President Biden: The NEW one and only politics thread

Fox in particular has a political interest in hyping any possible TP shortage. But the media in general has an interest, much like the local TV stations hyping the coming snow storm.

 

I was in Long Beach, the busiest U.S. container port, last week for an intermodal conference. The supply chain is in the worst shape it's been in the containerization era. There were 50 ships anchored offshore, waiting up to two weeks to unload, up from a normal 2-3 days. Imports have been surging for months, container rates have skyrocketed, railroad terminals are jammed, empty containers are scarce, and there's a massive shortage of truck drivers. It's a perfect storm that won't return to near-normal until second quarter 2022, at the earliest.

 

This is an insane story that's been going on for over a year. I'm in ag comms now after a long sportswriting career and working with processors of specialty crops mostly grown in the upper midwest. They ship by container and can't get the containers they need because the empties are simply getting loaded right back on the ships and sent back to Asia for more stuff Americans are buying, whereas in the past the boxes would be sent inland to be filled, many with Asian-bound ag products. It's caused that port congestion and then there's the rail and truck problems and massive freight cost increases, as you mentioned. Really, the entire global supply chain -- especially for food, but for a lot more things -- has been turned upside down.

 

I've got two containers at my cabin we use for garages for ATVs. We've been tempted to sell one of them since container prices are so high.

 

Cargill and ADM spoke at the conference, a rarity for shippers. Increasingly they've been shipping grain and similar via airfreight, which is insanely expensive.

 

Politics aside, I'll add that AB5, the California bill that classifies many independent contractors as employees, and similar bills coming in New Jersey and other states, could seriously disrupt the longtime business model for many short-haul trucking companies that move containers. AB5 is headed for a SCOTUS review.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/christian-nationalism-covid/2021/09/14/c6f16ba2-1559-11ec-9589-31ac3173c2e5_story.html

Where are the Christian who denounce Locke and the other Pastors-Preachers-Revereands-BibleTrumpers and their White-Christian Supremacy? Unless all white christians abide byWhite-Christian supremacy. And its not just non-Catholic Christians in America. So many AmericanCatholics now oppose the Pope that you’d think they had a choice in the matter.

 

Fox News chyron: "American Fans Sing National Anthem at Ryder Cup"
Oh, fuck off. Why is that worthy of mention? It was played at countless high school football games last night and will be played in college stadiums across the country today.
It's not news worthy.

 

Seeing some religious leaders who should have known better latching on to Trump and Trumpism was and is depressing. Yes, I'm looking at you, Bishop Curry.

 

I know getting old and grumpy but I am getting thoroughly disgusted with events that wrap themselves in the flag as part of their marketing plan.

 

Faux patriotism