More Crazyness!

Last Thursday in my Cuckoo Award I wrote about all the weird right-wing theories about the bridge collapse. Well it has even gotten worst! The little Trump want-to-be Jr. said…

Huff Post,

Donald Trump Jr. danced around a baseless conspiracy theory about the Baltimore bridge collision on Thursday while stretching it further into an attack on President Joe Biden.

Then we have NJ.com,

 

The right finds a new boogeyman
By Sheneman
March 29, 2024

RED ALERT! The right has a new boogeyman it wants to blame for all the perceived ills of society. Allow me to introduce you to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion better known as DEI. It’s hard to keep track of which acronym is dragging us down as a nation, it used to be CRT, now it’s DEI. It’s so confusing. Seriously, just tell me which entirely made up thing I’m supposed to be afraid of and stick to it.

DEI is, simply put, a set of policies or programs put in place by an organization, for example a corporation or university, to promote participation and inclusion of individuals from different groups. That’s it. DEI is simply an acknowledgement that America is a diverse place and not all groups have had the same chance to access the many opportunities on offer. In the right wing media ecosystem DEI is something very different. They view DEI, like critical race theory before it, as a plot.

Then we had the problems that Boeing has blamed on DEI!

Elon Musk criticized by civil rights groups over claim that diversity efforts make flying less safe
In several posts on X, Musk claimed without evidence that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives put airline customers in danger.
NBC News
By David Ingram
January 10, 2024

Tech billionaire Elon Musk drew a swift rebuke from two of the nation’s best known civil rights organizations Wednesday, after he criticized efforts by United Airlines and Boeing to hire nonwhite pilots and factory workers.

The criticism came after Musk claimed in a series of posts on X that efforts to diversify workforces at those companies have made air travel less safe. He offered no evidence for the claim, and one of his replies directed attention to a post by someone else speculating about the IQ of Black airline employees.

Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said Musk’s statements were “abhorrent and pathetic.” He noted that Tesla, where Musk is CEO, is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged abuse of Black employees, including claims of racial slurs and nooses found in the workplace.

“Musk’s company not only refused to investigate complaints or take any steps to end the abuse, it viciously retaliated against employees who complained or opposed the abuse,” Morial said in a statement to NBC News, citing allegations from the suit.

“The only thing anyone needs to hear from Musk about diversity in the workplace is an apology,” he said.

What is it with these kooks? Is that a requirement for billionaires?

Then we have Republicans who don’t want to pay for the a new bridge.

GOP Lawmaker Has Unbelievable Reaction to Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Representative Dan Meuser isn’t all that bothered by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The New Republic
By Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
March 28, 2024

Representative Dan Meuser had an unusual take on the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge: It’s not the government’s job to fix it.

During an interview on Fox Business on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Republican slammed President Joe Biden for daring to say the multibillion-dollar reconstruction job is a responsibility of the federal government.

“Is Congress going to need to pony up more money, or is there enough money in the infrastructure package?” asked host Maria Bartiromo.

“Yea, it was kind of outrageous immediately for Biden to express in this tragedy the idea that he’s going to use federal funds to pay for the—in the entirety,” Meuser responded, suggesting instead that Biden use the money set aside for electric vehicle infrastructure to fund the collapsed bridge. “You know, he doesn’t refer to it as the American taxpayer dollars on anything. You know, the first reaction, in fact the only reaction, tends to be to spend.”

But Meuser’s comments completely overlook the role the federal government has to play in repairing federal property. The Key Bridge was a section of Interstate 695, an alternative route passing Baltimore on Interstate 95—both of which are a part of the federal highway system, funded by the national government by as much as 90 percent, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Insurance? It will be years before a settlement is reached, I doubt very much that it will cover the cost of replacing the bridge let alone all the financial losses from the blocked harbor.