On August 22, OAN host Kara McKinney defended a right-wing push to ban LGBTQ books from schools, using a photograph of a Nazi book burning in her commentary.
“I think banning pornographic books from school libraries is not only justifiable – it’s the only moral option,” McKinney said. “It’s our duty, in fact, to purge our schools of such filth.”
Before the Nazis took power in Germany, the “Institute for Sexual Science” was a global pioneer in studying homosexuality and transgender identity, and its founder, Magnus Hirschfeld, was a known advocate for LGBTQ equality.
After taking power, the Nazis labeled the institute “offensive for public morals,” shut it down, and burned its contents on May 6, 1933.
The National Archives found more than 700 pages of classified material — including “special access program materials,” some of the most highly classified secrets in government — in 15 boxes recovered from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in January, according to correspondence between the National Archivist and his legal team.
The May 10 letter — posted late Monday on the website of John Solomon, a conservative journalist and one of Trump’s authorized liaisons to the National Archives to review papers from his presidency — showed that NARA and federal investigators had grown increasingly alarmed about potential damage to national security caused by the warehousing of these documents at Mar-a-Lago, as well as by Trump’s resistance to sharing them with the FBI.
These records included 700 pages of classified material, according to the letter, sent by National Archivist Debra Wall to Trump’s attorney, Evan Corcoran, and it doesn’t include records recovered by the Justice Department and FBI during a June meeting and the Aug. 11 search of the Mar-a-Lago premises.
Wall’s letter describes earlier correspondence in which Trump’s team objected to disclosing the contents of the 15 boxes to the FBI.
“As you are no doubt aware, NARA had ongoing communications with the former President’s representatives throughout 2021 about what appeared to be missing Presidential records, which resulted in the transfer of 15 boxes of records to NARA in January 2022,” Wall wrote. “In its initial review of materials within those boxes, NARA identified items marked as classified national security information, up to the level of Top Secret and including Sensitive Compartmented Information and Special Access Program materials.”
NARA aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, and Corcoran could not immediately be reached.
The correspondence shows that even though NARA retrieved the 15 boxes in January, Justice Department and FBI investigators didn’t see their contents until May, after extended negotiations with Trump’s representatives. The letter also shows that in the interim, DOJ asked President Joe Biden to authorize NARA to provide the records to investigators despite an effort by Trump to claim executive privilege over the records. Wall indicated she had rejected Trump’s claim because of the significance of the documents to national security.
“NARA informed the Department of Justice about that discovery, which prompted the Department to ask the President to request that NARA provide the FBI with access to the boxes at issue so that the FBI and others in the Intelligence Community could examine them,” Wall wrote.
Biden, according to Wall, then delegated the privilege decision to her, in consultation with the Justice Department.
Wall noted that typical restrictions on access to presidential records carve out an exception for incumbent administrations. And she described an April 29 letter from DOJ’s National Security Division describing their pursuit of these documents: “There are important national security interests in the FBI and others in the Intelligence Community getting access to these materials.”
“Access to the materials is not only necessary for purposes of our ongoing criminal investigation, but the Executive Branch must also conduct an assessment of the potential damage resulting from the apparent manner in which these materials were stored and transported and take any necessary remedial steps,” according to the DOJ letter. “Accordingly, we are seeking immediate access to these materials so as to facilitate the necessary assessments that need to be conducted within the Executive Branch.”
Wall indicated that Archives had notified Trump on April 12 of the FBI’s “urgency” to review the documents but delayed transmitting them at the behest of Trump’s team.
“It has now been four weeks since we first informed you of our intent to provide the FBI access to the boxes so that it and others in the Intelligence Community can conduct their reviews,” Wall wrote. “ Notwithstanding the urgency conveyed by the Department of Justice and the reasonable extension afforded to the former President, your April 29 letter asks for additional time for you to review the materials in the boxes ‘in order to ascertain whether any specific document is subject to privilege,’ and then to consult with the former President “so that he may personally make any decision to assert a claim of constitutionally based privilege.’”
Wall said she consulted with the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel and had decided not honor that request.
“The question in this case is not a close one,” she wrote.
“The Executive Branch here is seeking access to records belonging to, and in the custody of, the Federal Government itself, not only in order to investigate whether those records were handled in an unlawful manner but also, as the National Security Division explained, to ‘conduct an assessment of the potential damage resulting from the apparent manner in which these materials were stored and transported and take any necessary remedial steps.’”
Tucker Carlson sounded just like his good pal and right-wing conspiracy nut Alex Jones on Monday, at one point commenting about chemicals in milk that “turn kids trans.”
The Fox host expressed sympathy during his show for an Amish farmer named Amos Miller who has run into legal trouble over food safety issues identified by the Food and Drug Administration dating back to 2016.
“Maybe if he promises to put more chemicals in the milk that turn kids trans, they’ll lay off,” blurted out Carlson, who has targeted transgender people before. His comment was reminiscent of Jones’ loony theory that the government is “putting chemicals in the water that turn the friggin’ frogs gay.”
Here's the full segment. The line about chemicals in the milk was totally unrelated. Tucker just threw it out there completely unprompted. pic.twitter.com/xJBjpBJfQW
What Carlson said is stupid. He knows it’s a lie but he also knows he can say whatever he likes without consequence, and that saying nutty things keeps his name in the news, so that’s what he does.
Wait, so it’s not Drag Queen Story Hours turning kids trans, it’s chemicals? Quick, someone needs to make a Kickstarter for a special dip stick concerned parents can put in the milk and other goods to indicate if it detects the super scary “turn kids trans” chemical. Possibly with a stretch goal of one that can detect “turn adults trans” chemical?
Since there doesn’t appear to be any science behind any chemical that turns anyone trans, a simple stick that does nothing would not technically be fraud.
The Earth has changed so many times and transformed heavily from when it first formed. How life came from non-life is still a big scientific mystery. However, we do have a current best guess for the beginning of life on Earth which we think is around 3.8 billion years ago. But before we get into that, let’s start from the beginning and take a trip back in time.
This is why it is important to keep LGBTQ+ symbols, books, information, and our presence in all communities. This is why the right / republicans want to destroy these same things. Somehow they think if kids don’t see it they won’t be LGBTQ+, but what they really want is LGBTQ+ kids to be afraid and unhappy. Someone once asked me why I thought it was OK for teachers to have rainbow flag stickers in their classrooms or on their classroom doors. This is why. Hugs
A beautiful story out of Paris, Arkansas (population 3,413) shows the power of representation and how it can have an incredible effect on a child’s life.
Stephanie Robertson, 52, received a Progress Pride flag last year from her son, Levi, 30, and she’s had it up throughout the month of June. Stephanie is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who currently works part-time as a support specialist for the Forest Service at Ozark St Francis National Forest.
“She was excited to hang it up for the first time this year and kept it hanging up outside her home all throughout June,” Levi told PinkNews.
In the last presidential election, 18.8% of residents voted Democrat while 78.3% voted Republican. It’s safe to say a pride flag isn’t something you see every day in that community. That’s why when a self-described “young LGBTQ+ person” saw the flag hanging from Stepanie’s house, it had a huge impact.
The child felt so welcomed by the flag that they put a letter in Stephanie’s mailbox. “She texted me yesterday and was like, ‘You’re not gonna believe the letter I found in our mailbox,’ and sent me a photo of the letter,” Levi told Pink News.
“Hello, this is probably kinda weird,” the letter began, “but I walk past your house every day and I’ve noticed your flag and I’m glad to know there is at least one ally in this little town – from a young LGBTQ+ person.”
The letter was written on a small legal pad and had several words crossed out.
The child’s words provide a small glimpse into what it’s like to live in a small town where people aren’t openly accepting of the LGBTQ community. For the child to learn that there is “at least one” ally in town has to mean the world to them. By hanging that flag, Stepanie showed the child that there was one safe place in their town where they are welcome to be their true self.
“I immediately called her and told her how profound and awesome it was that her hanging it made a child feel seen,” Levi said. “She agreed and kept saying how she couldn’t get over how sweet it was.”
Levi tweeted out a photo of the letter and it has received over 750,000 likes. The viral tweet is a great reminder of the impact that allies can have when they make themselves known through simple gestures such as flying a Pride flag.
It’s also a reminder that there’s still a lot of work to be done to make sure that LGBTQ children feel safe no matter where they live.
The child’s note has encouraged Stephanie to do even more for the LGBTQ community in Paris, Arkansas. “She’s going to find a Progress Pride flag window sticker for the front of her house to keep up all year,” Levi said.
Many thanks to Ali for sending me the link to this. I keep reading of adults asking how they explain gays and lesbians to their kids. It really is not hard, kids understand love and kindness unless they have been taught by adults it is wrong. Hugs.
Kids say the darnedest things, sure. But often they say the wisest things too.
Case in point—this viral video.
Hannah Lewis, a 32-year-old mom and LGBTQ advocate who goes by the name “Lesbimum” on TikTok and Instagram, shared a sweet exchange between her and a young boy after he asked if she had a boyfriend.
Their heartwarming conversation received nearly 2 million likes, and it really offers us all a glimpse into what the world can look like through the eyes of pure acceptance.
When approached with the question, Lewis chose to answer him plainly, rather than “hide who I am.”
No, she didn’t have a “boyfriend” and wasn’t interested in dating boys.
“Oh so you want to have a girlfriend,” the boy quipped.
When Lewis responded that, “yeah,” she wanted to have a girlfriend, the boy shared with her that he didn’t “know any girls who have girlfriends.”
Lewis then asked her young friend what he thought about girls being with each other. “And he was like, ‘well does that also mean that boys can have boyfriends?’” she recalled.
“Wow. Think how many more people can be in love now.”
What a simple, pure and profound thing to say.
“Honestly my heart melted,” Lewis said through tears, adding that “I swear kids are living proof that homophobia is a taught behavior.”
Many folks in the comments echoed Lewis’ sentiment:
“All prejudices are taught. Kids are blank canvases influenced by society, their family, friends, school etc.”
“I’m so glad I’m able to teach my brother and sister so much about different sexualities, races etc. as I have never been taught from my parents.”
“My heart EXPLODED.”
“’Think of how many people can be in love now’ ….. AMAZING VIEW POINT!!!! 🥰”
Whether hate, particularly homophobia, is socially learned or biologically inherited is a long-standing scientific debate. But it’s hard to hear this young boy’s point of view and not think that unconditional love must be the most natural thing there is. It certainly seems like the world would be a happier place if we did.
This morning I got up at five, already awake for a while. I was in good shape, pain under control and eager to start comment replies. So I did the first chores of the morning, shut the alarm system off, clean the cat box and take it out to the pail, start the coffee, feed the inside cat, water inside cat, start the computers, feed the outside cats. I got my first cup of coffee and sat down at my desk ready to start.
I noticed that the graphics were not quite right on the video computer and so looked at the settings of the graphic cards control panel. A lot of the controls were gone, and I was unable to change over to the card. The system was running entirely on the onboard graphics, the one built into the motherboard. What the heck? So I looked at the onboard programs thinking that something had recently changed. I decided to unload and reload the graphics card, but that did not solve anything. I tried to uninstall the programs for the onboard graphics and that did not change the system to using the card. Using the task manager I could not only see the graphic processing unit (GPU) the system was using and I couldn’t get it to change to the card. I was frustrated. I had just bought the cards and I loved how they worked with my system. What could be the problem?
Still thinking it was a recent update from intel on their graphics program I dumped the hard drive of the video computer and started to install the programs. But after I installed the graphic card and the control panel I found the same problems. So I dumped it again, this time disabled the onboard graphics and installed the drives / control panel for the graphics cards. No change, and I notice that when I removed the onboard graphics from the system I couldn’t get the screen size correct for my screen and the resolution settings were locked out. I had never seen this. I shut of the monitors to see if that system would resize the monitor settings on the computer. Nope. So at 10:00 I decided to see if I could use a different output on the card in case the output I was using seemed to have a problem, since nothing else had worked. I slowly worked myself down on the floor because when James redid the system last week he put both computers and the backup batteries under the desk which has an almost full length from the desktop to the floor partition. As I looked up under the partitions I seen the problem right away and started to swear. I think I might have shouted. I had been working on this problem since five in the morning looking for the problem in the wrong place and was on the floor, a place I shouldn’t be.
Ron came running to see what was wrong. He knew I had a computer problem. James was still up getting ready to leave on their trip tonight. I told both of them I knew why the system wouldn’t use the card no matter what I did with the settings or programing, I knew why the onboard graphics had taken over the display system. The HDMI cable going to the monitor was plugged in to … not the graphics card outputs but instead to the onboard graphics output. James had not hooked the system up correctly. He sputtered then said “Well you did not tell me it was supposed to connect to the graphics card”. He had done that to both systems.
James helped me up, and he got down and changed the cable on both systems. On the computer still up and running I check and sure enough the system was returned to normal with the graphics card running the display system. Now it was past 10:30 and I still had a computer that I needed to dump again, and reinstall windows, reset all the settings in both the control panel and the windows settings, then install all the windows updates, all my programs, update them, and go through all the computer settings again. Then do the system security / privacy programs settings. Then lastly do the system cleanups and defrags. All because James did not understand what to use the graphic card outputs to allow the system to use the card for display.
Well now after 12:30, I am heading over to the comments, see you there. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 