Tag Archives: news

Weekend Update 1/23/2021: Lord of the Rings isn’t a legal document, and other revelations

January 23, 2021newsnews, wingnuts, rightwing, alt-right, religious wingnuts, sedition, fuckwitsfontfolly

One of the best things about waking up on this particular foggy Saturday morning is that when I woke up my computer and thought about what I wanted to check first, is that I didn’t feel the sense of dread that has descended before I look at any news site or even Twitter in the last four years. What horrible news was awaiting me this time? In a few days I’m sure this almost euphoric feeling will fade, but for now I’m going to enjoy it. Which isn’t to say that there isn’t worrisome news, but the threat level feels a bit more manageable. Speaking of which, it is time once again for a post where I share news stories that broke after I prepped this week’s Friday Five, or didn’t make the cut for said post, or provide an update to a story linked to in some previous post. Along with some commentary from me.

So, let’s go!

Texas Supreme Court: Alex Jones, InfoWars can be sued by Sandy Hook parents. Alex Jones spent months after the Sandy Hook school shooting claiming that it was a hoax, that the parents were hired actors, et cetera. He incited his fans to harass those parents to the point that the haters were staking out the graves of the murdered children so they could scream at and otherwise attack anyone who showed up at those graves to mourn, place flowers, et cetera. So many of those parents have been trying to sue Jones and his business. He has been trying and trying to get out of the suits. He’s issued half-hearted retractions, admitted under oath that he knew at the time the things he was reporting were false, and so on. But he’s still fighting and trying to get the suits tossed because, well, if they succeed he and his so-called business would be ruined. This ruling disposes of more of his bogus objections and allows the suits to move forward.

I hope they all succeed.

Moving on to another kind of hater…

Texas could charge doctors with “child abuse” if they treat a transgender child or teen – The proposed law could land a doctor in prison for treating their patient as recommended by every major medical association. How long do we have to put up with these fuckwits terrorizing other people’s kids?

All the medical associations agree that giving these treatments to trans kids improve their chances of living a long and healthy life. You can have your sincerely held beliefs if you want, but if your sincerely held beliefs are contradict scientific and medical fact, then we call those “delusions.” And you don’t have the right to force those delusions on other people.

Speaking of delusional people…

Texas lawyer fired after Capitol riot files ambitious suit: Dissolve Congress, don’t arrest him – “This is not a Sidney Powell lawsuit,” Paul Davis assures court. True! Powell didn’t argue for abolishing Congres. So this guy was part of the Murder Mob that invaded the Capitol. He’s been arrested, charged with some crimes related to that, is out on bail, and was fired by his law firm. He’s decided the way to fix this problem is to file a law suit demanding that a federal judge dissolve both houses of congress, remove Biden and Harris from office, and furthermore to remove all fifty state governors, the governor of Puerto Rico, and a few other state officials from their office; and to ban all of those above people plus Facebook CEO Jeff Zuckerberg from ever holding public office in the future; and appoint Trump as Steward of the Nation, to rule until a new form of government and voting system can be created.

Please notice that odd title he wants Trump to be given: Steward of the Nation. Where does that come from? Why it comes from the Lord of the Rings. That’s right! This fuckwit quotes from and paraphrases Tolkien as part of his legal argument. So, someone needs to explain to this guy that Frodo was not a Founding Father…

His clients are a weird hodgepodge of fake conservative groups (Blacks for Trump and Latinos for Trump), as well as a fuckwit who was out on bail after showing up armed at a polling place in a state he didn’t even live in and threatening people. While out on bail he also joined the Murder Mob, which has it’s own charges pending, but he’s likely to have his bail revoked and be thrown back in jail on the original voter intimidation charges.

Anyway, the so-called logic is that something was fundamentally wrong with all of the elections (not just the handful of states that Donald was contesting), and therefore all federal offices elected in 2020 are invalid. And his clients, he said, are deprived of their—get this—fundamental rights to have an idea of the economic future of the country so they can properly invest in their 401K funds.

WTF?

There are so, so, so many things wrong with this. First, the courts have already held many, many, many times that individual citizens can’t sue on speculative issues. They have to show a real, quantifiable, and justiciable harm that they will experience just to have standing to put their argument before the court. Not being able to predict the future of the economy is a quantifiable harm, is not the product of the issue they are blaming it on, and (to get that justiciable bit) it isn’t a harm that can be resolved by anything the court orders. Let me simplify that last bit: a court can order the economy to become predictable.

There are so, so many other problems. They don’t present any evidence that all fifty states had something fundamentally wrong with their 2020 elections. They just assert it. If somehow such evidence existed, it wouldn’t have anything to do with two-thirds of the Senators, because only a third of the Senate is ever up for a vote at the same time. A federal district court doesn’t have the power to dissolve congress. It sure as heck doesn’t have the power to appoint anyone “Steward of the Nation.” And so on.

But you know what power federal district judges do have? They can impose sanctions (fine, recommend disbarment, and so forth) on people who file bad faith lawsuits. And there have now been enough of these nonsense suits that the courts are getting quicker to impose sanctions on the fuckwits who file these kinds of claims. I suspect this lawyer is going to find out that getting fired by his old firm is soon going to be the least of his problems.

Now, let’s move on the problems across the pond…

Rotting fish, lost business and piles of red tape. The reality of Brexit hits Britain. Yep, just as everyone predicted. Anything else I can add at this point would be just repeating myself…

Let’s end it with this fun Jimmy Kimmel animated music video – Goodbye Donald Trump:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (let’s begin the rebuild edition)

January 22, 2021bloggingfriday, friday five, friday links, links, newsfontfolly

In keeping with last week’s announcement in this space that I’d decided to join those who were considering everything up until the moment the new President was sworn in as part of 2020, welcome to the first true Friday of 2021!

I took Wednesday off from work and spent a good chunk of the day watching the Inaugural. I admit half of the reason I did so was because I didn’t trust the nazis, traitors, and fascists not to cause some kind of trouble. I have to admit, I was a little surprised when, while Lady Gaga was singing the national anthem, that I started crying extra hard at the line, “that our flag was still there.” I mean, the flags that she pointed to at the moment were U.S. flag, but in the same space she was singing, exactly 14 days earlier, the Murder Mob had literally pulled down U.S. flags and raised Trump flags in their place. Full disclosure: I’m the kind of bleeding heart liberal who cries whenever I hear or sing the Star Spangled Banner under any circumstances. And I’m also the kind of bleeding hear liberal who was a boy scout as a child and I get incredibly, incandescently angry at people who disrespect the flag and don’t even know the flag code. As Stephen Colbert noted later that day, usually the Star Spangled Banner isn’t a cliffhanger, right? Anyway, as I have said elsewhere, defeating the grifter at the ballot box last November wasn’t enough; winning the two Georgia senate seats wasn’t enough; getting Biden and Harris safely inaugurated wasn’t enough. There is still a lot of work to do, and we have to stay engaged and be ready to hold our Representatives, Senators, and President accountable if they falter or fail to advance the causes of justice and equality. But I have to admit, for a day and a half it has been an incredible relief that some things have become boring, again.

Time will tell. Until then, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: the top five fun stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about the seditious traitors, five stories about deplorable people, and five videas (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Trumpists, Here Are Your Terms of Surrender. Also, Fuck You. I feel the need to point out that the author of this piece was a Republican operative who has a whole lot of his own awful to answer for, but I think we have to–until they prove otherwise–accept it when people claim they have seen the error of their ways. And his list is really good.

Little Man, What Now? — MAGA should be properly understood as the product of a bored and restless upper middle class.

Sen. Ron Johnson calls editorial ‘unhinged.’ Editorial Board responds – Senator Johnson objects to the Editorial Board’s call for him to resign over his actions after the presidential election.

Evidence collected by federal investigators details Capitol rioters attacking police.

“This Is Not A Peaceful Protest”: Prosecutors Charged Capitol Rioters Using Their Own Words – Charging documents in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection quote Trump supporters prepared — and excited — for violence.

This Week in Deplorable People:

Judge Denies the NRA’s Effort to Dismiss, Pause or Transfer the N.Y. Attorney General’s Suit Seeking Its Dissolution.

Democrats poised to rebuff McConnell’s filibuster demands .

Trump’s Last-Day Pardon List Shows A Soft Spot For Those Accused Of Public Corruption.

Judge Refuses To Reinstate Parler After Amazon Shut It Down.

Senate Democrats file ethics complaint against Hawley, Cruz over Capitol attack.

In Memoriam:

Helga Weyhe, Germany’s Oldest Bookseller, Dies at 98 – She died above the bookstore, founded in 1840, where she had worked since the waning months of World War II. She locked it up for the last time in December.

Comic book artist’s sudden death: ‘We had no idea he had Covid’.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 1/17/2021: Who woulda thought?

On the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, a challenge.

This is supposed to be the boring time….

How do you measure four years of lies?

America, America, let’s give our best….

Videos!

Stop Saying “This Isn’t Who We Are”: Week In Review | The Amber Ruffin Show This is last week’s show, but I think it’s important to watch:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Biden’s First Day of Clearing Trump’s Extremely Low Bar | The Daily Social Distancing Show:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Duran Duran – “Five Years” (David Bowie Cover) [OFFICIAL AUDIO]:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Olivia Rodrigo – drivers license (Official Video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club (Official Video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

America, America, let’s give our best…

January 20, 2021newsheal a broken land, history, newsfontfolly

Congratulations Mr President and Madame Vice President!

How do you measure four years of lies?

January 20, 2021historyalt-right, history, news, rightwingfontfolly

Randy Rainbow sends the Traitor-in-Chief off with a special ceremony – SEASONS OF TRUMP – A Randy Rainbow Song Parody:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Normally whenever the musical Rent is invoked, I make a comment about how I approve the original, the opera La Bohème, but this made me laugh and cry, so…

There is so much else I want to squeeze in while the Traitor-in-Chief is still technically in charge.

“Donald Trump, a criminal, fascistm, and white supremacist, will go down in history as the worst president ever. He attacked his own country and left millions to suffer during a pandemic and economic crises. The Senate must convict him and ban him from ever holding office again.”

I am a little irritated that the Traitor-in-Chief has knocked George W. Bush off of the top of the list of the worst president in history… but it should come as no surprise.

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." — “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”

It’s racism all the way down. Seriously. Racism all the way down..

As I said, it’s racism all the way down. All of the atrocities perpetrated by the Traitor-in-Chief and his supported boil down to applied racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. That are first and foremost haters, and their hatred is backed into every level of capitalism.

The Republicans only call for unity when they or their supports have violated social norms, political norms, or the law. If Republicans are calling for unity, then someone deserves to be prosecuted.

Similarly, they always oppose call for unity from the Democrats, because the democrats actually value unity, while the Republicans only value their own period.

A picture of the most corrupt president in U.S. history and Richard Nixon.

Donald Trump is not just the worst president in history, he is infinitely more corrupt that Richard Nixon, who for decades everyone in both parties regarded as the most corrupt president in history. I suppose that’s an accomplishment, but in a just world it would mean the Donald spends the rest of his life in prison.

This is supposed to be the boring time…

January 19, 2021lifealt-right, news, rightwing, seditionfontfolly

An elephant, representing the Republican party, as Dr Frankenstein looking at the empty operating table: “Whoever created that monster currently rampaging in the village should be ashamed of themselves,” Igor figure labled Right Wing Media: “I blame ANTIFA, master.” — The entire Republican party should be, yes…

I am actually doing some writing that isn’t about the news and specifically the Traitor-in-Chief… but it’s difficult to stay focused on anything when one is wait for the next Coup to drop.

Last night, for instance, Rachel Maddow began her show talking about how usually this is the boring part of any presidential administration. The last days are normally taken up with the mundane tasks of winding the administration down. The outgoing First Lady invites the incoming First Lady to tea at the White House, and the outgoing President welcome the incoming President and gives them a tour of the place. Other members of the outgoing administration may give farewell speeches to their departments. News organizations publish what are mostly puff pieces about what each cabinet secretary has accomplished, and so on.

Instead the outgoing President has been having screaming meltdowns about petty things such as Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks and other stars agreed to perform as part of Biden’s inaugural celebrations. He routinely fires important officials over twitter, and thus there were only a few Senate-confirmed cabinet members left when the Murder Mob invaded the Capitol building. Most of those hastily turned in their resignations after that. Even though everyone must resign by tomorrow, some of them tried to make the resignation sound like they were standing on principle.

Meanwhile the executive offices of the White House are eerily deserted, in part because people are trying to avoid being the target of the Traitor-in-Chief’s next screaming fit.

And he’s too petty to attend the Inauguration, or do any of the traditional social nicety parts of the transition. He’s too busy ordering his staff to find a way to get a big crowd to send him off Wednesday morning (and apparently almost no one is RSVP-ing).

The man has not once, not a single time, expressed condolences to the millions of Americans who have had family members die because of the pandemic. He certainly isn’t going to attend the memorial service in front of the Capitol this afternoon for the 400,000 Americans who have died of COVID thus far.

US surpasses 400,000 deaths from Covid-19.

More Americans are dying every day than were killed at 9/11, and yet that has fallen completely off the Traitor-in-Chief’s radar. A bit over four years ago all sorts of people—not just Trump supporters, but lots of so-called moderates and even supposedly liberal people—kept telling people like me that we were overreacting. The kept telling us it would be all right, that we would get through this. And I said, “Not all of us will!” It wasn’t me foreseeing the pandemic, it was the other issues. Such as chipping away at the Affordable Care Act. And the various anti-gay things, including regulations that allow medical people to refuse to treat queer patients if they claim a religious objection. That’s exactly not how you should run an emergency room, let me tell you. And before we got to the pandemic, there were already reports showing that thousands more people than statistically out to were dying because of problems with healthcare. Not to mention the uptick in hate crimes, including a rise in murders motivated by hate.

So, no, this has not been all right. Not everyone has survived this administration. And the lingering effects of their failures is going to include rising death rates for the foreseeable future.

Trump’s record on LGBTQ rights has been vile from the moment he took office. We kept a list.

I don’t have a fun and pithy ending to this.

I’ve had a countdown app on my phone for over a month that tells me exactly how many days, hours, and minutes it is until this evil, hateful, incompetent man is no longer in power. And I check it several times a day. And afterwards, I calm some of the anxieties by repeating quietly several times, “Only X more days.”

I can’t tell you have incredibly happy I am that now we’re in the “Only X more hours” phase of things. I really would like to get back to normal news cycles someday…

“A heartfelt 'fuck you' to everyone who told me I was overreactin in November 2016.” — “A heartfelt ‘fuck you’ to everyone who told me I was overreactin in November 2016.”

On the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, a challenge

January 18, 2021lifealt-right, black lives matter, black queer lives matter, black trans lives matter, Martin Luther King Jr, newsfontfolly

“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Being an old, white, gay guy, I think on days such as the federal holiday officially designated “Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.” my job is not to try to address issues of racial inequality with my own words, but rather to amplify the voices of people of color. Their lived experience makes anything they have to say on the topic much more relevant than anything I could say.

So today, let me suggest you take a look at Don Lemon’s “An MLK Day challenge to the news media.” I’ll quote a chunk of it here:

“So, on the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King and his unapologetic truth-to-power approach, let me speak candidly and directly to the people who actively read Playbook — lawmakers and the people they employ, journalists and the people who employ us, and other influentials. It’s what I like to call: WKWW, “What King Would Want.”

This new administration was elected to represent all Americans, obviously. But let’s be honest about the people who put Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over the finish line: They were and are Black, brown and Asian, with Black women leading the way, like pacers in a marathon. It is high time we (because I am included in these groups) not only have a seat at the table, but lead the discussion and make some of the decisions.

Here’s why:

When our Latino brother and sister journalists wondered aloud and privately in newsrooms why we were giving candidate Donald Trump so much oxygen when he started by calling Mexicans rapists, did we listen to them or did we brush it off as an inability to be objective?

When Black journalists in newsrooms all over America questioned Trump’s history of racism, from housing to birtherism and more, did you stand up for us or keep quiet? Or did you journalistically appropriate us once we provided cover for you and your organization to finally speak or write the words, “The President of the United States is racist”?”
—CNN anchor Don Lemon, writing for Politico‘s Playbook

It’s really good. Read the whole article here.

“Trans Black Lives Matter. Queer Black Lives Matter. Disable Black Lives Matter. Poor Black Lives Matter. Old Black Lives Matter. All Black Lives Matter.”

Meanwhile, we shouldn’t let today pass without acknowledging another issue related to racism and other forms of hate: 44 Trans People Killed in 2020, Marking Worst Year on Record for Transphobic Violence.

Two Trans People of Color Have Already Been Killed in 2021.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Friday Five (pack your bags edition)

January 15, 2021bloggingfriday, friday five, friday links, links, newsfontfolly

“Just pack your bags, leave the White House, and shut the fuck up!” — Lucy telling it like it is.

I’ve decided that the people who have been saying 2020 doesn’t really end until the Traitor-in-Chief’s term officially ends this coming Wednesday are on to something. So welcome to the 55th Friday of that most curséd year, 2020.

So, a bit over a week since a murder mob incited by the president and some of his political allies attacked the U.S. Capitol building, we’ve seen a second impeachment, thousands of national guard troops in the capital city, and a number of internet services have finally started enforcing their terms of service on rightwing people for threatening more violence. That last bit makes me hopeful that this timeline may be taking a turn toward the less awful than it could be. Or maybe I’m reaching delusional levels of hope.

Time will tell. Until then, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one local story that has taken a major source of happy distraction from my day, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, five stories about the deplorable thug still occupying the White House, and five videas (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week In News Local to Me:

Sick and dead finches reported in Kitsap County and across Washington state.

Stories of the Week:

Movers Pick Up Their Pace At The White House – More moving trucks seen at White House week ahead of Biden arrival.

Betty White reveals how she plans to spend her 99th birthday in quarantine.

Congress impeached and tried my ancestor after he left office. Trump could be next – I’ll leave the legal arguments to the lawyers, but my own last name is proof Congress can impeach and try newly-minted private citizens.

A man injected himself with ‘magic’ mushrooms and the fungi grew in his blood, which put him into organ failure.

US police three times as likely to use force against leftwing protesters, data finds – Law enforcement responses to more than 13,000 protests show a clear disparity in responses, new statistics show.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

Lesbian teen who got kicked out by family turns them in as possible MAGA rioters – “hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?” she tweeted with a photo of her mom attacking a Black woman.

The 22 Funniest Queer Jokes From LGBTQ Comedians.

Transgender people killed in Chicago & Puerto Rico as wave of violence continues – Tyianna “Davarea” Alexander was shot while walking down the street. Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín was killed before his body was dumped in the middle of a highway.

North Carolina Town Adopts LGBTQ-Inclusive Law After State Ban Lifts.

In ‘nasty parting shot,’ HHS finalizes rule axing LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections – Under the new Health Department rule, taxpayer-funded adoption agencies can refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages and turn away qualified LGBTQ parents.

This Week in Deplorable People:

Justice Department launches webpage tracking individuals charged in Capitol riot.

MAGA Terrorists Making Threats At All Levels Of Government – MAGA seditionists are now issuing threats to politicians in all levels of governments.

Off-duty cops who rioted at Capitol facing investigations – Several off-duty police officers have been identified as participants in the pro-Trump attack on the Capitol.

Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account.

Rick Wilson Unloads On The Whiny Bitch Victimhood Of The Republican Party – “Twitter and Facebook aren’t banning you because you’re a conservative. They’re banning you because you suck. They’re banning you because you say evil shit,” said Wilson to Joy Reid.

This Week in the Deplorable Thug Occupying the White House:

House Republicans overwhelmingly stood behind Trump after he incited a white supremacist insurrection.

Desperate QAnon Believers Think Trump Spoke to Them in Morse Code.

Donald Trump Refuses To Pay Rudy Giuliani’s Legal Fees – Living up to his reputation, Donald Trump is stiffing yet another person that worked for him.

How Science Explains Trump’s Grip on White Males.

Trump Issues Lie-Filled Video Statement After He is Impeached for Second Time.

In Memoriam:

Chuck Yeager, pilot who broke the sound barrier, dies at 97.

Chuck Yeager was a Hollywood idea of a brave test pilot – today they must be skilled engineers too.

Chuck Yeager Was a Hero to Speed Demons Everywhere.

Public Ceremony Scheduled In West Virginia For The Late Chuck Yeager.

100-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Theodore Lumpkin Jr. Dies of COVID-19.

Pioneering Texas Trans Pol Addison Perry-Franks Dead at 39.

Pat Loud, Matriarch of Pioneering Reality TV Family That Introduced America to Their Out and Proud Gay Son, Dead at 94.

RIP Muppet Designer Caroly Wilcox.

Siegfried Fischbacher of Siegfried & Roy Dead at 81.

SF gay activist Ken Jones dies at 70.

Things I wrote:

Monday Update: Reactions to murder mob incited by the President, Police response, and Dems winning the Senate.

Age of Misinformation, or, how sf/f warned us of the current apocalypse.

You cannot reason with terrorists and cultists.

Videos!

It’s a Little Too Late For Republicans To Denounce Trump Pt. 1:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here. And hey, you can watch part 2 here)

FBI: The MAGA Maniacs Who Tried To Overthrow The Government Are Going To Pay:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

After Second Impeachment, Trump Begins Moving Out of White House: A Closer Look:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

James Comey: If You Went Up Those Stairs, You Committed A Crime. You Are Going To Be Found:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Doritos – The best gift (Mexico, English subtitles, 2020):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (flipping Georgia blue edition)

January 8, 2021bloggingfriday, friday five, friday links, links, newsfontfolly

Photo of College Hunks Junk Haulers truck outside Jared and Ivanka Trump's D.C. townhouse. — Javanka packing up? ‘College Hunks Hauling Junk’ parks outside Ivanka and Jared’s luxury DC to pick up clothes donations just 24 hours after MAGA riot at US Capitol and two weeks before Biden’s inauguration. Click image to embiggen, click link in caption to see story)

We’ve reached the second Friday in 2021. And who is truly surprised that there was violent seditious, treasonous insurrection incited by the sitting President against the Congress and the Constitution this week?

That is a rhetorical question in two senses. I realize that a lot of people have their heads stuck in the sand (or elsewhere) who are shocked at the development. I had expected violence, I just hadn’t thought that the Capitol Police wasn’t prepared for it. In more uplifting news, in both of the Georgia senate run-off elections (one a special election to fill the unexpired term of another senator, and the other just to fill a normally up-for-re-election seat) the Democratic Party nominee in both races won. And this is significant for a whole lot of reasons. Reverend Warnock is the first African-American ever to serve as a senator from Georgia. He is only, after all these decades, only the eleventh African-American of any party and from any state to serve in the Senate. He is the first African-American Democrat to serve as a Senator from a Southern state. He also ran as an unaplogetic progressive Democrat in what has long been seen as a Red State. Similarly, Jon Ossoff is a young Jewish man who was elected to the other seat. At 33 years old he will be the youngest member of the Senate (which just seems weird). He also ran as an outright progressive. I really hope that the upper echelons of the Democratic Party take this to heart, and stop throwing their support in Red States to so-called moderates, who policy-wise are indistinguishable from Republicans in a bizarre belief that those kind of candidates can somehow fool Republican voters into crossing over. I firmly believe that if the progressive, black Democratic challenger to Mitch McConnell had been on the general election ballot instead of the bland, white, Air Force veteran milquetoast moderate, the McConnell would have either lost or come really close to it.

But let’s get on to the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one special video that is all upbeat and full of good news and I hope makes you laugh as much as I did, the top five stories of the week, five news stories that have a local connection for me, five stories about seditious traitors, five stories about deplorables people, five stories about the deplorable thug still occupying the White House, and five videas (plus things I wrote and one notable obituary).

This Week In News We Need Right Now!:

Killer Mike Knew Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock Would Win the Georgia Runoff – This is the first thing in several days that made me laugh in a way that had nothing to do with gallows humor; and his joy and enthusiasm brought happy tears to my eyes:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Stories of the Week:

The Full(est Possible) Story of the Four Seasons Total Landscaping Press Event Daring Fireball’s John Gruber nominates this excerpt as the best paragraph of 2020:

Whether it’s war and peace or public relations and gardening, sorting out the truth is a complicated endeavor when it relates to Donald Trump. Everyone involved in anything, no matter the size, no matter how stupid, seems to lie as a first resort, or to know very little, or to lie about knowing very little, or to know just enough to send blame in another direction, and the person in that direction seems to lie also, or to know very little, or to lie about knowing very little, but perhaps they have a theory that sends blame someplace else, and over there, too, you will find more liars, more know-nothings, and before long, a whole month will have passed, and you still haven’t filed your story about how the president’s attorney wound up undermining democracy in a parking lot off I-95 on a strip of cracked pavement in a run-down part of a city that ordinarily would command no consideration from the national political class or the very online public or the equally online mainstream media, which, when forced to look, found lots of reason to laugh.

The Moon Is Rusting, and Researchers Want to Know Why.

21 Excellent Fantasy Books Coming Out This Winter.

COVID-19 and HIV Are Not the Same. But They’re Similar in Many Ways That Matter.

Facebook Is a Doomsday Machine – The architecture of the modern web poses grave threats to humanity. It’s not too late to save ourselves.

This Week in News Local to Me:

Tim Eyman Trial Approaches Conclusion, State Alleges Years of Schemes – “He’s been fibbing for 20 years”.

Seal found wandering on highway in Southwestern Washington.

Sea otter reintroduction to more of the Pacific Coast gets a nudge from Congress.

In Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai,’ Seattle restaurateur Yuji Okumoto reprises a role — and a life — he thought he’d left behind. Kona Kitchen, owned by Yuji, is one of the favorite local eateries.

Bean Dad Deletes Twitter Account After Old Anti-Semitic, Homophobic Tweets Resurface. I know this played out on Twitter, but so-called Bean Dad is a local Seattle writer and musician…