Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist, 65th Edition. Local news. Not a paragraph oozing dignity and that's a lot of people.

Gentlemen's Clubs.

From the Trib, August 8, 2024:

A year and four months ago, Natrona County commissioners approved the transfer of a full-retail liquor license to Mile High Tight Ends from the now-defunct Racks strip club on Highway 20-26.

You can guess what sort of bar this was. 

"Mile High Tight Ends"?

Camporees

A Seventh Day Adventist International Pathfinder Campfire Camporee will bring 60,000 people to Campbell County.

The Pathfinders are modeled on the Boy Scouts, but with a strong Seventh Day Adventist focus.

Campbell County itself has a population of 50,000.  Bringing in an event with 60,000 seems a bit irresponsible.

Last edition:

Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist, 64th Edition. Things authentic and important.

Labels: Apostolic Christianity, Authenticity, Christianity, Clothing, Conservatism, Eastern Rite Catholic, Ethnicities, Music, Pop Music, Punk Music, religion, Roman Catholic, trends, Women, Zeitgeist

August 8, 1974. Nixon announces his resignation.

Good evening.

This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.

In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me.

In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.

But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged.

I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony it would have involved, and my family unanimously urged me to do so. But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations.

From the discussions I have had with Congressional and other leaders, I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the Nation would require.

I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.

To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home.

Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.

As I recall the high hopes for America with which we began this second term, I feel a great sadness that I will not be here in this office working on your behalf to achieve those hopes in the next 21/2 years. But in turning over direction of the Government to Vice President Ford, I know, as I told the Nation when I nominated him for that office 10 months ago, that the leadership of America will be in good hands.

In passing this office to the Vice President, I also do so with the profound sense of the weight of responsibility that will fall on his shoulders tomorrow and, therefore, of the understanding, the patience, the cooperation he will need from all Americans.

As he assumes that responsibility, he will deserve the help and the support of all of us. As we look to the future, the first essential is to begin healing the wounds of this Nation, to put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us, and to rediscover those shared ideals that lie at the heart of our strength and unity as a great and as a free people.

By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.

I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my Judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation.

To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, to many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support.

And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me, because all of us, in the final analysis, have been concerned with the good of the country, however our judgments might differ.

So, let us all now join together in affirming that common commitment and in helping our new President succeed for the benefit of all Americans.

I shall leave this office with regret at not completing my term, but with gratitude for the privilege of serving as your President for the past 51/2 years. These years have been a momentous time in the history of our Nation and the world. They have been a time of achievement in which we can all be proud, achievements that represent the shared efforts of the Administration, the Congress, and the people.

But the challenges ahead are equally great, and they, too, will require the support and the efforts of the Congress and the people working in cooperation with the new Administration.

We have ended America's longest war, but in the work of securing a lasting peace in the world, the goals ahead are even more far-reaching and more difficult. We must complete a structure of peace so that it will be said of this generation, our generation of Americans, by the people of all nations, not only that we ended one war but that we prevented future wars.

We have unlocked the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the United States and the People's Republic of China.

We must now ensure that the one quarter of the world's people who live in the People's Republic of China will be and remain not our enemies but our friends.

In the Middle East, 100 million people in the Arab countries, many of whom have considered us their enemy for nearly 20 years, now look on us as their friends. We must continue to build on that friendship so that peace can settle at last over the Middle East and so that the cradle of civilization will not become its grave.

Together with the Soviet Union we have made the crucial breakthroughs that have begun the process of limiting nuclear arms. But we must set as our goal not just limiting but reducing and finally destroying these terrible weapons so that they cannot destroy civilization and so that the threat of nuclear war will no longer hang over the world and the people.

We have opened the new relation with the Soviet Union. We must continue to develop and expand that new relationship so that the two strongest nations of the world will live together in cooperation rather than confrontation.

Around the world, in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, in the Middle East, there are millions of people who live in terrible poverty, even starvation. We must keep as our goal turning away from production for war and expanding production for peace so that people everywhere on this earth can at last look forward in their children's time, if not in our own time, to having the necessities for a decent life.

Here in America, we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty but also the means to live full and good and, by the world's standards, even abundant lives. We must press on, however, toward a goal of not only more and better jobs but of full opportunity for every American and of what we are striving so hard right now to achieve, prosperity without inflation.

For more than a quarter of a century in public life I have shared in the turbulent history of this era. I have fought for what I believed in. I have tried to the best of my ability to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me.

Sometimes I have succeeded and sometimes I have failed, but always I have taken heart from what Theodore Roosevelt once said about the man in the arena, "whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."

I pledge to you tonight that as long as I have a breath of life in my body, I shall continue in that spirit. I shall continue to work for the great causes to which I have been dedicated throughout my years as a Congressman, a Senator, a Vice President, and President, the cause of peace not just for America but among all nations, prosperity, justice, and opportunity for all of our people.

There is one cause above all to which I have been devoted and to which I shall always be devoted for as long as I live.

When I first took the oath of office as President 51/2 years ago, I made this sacred commitment, to "consecrate my office, my energies, and all the wisdom I can summon to the cause of peace among nations."

I have done my very best in all the days since to be true to that pledge. As a result of these efforts, I am confident that the world is a safer place today, not only for the people of America but for the people of all nations, and that all of our children have a better chance than before of living in peace rather than dying in war.

This, more than anything, is what I hoped to achieve when I sought the Presidency. This, more than anything, is what I hope will be my legacy to you, to our country, as I leave the Presidency.

To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American. In leaving it, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead.

It's interesting that this comes just as President Biden has announced that he's not confident that there shall be a peaceful transfer of power this year, due to the presence of Donald Trump, who will not do what Nixon did for the good of the country.

A Japanese/American climbing team found seven out of eight of the deceased members of an all female Soviet mountain climbing team that had perished on Lenin Peak.

The peak is now on the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border and is the highest peak in both countries. There have been proposals to rename it rather than have its name attach to the vile, as it currently does.

Last edition:

Monday, August 5, 1974. Inescapable conclusions.

Labels: 1970s, 1974, Cartoons, Crime, Richard Nixon, Watergate

Tuesday, August 8, 1944. Hengyang falls, Wittmann killed, Falaise noticed.

The Japanese took Hengyang, China.  The vastly outnumbered Chinese forces had held out for six weeks.

German panzer ace SS-Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann was killed when his tank was hit by fire from a Canadian tank and the ammunition within it detonated, killing the entire crew.

The British buried the bodies of the tankers in unmarked graves at the location, which is not surprising as the crew would have been just another group of dead Germans to them.  In 1983, German authorities recovered the bodies and reburied them in a German military cemetery in France.

Wittmann had cult status within Nazi Germany and has since retained it with German armor fans.  He died during Operation Totalize which was seeing large-scale success.

The possible encirclement of the German forces as a possibility began to be noticed by Omar Bradley, with Falaise already noticed as a focal point.  Bradley brought it to Eisenhower's attention on this day.

Greek partisans attacked German forces, with the aid of the SAS, aat Damasta in Crete. Predictably, the action resulted in severe German reprisals.

The United States and United Kingdom signed the Anglo-American Petroleum Agreement in Washington, D.C.  The agreement, which would have regulated the petroleum industry globally, fell apart and was never ratified by the U.S. government due to petroleum industry opposition.

The HMCS Regina was sunk north of Trevose Head by the U-667.

The somewhat bizarre Ju 287 jet bomber made its first flight.

Only two would be made and the project was then cancelled.

Last edition:

Monday, August 7, 1944. German counter attack.

Labels: Army, Automobiles, Battle for Brest, British Army, Brittany, Canadian Army, German Wehrmacht, Kodiak Island, Normandy Breakout, Operation Bluecoat, Operation Lüttich, Operation Totalize, World War Two

Tuesday, August 8, 1899. Landfall in Puerto Rico.

The 1899 San Ciriaco Hurricane made landfall in Puerto Rico, leaving 250,000 people homeless.

Last edition:

Thursday, August 3, 1899. The San Ciraco Hurricane first observed.

Labels: 1890s, 1899, Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, North Atlantic, Puerto Rico, Weather

Sunday, August 8, 1824. The Humehume Rebellion.

Humehume, son of King Kaumualiʻi, of the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau and a mother who was a commoner, lead a rebellion on Kauaʻi against the Kingdom of Hawaii to reestablish its independence.

Humehume had been taken to the United States as a boy, austensibly to obtain an education, but also potentially to place him away from being a rival to the throne to the sons of the king's royal wife.   He served in the War of 1812 as a Marine.

The rebellion failed and he was exiled to Honolulu, where he died of influenza in 1826.

Last edition:

Friday, August 6, 1824. Battle of Junin

Labels: 2020s, 2024, Kursk Ukraine, Russia, Russo Ukrainian War, Trailing thread, Ukraine, War, Wars and rumors of wars

I would not have guessed that being a Federal mule packer requires a person to have a Commercial Drivers License.

But it does.

I guess that makes sense, maybe

Or not.

At least at one time, to drive a commercial sized truck for the Federal Government you didn't need a CDL, as the Federal Government issued its own drivers licenses.

Monday, August 7, 1944. German counter attack.

The British Operation Bluecoat, part of the Normandy breakout, ended in a British success.  Operation Totalize was launched as an immediate follow-up, spearheaded by Canadians.

The Battle for Brest began.

The Germans launched Operation Lüttich against the US 1st Army, seeking to split it into two zones.  The Germans retook Mortain. The offensive was launched a day prior to the date that Hitler preferred, given the rapid Allied advance.  Hitler was upset by the local commander ignoring his preference.  Heavy Allied air attacks arrested further German progress.

The Red Army captured Sambor southwest of Lvov.

Heavy fighting occurred on Guam.

The Nagara was sunk by the USS Croaker.

Production of the Volkswagen Beetle was halted.  Production would not resume until 1945, and at that time at the insistence of the British.

President Roosevelt visited Kodiak, Alaska.

Friday, August 5, 1944. The Wola Massacre.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Collaborators, Freiwilligen SS, German SS, Heinrich Himmler, Normandy Breakout, Prisoners of War, Russian Liberation Army, Soviet Navy, The Holocaust, Waffen SS, Warsaw Uprising, World War Two

Blog Mirror: How Close is Iran to a working nuclear weapons?

 

How Close is Iran to a working nuclear weapons?

The 2024 Election, Part XXIII. It's a new race.

The old order changeth yielding place to new

Tennyson

Donald Trump was still insulting Joe Biden yesterday after Biden announced he was dropping out, probably smarting over the fact that whomever he faces next will be a more formidable candidate, and a habit of childish insults doesn't work well if you don't know who to insult.

Kamala Harris indicated that she will run for and earn the nomination, which means she acknowledges that she doesn't yet have it.

Joe Manchin, age 77, who recently registered as an independent, is thinking of registering again as a Democrat to compete for the nomination.

The Democratic Convention starts on August 19.

cont:

Machin has decided not to run.

cont:

Based on twitter, an early Trumpist tactic in regard to Biden is to attack her on her relationship with California Speaker of the House, Willie Brown, back when she was 29 years old. Brown was 60 at the time and had been separated from his wife for a decade.

Mind you, I'm Catholic and don't approve of divorce at all, but how ironic, given Trump's serial polygamy and current questions regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

July 23, 2024

Kamala Harris has lined up enough delegate support to secure the Democratic nomination.

A PAC supporting the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has sent out a mailer against certain politicians containing an absolute lie that the targets of the ad voted to keep Donald Trump off of the ballot.  They did no such thing, they voted to require lawsuits initiated by state political figures to be brought by the state if they used state funds.

July 24, 2024

Wyoming Early Primary Voting Starts Today, July 23, 2024.

Wyoming Democrats endorsed Harris.

Alaska Congressman Mary Sattler Peltola did not, saying that she wouldn't vote for Trump, would vote for somebody "pro choice", but couldn't ask Alaskans to vote for somebody who wasn't "pro energy", showing the difficulty of being a Democrat in a Republican state.

The Trump campaign, which is reeling from the Harris nomination, filed a FEC complaint over Biden campaign funds going to Harris.

Wyoming's Congressman Hageman stated:

Intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel...I think she was a DEI hire. And I think that that's what we're seeing, and I just don't think that they have anybody else.

This is already drawing attention as its a fairly shocking statement.

July 25, 2025

President Biden addressed the nation last night.

My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt inspired us to reject fear.

I revere this office, but I love my country more. It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title. I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me, it’s about you. Your families, your futures.

It’s about we the people. And we can never forget that. And I never have. I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point. On those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come, America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.

We have to decide: Do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy. In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies but as, I mean, fellow Americans — can we do that? Does character in public life still matter? I believe you know the answer to these questions because I know you the American people, and I know this:

We are a great nation because we are a good people. When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you the truth. And the truth, the sacred cause of this country, is larger than any one of us. Those of us who cherry that cause cherish it so much. The cause of American democracy itself. We must unite to protect it.

In recent weeks, it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.

So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation. I know there was a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.

Over the next six months, I will be focused on doing my job as president. That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I will keep calling out hate and extremism, making it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis as an existential threat.

I will keep fighting for my Cancer Moonshot, so we can end cancer as we know it because we can do it. I’m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy — Supreme Court reform. You know, I will keep working to ensure American remains strong, secure and the leader of the free world.

I’m the first president of this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. We will keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We’ll keep NATO stronger, and I will make it more powerful and more united than any time in all of our history. I will keep doing the same for our allies in the Pacific. You know, when I came to the office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably pass, surpass the United States.

That’s not the case anymore. And I’m going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war. We are also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.

You know, we’ve come so far since my inauguration. On that day, I told you as I stood in that winter — we are stood in a winter of peril and winter of possibilities. Peril and possibilities. We are in the group of, we were in the group of the worse pandemic in the century. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. We came together as Americans. We got through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous and more secure.

Today we have the strongest economy in the world, creating nearly 16 million new jobs — a record. Wages are up, inflation continues to come down, the racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. We are literally rebuilding our entire nation — urban, suburban and rural and tribal communities. Manufacturing has come back to America. We are leading the world again in chips and science and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma after all these years to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.

And I’m going to keep fighting to make sure we lower the cost for everyone, not just seniors. More people have health care today in America than ever before. I signed one of the most significant laws helping millions of veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic materials. You know, most significant climate law ever, ever in the history of the world. The first major gun safety law in 30 years.

And today, the violent crime rate is at a 50-year low. We are also securing our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office. I’ve kept my commitment to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I also kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America and be a president for all Americans. That’s what I’ve done.

I ran for president four years ago because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. That is still the case. America is an idea. An idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident.

We are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to it — to this sacred idea — but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.

In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. I made my choice. I’ve made my views known. I would like to thank our great vice president, Kamala Harris. She is experienced, she is tough, she is capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country.

Now the choice is up to you, the American people. When you make that choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin hanging on my wall here in the Oval Office, alongside the busts of Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez.

When Ben Franklin was asked, as he emerged from the convention going on, whether the founders have given America a monarchy or a republic, Franklin’s response was: “A republic, if you can keep it.” A republic, if you can keep it. Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands. My fellow Americans, it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years.

Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pa., and in Claymont, Del., one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as the president of the United States, but here I am.

That’s what’s so special about America. We are a nation of promise and possibilities. Of dreamers and doers. Of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. I’ve given my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. And I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people. I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you.

The great thing about America is, here kings and dictators do not rule — the people do. History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep faith — keep the faith — and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there are simply nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. So let’s act together, preserve our democracy. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you.

Trump complained that Harris is a prosecutor and he's a convicted felon, which the Harris campaign immediately issued an "approved" reaction to, turning his words on their head. 

The Wyoming Democratic Party reacted to Congressman Hageman's statement regarding VP Harris being a "DEI hire" two days ago with the following:

Hageman also drew the ire of  Democratic Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who posted on Twitter: “What women who attack others like this don’t realize is whoever they think they’re appealing to calls them “DEI” too the moment they leave the room".  

Hageman was having none of it and demanded a "#" from Ocasio-Cortez next time she was referenced by her and went on to state:

If you don’t want people to say she was hired only because she’s a black woman, then maybe Biden shouldn’t have said he was only gonna hire a black woman.  She is objectively bad at her current job and is asking for a promotion, using a nomination that was simply handed to her.

This probably won't matter in current Wyoming, although it would have at one time.  At any rate, singling out Harris on the claim that she's in her position only due to her race revivies language that hasn't been on the surface in regional politics for decades, and is not a good development. 

In the local race, a flyer came here yesterday for a Populist who thinks he's a Republican and is running against an actual Republican.  It was a big shocking and edging up on reprehensible.  One of the things it stated is that the opponent is actually a Democrat, which is @#$#$3 absurd, and that the candidate supports Donald Trump, 100%, which I guess is absurd.  Anyone who supports any politician 100% isn't thinking.

Speaking of not thinking, Trump launched an anti Biden screed yesterday.  Biden isn't running.

July 26, 2024

Childless Cat Ladies, Debates, Brutus in the wings, fear and loathing. 

The Brat Summer.

Top front page headline on the CST:

Hageman calls Kamala Harris ‘DEI hire’

As shocking as that is, and it is shocking, a Twitter item regarding it is full of Wyomingites agreeing with it.

More on this will be addressed in a seperate post, maybe.

The Trump campaign appears to be on its heels, failing to really anticipate Harris and really not expecting Harris' "Brat Summer".  Harris is giving as good as she gets and then some, turning Trump slogans on their head.  Meanwhile, the vast number of things J. D. Vance has said on his rise to the top are now in widespread circulation outside of Christian Nationalist circles for the first time, including his statements about childless women being disgruntled and turning their unhappy lives into disgruntled politics. . . I wonder what Harriet Hageman thinks about those statements, given as she has no children?

That may seem like a petty thing to say, but Vance has really gone after political women and women without children in general, claiming that they're unhappy due to their childless status and visit their unhappiness of the rest of the country through politics.  Some of these women, such as AoC and Harris are extremely outspoken, and the suggestion is that they're miserably childless and that's why they are that way.  Well, Hageman is extremely outspoken to say the least, and she's childless.  Vance's statements would equally fully apply to her, if they are apply to Harris and AoC.

Two edged swords cut both ways.

There are a lot of rumors that Trump is unhappy with Vance, who was really designed to be a second fiddle in a race against Biden, and not a primary feature of his campaign which he is very rapidly becoming.  Newsweek reports that Trump is thinking of dumping Vance.

That would be extraordinary, but Trump  has always been unpredictable.  If Vance as seen as a liability, he may soon be saying, "Et tu, Donaldus?"

Meanwhile, Trump is bouncing around on the scheduled debate, at first insisting that it take place in friendly territory at Fox, and then cancelling in on this bizarre pretext

Barack Obama has since endorsed Harris.

The statement is an interesting glimpse into the state of things in the Trump/Vance ticket.  For one thing, it's still partially aimed at Joe Biden.  The old maxim that armies prepare for the last wear is really evident in this in that the Trump campaign continues to campaign against Joe Biden.  It was geared up only for that race and none other, and can't get off of it.

Additionally the statements reflects the odd attachment to improper grammar that the Trump campaign exhibits.  "[A] strong sense by many" would imply, in fact, "many", but the citation is to one, former President Obama (with the use of the middle name, of course, Hussein).  Like the campaign focus on Biden, Trump has had a fixation on Obama for many years, but the point here is that many isn't one.  It's grammatically incorrect.  Given Obama's endorsement of Harris, it's now factually incorrect as well.

Unlike the situation with Biden, Trump has real reason to fear a debate with Harris.  During the 2020 primary I didn't like Harris in part as she seemed to come across snarky.  Now, however, given that Trump lies without hesitation and sounds like a 7th grade asshole, Harris brash and quick speaking style has suddenly lost that appearance and instead Trump just sounds like a 7th grade asshole.

And the Wyoming Freedom Caucus PAC finds itself in court over lying:

Rock Springs Legislators Sue Over Mailers That Claim They Want Trump Off Ballot

July 28, 2024

In an example of Trump rhetorical oddness, he stated in a rally within the last couple of days:

Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.

I love you Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote,

The Harris campaign is citing this as promise to end democracy.  It isn't, but it is an example of the bizarre way that Trump speaks. 

July 30, 2024

Thank goodness:

Gordon’s PAC Hits High Gear With Endorsements, Money For Freedom Caucus Opponents

The flyers that have come here the last couple of days from far right PACs have been repulsive.

cont:

What the heck?

cont:

Things on the GOP right are becoming unraveled.

Trump said in an interview on radio station WABC that Harris “doesn’t like Jewish people”.

He then went on to appear to agree with he host who called her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, “a crappy Jew.”

Uff.

Paul Dans of the Heritage Foundation quit the organization to"direct all my efforts to winning, bigly!" for Trump.

While it'll have to wait to an upcoming post, the Heritage Foundation basically has all its chips in J. D. Vance and very well knows that if it loses this election, it's shot its bolt.  Trump is just a vehicle, I suspect, for Vance, in their view, and they see its now in the process of losing.

July 31, 2024

Secretary Gray Announces Investigation into ActBlue

CHEYENNE, WY – In the wake of nationwide money laundering and identity theft allegations against Democratic fundraising organization ActBlue, Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced an investigation into ActBlue Wyoming, a political action committee registered with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. ActBlue has been accused of stealing peoples’ identities to conceal illegal donations, such as donations from foreign actors. As the chief election officer for the State of Wyoming, Secretary Gray is tasked with ensuring the integrity of Wyoming elections. ActBlue Wyoming is required to file statements of contributions and expenditures with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office under the penalty of perjury. Filing a false statement is a violation of the Wyoming Election Code. Secretary Gray is legally empowered to refer suspected violations of the Election Code to the appropriate prosecuting authority. 

“The widespread allegations against ActBlue are deeply troubling, and we must ensure that

political action committees are following the Wyoming Election Code,” Secretary Gray said in a statement. “Claiming that a person donated to a PAC if that person never donated to that PAC would be a felony under Wyoming law. I am very concerned, and remain committed to a thorough review of contributions to ensure compliance with Wyoming law.” 

Any Wyoming citizen who has reason to believe a political action committee stole their identity or falsely reported a donation using their name is encouraged to report this to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office at elections@wyo.gov or 307-777-5860.

August 2, 2024

By all measures, the Presidential election has gone from one that was an almost sure win for Donald Trump, both in the electoral and popular vote, and potentially a landslide, to an even heat, or one that's now somewhat in favor of Harris, nearly overnight.  States that weren't in play, as they'd gone Trump, are back in play.

Moreover, as set out in a NPR analysis, Harris has more than one path to the White House.  Trump has exactly one.

Trump has now retreated to his behavior of a decade ago in desperation, questioning whether or not Kamala Harris is black, and thereby no doubt alienating both African Americans and Indian Americans to some degree.  And, moreover, it emphasizes what the new catch phrase the Democrats have for the GOP ticket, that being that it is "weird".  Trump babble on whether Harris is black or not is frankly, weird.

August 3, 2024

Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to be nominated.

Donald Trump endorsed Darin Smith, who is seeking to replace retiring Anthony Bouchard, for a Wyoming Senate seat.

Very odd to think of the embattled Trump reaching this far down to endorse anyone.

The CST Op Ed page was full of articles by politicians.

One by Chuck Gray:

Gray asserted this was necessary due to Gov. Gordon's torpedoing, properly, the Sec. of State's proposed rules on elections.  

Gray has been singularly unsuccessful in regard to his efforts on elections this cycle.

A good article by Khale Lenhart:

Lenhart is addressing the effort by PACs sending out really bogus bs flyers directed against legislators who are not part of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.  His point here is excellent.

Tom Walters penned this article on a similar, but not identical, issue.

August 4, 2024

Vice President Harris interviewed potential running mates yesterday.

A reeling Trump accused Harris of not being very smart.

Harris is clearly highly intelligent. Trump brings up intelligence so often, often in regard to himself, that it is at the point where it's fair to question if he feels insecure about his own.

August 6, 2024

From the Cowboy State Daily:

Driskill Files Complaint Over County Party’s $25K Donation To Freedom Caucus PAC

And this interesting item in that article:

Driskill also is asking the complaint be immediately forwarded to Attorney General Bridget Hill because he believes Secretary of State Chuck Gray has “an inherent conflict” of interest on the issue.

Driskill also is asking the complaint be immediately forwarded to Attorney General Bridget Hill because he believes Secretary of State Chuck Gray has “an inherent conflict” of interest on the issue.

This is reference to Gray’s chief general counsel Joe Rubino. Rubino is married to Jessie Rubino, Wyoming state director of the Freedom Caucus. As chief general counsel, Joe Rubino is in charge of reviewing all complaints made to the Secretary of State’s Office.

In his complaint, Driskill said when he brought the issue up with Gray in-person, Gray “shrugged it off” and said there was little he could likely do about it, suggesting Driskill contact his own county attorney.

“I think it is imperative that all complaints be followed up on (in) an unbiased manner,” Driskill writes in his complaint. “I am yet to see a referral to the authorities under the current secretary of state.”

Driskill told Cowboy State he has little hope that Gray will hand off the complaint.

“I doubt it,” he said. “They haven’t shown any signs of acknowledging conflict on anything they’ve done. It’s a clear conflict.”

Gray, however, told Cowboy State Daily he considers all complaints “very seriously” and said Driskill’s allegations to the contrary are “false and defamatory,” as he invited Driskill to file a complaint last Thursday and sent him the form to do so.

He plans to accept Driskill’s request to hand off the complaint to the Attorney General’s Office.

August 6, 2024

Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, about whom I know nothing, as her running mate.  The Trump campaign has already responded with the buzzwords, claiming, in essence, that he's a far left liberal who sought to remake Minnesota in the image of California.

And with this, we will know close out this edition.

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