Someone who gets the most from his body and is prepared for an attack

One Hundred (100) Minutes …

Please remember when you read what I write, I never went through Army basic. I was a former US Navy, so showed up at my first army post with no uniform. It freaked the low level E4 – E5s out, they were demanding I change into a uniform I did not have.

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Hi Ten Bears. I reblog this not only because it is impressive and the fact is a lot of it I couldn’t do at 20 and in the US Army. Just being honest. My job valued our technical skills not the physical aspect of military life. In the one live action three day drill with laser tag gear in the early 1980s where our people in our satellite compound were included we happily dressed up in face paint (mixed with face cream for easy removal) listened carefully, and that morning took up our assigned places. We quickly grew bored but diligently shot at any enemy we saw. We were proud defenders of our installation from the evil USSR.

Early in the afternoon our upper ranks pulled us in. Told us to clean up and there would be a meeting in the morning. Excited about the meeting we all gather in the morning looking for our gear, our faces and hands again well coated with face cream colored camo. We did not find our laser tag stuff, no vests, nothing to place on our M16s. Then the meeting started and we all felt shitty. We no longer would be part of the drill. The infantry base that was assigned to protect us would do so without our help. A lot of barely out of our teens boys clamored to know why, we had fun even if it was very boring.

Turns out that the reason they pulled us in the afternoon before was in our eagerness to protect our site and play soldier … which we all knew we were not. To be continued …

(side note during one of the yearly common task training we all had to pass one thing was to recognize which tank was from which enemy. I couldn’t do a single one. My answer was always the same. “I don’t know which country it is from but I am sure as hell not going to shoot at it with an M16 and piss the fucker off” I passed the test with 100%. Also during that testing was a requirement to open and correctly orient, sight the target, and then press the correct buttons to then fire a LAWS rocket.

When it was my turn I proudly took my 117 pounds up to the table, took the law dummy, stepped up to the mark and tried to pull it open which would slide the two halves into the fully opened locked position. I struggled for a few times until the training officer stopped me, took the training tool, turned it around to the proper direction showing me the markings. Ok I felt a bit foolish but determined now to ace the test. I yanked on both sides and nothing happened. I did it again. Then I tried doing it by jumping up in the air to use the momentum to help. It did not. After about three minutes and in frustration I put the thing between my legs to try to pull it open. At that point Sergeant Emory rushed to me and took the training tool, opened it up and positioned it on my shoulder. I sighted it like a pro and pressed the correct buttons plus trigger and registered a direct hit with the system. I passed. I was an Army soldier on the books.

One last note on that training. The old timers in the unit told us many tips like the face cream for the face paint, but the never addressed the placement of stuff on our waist belts. The shoulder belts did have special places for things, but the waist belt was not defined. I was so small that by the time I got everything I was to have on the belt, I had no place for the canteen … So I placed my full of water very regulation hard canteen right in front of my body. Yes follow the body line.

The drill required us to run and zigzag then when ordered drop and cover ourselves. I proudly started my run, hell one thing I had going for me was I was fast, I zigged, I zagged, and then the command was bellowed to drop and cover. Very much into the moment of playing army … Remember I never went through Army Basic Training … I dropped full on my belly … and nearly lost my mind and consciousness. Only the fact of my abusive past allowed me to roll desperately sideways, clawing desperately at a place some lower than my waist. For those that still can not picture what happened let me explain.

My canteen was hanging directly down in my front. Think of what is in the front of a boy / guy that landing on a hard object at a full run dive might be the resulting impact point. Yes my very sensitive testicles took the impact of my full 117 body weight fully on my regulation hard canteen. I couldn’t breathe, I rolled, I staggered to my knees, then fell again, then I struggled to me feet, staggered a few steps and collapsed into a fetal tight posture. I lost the world.

When I woke up I was in the hospital, I was told that Sergeant Emory had rushed to me and tried to open my posture and then realized what happened. I did not suffer any lasting effects except for some reason I never had to do common task testing again while in the unit. Every time they came up someone was needed to be at the site and somehow the schedule always had me pulling shift leader. But I always passed.)

Now to the reason we were pulled from and stopped from being part of the three day drill. As I said we took defensive positions inside our fenced in satellite site and even when bored we shot any enemy we could see. The problem was the first day the program did not introduce the enemy yet. The people we proudly lined up on with our tag system M16s were our very own defenders from the nearby infantry base.

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So that is why I admire Ten Bears and his program of personal health, exercise, and being ready for those that might attack him. My body long ago gave out with decaying bones, nerves fraying and shorting / dying, my spine doing 5 different ways of causing me pain and the lack of ability to keep standing when my legs go out under me suddenly, the broken bones of childhood refused to heal properly. I admit I admire him, I wish I could do the same. And on that point, one more last thing for a long post.

In the last year I went from not being able to walk 8 car lengths and back to and from our mailbox to now my daily walk I do most days is 2.08 miles. I bought a small hand weight system, the max is 11 pounds on one hand bar and there are two bars. The weights come in 1 pound units and can be placed together with the handle being 3 pounds. I started out using two 1 pound weights hooked together for arm and what my different shoulders can do with the torn / ripped apart muscles in my shoulders. I am now up to using the 3 pound handle for arm stuff, including triceps. I still can not use that weight on my shoulders and can not use any weight on my left shoulder that I need / have an MRI order for.

The entire point is I agree with Ten Bears. Things are going to get bad. We who are not on the maga side need to do all we can to protect ourselves. Those of us LGBTQ+ need to do all we can to protect ourselves and each other. Look the person that did that bombing was a native born Army vet, yet the right wing media including fox entertainment is still claiming it was an immigrant. They have long blamed the LGBT+ for all social ills, and the last three years attacked every drag queen story hours claiming they were saving kids. What will they do or manufacture now? Hugs

“This is some of what we must do to reform our dysfunctional healthcare system”

Bernie Sanders

We are the wealthiest nation on Earth. There is no rational reason as to why we are not the healthiest nation on Earth

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of serving as chair of the US Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions (Help). As I leave that position, let me reflect upon where I think our country should be going in healthcare, and the obstacles we face.

We are the wealthiest nation on Earth. There is no rational reason as to why we are not the healthiest nation on Earth. We should be leading the world in terms of life expectancy, disease prevention, low infant and maternal mortality, quality of life and human happiness. Sadly, study after study shows just the opposite. Despite spending almost twice as much per capita on healthcare, we trail most wealthy nations in all these areas.

If we’re going to reform our broken and dysfunctional healthcare system and “Make America healthy again”, this is some of what we must do.

Medicare for All

Healthcare is a human right. The function of a rational healthcare system is to guarantee quality healthcare to all, not huge profits for the insurance industry. The United States cannot continue to be the only wealthy nation that does not provide universal healthcare. It is not acceptable that, while spending almost 18% of our GDP on healthcare, millions of Americans delay going to the doctor and 60,000 Americans die each year because they can’t afford the care they need.

Lower the cost of prescription drugs

As Americans, we should not be paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for life-saving medications. It is absurd that while the pharmaceutical industry enjoys huge profits and benefits from US taxpayer research, one out of four Americans cannot afford to purchase the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe. We must cut prescription drug prices in half by making sure that we pay no more for medicine than the Europeans or Canadians.

Paid family and medical leave

Workers should not have to go to work when they are sick. Mothers and fathers should have ample time to stay home with their newborn babies. A parent should not get fired when they stay home with a sick child. We must guarantee at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to every worker in America.

Reform the food industry

Large food corporations should not make record-breaking profits making children addicted to processed foods, which make them overweight and prone to diabetes and other diseases. As a start, we must ban junk-food ads targeted to kids and put strong warning labels on products high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. Longer term, we can rebuild rural America with family farms that are producing healthy, nutritious food.

Raise the minimum wage to a living wage

Millions of workers should not have to worry about how they’ll pay the rent or buy food for their kids. Working-class Americans live far shorter lives than the rich because of the stress of trying to survive on a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. Stress kills. Stress makes us sick. We must raise the minimum wage to at least $17 an hour.

Lower the work week to 32 hours with no loss of pay

People will live longer and healthier lives if they can spend more time with family and friends and have the opportunity to enjoy their leisure time. Advancements in technology, automation and artificial intelligence must benefit workers, not just billionaires on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley.

Combat the epidemic of loneliness, isolation and mental illness

Too many Americans are struggling with intense anxiety and “diseases of despair” – alcoholism, drug addiction and even suicide. Not only do we need to greatly increase access to mental healthcare, we must rebuild our sense of community and create a culture in which we better enjoy and appreciate each other as human beings. We must also take a very hard look at the impact smartphones and social media are having on our mental and physical health.

Address the climate and environmental crisis

Every American is affected when the Earth’s temperature rises and the air we breathe is polluted. Climate crisis and extreme weather disturbances will cause more widespread suffering and disease, economic disruptions and population dislocation. Air pollution is a major risk factor for respiratory and heart disease, cancer and other health problems. The fossil-fuel industry cannot be allowed to continue making us sick, shortening our lives and destroying the planet.

Create a high-quality public education system

Life-long education is a human right and should be obtainable for all in a wealthy nation like ours. Health, life expectancy and economic wellbeing are often tied to educational attainment. Instead of spending $1tn a year on the military we should make certain that all Americans, from childcare to graduate school, are able to enjoy free, high-quality education and job training.

Let’s be clear. The way forward to creating a healthy society is not radical or complicated. Many of the components that I’ve outlined already exist, in one form or another, in numerous countries throughout the world.

Our real problem is not so much a healthcare crisis as it is a political and economic one. We need to end the unprecedented level of corporate greed we are experiencing. We need to create a government and economy that works for all and not just the wealthy and powerful few.

Bernie Sanders is a US senator, and chair of the health education labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of Vermont, and is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/31/bernie-sanders-healthcare-reform-opinion

California bans schools from forcing teachers to ‘out’ LGBTQ students

https://www.kpbs.org/news/racial-justice-social-equity/2024/12/30/california-bans-schools-from-forcing-teachers-to-out-lgbtq-students

This is good news and shows why so many are moving into California and out of places like Florida. Students should feel free from fear while learning. They also should feel free to be their authentic self in a supportive atmosphere. School is a time to learn about the world, other people, subjects, and about one’s self. And not all kids have safe supportive homes. Hugs.

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Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

/

CalMatters

Supporters of transgender rights gathered at the Capitol during a press conference on March 17, 2022.

Amid a flurry of recent school board policies aimed at the rights of transgender students, California passed a new law in July that prevents schools from requiring staff to notify parents if a student identifies as LGBTQ.

The new law, AB 1955, came in response to a handful of school boards adopting policies that require teachers and other school staff to notify parents if a student identifies as a gender other than what’s on their school records.

“Teachers can still talk to their parents,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference on Monday in which he touted a new plan to improve career opportunities for adults. “What they can’t do is fire a teacher for not being a snitch. I don’t think teachers should be gender police.”

LGBTQ advocates said that “forced outing” policies, such as those adopted in Chino, Temecula and a dozen other districts, infringe on students’ privacy and could potentially harm students whose parents disapprove of their identity.

The state sued to stop Chino’s policy, and most districts either scrapped their policies, tweaked the language or put them on hold.

This act “could not be more timely or necessary, and LGBTQ+ students across California can breathe a sigh of relief,” Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, wrote. “LGBTQ+ youth can now have these important family conversations when they are ready and in ways that strengthen the relationship between parent and child, not as a result of extremist politicians intruding into the parent-child relationship.”

‘The battle continues’

Opponents of the new law said that parental notification policies actually strengthen ties between students and parents, and schools should not withhold information on such important matters. Even though a parental notification measure that would have applied to all schools failed to qualify for the ballot, opponents vowed to keep fighting.

“This (law) doesn’t clarify anything. And nothing prevents individual teachers from bringing the issue up with parents,” said Roseville school board member Jonathan Zachreson, an organizer of the failed ballot measure and whose district was among those that passed parental notification policies. “So the battle continues.”

The new law also requires the state Department of Education to update its LGBTQ resources and encourage school districts to offer counseling, support groups, clubs, anti-bullying policies and other measures to support LGBTQ students and their families. Schools would have to pay for those services with their existing funding.

“I don’t think teachers should be gender police.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom

LGBTQ young people are particularly vulnerable on school campuses. In a recent survey of 18,000 LGBTQ young people nationwide, nearly half said they had been bullied in the past year, and 10% said they had attempted suicide. Those whose schools supported LGBTQ rights were less likely to suffer from mental health challenges.

Even if the new law sparks a backlash in more conservative areas of the state, California was right to move forward with it, especially as some states push ahead with their own parental notification policies, said USC education professor Morgan Polikoff.

“Will everyone like this law? Certainly not. Will it lead to conflict? There is no doubt,” Polikoff said. “But I am hopeful this will be good for the queer kids in California’s schools and will point the way toward similar efforts in other states.”

CalMatters’ Adam Echelman contributed to this story.

https://twitter.com/TimesofSanDiego/status/1871295918814658661

Poetry for An Election

You know what to do to find out more.

Morning After The Election by Regie Cabico

I can’t control
the vanishing
of bees

but I can control
the honey I swallow
to soothe
the vocal cords

I can’t control boys
bully-tumbling
another boy

in the classroom
like they’re
in a mosh pit

but I can remember
rolling on hills
with boys being the bully

I can’t change my major
from drama to global peace

but I can write
similes of serenity

& poetic sermons
in temples
of matrimonial fanfare

I know the bombs, the explosives,
and Molotovs are overhead

and I can’t control
the lottery, the multiverses,
and tomorrow’s astrology

but whatever tarot card I pick
or whatever
gets thrown
at my face:

Hangman
or Fallen Towers

I can express
my weathering emotions

to sing while hoarse
to control air placement
to find the chakra

the right amount of air
to pass through my throat

oh sing with me
the octave between

blade & nectar
rubble & clouds
ash & mountain

Eight LA sheriff’s deputies fired for 2023 arrest and beating of trans man

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/25/los-angeles-sheriff-trans-man

So much of this story is upsetting. But one detail stood out to me, and it has not been stressed enough when police violence and false arrests. The man, Mr. Brock lost his job three days after the brutal assault and may have suffered severe financial distress. Police and prosecutors know that often just being charged can ruin a persons life. Hugs

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Joseph Benza III, main officer involved in incident with Emmett Brock, pleaded guilty in federal court last week

‘Benza and his terminated colleagues were alleged to have covered up details from the incident.’ Photograph: Steve Skjold/Alamy

At least eight deputies with the Los Angeles sheriff’s department have been dismissed for their roles in the arrest and beating of a transgender man in February 2023, the Los Angeles Times reports. An FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Deputy Joseph Benza III, the main officer involved in the incident with then 23-year-old Emmett Brock, pleaded guilty in federal court last week to one felony count of deprivation of rights under the color of law, which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Benza and his terminated colleagues were alleged to have covered up details from the incident, including the reason for pulling Brock over on 10 February 2023, among other information.

The department confirmed last week that others besides Benza had been removed but did not specify how many, according to the Times. Six unnamed sources from within the agency then told the Times that eight deputies, including several sergeants, had been fired.

In a statement announcing Benza’s guilty plea, the Los Angeles county sheriff Robert G Luna said that the deputy’s conduct “undermine[s] the integrity of our Department, the trust of our community, and the safety of those we are sworn to protect”.

“It is deeply troubling that a member of our Department, who has since been relieved of duty, violated the trust placed in them to uphold the law by abusing their authority,” Luna said.

Benza is due back in court on 17 January. In a statement to the Guardian, his attorney, Tom Yu, said he will ask the court for probation.

“I strongly stand behind my client and his decision to take accountability for this incident,” said Yu, adding that although Benza’s initial use of force was justified, “the before and after use-of-force conduct impacted the calculus of the evaluation of the takedown and the eventual arrest of [Brock]”.

As Brock was leaving his job as a high school teacher in February 2023, he drove by Benza engaged in what looked like a heated exchange with a woman on the side of the road. Brock gave the middle finger as he passed, and seconds later, Benza began following him closely in a squad car.

As Benza followed Brock for nearly two miles, prosecutors allege, he called another deputy to say he planned to stop someone who had flipped him the middle finger and intended to use force. He is alleged to have abandoned a domestic violence call in order to follow Brock.

Video provided by Brock’s lawyer to the Times shows him pulling into a 7-Eleven parking lot and getting out of the car. Benza then approached him, saying: “I just stopped you” without saying why, then grabbed Brock’s arms and took him down to the ground.

“What the fuck are you doing? Get the fuck off me,” Brock is heard shouting in the video. As Benza struggles to pin him down, Brock is heard screaming for help, saying: “You’re gonna kill me!” At one point, Benza tells him to get his arms behind his back. “You have my hands,” shouted Brock. “I’m trying to get my hands behind my back.”

Benza struggles to hold Brock down and punches him for about three minutes while Brock says, “I’m not resisting”, according to the Times video.

Brock, who suffered bruises, scrapes and a concussion from the incident, was charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor. He also alleged that during booking, officers asked to look at his genitals and questioned whether he should be considered male or not, even though his identification said male. Brock was later released from the Norwalk sheriff’s station on $100,000 bail.

All charges against Brock have been dropped and a judge formally declared him innocent, according to the Times.

Details from Benza’s account contradicted other evidence and suggested that he appeared to obstruct the investigation with the help of other officers.

In the initial incident report, the officer said Brock appeared about to punch at him first. He said nothing about Brock giving the middle finger, claiming instead that he had pulled Brock over for a dangling air freshener. Benza also said that Brock bit him and “attempted to rip the skin from [his] hand”, but medical reports noted no bite marks.

Prosecutors alleged that as the case gained more media coverage, Benza exchanged group text messages with colleagues in which they agreed to delete information from their personal phones. A sergeant’s directive for Benza to “toss the phone” was passed along via group chat.

Benza initially told investigators that he did not see anyone give him the middle finger. He also said that Brock had bitten him and that he did not discuss the incident report with anyone else. But in his plea agreement, he admitted that he had discussed the report with others and that a sergeant had written “substantive portions” of it for him.

As the investigation continues, Brock and his lawyer, Thomas E Beck, have a pending federal case against Los Angeles county, Benza and other deputies alleging false imprisonment, civil rights violations and assault and battery.

NBC News reported that Brock was let go from his teaching job three days after the arrest but is now working at a homeless shelter and graduating this spring with a master’s degree from California State University, Fullerton.

“There’s a lot of anxiety still. Even when I just drive my car every day, I am worried about being pulled over and being beaten, and I’m not sure if that’s ever going to go away,” he told NBC on 18 December. “But this outcome brings me a little bit of peace of mind, as much as it can.”

Multiple L.A. sheriff's deputies relieved of duty as feds probe beating of trans teacher https://t.co/JNQeqBKe9P
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 25, 2024

Multiple LASD deputies taken off job as feds investigate trans man's beating, alleged cover-up https://t.co/ET18wXP3q0
— KTLA (@KTLA) December 25, 2024

We Did Get Some Stuff Done

because we did the work.

It wasn’t all bad: Despite election defeat, progressives scored big wins in 2024

Organizers tell Salon how they pulled off major victories in a year marked by the rise of the far-right

By Tatyana Tandanpolie Staff Writer

Snippet:

For many on the political left, 2024 was disappointing.

Even as inflation ebbed, Americans still struggled with housing costs and necessary expenses. The U.S. role in enabling Israel’s war in Gaza sparked protests in the streets and on college campuses. The far-right continued to target marginalized groups, most notably immigrants, transgender people and women. To top it off, the mid-summer excitement at Vice President Kamala Harris’ entry into the presidential race following President Joe Biden’s eleventh-hour exit petered out with the election of President-elect Donald Trump — again.

But even as the political landscape appeared to grow bleaker, Americans still fended off at least some of the efforts to encroach upon their rights. At times, they even helped pass policies that not only protected core freedoms but could genuinely improve quality of life.

As they reflected on 2024 and looked ahead to 2025, when the Trump administration’s ultraconservative agenda is poised to make their work harder, advocates behind wins in LGBTQ+, labor and reproductive rights shared with Salon how they successfully organized against legislative efforts to roll their rights back and planted hope for a better future.

Abortion rights enshrined in seven states

Ballot measures seeking to establish or protect abortion rights were on 10 states’ ballots this year as organizers fought to protect access and reverse bans enacted in the wake of the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. Seven of those states — Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and New York — would indeed pass measures to enshrine a right to abortion access in their respective constitutions.

Proposition 139 in Arizona provided a legal means to upend the state’s 15-week abortion restriction and established state constitutional rights to abortion access until viability and afterward if a healthcare professional deems it necessary for the pregnant person’s physical or mental health. The proposition also barred the state from penalizing any individual or entity “for aiding or assisting a pregnant individual in exercising the individual’s right to abortion.”

Arizona for Abortion Access, a seven-group coalition of reproductive health, rights and justice organizations, including Reproductive Freedom for All and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, led the campaign supporting the proposed amendment, which took effect almost immediately on Nov. 25.

“The passing of Proposition 139 speaks to the broad support — across the entire state, across all political parties, and across voters of all different backgrounds — for reproductive freedom,” Erika Mach, Planned Parenthood Arizona’s chief external affairs officer, told Salon. “People want the freedom to make medical decisions with their doctor and family, without government involvement.”

To place a constitutional amendment on the state’s ballot, the coalition had to obtain signatures from 15% of registered voters in the state — just under 384,000 signatures — and file the petition by early July, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s website. (snip-MORE)

Music for Good Causes

(I was not aware of some of these until I read this. -A)

Hero of 2024: Charity Music, Which Was Actually Good This Year

Women Doing Good Things

Nice Time: MacKenzie Scott Pissing Off Elon Musk With The Billions For The DEIs And Abortions by Rebecca Schoenkopf

Making right-wing chuds real mad is icing on the cake! Read on Substack

Billionaires are mostly despicable Montgomery-Burns type people. But then there’s MacKenzie Scott, one of the few ultra-rich who doesn’t deserve to get tarred and feathered in the coming revolution! She’s the third-wealthiest woman in the United States, 38th in the world, and has now given away $19.25 billion (with a B!) in 2,524 charitable gifts, with a focus on racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, democracy, and climate change.

She and her small team seek out nonprofits operating in communities facing high food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital. And then she gives away the money with no strings attached. Which is unusual in philanthropy! Also unusual, she’s pretty quiet about it. She has a web site that shows what she has donated to, but there’s no MacKenzie Scott ribbon cuttings, or buildings with her name on them when she drops a check. She donates, then she dips. And she plans to “keep at it until the safe is empty.”

Scott’s given to community centers, the ACLU, historically Black colleges and universities, food banks, Planned Parenthood, YMCAs, dance theaters, Native American groups, legal aid centers, to paying off medical debt, legal funds for transgender people. It is truly an inspiring list!

You may be wondering how she got there! Then-MacKenzie Tuttle went to Princeton and studied under Toni Morrison, then got a job working at the hedge fund D. E. Shaw. Where, in 1993, she met Jeff Bezos, a 30-year-old with thinning hair. But she liked his laugh, and he liked that she was resourceful. “The number-one criterion was that I wanted a woman who could get me out of a Third World prison,” he once said.

And even though she was just 23, MacKenzie was that kind of can-do woman! They married, and there would be no Amazon without her. They moved to Seattle, where she helped Jeff get the company off the ground from their garage. She wrote Amazon’s business plan, did the company’s accounting and toted its early orders to the UPS Store in their minivan, while also raising their four kids, and writing novels. She won an American Book Award for her first one, The Testing of Luther Albright, which she wrote in the bathroom for 10 years in between everything else she was doing.

All seemed happy in the Bezos marriage for 25 years, until 2019, when the National Enquirer tracked Jeff and his (also married) ladyfriend Lauren Sánchez “across five states and 40,000 miles, tailed them in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, five-star hotel hideaways, intimate dinner dates and ‘quality time’ in hidden love nests.” They even somehow got his personal texts and shirtless bathroom photos, which seems potentially not legal. And then, according to Jeff, AMI content officer Dylan Howard tried to blackmail and extort him. (You may remember that creep from the Trump trial, as the broker of catching and killing tales of Trump’s affairs, or from catch/killing stories about Harvey Weinstein.)

And Jeff refused to play ball with the Enquirer. The story came out, and MacKenzie and Jeff announced their separation, as did Sánchez and her husband, Patrick Whitesell. And MacKenzie got 400 million Amazon shares in the divorce, which she has been selling and donating to charities ever since. But don’t worry, she’s still got about $32 billion left to make do with!

Anyway, now Bezos and Sánchez are reportedly getting married this weekend in Aspen. Mazel tov! Bezos been living flashy, with a $500 million yacht, buoyant fiancee, and apparently imposing his Trump-sympathies onto his newspaper.

And MacKenzie’s been living more quietly! She changed her last name to Scott, and married one of her children’s teachers (though they have since divorced). Otherwise, she’s been laying low, though she’s been known to sometimes gal-pal around with Melinda French Gates, Bill’s ex, who has pledged $1 billion over the next two years to US nonprofits working in women’s health. I’ll bet those two have a lot of fun!

All of this lady-giving mightily pisses off Elon Musk, who has a charitable foundation with zero employees, that for three years has failed to distribute even the 5 percent minimum required to be eligible for a tax deduction, putting him potentially in hot water with the IRS, OOPS.

Musk bitched in March that “super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse” could contribute to the decline of Western civilization, and more recently Xitted that Scott’s contributions were “concerning.” Which rather just draws more attention to those ladies’ good works, in contrast to what a shit person Elon is, unable to donate a wooden nickel unless it might benefit himself, somehow, and fucking over his exes in whatever way possible.

We call this “divorced dad energy” and he is rich in it for sure.

After his snotty comment, MacKenzie Scott gave away another $600 million, the end.

[Yield Giving/ Wired/ Vogue/ Medium/ New York Times archive link]

The Pure Hypocrisy of Anti-Trans Christian Nationalists

This is an incredibly informative post on how to understand and deal with Christian apologetics anti-trans disinformation and lies. I started following this young person when he first left his church and faith doing videos on how the anti-science he was taught all his life in his church schools was incorrect and wrong. Now he exposes how Frank Turek got his breasts reduced in the Navy because it did not look male enough to him … yet he doesn’t feel that had anything to do with gender. The hypocrisy hits you hard in the face, but Frank can not see it, because he is paid not to. The video also talks about the Littman study and the Cass report in a small section. The video also talks a small amount on how the right / religious people frame their talking points to get sympathy for their views by pretending to save the innocent victims. If there is any doubt I support trans people 100% let that end. Trans rights are human rights. Trans women are simply women, trans men are men. I look forward to the day we don’t need to use the word trans, just as I do the day when we can call same sex marriage just marriage. As I think it was Spock in Star Trek who said a difference that makes no difference is no difference. Hugs