DL Open Thread: Friday, Feb. 17, 2023
I’m determined, DETERMINED, to improve on my miserly output from yesterday. Let’s see where the news and my muse take us…
Anyone Else Worried About John Fetterman?:
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said Thursday, adding that his longtime struggle with that issue became “severe” in recent weeks.
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a statement Thursday. “On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis.”
Jentleson added, “After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself.”
“After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John. I’m so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs,” tweeted Fetterman’s wife, Gisele. “This is a difficult time for our family, so please respect our privacy. For us, the kids come first. Take care of yourselves. Hold your loved ones close, you are not alone.”
The Fetterman family deserves major props for being so forthcoming about his condition. It is not, and never should have been, a stigma. I hope he is able to rediscover joy in his life.
Fox Hosts Didn’t Believe Trump’s Bullshit. Dog Bites Man:
The documents provide a rare window into the inner workings of the cable news network and show how publicly Trump-friendly personalities were privately repulsed by the president’s post-election actions, with Carlson referring to Trump as a “demonic force,” according to the filings.
The filing in Delaware Superior Court ahead of an April trial is meant to bolster Dominion’s argument that Fox’s leadership was aware that the claims of election fraud were untrue but nonetheless “spread and endorsed” them, the company argued.
“Not a single Fox witness testified that they believe any of the allegations about Dominion are true,” Dominion argued in the filing. “Indeed, Fox witness after Fox witness declined to assert the allegations’ truth or actually stated they do not believe them, and Fox witnesses repeatedly testified that they have not seen credible evidence to support them.”
Man, I hope that dog & pony show comes to Delaware. Maybe Karl and the Rev will provide blow-by-blow coverage.
Norfolk Southern Goes Off The Rails. ‘Civil War era’ brakes. Anti-worker policies:
Earlier this month, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, triggering a massive fire and forcing everyone within a 1-mile radius of the crash to evacuate. To avoid a potential explosion, officials conducted a controlled detonation of five tankers three days later, sending carcinogenic vinyl chloride into the air. Two days later, residents of the 4,500-person village were told they could safely return home. Many questioned the safety of the air and water supply.
Since then, reporting has made clear that this environmental disaster was less a freak accident than a predictable outcome of lax safety measures and capitalist greed.
Great reporting from Mother Jones. Read the whole thing. This disaster could and should have been avoided.
Oregon Court: No ‘Second Amendment Sanctuaries’ For You!:
An Oregon court dealt a blow to the state’s “second amendment sanctuary” movement, deciding on Wednesday that local governments cannot ban police from enforcing certain gun laws in a ruling that could hold national ramifications for anti-gun control efforts.
At the center of the lawsuit was a 2020 measure passed in Columbia county, a conservative area in the Democratic state, that argued state and federal gun laws did not apply in the county and banned local officials from enforcing the regulations. The rural region was one of some 1,200 in the US, from Virginia to New Mexico to Florida, to pass a second amendment sanctuary resolution.
The Oregon state court of appeals ruled the law, which included fines for officials who enforce most federal and state gun laws, violated a law granting the state the authority to regulate firearms. The ordinance would effectively “create a ‘patchwork quilt’ of firearms laws in Oregon”, the court found.
Of all the Constitutional perversions the RWNJ’s have inflicted on us, the extreme misrepresentations of the 2nd Amendment are the ne plus ultra. Even worse, ideological judges have rubber-stamped these misrepresentations. Which is why I doubt this decision will stand: There will be other judges down the line.
Why Delaware’s Students Are Struggling:
The state Department of Education reported in August that the average proficiency across all subjects and assessments was still lower than before the pandemic.
The average math proficiency across all public and charter schools was 30% in 2022, while 42% of students were proficient in English language arts. School districts have also struggled with teacher and staff retention.
Holodick was blunt in his assessment: Delaware students experienced significant learning loss as a result of the pandemic, as well as emotional and behavioral setbacks. To not acknowledge this, he said, would be “disingenuous.”
“The way in which we responded to COVID: Good for us, we kept kids engaged through virtual teaching and learning. I just don’t think the high-quality instructional materials and lessons were happening at the level in which we needed.
“I don’t blame that on anyone,” he added. “I think our teachers worked incredibly hard.”
What do you want to talk about?
Secular thoughts and prayers to American hero, John Fetterman. Thanks for saving the Senate, esp at such a huge cost.
Worried? Not really, he seems to have what it takes to keep on fighting. Had fun with depression myself and did the depression meds for six years, not fun, but I made it. Hopping Fetterman hangs in there, it can be done. By the way I quit my high pressure job, stopped taking the meds (a bit rough) and six months later was actually happy. I was as surprised, but adjusted to it.
Hey, local governments, why not just pass a resolution to stop enforcing all federal and state vehicle safety and traffic laws? “Traffic Control Sanctuaries”! What a good fun free-for-all until some pesky judge like the one in Oregon interferes. No speed limits in Arden!!! No stop signs in Elsmere!!
Fetterman will be okay but unfortunately it’s taken two serious medical situations in a year to hopefully get him to focus on his health. Sometimes that’s the way it goes. He and his wife talked a bit about how he neglected the signs of the cardiovascular issues before, and he got burned because of it. I have a feeling the same was true about his mental health. I’ve been there too, and spent a week at Dover Behavioral Health. It’s just how a lot of men are, even “fighters” like the good Senator. I see it all the time in the medical charts from our doctor’s office.
But yes, huge respect for being upfront about hsi diagnosis. The Eagles have had a couple players come forward about their mental health struggles, most recently future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson, and their openness may honestly save lives by inspiring others to get help.