Echinocentric @Echinocentric@qoto.org

Ken Paxton has been under indictment on felony securities fraud and corruption charges for almost a decade

He’s abused his office to get away with high crimes all while continuing his attack our most at-risk citizens in the LGBTQ+ community

Just now, the Justice Department in DC has taken over Paxton’s corruption investigation removing the ineffectual former team

It’s on.

Special counsel Jack Smith is locked in at least 8 secret court battles in Trump investigations | CNN Politics

Two of tRump's attorneys have been compelled to testify already.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/secret-grand-jury-special-counsel-trump/index.html

Ron DeSantis is requesting medical records of trans students

6 of 12 universities are confirmed to have complied with the request, regardless of HIPAA violations

If a liberal did anything similar, you’d head right wing media talking nonstop about their freedom being violated.

But for some reason, if you attack our at-risk communities or apply the word “woke” then fascism is a-ok.

#TransRightsAreHumanRights

As mentioned above, it appears a hot box detector failed to alert the crew of problems 20 miles before the derailment.

Over the past few years, Norfolk Southern increased their profits by simply not having employees to maintain the hot box detectors.

"As recently as three years ago, Norfolk Southern employed five electronic leaders in the area of its rail network that includes East Palestine. Today, it employs zero..."

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-eliminated-key-maintenance-role-in-derailment-region-union-says
/11

My latest for The Nation.

The Fight for the Soul of American Medicine

More and more physicians are rejecting the forces of conservatism within their field and joining the grassroots movement to revolutionize American medicine. Featuring Suhas Gondi, Sanjay Kishore, Don Berwick, Eric Reinhart, J. Michael McWilliams. #medicine #publichealth #finance #SDoH

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/doctors-american-medicine-public-health/

Nikki Haley calls for competency tests for politicians over 75.

Hmmmm...

Moderna says it will keep its #Covid vaccine free for all people in the U.S.—reversing course on its planned 400% price increase—one day after Bernie Sanders said he would force the CEO to testify.

Thank you, Bernie!!!

Mike Dewine needs to drink the water from East Palestine, Ohio live on tv.

I did not buy you flowers
or chocolates
or jewelry
or anything risqué
my apologies
but as we are strangers
it would have been odd
had I expressed affection
through such gifts
but when you see me
please understand
that my masked face
is my way of telling you
that you are loved.

America is *not* immune to Authoritarianism. Fascism has arrived — years ago in the Republican party.

Nikki Haley announces bid for grifting Americans so she can spend unmonitored campaign funds for years and years thanks to our messed up system.

FIFY

South Dakota Republicans are forcing #trans children to detransition

“The party of small government” is forcing doctors to refuse or to stop providing care even if treatment is in the process of being administered

HB1080 was passed 30-4 then signed into law by Republican governor Kristi Noem in efforts to drive our most at-risk youth into higher suicide rates

There is no other reason for this cruelty.

#transrightsarehumanrights

https://mylrc.sdlegislature.gov/api/Documents/249156.pdf

Never let anyone make you feel bad for caring.

And if someone tries, the correct response is always “go fuck yourself.”

The bill would give nurses a say in setting minimum staffing levels and require hospitals to post the wait times of their emergency rooms https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/02/13/legislators-nurses-union-announce-renewed-push-to-address-hospital-staffing-shortage/

Turbine Hall. Richmond Generating Station. Philadelphia, PA. 2013

Sooo let me get this straight. We've allowed a significant portion of our workforce to be dead or disabled via covid, resulting in labor shortages, so now we're turning to children to fill the gap? Where are the "urgency of normal" pundits now?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/02/11/child-labor-iowa/

Where once images
of the cheering crowd
at an exciting event
filled me with a certain fear
that I was missing out
these days I find
that when I look at such images
I am relieved to be doing so
from the safety of my home.

Judge: Witnesses may have lied under oath when testifying before a Georgia grand jury investigating Trump

Prosecutors: (trying to look busy while the statute of limitations runs out)

Wait. Why are any Americans still *in* Russia?

…aside from republicans there for training.

Democrats are passing bills, building the country up, and putting Americans to work with higher wages while Republicans are running around the halls of Congress with balloons.

Opinion: Biden is succeeding in building the economy from ‘bottom up, middle out’-
https://wapo.st/40Vus2a