I Didn't Say It ...

Pete Buttigieg, former Transportation Secretary, responding to criticism of his recent remarks about trans athletes:

“I see this issue being used to divide. I see it being used to hurt people. It’s especially hurtful for trans people and people with transgender members of their family who witness themselves or people they love being used as a political football. We’re talking about one of the smallest, as well as one of the most vulnerable minorities in this country and in the world. In order to bring people together on this, we also have to take everybody seriously, including parents who have questions. Above all... those questions should be handled by communities and by sports leagues and not by politicians.”

The exchange followed a July NPR Morning Edition interview in which Buttigieg framed the inclusion of transgender girls in sports as a matter of “fairness,” while rejecting blanket federal bans. Some Democrats, Pete supporters and LGBTQ+ advocates criticized his framing as playing into right-wing narratives.

Buttigieg’s clarification comes as the fascist regime enforces executive orders banning transgender women and girls from women's sports teams. Though the policy has national reach, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified last year that fewer than 10 transgender athletes were competing among more than 500,000 college athletes.

All this for ten athletes … focusing on that rather than the hundreds who died in the Texas floods, or the countless victims of Jeffrey Epstein and The Felon, the children shot in schools. Where the fuck are our priorities?

Sidenote: University of Washington endocrinologist Dr. Bradley Anawalt says performance gaps between cisgender and adult transgender women narrow, but don’t entirely disappear, after several years of hormone therapy. Military fitness data showed that trans women’s running times aligned with cisgender women’s after two years, while their push-up scores remained higher for the duration of a four-year study.

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Trey Cunningham, American hurdler, on how his performances have improved since coming out as gay in 2024:

“It was for me, just to be one hundred percent authentic, transparent, and not holding back any part of me. My coach was really big on this, like, ‘You have to be totally confident in yourself and whatever that means to you on that track.’ There’s something incredibly powerful in being so authentic. A lot of people have told me that they appreciate me being around because I’m authentic. I’m always going to be truthful, I’m honest. I’m shooting it like it is and I’m being me.”

Cunningham’s huge success as an out gay athlete—rising to a level he’d never been—is an incredible testament to coming out and being out in pro sports.

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Chely Wright, country music star, on coming out back in 2010:

“When I came out, I didn’t want to feel like I was having anything taken from me. It was my choice … but, it’s like, I’ll be damned if the world or the industry is going to take something from me that I earned. [But] it’s really hard. You know, from like age four, I was telling everyone in my hometown, ‘I’m gonna be a country music star!’ And then, 35 years later, going on the Today show and realizing I’m gonna [have to] give some of that back—like, give a piece of that fan base and that sweat equity back … I can tell you what I wasn’t solving for in coming out and telling my story: Getting people who didn’t like the idea of a country music singer being gay to be OK with being gay. I knew very clearly I wasn’t solving for that. The outcome that I was going for was telling the world who I was, all the pieces of me—this person of faith who toured in support of the troops and was from the Midwest, who loves the Grand Ole Opry and loves country music and loves Connie Smith and Loretta Lynn, and also happened to be gay. Beyond that, I had to let go of people liking me. …I feel really lucky and grateful and honored to have done what I did when I did it, and I hear so frequently from other people in the industry and new or emerging artists that my story and my coming out gave them a little bit of comfort and insight and maybe community. Of all the things I’ve done in my life, coming out, not just when I did but how I did, I think it’s the thing of which I’m most proud … And every time I see someone come out in country music or in the industry, I feel like that I got to be a tiny drop in this giant wave of change. It’s pretty cool to see.”

The person who steps up and out always blazes a trail for others to follow, even in the depths of country music.

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Jonathan Hertwig-Odegaard, Norwegian decathlete, on being openly gay:

“I think it’s great that you can be a role model, but at the same time I hope in the long run that it doesn’t have to be necessary, and that it gets so much publicity and attention. I think that being openly gay is not really anything new. I mean, there are no athletes who are heterosexual who need to come out about it. Among athletes, people talk about ‘it’s so brave and tough’ when people come forward. I feel that there is a bit of a wrong focus, that the responsibility should not lie with individuals. I think it is the responsibility of society at large to facilitate that people are comfortable being open about their sexuality, also as athletes. Now I’m proud and happy with who I am, and I don’t think there’s a problem, so if others do, then that’s their problem.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where your sexual orientation or gender identity didn’t matter; where you could just be you and it didn’t matter.

I doubt I’ll ever see it, but I can dream …

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Sarah McBride, Democrat Representative from Delaware and the first out transgender Congress member, blasted The Felon regime’s ban on trans military members:

“These are Americans who have served with honor, with distinction and with unshakable patriotism; brave, honorable and committed patriots who have also dared to have the courage to say out loud that they are transgender … They have deployed into combat, flown missions overseas and led troops through danger, and now this administration is telling them that despite their qualifications and their exemplary quality of service, that they can no longer serve simply because of how they express their gender. In our state, service isn’t abstract—it’s personal, and we see every single day what honor, discipline, and sacrifice looks like regardless of someone’s gender identity. These [trans] individuals met the same rigorous standards as their peers, the same physical exams, the same screenings, the same background checks, and in many cases, under intense scrutiny, they didn’t just meet those standards—they exceeded them. This decision to remove proven patriots for no justification causes, causes serious weakness to our forces. It turns away proven courage, it wastes billions in taxpayer investment—decades of hard-earned experience—and is a direct blow to readiness, because this decision isn’t about readiness. It’s not about discipline or merit … It’s about exclusion. It’s about using identity as a wedge to divide and distract. It’s a cynical ploy, not sound policy. Some step forward while hiding who they are, forced to choose between their truth and their country. Others served openly when policy briefly aligned with principle. All of them, all of them served with honor. We are not made safer by sidelining qualified patriots. We are not made stronger by narrowing the ranks of who gets to serve. And we are not made freer by telling brave Americans that their truth disqualifies them from service. This ban weakens our military. It betrays our values and it sends the cruelest possible message to some of our most dedicated citizens: that their service is unwelcome and that one identity matters more than what they’ve done, what they’ve sacrificed and what they fight for.”

These are Americans who choose to serve their country and they are treated far worse than a five-time draft dodger who got his daddy’s doctor to write a not that his feet hurt so he couldn’t go to Vietnam.

I’d take one platoon of trans servicemembers over an entire army of Felon draft dodgers and cowards.

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I Didn't Say It ...

Alan Cumming, actor and The Traitors’ host, receiving a Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of his multi-decade service to the arts from the University of St Andrews in Scotland:

“Last week St Andrews University made me a Doctor of Laws (LLD). I sat on the stage of the Younger Hall and watched hundreds of students as they stepped up to receive their degrees and saw pride and achievement and fear flicker across their faces. It made me think of my graduation from drama school forty (!) years ago and so I decided to say something to those students that I wish I’d heard all those years ago. I told them to always keep learning, that their formal education may now be over but to try to always stay open to the possibilities and experiences that life is going to fling at them. I told them to always be curious. I see people in life stop being curious and they just stop in general; they atrophy before your eyes. And I told them to always protest! Protesting is a part of your education too! It’s taking what you have learned and analyzed and combining it with your passion and then sharing it with the world. Always be curious! Always keep learning! Always be open to new people and new things. And always protest!”

Never stop learning; otherwise it all just stops.

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Gavin Newsom, California Democrat governor, telling voters that they "have the power" to end his disastrous presidency during the mid-term elections:

“It’s not what happens to us, it’s how we respond to it. And our opportunity presents itself anew. In 18 months, you have the power to end [The Felon]’s presidency. We’ll have to deal with the tweets; we’ll have to deal with the attacks and the bullying. But the legislative agenda [will] effectively [be] over. You have that power in these midterms. [He] decided to send hundreds and hundreds of military troops into [MacArthur] Park, into the playground, in the middle of the day, where kids … were at summer camp. Not one arrest was made. But what he was doing—he wanted to make a point. Cruelty is the point. Cruelty is the point. I say this with love in my heart—with love in my heart—but love for my party and love for my country. Do you remember his response to the disaster in California? He blamed every single person [but]—not a peep of blame in Texas.”

Newsom got a rousing reception in … wait for it … it’s epic … Deeply Red rural South Carolina, by speaking truth, simple basic truths about The Felon.

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Pete Buttigieg, former Secretary of Transportation, on the GOP’s "big, beautiful" federal budget bill:

“We’re hearing that the House has passed the megabill after it got through the Republican Senate. Now it’s on its way to [The Felon]’s desk, and he’s going to sign it. When he does, he will create some of the biggest tax breaks for billionaires in history, even more wealth to the wealthiest Americans. And the way they’re paying for it is to cut health care for working-class Americans, to cut food that would go to veterans and children in this country. To shut down rural hospitals and make an entire generation worse off. And they’re managing to increase the national debt and deficit while they do it. This is the decisive, once and for all answer to what the president and his party are about. You know, it was fashionable for Washington commentators for a while to say that this was a new, different, populist, working-class Republican Party. Now it has been demonstrated decisively that that was all bullshit. That they’re still all about making the wealthy even wealthier at the expense of working Americans. If there’s any good news in all of this, it’s that this is still a democracy. Even now, even with all of the damage that [The Felon] has done to our republic, there is no king in this country, which means we the people will have the last word. And it is up to us, the American people, to respond politically and say that it is unacceptable to harm the majority of Americans to make the very wealthiest a little better off.”

The bill extends the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans yet slashes $1 trillion from Medicaid; it includes cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program [SNAP] which helps low-income Americans buy food, as well as the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Planned Parenthood. It will take health care coverage or subsidies away from an estimated 17 million people over the next decade, while adding $4 trillion to the national debt during that period.

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Zohran Mamdani, Democrat candidate for mayor of New York City, taking on The Felon’s bigotry and stupidity:

“Yesterday [The Felon] said that I should be arrested, deported, denaturalized … he said those things less so because of who I am and more so because he wants to distract from what I fight for … if this is what [The Felon] feels comfortable saying about the Democratic nominee for New York City, imagine what [he] says about immigrants whose names they don’t even know.”

He’s exposing the fear-based campaigning of The Felon and the GOP; many of whom are suggesting he be deported because he’s Muslim. It makes me have to repeat something I have been saying since 9/11: Muslims are not terrorists, terrorists are terrorists, and the terrorists are in power and rounding up people of color, and denying aid to the poorest among us, and keeping women subjugated to the will of white politicians.

The GOP and The Felon and his entire regime are the terrorists.

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Robert Garcia, out Democrat Representative from California, and member of the powerful House Oversight Committee announces plans to investigate The Felon’s pet fascist Stephen Miller:

"Essentially dehumanizing immigrants so that they’re less than human is Stephen Miller doing what he loves to do, which is be, essentially, the biggest piece of shit in this country. Stephen Miller should be ashamed of the way he is acting. I can’t even believe he’s from our state. One thing I’ve told people is that you can rest assured that if you are right now causing the level of harm that the Stephen Millers of the world are, that these ICE agents are, you are going to be held accountable. We’re not going to forget the harm that you’re causing to people and our government, and these folks are going to be held accountable. What’s happening right now, it’s so inhumane and gross. As an immigrant myself, who came here as a young kid, it’s just not the America that so many immigrants come to, to actually be a part of, to fight for, to fight for citizenship. We’ve got to continue winning in the courts, and that’s going to continue. And the other piece of it, people’s reaction, the protesting, the anger, the rising up against these actions also is having an effect. And you’re seeing that, I mean, what’s happening in LA, which was widely, as you know, mostly peaceful. The protests are energizing the population and the public to stand up against us, and we are seeing the impact it’s having on the Republicans electorally."

If Democrats take back control of the House in the midterm elections, Garcia will have even more power to hold these monsters accountable. Keep up the pressure, protest, and vote!

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Harvey Fierstein, accepting his 2025 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement at The Tony’s last month:

“Don't make Mommy cry. Oh, thank you so much. You gorgeous people, I have to tell you, since I got that call, something's been on my mind. This has all happened by accident. See, if it had gone to plan, I should now be a retired high school art teacher. But what happened was my freshman year of High School of Art and Design, this kid in my class said that his mother was starting a community theatre in Brooklyn and needed kids to come and make posters. I figured, ‘Why not?’ I don't know if it was the fumes from the magic markers, but I entered the basement of a Unitarian church in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and I found my community. Here were people, mostly adults, who saw this odd, chubby, recently bar mitzvahed boy (who'd put a towel on his head and lip sync Broadway show tunes into his bedroom mirror) and without hesitation or judgment just welcomed him in. I painted scenery, I ran lights, I pulled curtains. And by the age of 15, I was on the board of directors of The Gallery Players, a theatre that still exists in Brooklyn. From there, I moved to the world of experimental theatre in La MaMa, then Off Broadway. By then, I was writing and acting in my own shows, and I was always, always accepted just as I was. And then suddenly, well, not so suddenly, but you can get the rest of the story from my best-selling New York Times autobiography, I Was Better Last Night, at your favorite bookseller. So suddenly, I found myself on Broadway with Torch Song Trilogy. It was only then that I was cautioned, ‘If you want a career, keep your personal life to yourself.’ My answer was, ‘Have you seen Torch Song Trilogy?’ It was 1982 and not only did I arrive on Broadway, but so did AIDS. This was no time to hide. We needed to go to war, and it was a war that cost us much too dearly. I might never really understand how I survived those years, or the years that led me to be standing on this stage accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award. But what I find most humbling is the thought that somehow my journey means something to you. There's no way to really thank even a tiny percentage of the people responsible. No one does theatre alone, but I must call out my mother, who dragged us to opera and ballet and Broadway as often as she could afford. And my brother, who's sitting over there, used my shows as a personality test for his dates: If they freaked out seeing his drag queen brother, they were history. But I'd like to leave you with this thought, as many of you know, there is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call, but when I bow, I bow to the audience with gratitude, knowing that without them, I might as well be lip syncing show tunes in my bedroom mirror. And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark and offer my most profound thanks to all of you, my community.”

It’s all community, and we when stand with one another, and work with one another, and support one another, we win.

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I Didn't Say It ...

Bruce Springsteen, on tour in Manchester, speaking truth to power about The Felon:

“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring! The last check, the last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. So at the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other. There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now. A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American. The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray.”

Let’s pray.

Let’s vote.

Let’s protest.

Let’s speak up.

Let’s resist.

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Pete Buttigieg, former Transportation Secretary and future president, at an Iowa town hall taking on this fascist regime:

“Right now, I'm not running for anything and part of what's exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas, rather than a specific electoral campaign. We are being tested on nothing less than whether the United States of America is in fact the freedom-loving people that we believe and know ourselves to be. Even in this moment, when opposition to the abuses coming out of Washington has never mattered more, this isn't just about what we are trying to block, it's about what we are determined to build. It's about what could be better—what will be better if we follow the guiding lights of this country. When the president of the United States thinks he could send you to another country, or shut down the broadcast license of a TV station, if he doesn’t like what it has to say—that is not freedom. I am convinced that members of Congress and the president’s party know that this is wrong. No one person, least of all, no one politician, gets to decide that you’re a criminal. There’s this theory out there that if we just kind of hang back, don’t do much, then the people in charge today will screw it up, and then they’ll get blamed for it and then we’ll win. I disagree. First of all, while I agree that they will screw it up, I disagree that we should let them. And I also disagree that they will be blamed for it. They may not be good at governing but they are really good at allocating blame. We need to be in touch with our first principles, what we would be doing if we were in charge. What makes America great is its ability to wrestle with its darkest demons and come out stronger and better for it.”

The best part of the speech for me was when a man stood up and said he appreciated Pete’s speech and liked that he was a man who spoke in complete sentences. The crowd cheered that man.

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Robert De Niro, at the Cannes Film Festival, taking on The Felon:

"In my country, we’re fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. And that affects all of us here because the arts are democratic. Art is inclusive. It brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth, art embraces diversity and that’s why art is a threat — that’s why we are a threat — to autocrats and fascists. Let that sink in for a minute. You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently you can put a tariff on it. Of course, this is unacceptable. All these attacks are unacceptable, and this isn’t just an American problem. It’s a global one. And like a film, we can’t just all sit back and watch. We have to act now. Without violence, but with great passion and determination. It’s time for everyone who cares about liberty to organize, to protest, and when there are elections, of course to vote. Tonight, and for the next eleven days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival.”

The best part about De Niro's outspoken criticisms of The Felon is that we know how deeply they bother the so-called president who has always wanted acceptance from Hollywood. He loves the glitz and glamour and resents that they despise him.

But they see him for the lying, cheating, rapist, racist, grifter, liar, loser that he’s been his entire life.

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Harold Ford, Fox News host, telling the truth on that lying network:

“Tax cuts—as much as the president and Republicans want to say this tax bill extending things are going to help middle-class Americans, the vast majority of people who are going to be helped by the tax cuts are the wealthiest, because there’s one other number. Over the last 12 years, the S&P has gone up almost 400%, and the only way to benefit from the stock market is if you have money invested in the stock market and you have to have a lot for that to benefit you. So, I say to Democrats: you have to cut spending. I say to Republicans: stop kidding Americans that you’re not … cutting taxes for the richest Americans. Why not raise taxes on those earning two and half million or more to pay for these things? So, we may differ a little bit, but one thing we agree on, the debt is not going to go down because of this and the people that are going to benefit the most are not middle-class, working-class Americans, it’s going to be some people around this table and people much richer than this.”

Another Fox host speaking truth on the Lying Channel.

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Bruce Springsteen, again in concert, responding to The Felon warning him that he’d better “keep his mouth shut”:

“In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those who are struggling for their freedom. That’s happening now. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. And they are removing residents off American streets without due process of law and deploying them to foreign detention centers and prisons. That’s happening now. They have utterly failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. That’s happening now.”

The idea that The Felon thinks he can intimidate The Boss is astounding; he could even intimidate a porn star.

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I Didn't Say It ...

Charlie Angus, Canadian MP, speaking to The Felon:

“[The Felon], I’m going to say this once and I might never say it again, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for bringing Canada together. It took a malignant narcissistic slug like you to make us put aside all our differences, all our regional fights, all our concerns with one another, and realize we actually had to stand up for something better: standing up for the rule of law, for democracy, for decency. We know we’re on your border and it freaks you out because you and your incel gang are terrified of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your DEI nightmare? Well, we are your DEI nightmare … we are your DEI nightmare … Canada will always be a country of diversity. We will always be a country of equity. We will always be a country of inclusion. And we will defend the rule of law.”

I guess that’s one way to look at the havoc The Felon spreads wherever he drags his fat ass.

Except while he's uniting Canada, he's dividing Americans, and America from the rest of the world.

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George Clooney, actor,  claps back at The Felon for calling him a "a second-rate movie star" and "failed political pundit" for daring to challenge his MAGA fascism:

"I don't care. I mean I've known [The Felon] for a long time. You know my job is not to please the President of the United States. My job is to try and tell the truth when I can and when I have the opportunity. And look I'm well aware of the idea that people will not like that, there will be people that criticize that, and there's certainly people... You know Elon Musk has, you know, weighed in every once in a while. That's their right to do it and it's my right to say the other side. When the other three estates fail, when the judiciary and the executive and the legislative branches fail us, the fourth estate has to succeed. ABC has just settled a lawsuit with the [The Felon] administration. And CBS News is in the process. We’re seeing this idea of using government to scare or fine or use corporations, to make journalists smaller."

Attack the press, control the press, control the narrative and so far ABC and CBS have caved to the regime.

Stand up for goddesses’ sake.

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Jasmine Crockett, Democrat Representative from Texas, on The Felon and hos GOP goose-steppers breaking the law:

“I’m glad the Supreme Court stepped in and stopped that plane from taking off last night. Because deporting folks with no criminal record and no due process isn’t justice—it’s cruelty. And let’s talk about the real kicker: The same Republicans pushing this mess are following a convicted felon like he’s the Second Coming. You can’t cream ‘law and order’ while breaking the law at every turn.”

As I heard someone say yesterday, if The Felon wants to prove he’s right about these deportations, or the human trafficking, then give them all due process and prove they are criminals and gang members.

But he can’t …

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Lisa Murkowski, Alaska GOP Senator, responding to a question about fear of the current regime:

“We are all afraid. It’s quite a statement. We’re in a time and place where—I don’t know, I certainly have not—I have not been here before. And I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice because retaliation is real. And that’s not right. But that’s what you’ve asked me to do and so I’m going to use my voice to the best of my ability.”

Hey Lisa? I got news for you … pull your head out of your chicken ass and work for the people who elected you, not the sociopath who mean Tweets.

Even if he primaries you, you’ll be fine with your pension and healthcare for life, but the people you represent will be utterly screwed so maybe do you f**king job and quit begging for sympathy. Don’t tell us you’re going to use for voice, do it.

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Elizabeth Warren, Democrat Senator from Massachusetts, on RFK Jr’s attack on autistic people:

“I won’t share RFK Jr.’s lies about autism. It’s disgusting and dangerous. If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign. Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness. To every kid with autism, I’m in this fight all the way for you.”

Now RFK, heroin addict, wants an autism registry and for what end? The way Hitler wanted people with differences to be registered?

I say we register drug addicts and keep watch on them.

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Laurence Tribe, American legal scholar and former professor at Harvard Law School, om The Felon’s attacks on higher education:

“What we have discovered is that he is a combination of ineptitude, vindictiveness, lawlessness and bluster. The people who caved to him, the universities and the law firms, who thought that if they paid his ransom, they would be safe, have learned that they’re not safe. He comes back for more. That’s the way it works. But because of all these demands, the attempt to take over, essentially, a private educational institution to tell us what we can teach, to tell our students what they can say, what they can think, to tell law firms whom they can defend—those efforts are absolutely illegal. It’s not even a close question. Judges across the spectrum are going to rule against [The Felon]. We are going to prevail. And in doing, so we hope that we will give courage to others, because the only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him, to stand up in solidarity and say, ‘No, you will not dictate all of us, you will not control our lives, you will not control our thoughts.”

I think The Felon is jealous that he couldn’t get into Harvard and so he wants to punish them.

I think The Felon is jealous that he’s an illiterate moron and Harvard pushes ideas and thoughts and progress and equality.

Keep saying No, Harvard, and I guarantee other colleges and universities will stand with you.

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Pete Buttigieg has a hopeful reminder to anyone upset by the current political climate:

“The head of our country’s government is in the early stages of consolidating total power. We must of course reject this, but that is not enough. We have to respond by creating a different and better kind of American politics than we have seen before … We are seeing right before our eyes what it looks like when the head of the government of the country we live in doesn’t think he has to obey the courts or the law. It’s an incredibly important and incredibly dangerous moment for the country. It’s a test of whether we’re actually a freedom-loving people, and I think it leaves a lot of Americans feeling powerless. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that there are a lot of things we can do. Some of them seem old-fashioned—getting in touch with your member of Congress or joining a demonstration in the streets. Those are important, and we’re going to have to be creative about other means of making it known that this is a freedom-loving country, that wherever you come out of—left, right or center—I’m not going to stand for the head of the government of this country, continuing the process of taking on absolute power. Instead, we’re going to build something different and better, a vision where our politics and our economics respond to the needs of everyday people, one that leaves us more free, more prosperous than before, are very obviously less free, less prosperous than we were even a few months ago. This doesn’t have to be a one-way trip.”

I stand with Pete. Don’t get too bogged down by this criminal incompetent regime; use your anger to create change and make something better like, oh I don’t know, Pete in 2028.

PS Pete Beardigieg is hot.

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I Didn't Say It ...

Pete Buttigieg, out military vet and former Transportation Secretary, on The Felon’s “slash-and-burn” proposal to cut 80,000 employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]:

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“How can we not be pissed off when we see them coming after the workers who take care of our veterans, many of whom are veterans themselves? They’re going to slash-and-burn so much of the VA. [But] this could be an empowering moment for so many veterans, so many families and so many Americans .There’s a lot of folks in Congress who are incredibly nervous about this, a lot of congressional Republicans who know better, but … [who can at] least can be pushed, to stand up to this sort of thing.”

The very people who protect us, he wants to punish; the very job he ran from, crying that his feet hurt, he doesn’t think worthy of respect.

He cares about rich white people, Putin and hookers pissing on him; that’s all.

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Anthony Mackie, Captain America, on  playing gay roles during his career and how it helped him to be more empathetic toward gay people, including one of his own brothers:

“Growing up in the south in the 90s & 80s, you grew up homophobic, sexist and racist….that’s just a fact. So when I got to school, my roommate was gay, like I didn’t know how to deal with that. Like my brother is gay. So being a man, I used my art to better myself. I played Perry [Brother to Brother] so that I could understand my brother better, so I could understand my friends better. Going to art school, a bunch of my friends were gay. But with me, I needed to figure out what was my hold up, what was my insecurity about that. And once I played that role, I realized everybody deserves to be loved. It’s not my job to say who you love or who should love you, If you’re loved, I’m happy for you … So Perry was more a statement piece for me, with love and admiration for my brother, with the appreciation and respect for my friends, for that culture. I think it made me a better actor because I had to go so far outside the box.”

A favorite saying of mine: when you know better, you do better. And Mackie has learned better.

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Sarah McBride, Democratic Delaware Congresswoman and the first out transgender member of Congress, on the GOP being fixated on her gender identity instead of substantive policy issues affecting Americans:

“I appear to live rent-free in the minds of some of my Republican colleagues. I wish that they would spend even a fraction of the time that they spend thinking about me, thinking about how to lower the costs for American families. I wish they would spend a fraction of the time that they spend thinking about me, figuring out how to make government actually work better, rather than making it work worse in order to prove that government can’t work. The Republican Party is obsessed with culture war issues. It is weird, and it is bizarre. And the American people deserve serious legislators, serious elected officials who are focused on bringing people together to deliver real results for the American people. Not to play games, and not to engage in schoolyard taunts. We will not take a lecture on decorum from a party that incited an insurrection.”

Her remarks came just two days after Texas GOP Representative Keith Self, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, repeatedly misgendered her during a hearing,  calling her “Mister McBride.” The exchange prompted an immediate rebuke from Massachusetts Democrat Bill Keating who demanded a correction. Instead of apologizing, Self abruptly adjourned the hearing.

It's what the GOP does when confronted; they run off like rats.

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Ben Whishaw, out actor, on juggling very different projects—a spy in Black Doves, voicing Paddington Bear, and rehearsing Samuel Beckett’s "Waiting for Godot”—in an effort to avoid being pigeonholed:

“It was one of the strangest gear switches ever, but it is nice to inhabit so many different worlds. Somewhere in your mind, you have to refuse to be categorized, you have to keep very free. People love to categorize and file you somewhere and you have to really resist that ... This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about. I’m quite fascinated in how much has changed in the 20 years since I started acting. There were not roles like this [playing an openly gay hit man] … there were not depictions of queer people like this. Now you can play someone who’s not straight, and not that it’s irrelevant, but it’s not their defining characteristic—that person might have many other interesting facets. And those people can be the center of a story that appeals to a large audience … that’s new! I remember it was conveyed to me clearly that you should keep it a bit hush-hush that you’re gay and not to make much of a thing about it. Even though I wasn’t hiding it from my friends or the people in my life ... if you wanted to get roles, that was what was required of you. And I think that was it—it was a pretty tiny proportion. I can’t think of anyone who was my age. So I do really want to acknowledge the bravery and brilliance of those people, because it wasn’t nothing that we had them to look up to. And I’m grateful that we’ve moved on from that time, because it felt horrible.”

Whishaw has always marched to the beat of his own drummer, even as an out actor, trying to stay true to himself.

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Greg Casar, Democrat Congressman, on what the Democrats need to be doing:

“Today the biggest split among Democrats is between those who want to stand and fight and those who want to play dead. House Democrats united to stand and fight. Too many Senate Democrats played dead. We need more leaders from  the ‘Stand and Fight’ wing of the Democratic party.”

Stand and Fight. You work for us and we demand that you fight … or we will vote you out.

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Harvey Fierstein, playwright, actor, out gay man and live performer, on being banned from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts:

"A few folks have written to ask how I feel about [The Felon]'s takeover of The Kennedy Center. How do you think I feel? The shows I've written are now banned from being performed in our premiere American theater. Those shows, most of which have been performed there in the past, include Kinky Boots, La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Hairspray, Safe Sex, Casa Valentina, Spookhouse, A Catered Affair, The Sissy Duckling, Bella Bella, and more. I have been in the struggle for our civil rights for more than 50 years only to watch them snatched away by a man who actually couldn't care less. He does this stuff only to placate the religious right, so they'll look the other way as he savages our political system for his own glorification. He attacks free speech. He attacks the free press. He attacks America's allies. His only allegiance is to himself—the golden calf. My fellow Americans I warn you—this is NOT how it begins. This is how freedom ENDS! [The Felon] may have declared 'woke' as dead in America. We must prove him wrong. WAKE THE HELL UP!!!!!"

Resist.

Speak up.

Stand up.

Vote.

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I Didn't Say It ...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat Representative, taunting Mike ‘Christian Nationalist’ Johnson for trying to blame Democrats for the next government shutdown:

“Hey Mike Johnson, you run the government. Republicans have the House, the Senate and the White House. If you have the votes, then go ahead. If you need Democrats then you need to negotiate with Democrats. Those are your two options. Blaming someone else because your shoes are untied isn’t one of them.”

Sadly, all it takes is a couple of Republicans to do the right thing and the GOP will topple out of favor and out of power.

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Hunter Schafer, trans actress from "Euphoria" and "Hunger Games," taking on The Felon for changing her passport gender from female to male:

"So I'm sure most of us remember on—I think the first day of [The Felon]'s presidency—he signed an executive order to declare only two genders recognized by the state, male and female, assigned at birth. As a result of this—which I wrote down because I want to get it right—the Bureau of Consular Affairs has frozen passport applications requesting a gender marker change or renewals or new applications with a gender marker differing from an applicant's gender assigned at birth. So my initial reaction to this because our president, you know, is a lot of talk was 'I'll believe it when I see it' and today I saw it. Now, I'm not making this post to fearmonger or to create like drama or receive consolation, I don't need it. But I do think it's worth posting to sort of note the reality of the situation and that it is actually happening and I was shocked because I don't know ... I guess I'm just sort of scared of the way this stuff slowly gets implemented, you know, because things just sort of start happening I think as we've seen in historical rises of fascism and everything this new administration kind of represents ... [there's] a lot of talk ... and we start to normalize the circumstances we're under and I just feel like it's important to share that it's not just talk, that this is real and it's happening and no one, no matter their circumstance, no matter how wealthy or white or pretty or whatever is excluded ... I also want to say I don't give a fuck that they put an 'M' on my passport. It doesn't change ... anything about me or my transness … it does make life a little harder ... [though] I haven't tested it out yet; I'll find out next week when I have to travel abroad for the first time with my new passport—but I'm pretty sure it's going to come along with having to out myself with … Border Patrol agents ... much more often than I would like to or is really necessary. And this is just my personal circumstance and thinking about other trans women who this might also be happening to, or other trans people, you know the list only gets longer as far as the intricacies that come along with the difficulty that this brings ... This is getting very long but I just want to say trans people are beautiful. We are never going to stop existing. I’m never going to stop being trans. A letter on a passport can’t change that and fuck this administration. I don’t really have an answer on what to do about this, but I feel it was important to share. This is real! So, um, yeah, f*ck this administration."

Schafer first had her gender marker changed to female when she was a teenager and got her first driver's license. All of her identification documents since then until now have been female.

And no matter the marker on her passport, she should be celebrated for her courage in the face of this hateful fascist administration who are targeting transgender Americans because they knows that it excites the bigots who populate The Felon’s base.

The time to take a stand is now before they come for the rest of us.

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Mark Kelly, Democrat Senator from Arizona,  on social media and X, about his recent visit to Ukraine:

“Just left Ukraine. What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people. Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin. Let me tell you about my trip and why it’s important we stand with Ukraine. This war started with what Putin thought would be a three-day operation to take Kyiv and control of all of Ukraine. Now three years later, that hasn’t happened. American and allied support has been a big reason why, but I saw how cutting it off now risks everything so many Ukrainians have laid down their lives for. And while our support hasn’t been free, we haven’t sent even half of what [The Lying Traitorous Russian Asset Felon] says. Hospitals should never be targets in war, but Putin is a war criminal who targets hospitals routinely. These nurses told me how they witnessed Russian soldiers raping children in front of their parents and then murdering these children in front of their parents. Horrendous war crimes which can never be forgiven. [The Felon] says he trusts Putin and is trying to make him look like a friend and a good guy. I look forward to seeing Putin rot in prison. [The Felon] is trying to weaken Ukraine’s hand and we are owed an explanation. If Putin gains ground he won’t agree to a ceasefire and will eventually threaten a NATO ally and this puts American troops and the American people at risk.  I met with Ukrainian pilots, one who I had met in Arizona when he was learning to fly the F-16. They are flying challenging combat missions against the Russians who are protected by a considerable electronic warfare and surface to air missile system defense. When [The Felon] cut off these pilots from US intelligence that they need to plan their missions, he blinded them to the threat and put them and their aircraft at risk. But worse than that, it helps the Russians advance further into Ukrainian territory and murder more Ukrainians. [The Felon] says the Russians are ‘hitting them hard’ in a tone of voice that implies approval. It is sickening to see from an American President. ‘Hitting them hard’ means more dead Ukrainian kids.”

After his series of twelve posts, which included photos from his trip, Kelly received many responses, many offering praise and thanks, except for one from Leon Skum that simply read:

“You are a traitor.”

Kelly responded:

“Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”

I’ll take one Mark Kelly over an entire continent of Nazi Leon Skums.

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Melissa Gilbert, actor, responding to “podcaster” Megyn Kelly’s assertion that the Netflix reboot of Little House on the Prairie will be ruined by “wokeness”:

“Apparently Megyn tweeted—I’m not on that platform—asking that Netflix not ‘woke-ify’ their Little House remake. Ummm [Megyn?] …watch the original again. TV doesn’t get much more ‘woke’ than we did. We tackled racism, addiction, nativism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, rape, spousal abuse and every other ‘woke’ topic you can think of. Thank you very much.”

Too bad the show didn’t take place in 2025 so the Ingalls family could tackle dumbass podcasters who don’t have an effing clue what they’re ranting about, they’re just ranting.

PS Megyn Kelly is seriously dumb.

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Pete Buttigieg, future President of the United States, blasting The Felon’s SOTU speech:

“I believe politics is about everyday life. It’s about what government can and must do to make our everyday lives better. And the biggest issue on people’s minds, the affordability of everyday life, is not something that got more than a few seconds of mention in his speech, nor did he mention some of the biggest things in dollar terms that he’s doing. I mean, objectively , the biggest thing that he’s working on is tax cuts for the rich. $5 trillion, minimum. No mention in a speech that was what, two hours? But it’s always like this, right? It’s always gonna be about—they’re gonna talk about Greenland, and about pronouns, and about mice, and not about what’s gonna actually make our lives better. We have to stand up to this, and by we I don’t just mean Democrats. Like, freedom loving conservatives, libertarians, where are you? We might not agree on everything, but if you are so committed to liberty, as a libertarian or a freedom loving conservative, that you think the clean air act is ‘tyranny,’ then what do you have to say about the head of your government threatening to expel or imprison people who protest in disagreement with his politics? Where are you? We should be able to come together around that. Our nation has always been at its best when it widens the circle of belonging and equality to take care of more people and not less, and our nation’s been at its worst when we’ve been discriminating. [But] you gotta be engaged. Doesn’t mean being online every minute, but you gotta be engaged. You’ve got to hold elected officials accountable, like, what’s going on at these town halls, and you’ve got to be organized. I campaigned on freedom, security and democracy back when I was running for president, and I still believe that is the core that should drive our message, and we need to take that message everywhere. It’s not just what we say, it’s not just how we say it, it’s where we say it.”

A father of two who often talks about raising two young children with his husband, Buttigieg and his family moved to the Great Lakes State to be closer to Chasten’s parents.

Buttigieg sat down with Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss a possible run for a Senate seat opening in Michigan since Democratic Senator Gary Peters is not seeking a third term; it is expected to be a closely watched race in 2026—one that could help swing control of the Senate back to the Democrats. But Buttigieg’s name has also been tossed around for a gubernatorial run: Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is term limited. 

Some say Buttigieg could run again for the White House in 2028, although it’s far too early for him to make that decision. And some believe he has the clout, experience, and support that few other Democrats can currently boast, given the state of the party.

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