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TAMPA All over the country, the groups have grabbed headlines, storming state capitols, dramatically staring down law enforcement officers while forcefully declaring what they believe to be their rights.

Not so in Florida.

Sure, there have been rallies. In late April, some 200 showed up to a Tampa television station toting messages like Quarantine for the sick. Vitamins for the rest and End quarantine now! For hours, they waved signs on Kennedy Boulevard and disregarded social distancing recommendations.

There are Facebook groups: About 10,000 are signed onto a page called Reopen Florida.

But Floridas reopen movement has been a more modest affair compared to those that have disrupted other states. An analysis by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, a non-profit watchdog of far-right extremists, found that Facebook groups dedicated to reopening Florida have just a fraction of the following of other states groups. For example, Michiganders against excessive quarantine had some 382,400 members as of Friday.

And unlike other states, such as Michigan or Ohio, denunciations of the governors safer-at-home order havent come from one of the states highest political offices.

Devin Burghart studies these movements for a living as the president of the institute. He said Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch conservative, hasnt gotten much pushback from the reopen crowd because he has built up years of good will fighting for many of their causes.

You have a much more sympathetic governor to these causes, Burghart said.

DeSantis has dedicated substantial portions of recent news conferences aiming fire at a favorite target of Trumps base: reporters and the experts they quote. He says they stoked panic at the pandemics outset. If the Reopen Florida Facebook group is any gauge, thats music to the ears of the most conservative Floridians some of whom doubt the coronavirus is any more dangerous than the seasonal flu. (It is.)

Yet, DeSantis record in handling the crisis shows hes taken the disease seriously. He did issue a shutdown order on April 1, after all. And, at least at first, DeSantis actions to reopen the state were more cautious than the recommendations from the White House and other Republican-led states. Movie theaters, for example, are still closed under the governors executive order. Not so in Texas.

Some in the Reopen groups have picked up on DeSantis caution.

Im not fully satisfied with his response, said Tara Hill, a moderator on the Reopen Florida Facebook group. However, I think his intentions are toward reopening the state.

So far, that viewpoint from the right is an exception. FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy nonprofit that played a major role in the Tea Party movement, actively promotes Reopen protests on its website. Earlier this month, the group put out a scorecard which graded Americas 50 governors on their reopening plans. It was essentially a qualitative assessment: the better a governor balanced the health needs of their state with the daunting economic reality, the higher they scored. DeSantis was one of nine governors to score an A. Eight were Republicans. (Washington D.C. and its mayor were also included in the scorecard.)

Adam Brandon, the president of FreedomWorks, said the grades are subject to change with the evolving executive orders. But so far, Brandon says, DeSantis has closed what needs closing and started to open what can be safely opened.

You have to be smarter than just these blanket approaches, Brandon said. Its pretty clear when you look at the graphs who gets sick and who doesnt.

Although the state has significantly ramped up its testing capacity in recent weeks, experts say Florida is still not testing enough people to fully reopen the economy. Last week, the state tested about 18,600 people per day. Dr. Charles Lockwood, the dean of University of South Floridas College of Medicine who has said he supports the governors approach to reopening, said in April the state needs to be testing about 33,000 people every day.

Such numbers are unpersuasive to the reopen crowd.

A primary reason for that is the economic desperation brought about by the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Burghart said. But, like the Tea Party before it, theres also more at play.

National conservative groups like Freedomworks are happy to help grassroots activists who align with their small government message. (Brandon said Freedomworks has not spent money to help organize the Reopen protests.) And like the Tea Party, the movement is uniting disparate factions skeptical of Big Government: Donald Trump superfans, conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccine crusaders.

However, there is one major difference between the two movements: timing. The Reopen campaign has already amassed an online following of over 2 million Facebook users across hundreds of groups, according to the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights analysis. It took months for the Tea Party to accomplish what the Reopen movement has in weeks.

Burghart said even if the Reopen movement isnt dictating the conversation in Florida yet standard bearers of the right like Ron DeSantis may have to tread carefully. If one lesson can be applied from the Tea Party, its that conservatives alienate the grassroots base at their own risk.

They have an outsized influence on the dialogue, Burghart said.

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The movement to reopen Florida has been somewhat subdued. Why is that? - Tampa Bay Times

This May 24 long weekend, dont settle for the standard 2-4 of lager. Instead, step up your fancy cocktail game with two special recipes from Whitney Rorison, co-author of Craft Cocktails and hospitality manager of Dillons Small Batch Distillers.

The Tea Party is the perfect cocktail for brunch if youre tired of the old mimosa, says Rorison. Plus, its so fitting for a weekend that celebrates Queen Victoria. You can use either gin or vodka depending on your preference, along with some of your favourite Earl Grey tea, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, bitters and lavender. Its even one of those drinks that you can prepare ahead of time and chill in the fridge if youd rather have a lie-in on the long weekend.

Take a breath and do something good for you. Get the best wellness, health and fitness ideas and more, all in our daily newsletter.

This is the ultimate spring cocktail using fresh rhubarb, says Rorison. It takes a bit more time to prepare as you need to make a rhubarb syrup and candied rhubarb garnish (completely optional garnish option, though), but the flavour combinations and taste are unbelievable. The Rhubarb Sour is gin-based, but you can easily sub in vodka, and it has the most refreshingly sweet but not-too-sweet taste. I would drink these all year if rhubarb was available in the dead of winter!

1. Prepare the candied rhubarb. Preheat the oven to 440 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Trim the ends off the rhubarb stalks, wash them (but dont dry them), and cut them into finger-length pieces. Pour the sugar onto a small plate. While the rhubarb pieces are still damp, roll them in the sugar, making sure that they are covered evenly. Arrange the sugar-coated rhubarb on the baking sheet, leaving space between each piece. Bake for 1 hour, or until almost all of the liquid from the rhubarb has evaporated and the stalks start to look crisp. Let cool on the baking sheet. The rhubarb pieces can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

3. Make the rhubarb syrup. Combine the rhubarb, sugar and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and leave the rhubarb to steep in the liquid for at least 1 hour, pressing the rhubarb occasionally with a wooden spoon to extract additional flavour. Once cooled and steeped, the liquid should have a pink hue to it. Strain the syrup into an airtight container. Stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

4. Make the cocktail. Add the gin, syrup, lime juice and bitters to a cocktail shaker. Add the ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds.

5. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass or a mason jar filled with fresh ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a piece of the candied rhubarb.

Keep them simple and fun. Crafting cocktails at home should be easy and relaxed. If you have a well-stocked bar cart and some fresh citrus, fruit and fresh herbs at home, there are so many wonderful cocktails you can make. If the weather is warm, its the perfect way to spend a long weekend: enjoying a tasty bevvie outside in the sun. Gin and/or vodka with some muddled fruit and herbs in a highball with loads of ice and a topping of soda water or sparkling wine sounds pretty good for a relaxing long weekend.

Balance. Making sure that your cocktails have a good balance of flavours on the palate is the most important thing. Make sure you have a sour and/or bitter component, a sweet note, and you definitely want to taste the spirit in the drink, too. Having a nice versatile set of bitters at home is always a smart option; you can change the flavour and balance in a cocktail so easily with the additions of a few dashes of bitters.

A well-curated home bar should have the basic spirits and the ones you use most often: gin, vodka, whisky, some sort of aperitivo (like Aperol or Campari), vermouth (sweet and dry), a nice rum and a good tequila/mezcal, a few liqueurs like our Rose Gin, Cassis or a sweeter schnapps and bitters. For tools, you should invest in a few pieces like a jigger (to help measure), cocktail shaker and mixing glass (although even a mason jar can work in a pinch), some fun vintage-style glasses and cocktail picks for garnishes. A good peeler from the kitchen comes in handy too for citrus peel and twist garnishes, because you want the drink to look as good as it tastes!

Prepared cocktails, whether in a can or bottle, even in kegs are big right now. We released a bottled Negroni last year and its been so well received. We took a different approach with our first prepared cocktail and went down the stirred cocktail road, which you dont see as much of quite yet (there are so many great light spritzy ready-to-drinks on the market right now). A well-crafted, balanced RTD cocktail allows the consumer to enjoy the best of the best, without all the fuss or work. I also think we are going to see more cocktails with a drier, bitter or acidic flavour profilemore salty, umami-like vibes. I personally love cocktails that focus on deep flavours with less sweetness. Adding anise and fennel notes to cocktails with fruit or citrus, garnishing with coarse salt, something like that is what Id love to see.

Link:
Fancy Cocktails You Can Make at Home This Long Weekend - The Kit

Marie Curies famous Blooming Great Tea Party is going virtual this year and the charity needs hosts more than ever before to make up for the devastating effect the coronavirus crisis has had on its income.

It is hoped people across Forth Valley will host a virtual tea party with family and friends as a fun way to stay in touch with loved ones and support nurses working on the frontline of the crisis.

In homes all over the district, the charity is caring for people with terminal illnesses, as well as people with Covid-19, and is protecting the NHS by keeping

patients away from hospital.

However, as the charity has stepped up its support for the nation, its fundraising income has been devastated by the impact of lockdown measures it had to cancel its Great Daffodil Appeal in March and closed all its charity shops shortly after.

The charity needs to raise a quarter of a million pounds to fund its Scottish services.

That is why the charity and its celebrity ambassador, Mel Giedroyc, are encouraging everyone to connect virtually with friends and family while raising some money at the same time.

Mel said: You can bake it, fake it, brew it or stew it whatever your cup of tea, Marie Curies Blooming Great Tea Party is going virtual this year and its a simple way to keep in touch with your chums, while raising money for a wonderful cause, which, I think youll agree, we all need right now".

Marie Curie needs to raise a massive 2.5 million each week to care for the tens of thousands of people who need its nursing and hospice care. This year, the amazing nurses and frontline staff need you more than ever, as the fundraising events they rely on have all been cancelled.

Ive met their nurses before. They are inspiring, kind, caring and loving people who are currently caring for people at the end of their lives and keeping people out of hospital,helping the NHS cope with the coronavirus crisis.

Every last crumb of the money you raise will help people at the end of their lives. So please join me by raising a cuppa, and some money, in your lounge or garden for the Marie Curie Nurses on the front line.

Jim Stewart, community fundraiser for Forth Valley, said: Our Blooming Great Tea Party looks a little different this year but I think everyone needs an excuse to meet up with their friends and family online of course and check in on the people they love. If you can do that while raising some money for Marie Curie, then your generous donations will enable us to help even more people at the end of their lives get the care they need in this time of uncertainty.

We rely on the support of the amazing public to ensure our nurses can keep caring for people. And while the coronavirus crisis has badly impacted our fundraising events, we hope by going virtual well be able to raise the vital funds we need to keep supporting people in our communities across Forth Valley.

To register as a Blooming Virtual Tea Party host visit here or call 0800 716 146 for you fundraising pack.

Read more here:
Marie Curie charity hopes Falkirk tea lovers will host a virtual party - Falkirk Herald

What I objected to was the failure to lay off the Its the End of Civilization As We Know It nonsense. The Ladies Tea Party agreed. Here was the PMs opportunity to present Covid as a nasty disease which had tragically taken the lives of over 30,000 of our fellow citizens a bloody gash in the national psyche, no doubt - but which, in all honesty, poses little threat to most of the population who will either have it mildly or remain asympomatic. Boris could have broken the good news that, according to Oxford University, Coronavirus is no longer an epidemic in the UK. Yes, really. Just 0.24 per cent of adults - thats 136,000 people - currently have the virus. Transmission in the community is very low with most new cases coming from care homes and hospitals. He could have gone on to say that, while we must continue to shelter the most vulnerable and maintain sensible hygiene measures, it really is safe to go to work and to take the kids to school. Not just safe, but absolutely vital if we are to preserve jobs and spare the country an economic depression that will cause infinitely more suffering.

It would have taken moral courage to tell a frightened populace that their fears are out of all proportion to the actual risk and its time to start living again. Boris ducked it. This was not his Finest Hour, it was a disappointing thirteen minutes.

Generally, Im not too fussed whether its men or women who are taking the decisions so long as theyre highly competent. On Sunday night, I was acutely aware that no mother could possibly have been privy to the content of Boriss statement. It revealed a startling lack of emotional intelligence (EQ). If you tell 29 million viewers that they must go to work if you can, you dont have schools as an afterthought. Schools will have been foremost in the minds of all parents watching and wondering, How on earth can I go to work if the kids are still at home? The so-called quad - Sunak, Raab, Hancock, Gove seem to think of work purely as work, it isnt. Work is people. Do our leaders really not understand how people think or how they live? All I can say is you know that men are in charge when the golf clubs are open and the hairdressers closed.

Simon from Essex spoke for baffled parents everywhere when he asked a question of the PM at Mondays briefing. Were people like him allowed to use the schools that had stayed open for key workers? If not how do you propose these people return to work if theres no childcare available?

I think its only fair to regard that as an obvious barrier to their ability to return to work and Im sure employers will agree with that, answered the PM without answering at all.

Nor did he have a defence for the frankly laughable proposition that people will be able to see one parent out of doors, but not both. Natasha from Richmond asked How is it logical that I as a primary schoolteacher can mix with the many returning children but seeing my relatives is still not allowed?

Dont go expecting logic, here, love. Were living in the Age of Anti-Reason. So, under the new rules, people can see their boss, but they cant see their dad/grandchild/girlfriend? Trust me, that is going to infuriate pretty much everyone.

What happened is some pointy-head at SAGE did the maths and worked out that if an individual sees just one extra person outside their own household that will stop R (the reinfection rate) going up too much. What pointy-heads cant compute is that if you drive to, say, Nottingham from London to see your mum and dad, a non-pointy person is not going to just invite their mother out the front for a chat and then drive home again. Being human, and possessed of the full complement of unscientific feelings, they will end up seeing both parents, whether together or separately.

I actually have huge sympathy for the Prime Minister as he tries to pull off this supremely difficult balancing act of suppressing the virus while coaxing the country back to life. Its as if the Prince hacked his way through the thorns, scaled the palace walls, blew Sleeping Beauty a kiss from the other end of the bedchamber and, when she awoke, cried, Prithee, stay right there, beloved, and keep two metres away from me at all times!

To make a tricky situation even worse Boriss enemies, still smarting from their Brexit defeat, have no qualms about using a national crisis as a proxy war. Somehow, the PM must plot a course through the Scylla of a shamelessly opportunistic Nicola Sturgeon and the Charybidis of the trade unions who rather like having half of all adults on the state payroll and so set an impossible standard of 100% safe before members can return to work.

Read more:
Come on Boris, tell a frightened nation that its fears are out of proportion - Telegraph.co.uk

This is a rush transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.

Protestor: This is a free country. Land of the free.

Jaisal Noor: Medical workers stood in the middle of the road, blocking a car carrying an anti-lockdown protester in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, April 19th. The protestor was part of the many small scale, but highly publicized Reopen America protest, leaned out of the window to confront the man in medical scrubs, holding a poster reading Land Free and shouting, You go to work. Why cant I go to work? President Donald Trump has encouraged these demonstrations, many of which have targeted democratic governors and have been linked to billionaire donors. Thats despite the mounting evidence they can jeopardize public health. Kentuckys infection rates skyrocketed a week after the protest there.

The protest had been tied to Michigans DeVos family, billionaires who are leading Republican donors and activists. The DeVos family includes Erik Prince, Founder of Blackwater, and Betsy DeVos, the heiress who serves as Donald Trumps Education Secretary. The DeVos familys also a leading member of the Koch Donor Network who bankroll conservative causes and it turns out who are major backers of the supposedly Grassroots Tea Party Movement, which called for less government and lower taxes. Real News climate reporter Steve Horn says, Right wing billionaires have funded an ecosystem that greatly amplifies their message through organizations like the State Policy Network.

Steve Horn: The State Policy Network essentially is the think tank world of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, and its what gets these ideas out there. So in Michigan when this protest was happening, a different prong of this apparatus called the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, they were doing reporting on this from their own portal, and then they beamed out the protests. They linked to something on Breitbart. So Breitbart then beamed that out to 5.8 million people. And essentially, this was the perfect depiction of how the right wing echo chamber works, the legacy of it and the newer prongs of its a Breitbart is funded and bankrolled, or at least was by the Mercer family. And Mercer is and was a major backer of Trump. Steve Bannon, who was a top White House aide.

Jaisal Noor: More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month as closures of businesses and schools and severe travel restrictions have hammered the economy. The United States is by far the worlds largest number of confirmed cases with more than 740,000 infections and over 40,000 deaths. Though, the real numbers are said to be much higher. Professor Gerald Horne says this movement represents a dangerous development.

Gerald Horne: But these so called constitutional conservatives rallying at the state house in Lansing, Michigan, this was coupled with similar moves that are taking place in Idaho, which you may recall is the state that is the de facto headquarters of White supremacists, a number of the leaders of the August, 2017 pro Nazi and pro fascist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia actually had roots in Idaho. And Im afraid to say that this is also coupled with the spectacular rise in gun sales that is taking place as we speak.

Jaisal Noor: Congress Coronavirus bailout had little funding for workers or testing, while giving corporations a $6 trillion no strings attached bailout, says American Prospect editor David Dayen.

David Dayen: Reopening the economy, you really can only do that if we have the proper public health measures in place, the proper testing and things like that. And there was almost no money in this pandemic response bill to actually respond to the pandemic to actually bulk up testing and surge it so that you actually could reopen the country.

Jaisal Noor: For the Real News, this is Jaisal Noor.

Originally posted here:
Tea Party 2.0? Reopen Government Protests Linked To Right-Wing Donors - The Real News Network