Wondering on Wednesday 5/1/24

 

Ready... Set... Wonder!

During last month's discussion on foreign aid bills, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R- Burning Down the House) offered an amendment to the Ukraine bill requiring any Republican who voted for the aid package to conscript into the Ukrainian military. No similar requirements for aid to Israel and Taiwan were put forward. I can't help wondering why the bills weren't treated the same. 

Some people pretend Greene is Putin's representative to the House, so we shouldn't be surprised that she'd stick it to Ukraine. Others think we're not responsible for defending Europe, but we are responsible for Israel's defense, no matter the cost. These arguments are symptomatic of the degradation of our policy debates over the past few years, leaving me to wonder what it'll take to get us back to realistic discussions.

Greene also said that, instead of giving aid to Ukraine, we should focus on our 'America First economy.' Hearing that, I had to wonder if she even knew what was in the bill, or if she'd read any articles on how our aid to Ukraine works. She must know that as much as $68B of the $113B that Congress has approved for Ukraine  "is destined to be invested here at home."

U.S. support for Ukraine thus offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to sustain a demand signal to address long-standing weaknesses in U.S. DIB systems generally and ordnance and missile production specifically.

Yep - we send our stockpiled, outdated stuff to Ukraine, and we replenish our stockpiles with newer American-made stuff. If that's not an America First policy, I wonder what would be. I also wonder if Marge ever has a clue, if she's this clueless on our Ukraine aid.

Sticking with Marge for a minute longer, she's announced she'll move to oust Speaker Mike Johnson next week, even as the Dem leadership announced they'll vote table any such motion. Most House Republicans don't want her to move ahead; the RNC doesn't want her to; and even Donald Trump doesn't want her to, and yet, she's going to do it anyway. Is anyone wondering with me what the heck she's trying to accomplish?

Speaking of accomplishments, we know one thing the House GOP would rather be doing than sitting through Greene's antics: "going on the offense by attacking Democrats for insufficiently condemning pro-Palestinian protests on campuses" around the country. 

We've all seen the antisemitic signs and heard the chants at the protests; we'll continue seeing and hearing them, even if they're not the focus of the protests. I condemn anti-Semitism and the October attack on Israel; at the same time, I would love to see a ceasefire, to see Gaza flooded with humanitarian aid, to see an end to the indiscriminate killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and to see a way forward. To me, those are pro-human positions, not pro-Palestine or antisemitic ones. 

But I wonder why we have to see and hear more about the antisemitic actions of a few protesters than we do about the many; members of Jewish Voices for Peace arrested for holding a Passover Seder/protest outside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's house, for example. Or about Jews and Palestinians standing shoulder-to-shoulder, protesting inhumanity together, or about negotiations over divestment issues, especially successful ones. 

And I can't help wondering why two NY Representatives feel anti-Semitism monitors are needed on college campuses. Republican Mike Lawler, one of the two, said, "If colleges will not step up to protect their students, Congress must act."

I'll tip my hat to whoever named the bill - it's a gem: the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability, or the COLUMBIA Act.  The bill would give the Department of Education authority to appoint monitors, paid for by the schools, who would "be required to release quarterly, publicly available reports that show what the school is doing to combat anti-Semitism." 

The legislators cite Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as the basis for their bill; I have to wonder how giving one type of discrimination special status fits in with the intent of our civil rights legislation? If we're going to withhold federal funding from colleges and universities, shouldn't it be done in the name of protecting everyone from discrimination? 

As I was preparing to publish tonight's post, news broke that the House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act. Sponsored by Rep. Lawler, with over 60 co-sponsors, the bill 

would require the Department of Education to use definitions of antisemitism proposed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) when enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

Other bills dealing with antisemitism are also in the works, according to news reports; we'll see if any of them come to fruition. 

In the meantime, I wonder how people feel about the statements below. Feel free to chime in, if you like.

• "We already have enough laws against discrimination. We need to enforce those laws; we don't need to create new ones."
• "All Lives Matter - why are they demanding we pay attention only to them?"

What's on your wondering minds tonight?

TGIF 3/18/22

We've all probably had enough bad news or sad news this week, so for this week's TGIF, I'm sharing only 'good week' stories. 

This past Wednesday was National Panda Day. The Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo in Washington DC kicked off a six-month celebration of pandas and partnership with the Chinese. Brandie Smith, the zoo's director, said 

After 50 years, giant pandas remain an iconic species for our zoo. More importantly, they represent how great conservation outcomes can be achieved through great partnerships with our Chinese colleagues.

The first pandas came to the zoo in April of 1972, after President Richard Nixon's groundbreaking visit to China that February. 

Almost as groundbreaking as Nixon's trip to China? The amount of resistance being put forward by Russians who are against Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

• Hundreds of protesters were arrested across multiple Russian cities earlier this week; since the invasion started in late February, over 14,000 have been arrested. They protest, even in the face of up to 15 years in prison.
• A Russian TV station employee held up a 'No war' sign behind the anchor during a broadcast; she was interrogated for over 14 hours, and fined 30,000 rubles - around $280.
• A prima ballerina is leaving the Bolshoi ballet, and Russia, in protest of the invasion.
• A leading Russian rapper is holding "Russians against War" concerts outside Russia; proceeds from ticket sales are being donated to Ukraine.

Closer to home, a benefit concert put on by the Rochester (NY) Symphony raised $58,000 for ROC Maidan, part of the city's Ukrainian Culture Center. The concert was just one of several events planned in the greater Rochester area. 

A few significantly less critical things occurred this week, too. 

• Baseball's Spring Training is underway, after a lengthy lockout of the players by the owners, over what else? Money. It's always about money, one way or another. Playing ball is great; my Boston Red Sox starting the season 2-0 is even better.
• With temps nearing 70 degrees in my neck of the woods, my golfing friends are enjoying a little spring training of their own. One friend faced a nice long birdie opportunity, which sadly turned into a three-putt bogey, but he didn't really care all that much. It was March, and he was playing golf
• The NCAA has entered March Madness, and things are nuts in the men's basketball tourney. There were a few big upsets - bracket busters, they're called - in the first round. For fans of the losing teams, for gamblers, and for folks who did a bracket in a friendly competition, it's not a lot of fun, but it's a blast for the rest of us. 

Those last three items aren't meaningful in the overall scheme of things, and I'm sure there are people who think it's silly to pay attention to them, given what we're up against. But we need our traditions, and we need to get outside on a beautiful Marchday, and we need a sense of community - these days, more than ever.

It doesn't mean we care less about what's going on in the world; it means we're human. 

TGIF, everyone.

The Irony Board: Tiananmen Square at 31

It seems Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement on Thursday commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.  

Here's what she said, on our behalf.

The American people reflect on the courage and optimism of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens who gathered peacefully 31 years ago in Beijing and throughout China to protest widespread official corruption and demand a greater say in the governance of their country. The Chinese Communist Party's slaughter of unarmed Chinese civilians is a tragedy that will not be forgotten. The United States calls on China to honor the memory of those who lost their lives and to provide a full accounting of those who were killed, detained, or remain missing in connection with the events surrounding the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989.

On this day of remembrance, the people of the United States call upon the Chinese government to fulfill its commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Sin0-British Declaration, to uphold the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all Chinese citizens under China's constitution, and to end the systemic persecution of millions of ethnic and religious minorities. The American people stand together with all Chinese citizens in their pursuit of fundamental rights, including the right to accountable and representative governance and freedom of speech, assembly and religious belief. 

 Now, there is nothing wrong - and actually, everything right - with us remembering those who fought for their rights at Tiananmen Square. The iconic image of 'Tank Man" always comes to mind whenever I hear Tiananmen mentioned. 

So, where's the irony? Well, let's take a look:

• The student protesters were advocating for a free press; the president of the United States calls the press the enemy of the people, threatens to or actually sues major publications, tries to block reporters and citizens who criticize him,  and regularly denigrates female reporters, particularly women of color. 
• The Chinese government suggested that the protests were not organized by students, but instead by counter-revolutionaries; the president of the United States has convinced himself and actively seeks to convince others that left-wing anarchists are causing trouble, which bears some truth, but he and his minions refuse to acknowledge our own intelligence reports showing that it's also right-wing extremists causing trouble, or reports showing no anarchist involvement. 
• The student protesters, as McEnany noted in her statement, were advocating for the right to assemble and religious freedom; the president of the United States allowed and/or approved peaceful protesters, clergy, and seminarians to be cleared from a park so he could have a Bible-enhanced photo op in front a church.
• The Chinese government deployed the military, against protesters in their capitol; the president of the United States deployed "thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers" against protesters in our capitol. Many of them are wearing uniforms devoid of identifying objects, emblems, patches, name tags or badges. 

I could keep going, but I think I've made my point: here we sit, in the middle of nation-wide protests around the killing of yet another unarmed black man at the hands of law enforcement, demanding another country's government provide a full accounting of protest violence and rights violations in their country from 30 years ago...  

And here we sit, allegedly speaking as a unified American people, standing with the people of another country "in their pursuit of fundamental rights," while we don't even routinely stand for the same for our fellow Americans, especially people of color, the poor, LGBTQ, Muslims, members of the 'other' political party, and more?  When people routinely say people who die during an arrest "deserve it?" When we can't even get people to understand what #BlackLivesMatter even means - and doesn't, or that there's even such a thing as white privilege?

To me, those things are a whole lot more ironic than the proverbial "rain on your wedding day." 

What do you think?

Sunday School Extra Credit 5/31/20

Sunday was oh, so long ago, it seems, but it's still interesting to see what was being said in the classrooms. 

There was a lot, as I mentioned in my Sunday School post, but I want to focus on a very specific issue for your Extra Credit this week - bad guys. We'll start with MTP, and a question from Chuck Todd to Minnesota's AG Keith Ellison. 

The set up for the question was a video clip of SnittySnittyBillBarr talking about violence in the protests. Here's what Barr said.

Many places it appears the violence is planned, organized and driven by anarchic and left-extremist groups, far-left extremist groups using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from outside the state to promote the violence. 

Todd's question to Ellison, in a nutshell? "What do you know about who's behind this?" Ellison mentioned video and photos of "very suspicious" people and "cars with no license plates." He specifically mentioned the AutoZone window breaker as one of the bad actors. That's the guy who supposedly was a Minneapolis cop, which the police have denied.

But the real point is we do need to investigate it because the truth is nobody really knows. I've talked to people who are demonstrating, some of them say they think some of those folks are from Minnesota. And they also say some people have come from out of town. What the exact political motivation is, is unclear at this point. We need to investigate it...

He also pointed to failures of the Trump administration in terms of seeking justice change in police departments, doing away with the 21st century policing plan from the previous administration, and more, and added. 

...making incendiary comments about who's to blame here as opposed to actually investigating it isn't helpful. We need their help to be more constructive and less assigning, you know, blame on matters that actually we don't know the truth of yet.

Good luck with that, right? Especially since investigating things fully is not the forte of the administration, where every call, comment, and tweet are perfect, and there's little to no accountability. And we shouldn't expect anything different on this, if the This Week with George Stephanopoulos interview with National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien was any indication. Let's take a look. 

O'Brien ignored George's question about Rep. Ilhan Omar's comment on the president's failure to lead, his comments and tweets, etc. Instead, he echoed what the president said about the murder of George Floyd - "that our hearts and prayers are going out to the Floyd family. We mourn with them and we grieve with them..." He said what happened was "horrific" and agonized over the pain the family must feel with each playing of the video.

Trying again, George referenced the specific tweet below, with its dog whistles and racist language, and other presidential comments. (The tweet was also sent out by the White House Twitter account, and flagged there as well.)

George wondered if the president should take accountability for his comments and tweets. O'Brien said "I think what the president said about those tweets is that he wants to de-escalate violence and doesn't want people looting."

Um, huh? That's the president trying to "de-escalate violence" - by talking about shooting looters, using a particularly racist comment that (of course) he didn't know was racist? 

O'Brien went on to say (that's my emphasis added from here on out)

It's the violent Antifa radical militants that are coming out, under cover of night, traveling across state lines, using military-style tactics to burn down our cities. And they're especially targeting the most (vulnerable) parts of our cities, George....

And the president's outraged by that. And we all are. And that has to stop. And we're calling on the FBI to investigate Antifa and -- and get to the bottom of these -- these violent rioters. And I don't want them confused with peaceful protesters that have every right to go out to the streets. That's -- that's what makes America different from -- from any other countries around the world.

George then asked about reports from the Department of Homeland Security - part of O'Brien's portfolio - "warning that domestic terrorists from the far right and the far left are both looking to exploit the protests. It's not just Antifa and the left. They're saying they are worried about the far right as well.  O'Brien's response? It's a beauty, for sure. Remember, DHS reports to him. 

Well -- well, listen, everything I've seen in -- and that were being reported were -- the reports we're receiving is that this is Antifa. They're crossing state lines. And we've seen this happen before. We saw it in Portland ( in 2019). We saw it in Seattle. We saw it in Berkeley (in 2017). 

So, look, we'll keep our eyes open for anyone else that wants to take advantage of the situation, whether it's domestic or foreign. But right now, I think the president and Attorney General want -- Barr want to know what the FBI has been doing to surveil, to disrupt, to take down Antifa, to prosecute them...

So the FBI has got to come up with a plan to deal with Antifa. This is not the first time that they've engaged in this activity. It needs to stop. I mean they're throwing bricks at park police and -- and uniformed Secret Service officers...

There was an officer, a federal protective service officer was shot in Oakland. And our hearts and our prayers go out to him and his family, Patrick Underwood. This Antifa violent activity has to stop and we need to get to the bottom of it. We're calling on law enforcement to do it.

He's right - this activity has to stop. I can't agree more.  But George - who also can't agree more - pressed O'Brien on saying he hadn't heard about anything coming from the right.

But the DHS warning that went out this week noted specifically that the white supremacist, extremist Telegram channel was inciting the violence as well. They are saying it is both sides that are inciting violence from the outside.

O'Brien started with the word "Yes" and everything after that was, as were his previous answers, deflection. 

Yes, I think the actual perpetrators of the violence, the ones that are on the street, that are burning down minority-owned businesses and restaurants, who have already suffered through this terrible COVID situation and -- and are at risk of losing their business and now they're seeing them burn to the ground, those are Antifa radical militants. And we've seen them before in other protests and we need to get to the bottom of it.

Look, I condemn all extremists, on the right or on the left. But -- but the ones who are out on the streets throwing the Molotov cocktails and attacking our police, who are acting with -- you know, for the most part, with restraint, and heroically, you know, that has to stop.

So, allow me to paraphrase: I condemn those alleged right-wing extremists, as I ignore reports from my own team that they exist and are fomenting violence at this very moment. But we're not seeing them, because, you know - because Barr and Trump want me to ignore those reports and focus on just the lefties. Stop asking already! Sheesh! 

O'Brien also said that "it's an absolute outrage" what happened to George Floyd, saying he wanted to know where the investigation stood, including the three who did nothing, point to their "lack of humanity" - not just as first responders, but "just as human beings." He also said he can't imagine them not being charged, although he was careful not to prejudge. And again, any - every reasonable person would agree 100% with what he's saying - no ifs, ands or buts on that, at all.  

They also talked about "foreign adversaries" on social media "actively stoking and promoting violence and confrontation," a point raised by Acting Senate Intelligence Committee chair Marco Rubio (R-FL). O'Brien initially pointed to both China and Zimbabwe as the bad actors, but shifted attention only to China, saying he had "seen a number of tweets from the Chinese" taking pleasure in the rioting. He made clear the difference between America and those countries., saying that the officer who killed George Floyd will be prosecuted and will have a fair trial, and that Americans

that want to go out and protest peacefully, they're going to be allowed to seek redress from their government. They're not going to be thrown in jail for peaceful protesting...  And this wasn't done on behalf of the party or on behalf of the state...

When George said "We also know that Russia has been actively trying in the past to spark racial unrest" and asked if they were one of the countries trying to exploit the situation, O'Brien seemed to be pretty careful in how he answered.

Yes, there -- there -- there may be Russian activists who are doing that, but the difference that I've seen so far is that, for example, we saw a Chinese foreign -- foreign ministry spokesman trolling the State Department about this. So it's -- it's open. It's coming straight from the government.

And then there was some adroit deflection about cool rockets and Americans going to space in an American rocket. George didn't fall for it asking O'Brien "what are we doing right now" in regard to the other countries trying to promote unrest here, specifically mentioning China, Russia, and Zimbabwe. 

O'Brien added Iran into the mix, saying it's "certainly been active in this...realm as well." And, he said he's talked with our allies; "the democracies will stick together" and that "we've got a number of tools in our tool kit." And, then, as if a bell rang somewhere that only he could hear, we're back to China - but on a different topic now.

We've got a series of measures that we're going to deal with China and the way that they've choked out freedom in -- in Hong Kong. The president made a very important announcement on that front on Friday and -- and the -- the U.S. government is looking at all of our relations with Hong Kong and China.

So there will be a response and it will be proportional, but this is not something that -- that our adversaries are going to get away with for free.

At least, it's clear, China won't be getting away with anything "for free." And Antifa. It won't either. Russia, Iran and the right-wing crazies? Not as clear, is it?

So. there you have it -- your Extra Credit for this week.  And you can give yourself even more extra credit by (you know the drill) keeping your social distance, covering your face in public, waving meticulously clean hands to make your points in discussions, and whatever else you're asked or required to do in your neck of the woods to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

See you around the virtual campus. 

Trump in Transition (v46)

Look at me! 

LOOK AT ME!

Did you see me on the news? Even the fake news, MSDNC and the rest of them, they had my picture, did you see it? 

I was holding a Bible!!

Someone asked if it was my Bible. Nah, it's 'a' Bible, not 'my' Bible - heck, I don't even know where they found it, probably in the nightstand in one of the rooms in my hotel or something, I don't know. It's a good book, they tell me. Very good, good words. Good words. I don't have time to read it, but I hear it's very good. I'll ask Mike. Is Mike here? Where's Mike?

I didn't speak any of the words in it, because after that Two Corinthians thing, well, I'm a little gun shy, but it doesn't matter, because the people who care that I'm holding it don't care that I've never read it. They read it, so I don't have to. It's OK with them, it's just not OK with the fake news, those people in the back there, yesterday.  My people just care that I have other people who can put one in my hand when necessary, like today. Today it was necessary. And it was pretty cool, don't you think? Didn't I look good, holding it like that? 

I looked stern, didn't I? And Righteous? I gotta tell you, it sure FELT Righteous, holding it in my hands, and making my best serious face, and holding it up for the press?  Fixed them, didn't I? They had to get pictures of ME holding a BIBLE - and all they had were their cameras. I had the BIBLE!

And I had those peaceful protesters gassed - I gassed them, I did! Vicious tear gas, it hurts. Really hurts, in the eyes, the eyes. So painful. So painful. I showed them, I surely did. Hanging out in a park across the street from My House? I don't think so! 

I watched as it happened, I was watching, I wasn't in the bunker, and it was GREAT having them pushed away, crying, from that church. Funny how they thought they were safe there, right? Good stuff. Good stuff.

And the bleeding-heart liberals, the left-wing clergy members and their little seminarians,

From Raw Story

handing out water and snacks for the protesters? And hand sanitizer! Yeah, I showed them, didn't I? They're not like 'my' religious people, they're not like 'our' religious people, are they? Nah, nothing like OUR people. 

But I'm all for peaceful protests, you heard me say that, right? It sounded good, didn't it?  Sounded perfect, I thought. And then I gassed them! Even the religious ones who were there! Bet that hurt, right? Probably hurt pretty good, I don't know. They tell me it hurts.

And I didn't even tell anyone we were coming! HA! How's that for showing how STRONG I am! I'm not going to tell you I'm coming, I'm just going to SHOW UP and hold up this Bible, and it's going to look good, in front of your church, they call it the 'Church of Presidents', right? Historic church, historic. All of the presidents have come here, they say, since that Madison guy. We like him right? 2nd Amendment? Yeah, we like him a LOT!  I'll always protect the 2nd, gotta protect that one, right? 2nd!

Probably even went inside, the others. All of them. And now I've been there, too. It's true - that's what they tell me - I'm the President, they tell me, and I can do WHATEVER I WANT, whenever I want. And boy, I wanted to march across the street with Ivanka and the rest of those white people - didn't she look good, Ivanka? Didn't she look good? She always looks good, doesn't she? 

Even in a mask. She's the only one who looks good in a mask, don't you think? Good girl. She's a good girl, isn't she? Looked a whole lot better in the black mask than Sleepy Joe Biden, didn't she? 

And I don't even care if I was holding the Bible upside down in the beginning - I'm just going to say that's Fake News, it's FAKE NEWS, and the pictures are fake and anyone who posts one of those pictures is the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. They're the ENEMY! Fake news, so fake. 

But we have a great country, I said - great line, great line, in front of that great church, right? And it's going to be even greater, soon. We're coming back. Great country.  Oh crap - I forgot to say God Bless America! Do you think they noticed? I forget to say that sometimes...  Yeah, they probably noticed. I'll just have them add that to the transcript. No one will ever know.

Anyone seen my Sharpie? 

#MAGAMA #NMPNNNE

Sunday School 5/3/20

Today's Sunday School gives the politicians a chance to talk with us about the coronavirus, reopening their states, and so on. This week, we'll have at least one Extra Credit post which will allow the medical professionals have a chance to chime in on things. There's probably enough for a second Extra Credit to handle the overflow from today - we'll see how it goes.

So, we've got five governors (yikes!) making virtual classroom visits - so let's get started withMississippi Republican Tate Reeves  and New Jersey Democrat Phil Murphy, who talked with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

Mississippi was getting ready to lift its 'safer-at-home order on Friday, until they saw a spike in new cases. Turns out, Reeves said, the spike of nearly 400 cases that was reported Friday morning stemmed in part from a large number of tests "that came in from out-of-state private labs" and now they're back down to a more reasonable 110 new cases today. That explanation aside, though, Wallace noted that Mississippi still hasn't met the White House guidelines to begin the first phase of reopening.

Mississippi is different than other states, Reeves explained. He's talked with the Task Force, with Dr. Birx, and they agree that "sometimes the models are just different for different states." He said that the gating criteria from the Task Force don't really work for them, and that over the past 40 days or so, they've had pretty consistent case numbers without any spikes other than Friday's "data dump."

They did have some protests in very red Mississippi, but Reeves said most of them probably voted for him last year, and that they "were protesting for the 200,000 Mississippians that have lost their jobs in the last six weeks." And, he said, "I understand and I feel their pain, and we're doing everything in our power to get our state back open as soon as possible."

They also talked about a move by the Republican-controlled legislature, which wants to strip Reeves of his sole authority to spend $1B in federal aid the state received under the CARES Act. Reeves said it was "an absolute tragedy" that his own party was pulling a power grab

in the middle of an emergency. We have had long- standing, 40-year laws in Mississippi which recognized that in an emergency, you've got to have an executive. You've got to have someone that makes decisions and gets things done.

Reeves said he's still looking at whether a veto is in order, but said they "don't have time for committee meetings... we don't have time for politicians to cut deals." Instead, they need to get the money into people's pockets. Either way, he's "deeply disappointed" in them.

Gov. Murphy has different issues in NJ. The state is locked down, with parks and some golf courses (but not beaches) being allowed to open this weekend. Wallace wondered if Murphy will be in the position to reopen the state by Memorial Day. Murphy said "Listen, I'll be the happiest guy in New Jersey, if not America, if we are" but noted it's still too early to tell. He pointed to "very high" compliance with social distancing, and that's the kind of thing that they'll need to keep seeing to "get the best outcome" by Memorial Day. 

Wallace wondered about his state's protesters, and he said "I wished they'd do it virtually and not unsafely," noting they were out there without masks. But, he added. 

... -- we've got to make our decisions based on the science, the data, the facts. And they all suggest, as you -- as you rightfully point out, we're not out of this yet. Now the -- the fatalities, bless their souls, we have to point out are folks who were infected some number of weeks ago. So, in the here and now, hospitalizations are down, ventilator use is down, the positive curve -- testing curve is flattening. So those are all good signs. But we're not in the end zone yet.

As with Mississippi, Wallace noted that NJ hasn't meet the gating criteria, and that, as far as they can tell, no state has. He wondered whether Murphy thought his fellow govs were jumping the gun. Murphy said "my nose is pressed against the New Jersey glass, honestly," so he can't speak to what the other folks are basing their decision on, but he pointed out that his is the densest state in the densest area in the country, so they're making regional decisions and have to be "exceedingly careful."

As is required, I guess, he was glowingly complimentary about the president and getting assistance "in our hour of need" as far as supplies and PPE. Wallace wondered about the whole question of state aid, noting that Murphy had said "it's going to be Armageddon" if they don't get federal aid. Murphy was clear.

We need a big slug of federal, direct cash assistance. And it's not -- not just New Jersey and it's not just blue states... It clearly would be a huge win for the residents who are being served. It would be a huge win for those first- line responders and their families, working families. I think, frankly, it's a huge win for the president to be able to say, you know what, with this cash assistance, we were able to keep serving folks across the country in both red and blue states, and we kept folks employed at a time where we desperately need to keep folks employed.

We'll see if that's enough honey for the president to support the move.

Meanwhile, on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Martha Raddatz talked with Ohio's Republican gov Mike DeWine. He's taking a phased reopening approach, bringing manufacturing, construction and some offices up first, then restaurants and retail after that. Raddatz noted his data shows a few days of downward curve, and a million residents file for unemployment. She wanted to know how he's balancing the competing risks.

DeWine's approach is to do two things at once - be very careful, continuing social distance and face covering requirements, but also start getting things opened back up. He mentioned having business groups figure out what would work for them, having them participate in the discussions and develop best practices for their sectors.

So we’re balancing it. We’re going to keep our eye on the numbers. We’ve had a fairly flat -- really for about two weeks with hospitalizations and that we’re certainly going to continue to keep an eye on that.

All employees will be required to cover their faces, regardless of sector, but customers will not have that same requirement, even though the gov "high recommends" they wear some kind of face covering. That was one of the orders that was reversed; he said they were issuing them very quickly but listened when people expressed different opinions.

Raddatz noted some polling that "Democrats are more concerned about contracting the virus while Republicans respondents would be more likely to get out if and when the rules change. Republicans are twice as likely to eat a restaurant, work out at a gym, and get a haircut...three times as likely to attend a sporting event, and four times as likely to stay in a hotel." She wondered what DeWine thought about the partisan divide. 

He said he wasn't really sure, but noted, "I think generally Republicans are less inclined to have the government tell them what to do," noting that's his philosophy for the most part but "we're in a health crisis" and so now, it's basically up to "individual Ohioans" and how they react and whether they'll continue to practice social distancing and stuff.

Jake Tapper talked with Michigan Democrat Gretchen Whitmer on CNN's State of the Union, where the conversation started with the protests we've heard so much about. She said she knows folks - including her - are unhappy about the stay-at-home orders, but the medical experts have to be listened to, and "displays like the one that we saw at our capital is not representative of who we are in Michigan."

There were swastikas and Confederate Flags and nooses and people with assault rifles. And that's the very - that's a small group of people, when you think about the fact that this is a state of almost 10 million people, the vast majority of whom are doing the right thing. And that's why we have seen our curve get pushed down.

Lives have been saved, the said; folks have to "not listen to the partisan rhetoric or these political rallies, or tweets, for that matter. We have to keep doing the right thing, the next right thing."

Tapper asked about the president calling the protesters "very good people," similar to what he said in reference to the Charlottesville protests, and wondered about that. She said that some of the "outrageousness" that happened "depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history" and made the point that, in a global pandemic, we can't just negotiate ourselves out of it. And,

Whether you agree with me or not, I'm working to protect your life if you live in the state of Michigan. I'm going to continue to do my job, regardless of what tweets come out or what polls come out or what people think that is -- makes sense.

Tapper asked whether Whitmer agreed with Jared Kushner's assessment on testing that "the biggest thing holding us back is not supplies or capacity. It's the states' ability to collect more samples." Whitmer said that wasn't true; she and her counterparts "have never been able to get to full capacity because we are missing things in the supply chain. And that's part of why I think so many of us on both sides of the aisle have really called on more of a national strategy on these fronts."

Tapper wrapped up the conversation asking some questions about Joe Biden. Whitmer has said that she believes Biden, but she also believed Christine Blasey Ford, who didn't have contemporaneous accounts of what happened, which Tara Reade, Biden's accuser, has. Whitmer, "as a survivor and as a feminist," said victims need to be able to tell their stories, but that the stories have to be vetted. She's paid attention to Biden's defense. she's read a lot about the allegation, and she believes Biden when he says it didn't happen. And, she added, 

I really resent the fact that, every time a case comes up, all of us survivors have to weigh in. It is reopening wounds. And it is -- take us at our word, ask us for our opinion, and let's move on.

She wasn't criticizing Tapper, she said, but was sharing "some of the simmering anger" that survivors have every time they have to chime in on something they weren't involved in. And she reiterated that she believes and supports Biden.  

And finally, we've got Republican Larry Hogan of Maryland, who also sat down with Tapper. Their conversation started with something Larry Kudlow, Trump's economic advisor, said about there being a pause, where folks are not really sure what's next in terms of future help to citizens, states or cities. Hogan said he wasn't sure what to make of that, noting that "the message seems to sort of change almost on a daily, sometimes several times a day. I think we're making progress" on getting a fourth stimulus package, to help the states and to help people who need it, and that all the divisiveness and partisanship can be put aside. Proving the point, Tapper brought up sanctuary cities and states, mistakenly saying that Baltimore was on such city. Hogan corrected him, and also said 

So, exactly what I'm talking about though, Jake. There are people, the Democrats are saying, we'll do it if we get this additional funding for these other things. The Republicans in the Senate are saying, we'll do it if we get these other liability issues for businesses. Now the White House is talking about sanctuary cities. And I think everybody ought to stop talking about all of those things and just focus on getting people the help that they need without bringing all these other, you know, outside political issues into the debate. It's no time for divisive politics. It's time to get something done.

They talked about Hogan having supplies under guard, supplies that were flown in via passenger jet from South Korea to Baltimore's airport instead of to Dulles for fear that the federal government might confiscate them. Hogan said it was done because he had heard from his colleagues that they had supplies intercepted or diverted by the feds and he didn't want that to happen here, but that he's "working together with the federal government" and FEMA is going a great job. "It's not a concern any longer but honestly it was an issue that we were looking at as we flew them in."

The last part we'll cover here relates to protesters, several of whom "trekked more than 150 miles" to protest on both sides of Maryland on Saturday, and also about comments made by one of Hogan's fellow Republicans, Congressman Andy Harris, who said at the protest

I didn't wake up in Communist China and I didn't wake up in North Korea this morning. And tomorrow morning I should be able to go to the church of my choice and worship the way I choose. 

Tapper gave Hogan a chance to respond both to the protests, and Harris's comments. Hogan supports people being able to protest, noting "a couple of dozen people did so yesterday" and they "have every right to do that," He also noted

Sadly, we had far more people die yesterday in Maryland than we had protesters. 

Congressman Harris, I'm not sure where he woke up yesterday morning but maybe he confused North Korea and South Korea. South Korea is doing a great job on testing and we just saved the lives of thousands of Marylanders by getting those half million tests from Korea..he's obviously got the right to say whatever crazy things he wants to say. But, you know, I don't really need to respond to them.

As they say on that TV game show, "good answer!"

I hope you all took advantage, to the fullest allowed or recommended by your local and state politicians, of this beautiful day.  Keep social distancing, keep washing your hands, keep covering your face, and we'll keep flattening the curve together.

Don't forget to get your extra credit this week- and I'll see you around the virtual campus.

TGIF 5/1/20

Good week, bad week time. Or, maybe it's just 'week' time.

We know all about the "very good people" seeking to liberate their states, either for the right to have a pedicure or get a tattoo, or for the right to exercise their constitutional rights to do something, maybe march on their statehouse in camo carrying big guns, wearing masks, bandanas and other face coverings, even as they wail that having to wear masks, bandanas and other face coverings are among the things they have the right not to do. 

Of course we don't know which of the people protesting are "very good people" and which are less good; we just know that the president says they are "very good people" (as if he knows any of them personally) and so they must be, right?

We know they are "patriots" because they tell us they are and because they tell us they're holding an American Patriot Rally, so that must be the case, right?  And because "patriots" are the ones who listen to the president who calls for a state to be 'liberated' from what? From a governor who is following the president's guidelines?

Speaking of the president's guidelines, one might think that the person the president put in charge of the president's White House Coronavirus Task Force would heed the CDC guidelines on wearing a mask in public. Or, that said person the president put in charge of the president's White House Coronavirus Task Force would let his wife know that he wasn't going to follow the guidelines about wearing a mask because he wanted to look people in the eye, so that she didn't tell people he wasn't wearing a mask because he didn't know he was supposed to wear one.

And speaking of mixed signals and maybe speaking of lying, Kayleigh McEnany, the president's press secretary, held her first briefing today. In it, she promised she would never lie to the press. Some have suggested her promise lasted around 15 minutes, so we'll have to see how that plays out as things go forward. On the plus side, she held a press briefing, something that last happened 400 days ago.

Also today, Joe Biden was interviewed on Morning Joe by Mika Brzezinski about allegations of sexual assault made by Tara Reade. Biden repeatedly denied the allegations, saying what Reade says never happened. He has also called on the secretary of the Senate to search information in the National Archives for any complaint filed by Reade.

And in a strange twist, the president came to Biden's defense, a move that will probably annoy his own campaign and Republicans who, as we know, will do anything to defend Trump and harm his opponents.

Good week? Bad week? Hard to tell sometimes, isn't it?

TGIF, everyone.

Wondering on Wednesday (v105)

I wonder: can you tell, just by looking at the average person, dressed and acting in an unremarkable fashion, whether they're religious? Liberal? A Nazi? Trans? Patriotic? Can you see into their heart of hearts just by looking at them?

And I wonder, looking at the average member of the military, can you tell whether they're in the service to defend the flag, or to defend our Constitution, or just because they want to take out a bad guy?

Wondering further, when you hear me talk about "American ideals" are you thinking what I'm thinking? And, wondering most, what exactly is the 'correct' definition of patriot? Of American? And who gets to define that?

Does the president have the right to define it for us? Do you have the right to define it for me? Or me for you? Or is it the most American ideal of all, that we each have the freedom - and the responsibility - to be the best kind of American we can, as we define it?

I wonder, when people watched or heard about what happened at NFL games on Sunday, whether they questioned the motivation of  the players who participated? Are they on board with the real reason for the protest - racism, discrimination, blacks dying at the hands of the police - or are they just pissed that the president called one of them an SOB and so they're all SOBs?  And I wonder, are the people who were booing all upset about the same thing? Can we be sure, without talking to each of them?

Are the owners really standing in unity with the players? And, I wonder if they're united for something, or if they're united against someone? Because there's a real difference there. Shannon Sharpe had some interesting opinions on all of this.

So did the wife of Pat Tillman, the former NFL player killed by friendly fire back in 2004. She found her husband the subject of a meme suggesting that he would have been against those 'anthem protesters' which is not the case.

Speaking of standing united, the president is going to head to Puerto Rico soon, to view the horrific damage from Hurricane Maria. I supposed, if Melania goes with him, we'll have to put up with more questions about her footwear -- and for the record, she wore her heels on the walk from the White House to the helicopter, but she never wore them in Houston. Those who said she did were saying it on purpose.

On Twitter, the Governor of Puerto Rico said he "briefed @POTUS in the Situation Room and thanked him for his leadership, quick response and commitment" which of course both @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS retweeted. But most of the quick response, it seems, came before Maria actually hit. And a pre-landfall emergency declaration, and post storm disaster declarations can only go so far, as Rosello noted in an interview with Bloomberg.

Administration, they've been helpful up until now. But we need more help. We need more help. We need more resources. And at the same time, Congress solidarity and all of the help they've pledged through social media and phone calls with our staff. Now is the time to materialize it.

For his part, Trump noted

We've had tremendous reviews from government officials. This morning the government made incredible statements about how well we're doing.

This, as we watch folks stand in water lines, food lines, gas lines, and gather around random working cell towers trying to reach the outside world. 

But united we stand  - including the five living presidents. As they did for Harvey and Irma victims, they're fundraising for Maria victims.

United we stand, where locally the Boys and Girls Club is collecting donations for Puerto Rico; the same thing is happening across the state of New York, which has long had the largest population of Puerto Ricans in the US (that's now being challenged by Florida), and across the country.

United we stand. And wondering again: when you hear me talk about "American ideals" are you thinking what I'm thinking? And, wondering most, what exactly is the 'correct' definition of patriot? Of American? And who gets to define that?

Trump in Transition (v21)

I keep thinking that I'm going to be able to retire the TiT theme; after all, Trump's been president for a few days over eight months now. 

Shouldn't he be done transitioning from a blowhard NYC real estate developing, serial bullying, failed reality TV show hosting, crowd-counting, name-calling, frequently golfing, constantly rallying, Hollywood elitist (with a bought-and-paid-for star on the Walk of Fame to prove it) who uses the government to pad the coffers of his family business by now? 

The last time I did a post in this theme was when Trump talked with his generals and decided that everyone else's transgender people shouldn't be allowed to serve our country because they were too expensive from a healthcare perspective - which, of course, was a complete lie, as are many of Trump's declarations. Screw your patriotism, you volunteers who stood up to defend our country. We don't need you, we don't want you, you cannot serve. Screw you.

And once again, Trump is on the 'screw your patriotism' bandwagon with his latest pronouncement that the NFL should fire anyone who does not stand for the national anthem. And, by extension, that Colin Kaepernick should continue to be unemployed. 

As a private individual, using his personal Twitter account, not his official POTUS account (which he ignores), Trump has been vocal on this subject for the past couple of days:

If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect...

...our great American Flag (or Country), and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED! Find something else to do.

Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our Country. Tell them to stand!

If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place. Fire or Suspend!

...NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games, yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.

Those SONSOFBITCHES, they out to be FIRED! And we should BOYCOTT! And the NFL owners are FRIENDS OF HIS, dammit! And bloodthirsty supporters in Alabama LOVED what he said, yessiree they did! He's the PRESIDENT and don't you FORGET IT!  #AMERICAFIRSTGODDAMMIT! And those players, they're paid with TAXPAYER DOLLARS! And SCREW THE FIRST AMENDMENT! And SCREW YOU, black athletes! And SCREW YOU STEPH CURRY even though you play with a round ball not one of those funny ones! Just SCREW YOU!

And I JUMPED UP and SCREAMED JUST LIKE HOWARD DEAN!!!

No, really, I just sat here for a moment, after catching my breath - for that was quite the explosion of capital letters and exclamation points!  And, I thought, it's SAD (quoting the president, here).

 It's sad that he feels his personal patriotism, and the well-being of our country, are threatened by some athletes behaving differently, but respectfully, during the national anthem. 

It's sad that the president, who is divisive both in his own language and his administration's policies, seems to think that Americans need to be in lockstep in order to, well, be Americans. Will we be receiving national uniforms? Holding parades along the inauguration route? Are we going to have to learn a special salute? I'm willing to start now, I guess, or should we wait until the patriotic pictures are painted on buildings across the land?

I last stood for the national anthem (because that's what I was taught to do), last Friday night, at the symphony. Only at the first concert of the series do we get to hear the orchestra play it; they don't at every single performance. The audience, which trends older, sings along, and claps when it's over - not with a stanza or two to go, but when it's actually over. I assume anyone who was able stood, but I don't worry about whether they did or not, and I'm sure no one was waiting, pen and notepad ready, to take down the seat numbers of people who didn't and kick them out of the hall. 

I don't mind the kneeling or the raised fists. I mind the drunken shouting that passes for acceptable patriotism in stadiums and arenas across the land much more than I do the protests. My husband is not a fan of the kneeling, so much, but a raised fist doesn't bother him. 

Do I feel threatened, as our still-transitioning president appears to, by people who are willing to take a stand on a very public stage? 

Hardly. Truth be told, I'm encouraged by their actions, and by their patriotism. 

• It IS patriotic to question your country and actions taken on her behalf by people in positions of authority.
• It IS patriotic to ask your country to be better, to do better.  
• It IS patriotic to ask your country to take a hard look in the mirror, and to try and think differently about things. 
• It IS patriotic to ask others to consider doing these things, too. 

It's much more patriotic to do that than it is to stand, drunkenly or soberly, with or without removing your hat, with or without placing your hand on your heart, in a stadium shouting over the national anthem.

It's significantly more patriotic to do that, than to have an American flag waving between your cab and the trailer you're hauling, like the guy I saw on the NYS Thruway last week. The flag was in despicable condition - filthy dirty, gray with soot and road dirt, stained, the colors barely discernible. The ends were shredded; perhaps as much as a third of it had gone into the wind, and it was torn in several spots where the stripes were sewn together. It looked like something you'd find in a dumpster, to be honest. But the truck driver sure is patriotic - he's displaying the FLAG!

It's also a whole helluva lot more patriotic than standing on the world stage engaging in a third-grade, name-calling pissing match with foreign leaders, which is how president Trump spent the rest of last week.

Yeah, it's too early to retire this theme.

Quick Takes (v3): Enough Already

Quick Takes

Can we please just round up the seditionists who invaded Oregon and put them in jail where they belong? 

Much as we managed to find some humor in the whole thing, at least in the early days, it's time to bring this to an end. 

I'm not concerned about there being another Waco or Ruby Ridge or whatever else it is that is holding up efforts to get these folks out of the wildlife sanctuary and into jail. It may be cold or callous to say this, but bad things happen to people every day in this country when they stand against law enforcement. That's always a potential consequence of picking a battle with the authorities. 

I mean, let's treat them like we'd treat anyone else. You know: if they were black, their protest would have been over almost before it had begun. If they were drum-beating citizens in a Republican-controlled statehouse, they'd be out of there for sure. If they were any other garden variety welfare or disability cheats, or people who refused to pay their taxes, this would be different for sure. Heck -  we round up homeless people and panhandlers on street corners. 

Let's start acting like we're a country of laws that apply to everyone - not a country of laws that apply to everyone but right-wing anti-government extremists, or as we would otherwise call them, terrorists or thugs.

And let me be clear: when I say "bad things happen" I'm NOT talking about unarmed people being killed by police, and I'm not talking about other apparently out of control police situations, a seemingly endless number of which are coming to light these days; here's one example you may have missed. 

I'm talking about people like the Bundys and the other snackaholics holed up in Oregon, or Nevada or anywhere else they hold up and engage in armed standoffs with the government.

I think we all know that, if they were anti-war protesters, or anti-drone protesters, they'd be in jail already. If they were militant pro-choice protesters or anti-death penalty priests and nuns, we'd have no problem locking them up. If they were indigenous people, they'd be in jail. If they were Occupiers or Black Lives Matter people, or environmental extremists or anything else, I doubt we'd be having this conversation more than two weeks after the break-in occurred. 

The conversation would already be over.