23 thoughts on “Peaking Too Early?”

  1. john on some who’ve gone over the edge of peaksville

    John Oliver Debunks the Right’s Weirdest Anti-Trans Conspiracy Yet (thedailybeast.com)

    […]
    “More people do seem comfortable coming out as trans and gender nonconforming, which is great. But, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed, in the past few years some on the right have truly lost their minds about trans rights, perhaps best encapsulated by their favorite new joke,” said Oliver.
    The HBO host then cut to a montage of conservatives saying their pronouns are everything from “conservative” to “USA,” culminating with a clip of Ted Cruz, perhaps the biggest blowhard in Congress, saying, “I’m Ted Cruz, and my pronoun is ‘kiss my ass.’”
    Oliver proceeded to explain that more than 100 anti-trans bills have been introduced in U.S. statehouses over the past year, while 12 states have signed or enacted them, “with all of this happening against a backdrop of violence and threats, including attacks and harassment aimed at hospitals providing gender-affirming care to youth.”
    Anti-trans bigots like Abigail Shrier have even started inventing terms like “rapid onset gender dysphoria” to describe the rise in trans youths.
    “As for the rapid rise in kids identifying as trans, as the writer Julia Serano has pointed out, when you look at a chart of left-handedness among Americans in the 20th century, you see a massive spike when we stopped forcing kids to write with their right hand, and then a plateau,” explained Oliver. “That doesn’t mean everyone became left-handed, or that there was a rapid onset southpaw dysphoria. It means people were free to be who they fucking were.”
    “And, to the extent that some young people are just exploring their gender identity, how exactly is that a bad thing? Who the fuck are they hurting?” asked Oliver. “Watching the conversation around this, it is hard not to feel like, to the extent that there is any social contagion here, it is among adults who have whipped themselves into such a frenzy that they can find themselves repeating some humiliating nonsense.”
    The “stupidest” of which, according to Oliver, is a new talking point from right-wingers about kids who are apparently so confused about their identity that they think they’re cats and dogs, and are using litter boxes in classrooms. This, of course, is a ridiculous hoax that’s been spread by right-wing lawmakers and amplified by Joe Rogan’s podcast.
    “The fact that you seem to genuinely think that that’s happening is just heartbreakingly stupid,” exclaimed Oliver. “Because when you think about it for literally two seconds, the whole thing falls apart. For one, if kids were using litter boxes in class, a state representative from Minnesota would not be the one breaking that news from you. You would have fucking heard about it. If a kid shat in a litter box in first period, it would be the only thing anyone in that state was talking about by lunch.”

  3. BTW, behind the badge mystery answered (well, maybe)

    the hill:

    […]
    Walker told NBC’s Kristen Welker that he has badges from counties across Georgia.
    “This is from my hometown. This is from Johnson County from the sheriff from Johnson County, which is a legit badge,” Walker said, showing Welker the badge. “If anything happened in this county, I have the right to work with the police in getting things done.”
    “People don’t know that I’ve been working with law enforcement for years,” he added. “I do training programs … I do health and wellness programs. I visit prisons.”
    Asked if the badge deputized him with arresting powers, Walker admitted it was an “honorary badge.”
    “But they can call me whenever they want me and I have the authority to do things for them,” the Senate candidate said.
    […]
    Walker has repeatedly claimed he trained as an FBI Agent in Quantico, Va., and that he has worked directly with the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.
    The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported in June that Walker has never been a certified officer or FBI agent and that Cobb County has no record backing up Walker’s claims.
    The Johnson County sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook that Walker was made an honorary sheriff’s deputy for his “dedication to law enforcement and commitment to public safety.”
    “Hershel is one of the best ambassadors for law enforcement in this country,” the statement said, adding that Sheriff Greg Rowland endorsed Walker’s Senate run.
    [continues]

  8. The elections in some areas are so close that I’m genuinely worried about “It’s the economy stupid”.  The Democrats aren’t doing a good job at admitting this is real but that it is a global problem, and the US is doing better than the other countries around the world.  

    The Fed raising interest rates is really hurting credit card holders and anyone with adjustable interest on loans. Given the causes of inflation this time around, this may be a mistake.  

    In any case, the economy is temporary.  The potential loss of our democracy is much longer term.  The Democrats need to get angry and do a better job of explaining that. 

  9. checking in on how it’s going with fetterman

    wapo:

    WALLINGFORD, Pa. — A few minutes into his rally, John Fetterman told the crowd he wanted to address the “elephant in the room.”
    “I had a stroke, you all know that,” the Democratic Senate nominee said here Saturday. “I gotta give a loco — excuse me — local shout out to Penn Medicine for saving my life.”
    Fetterman, 53, explained that sometimes he stumbles over his words and has “auditory processing” issues. He asked rallygoers to raise their hand if they or someone they love had dealt with a serious health issue. Nearly every hand went up.
    Since he suffered a stroke in May days before the primary, Fetterman and his allies have sought to make his recovery a lesson in empathy. The campaign has shared messages from people who say Fetterman inspired them to prioritize their own health. After his event Saturday, Fetterman knelt and spoke with a woman in a wheelchair who had also suffered a stroke.
    […]
    After speaking for more than 20 minutes without a teleprompter here Saturday, Fetterman came into the crowd to shake hands and pose for selfies with supporters, smiling and nodding as he moved between them. When he saw Mary Battle, 70, an Air Force veteran who fixed jets during the Vietnam War, in a wheelchair, he knelt down to her level. She had a mini-stroke three months ago, she said. She gifted him miniature guardian angel charms to watch over him.
    “So, I know where he’s coming from,” Battle said. “I know how hard it is to get the words to come together right, so I’m totally in sync with him.”
    Earlier in the day, Fetterman made brief remarks at a health-care union rally in North Philadelphia. When he stumbled over the word “workforce,” a woman yelled out, “Take your time, baby.”
    Zelma Carroll, 55, a certified nursing assistant, said, in her opinion, he looked physically weakened but mentally strong.
    “I honestly think he’s taking every strength he has to come here,” she said. “He showed up for us. He knows his purpose.”
    Still ahead is a live, in-person debate between Fetterman and Oz set for Oct. 25. Fetterman plans to use a closed-caption system during the debate, as he has during recent interviews, to compensate for his auditory issues. Disability advocates said those type of accommodations should be normalized rather than viewed as a detriment.
    […]
    Other politicians, such as former senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D-Md.), have had strokes of varying degrees of severity, but all returned to work.
    Kirk faced a grueling recovery, returning to the Senate in early 2013, about a year after his stroke. He later lost his 2016 reelection bid to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who was a House member at the time. In an interview Friday, Duckworth said that she did not focus on Kirk’s stroke during her campaign against him and that he remained effective until his last day in office. She said the focus on Fetterman’s stroke recovery is concerning, because accommodations are made for other lawmakers on a routine basis.
    [… article discusses others accommodated …]
    At the Saturday rally, where raised hands affirmed attendees’ experience with major health challenges, Fetterman told the crowd, “I certainly hope that you did not have a doctor in your life making fun of it or telling you that you aren’t able to work or fit to serve.”

  10. ROE will get women to the polls. 

    It should get men there, too, because guess who will have to help with child support.   It’s your personal economy, stupid. 

    Alito is the best thing going for Dems.  

    The larger economy is in the global dumpster, but corporations/higher ups are making big money.  It’s not Biden’s fault. I would argue that if Orange Adolf had done more (or anything even remotely science-y), we would be in a better position.   However, things still would be a mess because of supply chain issues, greed (charging $20k for a shipping container instead of $5k), and, tRUMP’s “genius” buddy’s war on Ukraine.  

    It should be really easy.  If you love our democracy and want to continue to have a say in your own life, vote Dem.   

    If you are a racist and a fascist, go eff yourself, because a vote for the GQP effs us all.

  12. Jennifer Rubin or Alexandra Petri – you make the call:

    The mainstream media persist in portraying unfit Republican candidates as normal and the midterms as an ordinary clash of policy differences. As New York University’s media guru Jay Rosen put iton Twitter, “Election coverage begins by positing the existence of two parties operating in roughly the same way, but with different ideologies. That picture is the foundation, on top of which consensus practices rest.” He adds, “With the foundation now in ruins, the practices are snapping and breaking.”
     

    Put differently, voters can get a more exact picture of the election from “Saturday Night Live.”  
     

    Coverage of Herschel Walker’s shambolic debate performance on Friday provides a clear example. Mainstream media “takeaways” mostly portrayed the event as clashes on abortion, inflation, President Biden and Medicaid. Walker beat expectations, some reported. He helped himself!
     
    What debate were they watching? Surely, the event’s significance boiled down to Walker’s decision to defend his claim to have worked for law enforcement by holding upan honorary police badge, which has no official significance, and declaring, “I am work with many police officers.”
     
    The devastating moment should have been thestory coming out of the debate, as SNL’s “Weekend Update” recognized. The parody newscast captured just how bizarre the moment was, and unlike many in the media, highlighted Walker’s inability to put a simple sentence together. The same could be said of social media, where the stunt quickly became a meme.
    ***

    And Renee – nice catch on the phrase.

  13. upon 1st reading hill headline thought they were reporting a new GOPer campaign store featuring some recycled old stuffed elephants: 

    Toys ‘R’ Us officially open in Macy’s department stores across America

    See the source image

     

  17. Ha! Abutt  trying to get the Hispanic vote with an from his niece saying she calls him, “Tio Greg.”   Nothing about his record.  An ad devoid of any substance.

  18. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/middleeast/iran-school-children-protests-mime-intl/index.html

    “Salute, commander,” goes the song. “I’m a child, but the life of my family and I, all belongs to you.” In a music video published on Iranian media, thousands of young boys and veiled girls are seen singing in unison to a live performance of the song.

    “Critics decried the song as an attempt to indoctrinate children and instill in them loyalty for the Islamic Republic.”

    “School children are protesting their leaders on an unprecedented scale that may prove difficult to contain, say experts. In videos on social media and seen by CNN, more protests now involve school children.”

    “The government has said it is sending underaged protesters to mental health centers.”

    “They don’t provide psychological and psychosocial support for the kids,” Raeesi told CNN, but rather “brainwash” them and often intimidate or threaten them. “They come out worse than when they entered.”

  19. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/tech/kanye-west-ye-parler/index.html

    “Kanye West is acquiring Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by many conservatives.”

    “The acquisition comes after West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, had his account temporarily locked by Twitter this month over an antisemitic tweet.”

    “It also highlights how a small group of wealthy men, some of whom were banned or suspended themselves for incendiary remarks, are looking to own social media platforms in an effort to bolster what they call “free speech.”

    “In the weeks following the Jan. 6 riots, Parler was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for what the companies said was a failure to adequately moderate violent rhetoric on the platform. Documents provided to the House committee investigating the Capitol riots have shown how the Secret Service was aware of posts on Parler that suggested the possibility of violence surrounding that day.”

    Boo, Ye!

    “Musk’s move to buy Twitter, if the deal goes through, also has the potential to upend Parler and similar services. Musk has repeatedly called for eliminating permanent bans and rethinking Twitter’s approach to content moderation, which could once again make the much larger platform a home for some of the users who jumped to small services like Parler.”

    Boo, Elon!

  20. https://gearjunkie.com/climbing/elnaz-rekabi-defies-iran-hijab

    “Climber Elnaz Rekabi Disappears After Defying Iran’s Hijab Law at IFSC Asia Comp”

    “The 33-year-old Iranian’s passport and mobile phone have been confiscated, and her whereabouts are unknown, according to reports.”

    “Rekabi made international news this weekend for a small but powerful decision. She competed in a climbing competition in South Korea with her hair visible. Today, Rana Rahimpour, the BBC’s World Service Lead Presenter for Iran, reported the climber had gone missing.”

    Men controlling women!

    ROE-vember is coming, here, too!

  22. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/politics/ron-johnson-law-firm-false-elector-scheme-fec-records/index.html

    “Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson’s Senate campaign has paid over $20,000 to a Wisconsin-based law firm that played a role in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state, paying the firm for “legal consulting,” including efforts for a possible recount, Federal Election Commission records show.”

    “In an interview with local conservative radio host Vicki McKenna in June, Johnson said Troupis was responsible for providing his Senate staff with a slate of fake Wisconsin electors on January 6, asking the Wisconsin Republican to deliver the slate to then-Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the congressional session that day to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.”

    “Johnson has drawn fire after the House select committee investigating January 6 revealed in June that an aide to the senator attempted to hand-deliver the false slate of electors to Pence, but was rebuffed by the vice president’s staff.”

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