All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tami]

OMFG, the White House Gift Shop is selling commemorative COVID-19 coins.

Twitter Link

[Tami]

I got one of those IRS letters with WH header and Trump's signature. Debating if I should keep it for any reason or burn it.

[Wildling]

You know, this novel virus has the right shape for a commemorative breakfast cereal, and does look linda yummy.

Would you be a bad enough dude to eat a full bowl (preferably not contaminated or cursed by angry ghosts) of COVID-Oh's?!?

[Gray Lensman]

I got one of those IRS letters with WH header and Trump's signature. Debating if I should keep it for any reason or burn it.

Mine went into a paper shredder. Burning had too much of a Viking funeral vibe.

[Tami]

Mine went into a paper shredder. Burning had too much of a Viking funeral vibe.

Burning has more permanence.

[Tami]

You know, this novel virus has the right shape for a commemorative breakfast cereal, and does look linda yummy.

Would you be a bad enough dude to eat a full bowl (preferably not contaminated or cursed by angry ghosts) of COVID-Oh's?!?

Only if it's covered in Bleach-Milk.

[Malvolio]

Wow I find that absolutely frightening. (Assuming the picture isn't doctored) Imagine going through life believing in weird conspiracy theories that have no basis in facts.

If your an American she could be your neighbour...but looking on the bright side... she could be single

Imagine not only believing in weird conspiracy theories, but also not having basic math skills.

[Malvolio]

I got one of those IRS letters with WH header and Trump's signature. Debating if I should keep it for any reason or burn it.

I got one today, too, two weeks AFTER having my stimulus check direct deposited. I showed the letter to my g/f, then immediately put it in the recycling pile.

[Steel Inquisitor]

In terms of finding a solution to terrorism though, there's no world where we can maintain the current socioeconomic hierarchy and those at the bottom are simply resigned to accept it. Muslims in the UK and most of the rest of the Europe might theoretically have the same rights as white Europeans, but in practice this is simply not the case and until this is rectified there is always going to be some percentage of people who will seek to air out their grievances through violent means. Browbeating them into being loyal, patriotic subjects of a nation that doesn't look out for their interests will only go so far, the fact that the vast majority of Muslims living in Western countries have NOT been radicalized is a minor miracle all things considered. And sure, they are much better off living in the UK than they would be if they had never emigrated, but then again, British colonialism is a big reason why their home countries are so messed up to begin with.

This isn't exclusive to the West. Muslims have it hard it many countries, including China and India.

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/op...190342176.html

On February 24, Hindu nationalist mobs descended on the northeastern parts of India's capital, New Delhi, and wreaked havoc for four days, targeting Muslim businesses and homes. More than 50 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the violence.

[Gray Lensman]

Burning has more permanence.

You could always treat it with the respect it truly deserves and use it in place of toilet paper.

[TheDarman]

Here’s a really good Op-Ed by a former sex crimes federal prosecutor about why he is skeptical of Tara Reade’s claim of sexual assault:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...mn/3046962001/

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Here’s a really good Op-Ed by a former sex crimes federal prosecutor about why he is skeptical of Tara Reade’s claim of sexual assault:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...mn/3046962001/

Man! That article was certainly damning of Reade and her claims. A graduate fresh out of law school would tear Reade to pieces if she took her case against Biden to court.

[InformationGeek]

And here's more stupidity that's gone under the radar.

On March 27, as emergency rooms in New York and across the country began filling with coronavirus patients struggling to breathe, President Donald Trump posted on Twitter to urge Ford and General Motors to “START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!”

One of the thousands of replies that the tweet attracted struck an equally urgent tone: “We can supply ICU Ventilators, invasive and noninvasive. Have someone call me URGENT.”

Its author was Yaron Oren-Pines, an electrical engineer in Silicon Valley. A specialist in mobile phone technology, he currently has just 75 followers on Twitter and no apparent experience in government contracting or medical devices.

But three days later, New York state paid Oren-Pines $69.1 million. The payment was for 1,450 ventilators — at an astonishing $47,656 per ventilator, at least triple the standard retail price of high-end models.

Not a single ventilator ever arrived.

A state official, speaking on background because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the terms of the deal, said New York entered into the contract with Oren-Pines at the direct recommendation of the White House coronavirus task force.

Nearly a month later, New York has terminated the contract, and the state is now trying to recover all of the money it paid the Silicon Valley electrical engineer. Officials refused to say how much the state had been able to claw back. “We are in discussions on a few remaining issues,” said Heather Groll, a spokesperson for the New York Office of General Services, part of the interagency effort to help New York get supplies.

Reached by telephone, Oren-Pines said “neither me nor my company is providing any comment on this,” and then hung up. He did not respond to subsequent text messages.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

And here's more stupidity that's gone under the radar.

How ironic that a conman and grifter like Trump had been scammed like a gullible rube. I’d laugh my ass off if it weren’t for the fact my tax dollars wound up going poof.

[Jack Dracula]

You could always treat it with the respect it truly deserves and use it in place of toilet paper.

If only it had a photo.