Category: Uncategorized

* Name game update: Looks like Washington and the “Redskins” will finally be parting. The key factor: not owner Daniel Snyder who, in the recent past, said: “We’ll never change that name.” No, it’s sponsors and investors. It’s hardly unalloyed idealism at work, but it enables the right thing to finally be done. So what will replace the indigenous pejorative “Redskins” name?” There’s ample precedent for D.C. sports franchises having Washington-centric names such as Senators, Capitals and Nationals. Hell, Washington Lobbyists would be an improvement.

* “Si se puede” (“Yes we can”): Among the NBA-approved messages that players can wear on the backs of their jerseys.

* “Our country is in great shape. … Our past is not a burden to be cast away.”–President Donald Trump, during the July 4th “Salute to America”

* “At a certain point, (Mark) Esper has to decide when enough of Trump’s degradation  of the office of secretary of defense and the institution itself is enough.”–John Gans, a Pentagon speechwriter for former Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter.

* “Our generation and the ones before us haven’t done enough to right the wrongs of the past.”–Prince Harry, in praising young, anti-racism activists.

* “For a man who had grown up in black society in the West Indies, a multi-racial New York or a multiracial America was not unimaginable.”–George Washington University Historian James Oliver Horton, referencing Alexander Hamilton.

* “Slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction and segregation are never purely historical. They still haunt the air we breathe, or cannot breathe.”–Yale Historian David W. Blight.

* “When black people become police officers, they are no longer black. They are blue. And I have been told this by numerous officers.”–Hank Newsome, chairman of the Greater New York chapter of Black Lives Matter.

* “We should never honor public figures who, by the standards of their own time as well as ours, abused a public trust. Case in point: The more we learn about J. Edgar Hoover, the more outrageous it is that the FBI building in Washington is still named for him.”–Bret Stephens, New York Times.

* “A state need not subsidize private education. But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”–Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the (5-4) majority in a U.S. Supreme Court decision that states that provide school-choice vouchers to private schools must also make them available to religious schools.

* “I shudder at the prospect of teaching in a room filled with asymptomatic superspreaders; 1,000 of my colleagues feel the same.”–Paul M. Kellermann, 62, an English professor at Penn State University.

* “I want the people of Florida to know we’re in a much better place thanks to the leadership of President Trump, the innovation of American industry and to the partnership that we’ve forged, not just in testing, but in personal protective equipment.”–Vice President Mike Pence in Tampa to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis.

* “By and large, the virus does not like sunshine, heat and humidity. I’m more concerned about people crowding into A/C and having private parties.”–Gov. Ron DeSantis.

* “There’s no doubt that when we reopened, people started socializing as if the virus didn’t exist. It’s extremely worrisome.”–Miami (Republican) Mayor Francis Suarez.

* “Vice President Mike Pence and Gov. DeSantis have a lot in common–most notably that both failed to effectively address the COVID-19 pandemic seriously or with urgency.”–Joe Biden.

* “While local communities and states and businesses take climate action, what’s been missing is the federal government.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, chairwoman of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

* “I support law enforcement, and that means realigning their mandate and stop being asked to respond to the social service needs which our elected officials have ignored for far too long.”–Alma Gonzalez,  Democratic National Committee member from Tampa.

* “Reallocating funds from the police departments that soak up so much of city budgets is absolutely necessary.”–Ben Burgis, Jacobin.

* “I think … we are looking for things we can do for our mental health and physical well being, so the zoo certainly is one of the better options”–Joe Couceiro, president of ZooTampa at Lowry Park, which recently reopened at 50 percent capacity.

 “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

* “Mar-a-Lago-Elba”: A sign we should anticipate seeing.

* Trump’s “silent majority.” Neither silent, alas, nor a majority, yes.

* “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous. … Nobody had ever heard of it.” Whatever. African-Americans in Tulsa surely appreciated the heads up. Surely.

* “When you do testing to that extent … you’re going to find more cases, so I said to my people, ‘slow the testing down, please.‘” According to the White House, that was a Trump joke. According to what we’ve seen the past three and a half years, it’s a nightmare–not a joke.

* “A disgruntled, boring fool. … What a dope!” That was President Nuance, referring to John Bolton. Imagine, hiring someone like that for national security adviser? What a dope!

* “The city is burning, and Trump is Nero.”–Timothy Naftali, New York University history professor and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.

* According to the Bolton book, “The Room Where It Happened,” Trump once asked Chief-of-Staff John Kelly if Finland is part of Russia. But in fairness, it’s pretty close.

* “He didn’t hire very well.” That was former chief-of-staff Mark Mulvaney, who would know.

* We know why Trump wanted his Tulsa rally, public-health-jeopardizing circumstances notwithstanding. He’s fueled by fealty, and Trump rallies put him center stage for a national show. And timing is everything. He’s not been on a roll: the battered economy, racial unrest, the military pushback, defeats in the Supreme Court (over DACA and LGBTQ issues), unfavorable polls that favor Biden and, oh yeah, the Bolton book. In the words of John Dean, former Nixon White House counsel, “Trump is becoming what he hates most, which is being a loser.”

* Waiver reality: “By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to Trump bombast and exposure to COVID-19.”

* Trump’s Attorney General William Barr: This is what it took to miss Nixon’s AG, John Mitchell.

* Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri is president of the Florida Sheriffs Association and serves on the board of the Major County Sheriffs of America. As such, it was appropriate that he be part of a White House ceremony featuring the president signing an executive order encouraging reform, however modest, in police policies. But the Rose Garden/Trump-prop optics were awful.

 “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

* Bountygate: A disturbing report by U.S. Intelligence–that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill American and allied troops in Afghanistan–has surfaced prominently into the news cycle. Since 2019, 29 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan. After seeming indifference and then a knee-jerk “fake news” labeling, the prevaricator-in chief then said that “Nobody briefed or told me.” Whatever.

The takeaways are givens. Trump is a proven pathological liar. He doesn’t read briefing books. The level of professional disrespect can understandably–but unconscionably–result in bypassing the president of the United States on a really important matter. The sleazy leverage of Vladimir Putin remains in play.

* “Millions of mail-in ballots will be printed by foreign countries (to affect the November election).” That’s especially troubling rhetoric from the trouble-maker-in-chief that  rationalizes a humiliating November loss–but worse, it poses the possibility of a problematic departure from the White House.

* The Rolling Stones have threatened legal action against President Donald Trump for using their songs at his rallies despite a cease-and-desist directive. A compromise is rumored in the works that would limit Trump-rally use of Stones’ songs to “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”

* “Kung Flu.” How President Hu Phlung Poo refers to COVID-19.

* Trump recently (June 14) turned 74. “He doesn’t look a day over embalmed.”–Bill Maher.

#AloneTogether

* “We have consistently underrated this virus.”–Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute.

* Among the countries whose (non-essential) citizens are not currently allowed into European Union countries: Brazil, Russia and America. Not the sort of company America wants to keep. But it’s what happens when–with more than 2.3 million cases–the U.S. becomes the coronavirus epicenter. The U.S. with 4 percent of the world’s population, has about 25 percent of the world’s COVID-19 deaths. Ironically not affected by the EU ban: China.

* The U.S. is set to open (COVID vaccine) trials this month–with 30,000 people testing a government-created shot. In August, it’s expected that the U.S. will follow up with another 30,000 expected to test a British version.

* According to the IMF, the global economy will shrink 4.9 percent this year.

* Bars, millennial imbibers and a pandemic: What could have gone wrong?

* Clemson has reported that 37 football players have tested positive since the school reopened facilities for workouts in June.

* Florida’s sales tax revenue fell 31.7 percent below projections in May.

* “The science is clear. Asymptomatic infected individuals can release infectious aerosol particles while breathing and speaking. Not wearing a mask or face covering increases exposure.”–Dr. Ronald F. Giffler, president of the Florida Medical Association.

* Nearly 2.1 million Floridians have filed unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic.

* The numbers show Floridians aged 18-44 primarily responsible for the state’s spike in cases.

* Lets’ hear it for the Lawyers March For Social Justice rally downtown. These weren’t the usual activists trying to form a much less imperfect union. These were key elements of our legal infrastructure, including State Attorney Andrew Warren, who are in a position to make a societal difference.                                            

* It would help if Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister were totally on board with the (mandatory indoor) mask order. But he was one of the no votes against the rule created by the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group. No, it can’t be a “personal choice” to be, in effect, a de facto enabler of a pandemic.

* Police Chief Brian Dugan, understandably, has a lot to juggle. Protect the public. Safeguard constitutional rights. Defend equal justice. Battle racism. Stand up for his officers. Maintain morale. Weed out bad cops. He wears a lot of hats and carries a weighty agenda. Too bad he chose “Fox & Friends” as a forum to make his points–and have them cherry-picked by the usual suspects.

* Recent polls continue to show Joe Biden holding a strong lead among registered voters in six battleground states carried by Trump in 2016: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona and Florida.

* Biden doesn’t leave Delaware too often these days as his campaign continues to benefit from his unprecedented virtual status. But when he does pivot out–most recently to Lancaster, Pa.–he makes the most of it. No gratuitous gaffes–just an on-point message that effectively juxtaposes the former vice president to the buffoonish narcissist winging it to rally his delusional, cult-figure-channeling base.

The Lancaster sortie focused attention on the expansion of the Affordable Care Act. He put it in terms that the average American can relate to during a pandemic. “If Donald Trump has his way,” noted Biden, “complications from COVID-19 could become a new pre-existing condition.” That resonates a lot more with the non-Trumpster majority than sophomoric nicknames and demeaning tweets coming from the lounge actor in the Oval Orifice.

* The United Farm Workers union has announced its “elections matter” endorsement of Joe Biden.

* September 29 is the first Trump-Biden debate; it will be held at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. The other two will be Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. The Oct. 15 debate (aka “town meeting”) will be at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Biden’s female vice presidential choice will debate VP Mike Pence on Oct. 7.

* “President Trump may soon need a new nickname for “Sleepy Joe” Biden. How does president-elect sound?”–From a Wall Street Journal editorial.

* The House recently moved to approve D.C. statehood. The District of Columbia, with a population of 700,000, has more people than Wyoming and Vermont. Its budget is larger than a dozen states. Its bond rating, Triple-A, is higher than that of 35 states. And it has a “representative,” Eleanor Holmes Norton, who cannot vote.

The Republicans are, unsurprisingly, fine with the sovereignty-challenged status quo, however much it marginalizes and shortchanges D.C. residents. Taxation without representation:  Remember that? What would our selectively-prescient Founding Fathers say? Would they care that D.C. would become a blue state?

* “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” That’s the less-than-subtle title of another Trump-related book. This one by Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, that will be out later this month. Interesting that we haven’t seen any obvious-agenda books from Don Jr., Ivanka, Jared or Kellyanne yet. Yet.

* So the Dixie Chicks, the Grammy-winning country group, have dropped “Dixie” from their name because of the Confederacy connotation. So who’s next, Winn?

* Symbiotic HBO exchange we didn’t see: Bill Maher: “So, Mr. Ambassador, would you be on my show if you didn’t have a book to promote?” John Bolton: “Hmm. Would you have invited me under any other circumstances?”

Not all statues ordered taken down have a Confederacy connection. Exhibit A for me: Philadelphia’s removal of the statue of Frank Rizzo, former police chief and mayor. It still surprises me, a native Philadelphian with family members who were cops, that it ever went up, which was in the late 1990s. Rizzo could be insensitive–as well as abusive–toward blacks and gays. It’s a major part of his loathsome legacy. So also is the terminology he enabled as police chief. Night sticks weren’t called “billy clubs.” They were known as “n—– knockers.”

* Looks like baseball, however truncated, will be back. Among the changes: some on-field rules. One that is an actual improvement: The universal DH. It never made sense to be otherwise. Too bad it took a blindsiding pandemic to prompt the change.

* Other changes: No tobacco, no sunflower seeds, no spitting of any kind, which also improves optics. But, yes, cup adjustments are still allowed.

* One thing about watching (classic) Rays games that I will miss. Whatever the score, whatever the inning when you tune in, you know the Rays will eventually win. I will miss that.

* ESPN’s Buster Olney has dubbed the Rays his World Series favorite.

* “We want the Rays to stay in the Tampa Bay area.”–Mayor Jane Castor.