Happy Juneteenth Freedom Day ... But The March Goes On

This particular National holiday’s origin story began Galveston, Texas, which was at that time the western-most area of the country, when Union soldiers arrived to tell enslaved Black Americans of their Emancipation on June 19, 1865.

Now, those enslaved people had technically already been freed two-and-a-half years earlier when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but slaveholders in Texas kept the information to themselves, extending the period of violent exploitation of enslaved African Americans.

But in 1865 the news spread: freedom, and the following year, in 1866, a celebration was had in Texas on that same date, June 19th … Juneteenth … to finally recognize freedom from slavery in the United States.

Of course, here we are in 2026, one-hundred-sixty years later, and we know Black Americans still aren’t entirely free; think of George Floyd and Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice and Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor and Michael Brown and Freddie Gray and on and on we could go … think of the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act and the current regime ending DEI—Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—in government.

We still have much work to do to free all Americans, of every race and color and gender and sexual orientation.

We need to free People of Color from the abuses of police and the criminal justice system and some in our own government that work to deny them the right to vote.

We need to free Women from having the government control their bodies.

We need to free Educators to teach American history, all of it, even the ugliest parts; every step forward and every step back in American history.

We need to free Parents to be able to raise their own children as they see fit; to let their children read the books of their choosing; to let the parents make healthcare choices for their own children.

We need to free our Trans Brothers and Sisters to live their lives as they identify; to be fully themselves, to be respected by all of us.

We need to free the LGBTQ+ population from continued harassment and violence by rightwing agitators and politicians trying to turn the clock back to the closet.

We are, none of us, free, until we are all free, and there is still work to be done. 

Juneteenth was signed into law as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021.

In 2025, the current president, vowed to end diversity, equity and inclusion in government and there was confusion about whether Juneteenth would stay on the federal calendar. That all changed when the current president dropped Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day from a list of days people can access national parks for free though he added his own birthday to the list.

So, celebrate Juneteenth, not matter what this regime says; recognize the meaning and the history, American history of this day.

Happy Juneteenth!

The Funny Papers

Ahmed Rahma, Max Espinosa, Dennis Goris, Nick Anderson, Christine Sharp, Jack Ohman, Clay Bennett, Steve Brodner, Mike Luckovich, Dave Whamond, Randy Bish, Michael de Adder, Ann Telnaes, Gary Huck, Walt Handelsman

Freedom Day ... But The March Goes On

This particular National holiday’s origin story began in 1865, in Galveston, Texas, which was at that time the western-most area of the Union, when Union soldiers arrived to tell the enslaved people of their emancipation on June 19, 1865.

Now, those enslaved people had technically already been freed two-and-a-half years earlier when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but slaveholders in Texas kept the information to themselves, extending the period of violent exploitation of enslaved African Americans for two more years.

But in 1865 the news spread: freedom. And the following year, in 1866, a celebration was had in Texas on that same date, June 19^th … Juneteenth … to finally recognize freedom from slavery in the United States.

Of course, here we are in 2023, one-hundred-fifty-eight years later, and we know African-Americans still aren’t entirely free; think of George Floyd and Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice and Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor and Michael Brown and Freddie Gray and on and on we could go …

We still have much work to do to free all Americans, of every race and color and gender and sexual orientation.

We need to free People of Color from the abuses of police and the criminal justice system and some in our own government that work to deny them the right to vote.

We need to free Women from having the government control their bodies.

We need to free Educators to teach American history, all of it, even the ugly parts.

We need to free Parents to be able to raise their own children as they see fit; to let their children read the books of their choosing; to let the parents make healthcare choices for their own children.

We need to free our Trans Brothers and Sisters to live their lives as they identify; to be fully themselves.

We need to free the LGBTQ+ population from continued harassment and violence by rightwing agitators and politicians trying to turn the clock back to the closet.

We are, none of us, free, until we are all free, and there is still work to be done.

Meme Dump

Meme Dump

Happy 4th of July Monday

Bobservations

This is the boys sharing a carrier as we visited the vet last week for their blood tests. Both are aging—Tuxedo is 17 or 18, maybe even 19, while Max is 16 or 17—and have kidney issues that required a special diet.

The blood work came back and Tuxedo’s numbers are very good; he’s active and east and drinks and pees and sleeps … it’s a cat’s life you know, but MaxGoldberg …

Max’s numbers went way up. Max doesn’t like the special diet, nor did he like the medication that was added to his food. Max isn’t doing well, and as our vet told us, we should just make him comfortable and let him do whatever he wants. The other night he slept with his head tucked under my chin and my arms wrapped around him. Carlos and I realized that Max is the only cat we’ve had since he was a kitten, and so we will do whatever makes Max happy and comfortable and loved until Max decides his next steps.

He’s a good boy, he’s a loved boy, and isn’t that all that matters?

I think Tuxedo should join Liz and Adam is running the January 6th hearings, because he ain’t playing either.

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified this week that Thing 45 was so incensed that then-Attorney General William Barr dismissed claims of widespread election fraud that he threw his lunch at the wall in the West Wing dining room.

Picture Joan Crawford in a really bad wig and a fat suit. Hutchinson says she walked into the dining room and:

“I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall, and there was a shattered porcelain plate.”

She wasn’t too upset because, as she added, there were “several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of him either throwing dishes or flipping the tablecloth” like he’s a Real Housewife from New Jersey?

l was looking for a new summer look and stumbled upon this one but wonder if I need to carry a mini-mower with me.

And how do I water it?

Fourth of July is this weekend, a time when we celebrate America’s battle for freedom, and remind ourselves of how free we … Oh, wait, never mind. I think I’ll sit this holiday out since it’s been decided women aren’t free in this country.

Last week Carlos had a meeting with DHEC at a new Puerto Rican restaurant called ‘a Fuego’ in Columbia. A few days later he took me to it, because he said it was so good, and he was not wrong. He showed me a menu, with all sorts of good things on  it, but one name leapt out at me: Mofongo.

I haven’t had mofongo since we lived in Miami. It’s made from mashed green plantains—so it’s more savory than sweet—and has garlic and herbs mixed in it.

Delicioso; as were the Empanadas. We’re going back for lunch after a doctor’s appointment on Friday.

Rudy Giuliani says the ALLEGED assault he suffered during a campaign appearance on behalf of his son at a Staten Island ShopRite should result in the ALLEGED assailant being prosecuted:

“This has to stop!”

The former Mayor of New York insisted that he “could have been killed” by the slap on the back had he fallen, and says his shoulder is still hurt and that he had trouble sleeping Sunday night as a result.

Perhaps some alcohol, Rudy? You’re going to need it because that ShopRite worker, Daniel Gill, walked free from court after his charges were downgraded.

If you’ve seen the video you’ll understand why Rudy Karen Giuliani’s assault was seen as more of a slap on the back.

It was barely twenty years ago, after 9/11 that Giuliani was dubbed America’s Mayor and now he’s become Thing 45’s Whipping Boy and America’s Drunk Uncle.

Sachin Bhatt was born in the Midwest to Middle Eastern parents and is an actor, singer, and opera singer, but that’s neither here nor there. I have two questions: Would You Hit It? And Would You Hit It Hairy or Smooth? Or Both??