The Orban playbook of crony capitalism to wrest control of the country. Trump did his part when he called for boycotts of companies he didn’t think were loyal to his policies. Harley-Davidson comes to mind. Fascism 101, folks.
Author: lenrothman
Gun stocks rise after mass shootings.
“On Wednesday, after a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, prices for major gun stocks gained momentum in early trading, following a subdued start. In afternoon trading, Smith & Wesson was up more than 7 percent, Sturm Ruger rose about 5 percent and Vista Outdoor gained nearly 9 percent.”
Yes, we all know why. Fear of possible tightening of gun controls after a suitable slaughter is a great marketing device for more gun sales. Turning tragedy into gold and more guns for more shootings. And here is the best part: President Biden is excoriated for not waiting a “respectable time” for mourning. Of course the problem is that if we wait, there is another shooting. I am not sure all the murdered folks in Buffalo are even buried yet. Texas is going to get the award, much coveted I am sure, for the most mass shootings if they work at it. Abbott was so proud to have a million gun sales in 2015 and zero restrictions on carry today.
*There is a bit of sarcasm in my post, but it is evident that a minority of our nation is not serious about solving our national disgrace, so I won’t waste sorrow on this. Hence, the sarcasm. Thoughts and prayers won’t replace children’s laughter or their lives.
Black women cause Louisiana to look bad by high maternal mortality rate.
https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-senator-la-outlier-maternal-death-rate-skewed-black-women-2022-5
“So, if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear.” Correct it by not counting Blacks because…they don’t count?
Really. Damn Black women screw up everything. Maybe we can exclude them from being Americans…again…and get better stats among the states instead of near the bottom.
Honestly, that is a tone deaf, racist remark. Are Black women not citizens of Louisiana? Is Cassidy proud of the White maternal death rate and minorities are just truly inconvenient?
Oh, the truly sad part of this is that Cassidy is not one of the complete right wing loonies.
CPAC holds conference in Hungary. Autocracy 101 is favorite lecture perhaps?
“We have to take the institutions back in Washington and Brussels,” Orban said. “We must find allies in one another and coordinate the movements of our troops.”
Orban packed the courts, appointed election officials, and is pushing for some kind pf ethnic purity. Seems that CPAC wants some tips to pull off the same hat trick. EU has accused Hungary of all kinds of human rights violations So what does CPAC expect for our immigrant nation where near half the population is not White European extract?
I guess if a party can’t offer a platform that people want it should learn how to take power without annoying elections. Maybe the next CPAC can be in Saudi Arabia. MBS knows how to deal with journalists who work for our own media, not just the Mecca Daily Bugle.
Abortion bans and religious freedom…a new wrinkle.
Simply put, if a religion approves (or requires it to save the life or health of the mother) abortion in some or all circumstances, does a state that bans virtually all abortions violate the First Amendment for those adherents? I posted the PEW link because it lists religions by abortion views. There are plenty of sites that debate this issue also. What about atheists and agnostics? Do they have any rights under the First Amendment, or is it just for organized religions?
Why these franchise owners decided to pay more and reap huge benefits.
https://apple.news/Awuv7X_KWQ2q9POyB89deWw
In case the link is closed to some, the gist is that @ $17/hour plus good benefits is very profitable for these Chic-Fil-A franchisees. Turn over went from 144% to 73% and at a cost of thousands to hire and train personnel, retention is just good business. One started higher pay in the 90’s (not $17 then, but $9, then increasing) and the other about 4 years ago, at $17. Sales more than doubled from $5 million to $11 million as service and quality improved. Morale and reliability increased dramatically and the owner had more time for his own family.
Another perspective on Russian losses.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-unable-fight-another-war-after-catastrophic-military-losses-1701469
True, there are discrepancies among figures by Russia, Ukraine and several Western analysts, but there are few secrets regarding military capabilities of nations. Satellite imagery along with a myriad of on ground reporting makes it hard to fudge numbers too much. In my opinion, the best card Putin holds are the thousands of Ukrainian civilians abducted to Russia and sent to ”filtration camps”.
I just got this email from Virginia 2021 about the redistricting successes.
“The 2021 redistricting cycle is FINALLY almost complete – there are just a few states left that have not finalized their maps. Experts across the country concur that Virginia’s new maps for legislative and congressional districts are among the best in the country. Groups like FiveThirtyEight, Princeton Gerrymandering Project, The Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal Center, and University of Virginia’s Center for Politics agree that Virginia’s maps keep communities and localities intact, while demonstrating partisan fairness and increased opportunities for minority representation. Every one of you who contributed your time, money, and/or support – or just voted Yes On 1! – should be very proud of yourselves.”
Perhaps perfect may still be the enemy of good, but in this case, it seems good is pretty good by itself.
Wagner mercenaries responsible for Bucha atrocities
Plausible deniability for Putin through mercenaries, but still Russian war crimes.
State controlled tip lines here and in Russia.
Teachers are bring recorded and then reported on a special Telegram hotline in Russia in case they don’t seem to support the invasion of Ukraine. Other civilians are too, but the similarities are chilling.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 