DL Open Thread: Thursday, July 21, 2022
Trump Hands Maryland Governor’s Office To D’s. His candidate defeated the ‘establishment’ candidate backed by outgoing Governor Larry Hogan:
The chief antagonist of Mr. Cox’s campaign was less any future Democratic opponent or even Ms. Schulz than it was Mr. Hogan, who won two terms as governor of an overwhelmingly Democratic state by focusing on Maryland’s economy while avoiding thorny social issues.
In the past, Mr. Cox has associated himself with followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory. He has tweeted the group’s hashtag, and in April he appeared at an event called Patriots Arise at a hotel in Gettysburg, Pa., that was organized by a right-wing social media influencer whose website has promoted a QAnon slogan.
There, Mr. Cox promoted a similar brand of Christian nationalism that has animated the campaign of Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, who has endorsed Mr. Cox.
“The Constitution does not give us our liberties. It merely protects those that were given by God,” Mr. Cox said at the event. “We have natural rights that supersede any governor, any government, any official, all of which is based upon the fact that we are created in his image.”
Looks like the D’s rejected the centrist candidacy of former DNC Chair Tom Perez, although Maryland’s idiotic laws prevent the counting of any mail-in ballots until at least today.
Here is the likely D challenger. Wes Moore. Looks very promising to me. Could end up a national figure.
Something Stinks In The Secret Service. Even the supposed ‘watchdog’ kept his mouth shut:
The previously unreported revelation about the inspector general’s months-long delay in flaggingthe now-vanished Secret Service textscame from two whistleblowers who have worked with Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, the people knowledgeable about the internal discussions said.
It’s becoming increasing likely that high-ranking officials in the Secret Service conspired to keep Trump in office. BTW, here’s a typical non-denial denial:
The Secret Service’s letter said it has, however, “disclosed voluminous amounts” of records to the OIG’s office.
Just not the stuff that matters.
Progressives To Biden: Stop Sending Military Weapons To Cops:
“Militarized law enforcement increases the prevalence of police violence without making our communities safer,” they wrote, in a letter obtained by HuffPost. “When law enforcement has access to military equipment, they are more likely to use it, rather than other more appropriate and traditional law enforcement tools. Furthermore, the negative effects of police militarization disproportionately affects communities of color.”
Federal programs have helped arm thousands of U.S. police departments with military-style vehicles, weapons and tactical equipment, and fueled aggressive tactics against the public. After Floyd’s murder, police in dozens of cities responded to nonviolent protesters in armored vehicles and body armor. Many departments have used flash-bang grenades and armored vehicles for routine police work, such as serving warrants and making traffic stops.
Dozens of agencies have claimed they need military equipment in order to protect officers in high-risk situations or to protect the public during natural disasters only to then use the equipment to terrorize Black neighborhoods, peaceful protests against police and Native American environmental activists, a series of HuffPost investigations found last year.
The investigations showed restrictions on the program to be incredibly lax. For example, although agencies that have violated civilians’ civil rights are nominally banned from the program, the ban is so narrowly defined that the Defense Department made a literal rubber stamp to approve transfers.
San Antonio, Texas, which added more to its population than any other US city in the 12 months ending July 2021, has already had more than a dozen days over 100F this summer and hit 104F on Tuesday. Phoenix, second on the population growth rankings compiled by the US census, also hit 104F on Tuesday and has suffered a record number of heat-related deaths this year. Meanwhile, Fort Worth, Texas, third on the population growth list, has a “red flag” warning in place amid temperatures that have reached 109F this week.
Cities that stretch across the “sun belt” of the southern and southwestern US have in recent years enjoyed population booms, with people lured by the promise of cheap yet expansive properties, warm winters and plentiful jobs, with several large corporations shifting their bases to states with low taxes and cheaper cost of living.
But this growth is now clashing with the reality of the climate emergency, with parts of the sun belt enduring the worst drought in more than 1,000 years, record wildfires and punishing heat that is triggering a range of medical conditions, as well as excess deaths.
“There’s been this tremendous amount of growth and it’s come with a cost,” said Jesse Keenan, an expert in climate adaption at Tulane University. Keenan pointed out that since the 1990s several states have gutted housing regulations to spur development that has now left several cities, such as in Scottsdale, Arizona, struggling to secure enough water to survive.
“The deregulation is really catching up with communities and they are paying that price today,” Keenan said. “We are seeing places run out of water, no proper subdivision controls to ensure there are enough trees to help lower the heat, and lots of low-density suburbs full of cars that create air pollution that only gets worse in hot weather. We’ve reached a crunch point.”
Assault Weapons Lovers Sue Carney. Claim Constitution protects their rights to inflict carnage on the populace:
“This is another effort to demonize an object that doesn’t hurt people unless it’s used by people that want to injure people in a violent way,” Hague said. “DSSA has maintained for years that the way to solve violent crime that’s done by any means–whether it’s knives, fists, feet, guns, golf clubs, tire irons, hammers–is to look at the person behind the weapons, not the weapon itself.”
Hague claimed this law would do nothing to lower violent crime in the state of Delaware, and said legal action was pending against the other bills passed as part of a gun control package, including HB451 and SS1 for SB6. Request for comment on the filing, found in full below, was submitted to the governor’s office, and this coverage will be updated if an when a response is provided.
Pity the poor assault weapon. Why’s everybody always picking on it?
Proposed Edgemoor Port Expansion Could Threaten Wildlife And Humans. Rep. Deb Heffernan, who is supposed to represent the area, snuck money into the Bond Bill for this project and has been ‘unavailable for comment’ ever since. Just one more reason to support Becca Cotto.
What do you want to talk about?
The reporter on the Edgemoor story (Konner Metz) does an excellent job of explaining the roadblocks that agencies put in the way of citizens trying to make their voice heard:
“But so far, the biggest problem is simply being heard. The coalition’s appeal process with DNREC and the Appeals Board has been no smooth ride.
An initial group appeal was signed by five members and heard on April 12, but the board ruled that the organization must secure legal counsel or appeal as individuals to continue forward. Mr. Richardson saw this rule as a “barrier to public participation” and an unnecessary burden on the coalition that does not have the means to hire an attorney.
In response, Mr. Richardson and four others appealed as individuals, protesting “forced disaggregation of (their) efforts” and the “forcing of each individual to face a team of lawyers paid by the state.”
In a copy of Mr. Richardson’s amended appeal, he claims that the Appeals Board failed to respond within 30 days to the original group appeal. He also detailed problems with the April 12 hearing.
Mr. Richardson said DNREC changed the hearing’s online link the day before. The coalition scrambled to send out the updated link to community members who planned to attend, but Mr. Richardson said community participation was decreased, calling the late change “unacceptable.”
“It’s off-putting,” Mr. Richardson said. “It doesn’t create a favorable environment for communities to participate in key decisions that are going to impact the quality of their lives.”
DNREC, of course, wouldn’t comment.
This Konner Metz? He’s an intern at the Delaware State News, and reports on sports at the U of D.
He’s performed a public service with his work on this story.
Yes. That Konner Metz. Was on a team that interviewed him and other intern candidates earlier this year. Very impressive.
I hope every gun lover dies by one. It’s what they deserve.
This Edgemoor story has inspired me to get moving on my planned $50 donation to each of the candidates I support for 2022 starting with Cotto.
We have an opportunity to significantly challenge the pro-developer voting-block on council by way of reelecting Carter and promoting some new faces. Valerie George is a yes and I am vetting the District 1 candidates now.
If you are interested in Environmental Justice and want to follow how NCC is approaching it in its Comp Plan, listen to the commentary from Tuesday’s council land use meeting. People are not happy along the industrial corridor or in the “growth zone” (entire county below the canal)
https://nccde.new.swagit.com/videos/177414
The prior committee recieved the Auditor’s report and Jea Street took the open comment period to talk about the outrage over how NCC soft-glove treatment of the cop who man-handled the 16 year old girl, giving appropriate thanks to the one cop who reported the incident.
https://nccde.new.swagit.com/videos/177409
Apparently the Speaker can speak to a reporter about Rep. Kowalko’s inspector general bill, but there’s no mention of the reporter asking what the Speaker thinks about KMG’s conviction or whether the House should act to remove her from office – https://delawarelive.com/kowalko-schwartzkopf-inspector-general-bill/
“A majority of Americans say Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide, according to a new poll…”
National majorities don’t matter anymore. Which states are willing to vote out their Republican senators for not supporting this new law? None.
Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn Thompson votes against the Respect for Marriage Act.
One of his children is getting married this weekend to their partner. They are openly gay.
https://www.gawker.com/politics/gop-rep-glenn-thompson-votes-against-gay-marriage-before-kids-gay-marriage
Oh, also, Biden has COVID. I guess that’s old news now, like so 8 hours ago.