Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Ugh. Plague. Isolation. The Stock Market.
But even when you don’t feel it, good things can grow.
Sometimes the growth is literal. Here’s part of the scrap garden that we’re growing. We added celery to the mix, and those leaves in the glass on the right are new. You can see how much the lettuce has grown in a week by comparing to last week’s picture. And we have already eaten some of the spring onion!
This week:
Compare that to last week, just below. We’re trying the end of the celery now — those leaves you see are new — and you can see how much the lettuce has grown. And we’ve already “harvested” some green onion.
Last week:
So I invite everyone, during this time of isolation, to work on something they want to make grow. Maybe it’s gardening. Maybe it’s writing. Maybe you’re going to invent calculus, or learn it.
Remember, spring started yesterday — at least in the northern hemisphere.
And come on in to get some cheer.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the very bad stuff that is happening. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💚 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. We have to keep demoralizing them. Name, blame and shame! IT IS WORKING! WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE DEMORALIZED!
💙 The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
💙 Toxic 🍄 Trump Matters 👎
I’m leaving off the Russia bit because that is taking a back seat to other matters. Not that we have forgotten! When we take back the executive branch, I expect the new AG to come down hard on certain people. However, before we put Russia on the back shelf, I want to warn people that they plan to use the health crisis to divide us. Don’t let that happen!
tRump’s claims are easily disproved.
Finally, finally, fewer people are believing tRump. NPR
Americans have little trust in the information they are hearing from President Trump about the novel coronavirus, and their confidence in the federal government's response to it is declining sharply, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
Just 46% of Americans now say the federal government is doing enough to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, down from 61% in February.
Just 37% of Americans now say they had a good amount or a great deal of trust in what they're hearing from the president, while 60% say they had not very much or no trust at all in what he's saying.
This is different from the 53 — 43 split that we’ve seen for so long. 60 — 37 now. Big difference.
🐊 Draining the Swamp 🐊
Tennessee man who hoarded hand sanitizer forced to give it away Comic Sands
Matt Colvin, a shrewd capitalist out of Hixson, Tennessee was investigated by the State Attorney General's Office after he purchased tens of thousands bottles of hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to turn around and sell on Amazon, WRCB Chattanooga reports. ✂️
After several other reports surfaced about Colvin's dust-collecting public health stash, the Tennessee State Attorney General's Office swooped in and demanded he donate the goods, according to The Huffington Post. The AG office released a statement confirming that most of the goods were donated to a church that plans to disseminate the goods.
Part of the stash was also sent back to the state of Kentucky, so its citizens would also gain access to the needed supplies.
A Tennessee price-gouging statute does exist, which makes schemes such as this illegal. An investigation is currently underway to determine if hand-sanitizer is a product listed under that statute, thus exposing Colvin to possible criminal penalties.
Whistleblower trying to stop coronavirus fraud before it happens — Mother Jones
In his letter, Kohn warns Barr that there could be a surge of violations of the False Claims Act—an 1863 law that holds federal contractors liable for defrauding government programs—related to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, the Justice Department launched an initiative to target violations and abuses of the False Claims Act at nursing homes. But, with President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that his administration will partner with the private sector to expand COVID-19 testing, there’s an increased opportunity for people and companies to take advantage and illegally profit from the situation.
Kohn knows these types of bottom-feeders well. He represented a whistleblower who exposed a FEMA contractor hired to help with disaster relief efforts—including the response to the 9/11 attacks—that stole $2.5 million in government funds. Though Kohn thinks it’s inevitable some people will try to defraud the government in its COVID-19 response, a preemptive effort by the DOJ could send a strong message.
Of course, I don’t have any faith in Barr. But this warning means that people are watching.
This is peculiar, but this is the second time I’ve agreed with Tucker Carlson:
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
Remember that big blue wave in 2018? It still matters:
Thank goodness we changed the tides!
Imagine if we still had weasel Ryan. Instead we have Pelosi:
National security experts endorse Biden
More than 80 career national security professionals have signed an open letter of support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, saying that President Trump “has created an existential danger to the United States.”
Most of the signatories, who include career diplomats, intelligence officers and defense policymakers, have served both Republican and Democratic administrations. They noted that their policy views cover a spectrum and as officials they “have often been in opposition, sometimes bitterly, with each other.”
“His reelection would continue this downward spiral and will likely have catastrophic results,” say the signatories, most of whom have never publicly endorsed a candidate for president.
Some people who read this may not like this — Biden wasn’t my first choice either — but Biden is now the frontrunner. And the above is mostly anti tRump and pro sanity.
And if you prefer Sanders, there’s evidence that, in this crisis, some of his worldview is winning Financial Times (thanks, PW!)
Eight years have passed since Mitt Romney expressed his disappointment with almost half of all Americans. Forty seven per cent are “dependent upon government” — claimed the Republican party’s then presidential nominee, in leaked remarks — and “believe that they are victims”. Among the frills to which they regard themselves “entitled” are medical care, accommodation and food. “You name it,” he said, as though he had just itemised the contents of a prima donna’s rider.
On Monday, Mr Romney urged the government to pay $1,000 to each and every American adult. Besides this helicopter money, the senator wants to help the virus-stricken economy with more paid leave, unemployment insurance and nutritional programmes. The stern budget hawk of yesteryear, for whom the US was a wheezing slacker, ripe for a private-equity turnround, could hardly be more munificent.
It is my profession’s crass duty to spot the winners and losers of coronavirus. In the first category, I suggest another septuagenarian senator of New England pedigree. Bernie Sanders will not — and therefore, at 78, will never — be the Democratic nominee for US president. After clinching primaries in Florida and elsewhere on Tuesday, Joe Biden is now less his competitor in that race than a receding speck on the horizon. There is comfort for Mr Sanders, however, in the intellectual co-option of such improbable people as Mr Romney.
In a way that was not true even two weeks ago, US politics now takes place on unambiguously social-democratic terms. A leftward trend that was already in glacial progress (look at public opinion on healthcare, on wealth taxes) has accelerated in an atmosphere of emergency. The crisis has been the making of the Sanders worldview.
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
💙 Kansas governor signs bill stopping evictions during the pandemic Daily Kos
While our president tries to come up with the best ways to blame others and scam his corrupt, incompetent ass out of our current global pandemic, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has begun taking steps to help relieve some of the more pressing economic anxieties being faced by her constituents. The Wichita Eagle reports that Gov. Kelly has signed “a sweeping executive order freezing mortgage foreclosures and rent evictions in Kansas during the global coronavirus pandemic.”
This is a great step for so many families worried about what our very uncertain future holds. Feeling like you’re digging your own financial grave while staying home to keep yourself and others safe is a terrible place to be in. The order also covers businesses, and will be a relief to every small business owner in the state as they scramble to figure out whether or not they can afford to still be a small business owner when this is all over.
And from some of the northern states:
Ding, dong, Dan Lipsinki is gone! Wonkette
Marie Newman is great. She has promised to fight for abortion rights, single-payer healthcare, a $15 minimum wage, and gun control. And last night, she successfully primaried Dan Lipinski, who's basically a right-wing Republican who happens to have a "D" next to his name.
Dan Lipinski inherited his seat in Congress from his daddy and has represented Illinois's Third District since 2005. This is a reliably blue district that encompasses part of the Southwest Side of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. Newman's primary win ends almost four decades of Lipinski rule of this district.
In 2018, after narrowly defeating Newman in the primary, Lipinski won reelection by 48 points. So this seat is probably not in danger of going Republican any time soon.
Lipinski has a long history of voting against women, immigrants, LGBTQ people, workers, and people who need healthcare. He vocally opposed and voted against the ACA. He voted for DOMA, opposed marriage equality, and was the only House Democrat who wouldn't co-sponsor the Equality Act. He voted against the DREAM Act. In January, Lipinski signed on to a Republican amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. In 2012, he refused to endorse incumbent president Barack Obama.
Enjoy (note that the tomorrow is now today):
🐍 Schadenfreude 🍎
What we hope awaits Richard Burr.
📣🏅 Let’s Honor Truth 🏅☀️
I want to honor those who have been doing their best to get out real information about this disease.
There’s Daily Kos’s own Mark Sumner, who has been sounding the call for months.
Aside from a sense of community, another theme emerged in the comments and that was gratitude for Mark Sumner, our resident novelist, science guru, and rocket aficionado, for sharing his research and knowledge about the COVID-19 virus as it went from a story buried in scientific or medical journals to front-page news across the world. Mark has been on it from the start and thanks to his prolific writing, many in this community heeded his warnings and started preparing, myself included. And when I say prolific, I mean prolific. Since Jan. 23, Mark Sumner has written more than 70 articles on the topic. All of them are listed and linked at the end of this post.
Beginning sometime in mid- to late-February as Sumner increasingly sounded the alarm, he repeatedly offered advice to the community: “Don’t panic. But do observe, and plan.” I’m sure I’m not the only one who began adding things like Tylenol, tissues, Lysol wipes, and so on to my grocery cart.
So, let’s give Mark Sumner our gratitude and a big virtual round of applause for informing this community and our readers at large, and for encouraging us all to be calm, but prepared.
Thank you, Mark!
There are also those who are maintaining websites like this one.
Finally, a H-T, although no link, to the many online publications that are putting the coronavirus stories up but without a paywall.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
10 Good News stories about the pandemic - Good News Network
1) US Researchers Deliver First COVID-19 Vaccine to Volunteers in Experimental Test Program
Scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle delivered the first rounds of a potential coronavirus vaccine to several dozen optimistic volunteers earlier this week. ✂️
2) Distilleries Across the United States Are Making Their Own Hand Sanitizers to Give Away for Free
Amidst national shortages of hand sanitizers, alcohol distilleries in Atlanta, Portland, rural Georgia, and North Carolina have begun using their facilities to make their own sanitation products.
Many more (well, 8 more) at the link. And then there’s this:
And in other good news…
Need something to do? You can tour museums from your sofa Good News Network
Also, the penguins are out of their usual enclosures!
I wonder how the penguins all got back up the stairs?
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time. However, given that we have taken back the House, the tactics moving forward need to be different. Indivisible has ideas to share.
Indivisible 2.0
This Guide is for what comes next. The 2016 Indivisible Guide was about using constituent power to defend our values, our neighbors, and our democracy. This Guide is about using our constituent power to go on offense.
Offense is exciting, but it’s more complex than defense. We have the opportunity to use congressional oversight to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. We can set the legislative agenda with a bold progressive vision rooted in inclusion, fairness, and justice. But none of this is automatic — we have to demand it of Congress.
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to Republicans who are distressed. Remember, a lot of them crossed over in the midterms! Get them to feel good about being blue.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
🍀 “My experience has been that work is almost
always the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.” 🍀
Eleanor Roosevelt
🔥 If you’re going through hell, keep going! 🔥
Winston Churchill
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.