[guest post by JVW]

Story being covered on Japan Today, an English-language Japanese news site:

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was unconscious after being shot by an unidentified gunman while giving a stump speech on a western Japan road on Friday morning, police and firefighters said.

The former leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was shot from behind while visiting the city of Nara as part of campaigning for the House of Councillors election scheduled on Sunday.

Police detained the assailant at the scene.

Abe fell to the ground after two apparent gunshots were heard and was rushed to hospital.

CNN, quoting the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, reports that the former PM was taken to Nara Medical University. No further news has emerged as of this posting. Abe has suffered from various health ailments in the past couple of decades, including colitis, which forced him to step down as prime minister in 2020.

UPDATE, 9:11 pm – Fox news claims that NHK reported that Abe did not appear to have any vital signs before being carried off in the ambulance.

UPDATE, 9:20 pm – According to Reuters, also quoting a local Japanese news organization, Abe was shot in the left side of his chest and in his neck with a shotgun.

UPDATE, 9:21 pm – Not good: “An official from the Nara City Fire Department has confirmed to CNN that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest when he collapsed while giving a campaign speech in Nara.”

UPDATE 9:31 pm – On the other hand, a hopeful sign: “Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was conscious and responsive while being transported to the hospital after the possible shooting, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, citing police sources.”

UPDATE 10:01 pm – I’m going to call it a night. Here’s hoping I wake up tomorrow to news of Mr. Abe’s steady recovery.

UPDATE 8:10 am Friday – Sadly, Shinzo Abe has died.

– JVW

[guest post by Dana]

It seems like it was unnecessarily hard trying to pin down his whereabouts:

Gov. Gavin Newsom is on vacation in Montana visiting family, I was the first to report Tuesday evening.

It was information that the governor’s office appeared loath to disclose. Although the office said Friday the governor had left California to spend time with family, it did not until Tuesday answer questions about where he was or when specifically he would return, a noticeable difference from communication surrounding other recent out-of-state trips. (A spokesperson said Tuesday Newsom hasn’t yet booked his return trip, but that he will return to California over the weekend and be back in the office on Monday.)

The governor’s office didn’t respond to a question about why that information wasn’t initially shared.

Ah:

…one possible reason could be that Montana is among the 22 states to which California has banned state-funded and state-sponsored travel, citing policies it deems discriminatory to LGBTQ+ people.

Montana is also one of the states Newsom’s office has called out for restricting abortion access. His office said in a June 24 press release that Montana will likely ban the procedure following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, though local outlets say abortion is likely to remain legal there for the foreseeable future.

While Newsom’s office said that the vacation was not being paid for by the state, they refused to say whether his security detail is being paid for by the state. I feel safe in assuming that it is.

I don’t really care where Newsom goes on vacation if it’s on his dime. But if his security detail is being paid by the state, then that’s problematic. And hypocritical. And either way, the optics aren’t great given that he is choosing to spend money in a state that he has otherwise condemned and banned state-funded travel to because of what he identifies as discrimination and limited access to abortion. That his office was reluctant to say where he was vacationing is a tip-off that Newsom knew this would be a bit of a problem for him. Especially as he may or may not be toying with a run in 2024… Optics always matter in politics. One only has to recall that during peak Covid-19 surge, Newsom tried very hard to convince Californians to stay home during the holidays and avoid multi-family gatherings, yet it was just a few days later that photos surfaced revealing the governor and his wife at a dinner party, dining with friends and colleagues at the French Laundry.

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

Just so you know:

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is a government agency that coordinates medical care and social well-being in the Beaver State. During the pandemic, OHA was responsible for coordinating Oregon’s vaccination drive and disseminating information about COVID-19—both vital tasks.

The agency’s office for equity and inclusion, however, prefers not to rush the business of government. In fact, the office’s program manager delayed a meeting with partner organizations on the stated grounds that “urgency is a white supremacy value.”

In an email obtained by Reason, Regional Health Equity Coalition Program Manager Danielle Droppers informed the community that a scheduled conversation between OHA officials and relevant members of the public would not take place as planned.

“Thank you for your interest in attending the community conversation between Regional Health Equity Coalitions (RHECs) and Community Advisory Councils (CACs) to discuss the Community Investment Collaboratives (CICs),” wrote Droppers. “We recognize that urgency is a white supremacy value that can get in the way of more intentional and thoughtful work, and we want to attend to this dynamic. Therefore, we will reach out at a later date to reschedule.”

The report goes on to note that a county health official apparently fielding questions from puzzled members, directed them to a link that provided further information. This because Droppers didn’t respond to the inquiries made after sending her email out to community members.

The link redirects to a website that purportedly identifies aspects of white supremacy culture. The website was “conceived and designed” by Tema Okun, a white antiracist educator who has popularized the idea that several benign and widespread traits are actually characteristic of white supremacy. Among these are preferring quantity over quality, wanting things to be written down, perfectionism, becoming defensive, and yes, possessing a sense of urgency.

It’s funny because during my working tenure, I was a direct report to two Black women at separate times. Frequently, when a project came my way, it was accompanied by the grim directive that I was to drop everything else I was working on and prioritize the new project because it was deemed “urgent”. And who determined the urgency of the new project? Frequently, the boss of my boss: who was also be a Black woman.

Consider that at a certain point, women in labor need to rush to the hospital because at that very moment they are being held hostage by an urgency that is absolutely beyond their control. Fact: This happens to White women and Black women, and every other woman in between.

When little ones are poised to jump off the curb and run into the street, it is absolutely urgent that an adult snatch them up before tragedy strikes.
Fact: This happens to White children and Black children, and every other child in between.

Obviously, one could present an endless list of examples, but you already know this.

Coordinating with state agencies to disseminate information about health matters of concern to the public seems rather important. So if this really was about the health and well-being of the community, the Oregon Health Authority or any partners therein should shut down excuses like Droppers, sooner rather than later. The goal of well-being, good health *and* inclusivity is not helped by playing silly games that only serve to alienate people and screw with their lives.

[Ed. I actually think the program manager was likely unprepared for the meeting and made up what she thought would be an accepted excuse.]

–Dana