Tag: State Politics

Voting Reform?

My state as well as many others are in this frenzy to keep voter fraud to a minimum….voters are having to jump through hoops to vote…..basically some of the measures are nothing more than a poll tax and a way to keep the vote to mostly white people….exclusion is the main objective.

Donny and his Magic Sharpie has just signed another EO on voting…..

President Trump is trying to put a tighter federal grip on how Americans vote by mail—and the fight is likely headed straight to court. On Tuesday, he signed an executive order aimed at limiting who can receive mail-in ballots, arguing it will curb what he called “legendary” cheating in absentee voting ahead of November’s midterms, when control of Congress is at stake, Politico reports.

  • “The cheating on mail-in voting is legendary. It’s horrible, what’s gone on,” Trump said during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office. The AP notes, however, that a 2025 Brookings Institution report found that voting fraud occurred in only around four cases per 10 million mail ballots— 0.000043% of total mail ballots cast.
  • The order directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile a federal list of approved absentee voters. The Postal Service would be instructed to send mail-in ballots only to people on that list. It also directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate and prosecute “election officials, individuals, and other entities that violate the law by issuing or distributing Federal ballots to ineligible voters,” CNBC reports. The order threatens to cut federal funds from states that refuse to comply.
  • The move is expected to face legal challenges that could drag on past the midterms. Marc Elias, a leading Democratic voting-rights attorney, said he plans to sue, calling the order unconstitutional. “If Trump signs an unconstitutional Executive Order to take over voting, we will sue. I don’t bluff and I usually win,” Elias wrote on X. Officials in Oregon and Arizona also pledged to sue, accusing Trump of trying to violate their states’ right to run elections, the AP reports. “We don’t need decrees from Washington, DC,” said Tobias Read, the Democratic secretary of state in Oregon, which has voted entirely by mail since 1998. “My message to the President: We’ll see you in court.”

Wait!  Did not Donny just vote by mail-in?

“The Constitution is very clear—the president has no power over elections in the states.”

But to be fair just how prevalent is voter fraud?

It is NOT a problem.

With the Senate taking up the GOP voter suppression bill that is Donald Trump’s top legislative priority, we thought it would be good to take a closer look at the reason why Republicans claim that this legislation is needed: the supposed scourge of noncitizens voting.

People familiar with the debate know that it isn’t much of a problem at all. That’s because it is illegal for non-Americans to vote in federal elections, and since the upside of doing so, i.e., casting one additional ballot among tens of millions of others, stands in no relation to the downside, i.e., imprisonment and deportation, hardly anybody does it.

How rare is it that somebody commits this most pointless of crimes?

We are so glad you asked! Let’s take a look.

Including the 2000 presidential election, which is a great reference point not only because it’s a quarter century in the past but also because it was decided by 537 votes* and therefore any small factor could have made a huge difference, Americans have cast about 1.5 billion ballots in federal elections.

According to the conservative Heritage Foundation, aka “the Project 2025 guys,” aka “a bunch of guys who support voter suppression and are therefore really intent on finding evidence that noncitizens voting is a widespread problem,” exactly 100 aliens have been caught committing voter fraud.

In other words, according to these numbers, one noncitizen is caught trying to vote illegally for every 15,000,000 votes cast.

Or, to put it differently, if you wanted to randomly pick out a non-American at a polling place, you’d have a 1 in 15 million chance to be successful.

Those aren’t great odds.

What Are the Odds of a Noncitizen Voting? We’re Glad You Asked

If you believe the wizards of propaganda we have a problem…..but it you look at the big picture then there is NO problem.

The problem we do have is that pundits are gaming the numbers to enact all sorts of silly and wasteful measures to limit who gets to have a vote in our elections.

In essence this is theft of an election….there is your fraud.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi–The Old Switch-A-Roo

WE all know the game the GOP is playing with gerrymandering….they are making it so that any minority vote is diluted given them a win.  My state did so recently in the Northwestern part of the state to try and nullify the minority vote because it is a bastion of liberal voters.

There attempt went to Federal Court and it did not turn out well for them…

A federal court has ordered Mississippi to redraw its 2022 state legislative maps in several areas after concluding those maps unlawfully dilute the voting strength of Black Mississippians.

Civil rights advocates challenged the maps and showed at trial that the maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Plaintiffs presented extensive expert testimony and testimony from Black Mississippians from across the state to show that the political process in the challenged legislative districts was not equally open to Black voters.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Mississippi Center for Justice, and civil rights attorney Carroll Rhodes filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and voters from across the state.

The court ruled that multiple new Black-majority districts should have been created — at least two in the state Senate and one in the state House. In the absence of Black-majority districts, stark racial polarization, combined with the history of racial discrimination in the state and other factors, deprives Black voters in the state of the right to participate equally in the political process, in violation of Section 2.

The ruling, issued last night, requires the creation of new Black-majority Senate districts in the areas around DeSoto County in Northern Mississippi and in and around the city of Hattiesburg, and a new Black-majority House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties.

Federal Court Orders Mississippi’s State Legislative Maps to Be Redrawn

Now the state GOP is asking what to do, what to do?

One state senator thinks he has a ‘good old boys’ alternate plan….

State Senator Michael McLendon has introduced new legislation that would offer state grants to encourage state and local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Senate Bill 2329, known as the Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act, creates a first-of-its-kind state grant program to support Mississippi law enforcement agencies that partner with ICE through the federal 287(g) program. The bill establishes a dedicated fund to reimburse local agencies for costs tied directly to enforcing federal immigration law, including detention bed space, equipment, training, travel, and lodging.
“Mississippi is not going to pretend illegal immigration is someone else’s problem,” said Senator McLendon. “If you are here illegally, we are going to work with ICE to detain you and send you back to the country you came from, which more often than not is a far greater punishment than jail.”
Under the legislation, only agencies that formally partner with ICE through a signed 287(g) agreement are eligible for funding. Grants will be awarded by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring fast and efficient support for agencies that are willing to help enforce federal immigration law.
The Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act creates a special fund within the State Treasury to ensure long-term, stable support for participating agencies.
McLendon said SB 2329 is also a direct response and solution to the burdens illegal immigration places on taxpayers and already crowded local jails throughout Mississippi.
“Housing illegal immigrants is costly,” said McLendon. “This bill will help alleviate that burden on sheriffs and county governments so that money can be used to hire more deputies, buy more equipment or improve infrastructure.”
Currently, the federal 287(g) program allows state and local agencies to assist ICE through task force, jail, and warrant service models. SB 2329 is designed to dramatically expand Mississippi’s participation in all three, effectively creating a statewide force multiplier for ICE.
The Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act would take effect July 1, 2026, if passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
(desototimes.com)
Now I look for the lies to start to make it out like that area of the state is a haven for ‘illegals’ and crime riddled….that will be the excuse to bring in ICE to intimidate the citizens of these liberal bastions within a deep red state.
If this is successful look for other red states to implement some form of this tactical lie….
Crafty old farts, huh?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“Lego ergo scribo”

The Phoenix Declaration

Right about here most people are asking….HUH?

This is that group of a/holes from the Heritage Foundation on our education system….

Florida is the first state to embrace the manure from these ‘people’…..

Florida education leaders on Thursday approved a set of principles that would teach a conservative-backed vision of the United States. The State Board of Education, which also approved social-studies changes intended to highlight ideological evils of communism, signed off on Florida becoming the first state to adopt the Heritage Foundation’s “Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education.”

The declaration is a statement of principles described as fostering “a love of country,” teaching children to “seek the good, true and beautiful” and aiming for students to “achieve their full, God-given potential.” Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said the declaration establishes an “affiliation” with the Heritage Foundation and promotes what the board supports rather than what it opposes. “We often call out what is problematic in education, pushing an ideology over indoctrination, whether that’s the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools or divisive concepts like critical race theory and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) that treats people differently based on the way God created them,” Kamoutsas said. “Well, this talks about what we want to see. We want to see parents empowered. We want to see curriculum, transparency, we want to see academic excellence in all of our students.” The Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation has a stated mission of building and promoting conservative public policies. Critics addressing the education board Thursday described the Heritage Foundation declaration as promoting indoctrination.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article312907332.html

It is bad enough that these dicks have fucked up our political system and now they have a plan to do the same with the education of our children.

My favorite part of the whole debacle is there statement…..“We often call out what is problematic in education, pushing an ideology over indoctrination”

Now what is the difference between instruction and indoctrination?

How long before the other Red States embrace the crap these people are pushing?

It is true that the education system needs an overhaul but nothing these idiots are proposing will make it better…..if anything it will feed the bigotry and ignorance they say they want to eliminate.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

DeSantis–Authoritarian Prick

Have you ever signed a petition that you thought might do some good?

I have on many occasions….but if you live in Florida law enforcement could be dispatched to your home and you could be interrogated about your signing.

You read that correctly….you could be brow beat for your signature.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is sending law enforcement officers to homes to question Floridians who signed petitions to place an abortion amendment on the November ballot. The questioning appears to be part of an effort to inspect thousands of petitions concerning a measure to overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban, instead protecting abortion access until the point of viability, the Tampa Bay Times reports—despite the fact that the signatures have already been verified.

Florida’s secretary of state, who was appointed by DeSantis, has ordered elections supervisors in several counties to send at least 36,000 petition forms already found to have been signed by real people to the state government. Past fraud investigations have been centered on rejected petitions, but the state did not ask for those this time. One 16-year elections supervisor called the request unprecedented. It was DeSantis who signed the six-week legislation into law, and he’s organized opposition to the ballot measure. The amendment proposal reads, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health,” per WTVT.

In another move, the state Agency for Health Care Administration has publicly opposed the ballot proposal, per the New York Times. Its website now says at the top: “Florida Is Protecting Life. Don’t let the fearmongers lie to you.” Organizers turned in petitions with more than 1 million signatures, 100,000 more than was required. Supporters of the amendment called the state investigation political interference.

A Lee County voter says he was left shaken by the visit of a plainclothes officer, who twice asked if he’d signed the petition. He said the officer brought a copy of his driver’s license and other documents. Another voter said she felt intimidated when an officer came to her home. “It didn’t surprise me that they were doing something like this to try to debunk these petitions to get it taken off of the ballot,” Becky Castellanos said.

We are not far away from the sound of jack boots on the pavement.

Do you want to be grilled because you signed a petition?

If not then think about who you vote for because this scenario is only a vote away from a national policy.

Jack boots are just an election a way.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Look At Tim Walz

There has been much written about Harris’ pick to be VP (generic white guy)…..analyzed from many angles from his military service to his time in state government.

Most pundits point to him as as ‘progressive’ (I do not see it but that is what the MSM wants us to believe) I read a piece written by people that were around when Walz was in state government….

++++Keep in mind this is not my analysis but by those that were there with Walz…..++++

This week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was officially endorsed as the 2024 Democratic Party nominee for Vice President at the Democratic National Convention. Since being named the VP pick by the Harris campaign, Walz has received extensive praise for his military background and ‘folksy’ personality (read: midwestern white male); and for his accomplishments as Minnesota Governor, including signing bills that provide free school lunches for children, and set a 100% carbon-free electricity standard. Social media has exploded with memes positioning Walz as a Midwestern folk hero, that dad who “puts $20 in your back pocket so you won’t run out of gas,” or drops everything to dig your car out of a snowbank. Media outlets and nationally known left-leaning activists and commentators have fully embraced this narrative around Walz. As it turns out, Governor Walz and his team have been carefully cultivating this media narrative for nearly two years, the deployment of a long and strategic political calculus befitting of someone who clearly harbors major political ambitions.

For those of us who have had a front row seat to some of Walz’s machinations and political decision-making in Minnesota for the past several years, reconciling the current media narrative around Walz with what we’ve seen with our own eyes has been disorienting. For our own part, we are scientists who frequently came up against the Walz administration as we worked to join the broad and Indigenous-led movement to stop “Line 3”, an enormous tar sands oil pipeline owned by the fossil fuel giant Enbridge that now runs through 300 miles of sensitive northern ecosystems and sovereign treaty territories of Indigenous people in Minnesota. Tar sands oil is some of the dirtiest fuel on the planet; greenhouse gas emissions from the oil running through Line 3 is equivalent to that of 50 coal plants annually, more than the entire state of Minnesota emits alone. This pipeline crosses the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and oil spilled from the pipeline would devastate native flora and fauna, including wild rice, a threatened and sacred food of the Ojibwe people in Minnesota. In the heat of the current political climate, as Tim Walz is being highlighted by some as a “climate champion” and a “true progressive,” our years fighting his administration’s approval of this pipeline leaves us with quite a different understanding of his political choices and gamesmanship.   

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/08/23/the-whitewashing-and-greenwashing-of-tim-walz/

Again I would like to remind you that this is NOT my opinion offered here as FYI on the candidate by those other than the MSM.

I know, I know….he is better than Vance….but so is my dog but she would make a lousy VP…

But people should also know who they are voting for beyond the holding of the nose.

Keep in mind that very few politicians are the same person that promised you the world for your vote….they will eventually show their true colors.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The BLITZ Is On!

****Warning this post may offend the ‘righteous’ but I take the Constitution seriously and for that reason I felt I had to re-post this piece****

As I stated I firmly believe that the first amendment is being violated by d/bags in the states by mandating religious issues in our schools.

This is a re-post from my blog that aggravates as much as possible.

Christian Bullshit At Its Best

All this is a concerted effort by christian nationalist to drive home their thoughts of supremacy.

Ever hear of Project Blitz?

Probably not so let me introduce you….

Project Blitz….

The guide instructs Christian nationalists to work in three phases.

First, they are supposed to pass bills that are expected to receive the least opposition. These “religious heritage” bills encourage or force public schools to offer Bible classes and display “In God We Trust,” as well as mandate the creation of “In God We Trust” license plates.

This first seemingly innocuous phase is meant to build enough momentum to pass “religious history and freedom” bills, which purport that America was, is, and will always be a Christian nation. Examples include “Year of the Bible” and “Christian Heritage Week” bills.

After grabbing this “low hanging fruit,” Christian nationalists move on to more dangerous bills that undermine equality by allowing discrimination in child welfare and religious refusals in health care.

There is so much more….read on…..

https://www.blitzwatch.org/

These religious zealots are doing what they accused Muslims of wanting to do 15 years ago…..any mandate on any religion is not in accordance with the Constitution….you can justify it any way we choose but the fact is it is a violation of our rights.

Someone needs to step up,besides the ACLU, and bring these policies down around the ears of the d/bags that pretend to be ‘christian’.

Enough said!

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–04Jun24

Do you have a fundamental right to vote?

Bet your answer is yes we do have the right…..with the possible exception to the state of Kansas.

The Kansas Supreme Court has made a ruling that has many up in arms….

The Kansas Supreme Court offered a mixed bag in a ruling Friday that combined several challenges to a 2021 election law, siding with state officials on one provision, reviving challenges to others and offering the possibility that at least one will be halted before this year’s general election.

But it was the ballot signature verification measure’s majority opinion — which stated there is no right to vote enshrined in the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights — that drew fiery dissent from three of the court’s seven justices.

The measure requires election officials to match the signatures on advance mail ballots to a person’s voter registration record. The state Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s dismissal of that lawsuit, but the majority rejected arguments from voting rights groups that the measure violates state constitutional voting rights.

In fact, Justice Caleb Stegall, writing for the majority, said that the dissenting justices wrongly accused the majority of ignoring past precedent, holding that the court has not identified a “fundamental right to vote” within the state constitution.

“It simply is not there,” Stegall wrote.

Justice Eric Rosen, one of the three who dissented, shot back: “It staggers my imagination to conclude Kansas citizens have no fundamental right to vote under their state constitution.”

“I cannot and will not condone this betrayal of our constitutional duty to safeguard the foundational rights of Kansans,” Rosen added.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/kansas-constitution-include-vote-state-supreme-court-majority-110730583

If this ruling stands how long will it be before other red states try this end run on the people of their state?

If you are 18 and a citizen it does matter which of the 50 little republics you live you have a duty to vote and if anyone stands in your way then it is time to push back on this betrayal of the people.

Is this what you want for this country?

I Read, I Write, you Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–10May24

From time to time I give news from my state of Mississippi not that anyone would give a crap but rather to show just how goddamn backwards it is here in the ‘New South’….

After months of rhetoric the legislature passed a bathroom bill….wasted time and wasted days….but let me ask will there be ‘bathroom monitors’ to see who is using the ‘right’ bathroom?  If so is that not a privacy issue?  Who decides who will be the ‘pervert’ of the day?

Then the worthless bunch of panty waste passed a bill on what is known as ‘squatted cars’….I know….HUH?

Squatted vehicles — also called Carolina Squat — are those whose front fenders are 4 inches or higher than their back fenders, making the vehicles appear to be squatting. Lawmakers say the vehicles pose a danger to the driver and to others on the roads.

Several states throughout the South have banned “squatted” vehicles in recent years. Now, Mississippi is included in that list.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed House bill HB349 into law that prohibits squatted vehicles from public streets and highways. The new law takes effect July 1.

Other states that have banned squatted vehicles include North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Tennessee this year enacted a similar ban, which also takes effect in July. Alabama legislators are currently considering whether to ban squatted vehicles.

Fines for violating the new laws vary from state to state. In Mississippi, citations will come with a $100 fine the first offense. Subsequent violations will come with higher fines. Even though the new law goes into effect July 1, the fines will not start until January, to allow squatted vehicle owners time to have their vehicles put back to their original form. Law enforcement will still issue citations, which will count toward the number of offenses when it comes to the amount of the fines.

(aol.com)

First take a look at the states that have banned these tricked out cars.

Is it me or is it the states with a large black population?

Now I ask….what about all these rednecks and their trucks that are 9 feet off the ground?  Why are those not dangerous?

While we are at it….how about a ban on those 20 foot luxury 4 door pick-ups….no one needs a truck that big.

How about our newest 4th district representative?

Our last election saw the do-nothing representative, Palazzo, lose a bid for re-election to some jerk wad and a bigger douche, Ezell….well Rep. Ezell is in hot water for being stupid….

A Palestinian-American activist is pressing charges against U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi for allegedly assaulting her on Capitol Hill.

Ezell, who is currently running for reelection, was shown in a video posted Tuesday with Sumer Mobarak, a member of a feminist political advocacy group based in California called Code Pink.

One of the activists can be heard asking Ezell about the Israel-Hamas war and whether he thinks Israel should accept a ceasefire proposal or if he wants “this genocide to continue?”

Another person off-camera asks: “You want the killing of my people, my Palestinian people?”

“Oh, why don’t you shut up?” Ezell says in response. “Knock it off!” He then appears to reach out with his hand and knock the cellphone filming him to the ground.

“These China-backed protesters want to harass and intimidate Members of Congress into ending our support for Israel and our opposition to Hamas terrorists,” Ezell said in a statement. “I will not be harassed or intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party, Hamas, or their supporters, and I will continue standing with our Israeli allies against terrorism.”

Code Pink says on its site that “China is not our enemy.” According to a 2023 New York Times investigation, the group—which describes itself as a “feminist grassroots organization working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism, support peace and human rights initiatives”

(mississippitoday.org)

This old dinosaur, Ezell, is using a tired old meme of a communist party.  A question was asked….that is no intimidation in my book…why not not give a straight answer instead of some hilly-billy bully reaction?

Apparently he has to wait for his staff to try and cover his ass for he is too dim to do it himself.

This is what us peasants in Mississippi have to deal with…..stupid waste of time on laws that apply to only a certain quarter of the population.

I hope you have a great Mother’s Day weekend….and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–11Apr24

My next door neighbor, I live in Mississippi, is trying to criminalize librarians….Alabama has a law in consideration that would do just that…..

The Alabama Library Association and other critics on Wednesday called out the state’s Republican policymakers for pushing a new bill that opponents warn will unfairly jail librarians and have a chilling impact on collections.

House Bill 385, introduced Tuesday by state Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-43) and 30 other legislators, says that “under existing law, certain obscenity laws do not apply to public libraries, public school libraries, college libraries, or university libraries, or the employees or agents of any such libraries.”

“This bill would provide that these criminal obscenity laws do not apply to college or university libraries or their employees or agents, but do apply to public libraries, public school libraries, and their employees or agents,” the legislation continues.

H.B. 385 would also add the following language to the definition of sexual conduct: “Any sexual or gender-oriented material that knowingly exposes minors to persons who are dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, or are stripping, or engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing, presentations, or activities in K-12 public schools, public libraries, and other public places where minors are expected and are known to be present without parental consent.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/alabama-library

So sad that politicians are turning schools and libraries into political battlefields….when they should be more concerned with educating their citizens and not hindering the teachers and librarians.

It is a pathetic day when the destruction of schools take the lead in state politics.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

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”