Weather here has improved (for now) so I took advantage and got the garden started….tomatoes, potatoes, radishes, herbs….my citrus is in bloom as well as my blueberries and the figs are filling out nicely……more to come….

Enough about my boring life……

Ukraine/Russia conflict has taken some of the news and sent it to the news dump files…..and IST is proud to bring some of this news to light.

New Hampshire made the news when a small group brought a bill to light for a ‘national divorce’ from the US…..

The nation will hold at 50 states for now, after New Hampshire legislators voted down a constitutional amendment calling for the state to secede. Lawmakers said it was the first secession vote held in any US legislature since the Civil War era, WMUR reports. The measure would have sent voters an addition to the state’s constitution saying New Hampshire “peaceably declares independence from the United States and immediately proceeds as a sovereign nation,” per the AP.

The vote to reject the measure, which was brought by libertarian Republicans, was 323-13. All 13 supportive votes came from Republicans; it needed the votes of three-fifths of the Legislature to go to voters. “This is not a fringe idea. #NationalDivorce trends on the internet,” said GOP Rep. Matthew Santonastaso, adding, “National divorce is going to happen.” Some of the sponsors had signed onto a document in 2020 calling the state government illegitimate and Gov. Chris Sununu a tyrant. Claiming fraud, they said the 2020 election was void.

Other Republicans said voting for the bill violated the oath of office, and some Democrats called the attempt treason. “It is beyond disgraceful, and it is a stain on the proud history of this state that we even have to entertain this,” said Democratic Rep. Timothy Smith. Supporters of the amendment said they’re not giving up. “This amendment reinforces Article VII of our Constitution, which declared New Hampshire to be forever a free, sovereign and independent state,” said Republican Rep. Michael Sylvia.

A colossal waste of time and energy for a legislative body.

Ever looked at a pony tail on a girl and immediately went to some sexual fantasy?

Apparently it is a problem in Japan…..

The Japanese school system is rife with strict rules on what students can wear, from their socks to their hair.

But one rule is now attracting growing backlash for the reasoning behind it: female students are banned from wearing their hair in ponytails because men could find the nape of their necks arousing.

Former teacher Motoki Sugiyama is taking a stand over the strict rules in Japanese schools, taking a deep dive with VICE World News on the reasoning behind the tough regulations.

“They’re worried boys will look at girls,” Sugiyama said. “I’ve always criticised these rules, but because there’s such a lack of criticism and it’s become so normalised, students have no choice but to accept them.”

https://www.ladbible.com/news/japanese-schools-ban-ponytails-because-men-might-get-aroused-20220314

My state of Mississippi has drank the stupid kool-aid and passed a bill that will limit CRT being taught (a course that is taught nowhere in the state school system with the exception of law school and it is NOT mandatory)…..

Blaming the “radical left” and the news media for spreading misinformation about “critical race theory,” Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation Monday limiting the teaching of racial issues in schools. “Across the country, we’re seeing a full-court press by a vocal minority of well-organized and well-funded activists who seek to tear down the unity that has helped make our country great,” Reeves said, per the Oxford Eagle. The measure takes effect immediately, per the AP. Democratic Rep. Zakiya Summers was critical. “Censoring teachers, dismantling education bit by bit, attempting to erase the past, refusing to acknowledge the hurt and the horror and the heinous acts that have been done to my people and then hiding behind this ‘inferior versus superior’ argument—that’s what this bill will do,” she said. Our original story from March 4 follows:

The same Mississippi Legislature that proclaimed racial reconciliation after removing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag nearly two years ago passed a bill Thursday to limit how race can be discussed in classrooms. Several Black legislators said during the six-hour debate that the bill could squelch honest discussion about the harmful effects of racism because parents could complain if history lessons make white children uncomfortable. The Republican-controlled House voted 75-43 to pass Senate Bill 2113. It will go to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has pledged to sign it into law, the AP reports. All House votes for the bill on Thursday came from white Republicans.

The bill’s short title says it would prohibit “critical race theory.” But the main text of the bill does not mention or define the theory, and many supporters of the bill also have said they cannot define it. The bill says no school, community college or university could teach that any “sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.” Democratic Rep. Zakiya Summers of Jackson said she has been told by some colleagues that the bill does nothing substantial but it gives them a talking point at election time. “Censoring teachers, dismantling education bit by bit, attempting to erase the past, refusing to acknowledge the hurt and the horror and the heinous acts that have been done to my people and then hiding behind this ‘inferior versus superior’ argument—that’s what this bill will do,” Summers said.

I get tickled when some ignorant idiot on the Right calls others ‘radical Left’…..Dems are no more radical than I am a Mexican gardener…..anyway another colossal waste of legislative time and energy.

Speaking of CRT…..that idiot Donald the Orange gives a call to arms…..

“Getting critical race theory out of our schools is not just a matter of values, it’s also a matter of national survival,” Trump told his MAGA supporters. So-called critical race theory is not something that is taught in K-12 grades, it is a college-level interdisciplinary means to examine social and institutional constructs surrounding race.

“We have no choice,” Trump continued, a claim he often makes when speaking falsely.

That’s when he laid the groundwork for weaponizing his followers in the racist battle inside his mind that one day may erupt in physical war on our streets.

“The fate of any nation depends upon the willingness of its citizens to lay down – and they must do this – lay down their very lives to defend their country. If we allow the Marxists and communists and socialists to teach our children to hate America there will be no one left to defend our flag or to protect our great country or its freedom.”

https://www.rawstory.com/tv-terrorist-donald-trump-blasted-for-telling-followers-they-must-lay-down-their-very-lives-to-defend-against-crt/

This is the biggest non-issue in the nation these days…..it has become a dog whistle for idiots and haters.

Finally, Daylight Savings Time….I made my thoughts known about this worthless waste of energy and time (no pun intended)…..

Spring Forward (Again)

Now our senators, you know that useless appendage of the governing process, has come up with a bill to make this crap permanent….

If you’re still feeling crabby over Sunday’s time change, take heart: The Senate on Tuesday gave the green light to a proposal to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. If the House does the same and President Biden signs the Sunshine Protection Act, the “fall back” ritual that happens each year would be done away with—eventually. The Hill reports the change would go into effect on Nov. 20, 2023, in order to give airlines and other transportation companies adequate time to prepare. It would make for darker mornings but lighter evenings during the winter. The Hill’s two examples: The sun wouldn’t rise until 8:15am on Dec. 21 in New York, but it wouldn’t set until 5:31pm, versus the typical 4:31pm.

Axios reports the bill, which has Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio as its sponsors, passed by unanimous consent. Politico notes “The quick and consequential move happened so fast that several senators said afterward they were unaware of what had just happened.” It adds that Whitehouse says he has gotten no pledge from Nancy Pelosi to get the bill across the line in the House. The Washingtonian reports Congress approved permanent Daylight Saving Time in 1973, but it wasn’t a long-lived change.

The speaker of the House, another corporate owned Dem, Pelosi has said she likes the idea……

The good news for anyone who hates switching their clocks twice a year: Nancy Pelosi is on board with making daylight saving time permanent, and the Hill reports the proposal passed by the Senate on Tuesday is racking up bipartisan support in the House. The bad news: Pelosi hasn’t committed to taking up the legislation any time soon, noting that Ukraine remains front and center for lawmakers right now. In general, she sounded positive though, saying, “I think it’s not going to be much of an issue for us. But we have to socialize it in our caucus, and our Congress, not just the caucus.”

How much did this stupidity costs the corporations?

This issue is widely unpopular with us mere mortals but that matters not…..if business wants it then they will make it so…..money buys every politician in DC.

Now you know what news you missed…..aren’t you glad you stopped by?

Enjoy your weekend, my friends.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”