The 'control of nature' is a phrase conceived in arrogance, born of the Neanderthal age of biology and the convenience of man.Rachel Carson
Saturday, June 13, 2026
The control of nature.
Thursday, June 13, 1901. Murderous logic.
Boer General P. H. Kritzinger authorized Boer troops to shoot any blacks who were riding a horse without the permission of an employer. The illegal order was based on the concept that such Cape Colony blacks must be spies.
The London School of economics was incorporated.
Last edition:
Wednesday, June 12, 1901. Corrido de Gregorio Cortez
Labels: 1900s, 1901, 1910s, 1913, 1916, Crime, Equine Transportation, Ethnicities, Mexican Revolution, Music, Personalities, police, Spanish language
Friday, June 12, 2026
Death's Head
Imperial German Totenkopf.
This election has been a reminder about being careful about getting tattoos.
Maine Democratic Senatorial candidate Graham Platner, in addition to other skeletons (no pun intended) in his closet, has, or at least had, a large Death's Head tattoo on one of his breasts. Not one like the one above, but one more or less like this:
Shown here:
We're informed that's a Celtic knot and a dog.
Well, anyhow, this has caused quite a flap, as the design he had is pretty clearly the same one used by the SS during World War Two.
He says he didn't know that. Frankly, while people are incredulous about that, he may very well not have known that.
Indeed, one of the things that's interesting about this, as an (amateur) historian is that suddenly everyone is an expert on World War Two German insignia. I doubt that many people, anymore, were before the last couple of weeks. Indeed, I can recall Walmart getting in trouble some years ago has had a t-shirt it was selling with some Nazi symbology on it, if I recall correctly SS ruins.
Anyhow, the Totenkopf has an interesting and weird history. It's been around for a very long time, and is famously associated with pirates from the 18th Century, who flew various variants of death's head flags, nicknamed the "Jolly Roger", to warn a ship they were approaching that that's what they were. Death's head on a flag threatened death, and the hope was accordingly that the opponent would give up without a fight. Because of the pirate association, legitimate navies coopted the symbol and you can still find it in use to some degree in navies.
The crew of the HMS Utmost showing off their Jolly Roger in February 1942.
The Prussians started using it as a military symbol under Frederick the Great, when it was introduced to hussars. That use was distinct enough that one US state militia unit, formed as hussars, was still using it with a distinctly Prussian style uniform at the start of the Civil War. It also spread to other units in the various German states prior to German unification, and to some other European nations. One Spanish unit, for example used it.
Field Marshall August von Mackensen in 1914 in his full dress hussars uniform.
Infante Fernando wearing the uniform of Spain's 8th Light Armoured Cavalry Regiment "Lusitania" in 1915
After German unification following the Franco Prussian War the pre unification units that used it continued to, with some German units and even individuals adopting it informally. After the German defeat in the Great War, some Freikorps units used it and it carried on in use in German cavalry units.
After Hitler's rise to power, the SS co-opted it almost immediately at the time of their formation, but that didn't actually cause the German Army or the Luftwaffe from using it as well. German panzer troops wore a black uniform with the Totenkopf early on, with the design aat first being identical to the SS in that regard. The SS later changed its design, which Heer panzer units never did.
German panzer soldier, wearing a 1939 black flat cap, with a feldgrau shirt, black tie and black jacket with Totenkopf lapel badge. The first version of the panzer uniform featured a very large black beret.
This actually created some confusion at the time and still does, although the confusion was more of a problem to German troops during the war. By 1944 the Totenkopf was associated with the SS as was the color black, which actually was not worn by most Waffen SS troops. Tanker POWs were easily mistaken for members of the SS and risked being shot out of hand to some degree. By 44, however, black was being phased out for tankers, both in the Heer and SS, in favor of feldgrau. They retained the Totenkopf, however.
As sort of a rough rule of thumb, every member of the SS wore a uniform with a Totenkopf device, including auxiliary units. Armored units of the Heer wore it also, as did the one oddball Luftwaffe armored unit. One Luftwaffe bomber unit used it as a symbol as well. Black uniforms were worn by tankers of all branches early on, and as regular SS dress uniforms, but not as Waffen SS dress uniforms.
This doesn't get into the concentration camp system uniforms, which I don't know anything about, and which were often staffed by auxiliaries. They all wore the deaths head, however.
One Nazi organization that didn't wear the Totenkopf or a black uniform was the Gestapo. Movies and television shows constantly show them doing that, but they didn't. For example, an SS dress uniform is shown being worn by a Gestapo member in both Where Eagles Dare and Hogan's Heroes. In reality, the Gestapo didn't have any uniform at all. The depiction given in Von Ryan's Express is the correct one. They favored civilian dress clothes and trench coats, often leather ones. They were, after all, secret police and were dressed like civilians.
Marine Corps Raiders' insignia.
One US ground unit used it too, the Marine Corps Raiders, which took it from Naval use.
By the war's end the death's head, except in naval use, was hopelessly associated with the SS, although amazingly some use continues on. The South Korean 3rd Infantry Division, the British Army’s Royal Lancers and Brazilian Military Police use it officially. Some Ukrainian units controversially use it which seems to be an intentional effort to associate themselves with the World War Two era Ukrainian National Army which fought both the USSR and the Germans, but the Germans rather late.
Various navies keep using it, but the Nazis didn't taint the pirate association it had on the seas.
One place it oddly saw use was in civilian groups that wanted to cultivate an edge look after the war. All sort of Nazi paraphernalia became associated with motorcycle gangs. And heavy metal bands affected the look as well.
Ian Fraser Kilmister, "Lemmy" of Motörhead who notoriously sported German military and German SS paraphernalia constantly, and who did know what it meant. He claimed to have no Nazi sympathies. His father had been a chaplain in the RAF.
The interesting thing there, I suppose, is that the predecessor to the SS was the SA. The SA didn't use the Totenkopf, but it was comprised of thugs, so in a way the Nazi paraphernalia returned to a demographic that had first used it.
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So, what of Platner?
Darned if I know. He says he didn't know what it meant, and I suspect a lot of Americans under 70 years of age don't know what it means. World War Two is simply too long ago for a uniform detail to have much in the cultural memory. Those younger people who do know what it was used for are likely students of history, members of prison gangs, or white supremacists. History students don't get tattooed with the Totenkopf. The other two groups likely do. That doesn't mean that Platner was a white supremacist, however.
It does require some sort of explanation, however.
While on the topic of the tattoos, let's discuss Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense.
Pete Hegseth is festooned with tattoos.
Pete has a variety of them, which seem to be the following:
- Jerusalem Cross, a type4 of Christian cross associated with the Crusades, rightly or wrongly.
- "Deus Vult", Latin for "God wills it", a phrase claimed to be associated with the Crusaders.
- Kafir, the Arabic for infidel, but also Afrikaans slang for blacks.
- Cross & Sword, apparently referencing Matthew 10:34
- Yahweh, the Hebrew lettering for the name of God, added near his cross and sword tattoo.
- "We the People", The opening phrase of the U.S. Constitution.
- American Flag & AR-15.
- Roman numerals (1775) & Stars: The year the U.S. Army and the Revolutionary War began.
- "Join, or Die" Snake, the Benjamin Franklin cartoon depicting a severed snake, symbolizing colonial unity during the American Revolution.
- Infantry Patch.
It's really a bit much. Hegseth is an example of how people become addicted to getting tattoos and won't stop.
So what of it?
Well, the top two tattoos are offensive to some Catholics, myself included. Hegseth is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, he has stated., which is a collection of Evangelical Churches. The Crusades are a Catholic thing, grossly misunderstood, and for which Catholics have taken heat from Protestants for five hundred years. Moreover, the Crusaders would have regarded the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches as heretical.
"Kafir" is a flat out weird thing to tattoo on yourself, and for Sub-Saharan Africans its highly offensive, being the Afrikaans equivalent of the n word. I suppose its supposed to be a taunt at Muslims.
Tattooing Yahweh on yourself is just weird, and potentially offensive to Jews, as well as others. Leviticus 19:28 prohibits tattoos themselves, although this is not regarded by most Christians as applicable to Christians and many modern day Jews do not follow that as well.
The point here is this. Tattooing the Totenkopf on your chest is bound to be offensive to the historically aware. Tattooing Crusader phrases on your body is no doubt offensive to Muslims, although I'm not particularly concerned about that, but it's a cultural appropriation that is offensive to some historically aware Catholics. Kafir, as a tattoo, is outright calculated to be offensive to Muslims, and it's highly offensive to Sub Saharan Africans. And the Yahweh tattoo is disturbing.
I suppose the lesson is to be careful about tattoos. Hegseth is so tatted up its frankly absurd, but he comes across as disturbed. Platner comes across as just sort of messed up.
Of course, you don't get to vote for or against Hegseth, no matter where you live. Your view of him has to weigh into your view of the administration. If you live in Maine, you can weigh the tattoo in your opinion on whether to vote for him or the ancient Susan Collins.
Showing the spirit our age, I suppose, Donald Trump called Platner a pig. Pigs have a highly hierarchal pecking order, so I suppose that's the big pig reacting to a younger one in the pen, if you accept the analogy.
Donald might look to have a Porky tattoo. . .
Wednesday, June 12, 1946. British reject Jewish immigration to Palestine.
The British government rejected the recommendation of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry to allow up to 100,000 European Jews to immigrate to Palestine. The British Labour Party attributed the findings to an American desire to avoid immigration to the United States.
Last edition:
Tuesday, June 11, 1946. The Administrative Procedures Act passed into law.
Monday, June 12, 1911. Madero meets Zapata.
Madero met Zapata in visits Morelos, where Zapata was still under arms. Madero offered Zapata money to buy land, demanded disarmament, and promised Zapata the post as commander of the police in Morelos.
Grand Lake, Colorado, June 12, 1911.
Last edition:
Sunday, June 11, 1911. El Chamizal.
Labels: 1910s, 1911, 1960s, 1967, Baja California, baseball, Canada, Diplomacy, Magonistas, Marriage, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, Rio Grande River, suffrage, United States, William Howard Taft, Women
Wednesday, June 12, 1901. Corrido de Gregorio Cortez
The 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles, Australian troops, were attacked at Steenkoolspruit and sustained 18 men killed and 42 wounded, their biggest loss of life during the Boer War.
Cuba voted to become an American protectorate.
Gregorio Cortez shot and killed Karnes County Sheriff W. T. "Brack" Morris, who had fired in the gunfight first, after a gunfight erupted from a mistranslation of an interrogation between the two men over a missing horse, with the issue the Spanish distinction between a stud and a mare. Cortez fled on foot and later killed Gonzales County Sheriff Robert M. Glover and posse member Henry J. Schabel two days later.
He would later be captured thirteen days later and sentenced to life imprisonment. Some charges were reversed on appeal and he was pardoned in 1913. He became a folk hero in the region with both a song and a movie made about him.
Cortez would die in 1916 at age 40. He fought in the Mexican Revolution on the side of Huerta.
Last edition:
Thursday, June 11, 2026
The Sycophant Interstate
My goodness this is utterly moronic.
Lummis Still Backs 'Trump Interstate' Despite Texas Sponsor Losing Interest In It
Rational minds figured that this was an effort on the part of Lummis to dump on the state in order to help John Cornyn, who no longer needs help as he voted early on against Trump, which means that he didn't love the dear leader enough, and didn't get nominated to run again. Now that Cornyn is political history, and Lummis is leaving the Senate, she doesn't need to crap on us like this any longer, but still is.
We don't want 287 becoming an Interstate. Cynthia knows that.
Knock it off, Cynthia. This idea is dumb.
Tuesday, June 11, 1946. The Administrative Procedures Act passed into law.
Not a particularly interesting thing to note, but it is a major legal event.
More interestingly, the Hercules H-4, nicknamed the Spruce Goose due to its plywood construction, was moved from Hughes Airport in what is now Playa Vista to Long Beach, in sections, so that it could be reassembled and tested.
The huge flying boat was already obsolete which was known to all, but Howard Hughes having started it was determined to finish it.
There was crabbiness at the Supreme Court.
Surplus items I'd really love to find today were being sold at Lowry.
The Spruce Goose did make the papers but not until page 20.
Last edition:
Saturday, June 8, 1946. British victory parade.
Friday, June 11, 1926. First flight of the Ford Tri Motor.
The Ford Trimotor made its first flight.
Ford Tri Motor, Natrona County International Airport
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ciD3__thTI4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
South Africa passed the National Parks Act of 1926, clearing the way for South African national parks.
Last edition:
Thursday, June 10, 1926. The June Tenth Movement.
Sunday, June 11, 1911. El Chamizal.
Coming bizarrely right in the middle of a major change of governments for Mexico, the International Boundary Commission, consisting of representatives of Mexico, Canada and the United States, ruled that the 600 acre El Chamizal should see 437 acres transferred to Mexico.
The US, in US style, refused to concede, but would finally yield in 1967 at which time a canal was constructed to keep the Rio Grande from shifting, which is what had caused the dispute in the first place.
Mexican Federal irregulars murdered the Dr. Allen L. Foster; John D. Carroll, an American living under an assumed name who ran a supply store; Patrick Glennon, an Irish-American shopkeeper; and Constantin Dubois, a French Canadian vagabond in Baja California. Their offense was being foreigners in Mexico in a region in which foreigners had been a significant revolutionary force.
The Senate approved the 17th Amendment which provided for direct election of Senators.
The Sixth Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance opened in Stockholm, Sweden.
It was the Taft's 25th wedding anniversary.
The Cubs defeated Boston 20-2.
Last edition:
Thursday, June 8, 1911. US grants permission for Mexican troops to transit U.S.
Labels: 1910s, 1911, Aircraft, Arizona, Baja California, California, Magonistas, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, Personalities, Science, Texas
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
The 2027 Legislature, super early edition. The make them stop edition.
Ugh, just when the first corn fed, cornfederate legislature was safely in the history books, the Management Council met. Of course, the same dumb ideas that get rejected repeatedly are back up for reconsideration, at least in part.
I hear we want to do the election review again and redo the same bills that just died three weeks ago ... in exchange for 911 funding.
Tara Nethercott.
The corner crossing bill won't be back, which is too bad.
Vote the WFC out and send them back to pre 1964 Alabama where they'll be happy.
May 13, 2026
Woman Sued By House Candidate Reid Rasner Urges Ban On Frivolous Lawsuits
I was aware this legislation had been introduced. Frankly, Anti SLAPP provisions are really tricky as they're based, basically, on pre judging a litigants intent.
June 10, 2026
Lawmakers revive proposal to remove Wyoming property taxes
The money has to come from somewhere. Property taxes rise because in no small part new people come in and overpay in the local housing market, and otherwise inflate it.
A better idea would be to have an unrealized sales tax on the sale of real property from other states that is used by a person within five years of moving to Wyoming.
Every one of their arguments.
Every one of their own arguments for divorce and remarriage leads directly to promiscuity; and leaves no kind of use or meaning in marriage of any kind. But the idea of the vow is perhaps a little too bold and bracing for them at present, and is too strong for their heads, like sea air.
G. K. Chesterton.
Thursday, June 10, 1926. The June Tenth Movement.
High school students demonstrated in Seoul at the funeral of the last Korean Emperor, Sunjong, declaring for independence from Japan.
Last edition:
Wednesday, June 9, 1926. The Kingdom of Afghanistan founded.
The 2026 Election, 12th Edition. The late on ramp edition.
May 29, 2026 is the last day to declare a candidacy in one of the two "major parties".
We will, therefore, likely be learning of some new candidates in the upcoming days for the first time.
And we might be surprised that some who stated they were running, but who haven't filed, don't.
May 21, 2026
Two Democrats, Ana Cordova and Sergio Maldonado Sr. have entered the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction. It seems that a third, Libertarian Ryan Shollenberger, will. They join existing GOP candidates Tom Kelly, Chad Auer and Steve Harshman.
Shollenberger doesn't have to file by May 29, as Libertarians are not a "major party". It's worth noting here that a Libertarian candidate for this office makes darned near no sense whatsoever.
Democratic candidates do, however, and both of the declared Democrats have experience in education. Maldonado ran against Degenfelder last time, and given here throwing roses to MAGA, which she sort of did and sort of didn't, while in that position, he frankly would have been a saner choice.
Harshman is highly likely to win against the two carpetbagging competitors he faces and is a really solid choice. This race might actually feature two really good candidates and a throwaway.
Columnist Rod Miller wrote in Wyofile to advance an idea that I've been backing here for quite some time, that being getting rid of party identification and affiliation in the state's elections.
Open letter to the Joint Corporations Committee
He points out that our state constitution is silent on party affiliation, and I frankly feel our current primary system is unconstitutional. I wish somebody would file a lawsuit over the issue.
May 23, 2026
The more I've read on this, the more it seems clear this fellow is not eligible:
This will be a test for Chuck, who hasn't been very good at passing tests so far.
Chuck also met with some discontent outside a legislative committee meeting:
Of course, Chuck tagged the protest as hoard of radical leftist, as he does, a hoard apparently meaning any group of people exceeding one person and a leftist being anyone who disagrees with him.
May 24, 2026
Updates as we reach the filing deadline.
U.S. Senate:
Republican Party.
Harriet Hageman. On our no go list.
Jill M Edwards. A new name, no idea who she is.
Jimmy Skovgard
John Allan Holtz. Perennial GOP candidate who was apparently a judge at some point and just can't get the message that no one wants him as an office holder.
"Okay, Boomer".
Sam Mead. Best GOP candidate so far.
Democrats.
Billy Benavidez. A new name. No idea who he is.
James Byrd.
On this race, State Rep. Campbell, running for reelection, came out and boldly branded Hageman a threat to public lands, which she is. That took guts.
May 27, 2026
Lisa Engebretsen, a Casper real estate agent, has announced a bid for Senate District 29, which is currently held be uber extreme Wyoming Freedom Caucus commando Bob Ide. She's running as a conservative candidate.
The more power to her. Ide was even in Washington D.C. on January 6, although he wasn't a rioter. He need to be voted out.
Another menace to the state, Chuck Gray, is getting no love from the legislature:
Wyoming lawmakers unmoved by Gray’s calls to reexamine electoral maps
In Texas, which has the stupidest politics in the country, Ken Paxton defeated John Cornyn in the Texas Republican runoff and boisterous GOP annoyance Chip Roy was defeated in his bid to replace Paxton as attorney general.
In at least the first race, the nomination of Paxton gives the Democrats, whose fortunes are overall reviving in Texas, a chance of taking Cornyn's seat and gives Cornyn the chance to go whole hog on the Senate on seeking revenge against Trump. Trump's recent actions in the 2026 race are not only boosting Democrats, they're freeing up current office holders to act against him.
May 28, 2026
Occasional Casper Mayor Ray Pacheco has announced for Natrona County commissioner, which would mean that two former mayors are running for positions on the commission.
Balow has commenced running her ads.
It's notable that the three candidates who have really been spending money in the House race, Gray, Friess and Rasner, all have wealth or family wealth. It raises the obvious comment that if they're conservatives as they claim, or populists as they really are, they can afford to hold their positions, which is something to consider.
The median income in Wyoming is $76,000/year.
May 29, 2026
Freedom Caucus member Scott Smith announced to challenge Treasurer Curt Meier, who is seeking reelection to the office.
He was mysteriously endorsed by the Make Liberty Win group of far right wingnuts before he announced.
Jillian Balow ads have started running. An example of them is:
Today is the last day to announce to run for the 2026 elections.
May 30, 2026
And now all the names are in.
Governor:
The Democrats have completely thrown in the towel on this race as Casner, who is so old that he attended the Lincoln Douglas debates, has no support and probably is in the category of having negative support. They gave up on this race completely. Casner ought to do everyone a favor and drop out.
A new name appears in the form of Curt Blake. I have no idea who he is.
This is a race between Barlow, Bien, and Degenfelder, with Bien and Degenfelder both vying for the far right. Bien isn't really even trying for the middle, but he'll draw votes away from Degenfelder. Barlow is by far the best candidate and the primary will determine the election due to the Democratic tragedy of not having a real candidate for this office.
U.S. Senator:
The only real change here was the addition of Billy Benavidez to the Democratic slate. That's unfortunate as Benavidez has less than 0 chance, but it does distract from the candidacy of James Byrd, who is a really good candidate.
Ideally Same Mead would take the GOP nomination and the race would be between Mead and Byrd. Mead would win. Hageman has the advantage, however, in spite of her far right anti public lands positions. Byrd will pull quite a few votes in the fall, assuming he's the nominee on the Democratic side, if Hageman is the Republican nominee, but Mead likely has a better chance than people might suppose. There's a fair amount of discontent with Hageman who was only elected to Congress on a visceral reaction to Liz Cheney thinking independently.
Jill Edwards is a complete unknown in this race. Holtz is an other antiquated baby boomer who just can't get over not being needed.
U.S. House of Representatives.
A real surprise here as longtime Natrona County politician Keith Goodenough reappears for the first time in quite awhile seeking the position of Congressman. It's really surprising as the race is pretty far along already, with Jillian Balow starting her campaign in earnest, and with Steve "my daddy was rich so I can afford to be a conservative" Friess, Chuck "everyone against me is a communist, fascist, Marxist, monarchist, podiatrist Gray, and Reid "I say abhorrent weird things" Rasner, violently throwing money at each other.
Rasner's campaign, we'd note, has been sufficiently weird that there's actually an article in the Cowboy State Daily in which WFC chief John Bear explains that its not a joke, no really it isn't, it's weird, sounds like a parody, but, um, it's not a joke.
A new Democrat has emerged as well, although I know nothing about her. She's taking on Lisa Kinney, who is once again in the old as dirt category and who should be staying out of the race.
Secretary of State
More new names on the Republican side here.
A lot of these candidates are completely unknown. Robert Short is likely the best candidate and Rachel Williams, who was in the legislature as Rachel Sanchez Williams (you have to wonder if she learned that the WFC, of which she is a member, doesn't approve really of brown people), a complete no go.
Other Statewide Races
The rest of these races we've already reported on.
In legislative races, Senate District 9 has only a Democrat as a registered candidate, incumbent Rothfuss. That's unusual. Senate District 17 also only has a registered Democrat.
In other news, Trump endorsed Pam Evette in South Carolina’s Republican primary for governor throwing Nancy Mace under the bus.
Mace voted to release the Epstein files. There's a real pattern here of Trump going after everyone who did.
In yet more news, we have this:
It probably will be dismissed, but at least in my view, our partisan primary system is in fact violative of the Wyoming Constitution It'll be interesting to see how it progresses. The case is filed in the State's 7th Judicial District in Natrona County.
June 2, 2026
In a story thick with irony, the Gray campaign released the result of a poll yesterday and by the end of the day, it was clear it was a push poll.
A poll at this point, with one major candidate having only started running within the last week, is pretty questionable, as some interviewed noted. Gray, however, is in a bad spot as there are three candidates who are thickly funded all running on the platform that they'll be Trump's political paramour, of which Gray is one.
The push poll asked really vile questions about the other two candidates, but they're highly ironic as well. The question on Freiss called him an "out of state" elitist who has never held a real job, which describes Chuck "I only worked in my daddy's radio station" Gray as well.
This can't be emphasized enough. Both Gray and Freiss are carpetbaggers with family wealth. Gray is tarring himself with the same brush he's tarring Freiss. The point is in fact valid, but it means that neither one of them should be elected.
The poll also attacked gadfly Reid Rasner. The attack on Rasner pointed out that he is a homosexual who has been married and divorced, and points out that apparently the divorce settlement contains some sort of confidentiality/non disclosure provision.
Rasner deserves the attack if for no other reason he's gone after transgenderism, which a lot of people with conventional sexual orientation or morality (they are not the same thing) think is a homosexual mental illness. I think it's a homosexual mental illness and for that matter, I regard homosexuality as disordered. I know of one person who won't vote for Rasner as he's a homosexual, and Gray is hoping that there are others of a similar mind.
Rasner is 41 years old, admits being homosexual, and we know has had a sexual relationship, given his marriage. We note that as Gray is 36 and Wyomingites know nothing whatsoever about his private life at all. Absolutely nothing. He's the least well known candidate, I'd wager, in Wyoming's history.
Both men are Catholic, which makes Rasner's earlier marriage invalid in the eyes of the Church and the conduct within it a mortal sin. He may have confessed and repented. We have no idea. Gray is Catholic as well and his lying and public conduct of this type crosses the line into what I'd regard as a mortal sin, but I'm not a moral arbiter. What I'd note, however, is that having brought this topic up, he should now answer the question as to why he's unmarried and has never been married at age 36.
There may be good reasons. I've known a few perfectly straight people, one my age, one quite a bit older, and one half my age, who have never married and never been in any long term relationships just because that's how life worked out, or is working out so far, for them. One just prefers ones own company. But Gray is obviously out and about and frankly age 36 and no relationship, if there is no relationship, is weird. Gray now owes us an explanation for why half his life is over and he's totally unattached, assuming that he is. Maybe women can't stand him. Maybe his standards are sky high. Maybe there's another story.
On this topic, there has been one Wyoming office holder who was a closeted homosexual for their entire term in office (and they were an excellent office holder). That person was often mentioned as a possible Governor and never ran. I have to wonder if that's the reason why. And there's another whom is consistently rumored to be homosexual and not only at the street level, but at the in the know level. If that person is (and I don't know), they've taken very active steps to conceal it.
The reason is pretty clear. The perception is that Wyomingites won't vote for them if they're homosexual, which is why 36 year old unmarried Gray is pointing fingers at 41 year old homosexual unmarred Reid and saying, "Look! He's gay". Funny thing is that at least at the local level things are often different. Casper's had an openly homosexual mayor and another openly homosexual councilman.
Who knows.
We do know that Gray wants to be Congressman so bad he's now throwing the pooh at his competitors even if he has to sit in it to do it.
Degenfelder and Bien engaged in a debate, which is amusing, as there are other candidates, and that's basically pointless.
June 3, 2026
California's open primary was too close to call. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican business executive Steve Hilton lead the contest.
This sort of open primary, in which the top two vote getters move on, makes a whole lost more sense than the Wyoming one which (probably illegally) is a party election.
June 5, 2026
Wyoming GOP sues state, challenges constitutionality of ban on pre-primary candidate endorsements
All they really have to do is to quit having state funded primaries.
On other news, sort of:
Laramie attorney aims for U.S. Senate for a fourth time
Holtz is the ancient lawyer who was apparently a judge whom nobody seems to have heard of in the law. I haven't done an exhaustive search, but usually we remember who the judges were. For that matter, my minor polling of Laramie attorneys hasn't turned up anyone who knows who the heck he is.
I've been dealing with this phenomena this week anyhow, but this entire "I'm an ancient boomer and here's what we need to do . . ." story is complete bull crap. Holtz keeps noting that he was one of the "youngest judges", something I'd question, in the state's history, but assuming that's true it doesn't mean that he should now be one of the oldest Senators.
June 10, 2026
There were a host of primary elections yesterday.
Lindsey Graham, Trump sycophant, took the GOP nomination in South Carolina. There was some doubt about this occurring. He will almost certainly be relected.
In the same state, Nancy Mace went down in defeat in her bid for the Governor's office.
These results are more than a bit odd. Graham is such a toady that he's at the disgusting level, and yet he won. Mace is weird, so maybe that's the difference. She came in fifth place.
The heavily watched Maine Senate Democratic race went to Platner, which seemed assured as his competition had basically dropped out. In order for him to lose his competitor, Maine's current governor, would have had to revive her race.
With this post, we'll go on to a new edition of this thread.
Last edition:
The 2026 Election, 11th Edition. The only good voting Indian is a disenfranchised voting Indian edition.
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