I Wonder What Would Happen?

If you refused to pay?

If a therapist sends a bill for Conversion Therapy and you refuse to pay what happens is it not longer a 1^st Amendment issue?

Can Conversion Therapy Be Just Speech?

Trans legal experts discuss Chiles v. Salazar, the Supreme Court conversion therapy case.

May 6, 2026

Riki Wilchins spoke with George Washington University Law scholar Naomi Schoenbaum, CUNY Political Science professor Paisley Currah, and Albany Law School scholar Ava Ayers on the Supreme Court case, Chiles v. Salazar, which by 8-1 struck down a Colorado law banning inflicting conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ kids, saying it was unconstitutionally restrained free speech. 

UPDATE One month after the ruling, the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee responded by moving forward a law creating a private right for conversion therapy survivors to sue for harm, attempting to circumvent the court’s actions using an approach cribbed from the anti-trans movement, which in recent years has given detransitioners extraordinary rights to sue their providers.

This is fantastic! Did you get this part "conversion therapy survivors to sue for harm"?

Riki Wilchins: We have research repeatedly linking conversion practices to depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidality. The American Psychiatric Association and the Psychological Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have all rejected conversion therapy. Ketanji Brown Jackson, the sole dissent, noted it was banned in Colorado because of the medical profession's broad consensus. So this is another instance of the Court finding a way to go anti-science and overrule expert medical opinion right?

Since the Supreme Court has made this a First Amendment issue and is ignoring the harmful medical advice that is being given and the actual harm it may do to the children.

Connecticut already has a law protecting us but it might get struck down, the Connecticut law says,

Any conversion therapy practiced by a health care provider shall be considered unprofessional conduct and shall be grounds for disciplinary action,

So we may or may not be covered... like the lawyers say "It is my opinion that it is but I am not a judge" It will take a or a series of judgments to finally get an answer. 

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Update: @ 2PM

Vatican report admits conversion therapy caused LGBTQ+ Catholics’ ‘profound suffering’

The historic Synod report features firsthand accounts from gay Catholics who say the dangerous practice deepened shame, isolation, and spiritual anguish.

The Advocate

Jacob Ogles

May 06, 2026

Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors in an 8-1 ruling that cast doubt on similar laws nationwide, a Catholic Church report is warning that so-called “reparative therapies” have caused LGBTQ+ Catholics “profound suffering” and spiritual harm.

The published document comes from theologians assembled for the late Pope Francis’ Synod of Bishops. Remarkably, it includes testimony from two Catholic gay men in same-sex marriages, both of whom were previously subjected to so-called "conversion therapy." That alone drew praise from advocates.

[...]

“This marks the first time that a Vatican report has included stories from LGBTQ Catholics. As such, it marks a significant step forward in the church’s relationship with the LGBTQ community,” Father James Martin, founder of the LGBTQ+ Catholic group Outreach, wrote on his organization’s website.

[...]

“It’s a really good — I would even say historic — document,” Yunuen Trujillo, a lesbian lay minister from Los Angeles, told Religion News Service. “It’s still calling for all Catholics to engage in a process of discernment that is respectful of people’s lived experiences.”

Get Your Birth Certificates Or Passport Out

Because under new regulation you will need it to open a bank account!!!! As the xenophobic Trump adminstration is sticking a citizenship requirement on your banking.

Is Citizenship Becoming The New Banking Requirement?

Forbes

ByVirginia La Torre Jeker, J.D.,

Apr 16, 2026,

A driver’s license and a utility bill have long been enough to open a bank account in the United States. That may not remain the case for much longer. There are growing indications that financial regulators are exploring whether citizenship or nationality should become part of the standard banking verification processes.

While no formal rule or guidance currently mandates such verification, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated on April 15, speaking at the Invest in America Forum that an executive order requiring U.S. banks to verify the citizenship or nationality of account holders is currently in process. He noted that the measure is intended to align financial oversight with immigration enforcement and national security objectives.

I have to ask why? We already need a Social Security number... why a passport or birth certificate?

According to the U.S. Department of State, there were approximately 183 million valid U.S. passports in circulation in fiscal year 2025. In a country of more than 330 million people, this means a substantial portion of the population does not hold what is often the most readily accepted documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship in financial onboarding contexts. This creates what might be described as a “passport gap.”

What happens to existing bank accounts? Will they be closed? 

The Street wrote that,

Banks already carry the weight of extensive anti-money laundering and fraud detection obligations. Adding citizenship verification creates a new category of data with its own legal, privacy, and reputational dimensions. Institutions could find themselves caught between government mandates and customer backlash, particularly if the rule applies broadly to existing account holders.

[...]

The question of whether the executive order arrives narrowly targeted or broadly written will determine how disruptive this becomes. Either way, Bessent’s message to the banking sector was unambiguous: be ready.

And why does it have to be valid passport? Does your citizenship expire with your passport?

This is all about one thing... Trump & Company hatred of immigrants! There is no need to prove you are a citizen because non-citizens can open bank accounts all you need is a TIN. There is no federal law requiring you to be a citizen to bank!

The Republican Answer!

[Editorial]

With the price of gas going through the roof—thanks to Trump’s war and the shutting down of the straits—the Republicans are using high gas prices as an excuse to cut gas taxes.

What a great idea!

But not so fast… cuts in the gas tax mean cuts elsewhere! The devil is in the details: where do they want to cut? Why, it’s their favorite… social services!

So they want to help the middle class keep driving their gas guzzlers by cutting funding. Where are they going to cut so that their constituents can drive around in their Tahoes and Escalades?

The car I drive is a Prius Plug-in. For this tank of gas, I am getting 125 mpg! I have around 97,000 miles on the car… it says I am averaging 82.1 mpg! Compare that to Tahoes (~16–18 mpg), Escalades (~16–17 mpg), and Ford F-150s or Chevy Silverados (around 18–25 mpg). I am a survivor of the 1973 Oil Crisis, and I remember “Even–Odd!” “I Can’t Drive 55!”

What was done back then was targeted to spread the pain over everyone, while today it is targeted at lower-income families and those just scraping by. The political parties worked together to solve the crisis instead of trying to stab the Democrats in the back in a “gotcha” maneuver.

Back then, it was the Yom Kippur War that caused the crisis. Now we can thank Trump for all of this! You would think that with all the bright generals Hesith replaced the others with—his hand-picked generals—and all the military analysis that DOGE fired, someone in Trump’s cabinet would have asked the obvious question: “What happens when the Strait of Hormuz is blocked?” You think someone would have asked, “What happens when we stop the flow of oil?”

So the Connecticut Republicans chose to help the rich and screw the rest of us by cutting social services. And remember... "It's the Economy Stupid!"

[/Editorial]

This Is Vindictiveness!

This is pure and simple meanness! I don't know how to otherwise describe it!

This gay couple escaped Iran, fearing for their lives. The administration is sending them back.

“There is a very, very real — not speculative — concern,” the couple’s lawyer says.

LGBTQ Nation

John Russell (He/Him)

January 26, 2026,

A pair of gay asylum seekers is fighting to stay in the U.S., even as the presidential administration has ordered their deportation to Iran, where they could face the death penalty for a previous conviction for homosexual activity.

The men’s attorney, Rebekah Wolf of the American Immigration Council, noted in an interview with AZ Mirror that homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran.

This shows how deep the Trump adminstration hatred of us goes.

Wolf described the couple’s cases as “textbook” asylum claims: “People from a country where who they are is criminalized and punishable by torture or death — that is literally the definition of an asylum seeker,” she told Advocate.

But the men have remained in detention since entering the U.S. Wolf explained that they did not have legal representation at their hearings in late April and early May, which she described as “fraught with bias” and violations of due process. Their claims were denied, and while Wolf has worked to appeal the decisions, the couple has been scheduled for deportation to Iran three times, though they have not yet been removed from the U.S.

But the Trump adminstration slammed the door on them! And sentenced them to death!

Reason wrote,

President Donald Trump has threatened war with Iran if the government harms its own people. But he's also planning to hand over Iranians, some of whom may face the death penalty, to that government. On Thursday, the nonprofit National Iranian American Council warned that it had learned about a planned deportation flight to Iran. On Friday, a lawyer for two gay Iranians set to be deported confirmed the story to MS NOW and CNN.

"The same administration that promised Iranians that 'help is on the way' amid a deadly crackdown is now forcibly sending Iranians back into danger," National Iranian American Council President Jamal Abdi said in a press release. "Words of solidarity against violence and repression ring especially hollow when you're rounding those same people up and forcing them on planes to deliver them back into the hands of their oppressors."

But nothing stops the hate the Trump adminstration has shown against not olny the trans community but also anything LGBTQ+!

In Iran they still do "honor" killings to defend the family name, in 2021...

Alireza Fazeli Monfared wanted to live as a free gay man in the West. His family in Iran beheaded him days before his dream came true, say activists.

Business Insider

By Joshua Nelken-Zitser 

• Alireza Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old gay Iranian man, was killed in an alleged "honor killing."
• Insider obtained voice notes indicating he was days away from fleeing Iran because of persecution.
• Activists are among those seeking to draw attention to his killing.

[...]

But five days before he was due to leave Iran, his half-brother discovered paperwork for his military exemption detailing his sexuality. 6Rang's executive director, Shadi Amin, said that triggered some relatives to take Monfared to a remote village and end his life.

The 20-year-old's murder has sparked a global outcry, including social-media posts by the likes of Demi Lovato. But Iranian human-rights activists have said it is emblematic of a daily persecution that gay people in Iran face.

This is what faces if they are returned to Iran!

Show Down At High Noon

This is like a spaghetti western... show down at high noon. Where the sheriff in town shoots it out with the villains but this shoot out is in the courtrooms.

DOJ subpoenas patients’ information in transgender care investigation

The Hill

By Brooke Migdon

Aug. 21, 2025

The Justice Department (DOJ) is demanding confidential patient information from hospitals that provide gender-affirming health care to minors, including their birth dates, Social Security numbers and home addresses, according to a subpoena made public in a court filing this week. 

The subpoena to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, sent in June and first reported by The Washington Post Wednesday, requests “every writing or record of whatever type” from doctors related to the provision of hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender transition surgery to minors, including voicemails, emails and text messages on encrypted platforms from January 2020 — more than a year before Arkansas adopted the nation’s first ban on gender-affirming care for youth in April 2021.

[...]

In July, the DOJ said it had sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics “involved in performing transgender medical procedures on children.” The department said it sent the subpoenas in investigations of “healthcare fraud, false statements, and more.”

Connecticut Attorney General's office;

Attorney General Tong Sues to Block Unlawful Attacks on Medically Necessary Health Care for Transgender Youth

(Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong today joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict access to necessary healthcare for transgender, intersex, and nonbinary youth. The lawsuit targets recent federal actions aimed at deterring providers from offering medically appropriate care to individuals under age 19, even in states like Connecticut where such care is legal and protected. The lawsuit argues that the administration is overstepping its authority by using threats of criminal prosecution and federal investigations to pressure health care providers. The coalition is asking the court to block these actions and protect access to care for patients who need it.

[...]

In June, the FBI asked the public to report tips “of any hospitals, clinics, or practitioners” that offer transition-related surgeries to minors, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent letters in May to nine hospitals demanding information on “medical interventions for gender dysphoria in children.”  

But as we know... it is a gamble now a days with the courts.

Hey folks... Do you know what CMS is? It is the federal agency that regulates Medicare and Medicaid. So all of you on Medicare like me... be warned we my be next! The AG goes on to say,

Medical experts, including every major national medical association, agree that medical care is not only necessary for many transgender young people, in some cases it is lifesaving. Denying this care has been shown to worsen mental health outcomes, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

The coalition argues that these actions violate the Constitution, exceed federal authority, and undermine state laws that require equal access to medical treatment. In Connecticut, laws protect patients from discrimination based on gender identity, and health care providers are required to treat all patients fairly and without bias. The lawsuit asks the court to block the administration’s actions and stop the enforcement of these executive orders.

Joining Attorney General Tong in filing this lawsuit, which was led by Connecticut, New York, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois, are the attorneys general of Delaware, Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Connecticut PBS station wrote,

The complaint argues the White House and Justice Department have carried out the intimidation of both doctors and hospitals by issuing subpoenas, threatening criminal prosecution, launching investigations and demanding private patient data.

"The result is an atmosphere of fear and intimidation experienced by transgender individuals, their families and caregivers, and the medical professionals who seek only to provide necessary, lawful care to their patients," the lawsuit states.

Exactly! It is all about fear and intimidation.

"You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours"

I'm sure you all have heard of that saying, however, in the business world that might be illegal!

Elon Musk spent months slashing federal contracts — Now his AI company is celebrating a $200M Pentagon contract and new unit to get government business

Fortune

By Jessica Mathews

July 14, 2025

Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an important new customer: the U.S. government. 

The two-year old AI company—most recently in the news when its chatbot praised Hitler—said in a blog post Monday that it has launched a new division, called “Grok with Government” and signed a contract worth up to $200 million with the Department of Defense. xAI also announced that it had been added to the General Services Administration schedule, meaning that xAI products will now be available for purchase across every government office and agency.

xAI’s new DoD contract is part of a new effort to develop AI agent workflows across a “variety of mission areas,” the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said in a press release, without giving many more specifics. Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic were also awarded up to $200 million contracts as part of the new effort, according to the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. A number of tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, and Google, have either started working with or upped their work with the U.S. government in the last year as the taboo in Silicon Valley of working with the Defense Department has fallen away.

Hey do you remember those billionaire friends that Trump made as part‑time Lieutenant Colonels ? Poof! You are now Lieutenant Colonels but they are not bound by any conflict of interests because they are "reserve officers" they have different standards. But still the optics are not good.

Pentagon to start using Grok as part of a $200 million contract with Elon Musk's xAI

CBS News

By Patrick Maguire

July 14, 2025

The Pentagon has signed on to use Grok, the AI chatbot built by Elon Musk's company xAI, as part of a new $200 million agreement that opens the door for its deployment across the federal government, the company announced Monday.

The announcement comes amid Musk's public breakup with President Trump and days after Grok generated antisemitic responses and praised Adolf Hitler.

The rollout is part of "Grok for Government," a newly launched suite of tools designed for use by federal agencies, local governments, and national security operations. xAI said its products, including its latest Grok 4 model, will now be available for purchase through the General Services Administration (GSA), allowing any federal office to adopt the technology.

The move aligns with the Trump administration's push for more aggressive adoption of artificial intelligence across the government. Since taking office in January, Mr. Trump has championed AI as a pillar of national security and innovation.

I heard some bad things about GROK so I decided to test it! There is talk that Grok is biased against us because of Musk's trans daughter, so I ask Grok who was right, the White house HHS study or WPATH SoC. After comparing the pros and cons of both it conclusion was...

Conclusion

WPATH’s SOC-8 is more reliable due to its alignment with the broader medical community, transparent methodology, and evidence showing improved mental health outcomes for transgender youth receiving gender-affirming care. The HHS report, while highlighting legitimate questions about evidence quality, is undermined by its lack of transparency, apparent bias, and misrepresentation of data. However, the debate underscores the need for more robust, long-term studies to clarify the risks and benefits of gender-affirming care. For now, decisions should prioritize individualized care, informed consent, and the best available evidence, as WPATH advocates.

So back to the main post...

While Musk is no longer working with DOGE, he remains well-connected in some government circles. One of his allies within the Trump Administration was Katie Miller, who had served as Mike Pence’s press secretary when he was vice president during Trump’s first presidency. Miller is also the wife of Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, and she has since started working for xAI since Musk left DOGE. On Monday, Miller was promoting xAI’s new government plans on her social media account, saying that Grok was the “only truth-seeking AI available to the US Government.”

From an administration that is constantly lying, it send shivers up my spine when I read something like the “only truth-seeking AI available to the US Government.” 

 It seems like all Trump's large donors have gotten some nice cushy jobs.

---

Mini-Post: Savings Just Went Out The Window

You seen them both, Musk and Trup touting their savings from the Oval Office on how much they are saving with their layoffs of park rangers, air traffic controls, FEMA, and other federal emergency personnel. But what they are not saying is the $14 million dollars spent on golfing trips and trips to Mar-a-Lago. 

The Republic writes,

Trump's Million Dollar Lavish Golf Trips In 4 Weekends Under Fire Amid Budget Cuts, Taxpayer Concerns

US President Donald Trump faces criticism for spending USD 10.7 mn on golf trips in 4 weekends since retaking office, amid budget cuts and taxpayer concerns.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly come under fire for spending a staggering USD 10.7 million of taxpayer money on golf trips since retaking office last month. It has been claimed in the revelation that Trump's golf trips have cost American taxpayers millions in just four weekends since taking office. The US President's extravagant expenses have raised the eyebrows of critics, especially given Trump's campaign promises to save average Americans money and his recent moves to cut funds in various heads across the world. 

[...]

The critics have pointed out the expenses as hypocrisy of Trump's actions. Jordan Libowitz of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington criticised Trump's actions, saying, "It's clear that when the Trump administration considers the definition of corruption and wasteful spending, it doesn't count spending that ends up in the president's pockets."

The rich are different from us.

As for his Mar-a-Lago trips Penn Live writes...

The site said it calculated the cost based off of a 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office that broke down the cost of Trump’s trips to Mar-a-Lago. That report, HuffPost said, said it cost taxpayers $3,383,250 for each trip.

Just think how many federal employees jobs that were cut that would pay for?

The Opening Round.

Just like the Republicans filed anti-trans bills on the first day so did Trump with a slew of Executive Orders (This afternoon I write about the legality the EOs) but just as fast as Trump was signing them lawyers for advocacy groups filed lawsuits.

Elon Musk's DOGE faces lawsuits as Donald Trump takes office

USA Today

By Bart Jansen

January 20, 2025

Advocacy groups filed at least four lawsuits Monday to prevent President Donald Trump and his Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency from holding secret meetings or withholding documents about its recommendations.

In one case, the groups Public Citizen, the State Democracy Defenders Fund and the American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit to ensure DOGE, which isn’t a department of the federal government, conducts public meetings and produces records as required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

DOGE is the Musk-led commission that will aim to cut trillions in spending and regulations from the federal government

I am kind of a state employee, I say that because I am on a council to advise the governor on hate crimes, the council was created by statue, even though it is a voluntary position I still had to sign all the documents other state employees have to sign. And all our meeting are open to the public and so are the meeting minutes. Musk and company should have to do the same.

A similar lawsuit was filed by groups including the American Public Health Association, the American Federation of Teachers, Minority Veterans of America, VoteVets Action Fund and Center for Auto Safety, represented by Democracy Forward and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The Center Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit. And the group National Security Counselors, which advocates for transparency in national security issues, made a similar argument in another lawsuit.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington this press release on their website,

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is operating in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Public Health Association, American Federation of Teachers, Minority Veterans of America, VoteVets Action Fund, Center for Auto Safety, Inc., and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), represented by Democracy Forward and CREW. The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the establishment of DOGE is unlawful, and for the court to force DOGE to comply with the transparency, ethics, records retention and equal representation required under FACA.

Currently, DOGE is operating unchecked, without authorization or funding from Congress and is led by unelected billionaires who are not representative of ordinary Americans. DOGE representatives have reportedly already been speaking with agency officials throughout the federal government, and communication is allegedly taking place on Signal, a messaging app known for its auto-delete features.  

The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that advisory committees follow a specific authorization process, include a balanced membership, have a clear charter including the scope of the committee’s activities, have meetings open to the public and disclose records to the public. DOGE is currently in violation of these requirements, and the lawsuit seeks to pull DOGE into the light, so the public has the ability to hold it accountable for the sweeping changes its unelected and unaccountable leaders plan to make.

A law created the governor’s advisory council, all the meetings are taped, I am also on the LGBTQ+ Justice & Opportunity Network which was also created by state statue and given a small budget.

AP News reported that Trump...

He signed orders for increasing border security, designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, limiting birthright citizenship, freezing new regulations and establishing a task force for reducing the size of the federal government. He also rescinded dozens of directives issued by Biden, including those relating to climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Um... it is written in the Constitution... the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Specifically, it states that "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." But the Constitution means nothing to Lord Trump.

His first action after arriving at the White House was pardoning about 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, even if they had been convicted of assaulting police officers. Trump commuted the sentences of another 14 people, including leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

He freed his "White Shirts!" so much for supporting the police! Just another lie.

---

Updated 10:30AM

Right now I am on a video conference of the Governor's Advisory Council on Hate Crimes... it is open to the public and allows comments on the meeting. Per the law, the meeting and the agenda was posted two weeks before the meeting. We have two non-members attending the meeting. Then the minutes of the meeting is posted on the internet.

Musk and company should have to obey all laws and especial for their meetings and Federal Advisory Committee Act law.

---

Update 2:30PM

The New York Times...

Attorneys general from 18 states sued President Trump on Tuesday to block an executive order that refuses to recognize the U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants as citizens, the opening salvo in what promises to be a long legal battle over the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The complaint, filed in Federal District Court in Massachusetts was joined by the cities of San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The states view Mr. Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship as “extraordinary and extreme,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, who led the legal effort along with the attorneys general from California and Massachusetts. “Presidents are powerful, but he is not a king. He cannot rewrite the Constitution with a stroke of the pen.”

And so it begins!

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I had a "Team" meeting this morning on legislation we are going to submit to the legislature on behalf of the governor's advisory council. Then in the afternoon I spoke to two legislators about legislation for LGBTQ+ elders

Conservatism Is The Same Around The World

Conservatives around the world share two traits. The first is "Me, me. me" they just don't care about others and the second is that they need scapegoats to distract people from the real issues, like the ungodly rich sucking up all the money in the world. The richest 1% own nearly 43% of all global financial assets! They are the real villains.

Turkey’s president attacks ‘perverse’ LGBTQ+ community as he launches ‘Year of the Family’

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, launched the Year of the Family, by criticising the LGBTQ+ community for supposedly undermining traditional values.

Pink News

By Sophie Perry

January 14, 2025

The president, who has held office since 2014, is vehemently anti-LGBTQ+ and announced last week that 2025 had been designated the year of the family. The campaign seeks to promote marriage and bolster Turkey’s birth rate, which dropped from an average of 2.1 in 2014 to 1.51 in 2023.

As part of the programme, financial incentives will be offered, including newlywed couples being eligible for interest-free loans of 150,000 lira (approximately £3,500/$4,200), and parents will be given extra money based on the number of children they have.

Giving a speech in the capital, Ankara, Erdoğan said population growth had “reached alarming levels”, adding: “While our child and youth population is shrinking, for the first time in our history, the elderly population has surpassed 10 per cent and our average age is approaching 34.”

How can you bring children into this world when most people cannot afford to have food on the table? How can you bring children into the world when you can't afford housing?

“It is our common responsibility to protect our children and youth from harmful trends and perverse ideologies,” he said. “Neoliberal cultural trends are crossing borders and penetrating all corners of the world. They also lead to LGBT and other movements gaining ground.

“The target of gender-neutralisation policies, in which LGBT is used as a battering ram, is the family. Criticism of LGBT is immediately silenced, just like the legitimate criticisms of Zionism. Anyone who defends nature and the family is subject to heavy oppression.”

 Oh look... those evil trans and gay people corrupting our youth! Never mind the corruption in Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government! It is those evil gays that are causing all the problems.

“It is our common responsibility to protect our children and youth from harmful trends and perverse ideologies,” he said. “Neoliberal cultural trends are crossing borders and penetrating all corners of the world. They also lead to LGBT and other movements gaining ground.

Around the world the right-wing conservatives continue to push the lie that being LGBTQ+ is a choice and that we are "grooming."

Standing Her Post Until Relieved

The admiral is at her post until relieved by the next president.

Dr. Rachel Levine focused on her job at HHS. Still, anti-trans politics followed her

NPR News

By Selena Simmons-Duffin

January 6, 2025

In 2021, the country had one state with a ban on gender-affirming care for youth on the books — Arkansas. In March of the same year, Dr. Rachel Levine won confirmation by the Senate to lead the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as the assistant secretary for health. She holds the rank of admiral.

Levine is the highest ranking, out transgender person ever to serve in the federal government.

In the nearly four years that she's been at the Department of Health and Human Services, there has been an explosion in anti-trans legislation. Twenty-five more states followed Arkansas in banning gender-affirming care for youth. Other laws focus on bathroom use in schools and public buildings, or bar transgender kids from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity.

She stood her ground against all the crap that the Republicans threw at her.

She's a pediatrician with a specialty in adolescent medicine who was a public health official in Pennsylvania before being nominated to serve in the Biden administration. She wears the blue, wool dress uniform of the Public Health Service, which is the branch of the uniformed services that she leads.

She was a thorn in the Republican's side.

That is separate from what's happening with the proliferation of anti-trans state laws, she says. "This is really a politically and ideologically motivated effort developed by a think tank in Washington in order to attack the LGBTQI+ community, starting with the trans community," she says. "And unfortunately, it has been very successful."

She says she chooses to be optimistic that things will get better for trans people in the U.S.

Levine will resign on Inauguration Day. She says she's going to move back to central Pennsylvania, take a vacation, and plan her next steps.

A job well done!

Somehow I don't see Trump reappointing her. The Shore News Network writes...

Levine, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021, has been a significant figure in shaping public health responses, from tackling COVID-19 to fighting the opioid crisis. She’s also led the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of America’s eight uniformed services, and has been deeply involved in expanding access to mental health care and supporting LGBTQ+ health initiatives.

But given the Trump administration’s previous approach to public health policy, many of Levine’s priorities could face major shakeups. A new administration often brings new policy directions, and Levine’s focus on initiatives like reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ health care could clash with Trump’s potential plans.

You want to bet the Trump fills the position with one of his anti-vaxxer cronies? 

Is China Going The Way Of Russia.

China used to brag about accepting us, the LGBTQ+ community but it is starting to look like they are following Russia anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

Famed transgender dancer has shows canceled in China. Some fear a wider crackdown

By Chris Lau, CNN

January 3, 2025

Transgender dancer Jin Xing’s ascent to the upper echelons of Chinese show business is extraordinary in a nation where it has become increasingly difficult for LGBTQ+ people to live openly.

The 57-year-old has been a transgender icon in China for years, admired by some of the country’s most marginalized as a rare example of both success and acceptance, even within officialdom.

But a recent series of sudden and unexplained cancelations by local authorities of appearances by her dance troupe has sparked fears Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s authoritarian drive is ensnaring the country’s most prominent openly transgender personality.

[…]

Chinese state media have called her one of “10 legendary figures of Chinese modern dance” and frequently publish glowing profiles.

But now things seems to have changed… Poof! Now you see her, now you don’t.

But signs suggest official acceptance of Jin could now be waning.

Chinese authorities have ramped up ideological control over what they consider the undue influence of Western values, including a crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community.

Late last year, authorities in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou canceled her Jin Xing Dance Theater’s show, citing insufficient documents. Subsequently, venues in other parts of the country also dropped her shows, without explanation.

Some from the transgender community are now worried that Chinese authorities are trying to send a message.

Sam Winter, an associate professor who specializes in Asian transgender issues at Curtin University in Australia, said Jin managed to rally support from the authorities because of her years of achievement – which was hard for officials to dismiss, and began at a time when China seemed to be liberalizing.

“But things seem to have changed. Maybe the earlier shift towards a more liberal atmosphere was the problem,” he said.

We are the low hanging fruit, when you need a scapegoat we are it!

Radio Free Asia reports...

Nearly five years after democratic Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ activism is all but extinct across the Taiwan Strait, where the ruling Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping has cracked down on anyone displaying the rainbow flag in public, members of China's LGBTQ+ community told Radio Free Asia in recent interviews.

On May 17, 2019, Taiwan passed historic legislation confirming a constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry, making the democratic island the first jurisdiction in the Asia region to do so and prompting a wave of weddings amid a congratulatory tweet from democratically elected president Tsai Ing-wen.

But Chinese propaganda officials warned media organizations there not to make a big deal of the story.

While major Chinese cities once had a thriving LGBTQ+ scene, a gay millennial man born in China who gave only the nickname Haohao said he has noticed a sharp decline in support or respect for the rights of sexual minorities in China, compared with just a few years ago.

"It's become pretty clear in the past few years that they don't want us to say or do anything," Haohao said, adding that gay bars and nightspots have been shutting down, while the rainbow Pride flag is basically banned in public.

Dictators, despots, and tyrants find us easy to demonize... we are not like an ethic community we are only 0.5% of the population and it is easy to get the people to hate us.

Meanwhile, in Russia...

Yakutsk Police Detain Nightclub Staff After Raid on Alleged Transgender Performances

Moscow Times

Jan. 2, 2025

Police in the republic of Sakha (Yakutia) detained staff at a nightclub after officials accused the venue of hosting performances featuring transgender entertainers from Thailand, local media reported Thursday.

The raid, conducted at the club Number One in Yakutsk, was prompted by a complaint from the Yakutsk Administrative Commission, which accused the club of “publicly promoting non-traditional relationships and gender transition” through performances by invited transgender men and women from Thailand.

Photos and video published earlier on Telegram purportedly showed the erotic performances at Number One.

Felix Antonov, head of the Yakutsk Administrative Commission, told SakhaDay.ru that the raid did not uncover the alleged transgender performers. However, police detained the club’s manager, bartenders and waitstaff, although it remains whether they face charges.

[...]

Russia's Supreme Court banned the so-called "international LGBT movement" as "extremist" in 2023, effectively criminalizing any form of LGBTQ+ displays or rights advocacy in the country.

The Numbers Don't Line Up.

[Editorial]

 

You know how Trump appointed Musk and Ramaswamy to balance the budget? Well it is impossible! They will need to cut either: Defense, Social Security, or Medicare! There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it!

Cutting all these programs...

 

Food Assistance:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
School Breakfast Program (SBP)
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

Housing:

Housing Assistance programs
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

Education:

Pell Grants
Head Start

Tax Credits:

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Child Tax Credit

Cutting all programs will not balance you will either:

1. Cut the military budget.
2. Cut Social Security and Medicare.
3. Massive layoff.
   
4. All of the above.
5. Raise taxes.

Which do you think Trump will chose?

 

[/Editorial]

Government Ethics.

[Editorial]

 

I know some people will consider this as an oxymoron.

As many of you know I am on the governor's advisory council on hate crimes... but I am not paid one cent for being on the council. it is considers a voluntary position.

However, I had to sign the same ethics forms that an employee signs.

Why are Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy exempt from government Ethics rules for the DOGE committee?
Economic Times

December 4, 2024

 

 

President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the leaders of a new advisory committee designed to cut federal spending is stirring debate among ethics experts.

The committee, named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aims to devise plans for reducing federal regulations and agency budgets.

However, there is a huge controversy and questions are being raised about why Musk and Ramaswamy are being exempted from government ethics rules. It is to be noted that ethics rules typically apply to official Cabinet members and top government positions, as mentioned in the USA Today report.

[...]

The Department of Government Efficiency will focus on eliminating waste and inefficiency within the federal government, cutting unnecessary regulations, and streamlining federal agencies. Musk and Ramaswamy have expressed their commitment to reducing the size of government, but the lack of transparency surrounding their roles has raised red flags.

As a state volunteer I am expected to obey all laws and government policies and the reason I had to sign them was to prevent me from steering work to myself or to friends.

Lack of Oversight in Advisory Roles
Unlike Cabinet secretaries who must publicly disclose their financial interests and divest from any conflicting investments, outside advisors are not required to do so.

Special government employees, who work in advisory roles, must comply with conflict of interest laws. However, those serving on advisory committees with no official government status are exempted.

USA Today writes,

Such responsibilities usually fall to full-time White House employees who have to abide by conflict of interest standards and disclose their financial interests, either publicly or confidentially, depending on the person’s role, according to Kathleen Clark, a professor of law for Washington University in St. Louis. Outside advisers have no such requirement.

“It’s as though Musk and Ramaswamy are cosplaying government officials,” Clark said. “It looks like the transition team is intentionally blurring the line between what’s inside and outside of government so that Musk and Ramaswamy will be able to have a great deal of influence.”

[...]

 

Reid Hoffman, the venture capitalist who co-founded LinkedIn, wrote in the Financial Times that Musk’s ownership in a startup called xAI combined with his broad advisory position with Trump creates “a serious conflict of interest in terms of setting federal AI policies for all US companies.”

Ramaswamy founded Roivant Services, which owns several drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but he stepped down when he was pursuing the presidential nomination. He lists himself on LinkedIn as the co-founder of the Ohio-based investment firm Strive Asset Management.

"My best advice to you is, if you're evaluating somebody's advice, you got to look at whatever their self interest is in evaluating that advice, right?" Ramaswamy said at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, D.C. "That includes me."

According to Salon Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass...

After dropping more than $250 million on his effort to elect Donald Trump, billionaire and Pentagon contractor Elon Musk could now use his power and influence to steer sweetheart deals to his network of companies, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., warned in a letter sent Monday to the Trump transition team.

[...]

In her letter, obtained by The Washington Post, Warren said Musk may not share the same interests as the American public.

“Putting Mr. Musk in a position to influence billions of dollars of government contracts and regulatory enforcement without a stringent conflict of interest agreement in place is an invitation for corruption on a scale not seen in our lifetimes,” Warren wrote. “As your Transition Team Ethics Plan makes clear, the role of government is not to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans; a strong, enforceable ethics plan for the world’s richest man is a necessary first step for delivering on that promise.”

Warren's letter comes after Reuters reported earlier this month that the incoming Trump administration may also scrap a crash-reporting requirement for autonomous-driving systems, a move that would benefit Tesla, which reports by far the most incidents

This is so wrong! It opens up to all types of abuses... Musk can fire federal employees to who ruled against his companies and he can fill the federal agencies with his cronies.

Then we have the "high quality" of Trump appointees... Musk posts racial pictures of Sen. Warren!

Elon Musk Posts Racist Images In Response To Elizabeth Warren's Call For Ethics Standards

"It shows he's scared," ventured one scholar from the University of California, Los Angeles.

HuffPost

By Ryan Grenoble

Dec 18, 2024

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) seems to have struck a nerve by calling for Donald Trump to hold Elon Musk to the kind of ethics standards set for government officials while the tech billionaire remains a major figure in the president-elect’s orbit.

On social media Tuesday, Musk shared a series of racist images — apparently generated by artificial intelligence — that depicted Warren and leaned heavily on Native American stereotypes.

In one image, Warren is depicted wearing a beaded headdress adorned with bird feathers. The image also imagined the senior Massachusetts senator wearing a buckskin shirt with leather fringe.

Subsequent posts by the world’s richest person imagined Warren ― still shown in Native American garb ― eating cake and smiling gently while wearing some sort of leather garment.

[...]

The images appear to be a reference to Trump’s racist nickname for Warren, “Pocahontas,” which is itself derived from Warren’s own tangled claims of Native American ancestry.

She said,

“It shows he’s scared,” she ventured. “Responding to it in this fashion seems to suggest he needs to distract from the substance of her critique.”

How does that saying go... "Birds of a feather flock together"

 

[/Editorial]

What Is All Of This Paranoia Over Drones?

Fact: Drones have been sighted all over the northeast!
Fact: Drones are not illegal to fly!

N.J. is freaking out over these mystery drones. Inside the fascination and paranoia.

NJ.com
By Murjani Rawls
December 17, 2024


Look up in the sky. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s many large drones reported to be flying all over New Jersey (more than 3,000 reporting sightings so far, the FBI said).

Surely, the statewide hysteria surrounding these mysterious machines — even the Feds don’t know who’s behind them — will someday be immortalized, not unlike Orson Welles’ infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast, which also claimed to see lights in the sky over Jersey.

But these drones are real, concrete details are scarce since their first sightings in mid November, and folks are descending into varying displays of fascination, paranoia and conspiracies, as seen all over social media this week.

Are these objects being sent from an alleged foreign adversary to spy on the everyday dealings of New Jerseyans, or is Marvin the Martian gearing up to use his Illudium Q-36 Space Modulator? Nobody seems to know, but there sure are plenty of opinions as to what these flying objects could be.

They must be sinister!

The New York Times writes,

After reviewing thousands of tips, federal law enforcement officials on Saturday reaffirmed that mysterious drones spotted in the Northeast in recent weeks pose no national security threat and in most cases are not even drones.

Investigators reviewing video footage and interviews with witnesses have so far determined that at least some of the roaming objects were manned aircraft, such as airplanes or helicopters, that were misidentified as drones, according to officials from the F.B.I., Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity on Saturday because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Oh look Jane!
See the lights!
They are blinking… red and green!
Oh Dick, I’m scared!

You know you would think that half of the people never look up at the sky!

The U.S. officials said they had confirmed drone sightings over military bases in New Jersey, including Picatinny Arsenal, but they had no evidence the devices were operated by a foreign government or authority. U.S. national security officials have not been able to identify the operators of the drones.

Meanwhile the more that the government denies that they are harmful the more these kooks think it is a conspiracy theory!

Mystery Drones Saga: Ohio Air Force Base Sees More Drone ‘Incursions’ (Updated)
Forbes
By Stephen Pastis
Dec 17, 2024

 A group of federal agencies on Monday night said the weeks-long sightings of low-flying drone-like objects in the night skies of New Jersey and other nearby states are likely a mix of misidentified legal aircraft and stars that pose no threats—even as a U.S. Air Force base reports repeated drone sightings.

 

[...]

 

 In a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA and Defense Department said they examined the notable leads from the more than 5,000 reported drone sightings and determined “the sightings to date” are a “combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”

The more they deny it the more conspiracy theorist scream coverup!

Conspiracy theories and false recordings of alleged drones have circulated online. Unfounded claims the U.S. government is flying the reported drones—possibly to search for radioactive materials—appears to be gaining traction, thanks to celebrities like Bethenny Frankel posting on TikTok, Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arguing it’s “in control” and podcaster Joe Rogan promoting a video claiming the drones are secretly detecting radioactive material. Michael Melham, the mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, fanned the theory to Fox 5 New York Tuesday, saying drones are “all over the place” while federal officials say New Jersey officials “don’t know what we’re talking about.” Another prominent conspiracy theory that’s re-appeared is Project Blue Beam, a decades-old conspiracy that the government will use deceptive tactics—like faking an alien invasion—to dominate society.

Then we have the perpetual Congressional nut case Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Daily Mail says...

Firebrand Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused the Pentagon of being 'full of crap' amid mystery drone sightings.

The unidentified objects have been hovering over New Jersey for nearly a month, yet the FBI and the Pentagon say they have no answers as to who is behind them.

Greene told DailyMail.com: 'I'm gonna call it total bulls*** that no one knows what these are. And I think it's a slap in the face to the American people to say they don't know what this is.

 She added: 'They can track down a guy that just killed a CEO, but they can't identify what these drones are and where they're coming from?'

'I think that is absolutely disgusting to lie to the American people like this, and the truth needs to be told about it.'

Then we have Trump adding his two cents...

Trump accuses Biden, Pentagon of covering up drone mystery in NJ, NY: ‘The government knows what is happening’

New York Post

By Steven Nelson

December 16, 2024

The truth is out there.

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday accused President Biden and the Pentagon of hiding information about mysterious drones spotted hovering above New Jersey and New York.

“The government knows what is happening,” Trump, 78, said after Biden representatives pleaded ignorance despite thousands of Garden State and New York City residents seeing — and in some instances photographing — the unidentified aircraft.

“Look, our military knows where they took off from — if it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went, and for some reason they don’t want to comment,” the once and future president said during a wide-ranging, 70-minute press conference in Palm Beach, Fla.

“And I think they’d be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our president knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.”

The Daily Beast writes...

President Joe Biden on Tuesday made his first public comments about recent reports of unexplained drone sightings in the northeast.

Asked by reporters what was behind the drones, Biden answered: “Nothing nefarious, apparently, but they’re checking it all out.” He added that authorities are “following this closely,” but so far there is “no sense of danger.”

Biden’s comments were the latest effort from his administration to reassure the public about the sightings. Lawmakers have called on the federal government to provide more answers, and conspiracy theories have spread online.

[...]

But Biden administration and law enforcement officials have repeatedly addressed the concerns. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby told CNN Monday that the sightings over the East Coast “represent lawful, legal, commercial [and] hobbyist drones—even law enforcement drones,” which don’t pose a threat to the public.

But that just riled up the conspiracy nuts including Trump,

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump nevertheless insisted at a press conference that “something strange is going on” and claimed government officials “don’t want to tell the people” what’s happening. “I think they’d be better off saying what it is,” Trump said. “Our military knows and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense.”

The comments of Yahoo are hilarious, one person wrote "We want the truth! No more lies" what they really mean that the only answer they want is something nefarious even if it is lie. 

So what do you think all this drone stuff is about?

online polls

“Give No Quarter”

You Knew This Was Coming! Are they playing the Degüello for the Post Office?
 

He did everything he could to kill it? What? The post office. The Republicans want to get their greedy little hand on the mail. I just had a package from Amazon that was shipped by USPS, and it has been delayed. It was supposed to have been delivered Friday and now it is Tuesday, it was shipped the same day that they got the order so it is not the vendor who delayed it.

Trump eyes privatizing U.S. Postal Service, citing financial losses
Trump feuded with the mail agency in his first term. Privatizing it could shake up consumer shipping and business supply chains.
The Washington Post
By Jacob Bogage, Jacqueline Alemany and Jeff Stein
December 14, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed a keen interest in privatizing the U.S. Postal Service in recent weeks, three people with knowledge of the matter said, a move that could shake up consumer shipping and business supply chains and push hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of the government.

Trump has discussed his desire to overhaul the Postal Service at his Mar-a-Lago estate with Howard Lutnick, his pick for commerce secretary and the co-chair of his presidential transition, the people said. Earlier this month, Trump also convened a group of transition officials to ask for their views on privatizing the agency, one of the people said.

The Republicans hate the post office! Why?

But as congressional Republicans and others in Trump’s orbit have clamored in recent weeks for federal cost-cutting, the Postal Service has emerged as a prominent target. People who will work on the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a nongovernmental panel led by tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have also held preliminary conversations about major changes to the Postal Service, said two other people familiar with the matter, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect private talks.

To put it all in perspective…  "This is all poppycock" You want to know why the Post Office keeps losing money? PolitiFact reports that…

The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act required the Postal Service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits, not pensions. The law put a financial strain on the service, which has defaulted on some of the statutorily prescribed payments.

And it goes on to say,

The health benefit requirement

The 2006 law also established a fund for Postal Service retiree health benefits. It required prepayment of those benefits according to a 50-year schedule, starting with 10 years of statutorily prescribed payments of roughly $5 billion from 2007 to 2017.

[…]

Regardless, Partenheimer [a spokesman for the Postal Service] told us that "the pre-funding requirement included in the 2006 law is a major reason for our financial situation, along with an outdated business model."

So now they bootstrapped the Post Office and are complaining the losses!

---

Then vengeance is mine saith Trump…

Exclusive: Trump may cancel US Postal Service electric mail truck contract, sources say
Reuters
By Jarrett Renshaw and Alexandra Ulmer
December 6, 2024

Donald Trump's transition team is considering canceling the U.S. Postal Service's contracts to electrify its delivery fleet, as part of a broader suite of executive orders targeting electric vehicles, according to three sources familiar with the plans.

The move, which could be unveiled in the early days of Trump’s administration that begins on Jan. 20, is in line with Trump's campaign promises to roll back President Joe Biden’s efforts to decarbonize U.S. transportation to fight climate change – an agenda Trump has said is unnecessary and potentially damaging to the economy.

Reuters has previously reported that Trump is planning to kill a $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, and plans to roll back Biden's stricter fuel-efficiency standards.

The sources told Reuters that Trump’s transition team is now reviewing how it can unwind the postal service's multibillion-dollar contracts, including with Oshkosh (OSK.N), opens new tab and Ford (F.N), opens new tab, for tens of thousands of battery-driven delivery trucks and charging stations.

Anything to spike the Democrats even if it destroys the planet.

The Constitution does not mandate a postal service but it does allow Congress to create and regulate a postal system and it gives Congress broad power over postal matters.

Bought, Signed, Sealed, and Delivered!

Yup! He got his money's worth and it only cost him $250 million!

Exclusive: Trump team wants to scrap car-crash reporting rule that Tesla opposes

Reuters

By Jarrett Renshaw, Rachael Levy and Chris Kirkham

December 15, 2024

The Trump transition team wants the incoming administration to drop a car-crash reporting requirement opposed by Elon Musk’s Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab , according to a document seen by Reuters, a move that could cripple the government’s ability to investigate and regulate the safety of vehicles with automated-driving systems.

Musk, the world's richest person, spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars helping Trump get elected president in November. Removing the crash-disclosure provision would particularly benefit Tesla, which has reported most of the crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators under the program. Tesla has been targeted in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigations, including three stemming from the data.

The recommendation to kill the crash-reporting rule came from a transition team tasked with producing a 100-day strategy for automotive policy. The group called the measure a mandate for "excessive" data collection, the document seen by Reuters shows.

[...]

 

Reuters could not determine what role, if any, Musk may have played in crafting the transition-team recommendations or the likelihood that the administration would enact them. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most major automakers except Tesla, has also criticized the requirement as burdensome.

I just have one question. How many people will die because of this?

---

Update: 12/18 @ Noon

ABC News...

President-elect Donald Trump has assembled the wealthiest presidential administration in modern history, with at least 13 billionaires set to take on government posts.

They include a wrestling magnate, a private space pioneer, a New York real estate developer, the heir to a small appliance empire, and the wealthiest man on the planet -- with several being donors and close personal friends of the incoming president.

In total, the combined net worth of the wealthiest members of his administration could surpass $460 billion, including Department of Government Efficiency co-head Elon Musk -- whose net worth of more than $400 billion exceeds the GDP of mid-sized countries.

So who are these people, according the ABC News article...

• Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency co-head: $439 billion
• Leandro Rizzuto Jr., Ambassador to the Organization of American States: $3.5 billion
• Warren Stephens, Ambassador to the United Kingdom: $3.4 billion
• Linda McMahon, Education Secretary: Up to $3 billion
• Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary: $2.2 billion
• Charles Kushner, Ambassador to France: $1.8 billion
• Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator: $1.8 billion
• Thomas Barrack Jr., Ambassador to Turkey: $1 billion
• Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East: $1 billion
• Frank Bisiganano, Social Security Administration Commissioner: $1 billion
• Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary: Reported billionaire
• Vivek Ramaswamy, Department of Government Efficiency co-head: $1 billion
• Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of Small Business Administration: $800 million
• Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary: $100 million
• Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: $100 million

Another question, "Who will these billionaire work for; us or themselves?

We have the best government money can buy!

For Sale, Dirt Cheap!

You know when you are talking about Trump everything is for sale.

Making a $1B investment in the US? Trump pledges expedited permits — but there are hurdles
AP News
By MATTHEW DALY
December 10, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump is promising expedited federal permits for energy projects and other construction worth more than $1 billion. But like other Trump plans, the idea is likely to run into regulatory and legislative hurdles, including a landmark law that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impact before deciding on major projects.

In a post on his Truth Social site Tuesday, Trump said anyone making a $1 billion investment in the United States “will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.”

Um… folks. There is a law mandating environmental reviews.

Environmental groups slammed the proposal, calling it illegal on its face and a clear violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, a 54-year-old law that requires federal agencies to study the potential environmental impact of proposed actions and consider alternatives.

But in Trump’s administration money talks… no  body walks!

Splinter writes,

“Corporate polluters cannot bribe their way to endangering our communities and our clean air and water,” a Sierra Club spokesperson said in a press release, committing with plenty of other such NGOs to fight against obviously illegal projects and processes like they always have. “Federal law requires rigorous review processes to protect the public interest, not rubber stamps for corporate polluters,” said another, from Evergreen Action.

[…]

The idea that the country will be for sale to rich people and companies is, of course, a real risk as Trump takes office; but until proven otherwise the word “illegal” still means something, and this unquestionably qualifies.

Of course his MAGA cult followers are eating this right up!

Is This Our Future?

You know how much Trump admires Putin, will he follow in Putin footsteps and is this our future under Trump?

Russian police raid Moscow nightclubs in LGBTQ+ crackdown

AP News

November 30, 2024

Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Saturday as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported.

Smartphones, laptops and video cameras were seized, while clubgoers had their documents inspected by officers, Russia’s Tass news agency said, citing sources in law enforcement.

The raids come exactly a year since Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “LGBTQ+ movement” should be banned as an “extremist organization.”

Its decision followed a decades-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has touted “traditional family values” as a cornerstone of his quarter-century in power.

I fear that this will happen here un Trump.

Police also detained the head of the “Men Travel” tour agency on Saturday under anti-LGBT laws, Tass reported. The news agency said that the 48-year-old was suspected of preparing a trip for “the supporters of nontraditional sexual values” to visit Egypt over Russia’s New Year’s holidays.

We have seen states ban "Drag Shows" Will we go back to pre-Stonewall?

Other recent laws have also served to put pressure on those that the Russian government believes aren’t in line with the country’s “traditional values.”

[...]

The Kremlin leader also approved legislation that outlaws the spread of material that encourages people not to have children.

Does any of this "Protecting the children" sound familiar?

---

Updated: 12/4 @ 1:30AM

Moscow just convicted people who were at a gay nightclub.

A dozen Moscow clubgoers found guilty after anti-LGBTQ 'propaganda' raids

The club patrons were found guilty of “petty hooliganism” and put under administrative arrest as punishment.

NBC News

By Matt Lavietes

December 3, 2o24

A dozen Moscow clubgoers were found guilty of “petty hooliganism” and detained following anti-LGBTQ "propaganda" raids by Russian security forces, according to Russian court documents and local news reports.

The group was arrested on Saturday night and early Sunday at three nightclubs — Arma, Inferno and Mono — in the Russian capital, according to a statement government officials gave to Tass, a Russian news agency. 

“These citizens committed an administrative offense, which was expressed in obvious disrespect for society, accompanied by obscene language in a public place,” a Moscow court wrote in two statements announcing the guilty verdicts.

The raids were executed exactly a year after Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ activists and the LGBTQ “movement” should be designated as extremists. Russians found guilty of extremism can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.

Naw, that can't happen here!

Yeah, right!