DL Open Thread: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Wag The Dog: Netanyahu Proclaims ‘We Are At War’. Only question is, how many Palestinians will be killed by American weapons?:
Israel and Gaza were at war on Saturday after Palestinian militants launched an early morning assault on southern Israel that had few precedents in its complexity and scale, invading several Israeli towns and firing thousands of rockets toward cities as far away as Jerusalem.
The militants crossed into Israel by land, sea and air, according to the Israeli military. By late morning, at least 22 Israelis had been reported dead by the country’s main ambulance service, and Israel had retaliated with massive strikes on Gazan cities, killing at least one Palestinian, according to local reports.
Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said the White House “unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians” and that the United States stands “firmly” with the government and people of Israel.
Unprovoked. Especially since Natanyahu has been so humane to the Palestinian people.
At an emergency meeting of Israel’s cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will “reinforce other frontiers” so that others do not “make the mistake of joining this war,” according to his office.
‘Reinforce other frontiers’. Something he never has done before. Except always.
Right On Cue, Fox News Host Calls For Civil War. Losing elections sure changes one’s perspective. He should be summarily fired, but won’t be:
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld erupted with dark rhetoric during Thursday’s broadcast of “The Five,” appearing to advocate for a new American civil war because “elections don’t work” and the nation is in “peril and chaos,” the Daily Beast reports. The host, whose takes have grown more extreme in recent years, made the remarks during a discussion on the recent looting in Philadelphia. Gutfeld bemoaned how some looters received lesser consequences than participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection, who he claimed received harsher sentences because of their race and political affiliations. He went on to allege they were being “driven out of cities by the oppressed” and compared the political tensions of the moment to the turmoil around slavery that gave birth to the Civil War. “Doesn’t that feel that way now?” Gutfeld rhetorically asked. “That this defiant refusal to reverse this decline argues against the survival of a country. What does that leave you with? It leaves you with ‘you need to make war to bring peace’ because you have a side that cannot change. Because then that means the admission that their beliefs have been corrupt all the time.”
Who Is Second In Line To The Presidency? I’ll wait. Answer at the bottom of this piece.
Wisconsin Gerrymander In Jeopardy. Can the Rethugs impeach the (likely) deciding judge in time?:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote along partisan lines Friday, agreed to hear a challenge to Republican-drawn legislative maps after a newly elected liberal justice declined to recuse herself.
Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s decision to remain on the cases increases the chance that Republicans, who control the Legislature and drew the maps, may proceed with the unprecedented step of impeaching her. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has threatened impeachment if she doesn’t step down.
“Recusal decisions are controlled by the law,” Protasiewicz wrote. “They are not a matter of personal preference. If precedent requires it, I must recuse. But if precedent does not warrant recusal, my oath binds me to participate.”
Protasiewicz said in Friday’s order that she could find no case in which a judge recused because a political party not involved in the litigation had contributed to their campaign. She also noted, in a jab at her colleagues, that “justices of this court have repeatedly participated in redistricting cases despite receiving substantial support from politically affiliated groups during their campaigns.”
Best. Pope. Ever. Granted, there’s not much competition. But, still:
This week, hundreds of delegates from around the world began a monthlong meeting as part of Pope Francis’ “Synod on Synodality”—a gathering to discuss the future of the Catholic Church. It could radically change the religion. The group is considering groundbreaking alterations to orthodoxy on same-sex unions and whether or not women can be ordained as priests. The process has changed, too. For the first time, delegates include women. (Yikes!)
The lead up has been punctuated by conservative concerns about just how liberal this meeting may get. The synod kicks off days after a letter became public in which the pope considered blessing the existence of queer couples and the allowance of female priests.
Sacrilege! This immediately causes every man watching Notre Dame football at the Stapler Club to question their masculinity. But, I digress:
Pope Francis wrote that while marriage is an “exclusive, stable and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to conceiving children,” pastoral charity is also needed, and may be discretionary. Pastoral prudence, he wrote, “must adequately discern if there are forms of blessing, solicited by one or various persons, that don’t transmit a mistaken concept of marriage.” On female priesthood, the pope asserted that, whereas nobody can publicly contradict the church’s current rules prohibiting women’s ordination, they should study it.
For some, this rhetoric may seem like the bare minimum. But for others, like Americans on the right, it’s scary as hell.
Conservative Catholics across the U.S. have been some of the most vocal globally in pushing against reforms, and fear that the church is changing in a way that doesn’t match scripture or their ideology. One New York City priest, Reverend Gerald Murray, worried publicly that the pope “will authorize things that are not contained in Catholic doctrine or that will contradict it,” like women deacons or blessing gay unions. “We’re not Protestants,” he said.
Nope. Just ignorami. Which, BTW, comes from the Latin, the definition being ‘We do not know’. Exactly.
Excrement Excitement. Animal poop exhibit opens in London. Have at it, folks:
A pile of something resembling chocolate raisins is displayed on what looks like a cake base. There’s an artful assemblage of something the size and shape of oysters – and isn’t that chocolate torte and sticky toffee pudding over there?
“They look like something from Bake Off,” says Tracey Lee, an artist and former zookeeper, whose unique collection of animal excrement goes on public display for the first time this weekend in London.
From the distinctive square nuggets of the wombat to the minuscule hand grenades of the death’s head hawkmoth caterpillar, the produce of 120 different rear ends make up The Origin of the Faeces: Poo at the Zoo.
There’s even a quiz: Can you get the straight poop on the respective poopers? Try your (gloved) hand at it.
Delaware’s Newest Supreme Court Justice. Yes, there are political connections, although something tells me he may be more enlightened than Jim Vaughn’s son. As would pretty much any ‘Democrat’.
Wilmington City Council Votes Against More Transparency. The cynic in me suggests that perhaps they’re just trying to curry favor with future Mayor John Carney. It still sucks:
Measures that would have improved public access to legislative business and expanded public comment opportunities were struck down by Wilmington City Council on Thursday.
The resolutions, brought before the public body by Councilmember Shane Darby, would have required draft legislation to accompany council and committee agenda items and added public comment following each legislative item during council meetings.
The two resolutions were swiftly defeated by council members, who expressed concern over burdening city staff with additional posting requirements and prompting lengthy meetings with added public comment.
The measure failed 6-5, with council members Michelle Harlee and Chris Johnson absent.
Council members Zanthia Oliver, Vincent White, Bregetta Fields, Al Mills, Maria Cabrera and Latisha Bracy voted against the resolution while Darby, Yolanda McCoy, Nathan Field, James Spadola and Council President Ernest “Trippi” Congo voted for it.
“I want transparency to the community so that they have time to digest and read and participate in our government,” Darby said. “We are actually the only government that allows for something like this to happen. You can’t go on a state level to a committee meeting that is posted and not have the legislation available. It is just unacceptable to me.”
Personal To Shane Darby: You want transparency? Run for mayor. You’d be great. Plus, I can simply repurpose my Shane For State Rep t-shirt. Now that I think about it, I can’t come up with anyone I’d rather have running for mayor.
Oh, second in line to the Presidency? It’s Sen. Patty Murray of Washington State.
What do you want to talk about?
Fact: Bethany’s and her husband’s private business dealings include a secretly operated LLC that did section 8 housing deals are making her supporters nervous.
Adding slumlord to the mix won’t help her cause, not to mention the lack of required public disclosures. People in her campaign that are trying to support her are now talking openly about her businesses.
Didn’t Dana Long have something to do with housing in his NCC job? Guess I’ll have to check our archives…
Yep, thought so:
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2016/04/06/gordon-denies-wrongdoing-alleged-recordings/82711180/
From the linked 2016 article:
“The News Journal on Tuesday reported on the contents of an audio recording released by former Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi in which Gordon talks about how contracted housing inspector Dana Long can’t be fired because Long is married to state Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, D-Middletown.
The recording is of a 2015 phone conversation in which Grimaldi is heard saying that Dana Long allegedly confessed to supervisors that he accessed data about Section 8 housing voucher recipients and used the information to call the voucher holders for political purposes a year earlier. Hall-Long, now a candidate for lieutenant governor, in 2014 was running for re-election to her Senate seat.”
No evidence of guilt, but did Dana Long ‘confess’, or didn’t he? Did he and BHL take advantage of his inside knowledge to build a company together?
Idk but with “supporters” like that, who needs enemies…
If these daily drip drip drips continue I’m not sure she can or even should stay in the race let alone actually be governor.
It’s just about PAST time for her to at least publicly share what’s going on. But burying transparency is apparently a trait she shares with Carney.
Yes. And would voters really be comfortable with a slumlord as governor, let alone a closeted one at that?
Plus, if they DO have an LLC, and its success was built on Dana Long getting access to information as a public servant that should have been confidential, and then using it to build a business with his wife, she absolutely should stop running, should step down as Lieutenant Governor, and the case should be referred to the AG’s office for investigation of possible crimes.
And, if THIS is what her mediocre team of hacks is trying to cover up, the stink needs to be on them as well.
Yes. And in light of criminal issues around wilmington housing projects, how can Carney hold himself higher than the Potters when his own handpicked successor is tainted by the same ethical issues.
Supporters of the sitting lieutenant governor are apparently continuing to distance themselves. One has to wonder what Carney’s staff and housing secretary knew about this. I can’t imagine a standup guy like Eugene letting this fly.
C’mon, that’s a stretch, to put it mildly.
This shit predates Eugene getting his position, and there’s nothing to suggest he knew anything about this. You don’t think he would have told Carney if he did?
You do yourself no favors when you make that kind of a leap in logic.
No. Let me clear: I’m saying there’s no way Eugene could have known about this, but also questioning what carneys other minions knew if anything. This hasn’t been the most honest administration.
Welp, 50 Israelis killed, I guess it’s only fair for 5,000 Gaza Strip residents to be blown to smithereens in the next few days. Then they’ll call it even.
Over 700 Israelis murdered at last count. 10 Americans. Old women and children held hostage. Women raped and murdered.
You believe this is justified?
Let the Israelis do whatever they want and send them the means to do so. If Iran objects, let the Tomahawks and JDAMs fly. These animals must be taught a lesson they will not soon forget.
“invading several Israeli towns ….”
Um… you can’t “invade” your own country.
Watching local politicians pander by promoting participation in I stand with Israel rallies and proclaiming their own pro-Israel stance is making me sick. By all means denounce the Hamas attacks on civilians but stfu about standing with Israel. The current Israeli government is guilty of ongoing oppression (and worse) of Palestinians in the occupied territories. A large minority of Israeli Jews has been protesting the Netanyahu government’s policies regarding Palestine for years now. I stand with them. And I stand with the Gazans whose loved ones will be killed in Israel’s disproportionate retaliation under the guise of defending itself.
This graphic gives the context our local politicians conveniently ignore.
https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/16516.jpeg
Agreed! And shout out to Madinah Wilson Anton for her bold statement on Instagram today:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyL6Wt3x9QT/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Madinah seems useful as a local progressive, and I did contribute to her campaign. But this statement is a helpful reminder never to send her to Washington.
“The current Israeli government is guilty of ongoing oppression (and worse) of Palestinians in the occupied territories.”
True for the West Bank. However, Israel ended its occupation of Gaza in 2005.
Gaza’s suffering since then is wholly a result of its extremist government.
Besides, just look at the map. Gaza is not a viable sovereign state simply by geography.
Hamas is evil. Full-stop. They deserve all the retribution they are about to receive. The people they killed were innocent victims.
Problem is that the people who will suffer the brunt of the Israeli counter-offensive have no control over Hamas.
Yes, that is one of two competing problems. The other problem is that nonetheless, Hamas (the organization) must still be eradicated. They are likely to resist peaceful arrest, and to do so by hiding among the aforementioned human shields.
I suppose there is a case to be made that Israel should turn the other cheek after the Hamas attack. How do you see that playing out in five, ten years?
Denounce Hamas’s latest attacks and kidnappings, yes, of course, but stand with all the innocent civilians, Israeli and Gazan, who are caught in this shitshow. It’s sad to see one-sided sympathy and knee-jerk pro-Israel proclamations that come off as jingoistic and self-serving. I thought Dems were the party that stood up for the voiceless minority. In DE, that isn’t the Zionist Jews. They HAVE political power. It’s non-Zionist Jews and Palestinian-Americans, and Muslims more broadly whose perspective is ignored in favor of waving the Israeli flag like a campaign banner.
And who or what created the conditions that led to Hamas’s control over Gaza? There’s blame to go around, but it’s certainly not the 1 million Gazan children living in the strip.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/09/gaza-strip-israel-hamas-explained/#
I’m going to play along here and accept the premise, for the moment, that there is a majority of innocent Gazans who don’t support Hamas or the forever war with Israel.
If only there was a way for Israel and its allies to offer Gazans peace and prosperity in exchange for renouncing Hamas, Iran, and jihad.