If you're a long time reader, you'll know I hardly ever post links to GoFundMes, Kickstarters, Etsy stores, whatever. When I do it's because I believe in what those people are doing (and IIRC, I've really only been slightly wrong once, the kickstarted product works, it just took a hellofa long time to get produced and it only gave some modest benefit). For those I post I've usually already given them money (not 100% of the time, but mostly, I also don't post everything I give money to). I try not to do them close together, so I ask your forgiveness here in posting two within a week (the last one was for Nichelle Nicholes). But…
Jim Wright is asking for help. If you've been a long time reader you also know I post to many of Jim's writings. Jim is a good egg, as we used to say. In the past I've bought his woodworking, and I've been trying to get a pen of his for awhile (but, they're a little out of my price range, and when he has a sale with one that I like, it's gone before I can get to his Etsy, although I once was able to get one I liked in a shopping cart before it sold out). You can read in Jim's post what is going on.
"Well, 2020 keeps getting better all the time… Amid a pandemic, civil unrest and a divisive US election season, we now have an asteroid zooming toward us… On the day before the presidential vote, no less." It won't hit, but come on sweet release of global destruction! Actually it's too small to do more than take out a small city.
"The last time we saw NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission was on July 30, 2020, as it disappeared into the black of deep space on a trajectory for Mars. But with NASA's Eyes on the Solar System, you can follow in real time as humanity's most sophisticated rover - and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter traveling with it - treks millions of miles over the next six months to Jezero Crater."
"The Trump administration is planning to block the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska early next week, six people familiar with the plans told POLITICO, marking a surprise reversal that could be the death knell for the massive copper and gold project." This isn't a reversal of politics, it's a bandaid that can be reversed after the election.
"US President Donald Trump has declared that wildfires burning through homes and devastating precious forestry in California are a major disaster and he has released federal aid." My guess is he had little to do with it. But note the money he is releasing is the same money he earmarked for his unemployment relief. And why is California scrambling for bodies to help fight the fires? Because CalFire was bolstered by inmate workers and those inmates can't work because of COVID-19 concerns.
"Abruptly shifting much of the U.S. education system online in the middle of a pandemic was never going to be easy. But for students of color at some of the country’s largest school districts, the practical, technical, and emotional challenges are far more acute. Their lack of reliable internet access and technology is only the tip of the iceberg." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"President Donald Trump on Saturday suggested that his own FDA is making it difficult for drug companies to enroll people in clinical trials for vaccines and therapies to treat Covid-19, part of a 'deep state' plot to hinder his re-election prospects." No, he's starting to feel the heat that Russia and China have announced vaccines (although both haven't been through Stage 3 trials yet, and that's also where the US is at) and he's seeing how that appearance of being behind the curve may start to hurt him politically.
"Americans are sharing stories about medication delays with the hashtag #USPSMeds. Many are veterans who have reported weeks-long delays. Some are seniors who instead have to visit a pharmacy, putting them at higher risk of exposure to Covid-19… Geissel chose mail-order for the convenience — the nearest pharmacy is 20 minutes away — and the affordability. His insurance company covers more of the cost of the medication when it’s delivered by the U.S. postal service. Geissel has to pay a $135 copay for a months supply if he instead picks it up at a retail pharmacy." No, he didn't choose it for the convenience. He chose postal delivery because the insurance in punitive against in-person pharmacy visits and only begrudgingly allows them for emergency medications. Just like most of our insurance plans. Why? Because pharmaceuticals is to the health industry what fountain drinks are to the hospitality industry. They are huge money makers (most medications, before markups, are priced way below your typical copays, and when I say "markups" I mean markups of over 500%). And this is one of those things that the people who decided to sabotage the USPS had no concept would happen, and they have no concern over it now (except for the optics and proof of their actions).
"José Roberto Álvarez Mena, her dad, was one of thousands of essential workers who showed up to work as California saw a surge in coronavirus cases after partially reopening its economy earlier this summer. Álvarez Mena was working as the head of maintenance for Mission Foods Corp. in Commerce, California, when he tested positive to COVID-19 on June 28." When some people realize that "essential worker" means "expendable person."
"The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says he hopes the coronavirus pandemic will be over in under two years… Speaking in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Spanish flu of 1918 had taken two years to overcome… But he added that current advances in technology could enable the world to halt the virus 'in a shorter time'." If it is halted in 2 years just realize we haven't made it 1 year yet.
"Police officers were hit by rocks and bottles during a protest in the Oregon city of Portland late on Saturday, police said, and there were clashes between rival groups of demonstrators in the city’s downtown area earlier in the day… In a Twitter post, police said early on Sunday they had declared a riot for the gathering around the Penumbra Kelly Building, a city building that houses offices including police."
"A former California police officer who became known as the notorious Golden State Killer said he was 'truly sorry' before he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on Friday… Joseph DeAngelo, 74, who confessed to 13 murders and dozens of rapes, terrorized the victims in the 1970s and '80s." He's truly sorry he was caught.
"Newfound freedom is part of the allure of going off to college, but COVID-19 changes things. At Oklahoma State University, the school tracks where students are at all times on campus to slow the spread of the disease… Oklahoma State tracks the location data of students and staff who are signed on to campus Wi-Fi routers. The school also uses student card swipes, campus purchases and course attendance to complete contact tracing." What's a little Big Brother between friends if it's supposed to help fight COVID-19 transmissions (note, it's not)?
"Gravely ill Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was evacuated to Germany for medical treatment on Saturday, flown out of the Siberian city of Omsk in an ambulance aircraft and taken to a hospital in Berlin."
"Photos (of) Belarus' massive and unprecedented protests."
"Allegations by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that 'foreign powers' are organising a build-up of troops on the country's border are baseless, says Nato."
"Libya's rival authorities have announced an immediate ceasefire… The Tripoli-based and internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) published a statement that also calls for elections in March next year… The truce was also agreed by an ally of Gen Khalifa Haftar, who controls large parts of the east and south of Libya."
"President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would send law enforcement officials to polling locations to guard against voter fraud in November's election, although it's not clear he has the authority to do so." Narrator's voice, he doesn't have the power to do this, and in some places it's illegal. And yes, it's just a intimidation tactic.
"The US Senate convened for a virtual hearing Friday for the testimony of US Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is in the spotlight over sweeping changes he's made that could affect mail-in ballots in the upcoming presidential election. As Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware attempted to speak, he appeared to believe he was on mute when he voiced frustrations with the Webex videoconferencing software… 'F---, f---, f---!' Carper can be heard saying in a video. He then called someone in to help with the issue." It's a nothing burger of an interesting side-show. Oh look, old people have problems with semi-complicated and poorly designed human-interface software, and politicians can curse.
"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday accused the Trump White House of covering up the role Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin played in recruiting Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major Republican donor with no prior experience working for the U.S. Postal Service."
"A California court ordered President Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, the adult-film actress known as Stormy Daniels, to cover her legal fees regarding her nondisclosure agreement."
"An extraordinarily high number of ballots — more than 550,000 — have been rejected in this year's presidential primaries, according to a new analysis by NPR… That's far more than the 318,728 ballots rejected in the 2016 general election and has raised alarms about what might happen in November when tens of millions of more voters are expected to cast their ballots by mail, many for the first time." The rules are complicated, and your ballot can be rejected for the slightest variation.
"In a private meeting inside Trump Tower days before his inauguration, Donald Trump told a group of civil rights leaders something most Republicans wouldn’t dare publicly acknowledge: lower turnout among Black voters did, in fact, benefit him in the 2016 presidential election… 'Many Blacks didn’t go out to vote for Hillary ‘cause they liked me. That was almost as good as getting the vote, you know, and it was great,' the president-elect said, according to an audio recording of the meeting shared with POLITICO." Love how he turns a non-vote into a vote for him… because this is what politicians do. Your "protest vote" is not a protest. The winner doesn't care and won't worry. The loser doesn't have the power to change anything. You want to change politics? Then you've got to show up every. single. time. You have to go to meetings. Withholding a vote (or voting third party because you want to "punish" one of the 2 major parties) has absolutely no effect, except to usher in the greater evil.
"President Donald Trump's relentless effort to undermine Joe Biden as 'Sleepy Joe' backfired this week when the former vice president delivered a forceful speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination. Now the pressure is on the President to right his own campaign as he heads into the Republican National Convention next week." Expect bombast and a reiteration of "Our Nation Is an Apocalyptic Battlefield" that permeated his inaugural address.
"Four years ago, older white voters played a big role helping elect Donald Trump president, especially in key battleground states like Florida and Pennsylvania… Robert Griffin, who's with the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group, says to win a second term, Trump needs them to turn out in even bigger numbers… A lot of seniors who backed Trump four years ago also told NPR they're tired of his tweets, dislike his use of of profanity, and many rate him poorly on his handling of the coronavirus… But NPR heard something else from these voters: a reminder of just how hard it is these days to actually change peoples' votes." The olds love their Donald. And it's mostly social conservatives who formed the backbone of the Reagan revolution and are now the base of the GOP.
"Former CIA Director John Brennan was interviewed for eight hours on Friday by U.S. Attorney John Durham as part of Durham's ongoing review of the origins of the investigation launched into Russia's 2016 election interference, according to a statement released by Brennan's spokesperson… During the interview, which took place at CIA headquarters, Brennan was informed by Durham that he was 'not a subject or a target' of a criminal investigation, and was being questioned as a 'witness to events that are under review,' Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Brennan's senior adviser, said." The October Surprise is on (the) schedule.
"Maryanne Trump Barry bitterly criticized her brother, President Donald Trump, saying, 'Donald's out for Donald,' and appeared to confirm her niece Mary Trump's previous allegations that he had a friend take his SATs to get into college, according to audio excerpts obtained by CNN." I would say this is just "dirty laundry" reporting, but there's a sizable portion of the nation that doesn't understand this. But that portion won't hear this or accept it.
"Stuart Stevens spent four decades helping Republicans—a lot of Republicans—win. He’s one of the most successful political operatives of his generation, crafting ads and devising strategies for President George W. Bush, Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney and Bob Dole, and dozens of GOP governors, senators and congressmen. He didn’t win every race, but he thinks he had the best won-lost record in Republican campaign world… And now he feels terrible about it." Begging for absolution. Fuck off. "His point is that Trump is a fitting representative of the modern GOP." As I've argued on some facebook posts, you can draw a direct line from the GOP welcoming the Birchers in the 50's, through Nixon's Southern Strategy, the Reagan Compromise, Buchannon, the rise of Fox News, the Tea Party (and now QAnon) and that line points directly at Trump. What people like Stevens thought is that they could control the hate an animus they used to rise to power, not understanding that the kids didn't understand the con game, that the institutions they set up in the 80s (Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society, a hundred think tanks) would all substitute reality with the myth, and the drive to the right was also the drive to the lowest common denominator. Hate. And this book is another example in what Steves saw himself in post Nazi Germany, the argument of, "You have to understand… we aren't bad people." No. No I don't have to understand and yes you are. Because I saw this in the 80s and I was relatively unschooled politically (compared to now). And you can tell from the interview that he still doesn't get it.
Tweet of my Heart: @alexanderchee Bannon, arrested by the Postal Service, on a fugitive Chinese billionaire's yacht, for border wall fundraising fraud... this is like Clue for 2020. (Grokked from Laura J. Mixon)
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