Barred From Re-Election

We have states attempting to bar Trump from the November ballot and then there is the state of Oregon….in an attempt to bar dissenters from re-election….

The Oregon Supreme Court said Thursday that 10 Republican state senators who staged a record-long walkout last year to stall bills on abortion, transgender health care, and gun rights cannot run for reelection. The decision upholds the secretary of state’s decision to disqualify the senators from the ballot under a voter-approved measure aimed at stopping such boycotts. Measure 113, passed by voters in 2022, amended the state constitution to bar lawmakers from reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences, the AP reports.

Last year’s boycott lasted six weeks—the longest in state history—and paralyzed the legislative session, stalling hundreds of bills. Five of the 10 GOP senators who racked up more than 10 absences sued over the secretary of state’s decision. “We obviously disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling,” said one of them, Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp. “But more importantly, we are deeply disturbed by the chilling impact this decision will have to crush dissent.” Democratic Senate President Rob Wagner welcomed the decision. “Today’s ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court means that legislators and the public now know how Measure 113 will be applied, and that is good for our state,” he said in a statement.

Political advocacy groups that backed Measure 113 had similar reactions, per the AP. “Walkouts allow a relatively small number of lawmakers to nullify the will of the majority, and that is to the detriment of our democracy,” said Alejandro Queral of the Oregon Center for Public Policy. All parties in the suit had sought clarity on when the ineligibility takes effect before the March filing deadline for candidates who want to run in this year’s election. Oregon voters approved the measure by a wide margin following Republican walkouts in the legislature in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

While I enjoy any time a GOPer gets in hot water I just do not see this as an answer…..but if the people decided then I guess we must go along with their decision, after all it is their state and their elections.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergpo scribo”

Mississippi Primaries.

Today is voting day in Mississippi….the primaries that is. It will be another sweltering day of 105+ temps so the turn out will probably be low and unimpressive.

One must vote straight ticket during the primaries…..if you like a certain candidate then you will vote for all in that party.

That brings me to one certain candidate but it pretty much sums up what most Repubs in this state are pushing in their campaigns…..he is running for Lt. Gov, Chris McDaniels (GOP).

I have written about the issues and the voters in Mississippi…..

Is Poverty A Political Choice?

Now armed with that information….this info is straight from the Daniels Campaign….

He Fought to secure our elections by pushing for a stronger voter ID law (meaning….make it harder for people of color to vote)

Led the challenge against Obamacare

Protected rights of our children to religious expression in schools (meaning….forced prayer)

Promoted school choice and parent’s rights in the classroom

Spearheaded legislation to protect children who have been sexually abused and kidnapped, increased sentences against anyone who has killed a minor (this sounds great and is needed but in the same bill was the usual diversion of bathrooms and squashing transgender rights)

Passed EVerify and introduced bills that would prohibit the creation of a sanctuary cities and federal and state benefits for undocumented workers (the last part is pure illusion….there are no undocumented workers getting any kind of state benefits)

Finally voted against any bill that he believed was wasting taxpayer money (you mean like everything above this line?)

Not one word on this flyer about jobs he created (very few) or the business that he helped come to Mississippi….basically he did little to help the economic picture of Mississippi.

Why would anyone vote for this clearly racist asshole?

There is more….his opponent is another Repub, Delbert Hoseman…..McDaniels accuses Delbert….

Being a secret Democrat

Did not support Trump

Supported Obamacare

Supported forced vaccinations

All in all sounds like Delbert might have been looking out for all Mississippians…but that is just a cursory observation….after all he is a Repub.

The sad situation in Mississippi will not change for these people will not alter their ignorance and neither will the voter.

This is what we get in Mississippi….manure spread by idiots.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–28Feb23

Is DeSantis coming after Disney World?

The governor of Florida has taking control over the state’s institutions….he has come after individual rights,  books, education, even dogs and now he is after Disney…..”the happiest place on earth”…. but for how long?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday savored his victory over the Walt Disney Co., selecting new members of a governing board under legislation he sought after the company objected to a parental rights bill he favored last year. “Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” the Republican said at a Reedy Creek fire station in Lake Buena Vista, CNN reports. “There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability will be the order of the day.” The governor announced his replacements for the board, who require state Senate approval. They include DeSantis supporters such as conservative activists, a major Republican donor, and the spouse of the new chairman of the state GOP. DeSantis said the board is scheduled to meet next week, “so buckle up.”

Under the bill DeSantis signed on Monday, the board members will oversee infrastructure, services, and taxing authority for the special district that reigns over Disney’s theme parks in central Florida—clout that had belonged to the company. DeSantis hinted at exerting control over Disney’s content as well, per Deadline. “I think that all of these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate,” he said. Members of both parties have been critical of DeSantis’ move. “Disney stepped into the fray. They lost,” former Vice President Mike Pence said last week. “But the idea of going after their taxing authority, that was beyond the scope of what I as a conservative limited government Republican would be prepared to do.”

DeSantis has become the very embodiment of the word authoritarian.

What other targets are in his demonic sights?

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

Big News From Mississippi

There is good news and bad from my state of Mississippi…..

The good news is that the state legislature has deemed a state fruit and a state gemstone….

The state fruit is the blueberry….good call since the fruit is grown liberally in the west of the state.

The state gemstone is the opal…..this one confuses me since there is no major deposits of opal in this state to my knowledge.

Now for the bad news…..

Babies with an STD….

Mississippi, the nation’s poorest state, already claims the worst infant mortality rate in the US. Now, more bad news for newborns there: The number of babies treated for congenital syphilis—meaning the infection is passed down from mother to baby during gestation—spiked 900% over five years, rising from 10 in 2016 to 102 last year, reports NBC News. This new info comes via an analysis of hospital billing data conducted by Dr. Thomas Dobbs, who heads up the Crossroads Clinic run by the state’s Department of Health. That agency hasn’t yet released its final numbers for 2021, but preliminary stats align with Dobbs’ findings, and it noted that at least one baby died last year from the sexually transmitted disease.

Dobbs says that about 40% of women who contract syphilis while pregnant go on to miscarry, reports WKRG. The STD can also lead to early births, stillbirths, and low birth weight. Infants who contract syphilis can end up suffering from a range of problems, including serious anemia, an enlarged liver and spleen, jaundice, loss of eyesight or hearing, meningitis, and misshapen bones, per the Guardian. In severe cases, the babies can even die. “It is truly a very devastating condition,” pediatrician Dr. Braveen Ragunanthan, of Mississippi’s Delta Health and Bolivar Medical Center, tells NBC.

More bad news for the state…..

Recently the news had the Mississippi Coast buzzing with anticipation….SpaceX was considering launching rockets from a local Coastal city, Pascagoula.

But sadly that proposal has been crapped on…..

SpaceX will not launch rockets from the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the near future, the company’s president says.

Two oil rigs had been docked at the Port of Pascagoula for the past two years to be fitted by SpaceX to serve as launch pads for its Starship spacecraft.

 

SpaceX bought the oil rigs from Valaris for around $7 million in July 2020, weeks before it filed for bankruptcy during a market crash that sent oil prices in the negatives. The ENSCO 8500-series ships were built for about $560 million each in the late 2000s.

The company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, had been planning to convert the rigs into launch platforms for its Starship vehicle to launch to the moon, Mars and hypersonic travel around Earth.

Phobos arrived at the Port of Pascagoula in January 2021 from Brownsville, Texas. Deimos docked in March 2022. The vessels are named after the two moons of Mars.

https://wgno.com/news/spacex-ditches-plan-to-launch-rockets-from-mississippi-gulf-coast/amp/

Not many will care about the doings in my state….but some of it is/was a big deal at least for awhile.

I hope you all have a great Sunday….Be Well….Be Safe….

“lego ergo scribo”

New Mississippi Laws

This is my only post for the day for I have reason to celebrate…..you see today is my birthday and I am turning 75…..which is a big deal for I never thought I would live so long.

I seldom write about my state for most people think Mississippi is just a bunch of toothless in-bred rednecks….sometimes they are not to far off the mark.

Come 01 July 2022 Mississippi will be enacting new laws.

Among the most important:

– The state’s 7.32 billion dollar budget, up 9% from the last.

– Education/Teacher Pay MAEP funding gets 83.2 Million increase.  Teachers get minimum $41,638.

(National average for teachers is $56, 310….so Mississippi is doing their teachers no favor)

– Mississippi will begin gradually reducing income taxes beginning with a drop from 5% to 4.7%.

(Perfect excuse to cut social programs for a lack of income…a GOP dream)

– Medical marijuana becomes legal.  1800 people registered for the program in the first six days of eligibility.

(The process is so convoluted that it will take decades to sort it out)

– Parker’s law makes “fentanyl delivery resulting in death” a crime than get you 20 years in prison or even life in prison.

– Critical Race Theory ban: New law withholds public funding of the curriculum to be taught.

(A waste of time….the course was only taught in Law school and it was an elective not mandatory)

-Governments can no longer mandate COVID vaccinations for employees, with one exception:  Healthcare.

(Typical GOP program that will likely make things worse if the pandemic returns)

-Death Penalty: the preferred method will not change, but if lethal injection is not possible the Department of Corrections will choose among several choices including firing squad or electrocution.

-New State Song:  Steve Azar’s “One Mississippi” will become new “contemporary” state song, replacing “Go Mississippi” which had ties to former governor Ross Barnett.

-Prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities.

-Allow food trucks to have liquor licenses.

(Not a very good idea)

-Changes to state name, image and likeness laws for student athletes

-Protecting student speech

-Lift ban on hearing aid coverage from state health plan

Mississippi still has its feet in the 20th century…..sometimes they are firmly in the 19th century….these laws do NOTHING to make the people of Mississippi more prosperous and safer.

This was a typical session of our government…..useless policies that is seldom in the best interests of the citizens of this state.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Why Is CRT So Damn Important?

A subject that gets little coverage these day….so who better than me to resurrect the subject.

We all have heard about the Critical Race Theory (CRT)…..ever wonder why this obscure issue has become so damn important in our political discourse?

Red States are spending an inordinate amount of time trying to prevent the teaching of CRT…..the catch is this waste of time is seldom taught and when it is it is a class for law degree.

Like my state of Mississippi…..

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.

No legislators gave speeches in support of the bill. Republican Rep. Joey Hood of Ackerman, who is white, did not define critical race theory as he explained the bill Thursday. “History will continue to be taught—American history, Civil War history, Mississippi history,” Hood said. When the bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate in January, all of the Black senators withheld their votes and walked out in protest. Critical race theory is an academic framework that examines how racism has shaped public policy and institutions such as the legal system, and how those have perpetuated the dominance of white people in society. State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright said critical race theory is not taught in Mississippi schools. The University of Mississippi law school offers an elective class on the theory.

Well after all the energy spent by numerous state legislative bodies…..we know that it is banned from being taught to our children….but why is this?

My state would not surprise me if they started a campaign to ban the US Constitution….I wouldn’t be surprised if the Constitution itself is ultimately banned in states like Mississippi because if students are permitted to read the 3/5s & fugitive slave clauses it will become clear to them that the principles of America’s founding included the idea of people as property.

Texas (go figure) has yet another bill  before the legislature about teaching CRT….

Texas college and university professors may soon lose tenure if they teach critical race theory (CRT) in their classrooms, according to the Lone Star state’s lieutenant governor, who has vowed action by the state.

In a warning message to educators this week, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he will work to strip them of their job security in the state if they teach CRT.

“The critical race theory people are trying to take us back to a divided country,” Patrick told reporters at a press conference.

“Tenure to these professors who voted 41-5 telling the taxpayers and the parents and the legislature, and your own board of regents, to get out of their business that we have no say what you do in the classroom… You’ve opened the door for this issue because you went too far.”

“What we will propose to do is to end all tenure for all new hires,” Patrick said, vowing that the state legislature would take action against those who teach the subject in their classrooms.

“The law will change to say teaching critical race theory is prima facie evidence for good cause for tenure revocation,” he said. In addition to his comments concerning tenure, Patrick said he wants annual reviews for the professors rather than six year reviews.

(FOX News)

Then there is yet another of those ‘go figure’ states that has tried to limit the teaching of race….Georgia (the state not the country)

Legislation prohibiting Georgia schools from teaching nine racial and ethnic concepts it defines as divisive has passed the state Senate. The bill cleared 32-20 on Friday, CNN reports, with Republicans voting yes and Democrats no, and goes next to the House. The measure also would apply to training in state agencies. Republicans in other states are pursuing similar legislation. The movement was sparked by the uproar over “critical race theory,” which isn’t taught in Georgia schools anyway, per WXIA.

The prohibited concepts include that one race or ethnicity is inherently superior to another and that the US and Georgia are “fundamentally or systemically racist.” It specifies that teachers would not be allowed to make students feel demeaned or guilty because of their race, skin color or ethnicity. The legislature has four similar bills before it, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This one would withhold up to 10% of schools’ funding for violations. Colleges and universities also could be docked, but the bill doesn’t specify how much. Another bill would penalize schools up to 20% of their funding.

The sponsor of one of them said history could still be taught but teachers would not be allowed to include their political beliefs. GOP Rep. Bill Wade said he worked with school board and teacher groups on the bill, but they’ve said they’re opposed to his bill. “All this bill does is muzzle our teachers and make them into a straw man for political gain from the true divisive voices in our communities,” said Democratic Rep. Matthew Wilson, a former elementary teacher. “This bill is whiter than the paper it’s printed on,” said the lawmaker, who is white.

These idiots are doing exact what they claim the CRT is doing…..dividing the country.

What are these people so afraid of would be the next logical question….

Maybe there is a good answer after all…..

What nobody is talking about, though, is the why of this particular issue at this particular time. As a result, we’re mistaking the tool for the goal.

Moral panics, when driven by politicians, are usually just tools. This CRT moral panic is a tool being used by a coalition of interests to achieve their own goals, none of which have anything to do with teaching or not-teaching the history of race in America.

  • Imagine you’re part of a group of libertarian billionaires who don’t believe in public education and who see any such sort of taxpayer-funded effort to improve “the underclasses” as an absurd waste of the tax dollars you “worked so hard to earn” and the “gummint” now wants to take away from you “at the barrel of a gun.”
  • Imagine you’re a leader in the Republican Party who’s seeing the average age of the Fox audience — 70 — as a threat to your own political longevity because old white people don’t go into politics and you need 30- and 40-year-olds to learn their basic political skills locally (like on a school board) so you can groom and propel them up into state or federal politics.
  • Imagine you’re a multimillionaire white evangelical preacher who’s looking for an issue you can use to more tightly bind your congregation — your donors — to you by portraying yourself as a crusader who’s going to save their children from a horrible fate.
  • Imagine you’re a white supremacist militia leader who’s looking to expand his base by bringing in white middle-class adults and therefore you need an issue to get yourself into the headlines “taking on authorities” but that won’t also end with you going to jail.
  • Imagine you’re a Republican politician who’s looking at a serious challenge in the upcoming primary elections and you need an issue that’ll be both popular and energizing for your base voters, even if the larger population doesn’t much care, because base voters are all you care about in the upcoming primary.

https://www.rawstory.com/a-disparate-group-of-billionaires-republicans-televangelists-and-white-supremacists-has-found-common-cause/

There you have your answer….it is a wedge issue that does nothing but create chaos and confusion……and these are the two issues that the GOP excel at giving the people of this country.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–04Feb22

Yipee skippy! Mississippi finally enters the 21st century….well at least on the weed front.

A pretty good start…..

Mississippi is legalizing medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions such as cancer, AIDS, and sickle cell disease, the AP reports. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the legislation Wednesday and it became law immediately. It could be months before the first marijuana dispensaries open. “There is no doubt that there are individuals in our state who could do significantly better if they had access to medically prescribed doses of cannabis,” Reeves wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “There are also those who really want a recreational marijuana program that could lead to more people smoking and less people working, with all the societal and family ills that that brings.”

The National Conference of State Legislatures says 36 states and four territories already allowed the medical use of cannabis. Mississippi becomes the 37th state. “For all the people who are touched in some way by a loved one or someone they know who benefits from medical cannabis, this brings their quality of life back,” said Ken Newburger, executive director the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, a group that pushed for legalization. A majority of Mississippi voters approved a medical marijuana initiative in November 2020, and it would have allowed people to buy up to 5 ounces a month. The state Supreme Court invalidated it six months later by ruling that the state’s initiative process was outdated and the measure was not put properly on the ballot.

The state House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, passed the final version of Senate Bill 2095 last week. The new law will allow patients to buy up to to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to six days a week. That is about 3 ounces per month. It sets taxes on production and sale of cannabis, and it specifies that plants must be grown indoors under controlled conditions. Reeves said because of the reduction from 5 ounces a month in the initiative to 3 ounces a month in the new law, “there will be hundreds of millions of fewer joints on the streets because of this improvement.” The new law prohibits the state from providing economic development incentives for the cannabis industry, and it gives cities and counties 90 days to opt out of allowing medical marijuana facilities, for growing or selling.

I am sure the demonizing will soon begin.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–29Oct21

As you know this country is becoming more and more divided…..and the rise of hate groups is also a growing problem.

But which state has the highest number of haters?

That would be Montana.

The Southern Poverty Law Center releases data each year on hate groups across America. The 2020 figure was 838. One of the factors in the analysis is that hate groups are divided into groups that range from neo-Nazis to racist skinheads to anti-migrant groups. The study also shows where the groups are located based on years of observation.

The state with the most hate groups is Montana. Here are the details:

Hate groups in 2020: 5.55 per million people (six total)
Percentage of population identifying as white: 85.8 (fifth highest)
Percentage of population foreign-born: 2.3 (third lowest)
Median household income: $57,153 (11th lowest)
Largest hate group headquartered in the state: Last Chance Patriots

What is a hate group according to the study? The study included this definition:

This Is the State With the Most Hate Groups

My state, Mississippi, is number 16…..(I would have thought it would be higher on the list)……

For me this whole division thing is very disturbing…..I am an old fart so I fear that this country will not heal in my lifetime for that reason I fear for my granddaughter in the future.

Please any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Who Needs Infrastructure?

There has been a wealth of back and forth debate on the amount of money needed for infrastructure……some even think it is not needed…..but maybe Mississippi could use a bit of that federal cash….

Two people were killed and 10 others hurt after heavy rain likely related to Hurricane Ida washed away part of a highway near the town of Lucedale, Miss., on Monday night. A hole about 50 feet long and 20 feet deep was created, and several vehicles went in, CNN reports. “I’ve never seen anything in my 23 years in law enforcement like this,” a trooper says. Three of those injured were in critical condition.

Ailing highways and bridges need repair or replacement….but it is more important to chase damn silly issues like abortion and prayer in school than to see to the safety of the residents as they go about their mundane lives.

To answer the original question….Mississippi that is who!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi Stupid

My state has an amazing amount of stupid but this pandemic has brought the morons out of the woodwork and the the most moronic is the governor, Tatter Twat Reeves…..

Recently this dullard told the people of Mississippi that there is no reason to mask up for Heaven awaits…..

It’s become almost a glib cliche to describe members of the conservative power structure in this country as belonging to a “death cult” each time a Republican lawmaker or influencer steps gleefully aside to allow the ongoing pandemic to kill people ostensibly in that person’s care. And yet, I can’t think of a better, more frustratingly accurate term to use to describe Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves after his recent coronavirus statements, delivered while the highly infectious Delta variant of the disease surges across the country.

“I’m often asked by some of my friends on the other side of the aisle about COVID … and why does it seem like folks in Mississippi and maybe in the mid-South are a little less scared, shall we say,” Reeves told several dozen attendees last week during a Republican fundraiser event in Eads, Tennessee, just across the border from his state.

 

“When you believe in eternal life,” he continued, “when you believe that living on this Earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things.”

Despite Reeves’s subsequent caveat that “God also tells us to take necessary precautions,” it’s important to really parse out what he’s saying here: that people in the South are more content, if not outright eager, to embrace a pandemic-induced death, because of their faith in the (specifically Christian understanding of the) afterlife. Jews, Muslims, Indigenous peoples, atheists, and any other disbelievers need not apply.

https://www.mic.com/p/someone-tell-mississippis-governor-that-heaven-isnt-a-consolation-prize-for-covid-84193731

So this heaven thing will be their consolation prize…for as I am concerned…Heaven Can Wait!

Can you believe that the people of Mississippi elected this mental midget to leadership of the state?

I can!

I have been saying for decades just how stupid the Mississippi voter can be.

Not to worry I am positive that Reeves will out stupid himself any day now.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”