Open Thread November 23, 2022

 Posted by at 7:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 232022
 

Yesterday, I had (not for the first time) to reckon with the fact that in the US system ol labeling knitting needles for size, there are two different “size 6.” One is 4mm and the other is 4.25mm. You might not think that would make much difference – and sometimes it doesn’t – but it can. I also discovered I am very low on batteries – I was able to change the one in the mouse at least. Other than that, it was not (thankfully) an eventful day. I hope the week continues that way.

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Short Takes –

ProPublica – “We Need to Defend This Law”: Inside an Anti-Abortion Meeting With Tennessee’s GOP Lawmakers
Quote – On Oct. 27, the Tennessee affiliate of National Right to Life held a webinar to encourage GOP legislators to hold the line. The anti-abortion organization helped write and lobby for so-called trigger bans — laws that outlawed abortion in anticipation of Roe being overturned — in Republican-majority statehouses across the country. ProPublica reviewed a recording of the call. It provides the clearest examples yet of the strategy that the law’s architects are pursuing to influence legislators and the public amid growing national concerns that abortion bans endanger women’s health care and lives.
Click through for more on this call, Tennessee’s law and how it passed, and other information. If you see any difference between this group and the KKK (other than the specific targets), I’d be interested to hear it.

The Daily Beast – Secret Signs Show Putin’s Own Henchmen Are Turning on Him
Quote – A human rights group that works closely with Russian inmates and investigates abuses by the security services has reportedly received a flood of calls from members of those same security services desperately trying to flee. Gulagu.net, founded by Vladimir Osechkin, reports that the final straw appears to have been the brutal sledgehammer-execution video released by Russia’s private army last week—a stomach-churning extrajudicial killing that the Kremlin politely averted its eyes from while the Putin-linked businessman thought to be behind it uses it for his own PR campaign.
Click through for details. This is s good news article, with the caveat that cornered rats can be more vicious than uncornered rats. Still, this one needs cornering.

SPLC – BUILDING NETWORKS & ADDRESSING HARM: A COMMUNITY GUIDE TO ONLINE YOUTH RADICALIZATION
Quote – This guide provides readers actionable steps to support those who have been targeted by hate-fueled acts. It offers adults information and practical lessons about how to help young people resist the manipulative rhetoric and the supremacist narratives they encounter online and off, and to identify warning signs and intervene when a young person seems to be heading in a dangerous direction. “Each trusted adult in a young person’s network of care has a unique vantage point into young people’s lives,” said Dr. Brian Hughes, Associate Director at PERIL. “That network of trusted adults – whether they’re coaches, religious leaders, tutors, or others – has an opportunity to help young people build resilience against the manipulation of extremist groups. They are also the first line of support for those who have been targeted and harmed. Those two roles go together, each one strengthening the other.” The guide is available for free here. We encourage you to share it widely across your community to help strengthen and prepare networks of trusted adults to reduce harm and build resilience in your community.
Click through for access to the complere guide. I doubt whether anyone knows more about hate than the SPLC. This is an incredible resourse – and it’s free.

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Open Thread November 22, 2022

 Posted by at 6:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 222022
 

Yesterday, I tried to rest as much as possible.I did manage to get a prison email off the Virgil with some pictures of Joyce Vance’s chickens – and a couple of other pictures – that should lift his spirits when he gets it, although he will still be envious of anyone who can get close to silky chickens. No matter how well it goes, am always wiped out after any of my visits Of course, when I was in my teens and even my twenties, driving used to energize me. That has not been so for many years, and that’s probably a big part of it.

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Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Republicans Lost the Races Where They Spent the Most
Quote – The Daily Beast reviewed the most expensive House and Senate races in the country, and found that, with a few exceptions, Republican candidates were on the losing end. Republicans lost three of the five most expensive Senate races, per CRP data, with Democrats clinching the top three—Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona. (The Georgia contest, where Sen. Raphael Warnock received the most votes, is headed to a runoff.) While Republicans [won] a slim majority in the House—far below their expectations—Democrats took all five of the most expensive races, according to CRP data.
I’ve never believed that money won elections. Granted that it doesn’t hurt, elections are decided by human beings, and, unless you are paing them directly for their votes, you can’t buy their support with campaign money. Good candidates, creatively promoted, and short, catchy, accurate slogans (“In January, I’ll be better. He will still be a con man”) work better. Some money is needed in order to maximize communication – but after a certain point, the law of diminishing returns hits.

Crooka and Liars – City Of Brotherly Love Welcomes Immigrants That Texas Governor Dumped
Quote – [On the] morning [of November 16], despite earlier denials that this was indeed his plan, Greg Abbott, the wizened little nominal governor of Texas, dropped a busload of immigrants in my city…. “The bus was sent by Gov. Greg Abbott in what he said was an effort to bring the challenges of the border to northern cities. Immigration advocates in Philadelphia called the bus ride a cruel trick played on innocent people who are legally in the United States.”
Click through for story. Susie Madrak has some words for Abbott and other Republicans. Does anyone thnk that Abbott and DeSanctimonious will ever get a clue, no matter how often and how dramatically their cruel stunts backfire?

Colorado Encyclopedia – Amendment 2
Quote – Amendment 2 was a ballot initiative passed by Colorado voters in 1992 that prohibited the state from enacting antidiscrimination protections for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals…. Passage of the controversial amendment set the stage for a national debate over the rights of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, while the ensuing legal struggle was the first legal case affecting homosexuals to reach the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court eventually declared the amendment unconstitutional, setting a precedent for the current struggle for LGBT rights in the United States.
Click through for complete history. The Q-Club massagre immediately beought me back to 1992 (although I had to look up the year.) This horrendous vote showcases the worst of our state – and a past the Supreme Court would live to bring us back to. I believe we are better than that, and offer as evidence the fact that we just RE-elected an openly gay governor. But here, and alas world wide, the struggle is far from over.

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Open Thread November 21, 2022

 Posted by at 7:11 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 212022
 

The day before yesterday, seven score and nineteen years prior, a Natinal Cemetery was dedicated at a tiny town called Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania. Heather Cox Richardson commemorates the occasion in her Letter from an American for November 19. Being a historian, she gets in some detailswhich are little-known along with the story we all know, and her primary point – not new, but often in danger of being forgotten in times like those and these, was Lincoln’s reminder that we have two founding documents, and the Constitution is not the only one which is important.

Yesterday, though, I went to visit Virgil. It waa a quiet day there. We got to sit on the same level one comes in on, and we got to use the deck of cards. I was a bit concerned that the clock can’t be seen from where we sit unless we go down a short flight of stairs – not that easy since I use my wheelchair, and he uses a walker. But the windows (yesm there are windows) cast light and shade on the florr, and later in the afternoon the walls, that it’s almost like having a sundial. And we really do not get many sunless days in Colorado. So I am much lless worried. We played cribbage and I told hi about Joyce Vance’s latest newsletter, which I knew he would enjoy because he thinks silky chickens are just about the cutest things in the world, and she raises them. By the time I exhausted my short term memory, he was green with envy. (She also knits, BTW. I don’t know how she finds time. Of course I’m a lot older.) On the way in I was scoped out by a flock of Canada Geese, and then saw a baby bunny scurry across the pavement in front of me (not close enough to have to sop for, and I was going pretty darn slowly at the timw anyway.) Where I grew up, on the San Franciso peninsula, the only wildlife i saw outside of state or national parks was birds and butterflies – and not all that many of either. After 46 years in Colorado, I haven’t lost my sense of wonder at wildlife, and I hope I bever do.

Grim though it is, I have to mention the mass shooting here in the LGBTQ+ club. Five dead and 18 injured. Just horrible. The suspect is in custody, but even that is small consolation.

Cartoon – 21 Piltdown RTL

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – The White House Admits It: We Might Need to Block the Sun to Stop Climate Change
Quote – The report will be dedicated specifically to a form of geoengineering known as solar radiation management. This is a technique that essentially involves spraying fine aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight away from the Earth. The idea is that, once it’s reflected, there’ll be less heat and temperatures will go down. The research plan will be modeling how SRM might impact the atmosphere and assess its viability as a potential technique used to “manage near-term climate risk.” Put it another way: We want to know whether or not we should include this in our “break glass in case of climate disaster” box.
Click through for details. This is a no=brainer, if it can be done safely. It absolutely would work – maybe too well – history shows that The article mentions an 1816 volcanic eruption, but I immediately thought of an eruption in 536 AD, which has been heavily researched. It blocked sunlight so much, and literally around the world, that there was more or less perpetual winter for a couple of years. Some sunlight and warmth is necessary in order to grow food crops, otherwise people starve. IIRC that eruption also facilitated disease transmission until all the particles were gone – or at lease gone from the sky.

Daily Kos – Jan. 6 Panel Creates Subcommittee for Criminal Referrals
Quote – Among those who have ignored subpoenas to appear before the Jan. 6 Committee are GOP Reps. McCarthy, Perry, Jordan, Biggs, Brooks, and of course, TFG himself. Clearly, none of them are out of the barrel just yet. The subcommittee will make recommendations to the full Jan. 6 Panel, which, if approved by a vote, will then pass them along to the Justice Department. This process is hastened by the reality that the GOPosaurs will take control of the House on Jan. 3, 2023. That’s only 46 days!
Click through for story. It was actually created about a month ago and has been working, but is just now being made public. Four lawyers, headed by Jamie Raskin (Has anyone besides me noticed that he seems to be aging more rapidly?)

Mother Jones – A Preschool on Wheels Drives Opportunity to Immigrant Families in Colorado
Quote – Parked in the lots of schools, churches, and community centers, the buses are inconspicuous. Most passersby would overlook them, distracted by the natural beauty of their backdrop. But inside, day after day, small wonders are unfolding. Gutted and retrofitted to look like traditional preschool classrooms, these mobile spaces host 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds in the valley who, otherwise, likely wouldn’t see a formal learning environment until kindergarten, by which time many of their peers are already steps ahead.
CLck through for more. I had this penciled in before the shooting – and I’m glad I did. I certainly need something positive to offset that tremendous negative, and I hope it will help others too.

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Open Thread November 20, 2022

 Posted by at 6:48 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 202022
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Don Pasquale” by Gaetano Donizetti, a comic opera (with elements of farce), written especially for four particular singers (so the four leads’ part are ver showy.) It’s very critical of old age,although the libretto makes it pretty chear ir isn’t Pasquale’s age that’s his problem – it’s his gigantic ego (thinks he’s “he who must be obeyed.” Sound familiar?) Unrealistic though it may be (if only it were that easy to cure a narcissist!), it has moments of great humor and moments of great beauty, and also quite possibly the best “patter” song (a duet for baritone and bass) outside of Gilbert and Sullivan. That’s not just my opinion – it gets encored in many productions – not today, though it was warmly applauded. Like all comedies, this one is best when the principals do their utmost to play it dead straight. The humor of a comic character is in who the character is, and normally he or she should not be aware that he or she is funny Which may be one reason (though I believe there are many) why good comedians have so much more strength that they are usually given credit for. In other news, the snow was almost gone (by today it will have disappeared) under the brightly shining sun. In still other news, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) newsletter for the week was all about the Fourteenth Amendment. I can’t link to their newsletters, but I can link to their report and to their press release on the report.

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Short Takes –

The New Yorker – Larry Krasner and the Limits of “Law and Order”
Quote – Republicans blame Krasner for the spike in violent crimes in [Philadelphia] since 2020, and claim that his refusal to prosecute to the fullest extent allowed by law is the reason why. After the recall of Chesa Boudin, then the district attorney of San Francisco, following a campaign that was bankrolled by a few wealthy activist donors—the more typical affront to democracy—Pennsylvania Republican Party officials seek to abuse their power and simply remove Krasner from office themselves. On Wednesday, remarkably, lawmakers began that process, voting for his impeachment.
Click through for details. Of course any “spike in violent crimes … since 2020” is going to be directly traceable to the pandemic, and the failure of Republicans to deal with it or protect the citizenry. But they don’t even believe their own BS. This was a stunt to rally their base to the midterms. If the facts in this article don’t make you angry, check your pulse and oxygen.

truthout – Dem Lawmaker Circulates Letter in Congress Calling for Trump’s Disqualification
Quote – “Give[n] the proof — demonstrated through the January 6th Committee Hearings, the 2021 impeachment trial, and other reporting — that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection on January 6th with the intention of overturning the lawful 2020 election results, I have drafted legislation that would prevent Donald Trump from holding public office again under the Fourteenth Amendment,” Cicilline wrote…. Cicilline’s bill “details testimony and evidence demonstrating how Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States” based on revelations made during the January 6 committee’s hearings, his letter says.
Click through for full article. One would think the Fourteenth Amendment would be enough. It was enough to disqualify Couy Griffin in New Mexico, and that verdict has stood up in the New Mexico Supreme Court. But there is not yet a comtemporary Federal precedent (to set a precedent a verdict must come from an apellate court or higher) and solid legal backing is needed sooner than that is likely to happen.

The Real News Network – In Key Swing States, Union Members Are Democrats’ Last Line Of Defense
Quote – And that’s what we’re here to talk about today, because we’ve got a really exciting panel here with folks with the amazing UNITE HERE union canvassing in states around the country including key battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. And we’re going to introduce y’all to those folks in just a second, and we’re going to talk a bit about the canvassing work that they’re doing, what it means for them as union members to be fighting this fight, what they are hearing from people on the ground that they are talking to by knocking on countless doors in these states. They’re really, really doing the essential work that needs to be done to reach people, to understand what people are going through and what they want from these elections.
Click through for full transcript of panel. It’s a long transcript, and I realize I am preaching to the choir here, but it has some good information.

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Open Thread November 19, 2022

 Posted by at 6:54 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 192022
 

Yesterday – yup. it snowed. a few inches on the non-paved ground, and a few stray flakes and clumps on the concrete. So it won’t interfere with driving by Sunday. In bad news, Adam Frisch conceded to Lauren Boebert. Sigh. Sorry, guys. At least we have the Senate. And at least Colorado is sending a delegation of 5 Dems and 3 Qpubs, rather than a delegation of 4 and 3.  Also, I don’t nknow how long I will be able to keep up three short takes, but I have a bit of a backlog.  And – Merrick Garland has appointed a Special Counsel in the Trump cases.  His name is Jack Smith.  I’m betting he did this, not so much to avoid the appearance of partisanship, but to put this investigation  out of bounds for the GOP’s plans to “investigate” (read harass) everyone in the Biden administration.  Of course he’s not saying that.  Why give them ideas?

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Short Takes –

Letters from an American – November 16, 2022
Quote – The election of a House speaker can be a way for different factions to test out their power at the beginning of a session. If McCarthy can’t muster the necessary votes, the speakership could open to a far more moderate Republican who could get Democratic votes. That shift might, in fact, look good to a number of Republicans who see how thoroughly voters in some areas rejected extremism in the midterms. Or the need for more moderate votes could swing McCarthy away from the MAGA crowd. It’s not clear yet, but it might tell us a lot. In 1856, at a time when party alignments were shifting markedly, it took the House two months and 133 ballots finally to choose Representative Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts, and by then, everyone knew exactly who backed whom.
Click through for full letter. She covers several topics, but what caught my attention was her historian’s take on the Speakership.

Mother Jones – Why Lauren Boebert Might Lose
Quote – Most analysts assumed that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) would cruise to victory in her solidly red district, which became even more Republican after redistricting. In 2020, Boebert defeated her Democratic opponent by six percentage points. This year, FiveThirtyEight gave Boebert a 97 in 100 shot of winning. In June, when Boebert won her primary, I declared, “It looks like two more years of Lauren Boebert in Congress.”
Click through for article. Of course, she didn’t lose –  but dayum, it was close.  Maybe next time.  Right now I’m hoping she does run again , because that would be our only chance for a Democratic pickup, but that may change.

Wonkette – Hey, Lame-Duck Congress! How About Ending The Stupid Debt Limit While You Still Can?
Quote – Under the weird rules governing the reconciliation process, budget related bills can be passed with a simple majority in the Senate, without Senate Republicans being able to filibuster. Taking the debt ceiling off the table would thwart already-announced GOP plans to use the debt ceiling as a lever to force big budget cuts, possibly including dangerous changes to Medicare and Social Security, like raising the retirement age, cutting benefits, or partially privatizing one or both programs. They’ve already said that’s what they’ll do if they take over the House. Out loud, with their mouths and everything.
Click through for more. I’m afraid they are saying they will not even consider it. That is really a pity, because it is, frankly, stupid.

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Open Thread November 18, 2022

 Posted by at 6:46 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 182022
 

Yesterday, I slept in. When I did get up, the sun was nowhere in sight, which is reasonable, because, if there was going to be snow this week, last night would be the night. But it wasn’t the low light that kept me sleeping. It was the fact that I had accomplished a bunch of things Wednesday which I had apparently been stressing about more than I reasized, and therefor had not slept well Tuesday night, and I was unstressed and catching up. The snow, if it comes, will be mostly overnight, so by the time I know, this will have posted. I’ll try to catch y’all up.  Also, yesterday at 4:00 a.m. local, Boebert was down to less than a 600 vote lead, with more ballots than that stlll not counted.   CPR reported that some of those uncounted ballots had been in timely but deliberately held back to preserve anonymity for the late voters – which makes a lot os sense if one has ever worked Colorado elections – Colorado is an anonymity (privacy) hawk.  The only election  I ever worked whre I had the faintest clue how people voted was a small single-issue one where we hand-counted absentee ballots – and we took every precaution not to know – but the darned vote was unanimous, which defeated our precautions.

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – The Threat Of Right-Wing Extremism Is Far From Over
Quote – [Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on authoritarianism and a professor at NYU, said] we can never forget that no matter who Fox News, the Murdochs and the GOP elites get behind, that the goal is more authoritarianism, Ben-Ghiat continued. “The goal is to make it easier to have an autocratic system prevail and to convince Americans that we did have a lot of election deniers who won, that elections are too compromised and too corrupt to be a valid way of choosing leaders. And that opens the door to coup attempts and other kinds of authoritarian machinations.”
Click through for opinion and short video. People who hold authoritarian beliefs tend to be “true believer” types. They aren’t going tobe weaned away from those beliefs by one loss – or one anything. This battle is far from over.

Huff Post – ‘We Have The Votes’: The Senate Will Act This Week To Codify Same-Sex Marriage
Quote – Same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are guaranteed the fundamental right to marry under the Constitution. But after the now-conservative court struck down Roe v. Wade in June ― tossing out nearly 50 years of precedent on reproductive rights ― Democrats and some Republicans are anxious about the court’s plans for weakening other civil rights.
Click through for details. They said they had the votes – and they did. They took the vote yesterday. It now goes to the House, which is still Democratic, and it will pass.

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Open Thread November 17, 2022

 Posted by at 7:17 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 172022
 

Yesterday, I did manage to get the trash and recyclables out to the curb for today’s pickup. Also, more updates appear to indicate that the missile hitting Poland (and killing between 2 and 5 people – depending on the source) was not intentional on anyone’s part – although it would not have happened had ussia not been shooting missiles all over Ukraine out of pure spite.  NATO is going to have to do a lot of talking and thinking about it but, no one is looking at World War III.

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – ‘Political Contamination’: Jamie Raskin Slams 155 Election Deniers In Congress
Quote – CBS host Margaret Brennan reported on Sunday that her network had tallied election deniers who will serve in the new Congress. According to the tally, deniers of the election won 155 House seats and nine Senate seats in the U.S. Congress. That was in addition to 18 wins at the state level. “That’s a statement about the political contamination of the GOP by Donald Trump,” Raskin told Brennan. “Kevin McCarthy and other leaders in the Republican Party are now required to make a decision about whether they’re going to try rid themselves of Donald Trump and his toxic influence on the party.”
Click through for article. Let’s for the sake of argument assume they have 218 seats. 218 – 155 = 63 non-deniers, at most. I find myself wondering whether McCarthy is even Trumpy enough for them. Because if he isn’t,  he’s toast. And his replacement could be far sorse.

Politico – Biden to Pelosi: ‘I Hope You Stick’
Quote – “I hope you stick,” Biden told Pelosi in a phone call after congratulating her on the caucus’s unexpected victories and asking about her convalescing husband, according to Democrats familiar with the conversation. Pelosi interjected to note her personal considerations and Biden continued, “I know it’s family first but I hope you stick,” before Pelosi deflected again. Biden wasn’t on the ballot and Pelosi faced little challenge in her San Francisco district, but you wouldn’t have known it from their reactions to the results. The soon-to-be 80-year-old president and the 82-year-old speaker, mutual admirers with similar roots and shared grievances toward critics and wise-guy pundits, were bullish about their prospects and felt vindicated by the party’s success.
Click through for – more details than you might like. The article degenerates into comments from just about everyone but Nancy herself about what she should do. (And I’m sick of hearing about Biden’s “low approval rating.” It’s higher than Trump** EVER had in all four years.) But the mutual respect between Pelosi and Biden shines through and makes up for that.

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Open Thread November 16, 2022

 Posted by at 6:57 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 162022
 

Yesterday, I concentrated on getting my trash and recyclables out to their respective polycarts. Hopefully, by the time today is over, I will have gotten those carts to the curb for pickup tomorrow. Also, I received confirmation to see Virgil this Sunday.  I am still treading water with my short takes.  I feel that I know what the balance of poer will be int the Senate – but I don’t know about the House.  I believe some news is due today … but not all of it.  Late breaking – I’m not going into it here, but I bumped a planned video to insert one on Russia bombing Poland.  Also late breaking, Katie Porter is up again,thank heaven.  Bu there are a lot of votes still not counted.

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Ann Coulter Tells Trump To ‘Shut The F—k Up, Forever!’
Quote – Right Wing pundit Ann Coulter is of course no stranger to being dissatisfied with Donald Trump. But after the GOP’s humiliating showing in the midterm elections, and ahead a possible announcement he will run for president in 2024, Coulter had a simple message for Trump: “Shut the f— up, forever.”
Click through for details. This is what happens when someone is stupid enough to believe in everything Trump** ever said, but yet smart enough to grasp that he never accomplished any of it.

NM Political Reprt – Couy Griffin confronts DuBois over appointment, derails meeting
Quote – Former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin caused a fuss at the Otero County Commission meeting last week when his time at the public comment table became so heated, one of the sitting county commissioners plans to file a restraining order against Griffin. Griffin was unhappy that Stephanie DuBois, a Democrat, was appointed to his old seat after Griffin was removed from office based on the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s Disqualification Clause after his conviction related to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington, D.C.
Click through for story. Remember “Cowboys for Trump**”? GRiffin is still giving cowbays a bad name (and, for that matter, griffins – if you know your magical beasts.)

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