Tennessee

It almost feels like there’s a competition to see who can come up with the most draconian laws.

Down in Tennessee, if this bill passes, doctors will have to register child trans patients:

Tennessee House passes de facto transgender registry bill

Republican lawmakers say it’s about health data. Critics say it’s about tracking trans people.

The Advocate

Christopher Wiggins

Mar 27, 2026

Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill that critics say could lay the groundwork for something more sinister than its text alone suggests: a system that doesn’t just regulate transgender health care, but maps trans people.

The Tennessee House passed House Bill 754 after a charged floor debate and protests inside and outside the Capitol in Nashville, advancing legislation that would require data collection on patients receiving gender-affirming care. Supporters of the bill describe the measure as a tool for understanding medical outcomes. Opponents say it is something else entirely. They say it is a mechanism for tracking a vulnerable population.

This is something out of 1930s Germany!

The legislation would require clinics to report detailed information about gender-affirming care to the state, part of a broader effort, lawmakers say, to study treatment trends. But similar proposals in Tennessee have already raised alarms about what happens when “data collection” begins to resemble identification.

A related measure advancing through the legislature would compel providers to submit extensive details about care, including age, treatments, and geographic data, to the state, which would then publish aggregated reports. While the bill bars the release of directly identifying information, privacy experts warn that the level of detail could still make individuals identifiable, particularly in smaller communities.

Did you know that here in Connecticut, when a non-discrimination bill was being debated, Republicans introduced a proposal that would have required trans people to register with the Department of Motor Vehicles and they would keep a list of all trans people?

Back in 2011 I wrote about it here and when the bill was being debated in the Senate here, and I called it the Scarlet Letter! The amendment was...

["Sec. 501. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2011) Any person holding a motor vehicle operator's license whose gender-related identity is different from that traditionally associated with the person's physiology or assigned sex at birth shall notify the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of such identity and the commissioner shall indicate such identity in the electronic record maintained by the commissioner pertaining to such person's operator's license. "]

Connecticut isn’t that far from becoming a red state, we’re really more of a purple state.

Back in 2011, I wrote: “...Jerimarie and Jennifer were there from the beginning when the hate crime bill was first introduced, and we were there at the end.” But it wasn’t the end, just a waypoint in an ongoing fight for our human rights.

No Kings

The New York Times had five takeaways from the "No King" rallies...

• The war seemed to galvanize younger voters.
• Trump’s immigration crackdown remains a focus.
• Dueling protests unfolded near Mar-a-Lago. (Grab ’em by the midterms)
• Midterm candidates came out in force.
• Democrats found fresh fuel for their ‘No Kings’ slogan.

The article ends with,

In a nod to the protests, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the chair of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, said on Saturday that she planned to introduce a bill to bar presidents from putting their name, likeness or signature on federal property or money.

“In America,” Ms. Gillibrand said in a statement, “we do not bow to kings.”

Idiots!

Hegsith and his merry band of Crusaders planned a war and all they could think of bombs, bombs, and bigger bombs!

Did they ever consider protecting the assets in the Middle East, like radar sites or airborne radar planes? Did they even think of protecting our "eyes and ears" in the sky?

Iran Strikes U.S. Military Communication Infrastructure in Mideast

Satellite images show damage near vital equipment on sites in at least five countries.

The New York Times

By Devon LumHaley Willis and Riley Mellen

March 3, 2026

Iranian strikes conducted over the weekend and on Monday damaged structures that are part of or near communication and radar systems on at least seven U.S. military sites across the Middle East, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos.

Visuals show damage on or close to mechanisms used to track incoming ballistic missiles, satellite dishes and radomes, which are weatherproof covers that protect sensitive equipment used by forces to communicate over long distances.

U.S. military communication infrastructure is highly classified, making it difficult to determine which exact systems may have been affected. But the targeted locations appear to indicate Iran was aiming to disrupt the U.S. military’s ability to communicate and coordinate. Iran has attacked the U.S. military’s communication capacity as recently as last June, when it struck a Qatari base it hit again over the weekend.

DUH!

Iran Claims It Struck American AWACS Aircraft In Saudi Airbase Strike

The strikes reportedly hit Prince Sultan Air Base, where the now-destroyed E3 AWACS command and control plane was stationed alongside other US military assets.

NDTV News Desk

Mar 29, 2026

Iran on Friday claimed to have significantly damaged a United States aircraft during a retaliatory missile and drone strike on an American air base in Saudi Arabia.

The strikes reportedly hit Prince Sultan Air Base, where the now-destroyed E‑3 AWACS command and control plane was stationed alongside other US military assets.

Newly released images, published by Iran's Press TV, show the body of the plane damaged, with only the head and tail intact. The attack reportedly involved six ballistic missiles and 29 drones.

At least 10 US personnel were wounded, with two reported in serious condition, Associated Press reported. The strike involved an Iranian missile and several drones targeting the base.

Multiple refuelling aircraft were also damaged in the attack, preliminary reports indicate.

DUH!

Al Jazeera reported,

On Friday Iran attacked Prince Sultan Air Base which included at least six ballistic missiles and 29 drones, according to The Associated Press. At least 15 American soldiers have been wounded and five of the injured US troops are in “serious condition”, AP reported, citing unnamed sources briefed on the strikes.

[...]

Iran’s retaliatory attacks have targeted several sites across Israel as well as oil refineries, US military bases, airports and commercial shipping across the six Gulf states and beyond.

[...]

The war has now expanded beyond Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Houthi rebels reportedly fired missiles at Israel on Saturday. Tehran has also threatened retaliatory strikes on Israeli and US universities following attacks on Iranian academic institutions.

[...]

Iran, on the other hand, is using a trifecta of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones.

Drones have delivered volume, with cheap, mass-produced Shahed drones making it difficult for radar to spot due to their ability to fly at low altitude.

DUH!

Did our Crusaders even think Iran would retaliate? Did they think the so-called “Iran terrorist organization” would just sit by and twiddle their thumbs?

Did our "Crusaders" honestly think Iran wouldn't retaliate? Did they think that  “Iran terrorist organization” would just sit by and twiddle their thumbs?

Trump's War was planned by idiots! And that is what happens when politicians plan a war! 

The Guardian writes that...

Simultaneously, faithful to his master’s desire for total domination and destruction, Hegseth announces future war crimes on live TV (“no quarter”) and encourages gratuitous cruelty: “We are punching them while they’re down.” The obscene focus on “lethality” is part of this shift towards war understood as inflicting maximum destruction and pain (as opposed to achieving strategic objectives – which the administration has of course been utterly incapable of articulating).

The reality of war itself recedes because the airwaves are filled with an endless series of entertaining images and empty talk. Hegseth, fond of laughably overwrought language and alliterations in particular (“warriors, not wokesters”), seems unable to articulate anything other than cliches (“unbreakable will”) or snippets of a Christian nationalism which flies in the face of the first amendment’s prohibiting an established religion: one cannot make it a litmus test of patriotism that citizens pray for the troops on bended knees and in the name of Jesus.

The point is not to equate the two men, but one cannot help but remember how Hannah Arendt, in her highly controversial book on the Eichmann trial, described the Nazi bureaucrat: someone utterly incapable of thinking, someone who instead just produced an endless stream of hollow phrases.

Will all this have an effect in legitimizing an illegal war? Hegseth has also created a fantasy world inside the Pentagon itself; instead of press conferences with critical questions and genuine answers, there is gentle back-and-forth between “the secretary of war” – a fantasy name, as Congress has not authorized changing the department’s name – and figures from the Epoch Times and LindellTV (the world according to “the MyPillow guy”).

Even with this extra layer of insulation from reality, Hegseth insisted that the press was not being positive enough about US attacks on Iran. Like with many Maga men performing puerile stunts for the manosphere, the fragile ego inside seems incapable of facing up to the reality of what has been unleashed so thoughtlessly.

We are being lead ideological zealots who dream of the Crusades and bring the "Bringing the end times"

I Can't Figure Them Out

[Editorial]

I can’t figure out Trump’s cabinet members… are they really that uninformed, or do they just blindly stick to the party line?

This morning, on one of the talking-head shows, I think it was the new head of Homeland Security, footage was shown of the long lines at the airports. And what did he say? That the lines have gone down! This was while a video of the very same lines was playing! He was trying to gaslight what our own eyes were clearly showing. He claimed that ICE agents were a big help, while in the background, the video showed them just standing around with coffees in their hands.

We see this pattern with all of Trump’s cabinet members... they lie.

How many times have you heard them say: the war will be over in 8 weeks, inflation is under control, unemployment is dropping, or that the elections were rigged? And yet, when you point out that Trump got elected, which seems to contradict their claim, they still insist the elections were rigged.

Our eyes and wallets tell us one thing, but the Republicans tell us the opposite and seem to think we’ll believe them over our own pocketbooks.

[/Editorial]

Oh When Will They Ever Learn?

It almost seems like they want a fight!

The courts have stuck down the same thing over and over! So now they are saying, once again, that it is obscene!

Ohio House passes bill to criminalize drag shows deemed 'obscene'

By Haley  BeMiller

Columbus Dispatch

March 25, 2026

• The Ohio House passed a bill that would restrict certain drag shows to adult entertainment venues.
• Supporters of the bill say it aims to protect children from obscene or harmful content.
• Opponents argue the legislation targets the LGBTQ community and will cause a decline in drag shows.

Ohio may soon restrict certain drag shows to bars and nightclubs.

The Ohio House voted 63-30 on March 25 to pass House Bill 249, which would criminalize performances anywhere but adult entertainment facilities if they're deemed obscene or harmful to children. It also changes the definition of public indecency, with an exception for women who are breastfeeding.

[...]

Proponents say House Bill 249 doesn't completely ban drag and will instead protect kids from explicit content. It's already a crime in Ohio to disseminate obscene materials or performances to minors.

But hey, it plays in to the bigotry of their MAGA base!

"This is about shielding the next generation from premature sexualization, from the erosion of their innocence," said Rep. Angie King, R-Celina.

Yup, right into their bigotry, fear. and ignorance!

The Buckeye Flame writes...

Anti-LGBTQ+ language in the bill would disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ performers, heavily restricting “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer’s or entertainer’s biological sex using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers …”

Additionally, a separate section of the bill that substitutes the phrase “private part” for “private area” would also help criminalize trans and gender non-conforming people who use gendered public facilities during daily life.

So it is also a bathroom!

The Pink News says,

Critics warn the bill goes far beyond performances, pointing to language that targets individuals whose gender expression differs from their sex assigned at birth.

Lawmakers backing the bill have openly stated it could be used to restrict transgender people from using gendered facilities like locker rooms.

[...]

Equality Ohio CEO Dwayne Steward said the bill “takes regular, everyday activities and turns them into potential crimes,” while Rep. Dontavious Jarrells added: “This bill is not about children. This is about the dehumanisation of people… This bill literally singles out people who are trans, those who are gender non-conforming, and basically calls into question, ‘Should you exist in the public eye?’ That is the reality of this bill. When you talk about what this bill really is, it is an attack on human lives.”

You know that this bill is so vague that it can cover anything drag story telling to burlesque to a strip joint! Besides, laws like this have been struck down by the courts under the 1^st Amendment rights.

Crossed The Red Line?

Trump's war has expanded. A terrorist organization has joined the battle in the Middle East.

A Middle Eastern militant group has said they are prepared to attack the U.S. and Israel; they are backed by Iran.

Houthis threaten to join Iran war if these 3 red lines crossed

The Hill

by Ryan Mancini - 03/27/26

The Houthis on Friday warned that if three lines are crossed by the U.S., Israel or other Middle East countries, they will join the Iran war and fight back.

The Yemen-based group backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released five points, issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces, regarding the conflict. They include demands for a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Iran and a “cessation of aggression against Muslim countries in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq, and the lifting of the unjust siege on Yemen.”

[...]

The Houthis also warned they would enter the conflict if vessels tried to pass the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The strait is located 1,200 miles off the Strait of Hormuz and sits between Yemen and Djibouti.

President Trump designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization shortly after he returned to the White House in January 2025.

Of course, they coined a word for that—“asymmetric warfare,” which means when a big guy beats up on a little guy.

I don’t know those fancy words. I see it as terrorism. I see it like what happened when we went into the Banana Republics. I see it like what happened when we put the Shah in Iran, and when we went into Afghanistan. Those all went well, didn’t they?

Whenever a president uses a “big stick,” it doesn’t work out well for us in the long run.

Trump just poked a hornet’s nest, and he says it is almost over—but history says, “not so fast.”

This Was Disturbing!

[Editorial]

 

 Fish tanks! That is where the invasion began.

Someone didn’t want to kill their pet goldfish, so by a unanimous family vote, they decided to give "Charlie" the goldfish his freedom. They went down to the local brook and read a proclamation freeing Charlie. By the word of "Lord Dad," they tearfully gave him his liberty—and a new invasive species was introduced into the environment!

Many of you know that I have a wetland in my backyard. We’ve had a lot of rain and snowmelt recently, so the water level is quite high. Normally, there is only a seasonal stream, but now it is a couple of feet wide and about half a foot deep with very little current.

Today, I noticed a big green mat in the middle of the brook. Upon closer inspection, I found that it is Hydrilla!

The town has been spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep this weed out of our local waters. How did it get into my backyard? It probably hitched a ride on the family living back there in the wetland: the ducks. Just like boats carrying Hydrilla between lakes, birds and animals carry it too.

How Was It "Let Loose"?

• Intentional Planting: In the early 1950s, an aquatic plant dealer in the Tampa Bay area reportedly discarded bundles of Hydrilla directly into local canals after it failed to sell.
• Aquarium Dumping: Many infestations result from individuals dumping the contents of their home aquariums—both fish and plants—into local ponds and rivers.
• Misidentification: At first, many dealers and hobbyists didn't realize how dangerous it was because it looks so similar to the native plant Elodea.

Now, we are all paying the price for exotic plants and animals being let loose. I can see the consequences right in my own backyard!

 

[/Editorial] 

Saturday 9: Indian Lake

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!

Saturday 9: Indian Lake (1968)

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

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

1) In this song, a family gets on a bus and heads off on vacation. Think about the last trip you took. Did you travel by car, bus, train, boat, or plane?

By car. To my brother’s in New Jersey.

2) Once they get to Indian Lake, they swim, have a picnic and go canoeing. Are you looking forward to any of these activities this summer?

We used to own cottage on a lake in New Hampshire where we had a canoe, a sailboat and power boat.

But now I’m on Cape Cod during the summer.

3) "Indian Lake" became familiar to TV audiences because it was used in commercials for the Dodge Charger. In the 1960s, most households didn't have remote controls to enable viewers to mute or skip commercials. Today, we do. When a commercial comes on, do you watch or do you turn down the sound or, if possible, fast forward past it?
I don't watch it, usually I am also on the computer.

4) The Cowsills were a family singing group who had four Top 10 hits between 1967 and 1969. The brothers were self taught musicians who enjoyed playing at church and school events. When their father, Bud Cowsill, became their manager, he insisted his wife Barbara and their youngest, Susan, join the band. He wanted the Cowsills to become "a latter-day Von Trapp family." Without looking it up, do you know who the Von Trapps were?

I have seen “The Sound of Music” I have also seen the Von Trapp family lodge in Vermont when I was little.

5) The Cowsills were the inspiration for the sitcom The Partridge Family. It ran for four seasons and the fictional Partridges had three Top 10 hits, were nominated for a Grammy and made David Cassidy a star. Are you familiar with The Partridge Family?

Oh yeah, I saw the show yesterday, well not the whole show just the opening bars. It comes on after Barney Miller.

6) The Cowsills starred in an advertising campaign for the American Dairy Association. On TV and in magazine ads they proclaimed that "Milk is the lift that lasts." Decades later, oldest brother Bill recalled that he seldom drank milk. How about you? Do you often drink milk?

Yes.

I like the milk from a local farm, it is pasteurized but not homogenized. As a matter of fact I am haivng glass of hot chocolate milk and a farm-fresh chocolate chip cookie right now. By the time I finish the glass some of the cream will float to the surface… Mmm.

Remember the milkman and milk box on the porch? Well that was unhomogenized, I think it tastes a lot creamier than homogenized milk.

7) While Bud Cowsill engineered the family band's success, he also contributed to their demise. The Cowsills were scheduled to appear 10 times on the influential Ed Sullivan Show, but were fired after the second because Bud was too confrontational backstage. He also had a reputation for being abrasive with record company executives and concert promoters, and this affected the the band's ability to find work. Do you have a hard time biting your tongue or controlling your temper?

I find the older I get the mellower I get, Been there, seen that, done that...

8) In 1968, when this song was popular, Leonard Bernstein released his award-winning recording of Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Do you enjoy classical music?

No.

But I do like this…

9) Random question – Here we are in March. If you made any New Year's resolutions, have you kept them?

Yes, I am still above ground. My resolution was to make it to next New Year’s When you get old it is the simple things.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!