Say The Magic Words...

No, the duck doesn't come down, but you get your “Get Out of Jail Free” card. All you have to do is say, “It is against my religious beliefs,” and just like that, you can discriminate against us!

Can you imagine a real estate agent refusing to sell you a house because you belong to a protected class? Saying, “We are not going to sell you this house because you're Black, and doing so would be against my religion”? Then why is it okay to refuse to sell to a same-sex couple? Because that is the direction the Supreme Court is heading!

What's behind Supreme Court rulings for religious rights in LGBTQ+ cases?

Some Supreme Court justices may view nondiscrimination rules against LGBTQ+ people as more about forcing beliefs on others than protecting vulnerable groups.

By Maureen Groppe

USA TODAY

Oct. 24, 2026

A Supreme Court that in recent years has ruled again and again in favor of faith groups is expected to be sympathetic to the Roman Catholic Church in the next big religious liberty case the justices will consider.

The court on Nov. 3 will debate whether Catholic preschools in Colorado must accept children of gay parents if taxpayers are funding the school.

The case pits religious freedoms against nondiscrimination rules about sexual orientation, and Justice Samuel Alito's approach to similar cases could offer a guide as to why the 6-3 conservative court might be inclined to side with the religious preschools.

In his recent book, Alito − who is perhaps the court's biggest proponent of religious liberty − suggests such nondiscrimination rules are more about forcing beliefs on others than protecting vulnerable groups.

“The couple that came to his shop was given a free cake by another bakery, and celebrity chefs jumped to the couple’s defense,” Alito wrote. “What we see in these and other cases is a refusal to live in peace with those who violate the new moral code.”

When did the Constitution become a “moral code”? He went on to say, according to USA Today...

No same-sex couple had tried to use the foster care agency and, if they had, the agency would have referred them to another service that would have been happy to help, Alito said.

“But that did not satisfy the city,” he wrote. “The very existence of an organization that expressed disapproval of same-sex marriage was unacceptable.”

So, according to the Supreme Court justice, it is okay to put additional burdens on a protected class because of religious discrimination! Say a gay couple wants to adopt a child... in their county, the adoption program is run by a church, so they have to drive to the next county! But it would be wrong if they said that to an Asian couple.

I think the root cause of these rulings lies not in the Constitution but rather in the justices' religious beliefs. They believe that being LGBTQ+ is a choice! They reject all the scientific evidence and believe in one little sentence written over 2,000 years ago: “Man shall not lie with man.”

A Gallup poll found  that 35% of Republicans considered gay or lesbian relationships morally acceptable, compared with 81% of Democrats.

We seen this before, where the courts chose the Bible to discriminate, History News Network wrote about "How the Bible was used to justify slavery, abolitionism"

Henry G. Brinton, a pastor at Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia, writes that the Bible was used a weapon by both the North and the South. Brinton says some contemporary Americans are making the same mistake their Civil War ancestors did by twisting the Bible to support their own battle cries.

And now they are doing the same thing to us! Mining the Old Testament for anything that could be used against us!

Trump’s Lower Court Judges and Religion: An Initial Appraisal

The Journal of Legal Studies

Stephen J. ChoiFollow

Mitu GulatiFollow

Eric A. Posner, University of Chicago

Abstract

It is widely believed that President Donald J. Trump’s first-term judicial appointments reflect a strategy of appeasing evangelical Christians and other religious groups that favor a more conservative, Christian judiciary and that in pursuing this strategy Trump sacrificed quality. We explore this theory by examining the biographies and credentials of Trump’s lower court nominees and the voting records of his circuit court appointments in free-exercise cases. We find that Trump’s appointments to the lower courts have stronger or more numerous religious affiliations and are affiliated with the Federalist Society and the National Rifle Association at high rates but are no less well credentialed than other judges. We also find that Trump’s circuit court appointments more frequently vote in favor of Christian plaintiffs and less frequently vote in favor of Muslim plaintiffs in free-exercise cases than judges appointed by other Republican presidents and by Democratic presidents.

Hugh Hewitt: “Will you commit to voters tonight that religious liberty will be an absolute litmus test for anyone you appoint, not just to the Supreme Court, but to all courts?” Donald Trump: “Yes, I would.” (New York Times 2016)

Now we are paying the price of religious discrimination, all they have to do is say the magic words... "It is against my religious beliefs!" When they rebrand it as a "religious issue," they flip the script entirely. Suddenly, the person discriminating is cast as the victim, and the person being denied service or rights is painted as the aggressor infringing on someone else's beliefs. Just like Trump's DEI that flipped the non-discrimination laws on its head!

I Newer Promised You A Rose Garden

I asked ChatGPT: In the last 3 months how many times has Trump said a factory was coming?

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Looking at the last three months — July 25 through October 25, 2026 — Trump has repeatedly talked about factories and manufacturing plants that are coming to the United States.

The important distinction is whether you mean every time he said a factory was coming, including repeated claims at rallies, or the number of distinct factory projects he announced.

Here are some documented examples from that period.

Date	Factory announcement or statement
July 31, 2026	Discussed automakers building plants in the United States.
August 5, 2026	Claimed more automobile factories were being built in the United States than ever before.
September 2, 2026	Discussed factories being built in Ohio, Texas, and other locations.
September 28, 2026	Discussed a proposed $15 billion steel plant in Iowa and a large aluminum plant.
October 1, 2026	Repeated claims about a new aluminum factory and factories being built nationwide.
October 2, 2026	Mentioned a planned Eli Lilly factory in Huntsville, Alabama, and other manufacturing investments.
October 24, 2026	Announced that Audi would build a new automobile factory in Georgia.

My preliminary count: at least 7 documented public occasions in which he discussed factories being built or coming to the country during this period. This is not a verified count of every time he made the claim; the same factory or general promise may have been repeated many times.

You can check the full Trump speech transcripts at Roll Call's Factba.se archive .

One important distinction: these are occasions when Trump made statements, not proof that every announced factory has been built or that every project is new.

The people are now seeing his lies.

It's Trump!

Riots around the world! Gas and the economy are driving them in France, Albania, Italy, Spain, and other countries in Europe.

U.S.-led war with Iran → Disrupted oil supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz → Higher oil, diesel, and gas prices → Higher transport, food, and household costs → Public anger, strikes, and protests.

Trump's war has destabilized Europe and the rest of the world, and with the growing unrest in Europe, there is strong evidence that Putin is capitalizing on it by fanning the flames of unrest!

Europeans warn of rising Russian sabotage but see no imminent NATO attack

Reuters

By John Irish and Tom Balmforth

September 23, 2026

Russia is intensifying sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid attacks across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine, European ministers said, while dismissing concerns that Moscow is capable of launching a direct assault on NATO.

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week, officials from countries on NATO’s eastern flank said Moscow was increasingly using drone incursions, cyberattacks, sabotage and other covert operations to sow fear, test Western resolve and weaken backing for Kyiv.

"Europe faces a fast proliferation of sabotage attacks and airspace violations," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters. "Moscow is trying to scare Europe into winding down its support for Ukraine."

European governments increasingly see Russia’s most immediate threat not as a conventional military attack, but as a campaign of covert and deniable actions aimed at unsettling Ukraine’s allies and eroding Western unity as the war drags on.

There are reports that Putin is behind the growing unrest in Europe:

Italy Is Looking Into Whether Russian Agents Helped Fuel Riotsx

Kyiv Post

Oct. 21, 2026

The Financial Times (FT) reported on Wednesday, Oct. 21, that EU regulators are investigating whether online actors in Russia, Iran, and Algeria sought to use disinformation to influence and exploit the current unrest in France. Citing unnamed European officials, intelligence sources, and researchers, the newspaper said suspicion has fallen on a possible Russian disinformation campaign.

The report echoes much of the findings of an Oct. 18 report issued by the “Disinformation Commission,” an independent watchdog “specializing in information operations, OSINT, and strategic communications.”

Foreign players exploiting “home-grown protest movement”

According to the Disinformation Commission’s report, findings that were also shared by French and European intelligence agencies according to the FT, the unrest in France originally stemmed from domestic dissatisfaction, particularly the Sept. 17 teachers’ strike.

[...]

According to the watchdog’s report, there is no evidence that it was instigated, controlled, or directed by foreign states. It does say, however, that there is strong evidence that Russia and Iran, along with foreign far-left and far-right influencers, are actively exploiting and attempting to inflame the protests.

And since that was written, protests have turned violent! Bloomberg reports:

Italy Is Looking Into Whether Russian Agents Helped Fuel Riots

By Alessandra Migliaccio and Chiara Albanese

October 21, 2026 

Italian officials are looking into whether outside actors such as Russia had a hand in violent protests that swept Milan and other European cities over the weekend, according to people familiar with the matter.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni government has asked to be briefed on what role, if any, foreign provocateurs may have played, the people said, asking not to be cited as the conversations are private. A spokesperson for Meloni declined to comment.

I don't think Trump is smart enough to cause the unrest in Europe; no, he is just a stooge of Putin, and Putin is milking the unrest for all he can get out of it.

Has Trump's bumbling started WWIII?

Trump...

I was watching Washington Week with The Atlantic on PBS. One segment was on the ad by Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio gubernatorial race. Ramaswamy ran an ad that featured his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton's mother, saying that she lies!

Well, what the ad didn’t say was Dr. Acton was sexually abused as a 12-year-old, and the state took her and her brother away from the mother because of her husband, who fled the country.

Enter into this Trump, who added his 2¢, saying when asked about the father during a press conference... ”I know nothing about him!”

It figures… that Trump doesn’t think anything is wrong with pedophilia.

Saturday 9: Smoke Rings

Saturday 9: Smoke Rings (1933)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

 

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

   

1) In this song, Donald Mills of the Mills Brothers encourages us to "puff, puff, puff" our cares away. When did you most recently smoke a cigarette? 

Um… not cigarettes.

2) In the 1930s, when this week's song was recorded, an estimated 40% of American adults smoked cigarettes. By the early 1960s, that number reached a high of 42%. According to the CDC, the percentage of adult smokers dropped to 11%. Do many of your friends and relatives smoke or vape? 

I only have one friend who smokes.

3) Donald was the youngest of the singing Mills Brothers, and he's the one who most often sang lead. That squares with popular birth order theory, which proposes that the youngest tends to enjoy being the center of attention, the middle child is the diplomat, and the oldest is the high-achiever. Think of your own family and the families of your friends. Do you think this theory holds true?

Nope.

4) The Mills Brothers were one of the first famous singing brother acts. The Williams Brothers – which featured future TV star Andy Williams – followed in their footsteps. Can you think of another group of singing brothers?

Oodles and oodles of them…

The Jackson 5

The Everly Brothers

The Isley Brothers

Beach Boys… plus a cousin.

5) In addition to recording hit records, The Mills Brothers were a staple on radio in the 1930s. They were among the first African American artists to host their own radio show and sang jingles for Standard Oil and Crisco. What commercial do you recall having seen, or heard, recently?

Um… I usually watch PBS,

6) In 1933, when this week's song was popular, actor Robert Montgomery and his wife had a daughter they named Elizabeth. That little girl would become famous in the 1960s for her own TV show. Without looking it up, do you know what show Elizabeth Montgomery starred in? 

Super easy question… Bewitched. It is actually on in an hour on Antenna TV

7) Johnny Cash was also born in 1933. Do you have a favorite Johnny Cash song?

Ring of Fire.

8) In 1933, five French airlines merged to form Air France. Think of the last time you were at an airport. Were you taking a flight or meeting a flight?

Way back in 2006 was my last plane ride… you can read about it here! Business Trip

9) Random question: Your best friend just received a certificate for completing a car maintenance course at your community college. Would you let them work on your vehicle?

No. But if you said their grandchildren I would say yes.

But my best friends? They are in their 70s!

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I have been trying to make it up to the cottage this month but monkey wrenches keep getting thrown by Murphy! Little things like a the little lady spinning her wheel off the coast of Cape Cod… Josephine.

But mainly it has been little things like a crown coming off and other minor medical problems that are a minor annoyance.

Here is the latest backyard foliage photo.

Thump, Thump...

That's the sound of the Democratic bus running us over!

Some Democrats recalibrating approach to transgender issues

AP News

By STEVE PEOPLES and GEOFF MULVIHILL

Sep 14, 2026

California Gov. Gavin Newsom does not like being on Donald Trump’s side on any issue.

But when it comes to transgender girls and women in sports, particularly at the school level, the Democrat said he largely agrees with the Republican president. Newsom, one of his party’s leading White House prospects, believes it’s “deeply unfair” for people who are assigned male at birth to compete against girls.

“I don’t want to be on that side of it, but I’m being honest — I’d be lying to you if I said differently,” Newsom told The Associated Press as he was campaigning recently in South Carolina. “I haven’t been able to figure out how to make it fair from my perspective.”

It is the economy, stupid!

Let me repeat that... It is the economy, stupid!

While most Democratic officials remain steadfast supporters of the transgender community, an increasing number in red and blue states are distancing themselves from their party’s unflinching support for the transgender community’s policy priorities, such as allowing athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity. The shift follows years of conservative attacks against Democrats on the divisive issue, which affects a relatively small number of transgender people and their families, but has emerged as one of Republicans’ most potent political weapons in the Trump era.

What is it? It is the economy, stupid!

Here is what the candidate has to do... ask the people, "Have you ever met a trans person? Have you tried to fill up your tank recently? What concerns you more?"

GLAAD reports that;

SUPERMAJORITY OF REGISTERED VOTERS REJECT POLITICAL ATTACKS ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE 

74% OF REGISTERED VOTERS SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO REJECT DISCRIMINATION

68% OF U.S. ADULTS AGREE BRANDS SHOULD BE FREE TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY DURING PRIDE  

65% OF REGISTERED VOTERS BELIEVE POLITICIANS ATTACK TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AS A DISTRACTION FROM MORE IMPORTANT CONCERNS LIKE RISING COSTS

Repeat after me... It's the economy, stupid!

When people are polled only around 7% said we're the problem... everyone else said "It's the economy, stupid!"

This is where the problem is and education is the key!

Most say gender is determined at birth

More people approve of Trump’s handling of transgender issues than his job performance overall. People are more likely to oppose than support public health insurance programs like Medicare or Medicaid covering gender-affirming medical treatments.

AP/NORC Poll

May 10, 2025

Around two-thirds (68%) of the public say that whether someone is a man or a woman is determined by the sex they were assigned at birth. About half of Democrats feel someone’s identity can differ from their sex at birth – significantly higher than the share of independents (22%) or Republicans (11%) who feel that way.

I have to say that I agree, gender is determined at birth... but it is not always visible.

Hey Folks... It Is That Time Again: Medicare Enrollment!

Hey folks... It is that time again: Medicare enrollment!

It is time for all of us seniors to have to re-enroll for Medicare.

Boy, are we in for a shock! The Republicans have cut Medicare... more out-of-pocket expenses and higher premiums! Trump has to pay off the tax cuts for the billionaires!

Families USA wrote...

Consumer advocates and Families USA forewarned that when congressional Republicans chose to take a sledgehammer to our nation’s health care by passing H.R. 1 and cutting Medicaid by more than $900 billion (the deepest in the program’s 60-year history), it would cause incredible harm to America’s families and communities. Republicans chose to enact this deeply destructive legislation anyway, and so, Families USA began documenting the damage — to hold leaders accountable, and to prevent further damage by keeping the spotlight on the deepest wounds. In the wake of the bill’s passage, we published a series of deep-dive assessments of its most damaging provisions under the banner “Dissecting the Deepest Cuts.” This post traces common threads across that series, highlighting what advocates can do as we approach a new year and a new Congress.

The big picture is this: H.R. 1’s provisions and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implementation choices add up to a coordinated dismantling of the Medicaid program, including its eligibility systems, payment structures and financing mechanisms, with disastrous consequences for families and the whole health care system.

FackCheck.org wrote back in the 2024 elections...

In an interview with Breitbart on March 13, Trump said, “I will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare. We’ll have to do it elsewhere. But we’re not going to do anything to hurt them.”

“There’s so many things we can do,” Trump said. “There’s so much cutting and so much waste in so many other areas, but I’ll never do anything to hurt Social Security.”

There are aspects of Trump’s comments that support the interpretations of both campaigns.

Trump said there is “a lot to do” with entitlements “in terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements.” The word “also” suggests he was talking about “theft and bad management” in addition to cutting entitlement programs.

First of all, Social Security and Medicare are not F**king entitlements! I paid into them all my F**king life! But the Republicans keep calling them entitlements... why? Because they want their billionaire friends to get their grubby little hands on the money!

Detroit Free Press... 

Will Medicare increase in 2027? Some costs to rise, but not all are clear

Medicare open enrollment for 2027 has begun, with projected changes including a possible 3.25% rise in Part B premiums, lower average Medicare Advantage premiums nationally, modest increases in Part D costs, and specific updates for Michigan beneficiaries such as higher MA plan premiums and new eligibility requirements.

Key points:

• The 2026‑27 Medicare open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15, 2026 to Dec. 7, 2026, with new coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027.
• CMS projects a potential 3.25% increase in the Part B premium for 2027, from $202.90 in 2026 to about $209.50.
• The weighted average monthly premium for Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans nationwide is projected to fall from $14.37 in 2026 to $12 in 2027, a 16.5% decline.
• The average monthly premium for stand‑alone Part D plans is expected to rise slightly, from $35.09 in 2026 to $36 in 2027, while the average Part D premium for MA plans with drug coverage is projected to drop from $11.32 to $7.
• In Michigan, the average monthly Medicare Advantage premium is projected to increase from $14.88 in 2026 to $16.21 in 2027, with 181 MA plans available in 2027 versus 192 in 2026.

Medicare open enrollment is in full swing for beneficiaries who are part of the federal program, but whether it will cost more overall is still unclear.

The 2026-27 open enrollment period began Thursday, Oct. 15, and will end Monday, Dec. 7 ― which marks the last day to make changes to your Medicare plan, as your new coverage will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The Republicans will say anything and do anything to get elected!

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