Friday, July 17, 2026

Wednesday, July 17, 1946. African Americans were allowed to vote in Georgia's primary election for the first time.

 African Americans were allowed to vote in Georgia's primary election for the first time.

At the time Georgia used an odd primary system similar to the archaic electoral college, which needs to be abolished.  In this instance, "county units" determined the candidates, so while James V. Carmichael received more votes than former Governor Eugene Talmadge, with the help of the African American vote, Talmadge received the nomination.

The county unit system was abolished in 1964.

U.S. trademark protection was reestablished for Austrians.


Chetnik general Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was executed by the Communist Yugoslavian government. 

The Second World War was extremely complicated in Yugoslavia, and unlike the movie treatment you'll occasionally see regarding them, the loyalties of various partisan bands in the country were varied and changed.  The Chetniks started as a royalist anti German movement and actually fought alongside the Communist partisans in the early part of World War Two, but by the end, they were collaborating with the Germans.

The Rocky Mountain News ran an article about a 16 year old girl who was, well, a creepy fan of a trombonist and made up a lurid tale of how he was involved with her, in the hopes that it'd destroy his marriage and he'd marry her.  The headline referred to her as a "Bobby Soxer", the oldest use of that term, which I'd associated with the 1950s, that I've ever seen, although apparently that's just a misimpression on my part.  The Wikipedia article on the demographic subset composed of teenage girls has several photos from 1946.

"Bobby Soxer", January 1946.

Apparently the origin of the term for short sox worn by young women dates back to 1943 and appeared in Life as early as 1944.

Months ago colored bobby sox folded at the top were decreed, not by anyone or any group but, as usual, by a sudden mysterious and universal acceptance of the new idea. Now no teen-ager dares wear anything but pure white socks without a fold. [

Life magazine, Dec. 11, 1944.

The term was particularly associated, apparently, with the fans of Frank Sinatra and oddly enough the Rocky Mountain News used it in that context on the same day as Life did in the quote immediately above. The News used it as late as 1972 in the context of an all girls softball league.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised, as I'm aware of, but have not seen, the film The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer, which is a well known film featuring Cary Grant and an 18 year old Shirley Temple.  It was released in 1947.

Last edition:

Tuesday, July 16, 1946. New agencies. Sentencing the perpetrators of the Malmedy Massacre.

Saturday, July 17, 1926. Boicotear

A meeting of Catholic organizers resolved to enact a nationwide boycott aimed at government revenue to protest the anti Catholic Calles Law.

They boycotted items covered items that constituted a large part of the government's income, items subject to heavy excise duties, and items subject to heavy import duties.

Last edition:

Thursday, July 15, 1926. Aragon Ballroom and Belgian inflation.

Monday, July 17, 1876. "First scalp for Custer".

Today In Wyoming's History: July 17: 1876   The battle of Warbonnet Creek occured in which Col. Wesley Merritt and his 5th Cavalry, out of Fort Robinson, Nebraska, attack the Cheyenne in the vicinity of Fort Robinson.  The battle launches Buffalo Bill Cody into fame.


Cody famously killed Chief Yellow Hair (not Hand), Heova'ehe, in what was a very small scale skirmish.

Last edition:

The 2026 Election, 16th Edition. The skeptical eye edition.


July 11, 2026

As we head into the final days of the primary election, which for most offices is, unfortunately, the election, we here in Wyoming are being subjected to a daily bombardment of election propaganda crap, most of which assumes that if Donald Trump bent over and pulled his oversize trousers down, you'd gleefully kiss his big white ass.

And that's exactly what most of the candidates for Congress are doing.

Having said that, either election fatigue or the rise of local issues is baffling a few.

For the House, Chuck Gray is flopping around like a carp thrown out on the beach looking for something he thinks can outrage you into voting for the little rich carpetbagger whose never had to really work.  Gadfly Reid Rasner, who doesn't stand a chance (and whose been mysteriously absent recently) actually seems to have hurt Chuck by calling him China Chuck.  Chuck's most recently effort is to pretend to be horrified by birthright citizenship.  Given as Trump sort of excused Graham Platner from rape accusations the other day, we can assume lil' Chuck is searching for a girlfriend to make accusations against him so that he can get a Trump accolade.

Foster Friess, another rich carpetbagger, has been running for the same position, Congressman, and has hit on the "I've never had to work a real job but you dumb fucks have to so I'm going to pretend that you want a job on the floor of an oil rig where you will get killed".

As noted, Rasner has just dropped off the screen.

And of course we have Florida cracker Frank Chapman on screen looking like his new cowboy boots hurt his feet and pretending to be one of us.

We can hope that Jillian Balow is getting some traction, as she seems by far the least objectionable Republican candidate for Congress. She also must be the least well funded of the good candidates as we don't see her campaign material nearly as often, unfortunately.

This isn't everyone running on the GOP ticket.  Bo Biteman, of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, Kevin Christensen, a vet who'd like to kiss Trump's big white ass, Richard Dodson, David Giralt and Keith Goodenough all are as well.  Goodenough is the most interesting candidate in the race, having been a well know Natrona County candidate whose served in various offices, and who has served both as a Republican and Democrat.

If the primary election were today we would vote for, for Congress, Balow.

Democrats running for this office are Elena Del Real and Boomer Lisa Kinney.  Kinney will win and then go down so badly in the general it'll leave a crater visible from space in her native Albany County.

If we were registered as Democrats and the primary was elected today, we'd just not vote either of these two obvious losers.

If the general election was held today, and we had our choice of candidates, we'd vote for Balow.

For the Senate seat, a propaganda flyer for Harriet Hageman came this week for the first time.  That fact would suggest she doesn't figure she actually has to spend much money.  Other candidates in that race are Jill Edwards, John Holtz, the gadfly Baby Boomer who just won't go away, Sam Mead and Jimmy Skovgard.  Mead is by far the best candidate in this race but he faces an uphill battle against Hageman simply because she's in Congress.

If the primary election was held today we'd vote for Mead.

On the Democratic side  Billy Benavidez is running against James Byrd.  Byrd is a very good candidate and may be the best candidate in the entire race from either party.  A Byrd v. Mead race would really serve the state.

If the primary election was held today and we were registered as Democrats, we'd vote for Byrd.

If the general election was held today and we had our choice of candidates, we're not sure what we'd do.

For Governor the race seems to have Eric Barlow, out in front.  He's a very good candidate.  Megan Degenfelder is running on having been Superintendent of Public Education and that Donald "Grab 'em by the Pussy" Trump has endorsed her.  Brent Bien is running on the "I worked my entire life for the government (USMC) and hate the government ticket".  A lot of WFC people like him as they're gullible and ignorant.  The WFC has a flyer with Bien, Chuck and Hageman circling.  A Curt Blake is also running.

If the primary election was held today we'd vote for Barlow.

On the Democratic side Ken Casner is running as the symbol of the dead Democratic Party in the state, as he's so old he may in fact have already passed on.

If the primary election was held today and we were registered as Democrats we'd scream in anger and refuse to fill out the ballot on this one.

If the general election was held today and we had our choice of candidates, we'd vote for Balow.

For Wyoming Secretary of State the GOP candidates are Jason Fearneyhough, Qwenton Eagle Oviatt, Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, Robert Short and Charles Young.  Of these candidates, right now, the only ones I know anything about are carpetbagger Rodriguez-Williams, an odd man off Hispanic in the Wyoming Fascist Caucus, and Robert Short, long time Converse County Commissioner.

If the primary was held today, we'd vote for Short, but we need to look into these candidates more.

For the Democrats, there's Bryan McCarty, whom we know nothing about.

If the general election was held today and we had our choice of candidates, right now it'd be Short, but we're not wedded to that position.  We'd never vote for Rodriguez-Williams.

For Superintendent of Public Instruction the GOP race features Chad Auer, Steve Harshman and Thomas Kelly.  Harsham is a long time teacher and educator and is by far the best choice on the GOP side.  On the Democratic side Ana Cordova and Sergio Maldonado are running, both of whom are educators.

If the primary election was held today we'd vote for Harshman.

If the general election was held today we're not sure what we would do.

The primary will decide the Treasurer's race as only Republicans Curt Meier and Scott Smith are running.  Meier will win.



In other races, we'd like to see Bear, Allemand, and Ide retired to private life. I.e, lose and lose badly.

In news from elsewhere, Graham Platner officially pulled out of the race, but with the least apologetic message ever.


Platner was, of course, lately accused of rape and had some troubling aspects to him early on.  The rape accusations, however, were a bridge too far for Democrats, thankfully.

One of the main aspects of the Platner saga has been the degree to which it really exposed the hypocrisy of the GOP, which started off by attempting to mount the high horse of morality which was bucking wildly. A party that has "Grab em by the Pussy" "I went to Epstein Island but didn't notice it was rapey" Trump and a host of other moral creeps can't really be complaining about morality  When the Democrats in fact demanded that Platner drop out that left them in a bit of a pickle as they got what they were urging but, by extension, that means they have to clear out the bordello in order to have any moral credibility, which they aren't going to do.

Indeed, Donald Trump came to Platner's defense, noting that sometimes the accusatrixes are fibbers, which sometimes they indeed are.  His point is, of course, that he's maintained all along he's not a moral creep and his female accusers are lying.  It's pretty clear not all of them are lying about what they accuse Trump of, but at any rate he came to Platner's defense.  It'd have been amusing if Trump had endorsed Platner, which I could actually see sort of happening.  In a weird sort of way, Platner is what J. D. Vance once was, but with a side order of massively problematic personal issues.

July 12, 2026

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away yesterday at the age of 71.  Once a staunch opponent of Donald Trump, during Trump's first administration he became a strong supporter.  In recent years, almost pathetically so.

Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement.  He has absolute discretion, but he's a Republican and will choose a Republican.  He's also a strong Trump supporter.

Graham was facting Dr. Annie Andrews who stood a strong chance of defeating him.  His death makes it likely that his successor will prevail in the fall.

It seems quite likely that Graham died of a heart attack.  He was two years older than his father was when his father died the same way.  That event left him raising his 13 year old sister, as his mother had already passed away.

He attended university while raising his sister on an ROTC scholarship and served after law school in the USAF.  After his active duty career he continued to serve in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.  He was always a JAG officer.  He was a government attorney for local municipalities briefly before entering Congress in 1994.  In his first race, he was supported by Strom Thurmond.

Graham never married.

July 14, 2026

The Governor of South Carolina appointed Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Senator, as his replacement for the balance of his term.  She is unlikely to run for the seat, which is up this term.

Quite a few contenders are lining up to compete for it, with some Nancy Mace practically begging for the seat while pretending that she's being begged to take it.

Closer to home, Chuck Gray (who's never been married and for whom there's no known current or former known former love interest) is complaining about a something gadfly Reid Rasner (who has been married, and divorced, to a man) said in Rasner's doomed campaign.


According to the Cowboy State Daily:
That upset Chuck who likes to run around calling people names but doesn't like to be picked on.  The Daily reached out to Chuck's father who replied, “Clearly I support my son, Chuck Gray, 100% - and he’s going to win, Reid Rasner is a very troubled individual. Chuck Gray for Congress.”

What seems to be the case is that the elder Gray liked some of Rasner's Facebook posts, which is a pretty good reason to question his political leanings, although they frankly are pretty similar to his son's.

The Gray v. Rasner fight is one that Gray, frankly, deserves.  Rasner is a gadfly, with a campaign so wacky that some have questioned if its a comedy act, but his views aren't really very far from Gray's, which ought to be regarded as comedic.

cont:

Donald Trump is schedule for a television appearance this Thursday which appears to be part of his pathetic fable that he won the 2020 election he lost, and as part of his push for the Stop Americans from Voting Act.

The gullible will no doubt listen to whatever stream of lies he spouts.

July 15, 2026

Early and absentee voting for the primaries starts on July 21 and ends on Aug. 17. 

Primary election day is Tuesday, Aug. 18.

I usually try to vote early since the county decided to consolidate a bunch of voting locations into one, at the Fairgrounds.  I frankly don't appreciate that much.

It was for paranoid security concerns.

A Miller article:

Horses, hats and political propaganda as Wyoming prepares to vote


Miller is spot on.  We are in the hats, boots and horses season, with politicians who don't normally wear Western togs, and probably fear horses, get photographed like they're appearing in Lonesome Dove.

July 16, 2026

Right up until now he was proclaiming his innocence and claiming policy abuse:


I don't hold the DUI against him.  Lots of people end up having a one off conviction for this, although you surely should not drink and drive.

No, I do hold the diehard claim of innocence and police misconduct against him, and his lawyer.

And frankly his WFC views.

Don't vote for this guy, there's no reason to.

Nor should you vote for his diehard defender Rozmaring Czaban.  Czaban has an Allemand apologist role the same way that Trump cabinet members have to Trump.  I don't know what the deal is, but Czaban, a candidate for Natrona County Commissioner was defending Alleman as late as earlier this week.

There are a lot of good candidates for Natrona County Commissioner. She isn't one.

Tonight, unfortunately at the same time as the demented fascist seeks to justify stealing elections:

And also:


July 7, 2026

In an effort to steal the 2026 election and undermine democracy, Donald Trump, a demented narcissist whose occupancy of the White House is itself illegal and illegitimate, delivered a broadcast which attempted to show that, basically, China had tried to influence the news, but which instead showed that Russia had, and in his favor.

Trump is a traitor to the country and the 25th Amendment or an impeachment, or just a declaratory judgment action demonstrating that he's legally unqualified for the office, should be undertaken immediately.

Anyone claiming to be endorsed by him, or seeking office to support his efforts, is supporting a traitor and should not be voted for.

Republican Party Campaign Poster.

And while Der Fibber was seeking to create a fable, this was included in his release:


Oh my.

An example of somebody who should not be voted for:


Republicans with lots of self bucks:


Republicans who aren't Dixiecrats or Fascists:


Related threads:



Last edition:

The 2026 Election, 15th Edition. Trump will attempt to steal the election.




Wars and Rumors of War, 2026. Part 7. La unión es la fuerza*

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom

Matthew, Chapter 24.

June 4, 2026

Bolivia 

Oh oh.

June 19, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War


June 25, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukraine  has retaken the Kinburn Spit which has been occupied by Russia for the entire war.

June 26, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

A Russian Army officers has released a public broadcast warning Putin that troops are on the edge of rebellion.

The Russian situation in Crimea is now dire.  On the narrow land bridge to the mainland only military traffic is now moving and its severely impeded.  Fuel has become so scarce that is no longer sold to civilians.  About half of Crimea is without power.   If Ukraine takes out the bridge to the mainland it will be disastrously isolated.

All this when Russian dead are about to reach the 1.5 million mark.

Ukraine, for its part, just launched an offensive.

July 5, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

In something that's fairly laughable, Donald Trump spoke to Vlad Putin and offered to help find a way to end the war.

Donny can't end the war he started and Russia is flat out losing the war against Ukraine.  This war is more and more likely to see Ukraine regain all of its lost territory and Putin has to be increasingly worried about a revolution at home.

July 9, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Trump appeared to agree to allow the Ukrainians to produce Patriot missiles in Ukraine.

His mind is such a pile of goo that it's difficult to know if this will occur or not.

July 12, 2026

Russia v. Poland

July 17, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired reformist defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov in a out right wierd move, given that Fedorov is the architect of the highly successful Ukrainian drone campaign against Russia.  Understandably, mass protests have broken out.

Ukraine is forming a new government right now as Fedorov's firing was part of that.  It was a bad move.

Footnotes:

"Unity is strength", the motto of Bolivia.

Last edition:

Wars and Rumors of War, 2026. Part 6. Two things greater than all things are edition.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Tonight Der Führer will speak to you of the Reichstag Fire, um, no, Donald Trump will speak to you of the stolen 2020 election. Same lie, same theme, by the same people, 93 years later. Let's blow American democracy's brains out to calm the wounded feelings of childish Donald Trump, loser.

By Eddie Adams, Associated Press - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/world/asia/vietnam-execution-photo.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=153554473

Tonight Donald Trump will come on television to lie.  

The lie has been told before, many times.  Terrible demonized opponents, most probably Communists, have tried to subvert the the will of The People.  It's a crisis.  You must sacrifice your civil liberties, even if only briefly, in order to allow the State to take on this terrible, terrible danger.

Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party told the lie in 1933.  Communists, the German people were told, had burned down the Reichstag.  The solution was to put the gun to the head of the fragile German democracy and blow its brains out.

Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and the State of February 28, 1933

In virtue of Article 48(2) of the German Constitution, the following is decreed as a defensive measure against communist acts of violence endangering the state:

Article 1

Sections 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124, and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. Therefore, restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press, on the right of assembly and the right of association, and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic, and telephonic communications, warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations, as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.

Article 2

If in a state the measures necessary for the restoration of public security and order are not taken, the Reich Government may temporarily take over the powers of the highest state authority.

Article 3

According to orders decreed on the basis of Article 2 by the Reich Government, the authorities of states and provinces, if concerned, have to abide thereby.

Article 4

Whoever provokes, or appeals for, or incites the disobedience of the orders given out by the supreme state authorities or the authorities subject to them for execution of this decree, or orders given by the Reich Government according to Article 2, is punishable—insofar as the deed is not covered by other decrees with more severe punishments—with imprisonment of not less than one month, or with a fine from 150 up to 15,000 reichsmarks.

Whoever endangers human life by violating Article 1 is to be punished by sentence to a penitentiary, under mitigating circumstances, with imprisonment of not less than six months and, when violation causes the death of a person, with death, under mitigating circumstances, with a penitentiary sentence of not less than two years. In addition the sentence may include confiscation of property.

Whoever provokes or incites an act contrary to public welfare is to be punished with a penitentiary sentence, under mitigating circumstances, with imprisonment of not less than three months.

Article 5

The crimes which under the Criminal Code are punishable with penitentiary for life are to be punished with death: i.e., in Paragraphs 81 (high treason), 229 (poisoning), 306 (arson), 311 (properties), and 324 (general poisoning). Insofar as a more severe punishment has not been previously provided for, the following are punishable with death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment not to exceed 15 years:

1. Anyone who undertakes to kill the Reich President or a member or a commissioner of the Reich Government or of a state government, or provokes such a killing, or agrees to commit it, or accepts such an offer, or conspires with another for such a murder;

1. Translated from Reichsgesetzblatt I, 1933, p. 83.

2. Anyone who under Paragraph 115(2) of the Criminal Code (serious rioting) or under Paragraph 125(2) of the Criminal Code (serious disturbance of the peace) commits the act with arms or cooperates consciously and intentionally with an armed person;

3. Anyone who commits a kidnapping under Paragraph 239 of the Criminal Code with the intention of making use of the kidnapped person as a hostage in the political struggle.

This decree is in force from the day of its announcement.

Berlin, February 28, 1933

The Reich President von Hindenburg 

The Reich Chancellor A Hitler

The Minister of Interior Frick

The Minister of Justice Dr. Gürtner

You are going to be told that tonight.

The 2020 election was stolen, Donald Trump will lie.  It must have been, as his fragile toddler's ego can't handle if it wasn't. Surrounded by sycophants who help sooth his suspicions that he's dumb (spelled, as he just apparently learned, with a "b"), he truly can't handle the truth.  So the solution is to put the gun to the head of American democracy and blow its brains out.

Trump's administration, with its own goals and desires, all of them anti democratic, have their own aims in this.  MAGA is a set of willing dupes, drunk on the lies and apparently unwilling to get up from the bar stool and get a ride home.

There's a very real chance that Trump will succeed at this.  From today, until November, democracy will be besieged.  If the Republicans cannot completely subvert the November election, they'll seek to subvert it thereafter.  If the Democrats win in the fall, the period from November until January will be an all out effort to destroy the results of the election.  It won't even be subtle.

And sadly, many Republican members of Congress, like John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, will go all in to help Trump even though, in backrooms and with their close friends, they undoubtedly think he's a lunatic.  

The question usually is for something like this, what can be done.  Well, being honest and open about your honesty from now until January is about all most can do.  Don't vote for the Chuck Gray's, Harriet Hagemans, Reid Rasners and Megan Degenfelders.  Be true to your conscience and the country.

And frankly, don't bother with Trump's parade of lies tonight.  Trump's only real power is that people who surround him are convinced they will not bear the price of his sins.  They will, at some point.  Sending the message that we're done listening to Trump starts letting them know that the bill is coming due very soon.

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist 145th Edition. The Department of Manly White Men.

 An AP Headline:

Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone

Umm. . . .why?


There's something more than a little creepy about this.

Presumably female troops won't have to be tested for testosterone.

And then there's this:

Hegseth intervenes on promotion list (again), blocks female and Black officers

A Pentagon spokesperson said, “Military promotions are given to those who have earned them,” but the defense secretary hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt.

The Secretary's campaign against female officers I'd guess to be part of a back door move toward limiting the role of women in the military, but what's up with the seeming bias against black officers?  Maybe it's just a statistical glitch, but then we have the taking down and relocation of a portrait of black Air Force Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. a genuine hero. The excuse was that it was being relocated due to renovations or something.  Chappie actually stared down Muammar Qaddafi during the latter's 1969 coup and nearly drew his M1911 on him in a true Western style standoff.

Maybe it's all a coincidence but it's an odd one.

For that matter, the entire Trump Administration is the whitest administration imaginable, which we could chalk up to coincidence too but for all the recent rumblings about who is and isn't a "real" American.  Black have of course been in the country since before it was a country, indeed since 1619.  At that time the Trumps were just doing whatever it is they did in Germany.  Nonetheless, I can't think of any prominent black members of the current illegitimate administration.

Even the Joint Chiefs, who represent members of the Armed Forces, which have 30 to 33% minorities in the ranks, are lily white, and of course all male.  African Americans, who are 13.5% of the population and 20% of the military, don't show up there.

Seems a bit odd.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist 144th Edition. Just in case you've begun to think that being governed by an 80 year old demented dictator is somehow normal, here's. . .

Tuesday, July 16, 1946. New agencies. Sentencing the perpetrators of the Malmedy Massacre.



The Bureau of Land Management was created within the U.S. Department of the Interior, by merging the Grazing Service and the United States General Land Office..


The BLM, which does good work, has been one of the most abused and derided agencies in the American West.

The Social Security Administration replaced the three member Social Security Board.



A US Army tribunal at Dachau sentenced 46 former members of the Waffen SS, including Joachim Peiper, to death for the Malmedy Massacre


On March 20, 1948, 31 of the death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.  In 1951 all the remaining death sentences were commuted, including Peiper's.  

US occupation authorities instituted a strict ban on civilian passage across the 38th parallel.

Last edition: