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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
February 10, 2021
Nuts, cheaters, and Ron DeSantis
By Jeffrey C. Billman @jeffreybillman
I can show you the future of the Republican Party in two numbers, one quote, and two legislative proposals. Ready?
Let’s start with the numbers: 199, the House Republicans who opposed stripping QAnon lady Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments on Thursday; and 61, the House Republicans who voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position last Wednesday.
Cheney’s transgression, of course, was voting to impeach Donald Trump for plainly impeachable acts — which immediately produced a primary challenge and a censure from the Wyoming GOP. You could interpret the caucus’s 145–61 vote in her favor as a sign that the party is moving past Trump, as some Beltway reporters did. But it was a secret ballot.
....(snip)....
Like Trump, DeSantis’s political patron, he scorned expertise during the pandemic — pushing herd immunity, banning mask mandates, withholding information from the public, purchasing absurd quantities of hydroxychloroquine, even siccing his cops on a prominent critic — while his state racked up more than 27,000 deaths.
Also like Trump, DeSantis saw protests against police brutality as a chance to burnish his authoritarian cred. In his case, it was a bill that makes it a felony to pull down racist statues, allows the state to overrule any local government that cuts its police budget, and severely increases penalties for criminal acts committed during a vaguely defined “riot.” The bill also prohibits “mob intimidation” — in other words, protests, if the DA says the protest carries the “threat of force” — and makes doxxing a first-degree misdemeanor. .............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/nuts-cheaters-and-ron-desantis/Content?oid=26411827
Nuts, cheaters, and Ron DeSantis
Nuts, cheaters, and Ron DeSantis
By Jeffrey C. Billman @jeffreybillman
I can show you the future of the Republican Party in two numbers, one quote, and two legislative proposals. Ready?
Let’s start with the numbers: 199, the House Republicans who opposed stripping QAnon lady Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments on Thursday; and 61, the House Republicans who voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position last Wednesday.
Cheney’s transgression, of course, was voting to impeach Donald Trump for plainly impeachable acts — which immediately produced a primary challenge and a censure from the Wyoming GOP. You could interpret the caucus’s 145–61 vote in her favor as a sign that the party is moving past Trump, as some Beltway reporters did. But it was a secret ballot.
....(snip)....
Like Trump, DeSantis’s political patron, he scorned expertise during the pandemic — pushing herd immunity, banning mask mandates, withholding information from the public, purchasing absurd quantities of hydroxychloroquine, even siccing his cops on a prominent critic — while his state racked up more than 27,000 deaths.
Also like Trump, DeSantis saw protests against police brutality as a chance to burnish his authoritarian cred. In his case, it was a bill that makes it a felony to pull down racist statues, allows the state to overrule any local government that cuts its police budget, and severely increases penalties for criminal acts committed during a vaguely defined “riot.” The bill also prohibits “mob intimidation” — in other words, protests, if the DA says the protest carries the “threat of force” — and makes doxxing a first-degree misdemeanor. .............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/nuts-cheaters-and-ron-desantis/Content?oid=26411827
February 10, 2021
Impeachment trial 2, day 1: Now the Republicans are the party of terrorism
Trump is officially gone, but his specter hangs over Washington — and Republicans are still shackled to him
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
FEBRUARY 10, 2021 11:00AM
(Salon) Tuesday was the first day of Donald Trump's impeachment trial for inciting insurrection and a lethal attack on the Capitol as part of a larger coup attempt.
The public evidence of Trump's guilt is overwhelming and conclusive. His conviction by the Senate should be a fait accompli.
The Democratic House managers' presentation of the case against Donald Trump was devastating. His attorneys were rendered impotent in response — yet they tried as hard as they could to create an alternate universe.
Trump's lawyers presented a reality-denying, dangerous, craven and absurd defense, in which they claimed that to follow the Constitution and the rule of law by convicting the former president for insurrection would lead to a second civil war. On Twitter, the bestselling writer Don Winslow aptly summarized the underlying logic of Trump's defense: "We should not prosecute murderers because to do so might upset their family."
....(snip)....
In voting to acquit Donald Trump for encouraging political violence and insurrection, with the evident goal of nullifying the 2020 presidential election and overthrowing democracy, Republicans in Congress are formally announcing their endorsement of right-wing terrorism as a legitimate means of gaining and securing political power. .........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/10/impeachment-trial-2-day-1-now-the-republicans-are-the-party-of-terrorism/
Impeachment trial 2, day 1: Now the Republicans are the party of terrorism
Impeachment trial 2, day 1: Now the Republicans are the party of terrorism
Trump is officially gone, but his specter hangs over Washington — and Republicans are still shackled to him
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
FEBRUARY 10, 2021 11:00AM
(Salon) Tuesday was the first day of Donald Trump's impeachment trial for inciting insurrection and a lethal attack on the Capitol as part of a larger coup attempt.
The public evidence of Trump's guilt is overwhelming and conclusive. His conviction by the Senate should be a fait accompli.
The Democratic House managers' presentation of the case against Donald Trump was devastating. His attorneys were rendered impotent in response — yet they tried as hard as they could to create an alternate universe.
Trump's lawyers presented a reality-denying, dangerous, craven and absurd defense, in which they claimed that to follow the Constitution and the rule of law by convicting the former president for insurrection would lead to a second civil war. On Twitter, the bestselling writer Don Winslow aptly summarized the underlying logic of Trump's defense: "We should not prosecute murderers because to do so might upset their family."
....(snip)....
In voting to acquit Donald Trump for encouraging political violence and insurrection, with the evident goal of nullifying the 2020 presidential election and overthrowing democracy, Republicans in Congress are formally announcing their endorsement of right-wing terrorism as a legitimate means of gaining and securing political power. .........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/10/impeachment-trial-2-day-1-now-the-republicans-are-the-party-of-terrorism/
February 10, 2021
Rachel is playing clips from Trump's lawyer Castor....
.... I didnt see it as it happened.
"Nebraska is quite a judicial-thinking place?"
Incoherent babble.
February 10, 2021
An ancient mathematical concept may explain the strange beauty behind this enchanting vegetable
By MATTHEW ROZSA
FEBRUARY 10, 2021 12:00AM
(Salon) In terms of taste, broccoli is a divisive vegetable. But visually, you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't find Romanesco broccoli aesthetically beautiful.
You've probably stopped to gawk at it at the produce aisle before: Romanesco broccoli — or "Romanesco" for short — is a breed of broccoli that looks like a giant green bloom, with flowers in weirdly perfect geometric patterns that self-repeat as you zoom in. It is the nautilus shell of vegetables: a perfect, ever-repeating spiral that resurfaces again and again. As a late fall and winter vegetable, it is found in most grocery stores around the United States this time of year, mesmerizing shoppers with its stunning patterns.
Those patterns are called fractals, and they are key to understanding Romanesco broccoli.
"A fractal is a shape or structure that is the same as itself at different scales," Edmund O. Harriss, mathematics professor at the University of Arkansas, wrote to Salon. "In other words, as you zoom in you see the same (or sometimes related) structure."
In the natural world, plants sometimes approximate these self-repeating structures. Many ferns, for instance, have leaves which exhibit fractal architecture. Pinecones, spiral nautilus shells, and ice crystals all have self-repeating patterns as well. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/09/what-makes-romanesco-broccoli-so-mathematically-perfect/
What makes Romanesco broccoli so mathematically perfect?
What makes Romanesco broccoli so mathematically perfect?An ancient mathematical concept may explain the strange beauty behind this enchanting vegetable
By MATTHEW ROZSA
FEBRUARY 10, 2021 12:00AM
(Salon) In terms of taste, broccoli is a divisive vegetable. But visually, you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't find Romanesco broccoli aesthetically beautiful.
You've probably stopped to gawk at it at the produce aisle before: Romanesco broccoli — or "Romanesco" for short — is a breed of broccoli that looks like a giant green bloom, with flowers in weirdly perfect geometric patterns that self-repeat as you zoom in. It is the nautilus shell of vegetables: a perfect, ever-repeating spiral that resurfaces again and again. As a late fall and winter vegetable, it is found in most grocery stores around the United States this time of year, mesmerizing shoppers with its stunning patterns.
Those patterns are called fractals, and they are key to understanding Romanesco broccoli.
"A fractal is a shape or structure that is the same as itself at different scales," Edmund O. Harriss, mathematics professor at the University of Arkansas, wrote to Salon. "In other words, as you zoom in you see the same (or sometimes related) structure."
In the natural world, plants sometimes approximate these self-repeating structures. Many ferns, for instance, have leaves which exhibit fractal architecture. Pinecones, spiral nautilus shells, and ice crystals all have self-repeating patterns as well. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/09/what-makes-romanesco-broccoli-so-mathematically-perfect/
February 10, 2021
Why We Don’t Believe the Big City Obituary
America’s cities offer the greatest hope for the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, the people who live there agree.
Ivo Daalder, Will Johnson and Samuel Kling
February 2, 2021, 10:05 AM EST
(Bloomberg CityLab) Like social distancing and curbside pickup, alarm about the future of American cities has become a mainstay of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pointing to downtown office towers usurped by Zoom, shuttered restaurants and stores, and an upsurge in crime and taxes, some are predicting a mass retreat from urban life. “New York City is dead forever,” declared a viral LinkedIn post in August. Last year “ended the boom of cities that started in the 1990s,” announced a recent op-ed in The Hill. Much of the analysis has been fatalistic—gloomy predictions grounded in hunches and snippets of short-term data.
A new survey by The Harris Poll and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs offers evidence for a different narrative. Surveying 1,200 residents of the nation’s six largest metropolitan areas on their attitudes about urban and suburban life in late autumn, the answers provide a window into how metropolitan Americans feel about the places they live during the pandemic.
It presents an image not of cities teetering on the edge, but of urban strength in crisis. Rather than decamping for the suburbs, as has been widely (and anecdotally) reported, city residents remain committed to cities. But beyond the immediate challenges, they want longstanding problems of urban life addressed, and are willing to embrace changes in policy and personal behavior to do so. ..............(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-02/new-survey-shows-big-cities-aren-t-dead?srnd=premium
Why We Don't Believe the Big City Obituary
Why We Don’t Believe the Big City Obituary
America’s cities offer the greatest hope for the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, the people who live there agree.
Ivo Daalder, Will Johnson and Samuel Kling
February 2, 2021, 10:05 AM EST
(Bloomberg CityLab) Like social distancing and curbside pickup, alarm about the future of American cities has become a mainstay of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pointing to downtown office towers usurped by Zoom, shuttered restaurants and stores, and an upsurge in crime and taxes, some are predicting a mass retreat from urban life. “New York City is dead forever,” declared a viral LinkedIn post in August. Last year “ended the boom of cities that started in the 1990s,” announced a recent op-ed in The Hill. Much of the analysis has been fatalistic—gloomy predictions grounded in hunches and snippets of short-term data.
A new survey by The Harris Poll and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs offers evidence for a different narrative. Surveying 1,200 residents of the nation’s six largest metropolitan areas on their attitudes about urban and suburban life in late autumn, the answers provide a window into how metropolitan Americans feel about the places they live during the pandemic.
It presents an image not of cities teetering on the edge, but of urban strength in crisis. Rather than decamping for the suburbs, as has been widely (and anecdotally) reported, city residents remain committed to cities. But beyond the immediate challenges, they want longstanding problems of urban life addressed, and are willing to embrace changes in policy and personal behavior to do so. ..............(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-02/new-survey-shows-big-cities-aren-t-dead?srnd=premium
February 10, 2021
(Detroit Metro Times) Michigan's “deeply conservative” 2022 gubernatorial hopeful Austin Chenge — a Black Army veteran and businessman and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's first Republican challenger — announced that if elected, he will abolish Black History Month in favor of an "American History Month."
Yeah, no.
“I will cancel #BlackHistoryMonth in #Michigan,” Chenge announced in an Instagram post. “It's offensive, unfair, maybe illegal... Americans from all backgrounds deserve a revered history. I'll declare American History Month.”
Some critics of Black History Month, which has been celebrated since 1970, say that appreciation of Black history should occupy more space and time than just the month of February — including actor Morgan Freeman, who called the monthlong celebration “ridiculous” and suggested that Black history is American history during a 2005 60 Minutes interview.
But Chenge's argument to include all Americans plays directly to former President Donald Trump's MAGA base, as well as the "All Lives Matter" response to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Black history deserves special consideration in light of our country's sordid history of slavery, systemic racism, and racial injustices — as well as an opportunity to celebrate Black accomplishments. ..............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2021/02/08/michigan-gop-candidate-for-governor-is-a-black-man-who-wants-to-cancel-black-history-month
Michigan GOP candidate for governor is a Black man who wants to cancel Black History Month
(Detroit Metro Times) Michigan's “deeply conservative” 2022 gubernatorial hopeful Austin Chenge — a Black Army veteran and businessman and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's first Republican challenger — announced that if elected, he will abolish Black History Month in favor of an "American History Month."
Yeah, no.
“I will cancel #BlackHistoryMonth in #Michigan,” Chenge announced in an Instagram post. “It's offensive, unfair, maybe illegal... Americans from all backgrounds deserve a revered history. I'll declare American History Month.”
Some critics of Black History Month, which has been celebrated since 1970, say that appreciation of Black history should occupy more space and time than just the month of February — including actor Morgan Freeman, who called the monthlong celebration “ridiculous” and suggested that Black history is American history during a 2005 60 Minutes interview.
But Chenge's argument to include all Americans plays directly to former President Donald Trump's MAGA base, as well as the "All Lives Matter" response to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Black history deserves special consideration in light of our country's sordid history of slavery, systemic racism, and racial injustices — as well as an opportunity to celebrate Black accomplishments. ..............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2021/02/08/michigan-gop-candidate-for-governor-is-a-black-man-who-wants-to-cancel-black-history-month
February 9, 2021
Senate Majority leader Mike Shirkey, the highest ranking Republican elected official in Michigan, recently said he believes the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was not carried out by supporters of former president Donald Trump, calling the idea a "hoax" and stating that the attacked was "staged."
The inaccurate comments from Shirkey, R-Clarklake, were made during a meeting with Hillsdale County Republican Party officials one day before the party censured him for not doing enough to support Trump and stand up to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A video of the meeting was first reported on by Detroit Metro Times. ...........(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/02/09/mike-shirkey-insurrection-hoax-trump/4455506001/
Mike Shirkey, POS
Senate Majority leader Mike Shirkey, the highest ranking Republican elected official in Michigan, recently said he believes the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was not carried out by supporters of former president Donald Trump, calling the idea a "hoax" and stating that the attacked was "staged."
The inaccurate comments from Shirkey, R-Clarklake, were made during a meeting with Hillsdale County Republican Party officials one day before the party censured him for not doing enough to support Trump and stand up to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A video of the meeting was first reported on by Detroit Metro Times. ...........(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/02/09/mike-shirkey-insurrection-hoax-trump/4455506001/
February 9, 2021
(Bloomberg) -- Covid-19 deaths are climbing in Hispanic communities even as cases across the U.S. are on the decline.
The two-week rolling death rate was 1.49 per 100,000 in highly Hispanic counties last Tuesday, a record high and about 55% higher than the broader U.S. figure.
The deaths persist even as fewer people fall ill: Case rates in such counties, where Hispanics account for about half of residents or more, have fallen since mid-January, mirroring the national trend, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .........(more)
Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/covid-deaths-soar-in-hispanic-counties-even-as-u-s-cases-fall
Covid Deaths Soar in Hispanic Counties Even as U.S. Cases Fall
(Bloomberg) -- Covid-19 deaths are climbing in Hispanic communities even as cases across the U.S. are on the decline.
The two-week rolling death rate was 1.49 per 100,000 in highly Hispanic counties last Tuesday, a record high and about 55% higher than the broader U.S. figure.
The deaths persist even as fewer people fall ill: Case rates in such counties, where Hispanics account for about half of residents or more, have fallen since mid-January, mirroring the national trend, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .........(more)
Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/covid-deaths-soar-in-hispanic-counties-even-as-u-s-cases-fall
February 9, 2021
Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems revealed this week that pro-Trump election attorney Sidney Powell has "evaded" attempts to serve her with a lawsuit "for weeks."
In a filing on Tuesday, Dominion's lawyers explained the situation to the court. ........(more)
https://www.rawstory.com/dominion-sidney-powell-lawsuit/
Kraken on the lam
Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems revealed this week that pro-Trump election attorney Sidney Powell has "evaded" attempts to serve her with a lawsuit "for weeks."
In a filing on Tuesday, Dominion's lawyers explained the situation to the court. ........(more)
https://www.rawstory.com/dominion-sidney-powell-lawsuit/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,078