How do you take the “T” out of Stonewall?

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In the Trump administration’s ongoing attempt to make transgender people disappear, they’ve removed the “T” from LGBT on the Stonewall National Monument webpage. How incredibly ironic (and stupid) is that? Do they think we’ll forget who started the resistance to the police raid? Do they think they can tell the history of Stonewall without mentioning the “T”?

Martha P. Johnson is, at least apocryphally, credited with throwing the first brick (or rock, or bottle, or whatever it might have been), as police raided the Stonewall Inn in 1969.

The National Park Service, is of course, bending to the Executive Order that Orange Idiot signed recently. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to tell the story of Stonewall without mentioning transgender activists who led the fight. In moments of cynicism, I suspect they’ll figure out some way to credit the resistance to some obscure white guy, a bit like a recent movie tried to do. (whatever happened to that movie? I think it might have clunked it’s way down to the basement of forgotten films rather quickly.)


From the National Park Service’s Stonewall opening page:

“By the time of Stonewall…we had 50 to 60 gay groups in the country. A year later…1500.”
Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.

Check out our video series about the history of the Stonewall uprising, the LGB rights movement and Stonewall NM today!

Last updated: February 13, 2025

(bolding and italics added by me)

From another part of the Stonewall page on the National Park Service’s site I ran across the following:

(Someone missed some banned language and letters here.)


Stonewall National Monument

Stonewall National Monument

Read the President’s Proclamation delcaring (SIC) Stonewall National Monument

The Stonewall Inn, a bar located in Greenwich Village, New York City, was the scene of an uprising against police repression that led to a key turning point in the struggle for the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. In a pattern of harassment of LGBT establishments, the New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of Saturday, June 28, 1969. The reaction of the bar’s patrons and neighborhood residents that assembled in the street was not typical of these kinds of raids. Instead of dispersing, the crowd became increasingly angry and began chanting and throwing objects as the police arrested the bar’s employees and patrons. Reinforcements were called in by the police, and for several hours they tried to clear the streets while the crowd fought back. The initial raid and the riot that ensued led to six days of demonstrations and conflicts with law enforcement outside the bar, in nearby Christopher Park, and along neighboring streets. At its peak, the crowds included several thousand people.

The events of Stonewall, as the uprising is most commonly referred to, marked a major change in the struggle for “homophile rights” in the U.S., with lesbian women, gay men, bisexual and transgender people beginning to vocally and assertively demand their civil rights. Stonewall is regarded by many as the single most important catalyst for the dramatic expansion of the LGBT civil rights movement. The riots inspired LGBT people throughout the country to organize and within two years of Stonewall, LGBT rights groups had been started in nearly every major city in the U.S. Stonewall was, as historian Lillian Faderman wrote, “the shot heard round the world…crucial because it sounded the rally for the movement.”

Today, the site of the uprisings in Greenwich Village is recognized as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) by the National Park Service and is considered significant under NHL Criterion 1 because of its association with events that outstandingly represent the struggle for civil rights in America. This NHL includes the bar, Christopher Park, and the streets where the events of June 28-July 3, 1969, occurred. The Stonewall Inn is located at 51-53 Christopher Street, New York City, New York and is open to the public.


The link to the President’s Proclamation, however, leads to this page:

Now, I don’t think Trump himself is all that worked up about transgender people. It’s his minions, especially Elon Musk, who are driving this. Musk has misgendered and dead-named his trans child, so I suspect much of this erasing is coming from his personal hatred of transgenderism. He’s not a person used to not getting his way, and he’s striking out and hurting whoever he can. And he doesn’t care who gets hurt.

Oh, BTW, don’t let NPS know they missed some of the forbidden words on this page. Let us hope they’re there because someone at NPS’s IT office knows the Orange Idiot’s minions wouldn’t think to look past the splash page. shhhhhh

Note to media: knock it off!

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The 2024 vote

I just read another media post claiming Hair Furor(HF from here on out)* won the election in a “landslide”.

No such thing happened. Media outlets, stop spreading this nonsense!

Yes, the Electoral College was lopsided, but that’s a false perspective.

The difference between HF and Kamala Harris was 1.8%. Hardly a “landslide”. It was a ‘win by the skin-of-his-teeth’ margin.

HF was elected by only 23% of the American population.

He doesn’t have a “mandate” for change, and we’re already seeing buyer’s remorse setting in from the MAGA crowd.

So just stop it, already.

*Donald Trump

Refresh? Or hide?

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It’s getting down to the wire, and I’m in a quandry.

I can’t decide what to do.

On one hand, I want to run and hide until well after next Tuesday’s election. I’m afraid of what might happen. This is worse than thinking we’d elect Mitt Romney President in 2012, after just one term of Barack Obama. That November night I was really worried the racists and the bigots would pull it out of the hat, and give the win to Romney. Fortunately, it turned out well that time. I was stunned when we then handed this country over to Donald Trump in 2016. How could anyone think he’d be a better President than Hillary? Even if you hated her with a passion, how could Trump be a better choice?

On the other hand, I find myself hitting the refresh icon on my Twitter and Facebook feeds much too often, worried I might miss something. These Trump caravans of lifted trucks, and these super-spreader rallies worry me. He’s whipped them into a frenzy, and I’m afraid they’ll go nuts when he loses. Especially if he loses by a landslide.

I’m crossing my fingers and hoping we’re smart enough to toss the right-wing, fascist trash out, and clean house. The White House. The Senate, too. But I’m really worried about the after-math. It’s making me as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

If we’re not, smart that is, we’ll deserve our fate. Putin will be cackling with glee if we don’t toss Trump, McConnell, McCarthy, and Nunes from office with numbers that clearly repudiate them and their malfeasance.

So I’m sitting here trying not to be nauseous, telling myself that everything will be fine, and that on January 20 we’ll have real leadership and experience at the helm. That no matter what Trump and the GOP did to damage our country, the repair crews will be dispatched, damage control parties will be at work, and we can step down from Red Alert to merely Yellow Alert. The ship of state will be refitted, even if we have to go into space-dock to do it.

As much as I keep telling myself that, though, I keep wondering about a remote bunker without internet access or cell phone coverage.

Oh, who am I kidding?

“click” refresh

If at first you don’t succeed, change the rules!

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snidely-whiplash Oh that Trump administration…

“Hmmmm…  we’ve been unable to nail Hillary on anything! ANYTHING! Curses, foiled again!”

*lightbulb*

“I know! We’ll retroactively classify material that was sent in routine State Department and government emails, and start harassing people about having classified information on their computers!!!  Bwahahahahaha!”

Stunned career official (SCO): “But how does that make sense? Why would we do that? How does that become Hillary’s fault??”

Trump appointee (TA): “Because these emails ended up with her, so anyone who sent them is guilty, too! Since she had classified material on unsecured computers, SHE’S GUILTY! AND SO ARE THEY! Bwahahahahaha!!”

SCO: “That makes no sense! You can’t retroactively classify materials that were unclassified, then harass people about them!”

TA: “Watch us.”

Fox News: NEWSFLASH!  Classified emails! Hillary! Benghazi!

MAGAts: “SEE!!! WE TOLD YOU!!! LOCK HER UP!!!!!!!!!!”

Trump: “NO COLLUSION, TOTAL EXONERATION, WITCH HUNT, BIDEN!”

Everybody else: “WTF?”

Vladimir Putin: “Bwahahahahaha”

The effect is only one way…

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NUNES_DERP_STATE I’m on Devin Nunes’ email list, and boy, is it a roller coaster ride!

Here’s part of the latest blast:

“Jim,

Breaking: Big tech giants may be manipulating information to sway votes.

This is a disturbing discovery, and it should concern all Americans.

Tech oligarchs have become a huge part of our daily lives. They control what information we see and what we don’t. They have incredible power and could use this power to manipulate elections and voters.

This should give every American great concern. Conservatives must fight back.

Research has shown that Silicon Valley tech oligarchs supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and could have biased their platform users in favor of their personal politics.
If we want to ensure a fair election in 2020, then we MUST fight back now.”

Amazing.

Nunes wants us to believe two contradictory things at one time –

That Facebook, Twitter, and similar tech giants could manipulate their customers in favor of Hillary Clinton, but that Russia’s concerted efforts to do the exact same thing on the exact same platforms did not influence anyone to favor Donald Trump.

Manipulation in favor of Clinton: YES

Manipulation in favor of Trump: NYET

“… may be manipulating…” and “They… could use this power…” and “could have biased their platform…”

He doesn’t claim they DID do that, but only that they COULD have, and that they should be investigated.

Meanwhile, Devin is suing a Twitter cow. He’s also trying to use federal racketeering laws to go after people who have said “mean” things about him. Like he’s not really a “farmer”, even though he got a court to rule he could claim that on voting pamphlets. (He recently bought a $15,000 farm, presumably so he could claim to be a farmer for real)

Derp state, is right. Devin is the Speaker of that House.

Image: Daily Kos

The begging bytes

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deleteBoy, do I get emails! I’ve managed to end up on just about every candidate’s begging list, and it seems to be getting worse every day.

Now, I don’t mind the emails, they’re easy enough to delete. I find the ones from Devin Nunes and Donald Trump endlessly entertaining. I have noticed a theme, though, from all sides, that I find annoying.

They’re all “falling short of their fundraising goal this week (or month)”, and need my immediate donation to reach it. It’s important, they’ll say, that they show how strong the support for their campaign is (I’m assuming they mean for the big, high-dollar donors, the ones they never mention by name).

They’ll go on about how important it is that they reach their goal, so they don’t fall behind in their battle to save the country.

Here’s an idea, folks. Set more realistic goals, if you’re never reaching them. I know you want to give the impression of being the underdog, that you’re the come-from-behind-anti-establishment-only-hope-for-all-mankind who will win in the end… but geez!

Let me give you some free advice.

Don’t run with this “we’re behind” theme in your ads. You’re claiming you’re a loser. Start setting lower goals, and then blow past them! Tell your supporters you’re gaining support across the country. Let them join the bandwagon of a winner! Everybody loves the underdog who comes from behind to win at the last moment, but you can’t *all* be the underdog.

Other email annoyances from the political mob:

Kamala, I *really* don’t need three or four emails *every* single day!

Devin, this “it’s me against the deep state” crap is getting old. Nobody but a few hard-core Republicans really believes it. Also, hold some real town halls in your district. The only places you show your face these days is “pay-for-play” fundraisers, usually in some distant district! Locking the doors to your offices is a clear sign of what you think about your constituents.

Donald, you and Donny Jr. can quite lying to me in every other email.  I am 99.99999999% sure neither of you has noticed my name is not on your contributor’s list. If you have, how about sending me a short video of you in the Oval saying “why hasn’t Jim Reeves donated yet?” You have my email address.

So I scan the emails, and hit “delete”. The bits and bytes are recycled, to live again in some other form. Probably another email begging for money.

 

 

Prejean Update – Beauty Queen flubs snit attempt

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Last one, I promise. (Unless something really wild comes along.)

carrie_prejean01

 

Carrie’s latest cross to bear? Her appearance on Larry King Live didn’t go so well. Larry asked a rather vague question about her recent court settlement, and the former Miss California USA pageant winner went into a snit, telling King that his question was “inappropriate”. It would seem Miss Prejean hasn’t had any coaching in how to deflect a question she doesn’t want to answer. She’s still in the “poor little ole’ me, everyone’s picking on me just because I don’t think gays should have any rights” mode. She tried to take her microphone off and storm out, but apparently even that didn’t come off as planned. Poor little Carrie, can’t even pull off a snit correctly!

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Carrie Prejean’s Merry Go Round still spinning out of control

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carrie_prejean01In the latest round of the saga of poor Carrie Prejean,  a sex tape of the former Miss California USA has been introduced into the plot.    As you’ll recall, Miss Prejean became a darling of the right wing after coming in second in the Miss USA contest.  Her response to a question on same-sex marriage, not noted for it’s intelligence or delivery, even if a dearly held belief of Miss Prejean’s,  became instant fodder for the judge who asked the question, on-line gossip Perez Hilton. Quickly taken up by the religious right, who echoed her claims that she lost the Miss USA crown due to her “moral” stand on same-sex marriage,  her cause became a national sensation, portrayed as an attack on her personal “family values” beliefs.  The latest chapter in this never-ending saga now includes reports of a video of Miss Prejean in a solo performance of a sexual nature.

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