AUDIO:

POSSIBLE TOPICS: VOTETEXAS.GOV—Voter Information; ANNOUNCEMENT: The Community Climate Summit will be a day-long gathering of climate activists, community leaders, and frontline community members on Sep 10; Houston health officials roll out new monkeypox vaccination plan; VERIFY: Fact checking common claims about the monkeypox virus; Broadband feasibility study calls for construction of $36.8M fiber network pathway throughout Fort Bend County; Montgomery County approves proposed 2022 tax rate exceeding no-new-revenue rate; Record percentage of Texas teachers considering quitting, survey shows; This 2003 Texas law could shield Alex Jones from paying the vast majority of the $50 million defamation case judgment; For the First Time, Abbott Discusses Details of His Lawsuit Settlement; New state law allows Houston neighborhoods to redact racist deed restriction; Oregon law establishes renters’ right to AC, but some landlords threaten fines over air conditioners; The GOP Suddenly Wants to Defund Law Enforcement After Feds Raid Mar-a-Lago; Ukraine war must end with liberation of Crimea – Zelensky; More.

Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) on KPFT-HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:

1. Live online at KPFT.org (from anywhere in the world!)
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Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.

• An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
• You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EwrSlzZC31w

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter InformationTEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com­ – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
   1. Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2022
      1. Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
      2. GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
      3. Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX)
      4. Montgomery County (TX) Elections
      5. Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
      6. Waller County (TX) Elections
      7. Chambers County (TX) Elections
      8. For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG.   Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
      9. If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
      10. HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting Centers, HARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
          1. Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
          2. A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
          3. Current utility bill
          4. Bank statement
          5. Government check
          6. Paycheck
          7. A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
          8. You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
             1. Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
             2. Sick or disabled;
             3. 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
             4. Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
             5. Make sure you are registered:
             6. Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
             7. CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
             8. CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
             9. Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
2. BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and if eligible, REMEMBER TO FILL OUT AND MAIL YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR 2022
   1. You can track your Mail Ballot Activity from our website with direct link provided here https://www.harrisvotes.com/Tracking
   2. NEXT ELECTION: 2022 November General Election – November 8, 2022
3. ANNOUNCEMENT: The Community Climate Summit will be a day-long gathering of climate activists, community leaders, and frontline community members. Sep 10 at the Rice University Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
   1. The hope for this event is to support a coming together of frontline community members, community leaders, organizers, activists, and environmental advocacy professionals to share resources, learn about neighborhood-specific issues, identify sustainability strategies, collaborate to support each other’s existing initiatives, and create a shared vision and action plans toward both short- and long-term goals to protect the health of Houston communities. More details to come at the linked event site.
4. Houston health officials roll out new monkeypox vaccination plan; The Houston Health Department said once official guidance comes down from the CDC, they’ll switch over to the new method within two days. Author: Lauren Talarico | KHOU.COM | Published: 7:43 PM CDT August 9, 2022, Updated: 7:43 PM CDT August 9, 2022
   1. Health officials on Tuesday rolled out a new vaccination plan in hopes of stretching the supply of the monkeypox vaccine. What is supposed to be enough for one patient will now be used to treat five.
   2. The change comes as the U.S. struggles to keep up with the spread of the virus and some Texas cities issue emergency declarations.
   3. On July 8, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported a total of 27 cases of the virus. Now, the department is reporting 702 cases in the state, many of which have already recovered. …
   4. The Houston Health Department said there’s no plan to follow suit at this point in time, but the department is expecting up to 6,000 more vaccines to be delivered sometime next week.
   5. VERIFY: Fact checking common claims about the monkeypox virus; Dr. Amesh Adalja, the senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, is answering your questions about monkeypox. Author: Cheryl Mercedes (KHOU) | Published: 4:30 PM CDT August 5, 2022, Updated: 4:50 PM CDT August 5, 2022
      1. MIKE: This article is from August 5^th, and in the past few days, there has been additional information guidance, but this article is still useful.
      2. There are a lot of rumors going around social media about the monkeypox virus. The VERIFY team is working hard to make sure you know what is true and what is not. 
5. Houston health officials roll out new monkeypox vaccination plan; The Houston Health Department said once official guidance comes down from the CDC, they’ll switch over to the new method within two days. Author: Lauren Talarico | KHOU.COM | Published: 7:43 PM CDT August 9, 2022, Updated: 7:43 PM CDT August 9, 2022
   1. Health officials on Tuesday rolled out a new vaccination plan in hopes of stretching the supply of the monkeypox vaccine. What is supposed to be enough for one patient will now be used to treat five.
   2. The change comes as the U.S. struggles to keep up with the spread of the virus and some Texas cities issue emergency declarations.
   3. On July 8, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported a total of 27 cases of the virus. Now, the department is reporting 702 cases in the state, many of which have already recovered. …
   4. The Houston Health Department said there’s no plan to follow suit at this point in time, but the department is expecting up to 6,000 more vaccines to be delivered sometime next week.
   5. VERIFY: Fact checking common claims about the monkeypox virus; Dr. Amesh Adalja, the senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, is answering your questions about monkeypox. Author: Cheryl Mercedes (KHOU) | Published: 4:30 PM CDT August 5, 2022, Updated: 4:50 PM CDT August 5, 2022
      1. MIKE: This article is from August 5^th, and in the past few days, there has been additional information guidance, but this article is still useful.
      2. MIKE: This article is from August 5^th, and in the past few days, there has been additional information guidance, but this article is still useful.
      3. There are a lot of rumors going around social media about the monkeypox virus. The VERIFY team is working hard to make sure you know what is true and what is not. 
      4. We took some claims being made about the virus to Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
         1. CLAIM: Wearing a mask will protect you from getting monkeypox.
            1. FALSE: Adalja said, “Although monkeypox is something that could technically be transmitted through respiratory droplets, that’s not the main way it’s getting around. What’s happening is people are in close contact with each other, and that’s how the transmission is occurring.”
         2. CLAIM: You should get the monkeypox vaccine within four days from the time you are exposed.
            1. True: Adalja said, “The monkeypox vaccine can work as post exposure prophylaxis, and basically abort any monkeypox infection from occurring. If you get it early in your incubation period.”
         3. CLAIM: You must get a second dose of the monkeypox vaccine to be fully protected.
            1. True: Adalja said, “The data for the monkeypox vaccine, JYNNEOS, is based on a two-dose regimen. However, there is a lot of data that shows even a single dose provides significant protection but to be fully vaccinated, it’s a two-dose regimen.”
         4. CLAIM: If you got the smallpox vaccine decades ago, you are protected and do not need to get the monkeypox vaccine.
            1. False: Adalja said, “If you got the smallpox vaccine several decades ago, its protection against infection with monkeypox has likely waned to some degree. You’re likely protected against the severe disease, but you should still get vaccinated against monkeypox if you fall into that high-risk category.”
         5. CLAIM: HIV PrEP will protect you from the monkeypox virus.
            1. False: Adalja said, “HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a very important tool for the prevention of HIV. However, it has no effect on prevention of monkeypox.”
         6. CLAIM: People with a compromised immune system should not get the monkeypox vaccine.
            1. False: Adalja said, “The JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine was developed precisely with people that were immunocompromised and couldn’t receive the earlier first-generation smallpox vaccine.”
         7. CLAIM: There are different types of monkeypox vaccines.
            1. True: Adalja said, “There are different types of monkeypox vaccines. The one that’s currently being used is something called JYNNEOS. That’s a second-generation smallpox monkeypox vaccine. That is a two-dose regimen that is safe in immunocompromised individuals. There is an older smallpox vaccine called [ACAM] 2000, which is also effective against monkeypox.”
         8. CLAIM: If you had monkeypox recently, you don’t need the vaccine.
            1. True: Adalja said, “If someone has had monkeypox and has recovered, they’re likely immune from reinfection for a period of several years.”
         9. REFERENCE FROM ANDREW: “AKM 2000” in the article might be a typo. The FDA lists it as ACAM2000. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/acam2000-smallpox-vaccine-questions-and-answers)
         10. REFERENCE: Monkeypox Update: FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of JYNNEOS Vaccine to Increase Vaccine Supply, Aug 9, 2022
         11. ANDREW: People with skin conditions and those who live with them should talk to their doctors about which vaccine they should get. The National Eczema Association says the ACAM2000 vaccine has live virus in it, which is fine for most people, but people with certain skin conditions could have a more serious reaction even if they just touch someone who got that vaccine. So like I said, your doctor for the name of the vaccine you need before you get vaccinated.
         12. REFERENCE FROM ANDREW: “AKM 2000” in the article might be a typo. The FDA lists it as ACAM2000. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/acam2000-smallpox-vaccine-questions-and-answers)
         13. REFERENCE: Monkeypox Update: FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of JYNNEOS Vaccine to Increase Vaccine Supply, Aug 9, 2022
         14. ANDREW: People with skin conditions and those who live with them should talk to their doctors about which vaccine they should get. The National Eczema Association says the ACAM2000 vaccine has live virus in it, which is fine for most people, but people with certain skin conditions could have a more serious reaction even if they just touch someone who got that vaccine. So like I said, your doctor for the name of the vaccine you need before you get vaccinated.
6. Broadband feasibility study calls for construction of $36.8M fiber network pathway throughout Fort Bend County; By Asia Armour | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 4:08 PM Aug 4, 2022 CDT, Updated 4:08 PM Aug 4, 2022 CDT
   1. Fort Bend County’s information technology and finance departments used engineering and surveying firm Cobb Fendley to conduct a broadband feasibility study to determine the state of internet connectivity in the county—especially in areas of the county that are unserved or underserved. The findings from this study were presented at a July 26 commissioners court meeting.
   2. Some key insights from the workshop presentation include: … 240 miles of proposed fiber infrastructure are proposed for a high-level design route; and four funding options for implementing widespread broadband connectivity were identified.
   3. Results from the survey ranked internet provider options, availability, coverage, pricing, reliability and speed as well as ability to work from home and to access information online as poor overall.
   4. Cobb Fendley defined underserved communities as households lacking 100 megabits per second download speeds and 20 Mbps upload speeds. Unserved populations represent households that lack 25 Mbps download speeds and 3 Mbps upload speeds.
   5. Based on maps Cobb Fendley presented at the meeting, underserved areas overwhelm the west side of the county. …
   6. Findings from this initial phase of the study call for the construction of a “middle mile,” or a backbone network pathway of larger cables that shoulder most of the network traffic. The middle mile would be installed underground, along main roads, and along interstate and intrastate highways.
   7. The goal of the middle mile, said Melissa Beaudry, a project manager for the firm, is to incentivize and decrease the cost for providers to build out the “last mile” that would connect the main network to a home or business. …
   8. MIKE: The article goes on to discuss costs, funding options, and long-term goals.
   9. MIKE: I live inside the 610 Loop, and by the standards mentioned in this article, I’ve recently gone from (relatively) unserved to underserved.
   10. MIKE: My subdivision was built starting around 2003, and all the telecommunication underground infrastructure in our subdivision is copper. All the telecommunication wiring in my house is copper or copper coax.
   11. MIKE: I’m betting that the underserved customers in Fort Bend were built before “optical” was a primary thing in constructions and builder infrastructure. The “underserved” (which can be a relative or an absolute term) are probably older, poorer, and/or more rural.
   12. MIKE: It’s great, and I say this without sarcasm, that Fort Bend County is exploring this “middle mile” forward-looking infrastructure. But I’m left wondering how older construction will get that “last mile” of optical service.
   13. ANDREW: Cobb Fendley’s definitions may seem surprising at first glance, but according to Wikipedia, most measurements of average download speeds in the US range from 190 to 170 megabits per second. For comparison, Singapore has the fastest downloads in the world, being solidly in the 240s. Getting most people into that average range is only going to be possible with infrastructure investment like this, and probably regulatory pressure to make sure new housing (both single- and multi-unit) gets modern connections that get upgraded every decade or two on government and internet providers’ dimes.
   14. REFERENCE: Couple bought home in Seattle, then learned Comcast Internet would cost $27,000; City “has no authority to require Comcast” to connect unserved homes. Jon Brodkin | ARSTECHNICA.COM | 6/29/2022, 6:30 AM
7. Montgomery County approves proposed 2022 tax rate exceeding no-new-revenue rate; By Jishnu Nair | communityimpact.com | 3:55 PM Aug 9, 2022 CDT, Updated 3:55 PM Aug 9, 2022 CDT
   1. Montgomery County will propose a tax rate … per $100 of taxable property to fund its fiscal year 2022-23 budget, following an 9 Commissioners Court session. As the rate is above the county’s “no-new-revenue rate” rate, there will be a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 26, where the budget will also be adopted. …
   2. Montgomery County’s property tax rate has decreased annually since 2019… Certified property values have increased in the same time …
   3. According to [Budget Officer Amanda Carter], increases to law enforcement personnel …justices of the peace as well as a 5% countywide raise contributed to the rate exceeding the no-new-revenue [cap]. … A renegotiation of The Woodlands’ interlocal agreement with Montgomery County regarding law enforcement services also contributed. …
   4. [Budget Officer Amanda Carter] also cited lower revenues than the previous year as another reason for the tax rate, with county courts still facing backlogs due to the pandemic.
   5. MIKE: I’ve omitted the fractional tax rates here for readability, but they are in the article. You can reference the complete article and all its links at ThinkwingRadio.com.
   6. MIKE: “The no-new-revenue tax rate” rule is a State rule. Another example of Republicans demanding local political control until — in this case — they have state government control, so they can then mandate what Texas counties and municipalities may do to govern their local entities.
   7. MIKE: You can rest assured that if a new higher-than permitted rate is brought up for a vote, less than 10% of eligible voters will show up, and about 6% of eligible voters will decide the new tax rate. I may take bets on the result under those circumstances.
   8. ANDREW: Social services are often much cheaper than law enforcement. More effective at actually stopping crime, too, because they get involved before crime happens. If Montgomery residents want lower taxes, they should look there first.
   9. REFERENCE: Tax Rate Calculation [TEXAS TAX CODE: The no-new-revenue tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate.¹]
8. Record percentage of Texas teachers considering quitting, survey shows; By Hannah Norton | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 5:39 PM Aug 9, 2022 CDT, Updated 5:39 PM Aug 9, 2022 CDT
   1. More Texas teachers are considering leaving the field than any time in the last 42 years, according to the Texas State Teachers Association [TSTA].
   2. Seventy percent of teachers were “seriously considering” quitting their jobs after the 2021-22 school year, according to new survey results from the TSTA. This is an increase from 2018, when 53% of teachers reportedly considered leaving the field.
   3. Researchers from Sam Houston State University surveyed 688 teachers in the late spring and early summer this year, according to a news release. The TSTA began administering the biennial survey in 1980 but did not collect results in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
   4. Several factors contributed to low teacher morale, according to the TSTA. Many teachers are still feeling increased stress from the pandemic, but reports showed that low salaries and pressure from parents and state officials also hurt teachers.
   5. Financial pressure: The average salary for Texas teachers was $59,000, the survey results showed. This is roughly $7,000 below the national average of $66,397, according to the National Education Association.
   6. NEA reported that, when adjusted for inflation, teachers made $2,150 less on average in 2022 than they did in 2012.
   7. One-fourth of Texas educators held secondary jobs to make ends meet during the school year, while 55% had jobs during summer break. Over 80% of teachers with extra jobs said they believed these roles hurt the quality of their teaching, but the TSTA reported that many teachers would need an estimated raise of $12,000 to only work one job.
   8. And 82% of teachers reported increased financial pressures during the pandemic. Teachers spent about $846 of their own money for classroom supplies during the 2021-22 school year, which TSTA officials said rose from $738 in 2018.
   9. Although teacher salaries rose by $5,779 annually since 2018, TSTA officials said health insurance premiums also rose by about $2,136 per year. According to the release, the state has not increased its contribution to teachers’ insurance premiums in 20 years.
   10. Public backlash: Texas educators also felt legislative support for schools had decreased. About 85% of survey respondents said state leaders and lawmakers have a negative view of teachers, according to the TSTA. Meanwhile, 70% of teachers said parental support decreased during the pandemic.
   11. During the second special legislative session of 2021, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 3, which modifies the state’s social studies curriculum and prohibits certain discussions about race and sex. The bill, which replaced House Bill 3979, was an attempt to “abolish” critical race theory, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune [Dec. 2, 2021].
   12. “​​Teachers have been working for years with inadequate funding and a lack of respect from state leaders,” TSTA President Ovidia Molina said in the release. “It is time for these leaders to wake up to the crisis they are causing our public schools and put education over politics.”
   13. The TSTA survey was conducted online and included teachers from all grade levels with an average of 16 years of teaching experience. Educators from urban, suburban and rural school districts were surveyed. …
   14. MIKE: Missing here is the percentage of teachers who actually quit compared to the percentage of teachers who considered quitting, so some reinterviewing after each initial survey was in order.
   15. ANDREW: This problem is bigger than Texas. Federal legislation is needed requiring teacher salaries to exceed living wages, districts to fund all justifiable classroom supply requests, and curriculums to teach what critical race theory and modern concepts of gender and sexuality actually are and that they’re legitimate positions, if not teaching them as fact. Letting teachers unionize and strike again would also help.
9. This 2003 Texas law could shield Alex Jones from paying the vast majority of the $50 million defamation case judgment; Republicans in 2003 enacted sweeping lawsuit reforms that limit the amount of damages plaintiffs collect. by Karen Brooks Harper | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 9, 2022, 3 hours ago
   1. MIKE: You can go to the article at ThinkwiongRadio.com, but the essence of it is that this 2003 law passed by Republicans and known as “Tort Reform” caps court-assigned damages. As a result, Alex Jones’s judgment liability may be reduced by up to about 90%.
   2. MIKE: Ironically, the very settlement that has paid Greg Abbott millions of dollars for the 1984 accident that out him in a wheelchair would probably be illegal under the 2003 law.
   3. ANDREW: I’ve heard that the Sandy Hook families’ lawyer is going to fight as hard as he can to get Jones on the hook for the full amount. I hope he succeeds, both to put a dangerous source of reactionary misinformation out of business, and also to hopefully weaken these damage caps.
   4. REFERENCE: For the First Time, Abbott Discusses Details of His Lawsuit Settlement — Attorney General Greg Abbott, the front-running candidate for Texas governor, on Thursday opened up for the first time about the legal settlement that guarantees him a six-figure yearly income for the rest of his life. by Jay Root | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 2, 2013, 6 AM Central
      1. In the article: Abbott has faced criticism for supporting restrictions to lawsuits that critics say would make it hard for someone to get the kind of lucrative award he got three decades ago. The attorney general and former Supreme Court judge said a person facing the same type of injury he sustained would still have the same remedies available to him at the time.
10. … TEXAS LAW FOR HOMEOWNERS AND HOA’S [BEGAN] SEPTEMBER 1, 2021, Senate Bill 1588 | Brazos Valley Local Living by Ashley Childs, Realtor
    1. MIKE: Examples follow, but are not the complete description. According to the post in FaceBook:
    2. Homeowners anywhere in Texas will be allowed to put up a perimeter fence around their property for added security (front, sides, and/or back of homeowner’s property). The law specifically states that homeowners associations (HOA’s) cannot restrict it (i.e: New fence/gate around homeowner’s front yard/driveway). Homeowners associations are allowed to enforce covenants which mandate the type of fence material that must be used. If required by the HOA, homeowners must obtain prior approval for the material of any new fence being built, but not the fence itself. Replacement of established fences (i.e: backyard fences) with existing material, do not need prior approval.
    3. Homeowners are allowed to install a perimeter fence around their pool, as well as security cameras and motion sensors on their property without prior approval. HOA’s are allowed to enforce covenants which prohibit homeowners from installing security measures outside of the homeowner’s property.
    4. HOA’s are prohibited from restricting homeowners who display religious items on their property. HOA’s may only enforce covenants which prohibit religious items that violate a law, contain graphic language, pose a threat to public health/safety, or are offensive to the public (other than its religious content). …
    5. REFERENCE: Texas SB1588
11. New state law allows Houston neighborhoods to redact racist deed restriction; Texas lawmakers from Houston say the bill was written to allow discriminatory provisions to be removed from real property records only on a property-by-property basis, but they applaud Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth for applying the law more broadly and said it could set a statewide example. By Adam Zuvanich | HOUSTONPUBLICMEDIA.ORG | | Posted on July 27, 2022, 1:56 PM (Last Updated: July 28, 2022, 9:24 AM)
    1. A long-unenforceable provision in the deed restrictions for Houston’s Oak Forest neighborhood states that “any person other than of the Caucasian Race” is not permitted to live or own property in the subdivision.
    2. Jonathan Lowe said he and his racially mixed family were startled to learn that, at one point in Oak Forest’s history, they would not have been allowed to own a home in the Northwest Houston suburb or even live in the neighborhood. Those privileges, as stated in Oak Forest’s decades-old deed restrictions, do not apply to “any person other than of the Caucasian Race.”
    3. So when Texas lawmakers passed a bill last year that outlined a process for removing such discriminatory provisions from real property records – federal law has rendered them enforceable since the 1960s – Lowe was eager for the opportunity. Earlier this year he contacted the Harris County Clerk’s Office, which Lowe said assisted him with finding the applicable documents and filing a motion for judicial review in civil court, and within about three weeks he received word that the offensive language had been redacted.
    4. “It was important to us as family,” said Lowe, a father of two whose wife is Chinese.
    5. Lowe said he was pleasantly surprised to learn the redaction – in the form of a black box covering a paragraph in the deed restrictions – applied to every fellow property owner in Section 1 of Oak Forest. He had been under the impression that the new law, Senate Bill 30, permitted only individual homeowners to remove such provisions from their deed restrictions and not also on behalf of others. …
    6. Breanne Thomas, an African-American resident of Garden Oaks, said she considers it a positive step that the racist language is uncomfortable and clearly wrong in the eyes of many of her neighbors. But she said she is not in favor of having the provisions redacted or removed, because she doesn’t want that part of her neighborhood’s history to be forgotten or overlooked and also because it serves as a reminder of housing inequities that remain in society.
    7. Thomas said her deed restrictions have a line marked through the racial provision, which she said she prefers because it remains readable but also is clearly denoted as being ineffectual. …
    8. ANDREW: I’m glad that County Clerk Hudspeth was looking out for a way to do more good than expected. I think Breanna Thomas’ opinion makes sense in an aim to remind people that racist harm was done, is done, and can be done if we don’t actively try to stop ourselves from doing it. But equally it makes sense to not want it to be there at all, because it never should have been. I don’t think one uniform approach is going to be right. Maybe crossing it through by default and having it removed entirely if someone asks for that on their document would be a good middle ground.
12. Oregon law establishes renters’ right to AC, but some landlords threaten fines over air conditioners; By Jayati Ramakrishnan | The Oregonian/OregonLive | Published: Jul. 27, 2022, 7:00 a.m., Updated: Jul. 27, 2022, 4:15 p.m.
    1. After nearly 100 Oregonians died in last year’s sweltering heat wave, the state Legislature passed a bill giving tenants the right to have air conditioning units in their apartments.
    2. But as the region faces another heat wave this week, some Oregon renters say their landlords have nonetheless threatened them with fines or eviction for using certain types of cooling units.
    3. Even as the state scrambled to deliver portable air conditioning units to residents through a program aimed at protecting older adults, people with medical conditions and homebound people from the heat to avert another wave of deaths, other tenants said they’re being barred from taking precautions against heat illness even at their own expense. …
    4. The Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 1536 in March, establishing tenants’ right to have cooling units in their homes. The bill requires landlords to allow most types of air conditioners in rental housing and prohibits blanket bans on AC units. …
    5. The rule includes a long list of exceptions, however. If an AC system violates building codes or prevents a window from locking, for example, a landlord can prohibit its use. …
    6. [T]he consequences of violating the air conditioning rules, even under the protections the new law, can be dire for tenants. …
    7. MIKE: Many leases and deed restrictions forbid window AC, especially if it’s visible from the street. Landlords may threaten fines because in some cases, THEY will be fined. In the case of Oregon, there is an overriding State law, but its provisions are not well-known and there are exceptions that create potential loopholes.
    8. MIKE: Texas has similar overriding laws similar the one we just discussed, that apply to solar panels and satellite antennas, as two examples.
    9. ANDREW: I think this “right to AC” should include requiring landlords to eat the cost of providing AC to any tenants who don’t already have it but could under this law. I also think any restrictions preventing a housing unit from having temperature controls should be nullified, because if it’s not already a requirement for habitability, it soon will be with climate change. But while those restrictions exist, if a tenant hasn’t provably been made aware of them and violates them, the consequences should be the landlord’s responsibility as failure to impart relevant information.
13. The GOP Suddenly Wants to Defund Law Enforcement After Feds Raid Mar-a-Lago; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene whined that defunding the Department of Justice would “completely cut out of their budget the ability to persecute Republicans”. By Kat Bouza | ROLLINGSTONE.COM | August 9, 2022, 12:45AM ET
    1. MIKE: The Republican Party has had (and still has) its cohorts of evil political geniuses — Karl Rove, Lee Atwater, and Pollster Frank Luntz, to name just three — and two particular strategies have become mainstays: 1) Accuse your opposition of stuff you’ve done, and 2) When your opposition has come up with a catch-phrase, use it against them.
    2. MIKE: In this case, “defund the FBI” just sounds like a petulant 2-year-old crying, ‘That’s not fair!’
    3. ANDREW: Ah, so all we have to do to get Republicans to like defunding the police is to say the cops will go after Trump if we don’t! Sadly, Republicans “defunding” the FBI will probably just replace it with something even more repressive and Trump-fanatic than law enforcement already is.
14. Ukraine war must end with liberation of Crimea – Zelensky; By Francesca Gillett | BBC News | Published Aug 10, 2022
    1. The war in Ukraine began with Crimea and must end with its liberation, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
    2. [ACTUAL QUOTE: “”This Russian war against Ukraine and against all of free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea – with its liberation,” the Ukrainian president said. |NET, Wednesday, 10 August 2022, 10:58]
    3. Ukraine’s president was speaking after a string of explosions hit a Russian airbase there, killing one person.
    4. Mr Zelensky did not mention Tuesday’s blasts but said: “Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up.”
    5. Russia’s defence ministry said ammunition detonated at the base. Meanwhile, Ukraine denied any responsibility for the explosions. …
    6. MIKE: It’s noteworthy here that in WW2, the allies didn’t declare their ultimate goal of Unconditional Surrender until January of 1943, when victory seemed more-or-less inevitable; certainly within reach.
    7. MIKE: For Zelensky to make this statement, if it’s not morale-lifting hyperbole, he must feel that the war is at a stage equivalent to early 1943. That’s a serious assumption, and it outlines a maximum negotiating position as much as an ultimate goal. That is to say, Zelenskyy currently sees nothing to negotiate about.
    8. ANDREW: I think this is a morale move, and a way to project confidence about winning the conflict. If the Pentagon’s numbers on Russian casualties are trustworthy, it would be justified confidence. But I don’t think retaking Crimea should be a military goal. Having done some research, I do now believe the Russian government acted improperly in its annexation of Crimea. But I don’t think those irregularities preclude Crimea being part of Russia. I think a genuine referendum, overseen by international forces that both Russian allies and Ukrainian allies have stakes in, should occur to credibly settle the question of whether long-term residents of Crimea want to be Ukrainian, Russian, or independent. I think there’s a chance a credible vote could go any of those ways.
    9. REFERENCE: Russia has lost 70,000+ troops in Ukraine, Pentagon says; By Ryan Morgan | AMERICANMILITARYNEWS.COM | August 08, 2022
    10. REFERENCE: The Casablanca Conference – Unconditional Surrender; January 10, 2017 by fdrlibrary, posted in From the Museum By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library.

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