DL Open Thread: Friday, February 19, 2021

Time To Face It: Carney & The General Assembly Aren’t Gonna Do SHIT About Police Reform.  Buried somewhere in this absolute mess of a story (Subscription required, not worth a penny of your money), the truth emerges.  Carney and Pistol Pete Schwartzkopf have largely enabled the creation of a commission designed to do the absolute minimum.  But, first, a sample of this mess:

Pennsylvania Gov. Phil Murphy in July used his executive power to create a state citizen advisory commission to review police practices, as well as police-involved shootings and use of force incidents.

Anyone care to point out the obvious error in this sentence?  Kids, if you’re a bleeping reporter whose beat is government and politics, how could you make a mistake like this? Whether they’re editing the paper in Dayton or Calcutta, couldn’t they catch this?

(Deep cleansing breaths.)

Bottom line: The General Assembly banned the George Floyd chokehold, and then–and then–formed two task forces to, um, do whatever the task forces decided should be done. Speaker Pete made sure that the Fucking FOP had a seat at the table, named a fellow ex-cop, yes, a Black ex-cop, but a police institutionalist, to chair the committee. Here’s what he had to say:

Cooke said that the process is a “tortoise race” because he wants the final recommendations to have “teeth,” and it has not been easy balancing activists’ calls for reform with the desires of police unions whose members enjoy the protections of collective bargaining agreements.

More than anything, those collective bargaining agreements are the problem.  This is not about balancing, it must be about rebalancing. But Speaker Pete put the cause of the problem on the task force.  In order to sabotage it.

All this was designed to slam the brakes on the momentum for police reform.  It succeeded.  Anybody looking for the kind of reforms that Kathy Jennings is pushing will just have to wait until/unless she is elected Governor in 2024. 

As to Carney, this is classic:

Gov. John Carney has asked lawmakers to spend $3.6 million next year for the proposed statewide body camera law, though his gradual spending plan would mean the program won’t be fully funded until 2025.

But, of course.  Delaware Way Suckitude at its worst.

Ay-yi-yi.  All of this was set up before the influx of progressive legislators last fall.  Maybe they can nudge that tortoise a bit…

That Bleeping Commercial With Pete Seeger’s Music.  I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who hates this with a passion.

Someone Leaked Heidi Cruz’ E-Mails. Sad.  The gist?: ‘It’s cold. Wanna go to Cancun?’

Donor To Trump Inaugural Sentenced For Being A Foreign Agent.  He was an equal-opportunity corruption machine, gave to whoever was in power. Glad he didn’t get a pardon.

Yep. Trump Can Pay For All Those Lawsuits Against Him From His Suckers’ Pockets.  Wonder if they’ll do jail-time for him…

UK: Uber Drivers Are Workers, Have Rights.  Can’t we at least all agree on that here?

US Begins Admitting Asylum Seekers Who Trump Had Blocked.  I call it progress.

Carney Cites Legal Mumbo-Jumbo To Justify State’s Pathetic Outreach To Latino Community.

“We have these equitable goals. There are legal constraints as to whether or not you can set things aside for particular populations,” he said. “We certainly expect to have a distribution that looks like Delaware—that’s our overall goal.”

What does this guy have flowing through his veins?  Should probably be a poll question.

What do you want to talk about?