TS Snippets: Doing Lines & Crossing All of Mine

While he was doing lines

This line heavily implies cocaine use.  But I couldn’t find any gossip, articles, or arrests pertaining to drugs for any of our liars.  But also, we might not know–it could absolutely be happening behind the scenes.

I then tried to think of the many ways to use “line” that wasn’t drug-associated.  Stand in line, run lines as an actor, line your pockets, line of credit, boundary line, line your eyes, telephone line…

And crossing all of mine

Honestly, I don’t think Taylor intended any of the following uses of the word “line” that I found pertaining to Ku$hner misdeeds.  But it turned out really apt, and kinda cool, so I wish she had intended to write about him in the following ways:

Lines of credit for Ku$ner businesses that are completely unethical-

Check out this entire article for the conflict of interest of the Ku$ner clan:

https://www.nytimes.com/svc/oembed/html/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2018%2F02%2F28%2Fbusiness%2Fjared-kushner-apollo-citigroup-loans.html

Private phone lines that skirt United States security measures-

Jared Kushner gave a confusing explanation for his alleged ‘back channel’ plan with Russia

Natasha Bertrand Jul 24, 2017, 9:18 AM

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, denied in a statement Monday that he suggested setting up a “back channel” communication line to the Kremlin that would bypass US intelligence agencies and persist after Trump was inaugurated.

But Kushner acknowledged in the statement, which came ahead of a closed-door appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee, that he asked Russia’s ambassador to the US in December whether the Trump transition team could use Russia’s embassy to communicate privately with Moscow about Syria. The meeting with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, “occurred in Trump Tower, where we had our transition office, and lasted twenty [to] thirty minutes,” Kushner wrote in an 11-page statement detailing his contacts with Russian nationals during the election and transition period. “Lt. General Michael Flynn (Ret.), who became the President’s National Security Advisor, also attended … I stated our desire for a fresh start in relations.” Kushner said Kislyak, whose tenure in the US ended this past weekend, asked whether there was “a secure line in the transition office to conduct a conversation” about the US’s Syria policy.

“General Flynn or I explained that there were no such lines,” Kushner wrote. But he said he went on to ask whether the Russian Embassy “had an existing communications channel … we could use where they would be comfortable transmitting the information they wanted to relay to General Flynn.” Kislyak said they didn’t, according to Kushner, and “nothing else occurred.”

“I did not suggest a ‘secret back channel,’” he wrote. “I did not suggest an on-going secret form of communication for then or for when the administration took office. I did not raise the possibility of using the embassy or any other Russian facility for any purpose other than this one possible conversation in the transition period. We did not discuss sanctions.”

Kushner’s statement appears consistent with a Washington Post report published in May that said he had floated the possibility of setting up a secure line of communication between the Trump transition team and Russia — and having those talks take place in Russian diplomatic facilities in the US, essentially concealing their interactions from US government scrutiny.

According to The Post, Kislyak was “taken aback” by Kushner’s request because it posed significant risks for both the Trump team and the Kremlin. But he passed along that request to Moscow anyway. Kushner did not previously disclose the December meetings with Kislyak and the CEO of a Russian bank, Sergey Gorkov, on his security clearance form. He said in his statement that the form was submitted prematurely.

‘A staggering lack of common sense’

Experts have said that if the Kushner-Kislyak meeting and reported discussion were an isolated incident, then it could be spun as normal back-channel communication arrangements among states.

But Kislyak and the Trump campaign interacted extensively, and Trump associates either kept those interactions secret from US officials or misrepresented them, as was the case with Flynn, who was forced to resign in February for similar reasons.

Scott Olson, a recently retired FBI agent who ran counterintelligence operations and spent more than 20 years at the bureau, told Business Insider in May that it was not unusual for low-level staffers to work between governments and bypass bureaucracy to exchange views and build consensus in advance of higher-level negotiations. But what Kushner appears to have done is “substantially different, in two ways,” he said. “First, he is not seeking a back channel for a low-level staff exchange,” Olson said. “He wants high-level direct-contact communication. This is extremely dangerous because it results in verbal (and therefore undocumented and unwitnessed) agreements, which are binding on governments. Free governments do not work this way. They can’t. If they do, they are no longer free.”

He added: “Second, he asked to use a foreign government’s communication facilities. This is way beyond a private server. This is doing US government diplomatic business over a foreign government’s communication system. It’s not an off-the-record conversation. It’s a conversation recorded by the opposing party. This shows a staggering lack of understanding of the US and its place in the world. Actually, it shows a staggering lack of common sense. When he negotiates a business deal does he use the other guy’s notes?”

It also struck many experts as odd that Flynn, Kushner, and Kislyak would want to conceal discussions about Syria from the US’s national security and intelligence communities. “Why in God’s name would they want to conceal plans on Syria strategy from the US military?” asked Susan Hennessey, a former attorney for the National Security Agency. “Even accepting their Syria spin, what Kushner tried to do was blind the US government on incredibly important national security matters. That’s not how it works. That’s not the behavior of someone who recognizes America is still, at its core, a common endeavor.”

Egregious disregard drawing up boundary lines between Israel and Palestine-

Alas, I don’t think it is actually what the song is about because Jo$h’s brother Jared isn’t crossing boundaries of Taylor’s as far as I know.  He’s a criminal POS, but at most his politics are disagreeable to Taylor, and his brother “stole” the love of Taylor’s life. But that line worked out pretty well with many of the Ku$hner crimes.

I

Someone told his white collar crimes to the FBI

Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you’ve ever seen, oh

So that could be who she’s talking about in this particular line…

Taylor Swift’s Gay Moments: Lover ~ MA&THP [Part 3 LGBT Rights Have to Wait for Democrats]

I split the songs up on the Lover album as well so we can delve into each one a bit more.

Here’s another Lover track that is more easily understood by separating the perspectives/subjects in the song.

Sapphic love:

American glory/Faded before me/Now I’m feeling hopeless…/…I counted days, I counted miles [Keeping an eye on the campaigning and the primary run up to the election]/To see you there [to see a Democrat in office]…/…My team is losing [Democrats lost]/Battered and bruising/I see the high fives/Between the bad guys [Trump, cronies, lobbyists, investors, the benefactors of exploitation and oppression]…/…American stories/Burning before me…/…Boys will be boys, then/Where are the wise men?/…I counted days, I counted miles/To see you there/To see you there/And now the storm is coming, [The GOP is about to create laws that hurt everyone aside from wealthy, white, straight, cis males] but

https://www.theutcecho.com/opinion/trans-lives-are-not-a-wedge-issue/article_320f5fd8-ba01-11ec-88e7-5b0ac162c419.html

Taylor Swift’s Gay Moments: Lover ~ Me!

ME!

I know I never think before I jump…/…And trouble’s gonna follow where I go…/…But one of these things is not like the others/Like a rainbow with all of the colors/Baby doll, when it comes to a lover/I promise that you’ll never find another like/Me-e-e…/…I know you never get just what you see…/…Spelling is fun!…/…Strike the band up, one, two, three

Taylor Swift’s Gay Moments: Lover ~ The Song, Lover

I split the songs up on the Lover album as well so we can delve into each one a bit more.

Lover

And this is our place, we make the rules/And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear/Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?/You’re my, my, my, my/Lover…/…Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?/…I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover/My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue/All’s well that ends well to end up with you/Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover/And you’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me/And at every table, I’ll save you a seat, lover

Why’d He Do It??!

https://commons.stmarytx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1189&context=thescholar

I think this article is a bit too sympathetic to Bill. It excuses his signing DOMA as he couldn’t know it would soon be relevant. Any student of history could tell you one presidential intervention has led to major social change many times before Clinton was in office. For example, FDR created a government research agency for defense technology. Then he covertly approved The Manhattan Project. This led to creation of atomic bombs–and you know the rest: one decision had a major impact on the entire world, and still affects us today. In more modern times one decision has led to a cascade of events that eventually changes the fabric of society: Trump appoints the 1st (of 3!) conservative supreme court judge. Everyone could see that move in the chess game of politics would lead to an abortion ban–and it did in pretty short order. In all 3 cases, the president didn’t start the conflict–tensions in each scenario had been building, with many smaller strategic moves (by special interest groups, citizens, and politicians) toward an ultimate goal. But the president’s tacit approval in all 3 examples opened the door for concrete changes that enacted the desired change: USA is a nuclear world power, LGBT rights are quashed, abortion is banned. Clinton knew how politics work, and probably had an idea that the GOP would capitalize on any anti-LGBT legislation. With same sex marriage the writing was on the wall. I think Bill made a decision: Moderate voters vs. the gays, and we know who he chose.

Why DOMA Matters:

Equality at Last:

Just kidding. Equality is still far off. Even After DOMA was Killed LGBT are STILL a Wedge Issue. ie Scapegoat boogeyman to stoke fear and generate votes from ignorants to republican candidates who have no new ideas to garner support–just attacks. Ask me what I really think.

The Battle was Won, but Not the War:

Question… Kaylor-Politics Fear, Fire, & Smoke. Many Songs are Tied Together [Part 16]

Taylor wins the pronoun game.  I’m not even going to try to untangle the speaker/recipient/changing characters in this song. Ok maybe just a little in this section. It was written so convoluted that I haven’t even seen a satisfactory answer to this yet.  Instead, I took lyric snippets from other songs featuring the same word, to get a feeling about Taylor’s sentiment and even subject. Don’t get overwhelmed with the length of this post.  The word I’m trying to point-out from Question… lyrics is highlighted. 

In Question… the next verse has a change in Taylor’s tone of voice.  It sounds almost sarcastic when she sings:

And what’s that, that I heard, that you’re still with her?

You’re still with her.  Who is Taylor talking to?  And who is HER?  This is a main reason why I wasn’t going to play the pronoun game with this particular song.  I think Taylor wrote it in a way that couldn’t be decoded.  She didn’t call and tell me.

Is the “you’re” Taylor is talking to, Karlie?  If so, it implies Karlie is with (dating?) HER.  And I don’t know who that could be.  It doesn’t seem plausible that Karlie would “marry” Jo$h, have a baby with him, leaving Taylor in the process. All to just get a different secret girlfriend?  I mean, IF Karlie wanted a WLW affair, Taylor has made it more than clear that her door is still open to Kaylor.

Is the “you’re” Taylor speaking to Jo$h?  I don’t think it can be, because immediately preceding this line the lyric is, “Does it feel like everything is just like second best after that meteor strike?”  In the last entry we showed through other celestial lyrics that the meteor strike is this otherworldly, untouchable love.  And Jo$h was not involved other than as an antagonist, threatening to burn the house down. What would be second best to him?  Taylor is referring to Klo$$ner(?!) AS the thing that’s second best to Kaylor.

The YOU’RE must be Karlie because the meteor is definitely Kaylor.  But I really don’t think Karlie is with another woman (HER).  So even though it seems random and out of context, I do think Taylor is using Hillary Clinton’s unofficial slogan to make fun or mock Karlie’s feeble “I tried” tweet, hence the sarcastic singing voice in this verse.

That’s nice, I’m sure that’s what’s suitable

And Taylor does mention “fuckin’ politics and gender roles” in the verse right before this one, so it could make sense for the song to allude to Karlie’s political hypocrisy.  [Sidenote: “counterfeit” and “faithless” are both synonyms of “hypocritical” and Taylor uses those in other songs, which could be talking about this very matter.]

And right, but tonight

There aren’t common lyrics in the song I’m about to reference, but I do think there is a connection. The political talk and the word “tonight” reminds me of Daylight. 

Daylight

Is it Karlie that “ran with the wolves” (the Ku$hners, her neighbor and sister in-law Ivanka, by extension the Trumps) adjacent and complicit to republican evil?  It’s also interesting that Question… could be addressing the subject matter of Daylight because it goes with our overall thesis that Taylor’s central problem is closeting.  

Daylight came out [ha!  Accidental pun] in 2019, the year Taylor turned 30 years old.  Twenty years prior to that it was 1999 and Taylor was around 9.  In Seven Taylor says, “picture me….before I learned civility, I used to scream ferociously any time I wanted.”  At 7 years old Taylor acted viscerally, shouting her truth and paying no attention to anybody else’s expectations, or to social rules.  But as she aged she learned manners/tact/compliance…  She was molded to be socially acceptable, and in this patriarchal, heteronormative world, that means being a (straight) young lady (with feminine qualities).  It corresponds to the next year of age entering into a dark night, sleeping on her queerness for the sake of etiquette.  The stuffing down her innate sexuality, denying her attraction to women, and closeting when she couldn’t repress herself.

In 2016 Taylor “became the butt of the joke” when her reputation was ruined.  She met Karlie and fell deeply in love, which helped Taylor see past the drama-induced pain.  The enthrallment also reminded Taylor of her innate queerness.  During the lover era, Taylor may have planned to come out.  Precisely because Kaylor prompted Taylor to wake up from the dark sleep of hiding her sexuality (maybe even from herself).  Taylor was so happy about being in love and seeing daylight that she wanted to share her feelings with the world.  But the master’s situation foiled that plan at the last minute.

Afterglow might be alluded to in the next line of Daylight, “I wounded the good [Karlie?] and trusted the wicked.”  Afterglow explains that Taylor thought she had reason to attack.  She pinned Karlie’s hands behind her back, and made her feel helpless, hopeless, ambuscaded.  But it turns out Taylor blew things out of proportion, and it was Taylor who burned them down. 

I don’t know what happened.  Did Taylor think Karlie’s first wedding was legitimate and an ambush to desert her?  Or is this lyric indicating Taylor felt Karlie betrayed secrets to Jo$h and or $cooter which enabled them to buy her masters at exactly the wrong time for an official coming out?  I don’t know, because I’m not sure any song is specific enough to untangle it.  What we do know is that whatever Karlie may have done, Taylor says she overreacted.  

Daylight continues, “clearing the air I breathed in the smoke”

Let’s talk about the connotation of smoke. Again, I’ll right-align the songs that contain the word since “smoke” is not in Question…

Cardigan and The Archer talk about the smoke left behind from the fiery Kaylor break-up:

Cardigan

The song speaks to things pertinent to our discussion:

1. Taylor knew she was Sapphic back at Seven even though adults assume you are just in a phase or confused as a young queer.  Especially fathers, according to Mary’s Song, where the daddies were notably absent from the fantasy wedding, which might explain the “leavin’ like a father” in Cardigan.  She compares herself to Peter Pan, who never grows up.  Taylor wants to be like that 7 year old freely getting close to the girl with the braids.

2. Karlie impacting Taylor forever (like a tattoo) is mentioned again.  Kaylor will haunt Taylor, and she will curse Karlie.  I will put the part about how Taylor regards her gayness like a curse, and says she’s haunted to mean she’s sapphic as a reminder of what we previously decided:

3. The 3rd pertinent thing in Cardigan that ties back to Question…, Daylight, Afterglow, is the smoke remaining after the fire.  In Ivy it was Taylor who pushed Karlie away and told her to run. 

These lines are from Karlie’s point of view:  

Ivy

This perspective shows Karlie suggests Kaylor take a risk and stay together.  Even with the “husband” in the picture (“drink my husband’s wine” = Jo$h’s wine).  But Taylor doesn’t wanna share, she says in Delicate.  And so Cardigan talks about how Karlie finally “ran like water” “steppin’ on the last train” because of Taylor’s stipulations (me or him).

Smoke is mentioned in The Archer, where Taylor is talking about her struggle with the closet.  She wants to keep her fans and fame, but it hurts her relationship with the girl. The song The Archer also mirrors the 3 items we talked about in Cardigan:

The Archer

1. Taylor never grew up and is still playing Peter Pan.  She wants to be regarded as the ‘good girl’.  Taylor can’t let herself go rogue, and come out of the closet for fear of losing everything.

2. Taylor views her queerness as a curse and haunting.  She paces like a ghost, unable to sleep because of the anxiety. But Karlie got under her skin and will impact her forever.  Taylor knows it’s unfair to ask Karlie to closet with her (“who could stay?”) but desperately wants to hold onto her (“help me hold onto you”). YOU is Karlie and the fans.

3. It’s Taylor who pushes Karlie to run, and take the last train.  It’s Taylor who jumps off the train and rides off alone.  She can’t stand the heat, is constantly afraid of the impending fire, and the invisible smoke hangs over her.

The heat is gay rumors and Karlie’s decision to remain with Jo$h. 

The fire is getting burned by coming out or worse, being outed.  The fire is the terror of Ku$hner-power hurting her to quell Kaylor.  The fire is Karlie’s “family” situation conflicting with Taylor’s own ideas of a fairytale life. 

The smoke is unrealized events that Taylor dreads.  The smoke is every time Taylor is gay on main and too many people notice.  The smoke is damage control by Taylor’s PR team and Taylor’s own overcorrections when things look too queer.  

Taylor suffers because she loves the gal, but also knows how “out(ed)” celebrities lose their fame and die all alone.

Daylight

Which brings us back to Daylight.  The smoke Taylor breathes in when trying to clear the air is Taylor holding onto imagined negative outcomes.  Running damage control and overcorrecting any gay situation.

The pain of picking closeting over the love of her life time and time again makes Taylor feel asphyxiated.  

We Are Getting Called Back into Physical Work :(

Even though we can do 100% of the job from home.  And we have been working from home just fine since March 15.  And we made production records.

Nothing has changed with the Covid pandemic since they had us work from home.  In fact, cases in Arizona are going up.

They are still adamant we must return to the building June 1st.

And our building is not conducive to reducing the risk of getting sick.  I am absolutely certain people will spread the virus.

We work in one open room.  157 on the claims side, then however many on the opposite side of the fairly open building in Customer Service.  Our cubicles are short, and management already said it would be too expensive to raise the walls.  As I complained here many times, I could already feel the cough/sneeze air of the gal in the cube behind me (because she doesn’t cover her shit).

The long hallways are open, kitchenettes with the water, microwaves, and refrigerators, are part of the big, open room and shared by most.  We all have to enter and leave by badging in and out of one central bottleneck.  There are 2 women’s bathrooms only with 5 stalls and 3 sinks.  They are crowded routinely.  We share them with the CSRs.  The janitor cleans the bathrooms twice daily, and when he does, he closes 1 of the bathrooms so the entire female claims and CSRs share 1 bathroom of 5 stalls and 3 sinks.

I am very concerned.  We already got many messages through the emergency system that someone in our building had been diagnosed with Covid-19 (this was toward the beginning of work from home).

Work says our health is the number 1 priority.  But I find that hypocritical since they’re dragging us back in with no justification in the middle of a global pandemic.

Leadership sent out a handout of the guidelines:

Do a self-survey and self temp check before entering the building (people are not careful, people lie, some carriers are asymptomatic)

Wear masks in common areas (except common areas got perverted to ‘not our big, open room where we all work and breathe for the majority of the day and there is recirculated AC.  Oh, and my supervisor diluted the manual’s instruction more by telling us that the masks are a recommendation, not a requirement)

Social distance and stay 6 feet apart (except the said our short cubicles are 6×6 so we’ll be the same distance as always.  And the bathrooms are going to be a bottleneck.  And the kitchenettes because so many of us have to share them.  And I’m worried leadership will come right to my desk to tell me things or help me with work.)

They said they’ll increase the air flow rate in the buildings they own.  (They don’t own our building.  Even if there is increased rate, it’s still a closed building, and the AC is still recirculated all day long as everyone breathes–without masks).

Work said they’re following federal, state, and CDC guidelines.  (Trump hasn’t really implemented any plan whatsoever, and he has ulterior motives to prioritize the economy over everything else so he can get reelected.  Our governor also prioritizes buisiness because the state ran out of money probably and he’s bought and paid for by corporations.  Our governor has already opened stores, malls, dine in restaurants, bars, gyms, pools, and casinos if that tells you where his priorities are.  And when people broke his recommendations by opening earlier, or having enormous groups with no health measures–he did nothing.  It was not enforced at all.  No fines, no orders to close down.  Nothing happened.  So we can’t depend on that douche to implement public health measures that are reasonable.  And the CDC has been politicized and muzzled, so their recommendations are weak and diluted.

So the federal isn’t doing anything for public health–they’re actively working against science and health measures.  Our red state is tired and inconvenienced and money over lives so no one is helping prevent the spread.  We are in a right to work state, so I have no protections if my work demands I go back–even if I feel unsafe doing so.  And I know even if I fight, they will say we’re essential health care workers so they really don’t have to make any accommodations at all to require us back in the building.  And obviously we HAVE to keep the job.  That’s not even close to an option.

But I don’t like it.

But I get so tired of capitalism and corporate interests jerking the little people around.  I want to have rights and a voice, and wish unions were mainstream.  We needed Elizabeth Warren to take care of some of this corruption and money over lives ideals that Americans just have to live by.  I want to feel safe at work.

I’m legit worried as soon as we step into work we will get the Covid-19.  So what was the point of us working from home at all, if we go back before the peak even hits the state?  I never thought moving to a red state might literally kill me…

Vote Blue No Matter Who

People died to get the right to vote

It is your Civic duty to vote

Your vote is your voice

The personal is political

Not voting, is still a vote

If you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain

Bernie supporters on Twitter are already showing selfishness, entitlement, unrealistic expectations, naivete, etc… by saying they are not going to vote at all, or worse–they’re voting for Trump.

If you’re voting for Trump, you were never progressive.  You were never going to vote based on ethics.  It’s gross.

The whole attitude makes me frustrated.  What could be worse than Trump?  He is doing sometimes irreversible damage.  He has to go.  He cannot get another Supreme Court pick–those are life long terms.  The peddling of lies and disinformation has to stop.  His sewing of distrust of science and media are alarming.  He shouldn’t be allowed to undercut our democracy anymore.  He can’t ruin the environment anymore.  LGBT will lose the little progress that has been eked out.  The racism…  Not voting ensures more of this.

And if you don’t like Biden–neither do I.  Honestly, I didn’t want a rich, old, white man to lead the country–the world, because they do not represent my interests.  They don’t understand who I am as a female or what my needs and desires are as an American citizen.  But politics are effed.  I don’t like the system either, but you have to work within that system or nothing at all will ever change.

Voting is an essential right and duty.  Change happens slowly, our government is designed with checks and balances, so that it intentionally moves slowly.  But it’s important that it moves forward, not backward.

I think we can all agree that after Obama was elected there has been a backlash.  The conservatives, the right, the republicans, the rich, the racists are “over-correcting”  those 8 liberal years.  Which I’d argue weren’t liberal enough in many respects and were actually, fairly unproductive (because of blocks in congress) for the most part.

Which is why we have to get the far right out of the White House while there is still something to salvage.  Please, please vote.  Vote the lessor of two evils.  Vote for the cabinet.  Vote so that we don’t lose anymore of our nation’s values.  Whatever you need to tell yourself to justify it.  Just vote.

Biden is better than Trump.  a silver-alert runaway is better than Trump.  A clown is better than Trump.  My cat would be better than Trump.  My cat’s favorite mouse toy would be better than Trump.  Diarrhea is better than Trump.

Vote Blue No Matter Who.

Against Own Interests

I have been talking shit on Twitter, because that’s all the action (aside from voting when it’s time) that I can do about this pandemic/economic situation.  Arizona’s Governor has now not only refused to shut down (reasonable) non-essential businesses–he blocked mayors and other local governments from doing it.

He sent out a list of essential businesses that would stay open:  All the things you would expect such as health care and residential (LTC) homes, grocery, gas, and charity.  But also schools and day cares, ride-sharing, real estate, hotels/motels.  Golf courses, pawn shops, gun stores, laundry services.  Which of course, is fucking ridiculous.

And because both our Governor and our Federal Government are pretending this Coronavirus pandemic is just another flu, the residents of AZ are not taking it seriously and modifying their behavior for the most part.  And they have a false sense of security because Arizona’s positive tests are relatively low.  What people aren’t accounting for is that tests can’t be positive if they aren’t given.  The state’s testing parameters are you must have traveled internationally or come into direct contact with someone who has.  And you have to be sick to the point of requiring a respirator.  So, in short, not many people.  Arizona isn’t testing hardly anybody that has just all symptoms.

Also according to China, 1/3 of the people who had positive results, were asymptomatic.  And on the cruise ship that had all the positives, half of those that tested positives were asymptomatic.  Meaning, even people that think they’re healthy are spreading Coronavirus.  One other scary conclusion from that Princess whatever cruise ship:  All the passengers were off the ship for 16 days.  And cleaning had not commenced.  Scientists were swabbing cabins for signs of the virus.  And they did find live virus.  SIXTEEN days after passengers had disembarked.  The virus lived on surfaces for over 2 weeks!

So I’m frustrated with the people consuming Fox news and Trump briefings and taking it as truth.  Believing it to everyone’s detriment.  And endangering us all.  I don’t understand why people would support politicians that go against their own interests.  News Flash–Arizona has an old population.  And a lot of these seniors are the ones drinking the republican kool-aid, which endangers their life.  I just don’t get it…

Politicization of Pandemic

I want to catalog everything that’s going on, because it’s not every day you live through a global pandemic.  But the news is coming so fast and it’s just an overwhelming amount, and so much of it is questionable (maybe or maybe not based in fact) so it’s too difficult to say everything.

I can tell you I’m scared our work will make us go to the physical location too soon.  And they can do that even with a shelter in place order (which AZ doesn’t have & probably won’t get) because we are in the healthcare industry.  Which along with military, media, etc is exempt from shelter in place.

I’m worried because we work in one big room with 200+ people in it.  Low cubicle walls, no real barriers.  The air is recycled.  We share 2 bathrooms with even more people–the customer service reps inhabit the entire other side of the building and use the same bathrooms.  And I can always hear people coughing and sneezing, all the times.  So I’m worried.

I intuitively knew that even though everyone was touting wash your hands, wash your hands, that it isn’t enough.  Because even for regular colds and flues, if someone coughs or sneezes or breathes on you it’s in the air and you breath the germs.  And sure enough, research is coming out that the virus lives in air for 3 hours!  Not to mention on surfaces for hours and days depending on the type.

So I want to continue to work from home.  And I’m angry at anything that threatens that:

 

America’s capitalism– big business, stocks, and making money always gets prioritized above all else in this country.

Trump–  he has ulterior motives to make the economy look good so he’s trying to downplay the severity of this virus, limit testing so the stats don’t look as bad, lying about mitigating solutions because he wants to sweep this under the rug quickly but prior to this pandemic got rid of all the experts who could do that.

Republicans– because it’s always money with them.  They want to bail out big corporations, and signal to people this isn’t a big deal, just go on with business as usual (aka get back to work to make $$$).

Doug Ducey– who is a Trump lackey so is also trying to downplay the virus to help business.  He wouldn’t order a statewide closure of non-essential businesses like bars and restaurants.  He doesn’t wanna hurt the economy even though it’s inevitable, AZ’s population is old and there are a lot of multi-generational families here, and lives should come before money.

stupid/sheep/republican/ignorant/callous/etc people– the ones who are not changing their behavior at all and are probably directly spreading it by going out sick, or indirectly by going about their regular routines as asymptomatic carriers.  These are the people that are going to spread the virus to everyone, and I hate their inability to use reason and logic and not be in denial and/or selfish.

My work– because wash your hands just won’t cut it, and I suspect they know that but will prioritize productivity over our health.

So far we have 1-2 more weeks of work from home, but I’m dreading that they’ll call us back to the building despite the science…

Learned How DNC Nomination Works (kind of)

Kind of learned, and it kind of works-both. 

I used to steer clear of politics.  They were boring, I didn’t know any of the names, it is complex.  And mostly I didn’t follow it, because I figured any candidate who made it that far had to be corrupt (true).  But, now I watch the news so some of the names and positions are familiar which helps a lot.  I learned a lot about the political nominee process today via podcasts.

I still don’t understand who the delegates are.

But party leaders (or insiders?) elect them at the level of congressional district.  I don’t know what that means, but I gather the general public is not elected, nor part of that process at all.  Also, it was unclear to me how the number per state is arranged.  I got the impression that the more active your district, the more delegates you are allowed.  Also, probably the more money you give to that party the more delegates?  And California, I think, has the most delegates of any state by FAR.  Oh, and U.S. territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico also get delegates.

The goal of all the presidential nominees–the ONE goal, is to collect the most delegates.  That’s it.  

Each party makes their own rules.  Republicans have a winner takes all system.  If the candidate wins the majority of the votes in a state (even if it’s a small majority) they get every delegate from that state. 

The democrats do it proportionally:  So if candidate A gets 30% of the votes and candidate B gets 16% of the votes, Candidate A gets around 30% of the delegates and Candidate B gets half as many or close to 16% of the delegates.  

Also, in order to get any proportion of the delegates at all, the Candidate must at least meet a minimum threshold of 15% of the votes in that state.  If they get 13% of the votes, they don’t get a single delegate.  Now, every state seems to have it’s own number of delegates, so in the example above 30% of the delegates may be just 2 delegates gained for the winner, and half as many delegates equals 1 delegate for candidate B.  So you can see even winning a lot of votes, may not accumulate a large number of delegates, or more importantly a large lead over competitors.

The 3 things that are important in this process are:  Money, momentum (and controlling the media’s narrative), and strategy for allocation of resources (money, time, and staff).

Also, of note is the difference between a caucus and a primary.  A caucus is like a town meeting, all in a small time frame (vs 8 hr or 2 weeks) and are held maybe in a school gym, or if bunches of people show up even outside.  Caucuses are not private, everyone knows your vote.  And you mostly have to attend in person, so you must be free at that exact time they’re held.  So mostly people really into politics attend.  It’s kind of old school. 

A primary is similar in most respects to a regular election:  The polls are in the same (multiple) locations, they happen over a span of time, and they attract a broader audience.  Primaries also sometimes allow mail in ballots.  Most states are moving to primary form, because the absentee ballots are easier to deal with in this format (and they’re more current of a situation than the old school caucus).

Another thing that’s important is each state decides when to vote in their caucus/primary.  Only 4 go in February:  Iowa (which always has to be first, according to its own state laws), New Hampshire (technically the first primary since Iowa is a caucus), Nevada, and South Carolina.  And I don’t think any of those states represent the demographics or character of the overall U.S. very well.

Super Tuesday is so called because many states vote as soon a they are allowed (the 1st Tues of March).  And usually, there will be a candidate after this vote that is going to be a clear winner of the nomination.  BUT  when there are more than 2 candidates running the delegates are split between them and it can take longer to show a clear winner.

March 10 there is Super Tues Part 2 with Michigan, Missouri, Washington state (with 89 delegates), and North Dakota voting.  A week later, 6 more states vote.  This March voting accounts for half of the number of delegates in the U.S. so it can be a game changer still.

There are still more primaries even as late as April 30.  And it’s states in the Atlantic like PA, NY, CT, DE, MD–you know big, and politically active states.  And they might decide to all vote the same in a block.  Or not.  Depends on the year and the candidates.

I should mention, that in order to be considered the nominee at the end, you can’t just get the highest number of delegates out of all the candidates.  The nominee must have a minimum of 51% support.  So when there are more than 2 candidates, and things are pretty close, it’s possible that nobody gets that number.  If after all this time, there is no clear front runner, all the politicking ramps up.

To make a ticket more enticing, the democratic party may try to pair 2 candidates like Prez/VP.  Or pull a desirable candidate in to balance a ticket.

If there are several candidates in a “lane” the party might try to consolidate them.  [I’m pretty sure money or promises were made to two moderates in 2020 if they would fall behind Biden.]

At this point also, a committee is formed of delegates that will write the rules for the democratic convention.  [I think this needs to happen before the contest ever starts, and with impartial people].  And the candidates and their people are allowed to “woo” these rule-maker delegates.  Rides on Airforce 1, expensive dinners, paid travel, gifts–they’re all allowed.  What’s not allowed is promising a federal job to anyone.  But it seems a little too permissive to me.  This rules committee will specify how a candidate can establish dominance:  A majority or just by number of delegates.  And depending on all the wooing, it can favor one candidate over another.  They make every rule at this point for the Democratic Convention which will ultimately declare the nominee.

Then there is a vote.  And if there is still no clear front-runner, at least an hour (but probably way more time) must elapse.  Deals are made, the attributes of candidates are discussed, promises and compromises…  Then, a different set of 700-something automatic delegates (IDK who picks these people, what their qualifications are, or how often they’ve been used) votes a 2nd time.  And whamo-that’s the democratic nominee.

But it’s in the party’s interest to pick as soon as possible, because this whole time the incumbent candidate in the other party has been campaigning for the big election.  

 

So clear as mud, huh?  I think the system has been made purposefully complex to allow special interests, establishment, and money to have loop holes and windows.  My original assumption that anyone who makes it this far is corrupt–is probably correct.  But at least we know a little more about the process.