and news I want to share. 5-2-2026

I apologize that this is such a short post for one of these. I want everyone to know I really did try as hard as I could. I am exhausted and very tired to the point that Ron has twice looked into my office and caught me sleeping. I am also in a lot of pain. Because of that right butt / leg pain Ron is again asking me to figure out how we can afford the back / spine surgery. I am holding off hopeing that my pain doctors can do more epidurals/spine shots that will help me with that pain. I do not want spine surgery f I can avoid it. On the other side Ron held me today when he came back from his sister’s place and was very affectionate. I asked if he wanted to have “relations” tonight and his answer was a strong yes if you want to my love. So I need to finish this and go to bed to await my wonderful loving husband. Hugs

Ok maybe not the right place but with all the attacks by the right Christian nationalists I think it is a great place to put this. Far too many men / people are now in the closet and denying their true selves because of the hate being pushed against them. Us older LGBTQ+ people faced this hate before, this hate constantly driven by religious bigotry and we beat it / over came it. The haters are having a last gasp resurgence, but that will wane and fade as even the non radical right doesn’t support discrimination against their LGBTQ+ children / grandchildren / friends / exstended family. Hugs

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs bill prohibiting DEI in local governments reut.rs/4vQAnoE

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2026-04-23T07:00:46Z

LOCAL: Palm Beach County reverses course, approving $302K for Compass LGBTQ Center repairs after backlash over an anti-DEI-related denial.tinyurl.com/ywnjvs26

— OutSFL (@outsfl.bsky.social) 2026-05-01T18:00:33.715Z

Mike Smith for 4/24/2026

Graeme MacKay The Hamilton Spectator

No ballroom for trump, give him some thoughts and prayers and a bulletproof backpack. That's what schoolchildren get.

— Covie (@covie93.bsky.social) 2026-04-26T14:48:34.489Z

Mike Smith for 4/28/2026

A banner reads “Four Alternate Designs for the U.S Triumphal Arch.” Under it there are four illustrations Donald Trump...

“Frankly, he’s so loud I think he must be compensating for something.”

John Darkow Columbia Missourian

People in caps and gowns throw pieces of paper into the air.

Mike Smith for 5/1/2026

The Senate today inched closer to confirming some pretty alarming U.S. attorney nominees.We're talking people who have never tried criminal cases, who fueled lies about the 2020 election being stolen from Trump + even participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 protests. http://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-…

— Jen Bendery (@jbendery.bsky.social) 2026-04-30T22:37:38.851Z

For those who don't remember, Dan Bishop was the key architect of North Carolina's HB2, the original anti-trans law

— Randy Herman (@randyhermanlaw.com) 2026-04-01T21:30:09.562Z

R.J. Matson Portland, ME

Dave Granlund PoliticalCartoons.com

Strange how Kash Patel and Todd Blanche can look at seashells on a beach and decided to dig further but see emails with grown men discussing raping kids and decided that there's nothing there.

— Covie (@covie93.bsky.social) 2026-04-30T14:29:05.014Z

Mike Smith for 4/30/2026

Mike Smith for 4/29/2026

Trump: "If you read the New York Times — it's actually seditious, in my opinion — you'd think they're winning the war"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-04-30T19:42:44.554Z

HEGSETH: On Iran, we are in a ceasefire right now, which I understand means the 60 day clock pauses or stopsKAINE: I do not believe the statute would support that

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-04-30T18:02:54.848Z

Today, Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee that “the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire” and therefore the Iran War is not subject to Congressional authorization. Here’s why he’s flat wrong:

— Mike Levin (@mikelevin.org) 2026-04-30T22:55:06.632Z

The War Powers Resolution says the President has 60 calendar days to get approval from Congress or end the fighting.The U.S. Navy is blockading Iranian ports right now. You cannot claim the fighting is “paused” while American warships are stopping Iranian ships by force. Both things can't be true.

— Mike Levin (@mikelevin.org) 2026-04-30T22:55:06.633Z

A naval blockade is an act of war. This is legally nonsense. If the war is over, then Iran won and US lost. By any strategic measure. Regime in place. They “own” the Straits. Uranium remains weapon-usable and in Iran.

— Jon B. Wolfsthal (@jonatomic.bsky.social) 2026-05-01T18:47:26.913Z

In the decades since this law was written, no president of either party has ever tried this argument. Not Reagan, either Bush, Clinton, Obama, Biden, or even Trump in his first term. Hegseth made it up because the deadline is tomorrow and he’s looking for an easy way out.

— Mike Levin (@mikelevin.org) 2026-04-30T22:55:06.634Z

Susan Collins crossed the aisle today and said the 60-day clock is “not a suggestion. It is a requirement.”Pete Hegseth does not get to rewrite the law because following it is inconvenient.The clock does not pause. Tomorrow is the deadline.www.wsj.com/politics/pol…

— Mike Levin (@mikelevin.org) 2026-04-30T22:55:06.635Z

Harley Schwadron CagleCartoons.com

Mike Smith for 4/27/2026

“May Day”

https://www.gocomics.com/frazz/2026/05/01

In our home when we budget we have to have priorates.

Ron tried a new spicy chicken & pasta recipe that turned out really well. We had left overs and Ron asked is if it was OK for him to take the left overs to his sister. I agreed and asked why he did not invite his sister here to share dinner with us. He at first claimed he was not sure of the recipe but when I kept asking he admitted he felt I was feeling he was not paying enough attention to our home and us as he was to his sister and her needs. While that is true I did not want him to do the reverse and ignore his sister. She is alone here and we are her family. He was delighted to hear me tell him I wanted him to include his sister in our life while she was here and to include her in our meals. I don’t feel things like that diminish our relationship; I think it increases it. Because family is important to Ron in a way that it never was to me, I can’t understand that connection. But also I never want to be the one to sever a healthy loving connection. I love Ron, so that means I have to try to understand and love those that he loves. Hugs

An Advertising Ban. Who’d ‘a’ Thunk It?

Found it here: https://homelessonthehighdesert.com/2026/05/01/fae-day-finding-flatulence-out/

Amsterdam’s Ban on Meat and Fossil Fuel Advertising Comes Into Effect

by Martina Igini Europe May 1st 20264 mins

Over 50 cities, mostly European, have either restricted or tabled motions to introduce formal limitations on the advertisement of polluting products and services. Some – including several Dutch municipalities, Stockholm, Edinburgh and Sydney – have banned them altogether.

A ban on advertising of fossil fuels and meat products in public spaces came into effect on Friday in Amsterdam, marking the first capital city in the world to introduce such a policy.

The city’s council passed a legally binding ban on ads for fossil fuels and meat products in a 27-17 vote in January. The ban spans high-carbon products and services like flights, petrol and diesel vehicles, gas heating contracts as well as meat products like fast-food burgers across all public spaces in the city, including on billdboards, public transport and in transit environments.

The burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the single-largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are the primary drivers of global warming as they trap heat in the atmosphere and raise Earth’s surface temperature. The meat industry is also responsible for a huge portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, and for nearly 60% of the food sector’s emissions. The global livestock industry alone is one of the world’s highest emitting sectors, estimated to be responsible for between 14-18% of total human-made greenhouse gas emissions.

“Advertising doesn’t just sell products; it grants social licence, shaping what we see as normal and acceptable,” said Andrea Mancuso, Community & Grants Manager at Creatives for Climate. Ahead of the vote in January, Creatives for Climate and local campaign group Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising) coordinated an open letter backed by more than 100 creatives and industry leaders urging Amsterdam’s council members to fulfill its 2020 commitment to ban fossil fuels and meat ads in the city.

“Promoting fossil fuels directly undermines climate action and locks in behaviour we know must change. By becoming the first capital to legally ban fossil fuel and meat advertising, Amsterdam is drawing a clear line; and setting a global standard,” said Mancuso. (snip-MORE)

White House X Account Posts “Two Kings” Photo – Joe.My.God.

I am at the allergists getting my shots. tRump long has said that he / his family are the true US royalty not the Kennedy’s which is why he has renamed and destroyed anything connected to the Kennedy name / family. When he visited Queen Elisabeth in England he insisted on a state royal visit like Obama got because he was equal to the queen and deserved it. In their inspection of the guard tRump cut in front of the queen and walked in front of her as more important. In his mind he was. Then he reportedly told her that his kids were equal in status as hers because they were US royalty making then princes and princess with him as king. So this thing with putting himself first and more important than anyone else is not new. TRump recently said he was the most powerful person doing more to make US great than anyone else due to his greatness and sheer force of will. No one corrects him and everyone constantly raises him so now he believes his own bullshit. Hugs

https://www.joemygod.com/2026/04/white-house-x-account-posts-two-kings-photo/

Best Wishes and Hugs,
Scottie

Trump’s History Of Violent Political Rhetoric Backfires Spectacularly

Notice at the end The Majority Report crew plays a clip of all of tRump’s hateful rhetoric after the White House spokesperson blasts Democrats for hate speech inciting violence, which was the democrats telling the truth about tRump. Hugs

On a personal note I have allergy shots this morning. Hugs

WHAT IS TRUMP DOING???

The clip is about how tRump’s cabinet is assembled to shake hands and as the royals are walking down the line shaking hands tRump just cuts in front of them blocking the King of England and stopping the Queen . tRump then walked the rest of the line himself shaking the hands of the people who work for him. One thing you never do is get in front of the royals inspecting troops or greeting people which tRump did to Queen Elizabeth. tRump can not stand to have anyone come first or get more attention than he does. In his mind it is always about himself. Hugs

Some Stuff To Read & Look At

Some entertaining; some, things about which to think. The first bit is somber; exceedingly somber. It is easy to just click through on the title to read the entire post; I subscribe for free, so I don’t want to just take the whole thing. Beneath, more stuff! Enjoy your May Day. 🌺

We Lost.

When the Supreme Court dealt the final blow to the Voting Rights Act, it completed its mission to erase the tangible results of the Civil Rights Movement.

Michael Harriot Apr 30, 2026

The dictum,”once a free man, always a free man,” though founded about as deeply in law, history and reason as, that “all men are born free and equal,” … [is] unimportant and ineffectual to protect the rights of citizens of slave States.

— Judge Hamilton Gamble

On March 22, 1852, America made a slave.

America’s race-based, constitutionally enforced system that legally extracted labor and intellectual property through violence or the threat of violence existed long before the 13 English colonies staged an insurrection against their British master. Colonial law made the condition intergenerational and perpetual. The founders wrote the fugitive slave clause to ensure that people who had already been reduced to human chattel couldn’t free themselves. But the Constitution didn’t make someone a slave. (snip-MORE, and so worth the click!)

And an antidote to that–click and fall in love!

View this post on Instagram

Our Tax Dollars At Work-

Two pieces here:

Hack

He sells bullshit by the seashore

Clay Jones

As you know, by now, Todd, Blanche, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and current acting Attorney General, is a political hack.

If you had read that someone was going to prison in another country for posting an image of seashells that spelled out 8647, you would think that it was from an authoritarian state. If this were North Korea, would James Comey be put to death by anti-aircraft fire?

Pam Bondi, Blanche’s predecessor, was fired for what many believe was for being too slow to prosecute Donald Trump’s enemies. She had already indicted James Comey once before, which was basically laughed out of court, and never had even the slightest possibility of ever going to trial.

(snip-MORE)

Post-Megabill Drop in SNAP Participation Is Steepest in Decades

Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fell by more than 3 million people (8 percent) nationwide between July 2025 and January 2026. The drop followed the enactment of H.R.1, the Republican megabill that made unprecedented cuts to the program. SNAP typically expands to meet need and then shrinks when economic conditions improve. It took over three years for the caseload to drop by over 3 million people (or 7 percent) between its peak in December 2012 and February 2016, during the recovery following the Great Recession.

But economic conditions haven’t been improving as the number of people receiving SNAP has plummeted in recent months, representing the sharpest decline in decades. The last time there was such a steep decrease in participation in such a short period of time (other than temporary spikes following natural disasters) was nearly three decades ago, after Congress enacted very deep cuts to SNAP (then the Food Stamp Program) in 1996. SNAP participation dropped by 9.4 percent (2.2 million people) in the six months between March and September 1997.

SNAP participation has fallen in every state and in some, the drop is particularly alarming. (snip-MORE)

Political cartoons / memes / and news I want to share. 5-1-2026

4th page of my new upcoming zine DATING TIPS FOR TRANS AND QUEER WEIRDOS https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/517572609/pre-order-dating-tips-for-trans-and

Tom Stiglich Creator Syndicate

Bob Englehart PoliticalCartoons.com

Political/Editorial Cartoon by Sean Delonas, CagleCartoons.com on Christians Dump Trump

Political/Editorial Cartoon by David Horsey on Vance Reprimands Pope

Political/Editorial Cartoon by Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News on Trump Bound for Memory Care

Enten: "These are the worst numbers I've ever seen for any president on inflation. Trump is 49 points underwater. Biden — inflation absolutely crushed his presidency — but at his worst he was only 43 points underwater. Trump is in a worse position on inflation than Jimmy Carter was!"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-04-29T17:24:14.715Z

Political/Editorial Cartoon by Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.com on Christians Dump Trump

Political/Editorial Cartoon by Bill Day, Cagle Cartoons on Trump Bound for Memory Care

Margolis & Cox PoliticalCartoons.com

Political cartoon of the day

Dave Granlund PoliticalCartoons.com

John Cole CagleCartoons.com

Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her bid for Senate, clearing the way for Graham Platner to be the Democratic nominee against Sen. Susan Collins

— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) 2026-04-30T12:56:44.176Z