Friday, June 12, 2020

Last Call For Retribution Execution, Con't

Never forget that the primary goal of the Trump regime is to exterminate every possible legacy of Barack Obama and to use federal power to directly punish the coalition of voters that chose Clinton over Trump.

The Trump administration Friday finalized a rule that would remove nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people when it comes to health care and health insurance.

"HHS respects the dignity of every human being, and as we have shown in our response to the pandemic, we vigorously protect and enforce the civil rights of all to the fullest extent permitted by our laws as passed by Congress," said Roger Severino, who directs the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services, in written statement announcing that the HHS rule had become final. The rule is set to go into effect by mid-August.

This is one of many rules and regulations put forward by the Trump administration that defines "sex discrimination" as only applying when someone faces discrimination for being male or female, and does not protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Supporters of the rule say this is a necessary reversal of Obama-era executive overreach, and will reduce confusion about the legal meaning of "sex discrimination." Critics argue the rule could further harm an already vulnerable group — transgender people — in the midst of a pandemic and historic unrest spurred by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

"I can't help but wonder if the timing [of this rule] is by design so that this is something that people won't pay attention to," says Tia Sherèe Gaynor, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati.

Defining trans people as non-existent in federal law so that they literally cannot be discriminated against is pretty evil.  But it's not just trans folks who will suffer.

The rule focuses on nondiscrimination protections laid out in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. That federal law established that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of "race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities." In 2016, an Obama-era rule explained that protections regarding "sex" encompass those based on gender identity, which it defined as "male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female."

In June 2019, under Trump, the HHS Office for Civil Rights proposed a rule (the one finalized this week) that reverses the one from the Obama administration. Severino explained at the time, "We're going back to the plain meaning of those terms, which is based on biological sex." He also said the rule could save hospitals and insurers and others $2.9 billion over five years, since they will be relieved of the requirement to print notices of non-discrimination in several languages and include them with any "significant" mailings.

Under the new rule, a transgender person could, for example, be refused care for a checkup at a doctor's office, explains Lindsey Dawson associate director of HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Other possible scenarios include a transgender man being denied treatment for ovarian cancer, or a hysterectomy not being covered by an insurer — or costing more when the procedure is related to someone's gender transition.

The Trump rule makes changes to gender-based discrimination protections beyond Section 1557 of the ACA; it affects regulations pertaining to access to health insurance, for example, including cost-sharing, health plan marketing, and benefits. Under the new rule, an insurance company could "charge higher premiums or other fees for those who are LGBTQ [or] cancel or deny coverage," Dawson says. The rule could also mean that those seeking an abortion could be denied care if performing the procedure violates the provider's moral or religious beliefs.
Even with the rule now finalized, an LGBTQ person who is discriminated against or denied health care can still sue, and courts may rule that their civil rights were violated in such a case. But that's not an easy avenue, says Dawson.

"Because of limited access to litigation, I think that it's fair to state that the ramifications [of this rule] could be pretty significant," she says. Protections will also vary based on where someone lives, she adds, so the rule "creates a patchwork of civil rights, compared to standardized protections."

Doing this during Pride Month, during nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, during a global health pandemic, during a period in which a record number of black trans folks are being murdered (the latest being right here in Cincinnati), and on the 4th anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando is 100%, absolutely on purpose and straight-up evil incarnate.

Period. Full stop.

Vote out these assholes in November.



Republican Conventional Warfare, Con't


I fully expect the convention to be moved before the end of the month
.  Trump will demand it. He will not tolerate anyone standing up to his bullying and performative chaos, and Trump figures it will cost Cooper a second term in November against Cooper's Republican Lt. Governor, Dan Forest (Governor and Lieutenant Governor have always been separate elections in NC, which makes for some weird stuff like this.)

The GOP, Thursday afternoon:

Officials announced Thursday that the main event of the Republican National Convention will now be held in Jacksonville, Florida instead of Charlotte.
The new location of the August convention will also include President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in the great city of Jacksonville,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. “Not only does Florida hold a special place in President Trump’s heart as his home state, but it is crucial in the path to victory in 2020. We look forward to bringing this great celebration and economic boom to the Sunshine State in just a few short months.”

Officials said the celebration of Trump’s re-nomination will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

The decision comes after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper voiced concerns about holding a full-scale convention. The governor balked at promising Trump a full-blown convention in Charlotte without social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

The RNC voted Wednesday to hold a significantly scaled-down convention in Charlotte, allowing the party’s more mundane business, including discussions over the platform, to be held in the Queen City because of contractual obligations.


The decision means a little more than 300 delegates will come to Charlotte to officially select Trump as the party’s nominee. That will likely be the only official business actually done in the city. 
A proposal from Republican State Rep. John Torbett of Gaston to keep Trump in Charlotte for the Republican National Convention will not go up for a vote.

The Republican National Committee, which oversees the convention says Jacksonville, Florida is the top site for Trump to accept his party’s nomination. The last ditch-effort by state lawmakers contradicted Cooper’s insistence that the state could not promise a full capacity crowd because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Trump will speak elsewhere, the RNC insists some of its business activities will continue to be held in Charlotte.

So Charlotte can't sue for breach of contract, and Trump gets his convention floor filled with slavering fans, with yet another opportunity for a massive spike in Florida's COVID-19 infections, all to placate Trump's massive ego. An almost Trumpian solution to a 100% Trump-created disaster.


Ohio Goes Viral, Con't

Ohio's top public health official, Dr. Amy Acton, has resigned over anti-COVID-19 lunatics stalking her family.

Turning down pleas from Gov. Mike DeWine to stay on the job, Dr. Amy Acton surprisingly resigned Thursday as director of the Ohio Department of Health amid the coronavirus pandemic.

DeWine said Acton’s resignation is effective Thursday, although she now will become his chief health adviser.

“It is difficult for me to put in words how grateful I am for Dr. Acton’s service to the state,” he said.

The governor said he has asked Acton, who was appointed health director on Feb. 26, 2019, to “take a big-picture look” at improving public health while still working to address the pandemic.

Acton became both a beloved and polarizing figure to Ohioans for her candid, personal talks at televised coronavirus news briefings and for issuing orders closing down parts of the state’s economy that some found excessive.

Thursday, Acton praised local health officials, members of her team and those on the front lines of battling the pandemic. She also thanked her family and the governor — and the State Highway Patrol protective detail assigned to her after threats.

“Her knowledge, compassion and determination have set an example for all of us, and Dr. Acton’s extraordinary bedside manner and wise counsel have helped us all get through this pandemic,” DeWine said.

Asked why she quit, Acton said she couldn’t do justice to what amounts to three jobs at once. She said she now will have time to spend with her family, whose Bexley home has attracted protesters, some armed.

So congrats, "COVID hoax" nutjobs, you drove off yet another dedicated public health official so you can feel better about stuffing your face at Golden Corral on Sundays and not tipping the waitstaff.

And let's not forget the anti-semitic attacks from Ohio Republicans too.

An Ohio state representative drew criticism for calling the state’s Jewish Department of Health director a “globalist.” 
In a Facebook post on Friday, Rep. Nino Vitale said the director, Amy Acton, was denying state residents their human rights by extending a stay-at-home order until May 29. 
“Your basic human rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness do not come from an unelected Globalist Health Director, who signed the order in the dark of night. Your basic human rights are inalienable and cannot be bought, sold, traded or taken from you,” Vitale wrote in a post on Facebook on Friday and in a letter to supporters
Vitale’s Facebook page has since become unavailable, but in a note on his campaign website Vitale said “it appears web search engines and web relays are currently banning my Facebook page.” 
In a statement, the Cleveland office of the Anti-Defamation League urged Vitale to apologize for using the term, which recalls the anti-Semitic stereotype that a Jewish cabal secretly controls the world. 
“Whether Rep. Vitale purposely invoked anti-Semitism or not, we strongly urge him to remove that term from his vocabulary, and to issue an apology to Dr. Acton and the entire Jewish community. ADL is willing and able to provide Rep. Vitale, and all elected officials, training on anti-Semitism,” the ADL wrote on Facebook. 
Vitale’s statement comes a week after the wife of an Ohio state senator compared Acton’s support for the idea of issuing certificates to people who had proven immunity to COVID-19 to Nazi Germany. The senator, Andrew Brenner, later apologized to Acton and the Jewish community.

Vitale is also in trouble over Black Lives Matter comments.  I'll tell you what, Kentucky may be full of racists, but there are times where it has nothing on Ohio.

StupidiNews!