swordfish

Neither did the last President.......

Since it's all a game to the left -

https://nypost.com/2021/02/12/ny-dems-want-cuomos-covid-powers-gone-amid-nursing-home-bombshell/ A group of Democratic state senators demanded Friday that Gov. Andrew Cuomo be stripped of his emergency authority to deal with the coronavirus crisis in the wake of The Post’s revelation that his administration covered up nursing home death data because of a pending federal probe. “While COVID-19 has tested the limits of our people and state — and, early during the pandemic, required the government to restructure decision making to render rapid, necessary public health judgments — it is clear that the expanded emergency powers granted to the Governor are no longer appropriate,” the 14 lawmakers said in a prepared statement. “While the executive’s authority to issue directives is due to expire on April 30, we urge the Senate to advance and adopt a repeal as expeditiously as possible.” The move came shortly after Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) issued a rare rebuke of the governor. “Crucial information should never be withheld from entities that are empowered to pursue oversight,” Stewart-Cousins said in a prepared statement. It appears the rats are leaving the ship, fearing it will sink. IMHO - They can see this was actually criminal action by Governor and don't want it to rub off on them.

Read the Covid thread on here. The last page of that thread has the story. The number is up over 15,000, and his Secretary has openly admitted it. But blamed lying to the Feds on Trump.

https://nypost.com/2021/02/12/cuomo-aides-admission-on-nursing-home-coverup-sparks-calls-for-probe/ The stunning admission by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide that the administration withheld the state’s nursing home death toll out of fear that the damning numbers would “be used against us” by the feds has sparked bipartisan calls for a thorough probe — and prosecution of the governor. “Governor Cuomo, the Secretary to the Governor, and his senior team must be prosecuted immediately – both by the Attorney General of New York State and the U.S. Department of Justice,” US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wrote in a statement. “This bombshell admission of a coverup and the remarks by the Secretary to the Governor indicating intent to obstruct any federal investigation is a stunning and criminal abuse of power,” Stefanik continued. Wow, just wow. Honestly though, how far does anyone think this will go? The Emmy award winning Governor who was portrayed as the rock during the early days of the pandemic while throwing stones at Trump when in reality Trump gave him EVERYTHING he asked for (remember the Javits Center, the Red Cross Ship, the 40,000 respirators he needed, that only 4,000 was actually used, and he was a hero for letting other states use a few). I have to think this is worse than the boy who cried "Wolf". He was crying "Wolf" AS the Wolf. THEY ( and I mean the Democrat Party) needed this thing (COVID) to be as bad as it could be and the Emmy award winning Governor certainly helped advance the narrative. IMHO - criminally......

https://nypost.com/2021/02/11/cuomo-aide-admits-they-hid-nursing-home-data-from-feds/ Governor Cuomo’s top aide privately apologized to Democratic lawmakers for withholding the state’s nursing-home death toll from COVID-19 — telling them “we froze” out of fear the true numbers would “be used against us” by federal prosecutors, The Post has learned. The stunning admission of a cover-up was made by Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa during a video conference call with state Democratic leaders in which she said the Cuomo administration had rebuffed a legislative request for the tally in August because “right around the same time, [then-President Donald Trump] turns this into a giant political football,” according to an audio recording of the two-hour-plus meeting. “He starts tweeting that we killed everyone in nursing homes,” DeRosa said. “He starts going after [New Jersey Gov. Phil] Murphy, starts going after [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, starts going after [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer.” In addition to attacking Cuomo’s fellow Democratic governors, DeRosa said, Trump “directs the Department of Justice to do an investigation into us.” “And basically, we froze,” she told the lawmakers on the call. “Because then we were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation.” DeRosa added: “That played a very large role into this.” After dropping the bombshell, DeRosa asked for “a little bit of appreciation of the context” and offered what appears to be the Cuomo administration’s first apology for its handling of nursing homes amid the pandemic. But instead of a mea culpa to the grieving family members of more than 13,000 dead seniors or the critics who say the Health Department spread COVID-19 in the care facilities with a March 25 state Health Department directive that nursing homes admit infected patients, DeRosa tried to make amends with the fellow Democrats for the political inconvenience it caused them. “So we do apologize,” she said. “I do understand the position that you were put in. I know that it is not fair. It was not our intention to put you in that political position with the Republicans.” Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) immediately rejected DeRosa’s expression of remorse, according to the recording. “I don’t have enough time today to explain all the reasons why I don’t give that any credit at all,” said Gottfried, one of the lawmakers who demanded the death-toll data in August. State Senate Aging Committee Chairwoman Rachel May (D-Syracuse) — who was battered during her re-election bid last year over the issue of nursing-home deaths — also ripped into DeRosa, saying her former opponent had launched another broadside earlier in the day. “And the issue for me, the biggest issue of all is feeling like I needed to defend — or at least not attack — an administration that was appearing to be covering something up,” she said. “And in a, in a pandemic, when you want the public to trust the public-health officials, and there is this clear feeling that they’re not coming, being forthcoming with you, that is really hard and it remains difficult.” Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens), who took part in the call, told The Post on Thursday that DeRosa’s remarks sounded “like they admitted that they were trying to dodge having any incriminating evidence that might put the administration or the [Health Department] in further trouble with the Department of Justice.” “That’s how I understand their reasoning of why they were unable to share, in real time, the data,” Kim said. “They had to first make sure that the state was protected against federal investigation.” Kim, whose uncle is presumed to have died of COVID-19 in a nursing home in April, also said he wasn’t satisfied with DeRosa’s apology. “It’s not enough how contrite they are with us,” he said. “They need to show that to the public and the families — and they haven’t done that.” In addition to stonewalling lawmakers on the the total number of nursing home residents killed by COVID-19, Cuomo’s administration also refused requests from the news media — including The Post — and fought a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by the Empire Center on Public Policy. Instead, it only disclosed data on the numbers of residents who died in their nursing homes. But after Attorney General Letitia James last month released a damning report that estimated the deaths of nursing-home residents in hospitals would boost the grim tally by more than 50 percent, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker finally released figures showing the combined total was 12,743 as of Jan. 19. Just a day earlier, the DOH was only publicly acknowledging 8,711 deaths in nursing homes. In a Wednesday letter to lawmakers, Zucker said the total number of nursing home residents killed by COVID-19 had increased to 13,297 That number jumps to 15,049 when assisted living/adult care facilities are factored in. The controversy generated by James’ report led to an infamous news conference at which Cuomo callously dismissed the matter of where nursing home fatalities actually took place. “Who cares [if they] died in the hospital, died in a nursing home? They died,” he said. During Wednesday’s conference call, DeRosa said it appeared the DOJ was no longer focused on New York’s nursing home deaths. “All signs point to they are not looking at this, they’ve dropped it,” she said. “They never formally opened an investigation. They sent a letter asking a number of questions and then we satisfied those questions and it appears that they’re gone.” In a prepared statement, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said, “We explained that the Trump administration was in the midst of a politically motivated effort to blame democratic states for COVID deaths and that we were cooperating with Federal document productions and that was the priority and now that it is over we can address the state legislature.” “That said, we were working simultaneously to complete the audit of information they were asking for,” he added. The DOJ declined to comment. In other words - "We lied to protect ourselves from the Feds, but it was Trump's fault".... "The end should justify the means, since we got Trump out, so sorry bout that, let's move on".

Obamacare made health insurance more expensive? And this surprises who? Before ACA, SF's group rate insurance cost for a family of 4 was free, subsidized by my employer and was about the same for the 150 other employees at our facility depending on position at the company. Since ACA, my insurance cost is $73 per week for individual, and my wife (since spouses, if employed by a company has to take that company's insurance) pays $45 per week for her individual coverage. If my kids were still of age, my insurance cost for a family plan would run over $200 per week.

Quagmire yes. For Snowflakes. For anyone with any intellect, it isn't. Black Lives Matter as an organization is just that, an organization. Debate it's beliefs, actions, anyway you like and in most any forum, but outside of that, historically speaking, it's an organization formed after the shooting of a young black man. IMHO - BLM (as an organization) is no different than ANTIFA, or the Proud Boys. "Black lives matter" is a topic that could very well be covered in any humanities course or other that focuses on race issues or cultural issues or in a historical perspective relative to the current events of today. (IMHO)

If you ain't black, don't even think of dropping the "N" word.....No matter the context.....

You gotta be kidding me. I literally thought this was a joke until I read it, then checked it. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-relief-bill-2-billion-funerals-victims/

I will admit (as a man who uses various hair products daily to keep his hair in place) that having a product that keeps your hair in place for A MONTH or more may have it's upside.......🤣

A Louisiana woman who went viral after struggling to remove Gorilla Glue from her hair claims that neither the hospital nor the company’s advice helped remove the hardened adhesive I heard this story on the way into the office this morning and thought "well that was dumb".......news this afternoon is she is suing the glue company because "while the product’s label warns against using on eyes, skin or clothing, it does not mention hair" Seriously - I hate to laugh because I feel bad for the gal, but reading the story of her hair being "stuck in place for a month" was priceless...... SF believes this is the catalyst for a "Stupid People" thread to start. https://nypost.com/2021/02/08/womans-gorilla-glue-hair-horror-gets-stickier/ A Louisiana woman who went viral after struggling to remove Gorilla Glue from her hair claims that neither the hospital nor the company’s advice helped remove the hardened adhesive. Now she’s considering a lawsuit to get out of the sticky situation, according to TMZ. Tessica Brown hired an attorney and is weighing litigation against Gorilla Glue, because while the product’s label warns against using on eyes, skin or clothing, it does not mention hair, the outlet reports. During Brown’s weekend trip to the ER, health care workers put acetone on the back of her head, but instead of getting to the root of the problem, it burned her scalp and only made the glue gooey before hardening back up, according to TMZ. Gorilla Glue is aware of the dilemma, and tweeted a statement reading: “We are very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced using our Spray Adhesive on her hair. We are glad to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical treatment from her local medical facility and wish her the best.” The company goes on to reiterate that its product “is not indicated for use in or on hair as it is considered permanent.” Brown posted last week that her hair had been stuck in place for a month after she ran out of her usual hair product and opted to use the extra-strong superglue instead.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/patrick-leahy-takes-gavel-in-second-trump-impeachment-trial-11612018170?mod=e2twp WASHINGTON—Sen. Patrick Leahy will become the first person to preside over the impeachment trial of a former president next month, putting the Vermont Democrat in the thorny position of having to run the proceedings and serve as a juror. The Senate trial of former President Donald Trump is set to kick off the week of Feb. 8, after both House Democratic managers and Mr. Trump’s defense team prepare their cases. Mr. Trump was impeached in the House over allegations he incited supporters to riot at the Capitol. The 80-year-old Mr. Leahy, the longest serving lawmaker in the Senate and the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, is taking on the role amid concerns about his health. Just hours after he was sworn in as presiding officer, he was briefly hospitalized after experiencing muscle spasms. The schedule of the trial hasn’t been set, but attendance for senators is mandatory, and he is expected to face trial sessions that have in the past run for more than 12 hours. The trial is expected to be relatively short, running for perhaps a week. Chief Justice John Roberts oversaw the first Trump impeachment trial, as required by the Constitution. But the law is silent on who presides over the trial of a former president, and the chief justice declined to participate in this one, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), who said that Mr. Leahy was next in line for the role as president pro tempore of the Senate. “Sen. Leahy’s job is a little tougher in that he doesn’t come into it with the basic presumption of impartiality that normally attaches to a judge,” said Frank Bowman, a University of Missouri law professor who is an authority on impeachment. “He’s going to have to strain to appear evenhanded in any circumstance where there is sort of a partisan valence to any decision that he makes.” So, the Judge is also a juror? Since when? Yeah, that's fair......We can all trust Senator Schumer's "interpretation" of something that doesn't even exist.....Impeaching a former President...... The reality of this is that if the Democrats are unable to get 17 Republicans to agree with them (which is very unlikely) and vote to impeach (whether or not it is even constitutional) then they will come away from this having twice attempted to impeach a President for unimpeachable offenses. How will that treat their party going forward?

The winners (of the present culture war) are truly getting to write the history books.....

https://nypost.com/2021/02/08/law-enforcement-failed-to-act-on-intel-ahead-of-capitol-riot-report/ A sprawling network of federal and local law enforcement across the US that is designed to stave off terrorist threats failed to protect the Capitol on Jan. 6 because officials did not act on intelligence that had been gathered prior to the riot, a report said Monday. The intelligence included warnings from federal-local law enforcement “fusion centers” across the country that warned of protesters traveling to DC with weapons, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing internal documents viewed by the newspaper. An FBI field office also warned the federal and local agencies handling security for the protest of demonstrators sharing maps of the Capitol and a “call for war,” the Journal reported. But despite the warnings, the intelligence arm of the Department of Homeland Security wrote there was “nothing significant to report” in a Jan. 5 memo to law enforcement across the country. As a result, the security forces in DC were woefully unprepared for the mob of President Donald Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol, leaving five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. According to the Journal, the heads of the nationwide “fusion centers” — where local law enforcement share intelligence with federal authorities — hosted a call on Jan. 4 to warn of the number of participants planning to bring weapons to the “Stop the Steal” rally. The intelligence was shared with the Washington, D.C., fusion center — and, in turn, with the offices tasked with providing security for the Jan. 6 event. DHS declined to tell the Journal if it took any action based on the call, while the FBI said it held a separate call to brief other law enforcement officials about the possibility of protesters bringing weapons to the rally. The Journal also highlighted a report from the FBI field office in Norfolk, Va., that pointed to a message board where one user was urging protesters to “go there ready for war” and sharing maps of the Capitol complex. The intelligence was shared with the joint terrorism task force in Washington, but not acted on by the FBI, according to the report. The bureau told the newspaper the information was uncorroborated and not linked to specific suspects, which made following up on it difficult. In the weeks since the riot, more than 100 people have been charged with federal crimes, including members of the Proud Boys and fringe groups such as the Oath Keepers, who allegedly conspired together prior to the riot. So after reading this report where the intelligence arm of the DHS, in spite of having plenty of advanced warning that there was potential violence coming, didn't feel it worthwhile to have extra hands on deck to keep the peace leads me to wonder how Trump's speech on 1/6 could have been the cause this impeachment circus claims started this whole protest. (Not riot, not insurrection, a protest) Also considering the magnitude of "weapons" predicted to be there either overtly or covertly, I find it amazing that there weren't more deaths and destruction according to the reports I keep hearing mainly from the left. Especially given the cities that actually had destruction, loss of property, injuries and yes DEATH(s) over the summer that were overlooked.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9239805/Iranian-cleric-says-Covid-19-vaccine-turns-people-gay.html Iranian cleric says Covid-19 vaccine turns people gay Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian made the claims on messaging platform Telegram 'Don't go near those who have had the COVID vaccine,' he wrote Homosexuality is a crime in Iran and is punishable by execution Too funny not to share! 🤣 I guess the vaccine is now going to be illegal in Iran.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congresswoman-mocked-for-saying-ar-15-is-as-heavy-as-10-moving-boxes-fires-50-caliber-bullets Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee incorrectly claimed that AR-15 rifles fire .50 caliber ammunition and that the weapons are “as heavy as 10 boxes that you might be moving.” The Texas Democrat, who is pushing for further gun control policies, made the statement to reporters, claiming that she has held an AR-15 but wished she had not. "It is as heavy as 10 boxes that you might be moving,” Jackson Lee, 69, said. “And the bullet that is utilized, a .50 caliber, these kinds of bullets need to be licensed and do not need to be on the street.” A loaded AR-15 weighs about 7.5 pounds and does not fire .50 caliber rounds, but rather .223 ammunition. The difference between the size of the two types of ammunition is stark, with .50 rounds typically used by the military in heavy machine guns and anti-materiel weapons. I would actually entertain a legitimate debate on gun control - provided someone that actually knew anything about guns would show some kind of sanity during the discussion.......This woman is nuts..... Quite a big difference between .223 caliber and .50 caliber...... about 1/4" inch (twice the size of a .223) in diameter just for starters - then there's the powder load.....

Whatever dude.......IF she were my daughter during the time of this protest, I would have had great comfort knowing she was NOT in the Capital building, but in her office in one of the adjacent buildings that were NOT nor had the chance to be infiltrated.

https://nypost.com/2021/02/05/aoc-doubles-down-on-terrifying-capitol-riot-experience/ This Congresswoman's story has evolved so much.

SF doesn't think we are in Kansas anymore. OR - If Tom Brady played Basketball.....🤣 Seriously - Come up with good lines for this one GID ......

That's the general thinking for the left, depending on the crime of course......especially if committed on the wrong "group" ......

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-head-into-showdown-with-gop-over-punishing-greene/ar-BB1dnzew (Bloomberg) -- House Democrats are heading into a showdown with Republicans Thursday over GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s past promotion of conspiracies that threatens to provoke an escalating cycle of political retaliation. The conflict over Greene is one of two that had been festering for House Republicans and reflect tension in the party over its future direction and former President Donald Trump’s continued influence even after he was voted out of office. GOP lawmakers Wednesday night decided to stand with both Trump loyalists and the old-line establishment. They rejected pressure from Democrats to take steps on their own to punish Greene, who has aligned herself closely with the former president, and voted to keep Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming as one of their leaders despite scathing criticism over her vote to impeach Trump after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. “It was a very resounding acknowledgment that we need to go forward together,” Cheney, 54, told reporters after a more than four-hour meeting of House Republicans where she and Greene were the main topics. She did not apologize for the impeachment vote, according to other lawmakers in the room. Democrats are continuing the battle over Greene. Earlier Wednesday, they set up a vote on the House floor to remove her from the two committees she was assigned by GOP leadership, Education and Labor and Budget. Greene has promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory. She’s also questioned whether a plane actually hit the Pentagon in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and whether some mass shootings in the U.S. were staged or carried out for political purposes. She also introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden the day after he was inaugurated. “It is about what she said,” House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern said, arguing that the resolution to strip her of her committee seats it is not about partisan politics. He said Greene’s actions and words “quite frankly diminishes not only her office, but this entire institution.” Greene, 46, has come under harsh criticism from some fellow Republicans, including Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who said “loony lies and conspiracy theories” are a “cancer” for the party and the country. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said he unsuccessfully offered to reassign Greene, who represents a district in northwest Georgia, to the Small Business Committee rather than the Education and Labor Committee. “I made that offer to the Democrats and they they chose to do something Congress has never done,” he said. GOP lawmakers said Greene, during their private gathering, had disavowed QAnon and back-tracked on her past statements and social media posts. “She was contrite. I think she brought a lot of people over to her side,” Representative Tom Massie of Kentucky said of Greene’s remarks to the conference. ‘Rabbit Hole’ Massie was one of the Republicans who warned Democrats that forcing members of the minority party off of committees would have consequences. “This is a rabbit hole, this is a Pandora’s box they do not want to open,” he said. Texas Representative Louie Gohmert warned that if Democrats removed Greene, the GOP “absolutely 100 percent” would do the same to them if the GOP regains control of the House. “They’ll start a war that they won’t like where it goes,” he said. While Republicans managed to tamp down their differences and stand behind both Cheney and Greene, the divisions haven’t gone away. The fact that nearly a third of the conference voted against Cheney underscores the deep split in the party between those who remain fiercely loyal to Trump and those who want to move past the former president and his false claims about the November election. Joshua Huder, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s governmental affairs institute, said one remaining area of agreement between the Trump allies and GOP establishment figures is their opposition to Democratic policies. “Outside of that, it lacks direction and leadership,” Huder said. “More and more, it looks like a party not in control of its future.” Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, said the conflict is an extension of the internal GOP fights that have been roiling since the advent of the Tea Party through the election of Trump. “This moment of reckoning for the Republicans is overdue,” he said. So Congresswoman Greene is now the "Ilhan Omar" (or one of the Democrats "Squad") of the Republican Party? How many committees is Congresswoman Omar on? OH - Rep. Greene DID introduce articles of impeachment against the current President.....Maybe that's why the Dems have their nose out of shape.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9219379/Why-coronavirus-cases-falling-fast-New-infections-drop-44-three-weeks.html Why ARE coronavirus cases plummeting? New infections have fallen 44% in the US and 30% globally in the past 3 weeks and experts say vaccine is NOT the main driver because only 8% of Americans and 13% people worldwide have received their first dose On Wednesday, a total of 110,679 new coronavirus infections were reported with a seven-day rolling average of 135,904, a 44% decline from the average three weeks earlier The decline appears to be a global phenomenon, with new infections falling worldwide for the past three weeks in a row, the World Health Organization said Monday Hospitalizations have fallen nearly 30% from a peak of of 132,474 on January 6 to 92,880, the lowest figure seen since November 29 Currently, 44 states are seeing a decline in cases with just Alabama, Louisiana, Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania trending upward, according to Johns Hopkins data California's 21,451 new confirmed cases on Tuesday are about one-third the mid-December peak of 54,000 New York recorded 8,215 new infections on Tuesday, down from the record-high of 19,942 new cases reported on January 15 Health experts say it is too soon for vaccines to be playing a major role in the decline with just 8% of the population having received the first shot and fewer than 2% being fully immunized (IMHO) - Totally predictable. 1) President Biden took office 14 days ago. 2) President Trump is now FORMER President Trump. Now we can start accurately counting actual COVID cases and not use the PIC (Pneumonia, Influenza, Covid) number anymore. Which would mean we should start seeing an increase in flu cases. (Again - IMHO)