Dial down

Lots of snow across southern Michigan today. It started at perhaps 3 AM last night and is still going. Early forecasts were for 3-5 inches, then 6-10, then 8-12. Most schools declared a snow day, some doing that before the first flakes fell. Many evening events have been canceled (like the one I have a ticket for). Others are proceeding with various policies for those who don’t want to brave the roads. I haven’t been out yet, so haven’t measured accumulation. Why shovel while show is still falling? (A friend said, “Why shovel? It will be gone by May!”)

That means I can watch the Olympic opening ceremonies on TV tonight.

While waiting for that, a few things to share:

Alex Bertulis Fernande says she was told by an art teacher to “dial down the feminism.” She shared a picture of her latest art: a dial with two settings – “raging feminist” and “complicit in my own dehumanisation.”



On Wednesday House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi gave a speech in the House. For eight hours (in heels!) she read stories about Dreamers, people who came to America as children and whose status is threatened by the nasty guy and the GOP. This now holds the record as the longest continuous speech in the House. Thank you, Ms Pelosi. I heard Speaker Paul Ryan finally consented to hold a debate on immigration.



Melissa McEwan of Shakesville has a post about three items that are part of our ongoing constitutional crisis:

* Senator Tim Kaine (Hillary Clinton’s running mate) is trying to get the release of a memo outlining the nasty guy’s interpretation of his legal authority to wage war.

* The Government Ethics Office has blessed a Patriot Legal Expense Fund to pay the legal bills of those under investigation. The source of the money going into this fund? Campaign donors… money left over from the inauguration… foreign agents defending traitors… the usual. The name implies if you aren’t defending against an investigation you aren’t a patriot. Yeesh.

* To do much of anything in the White House a person needs a security clearance. Yet dozens of people – such as Jared Kushner, the nasty guy’s son-in-law and top advisor – are still working with temporary clearances (if they have one at all) that are supposed to be used for only 3 months. One reason why a security clearance may not be given is the applicant has shown to be dishonest. Another reason might be their rich and have complicated businesses. Neither is all that compatible with democracy.



Jeanette Manfra, head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Russians tried to penetrate voter registration rolls in 21 states and were successful in a small number of them. So what is being done to protect the 2018 elections from Russian meddling? Um…



I wrote about Adam Rippon, gay figure skater, and his trip to the Olympics. Rippon saw that the vice nasty guy is the head of the USA delegation to the games and strongly objected. He said this vice character is well known for his strong anti-LGBTQ stance, even funding debunked gay conversion therapy. Rippon also said he would refuse to attend a post-games celebration at the White House. Gay skier Gus Kenworthy agreed that having the vice lead the delegation is a “bad fit.”

The office of the vice nasty guy called Rippon’s comments totally false (“fake news!”), claiming the vice supports all US athletes. The man asked Rippon to set up a meeting. Rippon declined until after the games.

The vice’s homophobia has a long and well documented history. Rippon was smart to decline.

But think of it this way. Rippon is trying to do all the necessary physical and mental preparations for competing on the world stage, with the added effort of doing it as an out gay man. And the vice nasty guy wants to play mind games.