Good Morning.

I‘m beginning to feel like poor-chooser Walter Donovan above in the last decent Indiana Jones movie. Every day seems the same, they all run together,  time, at least for me, feels like like it’s accelerating, not slowing down…and these ethics issues start feeling like déjà vu…

1. Chris Cuomo update: The Long Island resident whom Chris Cuomo called a “jackass loser fat-tire biker” in a radio rant that the CNN anchor says never happened gave more details to the New York Post, because, understandably, he’s annoyed.

The 65-year-old longtime resident said he was just out for a bike ride  when he spotted who he thought was Chris Cuomo on property he says the CNN anchor bought in East Hampton last year. Cuomo was with his wife, another woman and three kids. The resident said he stopped and sat on his bike “well over a hundred feet” away,  and said, ‘”Is that Chris Cuomo? Isn’t he supposed to be quarantined?’” Cuomo  started toward him, coming to within about 40 feet, and started screaming,  “Who the hell are you?! I can do what I want! I’ll find out who you are!”

The cyclist says he answered, “Your brother is the coronavirus czar, and you’re not even following his rules . Unnecessary travel!”

Cuomo allegedly replied, “This is not the end of this. You’ll deal with this later. We will meet again!” The cyclist said that he took that as a threat, and the next day called East Hampton police to report the incident. Best quote from the NY Post story: “Sometimes he’s scary stupid.”

Indeed.

2. Meanwhile, the curve on the virulent Trump Derangement Virus has definitely NOT been flattened:

• Baltimore Sun media reporter David Zurawik said on CNN’s fake media watchdog show, “Reliable Sources,” after pushing the current official Democratic Party/”resistance”/ mainstream media narrative that the President’s handling of the pandemic killed people,

“You know, America, you know, folks who loved him, fine. You voted for him. You stuck it to the elites for three years. But now your loved ones can die. The game’s over. This isn’t reality TV anymore. People are dying and this guy is acting a fool.”

• Auburn, California Mayor William Kirby, who’s also a physician, couldn’t stop his extreme demonization of the President and his supporters on social media. There were many of them, like “If Hitler and everyone who supported him was removed from the face of the earth in 1939, the world would be a much better place. The same is more true of Trump and his supporters today.”  And this..
  

  He’s resigning.

• Washington Post conservative pundit Jennifer Rubin is one of the most frightening cases of the NeverTrump strain of the Trump Derangement Virus. Now she’s a favorite guest of MSNBC; if Rubin had written pieces half as unhinged about conservative issues as she has about how evil the President is (and everyone who isn’t on board with removing him), the Post would have fired her months ago, if not had her hauled away by the men in white coats. In one recent published meltdown, Rubin ridiculed Prof Jonathan Turley for a post he didn’t write, because, Turley surmised in a nice (too nice, but that’s the professor) defenestration on his blog, she hadn’t read the article she attacked. (In my view, that’s Jason Blair-level firing offense.) He concluded,

Rubin clearly did not know either the specific argument or the author of the piece. Rubin has previously been criticized about her writings including controversies over calls to “shun” and “shame” Trump officials and to “burn down the Republican party.” However, those are largely based on the merits of her views as opposed to her penchant for not letting facts get in the way of a good attack. As the joke goes among journalists, Rubin has repeatedly shown that “there are just some facts too good to check.”

 3.  Speaking of déjà vu…Remember Mayor Lightfoot’s “essential” hairdressing session? Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt had his hair and makeup done over the weekend. That struck many as hypocritical especially hairdressers, since the Governor’s office had announced,

“State law mandates professional cosmetology services must be performed in a licensed establishment.Hair salons and similar establishments are not considered essential services and must remain closed until April 30 to limit close contact and personal touch as Oklahomans work together to limit the spread of COVID-19.”

When the news media began commenting on the “apparent” hypocrisy and the “laws are for the little people” King’s Pass his conduct exemplifies, the governor’s office decided to bury the controversy in irrelevant legal goobledygook. It’s pretty funny, actually:

“Although the current standing Orders direct that all ‘nonessential’ services are to cease operations, especially those with a ‘social gathering aspect’ which includes salons and barbershops, the services provided to Governor Stitt by [cosmetologist] were not conducted in a salon, but in the studios of a professional television media services company that provides hair and makeup services in conjunction with live television news broadcasts and media tours. [She] is an independent contractor for this media outlet and she is fully licensed with the State of Oklahoma to provide such services in a licensed studio setting. These services fall under the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering’s Rules, Regulations and Statutes, Chapter 10 9.54, which states: “Cosmetology and barber related high fashion photography or similar Establishment requirements (a) Any high fashion photography and similar cosmetology/barber related business/Establishment providing any one or combination of services separately or in conjunction with photography or similar services to the public shall be appropriately licensed by the Board (b) Any employee or other person performing any one or combination of cosmetology or barber services in such Establishment shall be appropriately licensed by the Board. As a State governmental official, Governor Stitt, per the most recent Executive Order issued on April 8, 2020, is authorized to “employ additional staff without regard to the classification requirements of such employment” in order to carry out the responsibilities of his office. Making live televised appearances is included as part of his required duties of office, especially in light of the ongoing need to transmit the most current information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, [she] and the media studio ensured that all proper safety precautions were taken during the time she provided such services to Governor Stitt, indulging wearing a mask and gloves at all times, thoroughly washing hands before and after providing these services; all brushes and styling tools used were fully sanitized before and after use; no more than four persons were permitted into the staging area at any time and all were required to remain apart from each other; no chemical treatments or cutting tools were utilized at any times; and no skin-to-skin contact made by [her] with anyone present, not even to shake hands.”

The rationalization this exemplifies is 64. Yoo’s Rationalization or “It isn’t what it is.”