DL Open Thread: Thursday, May 25, 2023
Omigod, omigod, omigod! Just got this in my e-mail in-box, and my pulse immediately quickened:
Hi friends and family!Hope you all are doing well. Some incredible people are hosting a few gatherings/discussions next week where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the Delaware political/civic landscape.I would love to get your feedback, thoughts, and ideas for efforts here in our state.We’ll have good food (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) and great people!If you can’t make it or want to talk at another time, let me know and I would be grateful to setup a call!Many thanks in advance,Eugenep.s. Below are the links to RSVP. Would love to see you at one of these gatherings!New Castle County DiscussionMonday, May 29th at 4pm5624 Kennett Pike Wilmington, DE 19807Kent County DiscussionThursday, June 1st at 6pm229 Pebble Valley DriveDover, DE 19904Sussex County DiscussionWednesday, May 31st at 6pm28 Haworth Court Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
The Texas Capitol was unexpectedly gripped by an escalating intraparty showdown among top Republicans on Wednesday after a House committee took steps toward a possible impeachment of the Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, over charges of corruption and abuse of office.The allegations had been lodged before against Mr. Paxton, but they gained new force as investigators working for the Republican-controlled House panel — the Committee on General Investigating — publicly detailed each accusation over three hours of public testimony, concluding that Mr. Paxton had most likely committed crimes.Whether the committee would recommend impeachment, or stop short of doing so, remained an open question. But the Republican House speaker, Dade Phelan — whose own resignation Mr. Paxton publicly called for this week — signaled his openness to that outcome.
“The attorney general appears to have routinely abused his powers for personal gain and exhibited blatant disregard for the ethical and legal propriety,” a spokeswoman for Mr. Phelan said in a statement. “Speaker Phelan stands in full support of the general investigating committee and the recommendations that may come as a result of their thorough and diligent investigation.”
The most recent tensions initially burst into public view on Tuesday afternoon when Mr. Paxton, who is already under indictment for securities fraud, accused Mr. Phelan of performing his duties while drunk and called for the speaker’s resignation.
The move sent a shock through Austin. Shortly after, word came that Mr. Paxton might have had a personal motive for attacking the speaker: The House investigating committee had subpoenaed records from Mr. Paxton’s office, as part of an inquiry into the attorney general’s request for $3.3 million in state money to settle corruption allegations brought against him by his own former high-ranking aides.
Cities Pay Out $80 Mill Because Cops Just Couldn’t Resist Beating Protestors During 2020 Protests:
The brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on 25 May 2020 sparked the largest nationwide demonstrations since the civil rights era, as upwards of 26 million people gathered to protest racism and police brutality.
But, three years later, at least 19 US cities will pay more than $80m total to protesters who sustained various injuries as a result of law enforcement action, ranging from being teargassed to being shot with projectiles, and have filed dozens of civil lawsuits.
Verheyden-Hilliard noted that mass settlements were paid out for police violence experienced during the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 and 2012 and for police using excessive force during anti-globalization protests in the early 2000s. Then came 2020.
“We had millions of people flowing into the street to stand against racist police violence. And in city after city and small town after small town, law enforcement was deployed to violently repress demonstrators,” Mara Verheyden-Hilliard said.
Uh, Khakis? Carney’s gotta Carney.
What do you want to talk about?
Sadly Ken Paxton is well coated with Texas Teflon (Good blues band name, especially for a Stevie Ray tribute) and has been “under investigation” for a decade, as ever Texans could care less. Having said that I see circular annihilation to be a distinct possibility. The cops and “crowd control”, say what you will there is a distinct element of Fascist brutality in many of them, now it will soak assorted cities in court costs and damages, and it’s well deserved. In Delaware it’s obvious as well: Control the police or they will control you. As in hi “speaker Pete”.
Karl Baker’s new independent site is up
https://thenewsarcade.substack.com/p/delaware-announces-new-company-to
We only need to spend another 100 million to give our public resource away to private enterprise.
It’s quite a deal… or what Bullock calls “a game” which is pretty neat.
Supreme Court further weakens Clean Water Act:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/25/supreme-court-clean-water-act/
I like how Karl Baker stacked Carney’s promises of five years ago against the current reality.
Also, “Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, who chairs the Diamond State Port Corporation board…”
This is the heart of the Delaware Way: “Conflict of interest? What’s that?”
He’s one of the Carperites I can stand the least.
Could you imagine a statewide ticket with Sarah McBride running for Congress and Eugene Young running for Governor?
With Gene running for Governor, we wouldn’t have to ‘settle’ for choosing from among a field of uninspiring candidates for the office. And Sarah would immediately have one of the highest profiles in the House.
Only thing I wouldn’t want to see would be the two of them primarying each other. That would be a catastrophic waste of progressive resources.
NOT ENOUGH POPCORN IN DELAWARE!!!!!!!
Far-Right Conspiracy Theorist Lauren Witzke Is ‘Seriously Considering’ Running for Senate in Delaware Again
Kyle MantylaBy Kyle Mantyla | May 24, 2023 11:43 am
In 2020, Republican voters in Delaware chose right-wing conspiracy theorist Lauren Witzke to be the party’s nominee in the election for a seat in the United States Senate. Witzke was a QAnon conspiracy theorist and white nationalist who then tapped an antisemitic monarchist to manage her campaign.
She doesn’t ‘seriously’ do anything.
She seriously grifts