Republican officials all over the country are taking desperate measures to suppress the vote of fellow citizens who don't share their views.
Generations of great Republicans, led by Abraham Lincoln, are turning over in their graves because of these actions. The question is how the living will respond.
A long-time colleague all the way back to our Michigan Daily days, Walter Shapiro, voices the hope that people will be sufficiently outraged to turn out in high enough numbers to defeat the GOP in the midterm elections next year.
For the sake of our democracy, I hope Walter is right.
Because what is happening is scary.
What we all have to remember, and never forget, is the context for all this: Trump is the candidate who tried to steal the 2020 election, not Biden. When he failed to do so, he gave an incendiary speech that helped incite the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th to prevent the Congress from certifying the result.
These actions were unprecedented in our country's history. They cannot be allowed to occur again.
Trump remains, seething with resentment in his exile in Florida. According to various reports, he is obsessed with the misguided recount effort by Republicans in Arizona, and hopes similar interventions occur in other states. He also apparently believes the QAnon fantasies that he will be returning to office in August.
Well, if you'll buy that, I've got some ocean front property in Arizona...
***
The government's declassified report on UFOs is not yet public, but former officials who know what is in it, including Barack Obama, are speaking out.
The message is there are objects flying around in our atmosphere that we cannot explain. they maneuver in ways human aircraft cannot handle and accelerate at speeds we can't obtain.
For the first time in a long time, these reports are not being dismissed as the fantasies of quacks. Experienced Navy fighter pilots are among the witnesses, not the kind of folks given to making stuff up.
I don't think I ever thought the time would come in my lifetime that extraterrestrial life would be confirmed, and to be clear, it has not to date.
But it may be one of these days. And this is *not* my ocean front property in Arizona talking...
***
The news:
* Facebook to end exception made for politicians who break hate speech rules -- The change is part of a series of responses to the Facebook Oversight Board’s ruling on former president Donald Trump and comes after years of criticism that the company was too deferential to powerful figures during Trump’s time in the White House. (WP)
* Exclusive: J.P. Morgan resumes political giving, freezes out Republicans who contested 2020 election (Reuters)
* An enormous missing contribution to global warming may have been right under our feet -- A new study finds a large, previously unknown contribution to climate change through human conversion of peatlands for agriculture. (WP)
* U.S. Finds No Evidence of Alien Technology in Flying Objects, but Can’t Rule It Out, Either (NYT)
* National Review Confirms ‘Startling’ Report On Trump’s Current Grasp Of Reality--The former president reportedly believes he’s returning to the White House this summer... and that’s not all. (National Review)
* Facebook says Trump now suspended until at least January 2023 (CNN)
* In a concession made to try and gain Republican support, President Joe Biden has proposed instituting a minimum corporate tax of 15% on infrastructure projects, instead of raising the corporate tax to 28%. It's not clear whether Republicans will go for Biden's new offer or if there will be another counter-proposal. [HuffPost]
* Hong Kong locks down Tiananmen vigil park amid tight security, arrests organizer (Reuters)
* Hundreds show up around Hong Kong park despite vigil ban (AP)
* Taiwan will never forget China’s Tiananmen crackdown, says president (Reuters)
* For Years, Netanyahu Outlasted His Rivals. What Changed This Week? (NYT)
* Palestinian support for Hamas surges after its confrontation with Israel (WP)
* Egypt sends building equipment to begin Gaza reconstruction (Reuters)
* Jerusalem evictions that fueled Gaza war could still happen (AP)
* The White House announced plans to distribute at least 80 million surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses via the global COVAX partnership and by sharing them directly to countries in need. As demand drops around the country, the U.S. faces increasing pressure to share more of its vaccine stockpile. [HuffPost]
* Taiwan gets vaccine boost from U.S., Japan (WP)
* During The Pandemic Lockdown, Traffic Deaths Soared To The Highest Level In 13 Years -- Safety regulators say a 7% spike in deaths last year, the biggest increase in 13 years, may have come from drivers speeding and taking other risks on less-congested roads. (NPR)
* Hundreds of abandoned cats live on a deserted Brazilian island. The pandemic has only made it worse. -- The coronavirus crisis in Brazil has left pet owners unable to tend to their animals — an emblem of the region’s crisis and a global pandemic trend. (WP)
* Why Doing Good Is No Longer Bad Business --The focus on environmental, social and governance changes at America’s biggest companies is a response to demand from consumers and investors (WSJ)
* German competition authority launches probe into Google's news showcase (Reuters)
* EU, UK investigate Facebook over classified ad competition (AP)
* The U.S. should swear off drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge once and for all (Editorial Board/WP)
* Biden Administration Moves to Restore Protections for Endangered Wildlife --The safeguards for endangered animals and plants that were loosened under former President Donald Trump, which had triggered lawsuits from environmental groups. (WSJ)
* To Offset Climate Change, Scientists Tout City Trees and Ultra-White Paint (WSJ)
* Congress Takes Field Trip To Goldman Sachs To Learn How Laws Get Made (The Onion)
***
"Ocean Front Property"
Song by George Strait
Songwriters: Dean Dillon / Royce Porter / Hank Cochran
I won't miss you
And I won't ever take you back
Girl, your memory
Won't ever haunt me
'Cause I don't love you
And now if you'll buy that
From my front porch, you can see the sea
I've got some ocean front property in Arizona
If you'll buy that, I'll throw the Golden Gate in free
The ground you walk on
I never have, and that's a fact
I won't follow or try to find you
'Cause I don't love you
Now if you'll buy that
From my front porch, you can see the sea
I've got some ocean front property in Arizona
If you'll buy that, I'll throw the Golden Gate in free
From my front porch, you can see the sea
I've got some ocean front property in Arizona
If you'll buy that, I'll throw the Golden Gate in free
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