Trump claims authority to alter 14th amendment with executive order.

Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Although there are four other sections to the 14th amendment, Trump is floating the idea to alter section one with an executive order.

He can’t do that.

The amendment can be changed (a later section of the 14th amendment limiting voting to men only is one that has been, for example, by the 19th amendment), but only by a process clearly delineated in Article 5 of the Constitution. Executive orders do not apply.

Trump has floated the idea of removing birthright citizenship from people born in the United States if their parents are undocumented immigrants. This trial balloon should be clearly shown to be solid lead, and move not a millimeter from the basement of bad ideas.

If we let him alter the highest law in the land with an executive order, we’ve abandoned the republic, and have instituted a monarchy. Trump thinks of himself as king, it’s time we disabused him of that idea.

 

Nunes email claims wife, grandmother attacked

In an email today, Devin Nunes claims “the left” has attacked his wife and his grandmother:

“This year, we’ve seen the true face of the left. They will stop at nothing to obstruct our conservative agenda and even attacked my wife and 98 year-old grandmother.”

To be clear, the “attack” on his wife was a FOIA (freedom of information act) request (by a private group, not Nunes’ opponent) for public information from her employer, a school district. The “attack” on his grandmother was a reporter knocking on her door while canvassing a neighborhood (the reporter says he didn’t know at the time the home was Nunes’ grandmother’s). The Fresno Bee says they haven’t talked to her in fifteen years.

Nunes is vulnerable this election and he knows it. In his panic to keep his job, he is deliberately misleading his constituents. Nunes is following Trump’s lead, making things up as he goes along regardless of what the facts are. When recognized in public, he runs.

It’s time the voters of CA22 retire Nunes, and let him get back to his family ‘farm’ (dairy). In Iowa.

I’m mailing in my ballot today, and you can be sure I’ve voted for Andrew Janz.

P.S. – Still no leads on where the “QUADRUPLE MATCH” funds are coming from.

Nunes decries Democratic big money, silent on “QUADRUPLE-MATCH” source

For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting emails from Devin Nunes (and a bunch of other GOP shills – they’re obviously sharing my email address amongst themselves) begging for money. Today’s email promises, in capital letters, that any donation will be “QUADRUPLE-MATCHED”!!!!!!  (explanation marks mine, added for the fervor I think Devin is trying to generate.)

Nunes has been complaining lately that his opponent, Andrew Janz, has appeared at fund raisers in the Bay area and taken money from ‘radical leftist activists’. He’s conveniently forgotten to mention he’s done the same thing (well, I doubt he’s got any money from ‘radical leftist activists, but he’s been seen begging money from the few rich right-wingers in the Bay area), and that most of his treasure chest of millions is not from donors inside his district.

I have just one question for Devin Nunes:

Who is funding the “QUADRUPLE MATCH”?

Here’s the entire email:

You missed yesterday’s critical deadline.

BUT, because it is critical that we maximize your support, I’m authorizing the QUADRUPLE-MATCH deadline to be extended for 4 more hours.

Take a Stand Now

I’m calling on every Conservative to step up and help President Trump and our majority defeat the radical left.

Radical left-wing liberals like Michael Avenatti have tried to take down President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh with vicious attacks, while the Hollywood and San Francisco elite are pouring millions of dollars into Democrat coffers.

But, the radical left’s many failed attempts to take over our majority shows just how vulnerable they are.

We can win in November and defeat the resistance. But, I need you to step up now!

Contribute immediately to support President Trump and our Conservative majority!

Thank you,

Devin Nunes

So, Devin…  who’s funding the match? Dark money much? And what do those funders get for their money?

National Coming Out Day is Oct. 11

 

Posted today on the Facebook page of The Source LGBT+ Center:

“National Coming Out day began in 1988 as a way to celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or ally, in the face of stigma, discrimination, and the AIDS epidemic. The Source LGBT+ Center owes a debt of gratitude to those who came out before us to pave the way for further acceptance and inclusion for all LGBT+ people.”

From the Wikipeadia page on National Coming Out Day:

“National Coming Out Day is observed annually to celebrate coming out and to raise awareness of the LGBT community and civil rights movement. The first decades of observances were marked by private and public people coming out, often in the media, to raise awareness and let the mainstream know that everyone knows at least one person who is lesbian or gay.”

The Source LGBT+ Center is a great place to obtain information, find resources, meet individuals from the LGBT and allied communities, and to just hang out. If you are contemplating coming out, have just recently came out, or have been out for a long time, The Source LGBT+ Center is available to support you. Our motto is “you don’t have to be out to come in!”

Thursday, October 11, will be this month’s Kings County Pop-up Center. We’ll be at the Kings County Behavioral Health Center meeting room, 450 Kings County Drive, Suite 104. The center will be open from 6pm to 8pm, with a guest speaker, Peter Robertson, who will be sharing Fresno-related LGBTQ historical recollections spanning 30 years.

As a student attending Fresno State, he was a founding member of United Student Pride (1987). Later, he co-founded Fresno Reel Pride Film Festival (1990), and served as a grand marshal for the inaugural Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade (1991).

Most recently, he was selected the keynote alumni speaker for the inaugural Rainbow Graduation Celebration (2014), and established the Rainbow Alumni and Allies Club (2015).

Admission is free. Refreshments and a light meal will be provided. Bring a friend. Please join us.

Visalia Over The Edge Fundraiser In Full Swing

Fundraising is in full swing for November’s Visalia Over the Edge event, to be hosted by the Marriott Hotel. On November 10, up to 92 people will rappel down the side of the building, raising funds for The Source LGBT+ Center.

Sixty-eight individuals have already signed up, and with a minimum goal of $1,000 to rappel, are well on their way to their November date with destiny. Ninety-two slots are available, so anyone who wants to sign up and join the bold and the brave can do so at Visalia Over The Edge. Ten participants have already surpassed the $1,000 level, with two doubling that, and well on their way to $3,000!

The fundraising is dedicated to The Source LGBT+ Center. Monies raised will go to support the daily operations of the drop-in center, located in the basement of the Montgomery Square building, 208 W. Main St., Suite B, Visalia, and to begin the search for a “forever home”. The current space is not enough, and the center is looking to find a larger facility.

Individual rappellers can be found listed at this site. Check it out, and if you recognize anyone, click on their name and donate! (Of course, since I’m here asking you for money, too, if you donate to someone else, you’ll donate a few bucks to me as a consolation prize, right?)  Teams are also available to support, so check them out as well. Don’t recognize anyone? That’s OK, you know me from here, so just click on my name! 😉

This is a great way to support The Source, and challenge yourself or someone you think needs to be thrown off the top of one of Visalia’s tallest buildings. My theme is “toss the dispatcher off the building! But don’t call 9-1-1!” I’m hoping some of the people I tell “where to go” (deputies and officers) will join in the fun, and toss me some money for The Source.  Did I mention I’m a bit uneasy about heights? Especially from high places? Like tall buildings? True.

I’m doing it anyway. The incredible services provided by The Source are important and needed, and meeting a challenge like jumping from the top floor of the Marriott is worth every nervous laugh and bead of sweat that results.

Here are some quick links:

Visalia Over The Edge

Visalia Over The Edge, my page

Visalia Over The Edge, list of participants

The Source LGBT+ Center web page

The Source LGBT+ Center Facebook

Visalia Over The Edge Facebook event page