…don’t get it twisted [DOT 10/6/20]

here we go round again...

10/6/20 SplinterRIP 18

…seems unlikely anyone will believe it but I really don’t set out to make these some endless chore in the scrolling department but to say there’s kind of a lot going on at the minute would be an understatement of which my forefathers could be proud

The World Reopens, Despite Skyrocketing Coronavirus Cases

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/09/anthony-fauci-coronavirus-pandemic-far-from-over

Coronavirus Live Updates: Surging Cases Push Latin America ‘to the Limit’

…not that it stops some folks from wading into overstatement territory

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/09/conspiracies-covid-19-lab-false-pandemic

…we’re looking pretty hard but we haven’t found all the answers to even the one question yet

After 6 Months, Important Mysteries About Coronavirus Endure

…but sometimes there really is hidden treasure to be found

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/10/has-ivanka-trump-finally-been-cancelled

…sorry…I meant actual treasure…not just a little silver lining to be treasured…but while we’re on the subject of cancelations of things that sport dubious credentials in the reality tv

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/09/cops-tv-show-cancelled-police-protests

…but sometimes what turns up just brings you down

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/human-remains-found-search-two-missing-idaho-kids-stepfather-chad-n1228571

…so I guess once again we’re left to try to take our good news where we can find it

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/08/shutdowns-prevented-60-million-coronavirus-infections-us-study-finds/

…& hope that it lasts

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/09/coronavirus-hospitalizations-rising/

…& people don’t get shit twisted where lives are in the balance

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/09/asymptomatic-coronavirus-spread-who/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/amid-confusion-who-clarifies-covid-19-can-be-spread-without-n1228426

…because some shit may be looking up

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jun/09/editors-resign-us-publications-accusations-racist-toxic-culture

…but what goes down doesn’t necessarily bounce back up

The United States economy officially entered a recession in February

…& not to suggest that when the cupboard looks bare the the bare-faced look to any particular bear for their honey

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/09/russia-will-open-nuclear-disarmament-talks-with-us

…but misery does love a bit of company…& you know what they say about birds of a feather

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/09/russian-mining-firm-accused-of-using-global-heating-to-avoid-blame-for-oil-spill

…so I gotta tell ya…this shit right here…just about none of that looks like any kind of good to me

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/09/trump-icebreakers-bases-arctic-antarctic-polar

…not that anyone ought to be surprised by any of it

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/tone-deaf-trump-can-t-hear-pleas-troubled-nation-n1227066

…so when he hears things like this

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bubba-wallace-wants-nascar-ban-confederate-flag-n1228546

…& responds with stuff like this

The president attacked Martin Gugino even as the activist was in the hospital recovering from a head wound sustained when the police shoved him to the ground.

…it’s pretty easy to spot exactly who the malignant mandarin is interested in talking to

Angry White Counterprotesters in N.J. Mock George Floyd’s Killing

…so it sure seems like it isn’t the time to stop driving some points home

Even when presented with a printout of the president’s incendiary Twitter comment, Republicans toiled to avoid commenting.

…always makes me wonder how these people can hold onto those jobs if they’re so woefully ill-informed…but then if you’re dumb enough to take some shit seriously frankly it ought to disqualify you from holding office

One America News, the Network That Spreads Conspiracies to the West Wing

…whereas to anyone who hasn’t had their head lodged up their ass for the entirety of their existence the argument is pretty fucking simple…how do we know the lessons of history aren’t being learned…because the “mistakes” keep. getting. repeated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/a-dozen-high-profile-fatal-encounters-that-have-galvanized-protests-nationwide/2020/06/08/story.html

Evoking History, Black Cowboys Take to the Streets

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/06/09/live-updates-dc-protests-george-floyd/

Through tear gas and rubber bullets, professional and amateur medical volunteers have stepped forward to aid the injured.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/protests-spread-over-police-shootings-police-promised-reforms-every-year-they-still-shoot-nearly-1000-people/2020/06/08/story.html

…& the picture doesn’t look any prettier when you get into the details…where the devil lives

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/10/language-is-part-of-the-machinery-of-oppression-just-look-at-how-black-deaths-are-described

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/detroit-united-against-racism-divided-protesting-tactics-n1226536

…protest is tricky…just ask “that guy”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jun/09/colin-kaepernick-george-floyd-roger-goodell

[…or KC…he’s pretty clear on that whole deal]

…for the most part, though, one of the indisputable objections being made concerns not only the inherent injustice of society but the specific injustice to be found in the instrument of enforcement

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/big-majorities-support-protests-over-floyd-killing-and-say-police-need-to-change-poll-finds/2020/06/08/story.html

…but as ever the bottom line may prove to differ from the headline

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/pelosi-top-democrats-unveil-police-reform-bill-n1227376

…not least when the headline goes big & hits close to home

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/calls-reform-defund-dismantle-abolish-police-explained-n1227676

…& the option isn’t necessarily on the table yet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/08/george-floyd-protests-memorial-updates/

[…for those who avoid clicking on the post links…in the event they haven’t already watched it]

…so here’s hoping Mr Floyd really does get to rest in peace…& gets to on account of there being some discernible justice out in those streets

Sharpton calls out Trump in eulogy

…& he’s not alone

Trump transformed [D.C.] into a war zone, underscoring the imperative that the capital should be the 51st state.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2020/06/08/timeline-trump-church-photo-op/

…& we know he’s feeling it where it hurts

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/09/the-trump-supporters-who-regret-their-vote

…you can tell by the way he spasms

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/president-trump-tweets-antifa-conspiracy-theory-originated-anonymous-blog-n1228356

…so some of this stuff ain’t what you’d call a surprise…well…to most folks, anyway

G.O.P. Scrambles to Respond to Public Demands for Police Overhaul

…to be clear though…the first draft version was pretty fucking awful

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/03/dangerous-new-factor-an-uneasy-moment-unidentified-law-enforcement-officers/

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/05/protests-washington-dc-federal-agents-law-enforcement-302551

…so things like this seem like a good start

Good Riddance to One of America’s Strongest Police Secrecy Laws

…but at the end of the day getting any lasting traction with any of this shit seems to come down to the same fundamentals as ever…& the chokepoint is still in November last anybody checked

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/georgia-secretary-state-launches-investigation-after-unacceptable-voting-problems-n1228541

…sometimes it feels like those days of rest are a long way away

…it’s a real Wednesday of a situation, frankly

…a cast-iron bastard of a day if ever there was one, really

wherefore should I stand in the plague of custom?
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18 Comments

  3. To add to the daily roundup, Deadspin alum David Roth has a nice little takedown of Jared Kushner in the New Republic:

    https://newrepublic.com/article/158033/jared-kushner-coronavirus-pandemic-response

    This doesn’t even scratch the surface of Kushner and his family’s misdeeds.

    By the way, does anyone have any theories about why and how so many Gawker/Gizmodo alums landed at the New Repubic? I can’t imagine they’re all on staff, surely TNR’s finances couldn’t carry them. Maybe there’s a highly placed Assigning Editor who also runs the Gawker/Giz alumni FB page or something?

    • Too long? It is a bunch of links, barely a page of sentences. Do the rest of us a favor, if something is “too long” for you, just skip it, don’t complain because then the people that work hard to bring us the news we need might not, or might not provide us as much as they would have. Your lack of commitment should not equate to the rest of us getting less information. I am a blunt person, some would accurately describe me as an asshole, so please know I am not attacking you, and I am not upset or whatever, but I also don’t want someone elses opinion of length of information to deter the rest of us, if that makes any sense.

      • …to tell you the truth, I’m not sure if I can adequately express the degree to which that’s actually good to hear?

        …meg’s just pulling my leg there on account of the “point” of a daily open thread when we started putting them up was more by way of there always being a place people could come & say whatever they felt like on any given day so the posts that were “about something” could have comments to match, if that makes sense?

        …the fact that mine end up being scroll-fests where meg manages to just pick a small handful & arrange them a bit more artfully isn’t intended to short anyone on the days I don’t strew extras about but I do sometimes wonder if people find it tedious…nice to hear that wouldn’t go for everybody

        …so…thanks for reading?

      • I’m just going with the “do the rest of us a favor” and “your lack of commitment” to say that we probably shouldn’t drop even more favours on to the already piled up plate of favours for arguably the most committed person around here…

        but yes, we all love the long reads and some might not be aware when…we…poke…fun…at…RIP.

  6. Yesterday the Senate Budget Committee met to discuss the $600 benefit that expires on July 31st for the unemployed. Their main witness was the spooge of Antonin Scalia, Eugene Scalia who is the Secretary of Labor.

    Like most of these things, each party does a little showboating in their questioning but Scalia mostly answered questions directed toward him by hyping how great the economy pre-pandemic was because of Trump and because 2 million jobs were “added” in May, then the US is on the right track

    The Dems pointed out that there will still be many millions unemployed when the benefit runs out which will result in evictions and hunger for those millions. The GOP mostly commiserated with Scalia about how people were making more being unemployed and wouldn’t go back to work. The Dems countered that, maybe, if the federal minimum wage was raised to $15/hr maybe that would incentivize work for which Scalia had no counter. He did have number prepared about how an unemployed person could make 75k/yr with the current trajectory (implication being, this is unacceptable for the lower class to live comfortably without breaking their bodies). Everyone seemed to agree that there needs to be workplace protections but there was no commitment from Scalia on how one enforces this. The GOP is still angling for liability waivers. Included were some dodges about how the GOP was “unaware” that Trump forced meat packers back to work and how states have allowed people to be denied benefits if they refuse to work in unsafe conditions.

    My main takeaway is that this administration and the GOP will happily let people starve and be on the streets because the poors don’t deserve any material comfort. My interest in this hearing stemmed from one of my state reps testifying towards the end about how effed the unemployment benefit distribution has been in Florida. Millions of people are out of work and have not been paid all of their benefits, if at all. The Governor keeps talking up the success of the program after a shaky start and refuses to do anything more. I myself am waiting for benefits and I’ve navigated the website and followed other peoples’ stories and it’s absolute carnage what is happening. Ron Desantis has blamed applicants for not filling everything out and has carried on as if the pandemic is over, all in a bid to please Trump. Current Senator, former governor, Rick Scott set this all in motion because of his Tea Party fantasies of killing the poor.

    This trend will continue. If/when the stock market crashes the excuse will be the wE cAn’T pAY For tHis! and we’re back to Great Depression 2, regardless of which party takes the White House and Congress.

  9. And ho-Lee-shit, MORE SPROTZ!

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nascar-confederate-flag-ban_n_5ee14983c5b67927a8aae647

    I honestly never thought we’d EVER see both the Marine Corps *AND* NASCAR ban that damned traitorous thing…

    And they’ve BOTH banned it (along with the US Navy!), within the same seven days😲😲😲

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/politics/us-navy-ban-confederate-flag/index.html

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nascar-confederate-flag-ban_n_5ee14983c5b67927a8aae647

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