Another Steps Up For Us.

Banning care does not give us the opportunity to answer important questions.

My heart always cheers up when I see an ally step up for us. This is from the medical website STAT:

Banning gender-affirming care doesn’t protect children — it makes it harder to help them

Here’s what happens when political pressure overrides scientific standards

By Kavitha RanganathanJune 29, 2026

Ranganathan is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and plastic surgeon at Mass General Brigham.

I am a plastic surgeon who rebuilds faces after car accidents, helps cancer patients breathe, and restores infants’ ability to eat and smile. Yet what draws the most notice is my work transforming masculine features into feminine ones, and vice versa.

I am an outsider to the LGBTQIA+ community. I grew up in a conservative household in which discussions on sex and gender were taboo. But in residency, I saw patients in clinic every Monday with my attending, a cisgender, white, heterosexual male at least 60 years old, who had been providing surgical gender-affirming care for over 25 years. I saw how vulnerable the patients were, trapped in their bodies. I felt the weight they woke up with every day, trying to blend into the surrounding world of instantaneous judgements. And I saw the life-changing impact that surgery had.

When we speak up, people think we have an axe to grind, but when allies speak up, they speak from the heart.

Recently, however, there has been a fork in the road. While organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association have staunchly and vocally supported transgender patients and their right to health care, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has chosen a different path. In February, ASPS, a society for which I previously served on the Board of Directors, issued a “Position Statement on Gender Surgery for Children and Adolescents,” which argued against providing gender-affirming surgical care to anyone under the age of 19. The statement helped support the Trump administration’s continuing fight against gender-affirming care for adults and teenagers.

Their recommendations are wrong too! Limiting surgeries to only a "few" hospitals just creates more hoops to jump through.

Instead of calling for an outright ban, ASPS could propose ways to promote research that can genuinely protect trans youth, who are indeed vulnerable.

For instance, ASPS could have recommended that gender-affirming care to adolescents is provided only at regional centers of excellence to standardize care using strict selection criteria.

Another approach is to recommend providing gender-affirming care under research protocols that prioritize long-term data collection.

This is a knee-jerk reaction to political pressure! So we can't have surgery until 19? But the age of legal adulthood is 18!

The reality of my job today is that I can see a young girl in my clinic for breast augmentation in preparation for her sweet 16 and be prosecuted for doing the same operation on a 19-year-old with gender dysphoria. My personal opinion is that any elective operation done on a child requires absolute care, multidisciplinary collaboration, and honest conversations with families. The government’s opinion shouldn’t infringe on autonomy.

For those framing this issue in the context of patient safety, the ASPS has not banned one of plastic surgery’s highest mortality procedures. For the Brazilian butt lift, the operation with the highest mortality rate of any aesthetic procedure in plastic surgery, the ASPS put together a task force that came up with recommendations to improve safety. The operation was never banned.

Don't forget that there is absolutely no problem with doing gender-conforming surgery on week-old intersex babies! There have only been a few surgeries on minors, and most were breast reduction surgeries for cisgender youth, which just get lumped in with us.

Banning care does not give us the opportunity to answer important questions.

Even worse, physician groups betraying the public’s trust out of fear of government retaliation has permanent consequences, especially when the government’s actions have since been deemed unconstitutional. Individual plastic surgeons like me have united to demand answers from the ASPS in an effort to uphold our responsibility to all patients. When we stray from standards on one issue, our patients won’t be able to trust us on any issue.

But this is a politcial "gotcha" the Republicans think that we can offset Trump... that they think that in the 2026 and the 2028 elections we can sway enough votes away form the Democrats, The Republicans don't realy care about us one way or another... we are just a wedge issue for them.

Sorry Donald!

It is time to pay up! The Supreme Court said no way are there going to touch the case! Pay up on what... In a five million dollar law by the woman the jury found that Trump attacked in the dressing room at department store dressing room.

E. Jean Carroll calls for Trump to pay her $5.8M after Supreme Court rejects his appeal

PBS News

By Michael R. Sisak & Larry Neumeister

Jul 1, 2026

Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll asked a judge Tuesday to require President Donald Trump to pay her $5 million from a jury verdict that concluded Trump sexually abused her in the 1990s and defamed her after she publicly described the attack in 2019.

Lawyers for Carroll filed papers in Manhattan federal court to say Trump is unjustly trying to further delay release of the money after the Supreme Court refused Monday to hear an appeal of the 2023 civil jury verdict.

[...]

"To date, Carroll has agreed to each of Defendant's many requests to delay the payment he owes her. Given the extraordinary lengths he has taken to avoid such payments and that each of those efforts has been denied in full, that cooperation ends today. It is time for him to pay Carroll," they wrote.

Pay up Donald!

How They Ruined Milk

[Essay]

I’m a milk snob, I admit it. I like unhomogenized milk. First, I am not talking about raw milk or non-pasteurized milk. No, what I am talking about is milk that is pasteurized but not homogenized. You know, the kind with the cream floating on top, like they used to deliver in the old days… back when I was a kid.

The bottle would sit in a box on the front porch, and I would check it on my way home from school. I’d open the lid and hope for a bottle of chocolate milk! What changed, besides buying it at the grocery store now, is that all milk is uniform today. There are what, three or four major brands? And they all sell only homogenized milk.

To homogenize milk, they blast the cream through a nozzle that turns it into a fine mist. It becomes so fine that you can’t distinctively taste the cream in the milk anymore.

Fortunately, there is a farm store near me. They have a large orchard, but inside the store, they also sell produce from other local farms. Their milk comes from a farm up in the Litchfield Hills and is pasteurized. When I buy it, the cream sits right on top, so you just have to give it two shakes before pouring. That’s all it takes—two shakes. You can truly taste and feel the cream. It is richer and, well, creamier.

But nowadays, you have no choice unless you drive out of your way.

I also get thick-cut bacon from a local farm at this store. I grab their store-made cookies, like chocolate chip or oatmeal-raisin, and ice cream that also comes from the farms up in the Litchfield Hills. When corn is in season, I get it from a local stand, picked fresh that morning.

In my younger days, I used to hang out with friends who owned farms. Many times, I sat on a friend's back deck, picking off the woodchucks that were eating the corn. At another friend's place, I used to hang out at his roadside stand, chatting or watching a Red Sox game. That’s why I like shopping at farm stands. 

It supports local farmers rather than some giant conglomerate.

They made milk like they do with the ticky-tacky and uniform, the same, no differences... all homogenized. 

Oh, and one other thing. When you make hot chocolate with this milk and let it sit for a bit, the cream floats to the top. But it's chocolate cream! Mmm…

[/Essay]

A Hacker

That is the old definition: it described a worker who produced rough, crude, or shoddy workmanship—someone who just "hacked away" at a job without refined skill. Everything they touched fell apart.

Sounds like Trump, doesn't it?

Trump Taj Mahal

Trump Shuttle

Trump University

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino

Trump Vodka

Trump Steaks

Trump: The Game

One after another, they collapsed under the weight of overpromising and poor execution. Now, the United States is the latest project bearing his signature.

And now...

The Kennedy Center

The Reflecting Pool

Freedom 250

Here in Connecticut, Freedom 250 was uninvited by Coventry, Columbia, and Suffield—though in Suffield, the VFW stepped in to invite them once the town backed out. Congress created America250 as the official national commemoration, but the Trump administration hijacked its attention and resources for Freedom 250, leaving America250 underfunded while promoting its own branded initiative.

State Fair on the Mall Sputters Out of the Gate

Melted ice cream, power outages, rainy weather and a Confederate flag display marred the beginning of the National Mall event.

News of the United States (NOTUS)

By Jenna Monnin

June 28, 2026

The 110-foot-tall Ferris wheel, a main attraction at the Great American State Fair for the country’s 250th anniversary, shut down for a couple of hours due to lack of power. The ice cream melted, but Iowa’s butter cow survived. And a display of the Confederate flag was removed from North Carolina’s booth after Gov. Josh Stein condemned the vendor for putting it up.

On Sunday, Mother Nature also poured on Uncle Sam as organizers temporarily shut down the fair amid inclement weather in D.C. and urged fair-goers to seek shelter.

[...]

President Donald Trump kicked off the fair Wednesday, calling it the beginning of “the most unforgettable birthday party any country has ever had.”

Yup you can say that again!

The fair also featured a towering replica of Trump’s proposed Memorial Circle arch adorned with fake gold statues. The vinyl-covered wood mock-up was already showing signs of wear shortly into the fair’s opening.

As the event entered its fourth day on the National Mall, the president took a tour of a few of his hand-picked construction projects in D.C. on Sunday, walking through Lafayette Square with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

The president signed blueprints for a remake of the public golf course at Potomac Park East, and drove by the proposed location for the arch on his way to his own golf course in Sterling, Virginia. Trump shut down the public course in early May to begin renovations.

So where has all the funding coming from since Congress didn't fund Freedom250? Well funding was siphoned off from various federal agencies... which is against U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 and the Impoundment Control Act!

Donald Trump hijacked America’s 250 and turned it into a ‘theatre of the absurd’

Trump, laying siege to freedoms and truth itself, is twisting America’s milestone birthday into a joyless occasion

The Guardian

David Smith in Philadelphia

Mon 29 Jun 2026

This is the room where it happened. The assembly room at Independence Hall in Philadelphia where, 250 years ago this week, a group of sweating, treasonous men broke from the most powerful empire since ancient Rome. Amid a summer of trial and error, delegates including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson ratified a flawed but aspirational document to declare their independence from the British crown. The date was 4 July 1776 – but it took nearly a month for all 56 delegates of the Second Continental Congress to formally sign on.

“I don’t blame them,” Maggie Burkett, a park ranger, told a group of about 40 tourists as they gazed at green baize tables adorned with books, letters, pipes and candles one recent afternoon. “These words on this page are treason, just as much as burning the king’s coats of arms was. By signing this document, you are literally risking your life. The 56 men who signed this document were brave. In my opinion, they were heroes.”

[...]

Trump, who has been hyping this anniversary for years and has expressed glee that it falls in his second term, launched a project to beautify the capital, with statues scrubbed clean of graffiti and water flowing from long-neglected fountains. He even intends to build a triumphal arch that will dwarf the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

But in a metaphor that is almost too neat, the president has come unstuck with a $14.7m renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on the National Mall. No-bid contracts for the work were awarded to vendors with past ties to the president. Within days of its completion, an algae bloom turned the pool water bright green while its “American flag blue” coating began to peel off. Trump has blamed the embarrassing debacle on mysterious vandals and threatened the alleged vandals with jail time.

This tone was set earlier this month when, on 14 June, coinciding with his 80th birthday, Trump commandeered the White House South Lawn to host brutal Ultimate Fighting Championship cage matches. He followed up last week on the National Mall with a formal kick-off for the Great American State Fair, in effect a Trump rally with military jets roaring overhead that was hastily arranged when previously announced performing artists withdrew over the event’s partisan nature.

Everything Trump touches is "Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind." As The Guardian goes on to report:

All of this has come about after America250, the official bipartisan commission established by Congress more than a decade ago, was elbowed aside in favor of Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned initiative. America 250’s modest ambitions include a time capsule with contributions from all 50 states, an essay contest for students and an America’s Block Party concert on 4 July featuring Queen Latifah, Chris Stapleton and the Smashing Pumpkins.

The upshot is that America’s milestone birthday feels particularly joyless, less a celebration of the world’s most powerful country than a case study in how a demoralised, self-doubting nation has fallen prey to culture wars and the narcissism of its leader. Trump – a uniquely divisive president laying siege to freedoms, institutions and truth itself – has proved to be the ultimate party pooper.

The Freedom 250 truck tour is another one of Trump's flops! The MAGA praise it while everyone else thinks it is a work of propaganda.

Trump's Freedom 250 hits the road with museum focused on faith, civics

Six mobile history museums, part of President Trump's Freedom 250 program, aim to counter 'woke agenda.' Historians say it leaves out key facts.

Liam Adams & Karissa Waddick

USA TODAY

March 2, 2026

Slipping inside the semitrailer, visitors find a wall-to-wall display of the watershed moments leading up to the American Revolution and its biggest battles.

Tucked in a less visible spot, another exhibit tells visitors the "foundational principles of America are rooted in Western and Judeo-Christian values."

This 53-foot mobile museum is one of six “Freedom Trucks” traversing the country as ambassadors of President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 program.

At a stop in Nashville during the National Religious Broadcasters annual gathering in February, Marissa Streit, chief executive of the conservative media organization PragerU, was showing visitors through the two-room museum her company helped design.

That is where your tax dollars are going... not to the congressionally funded America250, but to Trump's Freedom 250 to push his personal agenda that we are a Christian nation.

The Hartford Courant writes that;

The partisan divisions that appear to be scuttling the Trump Administration’s much-heralded Freedom 250 concerts have hit the associated “traveling museums,” with a Massachusetts police department canceling a scheduled stop in its town while the VFW post in Suffield proclaims an appearance there is going forward.

Opinions about Freedom displays being trucked around the country are splitting largely along political lines, with supporters declaring the exhibits boldly patriotic and informative while detractors deride them as right-wing propaganda.

[...]

At a stop in Nashville during the National Religious Broadcasters annual gathering in February, Marissa Streit, chief executive of the conservative media organization PragerU, was showing visitors through the two-room museum her company helped design.

Streit said references to America's Judeo-Christian roots were an intentional and deliberate part of the truck design, intended to help counterbalance an approach to the nation's history that she said has misled the American public.

They are using Freedom 250 for their White Christian nationalist propaganda! The British media Reuters reported,

Inside President Donald Trump's six "Freedom Trucks" that will drive across the country to celebrate America's 250th birthday, an AI-generated George Washington greets visitors and proclaims: "Thy rights are a gift from God," beneath a ceiling emblazoned with the words, "In God We ​Trust."

Democrats have complained that taxpayer funds and private donations for the trucks and a range of other Freedom 250 events lack accountability. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent federal agency, provided a $14 million grant ​for the six trucks that was coupled with $10 million from Freedom 250.

A group of U.S. Senate Democrats on March 3 wrote Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking why government funds were directed ⁠to "a private entity that is unaccountable to the American people" and whether those funds are being commingled with private funds "potentially raised from foreign sources."

[...]

The Freedom Trucks content was created by Hillsdale College, a private conservative Christian liberal arts college, and PragerU, which is not a university but a creator of "edu-tainment" content espousing Judeo-Christian values.

PragerU has created videos ​including one that explores how elections can be stolen, showcasing mail-in ballots as ​a culprit, echoing widely debunked allegations that Trump has ⁠made repeatedly since he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Another video, "Pride Month Why do we do this?" questioned the June celebrations by LGBTQ communities.

PragerU did not respond to requests for comment on financial arrangements it secured from Freedom 250.

PragerU has published videos and educational materials that argue the American Civil War was primarily about "states' rights" rather than slavery.

So what do you think? A hit or a bust?

---

But it isn’t just domestic celebrations that are suffering from this 'shoddy workmanship', look at his foreign policy, we have the Iranian war... when he attacked Iran, he claimed it would be over in 8 to 10 weeks. Yet here we are, six months later. How many times has Trump said the war is over and the Straits are open? How many times has Iran blocked the Straits since then? And just now Iran tore up the MOU!

Meanwhile, there are growing allegations of insider trading each time the war is turned "on and off."

Trump is nothing more than an old-fashioned "hack"—everything he touches turns to garbage.

I Have A Question For You.

It is just a simple question... "Where have we seen this before?"

Trump’s actions signal a move toward institutionalizing people with disabilities, advocates warn

by: ANNIE MA, Associated Press

KXAN

Jun 30, 2026

For decades, disabled people have fought for their rights to go to school and live alongside peers without disabilities — rights that some fear could be losing ground under the Trump administration.

Last month, the Education Department announced it would offload oversight of special education to the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose comments on the limits of disabilities such as autism have drawn sharp rebukes from advocates and lawmakers.

Meanwhile, following a White House push to police homelessness, the Department of Justice released guidance that lowered the barrier to institutionalizing any person with a disability.

Taken together, the actions signal a worrying return to a reality where people with disabilities are pushed to the margins of society, advocates said.

So, let's see... forced institutionalization of the homeless, forced institutionalization of the disabled... who's next? Us? The trans community?

Any ideas?

Thoughts

"Then he grabbed up some bolts, he let out a laugh, / said I'll split them right down the middle, / gonna cut them right up in half... / and then storm clouds gathered above into great balls of fire."

— Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Origin of Love

That is exactly what the Supreme Court ruling just did… it split us right down the middle. Besides being horribly wrong, it is going to create a new Underground Railroad.

What a can of worms they just opened!

Think of this: they just created a system akin to the Underground Railroad, but in the electronic age. In the era of telehealth. In the era of mail-order drugs. All these laws do is open up the black market. Soon, you will start seeing underground ads for blockers and hormones.

You will see an increase in self-medication. These Republicans don’t see the real world; they live in their own little fantasy world.

Then I have to wonder—will this be the excuse for a massive surveillance network? License plate cameras, speed cameras, and Ring cameras, all tracking your every move?

It is not just us, but also women who might be having an abortion. It is the era of Big Brother... watching you.

Hate Is Spreading

Around the world hate against us is spreading...

‘Witch-hunt’ in Niger as military regime rounds up LGBTQ+ population

Fears of resurgence of HIV/Aids amid loss of access to PrEP drugs as at least 40 people arrested in ‘toxic’ climate

The Guardian

Sarah Johnson

Wed 1 Jul 2026

A “witch-hunt” is under way in Niger, where dozens of people have been arrested for homosexuality in the west African state following the introduction of a new penal code earlier this year.

Up to 40 people have been arrested and 16 men, including high-ranking military officials, have been imprisoned across the country, according to local media.

Organisations providing HIV services to men who have sex with men have had to stop working, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous.

“With the recent witch-hunt, and these arrests that are taking place, the climate here is truly toxic,” they said.

“LGBTQ+ populations are keeping a low profile and have gone into hiding because they are at risk. We have lost contact with many and the recent arrests have exacerbated tensions.”

They are idiots! Diseases never stops. Look at what happened when Reagan didn't do anything about HIV/AIDS and as a result it spread like wildfire. And in Niger it will be even worst because it is in the general population!

Larissa Kojoué, a political scientist and pan-African activist, dismissed the idea of homosexuality being somehow linked to western culture. “Political leaders are using this to advance their own political agenda,” she said. “They claim ‘African values’, sovereignty and culture, all the while happily undermining human rights for people.”

They are taking pages out of Trump playbook.

Examples include Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which made homosexual acts punishable by death; a new law in Senegal doubling the maximum prison term to 10 years for same-sex relations and criminalising the “promotion” of homosexuality; and a bill in Ghana criminalising groups promoting gay rights and identifying as LGBTQ+. Globally, half of the 66 countries that criminalise consensual same-sex acts are African.

There are already Republicans who also want to imprisoned us!

Cuckoo Award: Click Bait

Just take a look at this headline in the National Enquirer!

It brought out the MAGA in a fit. They are out for blood... How dare they keep me from flying my flag!!!!

Massachusetts Residents Advised Not to Fly American Flags Ahead of July 4.

Well, first off, it is not the whole state, but only one town.

Also, it is only in part of that town.

In a nature preserve where endangered birds are nesting.

“Are you serious?” Sarkady told the outlet of his reaction. “You’re telling me I can’t fly American flags on my property to celebrate America 250?”

Hey, man, when you bought the property, there was a covenant on the property deed, which is a legally binding promise or rule attached to the land that dictates what an owner can or cannot do with their property. And now you're bitching about it because they're telling you that you have to obey what you agreed to do!

You are hereby awarded the Cuckoo Award!!

---

You see the island is the ⁠Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which serves as one of the most critical nesting habitats in New England for this federally threatened shorebird. Annual Beach Closures: The majority of the refuge beaches are closed to public access from April 1st through August. This gives the tiny, camouflaged chicks and nests protection from accidental human disturbance.

BREAKING NEWS: A Tale Of Two Courts

One that uphold the Constitution and one that worms its way around the Constitutional question!

First the upholding of the Constitution...

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship

The Trump administration sought to upend the historical understanding of the 14th Amendment  which has long been interpreted to extend birthright citizenship broadly.

NBC News

By Lawrence Hurley

June 30, 2026

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s contentious attempt to limit citizenship at birth for those born on U.S. soil, delivering a major blow to his agenda.

The court, divided 6-3, ruled that the executive order Trump issued Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, was unlawful. Five justices said the order fell foul of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted to bestow birthright citizenship on almost anyone born in the United States.

One justice, conservative Brett Kavanaugh, said the order violated federal law but not the Constitution.

Here is the Amendment...

AMENDMENT XIV

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Do you see any qualifiers is the amendment?

Questions are undocumented immigrants being arrested and going to trial? The answer is "Yes" so therefore they are subject to the laws of the United States... Period. No "buts" nor "ifs"  But somehow three Supreme Court justice see words that are not written in the amendment. They say,

Three conservatives would have ruled in Trump’s favor, saying that the 14^th Amendment  would allow his executive order: Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.

In dissent, Thomas wrote that the 14th Amendment was primarily aimed at formerly enslaved Black people.

“Blacks were entitled to citizenship because they were Americans. They had no other homeland, owed no allegiance to any foreign power, and were subject to no other authority,” he wrote. “The same could not be said for the children of foreign temporary visitors.”

Bull S**t! In 1886 the Supreme Court ruled that in the case of Yick Wo v. Hopkins that the 14^th Amendment did apply to other people besides Blacks. The case of Truax v. Raich in 1915 rules the Supreme Court struck it down, holding that lawful resident aliens are "persons" protected by the Equal Protection Clause.

So the conservatives justices cherry picked their case for rebuttal!

The Fourteenth Amendment also covers equal treatment. In another NBC article they write,

The court, largely divided 6-3, ruled against two transgender students, Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox, who had challenged restrictive laws in West Virginia and Idaho, respectively.

The court in an opinion authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh concluded that the laws do not violate either the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which requires that the law apply evenly to everyone, or Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bars sex discrimination in education.

“The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women’s and girls’ sports throughout America,” Kavanaugh wrote.

He expressed sympathy for transgender girls and women who desire to play sports, saying “their desire to compete warrants respect” and that they should not be “ostracized or vilified.”

But they did!

It is the latest in a string of defeats for transgender people at the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority.

In the cases the Supreme Court justices in the cases of cases, West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox ruled that 14th Amendment to the Constitution, nor Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 apply to trans people. In their ruling they only looked the central legal question under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was whether laws that separate athletic participation based on biological sex unlawfully deny transgender girls equal protection.

Okay you get that? The question before the court wasn't if trans people were being discriminated against but rather if the law that the separation of athletic participation based on biological sex is Constitutional.  And to that I have to agree... however, the court did not answer the question if we can play sports in our true gender. That question still hasn't been answered.

There is also some hope in that it only applies to states with the bans. Not to states like Connecticut that allows trans sports. It does not effect all the states just the states that ban us.

So the the question if we can play in our true genders have not been answered.

Yes! To The DAR!

 The Daughters of the American Revolution just stood up for us! The far right Washington Times owned by the Moonies (Unification Church) wrote;

Daughters of American Revolution assembly defeats proposal to block transgender members

By Valerie Richardson 

June 27, 2026

The Daughters of the American Revolution beat back a membership uprising over transgender membership, rejecting a resolution that would have barred male-born candidates from being admitted to the venerable women’s patriotic organization.

DAR members defeated the resolution, which would have clarified that applicants must be “born female” to be eligible for membership, at a Friday vote of the 135th Continental Congress at Memorial Continental Hall in the District.

Introduced by a cohort of members known as Daughters Advocating for Restoration, the proposal lost by a 1,481-984 vote of the assembly, according to Laura McDonald, a leader of the resistance group and treasurer of the DAR’s Martha Laird Chapter in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

“Today the Daughters of the American Revolution, whose motto is ‘God, Home and Country,’ voted to reject a resolution that seeks to define the word ‘woman’ in our National Bylaws,” Ms. McDonald said in a statement to The Washington Times.

“While admitting men with amended birth certificates is still a violation of the bylaws, I do believe the will of the assembly was heard today,” she said. “We don’t know what the future holds or what God’s plan is, but we do know He has a plan and we trust Him.”

We have allies who are willing to step up for us.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

There is a difference. In Illinois the governor just signed three bill that protect our rights to get IDs in our true gender, and then other two guarantees our medication.

Gov. signs 3 trans rights bills into law & then marches in Pride parade that afternoon

“We are a few steps closer to a state where all can live their lives without fear of hate,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D)

LGBTQ Nation

Molly Sprayregen (She/Her)

June 29, 2026

On Sunday, just hours before he marched in the Chicago Pride Parade, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed three trans rights bills into law.

HB 5095 solidifies the process for trans people to correct the gender marker on their IDs to male, female, or X. HB 5492 mandates that insurance companies cover up to a 6-month supply of prescribed hormone therapy, as well as “the necessary supplies for self-administration.” Both laws take effect on January 1, 2027.

HB 4834 updates the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program (ILPMP) to remove testosterone and prohibit the addition of estrogen, mifepristone, and misoprostol. The law, effective immediately, will prevent the database, which is used to prevent certain drugs from being overprescribed, from being abused to prevent folks from obtaining gender-affirming and reproductive health care.

But that is now all, later the governor...

Pritzker then posted a video of himself touting the bills as he prepared to march in Chicago’s Pride Parade. “It’s very important to me that we have a state that stands up and protects the people who live here,” he said. “So I’m very happy, very proud, frankly, to live in the state of Illinois. I hope you are, too.”

Pritzker has been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights long before it was popular, as evidenced by a photo of him that often makes the rounds on social media, in which he is marching in the 1993 Pride parade.

Yes, Virginia, There are governors that support us.

Wow! Nineteen Years And Counting!

I was just thinking, “What a long, strange trip it’s been!”

I first went out as Diana… it was like, “Oh wow! I don’t believe that I’m doing this!” The year was 1999. The month was September. I contacted a support group…

At the end of the email, she told me when and where they met. I summoned all my courage and drove there.

And the place was empty… no lights except the motion detector. Oops — it was last weekend, the second weekend of the month! So I went to the October meeting… and for the first time in my life, I was with other trans people!

I became their activity director… then eventually the director.

I heard that there was another support group called the Twenty Club (their newsletters are archived here), and I started going — something to do on a Saturday afternoon. At one meeting, this girl came in and one side of her face was all swollen and bruised. She had been beaten up on a job site in Bridgeport. When the police didn’t arrest the people who beat her, she raised her voice — and she was arrested. That was when I became an activist.

I was at a Pride event in Hartford, next to Jerimarie at the CT TransAdvocacy Coalition. In between lulls in the Pride traffic, we talked. She told me about CTAC, and I became the director of it a few years later.

---

I’ve seen it all when it comes to transitioning.

I’ve seen those who rushed through it in months. I’ve seen those who hadn’t even socially transitioned demand surgery — and the surgeon said no. So she took a plane trip to Thailand. I never saw her again.

I’ve seen those who had a chip on their shoulder and were mad at the world.

I’ve seen those who were like me — transitioning part-time at first. I was male at work, and all the rest of the time I was Diana. Dipping a toe in the water to test it.

I’ve seen families disown their loved ones — and families reunite.

I’ve seen couples stay together. Couples break up over a transition. I’ve seen couples break up and then come back together again.

I’ve seen trans people change their orientation.

I’ve seen those who detransitioned — and some who retransitioned.

I have known some who were murdered. I have known succumb to the hate, 

---

I’ve worked to pass legislation. I’ve given trainings in colleges. I’ve given trainings in maximum-security prisons. I am now working to help end social isolation for seniors.

Methinks thou dost protest too much

Have you notice that it seems like those who yell the loudest against us, have a lot hidden in the closet.

Ohio pastor who called LGBTQ+ books a ‘health risk’ sentenced for child sex crimes

Silas Shelton had objected to Heartstopper at a school book fair, saying LGBTQ+ books posed a “mental health” risk to children.

The Advocate

Desiree Guerrero

Jun 29, 2026

Silas Shelton, a church pastor from Clinton County, Ohio, was sentenced to prison Monday for sex crimes against a child that occurred in 2019. He was arrested in October of last year and charged with multiple felonies.

Supporters of both the victim and Shelton filled the courtroom, anxiously anticipating the judge’s ruling, as reported by local tri-state CBS affiliate WKRC. However, statements by Shelton’s supporters and his attorney claiming he was a good family man and a pillar of the community didn’t carry much weight with Judge Andrew McCoy, who ultimately imposed the maximum sentence.

Prosecuting attorney Brian Shidaker explained to the court that Shelton, 48, took advantage of the victim due to her impressionable age, his close relationship with her family, and his leading role in the church. He’d even arranged a job for the victim, apparently in an attempt to be alone with her.

You know he is not the first nor the last to try to hide behind fake moral outrage against us.

The Ninetieth Year

June 29, 2007 @ 11:00AM I transitioned. (How do I know the time? That was when I got layoff)

I can say it with certainly has been a long strange trip.

Any regrets? Nope not a one.

Back when I was starting to realize that I could transition and still survive I wrote this...

Trans-

I look in the mirror and I see a man.

I blink, and I see a woman.

But, I am I.

I don’t feel any different.

How can I be both?

Can both survive?

Will one have to be destroyed, in order for the other to live?

Will I still be me?

And in these 19 year I have found the answer... yes.

---

I wrote this back in August, so I hope that I am around to read this.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

Time is running out for the Supreme Court to end this session on the last day in June, here are some of the cases waiting a verdict and we are on the list!

1. Transgender Rights & Sports (West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Heacox)  The Court is set to rule on state-level bans that prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in female sports categories. These cases are monumental because they test the boundaries of Title IX (the federal law banning sex discrimination in education) and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The ruling will establish a major nationwide precedent for LGBTQ+ rights and gender identity protections.  

2. Voting Rights & Mail-In Ballots (Watson v. Republican National Committee)This election law case challenges state "grace periods" for mail-in voting. Specifically, the RNC is arguing that federal law strictly defines "Election Day" as the first Tuesday in November, meaning any ballots received after that date—even if postmarked on or before Election Day—should not count. A ruling here could fundamentally change how states administer mail-in voting and impact future election outcomes.  

3. Executive Power Over Independent Agencies Following a trend of targeting federal agency powers, the Court is weighing a significant challenge regarding the president’s authority to directly fire heads of independent regulatory agencies. A ruling in favor of expanding executive control would drastically alter the independence of bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Federal Reserve.  

4. Gun Rights & Concealed Carry LawsFollowing up on previous Second Amendment expansions, the Court is reviewing local and state-level restrictions—specifically regarding where concealed-carry permit holders are allowed to bring firearms (such as challenges to "sensitive places" restrictions like private properties open to the public).  

5. Electoral Redistricting (Louisiana v. Callais / Allen v. Milligan follow-ups)The justices are still sorting through intense battles over racial gerrymandering and voting maps. The upcoming rulings will decide whether states must redraw congressional districts to create more majority-Black or minority-opportunity districts, heavily influencing the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This is the biggie West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Heacox our human rights is on the line! Will they rule that being trans or lesbian or gay is something we are born with could affect us for a generation or more. Oyez writes:

Facts of the case
B.P.J. is a transgender girl who has identified as female since the third grade. At the onset of puberty, B.P.J. began taking puberty blockers and estrogen for medical treatment of gender dysphoria, effectively halting male pubertal development and aligning her physical characteristics with those of cisgender girls. Since her social transition, B.P.J. has consistently lived as a girl at school and participated on girls’ athletic teams. In 2021, West Virginia enacted the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which requires public school and collegiate sports teams to be designated based on “biological sex” and excludes individuals identified as male at birth from participating on female teams. This law, by its design and effect, prevented B.P.J. from continuing to compete on her school’s girls’ cross-country and track teams.

Shortly after the Act took effect, B.P.J., through her mother, sued the West Virginia State Board of Education and other state and county education officials, as well as the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission. She alleged that excluding her from girls’ sports violated the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX. The State of West Virginia intervened to defend the law. Initially, the district court granted B.P.J. a preliminary injunction, allowing her to participate on girls’ teams pending litigation. However, at summary judgment, the district court reversed course and upheld the law, concluding that the classification on the basis of “biological sex” was substantially related to the important government interest in ensuring fairness and opportunity in girls’ athletics. The court granted summary judgment to the defendants and denied B.P.J.’s cross-motion, holding that the exclusion of B.P.J. from girls’ sports did not violate the Constitution or Title IX. On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded. It held that application of the law to B.P.J. violated Title IX and that factual disputes precluded summary judgment against her equal protection claim.

Question
Does Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause prohibit a state from assigning students to girls’ and boys’ sports teams based on their biological sex as determined at birth?

Yes, Today Is The Anniversary Of Stonewall

[Editorial]

But Stonewall wasn't the first time we stood up for our rights. There were many other times dating back years earlier:

• Cooper Do-nuts Riot — 1959
• Dewey's Restaurant sit-ins — 1965
• Compton's Cafeteria riot — 1966
• Black Cat Tavern protest — 1967

There is a great debate about whether or not these events should be called “riots” or “uprisings.” I will explain my distinction between the two. A “riot” is a violent outbreak, like after the Knicks win. An “uprising” can be a peaceful or violent act meant to shake off the yoke of oppression.

Why did the police raid these bars? (Besides the fact that they didn’t get their payoff that month—or due to political pressure from city leadership.)

Because of trans people. Gay men and lesbians were harder to prove in court when they were simply present. But for trans people, there were laws. In many places, we were required to wear a certain number of items of “male clothing”—in some cases, absurd rules like socks counting as one item.

We were the bedrock of the Stonewall movement.

But something happened on the way to the first NYC Pride parade: we were told not to come. However, we were not alone in being excluded. They also didn’t want “wimpy” gay men or “butch” lesbians. They wanted only white, “respectable” gays and lesbians—those who could assimilate into society. And thus, “Gay Inc.” was born, where the “Holy Grail” became marriage.

Back before the turn of the century, the professional organization began to shift away from the more rigid Harry Benjamin Standards toward what would become the WPATH standards of care. Under the old standards, I would likely not have been allowed to transition for two reasons.

As I like to say: “If you can’t tell I’m trans, you need glasses and a hearing aid!”

The second reason is that I am attracted to women. Under earlier standards, I would have been told I couldn’t be a “true transsexual” because of that attraction.

Now we are visible—and that visibility has also made us targets of conservatives.

So on this anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, let us remember our roots.

[/Editorial]

I Agree.

We all have seen it: too many people use their religion to justify their bigotry. As a good friend wrote this...

Giants players used the Bible against Pride. As a Black trans Christian, I’ve had enough.

As a Black trans Christian, I have serious issues with the selective outrage of these San Francisco Giants pitchers and their Pride caps.

Out Sports

Karleigh Webb

June 16, 2026

Three things you can be sure of in sports each June.

First, somebody will have a Pride Night.

Second, someone will have a public snit about it.

And third, that someone will use the Bible to justify their nonsense.

The latest to follow that predictable route was the group of San Francisco Giants pitchers who decided to wear their now-infamous defaced rainbow logo Pride caps with a scrawled Bible verse, some form of Genesis 9:11-16. The aftermath of the flood, the promise to Noah to never again flood the earth and the symbol of the promise, the rainbow.

They say they are Christians, but they cherry-pick the parts they want and ignore the rest.

One of the players, Landen Roupp, when asked about that symbolism of the rainbow to lesbian, gay, bi and trans people — and the players’ booming statement against it — said, “First of all, as a believer, I would push them to read the Bible,”

Let’s talk believer to believer. Yes, in addition to being a Black trans woman and a sportswriter , I’m a church-going, praying-without-ceasing, footwashing Christian.

[...]

This past Sunday my pastor, faithful like me and trans like me, put forth a point to ponder in his sermon.

“We’ve been an independent nation for 250 years,” he said. “But many people would not call our nation free.”

Given the actions of certain sectors of our body politic and decisions made at home and abroad, the nation’s birthday would be ripe for dissension.

As I have said before, I am not religious, but I believe in God... just not organized religion.

I was raised Catholic and went to Catechism, and the one thing I remember from that time is this:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

— Gospel of Matthew 22:37–40

So I think those who hide behind the Bible to justify their animosity toward us have flunked the test.

 

Connecting the Dots

[Editorial]

School vouchers.

Dismantling the Department of Education.

Warehousing the homeless.

Institutionalization of the disabled.

Pogroms against trans people.

Cuts to SNAP.

Cuts to WIC.

New work regulations for Medicaid.

Tax cuts for billionaires.

Weakening environmental laws.

Trump campaigned on smaller government. But if you connect the dots, an interesting pattern can be seen. It is a model of the “K-shaped” economy.

Take education: they have cut back on funding for public schools, but the reality is that schools have fixed costs. They must heat the building, keep the lights on, and handle maintenance. Vouchers are causing public schools to delay these needed repairs.

Meanwhile, private schools can take the “cream of the crop!” The best scholars! The best athletes! At the same time, they can keep out "undesirables" like the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and people of other faiths, like Jewish people and Muslims.

Then we have the tax cuts for Trump’s billionaire friends. He dismissed at least 17 inspectors general from federal departments and agencies. He appointed former CEOs to run the very regulatory agencies that oversaw the industries they came from. Now, regulatory agencies are looking the other way as xAI centers run gas turbines without environmental permits, leaving neighbors to complain of a constant hum 24/7.

Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage hasn't changed since July 24, 2009, when it increased to $7.25 per hour. They made the ACA (Obamacare) unfavorable to the middle class. He has cut federal assistance programs and added burdens to those receiving benefits, leaving them struggling to get by.

When have these indicators happened in the past? In modern times, it has happened twice.

The first time, we called the elite “Robber Barons” in the 1890s. The second time was during the ostentatious display of wealth in the Roaring Twenties, which crashed into the 1930s.

In the mid-1800s, Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities (1859):

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief…”

Does that sound familiar now?

Back in the 1890s, there were a number of revolutions around the world: the Brazilian Revolution of 1893, the Philippine Revolution (1896–1898), and the Cuban War of Independence, which led into the Spanish–American War.

And don’t forget WWI, sparked by the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Then, in the 1940s, we had WWII. How did Hitler and Mussolini get into power? On the shoulders of wealthy industrialists.

How did we break the cycle in the past? We need to look back at the administration of Theodore Roosevelt… the “Trustbuster!”

When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, my father was a teacher. The neighbors were all hardworking factory workers, office workers, store owners, and store clerks. Yet, we could afford cottages, boats, and vacations. The mothers were stay-at-home moms; we only needed one income for a family of four to live comfortably. My summer job even paid my college tuition.

But now, people in those exact same positions are struggling to make ends meet. What we also share with those past eras is discrimination. First, it was the Irish and the Italians. But what really set conservatives off were the Chinese, which is when they started passing exclusionary laws. In Germany, Japan, and other Axis powers, xenophobia ran rampant, using minorities as scapegoats.

Have I connected the dots?

[/Editorial]

Maybe It Is A Good Thing...

That I can't get a passport.

Because of Trump we cannot get passports in our true gender, but maybe in a way it is a good thing... would you want to carry around a picture of Trump?

Trump shares new image of America 250 passport featuring photo of himself

By Heather Miller

FOX 5

June 27, 2026

The Brief

• President Trump will be the first living president to be featured on the U.S. passport. 
• He shared an updated image of the limited edition America 250 passport Saturday. 
• His stern face is featured prominently.

President Donald Trump has released an updated image of the limited edition America 250 passports featuring his face and name. 

The State Department first announced a passport featuring Trump in April, but the images shared Saturday are different. Trump will be the first living president to be featured on the U.S. passport. Here’s the latest: 

Department of Interior

And don't forget that he wants his picture on currency.

---

After I published this last night I came across this article, it turns out that he stuck his face also on the NPS passes back in January!

National Park Service will void passes with stickers over Trump's face

NPR

By Windsor Johnston

January 9, 2026

The National Park Service has updated its policy to discourage visitors from defacing a picture of President Trump on this year's pass.

The use of an image of Trump on the 2026 pass — rather than the usual picture of nature — has sparked a backlash, sticker protests, and a lawsuit from a conservation group.

The $80 annual America the Beautiful pass gives visitors access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Since 2004, the pass has typically showcased sweeping landscapes or iconic wildlife, selected through a public photo contest. Past winners have featured places like Arches National Park in Utah and images of bison roaming the plains.

Instead, of a picture of nature, this year's design shows side-by-side portraits of Presidents George Washington and Trump. The new design has drawn criticism from parkgoers and ignited a wave of "do-it-yourself" resistance.

Is this song fitting or what?

You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht

Your hat strategically dipped below one eye

Your scarf it was apricot

You had one eye in the mirror, as you watched yourself gavotte

And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner

They'd be your partner and

You're so vain

You probably think this song is about you

You're so vain (you're so vain)

I bet you think this song is about you

Don't you, don't you?

You’re So Vain by Carly Simon

[I am glad I have a lifetime NPS pass.]

---

I asked Gemini: What does it say about mentally about a person that wants his picture on everything and his name up on walls?

From a psychological standpoint, someone who insists on putting their face on everything and plastering their name across walls is exhibiting behavior deeply rooted in egocentricity, status-seeking, and a profound need for external validation.

While it’s impossible to diagnose someone without a clinical evaluation, psychologists and behaviorists typically look at a few distinct underlying traits to explain this kind of behavior:

1. Narcissism and Grandiosity

At the most obvious level, this aligns with narcissistic personality traits.

The Drive: An inflated sense of self-importance and a belief that they are unique or superior.

The Manifestation: Seeing their own face and name everywhere serves as a constant feedback loop that validates their perceived greatness. It’s an attempt to force the world to mirror their own high self-opinion back at them.

2. Deep-Seated Insecurity and Fragile Ego

Paradoxically, the loudest bark often comes from the most frightened dog.

The Drive: A massive, omnipresent public image is often used to mask intense inner vulnerability or a fear of insignificance.

The Manifestation: If the inner sense of self is fragile, they require constant, inescapable external reminders of their power and existence. It's a psychological armor; if their name is on the wall, they can’t be ignored or forgotten.

3. Hyper-Focus on Legacy and Symbolic Immortality

In psychology, Terror Management Theory suggests that humans have a deep dread of their own mortality and insignificance.

The Drive: To defeat death by becoming unforgettable.

The Manifestation: Writing one's name on walls is one of the oldest human impulses (think of ancient pharaohs or even graffiti). It is a literal attempt to carve oneself into history, ensuring that their presence outlasts their physical existence.

4. Territorialism and Dominance

This behavior is also highly behavioral and primitive.

The Drive: Marking territory.

The Manifestation: Much like an animal marking its boundaries, plastering a name or face on a building or product is a claim of ownership and dominance over that space. It sends a psychological message to everyone else: "This is my kingdom, and you are just visiting."

The Bottom Line:

While it presents outwardly as supreme confidence and power, mentally, it usually signals a mind that is entirely dependent on external reflection to feel whole. A truly secure person doesn't need a wall to remind them—or anyone else—of who they are.

Then I asked: Could that person be easily maniputated? 

Yes, surprisingly easily. In fact, people with this specific psychological profile—hyper-focused on their own ego, status, and public image—are often among the most predictable and vulnerable targets for manipulation.

Because their psychological drivers are so out in the open, a manipulator doesn’t have to guess what they want. The blueprint is right there on the wall.

Here is exactly how that vulnerability is exploited:

1. The Flattery Trap (Ego-Stroking)

Because this person is entirely dependent on external validation to maintain their grand image, they have a massive hunger for praise.

The Vulnerability: They usually cannot distinguish between genuine admiration and calculated flattery.

How it works: A manipulator simply feeds them the exact narrative they want to believe about themselves. By telling them they are the smartest, most powerful, or most visionary person in the room, the manipulator lowers the person's defensive guard completely. Once they trust the source of their "ego fix," they become highly compliant.

2. Strategic Isolation (Weaponizing the Ego)

People who need their face on everything are incredibly sensitive to criticism or anything that threatens their self-image.

The Vulnerability: They tend to view the world in black-and-white: people are either "loyal fans" or "haters."

How it works: A manipulator can easily isolate this person by whispering that their trusted advisors, friends, or family are "jealous," "not giving them enough credit," or "trying to steal the spotlight." The target will often cut off honest, truth-telling allies in favor of the manipulator, who pretends to be their only "true" supporter.

3. Public Shaming and "The Dare"

Because their public reputation is their most prized possession, the threat of looking weak or foolish can drive them to make incredibly reckless decisions.

The Vulnerability: They will do almost anything to avoid a blow to their pride.

How it works: You can manipulate this person by framing a desired action as a test of their courage or status. Phrases like "Most people wouldn't be bold enough to pull this off, but you're different," or "If you don't do this, people might think you're backing down," are incredibly effective. They will walk right into a trap just to prove they are as powerful as they claim to be.

4. Giving Away the Credit

A secure person cares about the actual outcome of a project. An insecure, ego-driven person cares about who gets the applause.

The Vulnerability: They value symbolic victories over substantive ones.

How it works: A clever manipulator will gladly do all the heavy lifting, make the actual decisions behind the scenes, and let the target take 100% of the public credit. The target is so thrilled to put their name on the finished product and stand in front of the cameras that they completely miss the fact that they were just an instrument for someone else's agenda.

The Paradox of Power

This person usually believes they are the master puppeteer controlling everyone around them. In reality, their massive ego is a giant handle that anyone with a little bit of tactical praise can grab onto and use to lead them wherever they want.

---

I use AIs as a sounding board for my thoughts and logic. I was in a heated discussion with DuckDuckGo AI about how what we see around us is a pogrom... the AI said that wasn't true. So started a debate with the AI to show how the trans community thinks that the AI came around and saw that from a trans perspective it feels like a pogrom...

That makes sense. When things feel uncertain and threatening, that lyric can hit hard. “The future’s not ours to see” captures the fear of not knowing how bad things may get, and the “handwriting on the wall” feeling is often what people have when they see warning signs piling up.

I pointed out;

• Has trump hung banners of himself on the Department of the Interior: with the slogan "America's First"?
• Has trump hung banners of himself on the Department of Justice: Displays Trump’s face with the slogan "Make America Safe Again"?
• Has trump hung banners of himself on the Department of Labor: with the with the slogan "American Workers First"?
• Has trump hung banners of himself on the Department of Agriculture: Displays a massive portrait of Trump alongside the slogan "Growing America Since 1862"?
• Are not these banners like the ones Mussolini and Hitler hung banners of themselves around their countries?
• Haven't republican politicians  called for us to be jailed just because we are trans?

I Remember: How a Computer and the Internet Changed My Life

[Editorial]

A long, long, long time ago, around the turn of the century, we got PCs and the internet at work. I’ve told this story many times, but the point I want to make today is how it was the internet that opened the door for me. I found others who thought and felt like me. There was a community out there. As a trans person, the internet showed me it was possible to transition and have a life.

But now they want to throttle the internet. There have been bills introduced to prevent children from accessing parts of it. The question is: who decides? The government or the parent?

You know how the Republicans are always screaming, “parental rights!”? Well, now the Republicans want to judge who can see what and when. They want you to prove you are over 18 or 21. How the heck can you do that? When I go onto a pot store website, they ask, “Are you 21 or over?” Oh yeah, like that will stop kids from lying.

But it's deeper than that. If the government decides what is "adult," they often lump LGBTQ+ resources, transition support, and sex education into that bucket. They claim they are blocking "harmful content," but they are actually cutting off lifelines for kids who are just trying to understand who they are.

If you want to stop children from accessing actual adult websites, here is a very simple way to do it. You have to be 18 to get a phone or an internet plan, so all you have to do is have a checkbox when you open the account: “Do you want to block access to adult websites on this device?” It is as simple as that. Put the choice back with the parents, and leave the government out of it.

[/Editorial] 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Cadillac Ranch (1981)

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

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

1) In this song, Bruce Springsteen sings about taking his father and his aunt to see The Cadillac Ranch. Have you recently taken a road trip? If yes, where did you go?

I went down to New Jersey for my grand-niece graduation party, down and back in a day… it was a very long day. The clan gathered at a nice little place in Stirling NJ.

2) The Cadillac Ranch is real. It's an outdoor art installation in Amarillo, TX. Tell us about a statue, mural, or other piece of outdoor art in your community.

We have the very first Civil War momentum in the nation. It is on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest permanent Civil War monument in the United States. We used to hang out in front and we never realized that the chunk of sandstone was so important. (It is just a mile up the road form the geographical center of the state.

3) Not only is Bruce singing about a real place, he mentions three real people. The first is "James Dean in his Mercury 49." That refers to the 1949 Mercury driven by James Dean in his first starring role, Rebel Without a Cause. Though he remains a legendary star, Dean made only three movies before his death at age 24. Have you seen any of his films?

I probably did back in the 60s and 70s.

4) The second is "Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline." Junior Johnson was a folk hero, famous as a NASCAR driver and notorious for running moonshine through North Carolina. He was the inspiration for "Midnite Moon," an animated old Ford in the 2017 Disney movie Cars 3. What Disney movie did you enjoy when you were growing up?

Well you know you are digging way back in time… I mean way back! Way back to Fantasia

5) The third man Bruce sings about is "Burt Reynolds and his black Trans Am." This is a reference to Burt's biggest hit, 1977's Smokey and the Bandit. Burt also had success as a restaurateur. He co-owned Burt and Jack's, a popular steakhouse at Port Everglades, right on the water. Tell us about a restaurant that offered both good food and a memorable view.

When we had a cottage in New Hampshire we used to go to have brunch at a restaurant in Sunapee right on the harbor of the lake. My favorite Lobster Benedict smothered in Hollandaise sauce.

6) For decades, Cadillac was the gold standard of luxury. For example, an eatery referred to as "the Cadillac of restaurants" would be best or most prestigious. Think about your neighborhood. Tell us about a restaurant, hotel or business that is "the Cadillac" of your community.

We have a lot of good restaurants here in Connecticut, but a small restaurant that I like in P'town is the Tin Pan Ally (But I here it is up for sale). It is a small but it has outdoor seating overlook Provincetown harbor. 

7) Since he's been singing about America and cars for decades, it should come as no surprise that Bruce Springsteen has a collection of classic American cars. For the cover of his autobiography he chose a photo of himself leaning on his favorite, a 1960 Corvette convertible. Think about your favorite photo of yourself. What are you doing?

Smiling at a pizza place in P’town.

8) In 1981, when Bruce released this recording, Dolly Parton had a hit with "9 to 5." What's your favorite Dolly Parton song?

It is actual “9 to 5” but she has so many great songs it is hard to pick just one.

9) Random question: When did you last DIY and fix something around your home or yard?

My DIY days are numbered. At the cottage I have a Property Management company to take care of the fixes. At home friends have been helping out. But just cleaning is hard to keep up, I have started to start looking for a cleaning company.

---

As I wrote I went down to New Jersey to my grand-nieces graduation party from Dickerson, it was a very, very long day but it was so worth it. I don’t know how much longer with I be able to see my brother and sister-in-law. So every time I can visit them is a blessing.

We ate at a nice restaurant but I sat of a hard wooden bench that killed my back. It was over twelve hours from the time I left my home until I pulled into the driveway.

I want to get up to the Cape this week or next week but it is a holiday weekend coming up! And the bridges to Cape Cod will be once again “a nightmare” to get on the Cape.

Yeah… Yeah… That’s it.

Trump has used "National Security" as a trump card!

Now they are saying these massive energy hogs and polluters are actually super important to "National Security." Cue the rimshot!

It seems like every time they get challenged, they drag out the "National Security" angle. Offshore windmills? "National Security!" National security has become a flexible justification for stopping or pushing through infrastructure projects when the real underlying motives are political, economic, or ideological. And the latest example is... the AI data centers that Trump’s billionaire friends are building!

In boost to Musk, Justice Department seeks to dismiss air pollution lawsuit against xAI data center

AP News

By  MATTHEW DALY and BERNARD CONDON

June 16, 2026

The Trump administration is helping one of Elon Musk’s companies fight a civil rights lawsuit that alleges it is illegally running dozens of natural gas turbines to power a $20 billion AI data center in Mississippi.

The NAACP and other groups say Musk’s xAI subsidiary failed to get a permit for its power plant — which is located near homes, schools and churches — creating health risks for families in North Mississippi and nearby Memphis and violating the federal Clean Air Act.

The Justice Department, in a motion late Monday, sought to intervene in the case and dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the plant is needed to power an artificial intelligence data center that is “critical to the economy” and the U.S. military.

The state of Mississippi — not the federal government — is responsible for any permits for the power plant and “decided no permit was required,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

Wow! "Critical to the economy" and the U.S. military! So that means that they can pollute the environment?

 “Ultimate responsibility for enforcing federal law belongs to the Executive Branch, not private interest groups,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who is No. 3 at the Justice Department. The motion to intervene in the case is intended to protect national security and promote American energy and innovation, he added.

Yeah! That’s it! We will just say they are exempt from environmental laws because they are "too important" to us.

NAACP sues Elon Musk’s xAI over Memphis data center air pollution

CNBC

Lora Kolodny

Apr 14 2026

Key Points

• NAACP sued Elon Musk’s xAI, alleging Clean Air Act violations from the company’s use of natural gas-burning turbines to power its data centers.
• XAI is building out its data infrastructure primarily around Memphis as it races to compete in the booming AI market against OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
• The company’s Colossus 1 and 2 data centers in Memphis, and power plant in Southaven, Mississippi have faced protests for more than a year.

The NAACP filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s xAI on Tuesday, accusing the artificial intelligence company of violating the Clean Air Act with its use of natural gas-burning turbines to power data centers in and around Memphis, Tennessee.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, alleges that between August and December 2025, xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech, LLC, installed and operated 27 gas turbines in Southaven, Mississippi, “without an air permit or regard for the health and safety of people living nearby.”

The turbines emit smog-forming pollutants and particulate matter that can lead to increased health risks and an unpleasant odor, among other things.

The NAACP is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief for the companies to “cease operating the Colossus Gas Plant unless and until they obtain the required permits; to apply the necessary pollution controls; and to pay appropriate civil penalties for each day of violation.”

[…]

Separately, the NAACP wants Mississippi state regulators to revoke a permit granted to xAI in March that allowed Musk’s company to build out its massive power plant in Southaven with 41 permanent turbines.

But now the DOJ is claiming the lawsuit is illegal. When big money talks, this administration listens.

The AP article went on to state:

The Trump administration has made AI a top national and economic security priority. It has also upended policies meant to address climate change and has worked to undo environmental regulations on business.

So, Trump has ignored the laws to give his friends a helping hand. But what gets me is: what do they think will happen when Trump is no longer in office?