Saturday, September 19, 2020

And another day of mourning comes to a close. Tomorrow we’ll wake up stronger, my friends. Then we’re going to vote the Trump Party cancer away in November. Stay focused. We can do this.

“You can’t beg them. You can’t shame them. You can’t reason with them. You can’t negotiate with them. You can’t appeal to their patriotism. You must outvote them, defeat them and then ignore them when they are in the House and Senate minority.” -- Fernand R. Amandi

Deaths

US: 203,824 (+653)

World: 961,400 (+4979)

Cases

US: 6,967,403 (41,462)

World: 30,983,884 (+292,083)

Countdown: 45 days.

To Honor Ginsburg, Democrats Have One Choice: Go Nuclear. “But with conservative voters fired up by the dream of replacing Ginsburg with a thirtysomething right-wing firebrand, the Dems will have to counter with more than a this-isn’t-fair argument. Bring a gun to a knife fight? They will need a bazooka. Sorry if that sounds violent. But, as one sage person likes to say, we are in a fight for the nation’s soul. And sometimes you don’t get to choose the weapons or levels of intensity...Her memory deserves more than passionate remembrances and praiseful eulogies. It warrants a fight. And perhaps a fight like one never seen before. One that will be damn notorious.”

“We are presented with the same questions that the confronted the founders. Will we tolerate leaders who place themselves beyond the reach of justice? Will we tolerate a system that empowers the few? Will we invite tyranny back to these shores? This is no longer an abstraction. We are starting well behind. We have lost some of the critical battles in a war against us all in which we have failed to engage. Now, there is no margin for error. We must not fail in any of the key challenges before us. McConnell and the GOP must be stopped. The dark money from the coffers of the right cannot be allowed to dictate the demise of our system via the gutting of its values. This morning we must turn our grief at the loss of a true hero like Ruth Bader Ginsburg into something more. We must see her, one of the great fighters in our history for justice, a champion of the ideals of democracy, as an inspiration and we must fight as she did throughout her career, against the odds, with a clear focus on the outcome that can preserve, restore & elevate our system. We must begin now.  There is no time to lose and a country and system we cherish at stake.”

Trump vows to choose a woman to fill Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat.

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham suggests he would advance Supreme Court nominee this year.

Vulnerable GOP Sen. Susan Collins splits with Trump: Wait until after the election to replace Ginsburg. -- Mmm hmm. I’ll believe that when I see it.

GOP sees Supreme Court fight as a boost to vulnerable senators as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell presses for a vote. -- Vote all of them out. Turn the Senate Blue.

Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement.

"You have good genes, you know that, right? You have good genes. A lot of it is about the genes, isn't it, don't you believe? The racehorse theory. You think we're so different? You have good genes in Minnesota." -- Donald Trump, September 18, 2020.

Editorial: Another step closer to what many don’t want to believe is possible in this country. I fear for my children’s future.

After successfully tamping down the first surge of infections, Europe is now in the middle of a second coronavirus wave as it moves into winter — raising questions over what went so wrong.

Most children in British Columbia can say goodbye to those icky swabs and uncomfortable Covid-19 tests as the Canadian province launches a new gargle method for students ages 4 to 19.

New study shows dangers of in-flight COVID transmission.

‘He doesn't represent us': Group wants Sequim mayor ousted after QAnon conspiracy comments.

After wildfire smoke clears, protests resume in Portland.

Professor suspended for telling students she hopes Trump supporters catch coronavirus and die. Mosher's comments were recorded by a student and posted on social media, sparking backlash online and triggering a statement from the university on Friday.

Satellite images show that two important glaciers in the Antarctic are sustaining rapid damage at their most vulnerable points, leading to the breaking up of vital ice shelves with major consequences for global sea level rise.

Scientists say they have identified evidence of a new mass extinction event in the fossil record, and it's one that allowed dinosaurs to dominate the Earth for more than 200 million years.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.