Friday Homestead Dispatch

Let’s Just Vote

“Don’t piss on any happiness or kindness that comes your way. It’s a real sin to decide that an act or a moment is insufficient because it wasn’t the one you hoped for or most needed. I did that for a long time, and I became my own worst enemy, as we often can be. Life—when you’ve lived a lot of it, as I have—is a series of acts and moments, and suddenly you’re in a place, a clearing in your own mental woods, and you can see what got you there. It isn’t a sudden thing, an overnight thing, a planned thing. It’s being kind and acknowledging the kind things done for you; it’s showing up and being happy that your legs worked and someone said ‘yes,’ that magical word from which all things flow. You show up and you’re kind and you’re happy and you keep working and you keep hoping, and suddenly there’s your life and there you are. You’ve become something, and that something is a collection of all that has been given to you and how you chose to use it. That is, I guess, my philosophy of life.”
—Ruth Gordon Interview with James Grissom, 1984

1.
More Bizarro-World opinions have been hurled about this week by members of the MAGA cult. As Merrick Garland was dragged before the cultist’s inquisition, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) said, “It’s just so unbelievable ... I never thought I’d see the day, where in United States of America, a political party was trying to jail their opposition. But here we are.” Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) uttered, “The whole Democratic Party over there is corrupt right now ... Well, look at what they’ve done to President Trump...They’re all in the same boat and row in the same direction, and it is corruption.” Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) squawked, “If I have as many guns as I want in my personal collection, do you think— you know, you have this new rule that you celebrated with your ATF director, which I think is very dangerous, do you think there should be limitations on the percentage of my collection that I should be able to sell, or timeframe, I can hold a gun like, you know, I can buy ten guns and try to shoot them at the range, they’re not good and I want to sell them. should there be any limitations on the timeframe, or the percentage of my collection I can replace?” Uhhhh…

I have not been Garland’s biggest fanboy but in his testimony this week he said, “I view contempt as a serious matter. But I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations. I will not be intimidated. And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending democracy.” And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) had to remind the committee that “Trump’s campaign manager, felon. Trump’s deputy campaign manager, felon. Trump’s foreign policy advisor, felon. Trump’s lawyer. Trump’s political advisor, felon. Trump’s fundraiser, felon. it is not the fault of the Department of Justice that Donald Trump surrounded himself with criminals.” Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, “I have to say I’m pleased and a bit surprised to see that the flag in this committee room is flying right-side up.”

All in all a jolly good break in introducing bills and legislation for the cause of human advancement…

2.
And in a move to showcase just who the GOP is these days, the Senate on Wednesday afternoon voted not to advance a bill that would create a federal right to access contraception. The procedural measure, which required 60 votes, failed as all but two Republicans present voted against it. In a smooth move, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) changed his vote to “No” so he would have the option to bring the bill up for another vote in the future. So you know, all the Republicans running for reelection this year voted no: John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

3.
Fuckleroy on Hillary before Election Day: “If she wins, it would create an unprecedented constitutional crisis, we could very well have a sitting president under felony indictment and, ultimately, a criminal trial. It would grind government to a halt.” And Riverside County (CA) Sheriff Chad Bianco said this week, “I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House. Trump 2024, baby. Let’s save this country and make America great again.”

“I just luvs me some Fuckleroy”

4.
In order to stimulate the mostly impotent sexual organs of the MAGA House members, House speaker Mike Johnson named Representatives Scott Perry (R-PA) and Ronny Jackson (R-TX) to the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. The New Republic’s headline for this news: Mike Johnson Puts Dumbest People You Know on Intel Committee. Heather Cox Richardson puts this decision into perspective in Wednesday night's post. She quotes former director of the CIA General Michael Hayden as saying, “That’s unbelievable. Both of them. Intelligence Committee? God help us.”  And, in the category of it-couldn’t-have-happened-to-a-more-deserving-guy, a federal judge rules Bannon must go to prison by July 1 for a four-month stay in the hoosegow while appealing his contempt case. Heh.

5.
Since I wrote a bit about the folks pushing the voucher system last month, faith-based Republicans and the ultra-wealthy, I’ve been seeing more and more editorials about just how connected the voucher system is with the push for evangelical Christianity to assert control over every other religion, every family in America, the US government itself, all public and private education, the arts and entertainment, all American media, and ultimately regulate all commercial business in our nation. Twenty-eight states, nearly all Republican-controlled, are now spending billions of taxpayer dollars to support indoctrinating children in religion through voucher programs that can be used for mostly Christian schools. Five Republican-controlled states are in the process of letting vouchers ghettoize their entire public-school systems.

I haven’t read it yet, but award-winning journalist Mike Hixenbaugh’s book, They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms, tells the tale of how coordinated, well-funded conservative backlash erupted in Southlake, Texas, which lit the fire of a national movement on the verge of changing the face of public schools across the country.

Can you guess what political party is promoting this tyranny? Any Republicans who had any integrity are now mostly all gone, purged from the party or cowed into silence by fear of violence against their families or the end of their political careers. We are the last barrier to America being overwhelmed by this fascist tide. You, me, and average people like us. Nobody else is coming to our nation’s rescue. But Hunter Biden’s gun! JUST. VOTE. BLUE.

6.
The long-suffering and misunderstood MAGA crowd in Phoenix were all a-twitter yesterday when their champion came to town. Turning Point USA, a far-right conservative evangelical Christian-based group headed up by Charlie Kirk, sponsored Fuckleroy’s appearance, along with Dream City Church whose private school has collected nearly $1 million in school vouchers (your money). Fuckleroy was all worked up saying, “Arizona is being turned into a dumping ground for the dungeons of the third world,” adding that he intends to create the “largest domestic deportation operation in the history of the world” if he is elected. And on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program, Hannity tossed out this softball, "Focus on those that want people to believe that you want retribution. That you would use the system of justice to go after your political enemies." The Orangeman said, “…When this election is over, based on what they've done, I would have every right to go after them."

In contrast, President Biden said he would NOT pardon his son Hunter if convicted.

7.
Thanks to all of you who stopped by Monterey Court last Tuesday for our Dropped By Birds performance. The band tore it up and Clay Koweek knocked it out of the park. He’ll be back for other shows, I’m sure.

The band’s last performance at the Tucson Hop Shop until the Fall will be this Tuesday, June 11, 6-8pm. You get to fill your noggin with our mix of moody Eastern European motifs with a taste of Zydeco, Tex-Mex, swing, and surf all while basking in the comfort of the bitchin’ misting system to cool you down, tasty beers to quench your insatiable desires, and fabulous pizzas next door to fill your inner longings.

8.
Michael Herzmark just finished another of his videos this week…I sang the part of Dopey.

And now…