Trump’s Putin Autopen by Ann Telnaes
It saves time for his ballroom, arch, and golf course renovations Read on Substack
Who really wrote that initial 28-point deal?
A Fine Bit Of Art
Some Fun
with book covers that just shouldn’t be. (Aww, it didn’t reblog; click through to enjoy the whole piece, and you will; keyboard alert!)
Cover Snark: Crabs, Gynos, & Dragons – Oh My
by Amanda · Nov 24, 2025 at 2:00 am · View all 6 comments
Welcome back to Cover Snark!
Elyse: Is this a PSA?
Tara: Or a how-to guide? Do you need hats and/or scarves to transport the crabs after you catch them?
Sarah: Gloves, too.
Tara: Oh yeah, the tiny ones can go in the fingers.
Claudia: Hmm my mind went to pubic crabs, I’m so sorry…
Sarah: Oh, me, too. I figured that was why their hair was covered.
(snip-go read this, it’s hilarious!)
https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/202hi5/11/cover-snark-crabs-gynos-dragons-oh-my/
What do you say when “honoring your parents” is used against LGTBQ+ kids?
I know this morning I promised a video. I did get two steroid shots at full strength one in each shoulder. Over the next few days I should feel much more energetic. I also have an appointment for a month to do spine shots. But as of today I am far too tired to do a video. All I can do is stay up for another hour trying to gather cartoons and memes for tomorrow’s post. I hope to be able to post Angie’s post and get to some comments. I talked to my doctor, they again want to up the pain meds but that will be worse for me I think. Thanks. Hugs
A Court Victory
Justice! Ohio Man Who Sued to Get “GAY” License Plate Achieves His Dream
“Gay is who I am — it’s a fact and I’m proud of that,” William Saki said.
An Ohio man has finally received his “GAY” license plate, two months after the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) agreed to relax some restrictions on banned words for custom plates.
In September, William Saki filed a lawsuit against state officials for rejecting his application for a license plate reading “GAY,” arguing such a rejection violated his free speech rights. In a sworn declaration, Saki said that the BMV website had prevented him from registering a plate reading simply “GAY,” which he said he wanted to claim for National Coming Out Day.
The site also rejected attempts to register “HOMO” or “F4G,” Saki alleged, but would have allowed him to register plates with anti-LGBTQ+ messages like “NO GAYS” or “NO FAGS.” Saki’s co-plaintiff, Cyrus Mahdavi, similarly attested that he was unable to register a plate reading “MUSLIM,” though the BMV accepted applications for “ATHEIST” and “HINDU” plates.
The BMV settled the suit just two days after it was filed, as NBC affiliate WCMH reported at the time. Per court documents, the BMV agreed to issue both plates to the plaintiffs and review its database to “unlock any words that do not meet the three-prong standard of being ‘offensive, disparaging or socially insensitive’” under relevant case precedent.
Saki received his plate earlier in the fall and is proud to have it adorn his vehicle, he told ABC affiliate WEWS this week.
“Gay is who I am — it’s a fact and I’m proud of that,” Saki told the station. “To know the state was saying, ‘No, we don’t like that plate. It’s offensive to us.’ That’s my free speech they’re messing with at that point.” Saki added that when he sees people pointing at the plate in public, “it puts a smile on my face, I like it […] I’ll always remember this plate.” (The BMV reportedly declined to comment.)
“I want [others] to know if they want a crazy license plate that isn’t offensive to anyone, then they should be able to go and request that plate if no one already has that,” Saki went on. “Free speech is incredibly important and this is one way we can show that.”
Many U.S. states restrict the words and phrases allowed on vanity license plates; last year, Ohio rejected nearly 1,000 others, like “MVRDER” and “SCAMMER” (sorry, George Santos). But some motor vehicle registries have restricted references to LGBTQ+ identity in general, leading to a steady trickle of lawsuits across the U.S. challenging those policies; in 2020, a California resident successfully sued for the right to own a license plate reading “QUEER.” North Carolina removed hundreds of banned words from its books in 2023, allowing residents to obtain plates with words like “GAY,” “LESBIAN,” and “PRIDE.”
That’s not to say it’s a free-for-all these days at the Ohio BMV. Them’s cursory test of the department’s custom plate application tool on Thursday revealed some gaps still in the system: “LES,” “LEZ,” and “LEZZIE” were all listed as “invalid/inappropriate” plates, but some enterprising sapphic could still snag “LESBOS.” Those who believe their request for an Ohio custom plate was improperly rejected are advised to contact the BMV’s Registration Support Services Unit.
Volunteering With W. Kamau Bell
I so enjoy W. Kamau Bell’s many talents. Here’s one of his substack posts. There is video along with text. Enjoy!
Who’s With Me… at the Food Bank? Episode 2 by W. Kamau Bell
I’m talking to a Food Bank volunteer about why it is awesome to be a food bank volunteer! Read on Substack
snippet:
In the second episode of Who’s With Me… at the Food Bank?—our new shortform series on Substack—I’m back at the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland, CA. I’m talking to Audrey Curbo, one of their lead volunteers. Audrey began volunteering at the food bank during the early days of COVID, a period that she (unsurprisingly) calls a “dark time”. Audrey has been volunteering there ever since and is now a part of leading and organizing volunteers, including those with disabilities. Audrey does all this work with a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and American Sign Language in her fingers. Audrey talks about learning ASL from Youtube, just so she could better communicate with deaf and hard of hearing volunteers. She is one of those people who makes you feel better about the world when you are done talking with them. Audrey comes of less like a volunteer and more like the host of children’s show. I loved talking to her. Let me know what you think in the comments below. (snip-go see the video!)
Extra Josh
Political cartoons / memes / and news I want to share. 11-24-2025
Thirteen years ago today, 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed by a white man because he and his friends were playing “loud music” at a Florida gas station. After his senseless death, Jordan’s mother, @RepLucyMcBath, dedicated her life to ending gun violence, becoming a national leader with Moms Demand Action and @Everytown.
In Jordan’s honor, Lucy ran for and won a seat in Congress on a gun safety platform. She was re-elected to her fourth term last year. In that time, she helped pass the first major gun safety legislation in nearly three decades—the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
We are forever grateful to @RepLucyMcBath for turning her anguish over Jordan’s senseless death into action. We’ll continue to follow her lead. In Jordan’s honor, we fight for stronger gun laws alongside Lucy to spare other families this same pain.
RI judge intervenes after ICE wrongfully detains Superior Court intern
The story below shows how lawless and belligerent ICE has gotten. The laws and the legal authority of a judge mean nothing to them. There is a video at the link below.
On a personal note I have a doctor’s appointment this morning for steroid injections. Depending on how it goes I may need them for the next three months. I will try to do a video to explain as it is too hard to type out. I am way too tired starting from when Ron and I had what we think is Covid a few months ago. Hugs
“If they had the wrong person, then they didn’t know who they were looking for, which calls into question whether they had the legal right to seize anybody,” Weizenbaum said. “It’s very frightening.”
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos referred to the ICE agents’ actions as an “attempted abduction,” adding that it only emphasizes “the danger of flooding our streets with masked thugs who can’t tell the difference between a hardened criminal and a high school student.”
Posted:
Updated:
A Rhode Island Superior Court intern was briefly taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Providence Thursday afternoon before a judge intervened, according to the state’s Judiciary office.
The student, a high school intern at Superior Court, was reportedly detained by the agents outside the Licht Judicial Complex on Benefit Street.
Superior Court Judge Joseph McBurney insisted the agents had the wrong person. It was not until ICE verified their information and admitted the intern was not their intended target that he was released.
Multiple sources told Target 12 that Rhode Island sheriffs earlier noticed someone taking photos of the intern inside the courthouse and in Superior Court Judge McBurney’s courtroom. When approached, the individual identified himself as an ICE agent and was told to abide by standard courthouse rules, and to stop taking pictures.
The intern was reportedly shaken, so McBurney offered to drive him home. ICE agents then surrounded the judge’s car and demanded everyone to exit the vehicle, threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply.
Dana Smith, Head of Security Operations for R.I. Superior Court, confronted the agents and told both the judge and the intern to stay inside the car. After an argument, ICE confirmed they had misidentified the teen and left. The intern was released once his ID was checked.
Community reaction
“This egregious incident underscores both the community’s and the Judiciary’s concerns about how ICE is conducting its operations in Rhode Island,” R.I. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell said.
Citing that climate, Suttell said the Judiciary understands recent calls to expand the use of virtual court hearings in Providence.
“The need to balance constitutional considerations, the public’s right of access, and the integrity of testimonial and evidentiary processes do not allow for a fully virtual court system,” Suttell said. “What occurred today, however, reinforces the Judiciary’s need to focus on ways to enhance access to virtual hearings and to educate the public as to how to request such hearings.”
Attorney Miriam Weizenbaum was outside the courthouse as the intern was being detained.
“If they had the wrong person, then they didn’t know who they were looking for, which calls into question whether they had the legal right to seize anybody,” Weizenbaum said. “It’s very frightening.”
Gov. Dan McKee described the intern’s wrongful detainment as being “an outrageous and indefensible act that could have completely upended a young person’s life. “
“Rhode Islanders should not have to fear federal agents operating with such reckless disregard for the law and human dignity,” McKee said. “This was not a harmless mistake. It was the direct result of callous and chaotic policies by the Trump administration. Moreover, ICE’s failure to exercise even a shred of due diligence is shameful and underscores just how broken and dangerous these federal policies are.”
McKee said he supports the judiciary’s commitment “to enhance access to virtual hearings and promote safe access to courts.”
Rep. Seth Magaziner called the incident “completely unacceptable.”
“This is yet another example of the disregard for civil liberties by immigration enforcement under the Trump administration,” Magaziner said, adding that he will “continue to call out the administration’s reckless actions.”
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos referred to the ICE agents’ actions as an “attempted abduction,” adding that it only emphasizes “the danger of flooding our streets with masked thugs who can’t tell the difference between a hardened criminal and a high school student.”
Matos commended Judge McBurney for using his position to speak up, while condemning those who continue to support ICE.
Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
Music For Peace
Bee brings a choral arrangement of “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”
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I’d been thinking of this song over this past week; today I was pleased to see it on another blog, so this one from the Isley Brothers is my choice. There are other covers, maybe almost equal to this one, which you can see at the page linked “another blog.” Enjoy! It’s smooth.
Scottie's Playtime 