Ain't That America XIII

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 …

Wedding Week Repost: Tie Him Up! Tie Him Down!

In a couple of days we'll become Mister and Mister ... not to be confused with that last century pop group Mr. Mister, so here's another one of those Carlos Stories that y'all seem to like.

There are millions from which to choose, but this one, from August 2009, is a personal favorite.

Tie Him Up! Tie Him Down!

Sunday was errand day at Chez Smallville. Carlos had to work an HIV presentation on Saturday, and then we met up for a late dinner at a Smallville bistro we like, so our usual Saturday errands were pushed back a day. But it was supposed to be hot, so we decided to keep it simple. Groceries at Kroger and a quick stop for weed killer and spray nozzles for the garden hoses at the Homo Depot.

That is not a misspelled word. It's HOMO Depot.

We parked near the garden center and went in. Carlos is hypnotized by plants and he began to wander off like he's found the mother ship and it's time to go home. I shout after him, "I'm going inside to get the things we need. Stay out here and I'll be right back."

The best laid plans.

I get the weed killer. I get the spray nozzles -- which look like fazers....phasers?....from Star Trek, and I head back out to plant central to pick up Carlos.. he isn't there. I wander around the aisles of plants and pavers and trellises....ooh, I want to put a trellis up against the side of the garage....keep moving. No Carlos.

I whistle for him. I know, he's not a dog, but in Miami we had a cat named Voncie who would come running if I whistled a certain way, and now Carlos and I use it when we can't find the other one of us. So, I whistled. No Carlos.

I go back inside the Homo Dept to the weed killer aisle thinking he went to find me. No Carlos. I go outside to where they keep the spray nozzles thinking he's waiting there. No Carlos. I whistle. No Carlos.

I head to the cashier and pay for my things and walk out to the car. Would he have gone back to the car? No Carlos.

I head back inside whistling out loud and cursing to myself. Weed killer. No Carlos. Hoses. No Carlos. Plants. No Carlos. I was thisclose to going inside and telling a cashier that I had lost my little girl, Carlotta, and having them page him for me, when I see him sauntering toward me.

I've been looking for you, I said.

I found some drapes, he told me.

Drapes.

Weed killer. Spray nozzle. Plants.

Nope, not a mention of drapes at all....oh wait......over breakfast he said we needed new drapes for the sunroom.

Drapes.

I saw a video earlier this week of a mother literally dragging her son by a leash through a Circuit City or Best Buy or something. At the time I thought it was horrendous. Now I'm not so sure. I'm thinking we should stop at Pet Smart and get Carlos fitted for a leash.

That was Sunday in Smallville.

Sunday Funnies

Random Musings

Earlier this week I went to bed relatively early. Carlos was back on the computer and as I do, I asked that he not stay up late because he gets up early, and then I went to bed.

I awoke at about 12:15 AM and he was not in the room, and, as my mind always goes to morbid places, I wondered if maybe he was dead in the house somewhere. I was about to get up to check but, well, I was tired and, yeah, I kinda fell back asleep.

But, just before drifting completely away, I heard him come into the bedroom, so I knew he wasn’t dead, and knew I wouldn’t find his body slumped over the office desk in the morning and then wonder who was going to make coffee, so it was all good.

Except … I dreamt that Carlos got into bed and began torturing me, poking, pinching, tickling, and I got so angry that I said I was sleeping in the guest room.

The next morning I was so angry at the way Dream Carlos treated me that I didn’t speak to Real Carlos.

I call that Rational Irrationality, and luckily I explained it to him so he could see my point of view … as he called the local psychiatric hospital and tried to have me placed on a 5150 hold.

Earlier this week Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie announced that he would call a special session of the state Legislature next month to consider marriage-equality legislation: 

"This is now the 20th year of discussion that has taken place on the issue and associated issues with it. I feel very, very strongly that the votes are there to pass this because it is time for marriage equity to take place."

The special session would likely last four to five days and Abercrombie said the bill, which includes a religious exemption, would pass both houses of the Legislature. Hawaii Attorney General David Louie said, if approved, the bill as proposed would allow for same-sex nuptials to begin as soon as November 18.

Do it Hawaii.

So, after we came back from vacation, I noticed that there was a small puddle of water underneath the sink in the master bathroom. I looked around for a leak, ran water in the sink, felt up the pipe — not nearly as fun as it might sounds … feeling up pipes — and found no drips. I cleaned up the water, cleaned up under the sink, and left it at that.

The next day, no water; same for the next day after that. But on Sunday, naturally, the leak was back and Carlos, who fancies himself a plumber without the butt crack, found that the leak was in the supply line from the hot water line; he felt it was beyond his area of expertise … I giggle ... expertise … and he began calling plumbers.

One wanted $115 for an emergency call plus $75 drive time, plus whatever the repair cost, so I figured this guy would get us for $300 or more. Another guy said $85 plus repair costs and labor, which I figured might be $200.

But it got me thinking … what if I advertised myself as a plumber, charged $115 emergency call fee, plus $75 drive? I could come out, say I couldn’t fix it, and pocket an easy $190 for nothing. A few calls like that per week and I’d be rolling in it.

I may have found a new career ….

PS We called a guy who’s done work on the house in the past to ask if he could recommend a plumber and he came out instantly, found the leak, bought the new parts, fixed the leak, and charged $80.

PPS That's not the actual plumber who came out to the house. I mean, if that was the guy, I'd gladly shell out the $300-plus!

This one just makes me smile.

The American Family Association [AFA] has been boycotting Home Depot for over three years because of the company’s support for LGBT groups and Pride celebrations, and this week the group announced that it would be ending the boycott, because according to Randy Sharp, the AFA director of special bigot projects, Home Depot has changed its behavior:

“We’re glad to report that we are suspending the boycott of The Home Depot. After monitoring the company for several months, we’re satisfied that the company has withdrawn its major financial contributions to gay activist groups and to their activities. … We certainly do expect The Home Depot to deny that they have turned back their contributions to gay activist groups, but AFA has monitored the company – and actions speak louder than words.”

Sharp has no specifics about how they “monitored” the Home Depot and offered no proof that they changed their evil ways, but I guess if he says it’s true then it’s …

Huh? What? Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes offered a response to Sharps statement and it goes something like this:

“We haven’t made any changes to our policies for inclusion and respect of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation. We have not directed our associates to discontinue participation in Pride or other community events, and have no intention of doing so.”

The AFA caught in another lie.

This one makes me giggle.

When formerly closeted, now openly gay tennis legend Billie Jean King was interviewed by Stephen Colbert, he asked all sorts of questions about her career, and her game, but the question, well, actually, the question and answer that I loved best was when Colbert asked her if, since she was in the closet while she played professionally, if she ever got upset when the line judge, yelled "Out!"

"Yes," she said.

Love.It.

The AFL-CIO [American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations] has added transgender employment protections to its constitution.

The decision to ban transgender discrimination at its 2013 convention followed the decision of several unions within the federation who have already adopted those changes.

And here's the new language: 

“To encourage all workers without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to share equally in the full benefits of union organization.”

Bravo, AFL-CIO.

The march goes on.

I caught the new season of The View this week and I am officially over the show unless they have a truly watch-worthy guest on.

Sherri Shepard is as dumb as a box of rocks, and Jenny McCarthy has just a few more active brain cells than that. Barbara Walters showed up on Monday with a new face that was pulled tighter than Star Jones in an Herve Leger bandage dress, which only leaves Whoopi as the rational one.

But, no matter how much I loves me some Whoopi, I cannot wade through the idiocy for her any longer.

Well, Sir Patrick Stewart is officially a taken man. The 73-year-old got married last weekend to his 35-year-old girlfriend, Sunny Ozell, and then took to Twitter to make the announcement with the most adorable wedding photo ever: