Greta Thunberg is a Criminal in India, San Francisco Sues it's Own Schools, #AlexandriaOcasioSmollett, Stop using airbnb ASAP (The Five for 02/04/21)
Hey,
Welcome to The Five.
Let’s get into the news that matters.
[one]
When and how to re-open schools is now a fight between at least two major cities and their respective school districts.
The city of San Francisco is suing it’s own school district.
The lawsuit was the first of its kind in California and possibly the country, as school systems come under increasing pressure from parents and politicians to end virtual learning. Teachers unions in many large school districts, including San Francisco, say they won’t go back to classrooms until they are vaccinated.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera, with support from Mayor London Breed, said he sued the San Francisco Unified School District and Board of Education as a last resort to salvage what’s left of the academic year. They say it’s safe to reopen schools and keeping them closed was hurting kids’ well-being.
The lawsuit highlights the growing tension and infighting nationwide between politicians who insist it is safe to return to schools with proper safety precautions and teachers who are on the front lines and have not been able to get vaccinated yet.
While the vast majority of California’s public schools have been closed since March, San Francisco schools have been allowed to reopen since September. Herrera noted that nearly 90% of schools in neighboring Marin County, including public schools, have resumed in-person instruction and that 113 private and parochial schools in San Francisco also are open.
In Chicago, Mayor/Professional Frowner Lori Lightfoot is embattled with the Chicago Teacher’s Union (CTU) over re-opening.
WGN Reports:
CTU is asking for a health metric that shuts down schools during outbreaks, remote accommodations for teachers who live with people with medical conditions and a vaccination plan for teachers who desire to receive the vaccine.
Lightfoot released a statement earlier this week, saying both sides agreed on health and safety protocols, ventilation, contact tracing and health and safety committees.
On Wednesday night, WGN learned that CPS was offering to allocated 1,500 doses of the vaccine per week for employees, but wants them to return to the classroom after the first dose.
The director of the CDC has said research does not back CTU’s claims that the vaccine is needed.
“Increasing data suggests that schools can safely reopen and that safe reopen does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated in order to reopen safely,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.
One middle ground I saw proposed last fall would be to have students return to school, and staff the classrooms with twentysomething teachers aids…and have teachers Zoom into the classroom if they’re at risk/live with a high risk family member.
But that’s the kind of thing that’s so practical and un-controversial, practical thing that just can’t happen, I suppose.
[two]
Celebrity climate activist Greta Thunberg is facing criminal charges in India due to a social media post encouraging protesting over India’s farming reforms.
The 18-year-old left-wing eco-activist shared — and then quickly deleted — a message that detailed a list of “suggested posts” about the ongoing protests, according to the posts that were saved by Breaking 911.
The list gave a series of tips on what to post, asking her to also repost and tag other celebrities tweeting about it, including pop star Rihanna.
As well as the Twitter storm, the “toolkit” she shared also suggested highlighting planned demonstrations at Indian embassies.
I grew up around farming and have some understanding of the U.S. market, and even I can’t make heads or tails of exactly what the farmers want, exactly how the markets got to this place or what the best path forward might be. You’re welcome to deep dive here if you like.
Observations:
A). There’s an eerie similarity here between Thunberg’s criminal charges and the Trump impeachment. Both individuals shared some arguably inflammatory rhetoric around violent events that were already underway.
Whatever you think one deserves, you need to apply to the other. And while you’re at it, you should apply that same judgement to the Bernie Sanders Acolyte who shot Congressman Steve Scalise at a baseball field in 2017.
Here’s my take. Nobody is responsible for violence unless they directly call for it. If Sanders had said “somebody should go kill a Republican Congressman,” he’s guilty. If Trump had said “go storm the capital” or Thunberg said “Indian farmers, get violent NOW”…guilty.
Beyond that, we can’t hold public figures accountable for the actions of crazy/desperate people.
B). People in India are PISSED that foreign celebs are interfering in their political process. Rihanna also tweeted about clash between farmers and the government.
C). Not all celebrities are morons who can’t be bothered to read and analyze complex issues before tweeting about them.
D). I just can’t name any celebrities who don’t fit into the criteria of C. They very well could exist, I just can’t think of an example. Hollywood (in particular) and elitism (in general) are often impenetrable bubbles where the rich and famous are never forced to reckon with ideas they don’t already agree with.
[three]
The always-controversial NY Democratic Rep AOC has whipped up a fresh round of online discussion after reports surfaced that the Freshman Congresswoman was not in the Capital building during the attack on January 6th, and was instead in her office across the street (which is connected by a tunnel.
According to Rep Nancy Mace (SC), the Insurrectionists never made it through the tunnel and into the offices across the street, which led to the incident trending on Twitter as “Alexandria Ocasio Smollett” (in reference to Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who faked a hate crime against himself to try to get a pay raise on his TV show)
Fox News Reports:
Her office is located in the Cannon building, which is accessible through underground tunnels connected to the Capitol as well as via a short stroll down a walkway and across the street. It was also one of the buildings where staff was told to evacuate after suspicious packages were found in the area. Law enforcement found pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails in the vicinity.
In response to the incident, the congresswoman said: "I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive." She also accused Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, of almost having her "murdered," touching on accusations that Cruz and others incited the attack through their rhetoric about the election.
"I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die," she said in a video last month.
In her more recent video, she offered an emotional recollection of how she hid behind a bathroom door and heard the police officer break into her office.
"I thought I was going to die," she said, noting that she didn't initially realize the person trying to enter her office was police. "I have never been quieter in my entire life."
It’s unlikely that there will be an agreed upon “end” to this controversy…AOC’s fans will back her no matter what (their devotion feels similar to Trump’s 2016 claims that he could “shoot someone on 5th avenue” and still get elected) and a lot of people feel blind hatred towards the open Socialist.
I’m unsure of how to judge when someone thinks they’re “going to die.” I’ve had more than one friend in their thirties (with zero co-morbidities) tell me they’ve “made their peace with God” about dying early from COVID despite the fact that people between the ages of 30-39 have a 0.03 chance of dying from the Novel Coronavirus.
Whatever AOC “felt” she appears to have been in very little danger. It’s not my place to judge whether or not she experienced trauma she’s claiming, but it is my place to point out that her story doesn’t match up across time.
I try to walk a middle ground in all this…I can acknowledge when AOC (who I agree with on Congressional term limits) or Rashida Talib (who I agree with on standing against a new version of the Patriot Act, which allows government spying on private citizens) while still seeing the obvious truth that members of The Squad are…celebrities.
(Go re-read sections C. and D. in the last story if you didn’t get it).
[four]
And speaking of things I agree with from people I generally don’t…The Biden Administration has announced an end to the support of Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen.
CNBC Reports:
President Joe Biden will announce an end Thursday to U.S. support for a grinding five-year Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen that has deepened humanitarian suffering in the Arabian peninsula’s poorest country, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
The move would fulfill a campaign pledge by Biden, whose administration plans to pursue diplomacy to end the overall conflict in Yemen. Biden sees the United States “playing a more active and engaged role” to end the war through talks, Sullivan said at a White House briefing.
Biden also is announcing the choice of Timothy Lenderking as special envoy to Yemen as soon as Thursday afternoon, when the president is due to speak at the State Department. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the selection, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement. The Gulf-based newspaper The National first reported the pick.
Two things can be true at the same time:
A). Saudi Arabia is a pretty bad place that is a breeding ground for terrorists (most 9/11 hijackers were Saudi) and offers little in the way of human rights to it’s citizens.
and
B). Iran is so evil it makes Saudi Arabia look like a 2nd grader throwing a tantrum. Iran could be “months” away from a nuclear warhead…and we need every alliance in the Middle East we can get to keep the Iranian warlords in check.
and
C). That does not mean we can or should support Saudia Arabia’s unjust war against Yemen.
This is a good thing.
[five]
I’ve been a fan of airbnb in the past (I’d much rather rent a condo/house than stay in a similarly priced hotel), but I’ll never book with the service again until their issues are resolved.
The rental giant now has an F- from the Better Business Bureau after ignoring nearly 5,000 customer complaints.
If you’re looking for a vacation/travel rental, better to book through one of these nine (more trustworthy) airbnb competitors.
Until the next one,
-sth