St. Louis Mayor Doxxes constituents who want to defund the police.

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Sunday June 28, 2020 · 6:00 AM PDT

2020/06/28 · 06:00

Screenshot of the since deleted video/Riverfront Times

As excerpted in a post on RawStory, people are calling on the Mayor of St. Louis to resign.

“St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson took some time out from a public briefing on COVID-19 Friday to read aloud the full names and addresses of several of her own constituents who are calling for police reform,” the Riverfront Times reported Friday. “The briefing was aired publicly on Facebook Live, and a recording was online for about three hours before it was deleted.”

The Riverfront Times went on to say:

“RFT counted at least ten instances wherein Krewson read aloud an activist's full name and the name of the street on which they reside. At one point in time she lists a person's full name and full street address, remarking, ‘He lives around the corner from me.’ ”

In all she listed the demands of more than twenty people, including identifying information about most of them. The RFT story also included some choice tweets. The ACLU of Missouri responded on Twitter:

One of my favorite pulls from the Riverfront Times story is this:

The video was live on Facebook for about three hours before it was finally pulled. Local drag queen Maxi Glamour has since started a petition calling for Krewson's resignation. It has gotten almost 500 signatures as of press time.

Mayor Krewson should resign. This is shameful behavior by any elected official.

UPDATE: Sign the petition at Change.org. It’s currently over 37,000 signatures. Make our voices heard—this is NOT acceptable behavior from any elected official.

What if Biden chooses a US Senator?

homogenius

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Sunday May 03, 2020 · 1:18 PM PDT

2020/05/03 · 13:18

There has been some discussion of the impact of Biden choosing a sitting US Senator as his running mate, but I haven’t seen a post detailing the implications for control of the Senate depending on the state the Senator is from.

It is generally understood that a replacement would be appointed by the state’s governor until (in most cases) a special election is held. This is the general rule under the 17th Amendment (ratified in 1913) which established direct election of Senators by popular vote. However, several states have modified their rules under the provisions of the Amendment.

Here are the exceptions:

Alaska, Oregon, and Wisconsin: no appointment by the governor; there must be a special election to fill any Senate vacancy.

Oklahoma: the vacancy is filled by a special election, unless the vacancy occurs after March 1 in an even-numbered year and the term expires the following year. The governor is required to appoint the candidate elected in that year’s general election to fill the remainder of the term.

Arizona and Hawaii: the governor must fill the vacancy with a person from the same party as the previous incumbent.
Utah and Wyoming: the governor selects an interim senator from a list of three candidates proposed by the state central committee of the party of the previous incumbent.

So here is how this could play out for this election:

Catherine Cortez Masto—NV / Dem. Gov. / No change in party

Kamala Harris—CA / Dem. Gov. / No change in party

Tammy Duckworth—IL / Dem. Gov. / No change in party

Amy Klobuchar—MN / Dem. Gov. / No change in party

Kirsten Gillibrand—NY / Dem. Gov. / No change in party

Tammy Baldwin—WI / No Gov. Appt. / Depends on electing a new Dem.

Elizabeth Warren—MA / Rep. Gov. / Probable change in party

There’s no guarantee that we’ll take back the Senate. But if Biden picks Baldwin or Warren, that could make it that much more difficult.

For the record, I really like Harris and Warren. I’m not as familiar with Cortez Masto, but I have heard good things about her. I love Duckworth and Baldwin, personally, but they are not my top choices. I would be less enthused about Klobuchar or Gillibrand, but I’ll vote for Biden no matter what.

RIP Leon Redbone

homogenius

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Thursday May 30, 2019 · 1:16 PM PDT

2019/05/30 · 13:16

Today the family of singer and guitarist Leon Redbone announced that he has died. He was a favorite among my college music crowd in the mid-’70s after we were introduced to him on Saturday Night Live. His distinctive nostalgic style and enigmatic persona made him stand out.

From the story in the StarTribune:

Redbone's career got a boost in the early 1970s when Bob Dylan met him at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario, Canada, and praised his performance. Dylan said that if he ever started a label, he would have signed Redbone.

"Leon interests me," Dylan said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1974. "I've heard he's anywhere from 25 to 60, I've been (a foot and a half from him) and I can't tell, but you gotta see him. He does old Jimmie Rodgers, then turns around and does a Robert Johnson."

I remember nostalgic hits he covered like Shine on Harvest Moon, Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and When You Wish Upon a Star. A particular favorite of my best friend and I was I Want to Be Seduced, which was featured in the Mac Davis movie Cheaper to Keep Her.

homogenius

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Sunday January 07, 2018 · 8:09 AM PST

2018/01/07 · 08:09

Subtitle: Jim Wallis is a self-serving asshat...AGAIN!!!

As soon as I read the title of Wallis’ latest screed on HuffPost “Politically Homeless: How Both Parties Are Leaving A Generation Of Christians Behind”, I knew I would be gnashing my teeth and scaring my landlord’s elderly dogs. I was right. His attack on Democrats was even worse than I expected.

To be fair, he begins with several paragraphs detailing how the GOP and evangelicals have sold their collective souls in supporting Trump. But he continues by using tired right-wing talking points about Dems and how we are beholden to Wall Street, have turned our backs on the poor, take African-Americans for granted, and are hostile to people of faith.

“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” Those words from Hubert H. Humphrey would likely not be described as the mission of Democrats today, many of whom are as connected to the Wall Street elites as the Republicans are.

One of the biggest offenses he makes is conflating party elites with Democratic voters. I don’t know any Dems who agree with cozying up to Wall Street and giving away our nation’s treasure to the top one percent. It gets worse with respect to African-Americans:

Despite being dependent on African-American voters, the Democratic Party has often taken them for granted instead of courageously addressing the realities of institutionalized racism and by refusing to invest in organizers, mobilizers and candidates in African-American and Latinx communities.

As usual, Wallis takes a real situation and over-dramatizes it to serve his point. Yes, we as progressives need to be bolder and continually vigilant in addressing racism and privilege in all forms. But the GOP denies its very existence! I’m not denying the need for Dems to do better in all these areas, but I utterly reject his gross caricature of them.

Then he gets to the heart of his attack:

Unfortunately, the Democrats are no longer a faith-friendly party. Voters with religious faith are often ignored or even dismissed without serious outreach or respectful dialogue.

. . . .

Moral issues of intrinsic concern to the faith community are often disregarded or disrespected by Democratic Party orthodoxy, which often takes extreme or overly strident views on issues like abortion. Many of us in the faith community regard abortion as a moral issue and part of a consistent ethic of life and seamless garment of concern for the many threats to human life and dignity. While many of us pro-life Christians don’t support the criminalization of often desperate and tragic choices, we find the Democrats even reluctant to make a commitment to reducing abortion by supporting women with health care, nutrition and social services. Many in Democratic leadership don’t seem to want to talk about or even being willing to use the word “reduction” as a positive term in relation to abortion.

As a battered and wounded survivor of evangelical xianity (and it turns out from DNA testing, the son of a prominent Baptist minister) I am sick of our party having to bend over backwards to appease the xianistas. But he is simply off the rails to say we have no “commitment to reducing abortion”. What part of “safe, legal, and rarely used” (I would substitute “rarely needed” for “rarely used”) doesn’t he get? Most democrats, like the majority of Americans, would like to reduce the need for abortion. But the only proven method to do so is the widespread availability of contraception and education in its proper use, which Democrats overwhelmingly support and large numbers of Goopers and talibangelicals oppose.

Wallis wants to be the reasonable arbiter of what a kinder, gentler form of religious dominance should look like. He sees himself as the “reasonable” face of so-called traditional values. He is to xianity what Gorbachev was to communism—he sees no problem with his ideology; he just wants a more effective and sustainable version of it.

I already knew Wallis was a self-serving blowhard. This steaming pile of manure only reinforced that opinion.

Not. My. President.

homogenius

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Wednesday November 09, 2016 · 6:49 PM PST

2016/11/09 · 18:49

I sucked it up 16 years ago when the Supreme Court stole the election and made W our president.

I REFUSE to go there again.

FUCK THIS FUCKING SHIT.

My country died yesterday. You can’t put lipstick on this pig. I have no tolerance left.

Resist. Obstruct. Do not collaborate.

Let the teabaggers pound sand. Or go fuck themselves. YMMV.

And fuck Chris Matthews. He’ll give tRump a free ride just like he did W.

Orlando Hypocrites

homogenius

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Wednesday June 15, 2016 · 3:18 PM PDT

2016/06/15 · 15:18

The Huffington Post is reporting that several churches in the Orlando area are offering the use of their facilities free of charge to families of the Pulse nightclub massacre.

The religious community in Orlando is showing support for victims and families of Sunday’s horrific mass shooting.

Several churches in the Orlando area have offered to host funerals for the victims of the tragedy at their facilities, free of charge.

The problem is that none of the three churches named in the article are welcoming and affirming of LGBT people. Two are anti-gay Seventh Day Adventist and the other (Metro Church) is an independent church whose web page promotes traditional gender roles and opposes same-sex marriage and relationships. The Metro Church pastor has a video where he tries to be oh-so-kind and helpful.

I found the pastor's video offering facilities to the families of Pulse victims to be disingenuous. I'm sure he felt sincere, but it falls flat, given his church's anti-gay positions. I called and spoke to a nice lady at Metro Church and politely told her why I thought their gesture was disingenuous. They can be reached at (407) 366-7714 or metrochurch@metrocc.org .

We have plenty of churches, synagogues, and faith communities that are welcoming and affirming to LGBT people. I'm offended that people would use a publicity stunt like this at a time when our communities around the world are grieving.

As my late mother, a fierce church lady in good standing, would have said: "Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back". If they want to "Serve Orlando", they should try reexamining their outdated view of human relationships and sexuality. Make no mistake--it's churches like these that encourage tragedies like the Pulse massacre, whether it’s through anti-gay rhetoric or standing idly by.

They have blood on their hands. And they should be deeply ashamed.

For anyone who wants to really help, donations can be made to Orlando Outreach (Pulse Tragedy). In addition, Joy MCC Orlando has several good links

My Birth Control Rant

homogenius

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Tuesday July 01, 2014 · 8:01 PM PDT

2014/07/01 · 20:01

OK, so SCOTUS has made another assault on American values (yes, most Americans are in favor of birth control).

One more time--let's cover the basics (after the squiggly orange sphincter)...

homogenius

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Sunday January 12, 2014 · 4:48 PM PST

2014/01/12 · 16:48

This is the rant of the working poor--the thousands of us who are trying to survive this recession and the war on workers.

We're tired. We're tired and broken and worn down and sick of the rollercoaster of hope and despair. We're embarrassed to have to accept help. We're degraded and desparate and depleted.

So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?

More following the orange filligree...

homogenius

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Tuesday May 14, 2013 · 6:54 PM PDT

2013/05/14 · 18:54

This is a sad time for the progressosphere--our precious logic crystals are depleting rapidly and our independent thinking capacity is becoming compromised.

More after the swirling elegant orange vortex....

homogenius

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Friday April 27, 2012 · 6:11 PM PDT

2012/04/27 · 18:11

After a hellacious week, I was informed today that come July 1 I’ll be homeless. My landlord, who is my best friend’s mother, wants me to move out so her grandson from NC can move in. She has been lovely letting me stay here this long in exchange for helping her with errands and around the house. But I’m broke and unemployed. I have no idea how I’m going to survive this one.

Wallow with me after the squiggle….

homogenius

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 23, 2011 · 2:13 PM PST

2011/11/23 · 14:13

I lost my leg, I lost my dream job, I lost my mind, and now I'm losing my hair (not necessarily in that order). In a matter of a few weeks I've gone from having a head of snowy white hair and a full beard to being completely hairless from head to toe, except for my eyelashes. Welcome to the world of Alopecia Areata!

From Wikipedia:

Alopecia areata is a medical condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Because it causes bald spots on the scalp, especially in the first stages, it is sometimes called spot baldness. In 1–2% of cases, the condition can spread to the entire scalp (Alopecia totalis) or to the entire epidermis (Alopecia universalis). Conditions resembling AA, and having a similar cause, occur also in other species.

More after the jump...

KosAbility is a community diary series posted at 5 PM ET every Sunday and Wednesday by volunteer diarists. This is a gathering place for people who are living with disabilities, who love someone with a disability, or who want to know more about the issues surrounding this topic. There are two parts to each diary. First, a volunteer diarist will offer their specific knowledge and insight about a topic they know intimately. Then, readers are invited to comment on what they've read and or ask general questions about disabilities, share something they've learned, tell bad jokes, post photos, or rage about the unfairness of their situation. Our only rule is to be kind; trolls will be spayed or neutered.

FOUND!!! My friend WAS missing from Disneyland.

homogenius

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday June 08, 2011 · 2:09 PM PDT

2011/06/08 · 14:09

UPDATE 9:43pm--We just found Nick sitting at the bus stop in front of Disneyland. He had been there all night. After 36 hours he's on his way home now.

MORE--His Dad and the detective in the family were driving down to cruise the Boulevard, so I decided to head over and check the places that I knew Nick would know. As I pulled up alongside Disneyland, I looked over at the bus stop and there he was sitting all alone. As I drove further up to make a U-turn at the light, I called his Dad and told him I found him. They were five minutes away, so they told me to watch him from a distance. I was able to drive past him again to the nearby Disneyland drop-off lot. I parked and crept back across the street, hiding behind the monorail pillars just out of sight. That's where I called Frugal Granny and asked her to post the news.

I saw their truck pull up and the family member who is a police detective got out and approached him. I could see him ease into it and talk real quietly to Nick, feeling him out and assessing his mental state. After about a minute or so, Nick got into the truck and the cop came over to me to tell me it was OK to come talk to him.

It turns out that Nick had come back to meet me yesterday morning as planned, but for some reason he had gone to the opposite end of the main entrance gates. When he didn't find me, he became worried that I had been in a wreck or something. He ended up sitting on the bench at the Bus Stop all night and most of today. Unfortunately he entered Disneyland today with his Annual Pass just shortly before the system was flagged to stop him.

We still don't fully understand why he didn't call his father (he did not, in fact, have my phone number with him). I'm choking up again as I write this. It has been a roller coaster of a day--more than 12 hours now. Thanks again to everyone for your support and concern. It has been more than I could have imagined. Thank you so much.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the original diary:

I'm holding vigil here at home by myself, waiting and hoping to hear something. I just got back from the Police Department reporting my friend missing. He was visiting from Ventura County and went missing yesterday at Disneyland.

I'm in contact with his father who is also from that area, and both of us are scouring our memories for possible scenarios for him.

I was sitting here reading the latest posts while biding my time and it occurred to me to reach out to our Kossack community. More after the jump.

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St. Louis Mayor Doxxes constituents who want to defund the police.

What if Biden chooses a US Senator?

RIP Leon Redbone

Jim Wallis gets it wrong...Again!

Not. My. President.

Orlando Hypocrites

My Birth Control Rant

Facing Double Eviction

The IRS Non-Scandal

Homeless or Dead?

KosAbility: Hair today, gone tomorrow!

FOUND!!! My friend WAS missing from Disneyland.