Saturday 9: On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)

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

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 questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: On a Clear Day (1970)

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) Is today a clear day where you are?
I am writing this on Thursday and it is a cool but sunny day, but Saturday they forecast rain in the morning.

2) Streisand sings that today she's "astounded." What has recently shocked or greatly surprised you?
Yeah, but it is family health business.

3) Streisand's voice astounded people from an early age. She began performing in New York clubs when she was only 18, too young to order a drink in the establishments where she sang. Do you remember the first adult beverage you ordered at a restaurant or bar?
Oh yeah, I even know the bar. The Fore and Aft in Brewster New York, the first bar off of I-84 in New York. Connecticut’s age for drinking was 21 and New York was 18. I had a rum and coke.

4) Barbra has discussed the importance of her Jewish faith in her life and has enlisted the guidance of Reform, Conservative and and Orthodox rabbis as she explored her religion's complexities. Do you enjoy discussing religion?
But I know many ministers, priests, and rabbis. I also did diversity training at a Jewish Family Center and I am friends with them on Facebook.

5) Taylor Swift just passed Barbra Streisand as the woman with the most #1 albums (12). What's the last album you purchased?
Ha, ha! That probably was over 30 years ago! I get most of my music now from YouTube.
 
6) The lyrics to "On a Clear Day" were written by Alan Jay Lerner. He attended Choate, a private boarding school in CT, at the same time as John F. Kennedy. While JFK was in the White House, Lerner had two major Broadway hits -- Camelot and My Fair Lady -- running concurrently. Obviously those two Choate alumni did very well. Have you been to any of your class reunions? Have you been surprised, pleasantly or less so, by how any of your classmates turned out?
Okay first… I have been to Choate (high school parties and a friend used to live just down the block from there.) and Miss Porter's School (They had an art exhibit there.)

I have been to all of my reunions for high school. One thing that I noticed was that all the high school football players had a cane.

7) The music was written by Burton Lane. In the 1930s, Lane worked for MGM Studios in Hollywood. After he heard Judy Garland perform at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles, he brought her to the attention of his studio bosses and the rest, as they say, is history. Lane and Garland later worked together when Judy was an established star. He wrote the song, "How About You?" for her to sing in Babes on Broadway and received an Oscar nomination. Judy's best known movie has to be The Wizard of Oz. How many times have you seen it?
Oh, I have no idea but it has been a lot.
But… but… I got to go and see “Wicked” for free, kind of, I was interning for my MSW at a family and youth service organization. One day they announced that they need chaperons for a youth group (They did that a lot.) but this time it was to go see “Wicked” at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford! Whoa my hand shot up. I was assigned about 8 or 10 teenagers. I was a strict taskmaster and kept them un my wing.
We were not in the “nose bleed” section on the balcony but rather the second balcony where we needed oxygen. But I loved the play… shut up kid and sit down and watch the play (Just kidding I wasn’t that strict.)

8) In 1970, Glenn Frey formed the Eagles. What's your favorite Eagles song?
Oh wow, I like them all! Picking one it would be Desperado. (You might have notice that I quote an Eagles song on the top banner of my blog.)

9) Random question: Which would upset you more, being trapped in an elevator or stranded atop a mountain in a ski lift?
Been there and done that. Mt. Snow in the sixties, a high school ski club trip, snowing all the way up to Vermont the sun comes out at the ski area, it was sub-zero with huge wind chill but then… the lift breaks stops! Some skier was hanging off the chairlift just before the top station, they handed out blankets on the way up and it was a good thing. We wrapped ourselves up and sat there for about a half-hour. We decided we didn’t want to do anymore sking that day so we retired in to the outdoor heated pool. It was kind of novel about 0F and we were swimming, our hair was frozen but the water was so nice.

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!

The End Game.

We all know all the draconian laws against us but what is there ultimate goal?

Why are...

• They are banning all books about us.
• They are banning our healthcare.
• They are banning were we can go the bathroom.

What is their final goal?

Lets take a look at where this happened before.

New Research Reveals How the Nazis Targeted Transgender People
Last year, a German court officially recognized the persecution of trans people by Adolf Hitler’s regime
Smithsonian Magazine
By Laurie Marhoefer, The Conversation
September 21, 2023

In the fall of 2022, a German court heard an unusual case.

It was a civil lawsuit that grew out of a feud on Twitter about whether transgender people were victims of the Holocaust. Though there is no longer much debate about whether gay men and lesbians were persecuted by the Nazis, there’s been very little scholarship on trans people during this period.

The court took expert statements from historians, including myself, before finding that the historical evidence shows that trans people were, indeed, persecuted by the Nazi regime.

This is an important case. It was the first time a court recognized the persecution of trans people in Nazi Germany. It was followed a few months later by the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, formally releasing a statement recognizing trans and cisgender queer people as victims of fascism.

Up until the past few years, there had been little research on trans people under the Nazi regime. Historians like myself are now uncovering more cases, like that of Toni Simon.

[…]

The Weimar Republic, the more tolerant democratic government that existed before Hitler, recognized the rights of trans people, though in a begrudging, limited way. Under the republic, police granted trans people permits like the one Simon had.

[…]

In Berlin, transgender people published several magazines and had a political club. Some glamorous trans women worked at the internationally famous Eldorado cabaret. The sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld, who ran Berlin’s Institute for Sexual Science, advocated for the rights of transgender people.

Does that sound like where we are now in the Blue sates? And then came the right-wing Germans, they passed laws against LGBTQ+ people (Just like Russia has done.).

The rise of Nazi Germany destroyed this relatively open environment. The Nazis shut down the magazines, the Eldorado and Hirschfeld’s institute. Most people who held “transvestite certificates,” as Simon did, had them revoked or watched helplessly as police refused to honor them.

Does that sound like what is happening in the Red states?

The author of a 1938 book on “the problem of transvestitism” wrote that before Hitler was in power, there was not much that could be done about transgender people, but that now, in Nazi Germany, they could be put in concentration camps or subjected to forced castration. That was good, he believed, because the “asocial mindset” of trans people and their supposedly frequent “criminal activity … justifies draconian measures by the state.”

Is that what the Republicans have in mind for us? Is that the Republicans ultimate goal? The extermination of lesbians, gays, and trans people? Some Republicans have suggested concentration camps for us. The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust writes,

Before 1933, Germany was a center of LGBT+ community and culture, with several renowned organizations serving and supporting trans and gender non-conforming people. Hitler’s Nazi government, however, brutally targeted the trans community, deporting many trans people to concentration camps and wiping out vibrant community structures. As transgender people are now increasingly targets of discriminatory legislation and hate, join the Museum for a program exploring these stories and experiences prior to and during the Holocaust.

Then the right-winger took over and the pogrom against us took off, just like today!

The End of Trans America Comes Into Focus
The laws proposed around the country by Republicans would make life for transgender people functionally impossible. The danger is in being under-wrought, not overwrought.
The New Republic
By Brynn Tannehill/
April 24, 2023

Republicans have made it clear that their number one legislative and cultural priority is the “eradication of transgenderism from public life,” as was stated by Daily Wire host Michael Knowles at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year. While Knowles later claimed he did not mean killing transgender people, he made it clear that transgender people have no place in public life in any way shape or form and that the full force of government should be used to achieve this aim.

[…]

There is more than a hint of the attitude that “we have tolerated these people for too long, even as they destroy our nation from within and pollute our culture.” There’s incitement to violence to protect women and children, even as party-affiliated militias (whether the Sturmabteilung or the Proud Boys) engage in campaigns of intimidation. Such sentiments and statements would not seem out of place uttered by Goebbels in 1933 or Tucker Carlson today.

There’s a pattern to how states target disfavored minorities with the intention of driving them out, or underground. It starts with rhetoric demonizing a minority, designed to start a moral panic, and with laws meant to “encourage” the targeted minority to leave by making life as dangerous, unpleasant, and untenable for them as possible.

 In another New Republic article they write about how many millions it is costing Florida to defend all these draconian laws...

In reality, DeSantis has spent more than $17 million defending his terrible laws in court since he took office. As a result, the state budget for 2023 includes a $15.8 million allotment just to defend his policies.

 

That allotment includes $6 million for the governor’s office, compared to just $1.6 million last year. The State University System Board of Governors received an extra $2 million to defend DeSantis’s “Stop Woke” Act, and the attorney general’s office got an additional $5 million to defend the state’s backward Covid-19 vaccination policies.

The extra money for legal costs means that DeSantis is able to hire outside (and much more expensive) lawyers to defend his policies. So far, his administration has spent the most defending laws restricting voting rights, transgender health care, and academic freedom. But despite his best efforts, and his hefty coffers, most of those laws were still overturned.

But what caught my attention in the article was,

These laws, and the many others like them that Republicans are passing across the country, are not actually meant to be good. They aren’t really even meant to stand up in court. The goal is to stoke culture wars and scapegoat people who don’t adhere to strictly conservative lifestyles.

Truth, these laws are all getting their conservative base out to votes... We have to stop these commie fags! Go out and vote. And all the right-wing automatons march like mindless robots to the polls.

Then there was this little gem from the Rolling Stones magazine about Trump's speech in Michigan where says,

Trump mixed promotion of the combustion engine with anti-trans hate, vowing that if he’s re-elected, “Gasoline engines will be allowed” and “sex changes for children will be banned.” Repeatedly mangling his words, Trump referred often to child “mutilization.” He also went on wild digressions about his legal woes (“Now I get indicted every three days!”), and his rivals in the Republican primary field, who are debating in California on Wednesday. “They’re all job candidates,” he said, suggesting that none of them are VP worthy.

If the Republicans get a trifecta on the federal level, be scared. Be very scared! Because you have seen nothing yet, they will do everything they can to make this country a one party nation.

Good Title!

As I look through various news sites like Google News, Yahoo News, and those posted on Facebook so I read a lot news article from many sources and every once in a while one pops and I know I have to post it.

Loud and Proud

Justine Lindsay is the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader. For many football fans, her presence represents a new, more inclusive era for the league’s cheer squads.
Elle
By Rose Minutaglio
Sep 18, 2023

You know what she looks like. Her hair is blonde, her waist is small, and her skin is almost always white. She’s Torrance Shipman in Bring It On. She’s Quinn Fabray from Glee. But, Justine Lindsay says with a laugh, “she’s definitely not me.” Lindsay, 30, is the first openly transgender woman in NFL cheerleading. She is a sideline crusader, an agent for change from within the machoest of macho sports. And it’s not a position she takes lightly: “But I am a cheerleader,” Lindsay adds, “so I do it with a smile on my face.”

When Lindsay made the Carolina Panthers’ TopCats squad last year, she upended decades of deeply-rooted stereotypes about cheerleaders. For many football fans, her presence in the stadium has symbolized the start of a new chapter for NFL cheer, one where “it’s okay to be your most authentic self,” Lindsay says. Since then, she has started a podcast about her experience, written a viral essay on trans rights, and spoke at a GLAAD event spotlighting inclusion in professional sports. As transgender voices continue to be silenced all across the country, Lindsay is making hers louder than ever.

This drives conservatives crazy. Why? Because people who accept us for who we are!

At times, her courage comes at a cost. Dealing with social media bullies and intolerant football fans can feel like a challenge to her humanity, but Lindsay believes it is a price worth paying. “Everything that I’m going through now, it’s bigger than me,” she says. “I’m setting things up for the younger generation. No one is going to stop this show.”

Yeah, I can understand there has to be an awful lot nuts out there that must be flipping out about this. I think, this is just my theory is that these macho guys who flip their toupees over it are worry that they might have the hot for one cheerleaders and she’s trans. They are worried “Gasp!” someone might think them gay!

One of the nice things is that she has family support.

Her actual family members drive in from all over North and South Carolina to attend almost every game. Lindsay, who grew up in the Charlotte suburb of Dilworth, says she feels at ease in the scrum of a sports locker room thanks to a childhood spent playing sports with older siblings and a gaggle of cousins. Before cheerleading, dance took center stage in her life. She was five years old when the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater came to town performing Revelations, the company’s signature piece using African-American spirituals and song-sermons. “Seeing people that looked like me… and how they were able to move their bodies, well, it really stuck with me,” Lindsay remembers. “I was like, ‘Dang, I could do that.’”

I wonder how it will be on the road with her?

In true cheerleader fashion, it’s rare to see Lindsay without a smile on her face. But the weight of her day-to-day reality isn’t lost on her teammates. “We learned how to navigate the different issues and hardships that we each carry as individuals outside of being TopCats,” Crawford says. “We are a family here, and family protects each other.” As any good cheerleader knows, no formation is complete unless you have a strong support system.

Is sounds like the team members have her back.

The antagonizers out there causes concern but will the support of the team she has confidence.

There’s still a lot—a lot—of work to do, but NFL cheer, along with many other cheer squads in other leagues, do seem to be trending in the right direction. On the TopCats, one of the most diverse NFL cheer teams, at least half the squad are women of color. They don’t adhere to a prescribed set of regulated beauty standards and can wear their hair however they choose to.

Lost In The Past!

That is where the Republicans are, they are lost in the past. Take the Second Amendment…

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Back then a really good rifleman could get at most three shots off in a minute, now it is a 100 rounds a minute. Through an originalist lens no limits can be placed on gun owner ship but other judges see the Constitution as a living document.

The Supreme Court’s originalists have taken over − here’s how they interpret the Constitution
The Conversation
By Whitley R.P. Kaufman
September 25, 2023

Today a majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices are either self-described originalists or strongly lean toward originalism. Yet less than 50 years ago, originalism was considered a fringe movement, hardly taken seriously by most legal scholars.

So, what is originalism, and why is it so influential today?

Originalism is the theory that judges are bound to interpret the Constitution as it would have been interpreted in the historical era when it was written. Understood this way, originalism is the idea that judges must follow the law as written and not merely ignore it or reinterpret it to their liking.

This is just like those who believe in the Bible and refuse to eat seafood such as shrimp, lobster, crabs oysters, clams, and mussels and the Bible also bans the eating pork. The originalist follow the Bible to the letter, but back when the Bible was written there were very good reason for the banning of certain foods, pigs carried trichinosis and seafood carried their own diseases, and leprosy didn’t have cure. But no a days we can treat these diseases does it still make sense to ban them? But the originalist still follow the bans.

The Washington Post calls originalists bunk!

Opinion: Originalism is bunk. Liberal lawyers shouldn’t fall for it.
By Ruth Marcus
December 1, 2022

Liberal lawyers — and liberal justices, for that matter — risk being caught in an originalism trap.

Originalism, the belief that the meaning of the Constitution was fixed at the time it was adopted, is the legal theory that dominates the thinking of this conservative Supreme Court. Not all of the conservative justices are committed originalists. I count four of the six — all but Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and perhaps Samuel A. Alito Jr., who describes himself as a “practical originalist.” But they have all written or joined originalist rulings.

Given that reality, liberals can’t lightly dismiss conservatives’ insistence that the Constitution should be interpreted based strictly on the original meaning of its text. In the current circumstances, liberal advocates appearing before the court would be remiss not to make an originalist case.

But there’s also little evidence, at least in the highest-profile cases, that it will do them much good. When originalist arguments favor a result the conservative justices dislike, they’re content to ignore them, or to cherry-pick competing originalist interpretations that comport with their underlying inclinations. Originalism doesn’t serve to constrain but to justify. This is not a fair fight — or an honest one.

[…]

Because originalism purports to freeze our understanding of the Constitution as written at the end of the 18th century or amended in the second half of the 19th, it is skewed to a cramped reading of the document, unleavened by modern science and sensibilities. Why should we understand — much less accept — the constitutional meaning as fixed at a time when women lacked the right to vote, when recently enslaved Black people attended segregated schools, when the economy was agrarian, and when the notion of gay rights was unthinkable?

You know how we can stop this? Vote!

Vote the Republicans out of office!

And that’s the trap. Playing by originalist rules might help liberal justices gain the high ground when it comes to intellectual honesty, but it risks entrenching the assumption that originalism is the one true method of constitutional interpretation. Originalism is the “no new taxes” of constitutional theory, as easy to understand as it is insipid; there is no similar progressive alternative that can be reduced to a bumper-sticker slogan.

Yes, there are liberal originalists, but their version of originalism, emphasizing the framers’ use of deliberately broad language in constructing constitutional guarantees, ends up looking a lot like the “living constitutionalism” liberal decisions that conservative originalists deride as loosey-goosey.

We all look at life through color lens, mine is blue and the Republicans through a red lens.

In the Kansas City Star they had another opinion about Originalism.

In a 1920 case, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes described the Constitution as an organism that must be interpreted “in the light of our whole experience and not merely in that of what was said a hundred years ago.” He also wrote in the decision: “When we are dealing with words that also are a constituent act, like the Constitution of the United States, we must realize that they have called into life a being the development of which could not have been foreseen completely by the most gifted of its begetters.”

[…]

It is also important to remember that originalism started out as a reactionary movement to counter the rulings of the Warren Court. In the early 1980s, Bork and Antonin Scalia were the faculty sponsors for the Federalist Society chapters at their respective law schools. What began as a small group of disaffected law students has turned out to be one of the most powerful legal organizations in the world. During the Trump administration, the Federalist Society served as a pipeline for federal court judgeships, and its behind-the-scenes network of attorneys has moved the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence substantially to the right in the areas of voting rights, gun rights, corporate speech, freedom of religion, church and state, administrative law and abortion.

It all boils down to whose view Originalist views.

You want to know have we can get rid of some the judges… vote so the Democrats have a trifecta and are able to impeach Justice Thomas, and the other judges who are palsy-walsy with billionaires.

Taking Measure.

[Rant]
One of my pet peeves is when I see a panel discussion on either trans or LGBQ people and what I see are all young people on the panel. While it is important to have young people speak up, if the panel is on LGBTQ+ issues you cannot just have either gays, or lesbians, or trans, or Bi, or queer on the panel you need them all! You also need a broad range of ages, you can’t have all twenty something on the panel and you also can’t have just seniors on the panel.

You need a wide range of people on the panel.

Around the turn of the century I went to a presentation by a PhD candidate at the University of Hartford on LGBTQ+ in the Media… whoa this should be good! There were about five of us there and in presentation he talked about gays and lesbians on TV. Wait a minute where’s the trans in the media? So we asked him and his answer floored us. He said that there were no shows on TV about trans people! What!

We said what about The Education of Max Bickford? Or All in the Family? And we name a number of other shows. He was very quite after that. I said if I was his doctoral advisor I would give him an “F.” (I noticed that when he gave the presentation again he titled it Lesbians and Gays in the Media.)

***

I was on a committee where we were trying to make research studies more inclusive to minorities. And boy did I meet a bunch of snobs… “It is my study and leave you hands off it!” All we were trying to do is increase their demographics by recruiting a boarder base and by asking questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. That committee was a flop, the heart was in the right place but we ran in huge silos.

***

When we were trying to pass the gender inclusive none discrimination bill, the number one question the legislators asked was about demographics… how many trans people are in Connecticut? How many are homeless? How many trans people were refused healthcare? All we could do was shrug our shoulders. The state legislature gave us funds for a needs assessment to find out back in 2020.

***

And now Department of Public Health is looking for feedback on the proposed protocols for collecting SOGI demographic data on us. It is easy for gays and lesbians but for us it is a nightmare.

What does the word “transgender” mean to you? I bet if you ask a hundred trans people you will get a hundred different answers. For some it means only those who have transitioned, for other it means only is you had surgery, and for others it means anyone who crosses the gender norms.

Meanwhile, a large government agency wants a “black and white” answer and I don’t know what the answer is… do my homework assignment is to read this for our meeting next month for the legislative LGBTQ+ Justice & Opportunity Network, the booklet is Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation.

Some people feel surveys are a waste of time and money… just give us the money and we will spend it where needed. However the legislators want to know where the funding is needed and they want data! They like reading reports, they like seeing numbers, they want to know where the funding is most needed.

So to do that they need information and a standard format, hence the booklet from the Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

They suggest:

     RECOMMENDATION 4: The panel recommends that the National Institutes of Health use the following pair of questions assessing sex assigned at birth and gender identity:

    Q1: What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth certificate?

        Female
        Male
    (Don’t know)
    (Prefer not to answer)
    
Q2: What is your current gender? [Mark only one]
        
        Female
        Male
        Transgender
        [If respondent is AIAN:] Two-Spirit
        I use a different term: [free text]
    (Don’t know)
    (Prefer not to answer)

How would you ask these questions to determine SO/GI?

[/Rant]

Losing Your Democracy

The only thing in common with losing your virginity is once they are lost there is no getting them back.

"How you lose your democracy": Shocking new research shows Americans lack basic civic knowledge
Do you know what the three branches of government are? Do you understand their roles? Many Americans do not
Salon
By Chauncey DeVega
September 26, 2023

Republicans are systematically eroding the basic civil rights of the American people. As we are seeing in other countries that are experiencing what experts describe as "democratic backsliding," Republicans are doing this by undermining and corrupting America's democratic institutions from within. If Republicans get their way, free speech, freedom of association, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, equal protection under the law, the right to privacy, the right to vote, and other basic freedoms and rights will be severely restricted.

In an example of Orwellian Newspeak, Republicans present themselves as defenders of freedom, when they actually oppose it. More specifically, Republicans believe that freedom is the ability and power of a select group of White Americans (rich, white, "Christian" men) to take away and otherwise deny the rights and liberties of other Americans and people in this country they deem to be less than, second-class, not "real Americans" and the Other, such as Black and brown people, the LGBTQI community, women, non-Christians, and other targeted groups.

Look at Trump he said the he was going to try everyone for treason! Yesterday’s post was about Texas Attorney General overriding a judge.

Such an outcome is not a coincidence: it is the intentional outcome of how the American right-wing and conservative movements have undermined high-quality public education for decades with the goal of creating a compliant public that lacks the critical thinking skills and knowledge to be engaged citizens. Now new research by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center provides insight into the extent of this crisis. Some of the Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey's findings include:

[W]hen U.S. adults are asked to name the specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, only one right is recalled by most of the respondents: Freedom of speech, which 77% named.  
     
Although two-thirds of Americans (66%) can name all three branches of government, 10% can name two, 7% can name only one, and 17% cannot name any.

All the conservatives want to be taught in schools is: reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic, the Republicans don’t want thinking voters. The dumber they are the better to believe their lies.

In this conversation, he explains how America's democracy crisis is connected to a lack of basic political knowledge and civic literacy, the role that education can play in equipping Americans to defend their democracy, and why contrary to what many "conservatives" like to believe, America is not a "republic".

You have to be proactive, we have to go out there and take an active party in the elections.

    • Do you know how a bill because a law?
    • Have you every talked to your legislator?
    • Have you ever been to the state capitol or Legislative Office Building (LOB)?
    • Have you ever testified on a bill?
    • Have you ever been to the capitol and watched a bill being debated and/or voted on?

Voting is not passive in this day of age you have to speak up and speak out.

We Won Another One

You might remember that U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that West Texas A&M University ban on a campus drag show was legal. Well another federal just ruled the a ban on drag shows violate the First Amendment.

US judge throws out Texas ban on drag acts, calls it unconstitutional
Reuters
By Jonathan Allen
September 26, 2023


A federal judge in Texas ruled on Tuesday that the state's new law limiting public drag performances was an unconstitutional restriction on speech and he permanently forbid enforcement of it.

"Not all people will like or condone certain performances," U.S. District Judge David Hittner wrote. "This is no different than a person's opinion on certain comedy or genres of music, but that alone does not strip First Amendment protection."

More than a dozen states have sought to restrict drag shows over last year, with Texas one of at least four to pass restrictions into law, part of broader Republican efforts to regulate the behavior of LGBT people.

Hittner ruled that the Texas law was discriminatory and improperly vague. He said drag performances were not inherently obscene, and were the sort of expressive speech protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

[...]

The office of the Texas attorney general defended the law, which, among other restrictions, banned "the exhibition of sexual gesticulations using accessories or prosthetics that exaggerate male or female sexual characteristics" in public, or in venues where people under 18 may see it. Violations could be punished by fines and a jail sentence of up to one year.

You know these cases are going all the way to the Supreme Court.

---

In other court news…

Donald Trump is found liable for fraud in New York civil case
Rueters

By Jonathan Stempel and Karen Freifeld
September 26, 2023

A New York judge found Donald Trump and his family business fraudulently inflated the value of his properties and other assets, in a major defeat for the former U.S. president that could severely restrict his ability to do business in the state.

The scathing decision by Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York state court in Manhattan will make it easier for state Attorney General Letitia James to establish damages at a scheduled Oct. 2 trial.

Engoron also ordered the cancellation of business certificates for the Trump Organization and other corporate defendants, and ordered the appointment of a receiver to manage their dissolution.

The judge described how Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, the Trump Organization and other defendants made up valuations and inflated Trump's net worth to suit their business needs.

"That is a fantasy world, not the real world," Engoron wrote.

The judge also sanctioned the defendants' lawyers for making "preposterous" legal arguments and fueling their clients' "obstreperous" conduct.

However, it is not a criminal case so there is no jail time. But, but…

 

The New Republic writes that this ruling could have big far-reaching consequences,

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed business fraud and ordered that all his New York business certificates be canceled. This makes it nearly impossible to do business in New York and could effectively kill the Trump Organization as it exists today.

AP News write,

Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment, making it difficult or impossible for them to do business in New York, and said he would continue to have an independent monitor oversee the Trump Organization’s operations.

[…]

Beyond mere bragging about his riches, Trump, his company and key executives repeatedly lied about them on his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance costs, Engoron found.

Those tactics crossed a line and violated the law, the judge said, rejecting Trump’s contention that a disclaimer on the financial statements absolved him of any wrongdoing.

Now I don’t know if businesses can sue them for fraud. I imagine towns, and the state might sue for back taxes and I also imagine that the banks will not be happy that they got defrauded.

The Terrorism Against Us Is Getting Worst!

It even reared is ugly head here in Connecticut (But they got the day!)

Bomb Threats Target LGBTQ+ Events Across the U.S. Over the Weekend
A sinister pattern has emerged as multiple cities witness threats against LGBTQ-friendly events.
The Advocate
By Christopher Wiggins
September 25, 2023

In a dark continuation of events, several LGBTQ+ gatherings across the United States were targeted with bomb threats last weekend. The orchestrated attempts to induce fear and disrupt peaceful groups reflect a grim reality in a political environment that has seen Republican lawmakers and pundits create culture wars against vulnerable groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. This year alone has seen more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures in the U.S., many of which have targeted trans youth and drag queens.

Republican believe in the Bible, maybe they need to read the part that says “Love they neighbor” instead they are sowing animosity and rancor against us.

The list of where they attacked starts off with a library…

Brooklyn Library Evacuation

On Saturday, the Cortelyou branch of Brooklyn Public Library received a menacing threat shortly before hosting Drag Story Hour NYC, a popular event where drag queens read books to children.

Utah Literacy Event Canceled

Similarly, in Utah, a bomb threat disrupted a drag story time event at The King’s English bookstore in Salt Lake City on Sunday.

Connecticut Pride Event Targeted

In Connecticut, a mass email threatening a bomb explosion led to the evacuation of the New Haven Pride Center on Saturday, as the New Haven Register reports. The threat coincided with a scheduled block party for the 26th annual Pride New Haven festival. Again, the hazardous device unit found no danger, but the incident marked another episode of terror targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

The only thing here in Connecticut because of all the rain the event was propositioned until next weekend.

 

On Yahoo News, the comments are horrible! These are the more mild comments.

• This story almost brought tears of joy to my eyes 
• Why do they continue to try "normalizing" men dressed like women with thick makeup, behaving sexually provocative, aka drag queens.  For those rebuttals referring to Miss Doubtfire or that DQs have been around for decades, please don't bother.... 
• People don't like it when you go after their children.  Also, perhaps stop parading around so much and shoving yourselves in our faces?

---

 

Do you wonder where all this animosity is coming from?

Meta Fails to Moderate Content from Anti-Trans Hate Group on Instagram, Watchdog Group Says

Despite clear violations, controversial group continues to spread false and harmful narratives unchecked on Instagram, igniting concerns over Meta’s commitment to LGBTQ+ safety, according to a new report.

The Advocate

By Christopher Wiggins
September 26, 2023

A report released by Media Matters for America, the media watchdog group, on Tuesday, criticizes Instagram, for its alleged failure to effectively moderate content posted by the controversial anti-trans organization Gays Against Groomers.

The report, which The Advocate is reporting exclusively, highlights a series of instances where Gays Against Groomers is accused of spreading harmful rhetoric about LGBTQ+ people on the platform, clearly violating Instagram’s community guidelines against hate speech, harassment, and misinformation.

One of the primary concerns raised by the report is the apparent inconsistency in Instagram’s enforcement of these content policies. While other prominent platforms, including PayPal and Google, have taken decisive action to ban Gays Against Groomers for alleged violations of their content guidelines, Instagram, which is owned by Meta, has allowed the group’s content to remain accessible for over a year, according to Media Matters.

And you know who owns Meta? Mark Zuckerberg.

Gays Against Groomers has leveraged Instagram as one of its primary platforms, amassing over 357,000 followers since its creation in June 2022. The group has also joined Threads, Meta’s Twitter-like platform, where it has continued to post content criticized as hateful and false about LGBTQ+ people, according to the report.

The Instagram community guidelines emphasize the platform’s commitment to fostering a diverse and positive community. Expressly, these guidelines prohibit content that contains credible threats or hate speech, especially attacks on sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Instagram’s rules also direct users to Facebook’s hate speech policy, which prohibits content targeting people or groups based on their sexual orientation, gender, or sex.

Like many of the right-wing groups they are off-the-wall.

Meanwhile, on April 28, Gays Against Groomers posted on Instagram, asserting that LGBTQ+ people “are actively grooming kids into the Rainbow Cult,” seemingly citing a report that indicated “1 in 4 high school students identifies as LGBTQ.”

The group implied that this statistic resulted from LGBTQ+ individuals “grooming” children.

Further, the organization shared a TikTok video depicting children celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride, labeling it an “indoctrination ceremony.”

[…]

The group’s rhetoric didn’t stop there. They also criticized a clip from Sesame Street celebrating Pride, accusing it of “grooming children for sexual orientation and sexual preference.” The caption characterized the video as “teaching toddlers about sex” and “grooming, point blank.”

These group throw out all type of lies to create animosity, so who are behind them? Gays Against Groomers sound like a grassroots organization but it is anything but,

Despite Gays Against Groomers’ self-presentation as a grassroots coalition dedicated to protecting children, Media Matters revealed that this group is composed of right-wing individuals with established ties to such organizations, linking the group’s founder, Jaimee Michell, and its former chair and co-founder, David Leatherwood, to right-wing firms and figures.

[…]

Nonetheless, in a recent Instagram post on June 10, the group claimed to be a volunteer-driven, grassroots effort, stating, “No one has pocketed a dime, and we have had zero big donors.”

They are grasstop with big deep pockets!

Meanwhile Meta says,

“At Meta, we want to make sure our platforms are a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQIA+ community, and we work hard to allow people freedom of voice while ensuring we minimize harm. We have a long history of engaging with global LGBTQIA+ community groups, stakeholders, and advocacy organizations, and when we identify content that violates our policies, we take appropriate action,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The statement also emphasized Meta’s dedication to addressing hate speech and harmful content, particularly when it targets LGBTQ+ people.

My Facebook account got its hand slapped!

For this post “The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850” they said it doesn’t meet “community standards” see if you find anything that doesn't meet “community standards

---

Update 10:45PM

An Advocate article is about more terrorism against us,

A man in New Mexico has admitted to threatening a U.S. member of Congress because he thought she was transgender.

According to court documents, Las Cruces resident Michael David Fox has entered a guilty plea to a federal charge concerning threats made across state lines. This plea was presented in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian L. Martinez at the U.S. District Court in New Mexico last Thursday, relating to a phone call Fox made last May to a congressperson’s Houston office.

He threatened to “put a bullet” in the unidentified congressperson’s face during the call.

“You’re a man. It’s official. You’re literally a tr*nny and a pedophile, and I’m going to put a bullet in your f***ing face. You mother f***ing satanic cock sucking son of a whore. You understand me, you f***er?” Fox said in the call, according to the criminal complaint.

Following a trace conducted by law enforcement, the call from May 18 was linked to a cellphone in Las Cruces. Upon being confronted by FBI agents on May 26, Fox confirmed making the call, although he didn’t recall all the details initially. However, Fox admitted his actions after hearing the recorded call, per court records.

These right-wing groups are getting all stirred up and I worry that the closer we get to November 2024 the worst it is going to get.

Short And Sweet

 Because I forgot to write a morning post.

This morning’s post is about our healthcare, we are lucky here in a Blue state our healthcare has been confirmed by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunity many time but those who live in Red states have to fight legal battles to get coverage.

Transgender health care coverage debated in marathon Fourth Circuit hearings
One circuit judge expressed concern that forcing state health programs to cover gender-affirming care could intrude on state's rights.
Courthouse News Service
By James Farrell
September 21, 2023

A debate over whether two states’ public health care policies should cover certain gender-affirming treatments took center stage Thursday in rare, back-to-back en banc hearings before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.

For nearly three hours, an engaged panel consisting of all the Fourth Circuit’s judges heard oral arguments in two appeals out of North Carolina and West Virginia, peppering both sides with questions, with no clear consensus among them in either case.

Underpinning Thursday’s arguments in both cases was a debate over whether health care policies could separate the diagnosis of gender dysphoria from the sex and gender identity of the patients pursuing the treatment.

In the first case, Kadel v. Folwell, a federal judge ruled in 2022 that the North Carolina State Health Plan, which covers teachers and state employees, violated the Fourteenth Amendment by excluding coverage of “treatment or studies leading to or in connection with sex changes or modifications and related care.” The state appealed.

And in Fain v. Crouch, the state of West Virginia is appealing a similar decision about its Medicaid program, which covers some gender-affirming treatments but specifically excludes “transsexual surgery.”

Attorney John Knepper, representing the state of North Carolina, did not dispute that gender-affirming care could be a medically necessary treatment. Instead, he argued that no federal or state law requires the State Health Plan to cover all medically necessary treatments.

I do not know where these state lawyers went to school but they sure lack knowledge of Supreme Court ruling. Even I know that…

Supreme Court Rules: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Discrimination is Illegal

On June 15th, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is illegal under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

The decision stems from three cases in front of the Court where an individual employee in each case alleged unlawful discrimination by their employer on the basis of sex under Title VII. Two cases related to sexual orientation – Gerald Bostock was fired after participating in a gay recreational softball league for “conduct ‘unbecoming’ a county employee”, and Donald Zarda was fired days after mentioning he was gay. The third case was about gender identity – Aimee Stevens presented as male when initially hired and was fired after informing her employer she planned to live and work as a woman.

Delivering the opinion of the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the Court was tasked with determining the ordinary public meaning of the terms of the statute at the time it was enacted, and the primary characteristic and term at issue and in dispute between the parties in these cases was the protected characteristic “sex”. The Court looked at what sex meant under the statute and what Title VII says about it – that the prohibition in the statute is on taking certain actions “because of” sex. As the employers in these cases suggested that Title VII is only concerned with discharges involving discrimination, the Court analyzed what discrimination meant in 1964 and determined it is roughly the same as today – that discrimination against an individual “seems to mean treating that individual worse than others who are similarly situated.” The Court further reasoned that no matter how it is analyzed, there is no way an employer can discriminate against homosexual or transgender individuals without discriminating in part based on the individual’s sex. Therefore, based on the ordinary public meaning at the time of the law’s adoption, the Court stated, “[A] straightforward rule emerges: An employer violates Title VII when it intentionally fires an individual employee based in part on sex.”

But it seems like the Republican lawyer have wax stuck in their ears. Either that or they slept the class lecture on the case.

Courthouse News goes on to say,

U.S. Circuit Judge Harvie Wilkinson, a Ronald Reagan appointee, expressed particular concern in both cases about whether requiring states to cover these types of treatment would encroach on state's rights. In the North Carolina case, he doubted that courts should have the ability to determine how states cover their own employees.

It is not a “states rights” the Fourteenth Amendment says everyone must be treated equally.

“Why can’t a state decide that the money that could have been spent on coverage for transgender-related issues should instead be spent to provide greater coverage for cancer, stroke and heart attack victims?” he said.

Um… because the Constitution says you cannot discriminate.

But Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, a Barack Obama appointee, agreed with Borelli’s argument that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment would trump those concerns.

“If there’s an Equal Protection violation, then the courts should step in if there’s been discriminatory actions taken up against a particular suspect group,” Diaz said. “And it seems to me that the costs are not relevant at that point. The insurer’s decision has to comply with the law.”

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an attorney from Lambda Legal who accompanied Borelli during arguments on Thursday told Courthouse News that it was a day of fair hearings. The court notably did not grapple with the necessity or evidence behind gender-based care, he said. Rather, it remained focused on the issues and legal theories.

Why does it seem like conservative judges have blinders on, they only see what they want to see.

It Is My Way Or The Highway

This morning I wrote about Florida’s efforts to thwart democracy well now it is Texas’s turn.

A unique Texas legal rule lets the attorney general’s office supersede some judges’ orders
Lawyers criticize a provision they say erodes the separation of powers between Texas’ executive branch and its courts. It’s been used repeatedly this year as Texans try to block new state laws from going into effect.
Texas Tribune
By William Melhado
September 25, 2023

Minutes before the close of business on a Friday in August, a state district judge temporarily ordered that women with complicated pregnancies could receive abortions in response to a lawsuit filed by Texans who had been denied care due to the state’s strict ban on the procedure.

“For the first time in a long time, I cried for joy when I heard the news,” lead plaintiff Amanda Zurawski said in a statement Aug. 4. “I have a sense of relief, a sense of hope, and a weight has been lifted. Now people don’t have to be pregnant and scared in Texas anymore.”

But within five hours of the judge’s decision, the Office of the Attorney General appealed State District Court Judge Jessica Mangrum of Austin’s temporary injunction. The simple act of filing the appeal immediately blocked the order and reinstated the abortion ban in full, without a single person testifying or any argument being considered.

That’s because an uncommon provision in state law allows the attorney general to supersede a state judge’s order.

This is something a totalitarian government does rigging the elections so only one party can win.

The Office of the Attorney General, which did not respond to requests for comment, exercised the supersedeas rule at least three times in rapid succession in the past several weeks to ensure new Texas laws take effect. Lawsuits have targeted legislative priorities that have become increasingly far-reaching and vital for conservative causes — abortion, election security and transgender health care access.

Do you remember last week when the Republicans refuse to impeach the Attorney General?

Paxton tells House Republicans who went against him on impeachment to ‘get ready’
KXAN
By Monica Madden   
September 22, 2023

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is threatening retribution for the House Republicans who went against him on impeachment, in a post-acquittal media blitz on a variety of conservative talk shows.

Speaking with Dallas radio host Mark Davis, Paxton said he would  “absolutely” support and fund primary challengers, emphasizing he will spend “a lot of time” in Beaumont, Kerrville and Collin County.

Doesn’t that sound like something Putin would do?

Texas Tribune goes on to write,

“I think the real reason we are seeing more of these is about the nature of the laws coming out of the Texas Legislature. They are increasingly beyond the pale in the ways they infringe people’s rights and call for constitutional challenges,” Loewy told the Tribune.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

An elephant never forgets and neither does the Republican party when Republicans go against the Prime Directive “Thou shall not attack a fellow Republican.”

---

Speaking of an elephant never forgets...

Trump Goes Full Deranged, Suggests Charging People He Doesn’t Like With Treason
This is not a joke. Donald Trump is stating very plainly what he would do if reelected.
The New Republic
By Tori Otten
September 25, 2023

Donald Trump went over the edge over the weekend and began calling for his detractors to be prosecuted or even put to death.

“They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its ‘Country Threatening Treason,’” he wrote on Truth Social Sunday night.

“I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States … the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events,” he said. “They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!”

What I know of Trump, he means it. Trump gets revenge on anyone who crosses him, an elephant never forgets and neither does Trump.

But the fact that he is threatening to censor news outlets through federal regulatory powers is terrifying, not to mention a huge violation of the Constitution.

Trump is very vindictive. We saw this in his first term and I think if he is elected it will be even worst and I don’t think a little thing like the Constitution will stop him.

---

Updated @ 3:30 PM

Trump accuses NBC of ‘treason’ in online demand for an investigation

The Daily News
By Brian Niemietz  New York Daily News
September 25, 2023

Former President Donald Trump is calling for NBC to be investigated for “Country Threatening Treason” on account of reporting about him by the media outlet and its affiliates.

“They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its “Country Threatening Treason,” Trump wrote.

“I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events,” Trump continued in a social media rant aimed at NBC’s parent company Sunday night.

Among Trump’s grievances is coverage by NBC and other networks of his convivial relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, whose agenda is at odds with that of the United States government.

An elephant never forgets!

Stacking The Deck.

Now DeSantis has created a new way to gerrymander… the court districts! Dividing them up so that they will always have a conservative DA and judges! Scary!

The Florida GOP Has a New, Devious Way to Thwart Liberal Judges and Prosecutors
Slate
By John Pfaff
September 19, 2023

This summer, Republicans in Florida launched an under-the-radar, yet incredibly effective, attack on criminal justice reformers in the state. In mid-June, the Republican speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives asked the state Supreme Court to create a commission to look into redrawing judicial circuit borders. By the end of the month, the Florida Supreme Court had created a commission to review its judicial circuits, moving toward a devastating judicial gerrymander. The effort was a seemingly technocratic act, but it’s actually one of the most direct assaults on the politics of criminal justice reform after years of attacks by state-level Republican officials on reforms adopted in their more Democratic cities.

How is able to do this devious thing?

In most states, prosecutors and judges are elected or appointed by county. The borders of counties are fairly fixed. But Florida is one of about 14 states that defines the jurisdictions—and thus the electorate in them—for prosecutors and judges as multi-county circuits. The state’s 67 counties are consolidated into 20 judicial circuits. In theory, the request from Florida House Speaker Paul Renner was made in the name of cost savings and the demographic and population changes since 1969, when the circuit maps were last drawn. But these borders are easy to change in politically motivated ways, and create a lot of opportunities for opportunistic map-drawing.

So they are going to pack the courts! Just like the way that they did with the Supreme Court!

Our little would be dictator DeSantis wants to create a fascist state where he controls every facet in the state. The test is going to come in 2026, DeSantis will have to sit out the election cycle, Ballotpedia says…

The Governor of the State of Florida is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the highest state office in Florida. The governor is elected by popular election every four years. There is no lifetime limit on the number of times he or she may be elected, but a governor who has been elected to two consecutive terms must be out of office for at least one election cycle before being eligible for re-election.

So it will be interesting to see if DeSantis steps down or changes the Constitution.

When Is The First Amendment Isn’t?

If you think that it is a trick question you are right, every other court has ruled the drag is covered by the 1^st Amendment but one…

Federal judge sides with West Texas A&M University president who canceled campus drag show
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the student fundraiser featuring drag performers was not protected, raising the stakes for a battle over First Amendment rights and drag shows.
Texas Tribune
By William Melhado
September 22, 2023

One of Texas’ most notoriously conservative federal judges issued an opinion this week supporting restrictions to drag shows, which stands apart from many other federal rulings that have struck down similar bans in other states as unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said that West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler acted within his authority when he canceled a campus drag show. Students sued Wendler in March, alleging the president violated their free speech rights by banning a fundraiser featuring drag performers, but Kacsmaryk declined the request for injunctive relief.

In his opinion, Kacsmaryk wrote, at “this point in Free Speech jurisprudence, it is not clearly established that all ‘drag shows’ are categorically ‘expressive conduct.’”

Oh really? Why have other courts and appeals courts have ruled otherwise? You want to guess who appointed the judge? I really you know already… Trump.

Kacsmaryk’s opinion stands in contrast with several other decisions over free speech lawsuits related to drag shows. Around the country and in states run by Republicans, federal judges in Florida, Montana and Tennessee have successfully blocked laws aimed at banning or limiting drag shows from going into effect. In June, a federal judge in Tennessee, appointed by former President Donald Trump, ruled the state’s drag ban is unconstitutional in its effort to suppress First Amendment-protected speech.

Observers say Kacsmaryk’s decision is concerning because it represents an extreme departure from precedent in this area. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to play a deciding factor as the numerous lawsuits over drag show bans make their way through the legal system. It’s unclear how Kacsmaryk’s decision could be factored in, as the West Texas A&M case concerns campus activities.

Okay you say both parties are the same and you are not going to vote in the elections? Can you imagine if Trump wins and we get another 200 judges who put the Bible and the Party ahead of the Constitution.

LGBTQ+ groups and performers made similar claims in another federal lawsuit that challenges a Texas law that restricts drag shows from being performed in front of children. U.S. District Judge David Hittner temporarily blocked the law, arguing that banning drag shows is “likely'' unconstitutional.

But Kacsmaryk offered a differing assessment in his Thursday order. He said the students’ definition of “expressive conduct” failed to meet the necessary standards to “decide a Free Speech campus case.”

And it has far reaching consequences, Ken Paxton, who has been impeached but was acquitted because the Senators wouldn’t cross the thin red line… Thou shall not harm a fellow Republican.

The Office of the Attorney General quickly took notice of Kacsmaryk’s order, requesting Judge Hittner throw out the case against the Texas law restricting drag shows.

Vote Blue as if your life depends upon it… because it does.

Stop One Minute.

[Editorial]

The Republicans in Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Montana all have tried to silence duly elected Democratic legislator and judges. Thwarting the will of the voters, now they are trying to do it to an elected president of the United State without any evidence.

McCarthy launch of Biden impeachment inquiry into Biden appears to win over reluctant Republicans

PBS NewHour

September 13, 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s sudden decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden has won over even the most reluctant Republicans, with some GOP lawmakers pushing for it to move quickly rather than drag into the 2024 election year.

McCarthy opened and closed a private meeting Wednesday of House Republicans justifying his reasoning for the inquiry sought by former President Donald Trump, the party’s frontrunner to challenge Biden next year.

[…]

In the inquiry, House Republicans are trying to link Biden to the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, and deflect attention away from Trump’s own legal peril as the two men battle anew for the White House. Trump is the only president to be twice impeached — acquitted both times — and he is the first to face criminal charges in four separate indictments, including for trying to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Biden.

Frank Bruni of The New York Times wrote,

“It wasn’t that the accumulated evidence had finally crossed some threshold or reached some tipping point. It was that a group of rabidly right-wing Republicans high on their own power were coming for him. The impeachment inquiry is chum for approaching sharks, meant to distract and divert them, at least partly.”

Jonathan Chait of the New York magazine wrote,

“In December 2019, when he was facing impeachment for his scheme to extort Ukraine into smearing his leading political opponent, President Donald Trump warned that his party would take revenge when it had the opportunity. … What has transformed this longstanding desire into an actual impeachment investigation is not any investigative finding, but simply an impatience by Trump and his supporters to get on with it. ‘Either impeach the bum, or fade into oblivion,’ Trump posted. ‘They did it to us!’”

I doubt very much that President Biden will get impeached, they just do have the votes but I want you to stop and think for a moment. It is just "Revenge" politics something the Republicans are know for.

In Wisconsin there is a movement by the Republicans to impeach a state Supreme Court judge before she even sits on the Bench, why? Because she is a Democrat. That is the reason. Period. The Republicans are afraid that the court will overturn their gerrymandering.

In Montana the Republicans censured a Democrat legislator why? Because she is trans. So was elected by the people but for the Republicans that doesn’t matter what the people want it is what the party wants.

Down in Florida governor DeSantis has thrown out of office elected Democrat prosecutors not because of something that they did but rather for something that they might do.

Now I want you to think, if the Republicans keep control of the House and gain control of the Senate and President Biden is reelected do you think that the Republicans would impeach him on made-up grounds? Do you think that they would stop there with president but would find something to impeach the Vice President?

With control of the White House, Senate, House, and the Supreme Court, it would put Trump’s Jan 6th Coup attempt to shame.

[/Editorial]

Scatters to the Four Winds Part II

[Essay]

Last Saturday I wrote about how families are being scattered because of the economy and the children do not get to bond with their cousins, aunts, and uncles. No one know what will happen when the glue that holds society together dissolves.

Well there is another side effect to being scattered around the country… aging family members.

As the grandparents, aunts, and uncle age they are getting more isolated. As were age we become more isolated, my grandmother lived with us until she passed away… now? With their children states away grandparents used to travel on holidays and birthdays to be with their grandchildren. But what happens when the grandparents are states away and they can’t drive anymore?

Grandparents are becoming more isolated and end up in a nursing home by themselves… alone. The grandparents never becomes family with their grandchildren. They only become a voice on the phone and someone they see once or twice a year.

I asked Google’s Bard about this.

Are grandparents becoming more socially isolated from their grandchildren?

Bard:
There is some evidence to suggest that grandparents are becoming more socially isolated from their grandchildren. For example, a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 15% of grandparents said they saw their grandchildren at least once a week, down from 23% in 2010. The study also found that 12% of grandparents said they had not seen their grandchildren in the past year, up from 7% in 2010.

There are a number of factors that may contribute to this trend. One factor is that families are increasingly geographically dispersed. This makes it more difficult for grandparents to see their grandchildren on a regular basis, especially if they live in different states or countries.

Another factor is that parents are increasingly busy and time-pressed. This can make it difficult for them to find time to schedule visits with grandparents, or to bring their children to see grandparents on a regular basis.

Finally, changing social norms may also play a role. In the past, grandparents were often expected to be primary caregivers for their grandchildren. However, this is no longer as common. Today, many grandparents are working full-time or have other commitments that make it difficult for them to provide regular childcare.

It is important to note that not all grandparents are socially isolated from their grandchildren. Many grandparents have close and loving relationships with their grandchildren. However, the trend towards social isolation is concerning, as it can have negative consequences for both grandparents and grandchildren.

Grandparents who are socially isolated from their grandchildren may experience feelings of loneliness, sadness, and loss. They may also miss out on the many benefits of grandparenting, such as the opportunity to pass on their knowledge and wisdom to the next generation, and to experience the joy of watching their grandchildren grow and learn.

Grandchildren who are socially isolated from their grandparents may also miss out on important benefits. Grandparents can provide emotional support, guidance, and love to their grandchildren. They can also help to transmit family traditions and values.

There are a number of things that can be done to help reduce social isolation among grandparents. One important step is to raise awareness of the issue. Parents, grandparents, and other community members should all be aware of the importance of maintaining close relationships between grandparents and grandchildren.

Another important step is to make it easier for grandparents to see their grandchildren on a regular basis. This may involve scheduling regular visits, or using technology such as video chat to stay in touch.

Finally, it is important to create opportunities for grandparents to get involved in their grandchildren's lives. This may involve volunteering at their school or extracurricular activities, or simply attending their sporting events and recitals.

By taking steps to reduce social isolation among grandparents, we can help to ensure that all generations of families have the opportunity to benefit from close and loving relationships.

Grandparents are more then free babysitters, they pass family values and history down the generations.

 

This is a great social experiment that is not bounded by limits nor time, when or where will it end no one knows. Families shouldn't be just for holidays, weddings, or funerals. Families should be about shared memories.

No one know what will happen when the glue that holds society together dissolves.

[/Essay]

Scatters to the Four Winds Part I

Saturday 9: Answer the Phone

Saturday 9: Answer the Phone (2001)
 

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

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

1) This song likens a relationship to a roller coaster ride. When did you most recently visit an amusement park?
Yeah as if I would remember… maybe it was 55 years ago. It was probably Riverside Park in Agawam MA and is now Six Flags New England.

2) Lead singer Mark McGrath reasons that his girl should answer the phone because he knows she's home. That was decades ago, when most homes still had landlines. Where were you when you took your last call? Were you at home?
Home, the repairman for my new washer.
I just bought new washing machine when after 30+ years it developed a leak, since it was over 30 years old I thought that I got my money out of it so I bought a new one. They brought it in and set it up and the new one also leaked. The repairman came out looked at it and said I need to order a part… three weeks later it was fixed. But I have a marathon of washing to do, four weeks of wash! Because I couldn’t was my sheets and towels I bought new towels.

3) He remembers the glow of her face when he gave her a rose. Have you recently given or received a gift of flowers or a plant?
Nope. I barely keep my plants alive with being away for 6 weeks.

4) Sugar Ray's debut CD was called Lemonade and Brownies. Crazy Sam admits she'd prefer milk with her brownie. What about you? Does the combination of lemonade and brownies sound good to you?
Well I like lemonade and I like brownies but I don’t know if I like the two together.

5) In 2005, Mark McGrath was a guest judge on American Idol. At one time, Idol was the dominant singing competition show. Today, in addition to American Idol, viewers can also watch The Voice and America's Got Talent. Are you a fan of any or all of these shows?
Nope, I have never watched any of them. Nor reality TV shows.

6) Sugar Ray is a famous name in boxing circles. Sugar Ray Robinson and  Sugar Ray Leonard were both world championships. Are you a boxing fan?
Nope, I don’t like violence. I just can’t see watching two people beat the brains out of each other. I say “people” because women are also taking up boxing.

7) In 2001, when this song was popular, the Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened to the public after more than a decade of renovations. Have you ever been to Italy? If yes, where did you go? If not, is a trip to Italy on your wish list?
Nope, and it is not on my list. If I did go to Europe I would travel though the Alps, I am hooked on cab view train videos.

 

8) Also in 2001, Liverpool's Speke Airport was renamed John Lennon Airport. Liverpool's is the first airport in the United Kingdom to be named after an individual. Tell us about something in your hometown that is named after someone.
Well there are several named after early settlers, roads, brooks, parks, and schools. We are also the home of the first “Yankee Peddler” they used to travel around in the summer tinware that they made in the winter and sold in the summer.
 
9) Random Question: Is the screen on your cell phone cracked?
Nope, I don’t use it that much.

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!

---

Whew! The hurricane wasn’t that bad, I lost power for about 3 hours and the wind wasn’t as strong as they forecasted. But all was not well, the wind blew the cover off of the garbage can which was under the eaves and the rain ran off the roof into the garbage can which filled it with water. So all the garbage bags were also filled with water as a results each bag weighed around a 100 pounds! I threw my back out bringing them to the dump. All this week my back hurt. I had all my earns to do this week that I've been home with doctors' and a dentist appointment. Plus a Fiftieth anniversary party

What a difference 3 days make! The surfers loved it!

 

That Hissing Sound That You Hear…

Are conservatives doing a slow boil.

Missouri Transgender Girl Wins Homecoming Queen and the Right Loses It
Tristan Young’s crowning as homecoming queen at a Missouri high school sparks an outpouring of support and ignites a fierce battle in the war of words online.
The Advocate
By Christopher Wiggins
September 20, 2023

The recent crowning of Missouri teen Tristan Young as homecoming queen at Oak Park High School in Kansas City has stirred a fiery debate online.

Young, a transgender student, was voted homecoming queen by her fellow students at her school, reportedly winning over four other cisgender candidates. This marks the second occasion a transgender student has been elected homecoming queen at this school — the first being in 2015, according to multiple reports.

And of course you know the right-wing is having a hissy-fit over it!

Chaya Raichik, who operates the Libs of TikTok account on X, formerly known as Twitter, has targeted transgender people repeatedly with the account, which commands an audience of over 2.5 million followers. Raichik vehemently criticized Young’s victory, resorting to scornful and transphobic language.

Raichik took it further in a deeply dehumanizing post featuring a photo of Young alongside the other homecoming queen contestants. She used this photo to mock and target the teenage girl, writing, “One of these people is a male with an adam’s apple who won homecoming queen in @NKCSchools and 4 others are young girls who had their dreams crushed by a man. Can you guess which one is a male?”

Why is she so violently against her?

The students voted her, they have no problems with her being Homecoming Queen, why does she? She has nothing to do with the school she is just an outside agitator stirring up trouble.

These assertions have raised considerable eyebrows, given that Raichik, 28, insists on presenting herself as a protector of children and is going after a teenager.

What’s it to them? They don’t even know her but they are tearing her apart. They are creating animosity toward a person who just want to live their life… leave us alone!

Standing in defense of Young, an individual underscored their personal experience with Young during their school years, vehemently rejecting the idea that any narrative indoctrinated Young. “Oak Park High School was my Alma Mater. Tristan Young was my friend. I can tell you from experience that Tristan Young wasn’t indoctrinated by a narrative. She was the nicest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of performing with. You have no idea what the f*ck you’re talking about,” they wrote, responding to a bigoted comment about the transgender teen.

The children know.

What all these right-wingers know is that children growing up alongside a trans person, a lesbian, or a gay person will see though all these lies about us… and they will be voting! And that is what these conservatives fear that they will reject their hatemongering.

Work Until You Drop.

[Politics]

Are you ready to work until your 69?

I think you know what party proposed that. The Republicans always hate Social Security since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law and tried to scuttle it.

Social Security Cuts Are on the Table: How the Current Proposal Can Impact You
GoBankingRates
By Vance Cariaga
September 20, 2023

A group of Republican lawmakers aims to balance the federal budget and slash government spending by targeting programs like Social Security — and some seniors could see a major reduction in lifetime benefits if the plan makes it into law.

The proposal was unveiled June 14 by U.S. House conservatives, Bloomberg reported. One of its main features is to raise the full retirement age (FRA) at which seniors are entitled to the full benefits they are due.

The 176-member House Republican Study Committee (RSC) approved a fiscal blueprint that would gradually increase the FRA to 69 years old for seniors who turn 62 in 2033. The current full retirement age is 66 or 67, depending on your birth year. For all Americans born in 1960 or later, the FRA is 67.

As Bloomberg noted, workers expecting an earlier retirement benefit will see lifetime payouts reduced if the full retirement age is raised. Those payouts could be drastically reduced for seniors who claim benefits at age 62, when you are first eligible.

The Republicans ruling class are mostly white collar workers who are desk jockeys, while those who pave the roads on a 100 degree summer day, those who roof houses, those who deliver goods, those who do manual labor are lucky to make it to 65 now will even be less likely to make it to retirement age.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have been working to come up with a fix for Social Security before the program’s Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund runs out of money. That could happen within the next decade or so. When it does, Social Security will be solely reliant on payroll taxes for funding — and those taxes only cover about 77% of current benefits.

Work until you drop!

That is what the Republicans are counting on, that you will not live long enough to collect.

Do you know what percentage in Social Security tax the CEO of GM paid?
 

On an income of 29 million dollars paid SS tax on only 9,932! Or 0.0342% while we all pay 6.2%. Why because only the first $160,200 are taxed.

 

One of the reasons that the UAW is on strike is to bring back the old fashion company pensions, they know that IRAs and 401(k)s just don’t hack it.

While most Democrats want to boost Social Security through higher payroll taxes or reductions to benefits for wealthy Americans, the GOP has largely focused on paring down or privatizing the program.

You see the problem that the Republicans have with SS is that it is government run! They want their billionaire friends to reap in all that money! It is just like what the Republicans did with pensions, Reagan passed the Individual Retirement Accounts because the businesses were complaining that pension plans were costing them too much, while Reagan’s banking friends wanted their cuts to all that money. While IRAs and 401(k)s are good for most middle income people those in the lower income brackets that are just getting by they are horrible! They have just about all they can do to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads let alone saving for retirement.

 

I also want to point out that the Republicans under Trump's administration cut the top tax brackets for their billionaire friends driving us in trillions of dollars in debt which they are trying to pay off by cutting SS and the social programs.

The New York Times reported that the candidates stand on SS.

Donald J. Trump
Former President
He says he wouldn’t cut the programs but hasn’t explained how he would keep them solvent.

Former President Donald J. Trump has said he would not make any cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits. However, he has also opposed raising taxes to bring in more funding for them, which means his plans would not keep the programs solvent for the long term. A spokesman for his campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

***

Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida
He says he’s open to Social Security cuts for younger Americans.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has ruled out reducing Social Security benefits for current retirees and people near retirement age, but he has expressed openness to reductions for younger Americans.

***


Nikki Haley
Former Governor of South Carolina
She says she’s open to cuts for younger Americans.

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has suggested that she would raise the Social Security retirement age for people currently in their 20s in accordance with increases in life expectancy, though she has not given a number. (The retirement age is currently 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.)

***

Vivek Ramaswamy
Entrepreneur
He says he wouldn’t cut the programs but hasn’t explained how he would keep them solvent.

Vivek Ramaswamy has said he would not touch Social Security or Medicare benefits. “In a shrinking economy, we should not cut entitlements,” he said in July. In an interview with Gray DC a few months earlier, he said that he would not have created the programs, but that people now had “a reasonable expectation” of receiving certain benefits and that “you can’t just pull that rug out from under them.”

Um… Mr. Ramaswamy, SS is not an entitlement! I paid all my life in to it, it is an insurance policy! Not a federal giveaway like the Republicans keep saying it is.

The Roll Call website wrote,

House Republicans released a long-delayed budget blueprint Tuesday that promises to bring the federal budget into balance over a decade through steep cuts to discretionary spending, new restrictions on the social safety net and relatively rosy assumptions of consistently strong economic growth.

What do I think about saving SS?

Remove the $160,200 cap and make the billionaires pay the full 6.2% on their full income! And also have a needs assessment on the payments, some one who is making $29 million dollars doesn’t need SS.

[/Politics]