Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) – 1944
On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

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

 

1) "I'll Get By" was very popular song in the 1940s, and we're taking a look at the recording by Dick Haymes and Harry James because it got the most airplay. Can you think of another song that has been recorded by more than one artist?

Oh there are tons of them! But the problem that I have is that I don’t listen to contemporary music so that I don’t know what the current bands are playing. So I cheated and just list songs that did it in the past… Respect, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, “Lean on Me”, and Cyndi Lauper dug this one up and made it her hit… “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

Okay, back in the 80s, family is all up at the lake cottage in New Hampshire. My niece and nephews were all agog about a new song when my sister-in-law started singing it. My niece and nephews couldn’t believe that their “Mother” knew the words to the hit song that juat came out! But it was a Beatles song!

2) In this week's song, vocalist Dick Haymes sings that he won't complain about the rain. Do you have any complaints about the weather this morning? 
Sh… I got my fingers crossed. I’m hoping for rain this afternoon!
Why, because I don’t want to drive up to Northampton MA for Pride. It is a long drive and I’m worried about parking. When it was at the fairgrounds you could park right next to the Pride, but now it is right down in the center of Northampton in a parking lot! I can’t do a lot of walking, so since it is right in the middle of the center of Northampton it is usually mobbed on a Saturday and to get all the way up there to have to walk a couple of blocks and if it is raining, well...

But on the other hand, I'll be able to see friends that I haven't seen in awhile.

Update: @11AM

I backed out. It is a Yucky day and to drive all the way up and back, I decided to wait for a Pride on a sunny warm day.

3) Dick was briefly married to movie queen Rita Hayworth. Known as The Love Goddess and The Strawberry Blonde, Rita was famous for her magnificent mane. She dyed her dark brown hair red to get attention and it worked. Have you ever experimented with a different color? If yes, were you happy with the results?

Ha! I wear a wig. One time at a party out on Fire Island on Long Island NY I just came back from swimming in the ocean and a woman came up wanted to know if she could use my bathing cap… I said, “Naw, I just change wigs!” (I learned that trick from the NH cottage. But with salt water I have to wash out the salt.)

4) Dick was the lead vocalist of the Harry James orchestra. Like Dick, Harry had a movie star wife. Betty Grable was famous for her legs. Her bathing suit poster inspired hosiery manufacturers to single out her perfectly proportioned thighs, calves and ankles. Betty herself joked, "I'm a star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them."  What do you think is your best (physical) trait?
My mind.

5) Betty's weren't the only legs that fascinated Harry. He was known for his stable of thoroughbred racehorses. Have you ever been to the races?
No, but car races yes! I went to the Watkins Glen Grand Prix but not horses. But I have a distant cousin who owns a stable of Polo horses… they are very, very, rich! I mean well into the nine figures. (My cousin was a ski instructor and tended to marry rich women. I father’s worst nightmare, their daughter marrying a ski instructor!) BTW… he raced Porsches at Limerock park in CT (Well if your wife is a multimillionaire your wife is bound to know someone who owns a Porsche dealership to lend you one to race!)

6) Teenaged Harry played trumpet with The Beaumont High School Royal Purple Band. Did you belong to groups or clubs while you were in high school?

Science Club... anyone surprised?

 
7) In addition to "I'll Get By," Judy Garland's "Trolley Song" topped the charts in 1944. When did you most recently take public transportation?
Last summer. Once in while I take the bus into Provincetown MA in the summer. For seniors the fare is $1, parking is $8/hr! You do the math, and the buses run every ½ hour.

 

8) Also in 1944, Diana Ross was born. First with the Supremes, then as a solo artist, she has sold more than 100 millions records, making her one of America's most successful female singers. Who is your all-time favorite "girl singer?"

 Hands down… Linda Ronstadt.

 

9) Random question – Last week we asked about the garage. Let's turn our attention to the glove compartment (aka glove box). What have you got in there?
I have to laugh! Back in the 60s and 70s you could fit an overnight back into them, but now all I can fit in the glove box is the owners manuals! All 850 pages! There are more “!Warning!” then instructions. The only other thing I have in there besides the manuals is a small LED flashlight.

I Am Not Anti-Christian

Before I came out, I never knew any rabbis, ministers, or priests. Now I know about a dozen from all denominations, and they all share one common trait: they are all affirming! So, I am a little confused.

Trump task force releases controversial 'anti-Christian bias' report

By BrieAnna J. Frank

USA TODAY

April 30, 2026

President Donald Trump’s task force to investigate "anti-Christian bias" in the federal government published a report on April 30 that criticized former President Joe Biden's administration for what it characterized as actions and policies that negatively impacted Christians around the country.

Several advocacy groups challenged the report's findings, describing them as deceptive and contradictory.

Trump established the task force in a February 2025 executive order that said his administration would “ensure that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated and rectified.”

The report also took time to attack us...

"Those sentiments were reiterated in the task force’s nearly 200-page report, which criticized Biden's "Transgender Day of Visibility" proclamation (a longstanding observance which fell on Easter Sunday in 2024); charges against Christian anti-abortion activists; and alleged discrimination against Christian foster care families.

“By addressing anti-Christian bias and religious discrimination directly, Americans can make religious discrimination unthinkable for all faiths,” the report said.

Okay... everyone else does not think of abortion as a Christian issue, but rather about the right to self-determination! Our rights are not religious! Our rights are human rights!

The Baptist News wrote,

{The Biden administration enacted policies intended to weaponize the federal government against conservative Christians, according to a report released April 30 by the U.S. Justice Department.

The controversial 208-page report was created by President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, established by executive order in February 2025. Church-state watchdog groups have criticized the task force’s composition and mission from the start, saying it is all about airing evangelicals’ imagined grievances.

The new report claims the Biden White House was adamantly opposed to a “Christian worldview” and determined to shut down “traditional religious practices” wherever it could.

Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was perhaps the most religiously observant president in recent history. However, evangelicals believe his policies contradicted what they call a “Christian worldview.”}

Did you get that? "Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was perhaps the most religiously observant president in recent history." But still, the hand-picked religious committee found the exact opposite! The task force claimed that:

The task force has interpreted the enforcement of federal law during the Biden presidency as ideologically motivated attacks against conservative Christians. Examples include prosecutions of anti-abortion protesters under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, fines levied against Christian universities for false reporting violations, mandating COVID vaccines for federal and some private employers, and prohibiting organized religious activities at government facilities.

You know, I do not know a single person who is against any religion; what we object to is those religions forcing their beliefs on us! We see the banning of abortions as a religious attack on those whose religious beliefs allow abortions; we see them forcing their religious beliefs on us... against other people's religious beliefs!

The Pink News reported,

Over the years Trump has cosied up to many evangelical Christian leaders, including prominent, wealthy right-wing evangelicals like American Values president Gary Bauer, and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.

Family Research Council has been designated an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Tony Perkins, a former police officer, has repeatedly claimed that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be paedophiles.

Those are the groups that are on Trump's side. When we passed the Connecticut gender non-discrimination law, we had support from religious leaders in Connecticut, including an Episcopal Bishop.

It is not religion that we are against, but rather them forcing their religious views on us

Are The Republicans Dyslexic?

[Editorial]

One of the primary challenges people with dyslexia face is that their brains may unintentionally add or omit words while reading. It seems many Republicans are suffering from a similar affliction.

The War Powers Act clearly states that a 60-day clock (with a possible 30-day withdrawal period) is triggered when U.S. forces are introduced into “hostilities” or situations where hostilities are imminent. Nowhere does the law state that a ceasefire, pause, or reduction in fighting resets or stops that timer. Yet, somehow, Republicans have read a "pause" button into the text, arguing that the clock resets during a ceasefire.

They are seeing words that simply aren't there. It is much like their stance on protesters carrying weapons; they have effectively added a silent exception to the Second Amendment that only applies when it suits their narrative.

The First Amendment is explicit:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Despite this, Hegseth and Trump act as though they can ignore these constitutional limits. They have restricted press access to the military, threatened the licenses of broadcast stations, and seized reporters' notes. Now, they claim to have found an "on/off" switch buried deep within the War Powers Act.

Regardless of their claims, this war will continue. They are fighting for "wiggle room" when what they truly need isn't measured in days or weeks, but months.

The British Guardian reported that,

However, the Trump administration has repeatedly rejected the deadline, with Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, testifying before a heated Senate armed services committee that the ceasefire agreement reached with Iran more than three weeks ago “means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops”.

Hegseths’s comments reflect what a senior Trump administration official told the Guardian earlier: “For war powers resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” the official said.

This follows a bizarre statement from the Trump administration about the war being over:

Trump administration says Iran war ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline for congressional approval

The statement furthers an argument Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out during testimony before the Senate earlier Thursday.

MS Now

May. 1, 2026,

By The Associated Press  and Emily Hung

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.

The statement furthers an argument Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out during testimony before the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.

An administration official did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s question about what would happen if either side breaks the ceasefire.

While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president’s military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorization or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.

Despite the clear intent of the law, it seems certain that a Republican-controlled Congress will simply ignore the statutes and do as they please.

[/Editorial]

---

Updated: 5/2 @ 7AM

There he goes again put in words that are not there! Nowhere in the law does it say anything about a cease fire! There is no such thing as a time out in the law!

Pentagon calls timeout on War Powers

Axios

Hans Nichols

April 30, 2026

Senate Republicans are calling on the Trump administration to clarify how it is interpreting the 60-day clock under the War Powers Act in its military campaign against Iran.

Why it matters: The 60-day deadline, depending on who's counting, is arriving on requiring the president to seek authorization or wind down operations. The first strikes against Iran were on Feb. 28.

• But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a different view during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, suggesting the clock can "pause or stop" during a ceasefire.

Zoom in: Republicans, including some who have flirted with supporting a war powers resolution, appeared open to Hegseth's interpretation.

• "It sounds like there's some wiggle room he provided there for himself," Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told reporters. "We'll take a look at whatever they send over."
• "Presumably, they will communicate that in a formal way," Young added. "They have, in a very careful way, followed the War Powers Act so far."
• "I imagine the administration will send us some sort of formal notification saying, 'Here's where we think we are under the War Powers,'" Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said. "Either we want 30 more days, or we don't think we need additional time because of X, Y, Z."

The other side: Democrats sharply rejected Hegseth's argument.

• "A ceasefire means bombs aren't dropping," Sen. Tim Kaine ((D-Va.) said. "It doesn't mean there are no hostilities. If we're using the U.S. military to blockade everything going into and out of Iran, that's still hostility."
• "That answer showed they know they've got a 60-day problem, and they're trying to come up with a rationale to get around it," Kaine added.

To paraphrase "A League Of Their Own," there's no crying in War”  Obey the freaking law! 

The Gender Police Is Coming To Take You Away!

All across the country women are being accosted by the "gender police" to prove their gender!

All women in Idaho are now at risk from the anti-trans bathroom law | Opinion

The Idaho Statesmen

By Brian Dittmeier and Brandalyn Bickner

April 29, 2026

She was 18 years old when a restaurant server followed her into the bathroom, pounded on her stall door, and demanded she leave. The server refused to believe Gerika Murda was a woman, so Murda unzipped her baggy sweatshirt and stepped forward. Only after seeing her breasts in a tighter shirt did the server finally back down.

This is what gender surveillance looks like in practice. It’s where you, your friend, your daughter or your wife must undress to “prove” their womanhood in a public restroom. For over a decade, conservative lawmakers have justified trans bathroom bans as protection for women and girls, despite the overwhelming lack of evidence that transgender people pose any danger to women, and the fact that crimes in bathrooms — such as sexual assault or indecent exposure — are already crimes.

Just weeks ago, Idaho made using the “wrong” bathroom in a private business or government building a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The math here is perplexing: Why is the Idaho Legislature focused on restricting the rights of the 0.64% of Idahoans who identify as transgender while 41% of Idaho households are struggling to pay for housing, childcare and food?

Just think what the legislature could do if they devoted their time and effort in to the real problems in Idaho? Then again, that might be the real reason that they are going after us... to distract us from what they are really doing or not doing.

This is not the first time this has happened! Just searching last year I found these articles.

Two Cis Women Kicked Out of a Boston Hotel Bathroom After One Was Ordered to "Prove" Sex

The hotel says it has suspended the security guard responsible and will conduct mandatory retraining for all staff on inclusive protocols.

Them

By Abby Monteil

May 6, 2025

A queer couple said they were ordered to leave a Boston hotel on Saturday after a security officer demanded one of the women to show identification to “prove” her sex while using the women’s restroom. Both women are cisgender.

In an online Google review of Liberty Hotel published on Monday, Boston.com reports that Elizabeth Victor said the security officer approached her girlfriend, Ansley Baker, while she was in a stall, using the toilet. The couple was attending a Kentucky Derby party at the hotel when, according to Victor, Baker was “forcibly removed from the women’s restroom by a staff member.”

And that is on top of the fact... it is not like Republican states where they discriminant against us... this is Massachusetts!

Both women are cis, CBS’ local affiliate reports, but it is important to note that according to the Movement Advancement Project, Massachusetts does not prohibit people from using the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. The state also explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“She was humiliated and physically confronted while still inside the stall, pulling up her pants, and forced to show ID to ‘prove’ her sex,” Victor wrote. “Even after verifying she is a woman, we were both ejected from the event entirely, while shaken, crying, and publicly shamed… No guests stepped in. No staff de-escalated the situation. No compassion was shown. This was not just unprofessional — it was traumatizing, discriminatory, and dehumanizing. My partner and I are devastated.”

Watch out! The "Gender Police" is out there!

Teen Claims Buffalo Wild Wings Server Followed Her into the Bathroom and Forced Her to 'Prove' She’s a Girl

Gerika Mudra, an 18-year-old high school student in Minnesota, has since filed a charge of discrimination against the restaurant

People

By Sam Gillette

August 13, 2025

A high school student is fighting back after a Buffalo Wild Wings employee allegedly followed her into the bathroom and wouldn't stop harassing her until the teen ended up unzipping her hoodie to "prove" she's a girl.

On Tuesday, Aug. 12, Gender Justice filed a charge of discrimination with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) on behalf of 18-year-old high school student Gerika Mudra, according to a press release from the nonprofit.

Mudra, who is a biracial lesbian, according to NBC News, was eating at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Owatonna when she got up to use the bathroom.

In a video released by Gender Justice, the teen said the server followed her into the bathroom and "came in yelling, 'This is a women's restroom, the man needs to get out.' "

Watch out! The "Gender Police" is out to get you!

“Gender policing” is pinching cis women who don’t conform to expected appearance norms!

This isn't new, I wrote about the same thing back in 2006 at boxing match where a security guard yelled  "This is Security! Everyone out! There's a man in the bathroom!" Then again in 2016, in Trump's first term I wrote where a grandma was jailed in a men's jail with 40 male prisoners for over 10 hours!

Watch out! The "Gender Police" is enforcing Trump's version of female beauty... how many long haired blonde women work in the White House? Have you seem any women working there with short dark hair? Hmm...? Just saying.

---

Updated: 5:00PM

'Power Book II: Ghost' Wesley Han

NYC Hotel Discriminated Against Me For Being Non-Binary!!!

Exclusive

By TMZ Staff

April 29, 2026

Wesley Han, a non-binary actor famous for their work in "Power Book II: Ghost," is suing a swanky hotel in New York City for harassment and discrimination ... and it sounds like it's all about which bathroom they allegedly used.

In a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Wesley claims they were attending a private event at the Soho Grand Hotel when they were accosted by a security guard who forcibly removed them from the women's restroom.

Wesley says they were dressed in women's clothing when they attempted to use the women's restroom ... and they say a security guard asked women in the foyer, "Excuse me ladies, have you seen a man enter?”

Wesley alleges the guard was told "no" but entered the restroom anyways and would not allow them to wash their hands. They claim the guard escorted them to the men's restroom, humiliating them in a walk of shame.

Um... NYC and New York have non-discrimination laws!

Figures Don’t Lie But...

Desisters

If you listen to Republicans or conservative you would think that it is around 80 or 90 percent of the trans children detransition. That lie goes back to studies in Netherlands and our friend Ken Zucker [That is sarcasm], in those studies they counted anyone who dropped out of the study (Because they moved or they just didn’t want to take part in it anymore.) as de-transitioning. The studies reported desistance rates as high as 60–90%!

It is those studies that get quoted in legislatures, not these.

Common claim that most transgender youth renounce that identity is not supported by statistics, VCU research finds

The argument that studies show transgender youth desist from that identity on average has been used to support anti-gender-affirming care legislation nationwide.

Virginia Commonwealth University

By Madeline Reinsel

April 27, 2026

The frequently cited claim that 60% to 90% of transgender and gender-diverse children and young adults ultimately identify as cisgender – or their gender assigned at birth – is not supported by statistical analyses of published scientific research, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University. The study, which analyzed 11 studies compiled in a commonly referenced 2016 blog post as well as five more recent publications, instead found that almost any stance on gender-affirming care for minors could be supported by different statistical analyses of the same data.

“We should rely on accuracy with our science, and we should rely on accurate science to guide legislation,” said Catherine Wall, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences and the study’s lead author. Wall and her coauthors published their study in the journal APA PsycNet.

The quantitative meta-analysis found that “desistance” – or renouncement – of transgender identity by youth could be estimated to be as low as zero percent to as high as 100%, depending on how the studies’ data were interpreted. Meanwhile, rates of persistence of transgender identity could also range from zero percent to 100%, depending on how the studies – many of which were conducted pre-1990 on small sample sizes – were analyzed.

But many politicians don't care about the facts; they have an agenda to push.

When the first major longitudinal results from the Trans Youth Project came out in 2022, NBC News reported that transgender children are actually highly unlikely to "detransition" or return to identifying with their birth sex five years after a social transition.

The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics, come from a larger project called the Trans Youth Project. Researchers at Princeton University began in 2013 to track 317 kids between ages 3 and 12 who socially transitioned — the first and largest sample of its kind, according to Kristina Olsen, the study’s lead author and a professor of psychology at Princeton.

The results showed that five years after their initial social transition, 94 percent of the study participants were living as either trans girls or trans boys. The remaining youth had "retransitioned," as the study called it, and no longer identified as binary transgender. Of that group, 2.5 percent came to identify with their birth sex. 

The findings come as Republican lawmakers in more than two dozen states have tried, over the last two years, to restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

That last paragraph says it all: these lawmakers aren't acting in the best interest of children. They are willing to ignore scientific facts to push an agenda at the detriment of trans youth. They even go so far as to drag the same handful of individuals from state to state to testify, pretending a tiny minority represents the whole reality.

Bait & Switch

Carnival carnies are know for their bait and switch... they have all these fancy prizes and you get is a Kewpie doll.

Well you might have remembered that Trump said it will be paid for by his billionaire friends and companies... the White House released a list of 37 high-profile donors, including tech giants (Amazon, Meta, Google), crypto billionaires (Winklevoss twins), and finance titans like Stephen Schwarzman.

First it was 100 million, then 200 million, and now 400 million!

Well guess what? Republicans have introduced a bill to pay for the ballroom! Senator Lindsey Graham released this press release today!

U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) this week introduced the White House Safety and Security Act of 2026, which provides funding for the construction of the presidential ballroom in the East Wing of the White House.

In light of the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner and multiple assassination attempts against President Trump, this legislation sets aside the necessary resources to upgrade the presidential ballroom and strengthen the White House’s security infrastructure. Upon completion, President Trump and future presidents will be able to host large events without having to leave the White House grounds.

“This weekend’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner is, tragically, just the latest example of an unhinged radical attempting to take the life of President Trump. These repeated instances of political violence underscore the need to adequately bolster the White House security apparatus,” said Senator Graham. “Our legislation is much bigger than simply renovating a venue for large gatherings. Rather, it represents a necessary measure to keep our Commander in Chief – whoever that may be – safe and protected.”

STOP RIGHT THERE!

The bill reads in part...

In addition to amounts other wise available, including monetary or in-kind donations in the White House Repair and Restoration account as of the date of enactment of this Act, there is appropriated to the President for fiscal year 2026, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $400,000,000, to remain available until January 20, 2029, for design, construction, and other appropriate expenses to complete the East Wing Modernization Project, including a secure State Ballroom and visitor screening facility and any other related national security facility, pursuant to section 105(d) of title 3, United States Code.

Did you see that $400,000,000 price tag? This not just security upgrades that is the price tag of the whole frigging ballroom!

If it’s a security upgrade, why does it need Italian marble? And if it’s "America First," why are the quarries in Vermont and Connecticut being ignored while we import stone from Europe on the taxpayer's dime? Why are they using European steel?

This whole thing is a sham, we the tax payers are really payers for Trump's monstrosity.

Just Another Case Of Trump & Company Ignoring Laws

Once again the Trump adminstration ignoring laws they don't like!

Exclusive: US EEOC Chair violated ethics rules halting LGBTQ cases, complaint alleges

Reuters

By David Hood-Nuño and Bianca Flowers

April 23, 2026

Summary

• Complaint alleges EEOC head halted LGBTQ and disparate impact discrimination cases
• Lucas sent DEI data requests to law firms without pending investigations, complaint claims
• Former EEOC general counsel David Lopez stresses lawyers' independent ethical obligations regardless of directives

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas allegedly violated professional conduct rules of the ​Virginia State Bar by refusing to enforce key provisions of federal civil rights laws, according to a complaint submitted to the bar Thursday, shared ‌with Reuters.

The Legal Accountability Center, which focuses on filing complaints against individuals and institutions alleged to have violated professional conduct standards, asked the state agency to investigate whether Lucas breached her ethical obligations by directing EEOC investigators to stop processing certain categories of discrimination claims and by sending unauthorized information demands to 20 major law firms.

Those letters, sent on official EEOC letterhead in March 2025, sought extensive data on ​firms’ diversity, equity and inclusion practices, including demographic information related to race, sex, hiring, promotions and compensation, the complaint alleges. Since returning to the White House in ​January 2025, Donald Trump's administration has cracked down on diversity efforts nationwide, targeting universities, major corporations and non-profits.

So they stopped enforcing laws Trump doesn't like!

Employment Agency Pushes Discrimination Cases That Match Trump’s Agenda

Field staff at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission say they are being pressured to bring politically charged cases, even with little evidence.

The New York Times

By Rebecca Davis O’Brien

April 27, 2026

Field staff at the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws in the workplace say they are under intense pressure from leadership to bring in cases that fit the Trump administration’s priorities, including charges of discrimination against white men and charges of antisemitism on college campuses.

That pressure has led investigators and lawyers at the agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to focus its thin resources on pursuing and fast-tracking cases that have little evidence and tenuous legal bases, according to more than a dozen current and former employees, both Republicans and Democrats.

They described a deeply demoralized and fearful work force, diminished by years of attrition and a surge of resignations and retirements during the second Trump administration. Current and recently departed employees, who requested anonymity because they feared professional repercussions, said the commission’s Republican chair, Andrea Lucas, had recast the agency to carry out President Trump’s executive orders. They said they felt compelled to speak because they were concerned about the future of the agency, where many saw their work enforcing the nation’s civil rights laws as a moral calling that has now been abandoned.

She was under order to drop discrimination cases against us!

Ms. Lucas, whom Mr. Trump appointed to run the agency in 2025, has conveyed to staff that she is under pressure from the White House to produce cases the administration favors. Employees said they had been led to believe that bringing these cases was necessary to ensure the agency’s funding. This month, the White House released a budget recommending a $20 million funding increase for the commission — returning it to its 2025 level of $455 million, after a cut last year.

This is all to appease his MAGA people who think that they are being discriminated against because they are white!

Now, facing pressure to bring more cases for white men — as well as claims of discrimination against American-born workers and cases of systemic antisemitism — staff in several districts said they were struggling to find complaints with merit. And they said they were pressed by their superiors to look for reasons to keep those cases alive, even when evidence was weak.

And now the EEOC is being sued for discrimination in not going after discrimination against us!

Another Nail

Trump & Company are trying once again to put a nail in our coffin. And the 2^nd Amendment be damned!

Trump administration is trying to make it harder for trans people to buy guns

The controversy comes amid reports that trans Americans have been increasingly arming themselves as protection against the Trump administration.

LGBTQ Nation

Molly Sprayregen (She/Her)

April 27, 2026

The Trump administration is reportedly continuing to engage in efforts to prevent trans people from owning guns, or at least intimidate them into changing their minds.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) confirmed to the Independent that it is still working to update its policies in conjunction with the president’s executive order declaring there are only two innate sexes – male and female.

[...]

Most concerning for many trans advocates is the plan to alter ATF Form 4473, the Firearms Transaction Record that all applicants must fill out, so that folks must list their sex assigned at birth.

For trans people who have a different gender listed on other legal documents, the shift could both cause bureaucratic confusion and put their safety at risk, as the administration would more easily be able to identify trans gun owners by finding people whose sex on various legal forms contradict one another.

The Republicans are supposed to be pro-Second Amendment, but as usual, it is only lip service! The Trump administration has been stoking endless fear about the “dangers” the trans community poses to others, including false claims that trans people are more likely to commit mass shootings.

The British newspaper The Independent wrote that,

Such a rule would make it easier for ATF to gather lists of trans gun owners, simply by identifying where names appear to conflict with the listed sex, according to firearms policy experts.

It could also deter trans people from buying guns legally, since complying with paperwork would create a “Catch 22” situation — and a false statement comes with the threat of federal charges and prison time, the experts said.

"Just the announcement is going to have a chilling effect," Patrick G. Eddington, a senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute, told The Independent.

The Second Amendment says "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" it sure does sound that our rights are being infringed upon!

Presidential Behavior?

Once again Trump crawls out of the swamp, Trump disregards respect for Congress members, this time he attacks one of our own Connecticut delegates, congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

White House Lashes Out at Congresswoman Over Her Looks

CHEAP SHOT

The People’s House fired off a high school bully-level insult.

The Daily Beast

Vic Verbalaitis 

Apr. 28 2026

The official White House social media page attacked a congresswoman for her looks in typical Trumpian fashion.

The White House X account insulted Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, 83, after President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Lee Zeldin, posted a video of their heated exchange during a congressional hearing on Monday.

[...]

He has frequently insulted comedian Rosie O’Donnell by calling her “fat,” a “pig,” and a “slob,” and in November, he told White House reporter Catherine Lucey to “Quiet, piggy,” aboard Air Force One.

His insults of women extend past just looks, however, as he commonly berates female reporters as “stupid,” “aggressive,” “rotten,” or “the worst."

But the White House are says it is the Democrat rhetoric... the voters know the truth!

They Don't Care

[Editorial]

I’ve been listening to Jack Campbell’s "The Pillars of Reality." On Goodreads, the author's biography notes that he draws heavily on his "experience as a retired United States Navy officer."

One particular passage in the book struck me. After a brutal battle with heavy losses on both sides, a general remarks: "We won, but that doesn’t mean we liked it." He said this while mourning the dead from both factions.

That moment provided a sudden moment of clarity regarding figures like Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth: they seem to like it. Unlike the seasoned officer in Campbell’s world, they appear gleeful over the destruction they inflict.

This behavior is not normal. The language they use to demonize others... such as their rhetoric regarding Iranians, is not the language of a true leader. It is the language of a dictator.

[/Editorial]

Takes One To Know One

Score!

CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell got Trump to open his mouth and put his foot in!

Trump lashes out at ‘60 Minutes’ anchor for reading alleged gunman’s manifesto

Any detente between the president and the press after the shared horror of Saturday’s dinner appears to be short-lived.

Politico

By Eli Stokols

04/26/2026

President Donald Trump lashed out at CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in an interview Sunday for quoting from the manifesto of the suspected gunman who tried to storm the White House Correspondents Dinner less than 24 hours earlier.

Trump had initially expressed a sense of camaraderie with members of the press corps who hosted him at their annual dinner and experienced the same initial panic when armed law enforcement agents stormed into the ballroom.

But when O’Donnell, during an interview recorded at the White House on Sunday, quoted from the accused gunman Cole Allen’s apparent manifesto — “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” she read — Trump, who’d been relatively subdued in his responses, flashed a familiar anger.

“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people. Horrible people,” Trump said. “Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”

O’Donnell interjected, “Oh, do you think he was referring to you?”

But the president blew past her question, declaring, “I’m not a pedophile.”

Trump bristled at what he seemed to deem an insinuation about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was not mentioned by name in the manifesto or by O’Donnell. “You read that crap from some sick person,” the president said. “I got associated with stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated.”

Okay, here’s my take on this.

I’ve done it. You prepare for interviews by thinking through everything that might come up and practicing your responses. You practice a lot. Only once did I ever need to fall back on rehearsed answers, but the key is actually listening to the question; something Trump didn’t do here.

You plan it out: if they say this, you respond with that. If they bring up the manifesto, you’re ready with a clear reply. But she threw a curveball and followed up his answer with: “Oh, do you think he was referring to you?”

Gotcha!

Why? Why?

Why does the Trump administration hate us so much? They are constantly finding new ways to attack us—and now they are going after doctors for, of all things, false advertising!!!!

The FTC Is Ramping Up to Target Transgender Rights

A series of new hires and investigations at the agency appear to focus on penalizing gender-affirming care for minors—and those who speak in favor of it.

Wired

Vittoria Elliott

Apr 24, 2026

The Federal Trade Commission appears to be targeting transgender rights, going beyond its usual ways of operating to do so, according to experts and federal employees who spoke to WIRED.

Since July 2025, the agency has been gearing up to frame gender-affirming care for minors as a consumer-protection issue, in a move that a former FTC employee, who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, described as “very strange.”

“I think their end goal here is to be on the front page, being warriors for the Trump anti-trans agenda,” they claim.

Why? This is pure hatred.

“The FTC has brought lots of cases around phony cures, phony health products,” the former employee says. But those cases were targeted around issues like businesses peddling fake Covid cures. In cases where the FTC has gone after nonprofits, the former employee says, it has involved the nonprofit misappropriating donations.

Who will be the focus of all this? Doctors? Hospitals? The AMA and APA? This is a targeted attack on the trans community, and the official response from the agency to a news organization proves it:

 The former FTC employee described the agency’s move to target nonprofits as “really weird” and said it was “very unusual” to hire lawyers for a specific project or case as opposed to recruiting people based on skill sets, like data protection.

In response to questions from WIRED, FTC spokesperson Joseph Simonson said, “Virtually everything you asked is based off a complete misunderstanding of the law, this agency, and the issue of whether children are potentially suffering from unnecessary mutilation. Stick to computers.”

Contrast this rhetoric with the actual medical data. On the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, specifically in the article "Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care," published in JAMA, the evidence is clear:

Conclusions and relevance: This study found that gender-affirming medical interventions were associated with lower odds of depression and suicidality over 12 months. These data add to existing evidence suggesting that gender-affirming care may be associated with improved well-being among TNB youths over a short period, which is important given mental health disparities experienced by this population, particularly the high levels of self-harm and suicide.

All the medical evidence shows that this treatment helps us, yet it is being ignored. Instead, the administration is relying on "evidence" from far-right medical organizations. The Wired article concludes by showing this is a coordinated effort across multiple departments:

Other agencies have also targeted trans rights. In July 2025, the Department of Justice subpoenaed doctors and clinics providing gender-related care for minors. “Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” then-attorney general Pam Bondi said in a statement at the time. In December 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would bar hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid from performing gender-affirming care. Earlier this month, a federal judge overturned the HHS ban, writing, “This case highlights a leader’s unserious regard for the rule of law.”

Naw... tell me again how there’s "no bias" here.

The Courthouse News reports that judges are seeing through this sham.

Trump admin appeals block on subpoena for trans care clinic records

The Justice Department issued over 20 subpoenas to clinics providing gender-affirming care after Trump called for the end of such services.

Monique Merrill 

March 6, 2026

A battle over a subpoena targeting a Washington clinic that provides gender-affirming care to minors reached the Ninth Circuit on Friday, with the Trump administration arguing a judge wrongly blocked its investigation into drug manufacturers.

“It just can’t be right that the administration must choose between advocating for a policy outcome and using tools like regulatory actions and proposing legislation to achieve that outcome on the one hand, and enforcing existing laws to protect consumers within the same space where it’s engaging in policy advocacy,” said Sarah Welch, attorney with the Department of Justice.

The Justice Department issued a subpoena in June to QueerDoc, a telehealth clinic that provides gender-affirming care to adolescents and adults.

The department sought records as part of an investigation into possible violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by manufacturers of drugs used in gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapies.

[...]

In October, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead quashed the subpoena, agreeing with QueerDoc that the Justice Department had weaponized its investigative authority to advance Trump’s policy goal of eliminating gender-affirming care.

[...]

But U.S. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress, a Donald Trump appointee, questioned why the Justice Department would need patient records.

The Trump administration argued that it needed complete records to verify whether the medications QueerDoc prescribed matched the insurance billing and the patient’s diagnosis.

QueerDoc contended that the Justice Department issued the subpoena under the guise of conducting an investigation but really issued it to advance Trump’s goal of ending gender-affirming care.

No way would Trump be trying to end our healthcare! (This is sarcasm.) 

Of All The Things...

... to be worked up about with all the problems in the world, the soaring gas and food prices, what do the Republicans worry about? Us.

That's right, in Louisiana they are facing rising health insurance premiums: because  of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," property and auto insurance cost are skyrocketing, coastal erosion, pollution, and a public health crisis so what does their legislature focus on... us, the trans community!

A Trump-Inspired Louisiana Bill Would “Erase Trans People From Law”

House Bill 578 seeks to establish “a uniform statutory definition of sex in Louisiana.”

Them

By Quispe López

April 23, 2026

Louisiana lawmakers are advancing a bill that would replace all references to “gender” in state law with “sex” — a move that LGBTQ+ advocates say would effectively erase transgender people from written law.

House Bill 578, known as the “Restoring Biological Truth Act,” was introduced by sponsor state Rep. Mike Johnson in February 2026, and has since received the support of GOP governor Jeff Landry. The stated goal is to provide “a uniform statutory definition of sex in Louisiana,” defined as “an individual's biological sex, either male or female, as observed or clinically certified at birth.”

Of course they just screwed the intersex community!

While HB 578 is new, the ACLU of Louisiana noted that it largely borrows language from a law with an identical goal that passed through the Louisiana legislature in 2024. HB 608, also known as “Women's Safety and Protection Act,” stated that gender identity “and other subjective terms” should not “be used as synonyms or substitutes for sex.” That law has been in effect since August 2024.

Young professionals and families are frequently moving to neighboring states like Texas or Florida, citing better job markets, higher pay, and more reliable infrastructure. Louisiana ranks dead last in overall health rankings! Premature Death: 48th, Obesity & Diabetes: 47th and in Per Capita Income: Ranked 47th., and in Poverty Rate they are dead last!

And with statics like that what does the legislature focus on... us. The trans community!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

[Editorial]

I have testified many times before the Connecticut legislature, and I can honestly say that the legislators always treated me with respect. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case for the Republicans out in Ohio.

Constituents showed up to testify against an anti-drag bill. Ohio Republicans mocked them

They took time off work, drove hours, and spoke out against Ohio’s anti-drag bill. Many left the statehouse saying that Republican lawmakers treated them with contempt rather than respect.

The Advocate

Ken Schneck

Apr 24, 2026

Kim Burroughs was not planning on testifying in front of the Ohio House Judiciary Committee on March 18.

She had a full week of depositions and legal work as an attorney at a Columbus-based law firm, and a nursery to assemble as she and her wife were soon expecting a baby.

But when Burroughs received a call from an Equality Ohio staff member asking her to submit testimony opposing HB 249, “The Enact the Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” she knew she had to testify for her first time at the Ohio Statehouse.

[...]

But when Burroughs received a call from an Equality Ohio staff member asking her to submit testimony opposing HB 249, “The Enact the Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” she knew she had to testify for her first time at the Ohio Statehouse.

[...]

“His behavior toward witnesses, residents of our great state of Ohio, was juvenile and condescending, refusing to acknowledge the expertise and experiences of others,” said Whitted, who was the only out LGBTQ+ House lawmaker when she served. “He instead presented as a monomaniac regarding constitutional knowledge.”

That is wrong! Very wrong! To treat a constituent that way shows a complete lack of respect. You would expect that behavior on a fifth-grade playground, not in a hearing room at the State Capitol!

Here in Connecticut, when the first gender-inclusive non-discrimination bill was introduced in 2006, it passed the Judiciary Committee 28–8. That was bipartisan support! However, by 2011, when the bill finally passed, the vote was 27–14, right down party lines. When I first started advocating for this law, if a legislator told you how they were going to vote, they told the truth. By 2011, that was no longer the case.

When the bill passed the Senate, a number of Republicans gave a "thumbs up" signal. They were personally in favor of the bill but had been ordered by their party to vote against it. Back then, I could talk to my Republican Senator and feel like they were actually listening; now, I have a MAGA Republican representative who doesn't even pretend to listen.

Although 108 Ohioans submitted written testimony, the Republican-dominated committee only allowed 16 to testify in person, imposing a three-hour limit for the hearing.

That is unheard of! I have been at the Capitol into the wee hours of the morning. During the marriage equality bill, testimony went almost around the clock!

The Republicans don't want to hear the voices of the people anymore; those voices just get in the way of the party line.

The Republicans simply have no R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for the voters!

[/Editorial]

They Keep Piling On Us!

It seems like every time we turn around...

• They want to require television show to be labeled “trans” if they have any “trans” characters or plots.
• Trump wants to have us labeled as terrorist.
• Trump has stripped us of our life savings healthcare.

Now substitute Black people for trans people.

• They want to require television show to be labeled “Black” if they have any “Black” characters or plots.
• Trump wants to have “Blacks” labeled as terrorist.
• Trump has stripped us of our life savings healthcare.

Do you think that would be allowed? Why is it okay for us to be discriminated against?

There are two mindsets about us: conservatives think we choose to be trans, while liberals know we are born this way. If you look at nature, you will see trans identity everywhere! But we were censored in the animal world along with the human world. Primatologists and anthropologists reported it in their notes, but it never made it to the public back in the 1950s—the era of the "Lavender Scare."

Integrative and Comparative Biology (ICB) writes in Joan Roughgarden’s Evolution’s Rainbow, a book review by Josephine Low that, 

In The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin described life as “endless forms most beautiful.” The field of biology is defined by the pursuit of universal explanations for these infinite possibilities. Despite the enduring desire for objectivity, what scientists choose to study and their interpretation is shaped by cultural norms. Paradoxically, popular culture looks to science to affirm what is “natural” and therefore right, creating a feedback loop which distorts our perception of the natural world and humanity’s place in it.

If enforcing a singular perspective on an infinite world unjustly flattens the world, embracing a multitude of perspectives is the best way to understand an infinite world. To borrow the language of renowned ecologist and evolutionary biologist Joan Roughgarden, we need to learn to see nature’s rainbow.

But that is exactly what the Republicans want to do when they pass laws stating that there are only two genders! The National Institutes of Health website, PubMed, reports in Genetic and Environmental Contributions To Gender Diversity: A Systematic Review of the Twin Literature. The introduction reads, in part:

The aetiological basis for gender diversity remains unknown. However, similar to other complex human traits (Polderman et al. 2015), the prevailing theory is that a complex interaction between genes and the environment collectively contribute to the formation of gender identity (Coleman et al. 2022). Studies using a classic twin study design have assessed the validity of this hypothesis by comparing rates of concordance for a transgender and other gender diverse (hereafter, trans) identity in monozygotic (MZ, identical) and dizygotic (DZ, non-identical) twins (Polderman et al. 2018) (see Table 1 for glossary of relevant terms). Since MZ twins share 100% of their DNA, compared to 50% on average in DZ twins, twin studies offer a powerful opportunity to examine questions about the heritable contribution to gender identity. In addition, using univariate models, twin data can also facilitate assessment of the relative contributions of environmental factors shared between each twin pair (e.g. intrauterine and family environment) and non-shared environmental factors (e.g. unique life experiences) (Neale and Cardon 1992).

[…]

Conclusion

This review of the twin literature suggests that there is likely both heritable and non-shared environmental contributions to gender diversity, but the magnitude of these contributions remains undefined and further research is needed to help clarify this.

But the Republicans still think it is a choice! That one day we sit down and think, "Gee, I want to be trans so I can be beaten up and discriminated against!"

The Guardian reported on:

'Sexual depravity' of penguins that Antarctic scientist dared not reveal

Landmark polar research about the Adélie penguin's sex life by Captain Scott's expedition, deemed too shocking for the public 100 years ago, is unearthed at the Natural History Museum

The Guardian

Robin McKie, science editor

Sat 9 Jun 2012

It was the sight of a young male Adélie penguin attempting to have sex with a dead female that particularly unnerved George Murray Levick, a scientist with the 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition. No such observation had ever been recorded before, as far as he knew, and Levick, a typical Edwardian Englishman, was horrified. Blizzards and freezing cold were one thing. Penguin perversion was another.

Worse was to come, however. Levick spent the Antarctic summer of 1911-12 observing the colony of Adélies at Cape Adare, making him the only scientist to this day to have studied an entire breeding cycle there. During that time, he witnessed males having sex with other males and also with dead females, including several that had died the previous year. He also saw them sexually coerce females and chicks and occasionally kill them.

Levick blamed this "astonishing depravity" on "hooligan males" and wrote down his observations in Greek so that only an educated gentleman would understand the horrors he had witnessed. Back in Britain he produced a paper (in English), titled Natural History of the Adélie Penguin. However, the section about the animal's sexual proclivities was deemed to be so shocking it was removed to preserve decency. Levick then used this material as the basis for a separate short paper, Sexual Habits of the Adélie Penguin, which was privately circulated among a handful of experts.

As a result of that self-censorship, we are demonized! Maybe if they had publicized that being LGBTQ+ is part of the natural process of life back then, LGBTQ+ people would not be persecuted now. Maybe if they taught that in school, we wouldn’t have the hate we have now. And now, once again, they are banning anything LGBTQ+ in schools! What is that teaching the students? What else have scientists hidden from us?

I have always said that Mother Nature loves to experiment. So when you pass laws saying that there are only two genders, you are going against Mother Nature—and she doesn’t like that!

---

Another factor showing that being LGBTQ+ is an inborn trait rather than a choice is statistics!

I’m "sinister"—or left-handed, as they used to call us! We were called witches and burned at the stake. Nuns would whack your hand until it was black and blue and belittle you in front of the class for smudging the ink. According to BBC News:

Approximately 10% to 12% of the world's population is left-handed. While estimates can range from 8% to 15% depending on the study and cultural factors, the 10% figure is the most commonly cited. This ratio has remained remarkably stable for over 5,000 years, with a higher prevalence in males than females

But here is a fact they don’t teach you in school. Psychology Today writes that if you are LGBTQ+, you have a higher chance of being left-handed: 

According to Kenneth Zucker*, a researcher at the University of Toronto's Center for Addiction and Mental Health, homosexuals are more likely to be lefties than heterosexuals. Zucker analyzed data collected in 20 different studies over the past 50 years and discovered a correlation between left-handedness and homosexuality. The findings indicate that lesbians have a 91 percent greater chance of being left-handed or ambidextrous than straight women, while gay men are 34 percent more likely than straight men to not be right-handed. While Zucker says the research provides empirical evidence that links homosexuality to left-handedness, he also adds that "we don't have a definitive answer as to why the relationship exists."

*Hey, I know! Ken Zucker S**ks!

In another PubMed article they write,

Abstract

Handedness preference was assessed in 205 boys with gender identity disorder and 205 clinical control boys referred for other reasons. Boys with gender identity disorder were significantly more likely to be left-handed than the clinical control boys (19.5% vs. 8.3%, respectively). The boys with gender identity disorder, but not the clinical control boys, also had a significantly higher rate of left-handedness compared to three independent, general population studies of nonreferred boys (11.8%; N = 14,253) by Hardyck, Goldman, and Petrinovich (1975), Calnan and Richardson (1976), and Eaton, Chipperfield, Ritchot, and Kostiuk (1996). Left-handedness appears to be a behavioral marker of an underlying neurobiological process associated with gender identity disorder in boys.

Hey! To all you people who think being trans is a choice: is being left-handed a prerequisite for "choosing" to be trans?

Wait, that’s not all. In Nature Communications, the article “Elevated rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses, and autistic traits in transgender and gender-diverse individuals” reports:

In conclusion, our study demonstrates that transgender and gender-diverse individuals have elevated rates of autism diagnosis, related neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, and autistic traits compared to cisgender individuals. This study has clinical implications by highlighting that we need to improve access to care and tailored support for this under-served population.

Can you imagine Republicans passing laws like the ones they are passing against us on any other protected class? Why are they allowed to discriminate against us? They justify their pogrom against the trans community with their lies.

The same institutions that tried to "beat the left-handedness out of people" in the past are often the ones trying to "legislate the trans identity out of people" today.

We will not be erased!

Saturday 9: Good

Saturday 9: Good (1995)

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

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

 

1) This song begins with a guy realizing he's home alone. Do you enjoy being all by yourself?

Well being single… it is a fact of life. When I have company up at the cottage I need a lot of “Me time” to decompress.

2) He watches the sun throwing shadows on the floor. Which room in your home lets in the most sun?

The atrium, it can heat the house during the day in all but the last days of December and the early January.

3) He sings that he may write a letter to his ex. If you were inspired to send someone a handwritten message, do you have stationery or notecards on hand? What about first-class postage stamps?

Yes, I have stationery to write thank-you cards. But I’ll have to dust it off.

4) This week's band, Better Than Ezra, got their start in Baton Rouge. All the members attended LSU and played their first gig at Murphy's, a bar near campus. When you were in your early 20's, where did you and your friends go to socialize?

The bars in town. 

5) While the band refuses to disclose the origin of their name, many assume the "Ezra" they refer to is poet Ezra Pound. Do you often read poetry?

Nope. But I wrote some

6) In 1995, when this song was popular, Michael Jordan "unretired" and returned to the Chicago Bulls. Tell us about a decision you wish you could undo.

Selling the New Hampshire lake cottage.

7) Also in 1995, Phoebe Buffay first performed "Smelly Cat." Do you recall what show she sang on?

Nope, I have no idea who Buffay is lat alone the show!

 

8) Legendary New York Yankee Mickey Mantle died in 1995. How is your team doing so far this young baseball season?

Well first off, you need a team to root for!

9) Random question: What's in your garage, besides your car (lawn tools, holiday decorations, old paint cans, etc.)?

Well if you asked three months ago it was piled up with junk. But they filled a huge dumpster, now there are tools. 

Discrimination!

Saint Patrick's Day parades?

Mardi Gras parades?

Cinco de Mayo parades?

Fiesta of Five Flags?

Chinese New Year parades?

Puerto Rican parades?

Pride parades?

Have they all been banned? Well, the governor just signed a bill banning Pride parades and other DEI events. So, are all these events banned? After all, cultural parades are DEI!

Ron DeSantis bans local governments from supporting Pride events & DEI initiatives

DEI and Pride discriminate against “white males,” DeSantis said. “It’s wrong.”

LGBTQ Nation

Molly Sprayregen (She/Her)

April 23, 2026

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Wednesday banning local governments from “funding or promoting or taking official action as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” The bill would also ban local governments from supporting Pride celebrations.

At a press conference after signing the bill, he reportedly described DEI as “an ideological construct that is designed to promote a particular political agenda, particularly to the detriment of disfavored groups.”

“I would think with DEI, ⁠the disfavored groups, number one obviously, would be white males,” he said, “and I think ​they’ve been discriminated against.”

“It’s not fine,” he added. “It’s wrong.”

Um... this is what throws me: "DEI and Pride discriminate against white males." How so? How is a Pride event discriminating against white males? I don't know about you, but at Pride events, I see a lot of white males walking around. So, how is it discrimination? The same holds true for the other events that he has banned—how is it discrimination? In their hatred of anything LGBTQ+, have they banned all cultural events?

 The bill defines DEI as any effort to “manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of employees with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation other than to ensure that hiring is conducted in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws” as well as any effort to “Promote or provide preferential treatment or special benefits to” those groups or “promote or adopt training, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference” to them.

You know, that just turned the definition of discrimination on its head! Think about it.

If an employer refuses to hire any Black employees, under this law, "manipulating or otherwise influencing the composition of employees" by forcing them to hire Black candidates would fall under that. The law has essentially made enforcing anti-discrimination measures illegal!

So, we shall see if any city, town, or county will have any Puerto Rican parades this year, or if they have determined that the law only affects us—the LGBTQ+ community. We are likely heading toward a massive legal battle over whether a city can recognize the heritage of its own citizens without it being labeled "illegal DEI."

Of All The Things...

You would think that there are more important stuff to investigate!

FBI Launched Investigation Into New York Times Reporter Over Story on Kash Patel’s Girlfriend

The Justice Department ultimately decided not to pursue an investigation, according to the Times

The Wrap

Corbin Bolies

April 22, 2026

The FBI launched an initial investigation into New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson, who wrote about how FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the bureau to offer security and transportation to his girlfriend, according to the Times.

After the Feb. 28 story on Patel’s decision came out, FBI agents interviewed Alexis Wilkins and searched databases for information on Williamson, according to the Times. The bureau wanted to proceed with its investigation to determine whether Williamson broke federal stalking laws, a source told the outlet, but alarmed Justice Department officials ended the inquiry over concerns that it was rooted in retaliation and after establishing there was no legal basis for it.

[...]

Executive editor Joe Kahn told his paper it was “a blatant violation of Elizabeth’s First Amendment rights and another attempt by this administration to prevent journalists from scrutinizing its actions.”

“It’s alarming. It’s unconstitutional. And it’s wrong,” Kahn said.

Wow!

What a national security issue! The press learned a highly classified document... on the passenger list that is a matter of public record or should be!

This comes as the latest attack by the FBI on the press, you might remember that they didn't tell the judge that the warrant they wanted was for a reporters.

FBI raids home of Washington Post reporter in ‘highly unusual and aggressive’ move

Agents searched Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home and seized devices in inquiry tied to a classified materials case

The Guardian

Richard Luscombe and Jeremy Barr

14 Jan 2026

The FBI raided the home of a Washington Post reporter early on Wednesday in what the newspaper called a “highly unusual and aggressive” move by law enforcement, and press freedom groups condemned as a “tremendous intrusion” by the Trump administration.

Agents descended on the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials.

[...]

Press freedom groups were united in their condemnation of the raid on Wednesday.

“Physical searches of reporters’ devices, homes and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take,” Bruce D Brown, president of the Reporters’ Committee for Freedom of the Press, said in a statement.

“There are specific federal laws and policies at the Department of Justice that are meant to limit searches to the most extreme cases because they endanger confidential sources far beyond just one investigation and impair public interest reporting in general.

“While we won’t know the government’s arguments about overcoming these very steep hurdles until the affidavit is made public, this is a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.”

Trump & Company have an irrational fear of the press and ignore the First Amendment!

What The...

This is totally... I don't know how to express it without swearing.

Okay do you know what the Pink Triangle came from? They were Germany Holocaust prisoner markings for LGBT people and now Trump & Company wants to have TV shows with a warning label.

Trump’s FCC weighs whether to flag shows with trans or non-binary ‘programming’

Statement on TV ratings system says disclosure is needed for children’s programs that include ‘gender identity issues’

The Guardian

Adrian Horton

Wed 22 Apr 2026

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching a new inquiry into the TV ratings system, including whether content related to gender identity is not adequately flagged for parents, in the latest warning shot to broadcasters from the agency headed by the Trump loyalist Brendan Carr.

The new proceeding, announced on Wednesday, asks for public comment on the transparency of the TV Oversight Management Board, which oversees the rating system and guidelines. That system was developed after Congress passed a law in 1996, leading to the creation of numerous ratings such as TV-Y, for programs deemed appropriate for all children, and TV-MA, for mature audiences.

The so-called “industry voluntary rating system” is used by broadcast networks overseen by the FCC, as well as cable, satellite and streaming services, which are not subject to the same guidelines.

Are you ready for this... a throw back to the 1930s!

In its public notice of the new inquiry, the FCC singled out non-binary and transgender topics as an issue of concern. According to the agency’s media bureau, “parents have raised concerns that controversial gender identity issues are being included or promoted in children’s programs without providing any disclosure or transparency to parents. Specifically, the industry guidelines that parents rely on are rating shows with transgender and gender non-binary programming as appropriate for children and young children, and doing so without providing this information to parents, thereby undermining the ability of parents to make informed choices for their families.”

Save the Children!!!! That is only a smokescreen.

What they are saying by labeling us is that we are dangerous, we are predictors! Can you imagine if they said programs with Black in has to be labeled? Well it is the same thing!

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum wrote, "... Gay men and men accused of homosexuality were identified with pink triangles. ..." Now we are going to be identified as TV-TG?

---

Updated: 4/27 @ 4PM

Trump’s FCC targets LGBTQ+ television content. GLAAD sounds alarm

The agency, led by Brendan Carr, is reconsidering TV ratings for “gender identity themes,” prompting warnings about free speech and cultural control.

The Advocate

Christopher Wiggins

Apr 23, 2026

A new federal inquiry into television ratings is drawing sharp backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates, who warn it could mark a turning point in how the government treats queer representation in media.

The Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, this week opened a public comment period on whether existing TV ratings should be revised to account for what the agency describes as “gender identity themes.” The move, outlined in a formal public notice, asks whether parents are being adequately informed when children’s programming includes discussions of gender identity and whether additional labeling or higher ratings may be warranted.

[...]

At this stage, the FCC has not proposed a rule change. The inquiry is an opening move, a request for public input that could, depending on how the agency proceeds, lead to formal revisions of the ratings system. Still, the questions it poses are unusually specific, focusing in part on whether shows rated TV-Y, TV-Y7, or TV-G should carry additional warnings when they include gender identity content.

“Americans should make their voices heard by submitting a comment that rejects this latest attempt by Brendan Carr’s FCC to manipulate the media, erode freedom of speech, and harm LGBTQ Americans,” Ellis said.

You know what the public thinks will go in one ear and out the other!