By David Futrelle
John McCain announces that he’s now a “no” vote on the Graham-Cassidy anti-healthcare bill, and gets hailed as a “hero,” proving that the standards for “heroism” amongst Republican senators is pretty damn low. But if McCain is your senator, you should probably call to thank him for this minimal act of human decency.
Meanwhile, millions of Puerto Ricans remain in dire straights, without power and water — and, sadly, without much media coverage. And Mexico City continues to dig out from last week’s earthquake.
Here’s Johnny:
I cannot in good conscience vote for Graham-Cassidy. A bill impacting so many lives deserves a bipartisan approach. https://t.co/2sDjhw6Era pic.twitter.com/30OWezQpLg
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) September 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/911307015703670784
https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/911306765559402497
https://twitter.com/maxsparber/status/911301004511072256
Don't let McCain's pledge stop you from calling Murkowski and Collins. Call right now.
Murkowski: (202) 224-6665
Collins: (202) 224-2523— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) September 22, 2017
(Note: Murkowski’s people say they welcome calls from out of state. Hint hint.)
BREAKING: Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's `leaning against' latest GOP health care bill, cites major concerns.
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 22, 2017
McCain says he's a no on #GrahamCassidy. This isn't a reason to let up—the bill isn't dead yet. Keep calling! ☎️ 1-866-665-4470 #KillTheBill pic.twitter.com/htEJSRBcT9
— Reproductive Freedom for All (@reproforall) September 22, 2017
And now to Puerto Rico, a place the media seems to have largely forgotten:
Puerto Rico's population is larger that WY, VT, ND + AK combined. and it's entirely without power.
Donate + HELP: https://t.co/RnR5rH1Sy4
— . (@MarisaKabas) September 22, 2017
Puerto Rico:
Yet another reason that Puerto Rico's massive power outages are a huge crisis: https://t.co/zfYn2qpOi0 pic.twitter.com/juKS49WWMq
— brad plumer (@bradplumer) September 22, 2017
Puerto Rico's power outage could be a death sentence for many https://t.co/9ccQ1XC9li pic.twitter.com/6ZdHGjzJF7
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) September 22, 2017
More options here if you want to help Puerto Rico (or the other islands in the Caribbean that have been hit hard by Irma and Maria).
Here’s what it looks like in Mexico City today:
WATCH: Drone footage of Mexico City after another deadly earthquake caused destruction in the region earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/DoekMFVY2b
— PBS News (@NewsHour) September 22, 2017
In other news:
Yiannopoulos’ Planned ‘Free Speech Week’ Appears To Implode Spectacularly https://t.co/CXCvlZRMau
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) September 22, 2017
Leftists didn’t kill it; it was killed by the sheer incopetence of Milo ‘n’ pals, who failed to fill out the paperwork to reserve rooms or even contact some of the touted speakers to tell them they’d been invited. It’s almost as if they never intended the event to happen in the first place.
https://twitter.com/Kherman112/status/911285209777160192
In “bad but completely expected news.”
BREAKING: @usedgov just rescinded the 2011 #TitleIX guidance that explains schools' obligations to survivors of sexual violence. #StopBetsy pic.twitter.com/AD8Xezq22q
— National Women's Law Center (@nwlc) September 22, 2017
More bullshit poop crap:
Small government? BS
Abusing taxpayer money used to be a firing offense. Not in Trump era. https://t.co/IYXv5mQE8c
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) September 21, 2017
Appears in this video that Erdogan security forces once again assaulted American protesters. If so, his thugs must be detained immediately. https://t.co/uB5JSnM8P3
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) September 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/MuslimIQ/status/910284960610836480
Wait, what? @seanspicer threatens to report @mikeallen to the "appropriate authorities" for, uh, texting him? https://t.co/BdSGyeFOsb pic.twitter.com/KEyroQZKSd
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 21, 2017
And here, we have video of Trump saying that Melania “really wanted to be here”…while she’s standing next to him. (h/t @MaverickofKain) pic.twitter.com/rvQCUo4RYB
— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) September 21, 2017
Whoever designed this floor is evil. THATS A FLAT CARPET. pic.twitter.com/RGENHZJN81
— Muselk (@muselk) September 21, 2017
Kitties!
💓💓Aww so cute #RedPanda 😍🤓😁💓 pic.twitter.com/qKhHcCMHmQ
— т є ʀ є 🐼 (@beatshoney) September 12, 2017
how am I supposed to study when my hedgehog just sits there waiting for me to give him attention pic.twitter.com/dEtD4cDOmu
— mal (@lebaneseplease) September 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/BBAnimals/status/910987122018062338
Ok, technically none of those were kitties.
@clever
It is too late. But thanks for the suggestion. I’ll add it to stuff to consider in the future. I just need to deal tonight.
I just went outside to take the dog out and got hit with a blast of hot and humid air. It’s fall. In Minnesota. And it’s 83 with a heat index of 87 at 9:30 at night. We still get days that are pretty warm this time of year but it’s usually cool at night. It was 92 with a heat index of about 100 earlier. In the fall. In Minnesota. I know that weather =/= climate, but come on. Doesn’t seem like all the fires and hurricanes and this July type weather in the fall can be a coincidence.
I don’t want to be seen as defending that asshole Trump because there are so fucking many reprehensible things that he’s doing/done that are indefensible, (like calling Kaepernick a son of a bitch tonight in Alabama) but that clip of him talking about Melania cuts off; it was creatively edited, and he went on to say more that shows he knew she was there.
We must NEVER descend to the level of trolls for a cheap laugh to make a point; his full remarks undercore just how utterly ill-qualified to hold office.
Now I have to take a scalding shower because it made me feel physically dirty typing that, but I have a personal code that I adhere to about untruths, even if I hate the asshole that it’s about.
Mazie. Hirono. Said. No. The. Whole. Time
@Oogly
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/110/966/aa1.gif
@wwth, re hot weather: yeah, it’s supposed to be almost 30 C (86 F) tomorrow in Montreal. Now this isn’t fire or hurricanes or earthquakes, but it’s been hot and dry for two weeks now, which is unusual for late September.
I’m curious about the west coast weather now. OK – 15 C for Vancouver, BC tomorrow; 19 C for Portland, Oregon. Pretty normal.
I should be asleep right now. Tomorrow I have six straight hours of tutoring, 9 through 3. My powers of procrastination never cease to surprise me. I still have to print stuff for the classes.
More importantly: crossing my fingers that the health-uncare bill doesn’t pass.
Good luck USA and all who sail in her.
I often find myself thinking that these days.
@Kat
As Mr. EPA himself has said, “now is not the time to talk about climate change”. I’ll bet that as soon as the first snow starts falling, it’ll be back to business as usual.
Red pandas! Basically floppy cat-dog creatures!
Yesterday at work had cat come in with sore leg. Owner says she can be nasty. She didn’t stop purring like a maladjusted motor until we actually drew blood from her, and she was begging for pats again five minutes later. Owner must have very high standards for cat behavior.
@epitome of incomprehensibility
I have a technique for that situation (not for procrastination; like you, I’m an accomplished putter-offer of things). But when I’m supposed to have printed stuff for class & I’ve forgotten, I send an e-version to my students. Then, in class I put on my pious face and tell them that I’m trying to save paper & hence trees, & could they please access the material via their laptop/phone?
It’s entirely possible that they see right through this ruse, obviously 😀
@Pee Vee,
Thanks for the correction to that Trump clip xxx
RE: Climate Change
When I was a teenager, some 35 years ago, the leaves were all brown and falling off the trees by the time my birthday rolled around in late October. This would be in southern New England.
Not so, today. Late October seems to be peak autumn foliage time now, in the same region.
Of course, this is only one person’s anecdote, but I can’t help but wonder.
Back in the late 60s/early 70s, in New England, my brother used to have a standing bet with my mom that the ice on the local pond would be skateable by Thanksgiving (ie, at least 1″ thick). Most years, he won that bet.
Nowadays we don’t get skateable ice until after Christmas. During a couple of winters recently, the ponds never froze. This is not normal.
David, all the very best to you. And thank you for kindly continuing to post here even when you’re feeling bad. But please take the time you need to get better.
@Dormousing_it
Memories are fallible, but that’s not to say you’re wrong. Everywhere tends to have historical weather records, so you could probably find some evidence to back up your suspicions, if you had sufficient time and inclination. It is often in hard-to-consume formats though.
Inevitable XKCD, etc.
@Pie
Yes, you’re correct, memories ARE fallible. However, I’ll stand by my memories of weather from the early/mid eighties.
Conversely, I also remember a few days in mid-December 1981 when the temps reached 70 F. I remember these days well, because I, and the rest of my middle school class, were outside in our gym shorts only about 10 days before Christmas.
Indian Summer? Could be.
epitome: I hear the marathon is cancelled due to that heat. I got to be in the start of the heat wave, glad I’m missing its peak.
Up here it’s beautiful and sunny today after a wonderful display of aurora last night, and I woke up to the ponds outside the window being covered in thin ice.
Kat: if you think the climate change deniers are being quiet, can you explain the US government?
Dormousing and Pie: yinz is talking about phenology.
https://www.biogeosciences.net/12/4693/2015/
A day every six years means leaves are falling a week earlier compared to the 70s/80s, on average across the northeast.
Well, in a couple of hours I should be on the bus to the airport, I’m anxious as hell, so is my partner. All the more so because we’ve rarely ever been apart for more than a day and never by such distance (and both of us have anxiety issues).
Anyway, I might post while I’m in recovery, but more likely that I’ll wait until I get home. Take care everyone!
May it all go perfectly, Jesalin – everything impeccable, and a speedy recovery!
@Jesalin
https://rlv.zcache.com/you_did_it_postcard-r126f16e55eec49fc929e279dfbb0444c_vgbaq_8byvr_324
Good luck, Jesalin! I hope everything goes well!
Good luck, Jesalin! No one deserves for this to go super well more than you do <3
Good luck duck!
@Jesalin
Best of luck to you!
@Jesalin: best wishes!
@PeeVee:
I can relate. I had the same problem with people circulating the list of Dan Quayle’s verbal blunders as a list of George W. Bush-isms; the Shrub’s own words and actions were brain-melting enough without needing to add more.
Numerobis – I should start reading the comments with my glasses on. I first read yours as referencing phrenology.
Jesalin – safe travels to wherever your final destination may take you.