dailykos--2020-08-26--News from Kentucky:  Hit Piece on Breonna Taylor, and Rand Paul Wants Less Mail For Rednecks.

The Louisville Courier-Journal has a leaked police report on the details about why the Louisville Metro Police Department ( LMPD ) decided to perform a “ no-knock warrant ” on her home .
And as you can imagine , it is a hit piece on Breonna Taylor .
It details links she had to a drug dealer LMPD was pursuing .
Editor ’ s note : The Courier Journal has exhaustively covered all aspects of the fatal March 13 shooting of Breonna Taylor at the hands of Louisville Metro Police Department officers .
As the investigation of their conduct continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence we obtained that helps explain why LMPD pursued the no-knock search warrant and why they were there that night .
It does not justify the shooting but provides more insight into this highly controversial case that has captured the nation ’ s interest .
An earlier version of this story published prematurely Tuesday morning before final edits were made .
We apologize for that misstep .
An internal report written by Louisville Metro Police after officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor on March 13 sheds more light on the reasons why they chose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the night she was killed .
However , it provides no explanations or evidence aimed at justifying the shooting that has sparked three months of protests in Louisville and national outrage , with critics accusing police of smashing into the home of an unarmed Black woman for no legitimate reason and killing her .
The 39-page report and corroborating evidence show that Taylor had more extensive ties than previously made public with an accused drug trafficker who was at the center of a larger narcotics investigation in Louisville .
It is not known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presented to the judge who signed the controversial `` no-knock '' warrant for Taylor 's apartment .
The findings of the report , supported by jail phone recordings and other documents obtained by The Courier Journal , detail multiple links between Taylor and Jamarcus Glover of Louisville , a main target in a drug probe that prompted police to request the search warrant for Taylor ’ s apartment .
Plainclothes officers that night battered in her door , searching for drugs and illicit cash .
None were found .
`` Breonna Taylor did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her role in all this , ” said a Jefferson County law enforcement official who asked not to be identified because Kentucky 's attorney general is still deciding whether the officers who shot Taylor should be prosecuted .
The gist is that LMPD supposedly had evidence that Breonna Taylor was getting packages delivered to her home that were picked up by a known drug dealer and former Taylor BF — Jamarcus Glover .
The LMPD also has tapped conversations of Glover claiming that Taylor was holding most of cash from the drug deals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Taylor ’ s home .
Even useless Mayor Fischer pointed out that this was a hit piece : '' Breonna Taylor 's death was a tragedy .
Period .
Justice , peace and healing are what is needed for her , for her family and for our community .
Today a news story was released that includes information related to the Breonna Taylor case , despite the fact that the Attorney General and FBI have insisted that the investigation remain confidential for the integrity of the judicial process as a whole .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s family , the county attorney , and the civil attorneys for the officers are under a protective order that does not permit them to disclose evidence in this case .
It is deeply reckless for this information , which presents only a small fraction of the entire investigation , to be shared with the media while the criminal process remains ongoing .
It would be unjust to draw conclusions about this case before the investigation is complete and the full truth comes out .
And , efforts to sway opinion and impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong and divisive , at a time when our city needs unity more than ever before . ''
Five months this has gone on .
Five months .
By the way , State Attorney General Cameron is giving a speech at the Republican convention and has said nothing will be released this week about Breonna Taylor .
And if you are a rural Kentuckian , which is most people in this state , Senator Rand Paul thinks that you should get mail delivered TWICE a week : U.S. Sen. Rand Paul suggested Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of days it delivers mail to rural areas to as little as two days a week .
During a high-profile Senate hearing Fridayover recent operational changes President Donald Trump 's administration has made to the Postal Service , Paul , R-Ky. , said slimming down the frequency of the agency 's deliveries would be the easiest way to keep providing personalized service to people at their homes .
`` And , frankly , people who live 20 miles down a shale road — if you told them they were going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times a week ...
I really think people could live with that , '' Paul said .
Paul also floated the idea of Congress passing a bill that cuts the Postal Service 's overall delivery schedule from six to five days per week , which he said would save up to $ 1.5 billion .
No , I don ’ t think Kentuckians are smart enough to give Rand Paul the hell he deserves .
After all , Paul was sent to Washington as a “ Fuck YOU !
” to Obama in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his purpose .
Who cares that Kentuckians are suffering from not getting their medications and checks on time ?
Speaking of which , a public appeal to Amy McGrath : WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT RUNNING ADS ABOUT TRUMP ’ S AND MCCONNELL ’ S SABOTAGE OF THE USPS ?
Sorry , I had to get that out of my system .
NOTE : Yes , this is MERLIN1963 .
I am having some issues getting into my old profile , so I had to create this new one .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can find me again .

The Louisville Courier-Journal has a leaked police report on the details about why the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) decided to perform a “no-knock warrant” on her home. And as you can imagine, it is a hit piece on Breonna Taylor. It details links she had to a drug dealer LMPD was pursuing.
Editor’s note: The Courier Journal has exhaustively covered all aspects of the fatal March 13 shooting of Breonna Taylor at the hands of Louisville Metro Police Department officers. As the investigation of their conduct continues, this story examines documents and other evidence we obtained that helps explain why LMPD pursued the no-knock search warrant and why they were there that night. It does not justify the shooting but provides more insight into this highly controversial case that has captured the nation’s interest. An earlier version of this story published prematurely Tuesday morning before final edits were made. We apologize for that misstep. An internal report written by Louisville Metro Police after officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor on March 13 sheds more light on the reasons why they chose to forcibly enter her South End apartment the night she was killed. However, it provides no explanations or evidence aimed at justifying the shooting that has sparked three months of protests in Louisville and national outrage, with critics accusing police of smashing into the home of an unarmed Black woman for no legitimate reason and killing her. The 39-page report and corroborating evidence show that Taylor had more extensive ties than previously made public with an accused drug trafficker who was at the center of a larger narcotics investigation in Louisville. It is not known if details included in the report were presented to the judge who signed the controversial "no-knock" warrant for Taylor's apartment. The findings of the report, supported by jail phone recordings and other documents obtained by The Courier Journal, detail multiple links between Taylor and Jamarcus Glover of Louisville, a main target in a drug probe that prompted police to request the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment. Plainclothes officers that night battered in her door, searching for drugs and illicit cash. None were found. "Breonna Taylor did not deserve to die no matter what her role in all this,” said a Jefferson County law enforcement official who asked not to be identified because Kentucky's attorney general is still deciding whether the officers who shot Taylor should be prosecuted.
The gist is that LMPD supposedly had evidence that Breonna Taylor was getting packages delivered to her home that were picked up by a known drug dealer and former Taylor BF — Jamarcus Glover. The LMPD also has tapped conversations of Glover claiming that Taylor was holding most of cash from the drug deals. No drugs or cash were discovered at Taylor’s home.
Even useless Mayor Fischer pointed out that this was a hit piece:
Mayor Greg Fischer's statement "Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy. Period. Justice, peace and healing are what is needed for her, for her family and for our community. Today a news story was released that includes information related to the Breonna Taylor case, despite the fact that the Attorney General and FBI have insisted that the investigation remain confidential for the integrity of the judicial process as a whole. In addition, attorneys for Breonna’s family, the county attorney, and the civil attorneys for the officers are under a protective order that does not permit them to disclose evidence in this case. It is deeply reckless for this information, which presents only a small fraction of the entire investigation, to be shared with the media while the criminal process remains ongoing. It would be unjust to draw conclusions about this case before the investigation is complete and the full truth comes out. And, efforts to sway opinion and impact the investigation by releasing select information are wrong and divisive, at a time when our city needs unity more than ever before."
Five months this has gone on. Five months. By the way, State Attorney General Cameron is giving a speech at the Republican convention and has said nothing will be released this week about Breonna Taylor.
And if you are a rural Kentuckian, which is most people in this state, Senator Rand Paul thinks that you should get mail delivered TWICE a week:
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul suggested Friday the cash-strapped Postal Service should consider reducing the number of days it delivers mail to rural areas to as little as two days a week. During a high-profile Senate hearing Fridayover recent operational changes President Donald Trump's administration has made to the Postal Service, Paul, R-Ky., said slimming down the frequency of the agency's deliveries would be the easiest way to keep providing personalized service to people at their homes. "And, frankly, people who live 20 miles down a shale road — if you told them they were going to get it twice a week versus six times a week ... I really think people could live with that," Paul said. Paul also floated the idea of Congress passing a bill that cuts the Postal Service's overall delivery schedule from six to five days per week, which he said would save up to $1.5 billion.
No, I don’t think Kentuckians are smart enough to give Rand Paul the hell he deserves. After all, Paul was sent to Washington as a “Fuck YOU!” to Obama in the 2010 Election. Paul has served his purpose. Who cares that Kentuckians are suffering from not getting their medications and checks on time?
Speaking of which, a public appeal to Amy McGrath: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT RUNNING ADS ABOUT TRUMP’S AND MCCONNELL’S SABOTAGE OF THE USPS?
Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.
NOTE: Yes, this is MERLIN1963. I am having some issues getting into my old profile, so I had to create this new one. This is in case anyone who followed my ravings can find me again.


dailykos--2020-08-26--ACID: Take Two... Why Donald Jr. thinks it's okay to take a meeting with Russians

Damn !
Next week I ’ m going to quit popping acid .
What ‘ reality ’ is this ?
The set up : David Corn , reporter extraordinaire of Mother Jones , a reader-supported magazine , was in a diner .
When , who other than the object of my obsession should walk in with the lovely Donald Junior and begin to stuff face with a feast likely made of dead things .
( I know , ghoulish ) Corn ‘ duffled ’ over to the scene of misery and wallow , to ask a polite question ( cue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ okay , this one : When Corn pressed further , Trump Jr. added that he is “ always happy to hear [ what ’ s on ] people ’ s minds .
I ’ m allowed to have a conversation with people , aren ’ t I ?
” “ Of course you could do it , ” Corn responded .
“ I ’ m asking why you thought it was appropriate to do it .
Because you were told it was part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told that , ” replied Kimberly Guilfoyle , who is a Trump campaign adviser and Trump Jr. ’ s girlfriend .
But yes , he was .
Above : my mind on Guilfoyle…Wait , that ’ s juniors mind .
On anything .
Read King Corn here for the rest : www .

Damn! Next week I’m going to quit popping acid. What ‘reality’ is this?
Video follows.
The set up: David Corn, reporter extraordinaire of Mother Jones, a reader-supported magazine, was in a diner. When, who other than the object of my obsession should walk in with the lovely Donald Junior and begin to stuff face with a feast likely made of dead things. (I know, ghoulish) Corn ‘duffled’ over to the scene of misery and wallow, to ask a polite question (cue video) NOT THAT ONE!!
okay, this one:
x At the Chez Vachon diner in Manchester, I asked @DonaldJTrumpJr why he thought it was appropriate to meet with a Russian emissary who he was told was part of a secret Kremlin effort to help @realDonaldTrump’s campaign. Here’s what happened. pic.twitter.com/S0du1Z0IJy — David Corn (@DavidCornDC) February 11, 2020
When Corn pressed further, Trump Jr. added that he is “always happy to hear [what’s on] people’s minds. I’m allowed to have a conversation with people, aren’t I?”
“Of course you could do it,” Corn responded. “I’m asking why you thought it was appropriate to do it. Because you were told it was part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.”
“No, he wasn’t told that,” replied Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is a Trump campaign adviser and Trump Jr.’s girlfriend.
But yes, he was.
Above: my mind on Guilfoyle…Wait, that’s juniors mind. On anything.
Read King Corn here for the rest: www.


dailykos--2020-08-25--When THE ACID kicks in

When THE ACID kicks in

As nearly all of you were , I was out late , looking for a lost dog missing four weeks , seen last 4 days ago , came home , fed pups & kittens , went to bed listening to : Schubert violin and piano .
Woke up , fell out of bed , dragged a comb across my head .
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup , and looking up , I noticed I was late ... purveyed Mother Jones online , viewing an article written by James West , covering the ‘ convention ’ .
Next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began to play .
New music to put our heads down to .
No worrisome kittens , missing pups , or blistering heat will chill my motivation .
When she began to shriek , I knew it was the acid .
My gosh !
Please !
Make it end !
The entitlement !
The privilege !
Her fantasy world , we can ’ t be trapped in there !
… clicking heels , Princess Fairy Pixie !
Puglet !
!
MUST .
Go .
home !
*John Lennon asked if I would lend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , had NO idea ...

As nearly all of you were, I was out late, looking for a lost dog missing four weeks, seen last 4 days ago, came home, fed pups & kittens, went to bed listening to: Schubert violin and piano.
Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, and looking up, I noticed I was late... purveyed Mother Jones online, viewing an article written by James West, covering the ‘convention’. Next thing I knew:
Then something inspirational began to play. New music to put our heads down to. No worrisome kittens, missing pups, or blistering heat will chill my motivation.
When she began to shriek, I knew it was the acid. My gosh! Please! Make it end! The entitlement! The privilege! Her fantasy world, we can’t be trapped in there! … clicking heels, Princess Fairy Pixie! Puglet!! MUST. Go. home!
*John Lennon asked if I would lend him the lyrics and I said okay, had NO idea...


dailykos--2020-08-26--We Have a Plutocratic System Governing the United States’ Political System.

In most democracies , especially in the United States , who is elected is not determined by who votes but who does not vote .
Nominations in most of those democracies are more important than the elections .
Far fewer people vote or take part in the nomination process than the members of the parties that vote in the general election .
It is essentially undemocratic at its core .
The United States Constitution did not create a democracy .
It created a Republic with certain minority rights contained in the first 10 amendments .
It did not give the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all citizens .
That right has evolved throughout our history and is still evolving .
Suffrage , the simple right of a citizen to vote , has never been universal in the United States .
It began under the Constitution as a right limited to propertied males and is still evolving .
But that right has never come with real power .
Power , in the United States , includes wealth and ideology .
We currently have a plutocratic system governing the United States ’ political system .
It is similar to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from about 1873 replacing the spoils system until 1932 where it , in turn , was replaced by the New Deal .
During the 1980s , the New Deal had run its course and was replaced with the plutocratic system on steroids we have now .
Many politicians now see politics in America as simply a matter of buying elections .
Here ’ s why .
As our economy is now structured , the big corporations — aerospace , oil , and so on — are able to pour out million to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the books are easily evaded , and the politicians in power won ’ t do much about it because they want some , too .
The Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions by the Supreme Court merely confirmed a process that already existed .
What it did do is take away the power of the government to alter the process .
We , perhaps , are witnessing a new phase in the evolution of parties and elections in the nation .
The traditional structure of both parties and the nomination systems that supported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of collapse or at least major change .
It is as though we are returning to the mirror image of the process that existed at the end of the Nineteenth Century .
Now , instead of nominating an unknown party hack as they did during the 1873 to 1932 period , the parties through the nomination process seem to be moving toward selecting celebrity outsiders .
The nomination process now exists for the benefit of ideologically based media operations .
To them , it appears to matter less who wins the nominations than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed out above , the nomination process is more important than the election .
We as a nation are faced with a political party of the right well organized and capable no matter who is their standard-bearer or whether he wins or loses .
On the left , any group professing an ideology more radical than that acceptable to the more centrist elected officials on the Federal , State , and local levels usually lacks an organization able to develop candidates on all levels and get them elected .
However , the Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win , his success was not able to be carried over to subsequent Congressional , State , and Local elections .
The Sanders and O ’ Roarke campaigns demonstrated again how electronic media fundraising and campaigning may assist and individual candidate to achieve electoral success it has not yet demonstrated that that success can be translated to a party as a whole .
In 2016 , on at least on the Federal level , the ideological based media organizations backed by the Financial , Natural Resource and Super Large Retailer plutocracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Presidency ( They had been successful on the more local level primarily through ideologically based radio in electing hoards of super conservative and generally unknown politicians under the rubric of the Tea Party . )
2018 has seen a significant reaction to the reality TV excesses ( but surprisingly not the corruption of the recently elected federal administration ) .
Nevertheless , the underlying fundamentals remain the same .
The plutocracy and ideologically biased media continue to fund and prop the Republicans .
The South remains solidly conservative Republican although cracks in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideologically Democratic women and people of color at the polls .
Retail fundraising and identity politics appear to have worked in 2018 and may work again in 2020 , but until there is another fundamental change in how campaigns are financed , I do not expect a long term change in national politics .

“There is nothing about a democracy that ensures that it will govern better than many other forms of government. If voting by citizens is a measure of democracy we have had democracies that have governed badly and authoritarian states that have been governed well. No one would call China a democracy but when they had elections over 90% of the people vote.” Carroll Quigley.
In most democracies, especially in the United States, who is elected is not determined by who votes but who does not vote. Nominations in most of those democracies are more important than the elections. Far fewer people vote or take part in the nomination process than the members of the parties that vote in the general election. It is essentially undemocratic at its core.
The United States Constitution did not create a democracy. It created a Republic with certain minority rights contained in the first 10 amendments. It did not give the right to vote (SUFFRAGE) to all citizens. That right has evolved throughout our history and is still evolving.
Suffrage, the simple right of a citizen to vote, has never been universal in the United States. It began under the Constitution as a right limited to propertied males and is still evolving. But that right has never come with real power. Power, in the United States, includes wealth and ideology.
We currently have a plutocratic system governing the United States’ political system. It is similar to that which controlled the politics of the nation from about 1873 replacing the spoils system until 1932 where it, in turn, was replaced by the New Deal. During the 1980s, the New Deal had run its course and was replaced with the plutocratic system on steroids we have now.
Many politicians now see politics in America as simply a matter of buying elections. Here’s why. As our economy is now structured, the big corporations — aerospace, oil, and so on — are able to pour out million to support the candidates they favor. The restrictions on the books are easily evaded, and the politicians in power won’t do much about it because they want some, too. The Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions by the Supreme Court merely confirmed a process that already existed. What it did do is take away the power of the government to alter the process.
A new phase?
We, perhaps, are witnessing a new phase in the evolution of parties and elections in the nation. The traditional structure of both parties and the nomination systems that supported them appear to be in a state of collapse or at least major change. It is as though we are returning to the mirror image of the process that existed at the end of the Nineteenth Century. Now, instead of nominating an unknown party hack as they did during the 1873 to 1932 period, the parties through the nomination process seem to be moving toward selecting celebrity outsiders. The nomination process now exists for the benefit of ideologically based media operations. To them, it appears to matter less who wins the nominations than how it enhances their ratings.
As pointed out above, the nomination process is more important than the election. We as a nation are faced with a political party of the right well organized and capable no matter who is their standard-bearer or whether he wins or loses. On the left, any group professing an ideology more radical than that acceptable to the more centrist elected officials on the Federal, State, and local levels usually lacks an organization able to develop candidates on all levels and get them elected. However, the Obama campaign using modern telecommunications strategies appeared able to win, his success was not able to be carried over to subsequent Congressional, State, and Local elections. The Sanders and O’Roarke campaigns demonstrated again how electronic media fundraising and campaigning may assist and individual candidate to achieve electoral success it has not yet demonstrated that that success can be translated to a party as a whole.
In 2016, on at least on the Federal level, the ideological based media organizations backed by the Financial, Natural Resource and Super Large Retailer plutocracy, elected one of their own to the Presidency (They had been successful on the more local level primarily through ideologically based radio in electing hoards of super conservative and generally unknown politicians under the rubric of the Tea Party.) 2018 has seen a significant reaction to the reality TV excesses (but surprisingly not the corruption of the recently elected federal administration).
Nevertheless, the underlying fundamentals remain the same. The plutocracy and ideologically biased media continue to fund and prop the Republicans. The South remains solidly conservative Republican although cracks in that have appeared primarily through the emergence of ideologically Democratic women and people of color at the polls. Retail fundraising and identity politics appear to have worked in 2018 and may work again in 2020, but until there is another fundamental change in how campaigns are financed, I do not expect a long term change in national politics.


Death to fairytales

I 've long wondered silently at the media 's near-total surrender of their political influence , completely losing their ability to push back against mismanagement and lapses in transparency .
The same news media , that had doggedly held the Obama administration to account for issues ranging from grave to highly trivial , was somehow totally unable to make strict or clear judgements on the Trump Administration during Hurricane Maria , Charlottesville or even Sharpie-gate .
It was as if most journalists and pundits had been infected by a virulent strain of naivety , no longer able to recognize malpractice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blatant .
First , I thought it was racism or sexism , but then I found even supposedly conscious POC and women falling into the same trap .
Then I thought it was stupidity , but these were the same people sharp enough to understand ( and critique ) Hurricane Katrina and the ACA rollout .
Something was n't clicking .
Then it occured to me : most foreign observers seemed to be immune to this contagion , even his supporters among that group acknowledging his recklessness and stark ineptitude .
The only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large number were those that were highly religious , specifically those that subscribed to homegrown Evangelical Christianity .
That 's when it hit me : the true enemy , which had long goaded and eluded me , was the fairytale .
Fairytales are innocent stories told to children , to soothe them to a sleep filled with dreams of wonder , magic and happy endings .
Fairytales are very dangerous .
They shape the narrative around a lie , a world of absurd propositions and unlikely conclusions , full of stock characters with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with internal consistency so loose that illusions thrive and proper equivalence is impossible .
Fairytales are the narratives of early childhood , stories received in the heady moments before bed and after a warm meal and gentle bath ; the sort of overly cosy feeling an adult can also get from living in the richest nation on earth , especially after eight years of almost uninterrupted economic growth , with few major conflicts or scandals .
In this supremely comfortable , constitutionally irrational world , fairytales are attractive and hyper-equivalence is very , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing the west ( basically North America , U.K , the EU and to some extent , their many past and present colonial annexes ) has in abundance , more than individualism , sugary food or even skittish white people , it 's hyper-equivalence .
While I will explain in greater detail later , this phenomenon is best described as `` everyone can stand next to anybody ( well , nearly everyone can stand next to almost anybody ) '' ; while this curious occurrence stretches through nearly every aspect of post-modern western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influencers .
A scandalous influencer stood beside one of the most talented artists alive as they became bound in marriage , just six years ago , and has now become infinitely more contemplative , productive and respectable than her husband .
Another one stood beside a brilliant , seasoned politician in a number of debates for the most sensitive job on earth , and won by simply projecting his own weaknesses onto his opponent ; later , he stood beside epidemiologists , economists and meteorologists , contradicted their expert opinions based on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went largely unchallenged each time .
Another one ( scandalous not for her actions , but her apparent 'ethnic station ' ) stood beside Western royalty , again in marriage , and went from being called a 'gold digger ' and a 'showgirl ' to being the most magnetic , and arguably the most influential , figure in western monarchy .
Good or bad , there 's something postmodern about entrenched US internet culture , which I termed hyper-equivalance , that seeks to shake everything from social class to professional expertise into smooth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaves the camera-ready standing just a little taller when the dust settles .
It is the peak of western social stratification , and it looks set to cannibalize itself .
The modern western social order , a system pretending to ideals of hard work , meritocracy , and expertise while actually built on the amoral , perpetually compounding values of wealth , stature and conventional beauty , has been hyper-accelerated by the intense connectivity of the internet era and is aging at an alarmingly rapid pace .
Everything is increasingly funneled through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with entertainment ( channelled through excitement or disgust ) the only truly enduring redeeming value left .
As within any imperial culture , some have observed where true power now lies , and have sought access to it .
People can now game social discourse like the stock markets , and we rightly call them influencers , though some are sadly labeled politicians .
This feat is , of course , a lot easier when you are who the camera ( aka the white male gaze ) expects to like ; for some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a tension between that and the cultural impulse to pick apart and debase those we suspect may divert social power away from white patriarchs .
These many groups of deliberately marginalized people have begun to retaliate by forming burgeoning , liberational subcultures and waging war on the soft colonialism imposed on them , as is their just right .
But the status quo , intent on clinging to power till the bitter end , is fighting back in insidious and sometimes rather brutal ways ( mostly through manipulated policies , laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resentments and stoke hate and aggression ) , and this conflagration of ethnic skirmishes , unless there is a global period of cultural armistice soon , risks a profound rupture , a cultural apocalypse that irreparably damages the shared super-ego and leaves western civilization in a state of cultural and ideological paralysis , unable to continue its allied projects of modern globalization .
There will be consequences : hard borders and restricted travel abroad , heightened nationalism and xenophobia , an uptick in ethnic grievance , no real shared experiences or references , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no more united States of America .
Make no mistake , these things can no longer be prevented , only halted .
Maybe that 's a good thing .
Just kidding , it 's terrible .
This is n't a fairytale , for heaven 's sake .
This is n't some modern western fantasy narrative , where the evil empire crumbles at the touch of some young , quirky , ideologically pure chosen one simply born to usher in utopia .
Unless Western ( especially US ) politics experiences a moment of cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political veteran sometime soon , this story will most likely end with the corpulent belly of empire exploding unceremoniously , and its rivals fighting bitterly to sit on an increasingly soiled throne , snatching up as many of its former properties and hostages as each can handle .
Anti-Polio & HIV initiatives ?
Gone .
Humanitarian disaster aid ?
Gone .
Immigrant rights and protections ?
Gone .
The longest period of average global growth and expansion ?
Turned on its head .
Each of these rival empires potentiate already has their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own prejudices , and will only grow more entrenched as time advances .
So suffering will intensify , subjugation will endure , and systematically oppressed people may look hopefully into the future for the day that things once again fall apart .
So what , you may ask , is the moral of this story ?

I've long wondered silently at the media's near-total surrender of their political influence, completely losing their ability to push back against mismanagement and lapses in transparency. The same news media, that had doggedly held the Obama administration to account for issues ranging from grave to highly trivial, was somehow totally unable to make strict or clear judgements on the Trump Administration during Hurricane Maria, Charlottesville or even Sharpie-gate. It was as if most journalists and pundits had been infected by a virulent strain of naivety, no longer able to recognize malpractice or dishonesty, even at their most blatant. First, I thought it was racism or sexism, but then I found even supposedly conscious POC and women falling into the same trap. Then I thought it was stupidity, but these were the same people sharp enough to understand (and critique) Hurricane Katrina and the ACA rollout. Something wasn't clicking. Then it occured to me: most foreign observers seemed to be immune to this contagion, even his supporters among that group acknowledging his recklessness and stark ineptitude. The only foreigners that seemed to truly succumb in large number were those that were highly religious, specifically those that subscribed to homegrown Evangelical Christianity. That's when it hit me: the true enemy, which had long goaded and eluded me, was the fairytale.
Fairytales are innocent stories told to children, to soothe them to a sleep filled with dreams of wonder, magic and happy endings. Fairytales are very dangerous. They shape the narrative around a lie, a world of absurd propositions and unlikely conclusions, full of stock characters with exaggerated existences and zero range; worlds with internal consistency so loose that illusions thrive and proper equivalence is impossible. Fairytales are the narratives of early childhood, stories received in the heady moments before bed and after a warm meal and gentle bath; the sort of overly cosy feeling an adult can also get from living in the richest nation on earth, especially after eight years of almost uninterrupted economic growth, with few major conflicts or scandals. In this supremely comfortable, constitutionally irrational world, fairytales are attractive and hyper-equivalence is very, very possible.
If there is one thing the west (basically North America, U.K, the EU and to some extent, their many past and present colonial annexes) has in abundance, more than individualism, sugary food or even skittish white people, it's hyper-equivalence. While I will explain in greater detail later, this phenomenon is best described as "everyone can stand next to anybody (well, nearly everyone can stand next to almost anybody)"; while this curious occurrence stretches through nearly every aspect of post-modern western culture, nobody exemplifies it better than influencers. A scandalous influencer stood beside one of the most talented artists alive as they became bound in marriage, just six years ago, and has now become infinitely more contemplative, productive and respectable than her husband. Another one stood beside a brilliant, seasoned politician in a number of debates for the most sensitive job on earth, and won by simply projecting his own weaknesses onto his opponent; later, he stood beside epidemiologists, economists and meteorologists, contradicted their expert opinions based on his gut and 'natural aptitude', and went largely unchallenged each time. Another one (scandalous not for her actions, but her apparent 'ethnic station') stood beside Western royalty, again in marriage, and went from being called a 'gold digger' and a 'showgirl' to being the most magnetic, and arguably the most influential, figure in western monarchy. Good or bad, there's something postmodern about entrenched US internet culture, which I termed hyper-equivalance, that seeks to shake everything from social class to professional expertise into smooth planes and creates bricolage, and yet leaves the camera-ready standing just a little taller when the dust settles. It is the peak of western social stratification, and it looks set to cannibalize itself. The modern western social order, a system pretending to ideals of hard work, meritocracy, and expertise while actually built on the amoral, perpetually compounding values of wealth, stature and conventional beauty, has been hyper-accelerated by the intense connectivity of the internet era and is aging at an alarmingly rapid pace. Everything is increasingly funneled through the fickle lens of fashion and trend, with entertainment (channelled through excitement or disgust) the only truly enduring redeeming value left. As within any imperial culture, some have observed where true power now lies, and have sought access to it. People can now game social discourse like the stock markets, and we rightly call them influencers, though some are sadly labeled politicians.
This feat is, of course, a lot easier when you are who the camera (aka the white male gaze) expects to like; for some people, mostly women and/or minorities, there is a tension between that and the cultural impulse to pick apart and debase those we suspect may divert social power away from white patriarchs. These many groups of deliberately marginalized people have begun to retaliate by forming burgeoning, liberational subcultures and waging war on the soft colonialism imposed on them, as is their just right. But the status quo, intent on clinging to power till the bitter end, is fighting back in insidious and sometimes rather brutal ways (mostly through manipulated policies, laws and media, that play on buried resentments and stoke hate and aggression), and this conflagration of ethnic skirmishes, unless there is a global period of cultural armistice soon, risks a profound rupture, a cultural apocalypse that irreparably damages the shared super-ego and leaves western civilization in a state of cultural and ideological paralysis, unable to continue its allied projects of modern globalization. There will be consequences: hard borders and restricted travel abroad, heightened nationalism and xenophobia, an uptick in ethnic grievance, no real shared experiences or references, no global cultural landmarks, and probably no more united States of America. Make no mistake, these things can no longer be prevented, only halted. Maybe that's a good thing.
Just kidding, it's terrible. This isn't a fairytale, for heaven's sake. This isn't some modern western fantasy narrative, where the evil empire crumbles at the touch of some young, quirky, ideologically pure chosen one simply born to usher in utopia. Unless Western (especially US) politics experiences a moment of cultural reset and/or reconciliation helmed by a seasoned political veteran sometime soon, this story will most likely end with the corpulent belly of empire exploding unceremoniously, and its rivals fighting bitterly to sit on an increasingly soiled throne, snatching up as many of its former properties and hostages as each can handle. Anti-Polio & HIV initiatives? Gone. Humanitarian disaster aid? Gone. Immigrant rights and protections? Gone. The longest period of average global growth and expansion? Turned on its head. Each of these rival empires potentiate already has their own cultures, their own excesses, their own prejudices, and will only grow more entrenched as time advances. So suffering will intensify, subjugation will endure, and systematically oppressed people may look hopefully into the future for the day that things once again fall apart.
So what, you may ask, is the moral of this story?
Vote for Joe Fucking Robinette Biden. Please.


dailykos--2020-08-25--New York Yankees vs. Bad News Bears

New York Yankees vs. Bad News Bears

This is hard for me to write because , as a lifetime St. Louis Cardinal fan , I really hate the Yankees .
But that doesn ’ t mean that I don ’ t respect the competence and consistent , professional , effective play of the team that has won more World Championships than any other team in baseball ’ s major leagues ( Cardinals are 2nd ) .
I watched the entire Democratic National Convention and sampled the GOP shit show last night .
If the conventions are viewed as a kind of competition , it ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bad News Bears , before the Bears got Tatum O ’ Neal to pitch for them .
Joe and Kamala demonstrated , last week , that they and their party are truly five tool players .
They competently and efficiently threw their messages into play .
They totally caught the mood of most Americans .
They hit their messages right on the sweet spot one after another .
The Democrats ’ messages ran circles around the bleak hate and dark fears of the Republicans and the Democrat ’ s engaging , entertaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By comparison , last night , and for the next three nights , presumably , the GOP players showed up without their gloves and obviously have no balls .
The Republicans aren ’ t even on the same playing field as the Democrats , basing their entire game plan upon an imaginary America and an imaginary Democratic ticket .
The stadium where the GOP wants to play only exists inside their head .

This is hard for me to write because, as a lifetime St. Louis Cardinal fan, I really hate the Yankees. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t respect the competence and consistent, professional, effective play of the team that has won more World Championships than any other team in baseball’s major leagues (Cardinals are 2nd).
I watched the entire Democratic National Convention and sampled the GOP shit show last night. If the conventions are viewed as a kind of competition, it’s been sort of like watching the Yankees play the Bad News Bears, before the Bears got Tatum O’Neal to pitch for them.
Joe and Kamala demonstrated, last week, that they and their party are truly five tool players. They competently and efficiently threw their messages into play. They totally caught the mood of most Americans. They hit their messages right on the sweet spot one after another. The Democrats’ messages ran circles around the bleak hate and dark fears of the Republicans and the Democrat’s engaging, entertaining and inspirational convention totally stole the show.
By comparison, last night, and for the next three nights, presumably, the GOP players showed up without their gloves and obviously have no balls. The Republicans aren’t even on the same playing field as the Democrats, basing their entire game plan upon an imaginary America and an imaginary Democratic ticket. The stadium where the GOP wants to play only exists inside their head.
I hope the umpires call a fair game.


dailykos--2020-08-26--Good News Roundup for August 26, 2020 — The only way forward is through

This is a screengrab of CNN while Pam Bondi was giving a speech denouncing Biden for nepotism .
Twitter went wild , of course .
And this is one of my favorites of the past few days : Cap has provided us with an indispensable ( and funny as hell ) couple of voters ’ guides .
Enjoy !
I ’ ll give you his intro .
You ’ ll need to open the links to get the info on the races .
There is nothing more important for the future of American democracy than the destruction of the more-than-slightly-fascist-curious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is designed to help you in that fight .
[ Senate : ] I know you ’ ve watched Mitch McConnell ’ s Senate enable crime after Constitution-shredding crime , so it ’ s time to take the power away from this Shitty White Supremacist Death Cult , and never , ever give it back .
[ House : ] In the U.S. House of Representatives , we ’ ve got a historic freshman class to defend , yes , but even after the 2018 Blue Wave , we ’ ve still got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Donald Trump and his lackeys are turds in the bowl of democracy , and for reasons laid out in the U.S. Constitution , the handle only works every few Novembers , so we have to flush as many of these creeps as possible while we have the chance .
Keep checking back , we ’ ll be adding more races as we go along .
Come meet our candidates ; whether challenger or incumbent , they ’ re all mighty damn impressive .
Of course , ViSalus is whining that they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay such a penalty and that it would be a “ death sentence ” for the company .
Wah , wah , wah , wah… Portland ’ s first Black woman cop now ‘ the inspiration ’ for a new PCC criminal justice scholarship Veteran federal prosecutor Kelly Zusman has heard the demands of many demonstrators to defund or abolish police .
She wondered instead what she could do to build better police forces , finding ways to have them mirror the communities they serve .
That led to a new scholarship created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal justice as a major at Portland Community College .
“ Watching all of the protests and listening to a lot of people talk about what they want to get rid of , ” she said , “ I thought there has to be some positive stuff we could do.
” And when the college asked if Zusman wanted to name it after someone , she said she found the right person : Carmen Sylvester , the first Black woman hired by Portland police .
It was 1973 .
“ Carmen became the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Her courage to become a Portland Police Bureau officer when so few women or African Americans were doing so and the work that she did on patrol and with the schools underscored how important it is for law enforcement to be part of our own community.
‘ ' Good news from around the nation Judge Blocks Florida Order Requiring Most Schools to Re-Open by Aug. 31 In a significant development in the debate over reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic , a Florida state judge on Monday issued an injunction that blocks a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state to open their campuses five days a week by Aug. 31 or face a significant loss in state aid .
Leon County Circuit Court Judge Charles W. Dodson said that the defendants in the lawsuit—Gov .
Ron DeSantis , Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran , and the Florida Department of Education— '' arbitrarily prioritized reopening schools statewide in August over safety and the advice of health experts . ''
The temporary injunction is a victory for the Florida Education Association , the NAACP and its Florida state conference , and several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to block Corcoran 's July 6 order .
The plaintiffs had argued that the state order violated a provision of the state constitution requiring safe schools .
Dodson rejected arguments from the state defendants that because no school district had joined the suits and that 60 districts had submitted `` brick-and-mortar '' reopening plans , the districts themselves supported the state order .
`` But the school boards have no choice , '' Dodson said in his opinion in Florida Education Assoication v. DeSantis .
`` If an individual district chooses safety , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools until it individually determines it is safe to do so for its county , it risks losing state funding , even though every student is being taught . ''
Utah Wingnuts Called For High School 'No Mask Monday ' Protest .
Hero Teens Said 'No Thanks , Jerks !
’ From Wonkette [ but of course you knew that from the headline ] : Masks on and hats off to the plucky teens of Enterprise High School ( Home of the Wolves ) in Enterprise , Utah , population 1,862 .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook called for parents to send their kids to school in defiance of a statewide mask mandate , to teach those socialist tyrants in Salt Lake City the meaning of Liberty .
Instead , KSL-TV reports , students at the high school responded by networking with each other to make sure they all wore masks to school [ on August 24th ] .
A whole bunch of kids reached the not-unreasonable conclusion that if a large number of their peers eschewed the slavery masks , that could lead to an outbreak , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dallee Cobb , whose track and field season was cut short in the spring when the schools went online , really did n't want to see that happen again .
She 's also on the cheer squad , so before Saturday 's f'ball game ( in front of a lineup of players and cheerleaders wearing masks ) , she called on adults to please not screw up another school year if you do n't mind , OK ?
How the World ’ s Largest Garbage Dump Evolved Into a Green Oasis Super Rare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Century in Mt .
Rainier—Now They ’ re Back in a Family Way This one ’ s for you , Wolvie !
!
karij introduced us to the charming elephant shrew in her roundup a week ago , and also introduced us to the wonderful category of “ charismatic microfauna.
” I loved that so much that I decided to add the category to my roundups .
Meet the golden mouse !
Good news from around the world Green is the new black : how biotech is making fashion more sustainable Earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their summer collections , H & M brought out a dress that raised eyebrows .
Not because the frock ( pictured above ) was particularly risqué , but because it was made from biodegradable pulp .
The material , Circulose , is the creation of Swedish startup Re : newcell , which is part of a new breed of biotech brands dedicated to making fashion more sustainable .
It works like this : Re : newcell takes worn-out clothes to its plant in Kristinehamn , Sweden , where they ’ re de-buttoned , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and turned into a slurry , explains chief marketing officer , Harald Cavalli-Björkman .
What ’ s left is cellulose – “ a biodegradable organic polymer that all green plants are made out of ” .
This slurry is dried to produce thin sheets of pulp , which are then turned into natural textile fibres .
“ The process is very efficient .
One kilo of used cotton becomes one kilo of new Circulose textile fibres , ” says Cavalli-Björkman .
For the H & M dress , Re : newcell ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pulp with wood fibres sourced from sustainably managed forests .
Cavalli-Björkman says there more partnerships with well-known fashion brands are in the pipeline for 2020 , and it hopes to be producing large enough volumes of its pulp to make the entire garment .
The article goes on to describe other green fashion innovations , including synthetic spider silk made with genetically modified microbes , non-toxic dyes made from algae , corn-based footwear , and polyester made from methane instead of petroleum .
www.theatlantic.com/… The Atlantic Daily has some links to articles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a wake-up call , the “ moral failure ” of incremental reform , and how our anger can help build a better country .
www.scientificamerican.com/ ... GDP Is the Wrong Tool for Measuring What Matters .
“ It ’ s time to replace gross domestic product with real metrics of well-being and sustainability.
” www.dw.com/ ...
Elephant baby boom in Kenya — numbers double over three decades .
Kenya is a rare success story in the fight against poachers in Africa .
news.bbc.co.uk/… Monday was the 53rd anniversary of a cool story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in London during a heat wave .
The staff at the rink were so impressed with their behavior they invited them back , along with all the other penguins and the seals as well .
How YOU can help us win Many thanks to Yosef 52 for his indefatigable work in bringing us the info we need to GOTV .
Most of what I wrote below is copied from him .
Postcards to Voters — they provide lists of addresses and a required script ( three brief items ) which you can add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cards , write them , address them , and stamp them .
This is the most personal way to write to voters .
Cost : postcards and 35¢ stamps .
PtV sells their own postcards on Etsy ( the ones I use cost $ 15 for 100 , with $ 5.70 shipping ) .
Postcards to Swing States — they provide colorful retro cards with one of two messages ( you get to choose which one ) , you add the address , a few personal comments , and a stamp .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forward — they provide addresses and a download of a letter template for each voter , you print out the letters , provide the greeting and some personal messages ( and decorations if you like ) , envelopes , and stamps .
Vote Forward ’ s “ Big Send ” is scheduled for sometime in October ( the date has changed because of the USPS ratfuckery ) , when millions of letters will go out to infrequent voters .
Cost : paper , envelopes , 55¢ stamps .
Text Out the Vote via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats vote : Let America Vote PAC — they work on many fronts to support voters and voting rights Progressive Turnout Project — they engage Dem voters in several ways , including a virtual phonebanking program Vote Save America — they allow you to “ adopt ” a crucial state ( Arizona , Florida , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , or Wisconsin ) and then give you tools to directly support the work of organizers , volunteers , and candidates in that state Spread the Vote — they help voters get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required .
They say on their website , “ 77 % of the people we work with have never voted before and 100 % of our clients can not vote without us.
” Vote For Our Lives , a project of the Parkland kids ’ March For Our Lives , is focused on young voters .
And if you need more inspiration , go straight to Goodie ’ s phenomenal series , “ 100 Days of Loving Joe Biden.
” You ’ ll come away loving him more than you ever imagined .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Battlegrounds and Ballotpedia ’ s list of State Legislative Battleground Chambers .
Be informed and keep your friends informed : Election Protection — a Twitter-centric hub of voting info , including registration , absentee ballots , polling places , and protecting voters at the polls .
An easy way to keep your Twitter network active in the election .
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts , your hearts , and your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd .

Welcome
Greetings to all you Gnusies, Gnewbies, occasional drop-ins, silent regulars, and first-timers! Come sit with us to find and share messages of hope and to celebrate all the ways good people are triumphing over the evil-doers in power. The task we have set ourselves here in Gnuville is to search out hope no matter how difficult the situation might be. Fortunately, hope can always be found, and we’re finding more and more of it.
This is a collaborative effort! After you read a Good News Roundup, we encourage you to add your own good news finds in our comment section, The Best Comment Section on the Internet™, where sanity reigns and pie fights are forbidden.
Let’s go!
Introduction
I was originally going to open by recounting my struggles with sadness after the death of three people I care about. The theme was that the way to deal with grief is to feel it fully and then move forward, which I then applied to our national grief over what the Treasonweasel administration has done to our beloved nation. But then I found a better version of the same theme.
Eleven Films recently put out a heart-wrenchingly powerful video that uses singer-songwriter Kasey Anderson’s song “The Dangerous Ones.” I’m sure you’ve seen it, but in case you haven’t, here’s a link. Though the video ends hopefully, most of it is just too dark for a Good News Roundup, so I decided not to include it. However, I got hooked on the song, and the closing lyrics are a perfect way to express my message today:
you can curse and you can cry
you can scream yourself to sleep every night
or you can open up your eyes and take a look outside every wall is gonna crumble every tower’s gonna fall
the earth is gonna rumble the siren’s gonna call
so you better look alive, alive, read the black not the white, forget the reds and blues
so quit looking for a way out start looking for a way through
a shot’s been fired but the war ain’t won
these white boys with money better learn how to run
the wall hit your back, the blood’s on your tongue
and you and me, baby, we’re the dangerous ones
“So quit looking for a way out, start looking for a way through.”
The way through is voting and Getting Out the Vote. So get up and get involved!
Today’s roundup will give you a couple of terrific voting guides for important Senate and House races and a list of the many ways you can help to get out the vote. They’re designed to be easy, and most of them are really fun.
As we work to energize other voters, it’s important for us to keep informed about the actions of the malefactors we’re fighting against. Though not all of us have the stomach to keep up with the day-to-day crimes and horrors, fortunately others do, and many of them are fellow Gnusies who are tireless in tracking down the weasels and shining a light on their slippery doings (looking especially at you, NNNE —thank you!) I, for one, refuse to watch any of the RNC smoke and mirrors extravaganza this week. But I, and you too, can keep fully informed about what’s going on without suffering through MSM bloviators or online gloom’n’doomers by sticking with the Gnusies. Thank goodness — and thank Goodie! — for the Good News Roundup! ❤
And now on to today’s good news! There’s a whole lot of it.
Good political news
Our cup of schadenfreude runneth over!!
To start us off, in case you missed it, here’s a terrific ad from Act TV that both Mark Sumner and NNNE highlighted on Saturday. We know these assholes are shameless and can’t be embarrassed, but this should have an effect on Rethug voters while all the rest of us point and laugh.
x YouTube Video
Republican convention draws 17 million TV viewers, down 26% from 2016
Someone’s gonna lie about this !
From the LA Times:
The first night of the Republican National Convention averaged 17 million viewers on Monday, a sharp drop of 26% from 2016. The audience figure from Nielsen was also below the opening night of last week’s Democratic National Convention, which averaged 19.7 million viewers . The audience for the Democrats on the first night of their convention was down about 24% from 2016.
Trump campaign has to work overtime to counter the President's message on mail-in voting
Awww, tRump campaign staff having to work extra hard, how sad for them. And even sadder, the Rethug sheep won’t hear anything but Dear Leader repeating the message over and over that voting by mail will cause the Dems to win. It appears to be one of his favorite talking points this week.
From CNN:
While President Donald Trump continues to attack mail-in voting, the massive political machine trying to get him reelected is working hard to assure Republican voters that mail-in ballots are safe to use this fall. For months, the Trump Victory Fund -- the joint operation between the President's campaign and the Republican National Committee -- has been coordinating with local party officials to train field operatives and volunteers to spread the word about how to vote by mail. Much of that effort involves combating misinformation that has come directly from the President. In North Carolina and Florida, voters have received notices from Trump Victory with Trump's photo on it urging them to "securely and safely request your absentee ballot." The New Mexico state GOP recently sent out a mailer to voters encouraging them to "join President Trump and vote by absentee ballot." And in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state where any registered voter can apply for a mail-in ballot under a law passed last year, Trump campaign officials and local party chairs are making sure Republicans across the state are aware of the option. (There's even a pop-up window on the Trump campaign website urging visitors to "request an absentee ballot.")
Prominent Republicans throw weight behind Biden as Trump's convention opens
Excellent timing!
From Reuters:
More than two dozen former Republican U.S. lawmakers, including former Senator Jeff Flake, endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president as the Republican National Convention opened on Monday, a rebuke to President Donald Trump by members of his own party. The 27 former members of Congress joined a “Republicans for Biden” initiative organized by the Biden campaign to encourage Republican support for the Democrat, the Biden campaign said. They cited Trump’s “corruption, destruction of democracy, blatant disregard for moral decency, and urgent need to get the country back on course” as reasons for the move, according to a Biden campaign statement. “I was a Republican long before the president ever called himself one, and I’ll be a Republican long after identifying as such is no longer useful to him,” Flake said in a 16-minute video explaining his decision to endorse Biden and vote for a Democratic presidential nominee for the first time. “Given what we have experienced over the past four years, it’s not enough just to register our disapproval of the president. We need to elect someone else in his place, someone who will stop the chaos and reverse the damage.”
Of course, Flake is a flake, but it’s better (to use LBJ’s deathless phrase) to have him inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.
Meadows: Kellyanne Conway’s departure is ‘big blow to us’
“America loves her.” (Say what?!?)
From Politico:
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows acknowledged Monday that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s upcoming departure from the administration represented a “big blow” to President Donald Trump’s team. “It’ll be a big hole, a big blow to us,” Meadows said in an interview on “CBS This Morning.” ✂ “Kellyanne is going to be missed. America loves her,” Meadows said Monday. “We certainly will miss her here at the White House. But listen, this is all about making a priority for family. That’s what this president’s about, and that’s what Kellyanne Conway’s about.”
RNC Greeted With Projections Condemning Republicans for Abandoning Jobless Workers
From Common Dreams:
On the eve of the 2020 Republican National Convention, a progressive advocacy group representing 15,000 unemployed workers on Sunday projected onto a Charlotte, North Carolina hotel the photos and stories of jobless workers struggling to meet basic needs after the GOP allowed the $600-per-week unemployment benefit boost to expire last month, slashing the incomes of some 30 million Americans. ✂ Republican officials who arrived in Charlotte Sunday evening may have spotted the massive projections on building of the Hilton Garden Inn, a hotel located just blocks away from the convention site. x A group called Unemployed Action is projecting images of Americans who have lost their jobs due to #COVID19. They claim their lives have been devastated by the #GOP’s failed response to the pandemic. This is on Caldwell and Stonewall Street. @wcnc pic.twitter.com/FPpxBBHmXZ — Lexi Wilson (@LexiWCNC) August 24, 2020
A couple of good laughs:
This is a screengrab of CNN while Pam Bondi was giving a speech denouncing Biden for nepotism. Twitter went wild, of course.
x This was a speech against nepotism. pic.twitter.com/Kgdqwv2mTF — Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) August 26, 2020
And this is one of my favorites of the past few days:
And finally, some fittin’ music:
x YouTube Video
* * * * *
and
Cap has provided us with an indispensable (and funny as hell) couple of voters’ guides. Enjoy!
I’ll give you his intro. You’ll need to open the links to get the info on the races.
There is nothing more important for the future of American democracy than the destruction of the more-than-slightly-fascist-curious Republican Party of 2020. This page is designed to help you in that fight. [Senate:]I know you’ve watched Mitch McConnell’s Senate enable crime after Constitution-shredding crime, so it’s time to take the power away from this Shitty White Supremacist Death Cult, and never, ever give it back. [House:] In the U.S. House of Representatives, we’ve got a historic freshman class to defend, yes, but even after the 2018 Blue Wave, we’ve still got a few more authoritarian enablers to fire. Donald Trump and his lackeys are turds in the bowl of democracy, and for reasons laid out in the U.S. Constitution, the handle only works every few Novembers, so we have to flush as many of these creeps as possible while we have the chance. Keep checking back, we’ll be adding more races as we go along. Come meet our candidates; whether challenger or incumbent, they’re all mighty damn impressive.
* * * * *
Good news from Portland
Record $925 million verdict upheld in ViSalus unlawful recorded robocall case
From The Oregonian:
A federal judge has upheld a record $925 million in damages awarded in a class-action case against a Michigan-based marketing company that a jury in Portland found had engaged in unlawful telemarketing. ViSalus Inc. placed nearly 2 million recorded robocalls to potential customers across the country offering deals on weight-loss products, dietary supplements and energy drinks. Lori Wakefield, a Molalla woman who had once been a promoter for the company but later quit, brought the class-action suit, arguing the outfit’s prerecorded calls violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Each violation called for a $500 penalty, and a jury in April 2019 determined the company made 1,850,436 unlawful automated calls to residential or cellphone numbers. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon found the large award was based on simple math. “Here, the jury found that ViSalus committed a stratospheric number of TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) violations. It is no surprise that the TCPA’s constitutionally valid minimum penalty of $500 for each violation has catapulted ViSalus’s penalty into the mesosphere,” Simon said in his opinion.
Of course, ViSalus is whining that they’re “in no position” to pay such a penalty and that it would be a “death sentence” for the company. Wah, wah, wah, wah…
Portland’s first Black woman cop now ‘ the inspiration’ for a new PCC criminal justice scholarship
From The Oregonian:
Veteran federal prosecutor Kelly Zusman has heard the demands of many demonstrators to defund or abolish police. She wondered instead what she could do to build better police forces, finding ways to have them mirror the communities they serve. That led to a new scholarship created to encourage students of color to pursue criminal justice as a major at Portland Community College. “Watching all of the protests and listening to a lot of people talk about what they want to get rid of,” she said, “I thought there has to be some positive stuff we could do.” And when the college asked if Zusman wanted to name it after someone, she said she found the right person: Carmen Sylvester, the first Black woman hired by Portland police. It was 1973. “Carmen became the inspiration,” Zusman said. “Her courage to become a Portland Police Bureau officer when so few women or African Americans were doing so and the work that she did on patrol and with the schools underscored how important it is for law enforcement to be part of our own community.‘'
* * * * *
Good news from around the nation
Major Trump federal voting Pennsylvania lawsuit effectively shut down
From CNN:
President Donald Trump's plan to sue Pennsylvania in federal court to determine how the state conducts mail-in voting has been effectively shut down by a US district court judge. The judge, Nicholas Ranjan of the US District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania, decided Sunday that Trump's federal lawsuit against the Secretary of the Commonwealth over the use of drop boxes, poll watching and other voting processes should be put on hold, while state court cases about voting move forward. ✂ The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth has separately tried to end all court cases related to how the state votes quickly, so as not to confuse voters. The state official has agreed to receive mail-in ballots up to three days after Election Day. That request to set voting terms and end the court challenges is pending with Pennsylvania's highest state court.
Judge Blocks Florida Order Requiring Most Schools to Re-Open by Aug. 31
From Education Week:
In a significant development in the debate over reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Florida state judge on Monday issued an injunction that blocks a state order that required most school districts in the state to open their campuses five days a week by Aug. 31 or face a significant loss in state aid. Leon County Circuit Court Judge Charles W. Dodson said that the defendants in the lawsuit—Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, and the Florida Department of Education—"arbitrarily prioritized reopening schools statewide in August over safety and the advice of health experts." The temporary injunction is a victory for the Florida Education Association, the NAACP and its Florida state conference, and several teachers and parents who filed two lawsuits to block Corcoran's July 6 order. The plaintiffs had argued that the state order violated a provision of the state constitution requiring safe schools. ✂ Dodson rejected arguments from the state defendants that because no school district had joined the suits and that 60 districts had submitted "brick-and-mortar" reopening plans, the districts themselves supported the state order. "But the school boards have no choice," Dodson said in his opinion in Florida Education Assoication v. DeSantis. "If an individual district chooses safety, that is, delaying the start of schools until it individually determines it is safe to do so for its county, it risks losing state funding, even though every student is being taught."
Utah Wingnuts Called For High School 'No Mask Monday' Protest. Hero Teens Said 'No Thanks, Jerks!’
From Wonkette [but of course you knew that from the headline]:
Masks on and hats off to the plucky teens of Enterprise High School (Home of the Wolves) in Enterprise, Utah, population 1,862. Last week, a bunch of messages on Facebook called for parents to send their kids to school in defiance of a statewide mask mandate, to teach those socialist tyrants in Salt Lake City the meaning of Liberty. Instead, KSL-TV reports, students at the high school responded by networking with each other to make sure they all wore masks to school [on August 24th]. ✂ A whole bunch of kids reached the not-unreasonable conclusion that if a large number of their peers eschewed the slavery masks, that could lead to an outbreak, and then a school shutdown. EHS Senior Dallee Cobb, whose track and field season was cut short in the spring when the schools went online, really didn't want to see that happen again. She's also on the cheer squad, so before Saturday's f'ball game (in front of a lineup of players and cheerleaders wearing masks), she called on adults to please not screw up another school year if you don't mind, OK?
How the World’s Largest Garbage Dump Evolved Into a Green Oasis
From the NY Times:
A little less than two decades ago, the last steaming load of garbage arrived at Fresh Kills Landfill. A packed-high barge turned slowly out of the Arthur Kill — that long, dishwater-brown tidal strait that separates Staten Island from New Jersey — and then docked at the Sanitation Department’s pier, an event celebrated less as a matter of ecological stewardship at the time than a triumph of not-in-my-backyard politics. ✂ Today, Fresh Kills has been rebranded as Freshkills, and the park that is now at the site of the old dump is poised to accept visitors: the North Park will open in spring 2021, the rest by 2036. ✂ The core problem would be adapting the site to the trash — no less than 150 million tons of garbage had been dumped at Fresh Kills (roughly the equivalent of the amount of plastic currently floating in the ocean). The trash would be capped with plastic, then slowly covered with millions of tons of clean soils, the soils planted with native grasses. The four garbage mountains would be transformed into four soft green hills straddling the convergence of creeks. Tree planting (started by arborists, accelerated by seed-carrying birds) would occur in coordination with the careful engineering of what you might call the dump’s natural excretions, the methane and the leachate. In this way, over the course of 20 years, the parks and sanitation departments worked together with Field Operations to restore or encourage tidal wetlands, to generate forests, scrublands, and the wide-open fields of grasses. The Sanitation Department refines the methane and pipes it to Staten Island homes for cooking and heat, which makes a cup of tea in a warm room on a cold day in the Arden Heights neighborhood a little miracle of noxious composting.
Super Rare Wolverines Haven’t Been Seen For a Century in Mt. Rainier—Now They’re Back in a Family Way
This one’s for you, Wolvie!!
From Good News Network:
The picturesque Mount Rainier National Park is once again home to wolverines, as a nursing mother and two kits were recently spotted by camera stations within the park. “It’s really, really exciting,” said Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “It tells us something about the condition of the park—that when we have such large-ranging carnivores present on the landscape that we’re doing a good job of managing our wilderness.” The nursing mother, called Joni, and her kits were discovered by scientists from the Cascades Carnivore Project, (CCP) who were responsible in 2018 for setting up the camera stations which led to the sighting of the three fur balls scampering across a meadow into a forest in a video posted on the NPS Twitter account.
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New feature: Today’s charismatic microfauna
karij introduced us to the charming elephant shrew in her roundup a week ago, and also introduced us to the wonderful category of “charismatic microfauna.” I loved that so much that I decided to add the category to my roundups. Meet the golden mouse!
From Wild Florida:
Ochrotomys nuttalli The strikingly beautiful golden mouse is semi-arboreal and has a prehensile tail. The fur is golden or orangish cinnamon on the upperparts, while the underparts and feet are white, sometimes tinged with gold. These tiny mice are especially common in dense woodlands with vines and heavy brush or palmettos, and habitats with thick undergrowth near water. Golden mice are quite arboreal, often nesting and foraging above the ground. They build feeding platforms in vines and Spanish moss where they feed on seeds, nuts and berries. The golden mouse sometimes builds its nest in a clump of Spanish moss or use an old bird’s nest. They breed throughout the year and females give birth to two or three young in a litter.
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Good news from around the world
Green is the new black: how biotech is making fashion more sustainable
From Positive News:
Earlier this year, as fashion brands released their summer collections, H&M brought out a dress that raised eyebrows. Not because the frock (pictured above) was particularly risqué, but because it was made from biodegradable pulp. The material, Circulose, is the creation of Swedish startup Re:newcell, which is part of a new breed of biotech brands dedicated to making fashion more sustainable. It works like this: Re:newcell takes worn-out clothes to its plant in Kristinehamn, Sweden, where they’re de-buttoned, shredded, stripped of dye and plastics and turned into a slurry, explains chief marketing officer, Harald Cavalli-Björkman. What’s left is cellulose – “a biodegradable organic polymer that all green plants are made out of”. This slurry is dried to produce thin sheets of pulp, which are then turned into natural textile fibres. “The process is very efficient. One kilo of used cotton becomes one kilo of new Circulose textile fibres,” says Cavalli-Björkman. For the H&M dress, Re:newcell’s first commercial product, the team blended the pulp with wood fibres sourced from sustainably managed forests. Cavalli-Björkman says there more partnerships with well-known fashion brands are in the pipeline for 2020, and it hopes to be producing large enough volumes of its pulp to make the entire garment.
The article goes on to describe other green fashion innovations, including synthetic spider silk made with genetically modified microbes, non-toxic dyes made from algae, corn-based footwear, and polyester made from methane instead of petroleum.
4ocean has removed 10 million pounds of trash
From Future Crunch:
Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze are two c̶o̶l̶l̶e̶g̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶s̶ surfers who grew up on the Florida coast. A few years ago, they saved up their money for the trip of a lifetime to Bali, only to discover beaches covered in plastic. When they asked a local lifeguard why the otherwise beautiful shoreline wasn’t kept clean, they were told it had been cleaned hours earlier. The trash they were wading through had only just washed ashore. Most people either ignore the plastic crisis or complain about it on Facebook. A few though, roll up their sleeves. The two friends decided to start an ocean cleanup company called 4ocean. They didn't have any startup capital, so they decided to fund it by selling bracelets, and promising to remove a pound of trash for each one sold. They then used proceeds to employ cleanup crews in Florida, Guatemala, Haiti and Indonesia. Since 2017, they've pulled almost 5 million kilograms of trash out of the ocean. x YouTube Video
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Hot lynx
www.theatlantic.com/… The Atlantic Daily has some links to articles that explore the shooting of Jacob Blake as a wake-up call, the “moral failure” of incremental reform, and how our anger can help build a better country.
www.scientificamerican.com/...GDP Is the Wrong Tool for Measuring What Matters. “It’s time to replace gross domestic product with real metrics of well-being and sustainability.”
www.dw.com/...Elephant baby boom in Kenya — numbers double over three decades. Kenya is a rare success story in the fight against poachers in Africa.
news.bbc.co.uk/… Monday was the 53rd anniversary of a cool story about zoo penguins visiting an ice rink in London during a heat wave. The staff at the rink were so impressed with their behavior they invited them back, along with all the other penguins and the seals as well.
How YOU can help us win
Many thanks to Yosef 52 for his indefatigable work in bringing us the info we need to GOTV. Most of what I wrote below is copied from him.
Write to infrequent Democratic voters:
Postcards to Voters — they provide lists of addresses and a required script (three brief items) which you can add to if you like. You provide the cards, write them, address them, and stamp them. This is the most personal way to write to voters. Cost: postcards and 35¢ stamps. PtV sells their own postcards on Etsy (the ones I use cost $15 for 100, with $5.70 shipping).
Postcards to Swing States — they provide colorful retro cards with one of two messages (you get to choose which one), you add the address, a few personal comments, and a stamp. Cost: 35¢ per stamp.
Vote Forward — they provide addresses and a download of a letter template for each voter, you print out the letters, provide the greeting and some personal messages (and decorations if you like), envelopes, and stamps. Vote Forward’s “Big Send” is scheduled for sometime in October (the date has changed because of the USPS ratfuckery), when millions of letters will go out to infrequent voters. Cost: paper, envelopes, 55¢ stamps.
Text Democratic voters:
Text Out the Vote via the DNC.
The MoveOn Text Team
Be a Poll worker:
Work Elections
Donate to help other Democrats vote:
Let America Vote PAC — they work on many fronts to support voters and voting rights
Progressive Turnout Project — they engage Dem voters in several ways, including a virtual phonebanking program
Vote Save America — they allow you to “adopt” a crucial state (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin) and then give you tools to directly support the work of organizers, volunteers, and candidates in that state
Spread the Vote — they help voters get IDs in the states where those are required. They say on their website, “77% of the people we work with have never voted before and 100% of our clients cannot vote without us.”
Vote For Our Lives, a project of the Parkland kids’ March For Our Lives, is focused on young voters.
Donate to Biden/Harris: JoeBiden.com
And if you need more inspiration, go straight to Goodie’s phenomenal series, “100 Days of Loving Joe Biden.” You’ll come away loving him more than you ever imagined.
Donate to our priority Senate candidates:
Sen. Doug Jones (D. AL)
Dr. Al Gross (I. AK)
Mark Kelly (D. AZ)
John Hickenlooper (D. CO)
Jon Ossoff (D. GA)
Theresa Greenfield (D. IA)
Paulette Jordan (D. ID)
Dr. Barbara Bollier (D. KS)
Amy McGrath (D. KY)
Cal Cunningham (D. NC)
Adrian Perkins (D. LA)
Sen. Gary Peters (D. MI)
Sen. Tina Smith (D. MN)
Mike Espy (D. MS)
Steve Bullock (D. MT)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D. NH)
Jaime Harrison (D. SC)
MJ Hegar (D. TX)
Donate to our priority House candidates:
See Ballotpedia’s list of U.S. House Battlegrounds and Ballotpedia’s list of State Legislative Battleground Chambers.
Be informed and keep your friends informed:
Election Protection — a Twitter-centric hub of voting info, including registration, absentee ballots, polling places, and protecting voters at the polls. An easy way to keep your Twitter network active in the election.
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❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts, your hearts, and
your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd.
❤💙 RESIST, PERSIST, REBUILD, REJOICE! 💙❤