Texas progressives look at COVID-related, other hypocrisy

As hinted at several times, after "Lucky 13" last week, we've ended separate breakouts for coronavirus news at this corner of Texas Progressives. Per Yascha Mounk, let's hope we can continue that not only through the summer but through the fall. I'm not as pessimistic as him, but I'm not "optimistic," either. Nor, via a piece at Massimo Pigliucci's latest readings, do I care for the use of the "war" metaphor. (Mounk, a Cold War 2.0 guy, likely loves such metaphors.)

That all said, for the second week in a row though, I DO have a separate breakout on police racism, brutality and related issues. It's coming up on Thursday.

With that, let's dig in.


Texas coronavirus

Texas Monthly notes that Gov. Strangeabbott et al have shifted to a "it's your responsibility" plan for "fighting" COVID. And? Isn't that what, on paper, Texas Republican voters have voted for? Of course, blue-ish urban areas have the higher population densities. If they act on their own, how short of a leash will Strangeabbott try to put them on? VERY short, and he's not up for re-election. How would this affect, say, state Lege races?

COVID testing? The Guard helped. Results of said tests? Still AWOL for many for several days.

And yes, cases are continuing to climb.

Space City Weather revisits the question of COVID-19 and the Texas weather.

Texas politics

TM notes Strangeabbott is a hypocrite (in multiple ways, not all enumerated there) for calling on county GOP chairs to resign over racism. Reality? Behind closed doors, Abbott thinks the state GOP stables aren't that Augean.

The Monthly suggests renaming Fort Hood for Roy Benavidez. How about defunding it?

The House District 24 Dem runoff is getting nasty. Olsen's a sort of ConservaDem and vet; that said, Valenzuela is trying to score cheap points off her comments, and I get what Olsen was saying.

Steve Toth makes it into "The Encyclopedia of American Loons."


National

It's official. We're in a recession. Here in Tex-ass, Comptroller Glenn "We're not an oil economy" Hegar's office used the R-word at the start of the month.

Punch Trump in the face enough, metaphorically, and he caves in. He's now admitted he could lose, and if he does, he'll move on, not barricade himself in the White House.

In a surprisingly insightful piece, given its last two or three years of history, High Country News notes that Democrats as well as Republicans like border walls in some way, shape or form.

David Bruce Collins looks at this year's Green Party platform amendment proposals. (The social justice chapter is especially good. That said, I'm with him on cops carrying liability insurance; it would feed the I part of the FIRE maw and might be prohibitively expensive for small governments.)

COVID

A philosopher of science has a great piece on viral virulence evolution in general, and specific information on what we know to date on COVID evolution, and philosophy of science issues behind that.

Fired Florida data scientist starts her own data website. Meanwhile, Florida cases continue to rise even as the GOP moves its convention to Jacksonville to meet in person.

Global

Despite the pandemic being, on paper, a big boost for Amazon, what if people want to shop online, but LIVE and with video assistance? Amazon could get undermined — even though, per the story, it's tried that on a minimalist scale before.