Recent Nuggets …
- She rose to GOP fame as the self-described “The Patriot Barbie” for her vow to fight COVID-19 regulations and government overreach. But Arizona real estate agent Lindsey Graham appears to be losing her battle — and the costs are stacking up. Graham lost a lawsuit against the state of Oregon, was fined thousands of dollars, faces collections for unpaid rent to the city of Salem and now says she could be in danger of losing her home. The former hair salon owner turned right-wing podcaster said the government juggernaut has pursued her from Oregon to Arizona.
- After the Supreme Court has removed women’s rights to control her own body, what’s next?
- Yet another example of why it was brilliant for McConnell and the Republicans to infest the federal bench in recent years with radical right-wing judges.
- Hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions this year backing proposed ballot initiatives to expand voting access, ensure abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona, Arkansas and Michigan.
- Broadcasting and Television Broadcasting+Cable – …
- An article in the New York Times by David Brooks points out that many of us have a strong reluctance to talk to strangers; especially in places like airplanes, commuter trains, airports or when we’re standing in line. Some of the reasons for this include that we think it will be awkward, dull, trying and not at all enjoyable.
- Where, oh where, did the original contents go?
- Travelling? You just might find these links helpful.
- Veterans do not have a say in where they are stationed, which makes it all the more critical that we keep raising our voices. No matter where someone is stationed for our country, they deserve to have the right to make their own choices regarding their own bodies. … GOP politicians are delusional if they think voters do not care about abortion.
- A friend and her husband were having dinner out when they noticed a couple seated at a table not far from them. The two people seemed happy as well as excited and were taking photos of each other.
- What do you call a Nazi-loving, anti-American, tax-hiking Arizonan? Blake Masters.
- Kari Lake wants to fire the federal government. A vote for her could cost Arizona everything. The Lincoln Project is a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States — dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy. Our fight against Trumpism is only beginning. We must combat these forces everywhere and at all times — our democracy depends on it.
- Graham has also been fanning the flames of right-wing violence in the wake of the FBI’s Constitutional search of Donald Trump’s Florida home. While Trump supporters are busy sending death threats to judges and attacking the FBI’s Cincinnati field office, Graham has taken public aim at the FBI’s credibility and even compared the Mar-a-Lago search to the deadly 1992 standoff at Ruby Ridge. Later in his life, Billy Graham often lamented getting involved with politics when he was younger — once telling Parade magazine, “The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it.” It’s a shame his son didn’t listen.
- A study published in an online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides the first laboratory evidence of something many of us have known all along: acts of kindness are contagious. According to the article, when people experience acts of kindness, they “pay it forward” by being kind to others. This creates a cascade of kind acts which influences the behavior of dozens of others. This means kindness is a very powerful act. By performing only a few acts of kindness each day we can positively impact the lives of a fairly large number of people. As Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert put it, “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
- Connert Media, LLC is the former publisher of the Compact DiscList. The Compact DiscList was one of the first projects to distribute thousands of catalogues listing the new concept of music CDs. Its success was short lived because of the Internet and other various competitions. Our staff decided to quit while ahead. We stopped publishing and used the profit to begin other projects. We have a soft spot in our hearts for one incredibly successful project
- Andy Biggs speaks a great thing in his periodic email newsletter but his actions say another thing. He vote NAY on H.R.3967 – Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. Shameful!
- Introducing the newly upgraded Hohem iSteady Mobile+ gimbal stabilizer. Thanks to this new stabilizer, no more blurry videos, the iSteady anti-shake technology allows you to shoot incredibly stable & smooth multi-scene shots. Meet a wide range of professional mirror movements. Shaky pictures or blurry videos are past tense thanks to the new 3-axis phone stabilizer. Ideal for daily travel recording, short video creation, or wedding and sports shooting, etc.
- U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona Democrat who single-handedly thwarted her party’s longtime goal of raising taxes on wealthy investors, received nearly $1 million over the past year from private equity professionals, hedge fund managers and venture capitalists whose taxes would have increased under the plan.
- This can’t be real! But it is TRUE. Gutting public schools, targeting booksellers, shutting down libraries: Every censorship tactic is on the table.
- As this infographic using Rapid Energy Policy Evaluation and Analysis Toolkit (REPEAT) estimates shows, while annual net greenhouse gas emissions are forecast to be significantly lower by 2030 than they would be if the country’s current policies were maintained, the target is still well out of reach. expects emissions to come closer to the desired level by 2035.
- We haven’t had any appreciable rain where I live in quite a few months, and it’s been very hot as well. Last night, things finally changed—we got a downpour along with a noticeable drop in the temperature. This morning when I went on my walk, the first thing I noticed is that everyone I met on the sidewalk was smiling—they were so happy for having gotten a cooling rain.
- Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said that she’ll sign on to the Democrats’ climate bill—after advocating for a few adjustments that she apparently didn’t care to explain to anyone.
- There seems to be hundreds of email marketing services out there. These are some of our recommendations.
- In June, the U.S. Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton ruled that a high school coach’s prayers at midfield following football games did not violate the Establishment Clause.
- The ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the primary decision-making body of the church, is a process of communal spiritual discernment. When the ELCA Churchwide Assembly convenes, its voting members meet with confidence in God’s grace around word and water, wine and bread, to carry on their work on behalf of the entire church.
- The stakes have never been higher. We need to send Trudy to the U.S. Senate, She will be the 51st vote the Democrat Party needs to pass truly comprehensive gun reform, protect the right to an abortion, and break through the partisan divide.
- To best achieve a whole health model for the provision of health care to veterans and reduce long-term costs, the Department must furnish veterans with preventative and comprehensive dental care.
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- A bill aimed at protecting veterans exposed to toxic materials during their service was shut down yesterday in the Senate, in a 55 to 42 vote that failed to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance the legislation. Of the 42 senators who voted against the PACT Act, 41 were Republicans.
- My step grand daughter is graduating from high school with all sorts of honors and I attended a program held in the school gym. It lasted almost forever and the seats were hard but it was a thrill to hear of the achievements of so many students.
- In the very early seventies I started working with a noted psychologist from Notre Dame University to learn more about employee behavior. I was trying to figure our why we had such a rotten safety record and what we might do about it. I had been handling the investigation and settlement of employee injury claims since the late forties and “human error” seemed to be the stated cause for most injuries and it got me interested in what caused “human error.”
- “Back pain can range in intensity from a dull, …
- Green Bay, WI, Bishop David Ricken has just implemented a new policy in diocesan schools that, among other measures, hatefully bans trans students and staff from using their preferred pronouns, clothing, and bathrooms
- Richard Wershe Jr. (born July 18, 1969), known as “White Boy Rick”, is an American former drug trafficker and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant. The youngest known informant in the history of the FBI, Wershe became a confidential informant when he was 14 to 16 years old.
- Combines the strength and durability of the Trizor edge with the flawless, ultra-sharp 15-degree XV technology. Time Required to Sharpen: Approximately 1 minute for first time sharpening and resharpening approximately 10 seconds
- Aggregators Probably Should Be Your First Visit
- What authoritative voices are saying about Prisoner of War: The Story of White Boy Rick and the War on Drugs: “Meticulously researched and brutally honest. It tells the true story of White Boy Rick.” The tale of a Detroit boy recruited by the FBI—at age 14—to be a paid informant against a politically-connected drug gang is so amazing it inspired a Hollywood film—White Boy Rick—starring Matthew McConaughey as the teen’s father.
- Almost every justification I’ve seen today has used bible verses, saying this country needs Jesus. Respectfully – no. It doesn’t.
- The Rebar M4 Jeans for men are reinforced for twice the durability with just the right amount of stretch for a flexible, comfortable fit; Relaxed through the waist, hip and thigh for the most comfortable fit, all day long
- Let’s be clear: Despite its name, Christian nationalism is not a religious viewpoint, and it is certainly not Christian. It is instead a political ideology, one that distorts the Gospel and ignores the Constitution by merging American and conservative Christian identities, all with the goal of building political power for the right wing at any cost.” [efn_note]Faithful America, June 11, 2022 – She [Marjorie Taylor Greene] then invokes faith to claim “Democrats are domestic terrorists.
- Rachel Maddow looks at the racist, antisemitic roots of “Christian nationalism” as advocated by American politician Gerald L.K. Smith in the 1950s, and the renewed embrace of the tenets of that disgraced movement by supporters of Donald Trump like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor Doug Mastriano.
- As I mentioned in last week’s Reminder, I fell on my knee and ruptured the quadricep tendon in my right leg. As a result, I spent two weeks in a hospital while the tendon was reattached. This resulted in my wife Marcia and I being on the receiving end of lots and lots of kindness. Just when I thought that I had seen all the kindness I was going to see for a while, the doorbell rang.
- Republican U.S. House of Representatives – (Oath …
- Republican US Congressperson – Alabama (Oath of …
- McMinn County Board of Education members claim they banned “Maus” due to “rough, objectionable language” and a depiction of nudity. But when officials start making it harder for students to learn about injustices like antisemitism, objections about language and sex are almost always just an authoritarian excuse to sanitize history, further marginalize already oppressed populations, and ultimately seize power at any cost.
- Republicans just gave us the middle finger by voting against the Honoring Our PACT Act, which protects toxin-exposed veterans.
- Josh Hawley is a laughingstock. During Thursday night’s televised hearings of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Elaine Luria showed video of Missouri’s junior senator that will surely follow him the rest of his life. In the clip, Hawley sprints across a hallway as he and his fellow senators are evacuated after insurrectionists had breached the Capitol building. When it played on the screen, the audience in the room with the committee erupted in laughter.
- We recommend Greg Stanton for his support of the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- A major brokerage house, TD Ameritrade, has funneled millions of dollars into PACs that support “The Big Lie” 1 and various ultra-conservative organizations. They are responsible for over $2,140,000 going to Future45 and $1,800,000 going to Ending Spending Action Fund. Yes, they even contributed $21,600 to Josh Hawley, one of the congressmen who supported the January 6th insurrection.
- Injuries received when she was attacked by an angry bull proved almost instantly fatal to Mrs. Elsie A. Rothe, 43, wife of Gus Rothe, who resides one mile east of Grindstone City. The accident occur red in the barnyard on the farm Saturday morning as Mrs. Rothe was taking the cattle back to pasture.
- Rebuffed by ultra right wing “Christian White Nationalists”, David continues to represent the unheard voices of those killed by gun fire in Parkland, Buffalo and El Paso
- A few weeks ago, I fell on my knee and ruptured the quadriceps tendon in my right leg. As a result, I spent two weeks in a hospital while the tendon was reattached. From the time I got there until the time I was discharged I was shown nothing but the utmost kindness from the hospital’s many healthcare professionals who took care of me—it was unbelievable! I also receive numerous phone calls, texts visits and cards from friends who wanted to make sure I was doing well.
- We found that almost nobody has heard of these products. But using these just might change how you do laundry in the future. Plus, it is another great way to bring laundry detergent with you as you travel.
- Frustrated when you receive a file that you cannot open on your computer. The first thing you should be aware of is that fact that many anti-virus programs may be blocking it from opening which means the file might be mean little “trigger” just waiting to cause you some harm. Our first reaction will be CAUTION.
- A tweet later deleted from Republican Rep. Jim Jordan’s Twitter account dismissed the claim that a 10-year-old girl was raped in his home state of Ohio and had to cross state lines to receive an abortion as “another lie.”
- Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is currently a federal government official. She was appointed by Trump in May 2020 for a five year term on the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board.
- “Several of the country’s most respected legal scholars say that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas must immediately recuse himself from any cases relating to the 2020 election and its aftermath, now that it has been revealed that his wife, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, colluded extensively with a top White House adviser about overturning Joe Biden’s victory over then President Donald Trump.”
- Red America is bad for your health. If you live in a red state, your risk of getting and dying from covid-19 is higher than in blue states. On average, your life span is shorter, your chance of living in poverty higher, your educational attainment lower and your economic opportunities are reduced relative to blue-state residents.
- As deaths mount from gun-related violence in the U.S., so do the sales of firearms, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Data from 2020 shows how gun production has increased nearly threefold over the past 20 years, rising from the manufacture of 3.9 million guns in 2000 to more than 11.3 million in 2020.
- The Republican Party is pushing the nonsensical “independent state legislature theory,” which could give state legislatures complete control of congressional redistricting and federal elections. Under their theory, it is possible that neither governors, nor courts, nor independent commissions get any say in the process.
- Yup, even in the purple state of Arizona, there are those who hate Trump.
- Your donations, whether financial or your time and talents, helps the church achieve its mission.
- You Might Consider… Thumbtack – Thumbtack …
- Far too many people have bought into the myth that failure is fatal and is something that should be avoided. In reality, failure is the world’s most effective learning experience. Most of our greatest accomplishments were made possible through failure–learning to walk, ride a bike and drive. Why should the rest of our life be any different?
- It’s Memorial Day and I’m thinking about Korea and about you, Max. You and those other G.I’s they carried off on liters from that damn, beat-up powder-topped hill we called Old Baldy. We were fighting so that the world would be safe for democracy. Maybe we did a lousy job of it Max, because people are still killing each other for the same reason.
- Pundits, politicians and even President Obama are all saying that getting the economy back on track is going to take a long, long time. This is very depressing and it’s not what the American people want to hear. They want to hear about a quick fix for the current situation—an instant turnaround that will put the economy on a fast track toward recovery today. That’s the kind of news that will get the American people excited about their future.
- Available from Amazon.com Never doubt that a small …
- Yesterday my wife Jean and I were driving down an old country road looking for a church meeting site where I would be delivering a humor talk next week. As I was thinking about all of the picturesque country roads in this area and I thought about John Denver’s song Country Road.
- There aren’t many medicines that even come close to delivering the benefits that laughter delivers. To start with, laughter makes us feel good, makes our burdens seem lighter and makes the difficult times seem less difficult. In addition, laughter strengthens the immune system, helps you heal more quickly, reduces food cravings, reduces stress, anxiety and anger while providing you with a better night’s sleep.
- If you’re the type who likes to spray tan or spend hours under the sun… here’s a better alternative. Switch up your diet to food that’s rich in carotenoids. You know what they say – you are what you eat.
- An Amazing Place to Gather – Overheard at the …
- Thomas sent the messages using FreeRoots, an online platform intended to make it easy to send pre-written emails to multiple elected officials. New documents show that Thomas indeed used the platform to reach many lawmakers simultaneously. On Nov. 9, she sent identical emails to 20 members of the Arizona House and seven Arizona state senators. That represents more than half of the Republican members of the state legislature at the time.”
- No matter if you live in the United States, outside of the country, or are actively serving in the armed forces, registering to vote is easier than ever before.
- June was PRIDE Month, and VA takes pride in striving to improve the health and healthcare for LGBTQ+ Veterans. There are an estimated one million lesbian, gay, and bisexual Veterans in the United States. Research also shows that transgender identity is about five times more common among Veterans than non-Veterans.
- The majority of Americans are devasted by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Re v. Wade.
- This bill increases from 9 to 13 the number of Justices on the Supreme Court.
- If the United States Government or a specific State Government is going to force you to have an unwanted children, the Government now needs to support the child through its entire adolescent life probably through the age of twenty-six.
- If you want the world full of unwanted kids, why don’t you step up to the plate and consider Foster Care and Adoption.
- One of the things I have observed over the years is that when a kind person gets sick or otherwise faces adversity, people quickly line up to help them. On the other hand, when an unkind or selfish person faces adversity, nobody cares which means they have to face their adversity alone. This can be sad as well as scary. What’s going on here is simple and straightforward.
- The good news is that there is a voice in the administration who is consistently on point, aggressive (without getting nasty) and likable: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The bad news is that his job doesn’t normally lend itself to providing message discipline for the White House and the party.
- A decision about having a baby or having an abortion is a deeply personal, private decision best left to a woman, her family, and her doctor. Yet some politicians remain obsessed with interfering. Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed today, and it’s incredibly safe
- BallotPedia monitors various legislation throughout the United States regarding women’s rights.
- This amendment would provide a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom in Arizona, which includes but is not limited to the right to make and effectuate decisions regarding “prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care.”
- I was my high school’s valedictorian and in Georgia, that meant being invited to a reception at the Governor’s Mansion. My family didn’t have a car, so that morning, my parents and I took the bus from DeKalb to Buckhead. We arrived at the Governor’s Mansion and walked up the side of the driveway, next to the cars carrying valedictorians from across the state. But when we reached the guard gate, a guard stepped out, looked at us and said, “You don’t belong here. This is a private event.”
- U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona asked for a presidential pardon following the Jan. 6 attack of the U.S. Capitol, a former aide to Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff said during testimony shown Thursday.
- “We’re deeply concerned by the recent changes that limit reproductive rights,” GoDaddy officials said in a statement. “Limiting these rights impacts the ability for people to pursue success on their own terms, which is core to our mission to empower entrepreneurs everywhere, making opportunity more inclusive.
- We’ve all heard the phrase: “Don’t worry, be happy.” While it may sound trite, numerous medical and psychological studies show that this is sound advice to live by.
- Bible Translators Got It Wrong “Again I tell …
- It’s been seven years since a white supremacist stepped into a sacred space of worship for the Black community of Charleston, SC and took 9 innocent young lives. We wish we could say that we’ve seen real change happen in the ensuing years, but that is sadly not the case. Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma – these are just three of the mass shootings we’ve witnessed in the last [few] months.
- A courageous leader and defender of democracy. A public servant dedicated to expanding economic opportunity. A critical governorship in a battleground state
- Ronald Dion DeSantis is an American politician and attorney serving as the 46th governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Florida’s 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018