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

[jetengine]

Corbyn should never have been the leader against Johnson at the recent election. It's general practice to step down after you fail to win a GE; I don't know why he stayed after he didn't win against May the last time???

Because he got the highest number of votes in history and had a strong base. Unfortunately people didnt go the poles. Political apathy, tarred and feathered by the right wing press (Yeah I REALLY believe the paper that supported facists got it rught by claiming the guy whos consistently been on the right side of history is an anti semite because he went "Yeah Israel...your...uhh...being a tad shitty there guys") including at one point a ludicrous case of them claiming he was a soviet era spy.

I saw 18 year olds on facebook screaming about communism and the Soviet union as if they actually knew what the **** they were talking about.

[worstblogever]

I've seen the opinion that "if you show up for a 'protest' with an assault rifle and to try and intimidate those in government to do things that would unquestionably result in mass death, you're not a protester, you're a domestic terrorist."

I'm inclined to agree.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day published profiles of South Dakota State Senator Phil Jensen, a man who drew national headlines back in March of 2013 for producing legislation that would allow businesses to discriminate against whoever they want, Civil Rights Act be damned. Jensen actually tried claiming that if a bakery owned by the KKK tried discriminating against an African American, that the matter would take care of itself, because customers would be too offended to patronize such a place. This logic, of course then fails to understand everything about the Jim Crow era South. Anyway, South Dakota Republicans threw Jensen under the bus for his remarks, but have never said anything about other extreme legislation he's produced or supported, including drug testing welfare recipients, an unnecessary ban on Sharia Law in the United States, an attempt to criminalize abortions as "attacks on a fetus", co-sponsoring “religious freedom” legislation to allow people to discriminate against LGBT citizens, and Jensen’s sponsorship of transphobic legislation including not just a ban on transgender citizens using public bathrooms, but also to forbid transgender athletes from participating in high school sports. (Because that just reeks of a “party of smaller government”, right?)

While the South Dakota GOP spent two years aghast and trying to do damage control over Phil Jensen’s remarks about the Klan, in 2016, he survived Jacqueline Sly, a primary challenger and he still won re-election comfortably in Rapid City with 61% of the vote. Has he dialed back the extremism since we last checked in? Hell no, he hasn’t! Phil Jensen has continued his attacks upon this LGBTQ community, but apparently isn’t content to only do so as a legislator. At a town hall in February of 2017, as David Hubbard, from the Human Rights campaign asked “Who will protect the people of South Dakota from discrimination??”, Jensen’s response drew groans from the audience for its sheer bigotry:

"Should a known pedophile… be allowed, be allowed to adopt. There are reasons this is not allowed."

Now, equating a transgender person to a “known pedophile” did not go over, especially because there was a transgender man in attendance who HAD adopted a child, and lambasted Jensen for believing a child should not find a loving family to care for them.

So far in 2018, Phil Jensen has swapped out his focus on homophobia to instead, move back to transphobia again, as he sponsored legislation to try and force businesses with public restrooms to place signs to warn users that “someone of the opposite gender may be inside”, because that’s a “smaller government” thing to do. Just like the other bill Jensen sponsored, where he tried to place a ban on public school teachers from being able to teach anything about gender identity in classrooms.

Phil Jensen survived both a primary challenger, as well as a Democratic challenger in the 2018 elections. He has decided to use that political capital to sponsor legislation to allow school children to challenge the lesson plans of any science teacher who dares to try and educate the youth of their state about climate change, claiming teachers “worship at the altar of climate change”, and calling any plans to teach kids about it “indoctrination”.

Jensen has also spent his current term in office trying to imagine new ways to hunt down and stop any kids who might be undergoing feelings of gender dysphoria, submitting legislation that would require school counselors to notify parents if any children reported such feelings to them to make sure those children could not begin any transition to a gender outside of the one they were born as.

The only good news about that fact is… Jensen is term-limited and cannot run for re-election to the South Dakota State Senate in 2020. This will hopefully be the last time we have to mention this bigoted schmuck.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Officials Release Long-Delayed And Edited Down Coronavirus Reopening Guidance

Early versions of the documents included detailed information for churches wanting to restart in-person services but was removed after the White House raised concerns.

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CDC Issues Alert About COVID-19 Illness In Children As Trump Presses To Open Schools

Cases of the syndrome among children are rising. Symptoms include fever, inflammation and organ damage, health experts say, and it can be lethal. But hey, let's pop kids back into brick and mortar petri dishes.

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Donald Trump Refuses To Wear Mask At Mask Supplier, Suggests Testing Is ‘Overrated’

“We have the best testing in the world. Could be that testing is, frankly, overrated. Maybe it is overrated.” Yeah, overrated for John and Jane Q. Public, but not for him since he's tested DAILY.

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McConnell Says He Was ‘Wrong’ To Claim Obama Didn’t Leave A Pandemic Playbook

“I clearly made a mistake in that regard,” the Senate Republican leader said on Fox News. Kentucky Fried Turtle? Make a mistake? I doubt that.

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Republicans Say Congress Has Given Out Enough Coronavirus Relief For Now

The U.S. debt is a more pressing concern for the GOP than bucking up a tanking economy in which 36 million people have lost jobs. Where the **** was all this concern when the GOP rubber stamped tax cuts that ballooned the deficit? GTFO!

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How The Coronavirus ‘Reenergized’ The Anti-Vaccine Movement

An interview with vaccine expert and scientist Dr. Peter Hotez on how White House messaging, far-right activists and conspiracies have emboldened anti-vaxxers.

[JackDaw]

Corbyn should never have been the leader against Johnson at the recent election. It's general practice to step down after you fail to win a GE; I don't know why he stayed after he didn't win against May the last time???

I think it was a mistake for him to stay.

But I can understand why he decided to ignore the usual practice of resigning after losing a General Election.

First he hadn’t actually been Labour leader for long, so hadn’t had much chance to work out the detail of most of his aspirations. (e.g.We all know he wanted “fairer taxation”...but how was he going to bring that about in practice??)

Second he had a strong power base: he couldn’t be forced out.

Third..there was no obvious alternate leader. I’m really not a “fan” of his...but I’d have been hard pressed to nominate some one who was obviously better than him to prepare Labour for winning next election.

Fourth...he lost narrowly..against all predictions. (My own view is that it was because Theresa May ran the worst campaign in living memory...and it was telling I think that she was eventually forced to resign leadership before he did.)

[jetengine]

I've seen the opinion that "if you show up for a 'protest' with an assault rifle and to try and intimidate those in government to do things that would unquestionably result in mass death, you're not a protester, you're a domestic terrorist."

I'm inclined to agree.

Lets shorten it.

"If you turn up to a protest looking like a domestic terrorist, your probably a domestic terrorist"

[Tendrin]

Trump: OBAMA SHOULD TESTIFYT

Lindsey Graham: NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Republicans remember the last time they tried to take on Obama and it didn't work out so well for them.

[Steel Inquisitor]

While I don't even want to make a case for the "Why?...":

- Most folks can be straight with themselves about the fact that we are talking about a pandemic. While there was certainly a better approach that could have been taken, folks aren't just going to be blind to the fact that this would be an unmitigated disaster no matter who was dealing with it.

- Trump stopped people traveling to the States from China. When you look at the whole world, that wasn't the worst call that some folks were making it out to be.

- Unemployment. I mean, come on. While you are throwing around a twenty percent figure, the guy is trying to get the economy open to reduce that number. No matter how I feel about his plan, it's not like I can say he isn't trying to address it. Never mind that everyone gets that it is a terrible number for a completely logical reason.

While he's still getting a "F" from me personally, I can see folks taking a look at the scenario as it played out and cutting the guy some slack.

Let me get this straight, you're fine defending Trump's leadership during this pandemic? Aside from the last sentence this reads like Trump didn't do a bad job in your opinion. An "F" would require scathing criticism.

[Gray Lensman]

Trump: OBAMA SHOULD TESTIFYT

Lindsey Graham: NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Republicans remember the last time they tried to take on Obama and it didn't work out so well for them.

It would also set a precedent that could be used against them in one to five years. Lindsey is devoid of integrity, as well as anything resembling a spine, but he isn't devoid of intelligence. He has at least enough to understand that Trump's demand is a very bad idea.

[worstblogever]

Let me get this straight, you're fine defending Trump's leadership during this pandemic? Aside from the last sentence this reads like Trump didn't do a bad job in your opinion. An "F" would require scathing criticism.

Now, now... clearly, this is an "independent" voter. There's no way that they're just a conservative who pretends to be one to ratf*** things for the left but has their mask slip sometimes.


Anyway, the drunkard former White House physician Ronny Jackson is running for Congress as a Republican in Texas. His campaign strategy? Get on board with the fever dreams of Donald Trump and pretend that "Obamagate" is a thing, and the Deep State are out to get the GOP. Looks like he might be hitting the sauce again.

[Tami]

New York barber cutting hair 'illicitly' during lockdown tests positive for coronavirus

A barber who continued to cut hair at a shop in New York over the past few weeks in violation of the state's stay-at-home order has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the Ulster County Department of Health and Mental Health.

In a statement Wednesday, the county health commissioner advised anyone who received a haircut in the past three weeks at a barbershop on Broadway in the city of Kingston, about 20 miles north of Poughkeepsie, to seek testing for the coronavirus. The statement did not identify either the barber or the shop.

Nonessential businesses have been closed since March 22 under an order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that is set to expire Friday, when certain parts of the state that have met public health metrics will be allowed to begin a phased reopening.

Under the order, barbershops, beauty salons, nail salons and other businesses that provide personal care services are not allowed to be open and operated to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

New York barber cutting hair 'illicitly' during lockdown tests positive for coronavirus

Karma is working overtime with all these idiots defying lockdown orders. God knows I'd kill for haircut right now, but not at the risk of contracting the virus like all the mouthbreathers who should've known better but visited that shop anyway.

[Tami]

Karma is working overtime with all these idiots defying lockdown orders. God knows I'd kill for haircut right now, but not at the risk of contracting the virus like all the mouthbreathers who should've known better but visited that shop anyway.

I offered to cut my husband's hair. He said he'd rather let it grow long, for now at least.

It's hard to get it through to some people just how contagious, and potentially deadly, this outbreak is. My town is showing signs of wanting to 'wake up'. I just hope my Mayor keeps it from getting out of control.

[jetengine]

Trump: OBAMA SHOULD TESTIFYT

Lindsey Graham: NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Republicans remember the last time they tried to take on Obama and it didn't work out so well for them.

What the **** is Obama even supposed to testify about ? As far as I'm aware Obamagate is just a syphilitic fever dream that El Douche vomited on to twitter to try and take eyes off of him. Like its literally fabricated wholesale without even a shred of evidence, supposition or even act-that-hes-supoosed-to-testify-over

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I offered to cut my husband's hair. He said he'd rather let it grow long, for now at least.

It's hard to get it through to some people just how contagious, and potentially deadly, this outbreak is. My town is showing signs of wanting to 'wake up'. I just hope my Mayor keeps it from getting out of control.

I don't know if it's ignorance, denial or just plain stupidity born from mainlining Faux News that's making these morons act so foolish. I heard that New Jersey will open the beaches on Memorial Day weekend, I hope all goes well. Meanwhile, here in Philly, there's no set timetable for when the all clear will be sounded, but it looks like that might not happen until the end of the month at the earliest since densely populated urban centers like my town are prime targets for outbreaks of the virus, and our Mayor is taking no chances on letting that happening.