was one of the first to pay his respects yesterday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He gave the family a flag that flew over the Texas Capitol in Floyd ’ s honor .
“ Today is a sad day .
Ever since his death has been a sad day , ” Abbott said .
Abbott promises that he will work with the Floyd family and perhaps a “ George Floyd Act ” could be in the works .
He doesn ’ t want lawmakers to take it over , though , he wants the family to lead his response , along with other victims of racism and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life will be a “ living legacy ” he said .
“ George Floyd has not died in vain , ” Abbott said .
“ His life will be a living legacy about the way that America and Texas responds to this tragedy .
I ’ m here to tell you today that I am committed to working with the family of George Floyd to ensure we never have anything like this ever occur in the state of Texas.
” Abbott said that “ discussions about the pathway forward ” would not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be spearheaded by family members , victims and others “ who have suffered because of racism for far too long.
” “ Several things are already beginning to change , ” Abbott said in response to a reporter ’ s question .
“ When we get to the Texas Legislature , discussions have already begun .
Remember this : Texas has a legacy of success , whether it be the Timothy Cole Act , the Sandra Bland Act and now maybe the George Floyd Act , to make sure that we prevent police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future in Texas.
” Governor Abbott points to inadequate law enforcement training as a challenge mentioned by lawmakers .
Also , police unions block reform efforts to bring more transparency to interactions with the public .
In 2019 , some lawmakers wanted to include limiting arrests for offenses that don ’ t warrant jail time in legislation but the proposal died , allegedly due to opposition from one of the state ’ s top police unions .
The Texas Democrat Party criticized Abbott ’ s remarks .
Going off on a tangent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make real reform , he ’ ll repeal Senate Bill 4 which was passed in 2017 and allows police to question the immigration status of people they detain or arrest .
It is often referred to as the “ Show Me Your Papers ” bill .
Democrats doing what Democrats do – never let a crisis go to waste .
Dragging law enforcement measures to handle illegal immigration problems in the state is a separate issue yet Democrats are taking advantage of the spotlight now .

On Monday, a six-hour visitation was held for George Floyd in Houston. More than 6800 people are reported to have paid their respects, standing in the blistering heat of the city’s hottest day of the year so far as they waited to go into Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center, the funeral home where the visitation took place.
Today the funeral for Floyd will be a private one at The Fountain of Praise church with about 500 people attending. It will be live-streamed. After the funeral service, he will be buried next to his mother in Pearland. Mia K. Wright, the co-pastor of The Fountain of Praise church said it will be a celebration of his life. Among those invited to speak will be civil rights leaders.
“We celebrate a life that had its ups and downs as many lives do but also a life that was connected to God and one that all people around the world have now connected to because of the tragedy and the trauma by which he passed,” Wright said. “And so we want to have a home-going celebration, we want to remember his name,” she added.
Wright said the service will include multiple speakers — including civil rights leaders who will “have a call to justice, a call for social reform.” “It is so important that we move forward from here from a place of healing and wholeness because if we expect change to happen in our community, we can’t come from anger and hurt and loss,” she said. “We have to learn how to move as a whole unit.”
Al Sharpton is said to be delivering a eulogy. He also spoke during the memorial service in Minneapolis. I can’t help but think he will do the same as he did there – turn the memorial into a political rally. The service in Minneapolis brought back memories of the Wellstone memorial. Senator Paul Wellstone died in 2002 and his memorial turned political. It was ugly. Sharpton didn’t quite go to that level during the Floyd memorial but he sure made an attempt. He clearly wanted to take shots at President Trump, without saying his name, as though Floyd’s death wasn’t at the hands of local police but at the president’s hands. It is a standard operating procedure for Sharpton, who has made a career as a race hustler and agitator. I pray it doesn’t happen again during the Houston service.
Joe Biden met with the Floyd family during the visitation hours Monday. He will speak at the funeral service via video.
Governor Abbott was one of the first to pay his respects yesterday and he met with the Floyd family. He gave the family a flag that flew over the Texas Capitol in Floyd’s honor. “Today is a sad day. Ever since his death has been a sad day,” Abbott said.
Abbott promises that he will work with the Floyd family and perhaps a “George Floyd Act” could be in the works. He doesn’t want lawmakers to take it over, though, he wants the family to lead his response, along with other victims of racism and police brutality. George Floyd’s life will be a “living legacy” he said.
“George Floyd has not died in vain,” Abbott said. “His life will be a living legacy about the way that America and Texas responds to this tragedy. I’m here to tell you today that I am committed to working with the family of George Floyd to ensure we never have anything like this ever occur in the state of Texas.” Abbott said that “discussions about the pathway forward” would not be taken over by lawmakers, but would be spearheaded by family members, victims and others “who have suffered because of racism for far too long.” “Several things are already beginning to change,” Abbott said in response to a reporter’s question. “When we get to the Texas Legislature, discussions have already begun. Remember this: Texas has a legacy of success, whether it be the Timothy Cole Act, the Sandra Bland Act and now maybe the George Floyd Act, to make sure that we prevent police brutality like this from happening in the future in Texas.”
Governor Abbott points to inadequate law enforcement training as a challenge mentioned by lawmakers. Also, police unions block reform efforts to bring more transparency to interactions with the public. In 2019, some lawmakers wanted to include limiting arrests for offenses that don’t warrant jail time in legislation but the proposal died, allegedly due to opposition from one of the state’s top police unions.
The Texas Democrat Party criticized Abbott’s remarks. Going off on a tangent, a spokesperson said if the governor wants to make real reform, he’ll repeal Senate Bill 4 which was passed in 2017 and allows police to question the immigration status of people they detain or arrest. It is often referred to as the “Show Me Your Papers” bill. Democrats doing what Democrats do – never let a crisis go to waste. Dragging law enforcement measures to handle illegal immigration problems in the state is a separate issue yet Democrats are taking advantage of the spotlight now.


hotair--2020-06-09--Georgia "protesters" track down police to their homes, firebomb vehicles

Yesterday we looked at the story of how the Blue Lives Matter website was probably going to be shut down because the idea of supporting the police and reporting on incidents of violence toward them was so “ offensive ” to certain people .
Well , less than 24 hours later , the site is gone .
Any links going to particular articles on the site redirect to a statement explaining why the site is “ stepping back ” to retool their operation , but they plan to return on a different platform in the near future .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covering a lot of stories that don ’ t get much oxygen in the mainstream press .
Fortunately , I was able to cache one of those before they went dark .
It ’ s a rather horrifying story that took place in Gwinnett County , Georgia .
Three people , two of whom had previously been arrested and released at George Floyd protests , tracked down the identities and addresses of two police officers who were working at the protest sites .
They then traveled to the officers ’ homes and damaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Molotov cocktails at them .
Thankfully , witness testimony and surveillance footage allowed the police to locate and arrest all three suspects .
Three people tracked two Georgia law enforcement officers to their homes and set their patrol vehicles on fire using Molotov cocktails on Thursday night .
The first incident occurred outside a home in Duluth sometime after 10 p.m. , WSB reported .
Police received a 911 call that a Gwinnett County Police Department car was on fire at that location , but it had successfully been extinguished by the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spotted three black males running away from the scene , WXIA reported .
Shortly after the attack in Duluth , another patrol car parked at an officer ’ s house in Lawrenceville similarly had a Molotov thrown at it , but that time the criminals missed their mark and didn ’ t end up doing too much damage to the vehicle .
The initial report of “ three black males ” running away from the scene turned out to be incorrect .
It was actually two males and a female .
Alvin Joseph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Ebuka Chike-Morah , 21 , were all subsequently located and arrested on a variety of charges .
Felony charges of attempting to destroy a government vehicle using a firebomb are pending .
That ’ s one of the more frightening aspects of this current trend of rioting and going directly after police officers as opposed to criminals who simply come into contact with the police after committing other crimes .
People who put on the badge and accept the job of protecting and serving the public know that they face potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door to go on duty .
But they don ’ t traditionally expect criminal violence to follow them home , endangering their families and property when they ’ re not on the beat .
The sad reality is that there are too many of these stories taking place around the country to easily keep up with all of them .
That ’ s why a site like Blue Lives Matter is such an asset for those of us interested in and following up on news involving the law enforcement community .
Hopefully , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and get back online in the near future .

Yesterday we looked at the story of how the Blue Lives Matter website was probably going to be shut down because the idea of supporting the police and reporting on incidents of violence toward them was so “offensive” to certain people. Well, less than 24 hours later, the site is gone. Any links going to particular articles on the site redirect to a statement explaining why the site is “stepping back” to retool their operation, but they plan to return on a different platform in the near future.
That’s a shame, because they were covering a lot of stories that don’t get much oxygen in the mainstream press. Fortunately, I was able to cache one of those before they went dark. It’s a rather horrifying story that took place in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Three people, two of whom had previously been arrested and released at George Floyd protests, tracked down the identities and addresses of two police officers who were working at the protest sites. They then traveled to the officers’ homes and damaged or destroyed their squad cars by throwing Molotov cocktails at them. Thankfully, witness testimony and surveillance footage allowed the police to locate and arrest all three suspects.
Three people tracked two Georgia law enforcement officers to their homes and set their patrol vehicles on fire using Molotov cocktails on Thursday night. The first incident occurred outside a home in Duluth sometime after 10 p.m., WSB reported. Police received a 911 call that a Gwinnett County Police Department car was on fire at that location, but it had successfully been extinguished by the time officers arrived. Witnesses told police they spotted three black males running away from the scene, WXIA reported.
Shortly after the attack in Duluth, another patrol car parked at an officer’s house in Lawrenceville similarly had a Molotov thrown at it, but that time the criminals missed their mark and didn’t end up doing too much damage to the vehicle.
The initial report of “three black males” running away from the scene turned out to be incorrect. It was actually two males and a female. Alvin Joseph, 21, Lakaila Mack, 20, and Ebuka Chike-Morah, 21, were all subsequently located and arrested on a variety of charges. Felony charges of attempting to destroy a government vehicle using a firebomb are pending.
That’s one of the more frightening aspects of this current trend of rioting and going directly after police officers as opposed to criminals who simply come into contact with the police after committing other crimes. People who put on the badge and accept the job of protecting and serving the public know that they face potential danger every time they step out the door to go on duty. But they don’t traditionally expect criminal violence to follow them home, endangering their families and property when they’re not on the beat.
The sad reality is that there are too many of these stories taking place around the country to easily keep up with all of them. That’s why a site like Blue Lives Matter is such an asset for those of us interested in and following up on news involving the law enforcement community. Hopefully, they can work out their “issues” and get back online in the near future.


hotair--2020-06-09--Here are the people who want to ban the National Anthem at sporting events

Never let a good crisis go to waste , eh ?
Now that everyone is fixated on issues of potential racial bias in police departments , some of the usual suspects are looking to hitch their wagon to this moment and once again bring up the issue of protesting during the playing of the National Anthem at football and baseball games , along with pretty much any other sporting events .
Yesterday , we learned that Roger Goodell has already “ taken a knee ” on the subject , and NASCAR is edging in that direction by discouraging the flying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why settle for simply kneeling or otherwise protesting during the playing of the Anthem when you can go further ?
Perhaps some of these same people would be interested in banning the playing of the Anthem at these events entirely .
That ’ s the stance being taken in an editorial by Barry Werner at a football news outlet called Touchdown Wire .
Just do away with the song entirely .
The NFL should eliminate playing the national anthem before games .
A major theme in the movement for change in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NFL to remain in step , it is time to end what has become a divisive tradition .
The playing of “ The Star-Spangled Banner ” before athletic events has been a long-standing tradition .
It somewhat started on Sept. 5 , 1918 , during Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs in Chicago .
Since America entered World War I 18 months earlier , more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers had died .
A day before the game , a bomb had exploded in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens more .
After offering a history of the supposed “ controversial ” nature of the Anthem , Werner goes on to list some of the athletes who continue to insist on protesting during the display of the flag and the playing of the Anthem .
And it ’ s not just Colin Kaepernick .
Adrian Peterson has jumped on the bandwagon , along with other athletes , not just in football , but other sports as well .
So we can probably expect that same disrespectful fighting to break out as our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutdown .
Werner concludes his diatribe by insisting that , hey… nobody is trying to disrespect the flag , the country or any particular people .
It ’ s just that the times are changing .
You can insert a reference to Sherman T. Potter exclaiming “ horse hockey ” here if you wish .
For starters , I don ’ t think that Werner is going to find much support for his proposal , even among the athletes who are doing all of this protesting .
Eliminating the playing of the Anthem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpatriotic , would undercut their entire “ movement.
” They don ’ t want the Anthem to be eliminated because they want to use it as their platform to protest .
If the song isn ’ t played , they have no platform for their performance .
If anything , you ’ d be solving the NFL ’ s image problem for them because the issue would simply go away .
With that said , it ’ s hard to believe that we ’ re dredging up this idiotic fight yet again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finally been settled last fall .
But here we are , stuck in the same trenches .
And it wouldn ’ t be so frustrating to me if the entire premise of Kaepernick ’ s protest wasn ’ t so misguided and aimed at the wrong target to begin with .
Kaepernick ’ s original complaint was that minority citizens are physically abused and sometimes killed by police officers using excessive force .
While the percentage of arrests where something like that happens out of the total number of police encounters in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered a rounding error , it ’ s obviously true that such things can and do happen on occasion .
And it ’ s equally obvious that we ’ ve seen instances where such rogue cops are not convicted .
These are things that need to change .
But the nation ’ s flag isn ’ t some symbol specifically tied to the police or even the military .
The National Anthem isn ’ t a song glorifying law enforcement .
Displaying the flag and playing that music at public events honors the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our nation .
If you want to protest the actions of specific police officers , go take a knee outside a police station .
I ’ m sure CNN and MSNBC would love to send along camera crews to cover your demonstration .
But when you take your anger out on the flag and the National Anthem , up to the point of calling for the elimination of the song , you aren ’ t disrespecting the police .
You ’ re bashing all of America .
If that ’ s your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a right to free speech just like anyone else .
But don ’ t expect the rest of us to go along with it .

Never let a good crisis go to waste, eh? Now that everyone is fixated on issues of potential racial bias in police departments, some of the usual suspects are looking to hitch their wagon to this moment and once again bring up the issue of protesting during the playing of the National Anthem at football and baseball games, along with pretty much any other sporting events. Yesterday, we learned that Roger Goodell has already “taken a knee” on the subject, and NASCAR is edging in that direction by discouraging the flying of Confederate flags at races.
But why settle for simply kneeling or otherwise protesting during the playing of the Anthem when you can go further? Perhaps some of these same people would be interested in banning the playing of the Anthem at these events entirely. That’s the stance being taken in an editorial by Barry Werner at a football news outlet called Touchdown Wire. Just do away with the song entirely.
The NFL should eliminate playing the national anthem before games. A major theme in the movement for change in the United States is unity. In order for the NFL to remain in step, it is time to end what has become a divisive tradition. The playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before athletic events has been a long-standing tradition. It somewhat started on Sept. 5, 1918, during Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs in Chicago. Since America entered World War I 18 months earlier, more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers had died. A day before the game, a bomb had exploded in Chicago, killing four people and injuring dozens more.
After offering a history of the supposed “controversial” nature of the Anthem, Werner goes on to list some of the athletes who continue to insist on protesting during the display of the flag and the playing of the Anthem. And it’s not just Colin Kaepernick. Adrian Peterson has jumped on the bandwagon, along with other athletes, not just in football, but other sports as well. So we can probably expect that same disrespectful fighting to break out as our professional sports leagues slowly emerge from the shutdown.
Werner concludes his diatribe by insisting that, hey… nobody is trying to disrespect the flag, the country or any particular people. It’s just that the times are changing.
The idea of discontinuing the anthem isn’t about disrespecting the United States of America, the American flag, or any American citizens. It is simply recognizing that times change, and observances need to change with them.
You can insert a reference to Sherman T. Potter exclaiming “horse hockey” here if you wish.
For starters, I don’t think that Werner is going to find much support for his proposal, even among the athletes who are doing all of this protesting. Eliminating the playing of the Anthem at sporting events, while sad and unpatriotic, would undercut their entire “movement.” They don’t want the Anthem to be eliminated because they want to use it as their platform to protest. If the song isn’t played, they have no platform for their performance. If anything, you’d be solving the NFL’s image problem for them because the issue would simply go away.
With that said, it’s hard to believe that we’re dredging up this idiotic fight yet again, particularly after the matter seemed to have finally been settled last fall. But here we are, stuck in the same trenches. And it wouldn’t be so frustrating to me if the entire premise of Kaepernick’s protest wasn’t so misguided and aimed at the wrong target to begin with.
Kaepernick’s original complaint was that minority citizens are physically abused and sometimes killed by police officers using excessive force. While the percentage of arrests where something like that happens out of the total number of police encounters in the country is too small to even be considered a rounding error, it’s obviously true that such things can and do happen on occasion. And it’s equally obvious that we’ve seen instances where such rogue cops are not convicted. These are things that need to change.
But the nation’s flag isn’t some symbol specifically tied to the police or even the military. The National Anthem isn’t a song glorifying law enforcement. Displaying the flag and playing that music at public events honors the entire depth, breadth, and history of our nation. If you want to protest the actions of specific police officers, go take a knee outside a police station. I’m sure CNN and MSNBC would love to send along camera crews to cover your demonstration.
But when you take your anger out on the flag and the National Anthem, up to the point of calling for the elimination of the song, you aren’t disrespecting the police. You’re bashing all of America. If that’s your intent, so be it. You have a right to free speech just like anyone else. But don’t expect the rest of us to go along with it.


hotair--2020-06-09--County Judge to RNC: No convention in Dallas despite governor's invitation

It isn ’ t even clear if Dallas is on the RNC ’ s shortlist of convention sites now that North Carolina has lost it but Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wants to make his opinion known – he ’ s a firm no on the city hosting it .
Jenkins cites his concern for the potential of a large gathering spreading the coronavirus .
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson , also a Democrat , has not extended an invitation to the RNC to host the convention in that city , though the city bid on hosting the 2016 convention .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ says he ’ s a hard no : “ I haven ’ t had any conversations with anyone planning the convention , ” he said in response to a question from The Dallas Morning News .
“ What I hope they will do is look at the guidelines .
Anyone can go to DallasCountyCovid.org , and you can look at what our local doctors are saying .
What they ’ re saying is that we ’ re now at a red color.
” The four-day convention is scheduled to start Aug. 24 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ health danger under Dallas County ’ s system , calls for a “ stay home , stay safe ” response .
Among the recommendations : “ Eliminate non-essential travel and group settings .
For essential travel , practice strict physical distancing , wear facial coverings .
… Avoid all group settings or crowded areas at hotels or other facilities .
Do not eat in shared dining areas .
Avoid travel if over 65 or in a high-risk group.
” A convention that big is unwise , Jenkins said , “ even if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which , frankly , given the spike and deaths and things we ’ re seeing , is unlikely to happen by the time of the convention , unfortunately.
” The more I read about Jenkins the more I think he is very much like Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo .
His authoritarian approach to shutting down Dallas County has brought criticism from other Democrats , as well as Republicans in elected office .
Like Hidalgo , Jenkins continues to go beyond the orders put into place by Governor Abbott to restrict the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general public .
I give Jenkins this – he is consistent .
He doesn ’ t approve of large outdoor gatherings , either , though I didn ’ t see any public objections to the massive protests in Dallas , a regular event since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police .
If he has called for protests to not go forward or tried to break them up , I ’ ve missed it .
He now tells the public to go get tested if they attended any of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear a mask and try to social distance , even outdoors .
Remember , a County Judge in Texas isn ’ t necessarily a real judge .
There is no requirement for a County Judge to have a law degree or even a law school education .
The County Judge is that county ’ s CEO .
In the case of Jenkins , he ran afoul of county commissioners by issuing executive orders without seeking approval from the commissioners first .
They moved to restrict his emergency powers in April , voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before extending mandatory stay-at-home policies any further , and voted to require him to remove a mandatory penalty of $ 1,000 for not wearing a face mask in public .
As I mentioned , he sounds very much like Harris County Judge Hidalgo , also a Democrat with a strong authoritarian streak .
Governor Abbott says that Texas is open for business and he , along with the Republican Party of Texas , would like to see the RNC bring the convention to Texas .
He has spoken with Trump about it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ – the RNC is not welcome at this time .
A congresswoman cites the pandemic , along with outstanding debts from the Trump campaign for event security .
“ A large gathering during a public health pandemic is not what our community needs right now , ” said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson , a Dallas Democrat and nurse whose congressional district includes the American Airlines Center — the venue at the heart of the 2016 bid — and the city-run convention center next to City Hall , where President Ronald Reagan was nominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In April , the Center for Public Integrity issued a report tallying $ 1.82 million that the Trump campaign still owes to 14 cities for security at campaign events , including $ 569,000 in unpaid bills from a February 2019 rally in El Paso .
“ I do not want to see our city be among those not reimbursed in a timely and thorough manner , ” the congresswoman said .
One Dallas city councilman has another approach to hosting the convention .
He says he ’ ll be happy for the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he ’ ll welcome the president with protests .
I ’ m assuming social distancing and face masks will be required for that protest , right ?
The RNC originally listed Dallas along with Orlando and Jacksonville , Fla. ; Phoenix ; and Nashville , Tenn. as potential locations for the 2020 convention .
The convention committee toured Nashville last week though the city leaders stressed that they can not offer any funds towards hosting the event .
If I had to guess , I ’ d say Florida will get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditional event .
That state has led the way in a common-sense approach to mitigating the coronavirus and has been as business-friendly as the circumstances have allowed .
Plus , it would certainly be good for the Trump campaign to bring a large , multi day-long event to such an important state on the electoral map .

It isn’t even clear if Dallas is on the RNC’s shortlist of convention sites now that North Carolina has lost it but Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wants to make his opinion known – he’s a firm no on the city hosting it. Jenkins cites his concern for the potential of a large gathering spreading the coronavirus.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, also a Democrat, has not extended an invitation to the RNC to host the convention in that city, though the city bid on hosting the 2016 convention. But even if he did, Jenkins says he’s a hard no:
“I haven’t had any conversations with anyone planning the convention,” he said in response to a question from The Dallas Morning News. “What I hope they will do is look at the guidelines. Anyone can go to DallasCountyCovid.org, and you can look at what our local doctors are saying. What they’re saying is that we’re now at a red color.” The four-day convention is scheduled to start Aug. 24. Red, the highest level of public health danger under Dallas County’s system, calls for a “stay home, stay safe” response. Among the recommendations: “Eliminate non-essential travel and group settings. For essential travel, practice strict physical distancing, wear facial coverings. … Avoid all group settings or crowded areas at hotels or other facilities. Do not eat in shared dining areas. Avoid travel if over 65 or in a high-risk group.” A convention that big is unwise, Jenkins said, “even if we get to an orange or yellow color, which, frankly, given the spike and deaths and things we’re seeing, is unlikely to happen by the time of the convention, unfortunately.”
The more I read about Jenkins the more I think he is very much like Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. His authoritarian approach to shutting down Dallas County has brought criticism from other Democrats, as well as Republicans in elected office. Like Hidalgo, Jenkins continues to go beyond the orders put into place by Governor Abbott to restrict the pursuit of livelihoods and interactions between the general public.
I give Jenkins this – he is consistent. He doesn’t approve of large outdoor gatherings, either, though I didn’t see any public objections to the massive protests in Dallas, a regular event since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. If he has called for protests to not go forward or tried to break them up, I’ve missed it. He now tells the public to go get tested if they attended any of the marches. And, he tells everyone to wear a mask and try to social distance, even outdoors.
Remember, a County Judge in Texas isn’t necessarily a real judge. There is no requirement for a County Judge to have a law degree or even a law school education. The County Judge is that county’s CEO. In the case of Jenkins, he ran afoul of county commissioners by issuing executive orders without seeking approval from the commissioners first. They moved to restrict his emergency powers in April, voted to require Jenkins to seek their approval before extending mandatory stay-at-home policies any further, and voted to require him to remove a mandatory penalty of $1,000 for not wearing a face mask in public. As I mentioned, he sounds very much like Harris County Judge Hidalgo, also a Democrat with a strong authoritarian streak.
Governor Abbott says that Texas is open for business and he, along with the Republican Party of Texas, would like to see the RNC bring the convention to Texas. He has spoken with Trump about it.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, told Tyler TV station KETK on Thursday that he would welcome the convention to Texas. “I talked to the president about it last Friday,” he said. “They obviously want to come to a state that is open and Texas is as open as any state in America, so Texas obviously provides a great opportunity for a convention like that.”
Other Democrats are going on the record – the RNC is not welcome at this time. A congresswoman cites the pandemic, along with outstanding debts from the Trump campaign for event security.
“A large gathering during a public health pandemic is not what our community needs right now,” said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Dallas Democrat and nurse whose congressional district includes the American Airlines Center — the venue at the heart of the 2016 bid — and the city-run convention center next to City Hall, where President Ronald Reagan was nominated for a second term in 1984. In April, the Center for Public Integrity issued a report tallying $1.82 million that the Trump campaign still owes to 14 cities for security at campaign events, including $569,000 in unpaid bills from a February 2019 rally in El Paso. “I do not want to see our city be among those not reimbursed in a timely and thorough manner,” the congresswoman said.
One Dallas city councilman has another approach to hosting the convention. He says he’ll be happy for the city to take the RNC’s money and he’ll welcome the president with protests.
Councilman Adam Bazaldua, who represents South Dallas and part of East Dallas, said he would “gladly take the money” because of the city’s sales tax revenue shortfall — and would welcome Trump with protests. “If there’s another chance to protest to the bunch of voices who need to hear it, need to wake up, for that reason alone, I’m not going to stand in the way,” he said.
I’m assuming social distancing and face masks will be required for that protest, right?
The RNC originally listed Dallas along with Orlando and Jacksonville, Fla.; Phoenix; and Nashville, Tenn. as potential locations for the 2020 convention. The convention committee toured Nashville last week though the city leaders stressed that they can not offer any funds towards hosting the event. If I had to guess, I’d say Florida will get the convention if it goes forward as a traditional event. That state has led the way in a common-sense approach to mitigating the coronavirus and has been as business-friendly as the circumstances have allowed. Plus, it would certainly be good for the Trump campaign to bring a large, multi day-long event to such an important state on the electoral map.


hotair--2020-06-10--The conventional mullet: RNC business up front in NC, party back in FL?

Someone at the RNC must have read their contracts for the upcoming convention .
Donald Trump demanded a move from Charlotte , North Carolina , after Gov .
Roy Cooper declared that the GOP couldn ’ t hold a “ full ” convention in light of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Unfortunately , Republicans have contractual obligations to hold some of its functions in Charlotte , as it turns out , so they remain on the hook … for those .
Rather than devise a socially distant convention , however , the RNC will opt for a conventional “ mullet ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the back .
The back will likely be Jacksonsville , Florida , the Washington Post reports this morning : Seeking a city willing to allow a large-scale event amid the coronavirus pandemic , Republicans have tentatively settled on Jacksonville , Fla. , as the new destination for the premier festivities of the Republican National Convention in August , according to three Republican officials briefed on the plans .
The details of the arrangement are still in flux and RNC aides are scrambling to determine whether the northern Florida city has enough hotel rooms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typically kicks off the final stretch of the presidential campaign .
… The convention ’ s more routine and lower-profile meetings still would take place in Charlotte , the original host site for the convention , according to two officials .
Those smaller meetings are intended to honor the RNC ’ s contractual obligation to hold its convention in North Carolina and shield the party from lawsuits for moving the large events elsewhere .
On what basis would lawsuits work ?
The parameters for the agreement were changed unilaterally by North Carolina , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understandable reasons .
However , the state ’ s failure to enforce those social-distancing policies in an even-handed manner by allowing protesters to ignore them also would undermine their legal case .
They ’ re lucky to get any piece of the convention at this point .
That RNC concession looks more like a logistical rather than a legal choice .
They have already shelled out money for those facilities , and party officials had already made plans to travel there and use them .
It makes sense to conduct the business end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while looking elsewhere for a platform for the rallies — which is where the real money would have been made in North Carolina .
If Florida wants to cooperate , they ’ re just as important as a potential swing state as North Carolina , although the GOP can ’ t afford to lose either one .
Voters in NC won ’ t be too pleased with Cooper over the lost business , though , so that might be the equivalent of the RNC eating its cake and having it too .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new model for the anachronisms that political conventions have become .
They have to find new ways to remain relevant , and as Andrew Malcolm argued yesterday , expect the unconventional from now on : Such impacts are big deals for American politics and our nation ’ s 59th quadrennial presidential selection .
These next few weeks will likely reveal the most drastic lasting or temporary changes ever in how we officially select White House contenders in this unpredictable election year when a majority of Americans tell pollsters they ’ ll definitely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a majority also believe he ’ ll be reelected .
As someone who ’ s observed these strange events for decades as a student , a politics junkie , a reporter and an actual participant both behind-the-scenes and out-front as a delegate , I would argue that redesigning a convention tradition cloaked in 19th century cobwebs is not necessarily a bad thing .
… True , since then these political gatherings have become four speech-filled nights ( and afternoons ) of carefully-scripted political theater ( think Sarah Palin ’ s 2008 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair in 2012 ) and image-making ( those faux Greek columns to give newcomer Barack Obama cosmetic gravitas for his 2008 acceptance speech ) .
But there ’ s more to these Leap Year assemblies than show biz .
For some 50,000 delegates , alternates , family and party faithful in town , the conventions have been a historic opportunity to participate in democracy ’ s intricate workings .
Heading into the long autumn campaign slog , in effect , they are a pep rally for them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV and now online .
With all that history , what ’ s a mullet or two between friends ?

Someone at the RNC must have read their contracts for the upcoming convention. Donald Trump demanded a move from Charlotte, North Carolina, after Gov. Roy Cooper declared that the GOP couldn’t hold a “full” convention in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, Republicans have contractual obligations to hold some of its functions in Charlotte, as it turns out, so they remain on the hook … for those.
Rather than devise a socially distant convention, however, the RNC will opt for a conventional “mullet” — business up front and party in the back. The back will likely be Jacksonsville, Florida, the Washington Post reports this morning:
Seeking a city willing to allow a large-scale event amid the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans have tentatively settled on Jacksonville, Fla., as the new destination for the premier festivities of the Republican National Convention in August, according to three Republican officials briefed on the plans. The details of the arrangement are still in flux and RNC aides are scrambling to determine whether the northern Florida city has enough hotel rooms to accommodate the quadrennial event, which typically kicks off the final stretch of the presidential campaign. … The convention’s more routine and lower-profile meetings still would take place in Charlotte, the original host site for the convention, according to two officials. Those smaller meetings are intended to honor the RNC’s contractual obligation to hold its convention in North Carolina and shield the party from lawsuits for moving the large events elsewhere.
On what basis would lawsuits work? The parameters for the agreement were changed unilaterally by North Carolina, not the RNC, even if for understandable reasons. However, the state’s failure to enforce those social-distancing policies in an even-handed manner by allowing protesters to ignore them also would undermine their legal case. They’re lucky to get any piece of the convention at this point.
That RNC concession looks more like a logistical rather than a legal choice. They have already shelled out money for those facilities, and party officials had already made plans to travel there and use them. It makes sense to conduct the business end of the convention at the already-leased space while looking elsewhere for a platform for the rallies — which is where the real money would have been made in North Carolina. If Florida wants to cooperate, they’re just as important as a potential swing state as North Carolina, although the GOP can’t afford to lose either one. Voters in NC won’t be too pleased with Cooper over the lost business, though, so that might be the equivalent of the RNC eating its cake and having it too.
If this works, expect this to become a new model for the anachronisms that political conventions have become. They have to find new ways to remain relevant, and as Andrew Malcolm argued yesterday, expect the unconventional from now on:
Such impacts are big deals for American politics and our nation’s 59th quadrennial presidential selection. These next few weeks will likely reveal the most drastic lasting or temporary changes ever in how we officially select White House contenders in this unpredictable election year when a majority of Americans tell pollsters they’ll definitely not vote for a second Trump term, and a majority also believe he’ll be reelected. As someone who’s observed these strange events for decades as a student, a politics junkie, a reporter and an actual participant both behind-the-scenes and out-front as a delegate, I would argue that redesigning a convention tradition cloaked in 19th century cobwebs is not necessarily a bad thing. … True, since then these political gatherings have become four speech-filled nights (and afternoons) of carefully-scripted political theater (think Sarah Palin’s 2008 acceptance speech), attempted entertainment (Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair in 2012) and image-making (those faux Greek columns to give newcomer Barack Obama cosmetic gravitas for his 2008 acceptance speech). But there’s more to these Leap Year assemblies than show biz. For some 50,000 delegates, alternates, family and party faithful in town, the conventions have been a historic opportunity to participate in democracy’s intricate workings. Heading into the long autumn campaign slog, in effect, they are a pep rally for them and for millions of others watching on TV and now online.
With all that history, what’s a mullet or two between friends?


hotair--2020-06-10--New social distancing advice from NYC health department: If you're going to have sex, consider doing

New social distancing advice from NYC health department: If you're going to have sex, consider doing it through a wall

Via Josh Barro , I don ’ t have a take on this per se .
I just wanted to write a headline about having sex through a wall .
Let me assure you , having grown up in New York , that most apartments there don ’ t come equipped with strategically positioned holes .
Some of the run-down ones might have them , but that ’ s from rats gnawing through the drywall .
You wouldn ’ t want to stick anything in those holes .
We give de Blasio a hard time for being a terrible failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at preventing riots and , really , just being a terrible failure generally .
But what if it ’ s because he ’ s been distracted , thinking up novel ways for New Yorkers to get it on without infecting each other with a deadly plague ?
What if this is his legacy ?
They could have stopped at “ sexual positions.
” No one ’ s such a stickler about social distancing that they ’ re going to insist on , say , standing on either side of a doorway with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them and trying to complete the deed that way .
Although , logistically , that would be impressive .
And it ’ s somewhat more dignified than the obvious alternative , which is to get a six-foot-long sheet of cardboard , cut a hole , and try to make that work .
In all seriousness ( well , semi-seriousness ) , I take it that the city ’ s advice is geared mainly at gentlemen who frequent certain public restrooms where the thin stall partitions might facilitate such activity more easily than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average thickness of a dwelling ’ s inner wall is 4.5 inches ; a certain number of additional inches in length would logically be required in order to maintain , uh , congress throughout the act while it ’ s performed .
Not a problem for me , I hasten to add , but for the average dude ?
Gon na be a stretch .
You ’ re better off climbing into an empty refrigerator box and trying to make that work .
Here ’ s another bit from the NYC guidelines in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as all New Yorkers routinely do : Group sex — with a consistent partner ?
Seems unlikely .
And you ’ re going to need to sanitize more than those hands afterwards , my man .
The health department also recommends masks during sex , which brings me to the part where I try to redeem this idiotic post .
There ’ s a new study out today from the UK modeling how much widespread mask-wearing ( in everyday life , not during sex ) might help to hold down the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The R value measures the average number of people that one infected person will pass the disease on to .
An R value above 1 can lead to exponential growth .
The study found that if people wear masks whenever they are in public it is twice as effective at reducing the R value than if masks are only worn after symptoms appear .
In all scenarios the study looked at , routine face mask use by 50 % or more of the population reduced COVID-19 spread to an R of less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and allowing for less stringent lockdowns .
The sooner we all start wearing masks , the sooner we can all go back to having sex without advice from Bill de Blasio on how to make your own glory hole .
Exit question : Wasn ’ t this idiot cheering on the massively massive protests against police brutality just a week ago ?

Via Josh Barro, I don’t have a take on this per se. I just wanted to write a headline about having sex through a wall.
Let me assure you, having grown up in New York, that most apartments there don’t come equipped with strategically positioned holes. Some of the run-down ones might have them, but that’s from rats gnawing through the drywall.
You wouldn’t want to stick anything in those holes.
We give de Blasio a hard time for being a terrible failure at containing COVID-19 and a terrible failure at preventing riots and, really, just being a terrible failure generally. But what if it’s because he’s been distracted, thinking up novel ways for New Yorkers to get it on without infecting each other with a deadly plague?
What if this is his legacy?
They could have stopped at “sexual positions.” No one’s such a stickler about social distancing that they’re going to insist on, say, standing on either side of a doorway with their partner with the door mostly closed between them and trying to complete the deed that way.
Although, logistically, that would be impressive. And it’s somewhat more dignified than the obvious alternative, which is to get a six-foot-long sheet of cardboard, cut a hole, and try to make that work.
In all seriousness (well, semi-seriousness), I take it that the city’s advice is geared mainly at gentlemen who frequent certain public restrooms where the thin stall partitions might facilitate such activity more easily than a g-ddamned wall would. Consider that the average thickness of a dwelling’s inner wall is 4.5 inches; a certain number of additional inches in length would logically be required in order to maintain, uh, congress throughout the act while it’s performed. Not a problem for me, I hasten to add, but for the average dude? Gonna be a stretch. You’re better off climbing into an empty refrigerator box and trying to make that work.
Here’s another bit from the NYC guidelines in case you’re planning an orgy, as all New Yorkers routinely do:
Group sex — with a consistent partner? Seems unlikely. And you’re going to need to sanitize more than those hands afterwards, my man.
The health department also recommends masks during sex, which brings me to the part where I try to redeem this idiotic post. There’s a new study out today from the UK modeling how much widespread mask-wearing (in everyday life, not during sex) might help to hold down the spread of COVID-19. Answer: A lot.
The R value measures the average number of people that one infected person will pass the disease on to. An R value above 1 can lead to exponential growth. The study found that if people wear masks whenever they are in public it is twice as effective at reducing the R value than if masks are only worn after symptoms appear. In all scenarios the study looked at, routine face mask use by 50% or more of the population reduced COVID-19 spread to an R of less than 1.0, flattening future disease waves and allowing for less stringent lockdowns.
The sooner we all start wearing masks, the sooner we can all go back to having sex without advice from Bill de Blasio on how to make your own glory hole.
Exit question: Wasn’t this idiot cheering on the massively massive protests against police brutality just a week ago?