The Choice

The battle lines have been drawn, and each party has put forth their vision for America. The Republican proposal paints a grim picture where women are relegated to second-class status with limited control over their own healthcare choices, and unmarried women are treated as having fewer rights. In this world, the rules are set by aging, traditional men. On the other hand, the Democrats envision a society where all individuals are included, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political affiliation.

The Republican party has a massive blueprint for their strategy to dominate the world, known as Project 2025. Despite his claims of having no involvement, I believe Donald is lying about his connection to it. (Duh.) This frightening plan must be stopped, and the individuals behind it should be investigated for conspiracy.

It has only been a couple of weeks since the race shifted from being Biden vs. Trump to being Harris vs. Trump, so it’s too soon to see how much the needle is going to shift, but it is definitely shifting in the Democrats’ favor, both nationally and in many swing states. Even many Republicans are on board. And the likability of Tim Walz and his internet-breaking son can only help.

The Democrats may have actually found a winning combination.

The Weird Get Weirder

“These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell.” — Tim Walz

I’ll say one thing for my governor; he has a gift for understatement. Since President Joe Biden’s departure from the race, Donald and his disciples have gone totally off the deep end. It started with Trump Sneakers, which were supposed to ship in July, but so far they haven’t, and the “vendor” is making excuses. But that’s only the beginning.

Then came the Trump Bible. For extra, you could even get a copy signed by him. Because, as any of his supporters will tell you, Trump wrote the Bible.

Then there’s MAGA Crunch breakfast cereal. You can order it online for $25 a box. Only Donald can complain about high grocery prices while charging $25 for a box of breakfast cereal. And the suckers are lining up to buy it.

But WAIT! It gets even weirder!

At a recent rally in Pennsylvania, supporters were carrying around specimen cups purporting to contain J.D. Vance’s semen. The jars contain an unidentified creamy white fluid that I don’t want to think about. While apparently a swipe at Kamala Harris, who is childless, and Tim Walz, whose wife needed IVF treatments. But really? Carrying around specimen cups of Vance’s spooge? That’s beyond weird. It’s perverted.

Some theories are swirling around on the internet that this is all the work of some troll. The precise placement of the label—his face with the words “J.D. Vance Full Family Kit”—suggests that this might have been one or two vials being passed around (I think I need a shower after typing that) by a troll.

If this was a troll, I wanna shake his hand. After he washes it.

Meet My Governor

I have to admit, part of me wants to say you can’t have my governor. After all, this is the governor who signed same-sex marriage into law two years before the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell. He’s the governor who put his signature on the legalization of recreational cannabis. Part of me wants to say he’s my governor, and you can’t have him.

But the truth is, Vice President Harris couldn’t have picked a better running mate. First of all, he’s a family man. Timothy James Walz was born on April 6, 1964, to a school administrator and homemaker in West Point, Nebraska. His upbringing was deeply rooted in Democratic values, influenced by his parents’ New Deal beliefs.

Walz met his wife, Gwen, while teaching in Nebraska. They married in 1994 and have two children. Gwen has significantly influenced his life, bringing him to Minnesota and supporting his career. Walz has always been active in his community, from coaching football at Mankato West High School to advising the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance.

Walz joined the Army National Guard at 17 and served for 24 years, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. Before entering politics, Walz was a high school teacher and coach. His background in education has influenced his policy priorities.

Elected to the U.S. House in 2006, Walz represented Minnesota’s 1st congressional district. He was known for his bipartisan approach and earned an “A” rating from the NRA before later supporting an assault weapons ban following the shootings at Marjorie-Stoneman Douglas High School, which occurred when Walz’s daughter was in high school. As a result, he dropped to an “F” rating with the NRA, which he wears as a badge of honor.

As governor of Minnesota, Walz has achieved several significant milestones. He implemented a program providing free school meals for all students, strengthened protections for reproductive rights, laid the groundwork for Minnesota to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2040. Walz cut taxes for the middle class, and expanded paid family and medical leave for Minnesota workers.

And let’s face it, he’s just so darned likable!

Yeah, part of me wants to say you can’t have my governor. But for the good of the country, I’m willing to share him.

When Technology Goes Awry

“There are two kinds of people in this world: those who believe that technology will turn on us someday and those who realize that it already has.”

— Me

We had a thunderstorm last Wednesday, one of those loud, thunderous storms I love so much, even though they tend to cause power outages. Even though it was a dark and stormy night, the power stayed did not fail.

The following evening, when the weather was beautiful, was another story.

I was just getting some chicken ready to put in the oven (electric, of course) when I heard a transformer exploding. I’ve heard that sound enough times to recognize it. About a minute later, the power blinked out for a moment, then went down. My guess is that too many people were running their air conditioners.

The power stayed out for several hours. I awoke in my room with the lights on; they were back on by 3:30 a.m. My first instinct was to tell Alexa to turn them off, but Alexa was offline. The whole internet was offline. So, I had to reset the router. Then, the Internet of Things attached to that router gave me a hard time reconnecting them all, including the Tovala oven, my Hero medication manager, and the living room lights and television, but I finally got everything turned back on.

Yeah, sometimes I think we’ve become too dependent on technology. And I’m right.