Infrastructure – Page 4

Yesterday it was supposed to be warmer – the dude on the radio was hoping people had air conditioning – but it wasn’t here. It actually felt the cooloest day for a while. Hey, I’ll take that … as long as it doesn’t get too cold too fast. It was also a pill weekend, I filled the morning ones on Saturday and the evening ones yesterday. Set for two weeks now. Also placed a grocery order to be lelivered today.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Law & Crime – A Former MMA Fighter from N.J. and a Metal Baton-Swinging Seattle Resident Are the First to Plead Guilty to Assaulting Police on Jan. 6th
Quote – Both men technically face up to 20 years imprisonment at their upcoming sentencing on Sept. 17…. Both also face the possibility of $250,000 fines. Their sentencing hearings will be closely watched, as potential markers for how heavily federal judges will punish those charged with assaulting law enforcement on Jan. 6th.
Click through for deets and some speculation. Law & Crime can get very sensational in their headlines and in their selection of stories, but their style is pretty matter-of-fact.

AP News – Late nights, early mornings await Senate on infrastructure
Quote – As many as 20 Republicans are expected to join Democrats in what would be a big a vote on final passage. Overcoming a 60-vote hurdle Saturday with backing from 18 Republicans was a sign that the bipartisan tenuous alliance could hold on the public works package. Another procedural vote was expected late Sunday, as senators push toward Tuesday’s final passage. If approved, the bill would go to the House.
Click through for story. Don’t faint if some Republicans vote for this. They know we are going to get it done, and they don’t want us to be able to say, “Not one single Republican voted for it.”

Rolling Stone – Die Hard Trump Supporters Increasingly Demand Violence If He Isn’t Reinstated, Homeland Security Warns
Quote – “Over the last few days what has occurred is there’s been much more public visibility, meaning the discussions and these theories have migrated away from being contained within the conspiracy and extremist online communities, to where they’re being the topic of discussion on web forums, or more public web forums, and even within the sort of media ecosystem,” a senior DHS official told ABC News. The drunk-on-Trump crowd has been triggered so much that Homeland Security says they are concerned about the calls for violence increasing further.
Click through for more. This is a situation in which police in key locations do need riot gear, and I hope they have it.

Food for Thought –

Yesterday was still hot, as it’s supposed to be today also, cooling some on Saturday. It’s hard to work up much enthusiasm.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Hill – https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/565378-the-17-republicans-who-voted-to-advance-the-senate-infrastructure-bill
Quote – The vote — the first of several steps expected before the Senate decides whether or not to ultimately pass the bill—comes one week after all Republicans blocked a similar move, arguing that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was rushing the process as senators tried to finalize their agreement.
Click through for list. Some of these not only surprised me but made me think there’s something fishy (nothing new with the GQP)

Mother Jones (Kevin Drum) – The Real Source of America’s Rising Rage
Quote – [T]he past couple of decades have seen a steady increase in the belief among white people—particularly Republicans—that anti-white bias is a serious problem. Fox News has stoked this fear almost since the beginning, culminating this year in Tucker’s full-throated embrace of the white supremacist “replacement theory” and the seemingly 24/7 campaign against critical race theory and its alleged impact on white schoolkids. This is certainly not all that Fox News does, but it’s a big part of its pitch, and it fits hand in glove with Trump’s appeal to white racism.
Click through for his reasoning. Kevin is another who’s pretty sharp. And Fox is certainly huge. But even media could not create racism, white nationalism, the Great Replacement paranoia, etc. out of thin air. It can only weaponize them by bring ing them out of hiding.

BuzzFeed News – A Judge Questioned If Capitol Rioters Are Getting Off Too Easy For “Terrorizing Members Of Congress”
Quote – Howell in the end accepted Griffith’s guilty plea, but, like Walton, put the government and defense through several paces before she did. She asked whether the government was concerned that an agreement involving a low-level misdemeanor was enough not only to deter Griffith from participating in a similar event in the future but also the broader universe of the hundreds of people who descended on the Capitol that day. The circumstance that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection, a presidential election, happens every four years, the judge noted.
Click through for story. Of course it’s Beryl Howell – not that she’s the only one with a head on her shoulders, or the only one who is outspoken, but she’s certainly one of a few.

Food for Thought (I know it’s long .. but it’s all needed):

Politics Plus

Open Thread for August 9, 2021

Open Thread for July 30, 2021

Video Thread 4/29/2021