All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[worstblogever]

When I had to write about Indiana State Senator Jim Tomes coming out hard against hand washing, my brain immediately went:

[Malvolio]

Just a word about hand washing that bothers me. In many public restrooms, the water automatically shuts off after 5 seconds. So you have to press the faucet on again a few times to get a full 20 second hand wash. A small pet peeve to be sure, but maybe it's time to reset the timers on those things.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Someone SHOULD ask that question to Greene.

[Tami]

Just a word about hand washing that bothers me. In many public restrooms, the water automatically shuts off after 5 seconds. So you have to press the faucet on again a few times to get a full 20 second hand wash. A small pet peeve to be sure, but maybe it's time to reset the timers on those things.

Most are levers so you can use your elbow to shut them off or turn them back on. Or, you can take a paper towel and use that as protection as you turned the faucet on or off. Once your hands are soapy, you only need water to rinse them off.

[BeastieRunner]

Beastie's Cartoons of the Week:

[SquirrelMan]

Most are levers so you can use your elbow to shut them off or turn them back on. Or, you can take a paper towel and use that as protection as you turned the faucet on or off. Once your hands are soapy, you only need water to rinse them off.

Yeah, I think it is more important to rub in the soap (while the faucet is not running) for 20 seconds than have the water run over them that long.

Anyway, it seams that aerosols are a much bigger culprit than things sticking to your hands with this virus.

[Iron Maiden]

Just a word about hand washing that bothers me. In many public restrooms, the water automatically shuts off after 5 seconds. So you have to press the faucet on again a few times to get a full 20 second hand wash. A small pet peeve to be sure, but maybe it's time to reset the timers on those things.

I always wash and pull out a paper towel to use on the faucet. Bad thing is when they use those hand dryers instead. I usually use a paper towel to open the door when I leave the bathroom too, unless they have one of those foot pedals to open the door. Those are a pain though.

[TheDarman]

Literal survey says... 86% of Democrats. 2/3 of Americans, outright.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...to-15-an-hour/

And it is being done gradually enough to limit direct impact to the economy. Places like Georgia haven't raised their wage in years and so their minimum wage is literally the federal one at $7.25. People here deserve a raise--and Democrat's majority in the Senate depends on retaining Warnock in the Senate. It just isn't smart politics to let a couple of people who aren't even running for re-election in 2024 decide which environment of broken promises other Democratic Senators have to go back and run in 2022. It is absolutely unconscionable and objectionable.

I know there are people saying Harris should just override the parliamentarian. But there are a few problems with this: not the least of which is that it completely opens the door to abuse by Republicans to pass whatever they want without having to go through the procedural step of formerly getting rid of the filibuster (assuming Democrats preserve it), but, more importantly, Sinema has even said that she will follow the parliamentarian's advice, even in the case of an overrule. It's a non-starter, creates a showdown that makes the Biden White House look ineffective, gives Sinema and Manchin a greater profile, makes the Democratic Party seem disunited, and creates a precedent that becomes more problematic in getting Senator Sinema and Senator Manchin to play ball.

[Tami]

The Tweet Response of the Day

Screenshot_2021-02-26 Kyle Griffin on Twitter Country Club.jpg

Twitter Link

[MajorHoy]

I always wash and pull out a paper towel to use on the faucet. Bad thing is when they use those hand dryers instead...

Some places I've been to have de-activated their hand dryers for now.

[Kirby101]

The GOP has full embraced it's white supremacist identity. They are not hiding that they are Nazis anymore.

https://twitter.com/MattSepara/statu...92119897145349

CPAC not even trying very hard to hide the fascist references anymore. This is an Odal rune, which was co-opted by the Nazis and is emblematic in far right wing and neo-nazi parties, including the National Socialist Movement in the US.

[TheDarman]

Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden proposes workaround solution to getting $15 an hour minimum wage:

Wyden is proposing a workaround solution that would impose a 5 percent tax penalty on large corporations if any of their workers earn less than a certain amount, with the penalty increasing over time.

The language would ensure that large companies would have a significant financial incentive to raise wages, even if they are not mandated by law to pay employees more than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The parliamentarian rule process allows for tax increases and decreases to be considered a part of a reconciliation bill. This will also work as an idea to raise revenue for the government in order to "counteract" the growing deficit.

[Tami]

F.B.I. Said to Have Singled Out Potential Assailant in Capitol Officer’s Death

WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. has pinpointed an assailant in its investigation into the death of Brian D. Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who was injured while fending off the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol last month and later died, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the inquiry.

The F.B.I. opened a homicide investigation into Officer Sicknick’s death soon after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Investigators initially struggled to determine what had happened as he fought assailants. They soon began to suspect his death was related to an irritant, like mace or bear spray, that he had inhaled during the riot. Both officers and rioters were armed with such irritants during the attack.

In a significant breakthrough in the case, investigators have now pinpointed a person seen on video of the riot who attacked several officers with bear spray, including Officer Sicknick, according to the officials. And video evidence shows that the assailant discussed attacking officers with the bear spray beforehand, one of the officials said.

Given the evidence available to investigators, prosecutors could be more likely to bring charges of assaulting an officer, rather than murder, in the case. But the death of Officer Sicknick, a 42-year-old Air National Guard veteran who served in Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, could increase the penalties that prosecutors could seek if they took such a case to court.

Irritants like bear spray, pepper spray and mace are considered to be nonlethal crowd control deterrents, but they can cause physical reactions that could create risks for people with underlying health conditions and disorientation that could lead to injury.

On Jan. 7, when Officer Sicknick died, the Capitol Police issued a statement that said he “was injured while physically engaging with protesters,” and then “returned to his division office and collapsed.” He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

[Tendrin]

Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden proposes workaround solution to getting $15 an hour minimum wage:



The parliamentarian rule process allows for tax increases and decreases to be considered a part of a reconciliation bill. This will also work as an idea to raise revenue for the government in order to "counteract" the growing deficit.

I heard similar rumblings from Bernie and I think it's an excellent idea.

[Tami]

GOP Congressman Peter Meijer says Trump "destroyed" his legacy after January 6

Republican Congressman Peter Meijer thinks former President Trump "destroyed" his legacy on January 6, calling the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters the "defining moment" of his presidency. Meijer was one of 10 Republicans in the House to vote to impeach Mr. Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection last month.

In an interview with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, Meijer said he believed Mr. Trump would have "secured himself an interesting but positive place in the history books" if he had just acknowledged that he lost the presidential election in December, after the Electoral College had certified now-President Biden as the victor. Meijer spoke with Garrett for this week's episode of "The Takeout" podcast.