Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Trina reviews a book on breakfast tacos

Trina reviews a new cookbook.

Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day

Let's start out with some recipes.

This is Breakfast Taco Recipe:

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 poblano or aneheim pepper, seeded and diced

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 tortillas, your choice

1 large avocado, cubed

Roasted salsa

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled

Warm pan on medium heat. Vigorously whisk eggs with water and cayenne pepper; set aside.

Melt butter in pan. Once foam subsides, add diced peppers and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add egg mixture to pan with the pepper and scramble until almost done. Remove pan from heat and scramble another minute until cooked through.

Divide egg and pepper mixture among 4 warmed tortillas. Garnish each taco with 1/4 of the avocado, roasted salsa, chopped cilantro and cotija cheese.

This is Simple Sausage, Egg and Cheese Taquitos

1 roll of sausage (I like Jimmy Dean All-Natural or Maple Pork Sausage, but any kind works fine)

5-6 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

8 corn or flour tortillas

Salsa or hot sauce of your choice

1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, American or any Mexican style you prefer)

Liberate about half of the sausage roll from its container and roll it into small, 1/2-inch balls or crumbles and cook on a skillet over medium heat until browned. Put aside.

Crack eggs in a bowl and add salt, pepper and paprika. I like lots of paprika, but you may prefer a little less. Scramble the eggs and begin cooking on a sprayed or oiled pan over medium heat.

Add the sausage to the eggs once they've cooked, and mix well.

Cook the tortillas until they're brown and firm and fill them with your eggs/sausage mix. Add salsa and cheese and enjoy!

This is Miga Con Todo Taco:

1 teaspoon oil in frying pan

3/4 ounce onions

3/4 ounce tomatoes

3/4 ounce green jalapeno peppers

1/2 handful of corn tortilla chips

1 egg

1 tortilla of your choice

3/4 ounce shredded cheddar cheese

Cook onions, tomatoes, green jalapeno peppers and corn chips in the oiled frying pan for 1 minute. Add eggs, mixing and cooking well with the veggies and corn chips. Add migas to hot tortilla, add cheese and fold.

These -- and many more -- recipes can be found in Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day.

I read it via AMAZON KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Could a book on breakfast tacos really work? By that I mean, could you do a whole cookbook on breakfast tacos? Yes, if you do it out of the breakfast taco capitol of the nation -- Austin, Texas. There is a wide variety of recipes in the book. There are ones with vegetables, ones with meat, ones with beans and egg, there is just a wide variety. And there are so many tips on cooking them. Some wait to add the eggs until the end, some start with the eggs and then add meat. There are tips regarding mingas -- like putting them in flour or using old tortilla chips and not fresh ones. There are so many things you can pick up from this book.

And there are narratives, like Diana Valera of Tamale House East whose grandfather came to Austin and started Tony's Tortilla Factory and whose parents opened Tamale House in 1959. She and her brother went on open food places. She got out the business for awhile but then her five children wanted to get in the business so she joined them in opening Tamale House East. Here she is speaking about what it's all about:

It's like a mini home-cooked meal in a tortilla. It takes a lot of effort and love to put the ingredients that go into it. It's not like flipping burgers. The more ingredients it has, the more care and love it has. But I think in addition to that is the evolution of the appreciation of our culture. And part of a culture is their food, their music, their language. There have been a lot of people who have traveled to Austin and discovered what wonderful tacos we have and have written about it and done stories about it. For the longest time, our own community didn't know what a gem they had, which was our whole culture and our food. Mexican food is so varied. Every taco is a little piece of art. I get into the kitchen, and a customer might ask me how much are you going to put of that ingredient? And I say, well, put on some music and lemme see. That's how I personally do it. I'll remember recipes from my mother or that I've seen elsewhere. It's a creative endeavor. When someone comes in, they can tell that. They can look at a taco, the greens, the reds. It's colorful like a Mexican flag or a Mexican costume. Then people visually see the presentation of the taco, they get excited, and when they put it in their mouth, they say, "Wow, I've discovered something." And every time someone tries it, I can tell people enjoy it. It's a very rewarding experience to make someone happy. It's a vey basic instinct in all of us that if you satisfy someone's hunger or a craving for delicious food, you make them happy. And they want to come back. And they want to share that with their friends.''

Pauline Avila of Joe's Bakery and Restaurant explains:

Tacos were the standard food for Mexican people. I remember making the tacos and taking them to lunch, and we would take them to my dad and my brothers working in the field. And we would take tacos to school since they didn't have any money to give us for lunch. But we had to hide them so the other kids wouldn't laugh at us. It was only a nickel for the lunch, but my mom didn't even have that. A lot of the kids who didn't have enough money to buy lunch would also have tacos, and we would eat them behind the burning alley where they would burn the trash. Now everybody eats tacos. Back then, there was a lot of discrimination against Mexican people. When Joe went to a restaurant, they would have a sign that this section if for white and the other section was black and Mexican people. I'd say maybe even in the '60s you would start to see white people/black people eating tortillas. The breakfast tacos, bean and egg, chorizo -- all those were popular even in the '60s.

It's a really good book that holds your attention and provides numerous reasons why breakfast tacos are not just for breakfast and why they are so popular. I highly recommend the book.

Now I want to note this video.

Ava and C.I. noted that ABC news documentary in "Media: Why did Max Blumenthal targeted Rachel Maddow?" (this Sunday or Monday, at The Third Estate Sunday Review, they'll be taking on the myth of Tucker Carlson's audience of 'millions').

Eric London (WSWS) reports on Donald Trump's latest charges:

Thursday’s filing of a 38-count federal criminal indictment against former President Donald Trump marks a new and unprecedented stage in the crisis of the American political system. At a critical juncture in the escalating US-NATO war against Russia and with the first Republican presidential primary only seven months away, an explosive conflict between the two main factions of the ruling class has burst to the surface.

This is the first time in US history that the Department of Justice has charged a former president with breaking federal law. Even in 1974, at the peak of the Watergate crisis, Gerald Ford sacrificed his political credibility and ultimately his presidency by pardoning Nixon in order to prevent a trial that the ruling class feared would destabilize the political system and weaken the world position of US imperialism.

In contrast to the ongoing state prosecutions and civil suits against Trump that are based on his sexual improprieties, the DOJ indictment, unsealed Friday, is far more consequential.

The indictment asserts that Trump usurped core state powers by retaining top secret military documents related to US war plans for personal political use. It details how Trump and his cronies stole top secret documents obtained during his time in the White House and hid them at Trump’s mansion in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. It includes transcripts of audio recordings and text messages in which Trump and his employees essentially admit that they were aware the conduct was illegal.

The detailed character of the indictment indicates that a section of the state apparatus has decided that the time has come to try to remove Trump from the political arena once and for all.

The document concludes by charging Trump with 38 counts of criminal activity, including 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act, each of which carries a potential 10-year sentence for “gathering, transmitting or losing defense information.” The remaining counts assert that Trump and his valet, Waltine Nauta, conspired, lied and withheld information during a federal investigation over the handling of classified documents. The conspiracy count has a maximum sentence of 20 years.

From the standpoint of the working class, there is no “democratic” side in the prosecution. The brutal imperialist politician Trump is not a victim or opponent of the war machine, and the Democratic Party-led prosecution is only interested in challenging Trump on the most right-wing basis possible: to advance its war aims against Russia.

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for Friday:

Friday, June 9, 2023. A lunatic in Congress claims (lies) that the FBI has stated that they can't protect a witness, no-surprise Tara Always Changes Her Story Reade is yet again changing her story, the heavens open with relief as the angels realized there wasn't a snow ball's chance in hell that Pat Robertson was going to be at the Pearly Gates, and much, much more.

Well Pat Robertson finally did something good for America -- he died. Too bad he couldn't have done it years ago. For more see Kat's "Hate merchant Pat Robertson has passed away." Paul Rudnick notes:

Pat Robertson has died. He said gay people caused hurricanes and wore special rings which spread AIDS, and that gay marriage was worse than murder. He's survived by this poster on the wall of Mike Pence's bedroom pic.twitter.com/Shf5NThGZk

— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) June 8, 2023

Let's go from crazy Pat Robertson to crazy Tara Reade. TWITTER's had to provide 'context' to a recent reTweet by Tara noting that it's a lie. Poor Tara, if she were capable of embarrassment or shame, this would be a very difficult time for her.

But all of her Tweets should come with context since she's so estranged from the truth. For example, Tara's labeled this piece by Froma Harrop to be "slut shaming." Is she that stupid or is she now on drugs? It's not slut shaming. Froma does not go into Tara's past relationships or even mention them. She's very clear that she doesn't believe Tara regarding her allegation that Joe Biden assaulted her in the nineties. I honestly do believe her but that's not "slut praising" anymore than Froma's slut shaming her. People don't have to believe her. Ruth went over this in "Tara Reade threatens to sit on George Takei and squash him" when Ruth pointed out George Takei not believing Tara was assaulted is not him slandering her. No one has to believe her and due to her own credibility issues she's made even more people doubt her.

That's not what I really want to note.

I also am not eager to point out her latest lie. Per her 'representative' (a woman who can't practice law in the US or in Russia -- apparently, Tara's such a credit risk she can't get a local attorney in either country), Tara told US Rep Matt Gaetz that she received "intelligence" in Russia. She hasn't received intelligence -- or common sense -- in any place she's lived or traveled. But Tara told Matt -- and according to her 'rep' she said so on THE HILL -- that she's received "intelligence" that her life was being threatened and he advised her to stay in Russia.

First off, if true, let me say two words I'll probably never say again: Thank you, Matt Gaetz. Now if you could encourage some other whack jobs to leave the country . . .

Here's the thing though, Tara's stated already that Matt's the one who warned her. That seemed suspect but that was her story. Matt warned her and that's why she's staying in Russia.

Now she's claiming that she got the "intelligence."

Take a moment to laugh and then we'll pick right back up.

I wish we had time to call out Sabby Sabs and all the other garbage praising Robbie of THE HILL for bringing nut job Tara Reade on. But we don't. We will note he's a transphobe and a gay basher and so, Sabby Sabs, we're not at all surprised to see you praising him.

That's not why we bring it up. Nor to ask why Tara is obviously unable to get shampoo in Russia -- but did get a really bad dye job.

No, we're bringing her up because of the crazy in Congress. And this time let's zoom in on US House Rep Anna Paulina Luna who Tara can't stop reTweeting -- Tara loves those homophobes. Anna Lunatic is someone who needs to be brought before the ethics board. Maybe if Democrats regain control of the House they do that? This Tweet should never have happened:

The FBI stated "they were afraid the informant would be killed if unmasked"? So the FBI, you insane lunatic, that has protected many witnesses against the mob, has stated they have a witness that they can't protect? Goodness that would be front page news . . . if it actually happened.

But it didn't. And Crazy Lunatic didn't make that statement on the floor of Congress, she did it in a Tweet which means she's not protected from lying.

That lie needs to be hammered and hammered. Merrick Garland needs to issue a statement noting that the FBI has said no such thing.

These people just make up crap and then those already struggling with reality -- people like Tara -- hear it and start repeating it as truth.

If the FBI told Congress that they had a witness they couldn't protect, one of two things would happen in the real world: Kevin McCarthy, as head of the House of Representatives, would be announcing that to the American people or they all wouldn't be saying a word because they were briefed on it in a closed session.

But Lunatic puts it on TWITTER. I do feel some sympathy for Anna Lunatic. If George Santos weren't in this Congress, she'd be getting a lot more attention for all of her lies -- including that "Mexican" grandfather that in fact was German. She's got her string of lies but George always manages to soak up all the attention. Your day will come, Luna Lunatic, your day will come.

And, sadly, seriously sad, we will no longer be noting Bonnie Erbe's TO THE CONTRARY. It has been a great program and has addressed many important issues -- I'm sure it will continue to do so. But I was informed last night about two panelists and I'm sorry I'm not promoting the program anymore. I had no problem with their conservative fiscal views or other conservative views. But there is a difference between conservative views and the views of hate merchants. Applause to Bonnie for her work over the years and hopefully my walking away will mean some others will be interested in promoting the show -- the longest running show focusing on women still in production.

Bonnie was attacked in 2008 for refusing to join the dogpile on Sarah Palin. Bonnie has been a brave face and voice for feminism. I applaud her.

But there is a war going on in this country, a war against the LGBTQ+ community and I will not have this site, this platform do anything to promote that war. And grasp that this means anyone can be dropped from getting noted here if I'm dropping Bonnie.

"What could we have done to stop the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community?" LGBTQ NATION asks that at their site. I have an answer for that and it's not pretty and probably not anything they want to here. But in September, those of us who are arm-in-arm with the LGBTQ+ community fled like fairweather friends and a number of LGTBQ+ members -- especially sassy young Twinks -- decided to trash the man everyone was fleeing from instead of standing up. Every tactic that now works for them when they go after Dylan or whomever, they practiced that back in September and people were too damn stupid to realize what was at stake. They're using the same tactics -- that they perfected last September -- to attack African-Americans -- and if you're struggling to see that, you are the problem.

I can't go into this right now, it would take hours and hours. I might write about it this weekend.

But that's the past and I can't change that. But what I can do to stop attacks right now is not promote or elevate hate merchants.

Let's note whistle-blower Chelsea Manning as we turn to Iraq. Monday April 5th, WIKILEAKS released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7th, the US military announced that they had arrested Chelsea Manning and she stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported in August 2010 that Manning had been charged -- "two charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first encompasses four counts of violating Army regulations by transferring classified information to [her] personal computer between November and May and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system. The second comprises eight counts of violating federal laws governing the handling of classified information." Manning had been convicted in the public square despite the fact that she's been convicted in no state and has made no public statements -- despite any claims otherwise, she had made no public statements. Manning was now at Quantico in Virginia, under military lock and key and still not allowed to speak to the press. Paul Courson (CNN) noted [Chelsea] is a suspect and, "He has not admitted guilt in either incident, his supporters say." She was attacked repeatedly and then convicted and then pardoned. Alonso Matinez (EL PAIS) notes today:

In an interview with the Financial Times, Manning revealed that she rarely faces hecklers regarding the intelligence leaks, but occasionally experiences attacks related to her transgender identity. She expressed her resilience, stating that she has become accustomed to such criticism and that it no longer greatly affects her.

Turning to Iraq-related issues, MIDDLE EAST EYE notes:

A former Miss Iraq, Sarah Idan, has officially announced her run as a Democrat for US Congress in California’s 30th District in November 2024.

Idan currently lives in Los Angeles and is the founder of Humanity Forward, a nonprofit bipartisan organisation “committed to building bridges among Muslims and Jews in order to surpass borders and promote reconciliation, tolerance, mutual understanding, and peace”.

The seat is currently held by Adam Schiff, who will be leaving to run for the Senate. Schiff, who was the House Intelligence Committee chair in 2021, had welcomed the US administration's pledge to release a declassified report on who killed Jamal Khashoggi, calling for the document to be made public "without delay".

Over the weekend, Sara Manisera and Daniela Sala (GUARDIAN) report:

Western oil companies are exacerbating water shortages and causing pollution in Iraq as they race to profit from rising oil prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Water scarcity has already displaced thousands and increased instability, according to international experts, while Iraq is now considered the fifth most vulnerable country to the climate crisis by the UN. In the oil-rich but extremely dry south, wetlands that used to feed entire communities are now muddy canals.

Mahdi Mutir, 57, worked as a fisher his entire life. For years, Mutir and his wife woke at dusk, sailing along a thick network of canals in Al Khora, a few kilometres north of Basra. The harvest was meagre but enough to provide food for the family of seven.

That changed last year. Now, at the height of the rainy season, Mutir’s boat lies stranded in the mud.

“It is the water station the Italian company built: they need water for their oilfields,” Mutir said, pointing at the black smoke rising from the Zubayr oilfield on the horizon.

To help extract oil, companies pump large quantities of water into the ground. For each barrel of oil, many of which are later exported to Europe, up to three barrels of water are pumped into the ground. And as Iraq’s oil exports rise, its water has dramatically fallen.

The whole world is facing drastic climate change but climate models suggest that Iraq will be among the worst effected. Back in March, Amr Salem (IRAQI NEWS) reported:

The United Nations stressed that Iraq is suffering from a real water crisis, calling for collective action to find solutions to this crisis, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The statement was made on Sunday by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, during her participation in Iraq Climate Conference held in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
“There is an urgent need to find solutions to the water crisis in Iraq,” Plasschaert stated.

Urgent and it only gets more urgent each day. Already problems are evident. January 10th, Yale's School of Environment published Wil Crisp's article which opened:

Three years ago, the vast marshlands of southern Iraq’s Dhi Qar province were flourishing. Fishermen glided in punts across swathes of still water between vast reed beds, while buffalo bathed amid green vegetation. But today those wetlands, part of the vast Mesopotamian Marshes, have shriveled to narrow channels of polluted water bordered by cracked and salty earth. Hundreds of desiccated fish dot stream banks, along with the carcasses of water buffalo poisoned by saline water. Drought has parched tens of thousands of hectares of fields and orchards, and villages are emptying as farmers abandon their land.

For their biodiversity and cultural significance, the United Nations in 2016 named the Mesopotamian Marshes — which historically stretched between 15,000 and 20,000 square kilometers in the floodplain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The marshes comprised one of the world’s largest inland delta systems, a startling oasis in an extremely hot and arid environment, home to 22 species of globally endangered species and 66 at-risk bird species.

But now this ecosystem — which includes alluvial salt marshes, swamps, and freshwater lakes — is collapsing due to a combination of factors meteorological, hydrological, and political. Rivers are rapidly shrinking, and agricultural soil that once grew bounties of barley and wheat, pomegranates, and dates is blowing away. The environmental disaster is harming wildlife and driving tens of thousands of Marsh Arabs, who have occupied this area for 5,000 years, to seek livelihoods elsewhere.

Experts warn that unless radical action is taken to ensure the region receives adequate water — and better manages what remains — southern Iraq’s marshlands will disappear, with sweeping consequences for the entire nation as farmers and pastoralists abandon their land for already crowded urban areas and loss of production leads to rising food prices.

The Mesopotamian marshlands are often referred to as the cradle of civilization, as anthropologists believe that this is where humankind, some 12,000 years ago, started its wide-scale transition from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement. Encompassing four separate marshes, the region has historically been home to a unique range of fish and birdlife, serving as winter habitat for migratory birds and sustaining a productive shrimp and finfish fishery.

AP has observed, "Climate change for years has compounded the woes of the troubled country. Droughts and increased water salinity have destroyed crops, animals and farms and dried up entire bodies of water. Hospitals have faced waves of patients with respiratory illnesses caused by rampant sandstorms. Climate change has also played a role in Iraq’s ongoing struggle to combat cholera." And now action? Or what might pass for it. Khalid Al Ansary (BLOOMBERG NEWS) reported:

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Sunday kicked off an initiative to plant 5 million trees and palms across the country in an attempt to alleviate some of the deleterious impacts of climate change, a statement from his office said.

Iraq has suffered years of drought, and more than 7 million people have been effected or lost their incomes from agriculture and fishing, Al-Sudani’s office said. The war-torn, oil rich country has experienced higher temperatures, persistent drought, an increase in dust storms and a crop area cut by half, all impacts of extreme weather caused by climate change.

Real action would be addressing the use of water by the oil industry -- water that's not going to the people.

On veterans' issues, Senator Bill Cassidy's office issued the following:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. delivered remarks during today’s hearing on examining veterans’ access to long term care.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you to our witnesses for being here today to discuss how we can ensure veterans have access to the long-term care and support they need.

Our veterans sacrificed for us, so we owe it to them to work to identify gaps in care and find ways to improve the experience they receive when they work with VA to fulfill their long-term care needs.

Access to quality long-term care is an important part of honoring our commitment to our veterans.

It’s an issue that affects the veteran, their families, the caregiver, and the community around them.

We must improve coordination between the VA, community providers, and other stakeholders so that veterans and their families do not have to struggle to access the support they earned.

As the population of aging and disabled veterans increases, VA will need to ensure high-quality and adequate staffing for VA medical facilities, clinics, and community living centers, while also expanding its footprint in the community.

I support VA’s efforts to honor veterans’ preferences for when, where, and how they receive long-term care. Veterans should have ultimate control over their health care decisions from VA.

We must also focus on caregiver support and recognize the vital role caregivers play in the well-being of our veterans. We must provide caregivers with the necessary resources, training, and support to ensure they deliver the best care.

Our hope is that your testimony will help us figure out how to do that.

I thank you again for your testimony.

Let us honor our veterans' service and sacrifice by making sure they get the best care we can give them.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield.

Watch his remarks here.

Also on veterans issues, we're going to note this from Senator Tammy Baldwin's office:

Baldwin Successfully Pushes VA to Reexamine & Pay Earned Benefits to 600 Veterans After Doctor Misdiagnosed Conditions

Doctor who misdiagnosed veterans was terminated from Tomah VA Baldwin has been advocating for new exams, proper compensation, and an investigation into doctor for 1.5 years

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After more than a year and a half of advocating on behalf of Wisconsin veterans, Senator Tammy Baldwin successfully pushed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify and reexamine approximately 600 veterans whose neurological conditions were misdiagnosed by a doctor at the Tomah VA Medical Center. As a result of the misdiagnoses, these veterans had been denied proper benefits, compensation, and treatment. The VA will now work to complete reexaminations and grant equitable relief for impacted veterans. The doctor responsible for the misdiagnosis, Dr. Mary Jo Lanska, MD, has been terminated from the Tomah VA.

Since 2021, Senator Baldwin has been working with multiple Wisconsin veterans who reported that their traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and other conditions were misdiagnosed by Dr. Lanska. Senator Baldwin had been calling on the VA to investigate the pattern of misdiagnoses, ensure misdiagnosed veterans get a new exam, and get the veterans the proper compensation and benefits they are deserved.

After Senator Baldwin successfully pushed the VA to review all of the compensation and pension exams that were done by Dr. Lanska and reach out to impacted veterans, the VA announced today that they identified approximately 600 veterans who received an exam from Dr. Lanska that they plan to order reexaminations of and grant equitable relief.

“Our veterans served us and we have an obligation to serve them when they come back home. Unfortunately, many of our Wisconsin heroes did not get the care at the VA that they deserved," said Senator Baldwin. “I am glad to see that after years of working alongside some of our veterans, hundreds of Wisconsinites who have been wronged by the VA will be getting the care and benefits that they earned.”

In a March meeting, Senator Baldwin pressed VA Secretary Denis McDonough to investigate the pattern of misdiagnosis and shared the Wisconsin veterans’ concerns. In August 2022, Senators Baldwin and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to Secretary McDonough highlighting their concerns about TBI misdiagnosis at the Tomah VA and pushing for answers about the process for veterans who may have been improperly diagnosed and not receiving the benefits they deserve. After hearing from additional veterans, in September 2022, Senator Baldwin called on the VA to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the practices of this doctor to determine whether there is a broader pattern of her misdiagnosing patients’ neurological disorders that are preventing veterans from receiving care or benefits they earned.

###

Senator Tammy Baldwin is an out lesbian and this is Pride Month so I'm going to try to note something from an out member of Congress in each of the snapshots for the rest of the month. Again, focusing on what we can do. Again, I recommend LGBTQ Nation's "What could we have done to stop the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community?" which, hopefully, we'll get everyone who cares about equality and fairness brainstorming.

The following sites updated:

Kat reviews a Stevie Nicks biography

Kat reviews a book supposedly about Stevie Nicks:

Travis Stewart's bad book supposedly on Stevie Nicks

So much to cover. First off, "Kat's Korner: Simply Red's just marking TIME" and "Kat's Korner: Summer means Miley and The Jonas Brothers" went up today -- I'm reviewing new music by Simply Red, The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. I would like to do one more but I doubt I have time or energy. Second, Isaiah's The WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Little Ronnie Gets Spanked Again"

I love that cartoon. I do not love a new book. The author is Travis Stewart. He's written the worst book of the year and it's also the worst book of the decade -- possibly of the century. It's entitled STEVIE NICKS BIOGRAPHY: MUSIC LEGEND AND FLEETWOOD MAC'S GOLD DUST WOMAN.

In fairness, I should note that I didn't read the whole book. I read it on AMAZON KINDLE and was at 22% according to KINDLE when I gave up on it.

I don't think I owe it to him to finish it to evaluate it.

He gets everything wrong including the lyrics to "Rhiannon."

On one page, Travis writes the lyrics to "Rhiannon" as being: "Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night and wouldn't you want to love her." You see the problem, right? The actual opening lines are:

Rhiannon rings like a bell thru the night
And wouldn't you love to love her

And there is no "Taken by the sky, taken by the wind" -- it's:

Take me like the wind, child
Take me with the sky
Take me now
Take me like the wind, baby
Take me with the sky

On another page, he again 'quotes' from "Rhiannon" offering these supposed lines, "She's a cat in the dark and then she is the darkness." No, it's "She is like a cat in the dark and then she is the darkness." Wait, we're still not done with his getting the lyrics wrong. He writes the song lyrics as, "Would you stay if she promised you heaven, would you ever succeed?" No, it's "Would you stay if she promised you heaven, will you ever win?"

This is not minor. He's elected to write a book about Stevie Nicks and he's taken it upon himself to repeatedly quote "Rhiannon" in the book but he can't get a couplet right no matter how many times he tries.

More problems? He tells us that when "Rhiannon" becomes a hit, it carries RUMOURS to number one, that they're working on their new album and RUMOURS is number one as they hear "Rhiannon" over and over on the radio as it moves up the charts. Problems?

"Rhiannon" is not from RUMOURS. It's from 1975's FLEETWOOD MAC self-titled album. "Rhiannon" reaches number 11 (its highest rank) in June of 1976 -- and this is when they're recording RUMOURS -- which won't be released until February of 1977.

Over and over, it's one problem after another. For example, he wants to state that Stevie's "Silver Springs" was left off RUMOURS because it was too long at eight minutes. No, that's not why it was left out. It is why it was edited. It couldn't have been the flip side of the 45 "Go Your Own Way" if it was eight minutes long. The song got edited down to 4 minutes and 29 seconds. You can hear it on the Fleetwood Mac boxed set. It was the b-side of "Go Your Own Way." So to claim that it was left off because it was eight minutes long is nonsense. It also goes to his failure to grasp what an insult this was to Stevie. Yes, she was mad because her mother was supposed to get all the proceeds to the song but she was also mad (a) because it was a song she wrote and loved and (b) Lindsey got to offer his take on the break up with Stevie in "Second Hand News" and "Go Your Own Way" but all she got was "Dreams." (He snag her "I Don't Want To Know.")

Equally true, none of the songs explained that the relationship ended when they got off the road promoting 1975's FLEETWOOD MAC and had an argument that Lindsay escalated to violence and threw her down on the floor.

At any rate, there are too many problems with the book. And the most irritating one is "Gold Dust Woman." That a Stevie written gem for Fleetwood Mac's RUMOURS. It's noted in the title of the book. For some reason, Travis repeatedly calls the song "Gold Dust Lady" over and over.

Again, I didn't read the whole book. There were too many errors for me to keep going.

Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, June 2, 2023. The hate merchants continue their push to destroy democracy in the United States, the UN renews the mandate to occupy Iraq, Tara Reade's Congressional friends had already turned on her, and much more.

The White House issued the following statement:

In June 1969, a courageous group of Americans rose up to protest the violence and marginalization they faced in what became known as the Stonewall Uprising. Police had raided the Stonewall Inn — a gay bar located in New York City — and for the next six days they clashed with LGBTQI+ protestors, who bravely stood their ground. Their courage sparked a civil rights movement for the liberation of the LGBTQI+ community and changed our Nation forever.

During Pride Month, we honor a movement that has grown stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive with every passing year. Pride is a celebration of generations of LGBTQI+ people, who have fought bravely to live openly and authentically. And it is a reminder that we still have generational work to do to ensure that everyone enjoys the full promise of equity, dignity, protection, and freedom.

Today, our Nation faces another inflection point. In 2023 alone, State and local legislatures have already introduced over 600 hateful laws targeting the LGBTQI+ community. Books about LGBTQI+ people are being banned from libraries. Transgender youth in over a dozen States have had their medically necessary health care banned. Homophobic and transphobic vitriol spewed online has spilled over into real life, as armed hate groups intimidate people at Pride marches and drag performances, and threaten doctors’ offices and children’s hospitals that offer care to the LGBTQI+ community. Our hearts are heavy with grief for the loved ones we have lost to anti-LGBTQI+ violence.

Despite these attacks, the LGBTQI+ community remains resilient. LGBTQI+ Americans are defiantly and unapologetically proud. Youth leaders are organizing walkouts at high schools and colleges across the country to protest discriminatory laws. LGBTQI+ young people and their parents are demonstrating unimaginable courage by testifying in State capitols in defense of their basic rights.

They are not alone: My entire Administration stands proudly with the LGBTQI+ community in the enduring struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. And we are making strides. On my first day in office, I signed a historic Executive Order charging the entire Federal Government with protecting LGBTQI+ people from discrimination — from health care to housing, education, employment, banking, and the criminal justice system. Last December, surrounded by dozens of couples who have fought for marriage equality in the courts for decades, I had the great honor of signing into law the landmark Respect for Marriage Act. This bipartisan law protects the rights of same-sex and interracial couples — like caring for one’s sick partner and receiving spousal benefits. Deciding who to marry is one of life’s most profound decisions, so we etched a simple truth into law: Love is love.

Meanwhile, I have taken unprecedented steps to support LGBTQI+ youth. During Pride Month last year, I signed an Executive Order charging Federal agencies with combating the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” I also directed agencies to help end the crisis of homelessness among LGBTQI+ youth and adults and to address discrimination that LGBTQI+ kids face in foster care. The Department of Justice is combating laws that target transgender children, and the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have proposed new rules to protect LGBTQI+ Americans from discrimination in health care, at school, and in sports. I also established the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse to develop concrete actions to prevent and respond to online harassment and abuse, which disproportionately target LGBTQI+ people. Additionally, my Administration made it easier for LGBTQI+ youth to access vital mental health support. Now, by calling the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and dialing the number 3, LGBTQI+ youth can speak to counselors who have been specifically trained to support them.

This country is stronger and more just when America’s leaders reflect the full diversity of our Nation, so I have appointed a historic number of highly qualified openly LGBTQI+ judges and public servants at all levels of the Federal Government. Our Armed Forces are most capable when all patriots can serve their country, so I protected the right of transgender people to once again serve openly in the military.

But there is more to do, like passing the bipartisan Equality Act, which would strengthen civil rights protections for LGBTQI+ people and families across America. We must also address the disproportionate levels of homelessness, poverty, and unemployment in the LGBTQI+ community and end the crisis of violence against transgender women and girls of color. We must support LGBTQI+ activists around the globe who are standing up for basic human rights and LGBTQI+ survivors of gender-based violence. And we must end the HIV/AIDS epidemic once and for all. Our collective freedoms are inextricably linked: when one group’s dignity and equality are threatened, we all suffer. This month and every month, let us celebrate the pride that powers the movement for LGBTQI+ rights and commit to doing our part to help realize the promise of America, for all Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2023 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, to celebrate the great diversity of the American people, and to wave their flags of pride high.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

It is Pride Month. At GLAAD, Kata Sosin notes:

Nine out of 10 heterosexual Americans — 91 percent — think that LGBTQ+ people should live without facing discrimination, according to a newly released survey from GLAAD, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy group.

The “Accelerating Acceptance” report, which the organization released on Thursday, is the latest in a series of polls that suggest that the Republican political strategy of targeting LGBTQ+ Americans may be a losing game with the majority of voters.

“I think the short-term gains for them right now are financing and public profile, but it won’t get them elected,” Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of GLAAD, told The 19th. “I think the top line is that an overwhelming number of Americans believe that LGBTQ people should live our lives freely.”

The study looked at responses from 2,533 people who self-identified as non-LGBTQ+ ages 18 and older and was conducted online by research technology firm Cint during February 2023.

Republican lawmakers have filed a barrage of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the last three years, with most of the measures aimed at transgender youth. The Equality Federation, a coalition of statewide LGBTQ+ organizations, reports that lawmakers have introduced more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills into state legislatures in the past year alone. A record number of those bills have passed. Eighteen states now ban the recommended medical care for transgender youth, and 21 states bar trans kids from competing in sports that align with their gender.

While those bills might be soaring through Republican-dominated statehouses, polling suggests that the country has continued to embrace LGBTQ+ people. That translates to backing policy for them, GLAAD says. In 2021, 79 percent of Accelerating Acceptance respondents backed LGBTQ+ equal rights. That number jumped to 84 percent in 2023, a number just shy of the 91 percent who said they felt queer people should not be discriminated against.

It's Pride Month -- time for the hate merchants to panic.

NEWSWEEK trotted out one. A self-loathing gay man. File it under, Dom come get your subby and put him back on the leash. The creep learned something in the military but it wasn't honesty. sub may have the right -- when not in the dungeon -- to express his opinions but he doesn't have the right to lie.. No, he doesn't. No link to the trash, but sub wants the world to know, got to let it show, that the "T" in LGBTQ+ should be removed. This, sub snaps, is not what Pride is about and if you look at it historically you will see it was gay men and lesbians who started Pride.

Is he just begging for his Dom to beat him?

I don't know but I do know NEWSWEEK is responsible for facts. subby's column is not accurate factually. First, Stonewall alone questions subby's assertions. Take out Stonewall and you have no liberation. Somewhere Mike Pence is reworking his time travel list and trying to figure whether to go back to Stonewall before or after he rescues Adolf Hitler.

Second, I don't know where he's looking but subby's not looking at reality. I didn't live in San Francisco when Pride started but I do live there now and have for most of my adult life. And "T" and drag queens have always been part of the Pride events because I've seen the archive footage. The very first Pride march (billed as such) has multiple members of the transgender community and multiple drag queens.

Third, subby proves the reality: The extreme right are Christian illiterates. For those confused, I didn't coin that phrase. It refers to hate merchants and it's from 30 ROCK when the Karen asks Tina Fey's Liz to help her write something and Liz tells her no way, write it yourself. To which the Karen replies that she can't because she's a Christian illiterate.

So is the self-loathing gay Iraq War veteran subby who wrote the piece NEWSWEEK ran. He doesn't bother to learn history before trying to write about it. Hey, he'd be perfect for The Hoover Institute and his own FOX "NEWS" show.

But he's not fit for publication in respectable periodicals when he doesn't know a damn thing he's writing about.

Oliver Darcy (CNN) notes:

Prepare yourself for a Pride Month imbued with callous intolerance.

Fueled by right-wing media personalities and institutions like Fox News, conservatives are waging a ferocious war on companies that express support for the LGBTQ community, with hostilities against the celebration of gay rights swelling to levels not seen in many years. In effect, the supposedly anti-cancel culture crowd is leading the summer’s biggest cancel culture campaign.

In recent weeks, right-wing media has smeared and incited boycotts against Bud Light and Target, two jumbo American brands that have been thrust into the center of the toxic culture wars. Both companies have been relentlessly attacked over their show of public support for the LGBTQ community. In recent days, The North Face, Kohl’s, and Chick-fil-A have also come under assault in the expanding war. And Disney, of course, has been an endless punching bag since it spoke out against the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida last year.

In the right-wing media universe, in which millions of Americans firmly reside, these companies have been portrayed as “woke” and evil corporations seeking to groom children with radical — even Satantic — gender ideology that will corrupt their brains and ultimately lead to the destruction of society.

The attacks have put companies in the uncomfortable position of standing up for the values of their own employees and the public writ large against a relentless volley of threats of mass boycotts, lost revenue, and ultimately, long-term brand harm. With each offensive — and claimed victories — the activists wielding the pitchforks have become more emboldened and the business atmosphere more chilled.

Written in black and white, the attacks look deranged. But it is precisely what some of the loudest and most influential right-wing media figures are promoting to their large followings, with new self-generated outrage cycles generated daily. It isn’t quite QAnon, but it’s close — and it is being fed to the GOP base in broad daylight. You don’t have to go to the dark corners of the internet to find this style of crazed commentary; it’s available each day via mainstream right-wing outlets.

The hate merchant are organized. These attacks are about destroying rights and freedoms. As Stan noted in "My grandmother wants me to point out that someone was right," Matt Walsh attacks BROS last fall while claiming it's not him being homophobic but it is and it's part of them attacking and attacking and trying to destroy the LGBTQ+ community. Margaret Sullivan (GUARDIAN) notes:

And, of course, this is all part of a broad and determined effort to go after these communities as part of what some glibly term “the culture wars,” but which often amounts to the politics of cruelty.

There’s an ugly strategy here.

“Here’s what we should do,” instructed the right-wing pundit Matt Walsh recently. “Pick a victim, gang up on it, and make an example of it. We can’t boycott every woke company or even most of them. But we can pick one, it hardly matters which, and target it with a ruthless boycott campaign. Claim one scalp and then move on to the next.”

You heard him: “It hardly matters which.” It’s not so much, in other words, that Anheuser-Busch should get pounded for the supposed sin against decency of working with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney through a Bud Light sponsorship, or that Target stocks a modicum of merchandise that recognizes the gay and trans communities as human beings.

Rather, this crusade is a way to persecute an already vulnerable population. Doubt it? Simply recall Michael Knowles’s infamous pronouncement just months ago at CPAC in which the Daily Wire writer opined that “transgenderism must be eradicated entirely from public life.”

In recent days, one right-wing pundit – apparently following the Walsh playbook – began revving up his followers on social media because (ready for this hideous misdeed?) Chick-Fil-A had hired a vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“Let’s see how PROUD these brands are after 30 STRAIGHT days of consistent business losses,” Joey Mannarino tweeted, listing 10 companies, and dubiously positing that “this is not homophobia.” Rather, he insisted, “we like natural men and women and don’t want to be forced into your world of liberal depravity.”

Jeffrey St. Clair (COUNTERPUNCH) notes:

+ An analysis by Media Matters of FoxNews’ coverage of the protests against Target for offering Pride-themed merchandise revealed that the supposedly chastened network devoted 2 hours, 12 minutes and 32 seconds worth of coverage to the manufactured backlash against Target last week and at total 22 seconds on the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal in Illinois, involving the molestation of 1,900 minors by 450 credibly-accused sexual abusers, including priests and lay religious brothers. So perhaps it’s not about protecting the kids, after all?

Exactly. The hate merchants are not about protecting children or anything but hate. They may be about rigging the stock market -- a conspiracy the SEC could charge them with -- but they should be the subject of a glaring spotlight that exposes them each time. They're not trying to help, they're trying to destroy.

And that is what average Americans will not support because it goes against everyone we've been taught. They tried to scare the American people with Monkeypox -- remember Sajaar and the other hate merchants trying to make that a scare? They do everything they can. But the country has crossed that mark so they focus on transgender which is 'new' for some people and so it's easier to lie about. And they do lie. Over and over. But, look around, because while some claiming to be of the left -- Max Blumenthal's idiot wife, for example -- join in these attacks, more and more people are standing up and saying "NO!" We will not slip back into homophobia anymore than we will allow the worst days of racism to return. We will fight homophobia, we will fight racism, we'll fight for equality because that is what we are supposed to believe in and what we are supposed to stand for.

A couple of months ago, I attended a rousing concert of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles at a theater in downtown Glendale. Glendale is a close suburb of Los Angeles that’s historically lacking in people of color, which made it deeply satisfying to see a chorus as wonderfully diverse as GMCLA.

There was something else. The concert’s celebration of spirited, dance-oriented R&B music as a guiding light of gay culture was musically thrilling, but it was also politically resonant in a way that felt new. Amid the applause and amens, there was almost palpable awareness in the theater that Black and LBGTQ people, because they are being similarly reviled by the right, are aligning not just politically but spiritually. Racism has found its equal.

Which isn’t to say that racism and LBGTQ-phobia are equally made. Racism is the bedrock inequality in America, the institution of slavery providing the stem cells for all other forms of systemic and legalized oppression that came after. By the time slavery was abolished, American tradition was set — the practice of separate-and-unequal picked right up where slavery had left off. The justice movements that emerged fully during the ’60s — a hundred years after slavery — gay rights, women’s rights, environmental justice — all used the Black civil rights struggle as a template, with good reason. No group had been as deliberately disenfranchised as Black folk had been, and no group had been fighting as intensely against that disenfranchisement for as long.

It’s a truth I feel sworn to protect, because America has always been so willing, often eager, to diminish or outright dismiss core truths about itself, especially the core truth about race. Generally, whenever I hear people trying to equate racism with other kinds of oppression, I interject. It’s not that immigrant-bashing or sexism aren’t deplorable or don’t share traits with racism. But the significance of anti-Blackness as a force in shaping our history and culture is enormous, and it needs to be made clear.

And yet, the swiftly escalating campaign against LGBTQ people, notably trans people, feels like racism in that a whole group of people is being openly degraded simply for being who they are. For those who are both Black and LGBTQ, this is hardly a new crisis. But for white LGBTQ people, it must come as an unpleasant shock.

While the gay rights movement was inspired by the civil rights movement, it comprised a whole lot of white, otherwise privileged people, who for a long time had little in common with average Black people and their freedom fight. A fight that wasn’t just economic or political or even cultural, but spiritual; it was total. Accepting Black folks as equals involved nothing less than looking into the depths of America’s soul and fearlessly confronting what was there, and then making a change. That multilayered, frankly demanding process is why attitudes about race are always a reliable Rorschach test of who we really are as a people, and especially of who white people are as a people.

Attitudes about the LBGTQ community are now posing a similar kind of existential test, as the longstanding antipathy toward gay and queer people morphs before our eyes into new laws and restrictions, mainly in but not limited to the South — well over 500 bills this year introduced in statehouses across the country ― that perfectly mirror the energy of Jim Crow.

This is not 'their' fight. This is our fight. If you can't grasp that, grasp that Little Ronnie DeSantis insists that he's going to "destroy leftism."

Little Ronnie is already destroying the state of Florida. Charles P. Pierce (ESQUIRE) reports:

We huck-a-buck along to Hernando County in Florida — where, it should be noted, they enliven the broadcast of their school board meetings with some cool Latin jazz — to watch some teachers explain that they do not choose to be dragooned into Ron DeSantis' preposterous presidential campaign. From The Washington Post:

At Tuesday’s meeting, local teacher Daniel Scott gave a moving speech, declaring that the climate of rage is driving him out of the profession. “I don’t feel that I can adequately provide a safe environment for my students anymore,” Scott said, denouncing the “draconian working conditions that are causing many such as myself to abandon this honored career.” Meanwhile, Alyssa Marano, a math teacher who has resigned, rejected the oft-heard charge of LGBTQ indoctrination of students. “No one is teaching your kids to be gay,” she told the room.

“Sometimes, they just are gay. I have math to teach. I literally don’t have time to teach your kids to be gay.”

Nearly 50 teachers are reportedly planning to resign in this school district. Lisa Masserio, president of the teachers union in Hernando County, says state laws and directives restricting educators are a key reason. She told us: “There is increased pressure and scrutiny on an already difficult job.”

This meeting, and hundreds of others around the country, are the real battlefields of this stupid, ginned-up culture war. Notice the mindless repetition of the conjuring words, the latest thing in Christo-politico-mumbo-jumbo, and the free-range fanaticism covering the complete zoology of talk-radio bogeymen. But what is equally striking are the voices now being raised in opposition, and through the actions of teachers who, alas, are voting with their feet and leaving a profession that sorely needs them. Won't somebody please think of the children?

Little Ronnie is wasting Florida taxpayer money for 'protection' as he travels state to state running for president -- instead of being in Florida and, you know, governing.

Daniel Villarreal (LGBTQ NATION) reports on Little Ronnie's 'brain trust':

The pastor who delivered the invocation at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R) second inauguration has said that gay people should be put to death.

Tom Ascol — senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida — made his comment on Twitter while criticizing Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). On Monday, Cruz issued a tweet criticizing Uganda’s new “Anti-Homosexuality Act,” a law that punishes “aggravated homosexuality” with death.

Cruz’s tweet called the law “horrific & wrong,” adding, “Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ is grotesque & an abomination. ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse.”

Ascol disagreed, writing on Tuesday, “Tell it to God, Ted.”

The pastor then cited Leviticus 20:13, the Old Testament verse that says, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

Ascol asked, “Was this law God gave to His old covenant people ‘horrific and wrong’?”

Leviticus’ ancient Biblical laws also require the death penalty for anyone who practices fortune telling, curses their mother or father, accidentally kills someone else’s animal, or commits blasphemy. Other Old Testament laws demand death for anyone who charges interest on loans or works on Saturdays.

Most contemporary Christians don’t follow these ancient Biblical laws and say that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ made them obsolete. However, conservative Christians tend to cite Leviticus 20:13 as proof that God shares their hatred of LGBTQ+ people.

We'll note this Tweet from Paul Rudnick

Hate merchants struggle to celebrate Pride Month. Alex Bollinger (LGBTQ NATION) reports that Marjorie Taylor Greene celebrated with a hate bashing and scientifically incorrect Tweet:

Marjorie? Guess we need to check in on her gal pal, Tara Reade. No, she hasn't grazed for a few hours, exploded and taken out half of Russia. But I did fill in for Kat last night and I'm reposting it here.

In the roundtable we did a little while ago for the gina & krista round-robin, Gina asked me what I thought was the craziest thing about Tara Reade and her drama? I said I'd need a long second to think on that. I've got it now -- after the roundtable's ended, sorry, Gina.

The craziest thing?

Well that she believes Matt Gaetz. She's saying he warned that she was in danger. Oh, okay, if Matt said it then it must be true, right?

Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that Matt needed her out of the picture, could it?

See Matt and Marjorie promised her a Congressional hearing and an investigation and this and that.

That was before they were both informed by House leadership that it wasn't happening, not now, not ever.

So if Tara stays in the US and it doesn't happen, Matt looks like the deliver-nothing guy that he is, the failure he'll always be.

If Tara leaves the country, by contrast, he gets to look like her being out of the country is why he couldn't deliver.

The GOP doesn't not want Tara Reade in Congress for two main reasons -- upcoming elections and scope.

Upcoming elections? They don't want to overplay their hand the way the GOP did in the 90s with Bill Clinton. The American people grew so weary of the whole thing that they turned on the GOP and its inquisition. Juanita Broaddrick's story -- which had nothing to do with impeachment -- never stood a chance of being heard because the press sat on it too long and when it came out finally (and briefly), the attitude was, "No more. I can't hear any more on this."

So they're hoping to get Joe Biden on something to with corruption. They don't want a weary nation saying, "Just shut up and get to work." They need to make sure that they are dealing with real issues that impact the presidency.

Tara Reade is not a real issue for them.

Scope?

Congress doesn't do trials on rape. That's your criminal courts.

This allegation of rape goes back to the early 1990s. It is a he-said/she-said. There will be no proof emerging. It will be one person pitted against the other.

It wouldn't go Tara's way because she's lied too many times. As the one bringing the allegation, it's also her allegation to prove and she hasn't done a very good job of that.

But she would need to prove that in court.

This is a waste of Congress' time and money. This would be a waste that the American people would be footing the bill for. And its not Congress' role or duty.

The vanity on Tara is no surprise at this point. But step back just one moment and think of all the rape survivors in this country who have not received justice.

All of those people are going to be ignored by Congress but Congress is going to break custom and the law to rescue Tara Reade.

That's a lot of vanity on her.

It would not only be beyond their scope, it would also break custom and it would allow for endless garbage for years to come.

Joe Biden is president. If something happened between him and Tara back in 1993, it has no bearing on his presidency and Congress has no reason to pursue it. It would be a waste of time and money.

And with elections around the corner and the GOP already struggling, it's been conveyed to Matt that it is not happening and that the House needs to focus on things that might actually be impeachable to avoid America tuning out.

Tara's made herself a joke. I may put some of this (or all) in the snapshot later this morning at THE COMMON ILLS.

I went with all.

Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council released a statement regarding a resolution they adopted May 30th and here's some of that statement:

Welcoming the confirmation of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani's government by the Council of Representatives,

Encouraging the recently formed government to deliver on reforms, aimed at meeting the Iraqi people's legitimate aspirations, to address corruption, respect and protect the human rights of all individuals in Iraq, promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses, deliver essential services, diversify the economy, create jobs, improve governance, combat climate change and environmental and water-related challenges, and strengthen viable and responsive state institutions, including the security sector,

Recognizing the Government of Iraq's efforts to that effect, and calling for State institutions to redouble efforts to pursue accountability for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses including the killing, serious injury, abduction or disappearance of demonstrators and journalists, including women and to safeguard and respect the rule of law and the right to freedom of expression,

Welcoming the Government of Iraq's efforts to assist internally displaced persons and displaced Iraqis in Syria to return and reintegrate to their areas of origin or resettle elsewhere in Iraq, encouraging again international support for those efforts, and stressing the importance of achieving dignified, safe and durable solutions undertaken on a voluntary and informed basis,

Recognizing the progress the Government of Iraq has made in implementing the Yazidi Survivors Law, establishing the General Directorate for Survivors Affairs and disbursing the first payments to survivors and victims, noting that the lack of inclusion of children born of conflict-related sexual violence needs to be addressed, including all administrative obstacles to obtain registration and documentation for these children, acknowledging the need to ensure a survivor-centered approach in which reparations and redress measures are continued, and evidentiary standards and requirements are not overly burdensome, discriminatory, or risk re-traumatizing and calling on the Government of Iraq to hold perpetrators of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence accountable and provide mental health and psychosocial support to all survivors and victims,

Recognizing that the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes, and natural disasters, among other factors, can contribute to desertification and drought, sand and dust storms, adversely impact food security, water scarcity, livelihoods, and the humanitarian situation, and aggravate any existing instability, emphasizing the need for comprehensive risk assessments by the Government of Iraq with the support of the United Nations, upon the request of the Government of Iraq, to take meaningful actions to adapt to or mitigate challenges posed by climate change and ecological change, acknowledging the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and welcoming the Government of Iraq's efforts to that effect, in particular noting the Government of Iraq's accession to the UN Water Convention and the Iraq Climate Conference as well as the third Baghdad International Water Conference in 2023,

Calling on the international community to support durable solutions and development efforts while the Government of Iraq assumes responsibility for the provision of humanitarian services,

Noting the Government of Iraq's support for an Independent Strategic Review shared in the letter dated 18 May 2023 from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq H.E. Fuad Hussein addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Decides to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) until 31 May 2024;

We're strop right there because that's all that matters. That's what all the people speaking to the UN Security Council had called for -- that the mandate would be renewed. If it hadn't been renewed? All non-Iraqi forces (such as the US military) would have to leave Iraq or come up with an individual agreement with the government of Iraq to stay in Iraq.

The occupation of Iraq will continue for another year. And probably many more after that. But they got the mandate allowing them to militarily occupy Iraq for yet another year.

In other news, MEMO reports:

Rising controversy has been surrounding the Iraqi provincial elections, the date of which was approved by Parliament on 6 November. Behind the scenes amongst the youth, especially those who participated in the October 2019 protests, for whom the protest movement became a moral and political reference, there has been talk about the feasibility of participating in these elections or if warrant a boycott.

The division was clear among the youth on the eve of the parliamentary elections in October 2021. Many of them boycotted it, while political currents emanating from the October Protest Movement or the Tishreen Movement participated, and won nearly 20 seats. In general, those who believed in political participation among the "Tishreenites" did not obtain a significant parliamentary bloc, remained on the sidelines and their activity under the dome of decision-making did not have a substantial impact on the paths set by the large partisan blocs controlling the scene.

This clear result presents a convincing argument for those who see the continuation of the boycott as a morally correct choice and that participation will give the large parties greater legitimacy, in contrast with the results of the recent electoral scene, where no one argues that they have the least voter participation. Therefore, the parliament and the government emanating from this weak parliament are less legitimate, and they do not represent the opinion of the majority of those entitled to vote, as this majority chose the path of silent protest and boycott instead.

Isaiah's The WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Tara asks WWPD -- What Would Putin Do?" and "Little Ronnie Gets Spanked Again" went up last night. The following sites updated: