Bobservations

So we were watching the Oscars the other night and they announce that Mick Jagger is coming out to present an award and Carlos says:

“Mick Jagger?”

“Yes, sweetie, Mick Jagger.”

“Is he related to Mick Jagger the singer?”

“No, sweetie he IS Mick Jagger the singer.”

“Is he English? Because he has a funny accent.”

This is from Carlos who has the funniest accent ever.

And imagine what he might do in 2025 to fix the economy rather than focusing on taking control of the Post Office.

The more things change, the more we get the same stupid from The Felon.

Say what you want about Naomi Campbell but the bitch can rock a runway … even at fifty-four! Just don’t make her mad when she’s holding a cell phone!

Isn’t it funny how the GOP denigrates Volodymyr Zelenskyy for coming into the Oval Office and not wearing a suit, but then say not a word about Leon Skum, the Ketamine Kid, entering the Oval in a t-shirt, jacket and baseball cap?

It's almost like they don’t see their hypocrisy.

He’s shaving his upper cheeks now that he’s finished with the lower ones. Smooth cakes, baby.

I woke up Saturday morning and was doing some internet surfing when I saw a notice of Extreme Fire Danger in South Carolina. What? I’d never seen that in all the years we’ve lived in and was surprised. Cut to four hours later when I said to Carlos:

“Call the fire department.”

There was a fire alongside the road from three houses down and it was headed our way. It was coming down the hill toward our neighbor’s house so we got our hose and helped spray the flames while other neighbors ran with buckets.

Luckily, the fire department showed quickly and put all the fires out—no damage to any structures—and then Carlos and I had a nice chat with the fire chief and thanked him and his team them for their service.

Now, as I write this on Wednesday morning, we are awaiting tornados and heavy rain.

0y.

A couple of weeks ago singer Sheryl Crow, disgusted by Leon Skum’s presidency, sold her Tesla and donated the money to National Public Radio [NPR]

This week Cassandra Peterson, AKA Elvira, actor and media personality, followed suit and sold her Tesla to NPR and then gave the profits to NPR. But first she wrote ‘Elon SuX’ on the side of her car.

For anyone, and I mostly mean the people on the right who only believe what a convicted felon says, here are some facts:

Between 2014 and 2022 Ukraine held over 200 talks with Russia, reaching 20 cease-fire agreements.

Russia promptly violated all those agreements and invaded Ukraine on February 22, 2022.

Anyone, ANYONE, advocating for negotiations are either misled, uninformed or aligned with Russia.

That’s all.

I was visiting blogs the other morning and I found this on Voenix Rising and for some reason my mind went right to Maddie …

Silvester Ruck is a 36-year-old German born model who was discovered by agent David Todd of DT Model Management at a Coffee Bean in Beverly Hills; coffee is nice, but Would You Hit It?

Another One ... As If You Needed It ... To Cast A Goddamned Vote

We know he hates immigrants and people of color. We know he hates women … except the ones he pays for sex, like wives and porn stars. We know he thinks anyone who joins the military is a loser and a sucker. And now we know he hates first responders … and those who ran into the Towers on 9/11, especially.

You see, the _____ administration been siphoning off nearly $4 million from a program that tracks and treats FDNY firefighters and medics suffering from 9/11 related illnesses. The Treasury Department started withholding parts of payments nearly four years ago that were meant to cover medical services for firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics treated by the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program. Men and women who risked their lives that day, being punished by this corrupt administration.

The payments were authorized and made by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], which oversees the program, but rather than send the money to New York City, the Treasury started keeping some of the money.

The program’s director, Dr. David Prezant says he was docked about half a million dollars each year in 2017; it crept up to about $630,000 in 2018 and 2019, and this year the Treasury diverted $1.447 million through late August; he adds:

“Here we have sick World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and EMS workers, at a time when the city is having difficult financial circumstances due to COVID-19, and we’re not getting the money we need to be able to treat these heroes. And for years, [the Treasury and the _____ Administration] wouldn’t even tell us—we never ever received a letter telling us this."

Prezant never got an answer from NIOSH or the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], but finally, after complaining about the missing money for three years, NY state Representative Pete King put his political weight behind the inquiry and was told that some other agency in the city has been in an unrelated feud with the feds over Medicare bills. And so, the Treasury decided to stiff the FDNY.

Neither the Treasury Department nor the White House answered requests for comment.

King says:

“It’s disgraceful … I don’t even care what the details of this thing [are]. That fund has to be fully compensated, fully reimbursed … If anyone were true American heroes, it was the cops and firemen on 9/11, especially the firemen, and for even $1 to be being held back is absolutely indefensible.”

King wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin asking what the problem was and for a solution and has yet to receive a response.

This is how we treat our first responders from 9/11? Well, it is from an Administration that allegedly billed We The People $100 million for an inauguration that didn’t cost that much, and is currently under investigation for those funds. It is from an Administration that thinks dead soldiers are losers. It is from an Administration that saw to it that the President’s son-in-law got a $2 million pandemic bailout while thousands of small companies went out of business and millions lost their jobs.

What can we do about it?

CAST A GODDAMNED VOTE!

Remove the criminals and con men—and women, Ivanka—from the White House. And remove all those in the GOP who stood by and did NOTHING while these crimes were committed.

NY Daily News

Brooke Guinan, NYC’s First Transgender Firefighter, Is Grand Marshall At NYC Pride

Eight years ago Brooke Guinan came out as a trans woman while working for the New York City Fire Department; and every year since then she has marched in the NYC Pride parade, though this year she’ll be featured as the Grand Marshall of the parade.

But even with these “firsts” Guinan was “shocked” to receive an email from NYC Pride asking her to be the Grand Marshall; she thought it was a mistake.

“I didn’t expect it. I am super flattered. It’s an amazing honor. It’s very rare in the everyday life of a trans person to feel valued or to feel appreciated in society, I look forward to the pride march every year. It’s nice to be around your people, your LGBTQ family―to really feel like you can let loose and not have to worry about judgment.”

Guinan, a third generation FDNY firefighter, says coming out as trans in her 20s, while working in a profession with a “very macho culture”, was nerve-wracking.

“There have been certain points in time where things were difficult, but I’ve never felt a lack of support from my family ... [FDNY], in general, has been very supportive of me and a lot of the visibility campaigns that I’ve done.”

Guinan came out as gay at age 12, but it wasn’t until she took a gender studies course in college that she realized she was transgender. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, but changed course and became a firefighter.

“Joining the fire department was sort of a last ditch effort to prove my masculinity and that I could be a man. That didn’t work very well seeing as how I finally came out as trans. I think joining the fire department may have actually worked out in the opposite way, and been like the last straw for me to finally accept my identity.”

Guinan will be joined at NYC Pride this year by her mother and father—a firefighter for over forty years—who will mark their first time at Pride; she will also be joined by her husband.

Guinan, who now works as LGBTQ outreach coordinator for the FDNY, feels that by coming out as trans, and becoming the first trans Grand Marshall, she can make a huge impact in the lives of so many people.

“At the end of the day, I really just feel like I’m living my life. I don’t necessarily understand why it gets so much attention. But if that attention can be used for good ... and can be used to promote the education and betterment of other trans people then I feel like it’s my responsibility to do that.”

All it takes is one person taking that first step for others to become inspired to follow along. And with the numbers of trans women murdered in this country growing every single day, we need more visibility for them; we need people to realize trans women, and trans men, are a part of the fabric of our world, and not just the LGBTQ parts either.

Thanks to Brooke Guinan, for her bravery in all aspects of her life, and congratulations Grand Marshall!

Huffington Post Queer Voices

We Cannot Afford Rick Perry As President

I saw this yesterday on Buck's blog, I Laugh, Therefore, I Am, but thought it bore repeating.
 

Now, I know I don't get a lot of Republican readers here, at least not of the Conservative variety, so this is more for you non-GOPer's to use in your arguments about why Rick Perry would be a huge mistake as a president. And not just for the obvious reasons that he's a wingnut.

We've all read about the devastating wildfires in Texas. They even forced [?] Rick Perry to leave a political forum set up by Jim DeMint here in South Carolina so he could return to his, um, job, and govern his state in this crisis. Though the fires weren't so bad as to keep him from appearing on last night's GOP debate. I guess some things are more important than your state burning to the ground, but I digress.....

Rick Perry. Uh huh. Leaving South Carolina to go back to Texas  and focus on the out-of-control wildfires. That's what governors do, right? Especially a governor who, say, cut the budget of Texas' Volunteer Fire department by 75%.

Yup. That's what he did.

It seems that, under Governor Rick "Pray For Rain" Perry, the state of Texas cut funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from the very same kinds of wildfires blazing out of control now. In fact, some firefighters have actually been using their own money to pay for fighting those fires.

Perry cut the volunteer fire department funding from $30 million to just $7 million, and the state of Texas is now paying the price. There are nearly 900 volunteer fire departments in Texas, with just 114 paid fire departments, and 187 that are a combination of volunteer and paid.

So, the majority of fire departments in Texas saw their funding cut under Rick Perry, and now Rick Perry--who once threatened that Texas would secede from the United States--is seeking federal disaster relief and said that FEMA would be in the state by Wednesday.

Imagine that.

Now, imagine a United Sates under President Rick Perry.

I don't think we can afford that.

source

Hot For FireDaddies

So, there are these four firefighters in San Diego--John Ghiotto, Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison--who claim they were sexually harassed after being ordered to participate as San Diego Firefighters in a gay pride parade in 2007.

They didn't go as gay firefighters, but just as part of the 'team' of city firefighters

And they were sexually harassed during the parade.

Sexually harassed?

You mean like someone in the crowd yelled: I bet you have a big hose.

That kinda harassment?

Or maybe a little Ooooooh I'm on fire for you baby.

Like that.

Build a bridge and get over it, fools.

How about smiling back at those people yellin' hot stuff at you.

How about taking it as a compliment.

How about admitting you felt dirty because it was men getting all hot'n'bothered for you?

If it was women going all crazy, I can imagine you'd' all be up there sportin' big old woodies for the gals. But it was men. And that's wrong. And it's worth 4-million.

That's right, these four fools sued for a million bucks apiece for the trauma and turmoil of being forced to ride in the parade and having cute boys talk to them.

Pffffft.

Due the San Diego's dire economic situation, though, the four Not-hotties were awarded a measly $34,000 to split. Four ways.

Good.

By the time they pay their lawyer fees they should have just enough money to go down to the local strip club and sexually harass a dancer or two between brewskis.

The story is HERE