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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
December 17, 2020
Public health officials weigh in on safer sex & dating during COVID – but will anyone listen?
Would you consider getting "a little kinky and creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls"?
By NICOLE KARLIS
DECEMBER 17, 2020 12:21AM
(Salon) Earlier this month, San Francisco implemented a new stay-at-home order banning city-dwellers from seeing another person outside of their households. While the act of dating wasn't explicitly mentioned in the order, many took this opportunity to assume that dating was canceled. Nearly a week later, the city quietly updated its order stating that people were allowed to meet with one other person outside one's household. Two people could take a walk, hang out at the park, or — according to the order's wording — "play low-contact sports like golf, tennis, pickleball, and bocce ball (but don't share equipment)."
Did this cryptic change mean dating was back on?
San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney proceeded to tweet about the change and provide more transparency around what this meant in the realm of dating. "In-person dating is no longer banned in San Francisco, but you can only date outdoors and no double dates," he tweeted. "You can kiss, but only if you move in together."
Haney went on to explain that his tongue-in-cheek tweets, which were both "factual and sarcastic," had a bigger point, which was to give people "more ways to interact with each other safely." "Dating will happen," he said. "People will spend time together. Acting as though it won't is unrealistic, contradictory, and will backfire."
....(snip)....
In The Atlantic, Julia Marcus, an epidemiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School, argued that Americans haven't received the correct "harm-reduction approach" to reopening their lives during the pandemic. Marcus noted how public health officials in the Netherlands advised that people find a "seksbuddy," a trusted person to have an exclusive sexual relationship with during lockdown. "Unlike abstinence-only messaging, which simply instructs people to stay home, a harm-reduction approach acknowledges that people will take risks for a variety of reasons, including a basic need for pleasure," Marcus wrote. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/16/dating-sex-covid-19-guidelines-public-health/
"a little kinky and creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls"?
Public health officials weigh in on safer sex & dating during COVID – but will anyone listen?
Would you consider getting "a little kinky and creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls"?
By NICOLE KARLIS
DECEMBER 17, 2020 12:21AM
(Salon) Earlier this month, San Francisco implemented a new stay-at-home order banning city-dwellers from seeing another person outside of their households. While the act of dating wasn't explicitly mentioned in the order, many took this opportunity to assume that dating was canceled. Nearly a week later, the city quietly updated its order stating that people were allowed to meet with one other person outside one's household. Two people could take a walk, hang out at the park, or — according to the order's wording — "play low-contact sports like golf, tennis, pickleball, and bocce ball (but don't share equipment)."
Did this cryptic change mean dating was back on?
San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney proceeded to tweet about the change and provide more transparency around what this meant in the realm of dating. "In-person dating is no longer banned in San Francisco, but you can only date outdoors and no double dates," he tweeted. "You can kiss, but only if you move in together."
Haney went on to explain that his tongue-in-cheek tweets, which were both "factual and sarcastic," had a bigger point, which was to give people "more ways to interact with each other safely." "Dating will happen," he said. "People will spend time together. Acting as though it won't is unrealistic, contradictory, and will backfire."
....(snip)....
In The Atlantic, Julia Marcus, an epidemiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School, argued that Americans haven't received the correct "harm-reduction approach" to reopening their lives during the pandemic. Marcus noted how public health officials in the Netherlands advised that people find a "seksbuddy," a trusted person to have an exclusive sexual relationship with during lockdown. "Unlike abstinence-only messaging, which simply instructs people to stay home, a harm-reduction approach acknowledges that people will take risks for a variety of reasons, including a basic need for pleasure," Marcus wrote. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/16/dating-sex-covid-19-guidelines-public-health/
December 16, 2020
(Newsweek) The city of Detroit is asking a federal court to sanction attorney Sidney Powell and other lawyers involved in filing a suit that sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Michigan.
Powell, who is no longer associated with President Donald Trump's campaign, promised to release "the Kraken" in a series of suits but has been unsuccessful so far, with courts in four states dismissing appeals for relief arising from unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.
Now, Detroit is seeking fines for Powell and the other attorneys and asking that they be banned from practicing law in the Eastern District of Michigan. The motion also asks that they face sanction by the Michigan state bar. ..........(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/detroit-fine-ban-kraken-lawyer-sidney-powell-1555137
Detroit Seeks Fine and District Ban for 'Kraken' Lawyer Sidney Powell
(Newsweek) The city of Detroit is asking a federal court to sanction attorney Sidney Powell and other lawyers involved in filing a suit that sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Michigan.
Powell, who is no longer associated with President Donald Trump's campaign, promised to release "the Kraken" in a series of suits but has been unsuccessful so far, with courts in four states dismissing appeals for relief arising from unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.
Now, Detroit is seeking fines for Powell and the other attorneys and asking that they be banned from practicing law in the Eastern District of Michigan. The motion also asks that they face sanction by the Michigan state bar. ..........(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/detroit-fine-ban-kraken-lawyer-sidney-powell-1555137
December 16, 2020
(Detroit Free Press) A longshot legal effort relying on conspiracy theories and inaccurate analyses to argue President Donald Trump actually won Michigan included additional blatantly false information in a new filing with the U.S. Supreme Court this week.
The legal team, including attorney Sidney Powell, told the court the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature backs its effort to allow a so-called GOP slate of Electoral College delegates cast the state's 16 electoral votes for Trump.
This is wrong. On Monday, Republican leaders of the Michigan House and Senate publicly acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden won the election. The same day, the state's actual 16 electoral college delegates voted for Biden, who received 154,000 more votes than Trump in Michigan.
It's unlikely the Supreme Court will take up this or any of the legal claims from Powell and her team. Powell previously appeared at press conferences with Rudy Giuliani and other Trump attorneys, but the campaign has since sought to distance itself from her. .........(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/12/16/new-supreme-court-filing-blatantly-wrong-information-michigan/3920800001/
Another spam Supreme Court filing full of lies
(Detroit Free Press) A longshot legal effort relying on conspiracy theories and inaccurate analyses to argue President Donald Trump actually won Michigan included additional blatantly false information in a new filing with the U.S. Supreme Court this week.
The legal team, including attorney Sidney Powell, told the court the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature backs its effort to allow a so-called GOP slate of Electoral College delegates cast the state's 16 electoral votes for Trump.
This is wrong. On Monday, Republican leaders of the Michigan House and Senate publicly acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden won the election. The same day, the state's actual 16 electoral college delegates voted for Biden, who received 154,000 more votes than Trump in Michigan.
It's unlikely the Supreme Court will take up this or any of the legal claims from Powell and her team. Powell previously appeared at press conferences with Rudy Giuliani and other Trump attorneys, but the campaign has since sought to distance itself from her. .........(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/12/16/new-supreme-court-filing-blatantly-wrong-information-michigan/3920800001/
December 16, 2020
Violent crime rate doubles on CTA rail system, even with stepped-up police efforts and far fewer riders
The rate of violent crime on CTA trains and platforms has more than doubled this year, even though the number of riders has dramatically dropped and Chicago police have stepped up patrols and surveillance, according to a Tribune analysis of police and CTA data.
Ridership this year on the “L” system has been down 61% through September compared with the same period in 2019, according to the CTA. In some months during the spring and summer, it was down more than 85%.
The number of crimes has dropped, too, but not nearly as much as ridership. That means those left riding the system saw a jump in their odds of becoming a victim to a crime on the “L” or at CTA platforms and stations.
From Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, there were roughly 6 violent crimes and 9 nonviolent crimes per 1 million rides on the “L.” The nonviolent crime rate saw a slight uptick, but the violent crime rate has more than doubled from last year, when both types of crime on the CTA rail system reached their highest levels of the decade. .........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/safety-security/news/21202372/il-violent-crime-rate-doubles-on-cta-rail-system-even-with-steppedup-police-efforts-and-far-fewer-riders-the-people-that-are-driving-the-crime-never-left-the-system
Chicago: Violent crime rate doubles on CTA rail system, even with stepped-up police efforts and ....
Violent crime rate doubles on CTA rail system, even with stepped-up police efforts and far fewer riders
The rate of violent crime on CTA trains and platforms has more than doubled this year, even though the number of riders has dramatically dropped and Chicago police have stepped up patrols and surveillance, according to a Tribune analysis of police and CTA data.
Ridership this year on the “L” system has been down 61% through September compared with the same period in 2019, according to the CTA. In some months during the spring and summer, it was down more than 85%.
The number of crimes has dropped, too, but not nearly as much as ridership. That means those left riding the system saw a jump in their odds of becoming a victim to a crime on the “L” or at CTA platforms and stations.
From Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, there were roughly 6 violent crimes and 9 nonviolent crimes per 1 million rides on the “L.” The nonviolent crime rate saw a slight uptick, but the violent crime rate has more than doubled from last year, when both types of crime on the CTA rail system reached their highest levels of the decade. .........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/safety-security/news/21202372/il-violent-crime-rate-doubles-on-cta-rail-system-even-with-steppedup-police-efforts-and-far-fewer-riders-the-people-that-are-driving-the-crime-never-left-the-system
December 16, 2020
Bill Barr was Trump's biggest enabler and top servant — but his real legacy is even darker
Barr knows that Trump's loss means he's done all he can to consolidate power for future GOP imperial presidents
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
DECEMBER 16, 2020 2:16PM
(Salon) Poor Bill Barr.
After all that he did for President Trump, Barr was still forced out of his job as Attorney General for failing to hurl himself over a cliff as a human sacrifice. Trump wanted him to use the Department of Justice to help overturn his election loss which even Barr wasn't able to finesse. Adding insult to injury, Trump just couldn't forgive him for failing to "pull a Comey" by using a DOJ investigation of Hunter Biden to sabotage Joe Biden's campaign.
Not that Trump's unceremonious dumping stopped Barr from debasing himself even more ostentatiously than usual by offering a "resignation letter" that he obviously cribbed from one of those flowery love notes North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un used to write to Trump during their passionate bromance. I'm guessing that was the price of getting out without being fired via an insulting tweet which seems to be something Republican men fear even more than thermonuclear war or feminism. It just goes to show that no matter how much people are willing to prostitute themselves for Donald Trump, they are only as good as their last bad deed. As Amanda Marcotte pointed out, Trump even stabbed his old mentor Roy Cohn in the back when he no longer had use for him:
....(snip)....
As I mentioned on Monday, there has been some chatter that after Barr took the unusual step of making John Durham into a Special Counsel, which somewhat insulates him from a Biden Department of Justice, Trump wanted Barr to appoint other Special Counsels to investigate the baseless election fraud claims and, of course, Hunter Biden. Presumably, Barr declined to lay these landmines on Trump's behalf because the AP reported on Tuesday that Trump is still obsessing on this idea and has been discussing it with numerous other people including White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. His aides are all pushing him hard to do it because they believe "that a special counsel probe could wound a Biden administration before it even begins." And Trump is still debating whether he should pressure Barr's replacement, Jeffrey Rosen and if he can't persuade him, whether to replace him with someone who will do it. This could end up making the Saturday Night Massacre look like a schoolyard squabble. Trump has even suggested that he might be able to appoint the Special Counsels himself. (Bill Barr's many lessons on the unlimited power of the Imperial President — "I have an Article II!!"— seem to have penetrated.) .........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/16/bill-barr-was-trumps-biggest-enabler-and-top-servant--but-his-real-legacy-is-even-darker/
Bill Barr was Trump's biggest enabler and top servant -- but his real legacy is even darker
Bill Barr was Trump's biggest enabler and top servant — but his real legacy is even darker
Barr knows that Trump's loss means he's done all he can to consolidate power for future GOP imperial presidents
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
DECEMBER 16, 2020 2:16PM
(Salon) Poor Bill Barr.
After all that he did for President Trump, Barr was still forced out of his job as Attorney General for failing to hurl himself over a cliff as a human sacrifice. Trump wanted him to use the Department of Justice to help overturn his election loss which even Barr wasn't able to finesse. Adding insult to injury, Trump just couldn't forgive him for failing to "pull a Comey" by using a DOJ investigation of Hunter Biden to sabotage Joe Biden's campaign.
Not that Trump's unceremonious dumping stopped Barr from debasing himself even more ostentatiously than usual by offering a "resignation letter" that he obviously cribbed from one of those flowery love notes North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un used to write to Trump during their passionate bromance. I'm guessing that was the price of getting out without being fired via an insulting tweet which seems to be something Republican men fear even more than thermonuclear war or feminism. It just goes to show that no matter how much people are willing to prostitute themselves for Donald Trump, they are only as good as their last bad deed. As Amanda Marcotte pointed out, Trump even stabbed his old mentor Roy Cohn in the back when he no longer had use for him:
Barr, who publicly lobbied for the job, proceeded to spend the next two years as a loyal flunkie for Trump, leveraging the power of the attorney general's office to shield Trump from any accountability for his various criminal and ethical violations. Barr covered up for the Russian collusion. He tried to fix the Ukraine scandal. In the last days of the campaign, he even bolstered Trump's lies about "voter fraud", obviously an effort to support a conspiracy to steal the election.
....(snip)....
As I mentioned on Monday, there has been some chatter that after Barr took the unusual step of making John Durham into a Special Counsel, which somewhat insulates him from a Biden Department of Justice, Trump wanted Barr to appoint other Special Counsels to investigate the baseless election fraud claims and, of course, Hunter Biden. Presumably, Barr declined to lay these landmines on Trump's behalf because the AP reported on Tuesday that Trump is still obsessing on this idea and has been discussing it with numerous other people including White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. His aides are all pushing him hard to do it because they believe "that a special counsel probe could wound a Biden administration before it even begins." And Trump is still debating whether he should pressure Barr's replacement, Jeffrey Rosen and if he can't persuade him, whether to replace him with someone who will do it. This could end up making the Saturday Night Massacre look like a schoolyard squabble. Trump has even suggested that he might be able to appoint the Special Counsels himself. (Bill Barr's many lessons on the unlimited power of the Imperial President — "I have an Article II!!"— seem to have penetrated.) .........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/16/bill-barr-was-trumps-biggest-enabler-and-top-servant--but-his-real-legacy-is-even-darker/
December 15, 2020
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has awarded the city of Tampa $67.3 million for the Tampa Streetcar Extension Project.
The funding is through the state’s New Starts Transit Program, which aids Florida municipalities in developing fixed-route transit projects to accommodate growth. FDOT Secretary David Gwynn noted the grant is the largest awarded to the Tamp Bay region.
“To realize transit within our region is going to take a village. It’s going to take partnerships between the city of Tampa, HART, Hillsborough County, the state of Florida and the federal government, and (with this announcement) we’re well on our way towards the modernization and extension of our streetcar system,” said Tampa’s Director of Mobility Vik Bhide. .........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/article/21165801/florida-awards-tampa-more-than-67-million-for-streetcar-project
Florida awards Tampa more than $67 million for streetcar project
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has awarded the city of Tampa $67.3 million for the Tampa Streetcar Extension Project.
The funding is through the state’s New Starts Transit Program, which aids Florida municipalities in developing fixed-route transit projects to accommodate growth. FDOT Secretary David Gwynn noted the grant is the largest awarded to the Tamp Bay region.
“To realize transit within our region is going to take a village. It’s going to take partnerships between the city of Tampa, HART, Hillsborough County, the state of Florida and the federal government, and (with this announcement) we’re well on our way towards the modernization and extension of our streetcar system,” said Tampa’s Director of Mobility Vik Bhide. .........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/article/21165801/florida-awards-tampa-more-than-67-million-for-streetcar-project
December 15, 2020
Proud Boys' party is over: Trump fans throw tantrums because they've lost more than an election
Right-wing anger is exploding because they know they're losing — not just the election, but the larger culture war
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
DECEMBER 14, 2020 6:54PM
(Salon) In vino veritas, or perhaps more appropriately, in Bud Light veritas: These were the words that came to mind while I watched Saturday's Proud Boys riot in Washington, D.C.
For years, the Proud Boys have angrily resisted critics who say the group is racist, claiming instead to be for "Western chauvinism." Before the heat got to him and he quit, Proud Boys founder (and onetime Vice co-founder) Gavin McInnes described the group as being "alt-right without the racism." The Boys' insistence that they are absolutely, definitely not a bunch of racists even led to ugly infighting when a splinter group broke off over the refusal of group leaders to commit to overtly white nationalist beliefs.
But on one Saturday night in Washington, fueled by alcohol and rage over Donald Trump's electoral defeat, the pretense that "Western chauvinism" is not a racist ideology collapsed. After hours of drinking and ginning themselves up, the Proud Boys stole Black Lives Matter flags and targeted counter-protesters who were gathered in Black Lives Matter Plaza. A group of Proud Boys dramatically lit a large Black Lives Matter flag on fire, while flashing the "OK" sign, which of late has been appropriated by racists as a "white power" symbol. Vandalism at two historically Black churches, Asbury United Methodist Church and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, is being investigated as a hate crime. Four people were stabbed in altercations between the Proud Boys and counter-protesters.
....(snip)....
This is why right-wingers always act like angry losers, no matter how many political wins they stack up. There's a limit to how much cultural change can be reversed at the ballot box or even in the courts. Of course, the policy fights over police reform, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and immigration matter quite a bit to real people's lives. But even when the right wins on policy, the cultural changes — racial diversity, women's increased equality, the mainstreaming of LGBTQ people — march on. That's why Proud Boys targeted Black Lives Matter iconography instead of, say, the offices of Democratic Party leaders or progressive think tanks.
The same weekend that Proud Boys were throwing a public tantrum in Washington, Cleveland's baseball team finally gave in to longstanding pressure and announced it would drop its venerable but racist name, the "Indians." The move comes after the NFL team in D.C. dropped its former name, which was a far more vicious slur against Native Americans. Trump, unsurprisingly, whined about the Cleveland decision on Twitter, calling it "Cancel culture at work," even though the team's private owners made the decision and its players will take the field next season as usual. Even in using that term, Trump tacitly admitted that his power as president, and as massive cultural icon to the right, can do nothing to stop the anti-racist pressure campaign that caused the name change. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/14/proud-boys-party-is-over-trump-fans-throw-tantrums-because-theyve-lost-more-than-an-election/
Proud Boys' party is over: Trump fans throw tantrums because they've lost more than an election
Proud Boys' party is over: Trump fans throw tantrums because they've lost more than an election
Right-wing anger is exploding because they know they're losing — not just the election, but the larger culture war
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
DECEMBER 14, 2020 6:54PM
(Salon) In vino veritas, or perhaps more appropriately, in Bud Light veritas: These were the words that came to mind while I watched Saturday's Proud Boys riot in Washington, D.C.
For years, the Proud Boys have angrily resisted critics who say the group is racist, claiming instead to be for "Western chauvinism." Before the heat got to him and he quit, Proud Boys founder (and onetime Vice co-founder) Gavin McInnes described the group as being "alt-right without the racism." The Boys' insistence that they are absolutely, definitely not a bunch of racists even led to ugly infighting when a splinter group broke off over the refusal of group leaders to commit to overtly white nationalist beliefs.
But on one Saturday night in Washington, fueled by alcohol and rage over Donald Trump's electoral defeat, the pretense that "Western chauvinism" is not a racist ideology collapsed. After hours of drinking and ginning themselves up, the Proud Boys stole Black Lives Matter flags and targeted counter-protesters who were gathered in Black Lives Matter Plaza. A group of Proud Boys dramatically lit a large Black Lives Matter flag on fire, while flashing the "OK" sign, which of late has been appropriated by racists as a "white power" symbol. Vandalism at two historically Black churches, Asbury United Methodist Church and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, is being investigated as a hate crime. Four people were stabbed in altercations between the Proud Boys and counter-protesters.
....(snip)....
This is why right-wingers always act like angry losers, no matter how many political wins they stack up. There's a limit to how much cultural change can be reversed at the ballot box or even in the courts. Of course, the policy fights over police reform, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and immigration matter quite a bit to real people's lives. But even when the right wins on policy, the cultural changes — racial diversity, women's increased equality, the mainstreaming of LGBTQ people — march on. That's why Proud Boys targeted Black Lives Matter iconography instead of, say, the offices of Democratic Party leaders or progressive think tanks.
The same weekend that Proud Boys were throwing a public tantrum in Washington, Cleveland's baseball team finally gave in to longstanding pressure and announced it would drop its venerable but racist name, the "Indians." The move comes after the NFL team in D.C. dropped its former name, which was a far more vicious slur against Native Americans. Trump, unsurprisingly, whined about the Cleveland decision on Twitter, calling it "Cancel culture at work," even though the team's private owners made the decision and its players will take the field next season as usual. Even in using that term, Trump tacitly admitted that his power as president, and as massive cultural icon to the right, can do nothing to stop the anti-racist pressure campaign that caused the name change. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/14/proud-boys-party-is-over-trump-fans-throw-tantrums-because-theyve-lost-more-than-an-election/
December 15, 2020
The worst people of 2020 (who aren’t Trumps)
Part 1: Seditionists and authoritarians
By Jeffrey C. Billman
(Detroit Metro Times) We’re riding up hard on the ass end of this shit year, which can mean only one thing: listicle season — that glorious time when columnists the world ’round pre-write retrospectives for the final weeks of December and spend the holidays on the sofa chugging whiskey.
Since 2020 has been a parade of horribles, I figured it fitting to cap it off with a list of the year’s worst people. OK, technically, the worst Americans, as I’ve excluded the rest of the world. (Apologies to Narendra Modi.) I’ve also ignored the Trumps — Donald, Bloodshot Eyes Don, the Dumb One, Javanka, the Daughter Donald Forgets He Has, Soon-to-Be-Donald’s-Ex, the whole batch — because what’s the point?
I’ve divided our baddies into four groups, as follows:
• Seditionists: the conspiracy theorists, sore losers, and D-league fascists trying to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
• Authoritarians: those who weakened the rule of law and used violence to quell anti-racist dissent.
• Deniers: people whose ignorance, selfishness, political calculations, or science denial made the COVID-19 pandemic worse than it had to be.
• Cowards, crooks, enablers, and shitheads: Every list needs a catch-all.
So, without further ado, here’s Part 1: Seditionists and Authoritarians.
Group 1. Seditionists
RUDY GIULIANI. Rudy’s had a tough couple of months: farting out loud in a public hearing, that Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, the weird hair dye (or maybe mascara?) incident, trying to get it on with Borat’s pretend-daughter, getting hospitalized for COVID-19, etc. And that’s to say nothing of getting repeatedly humiliated in court, losing lawsuits, and watching his conspiracy theories get debunked. (Honorable mention: Sidney Powell, who filed the quickly dismissed “Kraken” lawsuits, and Mellissa Carone, Giuliani’s viral “star” witness in Michigan.) ...............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/the-worst-people-of-2020-who-arent-trumps/Content?oid=25989346
The worst people of 2020 (who aren't Trumps)
The worst people of 2020 (who aren’t Trumps)
Part 1: Seditionists and authoritarians
By Jeffrey C. Billman
(Detroit Metro Times) We’re riding up hard on the ass end of this shit year, which can mean only one thing: listicle season — that glorious time when columnists the world ’round pre-write retrospectives for the final weeks of December and spend the holidays on the sofa chugging whiskey.
Since 2020 has been a parade of horribles, I figured it fitting to cap it off with a list of the year’s worst people. OK, technically, the worst Americans, as I’ve excluded the rest of the world. (Apologies to Narendra Modi.) I’ve also ignored the Trumps — Donald, Bloodshot Eyes Don, the Dumb One, Javanka, the Daughter Donald Forgets He Has, Soon-to-Be-Donald’s-Ex, the whole batch — because what’s the point?
I’ve divided our baddies into four groups, as follows:
• Seditionists: the conspiracy theorists, sore losers, and D-league fascists trying to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
• Authoritarians: those who weakened the rule of law and used violence to quell anti-racist dissent.
• Deniers: people whose ignorance, selfishness, political calculations, or science denial made the COVID-19 pandemic worse than it had to be.
• Cowards, crooks, enablers, and shitheads: Every list needs a catch-all.
So, without further ado, here’s Part 1: Seditionists and Authoritarians.
Group 1. Seditionists
RUDY GIULIANI. Rudy’s had a tough couple of months: farting out loud in a public hearing, that Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, the weird hair dye (or maybe mascara?) incident, trying to get it on with Borat’s pretend-daughter, getting hospitalized for COVID-19, etc. And that’s to say nothing of getting repeatedly humiliated in court, losing lawsuits, and watching his conspiracy theories get debunked. (Honorable mention: Sidney Powell, who filed the quickly dismissed “Kraken” lawsuits, and Mellissa Carone, Giuliani’s viral “star” witness in Michigan.) ...............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/the-worst-people-of-2020-who-arent-trumps/Content?oid=25989346
December 14, 2020
Proud Boys' party is over: Trump fans throw tantrums because they've lost more than an election
Right-wing anger is exploding because they know they're losing — not just the election, but the larger culture war
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
DECEMBER 14, 2020 6:54PM
(Salon) In vino veritas, or perhaps more appropriately, in Bud Light veritas: These were the words that came to mind while I watched Saturday's Proud Boys riot in Washington, D.C.
For years, the Proud Boys have angrily resisted critics who say the group is racist, claiming instead to be for "Western chauvinism." Before the heat got to him and he quit, Proud Boys founder (and onetime Vice co-founder) Gavin McInnes described the group as being "alt-right without the racism." The Boys' insistence that they are absolutely, definitely not a bunch of racists even led to ugly infighting when a splinter group broke off over the refusal of group leaders to commit to overtly white nationalist beliefs.
But on one Saturday night in Washington, fueled by alcohol and rage over Donald Trump's electoral defeat, the pretense that "Western chauvinism" is not a racist ideology collapsed. After hours of drinking and ginning themselves up, the Proud Boys stole Black Lives Matter flags and targeted counter-protesters who were gathered in Black Lives Matter Plaza. A group of Proud Boys dramatically lit a large Black Lives Matter flag on fire, while flashing the "OK" sign, which of late has been appropriated by racists as a "white power" symbol. Vandalism at two historically Black churches, Asbury United Methodist Church and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, is being investigated as a hate crime. Four people were stabbed in altercations between the Proud Boys and counter-protesters.
....(snip)....
This is why right-wingers always act like angry losers, no matter how many political wins they stack up. There's a limit to how much cultural change can be reversed at the ballot box or even in the courts. Of course, the policy fights over police reform, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and immigration matter quite a bit to real people's lives. But even when the right wins on policy, the cultural changes — racial diversity, women's increased equality, the mainstreaming of LGBTQ people — march on. That's why Proud Boys targeted Black Lives Matter iconography instead of, say, the offices of Democratic Party leaders or progressive think tanks.
The same weekend that Proud Boys were throwing a public tantrum in Washington, Cleveland's baseball team finally gave in to longstanding pressure and announced it would drop its venerable but racist name, the "Indians." The move comes after the NFL team in D.C. dropped its former name, which was a far more vicious slur against Native Americans. Trump, unsurprisingly, whined about the Cleveland decision on Twitter, calling it "Cancel culture at work," even though the team's private owners made the decision and its players will take the field next season as usual. Even in using that term, Trump tacitly admitted that his power as president, and as massive cultural icon to the right, can do nothing to stop the anti-racist pressure campaign that caused the name change. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/14/proud-boys-party-is-over-trump-fans-throw-tantrums-because-theyve-lost-more-than-an-election/
Proud Boys' party is over: Trump fans throw tantrums because they've lost more than an election
Proud Boys' party is over: Trump fans throw tantrums because they've lost more than an election
Right-wing anger is exploding because they know they're losing — not just the election, but the larger culture war
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
DECEMBER 14, 2020 6:54PM
(Salon) In vino veritas, or perhaps more appropriately, in Bud Light veritas: These were the words that came to mind while I watched Saturday's Proud Boys riot in Washington, D.C.
For years, the Proud Boys have angrily resisted critics who say the group is racist, claiming instead to be for "Western chauvinism." Before the heat got to him and he quit, Proud Boys founder (and onetime Vice co-founder) Gavin McInnes described the group as being "alt-right without the racism." The Boys' insistence that they are absolutely, definitely not a bunch of racists even led to ugly infighting when a splinter group broke off over the refusal of group leaders to commit to overtly white nationalist beliefs.
But on one Saturday night in Washington, fueled by alcohol and rage over Donald Trump's electoral defeat, the pretense that "Western chauvinism" is not a racist ideology collapsed. After hours of drinking and ginning themselves up, the Proud Boys stole Black Lives Matter flags and targeted counter-protesters who were gathered in Black Lives Matter Plaza. A group of Proud Boys dramatically lit a large Black Lives Matter flag on fire, while flashing the "OK" sign, which of late has been appropriated by racists as a "white power" symbol. Vandalism at two historically Black churches, Asbury United Methodist Church and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, is being investigated as a hate crime. Four people were stabbed in altercations between the Proud Boys and counter-protesters.
....(snip)....
This is why right-wingers always act like angry losers, no matter how many political wins they stack up. There's a limit to how much cultural change can be reversed at the ballot box or even in the courts. Of course, the policy fights over police reform, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and immigration matter quite a bit to real people's lives. But even when the right wins on policy, the cultural changes — racial diversity, women's increased equality, the mainstreaming of LGBTQ people — march on. That's why Proud Boys targeted Black Lives Matter iconography instead of, say, the offices of Democratic Party leaders or progressive think tanks.
The same weekend that Proud Boys were throwing a public tantrum in Washington, Cleveland's baseball team finally gave in to longstanding pressure and announced it would drop its venerable but racist name, the "Indians." The move comes after the NFL team in D.C. dropped its former name, which was a far more vicious slur against Native Americans. Trump, unsurprisingly, whined about the Cleveland decision on Twitter, calling it "Cancel culture at work," even though the team's private owners made the decision and its players will take the field next season as usual. Even in using that term, Trump tacitly admitted that his power as president, and as massive cultural icon to the right, can do nothing to stop the anti-racist pressure campaign that caused the name change. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/14/proud-boys-party-is-over-trump-fans-throw-tantrums-because-theyve-lost-more-than-an-election/
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