Friday, July 3, 2020
What if we treated Confederate symbols the way we treated the defeated Nazis?
It would be absurd for the grandkids of Nazis to drive cars with swastika bumper stickers. Yet something similar happens in the US all the time
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| A bust of Adolf Hitler lies amid the ruins of the Chancellery in Berlin on 6 July 1945. Photograph: Reg Speller/Getty Images |
Earlier this month, amid America’s confrontation with its racist legacy – which has seen monuments to Jefferson Davis toppled, the Mississippi state flag lowered, Gone With the Wind pulled from HBO’s streaming service, and music groups such as Lady Antebellum and the Dixie Chicks rebranding in an effort to distance themselves from memory of the Confederacy – I came across a tweet that put these headline-grabbing goings-on, and the backlash to them, in perspective: “Trying to imagine a version of WW2 where the Nazis just get pushed into Bavaria and surrender, but keep the swastika on the state flag, slap it on their cars and say stuff like ‘The Third Reich is my heritage.’”
The tweet, by the popular history YouTuber Three Arrows, was tagged with “lol” – as if to drive home just how absurd it would be to see the grandkids of former Nazis puttering around Munich in VWs adorned with swastika bumper stickers, like something out of a pulpy alt-history novel. It’s an idea so sinister as to seem cartoonish, and laughable. But something similar goes on in America all of the time.
In Germany, you won’t hear debates about Nazi statues. As the moral philosopher Susan Neiman, author of Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil, notes, there’s a good reason for that: there aren’t any Nazi statues. The program of denazification began almost immediately after the second world war, established as one of “Four Ds” (along with demilitarization, decentralization and democratization) outlined in the Potsdam agreement of 1945. An Allied order in 1946 declared illegal “any monument, memorial, poster, statue, edifice, street or highway name marker, emblem, tablet, or insignia which tends to preserve and keep alive the German military tradition, to revive militarism or to commemorate the Nazi Party”.
Known Nazi party members were sacked from their jobs, and forced into cinemas screening footage of concentration camps. To this day, section 86a of the German criminal code prohibits the “use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations”, the Nazi party chief among them.
America’s post-civil war treatment of the slave-owning Confederate states has proved, in a word, different. Although the Confederacy lost the war, it hasn’t always felt that way for Black southerners. After Union troops departed, Black Americans endured decades of terrorist violence perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan and other anti-Black paramilitary groups, plus segregation and humiliation under Jim Crow.
After their historic drubbing, white southerners waged skirmishes on new fronts, reframing Confederate troops as valiant heroes in the “War of Yankee Aggression”, and recasting chattel slavery not as an abject moral horror, but a matter of states’ rights. The Confederate battle flag was raised over government buildings, monuments to anti-abolitionists were erected in town squares, and popular entertainments such as Gone With the Wind posited the Confederacy as a noble “lost cause”.
The civil war was followed by more than a century of calculated misremembering, proving the French historian Ernest Renan’s maxim that forgetting is “a crucial factor in the creation of a nation”. This southern memorialization, which unfolded against the backdrop of southern segregation as a means of enshrining the legacy of white supremacy, is itself the sort of “erasure of history” that contemporary apologists drone on about when confronted with the righteous keeling of a statue, or the narrowing availability of an 80-year-old movie most people have already seen.
State officials sound alarm over increase in COVID-19 cases driven by young people
From The Journal Times.com:
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Free community testing for COVID-19 is available at the Alliant Energy Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. No appointment or registration is necessary.
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Wisconsin officials are calling on residents to stay home and take extra precautions ahead of the holiday weekend as the state experiences a surge of COVID-19 cases driven in part by young people.
Cases among people in their 20s have surged from 11% of total cases in early April to 23% of total cases currently as bars, restaurants and businesses across most of the state have opened their doors. Total positive COVID-19 cases reported in Wisconsin have increased to 29,199, and deaths stand at 793. About 20% of all COVID-19 cases in the state have tested positive within the last two weeks.
“This message is especially important for younger people to hear,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “We know this is a time people like to celebrate with friends, but COVID-19 is still spreading in our state, and we need everyone to take the necessary precautions.”
Evers and DHS Secretary Andrea Palm are urging Wisconsinites, especially young people, to stay home, practice physical distancing and wear cloth face coverings when possible.
The DHS also recommends avoiding groups and gatherings, especially those of more than 10 or more people; staying at least 6 feet away from other people when possible; staying home when sick; and handwashing. To enjoy summer safely, DHS also recommends exploring the outdoors locally and with people you live with, and avoid sharing food.
County urges caution at parks over holiday weekend
From The Journal Times.com:
RACINE COUNTY — In anticipation of the higher turnout of visitors to parks over the Independence Day weekend, Racine County urged the public to continue taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is still a major threat to public health,” said Julie Anderson, Racine County Public Works and Development Service Director in a press release. “It’s imperative that everyone do their part to protect themselves and their fellow residents so that we can continue to keep county parks open.”
While the number of cases has decreased over the past few weeks in Racine County, officials want people to continue taking the following precautions:
The county also wanted to remind people to remain courteous of park staff and continue following park rules:
Fireworks are prohibited in all county parks
County officials also issued additional guidance specific to Quarry Lake Park in Racine and Fischer Park in Burlington:
Quarry Lake Park
Fischer Park
Additional information may be found on the Racine County Parks webpage at www.racinecounty.com/parks.
From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/county-urges-caution-at-parks-over-holiday-weekend/article_733e3526-3c28-5ebf-9244-63feebb57a2a.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
RACINE COUNTY — In anticipation of the higher turnout of visitors to parks over the Independence Day weekend, Racine County urged the public to continue taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is still a major threat to public health,” said Julie Anderson, Racine County Public Works and Development Service Director in a press release. “It’s imperative that everyone do their part to protect themselves and their fellow residents so that we can continue to keep county parks open.”
While the number of cases has decreased over the past few weeks in Racine County, officials want people to continue taking the following precautions:
- Anyone who is sick should stay home.
- Those visiting parks must maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing and refrain from congregating in large groups.
- When surface parking lots in parks reach capacity, large signboards will indicate lots are full. Parking will not be allowed on lawn areas or in no-parking zones within the parks. Additional vehicles will be allowed into the park as other cars leave.
- Staff will continually monitor conditions at parks and take additional measures as necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
The county also wanted to remind people to remain courteous of park staff and continue following park rules:
- Visitors should leave no trace and carry out any garbage they create.
- Dogs are not permitted in any Racine County parks, except in designated dog parks.
Fireworks are prohibited in all county parks
Quarry Lake and Fischer Park
Quarry Lake Park
- No lifeguards will be on duty. Swimming is considered at your own risk, and small children or anyone unable to swim should be either closely monitored while in the water or remain out of the water.
- Cliff diving is extremely dangerous, is clearly posted with signs as prohibited, and citations can be issued. Citations cost $250 per person, per incident.
- Charcoal grills should not be emptied onto the beach areas.
- Restrooms will close at dusk.
Fischer Park
- A limited number of lifeguards will be on duty. Swimming is considered at your own risk, and small children or anyone unable to swim should be either closely monitored while in the water or remain out of the water.
- Staff will collect fees for boat launching into Browns Lake.
- The new beach house will not be opened in time for the holiday weekend. Portable toilets will be available for use at that park.
Additional information may be found on the Racine County Parks webpage at www.racinecounty.com/parks.
From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/county-urges-caution-at-parks-over-holiday-weekend/article_733e3526-3c28-5ebf-9244-63feebb57a2a.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Court upholds conviction of Racine man who posed as federal drug agent to try to persuade former classmate to date him
From JSOnline:
A Racine man who admitted he posed as a federal drug agent said he did so to try to impress a woman he'd known in high school and maybe get her to go out with him.
But neither she nor a federal appeals court found his actions to be innocent.
According to court records, Jeremy Wade, 30, went to the woman's home in early 2018. He was wearing a fake badge around his neck and a gun in a holster. He said he was looking for a suspect and showed her a mug shot.
She said she didn't know or recognize the suspect. Wade, still acting as a DEA agent, asked her if she remembered him, and she said she did recall him from high school.
About a week later, he left a fake DEA business card in the woman's mailbox, with a note on the back explaining he'd forgotten to leave her a way to get in touch.
"So if something comes to mind about the guy I was looking for or most importantly, if you realize, 'hey, it’s time I let this guy take me out,' all my info is on the front. Text any time!!"
Instead, the woman called police, who opened a stalking investigation and questioned Wade, who was ultimately indicted on charges of impersonating a federal officer.
Prosecutors offered no deal to a lesser charge, so Wade, who had no prior criminal record, went to trial. The judge denied him permission to argue that he had no intent to defraud anyone.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision, saying that no matter the reason, impersonating a Drug Enforcement Administration agent is a felony — and Wade should not be allowed to try to convince the jury that his motivations made his crime any less serious.
"A defendant has no right to argue for the jury to disregard the law," the court wrote in its decision.
The jury convicted Wade of two counts. U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper sentenced him to 45 days in jail. The offense carries a maximum penalty of three years.
Wade appealed and again argued that he didn't intend to defraud anyone through his impersonation.
But the 7th Circuit explained that Wade not only claimed to be an agent, he acted like one in ways that conveyed authority and likely made the woman do things she wouldn't have done otherwise — like open her door to a man appearing without notice, and answer his questions about the fake suspect.
Contact Bruce Vielmetti at (414) 224-2187 or bvielmetti@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.
Judge overturns Racine's COVID-19 ordinance; city appealing decision
From The Journal Times.com:
RACINE — In a Wednesday afternoon court decision, Racine County Circuit Court Judge Jon Fredrickson did not change course and said that the City of Racine’s COVID-19 ordinance “is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, and is unenforceable as drafted.”
“This Court has not taken a public policy position on the City’s powers to open and shut businesses to fight the pandemic, require social distancing, masks, or various hygiene, capacity, or cleaning protocols. The City maintains its full power to issue a new ordinance addressing COVID-19,” Fredrickson, who was appointed by then-Gov. Scott Walker in 2016 and then was elected in 2019, wrote.
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| Mason |
Racine Mayor Cory Mason said in an email Wednesday night that the city has already filed appeals and has requested a stay on Fredrickson’s decision.
In a statement, Mason asserted that Fredrickson’s political leaning played a role in his decision-making.
“Today a right-wing, activist judge in Racine had the audacity to proclaim that an ordinance which was lawfully enacted by the Racine Common Council is not valid. The irony is not lost on me that this happened on the same day Dane County proactively put in place additional restrictions on bars and restaurants in order to better protect their residents before the holiday weekend. This irresponsible decision jeopardizes the city’s ability to protect the health and well-being of our residents in the midst of a life-threatening pandemic. This decision also appears to be at odds with the powers and duties enumerated to the Common Council and public health director by state statute and the Constitution,” Mason said. “Twenty-five city residents have died from this virus, I hope no one else will die because of Judge Fredrickson’s judicial activism.”
Wow, Butterball is losing it. Calling the judge names will certainly help his case. I'm glad that he's finally showing his true colors.
He posted his regrets over attending a party in California. The next day, he died of coronavirus
(CNN)A Southern California man who tested positive for coronavirus after attending a party expressed his fear and regret a day before he died.
Thomas Macias, 51, went to a barbecue last month near his community in Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles from Los Angeles.
Shortly after the party, he started feeling sick. On June 20, he posted a poignant message on Facebook to warn his loved ones about the risks of the virus, his family said.
"I went out a couple of weeks ago ... because of my stupidity I put my mom and sisters and my family's health in jeopardy," he wrote. "This has been a very painful experience. This is no joke. If you have to go out, wear a mask, and practice social distancing. ... Hopefully with God's help, I'll be able to survive this."
He never made it. He died a day after that post.
Paris Jackson's upcoming portrayal of Jesus sparks backlash; thousands sign petitions objecting
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| Paris Jackson |
More than 274,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to prevent the distribution of the indie film "Habit," which critics say is "Christianophobic garbage."
"A new blasphemous Hollywood film is predicted to come out soon depicting Jesus as a lesbian woman," reads the petition, which was created one week ago.
The 22-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson was tapped to play the role of Jesus, alongside Bella Throne and Gavin Rossdale. A press release, according to Deadline and Entertainment Tonight, said "Habit" will follow "a street smart, party girl with a Jesus fetish (who) gets mixed up in a violent drug deal and finds a possible way out; by masquerading as a nun."
Vanilla Ice throwing Fourth of July concert: 'We didn't have coronavirus' in the '90s
The 'Ice Ice Baby' singer will perform for thousands in Texas, where coronavirus cases are surging
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| GABE GINSBERG/GETTY IMAGES |
Alright ... stop.
Vanilla Ice is throwing a Fourth of July weekend concert deep in the heart of pandemic hotspot Texas.
The Iceman will cometh this Friday at a concert venue in Austin, where all the bars are otherwise closed due to COVID-19.
The concert is titled the Independence Day Throwback Beach Party and it's happening due to a legal loophole, the Austin Chronicle pointed out. The venue — Emerald Point Bar & Grill, located on the shores of Lake Travis — is technically a restaurant, even though it also has a large capacity outdoor general admission concert space. So fans don't have to collaborate with or listen to current recommended coronavirus guidelines that seek to eliminate large crowds.
“I can’t wait to get back to this," the "Ice Ice Baby" singer posted on Instagram along with some of his previous packed concert footage. "The 90s were the best. We didn’t have coronavirus, or cell phones, or computers. We had 5.0's, blockbuster, Beavis and Butthead, Wayne's World, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan ... Mortal Kombat is still better than Fortnight ... the last of the great decades.”
The concert is selling 2,500 tickets, which is roughly half of the venue's potential capacity. Tickets range from $25 for general admission to $300 for VIP seating (the latter is sold out).
Another retro act, Color Me Badd, will sex up the same venue on July 4th.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all the bars in Texas to re-close last Friday due to a large surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Earlier Wednesday, the popular ACL music festival announced it was scrapping its planned fall 2020 shows. Texas also announced 8,076 new cases, a record daily high, despite tests being increasingly in short supply. The test positivity rate for tests the Austin area is now at 28 percent, according to local news station KVUE.
Will it ever stop? Yo, I don't know.
Facebook admits to wrongly sharing user data with third party apps yet again
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| (Image credit: Shutterstock) |
Facebook has admitted that it wrongly shared the personal data of ‘inactive’ users for longer than it was authorized to, as revealed in a blog post from the company.
The social media giant estimates the error saw around 5,000 third-party app developers continue to receive information about users who had previously used Facebook to sign into their apps, even if users hadn’t used the app in the past 90 days.
Exceeding that time frame goes against Facebook’s policy, which promises third-party apps would no longer be able to receive personal information about a user if they had not accessed the app within the last 90 days.
While the company didn’t confirm how many people were affected, it said personal information shared with third-party apps could include email addresses, birthdays, gender or language spoken.
Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook CEOs will testify before Congress
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| Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge |
The CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google will testify before Congress later this month to answer questions related to its broad antitrust investigation of Big Tech. The plans were first reported by Kara Swisher, before a spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee confirmed the plans to The New York Times. Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet/Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have all agreed to testify.
News of the July hearing marks a significant step in the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee’s inquiry, which is investigating different alleged abuses by each of the four companies. For Google, the discussion has centered on its control of the ad market, but for Facebook the focus has been its acquisitions. Apple’s App Store policies have born the brunt of its antitrust scrutiny, while Amazon’s treatment of third-party sellers is being examined.
The House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust investigation was first announced in June 2019. It made formal document requests of the big tech companies last September. The committee has already hosted a number of panels with smaller companies like Sonos, Tile, and Basecamp, during which these companies alleged to have been harmed by the monopolistic practices of the big tech companies. The NYT notes that the committee is thought to be nearing the end of its investigation.
Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai have each already testified in front of Congress, but it will be a first time for Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. The exact date and format for the hearings — held in person or virtually — is still undecided.
Beyond its antitrust investigation, the committee is also likely to ask about other major issues at the companies, like hate speech on Facebook and Google’s YouTube division, as well as Amazon’s treatment of warehouse workers, The New York Times notes.
The Judiciary Commitee’s antitrust investigation is not the only regulatory battle Big Tech is currently facing in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission has announced an investigation into the acquisitions made by the big tech companies, and the Justice Department and 50 attorneys general from US states and territories are also conducting antitrust probes of their own. Internationally, EU regulators are conducting their own investigations.
Amazon facilities in Kenosha sold for $176 million
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| Amazon's fulfillment center in Kenosha. |
Amazon’s massive fulfillment center and neighboring distribution center in Kenosha have been acquired by a New York-based investment firm for $176 million, according to state records posted Wednesday.
Records indicate an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. purchased the two buildings. The 1.1 million-square-foot fulfillment center, located at 3501 120th Ave., was sold for $119.2 million, and the neighboring 500,000-square-foot distribution facility at 11211 Burlington Road went for $56.8 million.
The seller is an affiliate of San Francisco-based Prologis.
The two properties have a combined assessed value of $134.8 million, according to Kenosha County records.
In a news release issued Wednesday, KKR announced it has acquired two industrial properties totaling 2.5 million square feet for roughly $260 million. The Kenosha facilities were not specifically mentioned, though the release notes one acquisition was in the Chicago market and the other in the Charlotte market. It further states the properties were fulfillment centers and 100% leased “to a high quality, investment grade tenancy on a long term basis.” The two properties were acquired through separate transactions with different sellers.
“We are excited to increase our footprint in these major distribution markets with the addition of two high-quality, stable assets,” Roger Morales, KKR partner and head of commercial real estate acquisitions in the Americas, said in the release. “We believe that the current environment will lead to continued acceleration of e-commerce penetration which drives demand for large modern distribution centers like the ones we are acquiring. Logistics real estate represents a growth opportunity as more and more U.S. consumers migrate to shopping online.”
A KKR spokesperson declined further comment.
Amazon’s presence in southeastern Wisconsin is widespread and growing. It is operating in or will soon operate in facilities located in Kenosha, Yorkville, Sturtevant, Oak Creek and Wauwatosa.
Cyclist arrested at protest files $500,000 claim with city
From JSOnline:
A cyclist whose forceful arrest at a peaceful protest prompted a reaction that led police to fire tear gas and rubber bullets near Fiserv Forum last month is asking the city for $500,000 in damages.
Cameron Murdoch filed a detailed notice of claim that, drafted after his lawyers saw photos and video from bystanders, portrays him as an innocent bystander attacked by officers shortly after they had crashed into each other on their bicycles.
The notice of claim, a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit, was filed with the city June 25. It alleges excessive force, unlawful arrest, failure to intervene, negligence and other claims, and says the city should be held liable for the officers' actions.
Murdoch is represented by Drew DeVinney of Martin Law Office and Edgar Lin of Ahmad & Associates. Four days after the incident, Murdoch posted a video statement that he intended to hold police accountable.
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