U.S. Politics / bounced checks and negative balances

[DireWolfSpirit]

Best headline evah!

Facebook told staff it would seal off some internal message boards to prevent leaking. The change was immediately leaked.

[Kalbear]

59 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I pick neither. 

Cool beans you get the default which is fascism

Congrats on your moral victory tho

[Martell Spy]

Texas school administrator told teachers to include Holocaust books with 'opposing' views when explaining new state law

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/us/texas-schools-books-holocaust-state-law/index.html

Quote

 

Audio of the exchange was secretly recorded by a staff member and obtained by CNN. CNN has reached out to Peddy for comment but has not gotten a response back.

"Just try to remember the concepts of (Texas House Bill) 3979," Peddy says, referring to the new law, known as HB 3979. "And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has opposing, that has other perspectives."

"How do you oppose the Holocaust?" one teacher could be heard asking.

"Believe me," Peddy said in a longer recording obtained by NBC. "That's come up."

The exchange, according to a source who was there, happened in a hallway amid a smaller group of staff after the training session had ended.

 

 

[DMC]

2 hours ago, Fez said:

In a bit good news, Illinois Democrats still know how to play hardball

But is the famed 4th district still in tact?!?  That image is too small to tell and inquiring minds need to know!

Right now the delegation is split 13 Dems to 5 GOP - with two Dems in (very) slightly GOP seats (both R+2).  So, it would seem they shored up their incumbents' seats and the GOP lost the seat that's getting axed.  No biggie - mayhaps Bustos retired a little too soon.  Her 17th looks a bit skinnier, probably cutting out some rural voters.

2 hours ago, Centrist Simon Steele said:

So is it Kristen Sinema or Kyrsten Sinema? I feel like every other news article I read spells it differently. 

It's Kyrsten but I'll be damned if I don't feel weird every time I try to type it.

[maarsen]

20 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

Texas school administrator told teachers to include Holocaust books with 'opposing' views when explaining new state law

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/us/texas-schools-books-holocaust-state-law/index.html

 

Good thing the subject of Sweeney Todd's pies rarely comes up in Texas. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Altherion said:

If it comes at the right time, one term as a Senator is more than enough. I'm sure the corporate backers mentioned in the article will provide for her should she no longer be a Senator in 2025.

There are a lot of accusations that's already happening. The numbers I've seen seem like selective accounting, but it does appear that her personal net worth has gone up by a large amount since becoming a Senator.

[DMC]

Also the release of the Illinois map appears to have made Adam Kinzinger finally accept he's screwed...

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

3 minutes ago, DMC said:

Also the release of the Illinois map appears to have made Adam Kinzinger finally accept he's screwed...

 

Given the recent Supreme Court Ruling will the Illinois or National Republican Party challenge this new map?

[DMC]

19 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Given the recent Supreme Court Ruling will the Illinois or National Republican Party challenge this new map?

Probably.  Both the GOP and Latino groups are already challenging the Illinois map drawn for the state legislature - albeit this is ostensibly based on the map having to be drawn from population estimates to meet a deadline.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Just read this interview with Lee MacIntyre, author of How to Talk to a Science Denier.

Current Affairs interview here

 

I generally have little appetite for books like this, and while most of what is covered in the interview isn't much new to anyone who has spent any amount of time online arguing with people, I think I may check this one out.  

Discusses all sorts of manifestations of misinformation and belief, initially here through the lens of flat earthers.  Mentions Q-anon, climate skeptics, etc.  

This was kind of cool:

 

Quote

 

It’s true. And when you don’t know someone, you’re more likely to distrust them. And in the right political circumstance, to hate them. It can become us against them when you’re polarized. One of my favorite stories along these lines is Jim Bridenstine, who was a U.S. Congressman a few years back, who is a rock-ribbed conservative. On the floor of the US House, he gave a speech against climate change, saying all the things that climate change deniers say. And, of course, Trump appointed him to be the head of NASA, because what else would you do with somebody who is a climate change denier? Well, an interesting thing happened to Jim Bridenstine. About a month or two into his new job as head of NASA, he changed his mind publicly, came forward and said, I was wrong. Climate change is real, and human beings are causing it. I thought, what in the world is going on here? I mean, when’s the last time you heard a politician say his team was wrong, let alone publicly, about something like that? You put your finger on it: he met the scientists. They were not the other anymore. He was not alienated from them. He was their boss. And all of a sudden, they were warm and trustworthy people and the evidence and facts that they were presenting were not just things that he didn’t understand, from a journal that he couldn’t reach. They were somebody down the hall, people he actually knew personally,

Like I said, maybe not much fresh meat here, but enjoyed this nonetheless.

[Fez]

1 hour ago, DMC said:

Also the release of the Illinois map appears to have made Adam Kinzinger finally accept he's screwed...

 

It's a shame Democrats couldn't have made one of the three Republican vote sinks based around his district. Although then again, in a district that red, he'd almost certainly lose a primary anyway.

[DMC]

On the other end of gerrymandering is the Virginia map proposed by their "bipartisan" commission:

To be fair, while Virginia's delegation is currently 7 Dem 4 GOP, two of the Dems are in slight GOP seats.  Other than the 7th the map doesn't look much different than the current one.

[Martell Spy]

Democrats' cornerstone climate policy will likely be cut from sweeping economic package

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/politics/clean-electricity-program-cut-budget-bill-climate/index.html

Quote

 

(CNN)The Clean Electricity Performance Program, the cornerstone climate policy in Democrats' massive social safety net package, will likely be dropped from the final budget deal after pushback from Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, three congressional sources told CNN.

"He is not there on the CEPP period. We've been trying," one Democratic aide with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN. The aide told CNN that Democrats are trying to find ways to restructure the program to fit Manchin's concerns while still reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Whatever comes through will not be called the CEPP, but we're strongly hoping and thinking there will be ways to meet what he wants," the aide said, adding, "If there's a deal to be struck in the next few days, I don't think there's anything resembling CEPP in there."
The New York Times first reported the measure would likely be cut.

 

 

[ants]

8 hours ago, Martell Spy said:

Texas school administrator told teachers to include Holocaust books with 'opposing' views when explaining new state law

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/us/texas-schools-books-holocaust-state-law/index.html

So, that surely means when teaching WW2 they’ll include Mein Kempf, in economics Das Capital, Satanism in bible class, Sharia law in lessons on the law, books arguing for a monarchy when discussing democracy, and critical race theory when discussing Texas history…..

[lady narcissa]

9 hours ago, DMC said:

But is the famed 4th district still in tact?!?  That image is too small to tell and inquiring minds need to know!

You can zoom in here:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1RUsWYu70oa2Ku617OcJupS0c-vGFulCW&ll=39.79510521942545%2C-89.26651350000003&z=6

The 4th district has been tweaked but overall retains its lovely ridiculous shape and area and I assume Chuy will be okay.

I will be delighted with this redistricting if only for the simple fact that I will finally be out of Danny Davis' district!  Of course a carved out portion of my tiny neighborhood remains in his district.

[DireWolfSpirit]

So Biden speaks on the subpoena defiance.

Biden says DOJ should prosecute those who defy January 6 committee subpoenas

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/politics/biden-doj-prosecute-january-6-subpoenas/index.html

Weren't we discussing that for the AG to do his damn job he would probably need a push from the President?

Well Joe time to start backing up your publicly stated wish and push that AG to aggressively prosecute the lawbreaking subpoena defiance.

[Prue]

4 hours ago, ants said:

So, that surely means when teaching WW2 they’ll include Mein Kempf, in economics Das Capital, Satanism in bible class, Sharia law in lessons on the law, books arguing for a monarchy when discussing democracy, and critical race theory when discussing Texas history…..

I guess the only thing that they would support is portraying slavery in a positive light, too... (but I guess they already do that in the Southern states).

[Varysblackfyre321]

17 hours ago, Martell Spy said:

Texas school administrator told teachers to include Holocaust books with 'opposing' views when explaining new state law

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/us/texas-schools-books-holocaust-state-law/index.html

 

But if we don’t debate whether or not the Holocaust happened or was bad wed ostracize genocide-lovers? And then are we really better? I’m being sarcastic.

[Varysblackfyre321]

8 hours ago, ants said:

So, that surely means when teaching WW2 they’ll include Mein Kempf, in economics Das Capital, Satanism in bible class, Sharia law in lessons on the law, books arguing for a monarchy when discussing democracy, and critical race theory when discussing Texas history…..

They’d push for monarchy and give the perspective that it’s okay for one former president to be king. You know just for debate.

[HoodedCrow]

In a constitutional monarchy, King Trump would have to shut up or abdicate. He would have very little political power.