DL Open Thread: Friday, July 14, 2022
Hmmm, just might make this my daily Open Thread musical grace note until/unless the Kowardly Kop at least komments about Kathy. Already got a great one picked out for tomorrow. Gary Trudeau might well have been writing about Speaker Pete when he alluded to a certain President as having ‘placed his manhood in a blind trust.’ Pete knows where to find it. Apparently, though, he can’t have it back. Or, he’s too a’scared.
Dog Bites Man: Manchin Deep-Sixes Climate/Tax Progress. Anybody surprised, except for Biden staffers?:
Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, pulled the plug on Thursday on negotiations to salvage key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, informing his party’s leaders that he would not support funding for climate or energy programs or raising taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations.
The decision by Mr. Manchin, a conservative-leaning Democrat whose opposition has effectively stalled Mr. Biden’s economic package in the evenly divided Senate, dealt a devastating blow to his party’s efforts to enact a broad social safety net, climate and tax package.
In recent months, Democrats had slashed their ambitions for such a plan to win over Mr. Manchin, hoping that he would agree to support even a fraction of the sweeping initiative they once envisioned. His abrupt shift appeared to dash those aspirations.
Manchin is Phil Gramm Part Deux. Only question is: When does he pull the switcheroo?
Secret Service Broke The Law, Erased Tapes. From, um, January 5 and 6, 2021. I forget–anything happen on those dates?:
Can you say ‘rogue agency’? Oh, well, they’ll be part of the coup, and will enjoy acclamation from our new totalitarian leaders.
Psst–Don’t Tell Anybody–We May Be On The Verge Of A Nationwide Rail Strike:
“Today [July 12], the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen tallied the ballots cast in its first nationwide strike vote over national contract negotiations since 2011. In a showing of solidarity and unity, 99.5% of the participating members voted to authorize a strike should such action become legal in the coming days, and become necessary to secure a contract worthy of their consideration. Contrary to the self-serving propaganda being spread by the rail carriers, the BLET membership owes no one an apology for voting as they did. I too voted with the majority and I applaud them for doing it. But there is more to this story than just casting a vote in favor of striking.
“In the years preceding the pandemic, the majority of the nation’s Class I rail carriers adopted slash and burn operating plans with only one goal in mind; profits without regard to the health, safety, satisfaction or well-being of their employees, their customers or our Nation at large. To accomplish their goals, they furloughed or fired a third of their nationwide workforce, forcing the remaining employees to work more. They began running longer and longer trains, without regard for safety concerns, that continue to all but shut down the rail networks due to an infrastructure never designed to run these longer and heavier trains. As the post pandemic economy started to ramp up, they refused to adequately staff their operations, continually blaming their remaining employees for rail carrier actions that negatively impacted their shippers. Draconian attendance policies were implemented, forcing engineers and conductors to work day in and day out with no scheduled time off or be fired. These ridiculous policies forced thousands of employees out of the industry, either by resignation or termination, further compounding an already understaffed operation. And if anyone is close to being abused as much as the employees by this business model, it’s the shippers, or as they should be called, the rail industries’ customers.
“Most of this information has been in the news, but there is a reason that nothing is changing. This “employee and shipper be damned” business model accomplished the goal it set out to; it continues to make record profits even as the rest of the Nation’s economy struggles due to a supply chain crisis created in large part by the carriers’ business model. In short, the railroads used and continue to use their economic strength to steam roll their employees, their customers and the Nation, all for the sake of their bottom line, and it is clear that they have no intentions of changing.
AMTRAK Joe to the rescue?
Indiana AG To Go After Doctor Who Assisted 10-Year-Old Rape Victim. I mean, even in Indiana, this won’t be considered acceptable. Will it?
More Abortion Shit The Supreme Court Didn’t Care About:
Nearly four years after a woman ended an unwanted pregnancy with abortion pills obtained at a Phoenix clinic, she finds herself mired in an ongoing lawsuit over that decision.
A judge allowed the woman’s ex-husband to establish an estate for the embryo, which had been aborted in its seventh week of development. The ex-husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the clinic and its doctors in 2020, alleging that physicians failed to obtain proper informed consent from the woman as required by Arizona law.
The experts said this rare tactic could become more common, as anti-abortion groups have signaled their desire to further limit reproductive rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. The Arizona lawsuit and others that may follow could also be an attempt to discourage and intimidate providers and harass plaintiffs’ former romantic partners, experts said.
Stoopid Kop Trix–Delaware Edition. Hey, man, we’ve got to protect the rights of cops to do shit like this–it teaches undesirables to stay in line.
“We Need New Reps Down Here–It’s Brutal.” Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton calling out an SOS. There are times when this article verges on ‘brutal’. Like here:
“When governors send signals that they’re going to veto things, the legislators rethink their position. The bills never get there,” said Bob Byrd, former lawmaker and longtime lobbyist, who among many in Dover is considered to be an expert on the inner workings of Legislative Hall.
“If your governor is of the same party, you’re reluctant to override a veto,” he said. “That’s just the way things are.”
Hello-o-o-o? Bobby Byrd and the governor conspired to bury a shitload (I’m sure saying ‘shit’ a lot today) of great environmental bills. This year. He’s not an expert. He’s a malevolent force.
In general, though, this is a great piece on the Delaware Way. However, as Madinah Wilson-Anton pointed out, things are changing. With new leadership in the House, legislators will no longer pay fealty to a Governor who spends more time polishing up his Participation Trophy from the Chamber of Commerce than he does, you know, governing. Betcha Al’s Sporting Goods got a nice tax break on that thing.
What do you want to talk about?
Delaware Call has a story up already! (hint, hint, hint)
https://delawarecall.com/2022/07/15/senate-leaders-call-for-removal-of-convicted-state-auditor-kathleen-mcguiness/
Just updated the story. Senate will vote on this resolution at 2 p.m. Monday, 25th July.
Pete didn’t pick up his phone when called for comment. Message left. Chances he returns the call…. hahahaha… NIL
Heck of a story on “Possible Rail Strike”. Well put together and gripping. Thanks and keep us updated PLEASE?
Saw a letter circulating on Facebook that Pete has signed saying he now supports the Gov removing her from office?!?
Here it is:
https://twitter.com/MereNewman/status/1547967721211514885
And here, copy of the letter, Schwartzkopf signature at bottom: https://twitter.com/MereNewman/status/1547938068065185792
House is hedging like the governor.
The governor has stated the case needs to be over before he can act. So after the sentencing governor can remove. House is agreeing with that.
The Senate is moving forward with a completely different constitutional option. A impeachment like process based on the guilty verdict. If two-thirds of the House and Senate vote to remove the governor is compelled to do so even before the sentencing.
This is a House cop out
Yep, total cop-out. House punts back to the Governor.
The Governor has stated, and I think he’s right, that, until all appeals are exhausted, he can’t act.
The real removal process has to start in the House.
Instead of acting, this is a delaying tactic. Get rid of them.
My take: Senate seems keen on voting on the resolution in two Monday’s time. Which again Pete will ignore. But the pressure with build. That’ll be fun.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at the respective dining rooms of KMG and Pete this evening. In Pete’s case motel rooms are tough to come by on a Friday night in Rehoboth. maybe Monty has a cot in the back room of the Starboard:).
I hear that Ernie Lopez has space in his bachelor pad.
To wit… from Senate Comms Director Scott Goss…
“The constitution prescribes three paths for removing an elected official from office. Sending a letter without holding a vote is not one of them.”
I have spent a lot of time considering ‘The Delaware Way’ and how it has shaped the Black community, particularly in Wilmington, the place where it’s been most important to Black folks in check. I’ve been reading and re-reading, ‘Delaware: A Jewel of Inconsistencies’, an essay by Alice Dunbar-Nelson. It was written in 1924 and has swayed me from the thought that being Black in Delaware is a different experience. The racial politics here are intentional and maintained by a social system that needs them.
During the next couple of weeks I will be sharing my thoughts on Dunbar-Nelson’s essay and how its points are still very much alive and exposed in some of the guidelines and aphorisms of Black life in Delaware. It looks like I have about four entries. Don’t expect me to reply to comments. That’s usually not my way. Dunbar-Nelson’s comments will be in italic.
First, a few words about Alice Dunbar-Nelson. She was a suffragist, poet, writer, social thinker, newspaper publisher, Queer woman and widow of the poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar. She published ‘The Wilmington Advocate’ Newspaper from 1920-1922 with her second husband, whose particulars I don’t know. There are no remaining copies of the paper, archived or actual, that I have been able to find.
“In 1820, a Democratic statesman, one Caesar Rodney, not the one of the famous ride, but a younger relative, announced himself in the General Assembly of the state against slavery, and was successful in having resolutions adopted condemning the practice. The reactionary attitude of the country toward black men, caused by Nat Turner’s Insurrection, found expression in Delaware, however, for in 1831, the state passed a law limiting the franchise to white men, forbidding the use of firearms by free Negroes, and forbidding any more to come within the state. …no congregation or meeting of free Negroes or mullatoes of more than twelve persons should be held later than twelve o’clock at night, except under the direction of three respectable white persons, who were to attend the meeting. …no free Negro should attempt to call a meeting for religious worship, to exhort or preach, unless he was authorized to do so by a judge or justice of the peace, upon the recommendation of five respectable and judicious citizens.”
So for Black Delaware there was an illusion of freedom and equality for a brief moment. The effects of their recision live on in the bones of our community. A system was being set in place. Ultimately, a small number of White men would have responsibility for Black civic and religious expression. Those men could delegate those responsibilities to people who recognized their authority and made the appropriate reports. It is not uncommon in Black Wilmington to be pulled aside and lectured about the need to not draw the ire of White people. It is White assent that ultimately controls our destiny.
These practices are reflected in the political dialogue of the Black community in Wilmington:
“You got to go along to get along.”
“White folks are only gonna give you so much.”
“The problem is, we don’t know who controls you.”
The most glaring expression of these sentiments came when I was working with communities fighting the construction of a prison in the historic Southbridge section of Wilmington. The Castle administration had decided that the new prison expansion would happen on the border of the projects in the community. It was proposed with the assent of the community’s elected officials. One of those officials called me and said, “Son, you are doing good work in the community but these White folks are going to get what they want. My advice to you is to get what you can get out of this and go along.” That didn’t make sense to me and, while I am sure I was not the only person who was approached in this manner, the community did not listen and created a winning coalition. There is no prison in Southbridge. Instead, the community is slated to be overtaken by ‘development’. The powers that be have decided that the land there has better value.
OK, Mark. The post was so long that it sometimes gets caught up. I released it.
Thanks. The follow ups will he shorter.
Or–maybe you could try the Kowalko Gambit–no punctuation.
Seems to work for him. Don’t know why.
The Kowalko Gambit©️
Was checking out some games from the #1 Contenders Tournament to choose the challenger to World Chess Champ Magnus Carlsson.
I can’t play worth a damn, but I like to think it strengthens my reasoning powers.
I might be wrong.