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Good News Roundup for Friday, December 16, 2022: The Fight Goes On [1]
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Date: 2022-12-16
Pummeling pansies! My 281st GNR
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
I can tell that many of us are relaxing a bit. GNR readership seems to be down, as diaries get fewer recommends and comments. This is partly because we’re out of the midterms and we’re now in the holidays.
It’s also because we’re less anxious. We have improved our position in the Senate. The House, although overtaken by Rs, is in disarray as Cave-in McCarthy can’t get enough votes. Even when he does, we can’t expect things to move smoothly.
Also, indictments are happening. Special Counsel Jack Smith has demonstrated he’s not slowing things down; he’s speeding things up. Peru and Germany have also taken the sensible step of arresting a lot of their seditionists (we hope the US will soon do likewise).
Moreover, tRump’s chokehold on the GOP is loosening. Likewise, his grip on the media is lessening. I’m seeing more headlines about Musk and putin. Even the tRump “big announcement” for Thursday was a nothing but a pathetic (but hilarious) grift (and probably, more seriously, a money-laundering ploy). And, despite having declared candidacy for 2024, there’s been no real campaigning.
I’m with you. We need time to rest and recover and even to celebrate. However, we still have so much to do. The danger is not gone, although it is more diffuse. We will have to come up with new ways to fight.
Many people are already working on the myriad of problems that face us. So, pour yourself your favorite beverage, settle in, and enjoy your Friday visit to the Gnusville café.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💙 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President ! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
Friday, December 9, 2022: Readout of White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative Meeting
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
👎 The Lost Cause Finally Loses Paul Waldman Washington Post.
Workers in Richmond removed a statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill, the last city-owned Confederate statue that had been standing, on Monday from a busy intersection. Although Confederate monuments of various types remain in many places around the South, they’re steadily being taken down, and what’s so remarkable is how quiet this once-churning debate has become. The Lost Cause is dying with a whimper. For that, thank the committed activists who made it their mission; the hollowness of the arguments in favor of maintaining our country’s long and shameful reverence for the Confederacy, arguments that wilted in the light of day; and one Donald Trump. ✂️ The fact that racial grievance remains central to the American conservative project must temper our satisfaction over the defeat of the Lost Cause. But it’s still worth celebrating, despite having taken more than a century and a half. We have a terribly long way to go, but with each remaining statue that comes down we can say we’re moving in the right direction.
Note the article also covers the renaming of military bases. And this is how battles are won in the end: quietly.
👎 👍 Guy responsible for Dred Scott ruling to be replaced by Thurgood Marshall Rebecca Falconer, Axios
The House voted Wednesday for a bust of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice, to replace one of the chief justice who wrote the racist 1857 Dred Scott decision denying Black Americans citizenship. Driving the news: The House passed legislation by voice vote that directs the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to remove a marble bust from near the entrance to the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol of the former Chief Justice Roger Taney and replace it with one of Marshall.
And by voice vote. Nice.
👍 The House is doing a great job redecorating, with the Pelosi portrait added:
x The unveiling of official portrait for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, reminds of something we have long known:
Nancy Pelosi is an icon—one of the few Speakers in history who transcends the position she holds. pic.twitter.com/UqtdikPReS — Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 15, 2022
👍 Every vote matters, even in true blue Massachusetts!
x Massachusetts recount flips state house election to Democrat by one vote! 💙 — Wyona M Freysteinson, PhD, MN, RN, FAAN (she/her) (@wyonaf) December 12, 2022
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Talking Points Memo has been sorting through vast multitudes of text messages received and/or sent by Mark Meadows, with 34 members of Congress, all hellbent to overturn the election:
The texts are part of a trove Meadows turned over to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack that was obtained by TPM. For more information about the story behind the text log and our procedures for publishing the messages, read the introduction to this series. Meadows’ exchanges shed new light on the extent of congressional involvement in Trump’s efforts to spread baseless conspiracy theories about his defeat and his attempts to reverse it. The messages document the role members played in the campaign to subvert the election as it was conceived, built, and reached its violent climax on Jan. 6, 2021. The texts are rife with links to far-right websites, questionable legal theories, violent rhetoric, and advocacy for authoritarian power grabs. One message identified as coming from Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) to Meadows on January 17, 2021, three days before Joe Biden was set to take office, is a raw distillation of the various themes in the congressional correspondence. In the text, despite a typo, Norman seemed to be proposing a dramatic last ditch plan: having Trump impose martial law during his final hours in office. ✂️ Meadows’ text log shows what the scheme to reverse the election results looked like behind the scenes, revealing new details about which members of Congress helped spearhead the efforts and the strategies they deployed. The members who messaged Meadows about challenging the election included some of the highest-profile figures on the right flank in Congress, such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), all of whom are identified as playing leading roles in the effort to undo Trump’s defeat.
One thing I learned from the Marshall law text message: the Rs do not spell everything wrong just to troll us. They do it all the time amongst themselves. TPM calls it a typo, but it is actually how these guys spell.
Of course, we’re all wondering what will happen to these people, many who still have powerful positions in government. Go, Jack, go! Look at Germany and Peru for inspiration, who arrested criminals before they could shoot up the halls of government. Until Jack smacks them, we need to take them down via voters and the press (see Maddow’s Ultra Vires podcast for inspiration).
McCarthy not having the votes means a sluggish start to the R-led House Olivia Beavers, Jordain Carney, Sarah Ferriis Politico
Kevin McCarthy’s imperiled speakership bid is threatening to incapacitate Republicans during a crucial planning period, virtually guaranteeing a sluggish start for the new House majority. The GOP leader on Thursday took the unusual step of punting conferencewide races for committee leadership slots until after his speaker election on Jan. 3, a maneuver that could help insulate him from disgruntled members who fall short in those contests and their allies. But that delay will also mean days, if not weeks, of uncertainty for GOP committees as they begin their stint in the majority. Some of the most important panels, including those charged with tax-writing and border security, won’t be able to prepare bills, tee up hearings, or even hire staff. While some House committees already have uncontested leaders in place, those chairs won’t be able to choose their member lineup or potentially pay staff. The GOP’s subpoena power, too, will be frozen.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
Does this belong in Republicans in chaos, Democrats deliver, or Schadenfreude?
x 5 yrs ago around this time, @SpeakerPelosi was already pantsing Donald Trump publicly. Now, Kevin McCarthy is begging Marjorie Taylor Greene to let him be the next speaker. pic.twitter.com/IFVUPChvfB — Stephen Robinson (@SER1897) December 15, 2022
5 years seems wrong — wasn’t it 4 years? But the rest is good.
🎩 thanks to niftywriter for the trucks, which I have adopted too!
More seriously: Biden administration and preparing for covid this winter. Press Release from the White House
Today, the Biden Administration is announcing a plan to stay ahead of an increase in COVID-19 cases this winter. While COVID-19 is not the disruptive force it once was, the virus continues to evolve, and cases are on the rise again as families are spending more time indoors and gathering for the holidays. Throughout the COVID-19 response, this Administration has been prepared for whatever the virus throws our way – and this moment is no different.
The Administration’s COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan includes:
Expanding easy access to free COVID-19 testing options in the winter. COVID-19 testing is an important tool to help mitigate and slow the spread of the virus. The Administration is encouraging Americans to use at-home COVID-19 tests when they have symptoms of COVID-19, before and after traveling for the holidays, or visiting indoors with immunocompromised or vulnerable individuals. The Administration has made free COVID-19 testing widely available and easily accessible. This includes providing over 15,000 free community testing sites nationwide, covering over-the-counter tests under Medicare, and requiring all health insurance plans to cover eight free at-home tests per month per individual, which can be easily accessed at local pharmacies and online. Ahead of continued increases in cases, the Administration is taking new action to ensure that all Americans have easy and free access to COVID-19 tests in the winter months. Making free at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests available through COVIDTests.gov. The Administration is announcing that COVIDTests.gov is open for a limited round of ordering this winter. Starting today, all U.S. households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free. In the absence of Congress providing additional funding for the nation’s COVID-19 response, the Administration has acted with its limited existing funding to add more at-home COVID-19 tests to the nation’s stockpile and support this round of ordering ahead of continued increases in COVID-19 cases. Orders for this round of testing will begin to ship starting the week of December 19 th and continue in the weeks ahead. The Administration will also make tests available to individuals who are blind or have low-vision through this program. People who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages – 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.T., Monday to Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. E.T. on weekends. For more information, people can visit www.COVIDTests.gov.
The Administration is announcing that COVIDTests.gov is open for a limited round of ordering this winter. Starting today, all U.S. households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free. In the absence of Congress providing additional funding for the nation’s COVID-19 response, the Administration has acted with its limited existing funding to add more at-home COVID-19 tests to the nation’s stockpile and support this round of ordering ahead of continued increases in COVID-19 cases. Orders for this round of testing will begin to ship starting the week of December 19 and continue in the weeks ahead. The Administration will also make tests available to individuals who are blind or have low-vision through this program. People who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages – 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.T., Monday to Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. E.T. on weekends. For more information, people can visit www.COVIDTests.gov. Distributing more free tests to Americans at trusted locations. In addition to continuing to support access to free COVID-19 tests in schools, community health centers, rural health clinics, long-term care facilities, and other convenient locations, the Administration is announcing additional distribution programs to reach people with free, at-home tests. This includes distributing free at-home tests at more than 6,500 Department of Housing and Urban Development-assisted rental housing properties serving seniors; and expanding a program to distribute free at-home tests to as many as 500 major food banks for them to distribute to people in their communities. Making vaccinations and treatments readily available to all Americans as cases rise . As we have throughout the pandemic, the federal government continues to leverage all capabilities to support state, local, territorial, and Tribal communities to prepare for, prevent, and respond to increased incidence of COVID-19. That includes working with states, medical providers, businesses, and other groups to expand awareness about updated COVID-19 vaccines, highly effective treatments, and resources to stand up additional vaccination sites and other delivery options to make it easier and more convenient to get vaccinations and treatments.
Note there’s more about masks and working with government and various businesses.
General pats on the back! In other words, the WH announcement:
x I had some MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS the last couple of weeks, too…
✔️ Inflation’s easing
✔️ I just signed the Respect for Marriage Act
✔️ We brought Brittney Griner home
✔️ Gas prices are lower than a year ago
✔️ 10,000 new high-paying jobs in Arizona — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 15, 2022
💜 Unity? 💜
EU has an agreement on green tariffs Fiona Harvey, The Guardian
In the early hours of Tuesday morning the EU became the first big economy to legislate for a “green tariff” on imports, to be levied on goods that are produced with high carbon dioxide emissions. The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) means that countries which fail to green their industries will soon face a new threat: an effective carbon tax that will penalise those hoping to profit from high-carbon activities, and force them to clean up. The system will be applied at first to iron and steel, cement, fertilisers, aluminium, electricity, hydrogen and some chemicals. ✂️ The agreement is still provisional, and details remain to be ironed out by member states and other institutions. But if all goes according to plan, CBAMs will come into force on a trial basis from next October.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots of other organizations. How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and video record what they’re saying?
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
Maga rioter can’t believe he’s going to jail for NFT grifter Brad Reed, Raw Story
Notorious Capitol rioter Tim Gionet, better known by his Twitter name "Baked Alaska," was suddenly filled with regret over his life decisions after watching former President Donald Trump hawk digital trading cards in a video in which he also declared himself a better president than George Washington. Gionet, who earlier in the day said he believed Trump's digital card gambit means he "can't win" in 2024, wrote a follow-up missive in which he questioned his own decision to storm the Capitol building on January 6th, 2021. "I can’t believe I'm going to jail for an NFT salesman," he lamented. Earlier this year, Gionet pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building, for which he faces up to six months in prison.
Well, we can believe it. tRump has been awful for years. I remember watching part of an episode of The Apprentice and I could not believe people were competing to gain the good will of the idjit.
Yeah, some of us can’t stop laughing:
Some other criminals are getting indicted, for ripping people off Justin Rohrlich,The Daily Beast
If you’ve been getting your investment advice from “the #61 DJ on the planet,” you’ve been doing it wrong, according to the feds. Tom Cooperman, one-half of electronic music duo Breathe Carolina, was one of eight influencers indicted Tuesday on charges of securities fraud for an alleged social media pump-and-dump scheme prosecutors say illegally funneled at least $114 million into the crew’s pockets. ✂️ “We’re robbing fucking idiots of their money,” one of them crowed last year in a recorded conversation reviewed by investigators, according to the indictment, which was announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors say Cooperman, who turned 34 last week, and his co-conspirators got rich by scamming their followers, artificially pumping up stock prices with bullish—and false—pronouncements and claims that they, too, were buying shares. As the stock price went up due to the demand, the members of the ring instead liquidated their positions, locking in massive profits as the market became flooded by those sales and everyone else’s shares tanked.
Tough times for grifters — who knew the market would collapse like Tesla stock?
x America Fest in Phoenix this weekend features a ton of conservative speakers headlined by Kari Lake. Tickets started at $350. Last week sales were so slow they were offering free tickets to email list. Now they are selling tickets for $20 to public. Such small crowds. :) — Barry Markson (@BarryMarkson1) December 13, 2022
This time the good guys will punch back:
x BREAKING: Kevin Morris, the lawyer for Hunter Biden, has indicated that Hunter Biden is considering taking legal action against Fox News, Eric Trump, and Rudy Giuliani for defamation. — Erica Marsh (@ericareport) December 12, 2022
Being a jerk has consequences:
x Well, I WAS a Tesla customer. Just cancelling that car I have on order now.
https://t.co/Y6XoTrjFZb — Nick Hanauer (@NickHanauer) December 11, 2022
and
x Last night, at a Dave Chappelle show, ELON MUSK GOT BOOED. For almost 10 minutes. He couldn't get a word in. The videos of it are already gone. I don't see "Musk got booed" among the trending phrases, so I assume his tech team made sure it wasn't, cause he's sensitive and fragile — Duty To Warn 🔉 (@duty2warn) December 12, 2022
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
This week we remember the Sandy Hook shooting, when 20 children and 6 adults were murdered. Many shootings have followed since. It seemed as if nothing could be done against the all-powerful NRA.
I listened to a segment from Wednesday’s Deadline: White House (Nicolle Wallace had the day off) and it highlighted that day as an inflection point.
People started talking about “gun safety” instead of “gun control.” That makes a difference.
Everytown for Gun Safety and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence took off. Although many battles were lost, some were won. That bill Biden signed in the summer (bipartisan) helping gun safety, and the defamation civil suit against Alex Jones.
The NRA lost some of its grip. It’s also been riddled by scandals and Russian money.
People realized this was like a Civil Rights battle, that it would need to be fought for a generation before it could be won.
This week we honor all those who have been fighting the good fight — mostly involuntarily, because the guns have been too close to home.
The relevant bit is at the beginning.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
🐻 Do Zambonis do bears?
x Every year, this hockey team holds a fundraiser where after the first goal, fans throw teddy bears onto the ice as a donation for local children's hospitals.
It's the best tradition in sports.pic.twitter.com/dQleAHwKMb — Goodable (@Goodable) December 14, 2022
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
⚡️ Love this DKos story: Anti-abortion groups are mad that those mailing abortion pills aren’t getting arrested Hunter
Protecting the waters:
x Good News Alert:
The European Commission has set new limits for underwater noise pollution to protect marine life.
Lowering noise pollution could reduce the risk of ships crashing with whales by up to 25%, and lower CO2 emission by 8%. pic.twitter.com/toqaGb7gEe — Goodable (@Goodable) December 13, 2022
30% of Barbados seas to be protected Andy Corbley Good News Network
As part of a debt-for-nature refinancing program, the island nation of Barbados is set to unlock $50 million in funding for conservation of its entire marine ecosystem. Barbados committed at last year’s COP to protect 30% of its territorial waters but lacks the funds to do so. The Nature Conservancy announced it will work with partners to buy a piece of Barbados’ national debt and refinance it to facilitate this goal. It’s a program known in the conservation world as “Blue Bonds.” The Nature Conservancy’s Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation strategy essentially finds nations which have a lot of debt, low tax revenue, and important territorial waters, and recruits financier partners to buy outstanding debt from the previous holders and re-negotiate terms with more favorable interest rates provided the nation spends the savings on ocean conservation.
Medical advances
x Alyssa, who is 13-years old, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
This is how the newly engineered T-cells were able to hunt down and destroy her cancer.
https://t.co/xbdcIwoCOr — Goodable (@Goodable) December 12, 2022
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. We need to win some back.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
💙 “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
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