Disabled People Cannot Be ‘Expected Losses’ in the Climate Crisis -
Take the case of disability communities in Puerto Rico, who faced catastrophic harm in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2018. To call the hurricane a “natural disaster” is to obscure the way United States colonialism laid the groundwork for the devastation. U.S. economic austerity policies left the island subject to poor infrastructure, a shaky electrical grid, patchy medical systems and inadequate public services — all of which were stressed to breaking point when the hurricane hit. And when it comes to disability, eligible Puerto Ricans receive an average of $74 a month, a fraction of the disability benefits provided to U.S. citizens on the mainland.
Social inequality can be a death sentence. Consider Benilda Caixeta, a wheelchair user living in New Orleans who relied upon the city’s paratransit system for accessible transportation, a service notorious for its unreliability in the best of circumstances. As Hurricane Katrina advanced, she worked for days to arrange transportation to evacuate. But despite repeated promises, her driver never arrived. When floodwaters rushed into her apartment, Caixeta drowned — waiting for transit that never came.
When we tell Caixeta’s story, we face a choice: We could use her story to illustrate the essential vulnerability of people with disabilities; or we could use it to tell a political story about disability discrimination, about transportation systems that are inequitable and unreliable even in fair weather — and that fail, utterly, in the face of a storm. The political story makes plain that Caixeta’s inability to evacuate isn’t a personal tragedy caused by disability, but a public failure: a devastating indictment of the deadly cost of ableism and inequality.
The way to get rid of DeJoy and take control of the USPS Board -
When dealing with mobsters, you have to think like a mobster. Or, don’t bring a wet noodle to a gun fight.
The USPS is an essential service that is systematically being wrecked by the mobsters who have taken over that organization. We survived the election catastrophe, but remember, the reason that DeJoy and friends wanted to take over the USPS was not to win the election; They did it as a matter of racketeering for personal profit.
There are 6 Governors plus DeJoy. 4 of the 6 were appointed by Republicans, and we should assume they are all corrupt and all need to go. How to do that? Barger and Zollars have terms expiring at the end of 2021 and 2022, so they will be gone soon enough. But the other two have terms ending at the end of 2024 and 2025.
The solution is simple. There is ample reason to believe that DeJoy is guilty of various criminal acts including destruction of government property, interfering with the mail, and racketeering (RICO). Considering that he has been working for the Governors, they are obviously complicit as well. So simply do what the Justice Department is supposed to do when given evidence of crimes. Investigate them all and start criminal proceedings if there is evidence of any of these crimes.
I guarantee, they will all be more than happy to resign their posts in exchange for dropping the cases — or for lesser charges. This must be a priority in the Justice Department. Stop the corruption. We must never have another election cycle [during which] the USPS is under even the slightest suspicion. …
(Source: dailykos.com)
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“Temple of Millions of Years” of King Ramses III at west ‘Uaset’-Thebes,
detail from one of the pillars of the Second Court:
the God Upuaut of Upper Egypt, jackal/wolf-headed (His name is written in the first row of hieroglyphs at right)
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