Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?

[Cait]

"Workers wearing personal protective equipment bury bodies on April 9, 2020, the day the New York City medical examiner reduced the amount of time it will keep remains from two months to two weeks, before sending them for temporary interment at Hart Island’s City Cemetery."
Photograph by John Minchillo, AP

[Grath]

That burial on Hart Island is a mass grave of Covid-19 victims, yes.

[Thad]

Probably not a hell of a lot we can do to stop Trump appointing a new Supreme Court Justice, but what little hope we have probably lies in putting pressure on vulnerable Republican senators. So if you're in Maine, North Carolina, Colorado, or Arizona, send a letter to Collins, Tillis, Gardner, or McSally, respectively, urging them not to confirm any nominee until the next president's term starts, and if you know anyone else in those states who's of a like mind, tell them to do the same.

Letters coming from Republicans or independents will probably hold more sway than ones coming from Democrats, but I'm going to send one anyway. (And I've already suggested to my anti-Trump Republican grandfather that he do the same.)

That's really kind of a "step one" kind of thing, though. I expect there are going to be some protests outside those senators' offices in the next few weeks as well; keep an eye out for those.

[Upthorn]

Are confirmation votes not subject to filibuster?

[Thad]

Nope, not anymore. The Democrats used the so-called "nuclear option" to rewrite Senate rules and eliminate filibusters for most nominees under Reid, and the Republicans used the same tactic to eliminate filibusters for SCOTUS nominees under McConnell. That's how the last two got in with simple majorities (Gorsuch with 54 votes, Kavanaugh with 50).

What we really need -- and needed before tonight, but all the moreso now -- is a Democratic president who's willing to pack the court. I don't think Biden has the stones to do that, but if nothing else, RBG does serve as an object lesson that even a mostly-worthless racist neoliberal sexual predator can still leave a progressive legacy through his SCOTUS appointments.

[beatbandito]

but if nothing else, RBG does serve as an object lesson that even a mostly-worthless racist neoliberal sexual predator can still leave a progressive legacy through his SCOTUS appointments.

I figured the lesson would be "If you hold an important, appointed position let the black guy replace you and don't wait for a chance for a woman to do it for 'personal reasons'."

[Upthorn]

[KingRoyal]

That burial on Hart Island is a mass grave of Covid-19 victims, yes.

It's a potter's field. It's where NYC sends the indigent to be buried. It's been around for decades, averages about 1500 burials a year (or 5 a day) and the photos going around implying it's a reaction to covid are misleading and irresponsible.

On more important matters, there is a slight chance McConnell may hold the confirmation until the lame duck session in an attempt to drive the fundie vote. They are absolutely crazy about the Supreme Court and are scarily reliable voters when this kind of shit is on the line. Of course, that's assuming they hold a confirmation hearing at all. I can't think of a real, actionable thing that could be done to stop Trump from just sending his appointee straight to the court.

[Grath]

That burial on Hart Island is a mass grave of Covid-19 victims, yes.

It's a potter's field. It's where NYC sends the indigent to be buried. It's been around for decades, averages about 1500 burials a year (or 5 a day) and the photos going around implying it's a reaction to covid are misleading and irresponsible.

I live in Westchester. I'm familiar with the concept. That doesn't change the fact that the picture I posted is of a mass burial of Trump's victims. That there are already mass graves of Trump's victims. That's what I said when I posted the picture. Please take the "Well ackshually!!!"s to actual Twitter.

[Brantly B.]

"It's not a mass grave for Donald Trump's victims, it's a mass grave that America was already using for its victims that, in this instance, is being used for Trump's middle-class victims." Does that about sum it up? You know, just so we're not confused about who's being buried in the mass graves that exist.

Either way I think "created a mass grave due to criminal lack of concern" is quite a different thing from "practiced eugenics on a specific ethnic group in a concentration camp". They're both criminal, but one of those very definitely calls for a global tribunal.

[Mongrel]

It was the latter we were talking about originally anyway. AFAIK none of the mass grave in New York City are for people from ICE Concentration Camps.

Though that's only because those camps are all down south.

[KingRoyal]

Part of it is that blaming the covid response in New York on just Trump really let's Cuomo and de Blasio off the hook for their criminal negligence. But more to the point, saying "We're digging mass graves now!" and misrepresenting an already existing mass grave ain't exactly making the point you think it is.

[Grath]

Part of it is that blaming the covid response in New York on just Trump really let's Cuomo and de Blasio off the hook for their criminal negligence.

Literally the original fucking comment about these:

Albeit these are the crisis that was mishandled by Trump (... and Cuomo/de Blasio having a dick-measuring contest that Cuomo somehow ended up winning and then being hailed as a hero...) rather than the nazi genocide he's supporting, but yes, there are already mass graves because of Trump.

[Upthorn]

I guess my issue with that statement is...
If we had Hilary Clinton in the office instead of Trump, would Cuomo and De Blasio not have gotten into that same dick-waving contest...?
Or would people somehow not have returned to NYC from their foreign vacations...?
If the pandemic response team hadn't been gutted, would the CDC have deployed pandemic response and started quarantining repatriates before the WHO had even classified the disease was as a pandemic?

NYC is close to the only part of this disaster that I don't think traces back to Trump. He was saying stupid shit at the time, but his words and actions hadn't yet had an opportunity to affect the disease spread.

Except, of course, for gutting our pandemic readiness. But I think for NYC not to have happened would require an unrealistic level of ability from the pandemic response team.

[Thad]

but if nothing else, RBG does serve as an object lesson that even a mostly-worthless racist neoliberal sexual predator can still leave a progressive legacy through his SCOTUS appointments.

I figured the lesson would be "If you hold an important, appointed position let the black guy replace you and don't wait for a chance for a woman to do it for 'personal reasons'."

On more important matters, there is a slight chance McConnell may hold the confirmation until the lame duck session in an attempt to drive the fundie vote. They are absolutely crazy about the Supreme Court and are scarily reliable voters when this kind of shit is on the line.

If it's delayed until the lame duck session, I think it's likelier because Susan Collins doesn't want to tank her chances at reelection. She's in the political fight of her life, and that is 100% down to her confirmation vote for Kavanaugh. She's still got a pretty good shot at getting reelected; that may go away if she goes along with this scheme.

Then again, the Republicans very probably lose a seat in November -- Mark Kelly is set to beat Martha McSally handily, and because it's a special election (to fill McCain's seat), he'll be seated immediately, not in January -- so that's a consideration in the political calculus too.

I don't know what Mitch is going to do, but I'm sure he's counting the votes to figure it out.

Of course, that's assuming they hold a confirmation hearing at all. I can't think of a real, actionable thing that could be done to stop Trump from just sending his appointee straight to the court.

Well, I mean, the other justices just don't seat her in that case.

For all the talk of the conservatives being just rubber-stamps for Trump, they're not. They're ideological conservatives, which nine times out of ten is indistinguishable from being a rubber-stamp for Trump, but it's not the same thing. When they've voted in his favor, it's been consistent with their previously-expressed views on executive power. But they've ruled against him when he's advanced legal theories like "the president is immune to any investigations while in office."

These guys are playing the long game. They largely share ideology with Trump, but they're not loyal to him personally (and that includes Gorsuch and Kavanaugh). And not for nothin', strategically they also know that they already have the majority until Thomas dies anyway, they don't need this seat and it just amounts to spiking the ball at this point.

All of which is rather a moot point, because McConnell most likely does have the votes to confirm a justice.

ETA Wait maybe I misunderstood what you meant by not holding a confirmation hearing and Trump sending his appointee straight to the Court. In this hypothetical, are you saying there's no Senate vote at all? Because that's how I read it, and that's what I'm saying isn't gonna work. Or are you suggesting they skip the hearing and just go straight to the confirmation vote? Because yeah I could see that happening.

[Thad]

Went ahead and wrote my letter to McSally. I decided a bunch of "What would John McCain do?" nonsense was probably the best way to go, seeing as whoever reads the letter can trivially find out that I'm a registered Democrat, so maybe I can pass myself off as one of those McCain-voting Democrats. I tried not to lean too hard on the "by the way, we elected him, not you" subtext, but it's kind of unavoidable in this context.

So I'll go ahead and put the thing in the mail. Don't think it'll accomplish much, but it's something. It's a start. I suggest anyone else in Arizona, or Maine, Colorado, or North Carolina do the same. Or Iowa, for that matter; Ernst is favored to win but it's not a sure thing.

[Mongrel]

[Friday]

They're so close

just one tiny push

[Thad]

So when I say there's some crazy shit still coming in the next three weeks...

13 charged in plots against Michigan governor, police

Agents foiled a stunning plot to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges in an alleged scheme that involved months of planning and even rehearsals to snatch her from her vacation home.

Six men were charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap the governor in reaction to what they viewed as her “uncontrolled power,” according to a federal complaint. Separately, seven others were charged in state court under Michigan’s anti-terrorism laws for allegedly targeting police and seeking a “civil war.”

Note of caution that it's always good to be skeptical about FBI announcements of foiled plots; this could very well turn out to be overblown, exaggerated, or even orchestrated by the FBI itself just to entrap people.

But, bearing those caveats in mind, it sure looks like there was a plot to kidnap a Democratic governor who's been subject to a lot of Republican criticism, right before the election.

Think how many other similarly outlandish things could be going on right now that we don't know about.

[Mongrel]