Trial On Error
January 26, 2022
Last week, we shared a story about the Supreme Court hearing a case where a group wanted to fly the Christian flag outside City Hall in Boston, but were not allowed to due to separation of church and state. We wondered how our readers felt about this issue. Click here to view the responses when asked if the Christian flag should be flown outside City Hall.
“I think people involved in politics make good actors. Acting and politics both involve fooling people. People like being fooled by actors. When you get right down to it, they probably like being fooled by politicians even more. A skillful actor will make you think, but a skillful politician will make you never have to think.” – Donna Brazile
Vax-ward Thinking
Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has used his star power as a member of one of America’s most famous families to open doors, lend credibility to his nonprofit, and rake in funding and followers during the pandemic. Revenue for Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defense (CHD) more than doubled in 2020 to $6.8 million. The global health crisis enabled CHD to expand the reach of its newsletter, which uses slanted information, cherry-picked facts, and conspiracy theories to spread distrust of COVID-19 vaccines. CHD launched an internet TV channel and started a movie studio, and is expanding in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.
One of the most despicable ploys Kennedy uses is to invoke the specter of Nazis and the Holocaust, drawing false equivalences between attempted genocide in WWII and public health efforts to bring the pandemic under control. Speaking at the Ron Paul Institute last October, Kennedy referenced Nazism many times, suggesting public health measures implemented around the world compared to Nazi propaganda. On Sunday, Kennedy spoke at a CHD-organized rally in Washington. He insisted that people’s rights were being violated by public health measures, like mask and vaccine mandates, and complained that Americans had no way to escape. “Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could cross the Alps to Switzerland. You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did.”
Kennedy’s comments were immediately condemned. “Making reckless comparisons to the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews, for a political agenda is outrageous and deeply offensive,” the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said in a statement Monday. The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League tweeted that Kennedy invoking Anne Frank’s memory and the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis to make a comparison to the U.S. government “working to ensure the health of its citizens is deeply inaccurate, deeply offensive and deeply troubling. This must stop.” Kennedy accuses Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, of orchestrating “fascism.” He’s authored a new book that blames Fauci, Bill Gates, Big Pharma, the CDC, and others for planning, launching, and profiting from the pandemic. (AP)
WikiSeeking Asylum
- Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is still in London battling extradition to the U.S., where prosecutors are waiting to try him for espionage. On Monday, Assange won the first stage of his effort to overturn the U.K. ruling that had opened the door for his extradition when the High Court gave him permission to appeal his case to the U.K. Supreme Court. Before that can happen, the Supreme Court must agree to accept his case.
- Wikileaks published classified documents over a decade ago, and Assange has been battling ever since to avoid a trial in the U.S. over charges related to the documents’ publication. More than a year ago, a district judge in London rejected the U.S. extradition request after Assange’s lawyers argued their client was likely to kill himself if subjected to America’s harsh prison conditions.
- In December, the High Court overturned the lower court’s decision, saying enough assurances had been provided to guarantee Assange, now 50, would be treated humanely. On Monday, the judges agreed Assange could attempt to appeal their ruling. (AP News)
Trial On Error
- Paivi Rasanen, who was Finland’s Interior Minister from 2011 to 2015, was charged in April 2021 with making derogatory remarks on separate occasions that were likely to cause intolerance, contempt, and hatred towards homosexuals. Prosecutors said in 2004 Rasanen wrote an online article that described homosexuality as a psychosexual development disorder.
- Later she gave a radio interview, and in a 2019 tweet Rasanen questioned why the Finnish Lutheran Church was officially supporting Finland’s Pride week. She attached a photograph containing Bible verses that appeared to describe homosexual acts as shameful. Rasanen arrived at court Monday holding a Bible and saying she was “honored to be defending freedom of speech and religion.”
- However, prosecutors maintained that Rasanen’s statements violated the equality and dignity of homosexuals, and therefore went beyond the limits of freedom of speech and religion. They argued the case should be based on the secular legal system, not biblical writings. The court will have to decide whether citing the Bible can be considered a crime in some cases in Finland. (BBC)
Additional World News
- Snow blankets Athens, Greek islands and Turkey’s Istanbul (ABC)
- Armenian President Armen Sarkissian quits over lack of influence (Al Jazeera)
- Wall Street shakes off Fed, Ukraine anxiety as oil dips (Reuters)
- US, UAE intercepts Houthi ballistic missiles over Abu Dhabi (CNN)
- Taliban hold first talks in Europe since Afghan takeover (AP)
- China flies 39 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense zone in a day (CBS)
- Former pope Benedict admits making false claim to child sexual abuse inquiry (Guardian)
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Palin The Price
- Former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin arrived in New York City last week, anticipating Monday’s start of her long-awaited defamation lawsuit against the NYT. On Saturday night, she dined indoors at Elio’s, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan known for its famous clientele.
- New York City requires that all indoor guests show proof of vaccination, but Palin wasn’t asked for proof of vaccination. She did not wear a mask, and she is not vaccinated. On Monday, Palin tested positive for COVID, and the trial had to be postponed until February 3.
- Elio’s manager said the restaurant checks first-time customers for proof of vaccination, but not their regular weekly guests. He said Palin had arrived with a longtime guest and “probably just walked in and strolled over to the table.” The manager said the restaurant was notifying customers they’d been exposed to the coronavirus, and the staff would be tested this week. The city recorded almost 9,000 new cases on Sunday. (NYT)
Accessi-Pill Healthcare
- Billionaire investor, Dallas Mavericks owner, and Shark Tank regular Mark Cuban has launched an online pharmacy for generic drugs that promises steep discounts over traditional distributors. The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company announced the opening of its online pharmacy last week: costplusdrugs.com.
- The pharmacy says it will bypass healthcare industry “middlemen” and help consumers avoid high drug prices by charging manufacturers’ prices plus a flat 15% markup and pharmacist fee. Cuban’s pharmacy will negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers to lower costs for consumers. The pharmacy doesn’t accept health insurance but says prices will still be lower than what people would typically pay at a pharmacy.
- Congressional Republicans and a handful of Democrats have stymied President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which includes provisions to lower drug costs for older Americans. Those typical political roadblocks just gave Cuban the opportunity to do what every good entrepreneur does best: build a better mousetrap. (NPR, PR Newswire)
Additional USA News
- Defense: Chauvin called ‘all of the shots’ when Floyd killed (AP)
- IRS warns some taxpayers may have received incorrect Child Tax Credit letter (CBS)
- California school kids must get COVID vaccine under new bill (LAT, $)
- Joe Biden Calls Fox Reporter a ‘Stupid Son of a B*tch’ (Complex)
- DC and 3 states sue Google, saying it invades users’ privacy (LAT, $)
- Alabama’s new congressional map blocked by judges (Politico)
- F-35 crashes while landing on USS Carl Vinson in South China Sea (Al Jazeera)
Flying High
- Teenage aviator Zara Rutherford has become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo. The 19-year-old, who has dual British-Belgian nationality, landed at Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport in western Belgium on Thursday, completing an epic 41-country journey spanning over 32,300 miles. In the process, she broke two Guinness World Records: first woman to circumnavigate the world in a microlight aircraft, and first Belgian to fly around the world alone. Rutherford beat the record held by American Shaesta Waiz, who was 30 when she circumnavigated the globe unaccompanied in 2017.
- Shark Aero provided the two-seater ultralight aircraft, with customizations such as a second radio, and an additional fuel tank in the place where the second passenger would typically sit. The plane has an optimum cruising speed of 140 knots (about 160 mph). When Rutherford took off on August 18, 2021, she imagined her aerial escapade would take about three months. But she was plagued by setbacks, including month-long delays in both Alaska and Russia due to “visa and weather issues,” pushing her schedule back eight weeks. She was also forced to make an unscheduled landing in Redding, California due to poor visibility from wildfires in the Seattle area; later, she was denied permission to fly over China.
- Rutherford is the daughter of two pilots and began learning to fly at age 14. Last year, she spoke of her disappointment that just 5.1% of airline pilots around the globe are women. “[5%] is such a small number, considering it’s a career where you basically get paid to travel around the world — obviously it’s work, but it’s an amazing career with amazing opportunities,” she said. One of her main aims for this challenge, aside from breaking Waiz’s record, was to ensure greater visibility for women in aviation. The young record holder supported two charities on her trip: Girls Who Code, which helps young women entering computer science, and Dreams Soar, a nonprofit founded by Waiz that supports women and girls entering STEM fields. Rutherford hopes her high-profile journey will encourage more young girls and women to consider a career in aviation. What is certain is that she’ll have quite a story to tell about how she spent her summer vacation, when she starts college in September with plans to study computer engineering. (CNN)
Additional Reads
- Cash Aid to Poor Mothers Increases Brain Activity in Babies, Study Finds (NYT, $)
- DHS says US on “heightened alert” for Russian cyberattack (CBS)
- So you want to be the landlord-king of a remote English island (NPR)
- How Omicron’s Mutations Allow It To Thrive (NYT, $)
- Hippo talk: study sheds light on purpose of call and response (Guardian)
- Fight Club gets a new ending in China – and the authorities win (Guardian)