Short Tales

-July 5, 2024 marked an auspicious day in Iran. Contrary to what Iran’s Supreme leader wanted, moderate Masoud Pezeshkian won a quickly organized Presidential election. This is significant because Pezeshkian has some interesting beliefs for an Iranian President.  For instance, he has pledged to engage with the West, end internet filtering and cease the morality police’s harassment of women. Who knows maybe he can even get some of these things done. People have long suffered Iran’s conservative theocracy and want change. The brave protests of the women who have had enough of the hijabs is just an example of how people are sick and tired of the Supreme Leader. More importantly he knows it.

Iran’s leadership wanted a more conservative President. Many felt Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would somehow swing the election away from Pezeshkian. Fortunately, he did not play a role in the outcome. But as many are hoping for vast reforms. The pundits warn us that we should not expect too much. They say that Pezeshkian will not disobey Ali Khamenei. It would be a shame if his helicopter crashed into a remote mountain area too. Or I wonder if the Supreme Leader feared more protests from the Iranian people. I hope he fears the power of his people, because it is limitless.

Better relations with the west can only help. Maybe even with Israel. Miracles do happen.

-I said it would happen and it is starting to come to fruition. Donald Trump has slithered out from under another one. US District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed his criminal classified documents case. Was she out of line? Many if most think so. She felt compelled to ignore decades of judicial precedence to help her benefactor. Earlier in the case Cannon tried to block investigators from reviewing documents seized at Trump’s residence. A three-judge appellate panel of Republican appointees described it as a “radical reordering of our caselaw”. Of this latest ruling it is just another event where our judicial system has been turned into Trump’s legal circus. The Supreme Court with his appointees and these Judges in the lower courts do not give a damn about the law. All they want to is pander to his will. The will of a convicted felon and a man so selfish that there is only room for himself in his world. Money and power. All anyone is are stepping stones to more money and power. The classified documents case has essentially gone away. There is no time left to appeal and restart the case before the November election. If Trump wins in November, then he will pardon himself of all of his crimes and slither away. There is only one way to stop him. Do not vote for him in November. Do not give him the chance to escape justice. Is this the person we want running our country? Leader of the free world?

-We set the scene in a smaller town near Ft. Worth, Texas. A woman named Courtney Gore is fighting what she feels is the “good” fight in this small part of America that she calls home. She feels that to make a difference, a lasting impact, in this town would be for her to get herself elected to the local school board. In her mind, her goal was to rid the district of the indoctrination on race and sexuality that modern education is forcing on their children.

So, she ran for the Granbury School District school board. And won. But after being elected a strange thing happened. She spent months pouring through curriculum. And the only conclusions she could come to ended up rejecting her claims.

One of her campaign posts online were “over the years our American education system has been hijacked by leftists looking to indoctrinate our kids into the “progressive way” of thinking.”

She investigated the curriculum spoke with educators and then was blocked from finding more by hostile members of the board when it became clear that her opinion was changing. In the end she had this to say, “I’m over the political agenda hypocrisy BS. I took part in it myself. I refuse to participate in it any longer. It’s not serving our party. We have to do better.”

Good for Courtney! Hopefully more people take the time and have a decent level of intelligence to come to the same conclusions. I remember having a conversation with a friend about how I can no longer vote for who I feel is the best candidate anymore. The lines drawn for political agendas are so solid that no candidates dare cross them. We all know how each of them will pursue issues. There is no doubt. But now maybe there is a glimmer of hope. Courtney Gore has used her position and brains to seek and discover the truth. What a novel concept.

There are so many people in this world that do not fit into these little boxes that we call man and woman. One of my favorite phrases is that “nothing in the world is black and white. Instead, it is an infinite number of shades of grey”. “Woke” is not just a passing fad. It is part on an evolutionary process that we are experiencing. Welcome to the human race, Courtney.

-Last year we faced numerous instances of backlash against the LGBTQ+ community. The most famous being Bud Light and their choice of partnering with Dylan Mulvaney. A progressive move by partnering with a transgender woman for a bold social media campaign. Alas the ignorant were not amused. They protested by shooting Bud Light in their backyards and boycotting the beer. This forced the company to back off their plan and cower in a dark corner while they hoped sales would come back to normal.

Target also had problems as they offered LGBTQ+ merchandise for Pride month. This is somewhat of a tradition for Target as they have offered LGBTQ+ merchandise in their stores for a decade. After last year’s struggles with ignorant conservatives banding together to fight what they called “rainbow capitalism”, Target broke. They let the cowards win. This year Target made the decision to only sell Pride merchandise in certain stores and online.

Another lost battle in a war that seemingly will never end. We need corporate America to find their backbones and stand up for what is right. We need people to stand up and do what is right. Nothing more and nothing less. Each person on this planet is a human being and deserves to be treated as such. When will that happen? That is my impossible dream.

-Today Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released this statement endorsing Trump for President;

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States…”

This is just the cowardly response that we have come to expect from the gutless Republicans who are so afraid of not getting re-elected that they bow down and grab a mouthful of Trump’s ass in their mouths and start sucking. Who in their right mind with any type of intelligence at all would endorse that man? Let alone want him to be President again.

The two men have not spoken since 2020 when McConnell declared Biden the winner of that Presidential election. And then after the January 6th insurrection. McConnell placed much of the blame right at Trump’s doorstep. He said Trump’s “actions proceeding the riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty.” Even McConnell’s wife, Elain Chao who was a member of Trump’s cabinet at the time resigned after the riots.

Which brings up another point between the two men. Trump’s racist comments about Chao. Calling her “Coco Chow” and Mitch’s “China Loving Wife”. Even going so far as to criticize McConnell’s leadership because Trump felt he was influence too much by his wife’s connection to China. This is too much. The man has no decency.

I have lost all respect for Mitch McConnell. He is a coward and is as spineless as a jellyfish. If he had any honor before, there is none now. This is his legacy. A coward, plain and simple. Now and forever more known as a Trump lapdog who sits and waits for orders from his master. Let him fade into obscurity, a forgotten footnote in history.

-I have recently posted a story about French National goalie, Mike Maignan, and his battle to fight racism in European soccer. A similar incident has reared its ugly head, locally, in Roseville.

At a recent wrestling match between Roseville and Inderkum high schools. Some students were making racist chants against an Inderkum wrestler named Mercedes Overby.

Just teenager, too early to lose his innocence. But for people of color, these things happen all too fast in their lives. It is never a question of if, only when.

This is another incident of blatant racism in high school sports in this area of Northern California. And each time the referees heard what was being said and did nothing.  Where are the adults when we need them? Even Mercedes’ parents heard the chants. These events should have ended in instant forfeits. We are perpetuating these injustices with our own inactions. We embolden these ignorant fools. If t-+here will be no penalty, what is the incentive to stop?

But what about poor Mercedes? Wrestling should have been a safe place for him, A place where he could just think about competing against an opponent and nothing else. Now he will always be wondering when he might hear those awful things again.

Fortunately, some other kids were able to film these horrible acts and some type of justice is supposedly being issued. When will we have the strength to stand up to these ignorant bullies? They hide from behind closed doors spreading their hate online or act with cowardice in large groups. Hoping the group will leave them anonymous as they spew their filth. Some posted videos online but where was everyone else at the wrestling match? No adults heard this? We know that this is not true. Other kids remain silent while a few made these comments. Someday let us hope that they find the courage to speak out in the moment. As Mike Maignan said that if you witnessed the incident and did nothing then you are complicit.

-The Senate recently confirmed the first woman to lead the United States Navy. Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been officially confirmed as the new Chief of Naval Operations. She previously served as Vice Chief of operations for the Navy. Admiral Franchetti will be the first woman to hold a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She used to head the 6th Fleet and Us naval forces Korea. She was also the second woman ever promoted to four-star admiral.

Jack Reed D-RI Senate Armed Services Committee chair had this to say about her;

“She has worked her way up the ranks of the United States Navy. She has commanded at sea. She has accepted and excelled at every challenge presented to her. She is superbly prepared to be Chief of Naval Operations.”

Congratulations to Admiral Franchetti on her promotion and the Navy for their progressive decision.

-We have just elected a new Speaker of the House. It took over 20 days to do it and more than a few failed to make the cut before Mike Johnson of Louisiana was chosen. Johnson becomes the number 3 man in our government’s hierarchy. All of this for a man who helped lead Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He led an amicus brief signed by more than 100 GOP lawmakers asking for the Supreme Court to overturn elections in several key states. In interviews just yesterday, Johnson is still unable to answer truthfully when asked who won the 2020 election. It is my opinion that people who continue to propagate lies, who refuse to acknowledge the truth are unfit to hold office. There are no two ways about it either Johnson is a liar or so stupid he cannot remember his own countries laws. Or maybe he is both.  It is sad that it has come to these sycophants of Trump leading our country.  What happens in the next election? If it comes to it, how will Johnson wield his power then?

-How many people can find fun and enjoyment in hurting others? Is this person a sociopath? A sadist? Or maybe even have a little psychopath in them? But they are for sure 100% ignorant asshole.

Online extremists are spreading a new game amongst their self-absorbed brothers and sisters. Some call them “capture the flag challenges”. The challenges urge followers to steal, capture and deface Pride flags from private residences and businesses.

This latest game is another act of cowardice that the conservative right continues to hold up over their heads and beat their chests as if they are acting with honor and strength. They hide behind the shield of doing right to protect the world but are really compensating for their for their own inadequacies. Do not lose faith and let them win. If we can stand together, we will win.

-Another teacher was fired recently. It occurred in the state of Georgia and would not necessarily be that news worthy but for the fact that she lost her job because she read a book about gender fluidity to her 5th grade class. Katie Rinderle had been a teacher for the last 10 years but that did not stop the Cobb County School Board in suburban Atlanta from voting 4-3 for her termination.

The book she read was “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart. It is a picture book that challenges gender fluidity. Rinderle stated after the verdict, “The district’s decision to terminate me for reading an inclusive and affirming book, one that is representative of diverse student identities.”

I read a great line in an article trying to explain the fear and ignorance that the conservative right feels at this time. One of the craziest things I have ever read is that by educating kids about gender identity and LGBTQ+ advocacy we are pushing to sexualize and recruit children into the LGBTQ+ community. If people did not actually believe this and be acting along its lines then it would be comical. Please people, join the human race. Step from behind the curtain of your ignorance and enter the light. In this light you will find kindness, understanding and inclusion. Hope you can make it here.

-How many people can find fun and enjoyment in hurting others? Is this person a sociopath? A sadist? Or maybe even have a little psychopath in them.

Online extremists are spreading a new game amongst their ignorant brothers and sisters. The encourages followers to damage, destroy or just plain steal Pride flags wherever they see them. Some call them “capture the flag challenges”. The challenges urge followers to steal, capture and deface Pride flags from private residences and businesses.

This latest game is another act of cowardice that the conservative right continues to hold up over their heads and beat their chests as if they are acting with honor and strength. They hide behind the shield of doing right to protect the world but are really compensating for their for their own inadequacies. Do not lose faith and let them win. If we can stand together we will win.

-Another teacher was fired recently. It occurred in the state of Georgia and would not necessarily be that news worthy but for the fact that she lost her job because she read a book about gender fluidity to her 5th grade class. Katie Rinderle had been a teacher for the last 10 years but that did not stop the Cobb County School Board in suburban Atlanta from voting 4-3 for her termination.

The book she read was “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart. It is a picture book that challenges gender fluidity. Rinderle stated after the verdict, “The district’s decision to terminate me for reading an inclusive and affirming book, one that is representative of diverse student identities.”

I read a great line in an article trying to explain the fear and ignorance that the conservative right feels at this time. One of the craziest things I have ever read is that by educating kids about gender identity and LGBTQ+ advocacy we are pushing to sexualize and recruit children into the LGBTQ+ community. If people did not actually believe this and be acting along its lines then it would be comical. Please people, join the human race. Step from behind the curtain of your ignorance and enter the light. In this light you will find kindness, understanding and inclusion. Hope you can make it here.

-“We’re seeing nationally that LGBTQ+ youth are, frankly, under attack legislatively and culturally. Its deadly to the youth that we serve.”

Something very special is happening in Arizona and other parts of the country. There is a micro-school starting this fall that caters to specifically the LGBTQ+ community.  The group “One in Ten” is a nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ youth. They chose to start with a middle school because that age can be really challenging. Clayton Davenport, One-in-Ten director of development and marketing says that kids of this age “tend to be shy” and “do not want to be targets”. He goes on to say, “Being able to raise their hands and ask their questions in a safe, affirming environment is going to be key to their mental health and educational advancement”.

The new Middle school will be housed in the downtown Phoenix Headquarters of One-in-Ten. Their aim is to create a safe and comfortable environment to kids to come and learn. LGBTQ+ youth might not be comfortable in a larger school setting.  It will be a blended learning center.

And yes, this is something that we need right now. The ACLU says that there are nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the country. This staggering tidal wave is gaining momentum. I am continually overwhelmed with the levels of intolerance and inhumanity that I find that this school, especially in a conservative state such as Arizona, is a breath of fresh air.

- The battle rages everywhere in the US. There is no state that is immune to the issues that face the LGBTQ+ community these days. One of the latest fights comes to us from Blount County, south of Knoxville, Tennessee. Prosecutors from that area have issued a formal warning to organizers of the Blount Pride celebration. They plan to enforce the state’s adult entertainment act which includes a ban on adult cabaret in public spaces. This encompasses “Drag” performances.

A District Judge ruled that this law is “unconstitutional vague and substantially overbroad”. But the Blount County prosecutor thinks that the ruling only applies to Memphis and the Southwestern part of the state. Very convenient.

The ACLU is suing. This from Stella Yarborough who is the ACLU of Tennessee Legal Director.

“Threatening to enforce this unconstitutional law amounts to a harmful attempt to remove LGBTQ people from public life, which is simply unacceptable…The court had made it abundantly clear that drag performance is constitutionally protected expression under the First Amendment, regardless of where in the state it is performed.

Entertainment is so varied in our lives. And many acts choose to get into costume or express themselves in whatever way they choose. Some of these performers are pretty extreme in their choices. But a man dressing as a woman is out of line. So much so that laws are passed to discourage the practice. These are the cornerstones of the conservatives. Their lives are ruled by fear, hypocrisy, ignorance and bigotry. If it involved classic literature, gun control or vaccinations then you cannot tell them what to do. But they have no problem forcing their will on others. Fear, hypocrisy, ignorance and bigotry.

-In Portland, Oregon there is a wonderful sports bar that has recently opened. At first glance it looks just like any other sports bar that you might have been to but with a slight twist. When you look up at the televisions you will only see women’s sports playing. It is called the “Sports Bra” and it is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

Opened in 2022 by Jenny Nguyen it has been followed by two other bars, also in the pacific northwest. Rough and Tumble in Seattle and Icarus in Salem, Oregon.

When asked why she started this business, Nguyen said, “When we built this place, it opened up people’s eyes to the possibilities of what fandom, spectatorship and the love of women’s sports is really about.” Nguyen envisioned a welcoming spot for people of all backgrounds and a haven for her group of queer and diverse friends who had always felt a bit like outsiders in traditional sport’s bars.

What I love most about this story is obviously the bar’s name but also that the business in flourishing. They even had to add a spot for luggage for people coming straight from the airport to check it out.

To quote a very famous sports movie, Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.”

-Now a Michigan hair salon is refusing to serve part of the LGBTQ+ community. Studio 8 Hair Lab in Traverse City will no longer serve clients who identify “as anything other than a man/woman”. The salon has made other derogatory statements about Trans people.

Studio 8 Hair Lab had some other sad posts on their social media accounts. Their Instagram page says that that they are “a private conservative business that does not cater to woke ideologies”. In a now deleted Facebook post Studio 8 posted this about Trans people, “You are not welcome at this salon. Period.”

Michigan State Representative, Betsy Coffia denounced the salon’s posts as “Breathtaking hate and bigotry”.

Hopefully, Traverse City is able to get together to fight back and boycott this business. I am all for free speech but not when it supports segregation, hate and ignorance. Where has human decency and understanding gone? Conservatives use “woke” as if it is a dirty word. Something to be avoided. And I understand that most of us fear change to some degree. But being “woke” is nothing to run from. It is evolution if it is anything at all. It should be embraced. As we progress and learn more and more about ourselves this will not be the only thing that ignorant people will try and suppress. But we need to more forward and learn. Let’s welcome Trans people into our lives. Let’s all be apart of the human race.

It is not possible to be completely empathetic with the Transgender experience. Because we have no reference point of understanding. Most of us cannot possibly feel what a Trans person is going through. But while I am unable to know what it feels like I do recognize that it must be very difficult. Trans people are people. Despite our efforts to dehumanize them.

-Tuesday, July 4 was Independence Day in the United States. As we celebrated our independence from England, little did we know we were setting a record. And this record is not just in the United States, but for the entire world. Tuesday was the Earth’s hottest day on record. It broke the mark set the day before. Scientists tell us that our planet is hotter than it has been for roughly 125,000 years.

One of the factors to blame are the release of greenhouse gases released by coal, gas and oil. These gases have, over the past century, pushed our temperatures higher than can be explained by natural variability. My question is, does anyone who has the power to effect change egen care? It falls to us to force change. Together we have the strength to make these things happen.

-US Figure Skating, the governing body that oversees skating in the United States just does not seem to understand. The following was read in an article by Christine Brennan in USA Today. After finishing the article, I was shocked with the callous disregard a national governing body can show its members.

Over four years ago, John Coughlin, a national champion, was accused of sexual assault by at least four female skaters. One, we know was a minor at the time of the attack. He never saw a courtroom for his actions as he took his own life rather than face prosecution. One of his biggest supporters was Kelsey Parker Gislason. If we look back on her Facebook posts at the time, they carried the hashtags #Justiceforjohncoughlin and #TheJohnIknew. She was very vocal against these allegations. And now she has just been hired as Senior Manager, high performance development for US Skating.  

Ashley Wagner who along with at least three other skaters accused Coughlin of sexual assault. Wagner is a former 3x national champion, bronze medalist in the 2014 Olympics 2016 World Silver Medalist. She had this to say about the hire.

“I want to make it clear that in this position, this person is now a mandatory reporter (of sexual assault and sexual abuse to the US Center for SafeSport). And I’m sorry if my trust has been compromised in this person’s ability to believe survivors and approach this and many of these delicate situations of sexual assault with any ounce of respect, dignity or appropriate care.”

She also said, “this individual was extremely vocal against the truth of our experiences…As soon as you put that out on social media, you should become un-hirable for certain positions.”

Which brings us to the point.  What is US Skating thinking?

This is a new page for Breadcrumbs. It is just for short thoughts that I wanted to share with people without delving into an entire article. Quicker and easier to post and quicker and easier to read. Hope you enjoy them

-Tucker Carlson and Fox News have parted ways.  Wow, hopes and wishes do come true. But before we all start dreaming of a kinder and more honest world, let’s wait and see who takes his place. Often times the replacement is far worse than the original.  The next one will probably feel they need to have bolder lies and more ridiculous stories to top the old host.

-How do we react to racist and offensive behavior? Should every media personality be fired or let go for what is clearly racist behavior? Chris Curtis on air at WEEI in Boston on “the Greg Hill Show” used the slur “nip” to describe Mina Kimes who is a journalist the works for ESPN. The show was discussing small liquor bottles also referred to as “nips” in the Boston area. Hosts were picking their top 5 bottles when Curtis chimes in “I’d probably go Mina Kimes”. “Nip” has for many years as a slur used to describe people of Japanese descent. Kimes is part Korean. Curtis served a one-week suspension for being a complete racist jerk on the air. My personal opinion is that he shouldn’t even have a job. 

-Later this year the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case of a Colorado web designer, Lori Smith, who is asking the state not to force her to make web pages for same sex marriages. She has religious objections to working with the LGBTQ community. We can only wait and see how this story will unfold.

-Recently The Masters golf tournament was held and LIV Tour golfers were invited to compete. Even though they are banned from competing on the PGA tour. Just another sad example of the mighty dollar guiding our actions rather than our minds controlling them. An unfortunate consequence is that we are again giving into Saudi efforts to “sportswash” themselves into the good graces of the world through sports. Never mind their inhumanity to their own people.