Been hearing that people need to cut down on watering lawns and such in our Western states? A Vox video (running time: five minutes, 54 seconds) instructs us that won’t do much to alleviate water issues in the West. Key finding: 86% of water use in the West goes to agricultural irrigation, and nearly a third of all water use in the West goes to growing crops that feed cattle who’ll eventually become beef. I’d bet that paying farmers to grow less is exactly as effective as its supporters say. But while I’d eat steak every day if I could, it ain’t all about me, or even all the beef-lovers across the world. The world is changing, so we've got to change.
Michael J. Nichols, currently serving life in prison for murder, “shares his top 10 tips for enduring long stretches of” time in solitary confinement. Sounds like a perverse kind of clickbait, I know, but most of it is pretty good advice even if you’re not in solitary. And though right-wingers would use this information to squeal TEH SOLITARYZ IZ NOTZ SO BADZ!!!!!, one example doesn’t obliterate all trends – one person getting six-pack abs and teaching himself to write left-handed in the SHU doesn’t change the fact that solitary confinement is damn inhumane, especially in the look-at-my-big-balls way we practice it here in America.
Ho hum, ProPublica reports on a “Custody Evaluator Who Disbelieves 90% of Abuse Allegations” who “Recommended a Teen Stay Under Her Abusive Father’s Control.” You might think someone had the idea to put this clown in charge to “reduce costs” or “offer a different perspective,” but it’s even worse than that – the state of Colorado uses privately-paid (often by families!) psychologists to evaluate a lot of custody disputes, and the state performs very little oversight. One of them says the state has “no idea what we do or how we do it,” which should remind you of bankster arguments against our attempts keep financial predators at bay. Anyway, the more you read, the more you’ll think that this Mark Kilmer (brother of Val Kilmer, I bet he’s proud!) sure is a piece of work.
I link to this Factcheck.org article containing all the information you’d ever need or want on the new Omicron-specific COVID vaccine boosters not in the hope that it will ever convince the rage-addled folks who watch Tucker Carlson’s program (or others like it) but in the hope it will convince the folks who teeter on the edge of sanity before they start watching such programs. I only minister to the redeemable; the rest I leave to God. (And when right-wing rage-heads howl that the boosters HAVEN’TZ BEENZ TESTEDZ ONZ TEH PEEPULZ!!!!!, remind them that we’ve been doing it this way for any vaccine that doesn’t change a lot, like flu shots. You may also want to ask them how our FDA’s decision to move more quickly in order to save lives differs from their conviction that we should allow anyone to take hydroxychloroquine if they want to.)
Uh oh: North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Ted Budd owns a gun shop that offers insurance to folks accused of committing crimes with their guns – and that insurance corporation has lately “clarified” that, contrary to what it had previously indicated, it would cover shooters facing “charges of domestic violence.” Sounds like a long explanation, but I’ll shorten it for you: “Ted Budd would make it easier for angry men to kill their wives, girlfriends, and children.” You’re welcome, Cheri Beasley, and don’t forget to run a few ads about ash pits as well, since North Carolingians care about that, too.
When I hear that Sen. John Cornyn (E-TX) blocked an actual bipartisan bill expanding marijuana research not long after calling for more marijuana research, I figure there must be a very good reason concerning the kinds of research ha ha ha of course not – apparently the reason is that “he’s broadly frustrated that the opposite chamber has not advanced more of his own legislation that has been sent over.” In other words, waaaaaaaah. And naturally, though this bill ain’t the MORE Act, it’d still do a not-insignificant amount of good.
Finally, pop star/accomplished flautist Lizzo, whose last two albums you should own, plays James Madison’s crystal flute at the Library of Congress – and naturally right-wingers are having a tantrum about it. Jesus Mary and Joseph when will they stop with the whining? And it’s drama, no less, since I know none of these clowns thought about the crystal flute France gave Mr. Madison as a present after he won re-election over 200 years ago for even one moment before Lizzo held it in her hands. Americans, do not give power back to these people on Election Day. Every time they open their mouth they tell you they do not deserve it.
Comments