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May 23, 2020 12:01 AM UTC

Memorial Day Weekend Open Thread

  • 31 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols


Photo by Colorado Pols

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31 thoughts on “Memorial Day Weekend Open Thread”

  1. “Here in Colorado, places of worship have been open for a few weeks, so Trump won’t have to pretend to order Gov. Jared Polis to do anything new.” but that has never, ever stopped dump from taking credit for something he didn’t cause

    or

    responsibility for the things he’s caused.

    Everything dump touches dies.

    1. The places may have been open — but the "Safer at Home" guidelines from May 15 have a specific heading for churches:

      During the Safer at Home level, gatherings in both public and private spaces of more than 10 people are prohibited. Places of worship are encouraged to continue providing access to services online or drive-up worship (as long as vehicles are turned off and not idling). Additional guidance can be found here.

      There may be some openings in counties that have been granted exceptions — but Denver and most metro areas do not have "regular" church.

      1. I do have a workaround for gunzos who like to play while they pray. They can get blessed, maintain social distancing, and show off  their 2A stuff. 
         

        All they’d have to do is purchase a realistic toy AR15 or other manly gun, load it up with holy water, and then do drive by church like Father Pelc in Detroit. 

        Probably some of their existing guns could be modified to shoot holy water, too. Ken Buck’s AR15 could. It already looks like a toy gun. He and Trey Gowdy look like two eight year old boys hamming it up for the DaddyCam. 

        1. Is gun fondling, like these two nimnus are demonstrating,  patriotic?

          Is it more patriotic with the flag decals on it?

          Which circus act did Howdy Gowdy rip off to get that suit?

          They left his shoes out of the pic but they must be red/white/blue and size 25.

          It’s pronounced “nimnooze”.

  2. On this day that we remember those who gave their lives for our country.

    [The Dumpster®] added: "So I view [US topping world virus cases ] as a badge of honor. Really, it's a badge of honor."

    And, USA deaths at 96K and counting.

     

  4. McConnell Is very friendly towards cannabis of the industrial hemp kind; Politico has the history of how that happened.Kentucky needs another high return crop since tobacco use is down.

    I infer that the plan is to consolidate the lucrative CBD market under a few corporations, and edge out all of the small growers and processors.

    However, his hemp advocacy hasn’t stopped McConnell from advocating against cannabis that contains THC. In fact, he received an honorary machete that had been used to chop down hemp’s “illicit cousin” plants. 
     

    It must be pure, racist calculation; as long as people of color are disproportionately arrested and incarcerated for (THC) marijuana possession,  Mitch and other GOP politicians can remain securely in power. Those dang criminals can’t vote, stay poor because they can’t get good jobs with felony drug records, etc. For example, the ACLU’s data shows that blacks are 9.4x more likely to be arrested than whites, for the same amount of marijuana. 

    It is completely cynical and self-serving to bless one strain of cannabis and demonize the other, but cynical and self-serving is how Mitch rolls.

    1. In a wonderful 2013 example of "politics makes strange bedfellows,"

      The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 (H.R. 525) was recently introduced in the House with 28 original co-sponsors, and it was quickly joined by a companion bill in the Senate (S. 359) which was introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), underscoring the bipartisan support around the hemp issue.

      1. Cannabis is a complicated issue for McConnell.  Presently Mitch has a pretty tortured relationship with this issue; Kentucky is a hot damn mess with no less than four very high profile bankruptcies and little relief in sight.  

        To be really clear there are exactly two people you can thank for the legalization of hemp: Jared Polis, who introduced Amendment 37 to the House Rules Committee in June, 2013 that later become Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill. That language surfaced in the conference committee in December of that year; Kentucky didn't have a single member of it's delegation on that committee and Mitch as you will recall was in the minority at that time.  We can thank Michael Bennet, a member of that committee and the majority, for Section 7606.  

        We can thank Mitch for the descheduling of the plant in the 2018 Farm Bill.  That's where his political leadership seems to have withered.  There is still no guidance or direction from FDA on CBD oil; even though industrial hemp is now federally classified as an agricultural crop bankers are still wary and insurance is hard to find. 

        There has been an article up on PoliticPro since Friday on all of this chaos.  I can't post it yet (behind the paywall) but I imagine it will be in the 'free' box tomorrow or Tuesday and I'll post then.  These Kentucky bankruptcies are catching the attention of a few lawmakers on CapHill.  The most significant line in the story is "Senator McConnell's office declined to comment". 

        There were Industrial Hemp Farming Acts proposed in 2009, 2011 that went nowhere.  The 2013 version finally picked up some inertia on the heels of Colorado's Amendment 64 vote.  It died on the vine after the Polis amendment language made it into the 2014 Farm Bill.  

        As for Cory, credit where credit is due.  He has been good on this issue.  I doubt he can count on the marijuana industry to do much for him.  His pontification in the post-Cole Memo world with Jeff Sessions was more PR than substance and both the marijuana and hemp industries are still shackled by stagnant bureacracies on a host of issues. 

        1. A fine update Michael.  But you meant to say the 2013 bill picked up some momentum, not inertia.  Inertia is there to begin with, sayeth Sir Isaac Newton.

          1. Mostly true, V, expect the 2009 and 2011 versions never really had an inertia as they were largely symbolic and generally co-sponsored by the usual suspects (Ron Paul and his circle of libertarian friends). But good critique – which I enjoy! Hope you’re well. 

            As promised, the PoliticoPro story from last Friday has migrated to the free side: 

            Hemp was supposed to boost farmers. It’s turned out to be a flop.

            In recent months, several CBD businesses declared bankruptcy — including GenCanna, a hemp processing facility in Winchester, Ky., that McConnell visited in April of last year.

            “I hope that hemp will be for us some day what tobacco was at its peak,” McConnell told the crowd.

            Many CBD producers, especially in Kentucky, seemed to be counting on McConnell’s influence and FDA regulation.

            “I haven’t seen him around lately” I hope it’s just because he’s been swarmed with higher priorities,” said Higdon, adding that he hopes access to banking and capital and fast-tracking FDA regulations remain a priority for the senator.

             

  5. Will someone please tell Joe Biden to stop pussyfooting around, pick a vice president, build a cabinet, and be ready to hit the ground running like “no one has ever seen” ? Joe needs to show America, on the Flim Flam Presidents’ own turf…TV and social media, what a real government and real leadership looks like.

    Get out front Joe!

    Look at the situation in Venezuela for guidance. What do WE do if T***p tries a “Maduro”? If he won’t leave? You need the relationships within a new government to handle it. Do you want to wait until you are in Guaidos’ position?

    1. I’m OK with announcing his VP pick Duke put would prefer he hold off on announcing the rest of his cabinet because it might hurt them in their current situation or be highly uncomfortable for them if he loses.  It’s kind of like the finalists for president of CU.  Do you announce ahead of time who you are interviewing?  Could be awkward if their employer found out that they were looking for a new gig.  We’re just about to June and will have some more primaries where he can get some visibility.  Big thing between now and then is to not have a gaffe a week narrative.  Biden being below the radar at this moment isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Trump is twisting in the wind and exposing how cluelessly stupid he is.  No need to take the limelight off of how unfit the motherfucker is to deal with real world issues.  Good people are going to continue to die and there isn’t much Biden can do except align with the scientists and policy makers who can make a difference if/when he wins.

      1. I agree and didn't say he should announce his cabinet…only that he has it selected and organized. His veep he should announce. His cabinet will be crucial in trying to repair the damage as soon as they can get started. Much work can be done, even before the election. Time to think waaay outside the box. 

    2. Listen to Duke, Joe! He’s right…again. Bernie has bowed to inevitability and endorsed you. There isn’t anyone to pacify, only people to win over, and inspire. And lead. What would that feel like?

      And I’ll add…if Biden is  going to choose a high-powered woman as Veep, choose already.
      He can take the juice right out of the whole Tara Reade scandal – (which I think may be entirely “made in Russia”) by choosing a strong female as his Numero Dos. The scandal will still be lurking, but women will feel empowered, certain our voices will be heard and our concerns front and center.
       

      Biden would be the third Democratic President in my lifetime to have credible rumors about sexual misconduct or infidelity- Kennedy and Clinton were the other two. (Obama was squeaky clean on this as on other scandals.) Yet Kennedy and Clinton were pretty damn good imperfect Presidents. 

      And I say that as a feminist who tends to believe women’s accusations. Joe is handsy. He’s a hugger and a toucher. Not the best combo for a Presidential candidate in the “Me Too” era. Not even on my top five preferred candidates.

      But he’s going to have to seize the moment and run with it.

    3. Biden is on track to announce his VP choice in early July.

      • He made a commitment to have a woman as VP — and got some press.
      • He formed his advisory group to help him choose — and got some press.
      • He's had several women identified as being vetted — either by their announcement, their presence with him at some campaign announcement, or a "leak" — and got some press.

      Three more occasions for fresh coverage

      • announcing his advisory group has narrowed the list and the campaign will begin even more intense vetting of those on the list,
      • — the sequential "serious conversations" or "interviews" with the narrowed list, and
      • — the announcement.

      I’m figuring it is one of the few ways he’s getting significant media attention. Announcement a week or two after Fourth of July will be a good time to “kick off” additional travel (unless there is a bigger than expected flare-up of COVID-19 from Memorial Day).

    4. ding, ding, ding!
      …chicken dinner!

      The Fifth Risk, Lewis, Michael M., 2018

      Trust that no one in the Trump base cares about that. Help them feel safe that the libs will be owned and no one will take their guns.

  6. Most publicly listed companies keep U.S. small-business aid loans

     

    NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) – More than four-fifths of publicly listed companies that received emergency small-business loans from the U.S. government have held onto them, sticking with a certification that they need the money, according to data from market research firm FactSquared.

    Companies that should not have applied for the loans because they had enough resources to get by on their own had until May 18 to return the money without facing any sanctions. Those that returned the money announced it through regulatory filings, which are required within four business days of a major corporate event.

    Sixty-eight companies returned $435.8 million in loans, out of a total of 424 public companies that were granted loans totaling $1.35 billion, based on a review of corporate filings by FactSquared as of May 22.

     

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ppp-companies/most-publicly-listed-companies-keep-u-s-small-business-aid-loans-idUSKBN2300JT

  7.  

    This is from a Kos poster called Tevye:

    When Utah Teacher Berated Fifth Grader For Having Two Dads, His Female Classmates Put A Stop To It.

     

     At Deerfield Elementary School in Cedar Hills, which is about a thirty minute drive from Salt Lake City, eleven year old Daniel van Amstel instantly new what his answer was going to be when the substitute teacher asked the fifth grade class the question the day before the school was to be let out for Thanksgiving vacation in late November of 2019.

     It was an easy one.

     The question was: “What are you thankful for this year?”

     Daniels classmates had answered thusly….”My dog”, “Not having to come to school”, “Turkey and all the fixin’s”, etc…..

    …..but Daniel had other thoughts that were all encompassing.

     After being in five foster homes and having one adoption process stopped half way through, Daniel had finally found his forever home with a family that loved him so much, they wanted him to officially be their son.

     And so he said, “I’m thankful that I’m finally going to be adopted by my two dads.”

     What he got from his mostly Mormon classmates were smiles. One girl patted his back. Another girl said, “Oh, how wonderful.”

     But that good feeling was shut down immediately. According to those in his class, the teacher snapped.

      “Why on earth would you be happy about that? That’s nothing to be thankful for.”

     For ten long minutes she lectured the 30 children with “homosexuality is wrong” and “two men living together is a sin.” 

     She asked Daniel, “Are you going to be gay?” And he looked right at her and gave an answer that was unexpected and frankly marvelous.  “I have no idea.”

     

     Three of the young girls, 10-11 year olds i must point out, weren’t having it…At all.

     Led by 11 year old Sophie, they told the teacher that she was wrong. One kept on repeating “No, No, No.”

     They told her to stop again and again, and every time the teacher glared at Daniel, Sophie would purposely get her attention to deflect the toxic energy being directed at Daniel.

     Finally, Demi and a third girl who wants to remain anonymous walked out of the room, whilst the teacher threatened them if they did so, and went straight to the principal’s office.

     Sophie chose to remain in the room….she was not going to leave Daniel without her protection.

     And with every poisoned barb, she either tried to change the subject, or she told the so-called adult in the room that what she was saying was inappropriate, was unnecessary, was wrong.

     In the principal’s office, the impromptu meeting with the two students lasted all of about five minutes…and the decision was made there and then, and the sentence was carried out just as quick.

     The school security was called, they walked straight to the classroom and in front of all the students they hurriedly escorted the teacher, whose name has not been disclosed anywhere that i could find, to her car. As she was leaving the classroom, she told Daniel it was all his fault. And whilst she was escorted to her car, she continued to say how wrong two men being married was.

    The last word was spoken by the principal, Caroline Knadler, who told her, “You are never to return. Never.”

    Now, that’s how it’s done. Amirite?

     

     

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/23/1943198/-When-Utah-Teacher-Berated-Fifth-Grader-For-Having-Two-Dads-His-Female-Classmates-Put-A-Stop-To-It?utm_campaign=trending

    3. The rest of the article was great, too.  Happy ending photo of Daniel, the three girls, many from the class, the teacher, the principal, and two Dads … I encourage you go to read it.

  8. Lest we forget…

    The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day

    According to Blight’s 2001 book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, a commemoration organized by freed slaves and some white missionaries took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C., at a former planters’ racetrack where Confederates held captured Union soldiers during the last year of the war. At least 257 prisoners died, many of disease, and were buried in unmarked graves, so black residents of Charleston decided to give them a proper burial.

  9. More Memorial Day background:  History.com: 8 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day

    I’m old enough to remember Decoration Day celebrations and special flag etiquette on May 30. Growing up, there was a special remembrance gathering at Bataan Memorial Park, where fathers of some of school mates, families from my neighborhood and further away, a minister and a rabbi, and an official color guard gathered and recalled those who did not survive the WWII ordeal…. Still a solemn and sincere ceremony that can make me choke up.

  10. @COfreedomforce ( Neville supports, and the RecallPolis pac folks are funding) , is urging 421 restaurants to be open for dining service today. I’m not going to embed their tweet, as they want the free publicity.

    This links to a pic of Kristina Finley (ResistPolis) holding up a giant check for $15K for CC Korean kitchen and Boebert’s Shooters Grill.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYuszUaWoAEPdNE?format=jpg&name=4096×4096

    Ironically, the CDPHE already granted a variance to DougCo and other restaurants to open at 50% capacity. https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/coronavirus/variance-granted-to-douglas-county-to-reopen-restaurants-houses-of-worship-gyms-park-meadows

    1. Neville rallying the forces brings to mind Bluto in Animal House.

      When the going gets weird the weird get sick.

      (or is that HS Thompson?)

      Oh yeah ….
      Otter:
      Bluto’s right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. [Otter stands up.] We gotta take these bastards. Now, we could fight ’em with conventional weapons. That could take years and cost millions of lives. Oh no. No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.

      Bluto:
      And we’re just the guys to do it.

      [Boon and D-Day stand.]

      Boon:
      Let’s do it.

      Bluto:
      Let’s do it!

      [Everybody cheers and starts running out of the room, with Bluto still standing there.]

      Bluto:
      Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

  11. Well I know I feel better now…

    Trump says he's no longer taking hydroxychloroquine

    President Donald Trump said he had "just finished" taking a two-week course of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, the medication he has vigorously promoted as a preventative or curative treatment for the coronavirus, even as evidence piles up that the drug may cause more harm than good.

    “Finished, just finished,” he said in an interview that aired on Sinclair Broadcasting on Sunday. “And by the way, I’m still here.”

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