Today's News: "Rescind the Doctrine"

The Pope's reconciliation events were in Quebec today - above is a photo of a delegation from the Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, where the last Quebec residential school closed in 1991. The group of a dozen people walked 275 km to reach the Quebec City reconciliation events, and included members of the Innu, Anishinaabe, Naskapi, Wendat and Atikamekw communities.

Launière-Mathias, the executive director of the non-profit group Puamun Meshkenu, said the seven-day adventure cultivated a sense of "collective pride." 

"It was teamwork. Each person travelled the kilometres that they could. When they weren't walking, they were supporting each other emotionally and spiritually," he said. "It was a reflection of our communities, our nations."

It was another example, I think, of the remarkable sense of community evident in this reconciliation visit. 

In spite of the words of Trudeau and Simon, below, I don't think we are going to be seeing anything more now from Pope Francis and the Catholic Church than has already been given. 

But this visit created a sense of community among Indigenous people across the country -- it was one of the things that made this visit worthwhile and it will have an impact on the future.  

I also hope the Pope will remember how seriously Canadians believe the Catholic Church needs to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery.

I sat down with both @Pontifex and Cardinal Pietro Parolin yesterday afternoon. We spoke about the importance of the Roman Catholic Church’s continued work with Indigenous Peoples to advance healing and reconciliation – and the need for the Church to take real, concrete action. pic.twitter.com/SJVtA8LL5P

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 28, 2022

“[…] you said that reconciliation is ‘a grace that must be sought.’ To that I would also add that reconciliation is a grace that must be earned through continuous hard work and understanding.” – #GGSimon pic.twitter.com/f72tkv1huj

— Governor General of Canada (@GGCanada) July 28, 2022

They painted the banner late last night, Chelsea Brunelle said. It was a bit of a last-minute decision but felt necessary. "A missing piece of reconciliation in this visit of the pope, his pilgrimage, is action."

— Anna Mehler Paperny (@amp6) July 28, 2022

The banner was facing away from the Pope, toward the congregation, but they think he got the message. The Prime Minister said he raised the issue and Canadian Bishops say they're "working with the Vatican ... with the goal of issuing a new statement from the Church."

— Anna Mehler Paperny (@amp6) July 28, 2022

'It's not enough to just apologize' -- Protesters urge @Pontifex to rescind Doctrine of Discovery, holding up banner during mass near Quebec City, by @AntoniNerestant @vestevie https://t.co/OnOoKMlxgI via @cbcnews #PapalTour #reconciliation https://t.co/62c9fFIZGy

— André Picard (@picardonhealth) July 28, 2022

PM Trudeau
“For decades First Nations, Inuit, and Métis have been calling on the Pope to recognize the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse their children endured while attending these residential schools. For decades, they have been waiting for an apology.”

— carol (@GrandmasRus) July 27, 2022

#RevokeDoctrineOfDiscovery
Hide no longer pic.twitter.com/FO2llooR9G

— Brian E Noble #ArticulateBeings (@ArticulateDinos) July 28, 2022

Holding the banner : @sarainfox and her cousin. Hear her words as relayed to @jenngyoon https://t.co/eMgwqxZsbB pic.twitter.com/p5oHq6ZNz9

— Sarah Leavitt (@sarahleavittcbc) July 28, 2022

First Nations leaders to meet Bishops to talk papal bulls, Church records: https://t.co/hiwUwvv5fU

— 𝓔𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓱 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓵𝔂 (@ChitkwesuManetu) July 28, 2022

It was a powerful moment during the Pope’s visit to Treaty 6 on Monday, as a woman stood in her regalia and sang an emotional rendition of O Canada in Cree directly to the leader of the Catholic Church following his apology to residential school survivors. pic.twitter.com/LO3eIiT8ac

— APTN News (@APTNNews) July 26, 2022

Papal Visit: Singer at peace after captivating world with protest song https://t.co/twYB0eogpK

— 𝓔𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓱 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓵𝔂 (@ChitkwesuManetu) July 28, 2022

These two saved my spirit today. It has been a long week but seeing Stevie and Abigail dance by in their jingle dresses at St. Anne de Beaupré was soothing. Grateful for Indigenous women, for standing strong, for being seen. #allmyrelations . Pix by ⁦@JoleneBanning⁩ pic.twitter.com/ZMhs9jGVwU

— Tanya Talaga (@TanyaTalaga) July 28, 2022

Jim Yellowhawk art

Remember ⚫️🔴🟡⚪️🦅 pic.twitter.com/iVXCeL1JgF

— 𝓔𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓱 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓵𝔂 (@ChitkwesuManetu) July 29, 2022

Today's News: "A whisper in our minds"

In the end, the Pope's apology is important, though it will not ease the pain.

Pope Francis was able to give the long-awaited apology, speaking in his language, but most of us do not have that ability any more. Our language is a whisper in our minds, familiar but at the same time, foreign. It was an apology that left us wanting. https://t.co/a7Ta4RadcV pic.twitter.com/LMbwSRrX8Z

— Tanya Talaga (@TanyaTalaga) July 26, 2022

“It is important to underscore that the Church was not just an agent of the state, nor simply a participant in government policy, but was a lead co-author of the darkest chapters in the history of this land,” said Murray Sinclair in a statement on Tuesday. https://t.co/OgwquBZ5TL

— APTN News (@APTNNews) July 26, 2022

The apology fell short because it did not deal with the the actions of the Catholic Church overall: 

The chief commissioner of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has issued a blistering critique of Pope Francis’s apology to Indigenous people, saying “it left a deep hole in the acknowledgment of the full role of the church in the residential school system, by placing blame on individual members of the church.” 

Mr. Sinclair issued a press release just moments before Pope Francis appeared before thousands of people at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium for a mass commemorating St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus. 

In 2015, the commission issued Call to Action #58, asking the Pope to deliver an apology in Canada for the church’s role in the residential school system. On Monday, seven years later, Pope Francis heeded the call, but apologized for individual Catholics who participated in the schools, not for the church as a whole. 

 ...the Pope told the delegation [to Rome in April] he was sorry for the “deplorable conduct” of church-members who abused children in residential schools and vowed to bring the sentiments to Canadian soil. 

Many Indigenous leaders had been hoping he would expand on his words in Rome and provide an institutional apology, not just express sorrow for the actions of individual Catholics. 

But the apology reiterated much of what he’d said in Rome. “I am sorry. I ask for forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the Church and of religious communities co-operated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools,” he said on Monday 

...Spectators gave the speech a warm reception, clapping and cheering after his expression of sorrow. Afterward, however, many onlookers said they expected more. “I’m happy to hear that he said the words ‘I’m sorry,’ but it wasn’t as encompassing as it could have been,” said Kukdookaa Terri Brown, residential school survivor and founding chair of the survivors circle with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation She also noted the Pope declined to mention sexual abuse or the Doctrine of Discovery in his speech.

#papalapology My thoughts are with Survivors who heard the apology from the Pope yesterday. But despite this historic apology, the Holy Father’s statement ignores the full role of the Church in the Residential School system. pic.twitter.com/BU5RGYq0ue

— Murray Sinclair (@Sensincmurr) July 26, 2022

It’s a healing time for us. I didn’t expect mom & Aunty to be here. Kohkum lives on in the memories of the water, sand & air here. Pope Francis on the lands of my ancestors 2 pray 4 forgiveness is a powerful thing to witness. I take my healing. I take my power & I give love back pic.twitter.com/zrw8XoCluJ

— Brandi Morin (@Songstress28) July 27, 2022

Today's News: Updates

Papal reconciliation visit:

An apology from Pope Francis.

This was the best part after the apology that is.#PopeFrancus crowned with Indigenous headress, While crowd erupts with approval.
👏👏👏 #PapalVisit2022 pic.twitter.com/14cYlrTWfo

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 25, 2022

Giving the Pope a headdress is not being well received online, however - I am seeing some negative tweets on this tonight.

The pope got a warbonnet meanwhile many Indigenous people (myself included) are structurally denied access to our homelands, cultural patrimony, and ceremonies.

Hurts, man.

— Dr. Kali Simmons 🦬👖 (@SimmonsKali) July 25, 2022

The apology was generally welcomed, with some comment also that the Discovery doctrine has not yet been revoked.

"This apology, offered today by Pope Francis, will lend itself to the healing we all need so that we can find ways to confront the charge of genocide and the legacy of residential schools in Canada." - Chief Robert Joseph.

Click here to read: https://t.co/PC4tGAg1t1 pic.twitter.com/gqeDt0kbCu

— Reconciliation Canada (@Rec_Can) July 25, 2022

I’m troubled

Pope’s apology neither about Church nor Papacy over last centuries, only individual bad Christians who “cooperated with”assimilation moves “promoted by govts of the time”

By omitting #DoctrineOfDiscovery, he ducks complicity in instigating such schools@RussDiabo https://t.co/CuNyX5Ju0g

— Brian E Noble #ArticulateBeings (@ArticulateDinos) July 25, 2022

Put together a video of one of @Pontifex meeting the Chief’s of the Four Nations of Maskwacis & visiting former Ermineskin Indian Residential School site where children died & many who got out alive still carry the pain. I was only a few feet away. Was like a funeral procession. pic.twitter.com/2WjPH8uSVv

— Brandi Morin (@Songstress28) July 26, 2022

Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors felt a mix of emotions towards the Pope’s apology. @CreesonCTV reports. https://t.co/bP2P6PpBfJ pic.twitter.com/lzxWNLJlLW

— CTV News (@CTVNews) July 26, 2022

A useful reference:

Anticipating more residential school denialism last year, Daniel Heath Justice and I created a primer on how to identify and confront it. We hope this continues to be a helpful resource, this week and moving forward: https://t.co/jpfQCef4KI

— Sean Carleton (@SeanCarleton) July 22, 2022

On a side note, an update on the "boil water" advisories - the Trudeau government has made a huge difference.

I heard 'boil water advisories' mentioned on @CBCNews. While no-one should have to go w/o clean water in Cda, it's important to note (IMHO) that nothing done before fed Libs formed govt Nov 2015, and so far: 82% lifted, plus 8% complete pending lifting, plus 7% under construction pic.twitter.com/stcrkndTSk

— Kathryn Mathias (@KathrynMathias1) July 25, 2022

3/
To be clear, it was briefly mentioned by various guests. I'm not criticizing CBC. The guests were making broad, sweeping statements about there being water issues, then changing the topic, so I thought details about what progess had been made would be helpful.

— Kathryn Mathias (@KathrynMathias1) July 26, 2022

Plus, many were added after the original list was created. The original list had 105 advisories; this government has lifted 135. More progress than I have seen in my lifetime. https://t.co/hLCVV625uc

— Adrian Wilson (@AdrianW123) July 26, 2022

CPC leadership campaign:

So this morning Angus Reid released a poll showing that the Conservatives would have a better chance of winning government with Charest rather than Poilievre. 

And then within a couple of hours, former PM Stephen Harper took the wind out of Charest's sails by releasing his endorsement of Poilievre. 

So, just another day in Canadian politics, I guess.

pic.twitter.com/bxotv7QpL1

— Angus Reid (@AngusReid) July 25, 2022

This is the first "bad" poll for Poilievre. It shows Charest would win Atlantic Canada, would be competitive in Quebec, would do better than Poilievre in Ontario... all at the expense of losing some Prairie and Alberta votes (which the CPC could afford). pic.twitter.com/zkCscjShPT

— Philippe J. Fournier (@338Canada) July 25, 2022

Here’s Stephen Harper’s endorsement video for Poilievre https://t.co/fS4GeNctm4

— Harrison Lowman (@harrisonlowman) July 26, 2022

Jean Charest reacts to Stephen Harper's endorsement of Pierre Poilievre. https://t.co/8wwUeECIfb

— Stephen Taylor (@stephen_taylor) July 26, 2022

There is bad blood between Harper and Charest, in part because when Charest was premier, he sold Harper on the so-called “fiscal imbalance” Quebec suffered. When Harper tried to buy peace and give Charest the money, Charest turned it into a tax cut. Harper was furious. https://t.co/8soQtlMWBa

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 26, 2022

Today's News: Pope Francis arrives in Canada

#PopeFrancis arrived in Edmonton on Sunday to an honour drum song ahead of what he describes as a "penitential" trip aimed at advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people over the lasting harm suffered in residential schools.#PapalVisit2022 pic.twitter.com/YWRJ7YUPX8

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 24, 2022

The Pope has arrived in Edmonton, Canada, planning to apologize for the Catholic Church’s participation for more than a century in a Canadian government campaign suppressing the language and culture of indigenous peoples. @marcusmoore reports from Canada. https://t.co/dD3a6MLPSV pic.twitter.com/4jqQrlwJX1

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 24, 2022

Pope arrives in Canada for 'penitential' visit aimed at Indigenous reconciliation https://t.co/WdyOG8W3r6 pic.twitter.com/2pckwV2yRC

— CTV News (@CTVNews) July 24, 2022

Reporting from Ermineskin Cree Nation for international media. I say it like it is & will not sugar coat the atrocities the Catholic Church perpetuated against Indigenous children. Yes, I called it “the evils of the Catholic Church” on world media. This is reckoning. pic.twitter.com/UffoW6vpWZ

— Brandi Morin (@Songstress28) July 25, 2022

Papal Visit: Pope takes first step toward apology https://t.co/cpgZvhNoMl

— 𝓔𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓱 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓵𝔂 (@ChitkwesuManetu) July 25, 2022

The world is watching. So let it be known that genocide was committed against babies & children here in Canada by the state & churches, the majority player being the Catholic Church. Truth needs to be known far & wide. That’s why @Pontifex is here- for penance. Reckon & heal.

— Brandi Morin (@Songstress28) July 25, 2022

“Some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes, Native languages and cultures and assimilate them into Canada’s Christian society.” https://t.co/K6vhCqqIHc

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) July 25, 2022

Music and poetry and funny stuff

But first: what a race!

🔥🔥🔥 Gold for 🇨🇦 in the 4x100 at the Worlds!!

Big tip of the cap to our dudes @KingsleySC and @De6rasse big backstretch from Jerome Blake, shoutout Brendon Rodney!! 🇨🇦🔥🇨🇦
pic.twitter.com/1Gf88AmRMn

— Tim Micallef (@tim_micallef) July 24, 2022

Now, some great dances:

Fred Astaire said this Nicholas Brothers number was "the greatest dancing he had ever seen on film."

 

This is the number where Rogers said the beaded sleeve of her dress smacked Astaire in the face in their first twirl but they just kept on dancing. 

 

I always thought the Shoe Shine song from The Bandwagon was one of the greatest dances Astaire ever did. The shoe shine man in the number is Leroy Daniels, who actually did shine shoes for a living.

 

On to the poetry -  

The problem with Twitter is that everything gets jumbled up and I am not on it often enough to follow every account that I want to, so I am constantly missing great posts. 

So now I have set up several lists, and particularly one I just call "A Poetry List" so I can gather and keep track of what is new. Like these:

in another realm, the good guys win. the clouds are the color of a song. the air smells like laughter. there is always enough to eat. enough stories, enough soup, enough. the trees grow rings that no children will count, because no adult cuts them down. they count stars instead.

— tiny fairy tales✨ (@tinyfairytales) June 30, 2022

in a cottage in the forest there is a witch who can take you back to your lost childhood places. all the tea parties and spell-castings, the blanket fortresses of your crayon-colored heart— all those forgotten kingdoms you built with just your imagination and a few acorns.

— tiny fairy tales✨ (@tinyfairytales) July 19, 2022

"11", a poem by Lao-tzu, translated from the Chinese by Red Pine | https://t.co/0WaiJUM74V via @Poetry_Daily and @CopperCanyonPrs pic.twitter.com/hkPLq56fG5

— WinningWriters.com (@winningwriters) July 7, 2022

Retweeted by Poetry Daily, because its just a beautiful statement:

Always always always read the letters pic.twitter.com/NHAIMpzHFw

— Gordon Russell (@GordonRussell1) July 5, 2022

Today's News: Ukraine update

Lots of news from Ukraine lately: 

First, a new deal was announced today to move Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea:

New: A deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea has been signed in Istanbul, the UN SecGen says. The agreement will include three Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and will involve a Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul. via @TimListerCNN

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) July 22, 2022

“There is to be no large-scale demining of Ukraine’s ports, a process that was considered too time consuming. Ukrainian pilots will guide commercial vessels from the ports. Minesweepers will be used as needed”https://t.co/2psD1VWgGz

— Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch) July 22, 2022

Gee, what a coincidence that the grain deal was signed today. https://t.co/HfPI9Lr2ZE

— John Aravosis 🇺🇸🇬🇷🏳️‍🌈 (@aravosis) July 23, 2022

The Lithuania foreign affairs minister:

The agreement to unblock Odesa would have been impossible without HIMARS. It's now very clear that the war will end earlier if we arm Ukraine faster.

— Gabrielius Landsbergis (@GLandsbergis) July 22, 2022

However, some caution is warranted:

💯Russia created global food, energy crises:💯

Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau says he has no confidence in Russia to uphold its end of a deal to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports. #PutinFlation pic.twitter.com/Hq8870r56m

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 22, 2022

In other news:

UK MOD- In the last 48 hours, heavy fighting has been taking place as Ukrainian forces have continued their offensive against Russian forces in Kherson Oblast... Russia is likely attempting to slow the Ukrainian attack using artillery fire along the Inhulets River pic.twitter.com/QZhhb9Lpnl

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 23, 2022

I wonder if this can this be true?

⚡️Official: US may supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said that the Pentagon had already started evaluating the possibility of such a move.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 22, 2022

BREAKING: The U.S. is considering giving Ukraine A-10 Warthog ground-attack planes. 🇺🇦 🇺🇸

— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) July 22, 2022

All of the old arguments about the risk of starting World War 3 still apply, I think, but if Ukrainian pilots can be trained quickly enough this improvement in airpower might make a difference. 

Today's News: The elephant in the room

Tonight's Jan 6 Committee hearing made lots of news tonight. But as Brian Stelter reported in his Reliable Sources newsletter tonight, perhaps the most important comment came from Michigan Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger's closing remarks at the Jan 6 Committee hearing: 

The forces Donald Trump ignited that day have not gone away. The militant, intolerant ideologies. The militias. The alienation and the disaffection. The weird fantasies and disinformation. They're all still out there, ready to go. That's the elephant in the room....

Oaths matter. Character matters. Truth matters 

SAVE THIS VIDEO - WORDS FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS! @AdamKinzinger just nailed it! 🔥 🔥 🔥#Jan6thHearings #Jan6thCommitteeHearings #Jan6th

pic.twitter.com/pIxb0JYf9J

— ✨ The right time is .. NOW! ✨ (@JoeSteelerFan) July 22, 2022

Serious stuff. 

But there was also a little comic relief tonight too, provided by Josh Hawley - he's the doorknob senator who, from afar, raised his fist in solidarity with the mob. but then went running like a rabbit when the mob broke into the Capitol. The whole hearing room laughed:

Immediate reaction to the vid: pic.twitter.com/XAv4jc2tjr

— Dan Przygoda (@dprzygoda) July 22, 2022

And Twitter posted soundtracks:

Josh Hawley running away to a variety of soundtracks.

Pt. 9: Stayin’ Alive pic.twitter.com/YRf1fFMEJb

— Mallory Nees (@The_Mal_Gallery) July 22, 2022

Josh Hawley looked very athletic running away, didn’t he? #Jan6thHearings

— Al Franken (@alfranken) July 22, 2022

Some great stuff

 

I had never seen this before, its absolutely hilarious. 

Here's another great Twitter story:

Frank Slade was helping his Aunt Ethel run her gas station in Goldsboro, North Carolina, when there was a knock on the door.

Two men told him he had a choice between joining the U.S. Army for the Korean War orTrum returning to Canada.

What did he do? pic.twitter.com/8lAStYsa2R

— Canadian Forces in 🇺🇸 (@CAFinUS) July 20, 2022

Moving on, one of the bizarre things I noticed about the Trump administration is that things were ALWAYS worse than they first appeared to be. No matter how bad something looked when first reported or exposed - from the Muslim Ban to the Helsinki meeting to the child separation policy to Jan 6 insurrection etc etc - it always turned out to be even more senseless, cruel, abusive, greedy or criminal than it first looked. 

And Trump is still doing this, from beyond the grave, so to speak - it is now clear that misplaced loyalty and. I assume, the promotion of too many incompetents, has compromised the US Secret Service.

Here's the end of a long thread from Rick Wilson plus links that is worth reading - he also talks about Trump's ability to inspire the worst in everyone near him. 

It was Wilson who in 2016 coined the hashtag #ETTD - Everything Trump Touches Dies:

12/ I'll wrap this by noting that oversight by the Executive and Legislative in this matter is more than a little urgent.

Trump's shitbird superpower has always been to call out the worst versions of the people working for him.

The Service is gambling its reputation on HIM?

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 20, 2022

And what a grievance-hoarder Trump is:

Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged are best understood in the context of his repeated claims that the Emmy's were rigged as an explanation for his failure to win one for The Apprentice.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 20, 2022

I read the news today, oh boy

Today's news:

In the past few days our entire MSM has been preoccupied with:

1. The Prime Minister’s hair (not a typo)
2. A nonsense “Canada is communist” statement made by an American far right radio provocateur
3. A fully manufactured notion that there’s going to be an election this fall

— Scribulatora (@Scribulatora) July 19, 2022

Meanwhile, there are terrible wildfires and heat emergencies across Europe and in the Canadian Rockies, Hockey Canada is destroying itself, the increasing cost of renting is going to cause economic stress for millions of people, and monkeypox cases are rising exponentially. 

But hey, let's keep talking about news that isn't actually happening - its a lot less stressful. 

Since his haircut, Trudeau is going out and about more -- thus providing even more opportunities for Canadian media to focus on trivialities:

Trudeau, one of the only Western leaders to mandate masks on trains, spotted maskless on train https://t.co/tH6PTLgUeP

— National Post (@nationalpost) July 19, 2022

at the end of the day folks

If him not wearing a mask on this train upsets you so much - then don't vote for Justin Trudeau in the next election

My suspicion is the majority of those outraged on this thread have never and will never vote for JT

— G.T. Lem (@gtlem) July 20, 2022

This thread about Trudeau-bashing, however, is much more serious:

Long 🧵 on threats posted on Twitter with impunity against the @CanadianPM.
After watching the Jan. 6 proceedings yesterday regarding Trump’s Twitter incitements to violence, one reflected on analogous incitements in 🇨🇦Canada by like-minded people…

— David Hamer🇨🇦🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@DavidHamer_1951) July 13, 2022

And on a side note, how outstanding is Chef Andres and his World Central Kitchen? They are everywhere when they are needed:

As wildfires burn through an intense heatwave across Spain, firefighters are working around the clock to put out the flames. To support first responders in Zamora, WCK is on the ground serving sandwiches, coffee, sweets, fruit, gazpacho & cold water. #ChefsForSpain pic.twitter.com/CsT6U09Q1T

— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) July 20, 2022

Today's News: Updates from all over

Uvalde Massacre update: 

The Uvalde preliminary report is out and it is damning.

pic.twitter.com/1pIjB5hVwX

— mrs.LHS 🇺🇦🍀🌻☮️ (@ABPC84) July 18, 2022

We’ve gutted education financing to fund police departments just so nearly 400 Uvalde cops in full military gear could stand around while 19 children and 2 teachers were killed and Texas police chiefs are still blaming the school for not having a better fence and locked doors. pic.twitter.com/JjhG1rm8jI

— Andrew Wortman 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸 (@AmoneyResists) July 17, 2022

They're talking about the Interim Report 2022 on the Uvalde massacre in May. 

In spite of all the talk in the report about school fences and unlocked doors, Lawrence O'Donnell at MSNBC pinpoints the key sentences, on page 73: 

There was no legal impediment to the attacker buying two AR-15-style rifles, 60 magazines, and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition when he turned 18. The ATF was not required to notify the local sheriff of the multiple purchases. 

As O'Donnell noted in his commentary, it was fear of this armament that prevented almost 400 police from trying to stop the mayhem sooner.

Nothing says ban assault rifles like 5 school officers, 8 federal DEA officers, 13 U.S. Marshals, 16 sheriff’s deputies, 25 Uvalde officers, 69 officers of nearby law enforcement, 91 state police officers plus 149 U.S. Border Patrol agents being scared of 1 shooter with an AR-15.

— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) July 18, 2022

We also had news about this self-serving BS.

A document prepared by Uvalde officials and labeled “narrative” was obtained by @nytimes after a FOIA request. It lays out a desired telling of events after the mass shooting that praised officers for rushing toward gunfire and saving hundreds of children.https://t.co/2BVWeFe9sm

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2022

And now even more stuff is coming out:

Days after Texas Public Safety Director Steve McCraw criticized the way law enforcement handled the Robb Elementary shooting, officials sought a more positive portrayal of the police response, according to a memo obtained by ABC News. @ABCMireya reports. https://t.co/6cN1DC7Ycp pic.twitter.com/X7khJdnuhx

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 19, 2022

On a side note, this just may result in more realistic views of police:

In private, many police officers are told “No matter what, the goal is to get yourself home.” Anything that’s a threat to that is either to be eliminated or avoided. It also elevates what they might see as a threat, hence why the first move for many is to shoot. /3

— Marcelius Braxton (@Marcelius_B) July 18, 2022

Years ago, I read of a sociologist who studied police. He wrote a paper saying that police mostly stopped cars full of young men & figured out something to charge them with.
The sociologist was shocked when his police buddies got mad about this observation.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 19, 2022

The people of Uvalde are strong, and getting stronger:

The saddest display of books in a public library is in Uvalde, Texas. pic.twitter.com/C7aRaImsMs

— nancypjohnson (@nancypjohnson) July 18, 2022

The Uvalde community really finding their voices tonight.Speaking out tonight at the school board meeting. Demanding the school board clean house.Demanding Pete Arredondo be fired by noon tomorrow. They say they are prepared to keep their kids out of school until changes are made

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) July 18, 2022

The failure in Uvalde took many forms. We still need a lot more answers. But let’s be clear. It began with a culture that accepts gun violence as just a part of modern life.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) July 18, 2022

Weekend: Music, and Animal Crackers

 

Hey, Gangnam Style was 10 years old as of Friday! 

And Psy is still going stong - he has now released 9 albums and is on tour again this summer.

Eine kleine Banjo musik

A little summer banjo. Here’s a little ditty written by Alison Brown and me. Foggy Morning Breaking. pic.twitter.com/HpLeY5hrJI

— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) July 15, 2022

The BC Agriculture Minister Lana Popham heard the Langley Ukulele Ensemble playing outside the BC legislature and she invited them in to play Somewhere Over The Rainbow on her office balcony and Halleluja inside the dome. Beautiful stuff:

3/3 After that…with happy tears in my eyes, I said how about playing inside the legislature!!!! They said yes! And it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in that building. ♥️♥️♥️♥️#bcpoli #Hallelujah #yyj #langleyukuleleensemble #langley pic.twitter.com/fpmuTIlZtq

— Lana Popham (@lanapopham) July 17, 2022

If I saved an elephant’s life by giving it elephant sized CPR you couldn’t tell me a thing for the rest of my life. I would answer to nobody. https://t.co/lCI0V34qpP

— kang (@jaycaspiankang) July 16, 2022

Dan Piraro, https://t.co/go6xvp2tHl pic.twitter.com/puBwuqgpbT

— Editorial & Political Cartoons (@EandPCartoons) July 18, 2022

Send this guy to the attic to talk to the raccoon about how he wants to be elected Prime Minister of Canada. That should scare the shit out of this Canadian raccoon and he will run like hell. Small cleanup necessary afterward. pic.twitter.com/iAaWW0r1eD

— Denis Viens du Lac 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 (@nelsonstreetlad) July 17, 2022

Today's News: The Tale of the Ten-Year-Old

The Tale of the Ten-year Old has now become a shameful part of American history for Republicans and for American media. 

Every conservative thought experiment about the pregnant 10 year old rape victim is more disturbing than the one before it. Maybe you guys should just admit that there’s no world in which a child should have a child?

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) July 16, 2022

This is exactly why abortion should be only a medical procedure, as it is in Canada, not a morals test. And now this sad and ugly story is being followed by bombastic boasting and strutting around from red state AGs about how they're going to pass this law and that law and some other law, all of them against women. 

And then they try to avoid taking actual responsibility for what they are going. 

Very disgusting.

I know this person is already a main character today but “it’s liberals’ fault for warning women gop governments will prosecute them even though gop governments literally wrote the laws that way and openly brag about it” is an indescribably deranged take pic.twitter.com/SasBBddiTp

— kilgore trout, death to putiner (@KT_So_It_Goes) July 17, 2022

On her substack, Jessica Valenti writes:

It was a glimpse into what we can expect in a post-Roe America: Real life suffering shrugged off as rumor or political fodder, and the picking apart of any experience that might make abortion bans look bad. ...

It’s clear that traditional journalism—and male reporters, in particular—are not ready for the complicated stories that will come out of states where abortion is illegal. Consider The Washington Post’s fact-checking columnist Glenn Kessler, who defended his piece by calling the abortion provider an “activist on one side of the debate.” Why would a police officer’s account, or a state official’s, be more reliable than a doctor’s? Are we to believe that in a state where abortion is criminalized, law enforcement and government officials are objective?

The American system is not set up to believe women or girls—in fact, it’s designed to do just the opposite. Our experiences, especially those having to do with our bodies or sexual assault, are disbelieved, maligned, or relentlessly picked apart for ‘biases’. In a misogynist country, all women are suspect.

So we know what will happen now: Whenever a child is raped, a woman dies, or someone is arrested for a miscarriage, conservatives will deny any of it is happening. They will try to gaslight us into submission. If that doesn’t work, they’ll go on the attack; those who dare to shine a light on the horrors of abortion bans will be targeted. (Right now, for example, conservative media is focusing on the provider who gave the 10 year-old an abortion, posting her picture on Fox News and calling for her license to be revoked.)

None of this is new, but it is about to get a lot more awful.

:

it took three weeks from overturning roe to arguing that actually it’s okay for a 5th grader to be pregnant

— Marisa Kabas (@MarisaKabas) July 17, 2022

The fact that a 10-year-old girl has been raped makes every inch of your eyes water eternally. But the fact that we have an entire party in this country forcing her to take that baby to term… That is some Isis shit right there!

— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) July 16, 2022

If you’re shocked to learn that there are men in power who believe that little kids can consent to sex I’d like to remind you that we are a country that sent toddlers to immigration hearings on their own.

— Dr. Elizabeth Sacha Baroness Cohen (@alixabeth) July 15, 2022

I mean, this whole notion of preventing interstate travel for abortions idea is complete lunacy. How about Amtrak? Or airports? Before the train or plane leaves a red state....what? A bunch of state troopers get on board and yell "PAPERS, PLEASE," and then look for baby bumps?

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 16, 2022

Today's News: Shot / chaser

The shot: From six years ago  

The chaser: From Friday 

Obviously the news agenda for at LEAST the next 72 hours is CANCELLED while we decide what we think about Justin Trudeau's new Caesar haircut. pic.twitter.com/WXf1J6ICXs

— Mike Gibbs🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦 (@Mikeggibbs) July 16, 2022

The shot:  So this happened -- the hospital in Kamsack SK is closing its acute care beds, so on Thursday about 200 Kamsack people gathered at the hospital grounds to meet Sask Party rural health minister Everett Hindley, local Sask Party MLA Terry Dennis and a smirking staff aide. The protestors heard the usual bafflegab about how any minute now Sask Health is going to be hiring lots more people, don't worry, move along move along, you can all just use the hospital 40 KM away at Canora instead.

The crowd was not impressed - Brady Lang at CTV reported:

 Dennis and Hindley addressed the rally first just after 10 a.m., for about 10 minutes prior to a tour of the Kamsack Hospital, which just saw its facility lose its remaining five acute care beds, along with shrinking emergency hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. 

“We’re trying to do as much as we can,” Hindley told the concerned citizens.

“Sometimes, we’ve got to think outside the box, because rural health care isn’t the same it was 20 years ago,” said Dennis.

Following the 10 minutes, Hindley’s aid can be seen working to move Dennis and Hindley into the facility, with a smirk on his face.

Those who weren’t smirking, the entirety of the crowd of 200, then booed the Minister and the local MLA.

Yes, it was the CTV reporter himself who used the term "smirking" to describe the demeanor of the staff aide.

Today's News: Whose side are these guys on?

The US story of the day is the news that the Trump's White House Secret Service deleted its text messages from Jan 5 and 6 2021. 

Accidentally! 

Yeah, sure...

I would like to see some indication that the Secret Service & FBI are actually on the side of American democracy.
Clearly, Mike Pence had his doubts.
As do we all.

— Steve Shearer (@PiquedPensioner) July 14, 2022

People are remembering that Pence refused to get in a car with these guys. And remember when Biden's dog got in trouble for biting one of the White House agents?

Major Biden knew something was off with one of the Secret Service agents. This is one of the reasons why I love dogs.

— Hunter Cullen 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺🇳🇿 (@HunterJCullen) July 15, 2022

JUSTICE FOR MAJOR BIDEN #SecretService pic.twitter.com/cccQEagzU5

— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) July 14, 2022

I'm just sittin' here watching the wheels go round and round

 

 So I saw this tweet tonight:

What line from a song really stuck with you?

— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) July 14, 2022

And of course I immediately got lost in all the wonderful lyrics people posted in reply -- basically, I was just watching the wheels go round and round, in John Lennon's great lyric. 

Here was my contribution to the thread:

Late last night I heard the screen door slam.
A big yellow taxi took away my old man.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til its gone.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. (Joni)

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 14, 2022

And here is Joni's song:

 

Moving on:

Here are some of the serious comments  - first, about Canadian healthcare:

I know the trend of the day is 'let's make it Trudeau's fault' but living through Covid the Premiers may have overplayed their hand here....far too many losses in LTC alone in every province to play 'victim of the' feds here

— Univrsle (@univrsle) July 13, 2022

Next, comments on the Ukraine war:

Very useful thread on HIMARS systems in Ukraine. https://t.co/1uaXos8u3z

— Samuel Bendett (@SamBendett) July 13, 2022

Instead of becoming resigned to a never-ending war, the West should be focusing on how to shorten the conflict by enabling Ukraine to win. A long war, after all, probably favors Russia. https://t.co/Unx1rWnHAV

— Max Boot 🇺🇦 (@MaxBoot) July 11, 2022

Finally, Uvalde becomes even more tragic:

"They edited out the sound of children screaming." One short sentence that breaks your heart. #Uvalde

— Yolanda Pierce, PhD (@YNPierce) July 13, 2022