dailykos--2020-06-16--The Supreme Court Just Punched tRump in the Gut - Good News Roundup, Bluesday June 16th, 2020

We are inching towards November .
For a lot of us , I think , we want this nightmare to be over so badly we are willing to skip over the summer entirely and start voting tomorrow .
We ’ re giddy about the numbers we are seeing and don ’ t want to give the forces of despair and division a chance to make a comeback .
After all , we know the media will try to orchestrate a horse race .
Their business model dictates they encourage that framing .
It takes a lot of clicks and eyeballs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yachts .
If we don ’ t have a horse race , they won ’ t make as much money .
We know that tRump and his house servants over at the RNC will lie , lie and lie some more , until well past the time they all go blue in the face .
We know that Limbaugh & Fox & OAN & Jones & Breitbart & iHate Radio will push ever more ridiculous conspiracy theories just as fast as those thousands of monkeys they keep in the basement can pound them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still hundreds of years away from producing Shakespeare , but they ’ re doing a bang-up job pumping out brain fodder for the foil-lined Red Hat brigades .
We know that Putin and Co. are all in on tRump and will be throwing their extra-sticky , super-noxious faux shit at the walls as fast as they can crap it out .
There ’ s also the problem of republican governors suppressing the vote , Zuckerberg being Zuckerberg and the David Wohl school of dirty tricks to contend with .
Here ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already working overtime and tRump is still tanking more than ever before .
tRump ’ s , and by extensions the republican party ’ s weaknesses are glaringly obvious and becoming more so every day .
They ’ ve screwed up every crisis so far and have made moves that guarantee they ’ ll continue to do so .
The pandemic and the economy are not listening to tRump when he incessantly brags about the great job he ’ s doing .
The whole blame everybody else schtick is not aging well .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ owns the fiasco he ’ s made with his incoherent half-assed response .
His promotion of racial division as a means of energizing parts of his base is coming back to bite him hard .
The national and international reaction to George Floyd ’ s tragic death ignited a backlash that puts tRump on the wrong side of the issue in the moment and cements his place on the wrong side of history .
He ’ s still wrong on climate change , immigration , healthcare , taxation , trade policy , consumer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental regulations and any other policy issue we can name .
A majority of the country agrees .
He ’ s also an unlikable , whiny bully .
He ’ s earned his nicknames : Bunker Boi , tRumplethinskin , Putin ’ s Bitch , Mango Mussolini , Space Cadet Spanky McBonespurs , Hair Gropingfuhrer and on and on… There ’ s no bottom to his deceitfulness and a majority of the country agrees .
Between now and the election tRump will take direct hits from Bolton ’ s book , Mary tRump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book , more Supreme Court rulings , congressional testimony from people like Lev Parnas , a lot more bungling on his part ( it ’ s who he is ) , the Lincoln Project , Republicans for Biden and us .
He ’ s not going to get a free pass to redefine himself .
That last bit is important .
A majority of the country thinks tRump and the republicans are doing a bad job .
55 % of the country disapproves of the job tRump is doing .
47 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % strong disapproval is higher than the percentage of votes he got in 2016 .
The folks who strongly disapprove are the ones willing to crawl across broken glass to vote for Joe .
tRump ’ s strong support has dipped to 28 % .
Our job is not to get complacent .
We want to bury tRump and his enablers .
We want the racists to crawl back under their rocks .
We want them all to know their bullshit is not ok. We want our country back .
We can and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s great for two reasons .
First , it ’ s great because it ’ s the right thing to do .
It ’ s also great because it will demoralize evangelicals who supported tRump so he would put people like Gorsuch on the court to vote against stuff like this .
He wrote the opinion for the court .
That ’ s got ta sting .
The New Yorker : The L.G.B.T.Q.-Rights Movement Wins Its Biggest Supreme Court Victory Two of the three people at the heart of the landmark L.G.B.T.Q.-rights decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday did not live to know that they had won .
The fight to protect L.G.B.T.Q .
people from employment discrimination has been a long one—years for the individual plaintiffs , decades for the larger movement .
Until Monday , such discrimination was legal in more than half the country ’ s states .
Donald Trump ’ s Administration had argued that it should continue to be .
But , in a 6–3 opinion written by the Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch , the Court ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 .
It was the single biggest victory in the history of the L.G.B.T.Q.-rights movement .
The court heard arguments in the three cases—two originally brought by gay men and one brought by a transgender woman—on October 8th of last year .
The stories , as Gorsuch writes in his opinion , are uncomplicated .
“ Few facts are needed to appreciate the legal question we face , ” he wrote .
“ Each of the three cases before us started the same way : An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the employee revealed that he or she is homosexual or transgender—and allegedly for no reason other than the employee ’ s homosexuality or transgender status.
” The employers did not pretend that there were other grounds for termination ; in all three cases , they argued that the dismissals were legal .
The Civil Rights Act forbids discrimination on the basis of sex .
The employers in the Supreme Court cases argued—and the Trump Administration agreed—that sexual orientation and transgender status are distinct from sex .
The lawyers for the dismissed employees argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orientation constitutes discrimination on the basis of sex .
Pamela Karlan , the Stanford law professor who argued on behalf of Donald Zarda and Gerald Lynn Bostock , the two gay men , proposed a hypothetical : “ Two employees who come in , both of whom tell you they married their partner , Bill , last weekend .
When you fire the male employee who married Bill , and you give the female employee who married Bill a couple of days off , so she can celebrate the joyous event , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In other words , she argued , the salient difference between a straight woman and a gay man , who share the trait of being attracted to men , is their sex .
The Justices agreed .
Gorsuch reiterated Karlan ’ s scenario in his opinion .
“ Consider , for example , an employer with two employees , both of whom are attracted to men , ” he wrote .
“ The two individuals are , to the employer ’ s mind , materially identical in all respects , except that one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman .
If the employer fires the male employee for no reason other than the fact he is attracted to men , the employer discriminates against him for traits or actions it tolerates in his female colleague.
” ( Zarda died , in an accident , in 2014 ; Bostock attended the hearing in October . )
This an article from last April that explains just how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came to cover LGBTQ+ rights .
The Atlantic : The Three-Letter Word That Triggered a Revolution Because of sex .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ single three-letter word has had momentous legal and social consequences for American life that the man who inserted it into the 1964 Civil Rights Act on a wintry Saturday morning could never have imagined .
And now that the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether that landmark law forbids employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity , the adaptive power and enduring meaning of that plain little word is about to be tested once more .
On February 8 , 1964 , as the House of Representatives debated passage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ardent segregationist from Virginia , rose to propose changes to four pages of Title VII , the section of the bill barring hiring and firing “ because of ” race , creed , religion , or color .
“ After the word religion , insert sex , ” Smith drawled , urging his colleagues to rectify “ this grave injustice … particularly in an election year.
” The result was two hours of pandemonium on the House floor , because Smith ’ s amendment was seen by the frantic pro–civil-rights forces as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill at risk—a bill that would end Jim Crow segregation in public accommodations , help ensure voting rights for long-disenfranchised populations , and just more or less win the Civil War , only a hundred years too late .
It ’ s a story I recounted in my book An Idea Whose Time Has Come .
Hard as it may be to fathom a half century later , the notion that women deserved protection from discrimination in employment was as controversial in some quarters as the idea that racial minorities did—and , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laughable .
Things are not going well for impeached president Donald tRump People are saying he ’ s circling the drain .
A lot of people .
Donald Trump ’ s astounding incompetence in recent months — worsening the effects of the lethal COVID-19 pandemic , mishandling the ensuing economic disaster , and maliciously inflaming racial tensions — has affirmed that he is without question the worst president in American history .
None of the other contenders for the dishonor , including James Buchanan and most recently George W. Bush , can match @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or aggravating three devastating crises at the same time , any one of which might have ruined another president ’ s reputation .
And two incidents amid the turmoil suggest that Trump , having made a career out of shafting justice , might finally pay the price .
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th , recorded on an anguished teenager ’ s cellphone , may prove the equivalent , for this generation , of the pictures from a half-century ago of police dogs attacking peaceful black protesters in Birmingham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the tear-gassing and beating of black voting-rights marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama , two years later .
Trump has skillfully exploited the bitterness and despair of the nation ’ s racial divide , thrilling his supporters with his undisguised invective , but after that grotesque incident went viral , public consciousness snapped .
The nationwide demonstrations that followed , to say nothing of those abroad , have amounted to the largest such protest of American racial injustice ever , far surpassing the protest gatherings of the abolitionists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement in the 1960s .
Then , a second event , the battle of Lafayette Square on June 1st , dramatized the authoritarian essence of Trump ’ s presidency , and may well be a turning point that leads to his downfall and repudiation .
Besieged by the protests over Floyd ’ s killing , removed to his White House bunker , and publicly accused of cowardice , Trump would not permit his humiliation to stand .
To “ dominate , ” as he put it , he assembled the press corps in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to unleash the entire U.S. military .
Then , he and his entourage — Attorney General William Barr , Secretary of Defense Mark Esper , the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley ( dressed in battle fatigues ) , and national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien — marched across the street to pose for a photo-op in front of St. John ’ s Church .
Ivanka Trump pulled a Bible out of her Max Mara handbag and gave the prop to her father , who awkwardly held it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performance , workers constructed tall fences around Lafayette Square and the White House .
Trump finally had his wall — and Mexico still hadn ’ t paid for it .
This is what it ’ s really all about Aside from taking a firm grip on the moral high ground , this points out just how much humanity is embodied in the protest movement .
I would hope that the counter-protestors would do the same .
I am not confident that they would .
The Guardian : BLM supporter speaks out after carrying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this for years , but now — holy guacamole , Batman .
Wonkette : Trump Reelection Campaign Now Just Flaming ‘ Everything ’ s Fine ’ Meme Jobs for ex-cons and recycling at the same time .
Did someone release us to start ethical businesses ?
Good News Network : They Recycle Electronics – And People ’ s Lives – By Giving Ex-Felons Good Jobs to Imagine a Better World Good News Network : Dogs Trained to Sniff Out COVID-19 Score Near-Perfect in Diagnosis of Human Sweat Samples Here ’ s today ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesson minus the nice things he said about me .
For those you ’ ll need to read the comment section .
Today…..140 days… ... 20 weeks .
From here on to Election Day , every Tuesday is 5 % closer .
It might not seem like that much , but in the words of the later Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois : “ A billion here , a billion there and soon you ’ re talking real money.
” I ’ ll have you know that after something of an historical flat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like everyone who wanted t be born and/or do and/or invent and/or discover and/or pull a Goofy on the historic scale has done so ( although for today , the 16th , the sources I use didn ’ t have a composer ; oh well , there are still , what , 37 of them left over from earlier in the month who all got born on the 1st ?
We will ( or maybe pr0gressivist will make one or two of them honorary 16thers for today so they get a playing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been Good and/or Goofy with News so that we have perspective , learn something and maybe get a chuckle , so we get through these next 20 weeks 1738 Southern Connecticut Birth of Mary Katharine Goddard , printer , publisher and bookseller .
Her father was postmaster for New London , CT. An older brother , William , apprenticed as a printer and in the 1760s moved to Baltimore to begin printing a patriot newspaper , the Mary went with him and printed on her own during the American Revolution .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bookshop connected with her printery .
In early 1777 Congress moved the be widely distributed and Mary offered her press ( despite this being possible treason against the Crown if the Americans lost the war . )
The ‘ Goddard Broadside ’ ( the second printed version ) was the first printed version to carry all the names of the signers .
In 1789 , under the new Constitution , the Postmaster General removed her on grounds she was a woman ( grrr ! )
despite petitions and demonstrations in Baltimore .
Lived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proprietor of the bookstore .
1858 Springfield , IL The Illinois Republican Party ( 2 years old ! )
puts up a prairie lawyer against favored incumbent , Democrat .
The party stands against slavery and nominee Abraham Lincoln agrees .
In his acceptance speech he warns the issue is serious and a national one : `` A house divided against itself can not stand.
” ( He loses to Douglas , but makes a national name for himself . )
1865 London .
William Booth , ordained Methodist minister dissatisfied with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preaches a gospel directed at the poor , calling his body the Salvation Army .
From the beginning focused on practical help for the poor as a first step toward helping them become Christians .
Evangeline Booth ( daughter of William ) would drive a hay wagon through the streets of New York collecting alcoholics , offering a ride to the Mission for a hot meal and a chance to dry out .
Alcoholics who accepted were said to be “ on the wagon.
” John Lennon ( Beatles ) had several childhood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a Salvation Army orphanage .
He tipped his hat to them and his childhood memories when he recalled the orphanage name in a song : “ Strawberry Fields ” forever…..sniff !
1884 Coney Island , NY America ’ s first roller coaster opens , to screams of delight…..ever since .
1890 Ulverston , England Birth of Arthur Stanley Jefferson , actor .
Son of a theater manager and an actress , Arthur and family moved to Glasgow at turn of the century .
He learned acting and comedy from several music hall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age 16 .
Joined a touring troupe doing comedy as half of a pair of Romans looking at modern life .
Caught on with an American tour in 1913 with another troupe that included .
Made several 2-reel comedies in the 1920s ( all silents ) and in 1926 signed on with Hal Roach studios .
Having carried a stage name of , an actress friend suggested he change it since that had an unlucky 13 letters in it .
He hoped to be a writer and director but instead was paired as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short films , features and cameos together .
Stan taught us how to carry the world ’ s longest board on a construction job all by himself… .
1893 Chicago , IL The World Exposition .
Local candy and treat maker Frederick Wilheim Rueckheim packages his mixture of popcorn and peanuts held together with molasses ( and thinned a bit with cooking oil to keep it from being too sticky , the secret ingredient ! )
in little boxes and touts it to Expo attenders as “ Excellent ” .
He uses the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taste is a “ real Cracker Jack !
” ( Added “ the prize inside ” a few years later . )
1952 Having earlier appeared in native Holland , on this day `` Anne Frank : Diary of a Young Girl '' was published in the United States .
1963 Aboard Vostok 6 , the USSR space program launches 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova into orbit , the first woman in space .
Unknown if her great-great-great-great-great-grand nephew will be weapons officer aboard the USS Enterprise as Chekov , but it could be….. 1988 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 32 divers begin cycling underwater on a standard tricycle , to complete 116.66 mi in 75 hours 20 mins .
they did this…… May all your News be Good , comforting and inspiring .
A Rattlesnake , if cornered will become so angry it will bite itself .
That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is -- a biting of oneself .
We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates , but the deeper harm is to ourselves .
— E. Stanley Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unheard .
— Martin Luther King , Jr. At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being .
— Friedrich Otto Hertz For it is n't enough to talk about peace .
One must believe in it .
And it is n't enough to believe in it .
One must work at it .
— Eleanor Roosevelt I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends .
— Abraham Lincoln I keep my ideals , because in spite of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really good at heart .
— Anne Frank Pressley sez , “ What are you waiting for .
First , let ’ s go for a walk and then we can get back to working on getting rid of the tRump regime .
”

We are inching towards November. For a lot of us, I think, we want this nightmare to be over so badly we are willing to skip over the summer entirely and start voting tomorrow. We’re giddy about the numbers we are seeing and don’t want to give the forces of despair and division a chance to make a comeback.
After all, we know the media will try to orchestrate a horse race. Their business model dictates they encourage that framing. It takes a lot of clicks and eyeballs to pay for those media mogul CEO yachts. If we don’t have a horse race, they won’t make as much money.
We know that tRump and his house servants over at the RNC will lie, lie and lie some more, until well past the time they all go blue in the face.
We know that Limbaugh & Fox & OAN & Jones & Breitbart & iHate Radio will push ever more ridiculous conspiracy theories just as fast as those thousands of monkeys they keep in the basement can pound them out on their typewriters. The monkeys are still hundreds of years away from producing Shakespeare, but they’re doing a bang-up job pumping out brain fodder for the foil-lined Red Hat brigades.
We know that Putin and Co. are all in on tRump and will be throwing their extra-sticky, super-noxious faux shit at the walls as fast as they can crap it out.
There’s also the problem of republican governors suppressing the vote, Zuckerberg being Zuckerberg and the David Wohl school of dirty tricks to contend with.
Here’s the thing. All these folks are already working overtime and tRump is still tanking more than ever before. tRump’s, and by extensions the republican party’s weaknesses are glaringly obvious and becoming more so every day. They’ve screwed up every crisis so far and have made moves that guarantee they’ll continue to do so.
The pandemic and the economy are not listening to tRump when he incessantly brags about the great job he’s doing. The whole blame everybody else schtick is not aging well. No matter what he says, he owns the fiasco he’s made with his incoherent half-assed response.
His promotion of racial division as a means of energizing parts of his base is coming back to bite him hard. The national and international reaction to George Floyd’s tragic death ignited a backlash that puts tRump on the wrong side of the issue in the moment and cements his place on the wrong side of history.
He’s still wrong on climate change, immigration, healthcare, taxation, trade policy, consumer protections, energy policy, diplomacy, environmental regulations and any other policy issue we can name. A majority of the country agrees.
He’s also an unlikable, whiny bully. He’s earned his nicknames: Bunker Boi, tRumplethinskin, Putin’s Bitch, Mango Mussolini, Space Cadet Spanky McBonespurs, Hair Gropingfuhrer and on and on… There’s no bottom to his deceitfulness and a majority of the country agrees.
Between now and the election tRump will take direct hits from Bolton’s book, Mary tRump’s book, Cohen’s book, more Supreme Court rulings, congressional testimony from people like Lev Parnas, a lot more bungling on his part (it’s who he is), the Lincoln Project, Republicans for Biden and us. He’s not going to get a free pass to redefine himself.
That last bit is important. A majority of the country thinks tRump and the republicans are doing a bad job. 55% of the country disapproves of the job tRump is doing. 47% of the country strongly disapproves. That 47% strong disapproval is higher than the percentage of votes he got in 2016. The folks who strongly disapprove are the ones willing to crawl across broken glass to vote for Joe. tRump’s strong support has dipped to 28%.
Our job is not to get complacent. We want to bury tRump and his enablers. We want the racists to crawl back under their rocks. We want them all to know their bullshit is not ok. We want our country back. We can and we will do this.
Up the Resistance!
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And there’s news too
This is great news
It’s great for two reasons. First, it’s great because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also great because it will demoralize evangelicals who supported tRump so he would put people like Gorsuch on the court to vote against stuff like this. He wrote the opinion for the court. That’s gotta sting.
The New Yorker: The L.G.B.T.Q.-Rights Movement Wins Its Biggest Supreme Court Victory
Two of the three people at the heart of the landmark L.G.B.T.Q.-rights decision handed down by the Supreme Court on Monday did not live to know that they had won. The fight to protect L.G.B.T.Q. people from employment discrimination has been a long one—years for the individual plaintiffs, decades for the larger movement. Until Monday, such discrimination was legal in more than half the country’s states. Donald Trump’s Administration had argued that it should continue to be. But, in a 6–3 opinion written by the Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, the Court ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was the single biggest victory in the history of the L.G.B.T.Q.-rights movement. The court heard arguments in the three cases—two originally brought by gay men and one brought by a transgender woman—on October 8th of last year. The stories, as Gorsuch writes in his opinion, are uncomplicated. “Few facts are needed to appreciate the legal question we face,” he wrote. “Each of the three cases before us started the same way: An employer fired a long-time employee shortly after the employee revealed that he or she is homosexual or transgender—and allegedly for no reason other than the employee’s homosexuality or transgender status.” The employers did not pretend that there were other grounds for termination; in all three cases, they argued that the dismissals were legal. The Civil Rights Act forbids discrimination on the basis of sex. The employers in the Supreme Court cases argued—and the Trump Administration agreed—that sexual orientation and transgender status are distinct from sex. The lawyers for the dismissed employees argued that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation constitutes discrimination on the basis of sex. Pamela Karlan, the Stanford law professor who argued on behalf of Donald Zarda and Gerald Lynn Bostock, the two gay men, proposed a hypothetical: “Two employees who come in, both of whom tell you they married their partner, Bill, last weekend. When you fire the male employee who married Bill, and you give the female employee who married Bill a couple of days off, so she can celebrate the joyous event, that’s discrimination because of sex.” In other words, she argued, the salient difference between a straight woman and a gay man, who share the trait of being attracted to men, is their sex. The Justices agreed. Gorsuch reiterated Karlan’s scenario in his opinion. “Consider, for example, an employer with two employees, both of whom are attracted to men,” he wrote. “The two individuals are, to the employer’s mind, materially identical in all respects, except that one is a man and the other a woman. If the employer fires the male employee for no reason other than the fact he is attracted to men, the employer discriminates against him for traits or actions it tolerates in his female colleague.” (Zarda died, in an accident, in 2014; Bostock attended the hearing in October.)
Some background
This an article from last April that explains just how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came to cover LGBTQ+ rights.
The Atlantic: The Three-Letter Word That Triggered a Revolution
Because of sex. Over the past 55 years, that single three-letter word has had momentous legal and social consequences for American life that the man who inserted it into the 1964 Civil Rights Act on a wintry Saturday morning could never have imagined. And now that the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether that landmark law forbids employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the adaptive power and enduring meaning of that plain little word is about to be tested once more. On February 8, 1964, as the House of Representatives debated passage of the bill, Howard Smith, an ardent segregationist from Virginia, rose to propose changes to four pages of Title VII, the section of the bill barring hiring and firing “because of” race, creed, religion, or color. “After the word religion, insert sex,” Smith drawled, urging his colleagues to rectify “this grave injustice … particularly in an election year.” The result was two hours of pandemonium on the House floor, because Smith’s amendment was seen by the frantic pro–civil-rights forces as a poison pill that might put the whole bill at risk—a bill that would end Jim Crow segregation in public accommodations, help ensure voting rights for long-disenfranchised populations, and just more or less win the Civil War, only a hundred years too late. It’s a story I recounted in my book An Idea Whose Time Has Come. Hard as it may be to fathom a half century later, the notion that women deserved protection from discrimination in employment was as controversial in some quarters as the idea that racial minorities did—and, even to some liberal Democrats, much more laughable.
Things are not going well for impeached president Donald tRump
People are saying he’s circling the drain. A lot of people.
Rolling Stone: The Disgrace of Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s astounding incompetence in recent months — worsening the effects of the lethal COVID-19 pandemic, mishandling the ensuing economic disaster, and maliciously inflaming racial tensions — has affirmed that he is without question the worst president in American history. None of the other contenders for the dishonor, including James Buchanan and most recently George W. Bush, can match Trump’s record of bringing on or aggravating three devastating crises at the same time, any one of which might have ruined another president’s reputation. And two incidents amid the turmoil suggest that Trump, having made a career out of shafting justice, might finally pay the price. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th, recorded on an anguished teenager’s cellphone, may prove the equivalent, for this generation, of the pictures from a half-century ago of police dogs attacking peaceful black protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, or of the tear-gassing and beating of black voting-rights marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, two years later. Trump has skillfully exploited the bitterness and despair of the nation’s racial divide, thrilling his supporters with his undisguised invective, but after that grotesque incident went viral, public consciousness snapped. The nationwide demonstrations that followed, to say nothing of those abroad, have amounted to the largest such protest of American racial injustice ever, far surpassing the protest gatherings of the abolitionists before the Civil War or the civil-rights movement in the 1960s. Then, a second event, the battle of Lafayette Square on June 1st, dramatized the authoritarian essence of Trump’s presidency, and may well be a turning point that leads to his downfall and repudiation. Besieged by the protests over Floyd’s killing, removed to his White House bunker, and publicly accused of cowardice, Trump would not permit his humiliation to stand. To “dominate,” as he put it, he assembled the press corps in the White House Rose Garden and threatened to unleash the entire U.S. military. Then, he and his entourage — Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (dressed in battle fatigues), and national security adviser Robert O’Brien — marched across the street to pose for a photo-op in front of St. John’s Church. Ivanka Trump pulled a Bible out of her Max Mara handbag and gave the prop to her father, who awkwardly held it up for the cameras. After this performance, workers constructed tall fences around Lafayette Square and the White House. Trump finally had his wall — and Mexico still hadn’t paid for it.
This is what it’s really all about
Aside from taking a firm grip on the moral high ground, this points out just how much humanity is embodied in the protest movement. I would hope that the counter-protestors would do the same. I am not confident that they would.
The Guardian: BLM supporter speaks out after carrying counter-protester to safety
The Black Lives Matter demonstrator who carried a counter-protester to safety during Saturday’s protests in London has spoken out about the moment he decided to intervene to help the man. Describing his decision to step in, Patrick Hutchinson said: “His life was under threat, so I just went under, scooped him up, put him on my shoulders and started marching towards the police with him.” In an interview with Channel 4 News, the personal trainer and grandfather said: “You don’t think about it [being scary] at the time, you just do what you’ve got to do.”
Republicans are delusional
We’ve known this for years, but now — holy guacamole, Batman.
Wonkette: Trump Reelection Campaign Now Just Flaming ‘Everything’s Fine’ Meme
It seems highly unlikely now that Donald Trump will stink up the White House for another term, unless he somehow manages to cure COVID-19 and literally transform into Barack Obama, like when Steve Urkel drank some "magic potion" that made him cool. (Was that a drug metaphor? I think it was a drug metaphor.) Joe Biden is currently stomping the president among every demographic except for white men with Trump's intellectual capacity (sadly, a sizable portion of the electorate). Still, if you work on Trump's sinking ship of a re-election campaign, you probably want to keep him happy and upbeat so he doesn't spike the nuclear football. However, a Politico article revealed that Republicans across the country, at the state, district, and county level, are completely disconnected from observable reality. They don't just believe Trump will prevail in November. They think he'll win big, which he didn't even do in 2016 with Russia's help. Phillip Stephens, GOP chairman in Robeson County, North Carolina, is even thinking “landslide," but not the one where Biden flips Arizona and possibly Georgia.
Green plus no longer orange
Jobs for ex-cons and recycling at the same time. Did someone release us to start ethical businesses?
Good News Network: They Recycle Electronics – And People’s Lives – By Giving Ex-Felons Good Jobs to Imagine a Better World
A San Francisco company on a mission to “re-imagine waste” is now providing meaningful work to ex-convicts, making them partners in building a more sustainable world. Brightmark’s main projects have included an innovative plastics recycling program, and developing “renewable natural gas” from food and agricultural waste. But now, Brightmark has partnered with the social enterprise RecycleForce to recycle electronics—and while RecycleForce certainly helps our planet, they also uplift the humans living on it, by training formerly incarcerated men and women transitioning back to society. “Our main mission is not recycling, at all. Our mission is to help people that are coming out of jail and prison with training, mental health, drug addiction, housing, and then help them get a job,” said program director Andrew King in the video below. “We do that through recycling.”
Who’s a Good Boy?
You are, you’re a good boy.
Good News Network: Dogs Trained to Sniff Out COVID-19 Score Near-Perfect in Diagnosis of Human Sweat Samples
Does sweat from someone infected with COVID-19 have a unique scent? Researchers in Paris, and elsewhere, believe it does—and we now know dogs can sniff it out. A new study from researchers at the national veterinary school in Alfort, outside Paris trained 8 Belgian Malinois shepherds to identify the smell of COVID-19 in the sweat of infected individuals. The dogs’ overall success rate was near-perfect, correctly guessing an average of 95% of samples. Four dogs successfully identified a positive COVID sweat sample 100% of the time. Many of the countries which have had the greatest success maintaining low numbers of Covid case numbers have done so with widespread use of testing. Using dogs, according to the scientists, would greatly increase the speed at which people could be tested, and they resolved to move forward with subsequent studies in case of resurgent numbers as lockdowns throughout the Northern Hemisphere end.
Musical Interlude
I’m addicted to Playing For Change
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WineRev’s History Lesson Here’s today’s edition of WineRev’s history lesson minus the nice things he said about me. For those you’ll need to read the comment section. Today…..140 days…...20 weeks. From here on to Election Day, every Tuesday is 5% closer. It might not seem like that much, but in the words of the later Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois: “A billion here, a billion there and soon you’re talking real money.” I’ll have you know that after something of an historical flat spot last week that now it seems like everyone who wanted t be born and/or do and/or invent and/or discover and/or pull a Goofy on the historic scale has done so (although for today, the 16th, the sources I use didn’t have a composer; oh well, there are still, what, 37 of them left over from earlier in the month who all got born on the 1st? We will (or maybe pr0gressivist will make one or two of them honorary 16thers for today so they get a playing and hearing.) June 16th that have been Good and/or Goofy with News so that we have perspective, learn something and maybe get a chuckle, so we get through these next 20 weeks 1738 Southern Connecticut Birth of Mary Katharine Goddard, printer, publisher and bookseller. Her father was postmaster for New London, CT. An older brother, William, apprenticed as a printer and in the 1760s moved to Baltimore to begin printing a patriot newspaper, the Maryland Journal. Mary went with him and printed on her own during the American Revolution. At the same time she became postmistress of Baltimore and opened a bookshop connected with her printery. In early 1777 Congress moved the Declaration of Independence be widely distributed and Mary offered her press (despite this being possible treason against the Crown if the Americans lost the war.) The ‘Goddard Broadside’ (the second printed version) was the first printed version to carry all the names of the signers . In 1789, under the new Constitution, the Postmaster General removed her on grounds she was a woman (grrr!) despite petitions and demonstrations in Baltimore. Lived the rest of her life there as proprietor of the bookstore. 1858 Springfield, IL The Illinois Republican Party (2 years old!) puts up a prairie lawyer against favored incumbent, Democrat Stephen Douglas . The party stands against slavery and nominee Abraham Lincoln agrees. In his acceptance speech he warns the issue is serious and a national one: "A house divided against itself cannot stand.” (He loses to Douglas, but makes a national name for himself.) 1865 London. William Booth, ordained Methodist minister dissatisfied with his denomination, sets up a tent and preaches a gospel directed at the poor, calling his body the Salvation Army. From the beginning focused on practical help for the poor as a first step toward helping them become Christians. Fun stuff #1: Evangeline Booth (daughter of William) would drive a hay wagon through the streets of New York collecting alcoholics, offering a ride to the Mission for a hot meal and a chance to dry out. Alcoholics who accepted were said to be “on the wagon.” Fun stuff #2: John Lennon (Beatles) had several childhood friends he played with who were orphans at a Salvation Army orphanage. He tipped his hat to them and his childhood memories when he recalled the orphanage name in a song: “Strawberry Fields” forever…..sniff! 1884 Coney Island, NY America’s first roller coaster opens, to screams of delight…..ever since. 1890 Ulverston, England Birth of Arthur Stanley Jefferson, actor. Son of a theater manager and an actress, Arthur and family moved to Glasgow at turn of the century. He learned acting and comedy from several music hall stars and had his own premiere at age 16. Joined a touring troupe doing comedy as half of a pair of Romans looking at modern life. Caught on with an American tour in 1913 with another troupe that included Charlie Chaplin . Made several 2-reel comedies in the 1920s (all silents) and in 1926 signed on with Hal Roach studios. Having carried a stage name of Stan Jefferson , an actress friend suggested he change it since that had an unlucky 13 letters in it. He hoped to be a writer and director but instead was paired as Stan Laurel with partner Oliver Hardy. They made 107 short films, features and cameos together. Stan taught us how to carry the world’s longest board on a construction job all by himself…. 1893 Chicago, IL The World Exposition. Local candy and treat maker Frederick Wilheim Rueckheim packages his mixture of popcorn and peanuts held together with molasses (and thinned a bit with cooking oil to keep it from being too sticky, the secret ingredient!) in little boxes and touts it to Expo attenders as “Excellent”. He uses the slang of the day and says the taste is a “real Cracker Jack!” (Added “the prize inside” a few years later.) 1903 Making it formal, Henry Ford this day incorporates Ford Motor Company. 1952 Having earlier appeared in native Holland, on this day "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl" was published in the United States. 1963 Aboard Vostok 6, the USSR space program launches 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova into orbit, the first woman in space. Unknown if her great-great-great-great-great-grand nephew will be weapons officer aboard the USS Enterprise as Chekov, but it could be….. 1988 Santa Barbara, CA, a team of 32 divers begin cycling underwater on a standard tricycle, to complete 116.66 mi in 75 hours 20 mins. Why they did this…… May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring. Shalom. On the Lighter Side Today’s Quote(s) A Rattlesnake, if cornered will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is -- a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves. — E. Stanley Jones A riot is the language of the unheard. — Martin Luther King, Jr. Accomplishments have no color. — Leontyne Price At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being. — Friedrich Otto Hertz For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. — Eleanor Roosevelt I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends. — Abraham Lincoln I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. — Anne Frank Required Pet Photo Pressley sez, “What are you waiting for. First, let’s go for a walk and then we can get back to working on getting rid of the tRump regime.” Closing Notes


dailykos--2020-06-17--Good News Roundup for June 17, 2020

Good News Roundup for June 17, 2020

This really is … Just .
So .
Amazing .
We ’ ve already discussed this a lot , but Wonkette had a really intrigung slant on it that I want to share .
I ’ ve put the final kicker in bold .
Breaking Down The LGBTQ Decision : It 's A Conservative-On-Conservative Cage Match !
God Bless Justice Neil Gorsuch !
Not words we ever thought we 'd be typing on this here heathen recipeblog .
[ Monday ’ s ] decision in Bostock v. Clayton County , Georgia is a HUGE win for gay and trans rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting down into the nitty-gritty of this decision , which includes two lengthy dissents to the majority opinion , what you really got was 172 pages of conservatives arguing with each other about how to wield the power of the court as the Republican party gets further and further out of step with the rest of the country .
Well , really 124 pages , plus a 48-page appendix to Alito 's dissent to prove that actually everyone hated gays in 1964 .
Because he 's a real sweetheart !
Should they tamp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will lead them to decisions that will look like Dred Scott fifty years from now ?
Should they stick to their guns and destroy the court 's legitimacy ?
Or should they try to find some technical wheeze to justify retrograde decisions on social policy that hurt thousands of Americans ?
The answer is , yes , they should .
And they should do it while tattooing the image of Justice Antonin Scalia all over their faces and accusing each other of pissing on the great man 's corpse .
... amid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implications get lost .
This is a generational fracturing of the conservative movement , between the absolutists who do n't give a shit that their positions are jeopardizing the legitimacy of the court , and the younger , more rational figures who see that backwardass bigotry will be the death of the conservative movement .
Conservatives in disarray , if you will !
Okay , that 's a lot of words .
HAPPY PRIDE , Y'ALL , and enjoy those conservative tears .
Do you think it was a coincidence that Justice Ruth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around Justice Gorsuch , let him blarp out this awkward opinion during the BUT GORSUCH election season ?
So we can consider this good political news !
Yay !
!
Here ’ s their latest , which will be aired on the cable channels in DC that the Squalid Squatter in the WH watches daily .
This one will really get under his thin skin !
The GOP just made a deeply revealing decision about its 2020 platform I ’ ve already written twice about Donald Trump ’ s decision to kind of/mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charlotte , North Carolina , to Jacksonville , Florida .
In my last installment , I noted that it would be difficult to meet the president ’ s goal of having a full house for the television cameras , in part , because people can not be in two places at the same time .
” People can ’ t simultaneously be in Charlotte holding a meeting on the Republican platform and in Jacksonville listening to Mike Pence or Melania Trump give a speech.
” I suppose I was a bit naïve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t see it because I don ’ t have enough of a criminal mind .
On Wednesday , the RNC ’ s executive panel voted to leave the 2016 party platform in place , with absolutely no edits .
This will have the absurd result of leaving in place language about the president that clearly refers , in a critical manner , to Barack Obama .
Of course , both moderates and social conservatives are furious .
They ’ ve both been gearing up to battle over the party platform , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all .
Yet , by eliminating the most important piece of party business , the RNC no longer has to worry that people will be in Charlotte hashing out party principles when they should be in Jacksonville adoring the president .
This is a final confirmation that the Republican Party has become a cult that stands for nothing and exists only to fluff Donald Trump ’ s ego .
It was completely predictable but I failed to foresee it because I was still operating in the world where contracts are honored and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who care about policy .
Most Americans Say Wealth Hasn ’ t Improved During Trump Years This isn ’ t good news for the wellbeing of the country , of course , but it ’ s definitely good news that the *Resident can no longer boast that he ’ s put money in everyone ’ s pocket .
Or at least when he make that boast , it will ring offensively hollow .
The “ Trump Bump ” hasn ’ t benefited most Americans , with fewer than one in six saying their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became president , according to a survey commissioned by Bankrate.com .
Almost twice as many respondents said they ’ re worse off since Trump moved into the White House in January 2017 , while about half of the U.S. adults polled , 45 % , said their financial situation has stayed about the same .
Covid-19 is only partly to blame .
Three out of five of those surveyed said they failed to see any improvement in their personal wealth during Trump ’ s presidency , even before the coronavirus slammed the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into stock market gains of the past three years .
The survey of 1,343 adults was conducted June 3-4 by YouGov Plc .
No margin of error was specified .
I know I ’ ve shared this before , but it ’ s just too perfect for the present moment for me not post it again : Some concerned citizens drove their cars up to the pig 's sleeping spot to keep watch over the animal until police helped rescue it Sunday morning .
Portland police this morning [ June 7 ] came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along Waterfront Park .
… It was asleep with an orange blanket draped over its massive porcine frame .
The agency posted two photos of the sleeping animal early Sunday and asked its owners to come forward .
Officer Natasha Haunsperger , a Portland police spokeswoman , said the pig goes by Betty .
She ’ s a Yorkshire breed and someone in the community wrapped her in a blanket “ to keep her warm.
” The pig apparently had been abandoned sometime overnight .
Several people who had noticed the pig gently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and jackets , and contacted Mary McDonald-Lewis , an animal rights activist .
McDonald-Lewis said she received a call about midnight to help with the estimated 300-pound swine found along the Eastbank Esplanade .
`` These wonderful folks , who had been out protesting all evening , were taking care of the pig as she lay sleeping in a planter bed along the Willamette River , '' she wrote in an email .
Betty subsequently “ found a home at a local animal farm where they will take good care of her.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hardly a bastion of liberalism , let alone progressivism .
But the BLM message has landed there forcefully .
I especially love the fact that the organizers handed out fliers encouraging participants to take real action .
Wonkette reminded us that an important date in Absurd History is coming up in November .
And they informed us that the local folks decided it deserved a memorial park .
Does ‘ Exploding Whale Memorial Park ’ mean what it sounds like it means ?
Yes .
Good news from around the country Here ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Check out the beautiful statements from the lovely woman who got everybody dancing .
( Side note : are you as surprised as I was that they all knew how to dance the Macarena ?
I thought it had fizzled out around 1995 ! )
A Minnesota police officer 's story of reconciliation is offering healing and hope in a time of desperate hurt .
This is a heartwarming and inspiring story from Columbia Heights , a suburb of Minneapolis .
I ’ m giving you just a teaser introduction – please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing .
[ Justin Pletcher shared on Facebook that ] on the same day he celebrated 10 years as a cop , a Minneapolis man of color George Floyd was murdered at the hands of police .
`` There ’ s no other way to put this ; this was a murder , '' he says .
... Pletcher goes on to share how upset the video and Floyd 's death made him -- both as an officer of the peace and as a white man .
Pletcher shares how on his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drag himself out of bed and put on his uniform , of how upset his fellow officers were and the conversations that ensued throughout the day .
And then , Pletcher 's post takes a beautiful turn as he shares a story from his day on patrol .
Read it in full below .
Some of the language used by the AFL-CIO seems to signal a lack of urgency , but it ’ s good news that labor leaders are now being forced to grapple with the long history of malfeasance by police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of civil rights activists and police reform advocates is that police unions are part of the problem of police brutality .
Unions are designed to protect their members , and when it comes to officers charged with wrongdoing or excessive force , that means police unions are too often protecting bad cops and saving their jobs .
Richard Trumka , who heads the nation 's largest federation of labor organizations , announced Tuesday night that the board of the AFL-CIO has adopted a set of recommendations aimed at addressing `` America 's long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black people . ''
The labor federation also said the local police union president in Minneapolis , where George Floyd was killed , should be forced to resign .
Further , the AFL-CIO said its own 2013 findings must be acted upon , which the statement said could allow for a crackdown on such brutality while protecting due process rights of all public service workers .
Specifically , the statement called for banning chokeholds , expanding use of body cameras , ending racial profiling , demilitarizing police forces or limiting no-knock warrants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
[ The ] AFL-CIO [ said ] that it will not cut ties with [ the International Union of Police Associations ] , one of a dozen within the federation that counts law enforcement workers as members .
The AFL-CIO said those members are officers of `` every color , background and stripe in America . ''
It went on to say that they deserve the right to collective bargaining , and that the best way to influence the issue of police brutality is to `` engage unions rather than isolate them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beautiful network of volunteer chefs in World Central Kitchen continue to do their heroic work .
Here ’ s a highlight from their latest newsletter : PayPal pledges over $ 500 million to support minority-owned U.S. businesses PayPal Holdings Inc said on Thursday [ June 11 ] it was pledging $ 530 million to support black and minority-owned businesses in the United States and foster diversity , amid worldwide protests over racial injustice .
The bulk of the money - $ 500 million - will be devoted to the creation of a economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and under-represented minority businesses and communities , the U.S. electronic payments firm said , according to an internal memo and company statement .
The funding will be invested through community banks and credit unions serving minority communities or through direct investments , the company said .
PayPal joins a string of U.S. corporations who have committed funds to address racial inequality in the wake of protests .
... Bank of America Corp has pledged $ 1 billion over four years to help communities address economic and racial inequality .
Goldman Sachs last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial equity , while Nike Inc pledged $ 40 million over four years and $ 100 million over 10 years .
San Jose , California-based PayPal said $ 10 million of the total pledged will be used for emergency grants to black-owned U.S. businesses hurt by the effects of the coronavirus lockdown .
The grants of $ 10,000 each will be aimed at covering expenses needed to stabilize and re-open businesses ... Band-Aid Announces it Will Finally Make Bandages For Darker Skin Tones This story should probably have been in a separate category @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Time !
” This one kills me .
Three 10-year-olds shredding Rage Against the Machine ’ s “ Guerilla Radio ” in a tribute to George Floyd : Good news from around the world Experts say $ 17.5 billion writedown by BP prove oil giant knows ‘ reserves of oil and gas increasingly worthless ’ www.dailykos.com/ ... Anti-inflammatory steroid proves effective in reducing deaths in most critical cases of COVID-19 .
Very exciting news , nicely explicated by Mark Sumner .
www.dailykos.com/ ...
In Their Own Words : It WAS About Slavery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be preaching to the choir here , but wanted to arm my fellow Kosaks with a rebuttal to the “ heritage , not hate ” crowd .
...
Spoiler alert : it WAS about slavery.
” www.rawstory.com/ ... Big money bought the forests .
Small logging communities are paying the price .
A very lucid deep dive on why the timber industry in Oregon fell apart .
Spoiler alert : it had nothing to do with the spotted owl .
www.salon.com/ ...
The 24-year-old mystery of whether a Martian meteorite harbored microbial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ocean Creatures Use Mucus to Help Remove Carbon and Microplastics .
Yes , I know – yucky .
But it really is a fascinating article .
This is our time to dream big .
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 is to search out hope no matter how difficult the situation might be. When I wrote my roundup two weeks ago, it was a challenge to find good news. This week, the challenge is to keep the roundup to a reasonable size by posting only a fraction of the good news stories I found. There’s so much hope !
As always, this roundup is a pot-luck, so please share your own contribution in the comments, which we consider to be The Best Comment Section on the Internet™.
“There’s something happening here”
I know you all feel it. What we’re seeing and hearing and reading and experiencing is new. There has never in our history been a moment in which so many people have taken a stand against systemic racism. Some of this may be opportunistic (supportive statements crafted by corporate PR departments come to mind), but even the superficial messages of support add to the flood of anti-racist sentiment.
Of course, there’s push-back and misinformation and confusion, so this song seemed like just the right one to serve as an intro. And who better to sing it for us than the Staples family?
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And I love this photo. The kids aren’t going back to the way things were, and we aren’t either:
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Today’s Public Service Announcement: COVID-19 info update
WYgalinCali posted this video in last Friday’s “Breath of Fresh Air.” It’s clear and memorable. With infections beginning to increase around the country, I think it’s sufficiently important to repeat here:
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💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙
Today’s action item:
We Are Ultraviolet posted this action suggestion. You will get the number to call after you fill out a brief form.
MAKE A CALL FOR BREONNA TAYLOR The three officers who killed Breonna still have their jobs. LMPD has not implemented enough changes that would prevent police from doing this again. For these to happen, the public needs to back Breonna's family and keep pushing Louisville authorities. Today, will you call LMPD on behalf of Breonna Taylor? Below is a script to guide you. It's best to speak in your own words, but here are some points to get you started. Hi, my name is [NAME]. I am calling about Breonna Taylor, who was killed by LMPD officers Mattingly, Hankison, and Cosgrove. I'm calling to echo the demands of Breonna's family: End the use of unjust force by LMPD. Terminate the officers who murdered Breonna and revoke their pensions. Arrest, charge, and convict them for killing Breonna. Make sure LMPD provides all information to local, independent civilian community police accountability council. #CPAC Create policy for a transparent investigation process on law enforcement misconduct. LMPD unjustly took Breonna's life. Please see to it that those responsible are held accountable and that this injustice doesn't happen again. Thank you.
💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙
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Good news about justice
This really is … Just. So. Amazing. We’ve already discussed this a lot, but Wonkette had a really intrigung slant on it that I want to share. I’ve put the final kicker in bold.
Breaking Down The LGBTQ Decision: It's A Conservative-On-Conservative Cage Match!
By Liz Dye for Wonkette:
God Bless Justice Neil Gorsuch! Not words we ever thought we'd be typing on this here heathen recipeblog. [Monday’s] decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia is a HUGE win for gay and trans rights and we will take it! But getting down into the nitty-gritty of this decision, which includes two lengthy dissents to the majority opinion, what you really got was 172 pages of conservatives arguing with each other about how to wield the power of the court as the Republican party gets further and further out of step with the rest of the country. Well, really 124 pages, plus a 48-page appendix to Alito's dissent to prove that actually everyone hated gays in 1964. Because he's a real sweetheart! Should they tamp down on all this originalist stuff that will lead them to decisions that will look like Dred Scott fifty years from now? Should they stick to their guns and destroy the court's legitimacy? Or should they try to find some technical wheeze to justify retrograde decisions on social policy that hurt thousands of Americans? The answer is, yes, they should. And they should do it while tattooing the image of Justice Antonin Scalia all over their faces and accusing each other of pissing on the great man's corpse. ✂ ...amid the celebration, don't let the broader implications get lost. This is a generational fracturing of the conservative movement, between the absolutists who don't give a shit that their positions are jeopardizing the legitimacy of the court, and the younger, more rational figures who see that backwardass bigotry will be the death of the conservative movement. Conservatives in disarray, if you will! Okay, that's a lot of words. HAPPY PRIDE, Y'ALL, and enjoy those conservative tears. Do you think it was a coincidence that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who can write circles around Justice Gorsuch, let him blarp out this awkward opinion during the BUT GORSUCH election season? LOLOL, nope!
So we can also consider this good political news! Yay!!
And here’s more!
Good political news
Joe Biden is winning female voters by a historic margin
By Harry Enten on CNN:
Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in the polls for a lot of different reasons. One large one is his support from female voters. Biden is earning a historic amount of support from female voters for a presidential nominee when examining polling over the last 70 years. Take a look at the most recent live interview polls of registered voters from May and June compiled by The New York Times' Nate Cohn. Biden is leading among female registered voters by 59% to 35%, a 25-point margin when the numbers aren't rounded. That's a significant increase from his 19-point advantage earlier this year and the 14-point lead Hillary Clinton had in the final 2016 preelection polls of registered voters. Clinton had a 13-point edge with likely female voters.
The Lincoln Project strikes again!
Here’s their latest, which will be aired on the cable channels in DC that the Squalid Squatter in the WH watches daily. This one will really get under his thin skin!
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The GOP just made a deeply revealing decision about its 2020 platform
From Martin Longman on Alternet:
I’ve already written twice about Donald Trump’s decision to kind of/mostly move the 2020 Republican National Convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. In my last installment, I noted that it would be difficult to meet the president’s goal of having a full house for the television cameras, in part, because people cannot be in two places at the same time. ”People can’t simultaneously be in Charlotte holding a meeting on the Republican platform and in Jacksonville listening to Mike Pence or Melania Trump give a speech.” I suppose I was a bit naïve. There was an obvious solution but I didn’t see it because I don’t have enough of a criminal mind. ✂ On Wednesday, the RNC’s executive panel voted to leave the 2016 party platform in place, with absolutely no edits. This will have the absurd result of leaving in place language about the president that clearly refers, in a critical manner, to Barack Obama. ✂ Of course, both moderates and social conservatives are furious. They’ve both been gearing up to battle over the party platform, and now there will be no debate at all. Yet, by eliminating the most important piece of party business, the RNC no longer has to worry that people will be in Charlotte hashing out party principles when they should be in Jacksonville adoring the president. ✂ This is a final confirmation that the Republican Party has become a cult that stands for nothing and exists only to fluff Donald Trump’s ego. It was completely predictable but I failed to foresee it because I was still operating in the world where contracts are honored and political parties are made of up people who care about policy.
Most Americans Say Wealth Hasn’t Improved During Trump Years
This isn’t good news for the wellbeing of the country, of course, but it’s definitely good news that the *Resident can no longer boast that he’s put money in everyone’s pocket. Or at least when he does make that boast, it will ring offensively hollow.
From Bloomberg:
The “Trump Bump” hasn’t benefited most Americans, with fewer than one in six saying their personal finances have improved since Donald Trump became president, according to a survey commissioned by Bankrate.com. Almost twice as many respondents said they’re worse off since Trump moved into the White House in January 2017, while about half of the U.S. adults polled, 45%, said their financial situation has stayed about the same. ✂ Covid-19 is only partly to blame. Three out of five of those surveyed said they failed to see any improvement in their personal wealth during Trump’s presidency, even before the coronavirus slammed the U.S., cratered the economy, and ate into stock market gains of the past three years. ✂ The survey of 1,343 adults was conducted June 3-4 by YouGov Plc. No margin of error was specified.
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Musical break
I know I’ve shared this before, but it’s just too perfect for the present moment for me not post it again:
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Good news from Portland
Juneteenth Is Now a Paid Holiday for Multnomah County Workers From Willamette Week: Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury [on Friday June 12] declared Juneteenth an annual paid holiday for all county employees. Kafoury said she made the decision to recognize the systemic oppression of black lives. "Observing the day of Black liberation honors the historic and current struggle, acknowledges the strength of our Black neighbors, friends and family, and reminds us of the hard and necessary work we must continue to dismantle systems of oppression," she wrote in her statement. ✂ Kafoury acknowledged a paid holiday is a minor step, but said it's a necessary one. She encouraged county staff not just to celebrate but also educate themselves on the "unique and difficult experiences of black employees." She called her staff to support the work of black artists and business owners as well as honor their black colleagues' achievements. Multnomah County becomes the second Portland-area institution to declare Juneteenth a paid holiday this year, in the midst of a national uprising against police violence against black people. On Thursday, Nike said its workers would get Juneteenth off. This next item isn’t a big story, but it’s a sweet one. Protesters found, comforted pig in blanket along Willamette River, then flagged down Portland police for help
From The Oregonian:
Some concerned citizens drove their cars up to the pig's sleeping spot to keep watch over the animal until police helped rescue it Sunday morning. Portland police this morning [June 7] came across a large pig in a blanket along Waterfront Park. … It was asleep with an orange blanket draped over its massive porcine frame. The agency posted two photos of the sleeping animal early Sunday and asked its owners to come forward. Officer Natasha Haunsperger, a Portland police spokeswoman, said the pig goes by Betty. She’s a Yorkshire breed and someone in the community wrapped her in a blanket “to keep her warm.” ✂ The pig apparently had been abandoned sometime overnight. Several people who had noticed the pig gently covered it with their own orange blanket and jackets, and contacted Mary McDonald-Lewis, an animal rights activist. McDonald-Lewis said she received a call about midnight to help with the estimated 300-pound swine found along the Eastbank Esplanade. "These wonderful folks, who had been out protesting all evening, were taking care of the pig as she lay sleeping in a planter bed along the Willamette River,'' she wrote in an email.
Betty subsequently “found a home at a local animal farm where they will take good care of her.”
* * * * *
Good news from Oregon
Salem's End White Silence rally draws hundreds
Salem, our state capitol, is hardly a bastion of liberalism, let alone progressivism. But the BLM message has landed there forcefully. I especially love the fact that the organizers handed out fliers encouraging participants to take real action.
From The Salem Reporter:
Hundreds gathered at the Capitol and marched to the Mirror Pond outside of the Salem Police Department on Saturday, June 13, for the End White Silence rally. Organizers of the End White Silence rally held in Salem were determined. They wanted those who participated to do more than wave signs and shout chants. They wanted them to act against racism. So, they offered a flier with tips, including suggested readings. Speakers addressed issues of race as they stood on the steps of the Capitol.
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Silly news from Oregon
Wonkette reminded us that an important date in Absurd History is coming up in November. And they informed us that the local folks decided it deserved a memorial park.
From the Tacoma News Tribune:
Does ‘Exploding Whale Memorial Park’ mean what it sounds like it means? Yes.
Exploding Whale Memorial Park. That is the name of the new park that opened in Florence, Oregon, this week, the city’s website says. It might just sound like a quirky title, but there’s history behind it, according to KOBI. About 50 years ago, a dead 8-ton whale washed up on a shore near Florence, KOBI reported. The Oregon Department of Transportation wasn’t sure what to do about the corpse - it would be uncovered if they buried it, no one wanted to cut it up, and it couldn’t be burned, according to KATU. So the ODOT used about 20 cases of dynamite to blow the whale to bits, KATU reported. Fast-forward to today, the city held a vote for residents in a contest called “Name the Park,” according to KOBI. The winner turned out to be Exploding Whale Memorial Park, to commemorate the event that took place in 1970, KOBI reported. The park overlooks the Siuslaw River and Dunes. It was funded by two grants from the Land Water Conservation Fund and Oregon State Parks’ Local Government Grant Program, according to the city’s website.
And here’s the famous video:
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Good news from around the country
Here’s my favorite video of the week. Check out the beautiful statements from the lovely woman who got everybody dancing. (Side note: are you as surprised as I was that they all knew how to dance the Macarena? I thought it had fizzled out around 1995!)
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A Minnesota police officer's story of reconciliation is offering healing and hope in a time of desperate hurt.
This is a heartwarming and inspiring story from Columbia Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis. I’m giving you just a teaser introduction – please click the link and read the whole thing.
From MIX 94.9:
[Justin Pletcher shared on Facebook that] on the same day he celebrated 10 years as a cop, a Minneapolis man of color George Floyd was murdered at the hands of police. "There’s no other way to put this; this was a murder," he says. ... Pletcher goes on to share how upset the video and Floyd's death made him -- both as an officer of the peace and as a white man. ✂ Pletcher shares how on his first day back at work he could barely drag himself out of bed and put on his uniform, of how upset his fellow officers were and the conversations that ensued throughout the day. And then, Pletcher's post takes a beautiful turn as he shares a story from his day on patrol. Read it in full below.
Labor Leaders Call For Police Reform
Some of the language used by the AFL-CIO seems to signal a lack of urgency, but it’s good news that labor leaders are now being forced to grapple with the long history of malfeasance by police unions.
From NPR:
A loud and longtime complaint of civil rights activists and police reform advocates is that police unions are part of the problem of police brutality. Unions are designed to protect their members, and when it comes to officers charged with wrongdoing or excessive force, that means police unions are too often protecting bad cops and saving their jobs. Richard Trumka, who heads the nation's largest federation of labor organizations, announced Tuesday night that the board of the AFL-CIO has adopted a set of recommendations aimed at addressing "America's long history of racism and police violence against black people." ✂ The labor federation also said the local police union president in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed, should be forced to resign. Further, the AFL-CIO said its own 2013 findings must be acted upon, which the statement said could allow for a crackdown on such brutality while protecting due process rights of all public service workers. Specifically, the statement called for banning chokeholds, expanding use of body cameras, ending racial profiling, demilitarizing police forces or limiting no-knock warrants, and creating a more community-centric policing culture. ✂ [The] AFL-CIO [said] that it will not cut ties with [the International Union of Police Associations], one of a dozen within the federation that counts law enforcement workers as members. The AFL-CIO said those members are officers of "every color, background and stripe in America." It went on to say that they deserve the right to collective bargaining, and that the best way to influence the issue of police brutality is to "engage unions rather than isolate them."
Stories from the ground: WCK's Latest #ChefsForAmerica Update
Chef José Andrés and his beautiful network of volunteer chefs in World Central Kitchen continue to do their heroic work. Here’s a highlight from their latest newsletter:
In Newark, New Jersey, WCK has opened a new kitchen under one of our Chef Relief Team leads, Chef Ameer, to prepare thousands of restaurant-quality meals for the community we have been serving for several months now. At this kitchen, Chef Ameer has been able to hire more than 10 staff working to feed their neighbors. x YouTube Video “Food is liberation, it’s freedom. Food is justice. Food is emancipation. Food is empowerment. Food is peace, food is love. Food is community.” – Chef Ameer, WCK Relief Team LeBron James Gets It – Voting rights and police accountability are inextricably linked. I like the hopeful note on which this piece ends. From Slate: On Wednesday [June 10], LeBron James announced that he would be investing his immense star power in a group called More Than a Vote, which will collaborate with other voting rights advocacy groups, including Fair Fight Action, founded by Stacey Abrams, and When We All Vote, co-chaired by Michelle Obama. This announcement came after James’ early endorsement of the protests against police brutality and systemic racism in policing that emerged following the murder of George Floyd. While it is tempting for advocates for police accountability to want to remain laser-focused on their efforts to change policing in the United States, James’ move is a brilliant tactical shift. The voter suppression targeting minority voters that James’ group will seek to combat is inextricably linked with the Black Lives Matter movement’s ability to dismantle the systemically racist police state. ✂ There’s time before November to kick the door wide open by expanding access to voting by mail, ensuring safe in-person voting, and providing opportunities for voter registration. Fighting voter suppression will enable proponents of change to fight off attempts by law enforcement to roll back ongoing reforms like the repeal of 50-a and to continue addressing the fundamental changes that have been blocked until now.
PayPal pledges over $500 million to support minority-owned U.S. businesses
From Reuters:
PayPal Holdings Inc said on Thursday [June 11] it was pledging $530 million to support black and minority-owned businesses in the United States and foster diversity, amid worldwide protests over racial injustice. The bulk of the money - $500 million - will be devoted to the creation of a economic opportunity fund that will invest in black and under-represented minority businesses and communities, the U.S. electronic payments firm said, according to an internal memo and company statement. The funding will be invested through community banks and credit unions serving minority communities or through direct investments, the company said. ✂ PayPal joins a string of U.S. corporations who have committed funds to address racial inequality in the wake of protests. ...Bank of America Corp has pledged $1 billion over four years to help communities address economic and racial inequality. Goldman Sachs last week created a $10 million fund for racial equity, while Nike Inc pledged $40 million over four years and $100 million over 10 years. San Jose, California-based PayPal said $10 million of the total pledged will be used for emergency grants to black-owned U.S. businesses hurt by the effects of the coronavirus lockdown. The grants of $10,000 each will be aimed at covering expenses needed to stabilize and re-open businesses...
Band-Aid Announces it Will Finally Make Bandages For Darker Skin Tones
This story should probably have been in a separate category labelled “It’s About Fucking Time!”
From Good News Network:
In response to recent worldwide support for Black Lives Matters protests, Band-Aid announced last week that it will be expanding its product line to include bandages with a range of skin tones. “We hear you. We see you. We’re listening to you,” the company wrote on Instagram. “We stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, collaborators and community in the fight against racism, violence and injustice. We are committed to taking actions to create tangible change for the Black community.” The bandages will come in light, olive, and darker shades of brown and black tones, to reflect the diversity of consumers who need bandages. ✂ In addition to the change, Band-Aid says they will be making a donation to Black Lives Matter.
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Another musical break
This one kills me. Three 10-year-olds shredding Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerilla Radio” in a tribute to George Floyd:
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Good news from around the world
Experts say $17.5 billion writedown by BP prove oil giant knows ‘reserves of oil and gas increasingly worthless’
From Raw Story:
Fossil fuel giant BP announced Monday it will write down nearly $18 billion in existing assets, a move that climate advocates say is more evidence that the industry is undergoing a massive shift that will leave oil and gas reserves less and less valuable as the world pivots to more planet-friendly and financially-viable sources of energy. “This huge dent in BP’s balance sheet suggests it has finally dawned on BP that the climate emergency is going to make oil worth less.”
—Charlie Kronick, Greenpeace “Big Oil is finally admitting what we’ve been saying for the last ten years,” Fossil Free Media director and Stop the Money Pipeline campaign spokesperson Jamie Henn told Common Dreams. “Their reserves of oil and gas are increasingly worthless because there’s no way to safely, or profitably, produce them.” The massive writedown comes as the economic impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic have converged with the preexisting financial crisis facing the fossil fuel industry due to surging renewables, a glut of oil and gas surplus in the global market, and the growing political demand to reduce emissions.
Pangolins protected in China as scales removed from medicine list Baby pangolin clinging to its mother. The world’s most trafficked animal has been thrown a lifeline by the Chinese government, which has granted pangolins the highest form of protection and removed their body parts from a list of ingredients approved for use in Chinese medicine. Covered in scales that protect the animals from predation, pangolins have been pushed towards extinction because of demand for these scales, which are used in Chinese medicine. The Chinese government has now dropped pangolin scales from an official list of sanctioned medicine ingredients and has upgraded the protection status of the Chinese and Sunda pangolins to National Level I, which is the same level as the giant panda. ✂ The pangolin’s new protective status is effective immediately and follows an announcement in March that China was banning the hunting, trade, transportation and consumption of all terrestrial wild animals whether captive-bred or wild caught, where the end purpose is to eat.
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Hot lynx
www.dailykos.com/...Anti-inflammatory steroid proves effective in reducing deaths in most critical cases of COVID-19. Very exciting news, nicely explicated by Mark Sumner.
www.dailykos.com/...In Their Own Words: It WAS About Slavery. As the author says, “I may be preaching to the choir here, but wanted to arm my fellow Kosaks with a rebuttal to the “heritage, not hate” crowd. ... Spoiler alert: it WAS about slavery.”
www.rawstory.com/...Big money bought the forests. Small logging communities are paying the price. A very lucid deep dive on why the timber industry in Oregon fell apart. Spoiler alert: it had nothing to do with the spotted owl.
www.salon.com/...The 24-year-old mystery of whether a Martian meteorite harbored microbial life is still unsolved
www.ecowatch.com/...Extraordinary Ocean Creatures Use Mucus to Help Remove Carbon and Microplastics. Yes, I know – yucky. But it really is a fascinating article.
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Closing music
This is our time to dream big.
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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!💙❤


dailykos--2020-06-17--Candace Owens Validates White Racism
and we are silent

Its been a while since I posted so bear with me .
Let me start by saying my grievances with with Candace Owens are personal !
Strange as that sounds as I never me the women ( or hope to ) Please allow me to explain .
Let me start with her latest rant I can ’ t begin to address this !
It is so wrong .
First let me start my addressing this notion that “ white people ” don ’ t celebrate the criminal element : Jesse James , Billy the Kid , Bonnie & Clyde , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; all criminals and murders all celebrated in story and song .
It has been said or written that all these notorious folks , were given shelter and support in the white community .
Growing up in Brooklyn , there were plenty of folks who idolized the Gambinos and the Gotti ’ s and took their side in many situations .
James Michel Curley Boston ’ s first Irish Mayor served one term in jail with the folks of Boston saying “ He ’ s a crook but he ’ s our crook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ wisdom ” from the historian Tomas Sowell .
I am not familiar with Mr. Sowell ’ s work but if this is any indication of his scholarship , He ’ s blind , deaf and dumb !
!
George Floyd was choked for 8 minutes and 45 seconds for passing a counterfeit $ 20 .
bill Was that intentional ( I received phony bills and unintentionally used them in other transactions .
Nobody called the police on me .
But this is one example of the poison Candice Owens disseminates She validates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Folks are lazy , shiftless , immoral folks , with a propensity for violence who crave being high and having casual sex .
They have neither family support or community !
I heard this before : Growing Up at the dinner table , at the workplace , in the bars .
I heard form people who were less than honorable .
Yes , I grew up in a racist family in a racist community and to see that B ” # tch attempt to validate every sterotype I confronted makes me beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have come “ out “ to my African Americans friends ( as cliche as that sounds ) about the racism I grew up with .
What troubles me is how the media turns a blind eye Personalities Don Lemon to Roland Martin ignore this .
The only one to call her out was Dave Chappell But its because we “ don ’ t talk to each other ” How many white folks really open up about their racist upbringings How their parents taught them to be afraid of black folks : Stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a conversation we need to have Thanks to all who read and comment

Its been a while since I posted so bear with me. Let me start by saying my grievances with with Candace Owens are personal! Strange as that sounds as I never me the women (or hope to) Please
allow me to explain. Let me start with her latest rant
I can’t begin to address this! It is so wrong.
First let me start my addressing this notion that “white people” don’t celebrate the criminal element:
Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Bonnie & Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly ; all criminals and murders all celebrated in story and song. It has been said or written that all these notorious folks, were given shelter and support in the white community.
Growing up in Brooklyn, there were plenty of folks who idolized the Gambinos and the Gotti’s and took their side in many situations.
James Michel Curley Boston’s first Irish Mayor served one term in jail with the folks of Boston saying
“He’s a crook but he’s our crook” Ms. Ownes claims to obtain her “wisdom” from the historian Tomas Sowell. I am not familiar with Mr. Sowell’s work but if this is any indication of his scholarship, He’s blind, deaf and dumb!!
George Floyd was choked for 8 minutes and 45 seconds for passing a counterfeit $20. bill Was that intentional ( I received phony bills and unintentionally used them in other transactions. Nobody called the police on me.
BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT GEORGE FLOYD DID. HE DIDNT DESERVE TO DIE CANDICE OWENS VALIDATED A POLICE LYNCHING
But this is one example of the poison Candice Owens disseminates
She validates every stereotype white people cling to: Black Folks are lazy, shiftless, immoral folks , with a propensity for violence who crave being high and having casual sex. They have neither family support or community!
I heard this before: Growing Up at the dinner table, at the workplace , in the bars. I heard form people who were less than honorable. Yes, I grew up in a racist family in a racist community and to see that B”#tch attempt to validate every sterotype I confronted makes me beyond angry.
Because of Candice Owens, I have come “out “ to my African Americans friends (as cliche as that sounds) about the racism I grew up with . What troubles me is how the media turns a blind eye
Personalities Don Lemon to Roland Martin ignore this . The only one to call her out was Dave Chappell
But its because we “don’t talk to each other” How many white folks really open up about their racist upbringings How their parents taught them to be afraid of black folks: Stay away from those neighborhoods etc.
This is a conversation we need to have
Thanks to all who read and comment


dailykos--2020-06-17--Honored to be Endorsed by Latino Victory!

I am so happy to have been endorsed by the Latino Victory Organization .
They are a progressive political action @ @ @ @ @ political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government and building a base @ @ @ @ @ this critical work .
When elected , I will be the first Latina and first @ @ @ @ @ Florida State House District 27 .
My work in the healthcare industry is what got @ @ @ @ @ am a board member at the Hispanic Health Initiative .
In 2018 , I was @ @ @ @ @ West Volusia Hospital Authority , where I provide input on initiatives to provide services to @ @ @ @ @ .
Please continue to support me and my campaign .

I am so happy to have been endorsed by the Latino Victory Organization.
They are a progressive political action committee working to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government and building a base of Latino donors to support this critical work.
When elected, I will be the first Latina and first Puerto Rican woman to represent Florida State House District 27. My work in the healthcare industry is what got me into politics. I am a board member at the Hispanic Health Initiative. In 2018, I was elected county commissioner of the West Volusia Hospital Authority, where I provide input on initiatives to provide services to Volusia’s underserved communities.
Please continue to support me and my campaign.
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