DL Open Thread: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023
Daily Kos Management (DKM) informed the Daily Kos Guild (DKG) on Thursday, Jan. 12, that they plan to lay off employees represented by DKG.
These proposed layoffs are focused in our Activism and Content departments—responsible for leading campaigns that advance human rights, equity, and justice, and for creating the news you read on Daily Kos. The proposed cut would affect 28% of unionized employees.
DKG believes there is an alternative route to financial solvency. DKG sent a detailed information request to DKM on Friday, Jan. 13, seeking relevant financial information about the company’s expenses, hiring practices, and potential cost-cutting measures—aside from staff layoffs. We meet at the bargaining table again today; we hope DKM treats our request and the negotiations process with the seriousness they deserve.
Arizona AG To Use ‘Voting Fraud Unit’ To Protect Voting Rights. Perhaps the Rethugs thought they’d control this office forever. They were wrong:
A unit created under the former Republican attorney general of Arizona to investigate claims of election fraud will now focus on voting rights and ballot access under the newly elected Democratic attorney general.
The Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, told the Guardian that instead of prosecuting claims of voter fraud, she will “reprioritize the mission and resources” of the unit to focus on “protecting voting access and combating voter suppression”. Mayes won the attorney general’s race in November against election denier Abe Hamadah by just 280 votes, a race that went to a state-mandated recount.
“Under my predecessor’s administration, the election integrity unit searched widely for voter fraud and found scant evidence of it occurring in Arizona,” Mayes said in a statement. “That’s because instances of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.”
Mayes also plans for the unit to work on protecting election workers, who have faced threats of violence and intimidation. And she intends for the unit to defend Arizonans’ right to vote by mail, which has been attacked by Republican lawmakers and the state GOP in recent years despite being the most common way Arizonans of all political parties cast their ballots.
Pot Bills Set For Committee Hearings In Dover Next Week. I know, it’s Groundhog Day all over again. Maybe, just maybe, having KEH and DeShanna Neal in the House will help override the inevitable Carney veto:
“Every year we don’t pass these bills, Delaware misses out on millions in revenue. From both an economic and a criminal justice perspective, legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana is the right thing to do,” State Senator Trey Paradee, D-Dover said. Paradee is the lead Senate sponsor of both bills. “I will continue to serve as the lead Senate sponsor on these bills for as long as it takes to for them to become law.”
Can’t wait to see what pretext Rep. Michael Smith uses to justify his reneging on his promised support of the bill this time.
BTW, betcha Delaware would have no problem filling those jobs at those 30 proposed retail outlets.
DSU Student Protests Against Sexual Violence Yielding Results?:
They shut down a campus street for hours. Hundreds surrounded the public safety building to protest against university police and the handling of sexual assault cases. They packed an entire auditorium for a town hall meeting that stretched nearly nine hours long.
This week, students demanded to feel safe on their Delaware State University campus. Now, they’re starting to see the next steps from their school.
“Your bravery and strength are clear and compelling,” said President Tony Allen in a statement Friday evening, following the town hall that ended around 3 a.m. the same day. “Now is an opportunity for us to support you better and with the care and compassion you should expect.”
What do you want to talk about?
Gee, would have thought the innate greed of Delaware politicians would have gone into hyper drive by now, as noted the pin heads are watching as what could be a huge financial benefit to the state and doing nothing. Like usual the train must leave the station for it to sink in with the collective stupidity of the politicians, just like casinos we will be late to the party. That and the police will need a different way to torment us as their beloved “I smelled marijuana” goes on the “ash heap of history”. I can hear the crying even now.
The actual state police are relieved that protests against campus sex crimes are focused on DSU and contained within its campus.
Who’s watching our girl Aubrey on SNL tonight??
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/2023/01/18/aubrey-plaza-is-now-filming-a-new-project-with-francis-ford-coppola/69795814007/
Gov. Carney said vetoing the cannabis bill should not upset anyone because marijuana is already decriminalized. No one goes to jail for under an ounce, but, one can be arrested (why fuss over that?), and fined (a minor inconvenience for the Carney set, no debtor’s prison for them), and a fun game at the police station called strip search and anal probe (to rule out additional contraband and dangerous weapons, because a normal person carries dangerous weapons in their anal canal). Police are still free to consiscate anything they want as part of their legal “duties”, including a kid’s lunch money. But that John Carney, he’s a hero standing up for the little guy…
Some wag said the reason Alito couldn’t find the leaker is the same reason you never saw Miley Cyrus hanging out with Hannah Montana.
Ha! It’s funny cause it’s true.