Ain't That America XII

Here we go again … the GOP doing everything from lying and cheating to hating and acting foolish … to a good step for LGBTQ+ Americans ... to one of Krist's Koncentration Kamps closing ... to losing in court and forcing Miss Lindsey to her fainting couch … so let’s dish …

Last week, in the middle of the night like rats and cockroaches, GOP Governor Ron Gogo Boots DeSantis ordered the removal of a rainbow-colored crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub where 49 people were gunned down.

DeSantis said he “will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”

The murder of Americans is not a political issue, but DeSantis turns hate into politics.

On the upside, the very next day citizens took to the streets and repainted the crosswalk in an act of Resistance.

The US Gulf Coast is facing billions of dollars in yearly property damage by 2050 due to extreme weather tied to climate change which nary a single Republican believes in.

That’s all.

The Felon’s Justice Department is demanding that hospitals turn over a wide range of sensitive information related to medical care for young transgender patients, including billing documents, communication with drug manufacturers and data such as patient dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses.

It's an attack on privacy, individual rights, and trans Americans; it’s hate.

The Felon has called war criminal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war hero” and announced that he is also a war hero for sending US bombers to hit Iran’s nuclear sites.

Draft Dodger and a Murderer … birds of a feather.

The Felon is saying the people of Washington DC are thrilled to have armed troops patrolling their streets but the numbers tell a different story.

It was reported that business at DC’s restaurants, bars, and nightclubs has plummeted since the federal takeover of DC police.

Trust a liar or trust the people.

In a 2016 court filing, Marco Rubio, then a senator running for president, made the case that the Constitution conferred citizenship on essentially all children born in the United States.

Now, under this regime he sings an entirely different tune as he now seeks to restrict birthright citizenship.

Flip flop hypocrite.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] is moving to make English the sole language used for all agency business, a move that is in line with The Felon’s executive order to make English the official language of the United States.

Funny then, that The Felon can’t speak English and let’s not get started with his Slovenian Hooker Wife.

Judge Kathleen Williams of the Federal District Court in Miami has ordered that no more immigrant detainees be sent to Kristi’s Koncentration Kamp in the Florida Everglades, and that much of the facility be dismantled. 

Williams gave both branches of the government 60 days to move out existing detainees and begin to remove fencing, lighting, power generators and other materials. The order also prohibits any new construction at the site.

US District Judge Fred Biery has ruled that Texas cannot require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom; it’s a temporary ruling against the state’s new requirement but it’s the third such state law to be blocked by a court.

Brian Cornell, the CEO of Target, is stepping down as the department store chain seeks to turn around its fortunes amid an ongoing customer boycott over its scaling back of diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI] initiatives.

Target said people were scaling back spending over worries about the impact of tariffs and the state of the economy but also admitted that customer boycotts affected sales.

Boycotts work, y’all, keep resisting.

A dedication ceremony for a longtime public servant in New York’s North Country was interrupted by protesters on Monday. The event to rename the Clinton County Government Center as the John Zurlo Government Center was overtaken by a large crowd that quickly shifted to the protest against GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik; protesters zeroed in on Stefanik’s stance on the war in Gaza, barely letting her speak and forcing her to cut her speech early.

Stefanik eventually returned and shrieked over the protesters.

Fox News host Howard Kurtz has delivered a brutal assessment of The Felon’s meeting with Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin saying “it was clear not much was accomplished”:

“No ceasefire, no details, no questions from the press, just vague assurances that some progress was made without explaining what that was.”

Kurtz noted that the meeting, which did not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, had been preceded by a White House effort to dramatically lower expectations as it became clear in the days before the summit that The Felon is inept in every sense of the word.

The cult is demanding that Fox fire Kurtz. Because of course.

The Republican Party of Florida was pushing a new line of merchandise including baseball caps, T-shirts, mugs and insulating drink sleeves with “THE DEPORT DEPOT” in blocky stencil font diagonally across a bright orange square.

But the Home Depot stepped up and expressed concern about the unapproved use of its branding and suddenly the items were scrubbed from the Florida GOP’s digital storefront.

The GOP puts the Duh in Flori-duh.

The Felon has a new target, Democrat Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut and as usual his issues is with appearance:

“The very unattractive (both inside and out!) Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, said ‘Putin got everything that he wanted.’ Actually, ‘nobody got anything,’ too soon, but getting close. Murphy is a lightweight who thinks it made the Russian President look good in coming to America. Actually, it was very hard for President Putin to do so. This war can be ended, NOW, but stupid people like Chris Murphy, John Bolton, and others, make it much harder to do so.”

There’s a side-by-side of The Felon and Murphy; who’s the ugly one? Inside and out?

Hours after Texas GOP lawmakers approved a new gerrymandered congressional map a group of Texans asked a court to block it.

The plaintiffs, a group of Black and Latino Texans, filed an amended complaint in an ongoing challenge to the electoral districts Texas drew in 2021. The amended complaint alleges that the new map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment by diluting the voting power of Black and Latino communities.

Clearly the Texas GOP doesn’t want Black and Brown people to be represented in their state.

Illinois Democrat Governor JB Pritzker announced that his state is launching a “first of its kind” resource guide and hotline to support LGBTQ+ residents called Illinois Pride Connect that will serve English and Spanish speakers, according to the program’s site.

Callers can get advice on access to health care, identifying documents, housing, safety concerns and government benefits, such as Medicaid and SNAP.

As always, Democrats help, Republicans hurt.

South Carolina GOP Representative, Liar and Transphobic Loon, Nancy Mace—who is currently running as a South Carolina gubernatorial candidate—was forced to cancel a speech for the local chapter of the far-right organization Moms for Liberty last week.

Not because she was booed offstage but because only eight people showed up.

Mace reportedly slunk away backstage to avoid addressing the situation directly, before pivoting to speaking with those in attendance individually, which didn’t take long because there were only eight of them.

Speaking at the White House recently The Felon told reporters he was going to stop mail-in ballots because it’s corrupt.” He then claimed that he went to vote in person—though in the last several elections he has voted mail-in, he was asked to show his “license plate.”

Maybe one day, someday, he’ll be working a job making license plates and be only too happy to show them.

Right after The Felon was publicly spanked by Dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska, South Carolina GOP Senator Lindsey Graham announced that the next phase of American diplomacy over the war in Ukraine needs to target Moscow’s pocketbook.

Graham has personally threatened to discontinue his use of Russian male prostitutes to help crush the Russian economy and that alone could cripple a nation.

And now, just a reminder …

Meme Dump Week!

Bobservations

Last night I was watching the new season of Top Chef and Carlos came out and sat down so I told him about the show. I looked over and he was out. I said:

“What’cha doin’ sleepy?”

“I’m not sleepy. I was listening to you.”

“What did I say?”

“They’re cooking something …”

And this started a conversation we have quite often where Carlos falls asleep and I tell him that means he’s tired and should go to bed, and he, like a kid, says he’s not tired and wants to stay up a bit longer.

“Go to bed!”

So off he went at about 10PM and I followed about a half hour later; he was out like a light, a slight snore—either from him or Rosita—filled the room.

This morning, over breakfast, he says:

“I was tired last night. I’m glad I went to bed early.”

“You WENT to bed? I TOLD you to go to bed.”

“I don’t recall it like that.”

He’s such a child.

This Tuxedo Memory is from April 10, 2015when we had some weird wild weather here in Camden and Tuxedo was not playing:

“#TooHot4Tuxedo

We went from the cold, with the heater on last Sunday, to running the AC on Wednesday because we were nearing ninety-degrees outside.

And Tuxedo was not having it ....”

I love his ‘Woe is me’ pose!

The American Bible Society will be closing down its Faith and Liberty Discovery Center in Philadelphia, just three years after the $60 million museum opened.

The ABS announced that the center was ending operations on April 1 after struggling from the jump, receiving just $54,000 in ticket sales for the tax year of July 2021 to June 2022, while reporting total expenses of around $11 million.

I guess God saw what they were selling and even She was buying it.

I love all these moans and whines about inflation and eggs and gas and everything else, but please to explain why people are paying hundreds … hundreds … of dollars for a canvas Trader Joe’s tote that costs just $3.00 originally.

Seriously people. First it was the Stanley cups and now this.

Maybe it’s like Swifty, who rerecorded all her albums  to 'reclaim' ownership of copyright in the master recordings of her musical works, following their sale by her former management company.

But then her fans, who had already purchased her music, purchased the new rerecordings, and then they paid for her Eras tour, and then they paid to see the Eras movie and now they’re paying to see the latest version of the Eras movie.

There’s a sucker born every minute.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee tabled a motion to subpoena Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of, and former White House adviser to Mr-Former-Fake-One-Term-Twice-Impeached-Currently-Four-Time-Criminally-Indicted-Not-My-President-Gurl.

See, the GOP doesn’t give a damn that, while, working for the US government Jared Kushner and his husband Ivanka made some $2,000,000,000 from the Saudis when they are busy trying to prove that Joe Biden made $50,000 on a Hunter Biden deal.

That sounds about right, eh?

Arizona’s House Education Committee advanced a bill to allow public school teachers and administrators to post and discuss the Ten Commandments in the classroom.

This is Christian Nationalism at work, people, and it must be stopped.

We are a nation with Freedom of, and from, Religion.

I saw this on Facebook and it fits the South to a T:

“I know Mother Nature is going to put the South in an oven this Summer, We just got seasoned with Pollen and then stuck right back in the refrigerator to marinate.”

Funny, cuz it’s true.

In high-larious news, Mr-Former-Fake-One-Term-Twice-Impeached-Currently-Four-Time-Criminally-Indicted-Not-My-President-Gurl has not been able to get a bond to secure the $464 million fraud judgment against him.

Funny, a billionaire doesn’t have the cash on hand, and funnier that no one wants to help him because they know he’ll never pay that money back.

Özkan Görmez is a model and actor, or maybe a scientist, I don't know; but this is mostly me wondering, Would You Hit It?

San Francisco Votes To #Resist

I have always considered San Francisco my home away from home; it’s my favorite City in the world and I have had more than my share of good times in the City By The Bay.

But I especially love San Francisco today because the city’s Board of Supervisors took a step, albeit a rather symbolic step, to formally oppose President Donald _____. The board passed a resolution reaffirming The City’s commitment to LGBTQ rights, religious freedoms, and racial, social, and economic justice—values largely at risk under the incoming Trump administration.

Here’s the full text:

WHEREAS, On November 8, 2016, Donald _____ was elected to become the 45th President of the United States; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That no matter the threats made by President-elect _____, San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one third of our population. This is the Golden Gate-we build bridges, not walls; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we will never back down on women’s rights, whether in healthcare, the workplace, or any other area threatened by a man who treats women as obstacles to be demeaned or objects to be assaulted. And just as important, we will ensure our young girls grow up with role models who show them they can be or do anything; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That there will be no conversion therapy, no withdrawal of rights in San Francisco. We began hosting gay weddings twelve years ago, and we are not stopping now. And to all the LGBTQ people all over the country who feel scared, bullied, or alone: You matter. You are seen; you are loved; and San Francisco will never stop fighting for you; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we still believe in this nation’s founding principle of religious freedom. We do not ban people for their faith. And the only lists we keep are on invitations to come pray together; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That Black Lives Matter in San Francisco, even if they may not in the White House. And guided by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, we will continue reforming our police department and rebuilding trust between police and communities of color so all citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That climate change is not a hoax, or a plot by the Chinese. In this city, surrounded by water on three sides, science matters. And we will continue our work on CleanPower, Zero Waste, and everything else we are doing to protect future generations; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we have been providing universal health care in this city for nearly a decade, and if the new administration follows through on its callous promise to revoke health insurance from 20 million people, San Franciscans will be protected; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we are the birthplace of the United Nations, a city made stronger by the thousands of international visitors we welcome every day. We will remain committed to internationalism and to our friends and allies around the world-whether the administration in Washington is or not; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That San Francisco will remain a Transit First city and will continue building Muni and BART systems we can all rely upon, whether this administration follows through on its platform to eliminate federal transit funding or not; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That California is the sixth largest economy in the world. The Bay Area is the innovation capital of the country. We will not be bullied by threats to revoke our federal funding, nor will we sacrifice our values or members of our community for your dollar; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we condemn all hate crimes and hate speech perpetrated in this election’s wake. That although the United States will soon have a President who has demonstrated a lack of respect for the values we hold in the highest regard in San Francisco, it cannot change who we are, and it will never change our values. We argue, we campaign, we debate vigorously within San Francisco, but on these points we are 100 percent united. We will fight discrimination and recklessness in all its forms. We are one City. And we will move forward together.

The resolution passed with nine votes in favor, zero against.

Resist ... be like San Francisco.

Fusion

West Virginia Takes Religious Freedom To A Criminal Level

I’ve heard of religious freedom before; you know the kind where you can discriminate against someone, usually The Gays, by simply saying Jesus gave you permission. But West Virginia is taking religious freedom to a new, and potentially dangerous, extreme.

Republicans … of course … in the state are trying to pass a new bill that would essentially eliminate all laws if you can prove that the Baby Jesus made you do it.

Drug dealing? Jesus said I could.

Rape and murder? I spoke with Jesus and he understands.

If you can show that religious beliefs, and in West Virginia they mean you Christian beliefs, so all you Muslims that are so dangerous, this does not mean you, made you commit a criminal act then you get a Hall Pass of sorts from God.

I killed my husband because he ate shrimp and in Leviticus …

Case closed; you’re free to go!

I sold drugs because my church needed more money to build a new rectory …

Case closed! Thank you Jesus!

It all sounds crazy, even for a state like West Virginia but …

Senate Bill 11 [SB 11] is also known as the “West Virginia Freedom of Conscience Protection Act” and it establishes that only a “governmental interest of the highest magnitude that cannot otherwise be achieved without burdening the exercise of religion” can compel someone to obey the law if their religious beliefs come into conflict with it.

And SB 11 defines of the exercise of religion thus:

'Exercise of religion’ means the sincere practice or observance of religion or religious conscience. It includes, but is not limited to, the ability to act or refuse to act in a manner substantially motivated by one’s sincerely held religious beliefs or religious conscience, whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief.

Now, those who favor the bill say it is just another way to protects those holy bakers and marriage license clerks, and religious wedding venue owners, and good Christians who make bridal gowns, but the fact is that this proposed bill makes it okie-dokie to commit a criminal act if you can prove, or just establish, that the Baby Jesus wanted you to do it. And the state would have to prove a ‘governmental interest of the highest magnitude’ to enforce any law.

Let the games begin … Start cooking meth for the Baby Jeebus! Star raping women because God told you He wanted another son!

Sure, I know it won’t get that far, but this proposed law, and others like it, are seriously taking a step in that direction.

If You Only News

This Man Wants To Be President: Chris Christie

I didn’t watch the GOP debate last night because … GOP; duh. But this morning I saw this: Chris Christie giving one of the most bizarre answers ever … or perhaps the most bizarre non-answer.

Chris Wallace, the moderator, brought up that tired Kim Davis — marking the one time that the LGBT community was mentioned at all because … GOP … duh — when he asked Christie this question:

“Gentlemen, we had a case study on religious liberty just this last summer. A county clerk in Kentucky named Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court ruling, saying that it violated her religious beliefs. Governor Christie, you said that she must follow the law or be moved to another job that would be in keeping with her conscience. But some conservatives say that that violates her religious liberty.”

Now, Christie could have gone two ways: he could have come down on the side of the law, which is where he should have, or he could have come down on the side of so-called religious freedoms ALLEGEDLY being trampled upon, But Chris Christie took a third approach and said this:

“You know, we all have our own individual interpretations of our faith. And here’s the problem with what’s going on around the world. The radical Islamic jihadists, what they want to do is impose their faith upon each and every one of us — every one of us. And the reason why this war against them is so important is that very basis of religious liberty. They want everyone in this country to follow their religious beliefs the way they do. They do not want us to exercise religious liberty. That’s why as commander in chief, I will take on ISIS, not only because it keeps us safe, but because it allows us to absolutely conduct our religious affairs the way we find in our heart and in our souls. As a Catholic, that’s what I want to do. And no matter what your faith is, that’s what I want you to be able to do.”

Yes, the question was about Kim Davis and religious freedom or following the awl of the land and Chris Christie said, “ISIS.”

And he wants to be president but he can’t even answer a simple question. Like, when Wallace asked what he had for lunch and Christie replied:

“As commander-in-chef, I will take on ISIS, not only because it keeps us safe, and sated, but because we should be able to exercise our freedom of food. No matter what your food choice, I want you to be able to do.”

Or when Wallace asked where he bought his suits and Christie said:

“As shopper in chief, I will take on ISIS, not only because it keeps us looking good, but because it allows us to absolutely conduct our shopping trips the way we find in our heart and in our souls. And no matter what your fashion choice, that’s what I want you to be able to do.”

Okay, maybe those last two weren’t real questions and answers but they might as well have been since the question about having a county clerk do the job for which she was elected was answered with “Kill ISIS.”

Seriously.

h/t Towleroad