DL Open Thread: Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Trump’s Last-Gasp Band Of Bedraggled Autocratic Groupies. It’s been a month and a half since the election. The ‘President’ is still fighting to overturn the will of the people. Here’s a rundown of those who stand with him.
AG Barr Is Not Among Of Them. He’s just another spurned Trump lover now. Speaking of which, is Mike Pence now officially among the spurned?
THIS Is How You Fight Back Against Fake News. Threaten to sue the bastards, and force them to walk back their claims.
Deadliest Year In US History. Life expectancy could drop by as much as three years.
Political Appointees Distorted At Least 13 Covid Reports From CDC. Rep. Clyburn issues subpoenas to investigate extensive meddling.
Trump Tries To Change Budget Process In Order To Stymie Biden. These ongoing attempts to cripple the next Administration have been under-reported.
‘Forever Chemicals’ Pollute Waterways–Just About Everywhere In US. The problem?:
…per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a broad category of chemicals invented in the mid-1900s to add desirable properties such as stain-proofing and anti-sticking to shoes, cookware and other everyday objects.
…Indeed, various forms of PFAS are still used in a spectrum of industrial and consumer products – from nonstick frying pans and stain-resistant carpets to food wrappers and firefighting foam – and have become ubiquitous. The chemicals enter the environment anywhere they are made, spilled, discharged or used. Rain can flush them into surface sources of drinking water such as lakes, or PFAS may gradually migrate through the soil to reach the groundwater – another key source of public water systems and private wells.
…PFAS dates back to the 1930s and 1940s, when Dupont and Manhattan Project scientists each accidentally discovered the chemicals. The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, now 3M, soon began manufacturing PFAS as a key ingredient in Scotchgard and other non-stick, waterproof and stain-resistant products.
Thousands of different PFAS chemicals emerged over the following decades, including the two most-studied versions: PFOS and PFOA. Oral-B began using PFAS in dental floss. Gore-Tex used it to make waterproof fabrics. Hush Puppies used it to waterproof leather for shoes. And DuPont, along with its spin-off company Chemours, used the chemicals to make its popular Teflon coatings.
Read the whole damn, article, will ya’? No subscription required, although donations are appreciated. I donate.
State To Pay Feds For Toxic Cleanup At ‘The Underground City At Fort DuPont’. “Come for the ambience, stay for the exposure to toxic waste”. I might just have a future as their marketing director…
Starting Saturday, December 26: You know it, you LOVE it, can’t get enough OF it. Yes, it’s the annual countdown of my 50 Fave Songs Of The Year.
What do you want to talk about?
BREAKING: Alex Padilla to replace Kamala Harris in Senate. He’s Cali’s Secretary of State. When a son of a short order cook and a homemaker from Mexico can successfully work his way through MIT while holding down janitorial jobs to pay for his schooling, he’s got something going for him.
Gov. Newsom will also be able to name a replacement for AG, should Xavier Becarra be approved as Biden’s Secretary Of Health & Human Services.
“ These ongoing attempts to cripple the next Administration have been under-reported.”
Hate to sound like a broken record but Coons’ persistent delusion that the GOP is going to work with Biden is a danger to the country.
You didn’t watch Morning Joe this morning. Scarborough might as well have had a bib on with a picture of a moderate senator. The meme is ‘the moderates sealed the relief package deal. This is what the country needs.’
Might have to start watching Beverly Hillbillies and Leave It To Beaver reruns in the morning…
Be careful. The intellectual leap upwards from the U.S. Senate to the Beverly Hillbillies might be more than anyone can take.
The elocution of Mrs. Drysdale is something to which we should all aspire.
McConnell only agreed to hold a vote for the COVID bill because he perceived it to be in his interest with respect to the Georgia runoffs. If the Repubs were heavier favorites in Georgia, Mitch wouldn’t have been interested in the COVID bill at all. Coons thinks the COVID bill was a victory for bipartisanship, but the hero is Stacey Abrams who made Georgia close.
Biden’s Nominee For Secretary Of Education. Looks like a promising selection:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/us/politics/biden-education-secretary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dr-deborah-birx-head-of-white-house-coronavirus-task-force-says-shell-retire-after-thanksgiving-criticism?ref=home?ref=home
Dr. Deborah Birx travels to Delaware to meet several generations of her family, lied and said she didn’t, gets called on it, apologizes for a day, says she’ll retire forever soon.
When the person in charge of the hiring makes it clear he’s not gonna hire you, or even keep you on, you might as well announce that you’re retiring.