Jim Crow returning

Lauren Floyd of Daily Kos reported on the new voter suppression law in Georgia. I didn’t follow the whole story, though I think it started as a two page bill, then at the last minute the GOP added another 90 pages of voter restrictions. It was promptly approved by the state House, dashed to the Senate and promptly approved, then dashed to the governor, who signed it in a closed door ceremony. I think I got this part right: Democrat Rep. Park Cannon demanded to be let in to observe (though since she is a black woman I doubt she would have observed quietly). Capitol police arrested her on something like interfering with government business. Jen Hayden of Kos showed an image of that closed door signing ceremony. Gov. Brian Kemp is flanked by six white men. They made sure to leave space so that over Kemp’s head there is a clear view of a painting. The painting is of Calloway Plantation, which was notorious in how it treated its slaves. When one tours the place today little is mentioned of how the slaves were treated and almost nothing is said about the jail that was built to hold unruly slaves. That ceremony is the image of Jim Crow returning. Stacey Abrams had a few things to say about this bill. A couple years ago Abrams was cheated out of being Georgia’s governor by Brian Kemp. Before and since she has been a strong advocate for black voting rights. Floyd also wrote about attempts to change policies around housing for black people. One example is in Evanston, Illinois. The tax office is now going out to homeowners behind on their property taxes rather than simply sending notices that might not be understood by seniors with dementia. The City Council has also approved money for longtime residents to help buy or renovate houses, or pay mortgage bills. They announced the money isn’t “reparations” for slavery, but to compensate for discrepancy in housing. Cook County, IL, another example, is making a big effort to make homeowners are aware of ways to reduce their property tax bills. In one case to help a woman with dementia they tracked down a son living in Mississippi. The county is also becoming aware of the costs of throwing people into the street over small tax bills that have been unpaid. Mark Sumner of Kos reported that the Brookings Institute introduced a series of papers on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.

The conclusion of those researchers: “The United States … could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths with a more effective health strategy ...” And it could have done so while spending billions of dollars less. The researchers aren’t actually claiming that Trump is responsible for over 4 out of every 5 deaths, because they’re projecting that 400,000 lives saved against an expected total for the pandemic—which they believe will end up being around 670,000 lives lost. Had Trump taken prompt action, they believe the total would have been under 300,000. What would have made this difference? All the things Trump failed to do...

The cost in lives is horrible, but there is also the cost in dollars. The various rescue acts have cost more than $5 trillion. And that doesn’t count the costs to those people and businesses who couldn’t get that aid. Dr. Rachel Levine has been confirmed by the Senate to be the assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Service. It’s a really big deal because Levine is the first transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate to be a federal official. A big bit of economic news this week is the huge container ship that has been blocking the Suez Canal since Wednesday. It could be days or weeks before it gets unstuck. Yes, huge – a quarter mile long and able to carry more than 20,000 twenty-foot shipping containers. AKALib of the Kos community wrote about the ship, how it got stuck, that it is costing world trade $400 million an hour, and what might be involved in getting it unstuck. There are also photos showing diggers and dozers compared to the size of the ship. Jen Hayden of Kos reported on the effects of the stuck ship is having on the world economy. This ship is making the Canal unusable and about 10% of world trade usually goes through it. So buy an extra pack of toilet paper (but don’t hoard!). Hayden also included several examples of what Twitter is good at – creating images and short videos as jokes on the situation. Commenters added several more. Dan Kois of Slate reported on solutions kids have offered on how to free the ship. My favorite is by Henry, age 8:

They need to start with blowing up the land that the boat is stuck on, without hurting the boat. Like little explosions. The next thing they need are a bunch of helicopters with winches on the bottom. They should attach lines to the front and the back of the boat to the helicopters. Then the helicopters will fly in opposite directions—just a little—so the boat turns free. Oh. First you should rescue the people. Always rescue the people first.

Though the one by Lyra, age 15, is pretty good too.

I think they should force everyone in the boat to undergo intense, rigorous training until one of them develops psychic powers from the stress, and then he’ll snap and levitate the boat out. I can’t think of any possible way that would backfire.

In a column written more than a quarter century ago Molly Ivens (as quoted by Bill in Portland, Maine in his Cheers and Jeers column for Kos) seems distressingly accurate for a time with two big mass shootings. Here’s a bit of it.

I do think gun nuts have a power hang-up. I don't know what is missing in their psyches that they need to feel they have to have the power to kill. But no sane society would allow this to continue.

In another Cheers and Jeers column, Bill in Portland, Maine offers a few bits of late night commentary.

President Biden just got a nice shot in the arm. You know how he said he hoped to get 100-million Americans vaccinated by the end of his first hundred days in office? He beat that deadline by six weeks. Isn’t it amazing what you can do when you don’t put Jared in charge? —Jimmy Kimmel According to a new report, since President Biden took office CNN has lost 45 percent of its prime time audience to its biggest competitor: a good night's sleep. —Seth Meyers The Suez Canal is blocked after a giant container ship got stuck, blocking nearly the entire width of the canal. I get it: after a year of quarantine, nothing fits anymore. They should have put that ship into their stretchy canal—you know, the one that looks like denim but gives? —Stephen Colbert