Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  The wind finally died down yesterday, so I slept much better last night.  Wait, what's this?  BDH and Little Buddha say today will also be windy?  Son of a...hold on, they forgot to refresh the page.  We're looking at a sunny day with a high of 60 degrees and not much wind.  Much better.  The guys need something new to read, so we're heading to the bookstore after we're done here.  First, let's go through the headlines.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Tuesday Clutter.

(Don't forget to visit the Clearing out the Clutter store!  It's only open until April 12, so don't miss out!)

This isn't how we wanted to start the week:  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky talked about her "feeling of impending doom" yesterday regarding the recent rise in coronavirus cases across the country.  Dr. Walensky and Dr. Fauci both urged states that have eased up on restrictions to change direction (Hello, Governor Charlie Baker), and for people to continue wearing their masks.  Friends, a virus doesn't care about impatience any more than political ideology.  Science is science.  Let's not repeat the mistakes of last year and stretch out this nightmare a day longer than necessary.  Wear your masks, keep your distance, and get your vaccinations. 

More and more states are opening their vaccine distribution efforts to all ages, but we still have to wait three more weeks in Massachusetts.  Governor Charlie Baker touted himself as a healthcare management expert for years.  However, he ignored CDC advice about reopening the commonwealth and seemed completely unprepared for the vaccination process.  It turns out the emperor has no clothes.

Vote counting is about to start in the union drive for Amazon workers in Alabama.  It's estimated that it could take a week for the National Labor Relations Board to reach a final tally, and there are all sorts of opportunities for challenges, so it may be a while before we have the official result.  When you see how hard Amazon fought this campaign ("encouraging workers to vote “no” in the election through posters, signs, mailings, a website, texts, ads, captive audience meetings, and hired union avoidance consultants at nearly $10,000 per day ahead of the election"), it's easy to understand how important it is for workers to be able to organize.   Jeff Bezos is on the wrong side of history, and he knows it.  We wish these folks the best, and either way, hopefully this will lead to future union organizing efforts.

We're excited to see President Biden's first slate of judicial nominees, which is expected to be announced today.  Judicial reform must be one of the administration's top priorities this year, before election concerns start appearing.  Conservatives feel emboldened to continue their assault on democracy because they're counting on their judges to keep them in power.  This country's courts must be more diverse and move away from Mitch McConnell's efforts to remake them.

After the previous administration repeatedly talked about, but consistently failed to deliver, an "infrastructure week," President Biden actually has a infrastructure bill that he hopes will pass by summer.   This always seems like it should be one of the easiest things for Congress to approve.  Even the top 1% need functional roads.  However, Republicans will surely find some way to freak out about it.  It's the same situation as every other issue the Biden administration is dealing with these days:  If anyone in the GOP wants to join the effort to improve the country, great.  Otherwise, get out of the way.  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were elected to restore functionality back to the federal government to help Americans, and that's exactly what they're doing.

Mike Pence is coming out of the shadows to try to lay the groundwork for a 2024 presidential campaign run.  The man spent four years groveling for Donald Trump's approval, and now he's got no chance because he didn't help Trump stage a coup.  Let him spend the rest of his life writing op-eds that no one will read.  Actually, even that is too good for him.  Pence shares as much of the blame as Donald Trump for the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 550,000 Americans.  If there's any justice, one of Trump's long list of legal problems will also eventually ensnare his former servant.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is basically doing Cameo these days.  Sounds about right.

Our thoughts go out to George Floyd's family and friends as they have to relive his murder over and over again during Derek Chauvin's trial.  27 times Floyd told Chauvin he couldn't breathe, as the police officer had his knee on Floyd's neck.  27 times Floyd told him, and Chauvin didn't care, because he didn't see a human being -  he saw an enemy. 

Comic-Con organizers have heard all of the complaints about their decision to host a live event on Thanksgiving weekend, and...they're sticking with the dates...for now.  The organizers released a statement saying of all weekends they could work with towards the end of the year, this was the least problematic option.  Of course, who knows, the pandemic could wreck everyone's plans once again, especially if we don't turn things around soon.  We'll still keep an eye on the schedule for the July virtual event.

It looks like the Boston Red Sox caught a lucky break - likely closer Matt Barnes has been cleared to play again after a recent positive coronavirus test.  Barnes' results are being described as "consistent with an inactive or non-infectious result."  It's not clear if he'll be ready for Opening Day on Thursday, but this could have been a much larger disruption for the team right out of the gate.

Russell Crowe has reportedly joined the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder.  No word about his role yet, but he seems like someone who would fit in well with this branch of the MCU.  The movie is scheduled to premiere on May 6, 2022, and we're really hoping to be able to watch it on a big screen.

There will be no season 4 of American Gods on Starz.  The series seemed like a mess for years behind the scenes, and the ratings apparently didn't justify the hassle.  There is reportedly talk of some type of event/movie to wrap up everything, so that's good. We hate when you invest in a show and it just leaves you hanging at the end.

Hey Schitt's Creek fans - the Rosebud Motel is for sale, and it could be yours for just $1.6 million.  Sounds like a bargain to us.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We see Lil Nas X has some people freaking out about his latest video, which shows him being sent to hell for being queer, and he decides to lean right into it.  It's about embracing one's identity.  Or, in the singer's own words, "(P)eople will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be.”

Embrace who you are, and to hell with anyone who tries to shame you for it.  (pic via billboard.com)

We're here for that, and so we leave you with Lil Nas X and "(MONTERO) Call Me By Your Name" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, please be safe, and we'll catch up with you again soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.