A look at a few random subjects, after-the-jump.
But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.
It has long been noted that poorer communities suffer more from intense heat— due in part to less vegetation.
Now, this rather lengthy ProPublica story on the two worlds of the Coachella Valley in California — how the wealthy enclaves are dependent upon the poor communities for labor and how climate change is exacerbating the difference between the already green vs. barren landscapes.
Next, the retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre recently advocated that boys under the age of fourteen should not play tackle football — instead, to play flag football (where a ball-carrier is deemed stopped when a defender tears-off one of two Velcro “flags” strapped around their waistband). In junior high school (over fifty years ago) we played it in gym class … yet it seemed identical to touch football.
I came to find out that flag football leagues … actually are just like regulation football (with blocking, huddles and some contact) — just not tackling.
To be sure, football will never be safe. No matter what.
But if someone is determined to trod this path …. by starting tackle when their bodies and skulls have matured to a certain extent, injuries can be curtailed. Many Hall of Fame players followed this plan (including Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, and Walter Payton). Tom Brady Sr. would not let his son play tackle football until high school, while Peyton Manning had no chance to — the town where he grew-up in did not have a youth tackle football program. Both have/had long careers, which may not have been possible with Pop Warner youth tackle football.
Finally, Josh Marshall wrote something that I think aptly describes the GOP governors in red states who made a calculated decision … and are now sweating over hospital admissions. (I would add that this especially was true after January 6th: first, it became clear that 45 would have to vacate the White House … and secondly, as a diversion from the aftermath of the insurrection):
Republican leaders made a clear decision over the winter of 2020-21 to embrace and cater to anti-vax, anti-mandate sentiment to supercharge their midterm election odds.
Not that that this wasn’t a very bad, sociopathic decision to start with. After all, the great majority of GOP elected officials were, like Tucker Carlson, at the front of the line to get vaccinated themselves.
But something happened on the way to the party: the Delta variant.
Three months ago many people believed that in the US COVID was basically over. You could cater to anti-vax sentiment and reap the electoral rewards while free-riding off the vaccinated herd. There was no downside – at least no political one.
Whether that was ever going to be true, Delta clearly made it not true.
And now … they have no choice but to double and triple-down.
Let’s close with a nice rendition of what I believe to be John Fogerty’s best song.
Now, on to Top Comments:
From indyada:
In the diary by liberaldad2 about the Alabama family doctor who will require vaccinations in the not-too-distant future: I'd like to nominate this thread for TC, with the kickoff by Witgren….. and a bit further down, OneRedShoe fleshes out the dialog on the dangerous plains of Omaha.
From luckylizard:
In the diary by abluerippleinohio about vaccine disinformation— this reply (to my own comment) from godawfuldays (I’m particularly fond of "mush-ware.")
From theghostofJohnDewey:
In the Joe Biden Evening Shade diary for today — the caption on this picture from HopefulEnigma90 is great.
Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful (and now eternal) *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment featuring that photo.
TOP PHOTOSAugust 18th, 2021
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And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
1) As I said on another website: … by BrianWW +1413) Here’s a similar story: by ericlewis0 +1265) Thanks Greg. … by learn +10411) [embed] by Greg Dworkin +8417) Check out this white guy … by eeff +7824) [image] by Inland Jim +67