DeSantis Meltdown

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has lost control of his state. School districts revolting against his deadly mask bans and a judge ruling against him. Meanwhile he’s presiding over a COVID-19 catastrophe.

Florida cases and deaths hit record highs.

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Author: craigcrawford

Trail Mix Host. Lapsed journalist, author & retired pundit happily promoting nothing but the truth for Social Security checks.

58 thoughts on “DeSantis Meltdown”

  1. [reposting pogo last night]

    US military conducts airstrike against ISIS-K planner
    CNN)The US has conducted an airstrike againstan ISIS-K planner, a spokesman for US Central Command said in a statement Friday.
    “U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties,” spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said in the statement.
    The announcement of the strike came a day after President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate for a terrorist attack that killed 13 US service members and at least 170 others outside Kabul’s international airport even as he said the frantic mission to airlift Americans from Afghanistan would continue.(…)

    So I wonder what the RW (and LW) Biden detractors will find to criticize about this. It’ll be something. 

  2. U.S. Launches Strike on ISIS-K as Bombing’s Death Toll Soars (msn.com)  NYTimes:

    […]
    “U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner,” Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement, referring to the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, also known as Islamic State Khorasan.
    “The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan,” Captain Urban said. “Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties.”
    […]
    On Friday night, the U.S. Embassy again warned Americans to leave the airport immediately because of security threats.
    While it was unclear how many Americans had risked the trip to the airport on Friday, the dangers of another terrorist strike did not keep away Afghans desperate to flee the Taliban.
    […]
    It was not only fear that trimmed the crowd at the airport Friday, what had been a constant mass since the Taliban assumed power nearly two weeks ago. Taliban fighters with Kalashnikov rifles kept people farther away from the airport’s entrance gates, guarding checkpoints with trucks and at least one Humvee.
    Flights to evacuate people already within the airport resumed soon after the bombing. But the airport itself was largely locked down on Friday.
    American and Taliban officials have been consulting for days about security around the airport, and at times cooperating to help groups gain entrance. But the bombing brought changes in the Taliban’s methods, in particular, on Friday. At its southern and eastern gates, Taliban gunmen said that almost no one was allowed to come close, and that all entrance gates were closed. Reports about any new entries to the airport at all were sparse, and unconfirmed.
    […]
    In the southwest, thousands of people have been trying to flee into Pakistan, gathering daily near the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing, the only one designated for refugees. In the west, several thousand people a day are also crossing into Iran, U.N. officials said.
    Before the Taliban takeover, about 4,000 to 8,000 people would cross the border from Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, into Chaman, Pakistan, on a typical day. Since the Taliban seized Kabul, the number has jumped threefold, according to Pakistani officials and tribal leaders.
    An official at the Pakistan ministry overseeing refugees said the government was allowing only Pakistani citizens, Afghans seeking medical treatment and people with proof of a right to refuge to cross.
    The country’s officials have said repeatedly that they will not allow new refugees to enter Pakistan’s cities. The government instead plans to establish refugee camps near the border inside Afghanistan.

  4. Blind hatred of America is just as blinkered as blind love. And we Americans should look at the situation in Afghanistan to really get some perspective about where we live.

  6. It’s an interesting way to run for prez…or to audition for veep. He and Abbott are trying to out-a-hole each other. California hopes to get in on the action by replacing Gavin Newsome with a horror show who promises to repeal mask and vax mandates before he has his first cup of tea.

    https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/27/texas-mask-mandates-greg-abbott/

    For the talent portion of the contest, Greg talks out both sides of his mouth.

    “Abbott’s legal argument — tucked into court documents in at least five lawsuits challenging his order — has prompted some lawyers representing local governments and public schools to call out the governor and Paxton for saying one thing in public and another in the courtroom.“

    “…the folks making tough decisions for our schools and communities have the right to know that,” Menefee said in a statement this week. “They shouldn’t have to fear retribution for doing the right thing — especially when our state leaders quietly concede that their threats are nothing but bluster.”

  7. From the BiD TX Trib article above:

    Gov. Greg Abbott has been embroiled in court battles with Texas cities, counties and public schools that have defied his ban on local mask mandates. But in the urban areas where those battles are being waged, the local officials Abbott needs to enforce his ban aren’t playing ball.
    Even as Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vow to punish local government and school district officials who flout the governor’s executive order, they conceded in court documents that they actually have no power to enforce the ban.

    “Neither Governor Abbott nor Attorney General Paxton will be enforcing” the order, Paxton argued in a Monday court filing in Dallas.[…]
    In a bid to convince judges to toss out those legal challenges, Abbott and Paxton claim in recent court filings that they’re not the right target because it’s up to local prosecutors to enforce Abbott’s orders.

    “The Governor’s executive orders, having the full force and effect of law, are enforceable by state and local law enforcement,” spokesperson Renae Eze said in a statement.
    […]

    By Paxton’s count, 69 school districts and 10 counties have adopted mask orders. He has threatened several school districts with lawsuits if they don’t drop them.

    “In public, the Attorney General has said he can enforce [Abbott’s executive order],” David Campbell, a lawyer representing several school districts with mask mandates, said in an email. “But in some court filings, the Attorney General has said the opposite. So, which is it?”
    […]
    Abbott’s order, and local officials’ lawsuits challenging it, have created a confusing morass of legal maneuvers and decisions. Often, a local mask order will win favor with lower court judges, only to be struck down — at least temporarily — by the state Supreme Court. Then, a lower court will reinstate the mandate — and the cycle starts again.

    After the Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked Bexar County’s order mandating masks in public schools, District Attorney Joe Gonzales said he won’t prosecute school districts that adopt mask mandates anyway — pointing to the fact that the Texas Education Agency isn’t enforcing Abbott’s ban.

    “I understand that this litigation has been confusing for public officials, administrators and, most importantly, the public,” Gonzales said in a statement. “Rest assured that we are working tirelessly to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

    I have this image in my mind of Abbott and Paxton dressed as Bozo and Ronald McDonald walking into a bank with one of those guns with a big “BANG!!” Flag that pops out yelling “Everyone on the ground or we’ll shoot!” and all the tellers laughing and clapping in response.

  8. Not sure what is going on at cnn but there must be some yelling between desks.  During the last several weeks the website was covered with several anti-Biden scribbles, then the exodus of people from Afghanistan.  Last night was the real center piece, Mid-headline bold title that was solid anti-Biden.  I was getting ready to post about how far right cnn had turned.  Now, I cannot find any of those anti-Biden screeds.  Hmm?

  10. Blue

    MSNBC has been going through an Anti-Biden spell as well that now seems to have toned down.  Maybe management was trying to siphon off whatever moderate viewers Fox may still have left.

    Patd

    Bill Mahar did a bit on California last night as well.  I can’t believe Newsome is only a shade above 50% in the election recall (within the margin of error).  Most of it being over homelessness, taxes, real estate prices all things out of control of the governor.  I guess he is supposed to machine gun anyone sleeping on the street.  Guess what happens when you put 40 million human beings in a place with resources for 20 million?

     

     

  11. now that’s what i call ecumenical

    Harvard University’s new chief chaplain is … an atheist | Harvard University | The Guardian

    Harvard University, originally founded with a mission to educate clergymen in order to minister to New England’s early Puritan colonists, has a new chief chaplain. His name is Greg Epstein – and he is an atheist.Epstein, author of Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe, has been the university’s humanist chaplain since 2005 before being unanimously elected by his fellow campus chaplains as the university chaplains organization’s new president, the New York Times reported.
    […]
    As Harvard University’s new chief chaplain, Epstein will coordinate activities of over 40 chaplains from more than 20 different religious, spiritual and ethical traditions.
    [continues]

    Image result for Atheist Humor

  12. the hill:

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) has disabled a website that had reportedly been used since April by a wing of the Islamic State to promote propaganda, including praise of the deadly suicide attack Thursday at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. 
    The Washington Postinitially reported on the website used byNida-e-Haqq, an Islamic State media group that promotes content in the Urdu language widely spoken in Pakistan, as well as parts of Afghanistan. 
    Amazon spokesman Casey McGee told the Post on Friday that “(F)ollowing an investigation, we have disabled a website that was linked to this app as it was in violation of the AWS Acceptable Use Policy.” 
    Under the policy, domains under AWS may not use the platform to “threaten, incite, promote, or actively encourage violence, terrorism, or other serious harm,” or “for any illegal or fraudulent activity,” among other prohibited actions. 
    [continues]

    too bad that policy can’t be applied to Fox News

  14. I’ve stopped watching cable news.  IMO, even Rachel Maddow has become unwatchable.  It’s the left’s chance to punish Biden for daring to be a moderate.  Jesuuuuus…. get a clue.
     
    Craig… it must pain you to see the state you call home become such a joke.  

  15. ‘No one has money.’ Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s banking system is imploding

     
    https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/27/economy/afghanistan-bank-crisis-taliban/index.html
     
    This headline points to a real big problem for them , namely a brain drain . 
    They went from foreign aid coming in,  to  $10 Billion in assets frozen overnight. 
    One has to wonder how many Taliban fighters know how to run a water treatment plant, or  maintain a cell phone network. 
     

  16. pad – Today in 2005 is when I walked to the front door of the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross and became a volunteer.  Katrina, Rita and Wilma those names are etched deep into ARC history.  The first was a massive disaster made worse by a president who was the village idiot and would not recognize how bad it was and made decisions that were flat out counter useful.  Then Rita came in just a little west in LA and TX, that made things worse because it caused the refugees from Katrina to need to move again.  And to wrap the season Wilma chugged across Florida causing damage that made refugees from Katrina and Rita to once again move.  I have so many memories and stories of that year that will be with me forever.
     
    Back to the topic.  Red Cross and FEMA along with other groups, church or local, had never dealt with the size of disaster.  We learned a lot.  One was that anti-everything people will latch onto any little piece that went wrong and make it the story.  Yes there was a group on contractors, not Red Cross, who were skimming the credit cards we hand out.  Not the story of Katrina where we worked to help millions of people instantly.  Yes, there was something about the Red Cross board president, but that is not the story of how we helped millions of people from south Texas all along the Gulf to the tip of Florida.  Yes FEMA was at times a mess, but they got their act together and then became a competent government agency, until dismantled.  But that is not the story of how we all came together and saved lives, sometimes in little ways and sometimes in major ways. 
     
    Right now Red Cross and others are preparing for Ida in New Orleans, and Nora in California and Arizona.  Years of practice have all of us ready to jump into action.  The difference between 2005 and 2021 is tremendous. 

  18. OM – RE: Your garden idea
    Have you thought about emailing the science and social science departments at Texas Tech? It’s such a worthy idea that I hate to see you just let it go.

  19. Jamie – To hear my relatives talk about California, it’s turning into a third-world country and they all say they’d like to leave. In other words, the demographics have shifted. They’ll never leave, except for the religious grifters who are moving to Florida.

  20. Yikes. The blue and pink models in this graphic take Hurricane Ida straight to New Orleans. Scary. Maybe outliers. Katrina was Cat 3, this one could be 4 at landfall. 

  21. Blue

    My daughter still lives in Sacramento and the last time I visited her after being out of the state for two decades, it terrified me.  When I was a in the seventh grade a teacher asked who had been born in the state and three of us in a class of 30 raised their hands.  Since 1960 the population has gone from 16 million to 40 million.  An object lesson in how to destroy paradise:  Just add people.

     

  22. I had a great-aunt and uncle who lived in Buras. The lost everything twice, during Alicia and Camille, I believe. They passed before Katrina. I remember seeing St. Rita’s nursing home flooded during Katrina and was grateful they didn’t have to live through that, because they probably wouldn’t have made it.

  23. amazing

    the hill:

    Taylor said Saturday that the U.S. evacuated 6,800 people from Kabul between early Friday morning and early Saturday morning. A total of 117,000 people have been evacuated, 5,400 of which are American citizens.

    The State Department said Saturday that nearly 300 American citizens were evacuated in the last day, while approximately 350 are still seeking to leave the country. The agency has actively communicated with another 280 individuals who self-identified as Americans in Afghanistan, but have not said whether they intend to leave the country.

  24. millions of american lives have been saved or at least made safer through massive efforts by the biden administration in its 1st 8 months,  when has any other administration comparatively done the same?  yet, potus joe is being threatened with impeachment by gopers whose former guy (whom they refused to impeach) in effect caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of u.s. citizens in his last year of office. 

    joe is also being maligned by some members of his own party as well as the media in general. what’s wrong with these people? 

  25. If you are leaving for Hurricane Ida, do it now, officials say on Saturday | Uptown Messenger new orleans:

    Hurricane Ida will be a dangerous and life-threatening storm, city, state and national public safety officials said Saturday in a mid-day briefing.
    Ida is still expected to make landfall west of New Orleans on Sunday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane.
    “If you’re leaving, which I recommend, do that now,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. “We need to make sure you are in a safe place.
    “If you stay, you need to be prepared. Prepare for damaging wind, power outages, heavy rain, tornadoes. What I’m told is that this storm in no way will be weakening, and there’s always an opportunity for the storm to strengthen.”
    Anyone who is not on the road by this evening will need to shelter in place, said Collin Arnold, the city’s homeland security director.  Tropical storm winds are expected by early Sunday.
    Preparations also need to be completed today by nightfall, officials said. That includes clearing storm drains; securing or bringing in lawn furniture, garbage cans and anything else that’s outside; and covering windows with plywood or shutters. Gather supplies — medication, food and water for three days, radio, flashlight and extra batteries — before the end of the day. Vehicles can now be moved to neutral grounds.
    “I’m imploring you to take this storm seriously,” he said. Peak wind is expected to Sunday afternoon and evening. At least 8 to 16 inches of rain are expected. A few tornadoes will be possible in passing rain bands.
    The city may not be able to respond to all 911 calls during dangerous winds or on flooded streets, officials warned. Residents are asked to call 911 for life-threatening situations only.
    The Louisiana SPCA cannot take in any more animals, officials said. Too many people have dropped off their pets ahead of the storm.
    To receive emergency alerts, sign up here or text NOLAREADY to 77295.

  26. My local animal shelter is taking in animals from Louisiana, ahead of the storm. 

  27. This morning, it was mentioned (on NPR) that Turkey does not want Afghani refugees, so they may be working with the Taliban to keep that border closed as a way out of hell. Although it sounds plausible, that’s not what’s being reported. I suppose both are possible.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/erdogan-says-no-decision-yet-taliban-request-turkish-help-airport-2021-08-27/

    “Turkey, which is part of the NATO mission, has been responsible for security at the airport for the last six years.“

    “We have not been keen on Turkey operating the airport in an atmosphere where security is provided by the Taliban, and the attacks yesterday showed this was correct.”

    We need to keep evacuating everyone who helped us. We will never be trusted/helped, again, if we don’t.

    After we’ve left, I hope we can blow up the aircraft and humvees left behind. The guns will be much easier to move and hide.

  28. https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-promises-further-strikes-against-isis-k-2021-08-28/

    “President Joe Biden on Saturday promised further strikes against the Islamic State in Afghanistan in retaliation for a deadly bombing outside Kabul airport …”

    “This strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay,” Biden said in a statement. “Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours. I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection.”

    POTUS Joe don’t play.

  29. In Oregon we have a Governor, Kate Brown, who has made the tough decisions to protect us! I am done with anyone who criticizes her!🇺🇸

  30. My (vaccinated) dad has been exposed to covid by someone who works in the nursing home he went into, but I’m told the staff is probably vaccinated.

  31. wonkette:

    According to the website for National Religious Broadcasters, they are a Christian non-profit organization that “works to protect the free speech rights of our members by advocating those rights in governmental, corporate, and media sectors, and works to foster excellence, integrity, and accountability in our membership by providing networking, educational, ministry, and relational opportunities.” Recently, they celebrated GOP Rep. Al Cutrona of Ohio’s plan to introduce a bill that would make it illegal for social media to censor users for doing things like spreading misinformation about vaccines.

    This week, they protected free speech by firing Dan Darling, their senior vice president of communications, for gently suggesting that people “talk to their doctor and really consider” getting the vaccine “just because we just don’t want to see anyone else unnecessarily die of this lethal virus” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe earlier this month.

    “One thing to think about is this idea that we are to love our neighbors and one of the things we do when we get a vaccine is we not only protect ourselves, but we also do our part to keep from spreading the virus and hurting our neighbors.” Darling said to host Joe Scarborough on the show’s August 2nd broadcast, explaining how his Christian faith inspired him to get the vaccine.

    He expressed similar sentiments in a USA Today op-ed this month:

    […]

    This was all too much for the free-speech-loving NRB, who said that Darling violated their policy of staying neutral on vaccines and gave him the choice of signing a statement admitting to having been insubordinate or losing his job. Darling chose the latter and was fired without severance.

    So, just to be clear, the NRB believes that people should not have their vaccine misinformation “censored” on Facebook, but does believe that people should be fired from their jobs without severance for disagreeing with their employers public stance on vaccines. Just like Jesus would have.

  32. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/27/politics/texas-voting-bill/index.html

    “The Texas House approved a raft of new voting restrictions Friday, as majority Republicans seeking to hold on to power in a rapidly changing state finally overcame months of delays by Democrats who said the measure will raise new barriers to the ballot box for marginalized voters.“

    “It now moves back to the state Senate to iron out minor differences with the House’s version of the bill before heading to the desk of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott,…”

    “Opponents warned that the bill would make voting harder for people of color, who often back Democrats, as well as people with disabilities…”

    “Texas Democrats are now in the same position as the party’s lawmakers in Georgia, Florida and other states that have similarly approved restrictive voting laws this year: dependent on the party’s national leaders to find a way past a Senate filibuster and enact nationwide voter protections.“

  35. OM – Even if it doesn’t get funded the way you had envisioned, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.  Put it out there and you never know what may come if it.

  36. My sister quit her job this week , so my hippie nephew  from Manitou flew in to brainstorm with them . So far,  they’ve  come up with a pot friendly RV park.  Travis has already changed jobs under this new order of things.  His father is being worked to death as a manger , because he can’t hire food workers. 
    Months ago here , I pointed out that like the one in 1347 , this plague would re-order the labor markets. 
    The GOP has assumed that we would all go back to being vassals .  Turns out they were wrong . 
    I will see them tomorrow , and I’m taking one of the best ideas I ever had.  4 parts made from 1 1/2 ”  schedule 40 PVC pipe. 
     

  48. A word about Dire Straits
     
    We were drilling South  of Nephi. Utah .  In the winter .  I-17  ended just South of town .  Every morning we drove down that 2 lane road in the dark  on a snow packed highway .  There a was deer herd in the hundreds  that came down off the mountains  to feed on the valley floor every night.  It was a curvey  section , lots of blind spots , at the foot of the mountains. 
    We would see balls of deer rolled up with legs, and antlers  sticking out  after the 18 wheelers rolled them under their trailers.  Still steaming in the cold. 
    On the radio in the 6 man was Rod Stewart ………….. “Do You Think I’m Sexy?” and “The Sultans of Swing” .
     
     

  50. A stampede to Austin is underway ,  there ain’t  no water there. 
    The same thing in AZ , 
    This frenzy  to these places  has a real “Boomtown”  thinking about it. 
    If you want to see a real “Boomtown” , see Austin, Nevada.  Mark Twain  wrote about it .  When I was there , it was the worlds largest fire hazard. 
    And it had no water. 

  51. We are all talking about leaving my company.  We do this quietly, in twos and threes.   However, we hear that former coworkers are feeling the same about their various companies. There will be too few doing too much for too little until we all force their hand. I’d like to run an arts program for rural kids. Rural kids get no attention when it comes to arts programs. If not for PBS and church-funded trip to NYC and DC when I was in high school (for a symposium on world hunger), I don’t know where I’d be now.

  54. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/28/economy/china-japan-korea-youth-intl-dst-hnk/index.html

    “…getting tired of the fierce competition for college and jobs, and the relentless rat race once they get hired.”

    They’re now embracing a new philosophy they’ve called “tang ping,” or “lying flat.”

    “I will not marry, buy a house or have children, I will not buy a bag or wear a watch,” the “lying flat manifesto” read. “I will slack off at work … I am a blunt sword to boycott consumerism.”

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