coronavirus
Being Hunted In The Capitol Riot Not Enough? Congrats The GOP Just Gave You COVID!
Their willful stupidity is a hate crime.
January 12, 2021 10:03 AM
During the Capitol siege, Congress members were huddled together in a secured room, an ideal venue for the coronavirus to mix and mingle. Even when not under lockdown, House rules require that members wear masks at all times when indoors, for all the reasons that have become tiresome to repeat. Just wear a damn mask, dummies.
Look, it's reasonable that when you're hiding from the violent mob Donald Trump incited, you might temporarily forget about the pandemic Trump ignored (although much like "Law & Order: SVU," COVID-19 isn't going anywhere). However, Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware tried to pass out masks but was rebuffed by at least six snickering members of the GOP's Sedition Caucus. In this video, you can see House members Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania sneer at Blunt Rochester like she's some nerd who's trying to make them wear masks like a nerd.
<p>
According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/01/09/gop-lawmakers-refuse-masks-capitol-riot-raju-nr-vpx.cnn" target="_blank">CNN's Manu Raju, </a> Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said, “I'm not trying to get political here." What's political is Mullin's defiance to the most simple public health measures. When John McClane was trying to find shoes in <em>Die Hard</em>, he wasn't making a political statement. How did half the country get so stupid?
</p><p>
Blunt Rochester is a Black woman with a brain in her head who was trying to keep people safe, but these Republican know-nothings insisted on throwing an impromptu superspreader event. Monday, Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey <a href="https://twitter.com/RepBonnie/status/1348686673085931520?s=20" target="_blank">tweeted</a> that after sheltering in place with these maskless morons, she decided to take a COVID-19 test. It came back positive. She's now isolating at home.
</p><blockquote>
<strong>WATSON COLEMAN: </strong>While I am experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, I remain in good spirits and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents.
</blockquote><p>
Although Watson Coleman, who's also Black, looks 60 at most, she's actually 75 years old and a cancer survivor. It's not “getting political" to show a modicum of concern for your colleagues who are at risk. You might say it's “pro-life," but today's Republican Party makes a mockery of that term.
</p><p>
Watson Coleman wasn't the only person exposed to stupidity and infected with COVID-19. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state has also announced that she's tested positive. Understandably, she's real mad.
</p><blockquote>
<strong>JAYAPAL:</strong> Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them. Only hours after President Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack.
<br><br>
While I am isolating per the Capitol Physician's instructions, I will continue to work to the best of my ability because the deep urgency of our many crises is paramount.
</blockquote><p>
My former representative is going to impeach Trump again with her mask on and both middle fingers extended.
</p><blockquote>
<strong>JAYAPAL: </strong>I share the outrage and anger of my constituents and those across this country who have watched Donald Trump fail to combat this raging pandemic and refuse to take care of Americans who are suffering, dying, and devastated. Now, we have also watched him openly fuel and incite these insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol and our democracy on January 6 — so I will not rest until I do everything in my power to remove this President from office.
</blockquote><p>Jayapal had the foresight and consideration to quarantine immediately after the attack, because she rightly figured that the COVID Caucus had created a superspreader event. She's now asking that the Republicans who refused to wear masks in accordance with House rules are severely fined and immediately removed from the floor. </p><blockquote><strong>JAYAPAL:</strong> This is not a joke. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy.</blockquote><p>The Capitol's attending physician warned of possible risk of COVID-19 exposure during the lockdown. It's unlikely that any of the Republicans who refused to wear masks will show any remorse for their actions or alter their behavior. </p><p>We hope Watson Coleman and Jayapal recover fully and quickly.</p><p><strong>UPDATE:</strong> Third House member, <a href="https://twitter.com/GregJKrieg/status/1349022424193519617?s=20" target="_blank">Brad Schneider from Illinois,</a> also confirms COVID-19 diagnosis. He’ll vote to impeach Trump’s sorry ass by proxy.</p><p>[<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/bonnie-watson-coleman-covid-19-positive/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>]<br></p><p>
Follow Stephen Robinson on <em><a href="https://twitter.com/SER1897" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter.</a></em><br>
</p><p>
<a href="https://amzn.to/33mKzZe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons</a>.
</p><p>
<strong>Yr Wonkette is 100 percent ad free and supported entirely by reader donations. Please click the clickie, if you are able!</strong>
</p><p>
</p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
</label><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="monthly" class="plan-type" required=""> Monthly
</label></div><div class="form-row row--amount"><p class="subheadline">Select an amount (USD)</p><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="200" data-value="2.00" data-amount="Two Dollars">$2</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2500" data-value="25.00" data-amount="Twenty Five Dollars">$25</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="500" data-value="5.00" data-amount="Five Dollars">$5</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="5000" data-value="50.00" data-amount="Fifty Dollars">$50</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1000" data-value="10.00" data-amount="Ten Dollars" checked>$10</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="10000" data-value="100.00" data-amount="One Hundred Dollars">$100</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1500" data-value="15.00" data-amount="Fifteen Dollars">$15</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="50000" data-value="500.00" data-amount="Five Hundred Dollars">$500</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2000" data-value="20.00" data-amount="Twenty Dollars">$20</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="100000" data-value="1000.00" data-amount="One Thousand Dollars">$1000</label></div><div class="row--buttons"><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="strip"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208879/2000x.png" alt="Credit cards" class="donate-button__img"></button><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="paypal"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208880/2000x.png" alt="PayPal" class="donate-button__img"></button></div></form><br>
<p></p>
Keep reading...
Show less
Cops Behaving Badly
After De-Escalation Training, Newark Police Don't Fire A Single Shot In 2020
Until New Year's Day 2021, at least. Goddamnit.
January 09, 2021 02:45 PM
Police in Newark, New Jersey's largest city, had a pretty good year in terms of not shooting anyone at all in 2020, a statistic that Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose credited to the adoption two years ago of a de-escalation training program for police. However, Ambrose also said that, because the coronavirus pandemic had caused the deaths of six officers, it was also the roughest year he'd seen in a 34-year law enforcement career.
For all the stereotypes about cops facing death every time they go to work, Ambrose said the pandemic had been his greatest source of stress:
It was the unknown. It was the unknown that you didn't know with this disease that you were coming here every day, and these police officers and firefighters going out there, and we didn't know.
Of the de-escalation program, Ambrose said, "These things, it takes time for it to work. And I think it worked." He also credited the training with helping cops stay cool during the summer's protests over the murder by Minneapolis cops George Floyd.
<p>Ambrose and Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced the achievement in a December 30 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewarkNJPublicSafety/posts/1703128603203350?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUqnq6ZtiQ1e78I1WF4kVLbVZTCGF-vY5Ul2gJtRLP9SPCvP3GIzPXu8izpBoZY2Bb8TVhylPfEr7i2ClsH8EoLiu0I51dG4hSEQaFlMC8HfEWLfWFv9kP2pYrbEkhRvBrVDF_Q2bhxL6maj4IQ1JFt&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">statement</a>, saying that getting through 2020 without Newark cops discharging their weapons even once was <span></span></p><blockquote>proof-positive that our de-escalation training is highly effective. Our officers have embraced de-escalation training and are actively employing this resource when engaging with the community. [...] Our training also played a huge role in Newark having zero violence during this year's protests of the murder of George Floyd. The community and police worked together to ensure that non-Newark residents, who came here to protest, didn't initiate any violence in our City.</blockquote><p>That's where the unalloyed nice-time part of the story kind of ends, so if you want to feel unambiguously good about policing, don't read the rest of the article? It's like that Friends episode where Phoebe fondly remembers how her mom turned off the TV right after Old Yeller saves the day. </p><p>And yes, there is indeed such a thing as too much de-escalating, as the New Yorker's Jelani Cobb <a href="https://twitter.com/jelani9/status/1347142377631338497" target="_blank">noted </a>following the riots at the Capitol:</p>
<div id="0dee9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="357d65b8966847447f77bd887a940bf7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1347142377631338497" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">After making two documentaries about police brutality I never thought I would be this disgusted by a show of police restraint.</div> — jelani cobb (@jelani cobb)<a href="https://twitter.com/jelani9/statuses/1347142377631338497">1610018746.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Now, lest we seem like too much of a bummer, the overall trends for police use of force in Newark seem to be improving since the city entered into a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/information-about-department-justice-s-consent-decree-newark-police-department" target="_blank">consent decree in 2016</a> following a Justice Department investigation, back when the DOJ actually tried to reform bad police departments. <br></p><p>Yep, one more thing for <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/biden-introduces-attorney-general-pick-merrick-garland-vows-doj-independence.html" target="_blank">Joe Biden's DOJ</a> to fix, since Jeff Sessions started his time as AG by mostly <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/justice-departments-review-police-agreements-matters/story?id=46566294" target="_blank">giving up on</a> such "patterns and practices" investigations, and <a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2018/11/19/here-s-why-jeff-sessions-parting-shot-is-worse-than-you-thought" target="_blank">further weakening Justice's power</a> to rein in abusive police departments just before he was shitcanned in 2018.</p><p><span></span>Newark's record of cops not firing a single shot away from the practice range didn't last even one hour into 2021. After being dispatched to investigate shots fired at 12:03 a.m. on January 1, an officer <a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2021/01/newark-cops-ran-into-running-gunfight-in-police-involved-shooting-that-killed-man-union-leader-says.html" target="_blank">shot and killed</a> Carl Dorsey III, 39, of South Orange. The details we have so far don't look great. And as with most police shootings, the incident is already being Rashomoned. </p><p>A press release from the Newark AntiViolence Coalition <a href="https://newsone.com/4074027/carl-dorsey-new-jersey-police-shooting/" target="_blank">said </a>that, according to multiple witnesses, Dorsey was complying with police orders, and that he "had his hands up and was backing away from" plainclothes Detective Rod Simpkins when Simpkins shot Dorsey. The NewsOne site notes that at this point, there's "no indication of whether Dorsey was armed or what type of threat he posed, if any, to justify Simpkins shooting him." </p><p>Not surprisingly, the Newark police union president, James Stewart, contends that police acted "heroically" when they "heard gunfire and drove toward it, finding themselves in the middle of a running gunfight between multiple people," and that the cops "became targets and did what they had to do to protect themselves." </p><p>In keeping with a police reform law that went into effect in 2019, the shooting won't be investigated by the Newark PD, but by the state attorney general's office. So far, the AG office has <a href="https://www.njoag.gov/attorney-generals-office-investigating-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-in-newark-010621/" target="_blank">only released minimal details</a>, stating, </p><blockquote> During the incident, Detective Simpkins fired his 9mm service weapon, striking Mr. Dorsey. Officers provided medical aid to Mr. Dorsey and he was transported by emergency medical personnel to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced deceased at 1:37 a.m.</blockquote><p>And who knows, maybe the investigation will ultimately find that Simpkins tried all the de-escalation tactics he'd been trained on, or was in such a dangerous situation that he had no choice but to shoot, as a last resort. Sometimes use of deadly force <em>is </em>justified, though not nearly as often as claimed, especially when it's a white cop shooting a Black victim. </p><p>Unfortunately, as NJ.com <a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2021/01/nj-protesters-rally-demand-justice-for-man-fatally-shot-by-newark-police.html" target="_blank">reports,</a> because the shooting involved plainclothes cops, there may be no body cam or dash cam footage of the shooting. As of now, the shooting has prompted <a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2021/01/nj-protesters-rally-demand-justice-for-man-fatally-shot-by-newark-police.html" target="_blank">protests</a>, and the lack of details from official sources isn't entirely reassuring.</p><p>We'll add that the New Year's shooting was the first fatal police shooting in Newark since January 2019, when Newark cop Jovanny Crespo<a href="https://www.pix11.com/2019/05/28/newark-police-officer-released-from-jail-pending-trial-for-on-duty-fatal-shooting" target="_blank"> fired at a vehicle </a>that had earlier fled a traffic stop, killing one person in the car and critically wounding another; he's been charged with manslaughter and is still awaiting trial. To get back to the "encouraging trend" side of things, that meant Newark went a whole 23 months without killing anyone.</p><p>As part of the consent decree, Newark Police was required to file <a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/statistics/transparency" target="_blank">monthly transparency reports</a> on arrests, use of force, and the like, and those numbers also seem to show improvements in how often police have discharged their weapons. It's the weekend, so let's go to the shop and build a little table:</p><table><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Year </strong></td><td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Firearms Discharge <br>incidents</strong></td><td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Suspects Killed</strong><br><br></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/assets/docs/transparency/201612.pdf" target="_blank">2016</a></td><td style="text-align: center;">8</td><td style="text-align: center;">3</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/assets/docs/transparency/201712.pdf" target="_blank">2017</a></td><td style="text-align: center;">9</td><td style="text-align: center;">2</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/assets/docs/transparency/201812.pdf" target="_blank">2018</a></td><td style="text-align: center;">17(!)</td><td style="text-align: center;">1</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/assets/docs/transparency/201912.pdf" target="_blank">2019</a></td><td style="text-align: center;">2</td><td style="text-align: center;">2</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/assets/docs/transparency/202011.pdf" target="_blank">2020</a></td><td style="text-align: center;">0</td><td style="text-align: center;">0</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">So that's definitely encouraging, and the sort of improvement other police departments should strive for. And there's your feel-ambivalent news for the day. </p><p>[<a href="https://newjersey.news12.com/newark-police-no-officer-fired-a-single-shot-in-2020-thanks-to-de-escalation-program" target="_blank">News 12 New Jersey</a> / <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/biden-introduces-attorney-general-pick-merrick-garland-vows-doj-independence.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> / <a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2021/01/newark-cops-ran-into-running-gunfight-in-police-involved-shooting-that-killed-man-union-leader-says.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a> /<a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2021/01/nj-protesters-rally-demand-justice-for-man-fatally-shot-by-newark-police.html" target="_blank"> NJ.com</a> / <a href="https://newsone.com/4074027/carl-dorsey-new-jersey-police-shooting/" target="_blank">NewsOne</a> / <a href="https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/statistics/transparency" target="_blank">Newark Police Transparency Data</a>]</p><p>Yr Wonkette is funded entirely by reader donations. If you can, please set up a monthly $5 or $10 donation, and we'll keep looking for more unalloyed good news. Freaking New Jersey. </p><p></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/33mKzZe" target="_blank">Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons</a>.</p><p></p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
</label><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="monthly" class="plan-type" required=""> Monthly
</label></div><div class="form-row row--amount"><p class="subheadline">Select an amount (USD)</p><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="200" data-value="2.00" data-amount="Two Dollars">$2</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2500" data-value="25.00" data-amount="Twenty Five Dollars">$25</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="500" data-value="5.00" data-amount="Five Dollars">$5</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="5000" data-value="50.00" data-amount="Fifty Dollars">$50</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1000" data-value="10.00" data-amount="Ten Dollars" checked>$10</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="10000" data-value="100.00" data-amount="One Hundred Dollars">$100</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1500" data-value="15.00" data-amount="Fifteen Dollars">$15</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="50000" data-value="500.00" data-amount="Five Hundred Dollars">$500</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2000" data-value="20.00" data-amount="Twenty Dollars">$20</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="100000" data-value="1000.00" data-amount="One Thousand Dollars">$1000</label></div><div class="row--buttons"><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="strip"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208879/2000x.png" alt="Credit cards" class="donate-button__img"></button><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="paypal"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208880/2000x.png" alt="PayPal" class="donate-button__img"></button></div></form><p></p>
Keep reading...
Show less
State/Local Politics
Oregon Rep Escorted Armed Anti-Maskers Right Into Capitol Building, Luckily They Only Assaulted A Few People
Rep. Mike Nearman seemed to have no problem putting his colleagues in danger.
January 09, 2021 12:00 PM
Surveillance video has been released showing Oregon state Rep. Mike Nearman opening some doors to allow a bunch of unmasked, armed right-wing kooks into the state Capitol building, in order to allow them to disrupt a December 21st special legislative session.
In the video, Rep. Nearman is seen opening doors in a stairwell as a bunch of rough looking, unmasked angry people walk in. He then disappears, and State Police show up in order to push them back out again — briefly getting into somewhat of a brawl with a fella wearing overalls. This is not a thing I would recommend! A grown man who isn't ashamed to walk around in public looking like he raided the Osh Kosh B'Gosh outlet has very little left to lose.
The State Police tried to guard the door, which they couldn't keep shut because so many people were trying to push through and push them back.
<p>You know, as much as people get all "Oh no! Black Lives Matter and Antifa are SO MEAN to the police?" You do not often see them doing this with such absolute confidence that nothing is going to happen to them as a result. Like that woman is straight up pushing those cops, with her hands, demanding to speak to a manager, and it is definitely not occurring to her that she <em>might</em> get hit in the tits with a billy club — which, let me assure you, is a <em>very</em> unpleasant experience. Because she knows she won't. Because, as we all know, <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-polices-tepid-response-to-the-capitol-breach-wasnt-an-aberration/" target="_blank">cops just don't casually beat the shit out right-wing protesters</a> who are breaking the law the way they casually beat up left-wing protesters who are standing around singing "We Shall Overcome."</p><p>But I digress! The "protesters" were there that day to disrupt a legislative session in order to yell about coronavirus restrictions — one of which was closing such legislative sessions to the public. In order to keep people safe, the sessions have been livestreamed and the only people allowed in are journalists. </p><p>According to a previous report on the incident from <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/12/oregon-lawmakers-kick-off-third-special-session-of-2020-as-right-wing-group-protests-outside.html" target="_blank">Oregon Live,</a> one of the people who made it inside sprayed troopers with something, they don't know what:</p><blockquote>The Oregon State Police issued a statement Monday afternoon saying troopers were twice sprayed with "some kind of chemical agent."<br><br>The first incident happened about 8:30 a.m. when protesters accessed an entry room in the Capitol and one sprayed troopers, police said, though that person remains at large. Troopers used "inert pepper balls" while dealing with the protesters, police said.<br><br>Later, troopers and Salem Police Department officers pushed the crowd out of the building, when another protests used bear spray against law enforcement, OSP said in the news release. Police said Ryan Lyles, 41, was taken into custody and lodged at the Marion County Jail on charges of trespassing and assaulting a police officer.<br></blockquote><p>They also attacked a journalist who was there covering the legislative session for photographing their faces, which were entirely visible due to the fact that they refused to wear masks. </p>
<div id="e0e69" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="24ecb39e6e75058ab686be72f65eee09"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1341137620332552192" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Anti-lockdown Protestors assault a journalist for photographing faces https://t.co/G7kchBBrXx</div> — Sergio Olmos (@Sergio Olmos)<a href="https://twitter.com/MrOlmos/statuses/1341137620332552192">1608587100.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>It's a tough spot to be in! On the one hand, masks would make it less likely they would be identified and arrested ... but on the other, wearing them could reduce the spread of COVID-19 and make it so fewer people die — and that is not a risk many of them are willing to take. These were the people that Rep. Mike Nearman wanted to let in the Capitol, ostensibly so they could attack/infect more people. </p><p>Rep. Nearman, unsurprisingly, is a bit of a kook himself. In the past he <a href="https://www.wweek.com/news/2017/02/15/a-new-ballot-initiative-would-require-oregon-voters-to-prove-their-citizenship-before-voting/" target="_blank">filed a ballot measure</a> requiring every citizen of Oregon to re-register to vote, which they would <em>only</em> be able to do if they were able to produce a birth certificate or a passport. More recently, he <a href="https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2020/12/13/a-dozen-oregon-republican-lawmakers-urged-the-attorney-general-to-support-texas-lawsuit-undermining-u-s-election-results/" target="_blank">petitioned the Oregon Attorney General</a> Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, to contest the results of the 2020 election. She did the opposite of that.</p><p>House Speaker Tina Kotek says the legislature is currently exploring what options they have to sanction Nearman for literally putting their lives in danger. Perhaps they might want to consider what kind of "sanction" he might get if those creeps had assassinated someone, because that is a thing that definitely could have happened had they not been stopped from entering. </p><p>[<a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/video-clearly-shows-rep-mike-nearman-helping-right-wing-demonstrators-breach-oregon-capitol.html" target="_blank">Oregon Live</a>]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/33mKzZe" target="_blank">Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons</a>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us!</strong></p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
</label><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="monthly" class="plan-type" required=""> Monthly
</label></div><div class="form-row row--amount"><p class="subheadline">Select an amount (USD)</p><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="200" data-value="2.00" data-amount="Two Dollars">$2</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2500" data-value="25.00" data-amount="Twenty Five Dollars">$25</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="500" data-value="5.00" data-amount="Five Dollars">$5</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="5000" data-value="50.00" data-amount="Fifty Dollars">$50</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1000" data-value="10.00" data-amount="Ten Dollars" checked>$10</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="10000" data-value="100.00" data-amount="One Hundred Dollars">$100</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1500" data-value="15.00" data-amount="Fifteen Dollars">$15</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="50000" data-value="500.00" data-amount="Five Hundred Dollars">$500</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2000" data-value="20.00" data-amount="Twenty Dollars">$20</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="100000" data-value="1000.00" data-amount="One Thousand Dollars">$1000</label></div><div class="row--buttons"><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="strip"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208879/2000x.png" alt="Credit cards" class="donate-button__img"></button><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="paypal"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208880/2000x.png" alt="PayPal" class="donate-button__img"></button></div></form><p></p>
Keep reading...
Show less
coronavirus
Nebraska Gov: Undocumented Meat Packers Won't Get Vaccine, Because Reasons
Luckily, he says there aren't any such workers.
January 07, 2021 10:00 AM
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said at a press conference this week that undocumented immigrants working at the state's meatpacking plants will probably not be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, because it's not legal for them to be working anyway. Meat processing plants have been among the hardest-hit workplaces during the pandemic, so Nebraska has put meatpacking workers near the top of its priority list for getting the vaccine, after emergency responders, healthcare workers, teachers, and such. Nonetheless, Ricketts explained in response to a reporter's question that the vaccine will definitely ask "Papers, please," even though the virus itself does not:
Gov. Ricketts (R-NE) says undocumented workers at meatpacking plants will not be eligible to receive the COVID vacc… https://t.co/DpTlqHoKAD— The Recount (@The Recount)1609871717.0
You're supposed to be a legal resident of the country to be able to be working in those plants. So I do not expect that illegal immigrants will be part of that vaccine program.
Ricketts did not explain how refusing to vaccinate a portion of the workforce would help control the spread of the virus, because clearly that's a far less important matter than making sure he seems tough on immigration, don't be silly.
<p>Fortunately, Ricketts also <a href="https://www.wowt.com/2021/01/06/gov-ricketts-only-documented-workers-will-get-vaccine/" target="_blank">explained</a>, in slightly different terms, that not vaccinating undocumented workers wouldn't be a problem at all, since it's simply inconceivable that anyone without papers would be working at a meat plant in the first place: </p><blockquote>If you're working in the plants you're supposed to be here legally [...] So to get the vaccination, you gotta be working here legally to be a part of the food-processing program, so there's not going to be a conflict here.</blockquote><p>Come on, that's just logic! Oh, sure, the Migration Policy Institute <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrant-workers-us-covid-19-response" target="_blank">estimates </a>that 66 percent of workers in the meatpacking industry are immigrants, and 14 percent of meat processing workers are undocumented, but maybe that doesn't apply to Nebraska because the governor said so. </p><p>Nebraska meatpackers have been particularly badly hit by COVID-19, as Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nebraska-gov-ricketts-undocumented-people-not-included-vaccine-rollout-2021-1" target="_blank">points out:</a> </p><blockquote>The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting clocked Nebraska as having the highest number of COVID-19 cases originating from meatpacking plants, with at least 5,267 workers contracting COVID-19.<br><br>Using news reports, company press releases, state and federal data, MCIR also registered that 22 meatpacking workers have died from COVID-19 in Nebraska, and there have been outbreaks at 23 different facilities in the state.</blockquote><p>Eric Reeder, the president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 293 in Nebraska, <a href="https://www.wowt.com/2021/01/06/gov-ricketts-only-documented-workers-will-get-vaccine/" target="_blank">told </a>WOWT TV that Gov. Ricketts was full of nonsense, and that in 30 years of working in the industry, he knows there are "absolutely undocumented workers working in all the plants. The statement that there are not is patently false." And just as you'd expect a crazy union guy would say, Reeder added that the real goal should be making the plants safe for all workers and the public by getting the entire workforce vaccinated.<br></p><blockquote>This isn't political. This is simply a virus that if you don't put a stop to it or try to make these plants safer you're not going to keep up with the demand we already have. So if you want to keep them working you have to keep them as safe as possible.</blockquote><p>Next we suppose he's going to say there's something wrong with supervisors <a href="https://www.wonkette.com/tyson-managers-allegedly-ran-betting-pool-on-now-many-pork-plant-workers-would-get-covid-19" target="_blank">betting on how many line workers will be diagnosed</a> with COVID-19.</p><p>Mind you, it's just possible that some good could come of Ricketts's insistence that there aren't any undocumented workers in his state's meat processing plants. If he's going with the view that the plants simply don't hire anyone without papers, then <em>perhaps </em>that means all meatpacking workers in the state will be allowed to get the vaccine, without any further checks on their immigration status. </p><p>That's certainly what we'd argue if we were running a vaccination program, anyway. The governor said the workers are all legal, so everyone gets the shots, hooray!</p><p>[<a href="https://www.newscenter1.tv/nebraska-governor-says-undocumented-meatpacking-workers-will-not-be-eligible-for-covid-19-vaccine/" target="_blank">KNBN </a>/ <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nebraska-gov-ricketts-undocumented-people-not-included-vaccine-rollout-2021-1" target="_blank">Business Insider</a> / <a href="https://www.wowt.com/2021/01/06/gov-ricketts-only-documented-workers-will-get-vaccine/" target="_blank">WOWT</a> / Image: Screenshot, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuSpUKnFu8g" target="_blank">Smithfield Foods video</a>]</p><p>Yr Wonkette is funded entirely by reader donations. Please donate $5 to $10 a month if you can! </p><p></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/33mKzZe" target="_blank">Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons</a>.</p><p></p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
</label><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="monthly" class="plan-type" required=""> Monthly
</label></div><div class="form-row row--amount"><p class="subheadline">Select an amount (USD)</p><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="200" data-value="2.00" data-amount="Two Dollars">$2</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2500" data-value="25.00" data-amount="Twenty Five Dollars">$25</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="500" data-value="5.00" data-amount="Five Dollars">$5</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="5000" data-value="50.00" data-amount="Fifty Dollars">$50</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1000" data-value="10.00" data-amount="Ten Dollars" checked>$10</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="10000" data-value="100.00" data-amount="One Hundred Dollars">$100</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="1500" data-value="15.00" data-amount="Fifteen Dollars">$15</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="50000" data-value="500.00" data-amount="Five Hundred Dollars">$500</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="2000" data-value="20.00" data-amount="Twenty Dollars">$20</label><label class="amount__label"><input type="radio" name="amount" class="amount" value="100000" data-value="1000.00" data-amount="One Thousand Dollars">$1000</label></div><div class="row--buttons"><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="strip"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208879/2000x.png" alt="Credit cards" class="donate-button__img"></button><button type="submit" class="donate-button" data-payment="paypal"><img src="https://assets.rbl.ms/18208880/2000x.png" alt="PayPal" class="donate-button__img"></button></div></form><p></p>
Keep reading...
Show less
Newsletter
©2018 by Commie Girl Industries, Inc
