Virus thread, the political one.

[theflashunc]

A sobering read about the daily crisis we're facing, and the complacency around the carnage and death that seems to be settling in, from someone on the front lines. A must read for anyone who thinks this virus ain't no big thing:

Over the Memorial Day weekend, more than three thousand new deaths due to covid-19 were reported across the country, each one a mother, a husband, a brother, a neighbor, a deacon, a teacher—a whole galaxy of human life wrecked by a dangerous plague that’s on the loose and against which we have tools to use, if only our government would give them to us. To normalize this is to invite complacency, and complacency, as much as the virus itself, ought to be our enemy.

When COVID-19 Starts to Feel Normal | The New Yorker

[Sbti]

Happy 100,000 Dead Day! A true badge of honor. Dow looks good to me as it surges past 25,000.
-Hair Twitler

[guido]

Cartoons are skewering Trump’s golfing against the backdrop of covid-19 deaths | Washington post

A common observation...

[gregl]

I see that the Executive Branch has changed the interpretation of the First Amendment:

Trump to sign executive order targeting social media companies, calls it a '''big day''' for '''fairness''' - ABC News
Trump is set to announce an executive order against social media companies - CNNPolitics

So the King can state anything he wants, but if there is any rebuttal, it's against the law. This is how democracy dies. Not with a revolution, but with the quiet acquiescence of the American public.

Greg

[mzilliox]

I see that the Executive Branch has changed the interpretation of the First Amendment:

Trump to sign executive order targeting social media companies, calls it a '''big day''' for '''fairness''' - ABC News
Trump is set to announce an executive order against social media companies - CNNPolitics

So the King can state anything he wants, but if there is any rebuttal, it's against the law. This is how democracy dies. Not with a revolution, but with the quiet acquiescence of the American public.

Greg

right? the party of the selfish hypocrite white man now. republicans can no longer call themselves conservative, nor can they claim some desire for smaller government anymore. this is literally the opposite of both. really, what do they stand for anymore? seriously, i have no idea, because there is nothing conservative at all about this behavior, yet they are saying conservative thought is what is being discriminated against. its not conservative thought, its right wing nutjob republican thought. stop stealing words and mutating them for your pathetic agenda.

[j44ke]

He is essentially nationalizing Twitter. I wonder if Twitter can sue for expropriation of assets.

[guido]

Why President Trump's Order on Social Media Could Harm Him - The New York Times

"WASHINGTON — President Trump, who built his political career on the power of a flame-throwing Twitter account, has now gone to war with Twitter, angered that it would presume to fact-check his messages. But the punishment he is threatening could force social media companies to crack down even more on customers just like Mr. Trump.

The executive order that Mr. Trump signed on Thursday seeks to strip liability protection in certain cases for companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook for the content on their sites, meaning they could face legal jeopardy if they allowed false and defamatory posts. Without a liability shield, they presumably would have to be more aggressive about policing messages that press the boundaries — like the president’s.

That, of course, is not the outcome Mr. Trump wants. What he wants is to have the freedom to post anything he likes without the companies applying any judgment to his messages, as Twitter did this week when it began appending “get the facts” warnings to some of his false posts on voter fraud. Furious at what he called “censorship” — even though his messages were not in fact deleted — Mr. Trump is wielding the proposed executive order like a club to compel the company to back down.

It may not work even as intended. Plenty of lawyers quickly said on Thursday that he was claiming power to do something he does not have the power to do by essentially revising the interpretation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the main law passed by Congress in 1996 to lay out the rules of the road for online media. Legal experts predicted such a move would be challenged and most likely struck down by the courts.

But the logic of Mr. Trump’s order is intriguing because it attacks the very legal provision that has allowed him such latitude to publish with impunity a whole host of inflammatory, harassing and factually distorted messages that a media provider might feel compelled to take down if it were forced into the role of a publisher that faced the risk of legal liability rather than a distributor that does not.

“Ironically, Donald Trump is a big beneficiary of Section 230,” said Kate Ruane, a senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, which instantly objected to the proposed order. “If platforms were not immune under the law, then they would not risk the legal liability that could come with hosting Donald Trump’s lies, defamation and threats.”"

[guido]

Opinion | On the Economics of Not Dying - The New York Times

"America is now engaged in a vast, dangerous experiment. Although social distancing has limited the spread of the coronavirus, it is far from contained. Yet despite warnings from epidemiologists, much of the country is moving to open up for business as usual.

You might think that such a momentous move would come with elaborate justifications — that politicians pushing an end to social distancing, from Donald Trump on down, would at least try to explain why we should take this risk. But those calling for quickly reopening have been notably silent about the trade-offs involved. Instead, they talk incessantly about the need to “save the economy.”

That is, however, a very bad way to think about economic policy in a pandemic.

What, after all, is the economy’s purpose? If your answer is something like, “To generate incomes that let people buy things,” you’re getting it wrong — money isn’t the ultimate goal; it’s just a means to an end, namely, improving the quality of life.

Now, money matters: There is a clear relationship between income and life satisfaction. But it’s not the only thing that matters. In particular, you know what also makes a major contribution to the quality of life? Not dying."

[Colinmclelland]

Why President Trump's Order on Social Media Could Harm Him - The New York Times

That would seem to skew the risk/reward balance towards just deleting his account...weird choice. It's almost like it's an impulsive action that hasn't been thought through, but I find that really hard to believe

[guido]

That would seem to skew the risk/reward balance towards just deleting his account...weird choice. It's almost like it's an impulsive action that hasn't been thought through, but I find that really hard to believe

An impulsive act that hasn't been thought through. By this president. Amazing to consider...

[ericpmoss]

Here's what the wealthy SOBs think about us, and its about time people stop making excuses for them.

[davids]

This photo is obscene.

obscene.jpg

Look at him.

He holds a bible as if he doesn't know what it is, as if he doesn't know what a book is.
He stands, isolated and alone, in front of a church he does not attend.
He arrived and departed on a path cleared by a wave of violence, executed by our military and civilian forces, directed by his order.

This is obscene. He is an obscenity.

[Saab2000]

This photo is obscene.

obscene.jpg

Look at him.

He holds a bible as if he doesn't know what it is, as if he doesn't know what a book is.
He stands, isolated and alone, in front of a church he does not attend.
He arrived and departed on a path cleared by a wave of violence, executed by our military and civilian forces, directed by his order.

This is obscene. He is an obscenity.

And his hypocrisy and his actions have been heavily criticized by church leaders.

In slightly related news, and non-pandemic news, Rep. Steve King of Iowa has lost in his primary. Hopefully his replacement is a better human being.

[thollandpe]

This photo is obscene.

obscene.jpg

Look at him.

He holds a bible as if he doesn't know what it is, as if he doesn't know what a book is.
He stands, isolated and alone, in front of a church he does not attend.
He arrived and departed on a path cleared by a wave of violence, executed by our military and civilian forces, directed by his order.

This is obscene. He is an obscenity.

Our nation's Attorney General and our Secretary of Defense paved the way for this. The obscenity included using a helicopter with Red Cross markings for crowd dispersal tactics, a violation of the Geneva Conventions. The Secretary of Defense spoke of "dominating the battle space," which refers to our American cities. Thankfully, this latest perversion has resulted in at least one person inside the machine who has had enough.

A letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, by James N. Miller

[thollandpe]

Rep. Steve King of Iowa has lost in his primary. Hopefully his replacement is a better human being.

Good times when not re-electing a white supremacist to the U.S. Congress is considered progress.

[vertical_doug]

Good times when not re-electing a white supremacist to the U.S. Congress is considered progress.

Sadly, I prefer Steve King because the devil I know. His replacement is a new face, a respectable face but the same devil. Actually, a more dangerous politician in my mind- pro-trump, pro-gun, right to life and anti-immigrant.

[Clean39T]

They got the guns, but we got the numbers.



And a llama..

[j44ke]

Steve King has said before that he would run as an independent if the GOP screwed him in the primaries. We'll see.

Do you believe that the tear gas bible theater was cooked up solely by Barr and Esper? They may have fulfilled the request, but that was a full team effort there. The best and the brightest minds at the Whitehouse. And Jared and Ivanka.

[sk_tle]

This photo is obscene.

obscene.jpg

Look at him.

He holds a bible as if he doesn't know what it is, as if he doesn't know what a book is.
He stands, isolated and alone, in front of a church he does not attend.
He arrived and departed on a path cleared by a wave of violence, executed by our military and civilian forces, directed by his order.

This is obscene. He is an obscenity.

Apparently even the priests of this church were tear gassed to allow for this mascarade.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...bbd_story.html

[ides1056]

My guess is Barr, who would be able to cite chapter and verse every conceivable loophole in law.

Ivanka thought to bring her handbag on her own, though.