Yesterday, I mostly got ready for today’s drive. I also tried to collect a little extra news and videos, so Saturday’s posts may be a trifle dated. Also yesterday, Steve Bannon was indicted by the DOJ on 2 counts of Contempt of Congress – one for not providing documents, and one for not providing testimony
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Mother Jones – The Furriest, Cleverest, and Hands-Down Cutest Way to Fight Climate Change
Quote – But it’s tricky to quantify exactly how much carbon a healthy kelp forest gobbles up. A redwood tree, for instance, grows to be massive over hundreds of years, locking away lots of carbon over long timescales. (Unless it catches on fire, in which case the carbon goes back into the atmosphere.) Things are more in flux underwater. All manner of critters, including sea urchins, are nibbling on kelp—and pooping out the carbon. Plus, the churning sea breaks off bits of the forest, which fall to the seafloor and decompose, releasing stored carbon. So a kelp forest constantly decays and grows back, sequestering and releasing carbon all the while.
Click through for story. So long I have been screaming into the wind that messing with nature when we don’t know what function everything serves is simply suicidal. This explains a lot. Just don’t get dizzy from all the twists and turns.
Kansas School District Bans Pulitzer Prize-winning Books
Quote – It’s not just Kansas. In Virginia, one school district is hard at work removing “sexual content” from their libraries. Two board members, Courtland representative Rabih Abuismail and Livingston representative Kirk Twigg, said they would like to see the removed books burned. “I think we should throw those books in a fire,” Abuismail said, and Twigg said he wants to “see the books before we burn them so we can identify within our community that we are eradicating this bad stuff.”
Click through for story, including a list to a list of 29 books from Kansas.
GOP leaders say little to condemn violent political rhetoric
Quote – The GOP’s reluctance to crack down on — or even mildly criticize — violent rhetoric in its own ranks is part of a broader pattern in which the party tries to minimize such behavior. Gosar removed the tweet aimed at Ocasio-Cortez, but the Arizona congressman and his digital director said those offended by his tweet should “relax.” Trump, meanwhile, has attempted to divert attention from the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol by saying that last year’s Election Day was the “real insurrection.” There was no insurrection on Election Day. There was a free and fair election won by Biden.
Click through for examples. GOP condoning violence? By GOPs? Surprise, surprise! 
Food for Thought –
