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kpete
kpete's Journal
kpete's Journal
May 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/Mediaite/status/1520593892638306307?s=20&t=9BUklhubfdlraPY0e6L3gQ
"Chuck, you here? How you doing? I'd ask a follow-up, but I know you don't know what those are."
Trevor Noah roasts Chuck Todd at the #WHCA Dinner.
"Chuck Todd is here. Chuck, you here? How you doing? I'd ask a follow-up, but I know you don't know what those are."
https://twitter.com/Mediaite/status/1520593892638306307?s=20&t=9BUklhubfdlraPY0e6L3gQ
May 1, 2022
By Charles P. Pierce
Apr 29, 2022
..........
Spare a thought for Nina Jankowicz, who has stepped up to lead this effort at the Department of Homeland Security. Volunteering to be a piñata takes a certain amount of gumption. And yes, for the record, I am concerned what this operation would look like under, say, President DeSantis, and there had to be a more deft way to roll it out than having DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just drop it into his testimony before a House committee. (The Senate will have its turn at him next week.) And there had to be a better name for it than the Disinformation Governance Board, a monicker that sounds as though it were made of steel, concrete, and barbed-wire. Why are Democrats so bad at naming stuff? The Republicans are terrific at naming stuff, even though, most of the time, those names are perfect examples of…disinformation. We should all talk about this seriously at a later date.
But I am not going to listen to it at the moment from the party of insurrection, the party of book-banning and library-scouring, the party of dangerous myth-making bullshit about “grooming” and (eek!) “critical race theory,” the party full of people who still bend the knee to the Prince of 30,000 Lies down in Florida. Hell, this is a party that lies to itself. Isn’t that right, Never-To-Be-Speaker Kevin McCarthy? Regain your sanity, folks, before you start throwing around George Orwell’s name in defense of your absolute right to launder and launch all the fantastical tales spun by Macedonian teenagers. Orwell would eat you all on toast and still have room for bangers and mash.
.........
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a39862061/biden-disinformation-governance-board-republican-freak-out/
"Orwell Would Eat These Free-Speech Warriors on Toast & Still Have Room for Bangers & Mash"
The uproar in the right-wing monkeyhouse over Biden's "Disinformation Governance Board" rings a little hollow.By Charles P. Pierce
Apr 29, 2022
..........
Spare a thought for Nina Jankowicz, who has stepped up to lead this effort at the Department of Homeland Security. Volunteering to be a piñata takes a certain amount of gumption. And yes, for the record, I am concerned what this operation would look like under, say, President DeSantis, and there had to be a more deft way to roll it out than having DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just drop it into his testimony before a House committee. (The Senate will have its turn at him next week.) And there had to be a better name for it than the Disinformation Governance Board, a monicker that sounds as though it were made of steel, concrete, and barbed-wire. Why are Democrats so bad at naming stuff? The Republicans are terrific at naming stuff, even though, most of the time, those names are perfect examples of…disinformation. We should all talk about this seriously at a later date.
But I am not going to listen to it at the moment from the party of insurrection, the party of book-banning and library-scouring, the party of dangerous myth-making bullshit about “grooming” and (eek!) “critical race theory,” the party full of people who still bend the knee to the Prince of 30,000 Lies down in Florida. Hell, this is a party that lies to itself. Isn’t that right, Never-To-Be-Speaker Kevin McCarthy? Regain your sanity, folks, before you start throwing around George Orwell’s name in defense of your absolute right to launder and launch all the fantastical tales spun by Macedonian teenagers. Orwell would eat you all on toast and still have room for bangers and mash.
.........
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a39862061/biden-disinformation-governance-board-republican-freak-out/
May 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1520587602511937536?s=20&t=zTb-g-ubpRHez1o75vHiZw
https://twitter.com/mattwilstein/status/1520588204373463041?s=20&t=kGR_InyC0ojNVt0UHscHJg
https://twitter.com/OccupyDemocrats/status/1520615718290558979?s=20&t=04-fh2Aw36967l9tOsrQKA
https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1520611781290254338?s=20&t=uHFxDJd_Uv1hE--S_-XXrw
President Biden calls out Fox reporters at the WHCD: "They're all here, vaccinated and boosted."
"ALL OF THEM"https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1520587602511937536?s=20&t=zTb-g-ubpRHez1o75vHiZw
That cut to Peter Doocy...
“Everyone had to prove they were fully vaccinated and boosted. So if you are at home watching this and you wonder how to do that, just contact your favorite Fox News reporter. They’re all here, vaccinated and boosted, all of them.”
https://twitter.com/mattwilstein/status/1520588204373463041?s=20&t=kGR_InyC0ojNVt0UHscHJg
BREAKING: Pres, Biden leaves FOX reporter Peter Doocy looking visibly angry at today’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner after saying “every” FOX News reporter in the audience had to be “fully vaccinated and boosted” in order to to attend. RT TO THANK BIDEN FOR CALLING FOX OUT!
https://twitter.com/OccupyDemocrats/status/1520615718290558979?s=20&t=04-fh2Aw36967l9tOsrQKA
https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1520611781290254338?s=20&t=uHFxDJd_Uv1hE--S_-XXrw
April 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/garysimonds6/status/1520385463189749763?s=20&t=32zfcyolMavIENlx10yNCg
Bam! What Mehdi Hasan said!
https://twitter.com/DearAuntCrabby/status/1520491716461142018?s=20&t=CYTUcVfRbFZSVX1Bd-UH4Qhttps://twitter.com/garysimonds6/status/1520385463189749763?s=20&t=32zfcyolMavIENlx10yNCg
April 30, 2022
By Cory Bernaert, kindergarten teacher in Parrish, Florida
Teaching has been my passion for the past 12 years. I am proud to call myself an educator. For the first two years, I taught first grade. It prepared me to effectively teach kindergarten while also focusing on kids’ social and emotional development. I have enjoyed working in Florida schools over the past six years, as has my partner, Jeramiah, who is also an educator. However, recently there has been a major cause for concern.
I have been stricken with fear over how Florida’s new law limiting discussions of LGBTQ+ discussions in school will affect me as a person and a professional. As a kindergarten teacher who is gay and has pictures of himself and his partner in his classroom, I regularly answer questions from my students like: “Mr. Bernaert, who is that in those pictures?” “Is that your brother?” “What did you do over the weekend?” As contributing members of society, teachers shouldn’t have to feel like they need to go back into the closet or hide who they are as people.
If you have ever been around 5- and 6-year-olds, the number of questions asked in a single day can be relentless. Multiply it by 19, which is the number of students I have in my classroom, and it’s a never-ending cycle of question and answer. To be honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Curious minds are learning minds.
But, because of Florida’s new law, I’m afraid I could lose my job if I answer these questions honestly and have frank, open conversations with my students about the world around them. Can I talk about my partner with my students? What do I say when they ask, “What does ‘partner’ mean?” How do I respond when my students ask me about another student who has two moms?
..............
These are all questions I have wrestled with in my mind as I prepare to teach under this new law. The chilling effect and scare tactics have already hit home. After an interview with a local news station last month about how this law would affect me was featured on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” I was asked to appear in a live interview on MSNBC.
Following this interview, the number of negative social media messages, angry calls to my school, cynical YouTube comments and even TikTok videos attacking me was astounding. Many even used the words “pedophile” and “groomer.” To have people describe you in such horrible terms because of whom you love — to have someone assume you’d hurt a child in any way when your lifelong passion has been to foster their growth and education — is hurtful and wrong.
........
MORE plus video - sent to me by a family friend:
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/teach-kindergarten-florida-now-called-groomer-rcna26625?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&fbclid=IwAR2Zi0kUbugeqXpzUYgVb-eImA_mltd_ycU_8_1jdc484RJOcpfNDAXCOCw
"I'm a gay kindergarten teacher in Florida. These are the questions I'm asking myself."
How can I have frank, open conversations with my students about the world around them without being in danger of losing my job?By Cory Bernaert, kindergarten teacher in Parrish, Florida
Teaching has been my passion for the past 12 years. I am proud to call myself an educator. For the first two years, I taught first grade. It prepared me to effectively teach kindergarten while also focusing on kids’ social and emotional development. I have enjoyed working in Florida schools over the past six years, as has my partner, Jeramiah, who is also an educator. However, recently there has been a major cause for concern.
I have been stricken with fear over how Florida’s new law limiting discussions of LGBTQ+ discussions in school will affect me as a person and a professional. As a kindergarten teacher who is gay and has pictures of himself and his partner in his classroom, I regularly answer questions from my students like: “Mr. Bernaert, who is that in those pictures?” “Is that your brother?” “What did you do over the weekend?” As contributing members of society, teachers shouldn’t have to feel like they need to go back into the closet or hide who they are as people.
If you have ever been around 5- and 6-year-olds, the number of questions asked in a single day can be relentless. Multiply it by 19, which is the number of students I have in my classroom, and it’s a never-ending cycle of question and answer. To be honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Curious minds are learning minds.
But, because of Florida’s new law, I’m afraid I could lose my job if I answer these questions honestly and have frank, open conversations with my students about the world around them. Can I talk about my partner with my students? What do I say when they ask, “What does ‘partner’ mean?” How do I respond when my students ask me about another student who has two moms?
..............
These are all questions I have wrestled with in my mind as I prepare to teach under this new law. The chilling effect and scare tactics have already hit home. After an interview with a local news station last month about how this law would affect me was featured on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” I was asked to appear in a live interview on MSNBC.
Following this interview, the number of negative social media messages, angry calls to my school, cynical YouTube comments and even TikTok videos attacking me was astounding. Many even used the words “pedophile” and “groomer.” To have people describe you in such horrible terms because of whom you love — to have someone assume you’d hurt a child in any way when your lifelong passion has been to foster their growth and education — is hurtful and wrong.
........
MORE plus video - sent to me by a family friend:
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/teach-kindergarten-florida-now-called-groomer-rcna26625?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&fbclid=IwAR2Zi0kUbugeqXpzUYgVb-eImA_mltd_ycU_8_1jdc484RJOcpfNDAXCOCw
April 30, 2022
?v=2
Long, and insightful read:
Political Violence
April 29, 2022 – Volume 32, Issue 14
By Jonathan Broder
https://twitter.com/SeamusHughes/status/1520178073253167104?s=20&t=KeI6SKHG6mKUNL1iuUhLKw
https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2022042900
Is U.S. democracy endangered by domestic extremists?
?v=2
Long, and insightful read:
Political Violence
April 29, 2022 – Volume 32, Issue 14
By Jonathan Broder
Introduction
When Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to block certification of Joe Biden's presidential election, they ended America's 223-year run of peacefully transferring power. Most Republicans downplay the significance of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, while Democrats and a few Republicans demand accountability for what they call an attempted coup. Many observers fear the Capitol riot presages greater political violence as November's midterm elections draw closer. They cite new laws in Republican-led states that make voting more difficult, especially for people of color, and in some cases place responsibility for voter tallies in the hands of partisan officials. Equally worrisome, they say, are polls showing that two-thirds of GOP voters believe Trump's debunked claim that fraud caused him to lose the election, and one-third approve of violence to achieve political goals. Experts say the United States risks a meltdown of its democratic institutions — and possibly even a new civil war. But others are not convinced the country is at serious risk of a violent crack-up.
https://twitter.com/SeamusHughes/status/1520178073253167104?s=20&t=KeI6SKHG6mKUNL1iuUhLKw
https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2022042900
April 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/BettyBowers/status/1520189780901961728?s=20&t=UXh8TKBaQ13Id15bj4HlSQ
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/28/what-elon-musks-polarization-graph-gets-wrong/
Mrs. Betty Bowers: Elon's World . . . . . . . . . vs . . . . . . . . . The Real World:
https://twitter.com/BettyBowers/status/1520189780901961728?s=20&t=UXh8TKBaQ13Id15bj4HlSQ
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/28/what-elon-musks-polarization-graph-gets-wrong/
April 29, 2022
This is pretty freaking wonderful; Lujan Grisham announced the expanded benefit yesterday on her website and at a child care center in Albuquerque, and the video is worth skimming through, if only for the occasional shots of a tiny little girl doing her level best to show interest in all these grownups talking about policy.
https://www.wonkette.com/new-mexico-gonna-do-free-child-care-just-like-a-civilized-place
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/04/28/new-mexico-free-child-care/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjMyODAxOTciLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjUxMjM4MjcwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjUyNDQ3ODcwLCJpYXQiOjE2NTEyMzgyNzAsImp0aSI6ImNkOGY1ZWFiLTc0MWUtNGVkZS04NGY4LWNhYjhiNjY4ZTZiOCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9kYy1tZC12YS8yMDIyLzA0LzI4L25ldy1tZXhpY28tZnJlZS1jaGlsZC1jYXJlLyJ9.SFixwjQmieLzc57UB4pIMp60jMLZ-hnYuA5-giQA7Zo
New Mexico Gonna Do Free Child Care, Just Like A Civilized Place!
If you want a vision of a possible future, maybe stop imagining George Orwell's "boot stamping on a human face, forever," and instead imagine a preschool class full of squirmy youngsters, learning and playing and generally being wonderful and sometimes a pain in the ass, as small children can also be.
What can I say? I love the pessimistic old English socialist who rightly feared the totalitarian impulse, but sometimes I end up feeling far more hopeful, like when I read about New Mexico's new initiative to completely cover childcare costs for most residents of the state for a year (free link to Washington Post). I can be a sap that way. I'm also the guy who tears up when Tom Joad tells his mother he'll be there in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready.
Starting May 1 and running through June 2023, the state will cover child care for families earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which ought to cover most New Mexico families. It's easily the broadest state child care benefit in the USA, and the first state benefit to cover such a wide range of incomes. It'll be available to a family of four making up to $110,000 annually, as the Washington Post 'splains:
The state recently expanded a federal child-care subsidy to middle-class families. On Thursday, Lujan Grisham said it would eliminate co-pays for them, too. Officials estimate both changes will make child care free for a total of 30,000 families.
This is pretty freaking wonderful; Lujan Grisham announced the expanded benefit yesterday on her website and at a child care center in Albuquerque, and the video is worth skimming through, if only for the occasional shots of a tiny little girl doing her level best to show interest in all these grownups talking about policy.
https://www.wonkette.com/new-mexico-gonna-do-free-child-care-just-like-a-civilized-place
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/04/28/new-mexico-free-child-care/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjMyODAxOTciLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjUxMjM4MjcwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjUyNDQ3ODcwLCJpYXQiOjE2NTEyMzgyNzAsImp0aSI6ImNkOGY1ZWFiLTc0MWUtNGVkZS04NGY4LWNhYjhiNjY4ZTZiOCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9kYy1tZC12YS8yMDIyLzA0LzI4L25ldy1tZXhpY28tZnJlZS1jaGlsZC1jYXJlLyJ9.SFixwjQmieLzc57UB4pIMp60jMLZ-hnYuA5-giQA7Zo
Profile Information
Member since: Fri Sep 17, 2004, 03:59 PMNumber of posts: 71,984