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Post-COVID Deluge and Open Thread

I know it seems like I just disappeared from the Internet, and I did, but not intentionally.

I don't think I ever thought much about how court cases would be rescheduled after COVID. Everything was continued for 90 days so many times, and then all of a sudden, after the vaccines were out, the continuances were over and the dates set so long ago are now real dates. Which translates to things like I have three federal sentencings in the first two weeks of August. [More...]

I haven't resumed going to jails, and I'm not going to with the Delta variant so prominent in Colorado, but we are back to live court hearings in the courthouse and it takes some getting adjusted to, especially the time it takes to put on real clothes and makeup. After more than a year of going nowhere other than the supermarket and doctors' offices, it seems like I have to go everywhere: gas stations for gas; car dealerships for a new car because my lease was up; and on and on.

I have not followed the news because once I start reading or watching, it's like I can't get enough and hours go by.

So for those of you who were kind enough to inquire as to whether I am okay, the answer is Yes, I'm fine, just feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change in routine and perplexed at how I ever managed to do so many different things in a day and not think twice about it.

So I will return to regular posting as soon as I can take a deep breath. And again, my apologies for not clueing everyone in sooner.

Is anyone else feeling like we have gotten a curveball thrown at us, and the floodgates have opened, before we are ready to deal with it? How are you coping?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Get my 2nd Pfizer shot tomorrow. (5.00 / 7) (#1)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 05:08:51 PM EST
    Will still be masking up in public.

    This seems delayed (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 08:06:32 PM EST
    why has it taken so long?  I was full vaccinated months ago and I'm 69 so I missed to 70 cutoff and had to wait until it was everyone else under 70.

    Parent
    I was given monoclonal antibodies (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 08:54:01 PM EST
    My first night in the hospital on 3/26. Had to wait 90 days after that before I could be vaccinated. I got my first shot on day 91.

    I was waiting on an appt for a vaccine in March when I got infected at the dentists office.

    Parent

    Ah (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 09:09:09 PM EST
    I should probably have know that.

    Congratulations.  It's a really good feeling.

    Parent

    In Arkansas (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 05:31:44 PM EST
    It's more a killer fast ball.  This, north central AR and south central MO, is ground zero.

    Glad you are just busy.

    I'm just out of Fs to give about these people.  I was reading today interviews with doctors and other health people in the area who are starting to resent unvaccinated people infected with covid.

    And admitting it to journalists!  That seems extraordinary.  You don't want the people caring for you resenting you for your rampant stupidity.  Or maybe that's just me.

    I understand the argument being made that we need to "convince" these idiots to save themselves because of the danger of repeated infections causing dangerous variants.  But this is true all over the world.  There are people, millions of people, all over the world begging for vaccines.  I don't think they should risk wasting ONE SINGLE DOSE by sending vaccine to private doctors hoping they can inject them.

    F these people.  Let them die.  Send those vaccines to people who want it.

    RawStory (none / 0) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 05:39:47 PM EST
    I am glad (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 07:57:29 PM EST
    Biden is sending vaccines all over the world. I agree with the lady who has family in Zimbabwe. These people desperately want the vaccine and we have selfish conservatives who don't want it.

    We have been coddling these people for way too long---way before the pandemic hit you know it was all about Trump voters in the diners. Before that it was we have to try to understand the anger of tea partiers. Before that it was the "angry white guy" who has "legitimate greivance" but can you imagine the treatment the press would give an angry African American?

    My area is so stupid they are riled up about critical race theory that they don't even know what it is only that it sounds "bad". So we're banning something that isn't even taught in K-12. This is the whole GOP strategy here. Well, that and screaming about Stacey Abrams and MLB. I guess even Republicans have given up on trying to get these people to get vaccines.

    Parent

    Stacey Abrams and MLB? (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by Peter G on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 10:19:15 PM EST
    She's a home run with me. But somehow I think that was a typo for BLM ....

    Parent
    MLB (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 05:34:14 AM EST
    moved the all-star game out of Atlanta because of the
    new voter suppression laws, apparently the locals are still pissed off.
     

    Parent
    At this point (none / 0) (#26)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 02:44:17 PM EST
    the only people that seem to care about the All Star game are the ones that caused it to leave like Kemp et. al.

    Parent
    Definitely not a typo (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:19:43 AM EST
    MLB and Critical Race Theory.  And trans children.  

    Parent
    The policies of (none / 0) (#21)
    by KeysDan on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 11:03:05 AM EST
    the fascist party of The Former Guy. (aka, Republican Party), insomuch as they have any (unless you consider opposition to kindergarteners mastering critical race theory and bathroom bills as policies) star their opposition to COVID vaccination.  It appears to be their goal for their Red Hat people to die from liquifying lungs.  Many people are saying this is the time for bipartisanship---something Democrats should get behind.

    Parent
    I communicated this very thing (none / 0) (#32)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 04:59:47 PM EST
    to the family of vaccine deniers I saw today.

    You be you.

    Parent

    Well, by (none / 0) (#5)
    by KeysDan on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 06:07:03 PM EST
    stubbornly remaining unvaccinated they own the libs and deny President Biden a win.

    Parent
    Seriously (none / 0) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 06:18:41 PM EST
    I really hate being ground zero for stupid.

    Maybe it's just being stuck in the shallow end of the gene pool but I just done.  I'm done.

    I am so sick of this bloated self righteous American entitlement.  We waste everything.  We have always done it.  5% of the worlds population routinely using at least 25% of its resources.  We have grown up thinking it's our f'cking birthright.  

    Lazy stupid bloated redneck idiots should not be allowed to be the excuse for wasting this rare life saving vaccine.

    Let them f'ing die.

    Parent

    Also (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 06:28:17 PM EST
    I know this won't happen but I wish Biden would say that.

    OK, we tried.  You have until ___. to get your azz vaccinated (deadline moveable depending on demand) and then I'm sending our entire supply to the people in the world who want it.  At least until it's cleared for children.  Hope there's a ventilator for ya.

    Parent

    I have not read or seen (none / 0) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 08:13:13 PM EST
    Anything official saying they were sending vaccine to private doctors in hopes of getting some low informations vaccinated.

    I haven't really looked but I have not seen it.  I read they were considering it but many people were against it because it would definitely end up wasting doses.

    But a few days ago I saw my doctor for a routine visit and he told me the facility were I go had been sent doses of the vaccine and they had thrown most of it, his words, away because no one would take it.

    Parent

    I (none / 0) (#15)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 05:41:27 AM EST
    have more pity on these jamokes then hatred, however my hatred for Tucker Carlson and his ilk grows brighter everyday. He is murdering his own fans(stochastically speaking) just to score a few political points and to own the libs. Pure fkng evil if you ask me.

    Parent
    Carlson is not "fooling" anyone (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 06:37:52 AM EST
    Any more than Trump fooled people or misled them.

    They are supplying the market with what it demands.  They don't have to watch Tucker Carlson.  They did not have to listen to Trump.

    Carlson, Trump, Ingram and the others are symptoms.  They are followers.  The world is overflowing with information.  This idea they are fooling the poor well meaning masses is total bullshi+.  Spread by people who watch them from a distance  whine when the are in ICU about being misled because their defining character trait is the denial of any responsibility for their own actions.

    They are giving the market what it wants.  

    Look. I understand there are more than one reason for vaccine denial.  But the ones I'm talking about - the White rural Trump loving racists - are NOT misled.  They are running the right wing circus.  They revolt when Dershowitz tells Carlson Biden won the election and flee to ONN.  Carlson knows what the audience wants.  He learned it from Trump.  Or maybe Trump learned it from him.

    Stop letting these idiot racist f'cks off and pitying them.

    Parent

    and (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:06:26 AM EST
    I wouldn't say I hate them.  That would take too much energy.  I won't give that to them.   All they get from me is contempt.

    Seeing the rabid fascists as poor misled sheep instead of the hyenas they are is a dangerous mistake.

    Parent

    Tucker (none / 0) (#19)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:48:49 AM EST
    et al are much more then mere symptoms, they are mainline vectors. Absolutely, the "disease" has been and will be around forever and pols and pundits have exploited it for just as long, mostly through varying levels of dog whistles.

    tRump of course, changed the dog-whistles to a bullhorn but this seems different, these people are dealing death. They are willfully becoming Typhoid Marys, for what? Scoring a few points for their team(while randomly killing some of them off) and a temporary boost in their ratings.

    You are correct, they are symptoms of a disease. but it is not the disease of the masses as you describe, born out of ignorance and racism. It is a disease born out of intelligence and fascism.
     

    Parent

    Oh,Oh (5.00 / 1) (#79)
    by FlJoe on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 03:40:38 PM EST
    poor Tuker, the Fauci Ouchie gestapo are in the building
    Fox Corporation, the right-wing talk channel's parent company, has quietly implemented the concept of a vaccine passport as workers slowly return back to the company's offices.

    Fox employees, including those who work at Fox News, received an email, obtained by CNN Business, from the company's Human Resources department in early June that said Fox had "developed a secure, voluntary way for employees to self-attest their vaccination status."

    No word from the bunker yet on which "position" he has taken.

    Parent
    We all know he is vaccinated (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 04:30:20 PM EST
    He has refused to answer the question.  Now he doesn't need to.

    Parent
    Thus (none / 0) (#83)
    by FlJoe on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 05:21:15 PM EST
    the hatred, secretly getting while telling everyone else not to. I bet even your local redneck fascists would not sink that low.

    Parent
    I think you would be wrong (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 05:33:44 PM EST
    I was discussing this yesterday with the rest.  We decided, and I have always believed some are getting vaccinated and not admitting it.

    Like Trump did.  He showed them how to do it.  Keep the lie going but protect yourself.

    The numbers can't be very high, yet, but I think it's definitely happening.

    This would likely be the higher functioning ones.  The leaders, like, we agreed the oldest grandson/LEO/rabid Trumper.

    We both thought it was likely he would totally do it and convince his brothers not to.

    Parent

    And Tucker (none / 0) (#87)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 05:37:27 PM EST
    The smart ones know he's been vaccinated

    Parent
    From CNN (none / 0) (#139)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 11:49:22 AM EST
    Of 211 House republicans 114 are vavvinated 97 won't disclose if they are vaccinated

    Parent
    I didn't say ignorance (none / 0) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 08:07:53 AM EST
    I believe I said the opposite.  It's is absolutely born of racism and fascism.  I don't think I would include intelligence.  At least in the masses.

    Tucker is certainly intelligent.  Ingram.  Even Trump has a kind of feral intelligence.

    Tucker, Ingram even Trump would not exist without an audience, without the disease.  That is the definition of a symptom.  

    They did not cause anything.  They seized an opportunity.

    Parent

    That's (none / 0) (#22)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 11:31:37 AM EST
    what I am saying, there is elite fascism and redneck fascism, the former with intelligence the latter without. In all successful fascist movements the elite manipulate the non-elite, I agree nothing new there but what you describe as "symptoms" among the elite, appear to me as time tested tools of authoritarians everywhere.

    As we found out the hard way that the embers of fascism are continually burning, but it still takes the elites willfully throwing gas on the fire to truly energize the beast.  

    Parent

    Sure (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 03:36:41 PM EST
    But if Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Inghram all died in a bus crash this afternoon their viewers would not join you on CNN on Monday night.

    You can't lead a fascist movement without fascists

    Parent

    And (none / 0) (#37)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:39:52 PM EST
    a leaderless movement is just that leaderless, aimless and impotent most likely.

    Would the Nazis have seized power without Hitler or some one like him? Quite possibly not.

    Would the current crop survive without Tucker and the rest? Certainly, but without being spoonfed their daily outrage they would soon lose focus and would settle into their own diffuse parochial world of grievances.

    I mean how is one supposed to hate such arcane subjects as critical race theory or mister potato head without direction.

    Anyway we seem to be getting close to chicken or the egg territory here

    Parent

    Yes egg and chicken (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:52:04 PM EST
    My ONLY point is these people, NONE of these people are blameless.  They do not deserve your pity.  Sure, leaders are bad.  Movements need leaders but I spent the f'ing day with vaccine deniers.  Well not actually with the deniers, I just wouldn't do that, but with the mother/grandmother and grandfather of the family of deniers.

    Why, I asked.  They shrug, they don't believe it's real.

    But...you personally know 3 people (I know of) who have died of this, right?  They know them too right?

    Yes, and we also know a family with a sick child.

    But...they don't believe it's real?

    By this point my sister is near tears and I just try to change the subject.

    These people, including my family members, are f'ing idiots.  I guess they deserve health care but NOT sympathy.  And they damn sure don't deserve to have people like you blaming Tucker Carlson for their stupidity.  

    Read that Times piece I just linked to.  Just read it.

    Parent

    This is from the Times article (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 08:01:18 PM EST
    I mentioned before I'm hearing this a lot.  I think we are going to hear it a lot more because that woman is not selfish at all.  She can't say they are stupid and deserve what that get.  I can.

    "I started having flashbacks, like PTSD," said Dr. Martin, the pulmonologist, who obsesses over her patients' care. "This is going to sound very selfish but unfortunately it's true: The fact that people won't get vaccinated means I can't go home and see my kids for dinner."



    Parent
    Did you see this? (none / 0) (#43)
    by leap on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 12:36:46 AM EST
    Dr. Catherine O'Neal

    The O'Neal portion is from this presentation.

    Parent

    "stochastically" (5.00 / 2) (#25)
    by oculus on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 01:25:30 PM EST
    Word of the day.

    Parent
    Thank (none / 0) (#38)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:41:49 PM EST
    goodness for spellcheck is all I have to say.

    Parent
    And the vaccinated (none / 0) (#27)
    by MKS on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 02:44:48 PM EST
    are not completely out of the woods.  If the unvaccinated allow the Delta variant etc. to continue to marinate and mutate, then the virus can bite the vaccinated in rear too.

    Already, according to the Israelis, albeit in only study, the Pfizer shots efficacy drops off against the Delta Variant, although it sill prevents serious disease or hospitalization.  

    If these clowns still refuse to play ball, they could end up dragging us all down.  It is not just about them.

    Parent

    This is from the comment (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 03:30:58 PM EST
    I understand the argument being made that we need to "convince" these idiots to save themselves because of the danger of repeated infections causing dangerous variants.  But this is true all over the world.  There are people, millions of people, all over the world begging for vaccines.  I don't think they should risk wasting ONE SINGLE DOSE by sending vaccine to private doctors hoping they can inject them.

    Repeated transmission increasing the risk of dangerous new variants  is happening all over the world.  Don't waste vaccine dangling it in front of morons.  Send it to people who want it and you will actually do some good.

    As far as the larger point sure.  It's a problem.  I don't have a solution.  We can't make them take it.

    I was just visiting with one of the more embarrassing branches of my family tree today.  We discussed this a lot.  All the old folks are vaccinated.  And we're always eager to be.  The children and grandchildren are not.  And will not.  At least so far.  

    I suspect all it will take is one of them ass up on a ventilator to change their minds.  
    Who knows.  My sister is in very frail health.  I'm very afraid one of them will give it to her.  Beyond that they can all drop dead afaiac.  And I did mention all this.

    Parent

    More trouble for the vaccinated (5.00 / 2) (#71)
    by MKS on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:19:03 PM EST
    The superstitious death cult is now causing a free fall in the stock market.  Thanks.  That affects that vaccinated too.

    These idiots are probably cheering any economic trouble because they do not want to give Biden a win.

    Parent

    Some are actually saying this (none / 0) (#75)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:38:53 PM EST
    getting vaccinated would "give Biden a win".  There was the guy, this was news yesterday, who got covid and refused to take a test.  Because he knew he had covid and he wanted to keep Trumps case numbers down.  Unfortunately he lived.

    There is no good that will come from this insanity.  We can't force them to be vaccinated.  Seriously if the numbers, that are becoming unavoidable now, don't convince these idiots I can't imagine what will.

    So my response is to be glad that nearly every new case is almost certainly a Trump supporter.

    I'm a glass half full guy.


    Parent

    Speaking of COVIDiots, ... (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 03:32:27 PM EST
    ... after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Dark Side of the Moon) misrepresented a 2017 scientific paper during a public hearing today to accuse the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of having funded controversial coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, a clearly exasperated Dr. Anthony Fauci finally said out loud to Paul what I'm sure many people have been wanting to say to that pompous right-wing airbag for a long time:

    FAUCI: "Senator Paul, I have never lied before the Congress, and I do not retract that statement. This paper that you are referring to was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain of function. What was-" (Interrupted by Sen. Paul.) "Let me finish -"

    PAUL: "You take an animal virus and you increase the transmissibility to humans, you're saying that's not gain of function?"

    FAUCI: "That is correct. And Senator Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly, and I want to say that officially. You do not know what you are talking about, okay?"

    There's more, but suffice to say that Dr. Fauci is a national treasure.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I just saw this (none / 0) (#104)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 03:43:46 PM EST
    Wonderful.  More please Dr.

    Parent
    If you want to see it (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 04:20:35 PM EST
    Ok (none / 0) (#106)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 04:22:24 PM EST
    Now I see your twitter link.  At least it's a different thread.

    Parent
    If President Biden (none / 0) (#107)
    by KeysDan on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 04:23:54 PM EST
    pardoned Rand Paul's neighbor, it would be a popular move.

    Parent
    Seen this? (none / 0) (#108)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 04:35:52 PM EST
    The White Council of ElRound


    Former President Donald Trump will meet next week with Republicans running against Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and endorse one in the next few months, the Associated Press reports.

    Maybe he will make then rassle for it.

    Parent

    However (none / 0) (#76)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:42:07 PM EST
    That will change when school starts.

    Parent
    I saw a science guy yesterday (none / 0) (#77)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:45:43 PM EST
    who said the delta variant is so contagious that eventually almost everyone unvaccinated will get it.  And repeated the point.  Not might get it, will get it.

    If that's even half true hell is coming in these parts.

    Parent

    Adding (none / 0) (#31)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 03:41:31 PM EST
    There is a real schism forming.  The old folks are fed up with the stupid BS about the shots.  They said so.

    They are really confused and angry it has become this stupid political thing.  They can't understand how it happened.

    Who can.

    My point is the carnage ripping through this part of the country is going to have long term effects beyond health.

    Particularly if it gets worse.  Which it almost certainly will with cold weather and school coming.  They knew people with sick children.  A lot more of that is almost certainly coming.

    Parent

    Maybe (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by jmacWA on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 04:19:28 AM EST
    The old folks are fed up with the stupid BS about the shots.  They said so.

    They are really confused and angry it has become this stupid political thing.  They can't understand how it happened.

    If it's mostly those who are under 45, then IMO they are the first generation of those who were never really thought to think in school.  This was definitely the case in NJ where we were living at the time, every day the kids were spewed propaganda by Channel One, which according to what I gleaned from my son was a 10 minute pitch for consumerism.  Older folks went to school in the days when thought was encoraged, at least back in the NY/NJ areas I was familiar with in my youth.  

    To me those under 45 were programmed to be programmable, and the GOP has exploited that in spades.

    Parent

    Not just exploited (none / 0) (#45)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 06:31:07 AM EST
    but created to exploit.  IMO

    I've been preaching for years that it has been a long term Republican plan, at least back when evil republicans were smart enough to put on their socks BEFORE their shoes, to destroy public education.  For the simple reason ignorant superstitious people are easier to manipulate.  Yes.

    I don't think it just happened.

    Parent

    Ironically (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 07:06:17 AM EST
    in the NYT article it cites people over 60 who did not get the vaccine.

    The long term effects IMO judging from my perch here in GA is that rural towns who were already struggling are going to be completely decimated. The college towns, Atlanta and the collar counties are going to continue to thrive. The fact that Nathan Deal allowed rural hospitals to close rather than accept the Medicaid expansion is going to be shown to be one of the most stupid self serving political decisions in GA history.

    Politically this is going to be the knife in the heart of the GOP. The rural margins needed for a statewide win already paper thin are going to be unattainable. The only positive I can see for some of these areas is that things are going to be so bad that maybe they will stop living in the past and start thinking about the future and changing their attitudes.

    Parent

    Some seniors (none / 0) (#48)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 07:19:15 AM EST
    Not anyone I know over 65.  And I know a lot  of Trump voters over 65 who could not wait to get the shots.  It's not at all surprising to me there are some.  But I was actually surprised how universal support for vaccines were with everyone I know.  

    It would have been easy, if you know anything about people, to predict who would be vaccine deniers.  I go out of my way to avoid those people even before covid because they are literally the worst of the worst but I definitely could name some. I'm trying hard to care if they die choking.  Not always succeeding,

    Parent

    And I really agree about the politics (none / 0) (#49)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 07:30:14 AM EST
    These old people, who were eager to be vaccinated and understand the danger, also understand the danger now from their friends and relatives who are vaccine deniers.

    They might be reluctant to tell them but they do.  And I've seen it beginning to change to their view of the crazy conspiracy crowd and where they are getting their information.

    I said this yesterday.  I think the effects of this wave are going to be bigger that just health concerns.  It's definitely becoming political in a bad way for republicans right wing media and the grip they have had on these people.

    Eyes are actually being opened.  Maybe not in big numbers but as you say it does not have to be "big" numbers.

    Parent

    Something my brother in law said yesterday (none / 0) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 08:43:59 AM EST
    My brother in law, a person 76-77ish, former elected county democrat for many years, campaigned non stop for Clinton.  He does not consume news.  Not even talk radio.  He gets his information from the people he interacts with.  His family is really the only thing he cares about.

    We were discussing this away from my sister who is frail and easily upset.  He said, `I never thought about this happening.  Before we were just waiting our turn and I knew they did not seem interested but it didn't matter because they couldn't get shots.  I never imagined they would refuse.  It just never occurred to me. I don't understand it and I don't know what to do.'
    He is very worried about the passing it to her.  He has been through hell keeping her safe.
    Here's the best part, one of the vaccine deniers lives in his basement.

    If anyone has in this deserves pity and sympathy it's my brother in law.

    Parent

    I do not understand allowing someone (5.00 / 2) (#51)
    by Peter G on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 11:55:04 AM EST
    to live in your basement, and yet feel you cannot make it a condition of living there that he not threaten the life and health of the home-owner.

    Parent
    I don't get it, either, Peter (none / 0) (#53)
    by Zorba on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 01:01:07 PM EST
    It would be either "Get a vaccine or move out. "
    But perhaps it's someone who is disabled or not quite right in the head, in which case, it's a different thing.

    Parent
    It's neither (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 01:59:45 PM EST
    In fact it's one of the more functional members of that family.  He has a steady job.  2 in fact.  He has a full time job and he is a first responder.  He moved into the basement toget away from the crazy in the other house because they were allowing an unemployed son (middle son, youngest in the basement) to live there with his girlfriend and other crazy things.   Some of which I have talked about here.

    He won't make hm move out because he is his grandson.  Do I understand it?  I'm sorry if I did not make it clear I do not.  There are many many many things Jerry does to support that family financially and emotionally that seem utterly crazy to me.

    But I know why he does it.  He will do anything for them.  He won't throw his employed grandson out because he (thinks) he would have to move back into the crazy house and he won't stop giving money to the unemployed drug addict because he knows he will just start stealing and end up in jail.  Again.

    There are very complicated reasons for this.  You can criticize his justifications but his motives seem clear.  At least to me.

    Reading that they must seem like irredeemable white trash.  Maybe they are but they are also frighteningly average.  The father works 2 not minimum wage jobs. Has for years but they still can't pay their bills or run their own affairs.  The mother is an opioid addict.  Has been for years.  Very sweet person.  I try to not judge.  

    I have ask Jerry what he think will happen to them when he is dead.  He says he worries about that.

    Parent

    Since I'm doing this whole story (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 02:13:10 PM EST
    Have more details

    The father and mother have been vaccinated.  The father because it was required for one of his jobs.  A factory job.  I thought that was encouraging to hear.  He would not have been vaccinated if not required most likely.  The mother, not really sure of the why in her case.  I like to think it has something to do with my public flogging and humiliation of her for putting her mother at risk a month or so ago.

    The three grandsons are the problem.  The one in the basement, the drug addict and the leader if the pack, the oldest.  A LEO for many years.  Rabidly right wing.  His FB feed during the election and after was a solid wall of grey.  Censored by FaceBook.

    He really is the problem.  Also two of the grandsons now have children.  The drug addict has two.  Each with a different mother.  As far as I can tell Jerry supports them both.  And their mothers.

    Parent

    Really apologize for that (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 02:18:29 PM EST
    but I hope its clear it's not a simple decision.  As it might be for you.  Or me.

    And the point is it's happening everywhere.  It's tearing at the social fabric.  With out that explaining all that statement might seem like hyperbole.  It is not.

    Parent

    One more detail (none / 0) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 02:49:14 PM EST
    Because I can feel you judging my BILs life choices.

    He and my sister had 2 kids.  They, or their families, could not possibly have be more different. The son was for years a rather celebrated LOE in this state.  I will spare you the details of that but it's a good story.  Contact be by email for supplemental reading.  He was the tip of the spear for drug enforcement in North AR.  Widely credited with breaking up the meth mafia in the area,  which was huge.  See "Winters Bone".  
    The daughter was always a problem.  She has been addicted to opioids since before it was fashionable.  Her family is a total mess and always has been.  Of course they loved them both.

    In 2017 (I think) the son dropped dead of a heart condition.  Jerry has never really recovered.  But he only has one child now.  Hope this helps.

    Parent

    It sounds (none / 0) (#61)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 03:02:45 PM EST
    like the daughter being a mess has caused her children to be a mess too. Families are complicated. I had a friend ask me about how I continued to speak to my brother and mother who voted for Trump. I get it but it's not like I can cut them out of my life for their votes. I just hope and pray that one day they will take ownership of their mistakes. If a political discussion comes up with them and I'm in the room, I just get up and leave. They are convinced of some crazy stuff and there's no getting through on that.

    Parent
    I can honestly say that "white trash" (none / 0) (#60)
    by Peter G on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 02:57:54 PM EST
    is not any of the things I was thinking. Not my mental framework or style to label people by race or class, or to attribute behavior that way. I am just mystified at a lot of the behavior and attitudes. But I can tell you that I have a bro-in-law (M.D., Ph.D.) on the (mostly) conservative side of the family whose kids (my 30-something and 40-something nieces and nephews) are throwing a combined 75th bday party for him and celebration of one of their kids' high school graduation. Big family gathering, to be held about five miles from where we live. I can tell you that our three 30-something daughters refuse to go, or to allow us to go, because some of their cousins and cousins' friends are unvaccinated. They organized a brunch the next morning instead, for themselves and the vaccinated cousins who will be in town.

    Parent
    In AR (none / 0) (#62)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 03:12:45 PM EST
    white trash is not a label it's a lifestyle.

    I won't be around the unvaccinated people.  Not negotiable.  Not a difficult choice.  I call to make sure they are not around and they know I will leave if they come.  It goes without saying.  They know me.

     The point was to try to explain why my BIKs choices are less simple.


    Parent

    "White trash" (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by MKS on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:24:57 PM EST
    can get a bum rap.  

    It is, as I think you say, an earned moniker.  Really not so much about not earning a lot of money.  It can really be useful in summing things up.  As someone who grew up as a child in the  South and comes from generations of southerners, I can really miss at times not being to use the moniker.

    But again, I am not nice and fair like Peter.   Maybe someday, I'll get there.

    Parent

    I can be fierce in my defense of white thrash (none / 0) (#88)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 06:04:06 PM EST
    I come from a long proud line of white trash.  We know who we are.  We are a much maligned group.  We live with the soft bigotry of low expectations.  And often turn them to our advantage.  

    Parent
    Also (none / 0) (#63)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 03:18:37 PM EST
    My sister, who's life it is we are talking about, not that Jerry is not at risk but it's her he worries about, would never let him kick the grandson out of the basement.

    It's unimaginable.  She would not allow it.

    Parent

    Definitely (none / 0) (#52)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 12:33:03 PM EST
    feel sorry for your BIL. I understand where he is coming from. I knew the hard core anti-vaxxers were never going to get the shot but I thought some of these ones claiming to be against the vaccine would eventually get it once they saw people were getting shots and not keeling over dead. However it seems they have hardened their positions being against the shot.

    The craziest thing in all of this to me is these same people want Trump to get credit for the vaccine with Warp Speed  but then turn around and claim the vaccine is "poison". I do have one honest friend though who has now denounced Trump simply because of his attempts to take credit for Warp Speed and him saying he's anti-vaxx and getting the vaccine himself.

    Parent

    I have a goddaughter (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by Zorba on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 01:05:58 PM EST
    who has two small children, and I have her over for lunch every so often.  Her grandmother, who used to be a friend, refuses to get vaccinated and figures she'll be protected by "herd immunity" (good luck with that, with so many people not getting the vaccine).
    I told my goddaughter not to even mention to her Nana when she comes over here, because I know her Nana would invite herself along.  She is not getting into this house until she is vaccinated.  Yes, we're all vaccinated, but I'm not taking the chance of even getting a mild form of the disease.

    Parent
    It's not worth (5.00 / 2) (#78)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:57:55 PM EST
    Risking our more fragile family members.

    Parent
    That really (none / 0) (#58)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 02:22:47 PM EST
    is the best way to handle these situations. I got stuck going on vacation with an anti vaxxer sister in law. Her husband had to get the vaccine because he is a first responder. What is scary to me is the number of medical personnel who don't get it.

    Parent
    10 worst states to live in (none / 0) (#66)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 07:23:41 PM EST
    AR is 8.  GA is 6.

    Our positives are air quality and hospital resources.  You guys just got air quality since they killed your rural hospitals.

    link

    Parent

    It is (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 07:34:21 PM EST
    a sad flipping day when the best thing they can say about GA is "air quality".

    You know back in 2018 I said to people Brian Kemp was a terrible SOS so why do you want to bring that to the governor's office and the answer I got back was SOCIALISM, CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS, and CONFEDERATE FLAGS. So here we are listed as one of the worst states to live in and I hope that causes every statewide elected Republican to lose their job.

    Parent

    I am there too (none / 0) (#64)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 05:48:21 PM EST
    Poll (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 06:16:11 PM EST

    Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Americans, the groups most vulnerable to Covid, are the least concerned about the more contagious Delta variant, according to a CBS News poll.

    While 48 percent of "not fully/not vaccinated" respondents in the poll released Sunday said they were concerned about the Delta variant, 72 percent of fully vaccinated Americans are worried.



    Parent
    This has got to be (5.00 / 3) (#73)
    by MKS on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:26:43 PM EST
    connected to intelligence and education.

    Parent
    CDC: (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by oculus on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 05:30:44 PM EST
    " There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized, or die from COVID-19. As with other vaccines, this is expected. As the number of people who are vaccinated goes up, the number of breakthrough cases is also expected to increase," the CDC said.". [Washington Post.]

    Being in government, I've been very busy ... (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:23:25 PM EST
    Jeralyn: "So for those of you who were kind enough to inquire as to whether I am okay, the answer is Yes, I'm fine, just feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change in routine and perplexed at how I ever managed to do so many different things in a day and not think twice about it."

    ... since the first day we locked down for the pandemic in March 2020. I've since found myself becoming increasingly appreciative of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's definition of a satisfying day:

    "Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's a day you've had everything to do and you've done it."

    Organizing my daily routine has never been one of my strong points in life, particularly if I'm doing it in my head because I am otherwise rather easily distracted. So, the last thing I do before bedtime each night is to compile a written daily list of things I have to do the following day, along with a schedule / timetable for accomplishing them. The following morning, I print it up and put it in my briefcase to take with me as I start my day. Then, as I accomplish each task, I cross it off my list.  

    I started to do this in college when I was balancing my studies and baseball practice / gamedays. 40 years later, I still find this to be a highly effective personal habit which helps me to prioritize and complete the stuff I have to do. It's probably more psychological than anything else, but it does give me a very real sense that I'm in control on my day, rather than vice versa.

    Aloha.

    National attention of the worst kind (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 07:28:07 PM EST
    NYTimes


    In Undervaccinated Arkansas, Covid Upends Life All Over Again

    This is about the hospital everyone around here goes to if they can.  It's the best big hospital in north central AR.

    I'm tired of covid (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 09:13:56 PM EST
    There is other news at my house.  Something I have always wanted and only somewhat managed a time or two in rental houses is a bathroom with enough sunlight to have plants in my shower.  It just always seemed peak cool to me.

    When I realized I am living in the house I will likely die in, which has an entirely windowless bathroom, I decided to go with plan B.  Bring sunlight into the bathroom.  Which works because my shower is in the center of the house with the highest ceiling.  

    I put grow lights over the shower

    The news is

    the Philodendron has grown entirely around the shower

    Do you know about (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by leap on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 11:56:45 PM EST
    SolaTube<sup>TM</sup>®©? I put one of these in my north-facing kitchen that a has a north-facing window. But my gosh. That Solatube is so bright in the daytime, lights up the whole kitchen with intense reflected daylight/sunlight. What a huge difference in a small used-to-be dark kitchen! I got a model with an LED fixture in it so I can use it as a light at night. It's the best thing I've done in the house.

    Parent
    I have considered that (none / 0) (#46)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 18, 2021 at 06:33:17 AM EST
    But I decided I didn't want to put a hole in my roof.   I know someone who has one.  They really do work well.

    Parent
    This might work (5.00 / 2) (#102)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 01:25:17 PM EST
    A new Data for Progress poll finds 66% of Arizona Democrats say that they would choose a different candidate if Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) continues to protect the Senate filibuster, while another 13% said they're not sure how they will vote.

    Just 22% of Arizona Democrats support Sinema's current position on the filibuster.



    What if we make first contact (5.00 / 1) (#109)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 05:20:44 PM EST
    with the aliens and learn they are obscenely rich azzhole tourists from a planet where the inhabitants are dying from starvation and choking on pollution?

    That would be kind of a let down wouldn't it?

    I learned that not everybody (5.00 / 1) (#111)
    by desertswine on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 05:51:12 PM EST
    should wear a cowboy hat.

    Parent
    Speaker Pelosi (5.00 / 2) (#114)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 11:32:02 AM EST
    has rejected Jim Jordan (R.OH) and Jim Banks (R.IN) as Kevin McCarthy's nominees fort the Select Committee. on the 1/6. Insurrection investigation.

    Excellent (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 11:40:49 AM EST
    I wonder why not the third one, Nehls?

    Parent
    Nehls (5.00 / 1) (#118)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 12:18:12 PM EST
    was, apparently, accepted by the Speaker in that the vote was not the key factor.  Rather, it was the public statements made by Gym and Jim that suggested they were not fit for membership.

    Just read reports that the Speaker asked McCarthy for replacement nominees, but, as toddlers are want to do when they do not get their way, the minority leader took his marbles home and will not play.  The Speaker plans on moving ahead with the Democratic members and Liz.

    Parent

    The Republican news conference (none / 0) (#119)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 12:48:43 PM EST
    is a hilarious whine fest.  

    Parent
    It really is a long long (none / 0) (#120)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 01:07:29 PM EST
    example of why McCarthys republicans can not have anything to do with this.

    I lost count if the shameless lies.  A while ago.

    The press is trying to do a pretty good job.  So far.

    Parent

    Kevin is (5.00 / 3) (#121)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 02:12:52 PM EST
    just Trump's (Charlie) McCarthy.  

    Parent
    Politico (none / 0) (#122)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 02:51:34 PM EST
    FWIW is saying that this is a "huge win for McCarthy"

    Parent
    Politico is right in the most shallow sense (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 03:14:16 PM EST
    As usual.  He never wanted to have anything to do with this.  So Nancy, the worlds foremost authority on enough rope, gave him exactly what he thinks he wanted.

    Again.

    When this committee starts running and the coverage is wall to wall I think he might regret not having a single shill up there to shout and wave his arms and urge "look over there!!!"  

     

    Parent

    Also (none / 0) (#125)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 03:16:58 PM EST
    she probably has it covered but Liz might want to beef up her personal security detail.  She is going to be deadly for the republicans.  The blow back is going to be scary.

    Parent
    TFG (none / 0) (#126)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 03:41:15 PM EST
    is supposedly going to WY to bolster her primary opponent.

    Parent
    Blowback (none / 0) (#135)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 08:15:23 AM EST
    Punchbowl News: "The level of absolute disdain for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in the House Republican Conference is truly something we've never seen before. It drips from Republicans in every sentence they utter about Cheney."

    "So we wondered why don't House Republicans do something about it? Why not expel Cheney from the House Republican Conference, or strip her of her committee assignments or endorse a primary opponent?"

    Said one Republican: "No need to murder someone who's committing suicide. Dead woman walking."

    Truth is she is raising lots of money.  Unwise to assume she will lose a primary.

    Parent

    Hardly a win, (5.00 / 2) (#127)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 04:12:07 PM EST
    the public comments of Jim and Gym and now Charlie McCarthy's dummy to Trump's Edgar Bergen, solidifies the fascist bent of the Republican Party as the "pro- overthrow the US government with violence Party".  

    The Speaker surely gamed what McCarthy's next step would be--a step glaringly apparent to the most casual observer of fascist movements. Or, to anyone who has dealt with a "terrible three".  Since the Select Committee is to investigate, seek truths and report findings regarding the Jan 6 insurrection, it make sense to exclude adherents and cultists of the ringleader--fox/ chicken coup thing.

    Parent

    Also (none / 0) (#129)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 04:24:08 PM EST
    More than one house Republican is very likely to be implicated in the planning and execution of the thing.

    Including some of McCarthys picks.

    I hope the democrats take the advise of a bobble head I heard today who said there will be no need for speeches.  No speeches.  No statements.  Ask questions get answers.  Let the witnesses talk.

    It's the hardest thing for them to do but then need to STFU and listen.

    Parent

    Of course they are (none / 0) (#123)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 03:09:16 PM EST
    Nehls and McCarthy both went on and on (none / 0) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 05:04:43 PM EST
    and on about Nehls former police experience.  And how that makes him particularly suited for this particular committee job.  
    This is from his WIKI

    Nehls moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1994, and joined the police department of Richmond, Texas.[5] In 1998, he was fired for reasons including destruction of evidence.[6]



    Parent
    It seems (none / 0) (#132)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 06:51:12 PM EST
    McCarthy and the former guy were betting on all three--Jim, Gym, and Nevis being booted and his talking points included "catching" the Speaker on "law enforcement."  Not enough time to update.

    Parent
    Rep. Jim Jordan is ... (none / 0) (#142)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 06:38:48 PM EST
    ... the highly opinionated but otherwise ignorant brother-in-law at the family reunion who always becomes loud and obnoxious whenever he's had too much to drink, prompting Grandma to quietly whisper to the person seated next to her that she really doesn't know what her granddaughter ever saw in the man.

    ;-D

    Parent

    Would not (none / 0) (#116)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 11:51:32 AM EST
    surprise me if McCarthy withdrew all his nominations and takes his marbles home.  The Speaker, according to the rules, makes appointments for those rejected.  But, she may just ask McCarthy for two replacement nominees.

    Certainly, the Fascist Party will take its cues from the former guy and use the rejections as a sledgehammer for the work of the committee--but they would do that anyway finding some boogeymanish excuse.

    Parent

    This seems like a really good sign tho (5.00 / 1) (#117)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 11:59:15 AM EST
    That she not going to run a circus.  Let McCarthy go home.

    Whoever he picks will be there to obstruct.  I just thought if that was the case, it is, just as well have a ridiculous running joke like Gym Jordon than one of the more serious sounding ones.
    Maybe she will pick Kinzinger and see what excuse McCarthy gives for refusing him.

    Parent

    Joe Biden tore (5.00 / 1) (#133)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 08:06:42 PM EST
    That townhall up

    He was good (5.00 / 2) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 08:52:43 PM EST
    in the parts I saw.

    Parent
    Agreed. (none / 0) (#138)
    by KeysDan on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 11:24:27 AM EST
    He did a very good job.  

    Parent
    No more Indians.... (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by desertswine on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 05:21:25 PM EST
    In a long anticipated move, the Major League baseball team Cleveland Indians has changed their name to the Guardians.  It's a name that I really don't care for, but its leaps and bounds better than "Indians."  Also gone is their humiliating caricature of a Native American.

    But Jabba the Gut says - "Can anybody believe that the Cleveland Indians, a storied and cherished baseball franchise since taking the name in 1915, are changing their name to the Guardians? Such a disgrace.  I guarantee that the people who are most angry about it are the many Indians of our Country."

    Why isn't he in prison yet?

    Republicans (5.00 / 2) (#156)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 08:31:48 AM EST
    have had a lot of slimeball superstars over the last 50 years, but Ken Starr might arguably be the GOAT. Definitely a first ballot hall of famer Ken Starr, Brett Kavanaugh, Jeffrey Epstein and Me He pioneered  rape-enabling moral hypocrisy as a fast track career path in the modern conservative movement.

    Julie Brown (none / 0) (#158)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 10:39:11 AM EST
    the reporter for the Miami Herald that got the girls to speak on the record really torches Ken Starr in her book from what I understand. Starr was threatening the prosecutors in the DOJ. He threatened and attempted to blackmail everyone to get his client Epstein off the hook. It also exposes yet ANOTHER LIE from the W. Bush administration that it was pressure from Queen Elizabeth that got Epstein off the hook.  

    Parent
    As William Bennett once said (none / 0) (#164)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 05:44:57 PM EST
    hypocrisy is better than having no values at all.

    Parent
    It truly is to laugh.. (5.00 / 4) (#166)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 06:44:47 PM EST
    the Fox-brains are coming all undone because someone gave Tucker a calm dressing-down in a fishing store, "in front of his daughter!" (gasp), but are a wall of silence when the weasely one tells millions of his viewers to publicly accost and call the authorities on the parents of mask-wearing children.

    My emergence (none / 0) (#2)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 16, 2021 at 05:13:51 PM EST
    back into routines happened slower and earlier. So I never totally got overwhelmed. I can imagine it is hard for people who have to all of sudden jump back into the old routine.

    I am in the in between (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 12:26:43 PM EST
    And now the Delta variant.

    Parent
    So many articles on how to make small talk, (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by oculus on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 01:23:36 PM EST
    what to wear, what about your rescue pets etc.  Exhausting. .

    Parent
    I agree (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 11:14:59 PM EST
    I'd just like show up in NYC to be with friends and start out at square one, no expectations.

    Parent
    We have all been (none / 0) (#99)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 11:18:13 PM EST
    Through so much the past two years. Because let's face it, Trump was scary as hell and then also...a terrible virulent pandemic.

    Parent
    It's official (5.00 / 1) (#101)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 08:41:20 AM EST
    I guess.  No surprise.


    2020 Set Records for Stress

    July 20, 2021 at 8:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 46 Comments

    A new Gallup poll finds 2020 officially became the most stressful year in recent history.



    Parent
    You with (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 03:02:27 PM EST
    a medically fragile child must do things differently I am guessing.

    I figure if I get the Delta variant I am vaccinated and therefore I may get sick but won't end up in the hospital or the morgue. So mostly I am trying to be as normal as possible. Considering most of the people in my are consider COVID a "hoax" there really are almost no precautions I can take other than stay home all the time.

    Parent

    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 17, 2021 at 05:38:11 PM EST
    We are only doing things we must do because what if Josh is the less than 1%.

    Parent
    Insurrectionist gets 8 months federal prison (none / 0) (#68)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 12:29:52 PM EST
    These sorts of prosecutions (none / 0) (#69)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 01:03:32 PM EST
    are near meaningless unless the whole Radio Rwanda cavalcade of clowns, ie, Trump, Lou Dobbs, Judge Jeanine, Rudy and Sidney and that mean-spirited old goat scrotum himself, Murdoch are all charged.

    Parent
    Couldn't disagree more (none / 0) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 01:39:50 PM EST
    These people need to answer for what they did.  It's not meaningless at all.

    Parent
    It's meaningless in the sense (none / 0) (#74)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 02:30:35 PM EST
    that it doesn't get to the root of the problem.

    Jails and prisons are already bursting at the seams, and there's plenty more wild-eyed yahoos where the Capital rioters came from. Half of them will come out with swastika and SS rune tattoos and then what?

    Parent

    On MSNBC (none / 0) (#80)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 04:28:54 PM EST
    we have people setting their hair on fire because he got less than prosecutors wanted.  

    And we have you saying no one should be held accountable for anything unless the world is made perfect by your definition.

    How about this, 8 months in federal prison for a felony is not nothing fir a guy who didn't hurt anyone or break anything or steal anything.

    Never been one for default acceptance of what prosecutors want.  It depends on what happens to others but it seems like a reasonable start to me.  I hope it's an indicator.

    Parent

    Another thing (5.00 / 1) (#82)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 05:15:03 PM EST
    I keep hearing the judge should have given him a longer sentence to "send a message".  
    F that.  I'm not on board with sentencing to send a message in most cases.  It should be based on the crime.  In my non legal opinion.

    Beyond that it's not really necessary to send messages when there are more that 500 trials coming.  With roughly half as I understand it similar to this guy.  Non violent sheep.  The other half is where we will get in to the bigger numbers of years.

    I don't like hearing "legal analysts" saying they should "throw the book at these people".

    I opposed book throwing even for stupid Trump cultists.

    Parent

    Agreed. (5.00 / 1) (#86)
    by KeysDan on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 05:34:17 PM EST
    Eight months in a federal prison and two years probation (if he violates the conditions of his probation he could be returned to prison) for pleading to a felony seems fair.  Unfairness in the criminal justice system, that should exist) may be cited as this being a slap on the wrist, but the case is obstruction and is not necessarily a baseline for others of the Jan6 insurrection.

    Parent
    It might for some others (none / 0) (#89)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 06:11:30 PM EST
    Not the violent destructive ones.

    I heard today that roughly half are "charged with exactly the same thing".

    I assumed that meant similar to this guy.  There was a lot who just walked around taking selfies.  

    Parent

    Judge Moss (5.00 / 1) (#94)
    by KeysDan on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 07:17:47 PM EST
    appears to have endorsed the DOJ strategy.  And, within the statute of obstruction there are options for prosecution and, of corse, sentencing.  The first felony plea and sentencing does sound like the judge agreed that these insurrectionists were not just "tourists".   It is critical that these wankers are held accountable and, too, to show they were tragically duped by the worst and most corrupt president in the county's history.  The former guy is the ringleader and needs to be prosecuted for his role as seditionist-in-chief.

    Parent
    Wtf? (none / 0) (#84)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 05:30:46 PM EST
    I missed the part where I said no one should be held accountable for anything and talked about making the world perfect.

    If I want strawmen and over-the-top hyperbole I can turn on Tucker Carleson.

    Get a grip.

    Parent

    It's official (none / 0) (#90)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 06:39:18 PM EST
    It's a Jordon/Cheney rematch.


    House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will recommend five Republicans to serve on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, the Washington Post reports.

    The lawmakers are Reps. Jim Jordan (OH), Jim Banks (IN), Rodney Davis (IL), Kelly Armstrong (ND) and Troy Nehls (TX)

    Remember this?

    `That f---ing guy Jim Jordan. That son of a b---h,' the excerpts from CNN claim she said, according to the book I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year.
    Cheney, who broke with her party to criticize Trump and was recently ousted as No. 3 ranking Republican, said during the call that she ran into Jordan on the House floor during the chaos that day.
    `While these maniacs are going through the place, I'm standing in the aisle and he [Jordan] said, `We need to get the ladies away from the aisle. Let me help you," the Wyoming at-large representative detailed to Milley.
    `I smacked his hand,' she explained, `and told him, `Get away from me. You f---ing did this."

    I'm glad he was picked.

    I believe that (none / 0) (#91)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 06:49:55 PM EST
    Nancy can veto McCarthy's picks. So he may not last on the committee.

    Parent
    My bet is he does (none / 0) (#92)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 06:54:37 PM EST
    Why would Nancy NOT want him.  

     If she's going to make a rule it seems like it would be about the ones who voted against accepting the results of the election.

    Which is basically all of them.

    Parent

    Not quite all (none / 0) (#93)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 06:57:38 PM EST
    Of the Republicans McCarthy has put forth for the committee, Banks, Jordan and Nehls were among the 139 House Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Davis and Armstrong voted to certify the presidential election.



    Parent
    I was thinking (none / 0) (#95)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 07:38:30 PM EST
    more along the lines of how Jordan turns everything into a circus wasting people's time with nonsense questions.

    Parent
    They are all going to do that (none / 0) (#96)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 07:54:45 PM EST
    I think Jordon is the perfect clown face for the house republicans.  Perfect.

    Parent
    I do agree with you in part. (5.00 / 2) (#100)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 04:00:44 AM EST
    Yes, Jim Jordan is a malevolent bozo who will likely undercut his cause with his antics, rather than help it in an important, highly anticipated and much-watched public hearing.

    But on the other hand, I dread the possibility that his disruptive behavior will accomplish its intended purpose, by becoming the primary storyline and shiny object in the media's eyes instead of the select committee's fact-finding.

    And so, I hope Speaker Pelosi removes those Republicans who voted against certification of the 2020 lection results. None of them have any business serving on that committee.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Smart (none / 0) (#137)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 10:29:24 AM EST
    Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering inviting former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) to serve as an adviser to the House select committee investigating the January 6 riots, ABC News reports.



    Parent
    Peter G: what say you re today's (none / 0) (#97)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 19, 2021 at 10:05:13 PM EST
    swentencing re Jan. 6 flag bearer?

    I am back today from a week's vacation (5.00 / 3) (#162)
    by Peter G on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 02:54:17 PM EST
    and stayed off line nearly 100% of the time for that whole week. It was very relaxing.

    Parent
    That, and extended periods of time (5.00 / 3) (#163)
    by Peter G on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 03:54:45 PM EST
    playing with a three-and-a-half year old granddaughter.

    Parent
    Let (none / 0) (#110)
    by FlJoe on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 05:45:36 PM EST
    down for us or the aliens?

    A trillion dollar trip and all I got was a t-shirt(and covid), they sure don't make earth-like planets like they used to.

    2 million dollars a minute (none / 0) (#112)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 at 05:56:07 PM EST
    And I'm sorry, the 18 year old is obscene.  Not right.  Even if he paid for it himself personally.  

    Parent
    Well (5.00 / 2) (#113)
    by FlJoe on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 10:37:46 AM EST
    someone got a free ride "I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer," Bezos said, "because you paid for all of this."

    Well at least he paid his fair share of taxes so the rest of us didn't help subsidize anything.....


    Parent

    I misunderstood Rachel Maddow yesterday. (none / 0) (#128)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 04:23:28 PM EST
    On her show, she noted that former Trump inaugural committee chair Tom Barrack was charged with being an unregistered agent of the United Arab Emirates, which led me to initially believe that he was indicted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

    However, it turns out that Mr. Barrack was charged not under FARA but rather, under 18 USC 951, which prohibits an individual in the United States from acting against the interests of our country while under the direction and control of a foreign government. (Please correct me if I've mischaracterized that particular statute.)

    Now, I'll defer to the explanations of either Jeralyn or Peter G (or both), our two resident experts on penal code matters, as to the difference between the two laws. But speaking as a lay person, I think this means that Mr. Barrack was likely arrested by the FBI and charged with having allegedly engaged in espionage at the directive of certain U.A.E. officials, rather than for merely doing some illegal lobbying in D.C. on behalf of that country's sheiks.

    And THAT, I believe, is a far more serious matter, both for him legally and for our country generally.

    =:-0

    Yes, Tom Barrack (5.00 / 1) (#140)
    by KeysDan on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 12:20:40 PM EST
    was not charged under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), but rather, he was charged under 18 USC 951, which is all about working for a foreign government directly (not lobbying).  

    Under 951 charges, the government only has to show that Barrack was working on orders from foreign government officials without registering, not that he was secretly reporting to another country's spying agencies. Accordingly, Barrack is charged with being a secret agent for a foreign government hiding orders--- being engaged in "Espionage Lite."

    In addition to the indictments of Barrack and Matthew Grimes, an employee of Barrack's firm, Colony Capital, who reports to him, his handler al Malik was indicted. al Malik, referred to as Rashid Alshahhi in the indictment, is a citizen of UAE who lived in California until interviewed by the FBI in 2018 and subsequently fled to UAE not to return.

    As for Barrack working on orders from a foreign government, the indictment sets forth a chain or individuals starting with the "Big Boss", referred to as "EO1", who is, apparently, Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.  

    I believe the Barrack case is one to watch with regard to peering behind the corrupt curtain of the top bananas of the former guy's administration, including the banana, Trump, himself. Barack was no coffee boy. He had great influence that affected not only Gulf/Saudi policies, but also the 2016 campaign (he worked to get Manafort appointed campaign chairman).

    Parent

    I read what Barrack did. (none / 0) (#141)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 05:09:39 PM EST
    He was the bird who help rally the Trump administration behind the marginalization and isolation of Qatar in the Persian Gulf region. No question that he was in the U.A.E.'s pocket. The question is, how deep?

    Parent
    Don't (5.00 / 1) (#144)
    by FlJoe on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 07:41:19 PM EST
    sell Kushner short on this
    Important note: The Qataris reportedly believe the blockade may be linked to their rejection of funding for 666 Fifth Avenue. "Some top Qatari government officials believe the White House's position on the blockade may have been a form of retaliation driven by Kushner who was sour about the failed deal, according to multiple people familiar with the matter," NBC News reported.


    Parent
    See (none / 0) (#146)
    by FlJoe on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 08:19:58 PM EST
    my comment #136.

    I am starting to develop a crazy theory, what if the Russian 2016 interference was a diversion. Maybe the real action came through UAE and Saudi, at least moneywise.

    Was it possible that last weeks Guardian "bombshell" was meant to distract from this story. Russia, Russia, Russia everybody remember it was Russia.

    I always thought the Russians more than a little sloppy and the infamous tRump tower meeting was kind of a joke. The mostly unscrutinized meeting with Prince and Nader seems on it's face much more serious.


    Parent

    Tom Winter on MSNBC (none / 0) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    Just said he is being released and that this could have to do with cooperation with prosecutors.  They were saying he was a flight risk.

    Parent
    CNN (none / 0) (#153)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 05:24:36 PM EST
    "A federal magistrate judge on Friday ordered Tom Barrack, a longtime associate of former President Donald Trump who was indicted earlier this week on charges of illegal foreign lobbying, released from jail pending trial, freeing him on a bail package that includes a $250 million bond secured by $5 million in cash," CNN reports.

    Parent
    UAE, Saudi Arabia (none / 0) (#165)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 05:56:24 PM EST
    and Likud..and any-effing-one-else willing to throw their lot in with the party of Watergate and October Surprises and Swift Boats..

    Only a party that's convinced it's fighting for the everlasting soul of America will accept help from anyone and then get down in the dirty-fighting gutter and start digging.


    Parent

    The Wilds - Prime series (none / 0) (#131)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at 05:11:51 PM EST
    This is really surprisingly good.  It doesn't really sound good.  I was very bored to start it but I am hooked.

    ebert

    At first, the cheesy dialogue and ludicrous set-up of Amazon Prime's "The Wilds" threw me for a loop. After all, this is a show with an elevator pitch that could basically be reduced to "Young Adult 'LOST' with Teenage Girls," which sounds inherently ridiculous. And dialogue like "Being a teenage girl in normal ass America--that was the real living Hell" doesn't help at the beginning. Or maybe it does? It may take you a minute to get on the groove of a show that features an unironic a cappella version of a Pink song after a character dies, but you will enjoy "The Wilds" if you can find its wavelength. And it's a smarter wavelength than it first appears. There's something incredibly (and increasingly in each episode) watchable about this twisting, silly show that anchors its B-movie charms in truthful, heartfelt characters and performances. It's a bit rocky sometimes in its midsection when it comes to pacing and the entire ensemble isn't exactly equal, but I was pretty much hooked by the second episode, and actually changed my schedule because I was so curious to see how it ended.



    Lot's (none / 0) (#136)
    by FlJoe on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 09:23:59 AM EST
    to chew on with  the Barrack indictment, maybe a game changer.

    He represents nexus with the UAE and the Saudi's with just about all the major players in tRump's orbit before, during and after election.

    Barrack, Eric Prince and George Nader were all tight with the Emirates, and they all lied about it. The Seychelles meeting and especially the "real" tRump tower meeting have collusion written all over them

    Three months before the 2016 election, a small group gathered at Trump Tower to meet with Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son. One was an Israeli specialist in social media manipulation. Another was an emissary for two wealthy Arab princes. The third was a Republican donor with a controversial past in the Middle East as a private security contractor.

    ...
    Erik Prince, the private security contractor and the former head of Blackwater, arranged the meeting, which took place on Aug. 3, 2016. The emissary, George Nader, told Donald Trump Jr. that the princes who led Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were eager to help his father win election as president. The social media specialist, Joel Zamel, extolled his company's ability to give an edge to a political campaign; by that time, the firm had already drawn up a multimillion-dollar proposal for a social media manipulation effort to help elect Mr. Trump.

     

    Rare good news (none / 0) (#143)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 06:55:47 PM EST
    This is a very big deal

    Missouri Supreme Court Upholds Medicaid Expansion

    July 22, 2021 at 7:34 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

    "The Missouri Supreme Court Thursday unanimously reversed a lower court decision that found the state's Medicaid expansion unconstitutional," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

    "The legal action came after the Republican-led House and Senate voted against funding the voter-approved expansion in May, resulting in Parson withdrawing an application with the federal government outlining the more inclusive program."




    One of my brothers (none / 0) (#149)
    by Towanda on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 02:28:08 PM EST
    on the gov's commission on this, an econ prof at Washington U whose expertise includes public health, worked really hard for years for this win.

    I remain in one  of only 12 states whose GOP legislatures continue to refuse Medicaid expansion -- and the massive federal funds for it. A state where gerrymandering is called worst in the country. We win huge numbers for Democrats overall, to no avail.

    Remember that when the WH says that voter organization will defeat voter suppression.

    Parent

    You are in Wisconsin? (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 03:16:06 PM EST
    I was surprised when it happened here in AR.  It's one of several good things this Republican gov has managed to do in spite of the republicans in the legislature.  It's a bit Rube Goldberg but at least people have healthcare.

    Parent
    Yes, but we also watch AR (5.00 / 1) (#157)
    by Towanda on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 09:44:21 AM EST
    with a stepson there. From what he tells us of covid resisters, too, your comments resonate.

    Parent
    I just spoke to my brother (none / 0) (#160)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 02:03:57 PM EST
    He and his wife live about 20 miles from me in a different direction than my sister.  Same story as my sister.  But worse.  There are more vaccine deniers.  Both his sons, all the grandsons and their families.  

    He was very upset.  He and his wife have been so careful.  Just like my brother-in-law he is at a loss.  He says he has tried everything and they won't listen.  He doesn't want to not see them.  

    We agreed it's going to take people close to them getting sick.

    But he asked where they were getting this and we had a long talk where I explained, and for the first time he listened with interest, about the misinformation campaign coming from the right, from Russia, from China.

    This is going to have political implications we don't yet see.

    Parent

    It occurred to me (none / 0) (#161)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 02:42:13 PM EST
    that the Insurrection Hearings starting next week might be very well timed.  A lot of people, like my brother and his wife and my sister and her husband are pretty much stuck at home again.  And current events are opening their minds to new thoughts.

    This will be on every channel.  I don't think FOX can avoid carrying it.  For many of these people it could be the first time they hear the stories of the Capitol police and see the video.

    Parent

    He is likely to be missed (none / 0) (#151)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 03:42:08 PM EST
    Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) told Fox News that she would not impose any mask mandate or vaccine requirements if she is elected governor of Arkansas in 2022.

    Said Sanders: "We believe in personal freedom and responsibility."



    Parent
    You guys (5.00 / 1) (#154)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 06:09:42 PM EST
    are really screwed if Huckabee Sanders is elected governor.

    Parent
    Woweee (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jul 22, 2021 at 08:06:07 PM EST
    Video of the day (none / 0) (#147)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 08:09:56 AM EST
    Wolff - Landslide, Plenty of Laughs (none / 0) (#155)
    by RickyJim on Fri Jul 23, 2021 at 08:42:55 PM EST
    I keep promising myself, "No more Trump Books." But after abstaining for 6 months I went back in with this one and enjoyed is immensely. It features a cast of zany characters, one after the other.  Here is a sample:
    Trump suddenly decided he wanted Schoen to take over everything--but Schoen was now resisting, saying, in the middle of the most important trial of his life, he really didn't know the case. "You should let Castor do it--he has a whole firm. It's just me and my son." "I've seen you on TV," Trump tried to bolster him. "You're a good lawyer. Just do it. Why are you so afraid of Castor?" "Because I'm a wimp, sir," said David Schoen to the president. "What? What did you say?" "I'm a wimp sir. I'm a pushover. That's me. I can't stand up for myself. That's just who I am." "A wimp? You're supposed to be defending me in an impeachment trial? My lawyer's a wimp? A wimp? Did you just call yourself a wimp? A wimp? I want you to do it. You do it. Man up."



    AP (none / 0) (#159)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 01:21:19 PM EST
    "Politics often creates unlikely alliances, the odd-couple arrangements between would-be foes who drop their differences to engage on a common cause," the AP reports.

    "But the emerging partnership between Pelosi and Cheney is remarkable, if not astonishing, as the longtime political adversaries join forces to investigate what happened the day former President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol."

    "Rarely has there been a meeting of the minds like this -- two of the strongest women on Capitol Hill, partisans at opposite ends of the political divide -- bonding over a shared belief that the truth about the insurrection should come out and those responsible held accountable. They believe no less than the functioning of America's democracy is on the line."

    link