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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #8-13: He Went To Jared Edition
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #8-13: He Went To Jared Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Well hello everyone. First off congratulations to Modern Family for 11 seasons and Schitts Creek for 6 seasons. Those are monumental achievements. I normally would congratulate the winner of the NCAA tournament this year, but there was no NCAA tournament this year. Fuck you coronavirus. his is our third consecutive home show. Yeah we will be doing these for a while until the pandemic and social distancing and isolation is over. So what’s there to do? Where do we go? The fact of the matter is that nobody likes to be isolated and this is getting ridiculous finding things to do while you’re holed up. And we, for one, can’t wait to get back to doing our full and proper live show. And I’m sure there’s a lot of live shows who want to do the same. But that said let’s talk about happier news before it’s all virus, all the time. So yesterday was both National Beer Day *AND* World Health Day. Is it any coincidence that these two days happen to fall on the same day? If it’s quarantine season then we got to do something to keep us occupied until this whole thing is over, so we might as well be drinking. And how – at least one industry we don’t have to worry about in the age of pandemic is the alcohol industry – they are thriving. Because what else is there to do when you can’t go outside? Let’s drink! And hey, I will gladly raise a toast to that! OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he delves into Trump’s favorite news network called OAN, and if you haven’t heard of them, they are pretty much a preview of what state run TV is going to look like:
Taking the first slot this week is SCOTUS. Yes, we have to talk about the Wisconsin decision that’s putting a lot of lives at stake because our voting system is so broken and well, it’s pure fucking evil.In the number two slot his week is Donald Trump (2). Fitting that Trump is taking the number two slot this week since everything he touches turns to shit. So there’s rumors that he might go golfing, while he sticks Jared Kushner in charge of the pandemic response. WHY?????? At slot #3 this week is The People Who Fire The Whistleblowers (3) which includes Trump firing Navy captain Brett Crozier who just informed his superiors about COVID taking over his ship, and Amazon firing a warehouse employee on Long Island who threatened a walk out. Why? Taking the 4th slot this week, there’s people making money from the pandemic, and there’s Senators who knew ahead of time that things would get this bad. So who did and how did they do it? At slot #5 is our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5), and why is heartburn drug Zantac being recalled? This seems like a bad time to be doing this. Taking the #6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week, Christians are defying stay-at-home orders and congregating in large groups, but one pastor in Pennsylvania is set to take things to the next level. And our resident pastor is going to tell you why this is a really bad idea. At slot #7 this week, we have a new edition of our favorite segment Beating A Dead Horse (7) – after alt metal band Trapt went off the rails and full MAGA, they are suing their parody accounts that have sprung up on Twitter. Is this OK? Maybe not. Taking the #8 slot, our new segment Conspiracy Corner (8) returns for yet another go round, and this week, why are right wingers trying to film their local hospitals in an effort to discredit the media? I got news for you, they don’t have time for your bullshit! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week, we have a new “I Need A Drink”. And this week, after a string of some incredibly bizarre and stupid crimes in the wake of the virus, is it safe to say that Jersey is the new Florida? Probably. Finally this week it’s time for Stupidest State Round 1 Week 4! This week it’s a battle for the Batshit as #3 Idaho takes on #4 South Carolina to play Virginia in the finals! Meanwhile, over in the Family Values conference, #3 Ohio takes on #4 Indiana to play reigning champion Alabama! The Elite 8 is beginning to shape up! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
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[font size="8"]SCOTUS
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In case you haven’t heard, we are in the middle of the worst public health crisis that hasn’t been seen in a century. And the last thing you want to do is put people’s lives in danger. That’s what the people of Wisconsin have been suing over. See, they had an election this week where a vital state supreme court seat was at stake. Now, Trump has been actively pimping out for the incumbent saying that he will protect your 2nd amendment rights. Now in the age of pandemic, guns really should be like last on the list of things to protect right? Well, we live in backwards fuck town, and we have this to deal with. So why is this election so important?
In Milwaukee, citizens were forced to choose between following public health orders to stay home and stand in line for hours at one of just five polling places the city kept open amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Across the state along the St. Croix River, a state senator who is her county’s chief medical examiner brought a homemade face mask to the polls because she didn’t want to take a surgical mask from her co-workers who will have to inspect the bodies of people who die from the coronavirus.
And everywhere in between, Wisconsinites reported an array of problems with absentee ballots. Some didn’t arrive, some couldn’t be legally witnessed and others were afraid to venture outside their homes to return their ballots by Tuesday night’s deadline.
It added up to an election almost certain to be tarred as illegitimate and contested by whichever side loses — especially if the conservative State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly wins a full 10-year term.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/us/politics/wisconsin-primary-election.html
Across the state along the St. Croix River, a state senator who is her county’s chief medical examiner brought a homemade face mask to the polls because she didn’t want to take a surgical mask from her co-workers who will have to inspect the bodies of people who die from the coronavirus.
And everywhere in between, Wisconsinites reported an array of problems with absentee ballots. Some didn’t arrive, some couldn’t be legally witnessed and others were afraid to venture outside their homes to return their ballots by Tuesday night’s deadline.
It added up to an election almost certain to be tarred as illegitimate and contested by whichever side loses — especially if the conservative State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly wins a full 10-year term.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/us/politics/wisconsin-primary-election.html
Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! So this is one of the worst choices that you could possibly make, like which half of the shit sandwich tastes the best. I would personally pick the left half because it has mustard on it. Because a shit sandwich with mustard on it, is still a shit sandwich. And you know how bad this is going to get? Well I will happily put on a hazmat suit to vote for Joe Biden. Especially after this.
Amid the global coronavirus outbreak and over the objections of a governor who tried to stop it at the last minute, Wisconsin held its election yesterday for the Democratic presidential nomination, state Supreme Court and several local offices. We won’t have actual results until Monday at the earliest, but at this point, we do know that the election experienced a number of setbacks.
Across the state, a shortage of poll workers led to the closure and consolidation of many polling places, which resulted in extremely long lines on Election Day. For example, Milwaukee — a city of almost 600,000 people — had just five polling places open (in normal circumstances, it would have 180 polling places). As a result, wait times in Milwaukee averaged one and a half to two hours, with some voters waiting as long as two and a half hours to cast their ballots. In Green Bay, a city of 105,000 that downsized from 31 polling places to just two, some voters waited nearly three hours. Long lines were also reported in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, which was forced to consolidate to one polling place for its population of 70,000. But in cities where fewer polling places closed, there seemed to be fewer hiccups. For example, Madison (a city less than half Milwaukee’s size) kept 66 polling places open (compared with 92 normally), and there were no major reports of lines at them.
Everywhere, though, election officials took extraordinary measures to keep voters safe. Plexiglass barriers were erected at many polling places to separate poll workers from voters. And in Fitchburg, a suburb of Madison, poll workers were instructed to wipe down voting equipment every 15 minutes. In the small city of Lake Mills, voter Jonathan McLaughlin told FiveThirtyEight he was given hand sanitizer on his way into the polling place, and each voter was given a fresh Bic pen with which to vote (they were told to either keep it or throw it away when they were done). And according to Kelly Westlund, who was working the polls in Ashland, a city of 8,000 in northern Wisconsin, she and her team sanitized their hands and the voting equipment regularly and made sure voters kept at least six feet apart. All the poll workers in Ashland were also provided with masks from local hat manufacturer Stormy Kromer.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/voters-experiences-in-wisconsin-amid-the-coronavirus/
Across the state, a shortage of poll workers led to the closure and consolidation of many polling places, which resulted in extremely long lines on Election Day. For example, Milwaukee — a city of almost 600,000 people — had just five polling places open (in normal circumstances, it would have 180 polling places). As a result, wait times in Milwaukee averaged one and a half to two hours, with some voters waiting as long as two and a half hours to cast their ballots. In Green Bay, a city of 105,000 that downsized from 31 polling places to just two, some voters waited nearly three hours. Long lines were also reported in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, which was forced to consolidate to one polling place for its population of 70,000. But in cities where fewer polling places closed, there seemed to be fewer hiccups. For example, Madison (a city less than half Milwaukee’s size) kept 66 polling places open (compared with 92 normally), and there were no major reports of lines at them.
Everywhere, though, election officials took extraordinary measures to keep voters safe. Plexiglass barriers were erected at many polling places to separate poll workers from voters. And in Fitchburg, a suburb of Madison, poll workers were instructed to wipe down voting equipment every 15 minutes. In the small city of Lake Mills, voter Jonathan McLaughlin told FiveThirtyEight he was given hand sanitizer on his way into the polling place, and each voter was given a fresh Bic pen with which to vote (they were told to either keep it or throw it away when they were done). And according to Kelly Westlund, who was working the polls in Ashland, a city of 8,000 in northern Wisconsin, she and her team sanitized their hands and the voting equipment regularly and made sure voters kept at least six feet apart. All the poll workers in Ashland were also provided with masks from local hat manufacturer Stormy Kromer.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/voters-experiences-in-wisconsin-amid-the-coronavirus/
Yes, this is literally playing with fire here. And you know how much fire this is? Well picture a burning building. Now picture fucking Godzilla attacking that burning building while pouring kerosene on it and sulfur reigns down on it. That’s about the extent of the severity of this. And assuming this coronavirus drags on all year guess what? they’re setting things up so they can steal the election in November from Biden! That’s where this is headed. The dominoes are in place.
Three weeks ago, I wrote that the real threat to the 2020 election is not that Donald Trump will use the coronavirus to try to cancel it but that Republicans will try to steal it, state by state, county by county. In an election in which a record number of people may attempt to vote by absentee ballot, Republican state officials can choose simply to mail ballots to people in counties that traditionally vote for Republicans—and not mail enough ballots to the far more populous counties that traditionally vote for Democrats. In so doing, they can slant the general election toward Donald Trump and other Republicans running for election without Trump having to go through all the bother of declaring himself “dictator for life,” which might spook Mitt Romney.
Last night, the Supreme Court gave Republicans the go-ahead to proceed with that scheme. You don’t need an army to cross the Rubicon when you have henchmen on the Supreme Court willing to do all the dirty work.
The case before the Supreme Court involved today’s federal primary election in Wisconsin. The Democratic governor of the state, Tony Evers, asked the Republican-controlled state Legislature to move back the date of the election, like so many other states have done, amid concerns over Covid-19. The Legislature said no, deliberating for all of 17 seconds on the matter. Evers then asked the Legislature to mail absentee ballots to every voter in Wisconsin. The Republicans said no. Yesterday afternoon, Evers issued an executive order moving the election to June 9. But the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled him by nightfall.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/scotus-wisconsin-election/
Last night, the Supreme Court gave Republicans the go-ahead to proceed with that scheme. You don’t need an army to cross the Rubicon when you have henchmen on the Supreme Court willing to do all the dirty work.
The case before the Supreme Court involved today’s federal primary election in Wisconsin. The Democratic governor of the state, Tony Evers, asked the Republican-controlled state Legislature to move back the date of the election, like so many other states have done, amid concerns over Covid-19. The Legislature said no, deliberating for all of 17 seconds on the matter. Evers then asked the Legislature to mail absentee ballots to every voter in Wisconsin. The Republicans said no. Yesterday afternoon, Evers issued an executive order moving the election to June 9. But the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled him by nightfall.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/scotus-wisconsin-election/
Yes, holy shit indeed! If the fact that they didn’t even spend a full minute debating this reckless disregard for life should fucking terrify you, then nothing will! Just how evil is this decision? Well it’s pretty damn evil and everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Bernie Sanders to Biden himself has been decrying this decision because it will put people’s lives at stake. The coronavirus is nothing to fuck around with, and SCOTUS put party over country with this one. Well guess what? COVID-19 doesn’t care which side you vote for. We’re all sitting ducks, and this made it worse.
On Monday, by a 5–4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court approved one of the most brazen acts of voter suppression in modern history. The court will nullify the votes of citizens who mailed in their ballots late—not because they forgot, but because they did not receive ballots until after Election Day due to the coronavirus pandemic. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in dissent, the court’s order “will result in massive disenfranchisement.” The conservative majority claimed that its decision would help protect “the integrity of the election process.” In reality, it calls into question the legitimacy of the election itself.
Wisconsin has long been scheduled to hold an election on April 7. There are more than 3,800 seats on the ballot, and a crucial state Supreme Court race. But the state’s ability to conduct in-person voting is imperiled by COVID-19. Thousands of poll workers have dropped out for fear of contracting the virus, forcing cities to shutter dozens of polling places. Milwaukee, for example, consolidated its polling locations from 182 to five, while Green Bay consolidated its polling locations from 31 to two. Gov. Tony Evers asked the Republican-controlled Legislature to postpone the election, but it refused. So he tried to delay it himself with an executive order on Monday. But the Republican-dominated state Supreme Court reinstated the election, thereby forcing voters to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote.
Because voters are rightfully afraid of COVID-19, Wisconsin has been caught off guard by a surge in requests for absentee ballots. Election officials simply do not have time, resources, or staff to process all those requests. As a result, a large number of voters—at least tens of thousands—won’t get their ballots until after Election Day. And Wisconsin law disqualifies ballots received after that date. In response, last Thursday, a federal district court ordered the state to extend the absentee ballot deadline. It directed officials to count votes mailed after Election Day so long as they were returned by April 13. A conservative appeals court upheld his decision.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/04/supreme-court-wisconsin-absentee-ballots.html
Wisconsin has long been scheduled to hold an election on April 7. There are more than 3,800 seats on the ballot, and a crucial state Supreme Court race. But the state’s ability to conduct in-person voting is imperiled by COVID-19. Thousands of poll workers have dropped out for fear of contracting the virus, forcing cities to shutter dozens of polling places. Milwaukee, for example, consolidated its polling locations from 182 to five, while Green Bay consolidated its polling locations from 31 to two. Gov. Tony Evers asked the Republican-controlled Legislature to postpone the election, but it refused. So he tried to delay it himself with an executive order on Monday. But the Republican-dominated state Supreme Court reinstated the election, thereby forcing voters to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote.
Because voters are rightfully afraid of COVID-19, Wisconsin has been caught off guard by a surge in requests for absentee ballots. Election officials simply do not have time, resources, or staff to process all those requests. As a result, a large number of voters—at least tens of thousands—won’t get their ballots until after Election Day. And Wisconsin law disqualifies ballots received after that date. In response, last Thursday, a federal district court ordered the state to extend the absentee ballot deadline. It directed officials to count votes mailed after Election Day so long as they were returned by April 13. A conservative appeals court upheld his decision.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/04/supreme-court-wisconsin-absentee-ballots.html
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[font size="8"]Donald Trump
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OK you know how you get that feeling when someone says one thing and then turns around and does that thing that they accuse the other person of? Well, Trump and the republicans do that often, and very frequently. Well, after spending the better part of last year accusing Hunter Biden of nepotism, Trump goes around and appoints Jared Kusher to head the pandemic response team. Yes, that’s right – he went to Jared. Damn it, I’ve been saving that one for 3 years and I can’t tell it in front of a live audience. This bites. Fuck this virus. But yeah this is the exact kind of person who you don’t put in charge of a pandemic – a millionaire slum lord. And I say that because Jared Kusher ran his apartment complexes into the ground. So yeah you don’t want him in charge of something like this.
As the coronavirus task force gathered for their now-daily press briefing, a familiar figure joined them on stage: President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"Today you're going hear from Jared Kushner, senior adviser to the President of the United States, but someone that the White House Coronavirus Task Force directed to work with FEMA on supply chain issues," explained Vice President Mike Pence. "And in recent weeks, he has been leading a working group, in conjunction with FEMA, that literally has identified millions of medical supplies around the nation and around the world. And we're grateful for his efforts and his leadership."
Er, OK?
Kushner, it would appear, has insinuated himself into a prominent role in coordinating the administration's coronavirus response despite no obvious qualifications -- he isn't a doctor, an infectious disease expert or someone who has run large organizations -- for such a prominent role.
"Because of his unique status, he has made himself the point of contact for many agency officials who know that he can force action and issue decisions without going to the president. But while Mr. Kushner and his allies say that he has brought more order to the process, the government's response remains fragmented and behind the curve."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/jared-kushner-coronavirus/index.html
"Today you're going hear from Jared Kushner, senior adviser to the President of the United States, but someone that the White House Coronavirus Task Force directed to work with FEMA on supply chain issues," explained Vice President Mike Pence. "And in recent weeks, he has been leading a working group, in conjunction with FEMA, that literally has identified millions of medical supplies around the nation and around the world. And we're grateful for his efforts and his leadership."
Er, OK?
Kushner, it would appear, has insinuated himself into a prominent role in coordinating the administration's coronavirus response despite no obvious qualifications -- he isn't a doctor, an infectious disease expert or someone who has run large organizations -- for such a prominent role.
"Because of his unique status, he has made himself the point of contact for many agency officials who know that he can force action and issue decisions without going to the president. But while Mr. Kushner and his allies say that he has brought more order to the process, the government's response remains fragmented and behind the curve."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/jared-kushner-coronavirus/index.html
What unique status? The only reason he has a unique status is that he happens to be married to your girlfriend, er, daughter Ivanka. Yeah that got weird didn’t it? I would expect groaning and moaning from a live audience over that joke. But no, you’re sticking with me. Yeah I keep dwelling on the fact that I have no audience but I am dealing with it. Back on topic, oh yeah letting Jared do this is an extremely bad idea. And conspiracy theorists know that having the word “shadow” when describing their unit means that it is fucking shady to begin with. So why are they OK with this?
The twist of fate that has cast Jared Kushner as a would-be savior in the greatest public health crisis to confront the United States in a century is a dramatic one.
The moment of national peril has been compared to September 11. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said coronavirus was her country’s greatest challenge since the second world war.
As the leader of the federal government effort to distribute emergency equipment to the states, Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, has mostly shied from the public stage, but he now is working in history’s spotlight.
His vast responsibilities include weighing requests from governors for aid and coordinating with private companies to obtain medical equipment, work he carries out from a special post created for him inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where his team is called “the Slim Suit crowd” for their distinctive tailoring, the New York Times has reported.
Kushner’s team was credited with coordinating a planeload of medical supplies that arrived in the US from China last week.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/jared-kushner-coronavirus-aid-trump-governors
The moment of national peril has been compared to September 11. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said coronavirus was her country’s greatest challenge since the second world war.
As the leader of the federal government effort to distribute emergency equipment to the states, Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, has mostly shied from the public stage, but he now is working in history’s spotlight.
His vast responsibilities include weighing requests from governors for aid and coordinating with private companies to obtain medical equipment, work he carries out from a special post created for him inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where his team is called “the Slim Suit crowd” for their distinctive tailoring, the New York Times has reported.
Kushner’s team was credited with coordinating a planeload of medical supplies that arrived in the US from China last week.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/jared-kushner-coronavirus-aid-trump-governors
Yeah except when most people go to Jared, they get excited because it means they’re getting married, or they’re getting a ridiculous piece of jewelry they can’t possibly afford! This Jared, on the other hand is a literal fuck up. In fact he fucks things up so much that he should get a cover story on “Fuck Up Of The Year” magazine! If such a magazine existed. But we don’t have to tell you that this is a really terrible idea.
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, criticized governors Thursday, saying they don't have a handle on their own supplies of masks and ventilators needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
In a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, Kushner urged governors and some senators to be more resourceful in their own states instead of looking first to the federal government for help.
"What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you elect somebody to be a mayor or governor or president, you're trying to think about who will be a competent manager during the time of crisis," he said. "This is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others."
Kushner, a real estate executive with no public health expertise, generally works behind scenes at the White House. So, critics have been curious about his role in the administration's efforts to confront the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/04/826922646/jared-kushners-role-in-coronavirus-response-draws-scrutiny-criticism
In a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, Kushner urged governors and some senators to be more resourceful in their own states instead of looking first to the federal government for help.
"What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you elect somebody to be a mayor or governor or president, you're trying to think about who will be a competent manager during the time of crisis," he said. "This is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others."
Kushner, a real estate executive with no public health expertise, generally works behind scenes at the White House. So, critics have been curious about his role in the administration's efforts to confront the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/04/826922646/jared-kushners-role-in-coronavirus-response-draws-scrutiny-criticism
And honestly that’s kind of what Trump did. He put a fucking real estate executive in charge of the worst health crisis not seen in an entire century. Maybe he should put, I don’t know, people who know shit about public health in charge! Is it any fucking wonder why people don’t trust the government? Yeah let’s put a guy in charge of housing in a health crisis. That’s an epic fail no matter how you look at it. And yes, this will end badly. Just look at how it went this week!
Members of a White House coronavirus task force were ordered to work from home after one person’s partner tested positive for the virus, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in an email to staff.
The email said all staff on the supply chain sub task force who worked on a certain floor of a FEMA building in Washington, D.C., are required to telework starting Tuesday. The person, described by FEMA as a “partner” who is a federal employee, visited FEMA headquarters in Washington.
A FEMA spokesperson told The Hill that "at no time" did the person who tested positive "or any other known to have contact with them, come within six feet of any other Task Force principal for a prolonged period of time."
Admiral John Polowczyk, who is leading the sub task force, was listed as a recipient of the email, according to NBC. The unit he leads is tasked with acquiring, shipping and distributing equipment to combat the coronavirus. On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Trump to tap a supply director. The president told him to stop “complaining”.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/491569-white-house-coronavirus-unit-ordered-to-work-from-home-after-positive
The email said all staff on the supply chain sub task force who worked on a certain floor of a FEMA building in Washington, D.C., are required to telework starting Tuesday. The person, described by FEMA as a “partner” who is a federal employee, visited FEMA headquarters in Washington.
A FEMA spokesperson told The Hill that "at no time" did the person who tested positive "or any other known to have contact with them, come within six feet of any other Task Force principal for a prolonged period of time."
Admiral John Polowczyk, who is leading the sub task force, was listed as a recipient of the email, according to NBC. The unit he leads is tasked with acquiring, shipping and distributing equipment to combat the coronavirus. On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Trump to tap a supply director. The president told him to stop “complaining”.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/491569-white-house-coronavirus-unit-ordered-to-work-from-home-after-positive
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[font size="8"]The Fate Of Captain Crozier
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WHO FIRED THE WHISTLEBLOWERS??? OK why am I shouting? I am doing this out of my house, there’s no audience right now. But yeah if you’ve been following the absolutely shocking and horrifying developments out of the US Navy, and you’re not looking with absolute horror, then you sir or madam, have no soul. Because when you see what happened with Captain Brett Crozier, the longtime captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, it is truly stunning what happened. He sounded the alarm about COVID being on his ship, and guess what? He got fired! Because that’s how Trump rolls. Yeah so last week reports of the horrid disease aboard USS Roosevelt started spreading. And here’s what Trump did.
The episode I’m about to mention has been receiving saturation social-media attention for the past few hours, as I write. But because the accelerating torrent of news tends to blast away each day’s events and make them hard to register—even a moment like this, which I expect will be included in histories of our times—I think it is worth noting this episode while it is fresh.
Until a few days ago, Brett Crozier would have been considered among the U.S. Navy’s most distinguished commanders.
He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1992 and then entered training as a naval aviator. He was qualified first as a helicopter pilot, and then in the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter planes. He was deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz during the Iraq war, and he held an ascending series of staff and command jobs—as you can read in his Pentagon biography, here. He received a master’s degree from the Naval War College; he became executive officer (second in command) of the nuclear-powered carrier Ronald Reagan; and he became commander of the amphibious ship Blue Ridge. Then late last year, as a Navy captain, he took command of the Nimitz-class nuclear carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the 4,000-plus people in its crew.
Last week, coronavirus sickness spread rapidly among the Roosevelt’s crew members. Five days ago, on Sunday, Matthias Gafni and Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle published an email by Crozier, addressed to his naval superiors, asking that the ship be diverted from its normal duties so that sick crew members could be treated and the spread of disease could be slowed. Gafni and Garofoli did not say how they had received the email, but it had been copied to a large number of recipients and not marked as sensitive; Crozier must have known it was likely to become public when he sent it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2020/04/time-capsule-11-captain-crozier/609409/
Until a few days ago, Brett Crozier would have been considered among the U.S. Navy’s most distinguished commanders.
He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1992 and then entered training as a naval aviator. He was qualified first as a helicopter pilot, and then in the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter planes. He was deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz during the Iraq war, and he held an ascending series of staff and command jobs—as you can read in his Pentagon biography, here. He received a master’s degree from the Naval War College; he became executive officer (second in command) of the nuclear-powered carrier Ronald Reagan; and he became commander of the amphibious ship Blue Ridge. Then late last year, as a Navy captain, he took command of the Nimitz-class nuclear carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the 4,000-plus people in its crew.
Last week, coronavirus sickness spread rapidly among the Roosevelt’s crew members. Five days ago, on Sunday, Matthias Gafni and Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle published an email by Crozier, addressed to his naval superiors, asking that the ship be diverted from its normal duties so that sick crew members could be treated and the spread of disease could be slowed. Gafni and Garofoli did not say how they had received the email, but it had been copied to a large number of recipients and not marked as sensitive; Crozier must have known it was likely to become public when he sent it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2020/04/time-capsule-11-captain-crozier/609409/
Well yes, ladies I would absolutely agree with you! And it gets worse. Oh it gets so much worse my friends who are braving with me on this home edition. I’m not even going to acknowledge that he has COVID, because you probably already knew that. And you probably also knew that Trump most likely didn’t read Capt. Crozier’s letter, and if you think he did, well, I’ve got a bottle of silver solution to sell you for $59.99.
It was a send-off for the ages, with hundreds of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt cheering Capt. Brett E. Crozier, the commander who sacrificed his naval career by writing a letter to his superiors demanding more help as the novel coronavirus spread through the ship.
The rousing show of support provided the latest gripping scene to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic: the rank and file shouting their admiration for a boss they viewed as putting their safety ahead of his career.
The memes were quick to sprout on social media. On Reddit, one depicted Captain Crozier forced to choose between rescuing his career or his sailors from a burning building; he chooses his sailors. On Twitter, a slew of videos showed Captain Crozier’s walk down the gangway in Guam, most of them depicting him as a hero struck down by his superiors for trying to save the lives of his crew. “Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by sailors,” wrote Twitter user Dylan Castillo, alongside a video of Captain Crozier leaving his ship.
But in removing Captain Crozier from command, senior Navy officials said they were protecting the historic practice that complaints and requests have to go up a formal chain of command. They argued that by sending his concerns to 20 or 30 people in a message that eventually leaked to news organizations, Captain Crozier showed he was no longer fit to lead the fast-moving effort to treat the crew and clean the ship.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/us/politics/coronavirus-brett-crozier-theodore-roosevelt.html
The rousing show of support provided the latest gripping scene to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic: the rank and file shouting their admiration for a boss they viewed as putting their safety ahead of his career.
The memes were quick to sprout on social media. On Reddit, one depicted Captain Crozier forced to choose between rescuing his career or his sailors from a burning building; he chooses his sailors. On Twitter, a slew of videos showed Captain Crozier’s walk down the gangway in Guam, most of them depicting him as a hero struck down by his superiors for trying to save the lives of his crew. “Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by sailors,” wrote Twitter user Dylan Castillo, alongside a video of Captain Crozier leaving his ship.
But in removing Captain Crozier from command, senior Navy officials said they were protecting the historic practice that complaints and requests have to go up a formal chain of command. They argued that by sending his concerns to 20 or 30 people in a message that eventually leaked to news organizations, Captain Crozier showed he was no longer fit to lead the fast-moving effort to treat the crew and clean the ship.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/us/politics/coronavirus-brett-crozier-theodore-roosevelt.html
Oh come on, we kid! We kid! Really, sir, that’s the joke you choose to go out on? We love our Navy brothers and sisters here! But this is one of those things that fall under the “everything Trump touches dies” category. Yes, he probably didn’t read the letter. Yes, he probably fired the captain, and the captain’s replacement. Because he’s Trump. He’s now turned things into a literal revolving door.
The Navy secretary resigned Tuesday in a mushrooming controversy over the firing of a popular aircraft carrier captain who warned about coronavirus endangering his sailors.
Acting Secretary Thomas Modly quit a day after he was recorded telling sailors on the virus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt that fired Capt. Brett Crozier was “either too stupid or too naive” to lead them.
Modly was left swinging in the wind after President Trump apparently reversed his previous support for the tone-deaf dismissal of Crozier.
The president slammed Modly’s blunt remarks as “rough” on Monday. Hours before Modly’s resignation, the president retweeted a prediction that he would soon “get involved” in Crozier’s ouster.
Modly issued a written apology late Monday but that failed to quell demands for his head.
https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-navy-captain-crozier-20200407-l3w4gf3dxzdnxhazyzke4y6lka-story.html
Acting Secretary Thomas Modly quit a day after he was recorded telling sailors on the virus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt that fired Capt. Brett Crozier was “either too stupid or too naive” to lead them.
Modly was left swinging in the wind after President Trump apparently reversed his previous support for the tone-deaf dismissal of Crozier.
The president slammed Modly’s blunt remarks as “rough” on Monday. Hours before Modly’s resignation, the president retweeted a prediction that he would soon “get involved” in Crozier’s ouster.
Modly issued a written apology late Monday but that failed to quell demands for his head.
https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-navy-captain-crozier-20200407-l3w4gf3dxzdnxhazyzke4y6lka-story.html
Yeah it’s just like that. So Trump fired Capt. Crozier, then he fired the Navy secretary, and he will most likely fire the acting Navy secretary. Because like I said, everything he touches dies. He’s the literal opposite of King Midas. But in case you’re wondering, if you think our hospitals are bad now, well, Navy hospitals really aren’t much better. In fact this might be a good topic for a future Top 10 Investigates.
The U.S. Navy generated glowing headlines and cheering crowds when deploying its hospital ships Mercy and Comfort to Los Angeles and New York City respectively. But the ships are both pushing 50 years old and need replacing, and what those replacements will look like is anything but certain.
Both ships were converted super-tankers designed for providing care for combat casualties. And while both ships have combat deployments under their belts during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, they are far more frequently used for disaster relief and medical outreach missions across the globe.
During nearly 35 years of service, the distinctive white hulls and red crosses have become symbols of American soft power abroad and, occasionally, the symbol of the Defense Department pitching in at home. The Comfort was deployed during Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans and in 2017 to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Both Mercy and Comfort today are providing emergency care in Los Angeles and New York to free up civilian hospitals to focus on COVID-19 patients.
But much like the bulk of the surge sealift fleet, the ships run on outdated steam plants that fewer and fewer mariners know how to operate and maintain. And, like classic cars, they need constant care and attention to keep in working order. In 2018, the Navy proposed decommissioning one of the ships in 2021, but was blocked by Congress.
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/04/01/the-us-navys-hospital-ships-in-the-covid-19-fight-badly-need-replacing/
Both ships were converted super-tankers designed for providing care for combat casualties. And while both ships have combat deployments under their belts during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, they are far more frequently used for disaster relief and medical outreach missions across the globe.
During nearly 35 years of service, the distinctive white hulls and red crosses have become symbols of American soft power abroad and, occasionally, the symbol of the Defense Department pitching in at home. The Comfort was deployed during Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans and in 2017 to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Both Mercy and Comfort today are providing emergency care in Los Angeles and New York to free up civilian hospitals to focus on COVID-19 patients.
But much like the bulk of the surge sealift fleet, the ships run on outdated steam plants that fewer and fewer mariners know how to operate and maintain. And, like classic cars, they need constant care and attention to keep in working order. In 2018, the Navy proposed decommissioning one of the ships in 2021, but was blocked by Congress.
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/04/01/the-us-navys-hospital-ships-in-the-covid-19-fight-badly-need-replacing/
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[font size="8"]Who’s Profiting From The Pandemic???
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By now everyone knows that the first case of the highly contagious and very deadly coronavirus was confirmed by the WHO on 12/31/19. And we know that in that length of time, Trump went golfing 6 times, held 3 fundraisers and also held 5 MAGA rallies. During that whole time he downplayed the true dangers of this deadly disease. And while we were being distracted, the Senate knew that it was coming, and what they did next will make your blood fucking boil. Guess what they did? They profited off the pandemic. Yes, they sold stocks that they knew were going to tank because of this thing, before the stock market went into a free fall. Hold your boos.
Four senators sold stocks shortly after a January briefing in the Senate on the novel coronavirus outbreak, unloading shares that plummeted in value a month later as the stock market crashed in the face of a global pandemic.
According to financial disclosure forms, Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) each sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in stocks within days of the Senate holding a classified briefing on Jan. 24 with Trump administration officials on the threat of the coronavirus outbreak.
The sales raise questions about whether the senators violated the STOCK Act, a law that bans members of Congress from making financial trades based on nonpublic information.
Loeffler and her husband, who is the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, sold at least $355,000 in stocks from Jan. 24-31, according to Senate records, after the coronavirus briefing hosted by the Senate Health and Foreign Relations committees.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488593-four-senators-sold-stocks-before-coronavirus-threat-crashed-market
According to financial disclosure forms, Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) each sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in stocks within days of the Senate holding a classified briefing on Jan. 24 with Trump administration officials on the threat of the coronavirus outbreak.
The sales raise questions about whether the senators violated the STOCK Act, a law that bans members of Congress from making financial trades based on nonpublic information.
Loeffler and her husband, who is the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, sold at least $355,000 in stocks from Jan. 24-31, according to Senate records, after the coronavirus briefing hosted by the Senate Health and Foreign Relations committees.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488593-four-senators-sold-stocks-before-coronavirus-threat-crashed-market
Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Normally this would be a number one entry in the Top 10 any other week but in this world that’s been upended by the virus, this gets bumped to number 4! I mean there’s no way that anyone involved in this should get a “get out of jail free” card. While we’re scrambling to find supplies, these monsters profited. And they should not be allowed to get away with it!
Senator Richard Burr has called for an ethics investigation into himself and three other senators who sold off stock after receiving classified briefings on the coronavirus threat.
Burr—a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee—sold up to $1.72 million in stock through Feb. 13, shortly before reassuring the public that the government had a handle on the coronavirus response. A week later, the S&P 500 Index started what would become a 30% drop, wiping out most gains made since President Donald Trump's inauguration.
In a tweet on Friday, Burr denied any wrongdoing, saying that he “relied solely on public news reports” to inform his decisions.
Here’s how well those stocks performed after he sold them.
Another senator under scrutiny, Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler, sold off millions of dollars worth of stock beginning on Jan. 24, the day the health committee she sits on was briefed by U.S. public-health officials.
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-senators-dump-stocks-coronavirus-crash/
Burr—a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee—sold up to $1.72 million in stock through Feb. 13, shortly before reassuring the public that the government had a handle on the coronavirus response. A week later, the S&P 500 Index started what would become a 30% drop, wiping out most gains made since President Donald Trump's inauguration.
In a tweet on Friday, Burr denied any wrongdoing, saying that he “relied solely on public news reports” to inform his decisions.
Here’s how well those stocks performed after he sold them.
Another senator under scrutiny, Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler, sold off millions of dollars worth of stock beginning on Jan. 24, the day the health committee she sits on was briefed by U.S. public-health officials.
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-senators-dump-stocks-coronavirus-crash/
You got that right sir! This is unquestionably what one might call a “dick move”. And it’s such a dick move that they knew this was coming and rather than sound they alarm, they opened up their wallets because, why not? This is America!! This is huge, and this is certainly one of the most evil, egregious acts that has ever happened. Crap, they put Martha Stewart away for less than this! Just how bad is this whole thing? Well it gets worse!
Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and her husband, Intercontinental Exchange Chairman Jeff Sprecher, disclosed additional stock trades as they faced criticism for dumping shares before the market plummeted over the coronavirus crisis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Tuesday.
Last month, both Loeffler and Sprecher, who is also the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, came under scrutiny for selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock before the market's drop.
The Daily Beast reported last month that after she attended a January 24 closed-door US Senate briefing on the COVID-19 outbreak, Loeffler sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in shares of Resideo Technologies, Comcast, AutoZone, and more before the decline and also bought up shares in Citrix, a company that makes telecommuting software.
On Tuesday, The Journal-Constitution reported that newly disclosed stock transactions from early March involved the sale of retail stocks, which have seen a sharp decline as the industry suffers from the outbreak. Loeffler sold over $70,000 in shares of the retailer Ross on March 4 and 5; $27,000 in shares of TJX Cos., the parent company of TJ Maxx; and over $56,000 in shares of Lululemon, a popular athleisure clothing brand.
https://www.businessinsider.com/sen-loeffler-dumped-more-retail-stock-in-new-disclosures-coronavirus-2020-4
Last month, both Loeffler and Sprecher, who is also the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, came under scrutiny for selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock before the market's drop.
The Daily Beast reported last month that after she attended a January 24 closed-door US Senate briefing on the COVID-19 outbreak, Loeffler sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in shares of Resideo Technologies, Comcast, AutoZone, and more before the decline and also bought up shares in Citrix, a company that makes telecommuting software.
On Tuesday, The Journal-Constitution reported that newly disclosed stock transactions from early March involved the sale of retail stocks, which have seen a sharp decline as the industry suffers from the outbreak. Loeffler sold over $70,000 in shares of the retailer Ross on March 4 and 5; $27,000 in shares of TJX Cos., the parent company of TJ Maxx; and over $56,000 in shares of Lululemon, a popular athleisure clothing brand.
https://www.businessinsider.com/sen-loeffler-dumped-more-retail-stock-in-new-disclosures-coronavirus-2020-4
I wouldn’t go that far, but considering over twice as many people have died from this wretched virus as have died in 9/11, it’s not that far of a stretch. So we know that four senators have made untold money on this deadly pandemic. Not only did they dump retail stocks, it gets worse! They also dumped travel stocks because they knew a travel ban is coming. These are people who are going to have to answer for their crimes.
Senator Kelly Loeffler sold a total of $46,027 worth of stock in an online travel company in the day leading up to President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ban on most European travel to the U.S.
Though the transactions were relatively small for Loeffler and her husband -- whose net worth is estimated at more than $500 million -- the sales represented an about-face.
Loeffler, a Georgia Republican, had just days earlier purchased the shares, in Booking Holdings, jointly with her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, the chief executive officer of Intercontinental Exchange, parent firm of the New York Stock Exchange
Booking Holdings provides online bookings for flights, hotels and other travel-related services, all of which have collapsed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-03/georgia-senator-loeffler-did-quick-dump-of-travel-company-stock
Though the transactions were relatively small for Loeffler and her husband -- whose net worth is estimated at more than $500 million -- the sales represented an about-face.
Loeffler, a Georgia Republican, had just days earlier purchased the shares, in Booking Holdings, jointly with her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, the chief executive officer of Intercontinental Exchange, parent firm of the New York Stock Exchange
Booking Holdings provides online bookings for flights, hotels and other travel-related services, all of which have collapsed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-03/georgia-senator-loeffler-did-quick-dump-of-travel-company-stock
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[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Zantac Recall
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It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!
Drugs. We need them now more than ever in the day and age of a killer virus roaming the landscape. In this time though, a recall of a major drug used to fight heartburn isn’t exactly the headlines that we need to hear right now. But your heartburn medication along with a whole bunch of other ones might be contaminated. How did this happen and who allowed it to happen? Well in the case where the cure might be worse than the disease, you can always count on the American FDA to produce a recall of the drug when we most need it. And for how long has this been going on? Well, you might very well be at risk if you require this medication.
(CNN)The US Food and Drug Administration is requesting that manufacturers pull all prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine drugs, known by the brand name Zantac, from the market immediately, the agency announced on Wednesday.
The FDA noted that an ongoing investigation has determined that levels of a contaminant in the heartburn medications increase over time and when stored at higher-than-normal temperatures, pose a risk to public health.
The contaminant, N-nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA, is a probable human carcinogen and the FDA has been investigating levels of it in ranitidine since the summer of 2019.
"We didn't observe unacceptable levels of NDMA in many of the samples that we tested," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in Wednesday's announcement.
"However, since we don't know how or for how long the product might have been stored, we decided that it should not be available to consumers and patients unless its quality can be assured," Woodcock said in part. "The FDA will continue our efforts to ensure impurities in other drugs do not exceed acceptable limits so that patients can continue taking medicines without concern."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/health/zantac-fda-remove-from-market-bn/index.html
The FDA noted that an ongoing investigation has determined that levels of a contaminant in the heartburn medications increase over time and when stored at higher-than-normal temperatures, pose a risk to public health.
The contaminant, N-nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA, is a probable human carcinogen and the FDA has been investigating levels of it in ranitidine since the summer of 2019.
"We didn't observe unacceptable levels of NDMA in many of the samples that we tested," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in Wednesday's announcement.
"However, since we don't know how or for how long the product might have been stored, we decided that it should not be available to consumers and patients unless its quality can be assured," Woodcock said in part. "The FDA will continue our efforts to ensure impurities in other drugs do not exceed acceptable limits so that patients can continue taking medicines without concern."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/health/zantac-fda-remove-from-market-bn/index.html
No this drug doesn’t do that unfortunately. It treats heartburn and that’s about it. And that’s part of what fears about a coronavirus cure could bring – the risk of contamination. So why is the NDMA so important in these drugs? Well in the day and age of a deadly disease, you don’t want to risk getting further contaminated with anything because that could end really badly for you. But it is good that they caught it before it got really bad.
New Haven, Connecticut-based Valisure said the FDA should recall Sanofi’s Zantac and all other ranitidine products “to protect the American public from further exposure to the potentially carcinogenic properties of Ranitidine,” according to the petition, which was posted to a federal website Wednesday.
Then, in early January, another lab, Emery Pharma, filed its own citizen petition informing the FDA that its testing determined the level of the suspected carcinogen NDMA can increase if the drug is exposed to high heat, even after it has been packaged.
"Our preliminary data indicate that NDMA accumulates in ranitidine-containing drug products on exposure to elevated temperatures, which would be routinely reached during shipment and during storage. More importantly, these conditions occur post-lot release by the manufacturer. Hence, while NDMA levels in ranitidine may be acceptable at the source, they may not be so when the drug is purchased and subsequently at the time of consumption by the consumer," the petition says.
In a statement today, Valisure CEO David Light said, "Very glad that Valisure's laboratory testing has had such an impact and we strongly support and applaud FDA's decision to remove all ranitidine products from the market,"
https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/zantac-and-generics-ordered-off-market-by-fda-as-find-it-a-ticking-time-bomb
Then, in early January, another lab, Emery Pharma, filed its own citizen petition informing the FDA that its testing determined the level of the suspected carcinogen NDMA can increase if the drug is exposed to high heat, even after it has been packaged.
"Our preliminary data indicate that NDMA accumulates in ranitidine-containing drug products on exposure to elevated temperatures, which would be routinely reached during shipment and during storage. More importantly, these conditions occur post-lot release by the manufacturer. Hence, while NDMA levels in ranitidine may be acceptable at the source, they may not be so when the drug is purchased and subsequently at the time of consumption by the consumer," the petition says.
In a statement today, Valisure CEO David Light said, "Very glad that Valisure's laboratory testing has had such an impact and we strongly support and applaud FDA's decision to remove all ranitidine products from the market,"
https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/zantac-and-generics-ordered-off-market-by-fda-as-find-it-a-ticking-time-bomb
That might be one of the side effects of that drug, actually! So as far as drugs go, this highlights the need to test them regularly for impurities and imperfections. But we also need a world where you can take a drug without worrying about the horrifying side effects. Much like the pharmaceutical ads where they spend most of the time talking about said side effects. But really this highlights a potentially broken part of our healthcare system that needs to be fixed.
Thanks to decades of regulatory oversight and pharmacovigilance, we tend to take for granted the quality and safety of our most used medicines. Sometimes, though, the challenges and complexities of ensuring this peace of mind are thrown into the spotlight. Recently, potentially carcinogenic nitrosamine impurities were found to be present in commercially available drug products. This discovery, and the measures taken to quickly mitigate any risks, highlight the role of advancing analytical technology in safeguarding consumer health.
In September 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported unacceptable levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen, in several batches of the heartburn medication ranitidine (Zantac) [1], which prompted a large-scale product recall. Coming little over a year after similar findings triggered a recall of batches of the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan [2], the ranitidine results meant an increased focus on this impurity, its risks and, in particular, its detection. One outcome has been the adoption of novel analytical methods developed using the latest high-resolution accurate mass (HRAM) mass spectrometry techniques, which are helping overcome some of the limitations of previous approaches to nitrosamine detection.
Certain pharmaceutical manufacturing processes can result in the production of genotoxic impurities (GTIs), such as NDMA and other nitrosamines, many of which are potentially carcinogenic, even at low levels. Consequently, regulatory authorities closely monitor drug products for these compounds.
Documentation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) highlights potential sources of nitrosamine formation and contamination in ARB drugs [3]. These include specific active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) processing conditions and materials, the use of sodium and other nitrites in the presence of secondary or tertiary amines, and the inclusion of contaminated raw materials in API production. Of note is the significant challenge posed by vendor-sourced raw and starting materials, particularly because an API manufacturer whose own process is incapable of producing nitrosamines may be unaware of the risk of such impurities being present.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/articles/zantac-recalls-highlight-the-need-to-screen-and-quantify-impurities-with-confidence-331998
In September 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported unacceptable levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen, in several batches of the heartburn medication ranitidine (Zantac) [1], which prompted a large-scale product recall. Coming little over a year after similar findings triggered a recall of batches of the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan [2], the ranitidine results meant an increased focus on this impurity, its risks and, in particular, its detection. One outcome has been the adoption of novel analytical methods developed using the latest high-resolution accurate mass (HRAM) mass spectrometry techniques, which are helping overcome some of the limitations of previous approaches to nitrosamine detection.
Certain pharmaceutical manufacturing processes can result in the production of genotoxic impurities (GTIs), such as NDMA and other nitrosamines, many of which are potentially carcinogenic, even at low levels. Consequently, regulatory authorities closely monitor drug products for these compounds.
Documentation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) highlights potential sources of nitrosamine formation and contamination in ARB drugs [3]. These include specific active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) processing conditions and materials, the use of sodium and other nitrites in the presence of secondary or tertiary amines, and the inclusion of contaminated raw materials in API production. Of note is the significant challenge posed by vendor-sourced raw and starting materials, particularly because an API manufacturer whose own process is incapable of producing nitrosamines may be unaware of the risk of such impurities being present.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/articles/zantac-recalls-highlight-the-need-to-screen-and-quantify-impurities-with-confidence-331998
Well it’s not weed but if you take Zantac and you need it, what are the alternatives? For one thing, remain calm. There’s plenty of heartburn medication alternatives out there, and you don’t need a commercial from Larry The Cable Guy to tell you which one to take. If you’ve been taking Zantac, then there’s plenty of other ways you can get what you need when you need it.
“As a result of this immediate market withdrawal request, ranitidine products will not be available for new or existing prescriptions or OTC use in the U.S.,” the FDA concluded.
So, what should you do if you’ve been taking Zantac?
First, don’t freak out. Experts don’t know what this means at this point. “I have been giving this medication for the last 30 years and I have not seen anything concerning—but you cannot be sure,” says Ashkan Farhadi, M.D., a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. He points out that, as of now, there are no reports of any cancer cases related to Zantac use.
Still, that’s not a risk you want to take. If you have a box of the medication at home, the FDA recommends that you safely dispose of it. (They have steps on how to do this online.)
If you’ve taken Zantac here and there, it’s probably not something you should be concerned about, says Robert Weber, Pharm.D., pharmacy administrator at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Even if you’ve been a heavy user of the medication, it’s still unclear what, exactly, that could mean for your overall health, Dr. Farhadi says. “This is just hypothetical at this point,” he says.
https://www.prevention.com/health/a32033640/best-zantac-alternatives/
So, what should you do if you’ve been taking Zantac?
First, don’t freak out. Experts don’t know what this means at this point. “I have been giving this medication for the last 30 years and I have not seen anything concerning—but you cannot be sure,” says Ashkan Farhadi, M.D., a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. He points out that, as of now, there are no reports of any cancer cases related to Zantac use.
Still, that’s not a risk you want to take. If you have a box of the medication at home, the FDA recommends that you safely dispose of it. (They have steps on how to do this online.)
If you’ve taken Zantac here and there, it’s probably not something you should be concerned about, says Robert Weber, Pharm.D., pharmacy administrator at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Even if you’ve been a heavy user of the medication, it’s still unclear what, exactly, that could mean for your overall health, Dr. Farhadi says. “This is just hypothetical at this point,” he says.
https://www.prevention.com/health/a32033640/best-zantac-alternatives/
That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.
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[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the pew and pass the collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:
My fair congregation! We are conducting yet another online meeting since we cannot convene in the holy temple! The Holy Church is currently closed so we’re going virtual until it is safe to convene in the Holy Church again. That said, a lot of our brothers and sisters on the right still refuse to take this thing seriously. So much in fact that there’s one guy in Pennsylvania who is planning to take the anti-quarantine to the next level. In fact he is going to do the opposite of a quarantine and hold a giant gathering with all the things that the modern Christian loves! But did anyone ever stop to tell him that this is a really bad idea?
A Pittsburgh area pastor says he plans to organize a large, Woodstock-like outdoor Easter service to protest the stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Conservative Christian Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth made the announcement on social media after the arrests of pastors in the U.S. for failing to comply with state-at-home orders.
“How do you lay hands on people online? How do you baptize people online? How do you anoint with oil and lay hands on the sick?” he asked.
He said the government is infringing on the rights of people to assemble for religion.
He said the large outdoor gathering will be “like Woodstock.”
https://fox8.com/news/pennsylvania-pastor-blasts-coronavirus-orders-plans-outdoor-service-like-woodstock/
Conservative Christian Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth made the announcement on social media after the arrests of pastors in the U.S. for failing to comply with state-at-home orders.
“How do you lay hands on people online? How do you baptize people online? How do you anoint with oil and lay hands on the sick?” he asked.
He said the government is infringing on the rights of people to assemble for religion.
He said the large outdoor gathering will be “like Woodstock.”
https://fox8.com/news/pennsylvania-pastor-blasts-coronavirus-orders-plans-outdoor-service-like-woodstock/
Now I hope Mr. Shuttlesworth will be visited by the 3 spirits during the night to tell him why this is a bad idea, but then again I am reminded that is a work of fiction and not in any way grounded in reality! So instead I will do that. Because in the time of the great pandemic, we need to be reminded of why this is a terrible idea! And that is if a group of us gets this terrible virus, then it will set off a chain in which a lot of us will get sick and die as a result! And that’s not something that the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now, is it?
On Sunday, the pastor of Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi, Calif., was greeted by several police officers in the parking lot about an hour before he intended to hold an in-person service despite coronavirus restrictions.
Pastor Jon Duncan, whose small evangelical church leases space in Bethel Open Bible Church, arrived Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, to find that Bethel, which stopped having in-person services on March 15, had changed the locks on the building to prevent his congregants from entering, Lodi Police Lt. Michael Manetti told The Times.
Duncan had continued to hold in-person services for Cross Culture Christian Center amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re going to meet as often as we can meet, and we do believe that this right is protected by the 1st Amendment and should be considered essential,” Duncan said in an interview with KTXL-TV last week.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-05/pastor-who-refuses-to-cancel-sunday-services-greeted-by-police
Pastor Jon Duncan, whose small evangelical church leases space in Bethel Open Bible Church, arrived Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, to find that Bethel, which stopped having in-person services on March 15, had changed the locks on the building to prevent his congregants from entering, Lodi Police Lt. Michael Manetti told The Times.
Duncan had continued to hold in-person services for Cross Culture Christian Center amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re going to meet as often as we can meet, and we do believe that this right is protected by the 1st Amendment and should be considered essential,” Duncan said in an interview with KTXL-TV last week.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-05/pastor-who-refuses-to-cancel-sunday-services-greeted-by-police
Yeah but not that badly, miss! In fact that’s just one congregation, and I am not in the least surprised that it’s Bethel! But they are not the only ones that are defying what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now, is it? So death or church? That is the decision that we must make in this trying time. But when JAYSUS would make a sacrifice for the greater good, it appears his fellow evangelicals… are not willing to do the same!
HAMMOND — Police ticketed a church and its elders Sunday for refusing to disperse their congregation to comply with Gov. Eric Holcomb's "shelter in place" order, Mayor Thomas McDermott said.
More than 30 parishioners were inside The Church of Christ, which occupies a small building at 169th and Leland streets in Hammond, and more were pulling up in the parking lot when officers arrived about 9:50 a.m., he said.
Some of the worshipers wore masks, but others did not, McDermott said.
Holcomb issued a "stay at home" order that took effect March 24 in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The directive prohibits public gatherings of more than 10 people and orders all Hoosiers to stay home unless traveling for activities deemed essential.
According to data released Sunday by the state, the virus has killed more than 125 people in Indiana and sickened more than 4,400. More than 335,000 confirmed cases have been reported across the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/update-police-ticket-church-leaders-after-they-refuse-to-disperse-sunday-service-of-more-than/article_9d26619f-955b-5a69-b87b-f47d01effb38.html
More than 30 parishioners were inside The Church of Christ, which occupies a small building at 169th and Leland streets in Hammond, and more were pulling up in the parking lot when officers arrived about 9:50 a.m., he said.
Some of the worshipers wore masks, but others did not, McDermott said.
Holcomb issued a "stay at home" order that took effect March 24 in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The directive prohibits public gatherings of more than 10 people and orders all Hoosiers to stay home unless traveling for activities deemed essential.
According to data released Sunday by the state, the virus has killed more than 125 people in Indiana and sickened more than 4,400. More than 335,000 confirmed cases have been reported across the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/update-police-ticket-church-leaders-after-they-refuse-to-disperse-sunday-service-of-more-than/article_9d26619f-955b-5a69-b87b-f47d01effb38.html
Yes but do we need JAYSUS that badly sir? Everything can wait right now, the only thing should be getting rid of this most wicked of viruses! But if you want to see the dire consequences of your actions, I know everyone is tense and not getting social interaction right now. Before you go attending Pastor Shuttlesworth’s convention there’s something that you should know before hand – if you go to church right now, you’ll probably get it. I’m just saying it happens!
Nearly a third of Sacramento County’s coronavirus cases are connected to churches, officials said Wednesday, a discovery this week that has prompted alarmed county officials to issue a special plea for congregations to stop holding services and prayer groups.
County health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson said his office is asking congregations to hold services and fellowship meetings via Zoom, Skype or some other virtual platform - but not in person.
Speaking Wednesday morning, Beilenson said more than 100 of the county’s 314 cases of coronavirus infections are connected to church groups.
That includes 24 infections spread among one church whose congregants have continued to hold in-person fellowship meetings during the growing pandemic. Beilenson declined to name the church.
Another church, Faith Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, has had two parishioners die from the virus and a total of five people test positive for the virus. But church officials note that they halted in-person church services after March 8 and fully shut down their buildings on March 12, one full week before Sacramento County officials issued a shelter-in-place order.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241683631.html
County health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson said his office is asking congregations to hold services and fellowship meetings via Zoom, Skype or some other virtual platform - but not in person.
Speaking Wednesday morning, Beilenson said more than 100 of the county’s 314 cases of coronavirus infections are connected to church groups.
That includes 24 infections spread among one church whose congregants have continued to hold in-person fellowship meetings during the growing pandemic. Beilenson declined to name the church.
Another church, Faith Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, has had two parishioners die from the virus and a total of five people test positive for the virus. But church officials note that they halted in-person church services after March 8 and fully shut down their buildings on March 12, one full week before Sacramento County officials issued a shelter-in-place order.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241683631.html
Yes, the devil walks among us, and until we rid ourselves of the devil virus, expect this to keep happening over and over! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:
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[font size="8"]Explaining Jokes To Idiots: Suing Your Parody Account
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OK, MAGAs and Trump fans, let me teach you a little something about comedy. Because we’re here to educate as well as entertain. And look, we’re all stuck at home during this Great Quarantine. And nobody likes it. We’re all bored as shit. Netflix can only get you so far. But here’s the thing I want to tell you – if you can dish it out, you’d better damn well be prepared to take it. Because if you can’t take it, then who’s the real snowflake in that picture? Hint: It’s you!!! Now there’s a couple of incidents of this. The first is the Twitter parody account made famous by John Oliver – Devin Nunes’ Cow (@devincow). And we will get to that in a minute. The other right now is the 90s alternative metal band Trapt, who recently went full MAGA on a group of trolls. And you don’t go full MAGA or it will end badly for you.
Trapt frontman Chris Taylor Brown has now been taking on haters via Twitter for over two weeks. The latest installment of the social media epic features a Trapt parody account, which Brown has now threatened to sue.
Initially, Brown responded to actor Chris Evans on Twitter after he criticized one of President Trump’s press conferences on coronavirus. Along with defending Trump’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic and the president’s use of the term “Chinese virus,” Brown has been stating that white privilege doesn’t exist while defending himself against Twitter users labeling him as racist and xenophobic.
After online fights with over a dozen rock and metal bands, a Trapt parody account appeared, which at first, was almost indistinguishable from the official @TRAPTOFFICIAL account. Instead, the second ‘I’ in “OFFICIAL” was replaced with a lowercase L, leaving the lack of a verified check mark as the only noticeable different between the official and parody Trapt pages.
Brown eventually noticed the account and threatened to sue the mystery tweeter:
It’s not going to be hard to find out who you are and sue you... You know that right? Screenshots of the whole thing. In order to violate our impersonation policy, the account must portray another entity in a misleading or deceptive manner. Many tweets u sent have done this. Bye
https://loudwire.com/trapt-frontman-threatens-sue-parody-twitter-account/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Initially, Brown responded to actor Chris Evans on Twitter after he criticized one of President Trump’s press conferences on coronavirus. Along with defending Trump’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic and the president’s use of the term “Chinese virus,” Brown has been stating that white privilege doesn’t exist while defending himself against Twitter users labeling him as racist and xenophobic.
After online fights with over a dozen rock and metal bands, a Trapt parody account appeared, which at first, was almost indistinguishable from the official @TRAPTOFFICIAL account. Instead, the second ‘I’ in “OFFICIAL” was replaced with a lowercase L, leaving the lack of a verified check mark as the only noticeable different between the official and parody Trapt pages.
Brown eventually noticed the account and threatened to sue the mystery tweeter:
It’s not going to be hard to find out who you are and sue you... You know that right? Screenshots of the whole thing. In order to violate our impersonation policy, the account must portray another entity in a misleading or deceptive manner. Many tweets u sent have done this. Bye
https://loudwire.com/trapt-frontman-threatens-sue-parody-twitter-account/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Yeah you can dish it out but you sure can’t take it! Now here’s where this whole thing gets weird, and you knew it was going to. Because in the day and age of coronavirus, where there’s uncertaintly, angst and anxiety in everyone, everywhere, you got to latch on to whatever entertainment you can get your hands on. But I do love that the people who take things to the next level.
A parody Twitter account surfaced recently amid a string of Twitter-beefs that Trapt’s official account engaged in. In the span of just a few days, Trapt had spats with Captain America’s Chris Evans, Chris Fronzak of Attila, Tilian Pearson of Dance Gavin Dance, Telle Smith of the Word Alive, I Prevail, and Silent Planet.
The beef first started after Evans called out President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus. Trapt’s official account tweeted that Trump’s actions are the only reason the pandemic isn’t worse.
The argument-by-tweet then turned into a spat of who was more relevant and who made more money. In the end, Fronzak tweeted how “amazing” it was to see Trapt get “bodied by Warped Tour Twitter.”
Then, fans and bands saw a tweet from the Trapt parody account saying that the posers would not be able to play their iconic hit, “Headstrong.” The tweet also said the band itself couldn’t play the song since they have not “played a real guitar on stage since George W Bush was [president].”
This new parody poster features Trapt and three of the bands who were involved in the Twitter beef—I Prevail, Silent Planet and the Word Alive—as supporting acts. At present, it is unclear who originally made the poster as it makes the rounds on Twitter.
https://www.altpress.com/news/trapt-tour-parody-twitter/
The beef first started after Evans called out President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus. Trapt’s official account tweeted that Trump’s actions are the only reason the pandemic isn’t worse.
The argument-by-tweet then turned into a spat of who was more relevant and who made more money. In the end, Fronzak tweeted how “amazing” it was to see Trapt get “bodied by Warped Tour Twitter.”
Then, fans and bands saw a tweet from the Trapt parody account saying that the posers would not be able to play their iconic hit, “Headstrong.” The tweet also said the band itself couldn’t play the song since they have not “played a real guitar on stage since George W Bush was [president].”
This new parody poster features Trapt and three of the bands who were involved in the Twitter beef—I Prevail, Silent Planet and the Word Alive—as supporting acts. At present, it is unclear who originally made the poster as it makes the rounds on Twitter.
https://www.altpress.com/news/trapt-tour-parody-twitter/
Yup, see you in court! Now you would think that Mr. Brown would be alone in suing his parody account, but nope, he is definitely not the only one! Let’s now switch subjects and talk about our old buddy Devin Nunes. Remember when he sued the Twitter handle called “Devin Nunes Cow “ (@devincow)? Well, let’s check in and see how that is going! Really, Devin’s ego should be last on our list of things to worry about right now.
Twitter in a new court filing argues that California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes cannot sue the social media company over disparaging remarks made by anonymous writers because federal law gives it “broad immunity” from liability for the comments of its users.
The document represents Twitter’s second attempt to ask a Virginia judge to dismiss the defamation case Nunes, R-Tulare, filed last year against the San Francisco company along with Republican political strategist Liz Mair and two anonymous writers who heckle the congressman online under the personas of his mother and his cow.
Previously, Twitter argued it could not be sued in Virginia because Nunes accepted a user agreement that directs lawsuits against the company to California courts, and because any political harm Nunes might have suffered because of online criticism would have occurred in his San Joaquin Valley district.
A judge in the Richmond-based court ruled against that motion in October, finding that Mair lived in Virginia when she posted tweets about Nunes.
In the new motion filed Wednesday, Twitter said Nunes’ claims that Twitter had neglected to take action against users who he says defamed him contradicted a law that protects companies like Twitter from liability in cases just like this.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article239581033.html
The document represents Twitter’s second attempt to ask a Virginia judge to dismiss the defamation case Nunes, R-Tulare, filed last year against the San Francisco company along with Republican political strategist Liz Mair and two anonymous writers who heckle the congressman online under the personas of his mother and his cow.
Previously, Twitter argued it could not be sued in Virginia because Nunes accepted a user agreement that directs lawsuits against the company to California courts, and because any political harm Nunes might have suffered because of online criticism would have occurred in his San Joaquin Valley district.
A judge in the Richmond-based court ruled against that motion in October, finding that Mair lived in Virginia when she posted tweets about Nunes.
In the new motion filed Wednesday, Twitter said Nunes’ claims that Twitter had neglected to take action against users who he says defamed him contradicted a law that protects companies like Twitter from liability in cases just like this.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article239581033.html
Yeah so if you’re caught in a lawsuit like this, you can use this as your defense, and it is directly mocking you. Because hey, a cow doesn’t have opposable thumbs and can’t use Twitter. Devin Nunes doesn’t have a soul and therefore can’t be a real person. Can he? I don’t know, I am just speculating. But here’s the thing – if you sue your own parody account, the real joke is you. Because you clearly can’t take one as much as you can dish it out. Just ask Devin Nunes or that Trapt guy.
Twitter has filed a new motion to dismiss a $250 million lawsuit by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) against the company and two parody Twitter accounts that mocked him.
Nunes sued Twitter and @DevinCow and @DevinNunesMom (now suspended) last year, claiming Twitter failed to take action against comments he claimed defamed him. His lawsuit triggered an explosion in the number of followers of the parody accounts.
Twitter argued in a new court filing Wednesday that Nunes can’t sue the social media company for remarks in the parody accounts because federal law gives it “broad immunity” from liability for the comments of its users, The Fresno Bee reported.
“Congress granted providers of online platforms like Twitter broad immunity from claims that seek to hold them liable for harms caused by defamatory or otherwise harmful content that appeared on the provider’s platform but were created by third parties,” the motion to dismiss says.
Nunes argued in his suit last year that Twitter limits conservative viewpoints on its platform due to bias.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/devin-nunes-twitter-cow-parody-lawsuit_n_5e2ba64ac5b6779e9c32dc9a
Nunes sued Twitter and @DevinCow and @DevinNunesMom (now suspended) last year, claiming Twitter failed to take action against comments he claimed defamed him. His lawsuit triggered an explosion in the number of followers of the parody accounts.
Twitter argued in a new court filing Wednesday that Nunes can’t sue the social media company for remarks in the parody accounts because federal law gives it “broad immunity” from liability for the comments of its users, The Fresno Bee reported.
“Congress granted providers of online platforms like Twitter broad immunity from claims that seek to hold them liable for harms caused by defamatory or otherwise harmful content that appeared on the provider’s platform but were created by third parties,” the motion to dismiss says.
Nunes argued in his suit last year that Twitter limits conservative viewpoints on its platform due to bias.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/devin-nunes-twitter-cow-parody-lawsuit_n_5e2ba64ac5b6779e9c32dc9a
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[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to Conspiracy Corner – the segment where you can nurture your tin foil hat and go full truther if your heart so desires! Well in the time of the Great Pandemic, naturally, there’s going to be conspiracies. Last week we talked about the bizarre theory that celebrities are purposefully using a tainted batch of adrenochrome, a drug used to treat mental illness, as a way of purposefully getting COVID-19. And if that sentence makes absolutely no sense, you’re not alone. This week, conservative conspiracy theorists have gone so far as to film their local hospitals. In yet another move that makes absolutely no sense.
Even in the midst of a global pandemic, conspiracy theorists will find a way to spread disinformation.
Their latest antic involves taking pictures and videos of hospitals in an effort to “prove” that coronavirus is a hoax.
The theory appears to stem from the mistaken belief that hospital waiting rooms and parking lots appear empty because the virus isn’t either real or as serious as people are being told.
In reality, there are fewer cars and people because visitation and elective procedures have been canceled to slow the spread of coronavirus. Further, medical facilities are taking great care to separate coronavirus patients from those without the disease.
Taking photos at medical facilities can also violate federal patient privacy rights. And it’s extremely ill-advised to go to a coronavirus hot zone like a hospital.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-film-your-hospital/
Their latest antic involves taking pictures and videos of hospitals in an effort to “prove” that coronavirus is a hoax.
The theory appears to stem from the mistaken belief that hospital waiting rooms and parking lots appear empty because the virus isn’t either real or as serious as people are being told.
In reality, there are fewer cars and people because visitation and elective procedures have been canceled to slow the spread of coronavirus. Further, medical facilities are taking great care to separate coronavirus patients from those without the disease.
Taking photos at medical facilities can also violate federal patient privacy rights. And it’s extremely ill-advised to go to a coronavirus hot zone like a hospital.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-film-your-hospital/
See here’s the thing morons, there’s a book I would suggest reading called “The Hot Zone” which was about a pandemic exactly like what we’re experiencing. The real chaos is happening inside the hospital and they’ve restricted visitors and access. And when there’s a highly contagious disease roaming the landscape, they are currently places you do not want to go! And you most definitely don’t want to listen to people like this for advice!
DeAnna Lorraine, a right-wing activist who unsuccessfully ran in the Mar. 3 California primary to challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is now pushing new conspiracy theories about COVID-19, promoting the hashtags #coronavirustruth and #filmyourhospital.
On Sunday, Lorraine filmed outside two hospitals in Los Angeles and found them quiet—which she took as a sign that the hospitals and mainstream media are engaged in a hoax, rather than a simpler alternative explanation, which is that hospitals aren’t allowing any visitors to try to protect their patients and prevent further spread of the virus.
“Let’s get #FilmYourHospital trending,” Lorraine tweeted Sunday afternoon. As of early Monday morning, that message had been retweeted more than 15,000 times and people were taking her up on the challenge, filming quiet hospital parking lots as if they were revealing yet another mainstream media plot. The hashtag has also attracted outrage from medical professionals and others who are warning that this kind of disinformation is threatening people’s lives.
Lorraine was back at it on Monday morning, tweeting messages like “I’m sure we would all like the actual #Coronavirustruth” and “How many people do you personally know with #COVID19.” She asserted that, “The FDA has never been interested in cures or safety.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/failed-congressional-candidate-deanna-lorraines-new-crusade-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/
On Sunday, Lorraine filmed outside two hospitals in Los Angeles and found them quiet—which she took as a sign that the hospitals and mainstream media are engaged in a hoax, rather than a simpler alternative explanation, which is that hospitals aren’t allowing any visitors to try to protect their patients and prevent further spread of the virus.
“Let’s get #FilmYourHospital trending,” Lorraine tweeted Sunday afternoon. As of early Monday morning, that message had been retweeted more than 15,000 times and people were taking her up on the challenge, filming quiet hospital parking lots as if they were revealing yet another mainstream media plot. The hashtag has also attracted outrage from medical professionals and others who are warning that this kind of disinformation is threatening people’s lives.
Lorraine was back at it on Monday morning, tweeting messages like “I’m sure we would all like the actual #Coronavirustruth” and “How many people do you personally know with #COVID19.” She asserted that, “The FDA has never been interested in cures or safety.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/failed-congressional-candidate-deanna-lorraines-new-crusade-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/
You got that right! But this is why you should never listen to truthers – they are actually full of some pure grade A bullshit! There’s nothing to joke about the current situation that we are all in, and harassing doctors is counter productive. I know, my brother is one. And guess what? They don’t have time for your bullshit! So don’t do this people. Really, just stay the fuck out of it.
As of early Tuesday morning, March 31, the coronavirus pandemic had killed more than 39,000 people worldwide (according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore). But that figure might pale in comparison to what lies ahead: Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus take force, told CNN’s John Berman this week that he “would not be surprised if we saw 100,000 deaths” from COVID-19 in the United States alone in the months ahead — and that’s with aggressive social distancing measures in place. Yet despite all the deaths that coronavirus has inflicted and will continue to inflict, some far-right media figures continue to insist people are exaggerating the impact of the pandemic. And Will Sommer, in an article for the Daily Beast, takes a look at some of the idiotic tactics of coronavirus truthers.
“Right-wing figures eager to downplay the coronavirus pandemic’s death toll have hit on a new idea: filming quiet hospital parking lots,” Sommer explains. “Over the weekend, a growing number of pro-Trump personalities decided that the way to prove that the media was overhyping the pandemic was to film places where cars and ambulances show up to drop patients off. If the entrances were quiet and the parking lots mostly empty, they claimed, that was proof that the coronavirus’ effects had been overstated.”
Coronavirus truthers have become a cottage industry on the far right — not unlike birthers (conspiracy nuts who claimed that President Barack Obama wasn’t really born in the U.S.) and 9/11 truthers (those who claimed that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were a hoax).
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/coronavirus-truthers-have-been-filming-quiet-hospital-parking-lots-in-an-attempt-to-downplay-the-covid-19-death-toll/
“Right-wing figures eager to downplay the coronavirus pandemic’s death toll have hit on a new idea: filming quiet hospital parking lots,” Sommer explains. “Over the weekend, a growing number of pro-Trump personalities decided that the way to prove that the media was overhyping the pandemic was to film places where cars and ambulances show up to drop patients off. If the entrances were quiet and the parking lots mostly empty, they claimed, that was proof that the coronavirus’ effects had been overstated.”
Coronavirus truthers have become a cottage industry on the far right — not unlike birthers (conspiracy nuts who claimed that President Barack Obama wasn’t really born in the U.S.) and 9/11 truthers (those who claimed that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were a hoax).
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/coronavirus-truthers-have-been-filming-quiet-hospital-parking-lots-in-an-attempt-to-downplay-the-covid-19-death-toll/
So whether it’s Coronavirus truthers or 9/11 truthers or flat earthers, or anti-gravity fliers, they’re all the same brand of crazy with a different pattern on the cloth. But here’s the thing – you do not want to listen to the conspiracy theorists on literally any subject, because they will almost certainly be wrong. In this case, you have to respect and trust the experts. Like Dr. Fauci, you cannot ignore t this man, and Trump is literally going out of his way to do so.
During a YouTube livestream last Friday, right-wing pastor Curt Landry told his viewers that they should listen to President Donald Trump and not medical experts when it comes to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak because Trump was chosen by God and therefore has greater spiritual authority.
“We are in a small window of time where we need to be decreeing, praying, believing, and speaking it out of our mouths—critical at this time—speaking out of our mouths and agreeing with what Donald Trump is saying and not some of his advisers,” Landry said.
Landry, who last week declared that any eventual coronavirus vaccine would be “from the pit of Hell” and should not be taken, said that while he respects the nation’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trump outranks him spiritually and so Christians should be listening to the president rather than doctors and other health experts.
“I’m talking to you spiritually,” Landry said. “I am not a scientist, I am not a doctor, and I do respect [Fauci’s] knowledge, I respect where he comes from, and I respect him in his position that God has put him in. But in the order of spiritual alignment, Donald J. Trump is the Cyrus above him … As believers, we need to agree—I believe that God puts kings and leaders in their place, I believe God has put Donald Trump in his place as a Cyrus—and we need to agree with what he’s saying.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/curt-landry-says-christians-must-listen-to-trump-not-experts-about-the-coronavirus/
“We are in a small window of time where we need to be decreeing, praying, believing, and speaking it out of our mouths—critical at this time—speaking out of our mouths and agreeing with what Donald Trump is saying and not some of his advisers,” Landry said.
Landry, who last week declared that any eventual coronavirus vaccine would be “from the pit of Hell” and should not be taken, said that while he respects the nation’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trump outranks him spiritually and so Christians should be listening to the president rather than doctors and other health experts.
“I’m talking to you spiritually,” Landry said. “I am not a scientist, I am not a doctor, and I do respect [Fauci’s] knowledge, I respect where he comes from, and I respect him in his position that God has put him in. But in the order of spiritual alignment, Donald J. Trump is the Cyrus above him … As believers, we need to agree—I believe that God puts kings and leaders in their place, I believe God has put Donald Trump in his place as a Cyrus—and we need to agree with what he’s saying.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/curt-landry-says-christians-must-listen-to-trump-not-experts-about-the-coronavirus/
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink: Crimes Of The Virus
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Hey everyone, we’re cooped at home during the Great Quarantine, and I have never needed a drink more!
You know this segment is usually reserved for when the news gets too dark. And boy has it got dark lately. There’s nothing we can say or do on this segment that will make people feel better. And on this show, it’s usually funnier when I’m plastered in front of a live audience. We can’t replicate that here but we can at least try to cheer you up. So that said, New Jersey might be the new Florida. And in this time of the Great Quarantine, when you can’t leave me house, we need more of this in our lives don’t we? I am also proud to announce that my bartender has been declared an essential business, so we can have some booze! Tell me bartender, what goes well with quarantine? A quarantine cocktail? No thanks, I will take my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. Here’s the thing, it’s getting weird with the virus. And we are going to chronicle some of the stranger things going on in this one. Starting with:
Piscataway police have charged four people with violating Gov. Phil Murphy's emergency orders, according to the Office of the Attorney General.
Police charged Yu Han, 20, Xiaonuo Shi, 18, Chenyu Yang, 19, and Roukai Wang, 19, Friday with disorderly persons offenses for violating the emergency orders and criminal mischief for allegedly drag racing and doing donuts in a school parking lot.
Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal urged the public and business owners to comply with the governor’s emergency orders — not only to keep themselves and others healthy, but to avoid creating more work and risks for hard-pressed law enforcement officers.
He warned that those who fail to comply will be held accountable, citing numerous cases where charges have been filed for violations of the orders or other offenses related to the coronavirus.
“Our police officers are going above and beyond the call of duty during this health crisis. Unfortunately, they are being called upon far too often to deal with people violating the orders put in place to protect us all— or what is more egregious, people falsely using the coronavirus to spread fear or impede officers in their vital work,” Grewal said.
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2020/03/28/coronavirus-piscataway-police-charge-four-violating-emergency-order-drag-racing/2934483001/
Police charged Yu Han, 20, Xiaonuo Shi, 18, Chenyu Yang, 19, and Roukai Wang, 19, Friday with disorderly persons offenses for violating the emergency orders and criminal mischief for allegedly drag racing and doing donuts in a school parking lot.
Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal urged the public and business owners to comply with the governor’s emergency orders — not only to keep themselves and others healthy, but to avoid creating more work and risks for hard-pressed law enforcement officers.
He warned that those who fail to comply will be held accountable, citing numerous cases where charges have been filed for violations of the orders or other offenses related to the coronavirus.
“Our police officers are going above and beyond the call of duty during this health crisis. Unfortunately, they are being called upon far too often to deal with people violating the orders put in place to protect us all— or what is more egregious, people falsely using the coronavirus to spread fear or impede officers in their vital work,” Grewal said.
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2020/03/28/coronavirus-piscataway-police-charge-four-violating-emergency-order-drag-racing/2934483001/
Thanks I needed that! That goes without saying though, we are indoors all day and we are bored out of our minds. But don’t go doing something fucking stupid like doing donuts in a parking lot. Or launch a Molotov cocktail. Well the Molotov Cocktail is generally a bad idea to begin with. But you definitely know that things are going south when someone starts stuffing rags into a bottle of booze and lighting it on fire!
A man hosting a house party where more than 30 guests were in attendance and filming videos to post on YouTube.
A rabbi hosting a party for 25 young students at the all-boys school where he is headmaster.
Four people holding weddings.
A woman who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at her boyfriend's house.
They're among the latest people in New Jersey to be charged, in some cases among other offenses, with violating the state's emergency orders designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“Staying home and maintaining social distance is not just good advice to stay healthy — it’s the law," state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement Friday. "Make no mistake, we will do what it takes to keep our residents and police officers safe, and that means we won’t hesitate to file criminal charges against those who violate the emergency orders.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/new-jersey-coronavirus-arrests-charges
A rabbi hosting a party for 25 young students at the all-boys school where he is headmaster.
Four people holding weddings.
A woman who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at her boyfriend's house.
They're among the latest people in New Jersey to be charged, in some cases among other offenses, with violating the state's emergency orders designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“Staying home and maintaining social distance is not just good advice to stay healthy — it’s the law," state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement Friday. "Make no mistake, we will do what it takes to keep our residents and police officers safe, and that means we won’t hesitate to file criminal charges against those who violate the emergency orders.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/new-jersey-coronavirus-arrests-charges
Yeah people, in the time of the virus, when we’re all considered biological weapons, don’t do anything fucking stupid. And things like this are why this thing is going to get dragged out months instead of weeks, and we all want this gone sooner than later! And the thing is now in this day and age, you can get arrested for the mere act of coughing. Yes, coughing is now a crime.
An individual who spits or coughs on a member of law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced Monday.
The announcement follows multiple incidents reported by law enforcement throughout Erie County in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flynn said potential charges may include attempted assault in the second degree, a class “E” felony, menacing in the third degree, a class “B” misdemeanor, and harassment in the second degree, a violation.
Additionally, if the alleged incident occurred within a correctional facility, the individual could be charged with aggravated harassment in the second degree, a class “E” felony.
A person could face a maximum 4 years in prison, if convicted of the felony charges.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/coronavirus/2020/04/06/erie-county-to-prosecute-alleged-incidents-of-spitting--coughing-at-law-enforcement-during-pandemic-
The announcement follows multiple incidents reported by law enforcement throughout Erie County in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flynn said potential charges may include attempted assault in the second degree, a class “E” felony, menacing in the third degree, a class “B” misdemeanor, and harassment in the second degree, a violation.
Additionally, if the alleged incident occurred within a correctional facility, the individual could be charged with aggravated harassment in the second degree, a class “E” felony.
A person could face a maximum 4 years in prison, if convicted of the felony charges.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/coronavirus/2020/04/06/erie-county-to-prosecute-alleged-incidents-of-spitting--coughing-at-law-enforcement-during-pandemic-
So here’s the scary truth people – as long as coronavirus is a thing, we’re all biological weapons, and we’re all sitting ducks as a result. So don’t be like these douchebags. Really, just don’t. And if you do you’d better be prepared to face the consequences. Because they could very well be fatal, and you are not the only one who is going to suffer. If this is the hill you choose to die on, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences. And I’ll drink to that!
Rotterdam police have arrested a man after he claimed he had coronavirus, and proceeded to cough on multiple customers at a Capital Region Walmart!
Police say that 23-year-old Marvin Herring was inside the Walmart located on Altamont Avenue, where he stated he has COVID-19 and was intentionally coughing on multiple customers.
The Brooklyn native was arrested around 7:40 PM on Tuesday evening. Herring is charged with one count of felony marking a terroristic threat, and one county of third degree misdemeanor menacing.
Herring was turned over to the Schenectady County Sheriff's Department, where it was discovered he was the subject of an active warrant from NYPD for felony first degree robbery.
The Rotterdam Police Department says they are following all CDC protocols for potential exposures.
https://cbs6albany.com/news/coronavirus/man-arrested-accused-of-claiming-to-have-coronavirus-intentionally-coughing-on-customers
Police say that 23-year-old Marvin Herring was inside the Walmart located on Altamont Avenue, where he stated he has COVID-19 and was intentionally coughing on multiple customers.
The Brooklyn native was arrested around 7:40 PM on Tuesday evening. Herring is charged with one count of felony marking a terroristic threat, and one county of third degree misdemeanor menacing.
Herring was turned over to the Schenectady County Sheriff's Department, where it was discovered he was the subject of an active warrant from NYPD for felony first degree robbery.
The Rotterdam Police Department says they are following all CDC protocols for potential exposures.
https://cbs6albany.com/news/coronavirus/man-arrested-accused-of-claiming-to-have-coronavirus-intentionally-coughing-on-customers
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[font size="8"]Stupidest State 2020 Round 1 Week 4
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16 states will enter and only one will become the new Top 10 Conservative Idiots Stupidest State!
Welcome back! We are just one short round away from the Elite 8! We are here at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans where an electrified crowd is on their feet as the Elite 8 is shaping up. This week, it’s the final round of week 1 as the remaining two matches will duke it out for the chance to advance while the loser goes home! This week, it’s a battle for the Batshit as #3 Idaho takes on #4 South Carolina, while over in the Family Values Conference, #3 Ohio takes on #4 Indiana! It’s god and crazy in the final round of week 1!
[font size="4"]Idaho:[/font]
The Gem State is back for another go round. Boise State may be the home of the famous blue football field that’s somehow ironically visible from space. It’s one of the things that make Idaho uniquely Idaho, and is so batshit crazy that birds often mistake it for a body of water and will fly into it. But what other batshit crazy things has the Gem State got themselves into? Of course before COVID-19 upended life as we know it, Idaho has of course Boise State. And then of course with Boise State comes the toxic frat environments that universities are known for these days.
Boise State University is suspending official recognition of a campus fraternity after “more than two years” of repeated violations of university policies and the Student Code of Conduct.
The Office of the Dean of Students issued the five-year suspension for Pi Kappa Phi based on a recommendation by the university’s Conduct Hearing Board, according to a Monday afternoon press release.
“Consequences this severe do not come lightly or easily, but all members of our university community have a responsibility to each other to be respectful and safe,” said Christian Wuthrich, Boise State’s State dean of students.
Boise State hasn’t suspended a fraternity for this “significant length” of time since the 1960s, spokesman Greg Hahn told the Statesman. The university can issue a suspension for one egregious violation or a pattern of repeated violations, Hahn said, but there is no prescribed number of violations that triggers such punishment.
Read more: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/education/boise-state-university/article241042431.html
The Office of the Dean of Students issued the five-year suspension for Pi Kappa Phi based on a recommendation by the university’s Conduct Hearing Board, according to a Monday afternoon press release.
“Consequences this severe do not come lightly or easily, but all members of our university community have a responsibility to each other to be respectful and safe,” said Christian Wuthrich, Boise State’s State dean of students.
Boise State hasn’t suspended a fraternity for this “significant length” of time since the 1960s, spokesman Greg Hahn told the Statesman. The university can issue a suspension for one egregious violation or a pattern of repeated violations, Hahn said, but there is no prescribed number of violations that triggers such punishment.
Read more: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/education/boise-state-university/article241042431.html
Yeah! He’ll do one! Then of course you lie on the couch face down in a pool of your own vomit. Going on 3 days, and your employer will never call you back. I’m just saying it happens! But Idaho is so batshit crazy that even in the age of the Great Pandemic, their efforts to take 2/3 of rural Oregon have been upended by the beast known as the coronavirus. Yes, the virus has even hindered insane gun nuts.
The group Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho is hoping Gov. Kate Brown’s statewide stay-at-home order won’t derail for long its newly launched signature-gathering effort in Josephine County. On March 12, the county gave its approval to circulate a petition backed by the group.
Chief petitioner Mike McCarter, a retired La Pine resident, says every day counts in the effort to get on the November ballot. “The people of eastern, central and southern Oregon can’t afford to be governed by a state that shows no regard for our livelihoods,” he said in a statement this week.
The small volunteer movement wants large swaths of Oregon to switch allegiance to Idaho. (It’s also targeting a few counties in northern California.) Along with Josephine County, Douglas and Umatilla counties have also approved petitions.
McCarter, the group’s president, says Oregon’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is a stark example of how Oregonians like him are being short-changed by the state.
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/03/effort-to-move-eastern-oregon-to-idaho-muffled-by-stay-at-home-order-coronavirus-response-further-divides-rural-urban-oregonians-petitioner-says.html
Chief petitioner Mike McCarter, a retired La Pine resident, says every day counts in the effort to get on the November ballot. “The people of eastern, central and southern Oregon can’t afford to be governed by a state that shows no regard for our livelihoods,” he said in a statement this week.
The small volunteer movement wants large swaths of Oregon to switch allegiance to Idaho. (It’s also targeting a few counties in northern California.) Along with Josephine County, Douglas and Umatilla counties have also approved petitions.
McCarter, the group’s president, says Oregon’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is a stark example of how Oregonians like him are being short-changed by the state.
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/03/effort-to-move-eastern-oregon-to-idaho-muffled-by-stay-at-home-order-coronavirus-response-further-divides-rural-urban-oregonians-petitioner-says.html
[font size="4"]South Carolina:[/font]
The Palmetto State is home to a guy who is widely regarded as one of the worst Senators in America, and that’s Lindsay Graham. Apart from being one of the first states in the union to secede during the Civil War, a combination of batshit insanity, Koch fueled economics, and megachurch religious mentality fuels South Carolina as a beacon of the south. So what else are they known for? Well, the Family Values crowd might be declaring South Carolina an LGBT-free zone! Yes, this is widely being considered a thing in 2020.
Last month, numerous outlets reported that one-third of Poland is now an “LGBT-free zone,” which means local municipalities have passed resolutions “against LGBT propaganda” and “pro-family.”
Now, believe it or not, voters in one U.S. county may decide whether to do effectively the same thing.
Joe Dill, a councilman in Greenville County, South Carolina, has introduced a proposed ballot measure that would allow voters to weigh in on an anti-gay resolution originally passed in 1996. The resolution states “that lifestyles advocated by the gay community should not be endorsed by government policy makers, because they are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes.”
The resolution also states that “the traditional family structure … has been proven to be the primary and best method for fostering a positive development in children” and “pledges not to fund those activities which seek to contravene these existing community standards.”
Read more: https://www.towleroad.com/2020/03/voters-may-decide-whether-to-declare-this-south-carolina-county-an-lgbt-free-zone-video/
Now, believe it or not, voters in one U.S. county may decide whether to do effectively the same thing.
Joe Dill, a councilman in Greenville County, South Carolina, has introduced a proposed ballot measure that would allow voters to weigh in on an anti-gay resolution originally passed in 1996. The resolution states “that lifestyles advocated by the gay community should not be endorsed by government policy makers, because they are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes.”
The resolution also states that “the traditional family structure … has been proven to be the primary and best method for fostering a positive development in children” and “pledges not to fund those activities which seek to contravene these existing community standards.”
Read more: https://www.towleroad.com/2020/03/voters-may-decide-whether-to-declare-this-south-carolina-county-an-lgbt-free-zone-video/
You know really, we got more important things to worry about guys. Like I don’t know the fact that there’s a supervirus roaming the landscape turning us all into sitting ducks and frying our internal organs, that ring a bell? Oh yeah and you might want to look out because if this guy is an indicator of the caliber of person they’re looking for judicial positions, then we are fucked.
When South Carolina lawmakers confirmed a batch of new magistrates this year, one nominee stood out from the pack: Mike Pitts.
The former state House member had made a name for himself in Columbia as a staunch defender of the Confederate flag, and on Facebook he has penned anti-immigration screeds and used racially charged language. In May, for example, he posted a photo of New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, an African American Democrat running for president. His caption: “Cory Booker alway [sic] looks like he just hit crack real hard.”
None of this, however, prompted any discussion in June, when the state Senate confirmed Pitts along with 33 other nominees for the lower courts.
Unlike South Carolina’s felony and appellate court judges, magistrates are not subjected to legislative hearings before lawmakers sign off on their appointments. In fact, there’s rarely any public debate at all. Nominations typically sail through the upper chamber with a single voice vote.
Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/he-defended-the-confederate-flag-and-insulted-immigrants-now-hes-a-judge
The former state House member had made a name for himself in Columbia as a staunch defender of the Confederate flag, and on Facebook he has penned anti-immigration screeds and used racially charged language. In May, for example, he posted a photo of New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, an African American Democrat running for president. His caption: “Cory Booker alway [sic] looks like he just hit crack real hard.”
None of this, however, prompted any discussion in June, when the state Senate confirmed Pitts along with 33 other nominees for the lower courts.
Unlike South Carolina’s felony and appellate court judges, magistrates are not subjected to legislative hearings before lawmakers sign off on their appointments. In fact, there’s rarely any public debate at all. Nominations typically sail through the upper chamber with a single voice vote.
Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/he-defended-the-confederate-flag-and-insulted-immigrants-now-hes-a-judge
[font size="4"]And The Winner Is:[/font]
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very close one here. Current score is 81 – 81 going into the final quarter with 8.5 seconds left… Idaho has the ball, they sink it… It’s good!!! 3 pointer at the buzzer! Oh my god, Idaho stuns South Carolina and they will move on to face Virginia. Final score 84 – 81.
[font size="4"]Ohio:[/font]
The Buckeye State. They are a long time purveyor of the Family Values Conference. They are home to such bustling, vibrant metropolises as Cincinatti, Cleveland, Dayton, and Colombus. But they’re also home to some of the biggest farm towns in the country. And with those farm towns comes rural insanity and some old school fire and brimstone religious values. So much that they overlook the biggest sex scandals in the state. Like the scandal at Ohio State University for instance.
Ohio State University was hit Wednesday with another lawsuit alleging that school officials and coaches failed to protect students and athletes from Richard Strauss, the deceased team doctor now accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of athletes and students.
“Dr. Richard Strauss is dead. He can’t pay for his crimes,” the lawsuit states. “Only his enabler is left.”
With this latest lawsuit, filed in Columbus, Ohio, by Pennsylvania-based attorney Joseph Sauder and five other law firms from around the country, the number of men who are suing Ohio State has climbed to around 350.
“The numbers don’t lie,” the suit states. “These men were repeatedly sexually abused by Strauss at different times, in different manners.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-lawsuit-ohio-state-sex-abuse-scandal-brings-number-victims-n1092891
“Dr. Richard Strauss is dead. He can’t pay for his crimes,” the lawsuit states. “Only his enabler is left.”
With this latest lawsuit, filed in Columbus, Ohio, by Pennsylvania-based attorney Joseph Sauder and five other law firms from around the country, the number of men who are suing Ohio State has climbed to around 350.
“The numbers don’t lie,” the suit states. “These men were repeatedly sexually abused by Strauss at different times, in different manners.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-lawsuit-ohio-state-sex-abuse-scandal-brings-number-victims-n1092891
Just remember kids, back in the day before there was a killer virus roaming the landscape, we had the sex scandal at Ohio State – in a town known for family values. And so much that they elected Jim Jordan to represent them.
[font size="4"]Indiana:[/font]
[font size="4"]And The Winner Is:[/font]
[font size="4"]Next Week:[/font]
When we come back on the 22nd it’s Stupidest State Round 2 Week 1 and the road to the Final Four! This time it’s the Gun Nut Conference championships, from the home of the Minnesota Wild, Target Center in Minneapolis! The Elite 8 is set!
We are taking a short break next week, we will be back on April 22nd with a brand new edition and Stupidest State Round 2! See you in two weeks!
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