NATIONAL HUG A BEAR DAY UPDATES
Just, Please, Not a REAL Bear, If You Could ...
-The Main Event is next year, but Election Day 2023 has arrived, with abortion rights at the top of the list of issues voters are being asked to decide on. In OH, a measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution is the main event (after an attempt by Republicans to change the way Constitutional changes can be made was resoundingly defeated in the summer); in VA, control of the state Senate will determine whether would-be late-coming Presidential wannabe Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) would be able to pass a 16-week abortion ban in that state; and in KY, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is in a tight race with Mitch McConnell protege and Breonna Taylor murder-protecting D.A. Daniel Cameron, with Cameron promising a total criminalization of abortion if he wins. If you want a fun underdog to root for, keep an eye on the MS Governor's race, where UltraMAGA but corruption-dogged incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves is in what the locals call a surprisingly competitive race with Democratic nominee Brandon Presley - YES, he's a second cousin to THAT Presley.
-Avoiding Elvis puns, let's move on to what will be an inevitable over-analysis of tonight's race as it relates to the 2024 Presidential race, and the continued Democratic PHA-REEEK OUT! over the New York Times poll of 3600 voters in six swing states that show Ex-President Trump XCI winning in five of the six over 2020 Presidential winner Joe Biden. Because, as commentators and the Times itself in a follow-up story pointed out, a question of minor importance would, if the responses are correct, flip every one of those states into the Biden column. The question: would you change your vote if Trump was convicted in one of his various criminal trials? With trials in GA (over the attempt to take that state's electors from the winner, Biden), DC (over Trump's actions leading up to January 6, 2021), and some day FL (the classified documents possession case, pending apparent Trump BFF Judge Aileen Cannon's shenanigans) coming throughout 2024, and the information we've seen seemingly showing the chances of conviction are decent, that will need to be monitored.
-Speaking of a potential new Trump Presidency, a new Washington Post story reiterated earlier reports that Trump and his acolytes, primarily Stephen Miller and fellow GA indictee Jeffrey Clark, are promising "retribution" against all their perceived political enemies - but with more and (to most of us, we reckon) more disturbing details. Actions they are reportedly planning include everything from using the Department of Justice for prosecutions against political enemies to a day-one invocation of the Insurrection Act to criminalize all protests and using the military to enforce it (which some commentators concerned that this dovetails with Sen. Tommy Tuberville's stranglehold of allowing military promotions, believing a new Trump term could allow all those appoinments to be made to pro-Trump officers), a re-imposition of the travel ban against (at a minimum) Muslims, and even potential deportation of anyone Trump or his followers would deem to be pro-Palestinian.
-Scared?
-GOOD.
-In other election news, Vladimir Putin has announced his intention to run for re-election in 2024. Given his party's ability to imprison anyone who wants to run against him and the fact that Russian voters must vote, it is believed Putin would be a prohibitive favorite to win, with the major question over his campaign being whether he is still alive. Odd, sure, but rumors emerged last month that Putin had a serious heart attack, followed by numerous questions about whether Putin "body doubles" were used for public appearances (he has been known to use them whenever the quite-often-paranoid Putin is fearful of an assassination attempt) post-alleged-cardiac-arrest. Just keep an eye and ear out for any orchestral music played on Russian state television in the next few days or weeks, is all this writer is sayin' ...
-In the latest chapter of How Weird IS This Guy?!, there is yet another very very VERY strange story involving newly-installed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-zuz!, LA). According to a 2022 interview, the super-duper-religious conservative, who claims to have adopted a 14-year-old black boy while he was only in his mid-20s himself, and is married in a so-called "covenant marriage" to a woman who ran a gay conversion clinic (and sounds like Britney Spears on a helium-and-speed bender), decided to admit in public that he monitored the porn intake of one of his biological sons via an app that does that sort of thing ... and that his son reportedly does the same thing with him.
-See? Not even all the OTHER stuff I wrote about him topped the my-teen-son-monitors-my-porn-intake note, now DOES it?!
-Wwwwwwweeeeeeeiiiiiirrrrrddddd.......
-Closing with labor news, after taking several days to review, SAG-Aftra disputed the claim made by Hollywood producers that their last offer was indeed their "last, best, and final" offer. Officials in the actors unions reported they are still not happy with several issues, with the use of and compensation for artificial intelligence still at the top of the list. It is unclear whether the two sides have resumed discussions or whether the producers' claim is true, but the need to get production started by the end of 2023 (or more realistically the start of 2024) is creating pressure to get a fair deal done, so on Day 117, SOLIDARITY!
-On this date in 1874, an editorial cartoon by Thomas Nast created the elephant as the symbol of the Republican Party. On this date in 1917, Communists took over Russia and created the Soviet Union (1917-1993ish). On this date in 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twisted like a rope and collapsed, creating one of the most iconic high school and college film loops in education history. On this date in 1962, Richard Nixon lied to America when he said "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore!" after losing the 1962 CA Governors race. On this date in 1967, Carl Stokes became the first African-American to be elected Mayor of a major American city when he won in Cleveland, a major American city (DON'T EVEN). On this date in 1991, Magic Johnson retired from the NBA after announcing he was HIV-positive. And on this date in 2020, Joe Biden declared the victory he won in that year's election, moments after the hilarious Rudy Giuliani press conference at what was supposed to be a Four Seasons hotel but was instead in front of Four Seasons Landscaping in PA. (Busy!)
-Happy Birthday to Captain James Cook, Marie Curie, Albert Camus, Al Hirt, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jim Kaat, Jean Shrimpton, Johnny Rivers, Joni Mitchell, Joe Niekro, David Petraeus, Judy Tenuta, Christopher Knight, Jellybean Benitez, King Kong Bundy, Dana Plato, Morgan Spurlock, Adam Devine, and Lorde.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Eleanor Roosevelt, Gene Tunney, Steve McQueen, Will Durant, Slappy White, Howard Keel, Joe Frazier, Janet Reno, Leonard Cohen, Roy Halliday, Norm Crosby, Dean Stockwell, and Michael Butler.
-Leon Trotsky and Billy Graham were born on this date. Butch Cassidy was killed on this date. You decide if they get a Happy Birthday/Rest in Peace or Power or if they Feed the Worms.