Yesterday, when I checked around noon, the sun was bright, and a ggod deal of snow had melted, although the temperaure had not yet reach freezing (and would not all day.) I would have had a dry path from my door to the driveway, but not all the way to the mailbox. So the small package which was delivered Tuesday had to wait. Freezing temperatures shouldn’t hurt it as long as it’s dry. Also, it occurred to me that tday, February 17, is my PEBD (Pat will remember that acronym.) In plain English, it’s the day I signed the contract which both entitled and obliged me to report to Officer Candidate School to learn to be a Marine officer. The acronym stands for “Pay Entry Base Date,” I took my oath that day, and all my pay raises based on longevity went into effect that day in whatever year. And that original day was 57 years ago this year. Amazing. One more thing – I doubt anyone missed thepartial release of the Special Grand Jury report in Georgia, but just in case, here it is.
Cartoon – 17 0217Cartoon.jpg
Short Takes –
The 19th News – An Oklahoma judge just transferred a lesbian mom’s parental rights to her son’s sperm donor
Quote – Legal experts warn that the case could have substantial implications for marriage equality nationwide. Advocates battled a number of cases to enshrine same-sex marriage protections after the Supreme Court granted those rights nationwide in 2015. Among those fights was the right of parentage. The 2015 Supreme Court case Pavan v. Smith found that it was unconstitutional to treat queer couples differently than heterosexual couples when it came to presuming parentage. If married heterosexual couples were presumed to be parents of children born during their marriage, the same must be true for LGBTQ+ couples. However, laws vary state to state.
Click through for story. This case is so unusual I would hope it would not be much of a precedent – but with MAGAts you never know.
Letters from an American – February 12, 2023
Quote – On February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. Exactly 100 years later, journalists, reformers, and scholars meeting in New York City deliberately chose the anniversary of his birth as the starting point for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)…. The spark for the organization of the NAACP was a race riot in Springfield, Illinois, on August 14 and 15, 1908. The violence broke out after the sheriff transferred two Black prisoners, one accused of murder and another of rape, to a different town out of concern for their safety.
Click through for full letter. The NAACP is still around; over a hundred years later, it is needed as much as it has ever been.
Food For Thought
Just one from a remarkable set of photos – Five-year-old girl recreates photos of influential black women.
