While I'm not a fanatic about it, sometimes I like to check my stats for the blog (especially after last Summer's fun). At least for one tracker Russia has dropped off the major list. Imagine my sad face that the trolls are gone (note: not all the Russian traffic were trolls, I consistently get a number of hits from Russia, but when my traffic from Russia spiked by 1000x - yes, that's actually a little low in fact - it was pretty clear where that traffic was coming from). They were so cute with their purple and orange spiky hair and whatnot. However China, Slovenia, and Ukraine have taken up the slack. Good for you, guys. Also a big wave to my friends down in Brazil. How's the summer going for you all?
"New projections say Louisiana is losing land much faster than officials thought. Each mile of land that washes into the Gulf of Mexico costs the state; industry, infrastructure and populations are all disrupted… Now, it has a plan to fight coastal land loss, but needs an estimated $90 billion to do it." Suing the energy industry to recoup from the damages they've caused.
And so begins the vilification of those who organized the Women's March. Not for anything real, but because they've shown themselves to be able, capable, resourceful and worst of all, successful. This is something the left needs to learn to do better, but we are often hampered by our intrinsic belief in the good of our fellow humans. This is part of a playbook (and working on our side's beliefs is part of the right's playbook). (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
A Leah Bobet tweet storm on what exactly happened Saturday. It was a promise to be there when it counts. Not everybody can be, be you saw the potential pool on Saturday. Hopefully enough can show up for the other work.
"An Indiana state senator is under fire for a Sunday post on his Facebook page that referred to women who gathered at the massive Women's March on Washington as 'fat,' The Indianapolis Star reported." He then goes on to use the "they just send you that porn" defense after making his Facebook page private. Good one. You go with that. Then another Indiana lawmaker gets in trouble for posting a meme about pepper spraying protestors with the line, "Participation Trophies, Now in Liquid Form1". And after he drew heat from that posted picture of puppies, complained that the left just doesn't get him, and it was all a joke. In line with my tweet storm about hitting Nazis, it's my suggestion the good people of Indiana demonstrate to Rep. Jim Lucas (R) that they get his humor by pepper spraying the asshole every chance they get. A good joke should be shared often.
"Folks at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service received an email Monday morning from their chief of staff telling them not to talk to the public about their work… The ARS solves agricultural problems, like balancing fertilizer and water use, developing healthier plants, and protecting the beloved honeybees. The email seems to join other attempts by the Trump administration to stifle executive agency communications." I guess we don't want those developing countries to get research for free or something. I'm sure this, along with the EPA halt on public-facing documents, is all normal. Nothing to worry about here. Nothing to do with the increasing evidence that we're hosed because of climate change. Remember the criticism Obama took because his administration wasn't totally "transparent" like he promised? I get we get to have a reminder on just how transparent it was. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) was repeatedly interrupted by constituents concerned about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act during a packed Tuesday town hall in Grand Rapids, MLive.com reported." Holds up lighter for the people of Grand Rapids.
"U.S. government sources tell CBS News that there is a sense of unease in the intelligence community after President Trump’s visit to CIA headquarters on Saturday… An official said the visit 'made relations with the intelligence community worse' and described the visit as 'uncomfortable.'… Authorities are also pushing back against the perception that the CIA workforce was cheering for the president. They say the first three rows in front of the president were largely made up of supporters of Mr. Trump’s campaign." Just like he did with his "press conference." How fucking insecure is this guy? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention canceled a climate change and health summit months in the making without offering an official explanation, multiple news outlets reported Monday." The self-censoring begins.
"The Affordable Care Act includes special provisions that make the process of getting black lung benefits easier for coal miners. If the ACA is repealed, gaining these benefits could become much more difficult, effectively harming a group of people that President Trump has promised to protect." There is also discussion (not in this article, but I point to it because of the pull quote) about stopping using the word "Obamacare" and instead use "ACA" in an attempt to "save it." In this article you see that, the law is always referred to as "ACA", not "Obamacare."
"A common refrain among Republicans is that the people who live in big coastal cities like New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco are out of touch with 'real Americans.'… On Saturday, photos from hundreds of protests and marches across the country in opposition to Donald Trump’s day-old presidency countered that notion." Oh, and the "dissatisfied, poor, rural whites" nonsense is also a lie. (Grokked from Cat Rambo)
"'The committee will not be holding a second hearing on the Education Secretary nominee,' an aide to committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said in a statement." I'm sure this decision has nothing to do with her glaringly bad performance. (Grokked from Michele)
"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Wednesday that part of the reason he declined a role in Donald Trump’s administration was his wife’s refusal to move to Washington, D.C." Uh. Yeah. Because he loves his wife… except he would have gone had they offered him a more "exciting" position. I guess coffee-lackey isn't exciting.