Sen. Scott objects ---WTF?

Switched over to Cspan2 in time to hear Mike Lee (R UT) object to Colorado senator Michael Bennet's effort to approve the national historical designation of a camp used to inter Japanese Americans during WWII. Not surprised at Lee's objection, but thoroughly disgusted by it. Then comes Rick Scott (R FL) objecting to the overwhelmingly bipartisan post office bill because, according to him, it will somehow harm Medicare recipients. If memory serves, Rick Scott's company was issued the largest fine for Medicare fraud in the history of the program; and he's holding up the bill on the presumption of giving a damn about Medicare recipients?? Seriously???


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68%

Our upcoming caucus is going to be interesting. Top of our agenda is choosing a Dem nominee for Representative from our newly minted congressional district. In our current district we’re “represented” by Ken Buck, who succeeded very greasy (literally) Cory Gardner; fun fact — Jenna Ellis, awful Trump attorney, worked for Ken Buck when he was our awful DA. We look forward to having real representation for a change, and we have good people stepping up, including Chaz Tedesco and Yadiro Caraveo. Meanwhile, GOPers tossing their hats in the ring include former county commish and current state legislator Barb Kirkmeyer, an ardent pro-secessionist and vocal proponent of one-party rule who refers to herself as “Weld County’s very own Sarah Palin”; also wanting the job is former legislator and current county commish Lori Saine who will likely object to seeing poster-sized images of her mug shot from when she was arrested for having a loaded gun in her purse while going through security at the airport.

According to the county clerk’s office, 68% of registered voters are not Republicans. Yet, the board of county commissioners has been all-Republican for better than three decades, the sheriff is so far to the right that he was personally endorsed by Ted Nugent; our city council has five Republicans and two Democrats. Until the last election we had an excellent city councilor who GOPers spent upwards of $200K to unseat (most of that money coming from the Denver area) because she actually knew what she was doing and further offended by being Hispanic and gay. Her seat is now occupied by a former revenge-mayor (that’s another story) who was a school security guard with a reputation for pulling his gun on students when he wasn’t showing them racist anti-Obama cards.

Back in 2020, our county commissioners got their noses out of joint when national news (led by Rachel Maddow) noted their gross mishandling of the Covid outbreak at the meat-packing plant. The commishes, in a blatant act of CYA, disputed the recommendations from Dr. Mark Wallace, the 25-year head of the county health department, and he summarily “retired”; the commishes appointed someone with no training for the job to replace him. Dr. Wallace, the displaced director, went on to receive a Fauci Award from the New York Times for his ongoing work to contain the pandemic. We used to be able to go to the county website for graphs that tracked Covid cases and deaths; their reports are now confusing at best, incomprehensible most of the time.

So, because things aren’t already nuts enough, another GOPer has decided that we ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. He’s announced his candidacy for an open seat on the board of county commishes, and he’s promising to donate his entire salary by giving away AR-15s because he wants to “change the stigma of gun ownership”. https://www.greeleytribune.com/2022/02/05/weld-commissioner-candidate-elijah-hatch-promises-to-use-1st-years-salary-to-give-away-ar-15s/ If he gets the seat he’ll be in good company; commish Perry Buck, Ken Buck’s ex, was previously and blessedly briefly in the state senate, where her first effort was to restore gun rights to former felons, a move that wasn’t on anyone’s list of priorities.

All that being said, we are extremely fortunate in having a Dem governor, and our state treasurer is a Dem from this neighborhood who has been doing a spectacular job. One of our neighborhoods has managed to hold onto a Dem seat in the state legislature, presently occupied by a gifted and well-respected representative. And our secretary of state, a young Dem, has come out swinging against those who want to upend our elections, gaining and holding the support of even Republican county clerks along with very positive attention in the national media.

Even so, it ain’t easy being a member of the 68%. Health issues are limiting my participation, very much to my annoyance. I’ll attend where I can, and zoom when I can, and write letters to editors, and stick stamps on envelopes. And I’ll keep making buttons for candidates and causes and adding more bumper stickers that will likely get my car keyed again and get me cussed at in parking lots and flipped off in traffic. But we have a brand new district to build, and we’re worth whatever it takes to make it a good one.



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Bear non-necessities

Squish

My favorite escape from the news is the video feed from the San Diego Zoo. Today I tuned in just as six ellies were attempting to share a teaspoon-size mud hole. What a hoot!





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lubdubs

Omigosh, DUers, THANK YOU for the hearts!!


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Someone I don't know

just described me to perfection . . .





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No, I did NOT.

So this showed up in my email this morning. Never heard of the place, have definitely not bought anything there. It isn't showing up (yet) on my bank account, have reported it as phishing.

Anyone else getting this thing?






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Deja vu-ing?

Putin's troops are amassing on Ukraine's border. It’s not August of 1939, it’s not a radio station in Gleiwitz, Poland. Other than that . . .



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Bookends