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Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
April 14, 2022
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php
WASHINGTON — When a California Democrat in Congress recently engaged in an extended conversation with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, they prepared for a rigorous policy discussion like those they’d had with her many times over the last 15 years.
Instead, the lawmaker said, they had to reintroduce themselves to Feinstein multiple times during an interaction that lasted several hours. Rather than delve into policy, Feinstein, 88, repeated the same small-talk questions, like asking the lawmaker what mattered to voters in their district, the member of Congress said, with no apparent recognition the two had already had a similar conversation.
The episode was so unnerving that the lawmaker — who spoke to The Chronicle on condition they not be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic — began raising concerns with colleagues to see if some kind of intervention to persuade Feinstein to retire was possible. Feinstein’s term runs through the end of 2024. The conversation occurred several weeks before the death of her husband in February.
snip
Four U.S. senators, including three Democrats, as well as three former Feinstein staffers and the California Democratic member of Congress told The Chronicle in recent interviews that her memory is rapidly deteriorating. They said it appears she can no longer fulfil her job duties without her staff doing much of the work required to represent the nearly 40 million people of California.
snip
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/san-francisco-chronicle/
SF Chronicle: Colleagues worry Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve, citing recent
interactionshttps://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php
WASHINGTON — When a California Democrat in Congress recently engaged in an extended conversation with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, they prepared for a rigorous policy discussion like those they’d had with her many times over the last 15 years.
Instead, the lawmaker said, they had to reintroduce themselves to Feinstein multiple times during an interaction that lasted several hours. Rather than delve into policy, Feinstein, 88, repeated the same small-talk questions, like asking the lawmaker what mattered to voters in their district, the member of Congress said, with no apparent recognition the two had already had a similar conversation.
The episode was so unnerving that the lawmaker — who spoke to The Chronicle on condition they not be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic — began raising concerns with colleagues to see if some kind of intervention to persuade Feinstein to retire was possible. Feinstein’s term runs through the end of 2024. The conversation occurred several weeks before the death of her husband in February.
snip
Four U.S. senators, including three Democrats, as well as three former Feinstein staffers and the California Democratic member of Congress told The Chronicle in recent interviews that her memory is rapidly deteriorating. They said it appears she can no longer fulfil her job duties without her staff doing much of the work required to represent the nearly 40 million people of California.
snip
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/san-francisco-chronicle/
April 14, 2022
https://www.thebulwark.com/whos-soft-on-russia-meet-the-republican-anti-ukraine-caucus/
After years of defending a pro-Putin American president and dismissing Russia’s interference in American elections, Republicans have returned to their old shtick: accusing Democrats of being soft on Russia. Their hypocrisy is galling, but the bigger problem is that their depiction of the two parties is backward. In polls, Republicans are more dovish on Russia and Ukraine than Democrats are. And in Congress, the purveyors of isolationism, appeasement, and Russian propaganda are on the right, not the left.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the House of Representatives has voted on three measures specific to the war. The first vote, taken on March 2, was on a resolution that endorsed sanctions against Russia, reaffirmed Ukrainian sovereignty over territory seized by Russia, advocated military aid to Ukraine, and pledged to support the Ukrainian resistance. All six members of the progressive “Squad”—Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib—voted for the resolution. So did Rep. Barbara Lee, the Democrats’ foremost opponent of military spending. Not one Democrat voted against the resolution. But three Republicans did: Reps. Paul Gosar, Thomas Massie, and Matt Rosendale.
On March 9, the House passed a bill to suspend oil and gas imports from Russia. Five of the seven Democratic leftists voted for the suspension. The two who voted against it—Bush and Omar—were joined by 15 Republicans who also voted no. In addition to Gosar and Massie, this time the list included Reps. Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn, Scott DesJarlais, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Glenn Grothman, Clay Higgins, Bill Posey, Chip Roy, and Tom Tiffany. On March 17, the House passed a bill to end favorable trade relations with Russia and its accomplice in the war, Belarus. Eight Republicans voted against the bill. Every Democrat, including the seven leftists, voted for it.
Several Republicans have gone further. Cawthorn and Gosar are pushing legislation that would prohibit the U.S. military from deploying “by reason of the situation in Ukraine” any more troops than are stationed at the Mexican border. No sensible military planner would want more troops guarding a friendly border than deterring an imminent threat to our most important alliance, but that’s what this bill would do: It would block deployments to NATO countries in Eastern Europe. It’s a gift to Vladimir Putin.
snip
Who's Soft on Russia? Meet the Republican Anti-Ukraine Caucus
The Republicans who love Russia and hate America.https://www.thebulwark.com/whos-soft-on-russia-meet-the-republican-anti-ukraine-caucus/
After years of defending a pro-Putin American president and dismissing Russia’s interference in American elections, Republicans have returned to their old shtick: accusing Democrats of being soft on Russia. Their hypocrisy is galling, but the bigger problem is that their depiction of the two parties is backward. In polls, Republicans are more dovish on Russia and Ukraine than Democrats are. And in Congress, the purveyors of isolationism, appeasement, and Russian propaganda are on the right, not the left.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the House of Representatives has voted on three measures specific to the war. The first vote, taken on March 2, was on a resolution that endorsed sanctions against Russia, reaffirmed Ukrainian sovereignty over territory seized by Russia, advocated military aid to Ukraine, and pledged to support the Ukrainian resistance. All six members of the progressive “Squad”—Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib—voted for the resolution. So did Rep. Barbara Lee, the Democrats’ foremost opponent of military spending. Not one Democrat voted against the resolution. But three Republicans did: Reps. Paul Gosar, Thomas Massie, and Matt Rosendale.
On March 9, the House passed a bill to suspend oil and gas imports from Russia. Five of the seven Democratic leftists voted for the suspension. The two who voted against it—Bush and Omar—were joined by 15 Republicans who also voted no. In addition to Gosar and Massie, this time the list included Reps. Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn, Scott DesJarlais, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Glenn Grothman, Clay Higgins, Bill Posey, Chip Roy, and Tom Tiffany. On March 17, the House passed a bill to end favorable trade relations with Russia and its accomplice in the war, Belarus. Eight Republicans voted against the bill. Every Democrat, including the seven leftists, voted for it.
Several Republicans have gone further. Cawthorn and Gosar are pushing legislation that would prohibit the U.S. military from deploying “by reason of the situation in Ukraine” any more troops than are stationed at the Mexican border. No sensible military planner would want more troops guarding a friendly border than deterring an imminent threat to our most important alliance, but that’s what this bill would do: It would block deployments to NATO countries in Eastern Europe. It’s a gift to Vladimir Putin.
snip
April 14, 2022
https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxd9q9/tennessee-trans-sports-ban-defund-schools
Not content with its ban on transgender girls playing girls’ sports, Tennessee lawmakers have sent to the governor’s desk a bill that would defund public schools that don’t comply.
The bill that overwhelmingly passed the Republican-dominated Tennessee Senate Monday night would pull funding from local education agencies that allow transgender girls to play girls’ sports. This comes despite the fact that just last year, Tennessee passed a law requiring students, beginning in fourth grade, to show their original birth certificate in order to play sports.
A transgender teenager and civil rights groups sued the state over its ban on trans athletes in November. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Joey Hensley, has said his new legislation “gives teeth” to the ban, but admitted that he hasn’t heard of any districts that are flouting the new state law, nor had he actually spoken to any transgender students about his bill, The Tennessean reported
“We have seen it happening in other states,” Hensley claimed in a floor speech. “I don’t know of a personal example in Tennessee, but we don’t want it to happen in Tennessee and our female athletes to have unfair competition.” In his nearly two decades as a state lawmaker, Hensley has backed some virulently anti-LGBTQ legislation: In 2012, while in the Tennessee House, he introduced a bill that would have prohibited teachers “from discussing of any sexuality except heterosexuality in grades K-8.” The bill was dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents at the time, presaging a Florida bill recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
snip
Tennessee's War on Trans Kids Now Includes Defunding Schools
GOP state lawmakers are doubling down on banning transgender girls from playing girls’ sports.https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxd9q9/tennessee-trans-sports-ban-defund-schools
Not content with its ban on transgender girls playing girls’ sports, Tennessee lawmakers have sent to the governor’s desk a bill that would defund public schools that don’t comply.
The bill that overwhelmingly passed the Republican-dominated Tennessee Senate Monday night would pull funding from local education agencies that allow transgender girls to play girls’ sports. This comes despite the fact that just last year, Tennessee passed a law requiring students, beginning in fourth grade, to show their original birth certificate in order to play sports.
A transgender teenager and civil rights groups sued the state over its ban on trans athletes in November. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Joey Hensley, has said his new legislation “gives teeth” to the ban, but admitted that he hasn’t heard of any districts that are flouting the new state law, nor had he actually spoken to any transgender students about his bill, The Tennessean reported
“We have seen it happening in other states,” Hensley claimed in a floor speech. “I don’t know of a personal example in Tennessee, but we don’t want it to happen in Tennessee and our female athletes to have unfair competition.” In his nearly two decades as a state lawmaker, Hensley has backed some virulently anti-LGBTQ legislation: In 2012, while in the Tennessee House, he introduced a bill that would have prohibited teachers “from discussing of any sexuality except heterosexuality in grades K-8.” The bill was dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents at the time, presaging a Florida bill recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
snip
April 14, 2022
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgm3xx/far-right-groomers-doxxing-school-officials
Right-wing figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have spent the last month boosting the conspiracy theory that anyone opposed to anti-LGBTQ legislation is a “groomer” or a “pedophile.” This has already led to real-life protests, but on far-right forums like Patriots.win and Gab, there’s been a significant spike in ultra-violent rhetoric, with users posting threats against specific teachers, Disney employees, and lawmakers, according to a new report from public-interest research group Advance Democracy, Inc. which shared its findings exclusively with VICE News.
And now, these extremists are taking things a step further: They’re doxxing school officials and calling for their execution. In March, a school nurse in Connecticut named Kathleen Cataford posted private details about an 11-year-old LGBTQ student in her care, claiming the child was on puberty blockers.
The story fed into the growing conservative narrative that schools are sexualizing or “grooming” children. Cataford’s post was picked up by conservative Christian magazine TownHall, which misreported that the school was giving students puberty blockers without their parents’ consent, despite the parents in question praising the school’s response to Cataford’s post.
On April 2, a link to the inaccurate TownHall report was posted on the far-right forum Patriots.win. Unsurprisingly, on a forum that played a significant role in the planning, incitement, and coordination of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the post prompted outrage—and calls for violence. “This stuff isn’t going to change at this point until there’s body bags,” one member wrote. “Straight to the woodchipper for them,” another replied.
snip
'She Needs to Be Executed': The Far-Right Is Doxxing School Officials They Think Are 'Groomers'
On far-right forums, there’s been a significant spike in ultra-violent rhetoric, with users posting threats against specific teachers.https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgm3xx/far-right-groomers-doxxing-school-officials
Right-wing figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have spent the last month boosting the conspiracy theory that anyone opposed to anti-LGBTQ legislation is a “groomer” or a “pedophile.” This has already led to real-life protests, but on far-right forums like Patriots.win and Gab, there’s been a significant spike in ultra-violent rhetoric, with users posting threats against specific teachers, Disney employees, and lawmakers, according to a new report from public-interest research group Advance Democracy, Inc. which shared its findings exclusively with VICE News.
And now, these extremists are taking things a step further: They’re doxxing school officials and calling for their execution. In March, a school nurse in Connecticut named Kathleen Cataford posted private details about an 11-year-old LGBTQ student in her care, claiming the child was on puberty blockers.
The story fed into the growing conservative narrative that schools are sexualizing or “grooming” children. Cataford’s post was picked up by conservative Christian magazine TownHall, which misreported that the school was giving students puberty blockers without their parents’ consent, despite the parents in question praising the school’s response to Cataford’s post.
On April 2, a link to the inaccurate TownHall report was posted on the far-right forum Patriots.win. Unsurprisingly, on a forum that played a significant role in the planning, incitement, and coordination of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the post prompted outrage—and calls for violence. “This stuff isn’t going to change at this point until there’s body bags,” one member wrote. “Straight to the woodchipper for them,” another replied.
snip
April 14, 2022
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/trump-jr-rants-teachers-camouflage-groom-children/
Donald Trump Jr. joined the chorus of Republicans accusing teachers and LGBTQ people of being pedophiles, and he warned his followers that not all of them have “blue, green, purple hair” and instead “may go under camouflage.”
Trump said, “It’s over for our kids, for their future, for their education” if teachers continue to talk about LGBTQ people in a video posted to social media. “If you’re so desperate that you need to do this,” Trump said, referring to teachers, “you gotta think there’s a reason behind it.”
Instead of looking at the likely explanation that schools talk about LGBTQ people with kids – to help create tolerant learning environments, to counteract anti-LGBTQ bullying, to make the kids of LGBTQ parents feel accepted – Trump said that it’s pedophilia.
“And honestly, the only reason I can think of is that you’re literally trying to indoctrinate and groom these children,” he said.
snip
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1514033368152825858
Trump Jr rants about teachers "under camouflage" who "groom" children
Donald Trump Jr warned his followers that not every teacher who talks about LGBTQ people has "blue, green, purple hair" and some "go under camouflage."https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/trump-jr-rants-teachers-camouflage-groom-children/
Donald Trump Jr. joined the chorus of Republicans accusing teachers and LGBTQ people of being pedophiles, and he warned his followers that not all of them have “blue, green, purple hair” and instead “may go under camouflage.”
Trump said, “It’s over for our kids, for their future, for their education” if teachers continue to talk about LGBTQ people in a video posted to social media. “If you’re so desperate that you need to do this,” Trump said, referring to teachers, “you gotta think there’s a reason behind it.”
Instead of looking at the likely explanation that schools talk about LGBTQ people with kids – to help create tolerant learning environments, to counteract anti-LGBTQ bullying, to make the kids of LGBTQ parents feel accepted – Trump said that it’s pedophilia.
“And honestly, the only reason I can think of is that you’re literally trying to indoctrinate and groom these children,” he said.
snip
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1514033368152825858
April 13, 2022
When you think you cannot love @SecretaryPete more, he goes and says this:
https://twitter.com/MichaelJStern1/status/1514074984393674755
April 13, 2022
Label: Lookout! Records – Number 75
Format:
Vinyl, 7", EP, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
Screeching Weasel (USA) You Broke My Fucking Heart 7" (1993) [VINYL RIP] *HQ AUDIO* *RE-ENGINEERED*
Label: Lookout! Records – Number 75
Format:
Vinyl, 7", EP, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
April 13, 2022
Label: CBS – TX 4622
Format:
Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
Eurogliders - Heaven Must Be There (Here & Now Remix) 1984
Label: CBS – TX 4622
Format:
Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: London
Home country: US/UK/Sweden
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 07:25 PM
Number of posts: 43,361
