The law is what you can get away with

I downloaded Michigan’s COVID data today based on cases and deaths up to yesterday. The peak in new cases per day this past week is 2113. The peak for the previous week is 2163. So the peak has gone down slightly. It is still higher than the first increase in April 2020 and the plateau in July-September of that year. The deaths per day had mostly been in the single digits through July. Since the second week of August the deaths per day has been in the double digits, with several days in the 20-23 range. Deaths are up, but still way below the peaks in previous surges. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. Yesterday’s post was all about the Supreme Court and abortion. Here’s a bit more. Laura Clawson of Daily Kos explained some aspects of the law. Because the law says citizens, not government officials, bring suit against providers ...

That probably means that the next challenge has to wait for someone to come forward saying they’ve been harmed, whether by being targeted and pursued for $10,000 plus attorneys’ fees or by being denied an abortion they should constitutionally have been able to get. ... But it’s inevitable that at some point, someone is going to try to take advantage of the law by going after a woman, her friend, a doctor, or someone else for that $10,000 plus attorneys’ fees plus sheer personal cruelty. And anti-abortion activists know what they’re doing here. The Washington Post reports that Pro-Life Waco board member Bob Lehman “predicted that fathers and other relatives will report abortions obtained by female relatives, unhappy that their daughters or sisters chose not to continue their pregnancies.” Straight-up, this is an intentional mechanism for men to control the women in their lives using the power of the state. The law’s proponents know that. They’re counting on it. It’s also overwhelmingly likely that an enraged bounty hunter will target at least one woman after she has a miscarriage.

Garance Franke-Ruta tweeted:

With the decision last night on the Texas abortion law, the current SCOTUS showed it has to be understood as the Trump SCOTUS, dominated by nominees who share his core philosophy: The law is what you can get away with.

Joan McCarter of Kos reported that Jerry Nadler, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, will hold hearings on the Supremes’ use of the shadow docket. Then McCarter called on committees in the House and Senate to explore expanding the Court. McCarter took on the arguments against expanding the court. Some say if Dems add enough seats to get to a majority Republicans will repeat the process when they’re again in power. McCarter wrote the Republicans have already done that, pilfering seats to install Gorsuch and Barrett. When is partisanship out of control? When one side has all nine seats? Chief Justice will surely balance the judicial philosophy, won’t he? He dissented in this abortion case, so good luck with that. McCarter concluded:

Democrats have been "keeping their powder dry" for so long they've forgotten what they even have powder for. Actually, they've kept it so long it's become obsolete. Because while they've been counseling caution and "we'll get them at the ballot box" the Republicans have gone nuclear. With the help of their packed Supreme Court, they've even taken the ballot box away. If throwing out five decades of jurisprudence protecting the lives and health AND RIGHTS of more than half of the population isn't an emergency worth breaking the glass of institutional norms for, then nothing is.

AKAlib of the Kos community posted photos and videos of Hurricane Ida dumping a bit over three inches of rain in an hour on NYC, including a half inch in six minutes. The images include flooded streets, water cascading into subway stations, flooded homes, and even a tornado on the horizon. Clawson reported on many of the personal tragedies left behind by Ida. Clawson concluded:

Hurricane Ida is a natural disaster—but one with damage compounded repeatedly by human actions, from climate change to the poverty that leaves many residents unable to evacuate before a storm to the low vaccination rates that make the storm a potential COVID-19 superspreader. Republicans like to claim they’re the party of personal responsibility, but their refusal of responsibility has made all of these things much, much worse than they had to be.

Madeline Odent tweeted:

I’m gonna preemptively remind those of y’all who have never lived in a hurricane zone that the reason people don’t evacuate isn’t because they think they’ll be fine; it’s because they don’t have money to evacuate. Gas costs money. Somewhere to stay out of town costs money. Harder+ pricier with pets and kids. The lower your income, the less likely your employer is gonna cancel your shifts in advance. People aren’t staying in the path of danger just for fun. They can’t leave. A mandatory evac order, with no support to make it happen, is political posturing. So think about that next week when all the talking heads are wondering why people in NOLA didn’t get out in time. Again.

Even when they do evacuate they can be stuck in traffic and get hit by the storm in a little car rather than a more protective house. Gabe Ortiz of Kos reported that José Andres and his World Central Kitchen had set up three kitchens in Louisiana and was ready to distribute 100,000 meals after Ida went through. Andres and his kitchens are also serving meals to new Afghan refugees. About that saying “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade” – Rabbi Emily Cohen tweeted a cartoon by Will Santino that shows how we feel about that saying right now. Some sweet news: Pete Buttigieg tweeted (with a picture):

Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family.

Yeah, twins.