Obnubilate
Verb
Latin, 16th century
Darken, dim, or cover with or as if with a cloud; obscure
Example: Anxiety began to obnubilate my sense of self-worth, but reading and writing snuffed it out.
Category Archives: News
Worst Quotes of the Week – April 10, 2021
“When a group of sad, disenfranchised people who have been left out of the modern economy show up at your office, you don’t have to listen to their complaints. Not for a second. Why would you?”
Tucker Carlson, in a mocking rant about the January 6 Capitol Hill riots
April 6 marked exactly three months since the event. Carlson added: “For those of you are not good at dates or don’t have calendars, this is the day that we pause to remember the White supremacist QAnon insurrection, that came so very close to toppling our government and ending this democracy forever.”
“We have a major under-incarceration problem in America. And it’s only getting worse.”
Sen. Tom Cotton, presenting his solution to rising crime in the U.S.
The U.S. has approximately 2.3 million people incarcerated, or roughly 698 people per every 100,000; the highest rate in the developed world.
“They simply let me use it as a security retreat because they knew the threat that I was under. And I was basically under presidential threat without presidential security in terms of the number of threats I was getting.”
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice-president of the National Rifle Association, describing how he often sought refuge on a friend’s yacht after notable mass shootings
LaPierre made the revelation in a deposition during the NRA’s bankruptcy hearing.
“When I see people walking outside, often alone with no one anywhere near them, wearing a mask, my primary reactions are disappointment and sadness. I am disappointed because I expected better from my fellow Americans. I never thought most Americans would be governed by irrational fears and unquestioning obedience to authority. I have come to realize that I had a somewhat romanticized view of my countrymen.”
Dennis Prager, expressing frustration that so many people continue to wear masks
He also declared: “If you wear a mask, you do so in the belief that you are protecting yourself (and others) from COVID-19. So, then, why do you care if I don’t wear a mask?”
Filed under News
Best Quotes of the Week – April 10, 2021
“Enough prayers. Time for some action.”
President Joe Biden, announcing new gun control measures
Calling gun violence in the U.S. an “international embarrassment”, Biden has directed the Justice Department to draft model legislation that would make it easier for states to pass gun control laws, meant to bar people from accessing firearms if they pose a threat to themselves or others.
“I heard the governor of South Dakota recently saying, ‘This isn’t infrastructure – it’s got money for pipes.’ Well, we believe that pipes are infrastructure, because you need water to live, and too many families now live with the threat of lead poisoning.”
Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, regarding efforts by the Biden Administration to start rebuilding all features of the nation’s infrastructure
Filed under News
Word of the Week – April 3, 2021
Effloresce
Verb
Latin, 18th century
Reach an optimum stage of development; blossom; (of a substance) lose moisture and turn to a fine powder on exposure to air.
Example: Even at this age, I know my writing career has yet to effloresce.
Filed under News
Video of the Week – April 3, 2021
This attack on a 65-year-old Filipino woman in New York City was the latest in a long string anti-Asian hate crimes. Authorities have arrested a suspect who was on parole for murdering his mother in 2002.
Filed under News
Press Release of the Week – April 3, 2021
American Airlines Statement on Texas Voting Legislation
Thursday, April 01, 2021, 4:23 PM
Earlier this morning, the Texas State Senate passed legislation with provisions that limit voting access. To make American’s stance clear: We are strongly opposed to this bill and others like it. As a Texas-based business, we must stand up for the rights of our team members and customers who call Texas home, and honor the sacrifices made by generations of Americans to protect and expand the right to vote.
Voting is the hallmark of our democracy, and is the foundation of our great country. We value the democratic process and believe every eligible American should be allowed to exercise their right to vote, no matter which political party or candidate they support.
We acknowledge how difficult this is for many who have fought to secure and exercise their constitutional right to vote. Any legislation dealing with how elections are conducted must ensure ballot integrity and security while making it easier to vote, not harder. At American, we believe we should break down barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion in our society – not create them.
Filed under News
Most Alarming Quote of the Week – April 3, 2021
“When I first started at CDC about 2 months ago, I made a promise to you: I would tell you the truth even if it was not the news we wanted to hear. Now is one of those times when I have to share the truth, and I have to hope and trust you will listen,” she said. “I’m going to pause here, I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom.”
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, on the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
Filed under News
Worst Quotes of the Week – April 3, 2021
“I own an AR-15. If there’s a natural disaster in South Carolina where the cops can’t protect my neighborhood, my house will be the last one that the gang will come to because I can defend myself.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, during a discussion with FOX News’ Chris Wallace about last week’s mass shooting at a supermarket in Colorado
“But the last vestige of the pro-American meritocracy still standing was the U.S. military. From the progressive perspective, the military was too masculine, had way too many Republicans, and a dangerous knack of turning minorities into patriotic, self-reliant conservatives. This could not stand. Michelle Obama’s decision to make military spouses her top initiative as First Lady was the first clue that they had their sights set on the U.S. Armed Forces.”
Rachel Campos-Duffy, on FOX News Primetime, April 1
Campos-Duffy was a member of MTV’s “Real World – San Francisco” cast in 1994 where her conservative views often put her at odds with her housemates. I actually recall seeing her on that show.
“It’s time to teach corporate America that if they attack Georgia or any state like it for doing what they did to secure their right to vote, these corporations are going to face the wrath of GOP officials as well as the tens of millions of American consumers who support them. That means lobbyists and CEOs, they need to be told in no uncertain terms if you try to help the left rig elections, we’re going to punish you.”
Laura Ingraham, reacting to protests by corporations over Georgia’s new voting restrictions
Filed under News
Best Quotes of the Week – April 3, 2021
“The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections. This is simply not true.”
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Airlines, referring to claims by Donald Trump that he lost the 2020 elections because of fraud
Bastian was also reacting to newly-enacted laws in the state of Georgia that some see as voter suppression. Delta Airlines is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
“If your knee is on a person’s neck, that could kill him.”
Lte. Richard Zimmerman, the most senior officer in the Minneapolis Police Department, testifying in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the 2020 death of George Floyd
Zimmerman also testified that once someone is handcuffed, “they are not a threat to you at that point” and the amount of force should be immediately reduced.
Filed under News
