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Monthly Archives: January 2024

Jeanette Cass (D) in the 4th Congressional District

18 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Congress

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Tags

4th Congressional District, Democrats, Jeanette Cass, Johnson County, missouri, Warrensburg

Jeanette Cass (D), a candidate for the 4th Congressional District, spoke in Warrensburg at the monthly Johnson County Democratic Club meeting.

Jeanette Cass (D).

Jeanette Cass spoke of her upbringing on her family dairy farm and her life experiences as a single mother, a working person, and as a postal worker.

She also addressed issues and answered questions on agriculture, education, and women’s health care.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom – women’s rights initiative petition for 2024 ballot

18 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

abortion, choice, initiative, missouri, women's health care, women's reproductive health

Now, it’s Missouri’s turn.

“My body, my choice”

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom is a statewide coalition of organizations and concerned citizens from across the state working to establish the right for all Missourians to make decisions about our own reproductive health care – including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care – without interference from out-of-touch politicians.

The decision of whether or not to have an abortion is a personal choice that should be made by Missourians, their families, and their health care providers – not politicians in Jefferson City. Passing this amendment will end our state’s abortion ban and make sure Missourians and their families can once again make the decisions that are best for them. Decisions around pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care are personal and private and should be left up to patients and their families. But here in Missouri, politicians are making that decision for us.

We are coming together to end Missouri’s cruel total ban on abortion and give the power to make personal health care decisions back to where it belongs – to the people.

We are required to collect 172,000 valid signatures by May 5th, 2024, to ensure Missourians get to vote on ending our cruel abortion ban at the ballot.

Make sure you’re signing the correct initiative petition.

“Woman Rights” – July 9, 2022

Official ballot title certified by Secretary of State on November 28, 2023.

Constitutional Amendment to Article I, Relating to Reproductive Health Care, version 10
2024-086

[….]

OFFICIAL BALLOT TITLE AS CERTIFIED BY
SECRETARY OF STATE

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

– establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid;
– remove Missouri’s ban on abortion;
– allow regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient;
– require the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, and other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and
– allow abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect the life or health of the woman?
– State governmental entities estimate no costs or savings, but unknown impact. Local governmental entities estimate costs of at least $51,000 annually in reduced tax revenues. Opponents estimate a potentially significant loss to state revenue.

The Amendment [pdf].

“Girls Just Wanna Have FUNdamental Human Rights”

Previously:

Campaign Finance: Not too sure about that (January 16, 2024)

Gee, If only Mark Alford (r) knew someone who was in a position to do something other than blather on TV

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Congress, Mark Alford, social media

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Tags

4th Congressional District, former newsreader, immigration, Mark Alford, right wingnut, social media

Today:

Congressman Mark Alford
[January 17, 2024]
The Lankford-Schumer border deal is dead on arrival in the House.
Negotiations should’ve involved Speaker Johnson, not just behind closed doors in the Senate.
Schumer’s been ignoring H.R. 2 for over seven months – unacceptable and disgraceful.
[….]

There is much hilarity in the responses:

Failed Civics, eh?? Senate and House have to RECONCILE bills – and the HOUSE can’t manage themselves because of the teeny-tiny Chaos Caucus.

“Speaker” Johnson told the world Joe Biden should do an Executive Order and fix the border himself. “Speaker” Johnson told the world the House isn’t going to do one thing about the border. Is it any wonder the grown-ups didn’t feel the need to consult the House Child who refused to join the group?

All because Republicans would have nothing to complain about if there were a border deal. You put party before country. Disgusting.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) told CNN that he would not vote for a bill to solve issues at the border because it could help President Biden’s approval ratings: “Let me tell you, I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating.”

The Border is too hard for Speaker Johnson. He already said he didn’t want to.do anything to fix it. Just another example of the do nothing House GOP. Did the house include Schumer when the wrote the bill? I didn’t think so.

Our tax dollars are on Fox again. You have no experience, just pre determined words to read. Stick to your creating your new little Trump slogans. It’s where your true knowledge is best used.

Can you imagine the freakout Alford and his cronies would have if there was a headline “Biden Solves the Border Problem?” Alford doesn’t want a solution, especially with a Democrat in the White House.

MAGA MIke said he would refuse any border deal. Even FOX reported this fact.

Speaker Mike Johnson told his conference that Congress “can’t solve [the] border until Trump is elected or a Republican is back in the White House.”
Why fix a problem when you can only win elections if it is broken…..

“Rather than joining Democrats and Biden in good faith, bipartisan negotiations to make progress on immigration, they are taking orders from Donald Trump and actively obstructing a bipartisan border deal,” Rep. Jamie Raskin claimed during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing.

Why not debate this new proposal, ammend it as the House desires, and send it to a conference committee to work out differences with the Senate bill? This is what the Senate should have done with HR 2. Simply ignoring the Senate bill only means no progress towards resolving immigration issues. Of course, it is easy to assume that prolonging the “crisis” at the border, as you have often characterized the situation, is exactly what you want to maximize a perceived political advantage. I just want our so-called political leaders to actually work to solve problems to better our country.

Mr Alford: HR2 was dead on arrival at the Senate. Now time to govern, which means compromise. I know it’s a grown-up concept, but surely you’ve had to compromise sometimes in your life. After all, you got a job in K. C. and not on national news. The “my way or the highway” approach is not going to work. Please get to work governing.

Saint Mark is proving that he is nothing more than an attention seeking radical
[….]

Because HR2 is garbage.

They see you, Mark (r).

Mark Alford (r) [2023 file photo].

Campaign Finance: Not too sure about that

16 Tuesday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

campaign finance, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commission, Missouri Stands With Women, PAC, women's health care, women's reproductive health

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C242689 01/16/2024 Missouri Stands With Women, Inc. Missouri Catholic Conference 600 Clark Avenue PO Box 1022 Jefferson City MO 65102 1/16/2024 $5,001.00

[emphasis added]

It’s a brand new PAC:

The PAC name assumes a fact not in evidence.

Is there some sort of ballot initiative in the queue this election cycle? Just asking.

“Abort the Court”

Single digit diner – still serving

15 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

American Goldfinch, birds, Blue Jay, Carduelis tristis, Cyanocitta cristata, Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis, missouri, weather

Today in west central Missouri:

Blue Jay. Cyanocitta cristata.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/1600, ISO 200, 400 mm.

And more snow:

Dark-eyed Junco. Junco hyemalis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/640, ISO 400, 400 mm.

American Goldfinch. Carduelis tristus.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/640, ISO 400, 400 mm.

Previously:

Currently 4° F (January 13, 2024)

Single digit diner (January 13, 2024)

Currently -8° F, wind chill -22° F (January 14, 2024)

We’re having a heat wave… (January 15, 2023)

Out in the cold (January 15, 2024)

Out in the cold

15 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birds, Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, missouri, weather, winter

Today in west central Missouri:

Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/800. ISO 1600, 400 mm.

Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/800. ISO 1600, 400 mm.

Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/800. ISO 1600, 400 mm.

Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/800. ISO 1600, 400 mm.

And a little later:

Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/250. ISO 200, 400 mm.

Previously:

Currently 4° F (January 13, 2024)

Single digit diner (January 13, 2024)

Currently -8° F, wind chill -22° F (January 14, 2024)

We’re having a heat wave… (January 15, 2023)

We’re having a heat wave…

15 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birds, missouri, weather, White-throated Sparrow, winter, Zonotrichia albicollis

Yeah, right.

Currently -6° F, wind chill -21° F.

This morning:

White-throated Sparrow. Zonotrichia albicollis.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/800, ISO 1600, 400 mm.

Previously:

Currently 4° F (January 13, 2024)

Single digit diner (January 13, 2024)

Currently -8° F, wind chill -22° F (January 14, 2024)

Immigration as an “existential crisis”

15 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Congress, Mark Alford, social media

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th Congressional District, former newsreader, gaslighting, hyperbole, immigration, Mark Alford, missouri, right wingnut, social media

Mark Alford (r) [2023 file photo].

Yesterday:

Congressman Mark Alford
[January 14, 2024]
We can’t handle a band-aid for this humanitarian crisis.
We’ve got to have a tourniquet before we bleed to death as a nation.
This is an existential crisis. This is an invasion of our sovereign nation, it has to stop.

As always, the responses:

The crisis is a cult that wants to install a criminal authoritarian dictator who is the biggest national security threat to our country, our Constitution and democracy.

Ouch. There’s that.

It’s coming, the crime wave that’s gonna happen because millions have no money and nothing to do. Why don’t you libs start a list of people against closing the borders so the police know who to ignore when they call because some immigrant gang has broken into their house [….]

That’s not how it works, actually:

“….Compared to undocumented immigrants, U.S. citizens were twice as likely to be arrested for violent felonies in Texas from 2012 to 2018, two-and-a-half times more likely to be arrested for felony drug crimes, and over four times more likely to be arrested for felony property crimes….”

Oh lord. More crazy videos to distract and rile. Just stop with all the propaganda and do your job.

More gaslighting by Congressman Mark Alford!

That level of hyperbole is even beyond your norms. If these immigrants are such a problem, why is unemployment so low? Why is the crime rate among immigrants lower than other sectors of our population? Why are 80% plus of those charged with drug trafficking American citizens? Yes, immigration needs to be much better controlled. But it is extremely far from an invasion or existential crisis for our nation. The biggest threat from our immigration problems is how it has been used by your party to prevent Congress from doing its job. Our dysfunctional Congress is the true existential threat to our Republic.

why are Democrat mayors of sanctuary cities saying they cannot take in any illegals?

“No human is illegal”

To paraphrase GOP Rep Nehls…the GOP won’t do anything about it so Biden won’t win.

A small step is better than no action, despite your desperate, extreme claims

3 migrants — a woman and two children — drowned in the Rio Grande river while Texas National Guard “physically barred” U.S. Border Patrol from trying to rescue them.
Last week, Texas National Guard took over Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, after Abbott granted them “full control” of the park without permission from local officials. Since then, the state guard has prohibited federal authorities from entering the area adjacent to the border.
Blood on Abbott’s hands.

There wasn’t nothing wrong with the border. Until Joe Biden came in and his buddy Obama.

If you think your job is in jeopardy because an illegal may take it…maybe it’s time to re-think your career path.

Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
– Psalm 82:3

your dramatic reading of Republican talking points may actually get you your coveted job as a news-reader on NewsMax. However, you’re SUPPOSED to be working, you know, like passing laws. #useless

Mark Alford (r) [2022 file photo].

Mark Alford [….] you’re clearly uninformed or ignorant or both.

Mark Alford Oh? Many here have asked you for your sources, yet you don’t respond. Many, including me, have asked you for compassion for the “stranger”, as commanded by Christ. Yet you ignore both pleadings and spout this asinine rhetoric that has absolutely no basis in fact! Who here is uninformed?

Mark Alford BTW, it’s not a good look for a politician to call voters ignorant.

No work permits…they broke the law and need to be removed from our country. We cannot afford 489 billion a year. Someone needs to do something about these idiotic Democrats.

489 billion. You sound just like Alford. Do you have any issue with 8.1 billion dollar budget for the BOP to cover the expense of our American lawbreakers

I have a problem with all government waist. The Dems vote party line for this mess. I think there are many Republicans need to go also. Too many self interest get rich quick scum in the congress and the senate. It is not only the money though, I worry about the safety of our country. Too many Chinese and middle eastern military aged men traveling in groups crossing our border. No families with them could only mean one thing. But the free health,, housing, food, cell phones, and five thousand dollar debit cards need to stop.

Waste.

Where was Jesus from, again?

“…No families with them could only mean one thing…”

There was no room at the inn? Just asking.

Currently -8° F, wind chill -22° F

14 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birds, Carpodacus mexicanus, cold, House Finch, missouri, weather

This morning in west central Missouri:

House Finch. Carpodacus mexicanus.
Canon 5D III, 2.8 70-200 mm, 2x III.
F 5.6, 1/160, ISO 1600, 400 mm.

“What you lookin’ at?”

Previously:

Currently 4° F (January 13, 2024)

Single digit diner (January 13, 2024)

Campaign Finance: Oxymoron

13 Saturday Jan 2024

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

campaign finance, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commission, Missourians for Fair Governance, oxymoron, PAC

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

232522 01/13/2024 Missourians for Fair Governance Missouri Association of REALTORS 2005 W Broadway Ste 210 Columbia MO 65203 1/12/2024 $100,000.00

[emphasis added]

It wouldn’t be an oxymoron if the contribution was 1/1000 of that amount.

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