Sunday, May 03, 2020
Saturday, May 02, 2020
May Day through the years
Tina Modotti's photograph of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, with members of the Artists' Union, on the May Day March, Mexico City, 1929 #womensart#MayDay pic.twitter.com/g8rmiiA9qU— #WOMENSART (@womensart1) May 1, 2020
As this crisis continues to squeeze the working class to the breaking point, and calls for a #GeneralStrike proliferate, workers are drawing on labor’s past to fight for their futures. My latest @TeenVogue looks to the lessons of 1919 and 1934 for answers https://t.co/x3GEknGAZL— Kim Kelly (@GrimKim) April 29, 2020
So is the past due to repeat itself? In many respects, it already has. The battles of 1919 and 1934 are as relevant now as they were then, and despite a century of technological innovation and social progress, many of the same wretched, oppressive, dangerous conditions that 20th-century workers fought so hard against remain today. Those glaring structural flaws — rampant capitalist exploitation, the greed of soulless bosses, government disinterest in workers’ lives, and a lack of proper sanitation, safety measures, or health care — have only been magnified in the harsh light of this pandemic. It’s no wonder that the workers themselves are drawing on the lessons of the past to demand a better future, and if a general strike truly is in the cards, now’s the time to show our hand.
When Emma Goldman wrote, “Ask for work. If they don't give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread” in her 1910 collection Anarchism and Other Essays, she could not have imagined the exact contours of the crisis workers face today. For many, there is no work, there is no bread, there are no masks. But there are their fellow workers, and for now, that might just be enough to win the rest.
Essential workers for Amazon, Instacart and others banded together on #MayDay for PPE and hazard pay.
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 1, 2020
One of them was Christian Smalls, who was fired by Amazon after protesting for better safety conditions. He led a protest outside one of its NYC warehouses. pic.twitter.com/YBacMxfqcJ
Today @SEIU1107 members continued to take public action for the third day in a row to highlight our demand to #ProtectAllWorkers in Nevada. pic.twitter.com/qyHtbGzOYQ
— Brian O. Shepherd (@brianoshepherd) May 1, 2020
Happy May Day! Here's a thread of photos from today's general strike in Atlanta! #GeneralStrike2020 #EveryHumanIsEssential #MayDay #PPEshortage pic.twitter.com/7Q8Vhi4P8J
— depressed and dangerous (@MarquisEaly) May 1, 2020
#FreeThemAll #InmatesMatter March today in Frankfort, KY. #MayDay2020 #FreeThemAll4PublicHealth #GeneralStrike2020 #AbolitionNOW @REFORM @ShowUp4RJ @PWGRCC @KentuckyPrison @OnthePrisonLine pic.twitter.com/EfiMNATJJk
— Francesca (@Frankie_M88) May 1, 2020
Women workers of the world unite! ππΎπ₯ Women’s work is essential work.
— πΊ AF3IRM HawaiΚ»i π⚔️ (@af3irmhawaii) May 1, 2020
Happy #InternationalWorkersDay! #WomenAreEssential #GeneralStrike2020 pic.twitter.com/ZfkFomgJKZ
ICE is putting people in detention at great risk of exposure to coronavirus! Today healthcare professionals and family members who have loved ones in detention gathered outside BTC, a for-profit detention center, to demand that all people in detention are freed!#FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/l8HehMOeBk
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) May 1, 2020
#MayDay2020 @hwanola car and bike rally in New Orleans #GeneralStrike2020 #HealthCareForAll #IncomeForAll #AbolishICE #WorkersBeforeProfit #FreeThemAll #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/eHxjMO93vz
— 350NewOrleans (@350NewOrleans) May 1, 2020
Our people are dying. And on this #MayDay caravan, we have now arrived in Times Square to demand that the pain and death be seen, as we demand a #Recovery4All. pic.twitter.com/Bhz5KCN1bH
— Make the Road NY π¦ (@MaketheRoadNY) May 1, 2020
Happening Now: Mayday bike protest in Wash DC over corporate bailouts. Riders want rent deferments and food distribution. Employment dropped this week to Great Depression era levels as 30 million Americans have filed jobless claims. #BailoutPeopleNotCorporations #PeoplesBailout pic.twitter.com/oGxqGxCX5K
— DCMediaGroup (@DCMediaGroup) May 1, 2020
These are crimes against humanityπ
— polchinello πππ⌛ (@donahuejm) May 1, 2020
This has to be a strike to the finish!
Solidarity Forever ✊#MayDay2020#GeneralStrike2020
π 4,400 Meatpackers Have COVID - Trump Relaxes OSHA Meatpacking Rules - GOP Govs Block Unemployment for Meatpackers https://t.co/pOXKRCvu6M
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Race for the White House Update: Justin Amash and Jesse Ventura
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan said Tuesday that he is launching an exploratory committee for the 2020 Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination.
The Republican-turned-independent said on Twitter that the U.S. was ready for new leadership. He also posted a link to a new campaign website.
“Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people,” Amash said. “We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together.
Amash announced last July that he was leaving the Republican Party, saying he had become disenchanted with partisan politics and “frightened by what I see from it.” He drew ire from President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans when he said the president had engaged in impeachable conduct as described in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
I don't see it ...
2 of the 9 founding members of the House Freedom caucus have now served as Trump’s chief of staff (Mulvaney and Meadows).— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) April 29, 2020
1 of the 9 now looks to be running against him for president (Amash).
But the polling shows it.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 29, 2020
"According to the poll, Biden beat Trump by 12 percentage points head-to-head, but when Amash was added to the field, his lead dropped to 6 percentage points."https://t.co/6zDvN7JWy1
Third-party candidates help Trump. Sadly, they just do. https://t.co/x222fdsLS3
Do click on that Bulwark link (even though it's The Bulwark; the conservative perspective is important in this calculus). Amash's bid explains why Gretchen Whitmer (the governor of Michigan) is a finalist in the veepstakes, though she doesn't seem to want the job as much as Stacey Abrams.
It's amusing that #NeverTrump Republicans are already calling Amash the "new Ralph Nader". He inspires the regularly scheduled fear and loathing among neoliberals as a result.
This is ridiculous. Justin Amash has zero chance of being elected president. If this continues, he will likely become a spoiler who will help Trump win re-election. https://t.co/Xg6Wl0IsBH— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 29, 2020
HuffPo has more detail on the constituencies Amash might draw votes from.
-- So if that's not enough November fun for you ...
Jesse Ventura, who served as Minnesota governor as a member of the Reform Party, said Monday that he is "testing the waters" for a potential 2020 run for president on the Green Party ticket.
In a pair of tweets, the former wrestling star, who has repeatedly floated a White House bid, said he endorses the Green Party's platform and had authorized a letter to the party signaling his interest in running for its presidential nomination.
To be clear: I haven't filed anything. I authorized a letter of interest that was sent on my behalf to the Greens and I'm testing the waters for Green Party nomination. I'm an independent. I'm not a Democrat or a Republican because I know they're not the solution.— Jesse Ventura (@GovJVentura) April 27, 2020
In my WH Update last week -- and in IPR's account on Monday -- both of us indicated skepticism about Ventura throwing in. So while we wait for my humble crow pie to come out of the oven, let me reiterate my personal objection to voting for Jesse unless he can clear up a few things about his platform, specifically his lack of support for Medicare for All.
Jonathan Bernstein probably has the right take as of today. I still see the Green Party nomination going to Howie Hawkins, though I wish Dario Hunter was running stronger.
-- Bernie Sanders thanked his supporters yesterday in an online chat. He did not release his delegates, as some feared, following the cancellation of the New York primary. He also did not acknowledge pleadings to unsuspend his campaign or withdraw his endorsement of Biden due to the bubbling scandal related to Tara Reade's rape allegations.
A handful of his top campaign aides started a SuperPAC to support Joe Biden.
Shame on Jeff Weaver, Tim Tagaris and others for using Bernie's 2016 slogan "A Future to Believe In" and tacking it on to a SuperPAC Bernie doesn't support for a candidate we detest.— Aisha Ahmad (@aishaismad) April 28, 2020
These guys should go work for Warren 2024 next. Utter nonsense. https://t.co/qZwkTAX86w
"Ye shall know them by their fruits."
-- Hillary Clinton endorsed Joe yesterday.
hard to push back against trump calling him "sleepy joe" if he literally starts falling asleep during stuff https://t.co/I4Xeoe6FRJ— Current Affairs (@curaffairs) April 28, 2020
Joe Biden Held a 'Women's Town Hall' But Didn't Mention the Sexual Assault Allegation Against Him #DropOutBiden #VoteBlueNoMatterWho https://t.co/kxFHT997kG via @vicecanada— π₯πΉπ» #NeverEverBiden π― (@JayClaybrooks) April 29, 2020
Don't think for minute that both Trump and the rest of the GOP are beyond making hay out of this "whistling past the graveyard" business on the part of the Democratic establishment.
INCONSISTENT? @senatemajldr Mitch McConnell accuses DEMS, news media of a double standard in response to sexual assault allegations against @JoeBiden— ChickenFriedPolitics (@ChkFriPolitics) April 28, 2020
--ChickenFriedPolitics.com is The Place for Southern Politics--https://t.co/jlUdWLHEk2
Monday, April 27, 2020
Wrangle II, "May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor"
Texas voters overwhelmingly approve of business closures, stay-at-home orders despite blow to state’s economy, says UT/@TexasTribune poll https://t.co/m6dhnuUMc3 via @Progrexas— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 26, 2020
So @GovAbbott wants to test 25k Texans a day (we're not there yet)... but even if that were just here in Harris County (population ~4.7mil), it would take over 6 months to test everyone.— Elisa Cardnell (@ElisaCardnell) April 27, 2020
Once more, Abbott is putting profits over people. https://t.co/jqifSK2c9C
Greg Abbott right now... pic.twitter.com/rf7ZVo23tl— A.M. Rose (@annmrose) April 27, 2020
TX Gov @GregAbbott_TX says local jurisdictions can't fine people for not wearing face masks, putting him at odds with @HarrisCoJudge Lina Hidalgo— ChickenFriedPolitics (@ChkFriPolitics) April 27, 2020
--ChickenFriedPolitics.com is The Place for Southern Politics--https://t.co/ZqGgrz3eFn
Abbott: "Just because there may be an increase in the number of people that have tested positive, that alone is not a decisive criteria"— PhillipMartin (@PhillipMartin) April 27, 2020
A core part of what CDC says we need - "steadily decreasing infections" - is just completely being ignored #txlegehttps://t.co/YD2vTkTwTA
It's difficult not to
There's a few bad apples in every barrel.
Dallas hotel magnate Monty Bennett laid off 95% of his staff, then he and his father got a $2M dividend. Now companies affiliated with him are getting $46M in PPP loans — more than any public company https://t.co/ldMft4oi9A— Konrad Putzier (@KonradPutzier) April 22, 2020
Some breaking state/local news:https://t.co/yoCpBdFMf2— Kaitlin Bain (@KaitlinBain) April 23, 2020
Just as there are some good ones.
N-95 model face masks have been in high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, but thanks to a Black chief executive nurse at the University of Texas Health System, a new and even more efficient model is now on the horizon.
According to a local ABC affiliate, when nurse Tommye Austin saw on the news how COVID-19 was infecting communities all over the country, she made the decision to proactively create masks for her own colleagues.
"We had this AC filter material we purchased from Houston ..."
[...]
(W)hen they tested their design, they were stunned to find out the new masks’ filtration rates were at a stunning 99.5 percent with one material and 97.8 percent filtration with another. Both were more efficient than the current model which eliminates 95 percent of the virus or bacteria that tries to get through.
Dr. Hotez vs. Dr. Hotze makes a world of difference in Harris county.— MonicaFloresRichart (@MonicaRichart) April 24, 2020
Some Texas Democrats doing good ...
Here's a good reason for helping take back Texas-- one congressional district at a time. And keep in mind that the Austin area is ripe and ready to fall and the DCCC didn't screw it up with their usual array of awful Republican-lite candidates! https://t.co/wGCkUhdlaO pic.twitter.com/Y8FBJ6L0fV— Howie Klein (@downwithtyranny) April 27, 2020
Some not.
Olson, as a vet, has the backing of the Super PAC Vote Vets https://t.co/WBQI9PunG1 (which supported Mayor Pete), but in an interesting intra-military contest, the vet group Common Defense endorsed against her and is backing Valenzuelahttps://t.co/AwKTZxOJ2m— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) April 23, 2020
New this morning: @gcaflcio is pushing @SylvesterTurner to implement an ordinance requiring businesses to provide paid time off for sick workers. Turner has ignored the unions and said he wants to wait until #COVID19 passes. https://t.co/kbm6VYgJkF— Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) April 27, 2020
Some recent court victories include:
Judge orders release of migrant children despite coronavirus' challenges https://t.co/ndJfyTArfF— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 25, 2020
Texas clinics resume abortion services, citing Abbott’s loosening of ban on elective medical procedures https://t.co/GNwPrfdm9M via @Progrexas #TXLege— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 22, 2020
And some court cases worth keeping an eye on.
Texas lawsuit over absentee (aka mail) voting raises 26th Amendment claim https://t.co/6rzk4p6p46 #TXLege— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 23, 2020
Texas appeals court sets date for oral arguments in case over whether convention-party candidates must pay filing fees https://t.co/lEzwjwdrFV #TXLege @GreenPartyUS @LPTX_Candidates @dbcgreentx #TX2020 pic.twitter.com/OFNoXu0e6I— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 25, 2020
There are two cases.
https://www.txcourts.gov/ (select courts and then 14th Court of Appeals. Select Case Search. Make sure 14th Court of Appeals is selected and enter the Style: Hughs (no ‘E’) v. Dikeman.)
14-19-00969-CV is the state’s appeal of the TRO against imposing the filing fee on applicants for consideration for nomination. Before the appeals court stayed the TRO, most Libertarian applicants had filed.
14-20-00078-CV is the state’s appeal of whether the district court could even consider the case, given state immunity from some lawsuits. There are exceptions. The state can not act in a unconstitutional manner. The law and its implementation is collection of equal protection and due process violations. The SOS can not exercise authority outside the law. The law imposed a filing fee on a specific class of individuals. The SOS is attempting to impose the fee on additional persons.
If the plaintiffs win their case before the Court of Appeals, the case would return to the district court for trial on the merits. At that time (July or later) I assume a court would grant a temporary injunction placing candidates on general election ballot.
An update to this morning's Wrangle article on the Austin PD's ongoing problems.
This comes after APD officers allegedly shot & killed a 42-year-old man Friday. Background here: https://t.co/x8Y5jdIjh0— Audrey McGlinchy (@AKMcGlinchy) April 27, 2020
Without much fanfare, Houston announced the city's Climate Action Plan.
The city's newly unveiled Climate Action Plan enjoys a wide range of support, from @BP_America and @Shell to @airallianceHOU and @sunrisemvmt.— Dylan McGuinness (@dylmcguinness) April 22, 2020
It doesn't enforce any new rules, but provides a framework to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.https://t.co/DkIhXuUand
In San Antonio, there has been much quarreling over the plan to relocate the Cenotaph at the Alamo as the first phase of a $450 million renovation of the plaza. Here's the latest development.
— Scott Huddleston (@shuddlestonSA) April 26, 2020
Stormy weather in East Texas made life a little rougher there.
At least three people were killed and more than 20 injured after a tornado tore through parts of East Texas on Wednesday evening. Search and rescue teams were still digging through the rubble overnight. https://t.co/QksRozgNMc— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) April 23, 2020
Texas Muslims began their holy celebration of Ramadan.
"Now, I suspect that what I’ll miss the most isn’t the sense of calm and spiritual stillness I crave during Ramadan. It’s the noise."— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) April 25, 2020
Texas Muslims are worshipping remotely for Ramadan, which began yesterday: https://t.co/zdhirEWIry
And Luis Guerra's "Ceremony at San Pedro Springs", posted earlier in the month by LareDOS, is republished by The Rag Blog. It is a story he wrote nearly ten years ago, inspired by the environmental calamity of Deepwater Horizon, the memories echoing in the time of coronavirus.
More than one hundred species of fish and shellfish have been introduced to Texas waters since the 1870s, transforming the state's freshwater fishing in ways that are good, bad, and just plain weird.— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) April 22, 2020
A few cases in point: https://t.co/vkqlc5sIHJ
The Post- (or perhaps still Pre-) Apocalypse Wrangle
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 24, 2020
Some -- among them, the nation's cartoonists -- don't have much pity.
"Sunday 'Live Free or Die' Toons" https://t.co/N0uWVlWrUp - This and other disinfecting injections of common sense in @PDiddie's latest weekly toon collection!... pic.twitter.com/GaaFTLtfXg— Brad Friedman (@TheBradBlog) April 27, 2020
And why should they, after all? With men like this funding people like Abbott and Patrick ...
Ultra-conservative Midland oilman Tim Dunn wants it both ways.— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) April 23, 2020
He'd prefer the government stay out of the pandemic business, but wouldn't mind a bailout of his industry. https://t.co/uL7eWjNOHD
... our beloved Texas has become a national laughingstock.
#SNLAtHome featured @DanPatrick in a weekend update segment, making his voice even louder which made #CoronaIdiots so #FakeAngry at SNL and hungry for #KFC at the same time.— HeloFarley (@FarleyHelo) April 26, 2020
https://t.co/eLBGPMpsLQ pic.twitter.com/rIP8PTGG8s
Because there's always a conservatard watching who says, "hold my beer".
Houston city council member Michael Kubosh explains why he's at a restaurant open for dine-in service in violation of Harris County's stay-at-home order:— Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) April 25, 2020
"Sometimes civil disobedience is required to move things forward, and so that's why we remember Rosa Parks." (via @KPRC2) pic.twitter.com/PpOCrrrlTW
The good news is that the toonmeisters have plenty of inspiration.
.@TexasObserver cartoonist Ben Sargent on the Texas #StayAtHome protesters https://t.co/qZBIzQu0xT #TXLege #MoreImportantThingsThanLiving— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 22, 2020
There is some election news to post!
Trump narrowly leads Biden in presidential race in Texas, @UTAustin UT/@TexasTribune Poll finds https://t.co/ytbqvGKjEG via @rossramsey #tx2020 pic.twitter.com/6jZjuyeFCy— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) April 25, 2020
Kuff looked at the ways that election officials across the state are preparing for the July runoffs and the November general.
The @texasdemocrats are going virtual with their convention. Here's how they plan to pull it off. Story w/ @ellee_watson https://t.co/c4u1ZgRpSV— Adam Brewster (@adam_brew) April 24, 2020
Unfortunately some Texas Democrats are also behaving badly:
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex) received a flood of last min campaign cash from payday lenders right before his progressive primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, now he’s one of the few Dems asking for payday lenders to be qualified as “essential services” https://t.co/V35XCwAH0R— Lee Fang (@lhfang) April 25, 2020
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 21, 2020
The O&G industry -- perhaps even more than the cruise industry -- needs an enforced DNR.
New satellite study: "There's so much methane escaping from Permian oil and gas operations that it nearly triples the near-term climate impact of burning the gas they're producing." Good news is there are many ways to reduce these emissions https://t.co/pY33MPC0wp pic.twitter.com/nU4AV1CIeJ— Fred Krupp (@FredKrupp) April 25, 2020
About 17 million Texans live in areas that consistently have unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. https://t.co/uwppbNb7s9— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) April 23, 2020
SocraticGadfly had a trio of posts for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The first, with photos, looked at the past fifty years of wildlife preservation efforts — the good, the bad, the ugly. The second said that King Hubbert was correct, using his parameters of rational, profitable exploration, that the US hit Peak Oil in 1970. The third, per the Daniel Day-Lewis movie, said there will continue to be blood for oil.
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 22, 2020
With some criminal justice developments ...
An investigation into allegations of racism against a former top cop points to deeper problems of bias and retaliation at the Austin Police Department.https://t.co/cTzlI18wzg— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) April 25, 2020
Grits for Breakfast interprets the bizarre state Supreme Court ruling on Abbott's executive order regarding the release of non-felon violators from jail.
65% of inmates tested in Texas’ prisons have #coronavirus https://t.co/mU2LXcEm3f via @Shells_Sea #TXLege— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) April 22, 2020
Food supply issues were reported in last week's Wrangle but intensified with news closer to home.
COVID-19 Cases Now Tied to Meat Plants in Rural Texas Counties Wracked with Coronavirus https://t.co/x6FBlTsgbC— sdmattpotter (@sdmattpotter) April 22, 2020
Some volatility is expected in the dairy business. But the past few weeks have been historically bad. Here's why: https://t.co/auacTsQEni— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) April 22, 2020
Happening today:
Join President @RickTxAFLCIO LIVE this coming Monday, April 27th for an important discussion on the the U.S. Postal System. He will be joined by Texas union leaders from the @APWUnational (Postal) and @NALC_National (Letter Carriers). Don't Miss It! pic.twitter.com/6jrdaCZWoV— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) April 24, 2020
Galveston beaches are slated to reopen Monday but only under certain restrictions. https://t.co/g1JHja8gQ3 pic.twitter.com/sASIkbNLtf— Laredo Morning Times (@lmtnews) April 25, 2020
And on the lighter side ...
Dos Centavos is making tortillas, as we all should be right now.
Dallas comes together, staying apart (first night of the stay-at-home order) - https://t.co/qSXY2e7WnJ via @eddarrell— Ed Darrell (@EdDarrell) April 27, 2020
Will it even matter if Dallas-born department store Neiman Marcus ceases to exist?— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) April 25, 2020
The inside story of the retailer's struggle to remain relevant—and solvent: https://t.co/83awQVwMji
This month, as we continue to struggle with the realities of a global pandemic—and the cooped-up existence it’s brought forth—the arrival of the annual @citnatchallenge offers a welcome reprieve. https://t.co/Lk41YWKeUm— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) April 26, 2020
Greg Abbott's press conference on restarting the state's retail economy is scheduled for this afternoon, and there are plenty more Tweets to add for a second Wrangle later this evening.