The gerrymanders just instituted are based on past performance. Red congressional districts will now have additional voters who have no connection with the incumbents. Voters have changed as well. In 2024 Mexican-American voters in the Rio Grande valley went for Trump. In 2026, I’m guessing not so much. Same for younger voters.
Remember that quite a few special elections in the last year and a half have ended with Democratic victories in conservative areas. You might just be in for a shock.
Lean Left PAC is a Republican front group that is hoping to turn Democrats against one another so that Republican candidates can win in the general election. The PAC recently sent out hit pieces claiming that candidates Brooks and Crosswell were pro-MAGA, and urged people to vote for Lamont McClure. Obando-Durstine, the 4th candidate in the race, was not mentioned in the mailer
McClure, Crosswell, and Brooks have all condemned the ad. Under federal law and Supreme Court decisions, independent PACS can say anything they want to as long as they are not in contact with a candidate. The candidates have no power to stop them. Think about how ingenious this ad is. If you are a Democratic voter and you believe the ad, you may vote for McClure. If you don’t believe the ad and think McClure had sponsored it, you will be angry at him. It will create rancor within the party and make it less likely that the Democrats will unite to oppose the real MAGA candidate in this race, Republican Ryan Mackenzie.
Primary elections are low turnout elections. Most Democrats will not investigate Lean Left PAC. This is the kind of scurrilous campaign activity that turns people off and creates division within the party. You can blame our campaign finance laws or the Supreme Court. You can also spread the word about what is happening.
I am getting very tired of CNN and MSNOW repeating how Trump’s popularity has dropped. It has not dropped very far. After all the family enrichment schemes, a rather stupid war, Cabinet officials who couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if directions were written on the heel, and economic pain for farmers, drivers, and just about everyone else, Trump still has the support of approximately four out of ten Americans. After ICE murders and $4 gas and ballooning deficits, Trump still has the support of about four out of every ten Americans. It doesn’t matter how bad it will get–these are people who continue to worship Trump, and worship is the correct word.
They are concentrated in certain places. The South, the middle of the country, Texas, rural areas. They will do well in November. And if the economy rebounds, if tankers are moving from the Middle East, if Democrats continue their usual infighting, the Republicans may do very well come November.
Remember also they are cheating like crazy. MAGA followers will do everything in their power to game the system. That’s their motto–if you can’t win fairly, cheat.
Tomorrow: A warning to Republicans
If you live in Pennsylvania you have seen warnings about ticks. You probably know that you can’t get Lyme disease from dog ticks, which are about twice the size of deer ticks. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to worry about dog ticks, since they can infect you with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The best thing you can do is avoid ticks.
It has occurred to me that we also need a guide to help us avoid people with irrational or absurd political opinions. Let’s say you are reading a letter in the Times-News. You don’t want to waste your time on reading drivel or nonsense. If you come across any of the following terms or phrases, stop. No need to read further.
I did my own research: Turn the page. They didn’t. Or they might have, but their info was from a Florida podcaster making shit up.
Vaccines cause autism: Run from these people. They did their own research.
George Soros: Mr. Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary, became incredibly rich, and has given away billions to strengthen democracies around the world. Fascists hate him.
Millions of illegals vote: No, they don’t, but you will never convince the bigots. Don’t try.
Trump really won the 2020 election: I have yet to hear how that election was stolen, but not the 2016 or the 2024 elections. Did we forget?
Remember, you will not change or convince these people. Move along. Nothing to see here.
We were watching the hospital drama series “The Pitt,” and a pregnant woman in distress came into the emergency room. She didn’t want any invasive treatment for the pregnancy, just something for her headache. The attendants ran some checks, and she needed all kinds of medical intervention to save both her and the baby.
She fought that idea, saying she was part of the “free birth” movement. That is a new fad for pregnant women which involves having your baby with no other person aiding in the birth. No doctor, no doula, no midwife, no husband in the kitchen boiling water.
The theory is that these other people interfere with the natural process of birth. The fact that midwives and helpers assist with births in the most primitive of tribes is ignored because of some internet fad.
I can take you around Big Creek Cemetery about five miles west of our house. The small tombstones, often decorated with lambs, are the graves of infants. You see a lot of those from the 1800s and a few from the early 20th century, but none from recent years. If this free birth movement takes off like the anti-vaxxer movement, we should soon start seeing them crop up again.
When I moved back here from CA I overheard someone at the grocery story ask “When is Cinco De Mayo?" My jaw dropped, and I thought, I got to go back, I got to go back.
It’s better now. Carbon County now has Mexican restaurants. You can buy flour and corn tortillas at Mallard Market in Lehighton. Now all we have to worry about is the Secret Police, a.k.a. ICE.
Here’s a meme for you.
Those are two boys18 and 15 years old from the Republic of Congo who were seized by ICE when they came out of their guardian’s home in Diamondhead, Miss. They were here legally on F-1 student visas. They changed schools last year, but nobody at the new school knew that would affect their immigration status. One of their guardians, Gail Baptiste, tried to show her guardianship papers to the immigration agents. One of the agents told her: “This is worth nothing.”
Israel, the oldest student, was weeks away from graduation. Both boys were active in the local church. They were on the Hancock High basketball team.
I got this info from Christina Morales and Hamed Aleaziz,”On Way to School Bus, but Grabbed by ICE,” New York Times, (May 1, 2026), p. A 17.
I mailed copies of the article to my representative Ryan Mackenzie and my two Senators, John Fetterman and David McCormick, asking them to find out what happened to the boys. Below is a copy of the letter. I’ll let you know if I even get a reply, but I am not holding my breath. We really have become an evil country.
Here’s the text of the letter:
I have enclosed a copy of an article from the New York Times detailing an action by agents of the U.S. government. Both of the boys discussed were admitted to our country legally. Neither has committed any crimes.
On this 250th anniversary celebration of our founding we should also be aware that we have terrible blots on our historical record–Trail of Tears, “No Irish need apply,” Japanese internment, and “Operation Wetback”–to name a few. Now our country is repeating some of the ugliest policies of our past.
Can you do something about these boys? Is there a private bill you could introduce to bring them back to their school? Could you at least check on their status and current location? If we lived in Russia or Iran, I would say there is nothing to be done, but this is the United States of America. We must stop this.
