Columnists

QAnon's Featured Ghosts

We all witnessed the witless waves of QAnoners gathered in Dallas's Dealey Plaza last November, eagerly awaiting the return of John F. Kennedy—and/or his equally deceased son, JFK Jr. It was daunting to watch their devotion. Many remained on the sidewalks waiting for a Kennedy Moment days after the promised resurrection date had passed. (Granted, a few true believers bailed and decamped to a Rolling Stone concert that evening, buoyed by rumors that the Stone's Keith Richards was actually JFK Jr. in disguise.)

So now: an update on Trump's Reincarnation Nation.

A Trumpster recently interviewed on national TV assured reporters that The Donald would not only win reelection in 2024, but that the entertainment for his victory celebration would feature an appearance by Michael Jackson!

What is it with the Far Right's fetish for wanting to bring-back-the-dead? Is this a faith-based fixation—the belief in the coming of an A-List Neo-Jesus (minus The Rapture)?

But here's the really odd part about these Second Comings of pop-culture icons: why are these "featured ghosts" all celebrities of a "liberal" persuasion? Why are there no forecasts that Trump's Triumph will be visited by the ghastly likes of a ghostly Rush Limbaugh? A not-yet-deceased David Koch? A wide-awake Herman Cain? -more-

Helping mentally ill people recover is often one of the objectives of treatment. Yet it is not the only objective. -more-

e Trump takeover of the Republican Party is complete; it has become just another Trump family business. The Republican National Committee's (RNC) about-face of its position on the January 6, 2021 insurrection is just one example.

THEN:

On January 13, 2021, less than a week after the January 6 insurrection, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel released a statement urging protesters to keep the peace.

“Violence has no place in our politics. Period,” she said. “I wholly condemned last week’s senseless acts of violence, and I strongly reiterate the calls to remain peaceful in the weeks ahead. Those who partook in the assault on our nation’s Capitol and those who continue to threaten violence should be found, held accountable, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“Let me be clear: Anyone who has malicious intent is not welcome in Washington, D.C. or in any other state capitol,” McDaniel continued. “The peaceful transition of power is one of our nation’s founding principles and is necessary for our country to move forward. Now is the time to come together as one nation, united in the peaceful pursuit of our common democratic purpose.”

Ms. McDaniel, how did that “peaceful transition of power” work out? -more-

I can’t ever remember City Council canceling an entire week of meetings for Chinese New Year, but that is what happened this last week.

As promised last week, I watched the January 27^th video of the Council worksession on TOPA (Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act) which ran the same time as the meetings on redistricting, housing elements, and four others. Mayor Arreguin gave his presentation and then opened public comment.

About halfway in to public comment I lost count of the “for and against.” At that point it was 19 in support and 23 opposed to TOPA. One speaker described supporting TOPA as wishful thinking about what might happen. Each iteration of TOPA carries more exemptions and a heavier footprint of property owners and qualified nonprofits which can become the owners in the TOPA buy, not the tenants.

The first councilmember to speak after public comment was Kesarwani, who expressed her opposition to TOPA. She said she would support requiring a presale notification to tenants. Notification details weren’t spelled out, but something to counter what happens now, when the first notification to tenants of a building for sale is the planting of a sale sign in front, or even that a sale has already happened and a new owner is taking over. -more-