Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Everybody saw this coming.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

In after Baud. Damn.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Let there be snark.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

You are here: Home / Elections / Biden-Harris 2020 / Monday Morning Open Thread: MLK Day of Service

Monday Morning Open Thread: MLK Day of Service

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Yes, it’s a real thing:

Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. AmeriCorps has been charged with leading this effort for the past quarter century.

AmeriCorps is collaborating with the Presidential Inaugural Committee on the MLK National Day of Service…

And there’s many ways to serve:

*Won’t* it be lovely to have a functioning government again, instead of a kakistocracy!

And then there’s the GOP version of a public service…
Monday Morning Open Thread: National Day of Service

(Jack Ohman via GoComics.com)

Reader Interactions

75Comments

  1. 1.

    Mary G

    Don’t know what Joe will be doing, but I bet it’s not throwing field goals with paper towels.

  2. 2.

    Chyron HR

    U.S. president-elect Joe Biden is planning to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit via executive action on his first day in office.

    “Yeah, but he doesn’t really believe the Keystone pipeline is bad, so it doesn’t count.” – Some dumb asshole on Twitter doubtlessly

  3. 3.

    Bruuuuce

    Despite the stain and degradation of it having been given inappropriately by Twitler, Chef Jose Andres deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    And this is one of the great tasks of leadership for us, as individuals and citizens this year. But even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction – purpose and dignity – that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.

    Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product – if we judge the United States of America by that – that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman’s rifle and Speck’s knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

    Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.

    – Robert F Kennedy, March 18, 1968.

  5. 5.

    germy

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense officials tell AP they fear possible inside attack at inauguration, will have National Guard troops vetted.

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 18, 2021

    More from the AP: U.S. defense officials say they're worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing Joe Biden's inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 18, 2021

  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @germy: Biden inauguration: 25,000 National Guard vetted over insider attack fears as state protests fizzle

    “We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy said in an interview on Sunday after he and other military leaders went through a three-hour security drill. So far, however, he and other leaders said they had not seen evidence of any such threats, and officials said the vetting hadn’t flagged any issues.

    So yeah, they are worried and looking everywhere for any possible threat, as they should be, but so far it appears to be nothing more than a healthy sense of paranoia.

    And now I gotta go. Have a good ‘un.

  8. 8.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I was only 7 when RFK was assassinated.  I remember the events well but didn’t really understand the import.  Every time I read something like that piece, the import hits me broadside.  One of the biggest national tragedies of my lifetime, losing him.

  10. 10.

    p.a.

    @germy:

    This is a good opportunity to do an investigation.  Don’t know what is legal or not abt checking military members’ soc media posts and discharges , due process etc. Of course any active duty at the putsch should get hammered.  Retirees?

    I know the Air Force was compromised: Colorado Springs is a fundy hotbed and I remember Jewish, Muslim, and female troops were harassed in the recent past.

  13. 13.

    satby

    AmeriCorps has been charged with leading this effort for the past quarter century.

    And as an Americorps alumnus I have joined a service project almost every one of those years, but this year I have to work ?. So instead I’ll donate to WCKitchen and support their fantastic work. And pick up trash on my street, a lot of the community projects are trash cleanup, still, so it can be a solo experience if you prefer.

  19. 19.

    Geminid

    @satby: While traveling west on I-20 a couple years ago I got off at Vicksburg to grab a cup of good coffee. I was pleasantly surprised to see four young people with Americorps windbreakers at the coffee shop. That’s one program that could be expanded to staff climate change programs like home insulation for poor people, tree planting under the Agricultural Soil and Water Conservation program, and others. Green Infrastructure, if you will. Senator Warren put out an excellent package of climate initiatives during the primaries that would be a good template for these kinds of investment. The new Congress will put some of them through.

  20. 20.

    germy

    The Defense Department broadly has struggled to get a handle on the problem of extremism, including white supremacy, in its ranks. A senior official told reporters on Thursday that the Pentagon has seen an increase in white supremacist beliefs among both active duty service members and veterans, but was unable to provide concrete figures. Several people arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol were current and former military members and at least one person arrested is a member of the Virginia National Guard.

    https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/01/troops-inauguration-pre-screened-extremism-says-dc-guard-commander/171456/

  22. 22.

    raven

    @germy: This isn’t a surprise, the guard and military are simply a reflection of the society at large and maybe less so in certain branches.

    This is from 2014 but it hasn’t changed much.

     

    The United States Army is widely recognized for its outstanding and well-

    deserved reputation for integrating previously excluded groups, specifically racial minorities and women. Presently, the Army has a shortage of senior African-American officers due to underrepresentation in the ground maneuver branches, Infantry and Armor. Both branches are central to the Army’s core competencies: combined arms maneuver and wide area security, where leaders apply the warfighting functions,

    typically provided by operational support and force sustainment branches in the

    successful conduct of combat operations. Accordingly, Infantry and Armor produced

    32% of the Army’s currently serving general officers and ten of the Army’s 12 four-star generals.
    Armor branches and only eight percent of the General Officer population,
    comprising 13 percent of the officer corps and 21 percent of the enlisted ranks.
    the Army faces the challenge of building a senior officer corps that represents the increasing diversity of the population it serves and the formation of Soldiers that they will lead.

  23. 23.

    Ohio Mom

    How do you vet thousands of guard members in a few days time? Doesn’t seem possible, unless you also have thousands of vetters.

  24. 24.

    raven

    @Ohio Mom: They are called officers and nco’s. Yes, I know those could also be but that’s how they will do it. Remember this guard units are “citizen soldiers” and live and drill together in a given area. They know each other pretty well.

  26. 26.

    germy

    Good news/Bad news. Good news: I just got vaccinated! Bad news: I got it because I’m 75. Ha! The operation in NYC was smooth as silk (sorry about the cliché @BCDreyer!) and hosted to perfection by the US Army and National Guard. Thank you all, and thank you science.

    — Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) January 17, 2021

    I signed up ON line through an NYC dot gov website (sorry I don’t have the exact site), and waited IN line at the Javits Center. https://t.co/Ohp3frxy6i

    — Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) January 17, 2021

    Right now, I’m having no fide resects. https://t.co/SUYyvOexeW

    — Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) January 17, 2021

  32. 32.

    satby

    @Baud: Originally a JFK initiative as the Peace Corps and the domestic peace corps Vista program (I was a Vista volunteer). They were combined, along with the Civilian Conservation Corps ( now NCCC) and Senior Corps programs during the Clinton admin into Americorps.  Something for everyone ?

  34. 34.

    Geminid

    @satby: I thought the Americorps program was ended until I saw those young folk in Vicksburg. Like you say, its funding was cut, but not the program was not eliminated. President Obama was able to build it up some, and I’m hoping the new administration and Congress can do the same

    Among other initiatives, Senator Warren proposed expanding the Soil and Water Conservation program ten-fold. Her climate change package was characteristically detailed and pragmatic. While some parts would require government funding, her proposed green infrastructure bank would leverage government investment to secure large private investment in suitable infrastructure.

  35. 35.

    raven

    @Ohio Mom:

    In a situation like this one, FBI vetting would involve running peoples’ names through databases and watchlists maintained by the bureau to see if anything alarming comes up. That could include involvement in prior investigations or terrorism-related concerns, said David Gomez, a former FBI national security supervisor in Seattle.

     

  36. 36.

    raven

    Nice story about Obama shootin the rock at Chapel Hill

     

    But for all of the games Obama has played, for all of the NBA and WNBA stars he has faced, the UNC pickup was different: played on the road with a college basketball team, a blue blood. Then consider where Obama was in his career, still vying to represent a political party on its presidential ticket. Consider the importance of a Black man in that position speaking to a primarily Black team. Consider how basketball and sports can be a unifying force.

  39. 39.

    Ken

    @germy: I don’t suppose the Guard can authorize use of force?

    EDIT: Non-lethal, although an argument could be made they are being subjected to potentially lethal assault.

  40. 40.

    Jeffery

    My day of service was last Friday when I went around the corner from where I live to clean up the bottom of the stairwell from one lower street to an upper street. The space at the base is about 10 feet by 10 feet. Leaves, dirt, trash blow into this spot. People use it as a trash bin. I hadn’t done this in a few years. Whenever I used the stairwell the area would gross me out. Friday with a rake, broom, dustpan, trash bin and contractor bags I cleaned it up. Lots of breaks were needed. Getting old is a bitch. Not the great job I would have done in the past. It’s clean enough. I will be using the stairwell this morning to go to the corner store. Will see if anyone tossed new trash in it. My plan is to go back in Spring to do it again. It should be easier I hope.

  42. 42.

    Geminid

    @JWR: I caught part of a Boebert interview on Sebastian Gorka’s radio show yesterday. What a motormouth! She ran with his first question for at least four minutes of fast talking garbage ending with, “Donald Trump is not just a man! We are all Donald Trump! We are all MAGA!” Gorka complimented her on her “passion,” lobbed her another softball, and she was off to races again. He didn’t even try to stop her at the hard break. One second Boebert was gibbering away, the next second some lady was selling mattresses. I did not stick around for the rest of the interview.

  45. 45.

    Betty Cracker

    Does anyone besides educators, students and government employees get MLK Day off? I don’t think any company I’ve ever worked for observed it as a day off.

  46. 46.

    Geminid

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I am pretty detached about these things. I’ve been following Boebert on local and Colorado state news since she beat incumbent Scott Tipton last summer. I usually skip Gorka when I’m scanning around, but I was curious. Aside from his rotten politics, Gorka is personally repulsive, so I guess one good thing about the interview was that Boebert didn’t let Gorka talk much.

  47. 47.

    Bruuuuce

    @Betty Cracker: I work for a company that does desktop publishing contracted to an investment bank, and we have today off. Of course, since I work a swing shift, that means I start at 12:01 AM rather than 9 PM, but it’s a start.

  48. 48.

    NotMax

    @Betty Cracker

    Banks are closed. Here, anyway. Ditto for electric company and cable company offices. I know of at least one retail business (owned and run by friends) which closes as well on any holiday which the banks observe.

  50. 50.

    Ohio Mom

    Raven: Thanks. That sounds doable — the most rabid ones will be identified, and maybe the others will be cowed into behaving.

  52. 52.

    germy

    @JWR:

    Steve Bannon has a show, too.  Not sure if it’s radio or an online podcast.

    He had Rudy G. on as a guest recently.

  53. 53.

    germy

    @Betty Cracker:

    About twenty years ago we lived across the street from a really racist guy.  I stopped talking to him after our first conversation because he was so unfiltered and ugly.

    He worked maintenance at a senior center, so every MLK Day I’d see him puttering around on his day off.

    I wanted to tell him “Go to work, motherfucker.  Let yourself into the senior center and mop some floors or something.  You don’t get this day off.”

  54. 54.

    Geminid

    @JWR: Gorka has a second or third tier radio show. He turns up on my local station only on Sunday afternoons, a slow time for talk radio. Along with Hew Hewitt reruns.

  55. 55.

    germy

    @Geminid:

    From what I’ve heard of local conservative talk radio, they feature the nationally syndicated famous “big dogs” and also give air time to local radio personalities.  The local personalities are often more offensive than the big dogs, because they’re ambitious and their dream is to one day achieve national syndication.

  56. 56.

    catclub

    @OzarkHillbilly: the 9/11 attacks can now be seen as a very lucky one-off.

    I don’t think that all the heavy security changes made it a one-off. More the change in attitudes.

    The response now to the capitol invasion strongly reminds me of 9/11 as a one-off.

  58. 58.

    catclub

    @raven: Thanks for pointing that out.  Left out is the purposeful ignoring of right wing threats by the federal law enforcement  up until jan 6., so the lists are likely woefully incomplete.

    OTOH Senator ted kennedy was put on the no-fly list.

    Also, gun purchase checks are thrown away so there is no record of who is buying LOTS of guns.

  59. 59.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @satby: @Geminid:  My elder son was an Americorps VISTA after law school, doing poverty law focused on veterans and housing issues. This was not long after the Great Bush Recession, so the need was high.

    One of the travesties of the program is that the volunteers are paid so little that they qualify for food stamps (SNAP). Seems to me a living wage would be in order.

  60. 60.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I cut back on caffeine by drinking only one (large) cup of half-caff in the morning. Today, Einstein’s Bagel Store gave Mr DAW a free medium size cup of coffee with his order, and he brought it home to me. I am so buzzed on caffeine I feel like eyeballs are going to pop out.

  61. 61.

    Betty Cracker

    @raven: No place I’ve ever worked observed Veterans Day as a day off either. I think all my past employers provided days off for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

  62. 62.

    Stacib

    @Baud: I watch Joe every morning- have watched since he did Scarborough Country. He has conveniently forgotten his part in the demonization of Democrats. I was watching the morning he goaded Halperin into calling Obama a dick, and then they both giggled like school girls.

  64. 64.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: I used to live in the Shenandoah Valley, and I noticed that the large Mennonite population worked every day but Sunday. Christmas and Thansgiving were observed, but no secular holidays.            I lived a mile from a big Little Debbie’s plant, close enough to smell the pies baking. They took some secular holidays off. The parent company is run by Seventh Day Adventists, and they do not even let contractors work on Saturdays. A serious war on diabetes could start with hitting that plant with some smart bombs on a Saturday.

  67. 67.

    Elizabelle

    @Betty Cracker: 

    We always got MLK Day off when I worked for law firms in Virginia and DC. I wonder if firms celebrate MLK Day more the closer you get to the Mason Dixon Line?

    Kind of thought of the holiday as “Saint Martin of the Slopes.” Good day to go skiing at one of the nearby resorts.

  70. 70.

    VOR

    @Stacib: Scarborough did a lot of heavy lifting on normalizing Trump in 2015-16. His show gave Trump a lot of free air time and publicity.

  72. 72.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Yeah, I’ve been 100% decaf for months. But my favorite local cafe reopened for takeout service, and so occasionally I get what used to be my standard drink, a large redeye (coffee with extra shots of espresso). I used to drink at least 1-2 of those every day. An eye-opener, literally.

    I’ll probably go back to that habit eventually, post lockdown, but maybe I can learn to say the word “decaf” in a cafe.

  75. 75.

    Origuy

    My large Silicon Valley computer company has MLK Day and Veterans Day as holidays in the US. I think a lot of Silicon Valley companies take at least one of the two as holidays.

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