The Moral Necessity of Accountability for Civil Disobedience
Plus, a dispatch from America's first "secret city" in plain sight.
Leading The Bulwarkā¦
The Moral Necessity of Accountability for Civil Disobedience
Gregg Hurwitz: Looters, rioters, and anarchists should all be condemned as violence undermines legitimate activists.
š§On the Podsā¦ š§
Benjamin Wittes on Bill Barrās Dilemma
On todayās Bulwark podcast, Benjamin Wittes joins host Charlie Sykes to discuss #MeToobin, Amy Coney Barrett and court packing, and the President publicly pressuring AG Barr to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden before the election.
FOR BULWARK+ MEMBERS:
JVL and Sarah talk about Biden and Trump being in a dead-heat, and why Joni Ernst is a heap of trouble.
From The Bulwark Aggregatorā¦
Could Democrats Win Full Control Of More State Governments Than Republicans? ā Nathaniel Rakich, FiveThirtyEight
ExxonMobil responds to Trumpās hypothetical bribery call: āIt never happenedā ā Teo Armus, The Washington Post
Americans Are Moving Where They Want. Will It Be a Win for Choice or Polarization? ā J.D. Tuccille, Reason
Itās Time to Talk About Covid-19 and Surfaces Again ā Gregory Barber, Wired
Jordan Klepper Rides Again ā Matt Wilstein, The Daily Beast
The Rightās Disinformation Machine Is Getting Ready for Trump to Lose ā RenĆ©e DiResta, The Atlantic
The Mystery of the Immaculate Concussion ā Julia Ioffe, GQ
In todayās Bulwarkā¦
Candidate Kanyeās Call for a More Godly America
Daniel N. Gullotta: Among the precedents: Joseph Smithās ill-fated 1844 campaign.
Where the Fight for the Senate Stands Today
Richard North Patterson: A breakdown of the races most worth watching.
The Donald Trump Show Must Go On
Brian Karem: The madness continues on the campaign trail.
Trump vs. Fauci
David Shaywitz: It's a fight we all lose.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
EARTH CITY, MISSOURIā As previously mentioned, weāre at an extended stay hotel visiting the family and across the street from our hotel is āRams Parkāāthe former training facility of the St. Louis Rams. Let it be known, I was not a Rams fan. Teams that play indoors are not, in my view, respectable.
Early on, this posed problems with future in-laws, who were die-hard Rams fans. We got over it. And so, last night, as I walking area dog for his late night constitutional, he marked Rams owner Stan Kroenkeās helicopter landing pad. Right now, the facility, replete with Rams logos bears the name of a local car dealer thatās used mainly for soccer.
In 2024, Stan Kroenke will be able to buy the facility for $1. Despite moving the team, screwing people with Personal Seat Licenses, and generally giving a middle finger to the St. Louis community. Why? Because the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority are idiots and bad negotiatiors. I donāt blame him, despite being a billionaire for exercising his rights, even if it makes him even more of an evil asshole.
Iām not a lawyer, but in dog law, the helicopter pad belongs to Gus now.
Earth City is a soulless corporate park that is even more depressing because of Coronavirus. But itās interesting in that itās right by the West Lake Landfill Superfund site.
Why would a landfill be a Superfund site, you wonder? Glad you asked! Saint Louis was one of Americaās first āsecret citiesā during the atomic age, in that it played a pivotal role in our nuclear ambitions. Unlike Russia or China, St. Louis was kind of an open secret, in that it wasnāt one of those remote towns that was enclosed and nobody could visit. They were doing all of this as life went on in a free America. It wasnāt Los Alamos, Hanford, or Oak Ridge.
Mallinckrodt Chemical Works was literally doing this in downtown Saint Louis.
But what to do about the waste? Itās a long story, but much of it ended up near Lambert airport at the St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS) or in Hazelwood, Missouri at the Hazelwood Interim Storage Site (HISS) off Latty Avenue.
You think our nuclear waste disposal plans stink now (they do), get this: Coldwater Creek runs through North County Saint Louis and radionuclides polluted that stream for years and years. HBO even made a documentary about it.
Folks in North County have had obscure and rare cancers that far outpace their prevalence in any other part of the country and these sites are part of the reason why. And the West Lake Landfill? Tens of thousands of tons of radioactive waste are sitting right there.
It gets worse: Thereās an underground fire burning slowly toward the waste. Efforts have been made to make sure the fire doesnāt get there. But removal could take years and is extremely hazardous.
A former limestone quarry, corporate malfeasance, and cutting corners really has cost folks in this area a lot. Did it help us win the Cold War? Maybe. But the government needs to do right by these people. Itās going to cost a lot of money, but it needs to get done, and done right.
Fighting with neighborsā¦ Look at what disinformation does to sow discord in small communities like Milford, Michigan.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith doesnāt want to debate her opponentā¦ But sheās happy to talk with these controversial fellowsā¦
Speaking of southern Republicansā¦ Have a look inside the āTommy Tuberville Foundation.ā
āForged copiesā? What are those, Rudy? Do tell. The story seems to be falling apart right in front of us.
A palate cleanserā¦ You might need this after all the negativity in the news. Volkswagen restored a California womanās beloved Beetle a few years back and it will make your day.
Has the DOJ ever heard of āBand-Aidsā or āKleenexā? In going after Google, President Trumpās legal eagles demonstrate a total lack of seriousness.
A message from God. Pat Robertson heard one, and you might not like it. Spoiler alert: the end times are coming.
BRB, moving to Utahā¦ More of this is needed, but donāt get your hopes up:
Hope you all have a good Tuesday. Remember, if you want to join our post-debate (if there is one) jamboree Thursday night, you can sign up and become a member of Bulwark+.
If youād like to share Overtime with somebody who might appreciate it, you can do that, too!
Lastly, if you have any questions, comments, or feedback, you can send me an email at swift@thebulwark.com. I can take your criticism, too, but please note I am not going to do an O.J. Simpsonesque cameos.
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