Friday Homestead Dispatch

Sure Is Messy

1.
It’s time to turn the narrative to the scrutiny of Fuckleroy’s broken brain. Scott Dworkin wrote on Tuesday, regarding the orange one’s recent and brief interview with Sean Hannity, that he was “100% certain that we’re gonna have a terrorist attack.” He repeated the line that immigration is “poisoning our country,” and promised to “have the largest deportation in the history of our country.” He praised CNN’s debate moderators for allowing him to lie unchecked for 90 minutes. And he even said Jimmy Carter, who is in hospice care, is “the happiest guy around.”

Robert Hubbell reports that the issue is not Joe Biden. It is Donald Trump—and the media’s arrogant refusal to apply the same scrutiny to Trump that it is applying to Biden. If they did, they would be demanding neurological exams of Trump and his withdrawal from the race. So far as we have been informed by Trump, his cognitive test consisted of recalling five objects: “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” Can you say, “double standard”?

Fuckleroy held a rally in Doral, Florida on Tuesday where he said, “Did anyone ever see the lovely movie ‘The Silence of the Lambs’? Did you ever see it? Did you ever hear of Hannibal Lecter? He was a lovely...He would love to have you for dinner. He will take you. He had many people for dinner....We have a lot of people coming in. ‘Oh, that’s terrible what Trump would say. He is rambling about Hannibal Lecter.’ No, I’m not rambling. We are allowing people from insane asylums and mental institutions into our country by the tens of thousands. We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, and rebuild our capital city, so that it is no longer a nightmare of murder and crime. But rather it will become the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world....Right now, if you leave Florida, ‘Oh, let’s go, darling, let’s look at the Jefferson Memorial, let’s look at the Washington Monument, let’s go and look at some of the beautiful scenes,’ and you end up getting shot, mugged, raped.” Inspiring.

The Philadelphia Inquirer published a piece, re-posted in the Citizen’s Voice, this week that said in fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump. Trump, 78, has been on the political stage for eight years marked by chaos, corruption, and incivility. Why go back to that? To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down. There is no shining city on the hill. It’s just mourning in America. Throughout the debate, Trump repeatedly said we are a “failing” country. He called the United States a “third world nation.” He said, “we’re living in hell” and “very close to World War III.”

There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running for president. The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country will be.

And not only should we focus on his mental health, we should spread the word (which seems to be hitting the Facebook rounds) to make it common knowledge amongst the masses what the big F and Project 2025 have in store for the nation.

Jay Kuo penned a piece earlier this week that headlines Trump Is Project 2025. I first mentioned Project 2025 back in July of 2023 quoting HRC’s missive on it: Behind this initiative is “Project 2025,” a coalition of more than 65 right-wing organizations putting in place personnel and policies to recommend not just to Trump, but to any Republican who may win in 2024. Project 2025 is led by the Heritage Foundation, once considered a conservative think tank, that helped to lead the Reagan revolution. The party appears to have fully embraced the antidemocratic ideology advanced by authoritarian leaders like Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán, who argue that the post–World War II era, in which democracy seemed to triumph, is over. They claim that the tenets of democracy—equality before the law, free speech, academic freedom, a market-based economy, immigration, and so on—weaken a nation by destroying a “traditional” society based in patriarchy and Christianity. (Heritage president Kevin Roberts established Project 2025 on April 21, 2023, to provide the 2024 Republican presidential nominee with a personnel database and ideological framework, who would, of course, be Fuckleroy)

According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Project 2025 coalition members are staffed by over 200 former officials of the first Trump administration. These sophisticated Trump-movement MAGA operatives now know how to work the levers of government and have learned from what they see as their main mistake during Trump’s first term: leaving the “deep state” intact. These conservatives proudly served Donald Trump through his administration and attempted insurrection. They are now ready to help him complete the job and their plan is here for everyone willing to see. Plans in the manifesto outline that a re-elected Trump would put nuclear weapons programs on steroids, trash what remains of the global arms control regime, and likely trigger new nuclear weapons programs in more other nations than we have seen at any time since the early 1960s.

Kuo goes on to say that Fuckleroy’s denial of Project 2025 (“I know nothing about Project 2025,” “I have no idea who is behind it,” “I have nothing to do with them.”) signifies that whenever Trump denies he has anything to do with it, it of course means he absolutely has everything to do with it.

Even President Biden mentions it in a statement released last week: “He’s trying to hide his connections to his allies’ extreme Project 2025 agenda. The only problem? It was written for him, by those closest to him. Project 2025 should scare every single American.”

And, according to the Washington Post, weekly mentions of Project 2025 by left-wing political influencers have tripled since the start of June. I’ve personally seen many people posting memes on Facebook to spread the word. Here’s an example I grabbed from Wednesday alone….the point being not whether they are totally accurate as much as awareness of it is circulated.

The Center for American Progress reports that Project 2025 would destroy the 250-year-old system of checks and balances upon which U.S. democracy has relied and give far-right politicians, judges, and corporations more control over Americans’ lives.

On women’s health and abortion control alone they report that they have set their sights on usurping independent agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to eradicate abortion access. If they succeed, the far-reaching consequences will be detrimental to women, families, and providers and fuel the politicization of medicine in the United States:

— More women will die. Without a mail option for medication abortion, the steep logistical and financial burdens of traveling for abortion access will exacerbate the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in the United States, particularly for women of color.

— Fearing criminalization, providers will be forced to deny care to patients. An even broader array of medical providers will be in the untenable position of providing care or facing potential jail time, which will lead to delay—if not outright denial— of maternity care.

— Maternity care deserts will proliferate. The criminalization of medical providers will lead to an even greater shortage of maternity care professionals and resources, eradicating access to basic and vital maternity care for entire families and communities.

— Politics—not science—will regulate drug safety determinations. By weakening the independence of the FDA to advance their personal ideology, far-right extremists will fuel the politicization of medicine to the detriment of the well-being of every patient in America.

Project 2025 would create a world where drug access is based on politics, not science and safety.

And Politico’s Scott Waldman took a deep dive into how Fuckleroy.2 would shift U.S. energy and climate priorities and policies. Under the plan, agencies that conduct climate research would be downsized. The U.S. military would be barred from considering climate science when planning for national security threats. And international aid that helps poorer countries respond to climate impacts would instead be used to boost coal, oil and gas. Certain agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, would be downsized, while border security personnel would increase.

Here is some gawren-teed fun. Did you know that the Heritage Foundation is classified as a 501 (c)(3), meaning it's a nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the IRS as being tax-exempt by virtue of its charitable programs. Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.

You, too, can participate in democracy by emailing IRS form 13909 to: eoclass@irs.gov. Below are the details of the organization.

The Heritage Foundation
President Kevin D. Roberts
Chairman Barb Van Andel-Gaby
Employer identification number: 23-7327730
Address 214 Massachusetts Ave NE
Washington D.C. 20002-4999
Description of actions: "The Heritage Foundation is a major participant in Project 2025 a political document/agenda outline which they are prohibited from doing."

And finally, FINALLY, the New York Times published an opinion piece yesterday from their editorial board that simply leads with Donald Trump is Unfit to Lead. Mr. Trump has shown a character unworthy of the responsibilities of the presidency. He has demonstrated an utter lack of respect for the Constitution, the rule of law and the American people. Instead of a cogent vision for the country’s future, Mr. Trump is animated by a thirst for political power: to use the levers of government to advance his interests, satisfy his impulses and exact retribution against those who he thinks have wronged him.

He is, quite simply, unfit to lead.

I propose that Project 2024 is to eradicate Project 2025, Fuckleroy’s chances for the big chair, and to vote every Republican out of office running this year.

2.
Check out Jeff Tiedrich’s headline from his post on Wednesday: Maybe Now We Can Get Back To Fighting Fascists. Yesterday morning, the House Democrats held their big What The Fuck Are We Going To Do About Joe Biden meeting — and in the end, math won. Those four renegade House Dems couldn’t convince the other two hundred and nine that dumping Joe and replacing him with we don’t know what, but trust us, it’s going to be magical was the best way forward.

Joe Biden is the candidate unless HE decides it’s best not to run. Which he may. In any case, we’ll get Kamala Harris, which is a big win to me, and should be for every eligible voter. Check out HRC’s blistering report on Tuesday emphasizing that Biden’s vision “soundly beats” that of Trump and the MAGA Republicans, who are “siding with the wealthy and big corporations,” while the Democrats are “siding with the working people of America.” Trump and his people want another $5 trillion in tax cuts for the rich, he noted, and they plan to cut Social Security and Medicare, as well as end the ability of the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to bring drug prices into line with prices in other countries. “We are the ones lowering costs for families,” he wrote, “from health care to prescription drugs to student debt to housing. We are the ones protecting Social Security and Medicare. Everything they’re proposing raises costs for most Americans—except their tax cuts which will go to the rich.” 

He went on to note that the Democrats are “protecting the freedoms of Americans,” while Trump’s people are “taking them away.” He pointed to the right-wing attacks on abortion rights, IVF, contraception, and gay marriage. Biden reiterated that he will sign a law making Roe v. Wade the law of the land if the nation elects a Democratic House and Senate. Finally, he pointed out that Democrats are protecting the rule of law and democracy, while Trump is actively working to destroy both. Trump, he wrote, has proven himself “unfit ever to hold the office of President.” “My fellow Democrats,” Biden wrote, “we have the record, the vision, and the fundamental commitment to America’s freedoms and our Democracy to win.” 

Rebecca Solnit, for what it’s worth, on her Facebook post yesterday: Unlike most people, I speak a lot onstage, on radio, for podcasts, live zooms, etc. Unlike most people, I've also transcribed dozens of interviews I've conducted and reviewed many dozen transcripts of interviews others have conducted with me. We speak in fragments and phrases, interrupt ourselves, correct ourselves, restart, lurch on, and sometimes the verb never shows up or the thread trails off.... Speech often resembles a collaging process: get the pieces together while scrambling to arrange the pattern. Mine certainly does, especially when it's a complex subject (and in my case I'm often drawing from far-flung fields). Interviewers for pre-recorded programs often invite interviewees to restart if we get all tangled up in trying to unpack some complex idea. I often take that invitation and restate. That is routine in recorded interviews, and these sentences here have been revised from the first round of what I typed. In my case it often feels like my brain runs faster than my mouth, so I trip over myself, sometimes have trouble recalling a specific name.

No matter what, we need to win this thing. And we need to take back the House and keep the Senate. Simon Rosenberg has set up donation pages sponsored by his Substack, the Hopium Chronicles. Check out his very positive post from Wednesday. There are links there to donate to Biden-Harris, to winning the House, and more. I donated this week to both Ruben Gallego’s campaign and to ActBlue for the House candidates. Every $10 helps.

3.
And what are the do-nothing Republicans in the House focused on? Introducing extremely important bills with names such as the “Liberty in Laundry Act”, “Refrigerator Freedom Act” and the “Clothes Dryers Reliability Act.” Arizona Congresswoman and MAGA Debbie Lesko, sponsor of the “Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act”, said “No government bureaucrat should ever scheme to take away Americans’ appliances in the name of a radical environmental agenda, yet that is exactly what we have seen under the Biden administration.” Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) replied with, “This bill is Congress at its worst. A bunch of people who haven’t unloaded a dishwasher ever telling the American people what dishwashers they should or should not have.” 

4.
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced ‘token’ articles of impeachment yesterday against right-wing Supreme Court theocrats Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. I say token in that the majority in the House are busy with appliances. Also, earlier in the week Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) called on Merrick Garland to investigate potential criminal violations of federal ethics and tax laws by the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas. Some folks from The Fucking News hilariously said that Garland is expected to give the request serious consideration and then think about it for a while before initiating a period of preliminary mulling. Heh.

5.
And in Tucson, Laura Conover’s time in office may be coming to a close. Former Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall posted a scathing editorial in the Tucson Sentinel last June that actually, figuratively, and literally used the word ‘unhinged.’ That word is usually reserved for Republicans.

And Sharon Bronson, the longest-serving supervisor in the County’s history and who retired in 2023, also posted an opinion piece in June writing, Laura has been a disaster as County Attorney. She is unable or unwilling to do her job properly. The County Attorney is not only criminal prosecutor, but also civil lawyer for Pima County government. When I was chair of the Board of Supervisors, the head of county government, I could not get Laura or her chief civil deputy to return my calls in a timely fashion. I had to wait days to get legal advice. This delayed important work I needed to do on behalf of the County. Other county officials told me they experienced the same lack of responsiveness and lack of diligence from Laura.

Both LaWall and Bronson endorse Mike Jette for County Attorney. Bronson wrote that Jette is an experienced prosecutor who knows how to get our crime problem under control. Mike is responsive, respectful, and revered as a manager by those who have worked for him. Mike has integrity. He is dedicated to providing ethical, efficient, and effective legal representation to Pima County. He is progressive on prosecution policies, which I like. He will protect abortion rights.

6.
In other news, here at the Homestead we are thrilled that Peter "Ralphie" Billingsley is the new Prime Minister of Britain.

And now…