16 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread”

1. August 25, 1609: Galileo Galilei shows Venetian lawmakers his first telescope.

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2. CP reported on a study of Colorado's children in the pandemic up to March 2021. 

   Study: Food Insecurity And The Poverty Rate Rose For Colorado Children During The Pandemic

   The report reveals how the COVID-19 crisis has changed the lives of the state’s children over the past year and a half. Authored by the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the report also offers policy recommendations for improvement.

   The report used data collected through March 2021.

   I'm hoping next year, the report will find improvement.  It will be interesting to find the consequences of the Democratic Congress passed and Biden Administration signing that legislation and implementing changes from it and its own regulations. 

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3. Vote suppressors  $5 Million fine sought by the FCC. New York State AG Letitia James is on the case, and will seek up to $2.7 million in fees and fines:

   The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $5.1 million fine against conservative activists Jacob Wohl and John Burkman and J.M. Burkman & Associates for making 1,141 unlawful robocalls that made false claims about mail voting, the agency said Tuesday.

   “Did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts?” the call said, before also erroneously claiming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might use such data to enforce mandatory vaccinations.

   Thousands of voters received such calls in New York, Ohio and Michigan, according to state prosecutors, who say it was an attempt to suppress Black voters. The activists face criminal charges for their role in spreading the disinformation, and New York Attorney General Letitia James is attempting to force the men to pay up to $2.7 million in penalties for the calls.

    

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4. If you've found yourself in Kabul, anxious about your departure and have a spare $6.500 – Betsy DeVos' little brother has a deal for you! (as of this morning there are a reported 1,500 Americans yet in Afghanistan)

   

   

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   1. Actually, $6500 seems reasonable.

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      1. That whole family is a sickness

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   2. . . . and then there's the checked luggage fees; the carry-on bag fees; preferred seating selection and early boarding fees; additional charges for alcohol, sodas, the cheese plate, the fermented goat entree, wi-fi, access to the in-flight entertainment system, etc., etc. . . .

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   3. He should be charged as a conspirator in at least one murder and multiple sexual assaults. And then he should be barred from future US government contracts.

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5. Kyle Clark had the unenviable job of covering last night's Douglas County School Board meeting. It went as you'd expect, given DC's national reputation as a COVIDiocy hotbed.

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   1. smh

      I absolutely do not understand the problem. 

      Mask: No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no skirt more than 4 inches above the knees, no spandex – no attendance. 

      Vaccines: 

      "Colorado law (Board of Health rule 6 CCR 1009-2) requires all students attending Colorado schools and licensed child cares to be vaccinated against certain diseases,…"

       

      Vaccines required to enter child care

      • Hepatitis B.

      • Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTap).

      • Haemophilus influenzatype b (Hib).

      • Inactivated poliovirus (IPV).

      • Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13) or polysaccharide(PPSV23).

      • Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR).

      • Varicella (chicken pox).

       

      Vaccines required to enter school (K-12)

      • Hepatitis B.

      • Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTap).*

      • Inactivated poliovirus (IPV).*

      • Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR).*

      • Varicella (chicken pox).*

      • Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap).**

       

      College/university students

      All students attending an institute of higher learning provide proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella diseases."

      Douglas County:  a bunch of attention grabbing, cantankerous, rich, problem child, Karen wanna bees. 

       

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      1. Yup. I've said as much to a high school class – that in the future they would have to have the standard vaccinations plus COVID vaxxes to go to public school. And I got in trouble for saying it. Some teen MAGA wannabe reported me.

         I do see an "all of the above" public school vaccination requirement as being inevitable, as soon as Merona and Johnson & Johnson follow Pfizer in getting full FDA approval, and as soon (hopefully SOON soon) as kids under 12 can get vaxxed.

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      2. Anti-vaxxers who bitch about vaccination for public school attendance are the snowflakiest of all snowflakes, as Colorado law includes a non-medical, non-religious "personal belief" exemption that authorizes parents to opt their snot miners out of vaccination for any reason or no reason at all. The anti-vax mantra "Gimme free stuff, but only on my terms" is easily attainable in this here state.

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6. Hickenlooper Town Hall August 30. Sign up here. Ask him about the filibuster.

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   1. I'd rather ask him about supporting the Colorado Wilderness Act and the CORE Act, both of which are now part of a larger public lands bill, I believe.

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   2. Thanks for the heads up, Tree.  I'll definitely ask him about a carve out from filibuster rules to pass federal voting rights legislation.  Absolutely nothing else matters if GOP legislatures are able to nullify votes and declare winners in their states. 

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7. The federal judge who presided over that goddamn "Kraken" lawsuit in Michigan absolutely brutalized the disgraces to the legal profession who filed and prosecuted that abomination. The opinion, all 110 pages, is available here.

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