Top 10 Idiots

Top 10 Idiots's Journal

December 2, 2020

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-18: The Shart Of The Deal Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-18: The Shart Of The Deal Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! How’s everybody doing? I know, this has been quite a week, hasn’t it? Holy shit we are actually in December! The year from hell that is 2020 is nearly over everybody!!! We made it!!! There are just two Top 10s remaining for the end of the year – one of course being next week, and the other being our 2020 Year In Review edition on 12/16. Yay, the shittiest year ever is almost over! Do we have time for the thing? Sure! OK I will say one thing. I am a dog person, I have dogs, I love my dogs, I love all the dogs I’ve ever had. Having my dog has definitely kept me from losing my mind the last few months. But I’ve never really been on board with the concept of “pet parenting”. I will take my dogs on walks, but I won’t spend $250 on a stroller for them, and I don’t care that it has a curtain either. I’ll feed them dog food but I’m not spending $50 for “gourmet” pet food that looks like it has better ingredients than what I got at the McDonalds drive thru. No, seriously, my dog should not be eating better food than what I am eating. But that said, do we really need Christmas music for dogs? Can dogs really hear music nor do they care what is being sung? Well there’s a song called “Raise The Woof” that is quite literally insane. But at least all the proceeds go to charity so it’s all good… right? Right? OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first in his season finale, Bill Maher compares Trump to the leader of the NXIVM cult:

Man I look forward to the day when this asshole is no longer the number one! In the number one slot this week is of course, Twitter’s own @realDonaldTrump (1). Because he threw quite the tantrum last week giving a press conference from what looked like a desk that came from Baby’s First Presidenting Kit. It was quite insane. In the second slot is someone who we haven’t talked much about on the show, and that’s our First Lady, Melania Trump (2)! Did she tell a group of supporters that Christmas, as a holiday should fuck off? We will get to the bottom of this mystery, and we presume the answer is already yes. Taking the third slot this week is the Trump offspring of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump (3) and someone give me the world’s tiniest violin because they are looking for life after the White House, and it seems that no one in New York wants to hang around them! In the #4 slot this week is a new edition of We’re All Gonna Die (4) and we finally have a president who is going to address climate change, but is it too little too late? Well maybe yes and maybe no. In the #5 slot this week, is our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5) and sadly COVID-19 is still a thing. But vaccines are almost here, and the FDA will be approving shortly, but is your state ready? We will find out what it will take! And speaking of COVID, in the #6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week our resident pastor is dumbfounded, but not surprised, by the SCOTUS ruling that is reversing the bans passed on the number of people allowed at religious gatherings right now. It’s insane. In the number 7 slot this week is a new Beating A Dead Horse. Yeah we all know about the Grammys and every year you always talk about how much you hate their choices, and man you really hate them! Music is subjective, folks! In the #8 slot this week, we have a new People Who Somehow Got Elected, and this week we’re adding Wyoming governor Mark Gordon (8) (no relation to the Phish guitarist) to the ever-growing list! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week, we have a new “I Need A Drink” and we’re going to have some drinks and talk about the bizarre monolith that appeared and then disappeared in the Utah desert. Is it Planet Of The Apes or is God just fucking with us? Either way we will drink! Finally in “Road To The White House” – Biden’s inauguration is being planned but whiny crybaby Trump is planning his own rally! Yeah seriously screw that guy! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

[div style="padding: 20px; background-color: #ffffff; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 1px #aaa;"][div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-weight: bold; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999; padding-bottom: 8px;"]

[font size="8"]Donald Trump
[br] [/font] [br]

I know what you’re thinking. You probably saw that Trump press conference on Saturday and thought “Gee, that sure is a very tiny desk he’s sitting at”, to which I would reply – of course it is! And you’re not wrong either! You might also be thinking “This is the worst NPR tiny desk concert ever!” and to that I reply – yes you are correct! Because Trump gave a tiny desk MAGA concert this week, and it literally wasn’t supposed to be at an actual tiny desk! By the way the memes and Photoshops that came out of this were absolutely hysterical. But let’s get to the actual tiny desk concert at hand. It seems that it was one of his more unusual and completely deranged and off the rails MAGA rallies in the entire history that he’s been doing this!

President Donald Trump's press conferences often go awry in one way or another, but on Thanksgiving it was a peculiarly tiny desk that grabbed the spotlight.

On Thursday evening, Trump delivered an address from the White House that began with a recap of his calls to service members on the holiday. From there, it quickly devolved into him bragging about the Space Force and repeating lies about voter fraud, calling the election "rigged" once again without any evidence.

He also took questions from members of the press and at one point snapped at a journalist from Reuters, calling him a "lightweight."

"Don't talk to me that way. You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that — I'm the president of the United States. Don't ever talk to the president that way," he told the reporter, while pointing at him.

Overall, there were awkward moments abound, but it was all underscored by the visual of Trump carrying this all out while sitting behind a comically small desk with the presidential seal attached.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/trump-tiny-desk

Yeah seriously where’s Nelson when you need him? And by the way if you want a bit of White House trivia – that desk that the president sits at? It was made from timbers taken from a Royal Navy ship and represents pure power. That desk that Trump was sitting at on Saturday? It’s a tray meant so the president can watch TV and eat TV dinners off of. Yes that’s right – this just gets better and better and better. Really you can’t get to be much more of a loser than this.

Has Donald Trump conceded the presidency by design? Is his choice of furniture betraying a subconscious admission of defeat? When the outgoing US president gave a speech this week saying he would depart if the electoral college voted for Joe Biden, his words came as less of a shock than the desk he chose to sit at. It was tiny. It sent out a clear signal. And that signal was “loser”.

Jokes about the shrunken size of Trump’s desk – one photograph, taken from low down, captures his legs barely fitting beneath it – are easy. So let’s not. You want to see a real ruler’s desk? The Resolute desk in the Oval Office is the definition of one: a massive fortress of a working space, like an aircraft carrier with legs, sporting the US eagle at the heart of its heavy Victorian carvings. Its timbers are British in origin: they come from a Royal Navy sailing ship, HMS Resolute, that once braved the icy waters of the north pole. And in a final addition of defensive machismo, Franklin D Roosevelt had the front bulwarked so no one could see his leg braces and discover he was disabled.

Trump’s appearance behind this itsy-bitsy piece of flotsam shows why Roosevelt and other presidents have always chosen to moor themselves behind the grandiose Resolute. It bulks them out. What Trump was leaning on was not even a desk. It was merely a table. It fails all the design criteria required of a desk. It isn’t even an escritoire, which may be cosy but at least has important-looking drawers. Nor could it qualify as a secretaire. In fact, there’s no storage at all. Has he already cleared everything out?
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/nov/27/trumps-furniture-fail-desk-donald-table-tv-dinners

And even better was as I said before the memes and Photoshops that came out of this press conference were some of the best and most entertaining things Twitter has produced in a while. Trump loves him a good deal, but this case, would it be the Shart Of The Deal? He’s hopping mad over this incident and hell he’s even threatening to go nuclear on Twitter. And one thing I think it’s all safe to say that we don’t want to see naked pictures of him to prove that he doesn’t wear them!

During his Thanksgiving Day address yesterday, November 26th, Donald Trump started trending on Twitter, but for what, to him, are all the wrong reasons—Diaper Don.

Joe Biden got his fair share of memes for his Thanksgiving Day address mishap, and Donal Trump’s meme coverage wasn’t any different.

The name trended worldwide over Twitter, and continues to do so, after MediasTouch first tweeted an image of Donald Trump sitting at his desk for the address.

MediasTouch is a political action committee that describes its goal as “to stop the re-election of Donald Trump.” The group is run by three brothers and the group has over 500,000 followers on Twitter.

Viewers noticed that the desk Donald Trump used for the address appeared smaller than usual, while the padding around the president’s trousers looked more voluminous, according to some Twitter users.
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/11/27/diaper-don/

No don’t give him any more ideas! He’s already produced plenty of bad ones! And by the way would anyone be surprised at all that this was all revenge for Trump’s repeated bashing of CNN? Yeah you can only bully a person for so long before they start fighting back. And where’s Melania? How come we can’t use this for Be Best? Oh wait that program was a total failure too.

Donald Trump has been left humiliated by a photo of him at a tiny desk inside the White House, which went viral after it was tweeted by a reporter working for his arch-enemy, CNN.

The photo was taken by Kaitlan Collins, White House correspondent for the network and long-time sparring partner of the Trump team, who was on duty on Thanksgiving when Trump phoned the troops.

The president spoke from a small table pictured inside the Diplomatic Reception Room - a ground floor room that leads to the South Lawn.

It was the president's first Thanksgiving at the White House: in 2017 and 2018 he was at Mar-a-Lago, and last year he made a trip to Afghanistan to celebrate with the troops.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8995371/CNN-reporter-admonished-repeatedly-Trump-took-humiliating-picture-president-tiny-desk.html

[div style="padding: 20px; background-color: #ffffff; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 1px #aaa;"][div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-weight: bold; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999; padding-bottom: 8px;"]

[font size="8"]Melania Trump
[br] [/font] [br]

OK it’s December. Finally! The year from hell is almost over!!! But before we get out of this nightmare of a year that is 2020, let’s first ask ourselves this question – “What absolutely batshit scheme did Melania decorate the White House for this Christmas?”. Now it’s no secret that the Trumps have absolutely no taste in interior decorating. We saw that at their gaudy apartment complex in New York City. In the past, Melania’s Christmas decorations have resembled murder scenes and winter-related horror movies. So what path did they choose this year? Well this year’s path is a combination of all of the above and it still resembles something of a nightmare scene. No you’re not dreaming these images, they really did happen, and well, they really need to hire new interior decorators.

Apart from the odd nod to a funerary urn, first lady Melania Trump broke with tradition this year with her White House Christmas decorations, opting for fairly normal green trees with red and gold ornaments instead of the blood-red foliage or Shining-esque ghost-white branches of previous years.

This year’s theme, unveiled on Monday, was “America the beautiful”, inspired, she said, by Americans’ shared appreciation “for our traditions, values and history”.

The New York Times declared the aesthetic was “strikingly normal”. Mashable reported that the decorations were “fine”.

The Associated Press reported that workers on the front lines of a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 266,000 people in the United States and infected more than 13 million others were recognised in the Red Room with a Christmas tree dotted with handmade ornaments, as well as other decorations around the parlour.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/01/melania-trump-swaps-horror-for-tradition-with-lighter-approach-to-christmas-decor

I could totally see this being handed out as White House Christmas gifts! But I love how the New York Times referred to the decorations as “fine”. Just fine? At least they’re a step up from looking like a dream sequence in a murder mystery. But since this is our last Christmas with the Trumps – and it cannot come too soon, let’s take a look back at Melania’s delightfully horrifying taste in interior decorating, shall we?

Melania Trump has unveiled her fourth and final set of White House Christmas decorations. This year’s come on the heels of a now-infamous leaked recording of her anti-Christmas rant, in which she was taped by her former assistant complaining about the holiday way back in July of 2018 (“I’m working my ass off on Christmas stuff … Who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decorations?” she said, among other things.)

As we bid adieu to Melania and the cursed Christmas tableaus she has given us these past four years, here’s a look back at them all, ranked from the most to least haunted:

Melania’s 2018 Christmas decorations are easily her most malignant-looking. The focal point was a hallway of flayed, blood-red Christmas trees. Also of note: a menacing-looking wreath crafted out of branded “Be Best” pencils. It was supposed to evoke the theme “American Treasures,” but the effect was deeply ominous.

Melania’s first White House Christmas was a barren landscape of fir trees dripping with plastic icicles. Its highlight was a stark, shadowy hallway that suggested the First Lady may have been inspired by Silent Hill.
https://www.thecut.com/2020/11/melania-trumps-white-house-christmas-decorations-ranked.html

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii’m dreaming of a murrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrder Christmas… just like the ones I used to know… OK that doesn’t have the same ring to it, and I should probably never attempt to sing that song again. Now here’s where it gets weird. You know how politicians say things that they don’t really mean sometimes and then that thing they said could absolutely end their career before it starts? Well Melania said one of those things.

A secretly taped conversation from July 2018 between Melania Trump and former top aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff recorded several profanity-laced comments made by the first lady, including: “Who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decoration?”

The audio first aired on Oct. 1, 2020, on the CNN primetime program “Anderson Cooper 360.” Cooper referred to Wolkoff as her “former best friend,” and The New York Times identified Wolkoff as being a “close confidant.” The portion about Christmas runs from 4:35-6:03 in this video:

It is true that the first lady said the words: “Who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decoration?” The quote appeared to be in the context of Melania Trump having wished she could concentrate on more important duties, including purportedly wishing to reunite a mother and child that may have been separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. At the time, the Trump administration was under scrutiny for its practice of separating families at that border with no clear plan for reuniting them. (More than two years later in October 2020, hundreds of such children had still not been reunited with their parents.)

Wolkoff’s audio recordings featured more of the first lady talking about her June 21, 2018, visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, in which she received quite a bit of press for a jacket she wore that read: “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” Running from 2:44-4:34 in the same video from “Anderson Cooper 360,” Trump mentioned her visit to see the children who came to America:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/melania-christmas-recording/

Yeah don’t let that guy anywhere near Santa. But holy shit, that happened! If that had happened at any time during the 2016 campaign they would have been flushed down the toilet like the proverbial turds that they are. But Trump and Melania are made for each other. And if there’s one thing we don’t need any more proof of, it’s anything involving Trump and leaks. I’m done with that.

Melania Trump is once again working her “ass off at the Christmas stuff” even though “you know, who gives a fuck about the Christmas stuff and decorations.” This year, her last as first lady, she’s carrying out her prescribed duties as if it were like any other year. She’s doing it all as though she wasn’t recorded besmirching the name of the holiday that her husband famously saved from the dreaded P.C. police.

On Monday she welcomed the Christmas tree. In years past, a couple of beautiful Clydesdales have taken a break from starring in beer commercials to escort the tree to its penultimate resting place, the Blue Room of the White House. Often, both halves of the first couple are there to greet the fallen fir and the family who grew it—Don in his wide tie, Melania in a tartan coat, serving literal Mrs. Claus to the people.

This year Don was not there, and Melania’s coat was herringbone, but otherwise, it was business as usual. She made some conversation with the two men steering the sleigh and dutifully smiled for the camera alongside the Taylors, who grew the Fraser fir—one photo with mask on, one mask off.
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/11/melania-trump-receives-christmas-tree

[font size="8"]Jared Kushner And Ivanka Trump
[br] [/font] [br]

You know we don’t really discuss much of the Trump offspring. We all know that Eric and Trump Jr are losers. But what about Ivanka and Jared? Yes, Jared, the quietest and creepiest of the Trump bunch who we all suspect has a side hustle as a serial killer, are trying to figure out what to do once they leave Washington, DC. And there isn’t a violin small enough to be able to accurately portray how little we care about their attempts to integrate into society are after they leave the White House. And they can’t leave the White House soon enough as far as we are concerned. Either they can go run roach motels in Baltimore or they can go join Trump in Mar-A-Shithole and stay there. I’m personally for building a wall around Mar-A-Shithole. But what awaits them?

If the celebrations that spilled into the streets of New York City in the wake of Joe Biden's victory made one thing clear, it's that the Trumps aren't welcome here.

For the President, who changed his primary residency last year to Florida, that's perhaps no major loss, but for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the block parties celebrating the demise of the Trump administration may provide a glimpse of what awaits them once they exit the White House.

Now that their political lives in Washington are over -- the question for this once-golden power couple is what their time in the political spotlight has meant for their brand, particularly in their old Manhattan stomping grounds.

"[The President] was so awful and divisive about New York, saying it's a nightmare or that it's empty, or a has-been," said Jill Kargman, a writer, Upper East Side resident and daughter of the former chairman of Chanel who has socialized at events with the couple in the past. "No one here is going to forget that. To even come back here after everything he's said, it's not going to work."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/14/politics/jared-kushner-ivanka-trump-post-white-house/index.html

Yes… womp womp! Or maybe they should heed the advice from Melania’s jacket: “I really don’t care, do U?”. But there isn’t a violin small enough for this one. This is equal parts Arrested Development and Schitts Creek, and maybe Dallas thrown in for good measure. But here’s the thing – does high society really care? Will they welcome them back like nothing is wrong? Well they won’t return to normal and act like nothing happened, that’s for sure!

In the purgatory of Donald Trump’s unacknowledged election defeat, the knives are out for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump who, like dozens of other lesser-placed Trump acolytes, may be looking to return to New York, a city that the lame-duck president calls an “anarchic jurisdiction”.

The reception they will receive, judging from the city’s press commentary, could be brutal.

“They are the Faustian poster couple of the Trump presidency, the king and queen of the principle-torching prom at which so many danced alongside them, although in less exquisitely tailored attire,” wrote Frank Bruni in the New York Times this week.

Posing a question broadly to what he called “the whole shockingly populous court of collaborators”, Bruni addressed the couple directly: “Tell me, Jared. Be honest, Ivanka. Was it worth it?”

The answer, of course, is one for the couple alone to answer. But that hasn’t stopped others from offering their thoughts. “I see them as Glenn Close at the end of Dangerous Liaisons, with the entire opera house jeering,” says Jill Kargman, creator and star of Odd Mom Out, a highly praised TV comedy that skewered the Ivanka-style perfectionism of Upper East Side mothers.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/24/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-new-york-elite

Yes but if anyone deserves to be shunned from society – whether high class or not, it’s them. Although no one really deserves it. Cue the disclaimer. But I mean come on, if Ivanka Trump opened a gallery, would you go? No! Only the MAGAs would go, and knowing how Trumps spend their money, it’s pretty apparent that there’s a sucker born every minute.

A few years ago, the art world had no real problem with the designer and socialite Ivanka Trump. In the time that she spent in our milieu, Ivanka collected work by Alex Israel, Dan Colen, Nate Lowman, and Harmony Korine. She went to openings at Gagosian, hosted parties with Sotheby’s, attended charity galas at the Met and the Whitney, and socialized frequently with the likes of Emmanuel Di Donna and the Acquavella kids. Ivanka seemed to actually like contemporary art—she and husband Jared Kushner arrived early to auction previews at Phillips, with the kids in strollers, to diligently go through evening and day sale material and pick out what to buy.

Ivanka has not been hobnobbing on the gallery circuit recently, given the fact that she’s been working in the White House as an advisor to her father, President Donald Trump. But with Joe Biden looking to clinch the presidency, Ivanka may soon be out of a job. And Wet Paint hears that she’s planning a return to New York to resume her art-collecting lifestyle. Sources said Ivanka has been low-key maintaining her connection to art-world power brokers, and as soon as she ditches the District of Columbia for the old pad she owns with Kushner at Trump Park Avenue in Manhattan, she’ll beg to be back on the scene.

Even during the White House years, Ivanka knew this scenario could play out, and has prepared by frequently dipping her toe back into art-world society. Close confidants of the first daughter include Tico and Colby Mugrabi, who went to the Kushner-Trump wedding anniversary at Camp David in late 2019. She’s also welcomed gallery owners such as Pace president Marc Glimcher to the White House—a spokesperson for Pace confirmed Glimcher’s meet-and-greet with Ivanka, saying: “Marc has participated in a number of conversations across both sides of the aisle to bring attention to possible solutions to the economic crisis facing the industry.” And in addition to allies such as the Di Donnas and the Acquavellas (longtime pals from the Palm Beach circuit), sources said that many of the more prominent dealers would not think twice about selling Jared and Ivanka works, even if they wouldn’t want to be buddy-buddy with the couple in public.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/wet-paint-ivanka-trump-return-1921445

[font size="8"]We’re All Gonna Die
[br] [/font] [br]

Hey everyone guess what? We’re all gonna die! Woooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Wooooooooo!!! Woooo. woo. That works much better in front of an audience! But besides being in a raging pandemic that doesn’t look to be dying down anytime soon, we’ve got a far more dire situation on our hands – and one that is being denied by about half of America. Again, not talking about the virus. I’m talking about climate change. And if we don’t change our habits soon, some serious shit is going to hit the fan, both literally and figuratively! In fact this alarming little number was just published in Europe last week, and right now I can hear Trumpers going “Europe? Fuck that!”. Well don’t worry guys, this will affect you too!

Trees will start to shed their leaves earlier as the planet warms, a new study has suggested, contradicting previous assumptions that warming temperatures are delaying the onset of fall.

Every year, in a process known as senescence, the leaves of deciduous trees turn yellow, orange and red as they suspend growth and extract nutrients from foliage, before falling from the tree ahead of winter. Leaf senescence also marks the end of the period during which plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

Global warming has resulted in longer growing seasons -- spring leaves are emerging in European trees about two weeks earlier, compared with 100 years ago, researchers said.
"Previous models assumed that because autumns will get warmer and warmer over the coming century, autumn will get delayed -- growing seasons will overall get longer, and autumn will get delayed by two to three weeks," ecosystem ecologist Constantin Zohner said.

However, Zohner and a team of researchers have said their findings reverse this prediction.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/27/europe/fall-leaves-intl-scli-climate-scn/index.html

Yeah sure we can read all the Al Gore books that we want, but the fact is that if we don’t change some of our habits soon, a whole hell of a lot of people are going to die for the earth to correct itself. And there ain’t no vaccine that will solve that problem! Now if leaves falling off trees doesn’t scare you, here’s another potential unwanted parasite that could jump to humans! And no, again, I am not talking about COVID! I’m talking about blood sucking ticks!

Climate change could turn some dog ticks into suckers for humans instead of canines.

At temperatures around 38° Celsius (100° Fahrenheit), some brown dog ticks were more attracted to people than to dogs, experiments show. The ticks can carry the pathogen that causes deadly Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The finding suggests that a warmer climate could lead to greater spread of the disease from ticks to humans, researchers reported November 16 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

“We can expect more frequent and larger disease outbreaks of Rocky Mountain spotted fever when hot weather occurs, and when we get hot weather more often,” says Laura Backus, a researcher at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Patients with Rocky Mountain spotted fever can die if they don’t receive antibiotic treatment within five days. Around 5 to 10 percent of people infected succumb to the disease.

Previous research in Europe had suggested that ticks are more aggressive toward people in hot weather. To find out whether brown dog ticks’ preference of host depends on temperature, Backus and her colleagues captured babies and adults of two genetically distinct groups, or lineages, of the species Rhipicephalus sanguineus. One lineage hailed from a hot region in Arizona, and was considered a tropical tick. The other lineage, from Oklahoma, tolerates colder weather and is considered temperate.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dog-ticks-bite-human-blood-disease-climate-change

Actually this one there is a chance that we could all die from this! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! And if blood sucking parasites don’t scare you, how about the one area where it could actually hurt conservatives – their pocketbooks? That get your attention? I thought so! Since wealthy conservatives think of human life as expendable, maybe when it hits their pocketbooks, they might finally pay attention. And no, there’s no spaceship they can escape to like in Elysium. This is real!

With its lively parks and colorful bungalows, Hialeah, Fla., has been the gateway to the American middle class for thousands of Cuban immigrants.

Hialeah was the place where home ownership, an unattainable goal under the Communist regime of their homeland, became a reality. And as in many American communities — rich and poor, of every ethnic makeup — the American dream for families in Hialeah was helped along by the taxpayer-funded mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Their willingness to purchase the loans on homes in the area provides local lenders with a steady flow of cash to invest in the community.

But behind the vibrant life in Hialeah is a troubling reality: flooding. Heavy rains overran the streets this year, last year — almost every year. And the problem is projected to get worse: Some scientists fear the city could be underwater within the lifetimes of some current residents.

Despite that grim prognosis, the federal government keeps pumping mortgage money into Hialeah, as it does in hundreds of other communities now facing grave dangers from climate change. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hold the majority of home mortgages in some Hialeah neighborhoods. More significantly, federal taxpayers hold greater than 60 percent of mortgages on homes in some areas outside the specially designated federal floodplain, according to an analysis of federal data by Amine Ouazad, an associate economics professor at Canadian business school HEC Montréal.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/30/climate-change-mortgage-housing-environment-433721

Not only that, we might all also be going broke too! Because I mean think about it – we need trees to print money, no trees means no money! Which means no money being spent, which means interest rates go down and the economy crashes! Ahhhhh!!! OK enough fearmongering. At least it’s not all doom and gloom. Maybe we can just drop a giant ice cube in the ocean. That might work for a little while at least.

The Climate Action Tracker group looked at new climate promises from China and other nations, along with the carbon plans of US President-elect Joe Biden.

These commitments would mean the rise in world temperatures could be held to 2.1C by the end of this century.

Previous estimates indicated up to 3C of heating, with disastrous impacts.

But the experts are worried the long-term optimism is not matched by short-term plans to cut CO2.

John Kerry named as Biden's climate tsar
Covid pandemic has little impact on rise in CO2
Climate pledge on gas boilers for 2023 'vanishes'

For more than a decade, researchers from the Climate Action Tracker have kept a close eye on what countries' collective carbon-cutting pledges mean for our warming world.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55073169

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Vaccine Preparedness
[br] [/font] [br]

It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!

Everyone wants to know when the COVID vaccine is going to be here so that we can take steps to end the COVID-19 pandemic that’s thrown the entire world into a tailspin. But now there are four vaccines all vying for competition to be distributed among the world’s population. From the United States, the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine is ready, as is the Moderna vaccine. From Europe the much convoluted AstraZenaca – Oxford University vaccine, and from Asia, the vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm is also showing promise. But which of these hopes to be the winner? There’s plenty to discuss and plenty that’s awaiting approval. And what do actual health experts think of this? Well let’s find out!

That means the first people to receive the vaccine will be those who live or work in long-term care facilities and frontline health care workers, like nurses.

The head of the Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) believes if that’s going to be the case, they need to know what it is they are getting.

“It’s part of our responsibility to nurses and our community that they have the accurate information about the safety and the efficacy of the vaccine,” KNA CEO Delanor Manson said, “so that the will still feel conformable taking the vaccine.”

Even if the vaccine proves to be super effective, at least one nurse and former head of the KNA Board, does not believe it will be mandatory for frontline workers anywhere.

“I think that we’re going to have so many people that value their health and safety, their families and their communities that they will embrace these vaccines readily,” Dr. Ruth Carrico said.

Moyer also said Tuesday that if you visited friends or family during Thanksgiving, you should avoid going anywhere at all for a few days.
https://www.wave3.com/2020/12/01/louisvilles-top-health-official-provides-latest-vaccine-preparedness-city/

So while you’re waiting to return to your pre-pandemic life, keep in mind that things won’t be so easy at first that it will be a gradual transition. In fact one of the hardest hit states in the entire country – the state of Washington, is stating that. The very limited first batch means that it will go to only the most qualified candidates – meaning doctors, nurses, front line workers, the elderly, and those with severe immune deficiencies.

No. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anticipates very limited availability of vaccines in the beginning. Pfizer, for instance, thinks it can produce 50 million doses by year’s end for the world’s population. As a result, vaccinations will be focused on people deemed most in need of them, according to state vaccination plans.

“It's going to be the Beanie Baby phenomenon,” said Offit. “I mean, this is a limited edition vaccine.”

The state of Washington estimates it will receive 2% of all vaccine doses during the first two months of their availability, when they are scarcest, and suggests it could vaccinate between 150,000 and 400,000 people in that timeframe.

To determine who gets vaccines and when, Washington state is following ethical guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. According to Duchin, the plan will be executed “in an orderly way, based on a framework that incorporates (people’s) risk of disease and ethics and transparency, and who's getting offered a vaccine at what time.”
https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/12/01/how-washington-state-preparing-covid-19-vaccines-arrival/3783806001/

No the vaccines won’t be distributed that way. Now what about the anti-vaccination crowd? How will they affect the deployment of a vaccine? Back in the early days of the pandemic many said their willingness to take the vaccine was affected by who would win the election. Now that we know it’s Joe Biden, that opinions might change differently. But that said there’s no reason why they wouldn’t.

Studies suggest that many Americans will not accept this new vaccine — at least not right away. In a recent Pew Research Center survey, only 51 percent of U.S. adults indicated their willingness to take a coronavirus vaccine. Distrust is even higher among communities of color. This hesitancy may impede herd immunity even once a safe vaccine is available in wide supply. A lot of this mistrust is likely to be a result of recent attempts, especially by President Trump and his aides, to interfere in the scientific and regulatory review process. In the Pew survey, only 19 percent had a high level of confidence that the vaccine development process will yield a safe and effective product.

Building trust in a new vaccine starts with ensuring a transparent, science-based regulatory process. Despite political pressure by the Trump White House, career professionals at the Food and Drug Administration, backed by a few political appointees, have taken steps to ensure evidence-based review of candidate vaccines in recent weeks.

These steps are essential for restoring vaccine confidence, but they are not sufficient. A large enough number of people won’t take the vaccine without a national communication and education campaign. Such a campaign was recommended by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Unfortunately, there has been minimal investment in such a campaign and other efforts to increase confidence in a vaccine. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received $200 million for vaccine preparedness from the Cares Act, this money is supposed to cover all activities, including distribution and administration, not just communication and education. This money is not enough for vaccine distribution, let alone for communication and education.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/11/30/vaccine-communication-plan/

Yes, we will need the drugs to be able to survive. Now what about competition among the COVID-19 vaccine distributors? There’s plenty of discussion to be had there as well. China is hoping to restore some dignity and honor to its’ country because they want to play a role in the distribution of the vaccine after many point to their country being the origin of the virus that has shut down the entire world due to the pandemic. But can they? Only time will tell.

There was no VIP on board the plane from China that arrived in São Paulo airport earlier this month, but the state governor, João Doria, nonetheless led a high-level welcome delegation gathered on the tarmac.

The masked dignitaries were there to mark the arrival of seven refrigerated containers of vaccines, posing for official photos with tiny vials that Doria hopes will end or at least slow the ravages of Covid-19 in the state he runs.

Brazil is among the countries worst hit by the pandemic, with over six million cases and nearly 170,000 deaths.

China has promised that 6 million doses of CoronaVac, made by the biotech firm Sinovac, will reach Brazil by January. São Paulo’s highly respected Butantan Institute, which is testing the vaccine, will get raw materials to make millions more.

The shipments to Brazil are part of a campaign of vaccine diplomacy that Beijing has mounted around the world. The fallout from the spread of Covid-19 has fuelled mistrust of China internationally, and damaged the global appetite for the exports which helped drive its growth.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/china-hopes-vaccine-diplomacy-will-restore-its-image-and-boost-its-influence

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.

[font size="8"]Holy Shit
[br] [/font] [br]

Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the virtual pew make an online donation in the LAWRD’s virtual collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:

My fair virtual congregation! We live in a time of unprecedented danger at every corner you turn, and it’s about to get even worse! And we can thank the Supreme Court of the United States for what’s about to happen in the next few weeks! Now I know I am shouting but this is being broadcast on a video chat and we can’t hold our in person sermons for a while. But in case you are wondering why we can’t hold sermons in person, things are about to get a whole lot more interesting. Because the Supreme Court, as it has been called, is the supreme law of the land. But what they did during this nightmare pandemic world that we live in that’s controlled by the virus is quite frankly, inexcusable. But then again we can blame this all on our new justice now.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down Wednesday night blocking state officials from enforcing a cap on religious gatherings in coronavirus hot spots in Brooklyn and Queens is “irrelevant from any practical impact” because those areas are no longer designated virus hot spots.

He said the decision, among the first that includes newly appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett, was “really more an opportunity for the court to express its philosophy and politics.”

“The Brooklyn zone no longer exists as a red zone. That’s mooted. So that restriction is not in effect,” Cuomo said on a conference call with reporters Thursday. “That’s what was irregular about the court taking it up.”

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of issuing an injunction on the state’s enforcement of the religious service rules, which cap religious gatherings at 25 in areas designated as “orange zones” and 10 in areas designated as “red zones” under state orders.

The ruling departs from past Supreme Court decisions that largely upheld states’ rights to limit religious gatherings.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/2020/11/26/cuomo-calls-supreme-court-decision-blocking-ny-restrictions-on-religious-gatherings-a-political-statement/

Of course it’s a political statement! The supreme law of the land is now being judged by the supporters of the unholy, ungodly dark one – a man so repulsive his name shall not be uttered in my church even if it is online! But now to make things even worse, it’s being determined by every state going before this abomination of a court to determine what states can have large gatherings. Yes they are forcing New York to do so, but Louisiana? They don’t want any part of this!

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday declined to hear a petition brought forth by a Louisiana pastor who claimed Gov. John Bel Edwards' order meant to stem the spread of COVID-19 was in violation of his First Amendment rights.

In the spring, Tony Spell the pastor at the Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, had ignored Edwards' stay-at-home order that prohibited gatherings larger than 10, even busing in individuals from neighboring towns to attend church services, according to the Monroe News-Star.

At the time, Spell said he had defied Edwards' stay-at-home order in the spring because "the Lord told us to," according to the report. As Insider previously reported, Spell held services of approximately 1,000 people while the order was in place.

The pastor was later arrested and charged with a misdemeanor in relation to an altercation with a counter-protester, according to the News-Star. On another occasion, he also led a protest against Edwards outside the governor's mansion in Baton Rouge, according to the report.
https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-not-involved-in-pastors-case-against-governor-2020-11

And sadly that’s kind of where this is headed. So New York, OK, and Louisiana – don’t want to touch this with a 10 foot pole! But now our church’s home state of California is even being forced to grovel before the court because they want to keep the bans on large gatherings! Sigh… we’re in for a long haul here, my fair worshippers! Because that’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want, is it?

Attorney’s representing Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry are seeking intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court as they battle restrictions instituted by Gov. Gavin Newsom who aims to stem the rising tide of coronavirus cases.

As they await a pending appeal, the church on Wednesday, Nov. 25, filed an emergency petition asking the Supreme Court to approve an injunction before Sunday, Nov. 29, against the state-imposed coronavirus restrictions.

“During his nine-month reign of executive edicts subjugating Californian’s to restrictions unknown to constitutional law, the governor continues to impose draconian and unconscionable prohibitions on the daily life of all Californians,” attorneys with the Liberty Counsel, which is representing the ministry, wrote in the petition.

The Governor’s Office, in a statement regarding the Supreme Court petition, noted that numerous courts have already upheld the legality of the coronavirus restrictions on worship services, restrictions that the office said it looked “forward to defending … while protecting Californians’ health in this pandemic.”

Along with the Pasadena church, Harvest Rock has 161 other churches across the state, including locations in Irvine, Corona and Los Angeles. It is not affiliated with Pastor Greg Laurie’s Harvest Christian Fellowship church in Riverside
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/26/pasadena-church-petitions-u-s-supreme-court-over-coronavirus-restrictions/

And yes my friends, the devil is the church!!!! Because while the governor of my great state intends to impose even stricter virus orders, the churches plan to defy them! When COVID hits your community, and trust me, it will, blame your local megachurch pastor! For these people only care about one god and that’s the almighty dollar! Sigh, well you’d better get used to the virtual world because we’re not going to see the real one for a while. And that’s something that JAYSUS is shaking his head at!

Greg Fairrington, pastor of a Rocklin megachurch that’s been defying California’s pandemic restrictions on indoor churchgoing, opened Sunday’s service by pulling out his cell phone and reading aloud from a fresh U.S. Supreme Court decision.

“There is no world in which the Constitution tolerates a color-coded executive edict that opens liquor stores ... and bike shops but shutters churches,” Fairrington said, quoting the opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The pastor then looked out at his congregants at Destiny Church and shouted: “The Supreme Court of the United States of America — yeah! We have a biblical mandate and First Amendment rights!” What appeared to be a large crowd of worshippers, packed closely together, roared its approval.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order preventing indoor church services in much of California, a move aimed at halting the spread of COVID-19, may have hit a major legal obstacle. Last week, the Supreme Court struck down New York state’s rules that limited in-person attendance at houses of worship, declaring it was unconstitutional to severely restrict church and synagogue attendance while allowing merchants and other non-religious institutions to welcome big crowds.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article247507750.html

Sigh… fuck it, I’m done. You just can’t reason with these morons. Tune in next week when we hope to bring back the full Holy Shit show you know and love, since we apparently can get away with that sort of thing now! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Grammy Snubs 2020
[br] [/font] [br]

Look, I get it. This is 2020 and we don’t have much to look forward to right now. Even 2021 award shows like the Oscars are still up in the air right now but don’t worry, we’ll get back on track. So that said, we get it. You hate the Grammy Awards. And we get that everyone’s taste in music is subjective. That’s why there’s so many different genres and styles of music. You may love techno beats to a reggaeton horn, while your neighbor loves ambient Christian rock. I’m just pulling buzzwords out of my hat. So why do people hate the Grammy Awards so much? Well there’s way too many reasons to list, and we’ll save those for another show. But this year what’s going on?

Oh, the Grammys, how you mean so little to us. Between the big three award shows, the Grammys by the Recording Academy, the Emmys by the Television Academy, and the Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Grammys are the most meaningless award show.

The Recording Academy has the worst representation among the three award shows and isn’t a high bar to meet. We don’t ever think differently about an artist, song, or album because it wins a Grammy. They always get it wrong and never know what they want to be. Some years, the biggest honor goes to the most commercially successful, other years, they give it to an artist album — can you make up your mind?!

The Recording Academy released its nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards, and honestly, it’s as bland as you can expect. There were still many snubs & terrible decisions made on behalf of voters who are clearly not in tune with what the world thinks is good. While we hope for better every year with the Grammys, we only keep getting millimeters closer every time, if at all.

For the first time since the Grammys created the award in 2012, the Recording Academy didn’t nominate a single male rock group or artist for Best Rock Performance. Grace Potter, Brittany Howard, HAIM, Phoebe Bridger, Big Thief, and Fiona Apple were all nominated for Rock’s top award.
https://filmdaily.co/music/grammy-award-nominations/

Wait a minute, didn’t Homer already win a Grammy? And I can see all the white male sociopaths gnashing their teeth right now at the diversity in the awards this year. But then again they think of diversity about the same as Ron Burgundy does in the movie Anchorman. So how about this why don’t we ask someone who has actually been nominated for a Grammy how we should feel? I know! How about friend of the show Halsey?

Halsey is the latest musician to let the world know how she feels about this year’s Grammy nominations. She joins the supporting chorus of The Weeknd who, after being shut out of the noms, took to Twitter to call the Grammys “corrupt.” He garnered support from fellow musicians like Drake, Elton John, Charlie Puth and others.

Halsey, who was also shut out of this year’s Grammy nods, shared her feelings via Instagram stories.

“I’ve been thinking and wanted to choose my words carefully because a lot of people have extended sympathy and apology to me since the Grammy nominations,” she wrote. “The Grammys are an elusive process. It can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with the right handshakes and ‘bribes’ that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as ‘not bribes.’ And if you get that far, it’s about committing to exclusive TV performances and making sure you help the Academy make their millions in advertising on the night of the show…Perhaps sometimes it is (!!!) but it’s not always about the music or quality or culture.

She continued, “Just wanted to get that off my chest. @theweeknd deserves better, and Manic did too perhaps it’s unbecoming of me to say so but I can’t care anymore. While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognized this year, I am hoping for more transparency or reform. But I’m sure this post will blacklist me anyway.”
https://deadline.com/2020/11/halsey-grammy-nominations-the-weeknd-snubs-1234622974/

Come on, they gave a Grammy to Homer Simpson, for crying out loud! So legitimate artists who have made great albums this year like Halsey and the Weeknd get snubbed and people who we’ve never heard of are the ones who get the most nominations? Come on! And by the way do we really care what Pop Smoke’s manager thinks? Do the Grammys really have a “far left bias”? Shut up!

Pop Smoke’s manager Steven Victor is the latest to speak out against the Grammy Awards and the Recording Academy.

The late rapper earned a nomination this year for “Dior” in the Best Rap Song category. But manager Steven Victor believes the lack of a nomination for Best Rap Album is a snub.

“I think the Grammys is cap, bro,” he said in an interview with GQ. “No disrespect, but who is [Best Rap Album nominee] D Smoke? This is an artist–I’m not saying he started a genre because he didn’t start drill music–but [Pop Smoke] brought drill music to the forefront and made it mainstream. He had a huge impact. Forget about whether he passed away, his impact was felt way before that.”

Victor then questioned the ‘far-left’ political bias of the nominating committee, with artists like Nas and Jay Electronica scoring noms instead of higher-selling artists. “They didn’t include any albums that had commercial success,” Victor continued. “I’m not saying that’s the criteria for the Grammys. Lil Baby and Pop Smoke, those were culturally impactful records. You look at the songs from Pop Smoke, they were super relevant with what was going on in our community earlier this year.”
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/11/30/pop-smoke-manager-steven-victor-grammys-comments/

What he said! But here’s the thing – you can speculate, hate, and demean the Grammy Awards until the cows come home. But seriously I know this is 2020 and everyone has way too much time on their hands, but let’s just stop hounding the Grammy awards, OK? Yeah I get that your favorite artist didn’t get nominated but still… can we just take a deep breath and pull our heads out of our asses for just one single minute? No?

Twelve things worth noting about the 2021 Grammy nominees, announced Nov. 24, from snubbed singers to posthumous nominees to famous folks competing for awards.
Snubbed singers

The Weeknd sings about being a “star boy,” but the Grammys’ response to his latest album? Bye, boy.

The pop star was severely snubbed despite having one of the year’s biggest albums with “After Hours” and topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless.”

Luke Combs also walked away without a single nomination, though he was country music’s most successful musician this year. Morgan Wallen also had a great year in country music but didn’t earn any nods. And the Chicks’ first album in 14 years was not recognized.

A group of young R&B female acts moving the needle also missed out on nominations, including Summer Walker, Teyana Taylor and Kehlani. Late rapper Juice WRLD, Brandy and Chris Brown were also snubbed.

Though they received nominations in their genre categories, acts such as Lady Gaga, Fiona Apple and Harry Styles didn’t pick up bids for album, song or record of the year.
https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/takeaways-surprises-and-snubs-from-2021-grammy-award-nominations/article_cb3ea5ec-cc9b-5d22-b065-f21663e66e45.html

[font size="8"]People Who Somehow Got Elected: Mark Gordon
[br] [/font] [br]

Politicians at the state, national and local levels who are so toxic that you ever wonder how they were able to get into office, much less stay there. This is:

This week – Wyoming governor Mark Gordon. How did this guy get elected? While the entire world is coming to grips with the raging super virus known as COVID-19, the governor of Wyoming is taking a decidedly lax approach to it. And when the collective counties in the state of Wyoming are urging the governor to take drastic measures to help combat COVID, he instead takes the opposite approach of broaching the subject. Because he’s a die hard Trump supporter, and most Trump supporters still don’t believe that COVID-19 is real, despite the fact that the virus is literally everywhere, the US did a piss poor job of containing it, and people are dying because of it.

Earlier this month, with coronavirus cases rising dramatically across Wyoming, a coalition of medical experts and nearly every county health officer in the state wrote to Republican Gov. Mark Gordon with an urgent demand: to issue a statewide mask mandate.

Gordon declined. While he has stressed the importance of wearing masks, he has also argued that it's an individual choice to do so.

"It is incredibly important that we take personal responsibility for our actions and understand how those actions can implicate others," Gordon said last month.

Now Gordon, 63, has tested positive for the virus, his office announced Wednesday. "He only has minor symptoms at this time and plans to continue working on behalf of Wyoming remotely," Gordon's office said in a news release.

Throughout the pandemic, a number of Republican governors have resisted mandating face coverings, with some questioning their effect - an echo of President Donald Trump's dismissive attitude toward masks - and others, like Gordon, calling for personal responsibility. But in recent weeks, with the pandemic dramatically worsening and evidence mounting that mask mandates can reduce transmission, several have reversed course.
https://www.theday.com/article/20201126/NWS13/201129505

That probably is the safest way to protect yourself from COVID right now. One way to not get COVID is to live in a state run by people like Mark Gordon. So keep denying that the virus exists, COVID-truthers because in the end you will be the ones who will get it. Because he is currently digging his own political grave here. And he may be also be digging his own grave since he got COVID. As the old elementary school saying goes – “he who denied it supplied it”.

An aide for Gov. Mark Gordon said Monday that Wyoming's chief executive is experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 five days after testing positive for the virus. Gordon has continued to work a full schedule while in quarantine.

Gordon first began to experience symptoms of the virus on Nov. 22 — roughly one week after the conclusion of a previous quarantine prompted by an exposure to the virus at a White House event with tribal officials and White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Deborah Birx last month in Riverton, according to Gordon spokesman Michael Pearlman.

Gordon's diagnosis came days after his office announced it would close temporarily for a deep cleaning after a pair of staffers tested positive for the virus. Pearlman said no other employees have tested positive since, and all other close contacts of the Governor have since tested negative for the virus.

It remains unclear where the governor contracted the virus, Pealrman said. The governor immediately took an at-home test after exhibiting symptoms on Nov. 22. After showing more symptoms, Gordon visited a medical clinic on Wednesday, where he received a test that returned a positive result. The results of the earlier test came back positive the same day.
https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wyoming-governor-experiencing-only-mild-symptoms-five-days-after-covid-19-diagnosis/article_645d4f33-e53d-51e9-8617-1894df61afbd.html

No that won’t fight the virus either. But only after he had it do we have a change of heart now. But this is what happens when you go against the WHO guidelines – you will get the virus. It is almost like it has a habit of targeting stupidity. So why go all out now with more restrictions? Because it’s what will stop the virus, though it may be too late for that.

More restrictive public health measures are likely imminent in Wyoming as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to soar statewide, Gov. Mark Gordon confirmed in a press briefing Friday.

And for the first time, the governor said a statewide face mask requirement was also being considered.

“There will be changes, they will be more restrictive,” Gordon said.

The governor said “all things are on the table,” when asked what the new measures might include.

The new message came during an emotional press conference in Cheyenne where Gordon raised his voice several times and began by telling residents he was angry and concerned.
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wyoming-governor-to-consider-state-mask-order-more-restrictions/article_d1fc10f5-c65f-517d-86e8-d0b7fb5f7b60.html

3 Stooges Syndrome isn’t really a thing though. And in non COVID related news, Mark Gordon was looking to slash $500 million from the state budget. That’s right - $500 mllion. Especially in a time when Americans need it the most. So think about that the next time you cast a vote for a guy like Wyoming governor Mark Gordon. It’s the red states that are being hurt the most in this pandemic, and this looks like it will hurt them even further.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon will ask lawmakers to slash $500 million from the state budget in response to weak revenue from the coal, oil and natural gas industries.

The proposed cuts would lay off 62 state employees and eliminate 44 vacant positions, Gordon said in a news conference announcing his regular supplemental budget Monday.

The supplemental budget, approved in the in-between year of Wyoming’s two-year budget cycle, used to be a chance for state agency directors to score extra funding.

Not this year. Wyoming has been facing a $400 million shortfall even after Gordon cut 10% from state agencies last summer.

The new proposed cuts would bring the total agency reduction to about 15%.

In all, the cuts would further reduce the state’s total, two-year budget from $3.3 billion, as approved in March, to $2.4 billion, Gordon said.
https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-coronavirus-pandemic-mark-gordon-state-budgets-67aaea24d5e75dffc64e44cfb4f2bba4

Good luck with economic recovery in 2021, Wyoming! That’s your governor Mark Gordon, yet another inexplicable politician in the long list of:

[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
[br] [/font] [br]

Hey everyone I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink!

So of course you know the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks and we talk about anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. Because I don’t know about you, but quite frankly I’m getting really sick of all the negative politics all the time. This week we’re going to talk about something insane happening in the Utah desert. The bad thing is we’re still in a pandemic, so my drinks have to be served via robot. So tell me, oh virtual bartender, what goes well with a story about a disappearing monolith? The Monolith cocktail? What’s in it? Just a really tall glass with a bunch of vodka and lime juice? I’ll take two! For a brief moment we forgot about the pandemic and the president trying to steal an election when it was announced that surveyors found a strange monolith in the Utah desert and people were speculating what movie it’s from. My money is on 2001.

In a scene that could have been taken from the science fiction classic “2001: A Space Odyssey,” officials in Utah have discovered a mysterious metallic monolith in the remote southeastern part of the state.

Public safety workers spotted the object November 18 from a helicopter while conducting a count of bighorn sheep, according to a news statement.

So far, there is no indication of who could have placed the 3- to 3.6-meter-tall monolith in that location.

“It is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you’re from,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

“That’s been about the strangest thing that I’ve come across out there in all my years of flying,” pilot Bret Hutchings told KSL-TV.
https://www.voanews.com/usa/mysterious-metallic-monolith-found-remote-utah

Yes this is every bit as much 2001 as it is Planet Of The Apes. Now here’s the weird part – it has completely disappeared. That’s right. Just as fast as it was found, it’s gone. Now some people have said that it was found in upstate New York and there’s claims that it’s as far away as Romania. But where the hell is it? Nobody knows for sure. Of course we’re still in a pandemic so nobody can do any actual exploring to find this thing, we’re just guessing from the couch!

Discovering the origins of the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey requires only a keen cinematic eye or time spent with Arthur C. Clarke's novel. But the mystery surrounding its apparent real-life counterpart just got stranger.

A metallic monolith of unknown origin, discovered more than a week ago, has vanished from the Utah desert as mysteriously as it appeared, according to the Bureau of Land Management's Utah division.

An agency statement says credible reports point to "an unknown party" removing the illegally installed structure on the evening of Nov. 27. The agency also asserts its own lack of involvement in the object's removal or intent to investigate, noting it does "not investigate crimes involving private property which are handled by the local sheriff's office."

A subreddit dedicated to the monolith showcased several images purporting to show that the structure had been removed.
The structure, a three-sided metallic prism, was discovered by Utah public safety and wildlife officials on Nov. 18 while they were conducting a survey of bighorn sheep by helicopter in Red Rock Country in southeastern Utah.
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/29/939882228/metallic-monolith-in-utah-vanishes-just-as-mysteriously-as-it-appeared

It was removed? Wait a minute – things don’t just appear and then disappear! This isn’t the claims of voter fraud that Trump is pulling out of his ass! Now here’s where it gets weird. And you knew that it was going to. Because while the one in Utah disappeared, another one popped up half way around the world in Romania. That’s right – you read that correctly!

The monolith that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere in the Utah desert was removed from its location in the middle of the night over the weekend while a similar structure showed up in Europe, according to officials and witnesses.

However, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) reassured the public that whoever took the 10- to 12-foot vertical metal object from its desert location was not from out of this world.

The agency said agents discovered Saturday that the structure was gone from its location in the southeastern Utah desert. Desert rocks marked the spot where the silver-colored object once stood.

BLM officials said "an unknown party or parties" removed the monolith sometime after Friday evening.

"The BLM did not remove the structure which is considered private property. We do not investigate crimes involving private property," the agency said in a Facebook post Saturday night.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/monolith-discovered-utah-desert-mysteriously-disappears-overnight/story?id=74465679

Ah, that’s the stuff! So while we’re waiting to see where this mysterious structure will land next, one thing is clear – god is definitely fucking with us. Although it could be aliens. Yeah I’m now drunk so let’s go with aliens! But if there’s anything that could break through the nightmare pandemic world of 2020, maybe it’s a mysterious monolith in the desert! Nevertheless, we will bring you updates here as this thing keeps popping up all over the world!

A mysterious metal monolith appeared in the Utah desert in mid-November, giving everyone flashbacks to 2001: A Space Odyssey -- and then vanished just as mysteriously around a week later.

But not before David Surber drove more than six hours from Salt Lake City to see it in person.

The angular silver pillar, between three and four metres tall, made headlines after a helicopter crew from Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau discovered it accidentally. Some speculated aliens were responsible -- others pointed to an anonymous artist, aiming to cause chaos and joy.

Surber, along with a collection of internet sleuths, just wanted to know where it was and how to see it.

“I think everybody saw that initial report on the news,” Surber told CTV News Channel. “Obviously it’s just a pretty unique object out there, but more importantly, I think there’s very little left, it seems at times, in this world, to get out there and discover. So something new and intriguing.”

If anything could break through the pandemic paralysis, a mysterious monolith would do it.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/hiker-drove-six-hours-into-utah-desert-to-see-metal-monolith-before-it-vanished-1.5211323

[font size="8"]Road To The White House
[br] [/font] [br]

Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the 2020 election to end all elections in… *cue reverb* THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!!! Oh that was some good reverb there. It’s been a month since the 2020 election. Wait what? It’s been a month? And the election is still not over? What the fuck is going on here – I mean seriously? Well it’s no secret that soon to be former president @realDonaldTrump isn’t going down without a fight. And I mean come on really fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 38 times, you must be Trump. But that said, this is what we are not here to talk about this week. This week, we are here to discuss what Joe’s inauguration plans are going to be, and no interference from that meddling Trump! No, we won’t have any of that!

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday announced the senior leadership of the committee charged with planning and executing what will be an unprecedented presidential inauguration, as it is set to take place during a global pandemic.

The committee, which is charged with fundraising and organizing inaugural events, promises that in its planning, it will prioritize "keeping people safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19 while engaging all Americans."

Tony Allen, who worked as Biden's speechwriter when he was a senator, will take the helm as chief executive officer. Allen, who the inauguration team says will serve in his personal capacity, is currently the president of Delaware State University, an HBCU.

Maju Varghese will serve as executive director. Varghese was chief operating officer and senior adviser on Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, beginning in the primaries.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/30/politics/biden-inauguration-committee/index.html

Yes so… excuse me a minute… OK so Joe is going through with planning his inauguration, despite that there’s one person objecting. And how badly is he objecting? He’s objecting to the point where he’s starting his own event adjacent to Biden’s inauguration. It reminds me of that scene from Futurama when Bender is going to start his own theme park with blackjack and hookers. On second thought forget about the inauguration!

Donald Trump is reportedly considering hosting a campaign event for a 2024 presidential bid to take place on Joe Biden's Inauguration Day.

The Daily Beast, citing sources familiar with conversations about a possible 2024 run, reported that Trump is strategizing ways to remain relevant even after he steps down from the presidency. The conversations revolve around launching a run for president again in four years after Biden's first term will have neared an end.

It would be an "unprecedented" decision to host a campaign event on the day of Biden's inauguration, according to Carl Tobias, University of Richmond law professor.

"No one who has lost a race for President has ever announced the intent to run 4 years later on the day that the victor is sworn in," Tobias told Business Insider in an emailed statement.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-reportedly-wants-2024-campaign-event-during-bidens-inauguration-2020-11

Yeah that pretty much is Trump. I mean we already covered about how he wears diapers – allegedly – in this edition! And I mean come on, how much attention does Trump need? He’s like the toddler you see in the aisles of Target screaming because his parents won’t buy him a cheap toy to satisfy his need to have things. And yes I’ve seen a few of those. I mean if Trump wears diapers, no wonder he acts like a gigantic baby all the time!

With the reality of losing his reelection campaign setting in, it appears as though Donald Trump is focusing on announcing his plans to run again before year’s end.

According to the Daily Beast, Trump has spoken to close advisers about how and when to kickstart his 2024 run, and the spiteful option of holding an event during Joe Biden’s inauguration is a possibility.

The report goes on to say that Trump and “some of his closest associates” have already spoken with donors and those close to him “are doing what they can to stay in the president’s good graces” in case he runs again.

Trump, according to the report, has also been bragging about how easy it will be for him to grab attention away from the new president because Biden is “boring” and cable news networks won’t get ratings with Trump gone.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Trump spoke of his plans to run again in 2024 during an Oval Office meeting with National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, and Vice President Mike Pence just 10 days after the election.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-may-start-2024-campaign-during-bidens-inauguration-1095993/

Yeah Trump is pretty much Stewie in this case. No one loves him anymore, and 6 million and counting are still voting for Biden over him. The 2021 inauguration is going to be the first major event in 20201, and since we’re still in a major pandemic, it’s going to get real weird real fast. Especially since Trump isn’t going to go quietly, and god help us if these two groups intermingle. Because we’ve seen this story before and it never ends well.

On the heels of a norm-shattering presidential election and amid a surging pandemic, federal and local officials are laying the groundwork for a presidential inauguration unlike any other.

They are under pressure to stage an event that will kick-start a new chapter in American history and begin to heal a nation bruised by its deep partisan divides. But they are also operating within the constraints of a health crisis that has upended traditions dependent on massive gatherings and cross-country travel. The balls, presidential parade and throngs huddled together on the National Mall that transform the District of Columbia every four years could look significantly different from past inaugurations.

Over the next nine weeks, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to launch an inaugural committee that will work with a congressional committee and local partners to rise to a moment defined by competing political and public health needs.

Presidential inaugurations are planned by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) and a committee formed by the president-elect. While Biden has yet to announce his committee, the bipartisan group and D.C. agencies have spent the better part of the year preparing for the formal launch regardless of the Election Day outcome. They say they are forging ahead with plans for in-person events on Jan. 20 with the understanding that it is easier to scale down than scale up operations.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/d-c-preparing-for-pandemic-inauguration-day/

See you next week!

Credits

Host: Initech
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Recorded At: Flappers Comedy Club, Burbank, CA
Images: All images copyright belongs to respective copyright holders.
Videos: All videos copyright belongs to respective copyright holders
Articles: All article content copyright belongs to respective copyright holders
Writing: Top 10 Writing Department
Graphics: Top 10 Graphics Department
Research: Top 10 Research Department
Lighting & Stage Props: Top 10 Lighting Department
Legal: Top 10 Legal Department
Advertising: Top 10 Advertising Department
HR: Top 10 Human Resources Department
Initech’s Wardrobe Provided By: JAB Inc.
Wheel Of Corruption By: Studio 1 Stage Props, Burbank, CA
Management: Initech Productions, CCC Management
Follow The Top 10 On Twitter at: @10Idiots
New! Follow The Holy Church Of The Top 10 On Twitter: @churchoftop10
Questions? Comments? Complaints? Hate mail? E-mail The Top 10 at: Top10ConIdiots@gmail.com

Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

Profile Information

Gender: Do not display
Hometown: California
Home country: USA
Current location: Southern California, North Orange County Area
Member since: Wed May 30, 2018, 12:44 PM
Number of posts: 597

About Top 10 Idiots

This is the official DU account for the new format Top 10 Conservative Idiots separate from the host account Initech. The new format Top 10 will launch June 13th, 2018 and all posts related to the Top 10 (promos, etc) will be posted from this account only. The Top 10 is posted once a week on Thursdays at 2:00 PM. There is a full archive of all past, present and future Top 10 editions that can be found here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218599098\ Announcements for our current season schedule are posted in our Best Of editions that appear at the end of each season. Updates are posted regularly on the official Top 10 Mastodon account and the official Holy Shit Mastodon account. The Mastodon accounts are used to announce what's going to be in next week's edition, new content, advertising our segments, and so on. This account will post official Top 10 editions, and any related content including our spinoff series: Holy Shit The Sunday Sermons. If you wish to contact the Top 10 you may do so here: E-mail (all questions, concerns, suggestions, and hate mail welcome): Top10ConIdiots@gmail.com Follow the Top 10 on Mastodon: Top10ConIdiots@mstdn.party Follow The Holy Church Of The Top 10 on Mastodon: ChurchOfTop10@mstdn.party **This account will ONLY be used to post official Idiots editions, promos, and things related to the Top 10. No other posts will come from this account** Top 10 Wiki: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211322508