SpaceX Launchpad Escaped Unscathed? Not So Fast, My Friend:
The public road that passes the site remained closed all day Friday, making it difficult to assess how widespread the damage was. Photographers needing to retrieve their remote equipment were told they would not be allowed to do so until Saturday afternoon, at the earliest. The delay suggested damage had been greater than expected.
Videos shared on social media showed a piece of debris slamming into a van several hundred feet away from the launch site as cameras toppled nearby. They also showed shrapnel striking the nearby beach and pummeling the shoreline, making it seem like a war zone. Splashes from debris plummeting into wetlands can be seen on multiple sides of the launchpad for 10 or more seconds after the launch.
Rethugs Target The ‘Shiftless And Lazy’. Everything old is new again:
WASHINGTON ― More than 10 million Medicaid enrollees would be subject to “work requirements” under Republicans’ new proposal to cut federal spending in exchange for letting the government pay its bills.
Some of those Medicaid recipients would be able to meet the requirements and retain their health care coverage, but others would lose it, according to a new analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.
Part of the problem is that even if they work enough hours to fulfill the requirement, some on Medicaid might struggle to document their work history with the government.
“A large share of the 10 million people subject to the requirements would have to navigate complex work-reporting and verification systems each month while others would have to navigate the exemption process periodically to retain coverage,” the center’s Gideon Lukens reported Friday.
The work requirements were included in a broader bill released Wednesday by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as part of a standoff with President Joe Biden over federal spending and the national debt.
Any ‘compromise’ on the debt ceiling bill would merely move the Overton Window even further to the right. Dare the Rethugs to own this. Just once, please?
Ten Commandments Stand Tall In Texas. What are they gonna do with “Thou Shalt Not Kill”?:
Every classroom in Texas could be made to display the Ten Commandments prominently, after lawmakers advanced a proposal to push more religion into schools.
A parallel bill also approved by the Republican-controlled Texas senate on Thursday would require educational establishments to set aside time every day for students and employees to read the Bible or other religious manuscripts, or to pray.
The attempts to further erode separation of church and state follow a US supreme court ruling last summer that sided with a former public high-school football coach in Washington state who was fired for praying with players after games.
The conservative panel ruled 6-3 the school district violated the constitutional rights of the coach, Joseph Kennedy. The district settled with Kennedy last month, for almost $2m.
Phil King, a Republican Texas state senator, cited the case in a committee hearing earlier this month as he introduced the Ten Commandments bill, according to Houston news channel ABC13.
“[It] will remind students all across Texas of the importance of the fundamental foundation of America,” he said.
On Thursday, state senators advanced both bills for consideration by the house.
They have the backing of the Texas lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, who on his personal website describes himself as “a Christian first, conservative second and Republican third”.
“I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind,” Patrick said in a statement. “Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.”
That culture? Might I suggest a slight alteration to that one Commandment: ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill Unless You Are Afraid Of Someone Knocking On Your Door’. Whether you were truly afraid remains between you and your G-D.
Oh Nos! It’s Prom Season. Time For The News Journal to try to make some money. This will be the only time that I refer to this. Seems pathetic, but, hey, if it raises a few bucks, maybe they’ll be able to keep their three or so real journalists.
What do you want to talk about?