Rand Paul is a hypocrite

He wants federal relief for Kentucky (which is appropriate) but voted against relief for other areas hurt by weather events.

We must help Kentucky and the other states brutalized by tornadoes this weekend.

However always remember, this is who Rand Paul is when it’s your state hit with a disaster.

pic.twitter.com/DLbcRrv1Y0
— Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) December 12, 2021

CNN's @JohnAvlon Ridicules Rand Paul Seeking Federal Aid After Blocking It for Other Disasters: 'Socialism For Me but Not For Thee' https://t.co/BbvgS8IH1w
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) December 13, 2021

Thank you @POTUS for your rapid approval of Kentucky’s Major Disaster Declaration. Our entire congressional delegation came together to support @GovAndyBeshear’s request. I appreciate the Administration’s quick work to speed resources to help deal with this crisis. pic.twitter.com/3rBPGcDMmK
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) December 13, 2021

Fox presented this statement from Rand Paul before airing his interview complaining about “conditioning the American individual to submit to government” pic.twitter.com/VHIvnSFraG
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 12, 2021

I remember the Picturephone

The Picturephone was a big deal at the 1964 World’s Fair which I went to several times. Unfortunately, it never caught on with the public. Of course, now we can use our cell phones and computers as picturephones. The old one looks primitive but it sure seemed futuristic then.

April 20, 1964: Picturephone Dials Up First Transcontinental Video Call

Did you know that video phones were first introduced by AT&T in 1964 at the World's Fair?! pic.twitter.com/6GY9Gg9zQy
— Hollywood Horror Museum (@horrormuseum) June 9, 2023

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGrxhLkRs6N/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Covers: Prisoner of Love

Here’s another song covered by James Brown. The original version of “Prisoner of Love” was recorded in 1931. Brown’s version was released in 1963.

Anti-vaccine advocates are wrong

They’re doing bizarre stuff like trying to undo the vaccine.

Republicans eager to buck vaccine mandates have embraced the argument that immunity from earlier infections should be enough to earn an exemption. Scientists says vaccines offer a more consistent level of protection for people who have had COVID-19.https://t.co/3FFIDu1RhV
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 21, 2021

Florida Gov. DeSantis signs several anti-vaccine mandate bills into law. https://t.co/L7gfoKU2P9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 18, 2021

and there’s this:

Baking soda and epsom salt baths take covid misinformation to a new level. @uche_blackstock talks to @kendisgibson and @lindseyreiser about the new push by anti-vaxxers to "detox" their vaccines. pic.twitter.com/F4dYIOGAKA
— MSNBC Reports: Weekends (@MSNBCweekends) November 13, 2021

New (and a particularly wild one) from me + @BrandyZadrozny :

Anti-vaxxers are caving to mandates and getting the shot.

Then they're scrambling to "undo" it by drawing blood, cupping, or… bathing in Borax.

It doesn't work. They're still vaccinated.https://t.co/95ctZ6YTGT
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) November 12, 2021

In my latest, I investigate the unproven and dangerous 'de-vaccination' treatments sweeping social media.

I found blood letting, electric shocks and toxic bleach offered as ways to purge the COVID vaccine from the human body (1) https://t.co/N893PvjdrH
— Tom Porter (@Finneganporter) November 26, 2021

“The other contagion”: Covid misinformation and vaccine-bashing from pundits like Tucker Carlson has radicalized a wave of parents into rejecting ordinary childhood immunizations and vaccines they previously accepted — with potentially lethal consequences. https://t.co/geSnRcE6p8
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 26, 2022

The #polio outbreak in NY has #antivaxxers celebrating, spreading lies, and generally happy.https://t.co/EIR6UYw0Xd
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 17, 2022

A story about anti-vaccine harassment:

I spent 30 minutes on the phone with an important person in the community who runs a highly regarded non-profit health organization. I asked them to endorse polio vaccination messaging.

They refused.

I couldn’t understand it.
— Blimi Marcus DNP RN (@MarcusBlimi) August 18, 2022

Republicans blocking confirmation of Biden appointees

They’re willing to hurt the US to make Biden look bad

The Biden administration has struggled to fill key State Department positions, in part because three Republican senators have stalled the confirmation process: @SenTedCruz, @HawleyMO, and @marcorubio.
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) November 17, 2021

Your morning reminder that Senate Republicans are blocking the confirmation of our NATO and EU Ambassadors so as to deliberately hamper global security.

Why? Because they believe global instability will hurt Biden, and hurting Biden is all that matters. https://t.co/2xZC5W6S22
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 14, 2021

.@SenTedCruz @HawleyMO & @marcorubio harming America & our critical national security interests by blocking the confirmation of US ambassadors to important posts around the world, including China. Differences of opinion are healthy but self-sabotage isn't. https://t.co/KMGup9pqj5
— Jamie Metzl (@JamieMetzl) November 17, 2021

Amid Republican blockade, just 9%, of Biden's ambassador nominees have been confirmed by the Senate compared with 77% for Obama at this point in his tenure and 70% for Trump. ⁦@CMcBinDC⁩ https://t.co/0Ni4wOAZvf
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) November 11, 2021

It is not an exaggeration to say that Little Marco Rubio, by putting holds on key ambassadorships to China and Spain, is undermining America's national security for crass political gain. Shameful.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) November 17, 2021

Biden agenda is popular

President Biden proposed a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure plan to be spent on roads, bridges and trains, internet access, power grid improvements, and clean energy projects …

Support 65%
Oppose 31%

(Monmouth U. Poll, 11/4-8/21)

1/2
— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) November 10, 2021

New Poll: Americans Approve of Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill By 23 Points https://t.co/Tny6HPagLV via @mediaite
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) November 10, 2021

.@MaddowBlog: Americans support President Biden's Build Back Better agenda. Democrats will not benefit from abandoning their own popular plans. https://t.co/WV5XDts4o4
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 10, 2021

Kareen Abdul-Jabbar criticizes Aaron Rodgers on TV

Abdul-Jabbar is brilliant and correct.

"What Colin Kaepernick did was make a peaceful protest at the beginning of an NFL game. He did not endanger anyone's life," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says.

"What Aaron Rodgers has done is totally beyond the pale … It's shameful what he did." pic.twitter.com/vzaYn3Sf9p
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 9, 2021

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says there’s “a double standard” when it comes to Aaron Rodgers and Colin Kaepernick:

“His lack of responsibility … shows a lack of moral character that can’t be ignored.” pic.twitter.com/DBWD60iSFx
— The Recount (@therecount) November 9, 2021

Aaron Rodgers didn’t just lie he also damaged professional sports https://t.co/dcqdEPIpDo
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) November 8, 2021

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s college record at UCLA:

National Championships: 3

Losses: 2 pic.twitter.com/zyDzsJzjlX
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) November 27, 2022

More on potential right-wing violence

Menace–meaning violence, threats and harassment–is the illegitimate weapon of a political party that is losing the ability to persuade large segments of the electorate through ideas and reason. Emphasizing the bully, abandoning the pulpit. https://t.co/NWBhHnbbvL
— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 13, 2021

via ⁦@llerer⁩ and ⁦@AsteadWesley⁩, when “fight back!” morphs into threats of violence https://t.co/lSMUT6q5kt
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 12, 2021

The level of violence humming barely below the surface of our politics is intensifying. https://t.co/iWhpSrS2Da
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) November 9, 2021

https://t.co/j7oCDErIIi pic.twitter.com/6GUb8nxN1K
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 9, 2021

Domestic extremists pushing violence against Congress, school and health officials, DHS bulletin says https://t.co/Eq4sTf0iQ9
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) November 10, 2021

as far as I can tell, this is all right-wing extremists but they’re too cowardly to say that

Rep. Fred Upton received this threatening voicemail because he was among the group of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure bill pic.twitter.com/97qv2VeYTk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 10, 2021

Desperate, angry, destructive: How Americans morphed into a mob. via @rachelweinerwp @hsu_spencer @TomJackmanWP @SahanaJayaraman https://t.co/cVmVzkf7bv
— Spencer Hsu (@hsu_spencer) November 9, 2021

"The GOP needs to take responsibility… The steady stream of incitement translates to things like a poll showing that 30% of Republicans believe that violence might be needed to save the United States."

In this #RealityCheck, @JohnAvlon examines the "dangerously extreme" GOP pic.twitter.com/IXONRwTJHG
— New Day (@NewDay) November 9, 2021

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has received multiple death threats in the days since he voted for President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, with the overwhelming majority of the calls coming from outside the congressman’s district. https://t.co/4jGTWpavwi
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 10, 2021

The 13 House Republicans who broke with their party leaders and voted for President Biden's infrastructure bill last week have been flooded threats from their colleagues and constituents. https://t.co/26o1XkHuzA
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 11, 2021

It's important to recognize that Trump's self-serving and short-sighted defense of the "hang Mike Pence" protesters is simply part of a pattern of rationalizing threats and violence on the right.https://t.co/jAzCtOKYpc
— Philip Bump (@pbump) November 12, 2021

"One of the nation’s two major political parties appears increasingly tolerant of at least some persistent level of violence in American discourse, or at least willing to turn a blind eye to it." via @colvinj https://t.co/1Exoi8kHCt
— Michael Tackett (@tackettdc) November 12, 2021

>> @chrislhayes is correct: "A central fact about American life right now is that when Donald Trump or his associated right-wing propagandists set their sights on you, then you immediately have a security problem. It's just, like, a law of gravity." pic.twitter.com/tweExbCdE5
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 12, 2021

100 Best Film Noirs from Paste

I think their top 10 is excellent but I would put Out of the Past (their #7) as #1. I would also move The Big Heat (#24) , Night and the City (#28) and especially Criss Cross (#32) up on the list.

PASTE magazine did a Top 100 Film Noir and put one starring @VHopeful's grandma at #1!
WE WIN!https://t.co/U6JYq9Ij9x
— Ted Hope (@TedHope) November 5, 2016

updated 11 2024

Happy Noirvember: Surely we're all ready to embrace the darkness of this wicked season at this point, so you might as well do it like a film geek with our list of the 100 best film noirs of all time: https://t.co/1tYpv46XCU #filmnoir #noirvember #cinema
— Paste Magazine (@PasteMagazine) November 7, 2024

Gerrymandering in Tennessee

#NEW: Tennessee's congressional map has passed the TN House (70-26) and the TN Senate (26-5).

The redistricting plan now heads to Gov. Bill Lee for approval. https://t.co/wPTnXs3Tnu pic.twitter.com/U5VZ7UASHB
— The Redistrict Network (@RedistrictNet) January 25, 2022

Tennessee redistricting: state House voted 70-26 to pass congressional map with 3-way split of Davidson County (Nashville). State Senate passed it 26-5 last week. #tn05 pic.twitter.com/xTTqXgrVNd
— Greg Giroux (@greggiroux) January 25, 2022

Breaking: per two TN sources, Republicans are proceeding w/ drafting a redistricting plan that would carve up Nashville, likely dooming #TN05 Rep. Jim Cooper (D) and converting current 7R-2D map into 8R-1D.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) September 9, 2021