TGIF 3/12/21

Let's flip things around today, and put the good week stuff on top, shall we?

If you're a fan of nature, pretty colors, cardinals, or things that you'll never see with your own two eyes, this story's for you. Folks in Illinois have spotted a "super-rare" yellow cardinal. How rare, you might be wondering? Well, there are only about a dozen of the gorgeous birds in the entire Eastern US and Canada. You can see the gorgeous bird in the link above. 

Have you ever done something for someone else, every day for 591 days? I can honestly say I haven't. But this guy has: he's been picking up trash on a popular hiking trail in California's Eaton Canyon, a couple of buckets full at a time. And what else is cool? He's going to keep picking up trash, on other trails, until he goes to college - and finds a park there to clean up.

And, there's this: last night, as part of his address marking the anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic, President Joe Biden strongly condemned hate crimes against Asian-Americans. After saying they've been "attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated" during the pandemic, he said

They've been forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It's wrong. It's un-American, and it must stop.

This is in marked contrast, of course, to Former Guy.

One last bit of good week-iness? Rep. Marcia Fudge was confirmed as HUD Secretary; Judge Merrick Garland was confirmed as Attorney General, and Michael Regan was confirmed as EPA Administrator.

On the bad week side of the ledger?

Florida's Rep. Matt "where's Nestor?" Gaetz and Ohio's Rep. Gym Jordan had a bad week, I think. The American people don't agree with their position on the American Rescue Plan, and neither do Dems in the House majority, who ignored them and passed it anyway. And then - and then - the two of them decided to climb aboard the #FreeBritney movement and ask for an investigation into conservatorships. But then, to make matters worse, an attorney for Britney's father's, (he's the conservator) fired back at the two goofballs in a statement to Fox News, suggesting they don't know what they're talking about. 

My Sonofa Gov, Andrew Cuomo, continues to refuse to resign, as calls for him to do that escalate. He called that cancel culture, which I think is a bad idea. Him calling it that, I mean. The latest to pile on? Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. They issued a joint statement calling for him to step down.

Former Guy is in the news again, for the wrong reason again: his acting Secretary of Defense, Chris Miller, said Trump's speech on January 6th was responsible for the insurrection. In an interview with VICE on Showtime, Miller said

Would anybody have marched on the Capitol, and tried to overrun the Capitol, without the president’s speech? I think it’s pretty much definitive that wouldn’t have happened.

Not only that, but he described his tenure as a "constant drumbeat...of potential illegal, immoral, and unethical activities causing him to "closely examine his ethical, moral and legal red lines." 

Geraldo Rivera toyed with the idea of running for office this week. He was exploring a bid for the US Senate seat held by Rob Portman - he's not running for re-election next year. After a whole 36 hours of what he called a "pondering whirlwind" he decided against it, without giving reason on Twitter. However, on TV, he blamed folks at Fox News who challenged him to decide if he's a journalist or a politician. 'None of the above' wasn't a choice, I guess. 

Actor Matthew McConaughey is sorta maybe kinda seriously considering running for governor of Texas next year, and some folks think that's ridiculous. Like this guy, offering his opinion to CNN.

Let me offer him some friendly advice from someone who has spent decades reporting on my state's government: stay out of Texas politics. McConaughey is exactly what the state does not need — someone with great talent in his chosen profession and no known experience in public office or politics. 

Finally, lots of folks in Jackson Mississippi are entering their fourth consecutive bad week. Remember the storm that froze the Texas windmills? Well, that same storm caused millions of folks in Mississippi's capital to lose power, deal with freezing pipes, and, still, broken water mains. From this NPR piece we learn that

Hundreds of residents in Jackson, Miss., are now in week four of a water crisis. Some in the majority-Black capital city still don't have water after last month's winter storm. Others have to boil their water first. 

When's the water coming back on? No one seems to have the answer.

TGIF, everyone.