I haven’t written much lately because there’s not much new that interests me. Republicans in the Senate are stalling, as they always do when Democrats are in power, yet a few idiots in Democratic Party think that appeasing Republicans is a necessary condition to pass legislation. In the meantime, Republicans in the states are cracking down on voting rights, as they always have been and forever will do because they’ll be enabled by the nutcase Trump and Bush judges that McConnell rammed through. A new Voting Rights Act might help this latter issue, but good luck getting the idiots who already get waaay too much attention to agree to abolishing the filibuster.
A lot of things in life are the way politics are going today. One that comes to mind is cancer treatment (not me, family members I’ve observed). The initial diagnosis is a shock, but after that, having cancer fades away to mostly shitty activities (treatment), occasionally punctuated by good news or bad news. In between the treatment and good/bad news, it’s just a boring slog.
Similarly, COVID is pretty much licked in the US if you aren’t too poor to risk a couple of days off of work, or watching too much Tucker Carlson. The former group — the working poor — will eventually get their vaccinations. A few of the latter group will probably get sick and die, which is terrible and boring at the same time.
Alternatives to ACA plans
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Caligula was right about his horse.
MisterForkbeard
Covid’s licked if you aren’t poor enough or Red enough to not get the shot. Or if you’re under 12.
My two kids still need to stay at home, and infections in my county has doubled or tripled in the past few weeks even before ‘official reopening’ on June 15th.
Ohio Mom
We ate out INSIDE a restaurant last weekend. It was weird. I kept looking at the woman seated at the next table over, facing me and directly in front of me, if a good 8-10 feet away.
All I could think was that I was breathing in the same air she was exhaling. Of course I told myself that everywhere you go, you breath in other people’s breath, that it mixes with other air, that I’d been doing this my entire life, and I am fully vaccinated. It still felt somehow wildly and dangerously promiscuous.
I fully expect to get over this, in the mean time, the transition from self-isolation to full participation is interesting.
geg6
The stupid mother fuckers in my county have completely stalled any increases in the vax rate here. I hate these people so goddam much that I can’t be bored because all I do is stew about the assholes that surround me. We are stuck at around 38% for completed vaccinations and at only about 42% for at least one shot. And almost no one is wearing a mask.
This is why I am still staying home and masking. I will go out if it’s in Allegheny County because they have done such a stellar job of getting their people vaccinated or to visit my family who are all vaccinated. But most Beaver County businesses are dead to me at this point. I may never step into a restaurant around here to eat in ever again. Thankfully, my hair stylist is vaccinated because she is not stupid.
I can’t be bored because I’m too pissed off all the time.
smith
A couple weeks ago it looked like the UK had covid licked, but the delta variant plus pockets of un- or partially-vaccinated people had different ideas. We probably have much larger pockets of people who can and will be mowed down by this variant if the current lackadaisical approach to getting vaccinated persists. We need a much bigger push to help people get vaxxed who want to be, but whose life situations make it difficult.
Villago Delenda Est
Fucker Snarlson viewers dying? You say this like it’s a bad thing.
The more fascist followers who croak, the better.
elm
Merrick Garland appears to have left the DOJ under Trump control.
piratedan
for me, the next big thing is for the current administration to continue to get the vaccine into people who want it. For me, that is the biggest issue, if there are still areas under-served, then get them served. Anyone who wants it should have access to it. For those that are STILL doubters and reluctant, fine, let them doubt, just get the fuck out of the way of the people who do want it, who do believe in science or who aren’t making a political performance play. For those folks unwilling, find your fucking shine box and have at it.
On a side note, was there anything interesting that came out of the Virginia primaries last night?
Ohio Mom
MisterForkbeard:
At my present stage of life, almost all the people in my circles of friends and family are over 12 and vaccinated — except for my niece’s not quite one year old (he is the first of his generation).
It’s a weight on his family, and I feel for anyone with kids enough to walk and talk and to have definite ideas about what they want to be doing. He’s happy just to empty the kitchen cabinets of their pots and pans, he has no ideas about what he is being denied.
JPL
@Ohio Mom: I’ve enjoyed a few meals at a local restaurant, but sat outside on the patio. Recently I turned down, the opportunity to get inside a restaurant. I’m just not ready.
StringOnAStick
We weren’t much for eating out before Covid; I’m a good cook and we’d rather spend more on excellent ingredients than even more on the cheapest thing a restaurant could buy and get away with. Now we live in a new place that’s a tourism area with way more food and brew options than the size would suggest, and we’re still not motivated to go out to eat. A lot of that is residual Covid concerns plus the busy season is coming so eateries will be packed with people from who knows where or if they’re vaccinated. Maybe by fall when things slow down but we don’t have any local favourites because we’re new here, so maybe not.
taumaturgo
@elm: You can say that again. Another example of Democrats campaigning as liberals and governing as corporate conservatives.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/06/09/biden-justice-lgbtq-lesbian-gay-christian-college-university-bostock-equality-act/
patrick II
Yesterday I ran into a guy who thought his life insurance was cancelled because of his Moderna shot.
Then I saw a lady who claims RNA shots turn you into a human magnet because it contains metal:.Forks are sticking to people!
Today I saw Lewie Gomert ask the Forest Service if they would please change the course of the moon to help with climate change: Louie!
The onslaught of utter stupidity, gullibility, and ignorance is harrowing.
eclare
@JPL: I met my 91 yo aunt at a restaurant and ate indoors. I wasn’t totally comfortable with it, but very few people were there. The place seemed to be doing a lot more takeout.
John S.
@Ohio Mom: My son with ASD just had his first shot (and did great), but we’re still 2 weeks out from him getting the second shot. My daughter is only 11, so unfortunately she is not out of the woods yet — until they lower the age again, or she turns 12 next year, whichever comes first.
John S.
@StringOnAStick: The only food we get from restaurants are the things we really don’t do ourselves (and my wife is an excellent cook). Things like fondue, sushi, Korean BBQ and pizza.
Jeffro
Interesting to see that Terry McAuliffe won the VA Democratic gubernatorial nomination pretty handily despite it being a 5-candidate race. Cue stories about the ‘Biden effect’ from our national snooze media in 3, 2, 1…
Never mind that both Biden and McAuliffe are experienced campaigners and fundraisers, have high name recognition, etc etc. Maybe that’s part of being ‘pragmatic’ when selecting them, I dunno. But I doubt it.
Ah well. On to the next five months of Youngkin/Cruz and Youngkin/trumpov ads… =)
germy
Jeffro
I thought that was a joke…I still can’t believe that clip is real (but it is)
Oh my.
Boris Rasputin (the evil twin)
@Villago Delenda Est: It’d be better if Tucker got COVID and discovered that ventilators are no fun. Just after his health insurance lapsed.
He really needs some sense knocked into him. Blunt instruments might help. A Mack truck is a blunt instrument, under the right conditions.
Betty Cracker
I hear you, Mix — feeling the same way myself.
The one exciting politics-related thing I’ve heard this week is that Val Demings officially launched her campaign against Rubio for one of FL’s U.S. Senate seats. I’ve already donated and volunteered.
Don’t know if she can win or not — in a just world, she’d squash that vapid fucker Rubio like Godzilla on a grape. But this isn’t a just world; it’s just Florida.
Starfish
A couple of people that I know (including my sister) got cancer over COVID, and this is really hard because we get to experience first hand how crappy the US medical system can be. The oncologists are talking about how insurance companies initially reject claims and then finally let them happen. My sister cannot get the genetic test until after she talks to a genetic counselor, so the whole family is waiting on her ability to get the genetic test to see if we all need to go get genetic tested too.
She is under 40 so she is concerned about whether she will be able to go back to work, and family members are making her worry about losing her job and insurance along with it when she needs to be focused on dealing with cancer.
Our health care system is horrible to people, and we got to keep it because a bunch of Republicans ran around and lied about people getting to keep their insurance if they want to keep their insurance.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@John S.: We got Korean food delivered for Mother’s Day since Madame didn’t feel comfortable with going to a restaurant.
patrick II
@Jeffro:
Yeah, anything goes except having the oil companies’ profits diminish, even moon orbit changing. Texan congressional representatives, you gotta love ’em. Actually, no, not really.
Cameron
@Ohio Mom: You mean…every breath you take I’ll be watching you?
Sorry – I know that sucked, but I have a lousy sense of humor.
TomatoQueen
@Jeffro: Our atty general Mark Herring came in pretty well above the challenger who was endorsed by our outgoing governor, we have the chance to elect an African American woman to Lt Governor, and Terry Mac is a safe bet, but do not take that for granted. I was pleased to see the abominable Amanda Chase was trounced if ever a trouncing were earned. The departures were of people unworthy, apparently. Not looking forward to the rest of the contest as keeping VA this newly blue state blue is a hard row to hoe.
If anyone wonders about cicada noise–if you have tinnitus as I have had for 25 years, a steady loud buzzing, that’s what it’s like, only permanent. I did not know that about cicada pee, and am thrilled.
Parfigliano
Disagree strongly that a few of the latter group getting sick and dieing is a terrible thing.
Jinchi
This will be very distressing news to Joe Manchin.
JPL
@Boris Rasputin (the evil twin): trump was seriously ill, and it didn’t change him. just sayin
Villago Delenda Est
@patrick II: She testified that keys were sticking to people. Which, because most keys are not magnetic in the first place, is AMAZING!
sdhays
@Jeffro: Terry McAuliffe was a good and popular governor. His performance helped build the Virginia Democratic Party into a position to be able to retake the gerrymandered legislature after a long time in the wilderness. Sending him back for a second term, which would be the most natural of things in any state except Virginia with its asinine “no consecutive terms” rule, just seems like a no-brainer to me. He’s basically the pseudo-incumbent for a pretty popular administration.
I personally think that anyone wanting to be governor should have run for Lt. Governor to try to set themselves up to be McAuliffe’s successor. That’s how Northam got elected.
zhena gogolia
With this attitude, WWII would have been over in a day.
JPL
@eclare: A friend and I’ll were discussing buying a block of seats together at a local theater. Even though the movie theater was selling blocks at a reduced rate, it didn’t seem worth it. I did see a trailer for Eyes of Tammy Faye with Jessica Chastain. I might change my mind when that is released.
Cameron
@patrick II: – the Uri Geller vaccine!
– one more reminder of Gohmerta, the ancient code of stupidity……..
cmorenc
@Jinchi: Does Manchin have some sort of game / incentive going on in the background for his stubborn refusal to abolish the filibuster (even if just for voting rights legislation) – or is he truly as stupid as his stance looks from the outside (almost Louis Gohmert-level stupidity).
Betty Cracker
@Starfish: I’m sorry your family is going through this and hoping for the best for your sister. What a scary situation. Our healthcare system is indeed horrible, and it’s beyond shameful that a wealthy country (that thinks so highly of itself!) tolerates so much suffering.
I understand the obstacles to changing the healthcare system (mostly Republicans), but I also understand why people have no fucking patience with the incremental approach. The best we can do still sucks.
JPL
@Villago Delenda Est: Imagine being a patient of Dr. Tenpenny, and discover that she thinks folks are walking around with keys stuck to their foreheads.
patrick Il
@Villago Delenda Est:
The power of RNA!
Jeffro
@TomatoQueen: yes, I was happy to see Herring get re-nominated and for Ayala to get the nod for Lt Gov. I don’t think this ticket is going to have any problems getting elected in Blue Virginia.
Still waiting for some stories on how Amanda “trumpov in heels” Chase and long-time-sorta-moderate-but-made-trumpy-noises-during-the-primary-campaign Charlie Cox got trounced by Youngkin. The VA GQP’s voters seem to understand that they’re going to need a candidate who’ll wear at least a facade of moderation if they want to win a statewide office again. I know McAuliffe won’t let Youngkin get away with it, though.
StringOnAStick
@patrick II: Hey, at least Screwy Louie is admitting climate change is real.
Yeah, it’s not much to hang your hopes on.
StringOnAStick
@John S.: OK, I can see that for sure. I don’t make Vietnamese noodle bowls and would love one, but apparently I’m not sufficiently motivated yet.
Cameron
@Jeffro: One of my sisters has the misfortune to live in his district. Actually, it’s kinda cool – they’re really not all loonies there, just enough of them to elect him.
germy
@TomatoQueen:
Yes, I remember seeing an old E.B. White essay from the 1940s about cicadas, and he was basically saying “Some of us hear this all the time.”
Leto
@Villago Delenda Est: she also testified that the vaccine will link you to 5G. A prominent anti-vaxxer who has a weekly podcast that some of those Ohio legislators listen to. That’s just quality stuff right there.
gene108
I’m vaccinated, but also a transplant recipient. Since there just starting to figure out the vaccines efficacy on immunocompromised individuals, I do not know when I can stop being scared of being around others.
It’s annoying.
So many people are now going maskless, but that’s to be expected. NJ lifted its mask mandate last month, because of a high rate of vaccinations and declining COVID cases.
Another Scott
I’m with my J while she’s getting her 2nd Pfizer shot at a clinic in NoVA. At the peak they were doing 4000 shots a day. They’re down to about 130 so far today.
:-(
We should be paying people $100 in lottery tickets to get a shot. It would help state budgets, build excitement, etc.
Cheers,
Scott.
germy
Maybe I’m underestimating Lewie’s stupidity, but I watched the clip. The impression i get is that he’s showing his contempt for the hearings. His questions about the moon are a big “Fuck You” because (A) he thinks climate change is not man-made and (B) his biggest donors are corporations that stand to lose the most $ if any serious attempts are made at controlling climate.
Jeffro
@sdhays: yes, yes, yes, and yes. =)
Running for Lt Gov (and winning) is a good way to get some statewide name recognition and have folks associate you with a popular governor/administration, true.
I think the article said that the D slate of candidates are all from Northern Virginia (hallowed be its name!); the Rs appear to be from various parts of VA, although I can’t really tell where their Lt Gov nominee is from – either Tidewater or Winchester?
MomSense
@Leto:
Did she also mention time travel? That’s a new one I’ve been hearing about. I mean damn I’d love to time travel.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@zhena gogolia: True, but we didn’t give up after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
Leto
@JPL: I have a feeling that they’re well aware of that. It’s probably a selling point.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@taumaturgo: <- so far to the left, you have gone all the way around the bend into far right bash the Dems Republican land.
Jeffro
Fro Jr. and I regularly riff on people who believe crazy stuff like that. After he got his 2nd shot, as we walked out of the vaccination site, we were taking turns pretending to call up the newly-embedded microchip on our cellphones and receiving signals in our brains. It was quite the bonding moment. =)
caphilldcne
@TomatoQueen: I got cicada peed on while taking my niece and her boyfriend around on a night time DC monuments tour. Yuck!!
Original Lee
Why did Gillibrand not show up to vote this morning for the paycheck equity bill? The Dems had 49 votes without her!
I dispair at the number of own goals.
Jinchi
@patrick II:
He also wanted to know if we could change the orbit of the Earth, which would definitely “help” with climate change.
This is beyond Dr. Evil levels of stupidity.
Leto
@MomSense: I just found out about the Italy thing that’s the new hot mess (gps/satellite vote changing; lul, wut?). Haven’t heard of time travel but honestly not surprised if it’s there. Maybe surprised that it’s taken this long to pop up!
Cameron
@Betty Cracker: Agree – a stale muffin like Rubio shouldn’t even be on the Animal Control Board of Asswhup County. I think she’ll do well – whether that’s enough in DeSantis Land…..
State and local races are really, really going to need a LOT of work. That’s been Republican bread and butter for obstruction and destruction. Ramping those races way up while actually trying to govern the country, wow. I think there are enough players for the team, so I’m not ready to pre-surrender.
Almost Retired
As an employment lawyer, I’ve been fielding a lot of COVID-related back-to-work calls. But not from the angle I expected. As more employers require proof of vaccination or regular COVID tests for the unvaccinated, the anti-vaxxers are on a mission to pester lawyers. I generally patiently explain the evolving law, and the exceptions to mandatory vaccination. But I never quite get through my spiel without the caller insisting that vaccinations are a violation of the Nuremberg Code. This morning, the caller was a relatively highly-placed (and well-educated) executive at a major sports and entertainment company, and he was trying to get me to file a Nuremberg Code-related class action. What level of idiocy is this? And this is Los Angeles!! I can only imagine what it’s like in rural areas. Pfizer needs to get to work on a stupidity vaccine.
germy
@caphilldcne:
I really think they do it on purpose.
gene108
@Boris Rasputin (the evil twin):
You can’t get a man to tell the truth, if he’s paid to lie.
Unless Tucker’s employer changes his job duties, nothing’s knocking sense into him.
Steve Scalise was shot in a thwarted mass shooting attempt, and learned no lessons.
randy khan
Things also can be boring and good at the same time. Like this news:
U.S. to fund 500 million vaccine doses for the rest of the world
Since presumably 0 of these doses will be going to Europe, Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, it’s a big, big chunk of what’s needed to get developing countries vaccinated, although obviously not all that’s required.
StringOnAStick
@Betty Cracker: Our healthcare system is a variant of Logan’s Run, only instead of competing at “Carousel” to see if you get to live past age 30, you have to make it to 65 to get Medicare and even then the supplementals are expensive and the copays tough to cover on retirement income for many.
A few weeks ago a R party document was released that stated they want to just give seniors a check and tell them to go buy a policy, and eliminate Medicare; let’s not forget to beat them mercilessly with that in Virginia this year and nationally next year.
JoyceH
Virginia primary – I voted for McAuliffe and was glad and relieved that he won. A friend campaigned for Foy, but I looked her up and her electoral history is two terms in the House of Delegates. So I figured that even if she could win (always possible), there’s no assurance that she could govern – four years in a part-time government job isn’t exactly extensive preparation for full-time governing. I thought McAuliffe was a good governor and he knows how to do it.
As for the current state of play in national politics – that video of Gohmert really brought something home to me. Most Republican office holders are genuinely stupid. Even their ‘brains’ (Paul Ryan for example) are mostly smoke and mirrors and attachment to catch phrases with no real intellectual depth. Most of our elected officials are pretty darn smart. So… can’t we come up with some clever ploy to TRICK them somehow?
HarlequinGnoll
i mean we theoretically we COULD move the moon but it would take A LOT of effort and time; needless to say we’d have to increase taxes /side-eye
Leto
@Jeffro: that’s really funny :)
“Hang on, dad. I’m getting a 5G call via our Obama phone from Mr. Gates. He’s letting us know how to get our Soros bucks…” – Fro Jr
germy
Watch his face in the clip. He’s being sarcastic and contemptuous.
He believes climate change is a natural thing, NOT caused by humans. And that it has nothing to do with the carbon his donors dump into the atmosphere. So he trolls the person he’s questioning: “Altering the moon’s orbit might help. Ya willing to do that?”
Cameron
@JPL: Tenpenny nails it?
Josie
Our family got a small surprise last week. My son’s three year old has not been out and about for the last year due to Covid, and we were blaming that for some of her unusual behavior – resistance to change, fear of men she doesn’t know, extreme temper tantrums when things don’t go her way, rigid ways of lining up books, toys, etc., and other things. The pediatrician recommended an evaluation by a neurologist, who diagnosed her with high performing autism. So we have stopped blaming the pandemic and are educating ourselves as fast as we can. As soon as we get the word from her mother’s company insurance, she will go to therapy, and we will be on our way. The other grandmother and I share nanny duties, so will be very involved.
Hoodie
@Almost Retired: Enough to make you Fully Retired?
James E Powell
@Original Lee:
Her constituents ought to hammer her for an answer on that.
gene108
@Jeffro:
Conservatives have been arguing that there’s nothing we can do about global warming, because of climate cycles caused by wobbles in Earth’s rotation*, and sun activity for 20 years.
The line about the moon is a new one, though.
*Milankovitch Cycles
janesays
Even though it seems like we’ve been stuck the vile senatortoise from Kentucky as the GOP leader for an eternity, it’s incorrect to say that McConnell ever rammed through any of the Bush judges, because at no point in Bush’s presidency was McConnell ever the senate majority leader. Those awful judges were all rammed through at the behest of the craptastic Senate Majority Leaders Trent Lott and Bill Frist. McConnell didn’t actually become leader of the GOP senate conference until January 2007, when the Republicans were in the minority. His first year as Senate Majority Leader was 2015.
Nora Lenderbee
I often feel this way about my job.
@germy:
Indicative and subjunctive.
wvng
@geg6: I live a bit east and south of you in WV, Hardy County. Our health department did a terrific job getting jabs into people (as did most of WV) until people just stopped showing up. WV went from best at vaccination in the nation early on to just another damn red state now. It’s heartbreaking and I have no idea how to fix it. We used to run an open mic at the local grill/bar, before the pandemic, and now have no idea when we will feel comfortable starting again. Indoors, in a crowded bar, in a county where roughly half the people refuse to vaccinate, simply isn’t a good setting.
Hoodie
@Betty Cracker: The optics of that race seem promising, given that she exudes authenticity and Rubio is such a wimpy twerp. Yeah, it’s Florida, but he has to be scared shitless.
germy
@cmorenc:
Not stupid. He’s a rich man who’s being made richer by the Kochs/Heritage Foundation.
His daughter’s pharm business also benefits from GOP policies.
mrmoshpotato
@patrick II:
“Nuh uh! I’m the stupidest Republican!”
gene108
@Leto:
Wouldn’t cellphone companies complain about people getting free 5G, after all the money they spent building out the 5G infrastructure?
Cameron
@StringOnAStick: And start doing it RIGHT NOW! Proposed Medicare and Social Security cuts get the attention of everybody.
Cameron
@HarlequinGnoll: But we could get the Moonians to pay for it!
patrick II
@germy:
So… he was being ironic? O.K. I don’t watch Louie much except when there is a video of him saying something really dumb and this is even dumber than usual, so I’m open to that possibility. I would watch again with that in mind, but I am leaving soon for an appointment.
At any rate, I don’t think his normal MAGA audience (see forks stick to body lady above) does well with irony.
Jinchi
@germy:
I used to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt on talk like this. It seems so transparently stupid that I thought no-one could possibly believe it.
Then they elected Trump, dabbled with the idea of chugging bleach to prevent Covid, while insisting they’d suffocate if forced to wear a mask, and hold out hope that the military will depose Biden, reinstall Trump and publicly execute all the major Democratic officials. Unfortunately, I know too many friends/family who actually believe every idiot idea Q sends out there, and Gohmert seems much stupider than any of them.
eclare
@Leto: I’m still waiting for Gates to activate my internal 5G hotspot.
Hoodie
@geg6: I’m convinced that a lot of this arises from indoctrination with the idea that everything is just a consumer choice. When you look at things that way, you go on the internet and look for views that reinforce what you want to believe. Many of these folks are also just free riders who see dropping infection rates and think “why bother?” They’ll justify this with conspiracy theories, concerns about nonexistent risks and whatnot, but I have my doubts that they really believe half the nonsense they spout.
Ohio Mom
Starfish:
I had to meet with a genetic counselor before my BRCA 1&2 tests (both negative, BTW). It makes sense to review your entire family’s history in case there is a pattern of other cancers that calls for adding other genes to the list of things to be tested for.
The period after diagnosis but before the treatment plan is finalized is very harrowing. There is a certain relief when you know what is going to happen next.
As Another Scott often says,
Hope that helps.
Good luck to your sister!
Cameron
@mrmoshpotato: Our Young Mattie Gaetz has a hard slog….
citizen dave
RE: The non-vaxxers, like some here, I ask myself, Do I really want to share a nation with people this stupid? Most of the time my answer leans to No.
Re: mistermix’s post: Never goes out of style, I’m So Bored With the U S A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D-l1MauBm
ETA: Dang the cicadas are loud this week. Don’t know if this NextDoor post spread, was copied or whatnot, but saw it in my local feed:
Lost pet………please help!
Yesterday we lost our pet Cicida “ Chirping Charlie”. He has lived at our house for 17 years with no problems until recently. The last week we noticed some behavioral changes especially the last few days because he has become very “flighty“. We just attribute it to a 17 year old male going through some hormone changes and everything would work out OK. Chirping Charlie is one of a kind, unique, irreplaceable, so please if you see him contact us.he may have changed since this yearbook photo but you get the idea.
Jinchi
@gene108:
Exactly. It’s right-wing dogma that climate change is caused by (non-CO2) phenomena, like orbital drift.
Gohmert was not being sarcastic, he sees “fixing the Earth’s orbit” as the solution to the problem.
mrmoshpotato
Allied victory in a day? The Greatest Generation really messed up there! ?
Subsole
@taumaturgo:
Still waiting for your ideas on what to do.
Just one constructive thing. At all.
Am I asking too much?
I mean, I’m not asking for a plan for Middle East peace. I know we aren’t smart enough to solve it all.
Let’s go simpler. What is one concrete action you have taken?
I am genuinely curious. Because you speak like you have just totally given up and are stewing in bitterness and despair. Or seeking relief from whatever ails you by pulling other people down. And that’s kind of sad.
Brachiator
Here in Los Angeles County, there have been some steps taken to make the vaccine more easily available to lower income people; but news coverage is not as frequent as it once was, and I am not sure how effective these measures have been.
But I am also not sure how effective getting the message out has been. Web sites have information in languages other than English, but the home pages are in English, and navigating to a non-English language page is not always intuitive, especially on mobile devices. I hope that foreign language TV and radio stations have been doing a good job in getting the word out.
I note that when LA County health briefings were happening daily, they would be given in English and Spanish.
But there also seems to be a degree of vaccine hesitancy in some lower income communities, and this is not just because of fear and distrust among people who may be undocumented.
But I guess we are doing well overall; 64.9 percent of people age 16 and up have received at least one shot. And 85 percent of seniors have received at least one dose.
ETA: In looking at some county detail, I see that there are some areas where the “at least one dose” percentage is as low as 45 percent.
mrmoshpotato
@JPL:
Well if she can walk around with her head shoved up her ass…
MomSense
@Josie:
The last sentence in your post bodes so well for her. She will have supportive family and her parents will have support. The love and support of family will make all the difference.
Betty Cracker
@Hoodie: I hope he’s scared. I reckon Demings will lean into her regular person persona against that stuffed shirt. The trick will be to overcome the lies told by the very well-established Spanish-language wingnut talk radio, TV and social media channels in South Florida.
Politicians like Rick Scott and Rubio shrieking “socialista” every five minutes seems to be pretty effective in persuading some Cuban-Americans, who lean Republican anyway, and also for immigrants from failed socialist states like Venezuela. The FL GOP won’t be able to make the anti-cop charge stick to Demings since she was literally a cop, but they’ll try to hang the “socialist” label on her like they do on every Democrat.
Subsole
@Leto: Isn’t being linked into a massive cybernetic wi-fi gestalt kind of a Singularitan dream?
Are we sure they haven’t just read too much Altered Carbon?
germy
@Betty Cracker:
I like how Demings used the Chris Christie/Rubio debate clip in her ad.
Hoodie
@Betty Cracker: You’d think she’d be able to run exceptionally strong in areas like the I-4 corridor and Jacksonville, wouldn’t you? Is Rubio’s strength with Cubans and Venezuelans in Miami enough to counter that? I’d think she’d be a stronger candidate than Gillum, and he damn near won.
elm
@taumaturgo: For the moment, that’s Garland’s fault, but ultimately Biden is responsible for what his DOJ chooses to do.
Jeffro
@Leto: that’s basically the gist of it, yes. =)
My gift to the world: two educated and bright little socialists with great senses of humor. (And they look like their mom not me, so another huge plus there!)
elm
@Subsole: Biden should tell Garland what he expects the DOJ to prioritize and what not to prioritize and fire Garland if the DOJ continues to act against Biden’s policies.
The correct number of DOJ filings in support of Trump, in support of anti-queer discrimination, and in support of oil company contracts is zero, none, nada.
Subsole
@germy: Reply:
No need, sir. We can just put you in a counter-orbit to level things out.
Now put yer head in the fuckin’ bag. Sir.
Subsole
@Cameron: Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…..
Subsole
@James E Powell: Ack! Stop them! Somebody stop them!!!
Jeffro
I’ve heard that one, but even my RWNJ dad’s response to fellow RWNJs who spout that crap is, “Well, shouldn’t we try to not make it even worse, then?”
“Sunspots are heating the earth…so let’s keep burning more and more fossil fuels and make it EVEN HOTTER durrhh durrhh durrhh”
so stupid
mrmoshpotato
@Cameron:
Gidney and Cloyd would scrooch us all if we even tried.
Mooseberry bush!
Jeffro
so…Thor or Green Lantern to the rescue! does he have a preference?
Josie
@MomSense:
Thanks. Her mother said sort of the same thing, that she thought that my comadre and I taking care of her all this time gave her the individual attention that autistic children can benefit from. We have both tried to find ways to deal with her that have helped her to overcome her frustrations. It will also be good to have some professionals to give us guidance before she goes to pre-school.
Leto
@Subsole: we should be lucky if they’ve watched both seasons of it on Netflix.
trollhattan
40% of adults in Sacramento county are unvaccinated. Vaccines are available on demand, so access at least is no longer an impediment. More than half of those vaccinated have not had a needed second dose, many of who are also past the recommended date.
I can’t explain this but it’s a major impediment to becoming Covid-free, and a dissapointment.
prostratedragon
@Jinchi: I expect JM to do a hammered sheep take for about 30 seconds, then continue as he has been.
mrmoshpotato
@Cameron: Is that Floridian slang for “fucking underage girls?”
Brachiator
@Almost Retired:
The sad thing is that those who might need it the most would refuse to take it.
trollhattan
@Jeffro:
Former, current and future champion: Dumbest man in congress award. Tuberville must be so thankful (and not ignoring you too, Ron Johnson).
J R in WV
@elm:
I thought that at first, but I have come to understand that the DoJ is just following current legal requirements. He has to follow the law or he is as bad as Trump was…
After many years with RWNJs in charge of our government, no surprise that there are a lot of laws that suck hard!
trollhattan
@Brachiator:
Until we ascertain transmissibility we need to presume the stupid vaccine is as much for us as the stupid.
mrmoshpotato
@Jinchi:
Fixed.
Jeffro
btw (sorry if this was linked to/excerpted in an earlier thread) I was floored to see that I actually agreed with Barbara Freakin’ Comstock on
somethinganything: My Fellow Republicans, Stop Fearing This Dangerous and Diminished Manseriously!
She wants the GOP to run on its “policies”, which is pretty laughable on its face: they’re all pretty unpopular. But hey, I applaud her for calling out her fellow Reps.
elm
@J R in WV: I understand if he thinks that, but I don’t accept it as inevitable.
They are not required to defend bad policy, it is an institutional choice by the DOJ to emphasize those parts of their mandate over others (like civil rights).
If Garland cannot redirect them towards civil rights and away from pollution and abuses, then he is unfit for the job.
It is reasonable to ask the DOJ to do good things and not to do bad things.
Maybe they are just following
ordersthe law, but that is not good enough for the US to survive.James E Powell
@elm:
I’m wondering, though. If the DOJ does not defend a president’s immunity from defamation for statements made while in office, will we have 1,000 lawsuits against every Democratic president?
Geminid
@Jeffro: Virginia Republicans were dominate until only a decade ago, and Democrats are still cautious enough to overwhelmingly back the safe choice. McAuliffe was a fairly successful governor, and Democrats made big gains in the General Assembly during McAuliffe’s tenure.
Also, McAuliffe seems like he will be an aggressive fighter. That will be needed with Youngkin trying to run a bland, thematic campaign. The media may not pin Youngkin down on his positions on women’s rights and gun safety, but McAulliffe will do his best to hold Youngkin to account on these and other issues Youngkin wants to skate past.
elm
@James E Powell: The opinion isn’t hard to write: Commenting on allegations made against him is not within the scope of the President’s Office or Employment.
If Trump wants to get a court order demanding the DOJ issue a different opinion, he can have his lawyers file that, but it’s stupid to give it away.
germy
Ohio Mom
Josie:
As the mom of a 23 y.o. on the spectrum, Wecome! Here is my standard advice for newbies;:
It is absolutely imperative that your granddaughter live in a school district that does an excellent job with special ed.
For typical kids, I think they can flourish in lots of different settings but here, you want a well- funded school district that can pay for interventions such as speech and OT, and not fight your family on every request made at an IEP meeting.
A district that does spec ed right will have a disproportionate number of kids on IEPs, and that is to your advantage because the staff will have had lots of experience.
This school district might not be one in the small fancy bedroom community where every kid is supposed to be above average — they may not have the critical mass of IEP students. But it will be in another, larger, over-priced suburb (It may be that the most helpful thing two grandmothers can do is help with the new house’s down payment).
In the mean time, at age three, she is eligible for free public preschool, wherever she is living (per federal Spec Ed law). Get her enrolled.
Be sure to check with your granddaughter’s County’s Board of Development Disabilites. There may be important funding, such as Medicaid, that she is eligible for — and it is never too soon to get on a waiting list. She may be assigned a caseworker who can help identify local services (or not, it depends).
Finally, not right away but in the next few years, your
Cameron
@mrmoshpotato: Do What Thou Wilt. This Is The Whole Of The Law.
Subsole
@Jeffro:
They.
Don’t.
Fear.
Him.
If they really are being held hostage by a bunch of foaming-at-the-eyes fanatics…it’s because tgey radicalized them, armed them, trained them, deployed them, then surrendered the boat without firing a shot.
Being a prisoner of your own success doesn’t mean you’re an innocent victim.
germy
@James E Powell:
Tara Reade stands up and clears her throat…
Subsole
@elm: I can certainly agree with the second half of that sentiment.
Brachiator
@trollhattan:
Ha! Fair point.
elm
@germy: She has no basis for a case and the Westfall Act would probably not apply.
Further, a future Republican DOJ isn’t going to extend the same benefit to Biden.
Defending Trump like this is wrong on the law, on policy, and bad politics.
Jeffro
He can, but at least of half of Terry’s argument will look like this
“You were campaigning with Ted Cruz, for goodness’ sake! You were endorsed by Donald trumpov!!”
And at least half of Youngkin’s will look like this, especially towards the end
“…um…critical race theory! Wokedy-woke-woke-woke!”
VA voters: (flood the polling places, McAuliffe wins by 7 points)
JoyceH
@James E Powell:
That’s kind of what I thought. If it’s established that the President is on the hook for legal fees defending any claim against him for defamation, the right would IMMEDIATELY file a bunch of lawsuits, not aiming to win, but aiming to bankrupt Biden and any future Dem. First time Biden told a wingnut reporter, “Come on, man, get real!” – boom, lawsuit. He called me unreal!
Ohio Mom
Josie:
Sorry about that, my phone had a hiccup.
My last piece of advice is that your Son and DIL consult an Elder Care attorney in a year or so. It isn’t urgent, and we hope your granddaughter makes great developmental leaps, but no one can see the future. If she needs governmental supports as an adult, she can’t have money in her name. She will need a special needs trust and an ABLE account, and it is Elder Care attornies who specialize in this.
My advice may seem an odd hodge-pudge but it consists of the things that I usually don’t hear other people emphasizing to the newly diagnosed.
Keep us posted, and keep enjoying your granddaughter.
Dan B
@cmorenc: No link but I saw a comment that the Heritage Foundation said they “Had fun lobbying” Manchin. Sounded like they threatened his family or his seat. These “right of center” (pshaw!) organizations seem more like criminal shakedown organizations every day.
Jeffro
@Subsole: I hear you, but you are kind of arguing against yourself a bit…if they’re held hostage/are prisoners of their own success, regardless of how they got there, they’re in fear (of him and his supporters)
Josie
@Ohio Mom: Thanks for the information. I appreciate the time you took to write this and will pass along any advice to the rest of the family. My son is really good at researching, and I’m sure he is looking at school districts even as we speak. ;-)
ETA: Her parents are both attorneys, so your second post will resonate with them.
elm
@JoyceH: I don’t think that follows at all. The DOJ can set a policy that is reasonable while not being maximalist.
The DOJ does not want to do that. That has not been the M.O. of the DOJ in recent memory, but the DOJ and AG can do that.
The DOJ has many mandates and maximizing executive power and privilege does not need to be the overriding one.
Crucially, a federal judge did reject this claim from the DOJ last October. They could accept that and move on. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/27/trump-must-remain-defendant-in-e-jean-carroll-rape-defamation-suit.html
Martin
@JoyceH: Except Trump wasn’t speaking in his capacity as President. He was speaking as an individual. The DOJ and OLC are the lawyers for the government, and the position of President, but not the individual. I have lawyers at work that will defend me for things that are work related, but if I go to work and send out a memo that says my neighbor is a pedophile, the lawyers not only aren’t going to touch that in defending me, they’re going to throw me under the bus to project that I wasn’t speaking on behalf of the institution.
IOW, is it Trumps assertion that E Jean Carrol isn’t the type for the Presidency of the US? Is he speaking for all current and past presidents, or is he speaking for himself personally? Because it’s a hell of a thing to have written into the historical record that you are unfuckable by any US president past or present.
Quiltingfool
@Josie: When I got to “rigid ways of lining up (items), “ I immediately thought “autism” before I read further. I had several students on the autism spectrum – from very high functioning – what used to be called asperger syndrome – to extreme autism. I had to go to several workshops re working with autistic students and I learned a few things. One thing is that autistic children really, really require a stable schedule – any change in a schedule is upsetting. We were also told to frame instruction in a positive way. Saying “no” or “don’t” doesn’t register – for example, saying “don’t throw kitty on the floor” doesn’t work as well as “we set kitty gently on the floor”. The folks that work with autistic children have a bunch of scenarios they teach/reinforce to children to help them manage tasks in a less stressful way.
So glad you are getting help in working with your little one! She will benefit from it, and her stress will be lessened.
J R in WV
@eclare:
I was really excited after my second shot — I was sure I was gonna get a new tail, but all I got was sleepy and then muscle cramps.
Really wanted that tail~!!~
Baud
@Martin:
I believe the statements at issue were made at an official press conference and in response to a question. Agree or disagree, I think that’s the basis for DOJ’s argument.
elm
@Martin: Yep, and it is a claim that was already rejected by a judge.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/27/trump-must-remain-defendant-in-e-jean-carroll-rape-defamation-suit.html
The Garland DOJ is not required to go to the mat for Trump.
elm
@Baud: A federal judge says Trump’s statements are not covered by the Westfall Act. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/27/trump-must-remain-defendant-in-e-jean-carroll-rape-defamation-suit.html
The DOJ made an adequate attempt and need not go further.
schrodingers_cat
So is elm a new commenter or tamatar’s sock puppet?
Ruckus
@patrick II:
Those in power but without the brain power to come inside in a pouring winter rain storm are getting paid because they are stupid idiots that believe anything they are told and have an audience that listens. And that’s always been an opportunity to make easy money.
elm
@schrodingers_cat: I’m nobody’s sock puppet and not new either. I haven’t been around much since maybe 2008 or so.
eclare
@Jeffro: Wonderful to hear about your kids!
eclare
@trollhattan: And as someone earlier said, delta says hi!
Martin
@elm: Yeah, I don’t understand what Garland is doing. I’m not arguing that it’s wrong, just that I don’t understand it.
The Golux
Is there any amount of Tucker Carlson watching that is not too much?
Baud
@elm:
DOJ has to defend the appeal or ask the court to appoint someone to defend the appeal. You can disagree with what they did, but the appeals court still will have to answer the question of Trump’s status.
eclare
@trollhattan: Don’t forget my Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!
elm
@Martin: I think he is acting as a judge. Suspending his own priorities and judgment and desires and trying to be fair or non-biased.
It probably does not come from bad intention, but it is not appropriate for the circumstances.
hitless
@Subsole: I think their plan…their idea about what to do…is to convince Democratic voters not to vote because Dem leadership/representation has failed.
A reasonable followup question would if this actually will produce an outcome they want and if the answer is yes then another question would be why they want that outcome.
Mike in Pasadena
@elm: MG is a Republican so no surprise he has left trumplicans in charge.
Ruckus
@Boris Rasputin (the evil twin):
Likely not blunt enough. I’m thinking large Cat bulldozer. It’s not all that fast, but it does weigh enough, the tracks do a nice job on flesh and turn and back on a dime. For the insurance run.
mrmoshpotato
@The Golux:
The correct amount of Fucker Snarlson (thank Villago) is zero. Any more will be hazardous to your human decency.
Omnes Omnibus
@elm: Being scrupulously careful to do things the right way is part of what is needed at the DOJ.
Captain C
@Jinchi: I guess he’s talking about the one that started in 2009 when he stated that his only goal was to thwart the entire Obama agenda and make him a one term President.
Steeplejack (phone)
@eclare:
Phrasing!
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike in Pasadena: Simply wrong.
eclare
@Steeplejack (phone): Hahaha…
Martin
I would like to say I’m pleased by the announcement the US will buy 500M more doses to be donated to other countries. Would like that to be larger, but it’s good.
matt
That Garland nomination was a ‘gotcha’ that turned out to be a self own.
Lots of that going around these days.
Ruckus
@cmorenc:
I seriously doubt Manchin will ever win any actual intelligence contests but he may fully believe that he has to work to both sides of the aisle and that’s the only thing that keeps him in office.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus:
Trump’s people are not the only ones who peddle in misinformation.
Josie
@Quiltingfool:
Thank you for responding. Your points make good sense, and we have found ourselves coming to these ideas through trial and error. I was a librarian in middle school for 30 years, and many of the approaches to autistic children also seem to be good ways to deal with all children – good scheduling, giving them input in how things will be done, giving them plenty of advance notice, and choices when possible. We just have to be really determined to use the right approaches for her sake. I am open to advice from anyone with experience.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Ohio Mom: Have I ever told you how much I appreciate your contributions to our discussions? This is great
Elizabelle
Biden is speaking right now at RAF base Mildenhall. He’s speaking on climate change at the moment. The Joint Chiefs have identified global warming as the biggest threat; most potentially destabilizing.
He is speaking of “democratic values”, not the autocrats.
Steve in the ATL
A nice mix of informative, kind posts and saint mittens disinformation this afternoon. Well done, jackals!
eclare
@Dorothy A. Winsor: The hive mind is a wonderful thing
SiubhanDuinne
@Cameron:
Not only am I stealing this, I’m actively looking for opportunities to use it.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Some people on our side are upset that Garland is not Biden’s Barr.
Subsole
@Jeffro: Yeah. I should have expanded that a little.
I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that even if they were scared, which they aren’t, it’s their own fault.
In truth I think they are merely miffed that their life’s work turned out so obviously crass. Which is not the same at all as regretting it.
gene108
@Mike in Pasadena:
Brian Boynton worked in the Obama White House, and has been appointed to the DOJ by Biden. He’s handling the appeal for the DOJ.
There’s legal stuff going I do not understand. I’m going to give the guys I voted for the benefit of the doubt to do the right thing.
Kent
I honestly don’t think he is stupid. I think what is really going on is that he has other ulterior reasons for opposing the abandonment of the filibuster that he doesn’t want to say out loud. So the “bipartisan” bullshit that he mouths instead just comes out sounding really stupid.
I expect part of what he is afraid of is attracting nuclear war level opposition independent ads and campaigns from Koch-type groups if he endorses too much of Biden’s agenda. And he is probably also afraid to some extent of poisoning the future gravy train as a lobbyist for when he leaves office.
In other words, venal and selfish, but not stupid.
Subsole
@schrodingers_cat: I doubt it. Very different style.
Starfish
@Ohio Mom: Right now we are in the phase where she is recovering from surgery and does not have too many of the chemo side effects yet. She has four more treatments to go between now and August. The genetic results will help the part where they choose which option extends time between possible recurrences.
Ruckus
@TomatoQueen:
You’ve had tinnitus just a few years longer than me and I agree fully that it sucks. At least I know what caused mine, an explosion I was standing next to. Of course I now have real tinnitus, along side that from the nerve damage. This getting old stuff can be less than advertised.
Subsole
@hitless: That seems to be the case.
I would like to hear it from them, though.
Ruckus
@Almost Retired:
To make them more or less?
Subsole
@elm: Somebody wiser than I said it thus:
The debate on the left boils down to this: do we protect our democracy by shoring up our institutions, or do we weaken those institutions, which are supposed to support democracy, in order to save democracy.
I don’t have the answer. I am leery of the second option, but I certainly feel and understand the impulse.
Matt McIrvin
@cmorenc: Manchin’s constituents are mostly Republicans, functionally if not literally. So when he insists on things he’ll support getting Republican support and on generally impeding Democrats, he’s representing them. He’s banking on the fact that we know it’s still better to have him in that seat than a literal Republican, but it’s only just barely so. If we had more Senate seats we wouldn’t care, but here we are.
schrodingers_cat
@Subsole: Well they were heh indeeding each other. Usually tamatar is ranting all by himself.
Cameron
@schrodingers_cat: That’s a really interesting observation – I will think on this a bit.
elm
@Subsole:
I don’t think those institutions ever worked particularly well. To what condition would we shore them up? They have been failing/corrupted for a long time (particularly the DOJ and Supreme Court).
Changing them towards something better is not weakening them. That is recognizing their weakness and making an attempt to address it.
If we restore them to what they had been at the beginning of the GWB term, what have we gained? If we restore them to what they had been at the end of Obama’s terms, is that good enough?
I want them to do better. I want them to do well enough and to change their behavior to something that might not turn to torture or kidnapping in the future.
Cameron
@SiubhanDuinne: Thank you. For a start, consider the entire Republican Party in which genuine devils and false angels devour each other. A target-rich environment indeed.
Cameron
@Subsole: I don’t see any way of shoring up the Senate. Or the Electoral College, for that matter.
Marc
@Starfish: I know from personal experience that this is a very difficult time for your sister and family. 25 years ago I was in my late thirties when I was diagnosed with late stage cancer, the same type that had caused the premature death of my mother and grandmother, and would show up in my sister a few years later. At the time, I was on COBRA and in the midst of looking for a new job. Individual or small group insurance was no longer an option, luckily I could enroll in a state major risk insurance program. Now, thanks to ACA, a cancer diagnosis can’t be used to deny coverage, so that is no longer the major worry it once was.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment have vastly improved over the past 25 years. After getting a second diagnosis a decade ago, it was still only by luck that I was referred to a local teaching hospital that happened to have a research center focused on our rare genetic issue. Now, such mutations can be easily detected through inexpensive DNA testing. Due to better treatments (or, more precisely, knowing what treatments not to use) my sister and I are still here, and it’s easy for our kids to get screened before this becomes an issue for them.
Good luck to your sister, and I hope it works out as well as it did for us!
Jeffro
@Subsole: yeah, fair point (about the never-trumpers, at least). Comstock was kinda late to the never-trump brigade, as in, she was fine with him until he cost her her seat. But still, she’s one of those in the ‘miffed’ category that you describe.
Many others in the party/in GQP leadership genuinely are cowards and are afraid of trumpov and his followers, though.
Jeffro
@Cameron: same here. Both hinder progress, representative democracy, etc. The only way to ‘reform’ them is to bind them to democratic procedures (ie, a Senator for every 3 Reps instead of 2 per state; tying the EC to the National Popular Vote Compact) which completely defeats their purpose/makes them irrelevant.
SWMBO
@Josie:
My 40 year old son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4. He was also diagnosed with 70-90% hearing loss at the age of 5. The first pediatric neurologist we had recommended that we put him in an institution and forget he was ever born. I cried in the car for 45 minutes and then I got incandescently furious. First piece of advice: Pick doctors or therapists that ask what they can do for YOU (the adults) to help you with this. I changed pediatricians to get a new recommendation for a different pediatric neurologist. The new pediatrician told me that nothing he could diagnose or treat would work if it didn’t help me in dealing with this.
Second, see if the doctors are open to allergy testing. My son presented severe autism characteristics until he was treated for allergies. The day they tested him for wheat and soy, he stopped in the middle of the room and kept shaking his head. When he asked why, he said, “I don’t have a headache anymore. I’ve never not had that before.” He was 8 years old. Allergic reactions can trigger all sorts of negative behavior that the child simply can’t control or even express what is goading them.
Third, the second pediatric neurologist told us to get a calendar that you could make a diary of and write down something every day about their behavior or reaction. What worked, what didn’t, what the child seemed to be unable to cope with. Put this in the Go bag and have everyone write in it. Teachers, grandparents, parents, anyone who deals with the child and can comment on any changes that are noticed. This provides a continuity of documentation so the doctors have a baseline of observation to work from.
Don’t be afraid to change doctors or therapists. Your child will work better with some, worse with some. Get the best fit for the child and the rest will be a lot easier.
When you start her in preschool and the first of the IEP meetings start, go into the meeting with someone else. Ask if you can record the meeting. Get a notebook or add a page of notes to her calendar. Make note of what was said and how it was presented. Take a backup observer with you to the meetings. They will have at least 4 and sometimes as many as 8 people in the room and they have had practice at tag teaming stressed out parents. Recording and having another person in the room lessens the chance that they won’t underpromise or deny that they said X. Get copies of notes and reports and put them in a notebook. Haul it to every doctor’s appointment and school meeting. Make sure everyone sees all the reports and objectives.
If you need any help or further advice, let me know. You can get my email from any front pager and I’ll chat day or night. You aren’t in this alone, you just haven’t started the skirmishes that will make a difference in guiding her through all this.
Quiltingfool
@Josie: You are so right! Many techniques used for autistic children work nicely with children not on the spectrum!
Anecdote here – several years ago, I was at a large family gathering. My second cousin has an autistic son, and he was around 12 or 13, I think. Anyway, the lunch meal was a little delayed (as is normal in any family function, lol) and the young man was visibly impatient, looking at his watch, and expressing his concern to his father, who was very gently explaining the delay. My father was watching this, and then made some comment to me about the young man’s poor behavior, and that he should be scolded. I promptly informed Dad that the boy was not being disrespectful, but was stressed at a schedule change – most likely that lunch is a noon, it’s past noon, what’s the deal? Not sure Dad got it, but he didn’t say anything else.
People who have never been around autistic folks make judgement calls about behaviors without knowing the situation – so maybe a life lesson is to not negatively judge a child’s behavior – we don’t always know the whole story.
piratedan
seems to me that the Garland DOJ position is to defend the office and to make a good faith effort in that regards, regardless of who inhabits the office. IMHO this is about the institutions of government, not who was abusing it at the time. My best guess is that when the judge rules on this, they (being the DOJ) will be happy to say, we did our part, in good faith, now you’re on your own.
Ohio Mom
Starfish:
I’ve begun to wonder if oncologists include foot-dragging by insurance companies in the calculations behind their protocols.
You know how doctors write prescriptions for more days of antibiotics then you really need because too many people stop taking them midway? If you only need four days worth and they prescribe 10 and you stop after five, all’s good.
My cousin’s daughter has/had (still waiting on post-chemo scan results) a type of lymphoma that has a well-established protocol of six chemo cycles.
After the fourth round, the Insurance didn’t automatically approve the fifth. The onc’s office went around with the insurance company and won, but the chemo ended up being more than a week late.
It’s infuriating.
I glad to hear your sister’s treatment is well underway. She’s doing what she has to, and that’s all anyone can do.
Ohio Mom
SWMBO:
You are a true veteran, my hat’s off to you. You did it all in the dark ages.
For every bit of your advice,
I could give an example from my family’s experience, and yes, there can sometimes be nothing as powerful as a doctor-ectomy.
Or a therapist-ectomy.
One thing Josie’s family has on its side that neither you nor I had is cell phones. Taping a “behavior” and showing it to the doctor/therapist/teacher can really speed things up. Just another form of data-collecting and data is king.
Ohio Mom
SWMBO:
You are a true veteran, my hat’s off to you. You did it all in the dark ages.
For every bit of your advice,
I could give an example from my family’s experience, and yes, there can sometimes be nothing as powerful as a doctor-ectomy.
Or a therapist-ectomy.
One thing Josie’s family has on its side that neither you nor I had is cell phones. Taping a “behavior” and showing it to the doctor/therapist/teacher can really speed things up. Just another form of data-collecting and as you make clear, data is king.
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: People are making a lot out of one decision based on an obscure law that may not even effect the ultimate disposition of the Carroll case. I would want to see how the other 99% of the Justice department’s work is going before I judged the AG.
elm
@Geminid: I am making a reasonable amount out of 4 recent DOJ decisions.
1. To appeal in their effort to defend Trump. This is not obscure and would absolutely end the Carroll case. If the judge accepts their argument, Carroll’s case is dead.
2. To support anti-queer private schools in court.
3. To support ConocoPhillips on a contract signed with the Trump admin for Alaskan oil drilling.
4. To prevent Puerto Ricans from collecting SSI disability.
On the other side of the ledger, they have done decently regarding the Minneapolis PD and murder of George Floyd. I appreciate that.
I would like to see any sign of consequences (civil, criminal, or even professional) for the people who signed off on Trump’s Muslim Ban and child separation policies. So far, there is not a peep on those and by default I would expect no action on them.
To summarize: they are moving forward with multiple policies that were Trump priorities and are not Biden priorities while doing little to distinguish themselves as helpful. They should do better.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@elm: IANAL, but it sounds like you’re expecting the DoJ to use the courts to enforce morality.
elm
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think they have or can create discretion in each of those cases.
And yes. I think it is good when they do good things and bad when they do bad things. Criticizing them when they do bad things (even if they have made a habit of doing those bad things in the past) is reasonable.
I would like the DoJ to work for the American people and I do not think it is doing so.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@elm: okay.
you’re not very persuasive
Starfish
@Ohio Mom:
That they mess with cancer patients like this is nuts.
Starfish
@Marc: I didn’t appreciate how many mutations they know about now. It seems like a lot.