The NY Times reports:

The top communications official at the powerful cabinet department in charge of combating the coronavirus accused career government scientists on Sunday of “sedition” in their handling of the pandemic and warned that left-wing hit squads were preparing for armed insurrection after the election.

Michael Caputo, 58, the assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, said without evidence that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was harboring a “resistance unit” determined to undermine President Trump.

That is astounding. It’s Nazi-level manipulation and lying and provocation.

This is the guy who’s been trying to force the CDC people to change their reports to match Trump’s stupid lies.

“You understand

The abuse continues.

So, @christophelston and I could have anonymously put up a billboard in Vancouver. But we didn't. The threats & abuse are still coming: more than 12,000 comments on my Facebook. Hundreds of abusive and threatening DMs.

— Amy Eileen Hamm (@preta_6) September 14, 2020

And PS, as I've already said: I'm fine, I'm tough as nails, bring it bros!

— Amy Eileen Hamm (@preta_6) September 14, 2020

This is not normal. It doesn’t happen in other intra-left disagreements. Why is this so different? I can only conclude that it’s because misogyny is the most deeply rooted hatred of all. We’re watching lefty men fall all over themselves in their ecstatic eagerness to rip lefty women to pieces … Read the rest

Ooh a rally in Vancouver. Too bad they too are having a hazardous air day, but when it’s for a good cause…

Join A Celebration of Freedoms and Rights, No New Normal, The Line, Hugs Over Masks, CLEAR, Liberty Talk Canada and Unify the People in this event for all of BC to attend!!!!!

This is where we put our feet down and declare “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.”

It’s a rally for DO NOTHING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC FREEDOM FREEDOM.

ANY topic you OPPOSE such as MANDATORY masks / vaccines, contact tracing, 5G, communism, social distancing, media lies, child trafficking, lockdown measures, curfews, etc.

Any “topic” I oppose? Anything at all? What if I oppose stupid people who refuse to follow … Read the rest

There are eleven thousand comments on Amy Hamm’s public Facebook post about the Rowling billboard. One particularly deep thinker says it’s about white women (wot no Karen?):

Imagine having this amount of money to actually help people in need and instead using it on a billboard to promote a hateful person. White women findings ways to make feminism exclusive to them and theirs is a tale as old as time though.

Yup yup yup that’s it, it’s nothing to do with men trying to take over being women from women, it’s all about white women taking over everything from everyone, the way we always have. … Read the rest

Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano wrote a book about the Paradise Fire. They tell us some things:

Prior to European settlement in the West, fire flowed freely, sparked by lightning or intentionally by Native Americans to encourage the growth of favored plants or clear areas for easier hunting. As much as 4.5m acres of California’s 105m acres might burn every year. These low-intensity fires did not kill large trees, and some plants even came to depend on fire to regenerate themselves. A shrub called chamise appears to encourage fire by releasing combustible gases in the presence of flames.

The shift to a different approach occurred after several instances in which wildfires became appalling urban fires. In October 1871,

This is a flattering photo.

Seen at the Guardian.… Read the rest

About those fires…

The death toll from wildfires choking the west coast of the US continued to rise on Sunday as authorities feared more bodies were likely to be found in the charred ruins of towns across several states, and politicians lambasted Donald Trump for his response to the escalating crisis.

It’s what he does so as not to panic us.

The White House announced that Trump would visit California on Monday for “a briefing”, a move that drew strong criticism from Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles.

“He’s going to come out here and probably tell us ‘I’m going to send you rakes’ instead of more help,” Garcetti told CNN’s State of the Union, referring to the

It’s fine that Trump lied to us about the virus and that thousands of unnecessary deaths are the result. Totally fine.

Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, and Jason Miller, a campaign senior adviser, tried to mitigate the damage caused by Trump’s taped confessions to Watergate journalist Bob Woodward, for his book Rage, by playing up the president’s handling of a crisis that has killed more than 190,000 in America.

“The president was calm and steady in a time of unrest and uncertainty,” McDaniel insisted on NBC’s Meet the Press.

That’s not the Trump we know. He’s very volatile and he has the attention span of a gnat.

“What would it mean if the president came

The CBC reports – not honestly – on the Rowling billboard matter.

A billboard on a busy part of Hastings Street in Vancouver supporting author J.K. Rowling’s controversial views about gender identity was hastily covered over the day after it was put up.

That’s why I say “not honestly.” The headline is more honest:

I Love J.K. Rowling sign makes brief, controversial appearance in Vancouver

That’s fair, but the first sentence is shamefully dishonest. The billboard does not “support J.K. Rowling’s controversial views about gender identity.” All the billboard does is express love for Rowling. That’s it. “I heart [love] JK Rowling”; the end. Most people who see the billboard aren’t going to know that trans activists consider Rowling … Read the rest

The political hacks Trump hired have been forcing the CDC to water down its reports to make Trump look less like a mass murderer.

The health department’s politically appointed communications aides have demanded the right to review and seek changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly scientific reports charting the progress of the coronavirus pandemic, in what officials characterized as an attempt to intimidate the reports’ authors and water down their communications to health professionals.

By “health department” they mean HHS.

In some cases, emails from communications aides to CDC Director Robert Redfield and other senior officials openly complained that the agency’s reports would undermine President Donald Trump’s optimistic messages about the outbreak, according to emails reviewed

This crap again.

There’s a new billboard in Vancouver that says “I heart JK Rowling.” You can write the rest yourself.

A billboard in East Vancouver championing author J.K. Rowling, who has been widely accused of transphobia, was removed Saturday after drawing outrage and condemnation.

The billboard didn’t “draw” outrage and condemnation, people decided to direct outrage and condemnation at it.

Let’s remember that Rowling has never said she hates trans people, or wished bad things on them. Let’s remember that she doesn’t advocate violence or repression or revenge or anything of that kind. Let’s remember that her point is that women have rights too.

The billboard, which was visible from busy Hastings Street, was black with white text

What Trump is planning.

Here’s the president teasing a method he could use to try to end US democracy in less than two months https://t.co/J0RBIStDHK

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 12, 2020

And Roger Stone is in there.

More on that:

Roger Stone is making baseless accusations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and is urging Donald Trump to consider several draconian measures to stay in power, including having federal authorities seize ballots in Nevada, having FBI agents and Republican state officials “physically” block voting under the pretext of preventing voter fraud, using martial law or the Insurrection Act to carry out widespread arrests, and nationalizing state police forces.

Stone, a longtime confidant of the

Skeptical Liberalism:… Read the rest

Recyling plastic? It’s a con job. Has been all along.

The US used to send most of its used plastic to China for recycling, but two years ago China said that’s enough now, and no one else wants it.

But when Leebrick tried to tell people the truth about burying all the other plastic, she says people didn’t want to hear it.

“I remember the first meeting where I actually told a city council that it was costing more to recycle than it was to dispose of the same material as garbage,” she says, “and it was like heresy had been spoken in the room: You’re lying. This is gold. We take the time to clean it, take the

Another one of those wait we need to tease out the meaning here items.

“At the moment, the GRA requires people to justify their gender identity to a panel of people in a way that cis people don't. No one should have other people stand in judgment over their gender identity, deciding whether their gender is 'good enough' to count as a man or woman.” pic.twitter.com/UKxBmFfzPr

— Trans Actual (@TransActualUK) September 12, 2020

At the moment, the GRA requires people to justify their gender identity to a panel of people in a way that cis people don’t. No one should have other people stand in judgment over their gender identity, deciding whether their gender is ‘good enough’ to count as … Read the rest

More in News from Scumbag:

THANK YOU to the 28,000+ Firefighters and other First Responders who are battling wildfires across California, Oregon, and Washington. I have approved 37 Stafford Act Declarations, including Fire Management Grants to support their brave work. We are with them all the way! pic.twitter.com/Uu9vArw70Z

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2020

That’s it. That’s all he’s said about these fires. Nothing all this time and then thank you to the firefighters but nothing to the millions of people affected.

CNN comments:

The President hasn’t tweeted about the devastating wildfires over the past few weeks, despite regularly posting to his Twitter feed. His relative silence adds to his history of offering little empathy in the

Trump is still using Twitter to tell his fans to commit a crime.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein reminded people they cannot vote twice, again refuting President Donald Trump’s instruction for North Carolinians to vote by mail and try again in person. It is illegal.

Trump’s “instruction” told his people to commit a crime.

Always breaking new ground, this guy.

Twitter added a disclaimer above Trump’s tweet on Saturday morning: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”

Trump tweeted: “NORTH CAROLINA: To make sure your Ballot COUNTS, sign & send it in EARLY. When Polls open,

Oregon needs federal help.

Sen. Jeff Merkley said he expects Pres. Donald Trump to approve Oregon’s request for emergency federal assistance for the wildfires e soon, perhaps as early as Thursday afternoon or Friday.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown made the formal request for support Wednesday, and Oregon’s congressional delegation issued a letter of support the same afternoon.

On Thursday, as fires continued to ravage the state, Brown told reporters she was still waiting on a response to the request from the White House. About 900,000 acres of Oregon have burned, she said.

We hate to rush him and everything but…

Brown and state officials said they are working to get more firefighters on the ground. A strike team is

The air in Seattle blew past unhealthy this morning, then past very unhealthy this afternoon; it’s now at hazardous and still climbing; after hazardous it’s just we can’t count it any more.

But as for Oregon…

Hundreds of firefighters battled two large wildfires Friday that threatened to merge near the most populated part of Oregon, including the suburbs of Portland, and the governor said dozens of people are missing in other parts of the state.

The state’s emergency management director, Andrew Phelps, said officials are “preparing for a mass fatality event” and that thousands of structures have been destroyed.

Gov. Kate Brown said more than 40,000 Oregonians have been evacuated and about 500,000 are in different levels of evacuation

Chris Cillizza is not one of the great journalists, but I like his take on Trump’s efforts to prevent panic over a new lethal contagious disease.

There is, without doubt, a worthy debate to be had as to whether Woodward, who technically works for the Post but in practical terms has been writing books for years now, should have immediately gone to the Post after Trump made his statements about downplaying the virus and demanded space on the website (and in the next day’s paper) to write a big contemporaneous piece about it.

But that conversation pales in comparison to this one: If the President of the United States knew that Covid-19 was worse than people thought — and