Friday, June 30, 2023

Katie Halper promotes registered sex offender

dry humpp> 

From earlier this afternoon, that's Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "The Supreme Court Dry Humps Hate."


My headline?  

You read it right.  Go read Kat's "Non-Feminist Katie Halper loves pedophiles." Today, Katie Halper and Aaron Mate decided to sit and chat with registered sex offender Scott Ritter because . . .  well . . . why not?


Doesn't everyone bring a registered sex offender on their program?  


Grasp that this is why African-American are leery of White feminists.  They pretend they care about issues but in the end it's always about currying the favor of a man.  They'll sell everyone out in an instant.  


Wonder how Katie would feel if she was a young girl and one of her YouTube heroes thought so little of her that she brought on a pedophile and, even worse, refused to tell the audience that.  


If Scott gets arrested again (that would be his fourth arrest for pedophilia), I hope they charge Katie and everyone else as an accessory.  He's a registered sex offender but Katie doesn't even tell the audience that.


It must be hard for Katie.  Born blond but ugly.  Most White gals who are blond hit the beauty sweepstakes.  Not Katie.  That's probably why she overcompensates by booking men all the time.  She needs men to fawn over her so she uses her TV show -- it's not like she can get a lover to fawn over her.  

But if you're wondering why we get so upset with White woman, look no further than Katie.  She has a platform and refuses to bring on women.  She has a platform but will bring on a pedophile.  And she'll risk the safety of any young girl that might be watching by refusing to inform the audience, "Hey, this is Scott Ritter.  He likes young girls.  He's been arrested three times and convicted and sent to prison.  He's a registered sex offender.  If you see him find an adult you trust immediately."


Hey, Katie, kiss my Black ass.

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Friday, June 29, 2023.  Marianne Williamson emerges with an authentic voice and a purpose, BLACK POWER MEDIA sits down with Conel West, DeSantis versus DISNEY continues to go DISNEY's way, and much more.


We're starting again with Marianne Williamson who is seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.



From the discussion above, picking up from yesterday:


@Maebe_A_Girl:  Also, when you were talking about this idea that gay people are trying to 'groom' children, that is very offensive.

Marianne Williamson: Yeah.


@Maebe_A_Girl:  My daughter was born -- She has three gay men who are her godfathers and it never would have occurred to me in a million years that they would be anything other than fantastic godfathers to her. And they absolutely were.  One has now passed and the other two are very close to her and they couldn't have been better.  And they couldn't be better now as godfather figures in her life -- in her life and important.  What you said is so true and I've had a lot of involvement with the gay community -- mainly because of the AIDS crisis -- I've never felt that there was a 'reaching out.'  This is not a proselytizing group, it's kind of like, you do you. 

Marianne Williamson: And so why don't we do something and blame somebody?  Say, "Hey, let's actually look over there and let's talk about how these people are trying to infiltrate our way of life and try to attack our children."  It's such an easy, easy way to get people riled up -- is when you bring children into the matter because, of course, everyone wants to protect children.  LGBTQIA people want to protect children. And that's why we are so outspoken about these issues -- because we, LGBTQIA adults, were once LGBTQIA children and we remember what it was like to be ostracized, to be othered and to be made to feel that we are not worthy because our of our internal identities.  And so I think the whole thing is a huge distraction and there are so many things that we could talk about.  And the fact of the matter is what the GOP is saying that queer people are trying to do to kids is simply false. You know, there are studies.  There are no --  LGBTQIA people in general are no more likely than cis gender -- heterosexual people -- to be pedophiles, to be sexual assaulters.  But because of the fact that LGBTQIA people, a lot of it [what we are] revolves around our sexual identities and our gender identities, the GOP just easily distorts that into this idea of: "Oh, this is all about sex.  Why are you teaching our kids about sex?" And the thing is, I don't want to teach your kids about sex.  I don't even want to talk to your kids.  I just want your kids to know that they are safe and they are loved regardless of whether they are straight, gay, cisgender or transgender, whatever.  We want to create a society where everybody is welcomed and there is not this hierarchy of "Well I'm better than you because I'm straight, I'm better than you because I'm cis-gender."  And that has historically been the battle that queer people have had to fight. And so it's remarkable in many ways and I think that now is the time that we really have to be outspoken about these things in order to create a better life for the kids that are growing up right now.  I -- Again, I can't imagine what it's like to be a middle-schooler or a high-schooler right now, seeing that there are over half-a-thousand anti-LGBTQIA bills moving across the United States.   I don't know what that would do to my self-esteem as a teenager.  And it makes me really worried about -- about these kids.  I've never particularly thought of myself as a young person going into politics.  I got into politics out of necessity. And I started to look around and I started to realize things are changing and not necessarily for the better for particular communities and, in particular, the LGBTQIA community.  And my sort of a-ha moment, if you will, was the Trump election in late 2016.  When the Trump administration started in early 2017, I felt that I needed to -- I felt that I needed to use my platform as a drag performer and as a community figure to promote LGBTQIA rights and to promote our inclusion.  And so I started doing a lot of parodies of folks in the Trump administration.  I did a number of parodies -- you know, Betsy DeVos, Kellyanne Conway, Malania Trump.  And part of the reason that I continue to do this throughout the Trump administration was because I would do these performances which -- in my mind -- they were satirical performances but they were also educational to let you know what was happening.  You're being entertained but also you're learning that the administration is not necessarily -- Actually not even not necessarily but just flat out not on our side.  And I felt that it was really important to draw people in. I think a lot of people are turned off by -- just by the idea of politics.  It can seem really intimidating -- especially if you don't feel like you know everything about politics.  But here's the thing, everybody knows what they feel inside is right or wrong.

Marianne Williamson: Right.


@Maebe_A_Girl:  And this is absolutely in my mind what politics is all about.  I'm here, you know, standing before you having this conversation and I'm running for Congress because I need to let everybody know that I feel this is what I think is right or wrong and if you agree with me vote for me, if you don't agree with me, vote for somebody else.  But I want to live in a world where folks accept and tolerate everybody.  Tolerance?  I'm really starting to really dislike that word because I don't want to just be tolerated, I want to be fully integrated and celebrated, you know?

Marianne Williamson: It still implies judgement. 


@Maebe_A_Girl:  Like "Well, okay, alright, we'll let you in the room. We'll let you in the room but we're not going to let you have the microphone for very long."  And, here's the thing, Marianne, I host drag shows every single week.  I am best on the microphone.  Give me the microphone because I will tell you what I have to say.  And what I have to say is that we deserve -- we deserve  equity and inclusion.  And unfortunately, most of the parents that actually were in the room had kids in the Glendale school district and are in support of LGBTQIA inclusion.  The school board is in support of LGBTQIA inclusion.  And again, this is all age appropriate.  You know, the way that you talk to second graders.

Marianne Williamson: In a democracy, these are considered moderate positions.  What you were saying, though, I agree so much.  If people -- People are living so much on the edge.  People are living just to survive.  70% of Americans now report living with economic stress.  So I agree with everything you just said. 

And we're stopping there.  Yesterday, we noted the first half of the video and the plan was to note the rest.  I had some "[. . .]" in yesterday's and that wasn't me editing anyone, it was skipping.  I thought it might have been the connection but I've streamed it again and it's edits.  Which is fine, but it throws off the last two minutes of the video because there are jump cuts and it's harder to follow.

The full segment is now up at Marianne's YOUTUBE channel and we'll note that video.



So let's talk about what took place with that video: Marianne found her voice and found a reason to argue vote for her.

So many claims that this person (man usually -- Marianne and Republican Nikki Hayley are the only two women currently competing for a political party's presidential nomination) or that is strong.

But strength isn't being a bully which rules out all the GOP hopefuls except for Chris Christie.  Strength also isn't staying silent.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not exhibiting strength when he refuses to stand up for an attacked segment of our country.

It's a segment, yes.  And some can whine, "Such a small one!"  It really doesn't matter the size -- unless you're a size queen -- the issue is are you going to defend those wrongly attacked?

If you want our votes, we need to feel we can trust you, we need to feel if we were wrongly attacked, you would stand up for us.  That's how you show true strength.  You don't just chase a poll, you stand up and speak out for freedoms and democracy.  

If you can't do that, really what can you do?

Marianne also gets that this segment issue is nonsense.  We're not in the atomic age.  We've moved on.  But did we learn anything?  The atomic age was about discovering via splitting things and breaking them up and destroying them.

I see a lot of those types speaking right now and trying to convince you to support them.

Marianne is getting at the reality that it's not the end.  That is not the end.  If that's the end, everything is a broken toy.  The point of addressing the issues in this country is not to divide but to synthesize.  And we need to be able to address issues such as transphobia, such as racism . . .  The Mrs. Max Blumenthals don't get that you have to put it together, you have to pull it together to address any issue.  The Mrs. Max Blumenthals think addressing the war on LGBTQ+ Americans is pulling the focus -- honestly, what focus is there in the United States? -- and detracting from other issues.  No, it's not.  These are interrelated issues.  How we look at one another is directly related to how we look at others.  When we let hate merchants divides us as Americans through othering, we set the trap for them doing the same with foreign countries.  

Marianne is turning her campaign around.  She's showing that she understands how complex and interrelated this all is.  

That's bravery and that's inspiring.

Applause for Marianne.

Normally that's where we stop in the discussion.  Not this time.


Now we're going to talk about the fake asses and how they try to deceive and pretend and all their fakery.  On Twitter, this is the most streamed video that Marianne has posted to Twitter.  It also has reactions.  A lot.  Many are positive and that's great.  But we're going to focus on the negative reactions because I don't like liars and liars have been using the internet for hate campaigns and getting away with it.  Let's review the 'people' leaving negative feedback to Marianne's discussion.


Serious Joint Avatar is just a transphobe and that's all we need to know there. 

@ladywhateve will not support Marianne now because of this video, she insists.  Liar.  You were never supporting her.  You support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and have done so for weeks.  It's not that hard to find out what you've been writing about online. You're a liar who left a comment trying to make it appear that you were with Marianne or on the fence but then this video! Liar, you have Robert as your background on Twitter.  Lying trash.  You're trying to Bud-Light Marianne.


vic proulx takes time out from his conspiracy theories to insist Marianne is wasting time with this issue.  Well don't waste your time, vic, I'm sure there's some solar flare somewhere turning people into transmutants with super powers and we all so need your expertise on that. P.S. you're a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supporter and never planned on voting for Marianne -- go away, liar.


HLY SPRT took time away from doing racist Tweets to lament that this isn't a "kitchen table issue."  Clearly, judging by other Tweets, you're another Robert supporter and I hope you are joking with your fears that the government will chemically castrate White people, I hope you're not that racist and that much of a KKK freak.  It may be time for the media to start reporting on the mindset of Robert's supporters.


zombywoof is a Tim Pool freak (right-winger) who is bothered that only a small percent of the population in the US is trans.  And only a small portion is on death row.  The most recent estimate is 2750.  So I guess that means we stop working on that issue as well?  Idiot.


Emma M Tenorio tells Marianne that she just lost her vote -- she's got to protect her children.  Hope Emma plans to protect them from lies because, turns out, Marianne didn't lose Emma's vote, she didn't have it.  Emma's another crazy for Robert and the crazies do him no good.  

KanefireX, community members may remember, was a racist in the '00s and has now resurfaced on Twitter where he still is but is a racist but also now a Michael Tracey fan.  He wants Marianne to know that transgender is all a Marxist ploy.  Thanks for taking time away from bleaching your white sheets to share that, Kanefire X.


PoppingWeasels wants a refund on his 2020 donation.  For what she did this week.  Doesn't work that way but good thing you got behind RFK Jr, right?  Three weeks ago, wassn't it?  Not planning to vote for her but wants people to think this interview sent him reeling.  Liar.


Please grasp, this is what these con artists do.  They pretend they're customers of Target, for example, and are never ever going to Target again because of a Pride display.  They're liars.  By the way, Emma above also wants everyone to go to Target and f**k things up because of the Pride display.  She loves Robert.  Robert, I'm seriously worried about the sick f**ks you are attracting.


DoNotDivideUs is anti-trans as his account listed makes clear and so does the other account from which he posted another outcry Tweet about Marianne interviewing a transgender person.  


Again, we focused on the crazies.  They've been around for sometime.  Liars online who are part of an organized attack machine.  They didn't always attack.  The first time the media ever encountered them was in 2008 when THE NEW YORK TIMES took forever to grasp that the "thousands" of Barack Obama supporters were actually about 150.  It took the paper that long to notice it -- we noticed it right away.  Several of the multiple posters had trouble keeping their identities straight and would get confused as to what they had posted under which name.  (To their credit, a TIMES political reporter did e-mail to say "you were right" when they figured out what was going on.)  It's astroturf and it pretends to be a movement.  They're doing it online right now with the attacks on THE LITTLE MERMAID and DISNEY+ (on those attacks, please read Stan's "Erin Johnson is a racist who writes for SCREEN RANT" and "THE LITTLE MERMAID has brought in twice as much money as what?").  They're trying to create the impression of a wave that's really not there for them.  It's a result of saps like Dana Milbank who saw the 2004 election as his own world of popularity and didn't grasp that he was on a mailing list that was being worked.  How dumb do you have to be?



Rachel Looker (USA TODAY) reports on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign:


In Norristown, Kennedy condemned the “toxic polarization that is really destroying our country.” Like his father in the 1960s, he lauds a similar crusade, but is instead campaigning on his belief that leaders in the Democratic Party today amplify division and push lies.

The junior Kennedy has his family's name but lacks his ancestors' popularity and is perceived differently in the public eye −in part for pushing anti-vaccine views that are at odds with what government agencies and prominent public health experts say. More diseases, like measles, can occur in communities with pockets of unvaccinated people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.




I've seen you buddy up to Tucker Carlson, Glenneth Greenwald and Matt Taibbi -- transphobes one and all.  Your niece telling me you're not a transphobe and that you do not hate LGBTQ+ people isn't enough.  You need to find your voice.  You've been more than willing to meet with any crazy in the world.  It's time for you to find the voice to defend the most targeted in the community.  You're the one invoking your father -- and you should -- but he wouldn't be silent when a minority population was targeted.  

Some of that, I would say, involves some private conversations.  I think if you appear on some public platforms with them, you offer them critiques -- and again I think you're capacity to do this is greater than folks like ours because of who you are.  But you can engage people in what you were term "loving critiques" on public platforms so that folks can be clear about what your position is as you try to show people and win people over to new positions without necessarily having a huge fight that's good for television but doesn't move people over to certain political positions. [. . .] But if you go to an event that's an event to boost them and you only praise them then of course they're your friend but again I think it diminishes your stature and who you are because it looks like to the rest of us who are seeing it that you're not offering critical love as you stated earlier about some of the organizations and people that you care for but instead it feels as if you're endorsing their platforms and who they are and their ideals 

That's Kamau Franklin offering some wise words to Cornel West (we'll include the video in a moment) that equally apply to Robert. 


Marianne's running a real campaign.  At present, Robert's not.  That is reality.  And. Robert, if your scared that all the crazies will fall away if you defend those in need of defending?  You really aren't your father's son.


At least the crazies are in front of Robert -- not inside him.  Cornel's got crazies all around him as well as inside him.  A number of people have rightly called Cornel a womanizer and expressed serious concerns regarding what he will and won't do with regards to women.  Keesha and I are tracking his statements as a result.  For example, since 'brother' Cornel got into the race?  His Tweets have noted "brothers" 13 times and sisters only 5.  And none together.  There's a reason women are wary of Cornel.  He chooses his own words and this is on him.  He's a wordsmith so his words especially matter.

We'll come back to Twitter in a second.  BLACK POWER MEDIA interviewed Cornel this week -- their second interview since he announced he was running to win the Green Party's presidential nomination -- which the Green Party will decided in the summer of next year.  Kamou's quote earlier is from the video below.




The interview is noted at the top of yesterday's morning's THE REMIX MORNING SHOW below.



No problem streaming THE REMIX MORNING SHOW, but I've only gotten through parts of the episode with the interview in it.  I have the same aversion that I had when Bully Boy Bush would be on TV.

And for those convinced Cornel is running a great campaign -- what world are you living in -- let's note the Tweet that Cornel has pinned to the top of his Twitter feed.
 


He's not even The People's Party nominee now.  In yesterday's REMIX (above) it's rightly noted by Renee Johnston that his campaign website is out of date and needs to be updated.  Yes, and so does his Twitter feed. 


Transgender people have always existed.  Some Native American tribes saw them as healers.  In terms of non-native Americans, it shouldn't be that difficult for people to grasp the term "intersex" -- when people are born with both sets of sex organs.  We've noted this before and that, for decades, parents would then choose whether or not a child would be a boy or a girl.  Julie Cohen is the director of EVERY BODY -- a documentary we've noted here and in the community newsletters which deals with intersex persons.  David Oliver (USA TODAY) reports on the documentary (opens this Friday) and notes:  

 

This early surgical intervention is still happening to kids, hence the need for more education. While the documentary certainly covers this trauma, it offers hope through the eyes of activists.

Everyone's story is different. Some people's parents discover they are intersex when they're born but others do not know until puberty or beyond. Roth Weigel, for example, had internal testes and a vagina at birth. The protocol was to remove the testes – effectively castrating her.

Intersex people are often told to keep quiet about their identities which can make living their lives tricky, especially when it comes to dating and sex. It's ultimately up to individuals whether they want to come out and feel safe to do so.


Even among progressive circles the word "intersex" leave many scratching their heads. Cohen says: "I was a little floored by how many people just in the dinner party conversations that you have ... including people that are in the therapy world are like, 'Oh, yeah, intersex? What's that again? Is that like trans or kind of like trans?' Come on people. Get it together!" (Granted, LGBTQ+ terminology has only become very mainstream the last decade or so.)

"There's a huge lack of information," Wall adds, "and there is ignorance, and there's also willful ignorance."


While the community is fighting for legislative change to protect intersex kids, they're also figuring out what intersex culture really looks like.

"There's enough time where trans people have been in community where there's trans culture. You can talk in a similar language. Intersex people haven't been together and healed enough to be able to understand what it means to be in joyful community with each other," Gallo says.


It is past time for people to grow up and grasp the world we live in.  


And for the American Taliban to grasp how crazy they are and how crazy people around the world are just like them.  ALJAZEERA notes that there was a rage in Baghdad yesterday with crazies running around screaming (over a holy book burned in Sweden) which resulted in Moqtada's cult screaming and burning LGBTQ flags.  Crazy, sick people.  First, they can't mind their own business.  They don't live in Sweden, it's nothing to rage over.  But that's the Taliban, even if you live in another country, you must do what they say.  Second, blame the LGBTQ+ because you have to have a scapegoat apparently.  

This is the climate that poisons.  James Factora (THEM) reports:


Chanell Perez Ortiz, a 29-year-old Afro-Latina trans woman, was shot and killed in Carolina, Puerto Rico over the weekend. She is at least the 13th trans or gender-nonconforming person to be reported killed in the U.S. this year, according to Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents.
Also known as Uvita, Ortiz was a cosmetologist who loved fashion, makeup, and hair, according to her social media and an interview with her stepmother by WAPA TV.

According to Telemundo Puerto Rico, Ortiz was shot to death early Sunday morning on the highway behind a university in Carolina, just east of the capital city of San Juan, where seven to eight bullet casings were identified at the scene. Although media reports have misgendered and deadnamed her, Police Commissioner Antonio López Figueroa said the murder was being investigated as a transfemicide in a statement to Telemundo Puerto Rico.

“The agents are working on the investigation process that will lead to determining the true motive for death,” Figueroa told Telemundo. “As our duty dictates in all cases of violent deaths, we will not stop working until we clarify this death.”


This is about people's lives.  In ten years, when we're all the same page, I don't want one of these jerks to be forgiven -- not on the right and certainly not on the left.  These jerks have mocked transgendered people, they have fun of them.  They have treated this as all a big joke.  And it's not a joke and it's not funny.  I don't know which of them is more worthy of our scorn -- the ones who are right wing hate merchants and would have only found someone else to target if they stepped back or the ones on the left who are mocking?  And what do we say about the 'great silent' on the left?  YOUTUBERS and writers who could be speaking out but stay silent -- because they're partners with a YOUTUBER who makes fun of transgenders?  Because they want to keep the key to the clubhouse?  The key to the clubhouse is especially motivating the token women who got into the clubhouse and know that their membership could be terminated at any point.  So they stay silent and support these toxic males and hope and pray that we don't catch to their hypocrisy.


Across the US, legislatures are trying to undo the rights of trans people.  Colleen Marshal (WCMH) reports on Ohio:

It’s legislation that’s been closely watched by a self-described, life-long conservative Republican and his transgender son, who said it’s not external pressure, but an internal struggle.

“I did it because I knew it was the right, next-best thing in my life and I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t fully something that my heart and my mind and my spirit told me was the best thing for me,” said Ashton Colby. “So absolutely no pressure. And I’m so happy I did transition.”

“Transgender people, the folks that I’ve met, dear souls, young people trying to figure it out, you know, deep crisis,” said Rick Colby, Ashton’s father. “And a lot of times, it’s a spiritual crisis: ‘Who am I? Why am I here?’ And they’re trying to figure it out, and to see this assault wave of rhetoric against them…”

Rick Colby has been a loyal Republican since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, but he doesn’t recognize the party that’s expending so much time and energy opposing trans rights.


Noted transphobe and hate merchant Jonathan Turley, the bigot of GWU, has lied repeatedly and has also commented on things he knows nothing about.  Why?  He's a schill for Ron DeSantis and the right-wing, American-Taliban section of the Republican Party.  He really needs DISNEY to fail due to his own personal obsessions.  So he has lied and lied again.  He's ignored studios in real trouble -- PARAMOUNT+ -- in his efforts to smear and attack DISNEY.  How's that working out for him Shannon Power (NEWSWEEK) reports:


Despite DeSantis waging war on Disney however, the public appears to still have positive feelings toward the company.

In fact, nearly 50 percent of people surveyed in research for a Newsweek poll viewed Disney in a "favorable" or "very favorable" light.

In research conducted by Redfield and Wilton, 1,500 eligible U.S. voters were asked: "To what extent, if at all, do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of Disney?"

A total of 46 percent of those polled said they had positive feelings about the company, with 20 percent saying they had a "very favorable" view and 26 percent saying their view of Disney was "favorable."

That is in comparison to 13 percent who had an "unfavorable" view of the company.

The poll which was carried out on June 25, found 11 percent of people had a "very unfavorable" view of Disney while 24 percent were on the fence with neither a "favorable nor unfavorable" opinion.

A further six percent of the respondents said they did not know what view they held of Disney.

The poll of popular opinion is not the only battle Disney is winning against DeSantis, its social media has also had a boost over the past month.

Disney gained 44,742 new Twitter followers in the 30 days up to June 21, bringing its total to almost 10.3 million, according to the social media statistics website Social Blade.

It witnessed a further boost on Instagram, where Disney gained 278,550 followers in the same amount of time. Disney's official Instagram account now has 37,975,982 followers, making it the 199th most followed account on the social media platform.


And at MARKETWATCH, Charles Passey notes that DISNEY is seen as the second most patriotic brand in the US:



But Disney claimed the second spot for the second year in a row — which could be seen as somewhat surprising in light of the public clashes it has had with Florida Gov. and Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis over its political views. Disney has opposed the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, and DeSantis has responded with a number of oversight and other measures affecting Disney’s operations in Florida. This led Disney to sue DeSantis, claiming the prospective Republican presidential candidate waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against the company. And Disney has also scrapped plans on a roughly $1 billion investment in a new corporate campus in Florida that would have relocated more than 2,000 employees.


 

We're going to wind down with a video.



Several e-mails complaining about the above -- public e-mail, not the one for community members.  Are these drive-by e-mails or are people being sincere?

I have no idea.  But if you're expecting me to tsk-tsk Olayemi Olurin over the video, let me disappoint you.

First off, if I'd weighed in yesterday, my commentary might upset you more than her's did.  

Secondly, even if you don't agree with her, I hope you understand that she was speaking honestly.  We need to all listen to one another better.  

Third, "It is not effective!" one person snaps in an e-mail.  What is it supposed to be effecting?

It may just be an attempt to share and be received by others who feel the same.  

This is a serious topic and it has upset a lot of us.  The Supreme Court is out of control, precedents no longer matter, everything is on a whim and the cabal works overtime to shred the rights of American people.

I'd say that's pretty good reason to be outraged.

If you'll go back and listen and if you were sincerely someone who supported Olayemi in the past, as eight of you insist, I hope you'll understand what she's sharing and why.

And before we can ever move forward -- 'effective'ly -- we need to understand each other.

Again, I have no problem with what she said, sorry.

We can all learn from it.   Because no one owes you their vote.  No one.  A vote belongs to an individual.  The individual can use it however they want.  So it's wrong to assume that the Democratic Party is owed your vote or any political party is owed your vote.  It's also wrong to assume that because, as women, some of us get this or that, that all women -- or all White women -- get the same thing or feel the same way.  White women do not owe anyone their vote.  Asian women do not owe anyone their vote, etc, etc.  

If you want to appeal to people you feel are missing the point, you need to make the case to them.  

This was not the time for that.  That's what we work on after we get off our chests what's bothering us.  

You can't get to that step without being honest about your reaction.  Olay was honest and I thank her for that and I celebrate her for that.  The anger she feels is echoed by so many of us, the Court becomes more illegitimate with each passing day.  The frustration is understandable.  I have no problem with what she said or with what she shared.  

 

The following sites updated:



  • Thursday, June 29, 2023

    At least one thing to applaud


    I am so confused.  How does Matt Gaetz have time to harass high school girls and also issue statements?  Newsweek reports:


    Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz called out the CEO of Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch over his recent comments defending the brand's support for the LGBTQ+ community.

    Gaetz denounced Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth's response during the executive's exclusive CBS Mornings interview on Wednesday as "tone deaf."

    Bud Light has been facing mounting right-wing backlash that sparked a boycott over the beer brand's support for the LGBTQ+ community. The outrage began after Bud Light sent a commemorative beer can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in celebration of the one-year anniversary of her transition in early April. Prior to the controversy, Bud Light was the nation's top-selling beer for decades until Modelo outsold the embattled company last month. Bud Light has continued to face a dip in sales in recent months as the boycott continues, with critics arguing the beer brand is alienating its traditional customer base.


    Gay people drink beer too, Matt.  And there's been no "way to go!" response from the LGBTQ+ community to Anheuser-Busch's comments from the community because it has been insulting.  I'll agree that Whitworth's comments are an improvement but the LGBTQ+ community had their own boycott of Bud Light. 


    Meanwhile, the elderly Martina and Caitlyn are at war.  That's right, two mannish women are about to come to blows.  I hope they do.  I'll cook the popcorn, come over to my house and we can just laugh and giggle as the two try to destroy each other.  Never thought I'd loathe Martina but her attacks on trans athletes are bigotry pure and simple.



    Earlier this month, the NHL made a controversial move when it announced that teams would no longer be wearing the special Pride warmup uniforms before games, and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is not happy about that decision.

    During an appearance at the NHL Awards Ceremony on Monday where he was awarded this year’s Hart Trophy, Connor McDavid spoke out against the NHL’s decision to ban the Pride warmup jerseys, calling the move “disappointing to see.”

    “I certainly can’t speak for every organization. I know in Edmonton, we were one of the first teams to use the Pride tape,” McDavid said Monday at the NHL’s award ceremony according to Fox News. “I know in Edmonton, in our dressing room, we strongly feel that hockey is for everybody. That includes the Pride nights and stuff like that.


    Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


    Thursday, June 29, 2023.  We look at the 2024 presidential circus.


    Marianne Williamson is running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.  She spoke yesterday with Maebeagirl who is running for Congress.  US House Rep Adam Schiff is leaving his seat to seek the nomination for US senator out of California.  Maebe came in second to him in the race last time and she is running again.  Marianne Williamson spoke with her yesterday.





    Marianne Williamson:  Tell me how you see clearly -- we've got a targeted group in the United States, right?  I mean, one of the things I've talked about is, if elected president, I will confer a special protection status onto the transgender community.  You are transgender yourself.  Tell me how you see the situation and what we need to do.  

    @Maebe_A_Girl:  Absolutely.  So, first of all, thank you for having this chat with me.  I think it's so important -- especially considering that you're running for [sic] president of the United States. I think that people need to hear about your stances on these things and hear that you're having conversations with real trans people about this because historically -- or at least in the last five to ten years -- trans people have been left out of the conversation about trans legislation which is so twisted in my mind.  As a good friend of mine always says, "If you are not at the table, then you are on the menu." And trans people -- queer people in general -- are very much on the menu right now.  And we do not have nearly enough representation for people like me in governments all across the United States.  So, for me, it's interesting because I've been running since 2019.  The first election that I ran for was 2020 for the US House and, you know, during that time we were seeing a lot of anti-LGBTQIA sentiments and rhetoric.  And, you know, I think with the election of -- going back to a Democratic president back in 2020, I think a lot of people thought that would ease up in a bit.  But unfortunately, it's gotten worse.  This has been an upward trend since about the mid-2010s.  Pretty much since Trump was elected to office and it keeps getting worse because every year I find myself saying, "This has been the worst year in history for anti-LGBTQIA."  2023 totally surpassses 2022 which totally surpassed 2021, etc.  There's over half-a-thousand anti-LGBTQIA bills moving across the US -- everywhere from state legislatures to also the federal legislature.  We're seeing far right representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene introducing legislation at the federal level which would severely restrict the rights -- and in recognition of queer people, you know, these are anti-LGBTQIA bills in general but, more specifically, most of them are anti-trans bills.  There's been a number of anti-drag bills that have been introduced.  What many people probably don't recognize is that anti-drag bills are also anti-trans bills.  When you introduce a bill that requires you to dress according to your gender assigned at birth, that is not only going to effect drag performers but it's directly going to effect trans people.  And as the famous drag queen and trans person from RUPAL'S DRAG RACE, Monica Beverly Hills, always says, "Drag is what you do but trans is who you are." So we are attacking not only people's occupations but we are attacking people's identities.  And I think we have often think [. . .].  You don't even have to be gay or queer to do drag.  Anybody can do drag.  In fact, a number of trans people do drag.  Me, myself, I discovered my trans identity when I started doing drag. Drag is oftentimes a sort of safe way to experiment safely with your gender identity in a way that doesn't feel so permanent. And, for me, I discovered that I was a trans person early on because I started to realize while everybody else was taking off the makeup and the hair and the costumes after a gig, I wanted to keep it all on because it felt -- it made me feel more like myself. 

    Marianne Williamson:  Right.

    @Maebe_A_Girl:  And that's a realization that a lot of folks have. 

    Marianne Williamson: Okay, I have several questions I want to ask.  You were talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene and anti-trans bills.  I wanted to ask abou tthe anti-trans bills, I wanted to ask about the anti-drag bills and I also want to ask more about you -- your journey to this point.  You just mentioned your journey -- how much being in drag shows had to do with it but I think all of us are more interested in what the personal story is there?

    @Maebe_A_Girl:  You should say that it is okay to be you as you are.  We will love you and we welcome you to be you as you are.  We're not saying, "Come to our side, come join us and be queer and trans."  That's not the case.  In fact, it couldn't even work like that.  You know, I grew up in the late 90s, early 2000s.  I graduated high school in 2004.  And I remember what it was like to be a young queer person without any sort of queer representation in the media aside from WILL & GRACE and QUEER AS FOlK.  And I remember how othered I felt and how different I felt and how afraid I felt to come out as a queer person at that time because of the fact that it felt so othered. I can't even imagine what it is like in 2023 for somebody who is in middle school or high school who is coming into their queer gay trans identity and looking around and not just seeing that there are some people that support but there are so many people that don't and the fact that there is legislation to try to erase us and to try to stop us from existing.  When laws attempt to restrict gender affirming healthcare, they're trying to restrict the existence of trans people.  And this is not just a legislative issue but it's also a social issue because when laws -- when bills are being introduced and when they're passed into laws particularly in states like Tennessee, Florida, Texas, it also gives a pass to people to then continue othering LGBTQIA people.  So it's not just a legislative thing, but it's a social thing. And when people don't feel safe going out at their true authentic selves, is that freedom?  No, it's not.

    Marianne Williamson: You know, I was contacted a few months ago about a bill that was about to take place -- anti-drag show bill in Tennessee and I was asked to attend a protest the night before the bill was meant to go into effect at East Tennessee University and I went and it was very inspiring.  And there was so much protest and there was so much energy around it and ultimately a judge did strike down the law which was, of course, a very, very good thing.


    That's a little over half the posted video.  We'll open with the second half tomorrow.  We're not treating this as a one day thing.  LGBTQ+ people are being targeted and have been for months now.

    You have hate merchants expanding the targeting because it just starts with LGBTQ+, then it moves outward.  They are the American Taliban.  In Texas, for example, the GOP has moved towards definiing what a woman can wear and what a man can wear.  This has nothing to do with lesbians or gays or transgendered people.  This is about their hate and their need to control.  I can not believe that Greg Abbott's regime thinks it can impose clothing choices on adults and get away with it but I also can't believe how mild the reaction nationally has been to this.

    The GOP isn't afraid to trash LGBTQ+ people.  In fact, outside of Chris Christie, they're all doing it as they run for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

    Elsewhere?

    I see Joe Biden stepping up.  I see Joe Biden ready for this fight.  I've waited and waited to see others.  Like Marianne, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also wants the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.  He and Marianne have both argued that the party needs a televised debate on this nomination.  Why?

    Until today, I haven't seen a need.  Marianne's demonstrated a need.  

    Mrs. Max Blumenthal is a hateful piece of trash and she's stupid.  She thinks the issues above don't matter when they go to exactly who we are and what we do.

    Don't kid yourself that we can other at home and not other overseas.  Don't kid yourself that this othering isn't what forsters war.  You've got get your own house clean to tackle other things.  

    Respect starts at home. 

    Marianne's ready for the discussion.  Love Robert, but he's yet to show anything to demonstrate that he is.

    And let's rope in Cornel West who is not a presidential candidate.  He is running for the Green Party's presidential nomination and he may get it, he may not.  But I don't want his garbage of 'brother and sister' nonsense where he preaches at length but never says a damn word worth anything.

    Marianne demonstrated she can have the needed conversations to get this nation back on track.  If Robert and Cornel think they're up to it, it's their move now.

    Noted transphobe Jonathan Turley Tweeted a confession yesterday:



    The Hill is out with my column on the Court's ruling in Moore v. Harper and "the coup" that never was......Liberal law professors and pundits have filled the media with dire predictions that the Supreme Court was about to carry out a long-planned “coup” and “power grab”--one even wrote that the court could be on the brink of establishing “one-party rule” in the United States.



    The bigot of George Washington University must feel very comfortable at FOX "NEWS" is he's publicly copping to what we already told you: He's not of the left or liberal.  You caught it, right, he Tweeted "Liberal law professors and pundits" -- he pointed the finger at them . . . from beneath his rock.  Everyone let Lawrence Tribe know.  He called it long ago.  Thanks for finally confession, Swirley, but, no, thanks for lying in your Tweet.  His analysis is wrong and he knows it.  I can't speak until the Court decides on the bigot lawsuit out of Colorado -- one Turley was an 'unofficial' advisor on -- disclosure, Turley, try practicing it -- but after that decision is reached, I'll explain why things are actually worse.  Don't let Turley's lies lull you into a false sense of security.  



    Let's wade back into the race for presidential nominations in various political parties.  The Greens do not have a nominee yet.  Cornel West wants to be that person and, thanks to Bri-Bri's misleading 'reporting,' some don't grasp that.  Check out Betty's site where she noted replies to Bri's pimping of Cornel and the explosion that followed her trying to play the race card.  (Betty is correct, I have long said Bri's not authentic to African-Americans because she came up the White side of the media.  She's not a crossover artist because she can't crossover.  MOTOWN artists, in the 60s, for example crossed over -- having success on the soul charts and -- this is the crossover -- on the pop charts.  Bri can't get near the soul charts.  She's basically this decade's Pat Boone with all that entails.


    On the Republican side, we need to applaud the ones vying for the nomination for their stamina.  See, they're not only running for the party's nomination, they're also running to see who can outcrazy the others.  The crazy includes a large number but chiefly boils down to Donald Trump and Doo-Doo Ron Ron DeSantis currently.  And it's a real mud wrestle for the boys.  In fact, were Donald to say, "It's no big secret that Ron and I are no longer friends.  Ron knows what he did," it would be perfectly in keeping with everything else about this tired reality TV show.


    Emily Jacobs (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) reports that Donnie says Ronnie's immigration plan (to persecute immigrants) isn't that impressive and just copies his own.  In addition to squabbling over who has the bigger one, the two are also fighting over a boy, Pedro Gonzalez.  Donald had him first.  But now he's Ron's steady.  And, now that he's no longer in the safety of Big Don's arms,  poor Pedro, group chats have  emerged revealing what a disgusting and and racist twerp Pedro is.  But who leaked them?  Who would have leaked them?  Who? Tracy Connor (DAILY BEAST) notes the Little Ronnie's camp is pointing the finger at . . . Donald:



    DeSantis has not publicly commented on the story about Gonzalez’s messages, but Breitbart noted that the Never Back Down PAC, which backs DeSantis, called the messages “inexcusable.” Meanwhile, DeSantis’ campaign mouthpiece, Christina Pushaw, liked a tweet about how “nasty” the Trump-DeSantis feud has become.

    “And to be clear I’m mostly talking about the Trump side,” the tweet read. “I’ve seen some comments from people on the DeSantis side I don’t care for too, but it’s consistently the Trump surrogates who seem to have no bottom to how low they’ll sink to support their candidate.”

    Chronicles also had not commented publicly on the Breitbart revelations, but it’s worth noting that when Gonzalez was accused last year of antisemitism—after he made crude comments about the “physiognomy” of two prominent Jews—magazine executive editor Edward Welsch wrote a defense of him titled, “That Old Anti-Semitism Smear.”

    On Tuesday, Gonzalez tweeted that he was grateful for the support he was getting, including from some Trump supporters. One backer of the ex-president, however, was not in that category: Donald Trump Jr. retweeted the Breitbart story three times Tuesday night.



    Of all of them, Donald Trump will always stand the best chance of being declared criminally insane.  That's why his never-ending list of complaints and whines include that FOX "NEWS" is out to destroy him,  "The coloring, distortions, everything are just so bad.  They must sit and look at 100 different shots, and then take the 10 absolute worst."  He's accusing FOX "NEWS" of deliberately selecting and using the worst photographs of him.  The big surprise there is that, after all this time, Donald believes that good photographs of him exist.  He has looked in the mirror, right?  


    Meanwhile Oliver O'Connell (INDEPENDENT) notes that Paul Ryan (who at least takes an attractive photo) has declared nominating Donald for president again to be "a disaster" and that "anyone not named Trump" would be better. Do voters agree?   


    The public holds a less favorable view of Donald Trump's actions following his recent legal battles, according to one poll.

    A survey of 1,500 voters, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies exclusively for Newsweek on June 25, found that fewer people now believe the legal issues facing the former president are "politically motivated," compared to a poll from April taken weeks after Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 felony charges as part of the falsifying business records investigation in New York.

    When those responding to the survey asked which statement they agreed with more, 47 percent said that the legal issues Trump is facing are "primarily the result of his own actions which appear to have been illegal"—a 13-point increase from the April survey (34 percent).

    In the June poll, a further 38 percent believe the investigations are the result of "politically motivated attacks" by Trump's opponents, down 19 points from the April results (57 percent).


    Jared Glans (THE HILL) cites a "poll from National Public Affairs released Wednesday [which] showed Trump with 41 percent support among likely GOP primary voters in the state, up from 39 percent last month. DeSantis came in second with 18 percent, a 5-point drop from the 23 percent he had last month.  Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) came in third with 12 percent, followed by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) with 10 percent. All other candidates included in the poll had support in the single digits."  DeSantis dropped 5 percentage points in the poll?"   
    Doo Doo Ron Ron must be throwing another fit.




    Did someone say DISNEY?



    Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Ron's Disney World Tantrum" and, yes, Little Ronnie's battles with DISNEY continue.  


    If you missed it, the tiny tot is said to be less than five feet and seven inches and possibly is actually so short that he was refused admittance on the It's A Small World After All ride, hence his war on DISNEY.  Having destroyed Florida's economy with his corruption and incompetence, Little Ronnie needed something to distract Florida voters -- especially from the huge bills for his never-ending lawsuits.  So he declared war on DISNEY.  

    He has since used that war on the campaign trail trying to portray himself as big and tall -- or taller than his shrimpy height -- but now . . . a twist.  



    Attorneys for The Walt Disney Co. and Ron DeSantis are proposing very different timelines for the start of a federal trial over the company’s claim of retaliation by the Florida governor.

    Disney proposed a timeline with a trial to start on July 15 of next year. DeSantis’ attorneys, along with those of other defendants in the case, want it put off to Aug. 4, 2025, after next year’s presidential election, according to a court filing. DeSantis launched his White House bid last month.


    No, no, no, no.  Ronnie's used his battle with DISNEY to prove he's fit for the presidency.  Wouldn't be fair to voters for them to have to wait for the outcome.  Ronnie's made it his own performative measure.  America deserves to know what the court will find.  He's wasted millions of tax payer dollars on this fiasco.  Is he right, is he wrong?  He's running for president now.  He's no longer just defrauding Florida's population and leaving them deeply in debt while harming their tourist economy.  He's trying to be in charge of all the states.  So, sorry, he shouldn't be allowed to delay the hearing.  It needs to happen before the presidential election so the American people can see what they might be in store for and vote accordingly.  Of course, he could always drop out of the race if he wants.  Then he can argue to push the hearing back.  But having flitted back and forth across the country, singing his own praises while touting his fight with DISNEY, he's made this a criteria for judging whether or not he would be an effective US president. 

    As Joe Patrice (ABOVE THE LAW) observes,"  DeSantis decided to bolster his doomed presidential bid by launching a culture war against Disney over its pro-vaccine and anti-bigotry stances."  Too late to back down now, tiny Ron. 


    Should we note polling?  AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds Joe's approval rating to be 41%   The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.9.  Most interesting finding in the poll? It's about Vice President Kamala Harris.  Favorables are 37% while 50% have a negative opinion.  That seems bad.  It may be.  But she's gotten nothing but negative publicity -- whether it's warranted or not can be discussed by others.  The interesting factor is that 12% "don't know enough about her to say."  She's in her third year as vice president and some are still withholding judgment.   That's rather interesting.  If she managed to enthrall all of the undecided she's be basically split down the middle in terms of positive approval and negative approval.



    THE NEW YORK TIMES has a very poorly fact checked piece on Robert.  If you want to read it, click here to read is on MSN and not at THE TIMES.  I have neither the time nor the desire to repeat myself.  We covered NYT and all their errors and lies -- Yes, it is a lie to credit someone in your piece with a title that they do not have, the title on the masthead is the title they hold, you can't explain that away.  But the writer was a friend of the person he interviewed -- not disclosed in the article -- so his friend got whatever he wanted -- even a made up title.  It's these basic lies -- not errors, these are lies, I've confronted them offline, they know it's a lie and they think it's funny and giggle -- that destroy the paper's reputation time and again.  It's refusing to accurately report on Janet Jackson when you decide to wade in.  If you're going to cover her, you better get her number of number one hits right, for example.  But you just lie and we're all supposed to be okay with that.  It's the lying, not just the errors.  It's the scope.  Coretta Scott King passes away -- a historical figure, an activist, someone most of us looked up to and admired.  And?  Gail Collins is writing unsigned editorials about her friend -- minor playwright Wendy -- passing away and featuring one column after another about Wendy.  How many columns and editorials did Coretta get?

    Zero.

    Gail didn't figure Coretta warranted attention.  And I'm at the end of my ropes on tip-toeing around this topic.  If  wehadn't shamed Bob Herbert, he never would have (briefly) noted her in a column many weeks after she died.  

    So not a fan of the paper, fully aware of it's racism, of it's new anti-trans spin, aware of so much.  But I don't do greatest hits.  This isn't a jukebox musical.  

    We'll note this and see if you can catch what a huge error it is:



    “The New York Times, which is in this room today,” he said, as an audience member pointed down at the Times reporter’s seat, prompting a chorus of boos so angry, Mr. Kennedy’s campaign manager — the former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich — told the audience member to stop it.


    Dennis Kucinich was the Democratic presidential candidate?

    Wow.  I must have dropped acid that whole year because I'm pulling a blank on that.

    Oh, wait, it's not an issue of acid, it's an issue of the paper getting it wrong again.  Dennis tried to get the Democratic Party's presidential nomination -- in 2004 and 2008.  He didn't.  John Kerry and Barack Obama were the Democratic presidential candidates in those two presidential election years.

    Again, NYT offers an error, a lie or just racism/transphobia or some other hatred for others that they try to dress up in a guise of sophistication.


    NBC NEWS' Ben Kamisar has some potentially good news for Robert if he doesn't become the party's presidential candidate:


    Forty-four percent of registered voters say they are willing to consider supporting a third-party or independent presidential candidate if President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are the two major party nominees in 2024 — and the group includes more Democrats than Republicans, according to new NBC News polling.


    That could be good news for Robert.  It's not good news for Cornel West.  The real media's not interested in Cornel and the YOUTUBERS don't know the Green Party.  Cornel's not a Green Party member and, as we knew it would, that is becoming an issue.  Greens are also offend by Chris Hedges -- both by his recent insults of the Green Party made to the giggling Bri-Bri and by his backdoor and deceitful manuevers to get the Green Party's nomination for Cornel -- the same way he, weeks ago, secretly got the People's Party's presidential nomination for Cornel.  In addition, I'm not the only one bothered by liar Jill Stein going on YOUTUBE and, desperate to sell Cornel for the nomination, and uttering the name of Dr Margaret Flowers.  She thought she could get away with it and she did among the YOUTUBERS, you know, idiots who don't know a damn thing about the Green Party.

    You think Donald ran with conspiracy nut job nonsense when he refused to acknowledge he was beaten fair and square in the 2020 election?

    Meet Dario Hunter, Jill Stein, Ajamu Baraka and other nut jobs who insisted that Dario was robbed!  Robbed!  Lazy ass couldn't even Tweet once a week but there was a conspiracy, he insisted, and they conspired to steal the nomination from him.

    Who did?

    Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers!

    Having spread lies about Margaret, Jill Stein has a lot of nerve trying to invoke Margaret to sell Cornel to actual Greens.  



    Dario and that denial gang went all over the place and they'd hint in interview after interview that it was Kevin and Margaret.  Then Dario went on air with Cindy Sheehan -- a nice person but a lousy interviewer and not real strong when it comes to facts.  They went to conspiracy con and back again.  And that was the last straw for me which is why we  called them out.  

    Kevin and I were not friends and I never met him.  He read Kat's site and I believe they exchanged e-mails.  My only e-mails from him were to tell me I was too negative to the Green Party (Ava and I long ago dubbed them ineffective because they're too busy trying to be the kid sister to the Democratic Party instead of an actual political party).  And that was fine, it didn't bother me one way or another.

    But after I called out the nonsense Jill and company were pulling, the lies they were spreading, I got a very kind e-mail from Kevin thanking me for defending his wife.  Kevin's no longer around to defend his wife.  I will defend her on this until the end of time.  Jill Stein is a nut job.  She was a lousy presidential candidate -- see Ava and my ""Let the fun begin (Ava and C.I.) -- and I'm not about to let a lot of liars come along and rewrite history.  

    Cornel doesn't believe in democracy -- as his taking a presidential nomination from The People's Party without (a) being a member or (b) actually campaigning for the post.  And he's not very smart because he was so eager to get the nomination Chris was negotiating that he never did the actual work required to find who The People's Party was.

    They do grasp that, right, these idiots whoring for Cornel, that any sane person is asking how Cornel could be with one political party for nearly a week and then dump them while claiming he was qualified to be president?  People who are qualified to be president don't end up with a political 'party' that is racist and has one sexual harassment claim after another against it.  

    BLACK POWER MEDIA interviewed Cornel yesterday.  You can check that out at their YOUTUBE channel.  If I stream it, we'll note it tomorrow.

    We will wind down with this press release:


    For Immediate Release
    ---------------------
    DATE: June 27, 2023


    CONTACT: Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite
    --------------------------------------------------
    Name: Regis Klingler, Glenn Kowalske, or Mark Robinson



    Marshall Advocates Take Legal Action After
    City Council Illegally Denies Referendum Petition
    =================================================
    Marshall, MI – June 27, 2023 – Marshall residents battling to stop the
    Marshall Megasite took legal action in Calhoun County Circuit Court
    against the City of Marshall today to compel the City to put the
    Committee’s referendum on Ordinance # 2023-08, for which they collected
    810 signatures, on the ballot. The ballot question committee, “Committee
    for Marshall—Not the Megasite”, its members, and two additional
    petitioners initiated a lawsuit seeking a writ of mandamus, a
    declaratory judgment, and an injunction order after the Marshall City
    Council denied a request for a review of the Certificate of
    Insufficiency issued by the City Clerk on the group’s referendum
    petition. To be clear, the referendum met every legal requirement of the
    City Charter, and the City Council’s refusal to accept this violates the
    law.

    The Committee was required, according to the City Charter, to be the
    committee to “commence . . . referendum proceedings” and be “responsible
    for” circulating the petition and filing the petition in the proper
    form, all of which the Committee did properly. The City Clerk, however,
    invented a new requirement that ruled out counting any signatures on
    petition sheets collected by circulators other than the five committee
    members who filed the initial organizing paperwork. This eliminated the
    voice of another 35 circulators, including City of Marshall residents
    and Marshall Township residents. This was a direct violation of the City
    Charter, State Law regarding petition format, the Michigan and US
    Constitutions, and well-known court decisions affirming that every US
    citizen has First Amendment rights to “core political speech.” Those
    decisions and documents guaranteed that any US citizen at least 18 years
    old may circulate petitions.

    The petitioners also contend that the ordinance included an illegal
    addition of a second subject, an appropriation of money, which was not
    included in the title. This violated the City Charter’s single subject
    title rule, as well as a restriction on passing appropriations via
    resolutions only. Residents warned the City Council that the
    appropriation provision was illegal at the May 1 and June 15 council
    meetings, but those warnings were ignored.

    The lawsuit asks the Court for an order to direct the City Clerk to
    immediately issue a certificate of sufficiency on the referendum
    petition filed on May 30, 2023, and to suspend Ordinance # 2023-08, as
    required by the City Charter. Residents have requested that Megasite
    issue be brought to a vote of the people on multiple occasions. The
    petitioners feel that local elected officials in the City of Marshall
    are now purposely blocking resident voices by declaring the referendum
    petition insufficient. That ends today.

    The Committee’s attorneys, Robby Dube and Mark Blando of Eckland &
    Blando LLP, have decades of experience fighting illegal government
    actions and protecting citizens’ rights. They feel that the Committee
    has a clear and strong case and are confident the Court will put a stop
    to the City’s illegal actions.

    The legal documents are available upon request.

    Donation checks to the “Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite” to
    cover legal and election expenses can be sent to P.O. Box 641, Marshall,
    MI 49068. Online contributions may be made to the Committee at


    The Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite can be found on Facebook at:



    The Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite E-mail:



    # # #


    The following sites updated: