Saturday, February 11, 2023

Saturday 9: My Funny Valentine

Sam's Saturday 9: My Funny Valentine (1953)

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, Frank sings that his lover is his favorite work of art. Tell us about a piece of artwork you can see from where you're sitting now. (Yes, that crayon drawing by your 5-year-old nephew counts.)

There is a copy of a lithograph of a Asian garden with a bridge crossing water.

2) He asks her to not change her hair. When will you next find yourself in the stylist's chair?

I do not get my hair cut. I wear a wig so I just shave off what is left two ir three times a year.

3) Sinatra is often photographed in hats because he began losing his hair while in his 30s. He wore "a rug" for TV, concert and film appearances but really didn't like it, considering the toupee merely part of his work attire. What do you wear when you wish to appear professional?

I usually wear a dress or slacks and a blouse.

This is when I was at the governor’s office when he was signing a bill that I helped to pass. P.S. The governor gave me the signed copy of the bill and I donated to a college library. The other is at a press conference with US Senator Blumenthal hiding behind my shoulder.



4) Sinatra is best known for his singing and won an Oscar for his acting. But not many people know he liked to paint until he widow sold his paintings at auction. Do you have a secret talent?

I used to be able to wiggle my nose and ears at the same time but I’m out of practice.

5) As a kid, he was a paperboy in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ.  Tell us about one of your early jobs.

When I was in college I worked in a factory warehouse. In the morning I brought out the material need on the production line and then I picked up the finished product from the assembly line. They made blenders for Sear, Waring, JC Penny, etc. They were all the same inside outside that had different covers and bowls.

This is the last Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday. 

6) The holiday is also known as The Feast of St. Valentine. Do you have a special meal planned for Tuesday?

Nope. Just another day.

7) The phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" began in medieval times. On Valentine's Day, men would celebrate the holiday by displaying their lady love's name on their sleeves. If you were going to adopt this custom, whose name would you wear?

I have no idea, the right person hasn’t come along yet.

8) Women buy and send more Valentines than men do. Who received the last greeting card you sent?

It probably was a Christmas card two years ago.

9) Sweethearts, those candy hearts with sayings like "BE MINE" stamped on them, began as throat lozenges. Are you fan of these little candies?

Nope. Pure sugar and I’m diabetic. 


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

Friday, February 10, 2023

Shh… They Don’t Want You To Know This.

They worry that knowing this will mean that you are a free thinking. That you might be corrupted by the knowledge and become a liberal.

It's a shame that those who most need to see 'The 1619 Project' won't watch it
By including the story of her own origins, Nikole Hannah- Jones makes ‘The 1619 Project’ on Hulu not just an epic story, but also one that's deeply personal.
MSNBC
By Jesse J. Holland, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
January 26, 2023

There’s a segment of America that won't deign to watch “The 1619 Project,” the six-part Hulu series that began Thursday and brings Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece to the screen. It’s a shame that so many Americans will refuse to watch this documentary from Hannah-Jones, a journalist with The New York Times Magazine, given the masterly curation of interviews, videos, photos and music that expands on her contention that our nation’s true founding occurred in 1619 when enslaved Africans landed in colonial America.

[…]

With episode titles like “Democracy,” “Race,” “Music,” “Capitalism,” “Fear” and “Justice,” Hannah-Jones, the narrator, interviewer and guiding spirit of the documentary, starts in Jamestown, Virginia, where the story of African Americans in British North America begins. She brings us all the way to a present in which protesters are in the streets shouting, “Black Lives Matter!” The documentary is a reminder of the ongoing effects of slavery and discrimination on Black Americans, and it highlights the ways in which systems of oppression, such as housing discrimination and mass incarceration, continue to affect Black communities today.

Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.’ George Santayana

Since the release of the New York Times Magazine piece in 2019, critics have attacked the project and Hannah-Jones herself, accusing her of inaccurately reframing American history to improperly put the Black experience squarely in the middle. Several states have gone as far as to ban schools from using any iteration of “The 1619 Project” or similar items in the classrooms, hoping to shield from their students’ eyes an accurate depiction of American history in favor of the historical myths that have long been promoted. But those critics have refused to acknowledge that the history they defend was written by white people and that it purposely downplayed the role of slavery and Black Americans in the country.

The conservatives are like the three monkeys… Hear no evil, see no evil, and say no evil. However, the  Republicans haven’t gotten the last one down yet, they are still working on it, and I think that it will be a long time before they figure it out.

Republicans Want Banned From the Classroom
Education Week
By Sarah Schwartz & Eesha Pendharkar
February 2, 2022

Republicans this year have drastically broadened their legislative efforts to censor what’s taught in the classroom, according to an Education Week analysis of active state bills.

What started in early 2021 as a conservative effort to prohibit teachers from talking about diversity and inequality in so-called “divisive” ways or taking sides on “controversial” issues has now expanded to include proposed restrictions on teaching that the United States is a racist country, that certain economic or political systems are racist, or that multiple gender identities exist, according to an Education Week analysis of 61 new bills and other state-level actions.

In Florida, a bill would ban teachers from saying “racial colorblindness” is racist. In South Carolina, a bill would ban teaching that “equity is a concept that is superior to or supplants the concept of equality.” In New Hampshire, “promoting a negative account or representation of the founding and history of the United States of America” could become illegal, if a bill were to pass.

Now get a load of this bureaucratic doublespeak!

In interviews with Education Week, state representatives said these new bills are designed to prevent teachers from telling children what to think, encouraging them to see divisions, or asking them to adopt perspectives that are different from those of their parents on issues like policing, Black Lives Matter, gender identity, and human sexuality.

Giving the students the facts is telling what to think. HUN? 

Doug Richey, a Missouri Republican who introduced a Parents’ Bill of Rights in that state, said that families are upset that schools have turned to a “quasi-activist approach.”

“I filed this bill because there has been an obvious erosion of trust, and I want that trust to be rebuilt,” he said.

Translated out of Republican doublespeak… Parents’ Bill of Rights = the right to be a bigot and discriminate against people.

“Parents’ rights” has taken off as an issue for Republican legislators over the past year, as communities have fought school boards over pandemic-era policies like students masking, and remote learning has given many families up-close access to teachers’ lessons.

During the 2021 legislative session, though, only a handful of state bills concerned curriculum transparency or parents’ rights to object to classroom materials. Instead, most prohibited teaching a list of “divisive concepts*,” which originally appeared in an executive order signed by then-President Donald Trump in fall 2020.

We are also persona non grata;

Still, a number of bills banning certain instructional topics don’t mention race at all. Instead, they’re focused on gender and sexuality.

In Arizona, Florida, and Indiana, students have to seek permission from parents before being taught about “human sexuality” and districts have to disclose to parents what those lessons would entail.

One proposed bill from Indiana requires parent permission before students learn about topics such as abortion, “transgenderism,” and gender identity.

Students also need written permission from parents before receiving counseling or medical attention related to abortion, gender-transitioning, hormone blockers, gender-reassignment surgery and “pronoun selection.”

The same bill also requires that students “must receive instruction that socialism, Marxism, communism, totalitarianism, or similar political systems are incompatible with and in conflict with the principles of freedom upon which the United States was founded.”

~~~~~~

This the future of education going to look like if the Republicans have their way, the balkanization of education.

I want my child to attend the following classes:

__ Reading & writing classes
__ Reading (but only the classic) & writing classes
__ Reading (but only the Bible) & writing classes
__ English classes
__ Math classes
__ Math (but not algebra) classes
__ Math (but not algebra or calculus) classes
__ Science classes
__ Sciences (but only evolution and that we are not related to monkeys) classes
__ Earth science classes
__ Earth science (but only a flat earth) classes
__ Earth science (but only that the earth is only 3000 years old) classes
__ Human sexuality classes
__ Human sexuality (but only if they do not cover; homosexuals, transsexuals, intersex, and sex) classes

Is this what the future of public education going to look like? Will they only be teaching "reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic" in public schools?


*Divisive Concepts:

Trump executive order defines 'divisive concepts'...

The order described “divisive concepts” in this manner:

(a) "Divisive concepts" means the concepts that
(1) one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;
(2) the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist;
(3) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously;
(4) an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex;
(5) members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex;
(6) an individual's moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex;
(7) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;
(8) any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex; or
(9) meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race.
The term "divisive concepts" also includes any other form of race or sex stereotyping or any other form of race or sex scapegoating.


Yes! This Is Exactly What We Need.

It seems like the Pope opened the floor gates! And it is for the good.

Knox News
The Knox Pride Interfaith Coalition
February 7, 2023


As the Tennessee state legislature begins its work in this new year, we, an ecumenical coalition of clergy, rabbis and faith leaders from different religious traditions in East Tennessee, wish to declare that we stand proudly alongside all of those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer members of our community, of our state, of our nation and of the world, unconditionally and unequivocally.

While we walk different spiritual paths, we are united in supporting each individual’s human dignity and worth. We believe every person in Tennessee, and beyond, should feel safe and nurtured as they live their lives. We are united in believing that our LGBTQIA+ siblings are beloved children of God, however each of us defines that term, and are entitled to a safe space to be fully themselves.

Therefore, we urge an end to political hate speech against these communities and their members. Hate speech dehumanizes our friends and neighbors. Dehumanization leads to violence. We urge all citizens of the state of Tennessee, and especially our elected officials, to cease any form of speech that demonizes, vilifies and dehumanizes members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

[…]

And to the LGBTQIA+ community: As leaders from a diversity of faiths, despite our differences of belief and creed, each of us agrees that you are loved – some would say God’s beloved. No matter how you identify, no matter which part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum you are part of, we believe you hold beauty, worth and dignity. You strengthen our cities and our state, and we thank you for that. We stand with you. Know that we see you. Know that we love you. Know that we proclaim love.

Thank you!

We need you to speak up and denounce these horrible laws and political attacks against the LGBTQ people because when we speak up nobody listens but when 135 religious leaders from all faiths speak up against the political animosity us people listen. It will not change the radical right-wing, but the “silent majority” will listen and hopefully also speak up at the voting booth.

And an important message to our community, to my lesbian, gay, bi, queer, and trans community do not paint all religions the same! There are many religions that support us and are affirming. Do not burn our bridges to them. 

Thursday, February 09, 2023

Right Here In River City... Part II

Here in Connecticut we tend to think that we don’t have racism up here, but actions show otherwise. I just saw this posted on Facebook, it is a little old but still relevant.

Feds to probe Farmington parents’ LGBTQ complaint of chronic bullying: ‘The school does nothing’
CT Insider
By Jesse Leavenworth
August 24, 2022


The federal government is investigating a complaint accusing the local school district of discriminating against LGBTQ students and failing to protect them from chronic bullying that included homophobic slurs and a group stomping of a Pride flag.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Aug. 10 notified the parent who wrote the complaint that investigators will examine whether the school district failed to respond appropriately to gender identity/sexual orientation harassment that included reports of a middle school student telling an LGBTQ student to “go die” multiple times.

OCR enforces Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any organization that receives federal funding. Parents who reported bullying of their children contend that school officials either mishandled or did not complete investigations into parents’ and students’ reports of bullying and harassment.

[…]

“Numerous students have stopped reporting harassment because ‘the school does nothing,’ ” the complaint stated.

There are many laws here in Connecticut and federal laws that ban discrimination. But the laws are only good as they are enforced, and many schools just give a wink and nod to the laws. Some have reported zero cases of bullying in their systems… they are perfect little angels.

The complaint cited several incidents in which LGBTQ students were the targets of bullying, discrimination and harassment.

In a September 2021 instance, according to the complaint, a Muslim student in a social studies class at Irving A. Robbins Middle School started making homo- and transphobic remarks, targeting two LGBTQ students.

[…]

The complaint also stated an LGBTQ student reported numerous homophobic comments and actions by another student, who sometimes barked at the targeted child.

“Homophobes bark at LGBTQ+ people because they liken queerness to a virus that is catching,” the complaint stated. “The exhalation from barking is thought to ward off queerness.”

Our little Johnny would never do anything like!

In a December article in CT Mirror they write, “Is Farmington committed to diversity, equity and inclusion? The jury is out” by Sana Shaikh,

After several Farmington High School students showed leadership and supported the need to have Diwali — one of the largest Indian festivals, celebrating “light over darkness” — as a school-sponsored holiday, the Board of Education then denied that request. Jewish holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, were simply omitted from the 2022-23 school year.

But the public outcry from the South Asian and Jewish community obligated the Board of Education to revert their decisions to the 2022-23 calendar: Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah have been reinstated. Diwali will fall on a weekend in 2023 so there will be meetings in the future to “explore” its reinstatement.

[…]

There were calls from those attending the meeting for the board to apologize. Instead of responding to that request, those requesting the apology were named as “disruptions” at four distinct times.

The Hartford Courant said,

They say the harassment and bullying they experienced ran the gamut from microaggressions such as whisper campaigns and stares in class, to being deadnamed and called homophobic slurs, to being urged to commit suicide, to allegedly being assaulted at the end of the school year when a student attempted to pull off a Pride flag that was tied around Miles’ neck.

Now add that to the OCR and it makes you wonder what is going on in Farmington. CT Insider ended with...

Farmington Public Schools continues to be ranked as one of the best in the state as it relates to academic rigor. Is the Board fully committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts? The jury is out on that one.

They Know No Bounds.

Bigoty is running amuck down in Florida and nothing is immune to their animosity against us!

The National Hockey League has become the latest professional sports league to become entangled in the culture war.
NBC News
By Allan Smith
February 4, 2023


The National Hockey League finds itself on thin ice with some conservatives as a new target in the U.S. culture war.

In the run-up to its All-Star Game in Florida on Saturday, the league has sought to put its efforts aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion front and center. But those moves have drawn sharp criticism from powerful conservatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a leading contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the most-watched primetime cable news host, and sparked controversy on and off the ice.

There’s little indication those tensions will soon wane. Amid calls for change from both inside and outside the sport, the NHL and its teams have sought to address past instances of racism and abuse, diversify its workforce and foster a welcoming environment for LGBTQ fans and athletes. In doing so, the league has promoted semi-regular “Pride” nights at games, conducted a top-to-bottom diversity and inclusion assessment of itself and appealed to racial and ethnic groups who have traditionally not made up a significant portion of the league’s workforce.

At the same time, leading conservatives argue that some of those initiatives are openly discriminatory toward straight white men — who still make up the vast majority of team and league employees — or impede on religious freedom. DeSantis, ahead of his potential presidential bid, has strategically picked fights on social issues with large corporations and entities like Disney, the College Board and the NHL when they are operating in his state, which he has said is where “woke goes to die.”

When will this eradication of LGBTQ people end?

It seems like the states are in a competition who can come up with them draconian laws against us. And bigotry is surfacing in the locker room.

The league has skated into thorny issues beyond the DeSantis dust-up in recent weeks. Ahead of a “Pride Night” game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks last month, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov opted against participating in the pre-game skate because he refused to wear the pride-themed warm-up jersey, saying after the contest he wanted “to stay true to myself and my religion.” The incident sparked both backlash against, and support for, the Russian-born player.

Last week, the New York Rangers, aware of how the Provorov situation played out, chose not to wear their scheduled pride-themed warm-ups, with the team saying in a statement the “organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night.

When will this madness end?

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

First Amendment.

The Republicans only know the Second Amendment, the 1st Amendment only gets in their way.

North Dakota Bill Would Jail Librarians for Not Removing Certain Books
Calling books about sexual or gender identity disgusting, a Republican lawmaker seeks to ban them and imprison librarians who don’t comply.
The Advocate
By JD Glass
January 29, 2023


A proposed bill was heard this month in North Dakota's House Judiciary Committee that seeks to ban what it calls sexual content in public libraries and send librarians to jail if they refuse to remove the books in question.

Advocates have called the proposal censorship and "steeped in discrimination."

House Bill 1205 seeks to ban visual depictions of “sexually explicit” content from public libraries, which includes references to sexual orientation and gender identity. Librarians who don’t remove such books would face up to 30 days in prison as well as up to a $1,500 fine, according to the Associated Press.

Um… I think that they a little Constitutional problem. The first they are only picking on LGBTQ books and ignoring other books. The second is, what is the definition of “sexually explicit” content?

The proposal is “a blatant attempt at censorship, pure and simple,” the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota said.

NBC News wrote,

“Nearly 50 years ago, the (U.S.) Supreme Court set the high constitutional bar that defines obscenity,” said Cody Schuler, an advocacy manager at the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota, who testified against the bill.

Obscenity is a narrow, well-defined category of unprotected speech that excludes any work with serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, Schuler said. Few, if any, books have been deemed obscene, and the standard for restraining a library’s ability to distribute a book are even more stringent, Schuler added.

But the Republicans want to make point with their base and they don’t care if it is unconstitutional because they will blame “those liberal activist judges.”

Yea Or Nay

Is this segregation?

Is this ghettoization?

Is this paradise?

I can see this be many things for LGBTQ+ both positive and negative.

Connecticut's first LGBTQ-centered school to open later this year
As lawmakers continue to debate LGBTQ representation in U.S. schools, Connecticut’s PROUD Academy plans to open its doors to queer youths and allies this fall.
NBC News
By Matt Lavietes
February 4, 2023


Throughout her 30 years as a teacher, Patricia Nicolari said she faced repeated harassment from students due to her sexuality. Some left notes on her desk asking if she is a lesbian. Others called her a “dyke” under their breaths. And one day, students carved “Lez” into her car.

“At the time, I remember thinking, ‘I’m going through so much anxiety as a teacher. I can’t imagine what our students go through questioning themselves and how unsafe it is for them to come out,’” Nicolari said.

Years later, Nicolari is done imagining. Instead, she’s taking action. 

In September, she plans to open a private school in Connecticut that’s designed to be an oasis for LGBTQ students. PROUD Academy, which stands for Proudly Respecting Our Unique Differences Academy, will prioritize what Nicolari saw lacking in the U.S. education system: a safe, affirming and bully-free academic environment for LGBTQ students.

I can see it. It is not easy being LGBTQ in a straight world.

Just over 83% of LGBTQ students said they experienced in-person harassment or assault at school, according to a 2021 survey by GLSEN, an advocacy group that aims to end LGBTQ discrimination in education. And nearly 1 in 3 respondents said they missed at least one day of school in preceding month as a result of feeling unsafe.

To quote Kermit, “Its not easy being green”

PROUD Academy will join a handful of other LGBTQ-centered schools — including Alabama’s Magic City Acceptance Academy and Ohio’s Albert Einstein Academy — that have opened within the last handful of years, as the nation’s culture wars over LGBTQ issues have intensified.

I can see that for some thins is very desirable but I can also for some they see it as ghettoization, put all the gays in one place and we don’t have to worry about discrimination law suits. As one comment in the Yahoo copy of this article said,

Perfect!!!   Good!   Been pushing this all along. Their own school, own agenda, etc.

Get the public schools back to a neutral environment, no politics or ideology, just teach!

We saw with segregation did not work? "Separate but equal" didn't work and I see this as another version of that. Besides since these are private schools only the well off LGBTQ+ students can go there, while those who will be from already marginalized communities will be forced to defend for themselves in public schools.

 I much rather see the non-discrimination laws enforced. I much rather see the seventy percent who say that they support us speak up. Ten years ago it was the haters who were in a closet, now after a president who green lighted the animosity against us and a national party that backed him up are out in the open now.

“The political climate absolutely accelerated the need for a PROUD Academy and a need for PROUD Academies across the United States,” Nicolari said. “Our kids matter. Their lives matter. Their education matters. Their mental health matters. And we can’t have our students and families be bullied into being less than they’re capable of being.”

What do you think?




Tuesday, February 07, 2023

When Your Memory Goes - Not The First.

Reporters don’t know much, I have been interviewed many reporters and at some of the question it is really hard to keep from rolling your eyes.

So you might have seen on the news that Kim Petras was the first trans person to win a Grammy but it was fake news. For many of us in the community we knew it an alternate truth, as a matter of fact I think that I have her vinyl record… Switched On Bach.

That was electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos.
LGBTQ Nation
By John Russell
February 6, 2023


“I just wanted to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” Kim Petras said in her acceptance speech for Best Pop Group/Duo Performance at Sunday night’s 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

The 30-year-old pop star made history alongside Sam Smith as the first out trans and non-binary artists to receive the award for their song “Unholy.”

Petras made a point of acknowledging in her speech that she was “the first transgender woman to win this [emphasis added] award.” And while much of the media coverage of her win included that essential caveat, some on social media took the opportunity to set the record straight and acknowledge a trans pioneer of electronic music.

Youngsters! They think that they know everything, but she wasn’t…

“While we celebrate Kim Petras’s historic win at last night’s Grammys, let’s also use this as an opportunity to show some love to electronic music pioneer and 3x Grammy Award-winner Wendy Carlos,” writer and podcast host Evan Ross Katz wrote in an Instagram post.

“An important distinction to make,” tweeted musician Left at London. “Wendy Carlos is the first trans person to win a grammy. Kim Petras is the first OUT trans person to win a grammy.”

I remember back then I was deep in the closet and I went to the record store at the mall and found it!

Now I am not a Bach fan but this was very special it was the break through album, the first all electronic album.

Like many reporters now a days they are just sent out for an interview with little or no background information, someone may have told the reporter that Kim was the first.

This is what Ms. Carlos won the Grammy for...


~~~~~~~

I was grabbed out of the hearing on the trans non-discrimination bill by one of our lobbyists (and friend and former grad school classmate); “There’s a reporters who want to interview you about the bill…

“Thank you sir for being interviewed…” Wait a minute! We tried to tell the reporter about the AP Stylebook about pronouns but he was having none of it. Basically he was saying you can’t tell me what questions to asked and we tried to tell we were not doing that we were only saying about, finally it got through his thick skull. “Oh, okay,” and we gave him a lessons on gender pronouns and he did use the proper pronouns,

They Are Plum Crazy… But They Are The Ruling Party.

These conservative are crazy! They despise anything LGBTQ I think that they are psychotic and are delusional. They live in Neverland.

Watch 'Mulan' with your kid, wind up in prison? What will Arizona lawmakers think of next?
If a parent is OK with letting their child watch drag queens perform, what business is it of the supposedly freedom-loving Arizona Legislature?
The Arizona Republic
By Laurie Roberts
February 4, 2023


EThis bill is brought to you by Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus.

Freedom, that is, unless you allow your child to watch “Mulan,” in which case you’d be guilty of a “dangerous crime against children” if said child is under the age of 15.

I realize there’s political gold these days in demonizing drag but isn’t this just a tad … I don’t know … full-on, flat-out bonkers?

They definitively bonkers!

They are certifiable bonkers.

Republican Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills wants to bar state-funded drag shows for kids (SB 1026). Never mind that not even Kavanagh can point to any state-funded drag shows for kids.

Republican Sen. Anthony Kern of Glendale wants to ensure that no drag performances occur within a quarter mile of a day care center, school, playground, park, house or church (SB 1028). He also wants to prevent drag performances between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and between 1 a.m. and noon on Sunday (SB 1030).

[…]

“Hairspray,” the musical in which spunky Tracy Turnblad’s mother is played by John Travolta?

That’s criminal behavior, if a parent allows a child to see it.

It also would be a crime to expose your child to Robin Williams (“Mrs. Doubtfire”), Dustin Hoffman (“Tootsie”), Julie Andrews (“Victor/Victoria”), Tom Hanks (“Bosom Buddies”), Martin Lawrence (“Big Momma’s House”) or Jamie Farr (M.A.S.H.)

The Republicans are definitively cookcoo, cookcoo.

But the thing is in their craziness they are killing us! They are killing the children that they say the want to "protect" by denying of who there are and trying to force the Republican reality on them.

Their pogrom against all think LGBTQ is causing harm to the children. It is creating fear in parents who are afraid that if they support their LGBTQ child that they could be arrested and their taken away from them!

It is causing an increase of bullying in schools and on violence on the streets.

***

Politico writes;

“We’re not trying to be anti-anybody, anti-trans, anti-anything, we’re just trying to protect our kids,” said Bentley, who acknowledged at the hearing that schools expressed concerns that student performances might be targeted if costumes had exaggerated anatomical features or had certain types of singing and dancing. “We’re not trying to stop plays. We’re not trying to stop Peter Pan, or Tootsie, or any of those things.”

Drag show restrictions have become a leading cultural issue during this year’s legislative sessions for the right and prominent Republicans like Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is set to deliver her party’s response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

It is not about the “kids” it is about riling up their base and trying to get votes from the middle class. The thing is most people have no idea what goes on in a drag show and all the lies that the Republicans are spreading some are going to stick out if ignorance and fear.

Opponents argue that signing these measures into law might not only violate constitutional protections, but also provoke a broader cultural suppression of LGBTQ people.

“The goal for many of these lawmakers has been to frighten people about what drag performances are, and what kids are actually being exposed to,” said Sarah Warbelow, the legal director of the Human Rights Campaign.

The conservatives are like magicians with a sleight of hand trick… don’t look behind the curtain, look over here! They want to distract you from the crumbling bridges, from the lead in our water supply, from the failing power grid, and on and on. 

Monday, February 06, 2023

'78

 I Remember.

The Blizzard of 78.

For me it started it started at noon at work… Wow! It is coming down hard and is piling up.

Boss I’m taking the afternoon off.

It is a normal half hour drive to work but it was really slow going, the wind was howling and the snow was coming down with vengeance. It took well over an hour to get home at my parents’ house. At the time I was living at home with my parents and when I got home I went out and stocked up the firewood, I figured that we would need it.

The weather forecast that morning was for snow flurries and possible a little snow. By nightfall it was a full blown nor'easter leaving in its wake 30 hours latter two feet of snow. Of course I had to do the driveway but it was way over the top of the snow blower, so I parked the blower and shoveled the snow into it to throw up over the drifts on the side of the driveway. The governor shut down the roads for 3 days to let them clear the streets. But the top of the hill on our street they brought a bulldozer to clear the road. The husband of the couple at the there had a heart attack and died, they had  to use a bulldozer to get the ambulance there. He was actually frozen stiff. He was one of four that died in the state during the storm. On the last day of the governor’s order I put on my cross-country skis and went over to visit a friend, I was getting cabin fever being stuck home with my parents, so I went out skiing on the empty roads.

When the ban was lifted I went to work and it turning out that I was very lucky that I left when I did, many didn’t make it home. They were one of the thousands of stranded motorists and there were even a couple of people stayed at work.

My desk was the first one by the door into the room and the HR director came in asked me if I called in to work or not, and I said “No the state was closed down!” She replied “Well the employee handbook says you have to call in, so we are going to dock your pay.” WTF! I’m salaried I’m suppose to get paid no matter what! Those cheep b****d! I was mad but I had already given my two weeks notice that I was leaving.

Of course the other engineers all said that they called in but no one answered and they all got paid.

My grandmother always used the Blizzard of '88 as her benchmark and I use the Blizzard of '78 as my benchmark; "I remember back in '78 we got..."

You can read about it here.

Tony Awards!

A non-binary person just was nominated for a Tony Award but…

Trans nonbinary Broadway star withdraws from Tony consideration over gendered categories
New York Daily News
By Muri Assunção
February 2, 2023


One of the stars of the Broadway hit musical “& Juliet” has withdrawn their name from Tony Awards consideration after they were told they would have to “choose between one of two gendered categories.”

Justin David Sullivan, a transgender nonbinary singer and actor who’s “passionate about diversity and representation in the performing arts” is currently on Broadway playing one of the main roles in the critically acclaimed musical.

On Wednesday, the 23-year-old Broadway newcomer announced they were opting out of the prestigious award, in which the acting awards are divided into categories for men and women…

“I was disheartened to learn that the Tony Awards are not planning on making this year’s nomination categories more inclusive of gender expansive for trans nonbinary performers like myself,” Sullivan said Thursday in a statement shared on social media.

[...]

 Speaking as a “non-binary performer playing a non-binary principal role on Broadway,“ Sullivan said they “could not in good faith move forward with denying any part of my identity to conform to a system and structure that does not hold space for people like me.”

Even though it was a “difficult” decision, they hope the move can lead to a change in policy for future awards. Last year, Asia Kate Dillon, a nonbinary performer who played Malcolm in a production of “Macbeth,” also asked not to be considered.

Well I guess the awards has to only do one thing.

Get rid of the “Best Actress” and “Best Actor” categories and make it “Best Performer of the Year”

~~~~~

I was at a Broadway play one year when the Tony’s Awards show was on the day of the awards and the  the play we went to won: the Best Revival of a Musical, the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, the Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and it was nominated for; Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical.

You can read about it here.

Sunday, February 05, 2023

Well!

Twice this year, the Pope has spoken out about the injustice we are facing.

Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a 'sin' and an injustice
Reuters
By Philip Pullella
February 5, 2023


Pope Francis said on Sunday that laws criminalising LGBT people are a sin and an injustice because God loves and accompanies people with same-sex attraction.

Francis, who made his remarks in response to a reporter's question aboard the plane returning from a two-country trip to Africa, received full backing of his comments from two other Christian leaders on the plane with him.

"The criminalisation of homosexuality is a problem that cannot be ignored," said Francis, who then cited unnamed statistics according to which 50 countries criminalise LGBT people "in one way or another" and about 10 others have laws including the death penalty for them.

[...]

"This is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them ... condemning a person like this is a sin. Criminalising people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice," Francis said.

[...]

The pope made the trip to South Sudan, the second country on the tour, as a peace pilgrimage with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.

[…]

Both praised the pope's comments.

"I entirely agree with every word he said there," Welby said, noting that the Anglican communion was itself divided over gay rights and that two resolutions against criminalisation of LGBT people "have not really changed many people's minds".

Welby added: "I shall certainly quote the Holy Father. He said it so beautifully and accurately".

This is something that I have been saying all along, religious leaders have to speak up. They can’t repeat their silence of the 1930s and 40s.


Sadly.

It is something that we don’t think about before we transition.

Deaths.

They happen, and when they are our family or friends we attend the funerals.

Sadly I lost a good friend last summer and I just lost another friend last week.

My aunt passed away after I transitioned, but before I transited I went with my aunt to prepay her funerals, picking out caskets and headstones with her.… that was surreal. 

After that trans woman that I knew through a support group was murdered.

And now I have to once again brush off my black dress. At least it is going to be good weather tomorrow.

Here Comes The Judge.

And he is not buying Florida dragging their feet in getting the documents.

Judge orders Florida health agency to hand over documents on gender-affirming care
The Hill
By Brooke Migdon
February 1, 2023


A Florida judge has ordered the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to produce documents related to its determination that gender-affirming health care cannot be covered under Medicaid because treatments are “experimental and investigational.”

Attorneys for the AHCA — the agency that controls most of the state’s Medicaid program — will have until Feb. 14 to hand over documents it has previously argued are protected under attorney-client privilege and work-product privilege.

[…]

Lawyers for the agency have said that while the desired documents were created for rulemaking purposes, they were also intended for use in litigation they knew would follow the adoption of the rule, making them protected documents by law.

Hinkle said he disagreed.

[…]

Hinkle continued, “Either the experts were retained to assist in an honest evaluative process—in which event their communications were not within work-product protection — or the rulemaking process was a sham and the real goal was to prevail in the anticipated litigation — a possibility the defendants could embrace to win the discovery battle only by acknowledging that the rulemaking process was fatally flawed, or nearly so.”

We all know why Florida officials are dragging their feet. It is because they lied, it is all bogus! It is all made up and not supported by any scientific data.

So stay tune for this continuing saga.


Speaking of judges.

Texas never wanted ‘bad guys’ to have guns. Now, a court says we can’t stop them | Opinion
Star-Telegram
By Bud Kennedy
February 3, 2023


For 30 years, Texas law has upheld the heroism of a “good guy with a gun.” 

But now, a federal appeals court is letting guys who aren’t good keep their guns. It’s the second recent jarring decision dramatically loosening gun laws. 

A three-judge panel has ruled that the right to self-defense extends to gun owners even while they are under domestic violence restraining orders. Zackey Rahimi, 23, of 

Kennedale, was not a good guy with a gun. He was under a February 2020 civil court order not to harass, stalk or threaten an ex-girlfriend and not to carry a firearm.

They were appointed by: Trump, Trump, & Reagan

Saturday, February 04, 2023

Sam’s Saturday 9: Beautiful

 Sam’s Saturday 9: Beautiful (2005)

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, Moby sings about a self-involved couple who believes others are fascinated by their glamorous lives. Tell us about the most interesting couple you know.

My parents, they brought up two great kids.

2) This song was inspired by the proliferation of reality shows, where celebrities share their lives on camera. Does the idea of becoming rich and famous in exchange for letting a film crew into your home appeal to you?

Nope. Not a bit.

3) "Beautiful" appears in the soundtrack of the movie The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance, which is no surprise because she has more Oscar nominations than any other actor or actress. Do you have a favorite Meryl Streep movie?

Oo! Oo! Yes. I have been many, many times been to where they filmed the move “Great Hope Springs.” It was kind of nice recognize the buildings and have eaten in the restaurant they ate in. (There is a nice restaurant on a pier. One time when we were eating there a big yacht came in and docked. The crew had white shorts with blue tops and they loaded the food on board. That was followed by all they really rich guests arrived and went on board.)

4) Moby has openly discussed how Christ has influenced his life and art. Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual? If yes, how do your beliefs impact your daily life?

No. I’m not, I believe in a supreme being but not in organized religion. I believe it is more important how you treat others and live your life. When I die I hope that I made the world a little bit better than when I arrived.

5) His real name is Richard Melville Hall. His parents began calling him "Moby" almost immediately because they felt "Richard Melville Hall" sounded too big for a baby. When did you most recently hold a baby?

Whoa! Decades. All my grand nieces and nephews are in school, from 5th grade to college.

6) He began shaving his head when he was in his 30s. It was at the request of a girlfriend, who said she liked bald men. Would you change your appearance to please your lover?

Naw. It is who I am.

7) Moby's house was once owned by Marlon Brando and was later rented to The Beatles. What do you know about the previous residents of your home?

There is no one who owned my house, I was the general contractor in building it.

8) In 2005, when "Beautiful" was released, actress Ruth Warrick died. She began her career in radio, made her film debut in Citizen Kane, and she was best known as matriarch Phoebe Tyler on All My Children, a role she played for 35 years. What's the longest you stayed at the same job?

28 years. First job was 4 years and ended when they went bankrupt on purpose. 2 years and that ended when they got bought out. Then 28 years and we were bought out five times, the last time they closed down the factory.

9) Random question: Without looking, do you know how much money is in your checking account right now?

Um… kind of. I know how much is in there and I know how many checks I wrote so in other words I know approximately. 


Brr…

Overnight it was -9 F overnight with a huge wind chill of a feel like temperature of -20 F. My furnace was running for 30 minutes and off for 20 minutes. I dreamed of Fifty dollars bills going up the chimney. But fear not by early next week it will be up in the 50s.

I just hope that I don’t run out of heating oil!

P.S. I wonder how Allison (Kwizgiver) is doing up in northern Maine? My cousin in the Adirondacks near Lake Placid was -22 wind chill -35.

Mt. Washington weather.

Friday, February 03, 2023

This Wrong, Terribly Wrong.

Families shouldn't be forced out their homes and move to another state. They shouldn’t have to fear for their safety!

More than half of LGBTQ+ parents in Florida are considering moving out of state
Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Republicans have terrified queer families into leaving.
LGBTQ Nation
By Bil Browning
January 25, 2023


A report shows that more than half of LGBTQ+ parents who live in Florida are considering packing up their families and moving out of the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and state legislators have launched an unprecedented and vicious campaign against LGBTQ+ rights and basic accommodations. The state recently passed a law that forbids teachers from mentioning sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. Classroom libraries are being closed until they can be “evaluated” and textbooks are being rewritten to remove queer people.

The Williams Institute, a public policy research institute based at the UCLA of Law, and Clark University in Massachusetts, found that 56 percent of surveyed parents were considering fleeing. Another 17 percent said they have already taken steps to move away.

This is so wrong that it makes me want to cry. Being forced out of their homes because of bigotry. I realize that they have to do it for the safety of their family which makes it even sadder.

“The Don’t Say Gay bill claims to be for parent rights, but my rights have been taken away since its passage,” one respondent said. “My right to send my daughter to school freely, my right to live without fear of who I am, my right to not be discriminated against based on my sexual orientation, and my daughter to not be discriminated against based on her parents’ sexual orientation.”

It is always their rights but not our rights! I have rights also that are being taken away. They are closing drag shows, they are banning our books, they are telling our doctors how to treat us, they are banning who we are!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What we can do?

Vote! Get your family to vote! Get your fellow employees to vote! Get your friends to vote!

The Republicans have gerrymandered voting districts so they have the edge in the districts but the thing is they only have a small edge if we overwhelm in votes we win. Not just here in Connecticut but nation wide.

What do you think they drive a wedge in issues, it is to get their side angry to go out and vote.

In 2006 I worked the phone banks for Lamont, I hated it but I did it because I wanted a trans person visibly helping his campaign. In 2007 I went to New York Power Summit on Grassroots Organizing run by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and learned how to organizing house parties, phone banks and door – to – door canvassing.

We have to be visible! Harvey Milk was right and that is how they won in California by being visible.

Gay brothers and sisters, what are you going to do about it? You must come out. Come out to your parents. I know that it is hard and that it will hurt them, but think of how they will hurt you in the voting booth! Come out to your relatives. I know that it is hard and will upset them but think of how they will upset you in the voting booth. Come out to your friends. If indeed, they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors, to your co-workers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you. Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions.

We have to do it again, again, and again for as long as it takes for to be about to walk into a restaurant on not worry about getting served. For as long as it takes for us not to have to worry about having a picture of our spouse on our desk. For as long as it takes to not to have to worry about some White supremacist with an assault weapon. For as long as it takes for us to not to have to worry if we are ourselves.

New Challenges.

As we grow older we face new challenges and this is especially true if you are LGBTQ+.

Older LGBTQ adults face unique challenges in giving and receiving care
American Heart Association News
By Laura Williamson
January 25, 2023


Every morning, Luther Moxley helps his partner of 35 years, Wayne Curtis, out of bed and into his wheelchair. Curtis, who has Parkinson's disease and is partially blind, washes himself seated in the shower, but he needs Moxley to dry him and help him back into his chair.

Moxley makes their meals and cuts Curtis' food into bite-sized pieces. He manages the household and does the grocery shopping. He takes Curtis to and from the doctor and anywhere else he needs to go. But in truth, they rarely go anywhere anymore.

"We're pretty much isolated," said Moxley, 74, who cares for 83-year-old Curtis full time. Though Curtis has some family, there are none who will help. The couple has no children. Moxley, who has no surviving family, wonders what will happen to him should he someday need care of his own.

"I guess I would have to go into some kind of assisted living," he said.

Their situation is all too common among people who identify as LGBTQ, whose caretaking needs are rising as the population ages. The National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging estimates that by 2030, there will be 7 million U.S. adults 65 and older who identify as LGBTQ.

The needs of the older community are finally being recognized and slowly resources are starting to help.

Many senior LGBTQ people are starting to wonder if they have to go back into the closet if they need assistance in their homes or in long term care facilities.

According to a 2021 AARP survey, 41% of LGBTQ adults ages 45 and older were at least somewhat worried about having to hide their LGBTQ identity to access housing for older adults. Worry was most common among transgender and nonbinary adults, with 58% expressing concern.

Many seniors have no idea what is available for them let alone how to access it and it is not just a LGBTQ+ problem many old adults never had to access assistance so they don’t even know where to begin.

Housing for older queers is lagging. New York just stepped up
By 2030, about 7 million LGBTQ+ people will be aged 65 or older.
LGBTQ Nation
By Greg Owen Monday
January 30, 2023


In her first State of the State address, New York Governor Kathy Hochul made history with a commitment to direct state resources to help fund housing for older New Yorkers.

Hochul directed New York State’s Homes and Community Renewal agency (HCR) to provide funding specifically for affordable housing projects that are affirming for New Yorkers among the state’s 800,000+ older LGBTQ+ population.

Only two housing developments in New York serve the community: Stonewall House in Brooklyn and Crotona Pride House in the Bronx. Those projects were developed and funded by SAGE, the LGBTQ+ elders advocacy group, along with BFC Partners and HELP USA.

The two developments are models for reducing housing insecurity and providing community support, dramatically improving the lives of low-to-moderate income and formerly unhoused older New Yorkers.

[…]

Older people face rampant discrimination when seeking a place to live: 34% of LGBTQ older people and 54% of transgender and gender nonconforming elders fear having to deny their identity to land adequate housing. A ten-state study from the Equal Rights Center found 48% of same-sex couples experienced overt discrimination in the housing application process compared to their different-sex partnered peers.

While the demand for affirming housing is high — 90% of older LGBTQ+ Americans are extremely, very, or somewhat interested in obtaining it — supply is low: only 13 states and Washington, DC, have housing developments targeting older LGBTQ+ Americans. 

I have looked into something like that for Connecticut but there is one major drawback… In New York City there are 8.5 million in about in roughly 300 square miles, in Connecticut there are 3.6 million people in about 5,543 square miles. Now doing a little math, the population density of New York City is around 30,000 people per square mile and Connecticut is about 640 people per square mile! If the LGBTQ+ population is around 10% then there are 3,000 per square mile in NYC while in CT it is only 64. We just don’t have the population density to support senior LGBTQ+ housing. 

So what are the alternatives? Individual long term care facilities, senior centers need to address our population and also the needs of other minorities. Here in Connecticut we have started to address the issues of the senior LGBTQ+ community here but we still have a long way to go.


Thursday, February 02, 2023

History Is Repeated

We are reliving the Red Scare, the Lavender Scare, and the Holocaust all at once.

In 1935 Germany passed Paragraph 175 criminalizing LGBTQ people. Florida and Texas banned anything LGBTQ or Black history. Germany passed laws banning LGBTQ book, Florida and other states have passed laws banning books on LGBTQ and Black history. In the 1930s they did it to divide the country and in 2023 the Republicans are doing it for votes and campaign donation!

Conservatives wants to bring back the anti-sodomy laws

Analysis: Will Sodomy Laws Return?
Philadelphia Gay News
By Victoria A. Brownworth
July 6, 2022


Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton want to bring back anti-gay sodomy laws. 

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the 49-year-old reproductive healthcare statute, Roe v. Wade, other long-time Supreme Court decisions are being revisited by both the Court and the states. As Texas led with the abortion ban, so too could it lead on reversing the 2003 Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas. That case invalidated sodomy laws across the U.S., making same-sex sexual activity legal in every state and U.S. territory.

Thomas isn’t so sure that Lawrence has constitutional merit. The Court’s longest serving justice wrote in a concurring opinion that the SCOTUS should now “reconsider” rulings in several past decisions, including those on sodomy and gay marriage. 

As PGN reported, Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, is likely the next case to fall. Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the Roe decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, has, with Thomas, been vocal about his continued opposition to marriage equality. In a speech to the conservative Federalist Society in 2020, Alito asserted that opposing same-sex marriage is now “considered bigotry.” 

It is a wedge issue that the Republicans are trying to divide the nation and to focus people attentions away from the real issues. Dividing the nation making scapegoats of LGBTQ+ children, Blacks, non-Christians, and immigrants. They Republicans are using fear of people who are different to drive a wedge between us. Just like the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party did in Germany in the 1930s with the other marginal peoples.

~~~~~~~~

Is history repeating itself in Germany?
That history should serve as a reminder why it might be a mistake to dismiss lightly the far-right plot foiled in Thuringia (Germany) last week.
The Statesman
By Mahir Ali
December 15, 2022<


Nearly 100 years ago, a bunch of radicalised, extreme-right Bavarians launched an audacious attempt to capture power locally, with a dream of subsequently extending it across Germany. The November 1923 plot, which has gone down in history as the Munich beer hall putsch, was partly inspired by Benito Mussolini’s successful march on Rome a year earlier.

Newly fascist Italy offered a role model, but the Bavarian authorities foiled the coup attempt. Among the nine men arrested was their ringleader, a World War I corporal by the name of Adolf Hitler. He was sentenced to five years in prison, the most lenient sentence possible given the charges against him and served merely eight months during which he began dictating Mein Kampf to his secretary, Rudolf Hess. His other key associates at the time included Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler.

Fewer than 10 years later, they were all in power in Germany, not just Bavaria. Hitler remained chancellor for arguably the most tumultuous dozen years in modern European history.

That history should serve as a reminder why it might be a mistake to dismiss lightly the far-right plot foiled in Thuringia [My link] (Germany) last week.

~~~~~~~~

Thuillier: History is repeating itself — right before our eyes
The Daily Northwestern
By Marcus Thuillier, Columnist
May 2, 2019


History has a tendency to repeat itself. As memory fades, events from the past can become events of the present. Some, like author William Strauss and historian Neil Howe, argue that this is due to the cyclical nature of history — history repeats itself and flows based on the generations. According to them, four generations are needed to cycle through before similar events begin to occur, which would put the coming of age of the millennial generation in parallel to the events of the early 20th century. And if recent events are any indicators, American society is inching dangerously close to mirroring events of a century ago.

Hate crime reports increased 17 percent in the United States in 2017 according to the FBI, increasing for the third consecutive year. I talked about this a little last week when mentioning a rise in LGBTQ+-driven hate crimes, but this rise in crime also marks a return to a dangerous reality. It is not just LGBTQ+ hate crime that is on the rise. 2018 saw a 99 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents versus 2015, according to the Anti-Defamation League. When it strictly came to race/ethnicity/ancestry motivated crimes, the increase was 18.4 percent between 2016 and 2017. It is a dangerous time if you are not a cisgender, white, Christian in America, but that is not new.

A hundred years ago, in 1920, the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party was founded in Germany. It started a generation of Germans that came of age around World War II, meaning they were young adults in 1939. I raise that point because this is where the generational theory and the recent hike in anti-semitic crime connect.

[…]

White nationalism and white supremacist groups have made a push in recent years in the United States. Even here on campus, “it’s okay to be white” stickers have been appearing. The violence and disgusting ideas that these groups promote have no place in a country that fought fascism the 1930s. But we forget, and history repeats itself.

Recently, a group of white nationalists in Washington D.C. interrupted a book reading by Jewish author Dr. Jonathan Metzl by chanting “this land is our land.” Even in non-violent demonstrations such as these, these groups refer to events that changed the landscape of the world and caused massive casualties. Those events took so many lives, led to a collective awakening to the plight of the Jewish people and now, 80 years later, we are falling back into old patterns.

~~~~~~~~

The UN secretary-general has warned of social media's role in spreading violent extremism around the globe as he marked Holocaust Remembrance Day, urging policy makers to help stop online hate.

Antonio Guterres said parts of the internet were turning into "toxic waste dumps for hate and vicious lies" that were driving "extremism from the margins to the mainstream."

~~~~~~~~

With anti-LGBTQ laws proliferating, older activists say history is repeating itself
Activists say they hope the younger generation will maintain LGBTQ equality.
ABC News
By Kiara Alfonseca
October 1, 2022


Despite major progress in recent years in the fight for LGBTQ equality, older LGBTQ activists say the country is seeing increased political pushback against the LGBTQ communities, reminiscent of past anti-LGBTQ movements they lived through during the 20th century.

History repeating itself, is something of which they say everyone should be aware.

[…]

"It's fearmongering, which I think is really very dangerous," said Green [A 71 yo lesbian]. "They want to take us back ... I have to say -- confidently -- I don't think people are gonna go for it."

[…]

"We're definitely seeing history repeating itself in frustrating ways because we've been through it before so many times," said Andrew Shaffer, the director of development and communications at the GLBT Historical Society.


Found on Facebook.

One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson in her daughter's school class recently. They're learning about the Salem Witch Trials, and their teacher told them they were going to play a game.

"I'm going to come around and whisper to each of you whether you're a witch or a regular person. Your goal is to build the largest group possible that does NOT have a witch in it. At the end, any group found to include a witch gets a failing grade."

The teens dove into grilling each other. One fairly large group formed, but most of the students broke into small, exclusive groups, turning away anyone they thought gave off even a hint of guilt.

"Okay," the teacher said. "You've got your groups. Time to find out which ones fail. All witches, please raise your hands."

No one raised a hand.

The kids were confused and told the teacher he'd messed up the game. "Did I? Was anyone in Salem an actual witch? Or did everyone just believe what they'd been told?"

And that is how you teach kids how easy it is to divide a community.

Shunning, scapegoating and dividing destroys far more than they protect. There's plenty of it going around.

Do not allow the ruling elite to divide and destroy us. We must remain united against those who would do so..‼️

Unknown Credit:

PS. I rest my case.

You Can’t Make These Thinks Up.

The Republicans are crazy!

Now look at what they have banned, a play from 2005!

Ohio high school musical abruptly halted, deemed ‘vulgar’
The show will not go on.
The Hill
By Maia Belay
February 1, 2023


After months of planning, an Ohio school district abruptly canceled its high school musical, claiming it was “vulgar.”

In a statement, the Cardinal Local Schools superintendent Jack Cunningham said, “The Cardinal Local School District has decided that its spring musical production will not be ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ Its dialogue and song lyrics contain vulgarity and are therefore not suitable for our pre-teen and teenage students in an educational setting.”

Two of the characters in the musical are gay male parents. The district said anyone suggesting discrimination is “mistaken.”

“When we found out it was canceled, everybody was just heartbroken. Honestly, it was terrible. Everyone was just crying,” said Riley Matchinga, a senior who was playing a lead role in the musical.

Mandi Matchinga, Riley’s mother and assistant director for the musical, said she was shocked to learn production was halted given that it was greenlit early in the school year by the district.

“There were concerns about the language in one of the songs,” said Matchinga. “There was a concern about Jesus appearing in the show, and there was a complaint about the fact that two of the parents were gay.”

However, Channel 5 News said,

Matchinga said, “What is your definition of vulgarity? Because when I’m looking, I’m confused.”

She explained the play has a PG-13 rating, as have some of the school’s previous performances. The production team discussed the choice with parents and actors and even chose to use an alternative age-appropriate version of one song about puberty.

“There are slight language issues, like ‘dammit.’ But Ursula said that in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ so it’s not like I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, this is going to be terrible.’ It’s nothing new,” said Matchinga.

Fox 8 News said,

“There were concerns about the language in one of the songs,” said Matchinga. “There was a concern about Jesus appearing in the show and there was a complaint about the fact that two of the parents were gay.”

Matchinga said changes to dialogue were made and a song was already edited for the high school production prior to the production being stopped. Permission forms were set to be signed for a special middle school student viewing, something she said happened in years past.“There were concerns about the language in one of the songs,” said Matchinga. “There was a concern about Jesus appearing in the show and there was a complaint about the fact that two of the parents were gay.”

So how many complaints did they get to close down the show? A hundred? Fifty? Nope only 3. That’s it, 3 complaints! Three people blocked a town from seeing a play.

Three moral police to censor a play! The play has been preformed in high schools for decades with no complaints! Now because it has “gay” parents all of sudden became “vulgar!”

Wednesday, February 01, 2023

It Is All About The Children!

Or is it?

The former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos pushed private schools at the determent of pubic schools and the Republicans are pushing voucher in their states along with “parental rights” both are catchphrases for discrimination.

Here are the facts that Idaho school voucher supporters don’t want you to know | Opinion
By The Editorial Board
February 1, 2023


The Idaho Senate Education Committee on Tuesday agreed to print a bill that would bring school vouchers to Idaho. Idaho Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, introduced the bill, the “Freedom In Education Savings Accounts,” which would allow Idaho families to collect taxpayer dollars to use for private school tuition. It’s cut-and-paste legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council. If approved, Idaho wouldn’t be the first state to have vouchers. Other states, such as Wisconsin, Indiana and Arizona, have had vouchers for several years. Utah legislators are considering a school voucher system.

Ask yourself why do Republicans want school vouchers so bad?

During DeVos’s term she pushed vouchers costing funding to be diverted from to public schools to private schools.

In November, the Grand Canyon Institute analyzed the zip code distribution of applications for Arizona’s new universal Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher program. The centrist think tank found: 

  • High-income zip codes are overrepresented in voucher applications, and low-income zip codes are underrepresented. While only 11% of Arizona’s students live in zip codes with median incomes of more than $100,000, those students made up nearly 20% of the voucher applicants. Meanwhile, more than half of Arizona’s students live in zip codes with median incomes less than $60,000, but those students made up only 32% of the applicants. 
  • Nearly half (45%) of the applicants came from the wealthiest quarter of students in the state, living in zip codes where the median household income is $80,000 or more. 
  • 80% of the applicants were not in public school, meaning these students were already attending private schools, being home schooled or are just entering schooling — not being “rescued” from a “failing” school. 
  • Only 3.5% of all applicants came from zip codes that qualified for the earlier version of school vouchers that sought to help kids living in failing districts. 
  • Arizona is unable to measure academic impacts of the voucher program because there were no accountability measures in the legislation. 
  • A school voucher is worth $7,000, but the average private school tuition is over $10,000. 
  • Private schools can accept or reject students as they choose. 
  • Total private school subsidies in Arizona have now reached $600 million.

That is 600 million dollars that is no longer going to public schools!

That money is now in the hand of private schools that lower income patents cannot afford even with the vouchers. And it is even worst for religious schools, they can deny anyone who doesn’t follow their religious tenants,  they can ban Jews, Muslims, and anyone else not of their faith. They also can ban LGBTQ students and families.

At least three of those reasons — overcrowding, teacher wages and staffing shortages — are direct results of underfunding public education, and perhaps more students would meet grade-level benchmarks, such as third-grade reading, if Nichols hadn’t led the charge to kill a $6 million early childhood literacy grant two years ago. If school voucher advocates are not willing to discuss the negative impacts of school vouchers or come up with solutions to avoid these problems, then we know that this is not a serious proposal, rather an exercise in ideological pandering.

Public education is the bane of the conservatives! They only want the bourgeoisie to have an education, peons only need three Rs skills; "reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic". 

The dumbing-down of America, keeping them stupid and give them a scapegoat to blame their troubles on.

~~~~~~~~~

The polls show that the people are behind us but the Republicans don’t care what the people think. CNN wrote in the article “Republicans build momentum as they drive anti-LGBTQ legislation nationwide”…

Much of the recent polling, particularly on transgender issues, has shown conflicting results that are swayed depending on how pollsters framed the issue. For instance, a 2021 Gallup poll showed a majority of Americans believed transgender athletes should only compete on sports teams that match their birth gender. But a 2021 NBC/PBS/Marist poll showed that most Americans were not supportive of legislation that banned transgender athletes from joining sports teams matching their gender identity.

Still, Republican lawmakers, strategists and activists insist that they’ve attracted supporters from beyond the GOP base. They said their conversations have drawn in parents who have concerns about racial or gendered elements in their children’s curriculum after the Covid-19 shutdowns and Americans who have taken notice of prominent transgender women competing on women’s athletic teams and come away with concerns that cisgender women could find themselves at a disadvantage.

The Michigan Gander Newsroom wrote,

EXCLUSIVE POLL: Americans Reject GOP’s Attacks Targeting Teachers and LGBTQ People as ‘Groomers,’ Oppose Anti-LGBTQ Policies
By Keya Vakil
April 21, 202


“People who are different are not the reason that our roads are in bad shape after decades of disinvestment or that health care costs are too high, or that teachers are leaving the profession,” Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow said during a speech on the Senate floor this week.

Need to Know

  • Voters overwhelmingly reject groups or individuals that describe teachers and LGBTQ people as “groomers.” They also broadly oppose politicians’ most extreme anti-trans measures.
  • However, Republican lawmakers have introduced more than 300 bills nationwide targeting LGBTQ individuals.
  • 88% of likely voters believe the government “should not have a say in personal matters like a person’s sexual preference or gender identity.”

[...]

When asked about whether they generally support or oppose the laws, 48% of respondents— mainly Democrats and independents—said they opposed them. Forty-two percent of respondents, including 63% of those who identify as Republicans, said they supported such legislation.

And that my friends is it in a nut shell, for the Republicans it is not all about right or wrong but votes.


Update 2/1/23 8:50 PM

Down in Florida they also have vouchers and they have the same problem. The Palm Beach Post had an editorial:

The perceived benefits only go so far. The typical $7,000-plus vouchers won't cover most private school costs. In Florida, according to Private School Review, a website that focuses on private school education trends, costs can range from $9,864 a year in elementary school to $11,079 annually for high school. Worse, the state's voucher program history is littered with private schools that fail to meet minimal academic standards or lack the financial resources to operate, forcing frustrated parents and students to return to their neighborhood public schools.

State leaders have a choice: revitalize public schools, or dilute public school resources by pouring money into two distinct school systems. School-choice supporters will insist the latter constitutes public education. It doesn't. At the moment, lawmakers are tilting toward the wrong option.

Just like the other states, the school voucher program is designed to cripple public schools. 





No Advantage

If you want a hot topic that generates heated discussion then talk about trans people in sports.

Trans women athletes have no unfair advantage under current rules, report finds
‘The performance advantages from social factors, training and access to equipment are far greater than testosterone,' paper concludes
Cycling Weekly
By Anne-Marije Rook
January 25, 2023


A report on transgender women athletes in elite sport has found that if UCI rules are adhered to, there is currently no substantial evidence of any biological advantages for trans women competing in elite women’s sport.

It found there was little evidence that biomedical factors related to male puberty such as lung size, bone density and hip-to-knee joint angle predict an unfair advantage. But some evidence that social factors like nutrition, training and access to equipment do.

These are just some of the key findings listed in an 86-page report titled Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review, which was published in late 2022 and commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), an ethical sport advocacy non-profit with a vision of fair, safe, accessible, and inclusive sport for everyone.

[…]

The report is an in-depth review of all scientific literature published between 2011 and the end of 2021 in English, regarding transgender women and their participation in elite sport. 

Relying only on peer-reviewed articles or syntheses of academic literature in reputable academic journals, the study explores both the biomedical and sociocultural perspectives when it comes to the question of trans inclusion in sports.

[…]

The analysis did not show support for the argument that testosterone exposure and the biomedical factors related to male puberty such as lung size, bone density and hip-to-knee joint angle lead to athletic advantages. 

“There is not one discrete biomarker that allows easy comparison of athletes’ bodies to each other in terms of performance,” the study concludes.

I am from the old school where sports in K-12 is about: leadership, team building, sportsmanship, builds self-confidence. So when you say that trans students cannot participate in high school sports you are saying you do not want us to learn those skills.


Legal:

Breaking down the federal ruling on transgender athletes in Connecticut
Connecticut Public Radio
By John Henry Smith
January 31, 2023


A federal appeals court recently dismissed a challenge to Connecticut’s policy allowing transgender girls to compete in girls high school sports, rejecting arguments by four cisgender runners who said they were unfairly forced to race against transgender athletes.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City ruled in favor of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), the state’s governing body for high school sports, and several local school districts sued by the cisgender girls and their families. The ruling upheld a lower court judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the policy.

The court found the lawsuit moot and ruled the cisgender girls lacked standing to sue, in part because their claims were speculative that they were deprived of wins, state titles and athletic scholarship opportunities. The court also noted that the cisgender girls won races in which a transgender athlete competed.

[…]

The CIAC argued that its policy is designed to comply with a state law requiring all high school students to be treated according to their gender identity. It also said the policy is in accordance with Title IX.