The Monday Memo

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Welcome to April – which means there are only two or three more snowstorms until Summer! Here are the topics for today’s column (no fooling):

  • The Tester Audit
  • Transgender Day of Visibility
  • Easter 2024

THE TESTER AUDIT:

Over the weekend, I happened to catch a story about U.S. Senator Jon Tester having an “Ethics Audit” conducted in his U.S. Senate office. It seems this gimmick has run its course as hardly any media covered the “historic event.”

I have said from the beginning that when Tester announced the “audit” it was a gimmick. I think he did the first one in 2008 and it was done by a fellow Democrat. I don’t think anyone who has conducted these “audits” over the years has ever had any experience working in a U.S. Senate office to know what to look for. I think they all had ties in some capacity to the Democratic party. Retired State Supreme Court judge Terry Trieweiler conducted the latest audit. I hope this is the last one.

The “Ethics Audit” is almost as big a gimmick as Tester “posting his daily schedule” stunt. All these two things have done is generate some publicity for Tester, but that appears to be waning.

I like Tester and he will have my vote, but it’s time for him to run on his almost 18-year record in the U.S. Senate. He has accomplished a lot for Montana. Use that for reelection, not gimmicks.

Almost as bad as the gimmicks Tester is using, is a spokesperson’s response from his possible opponent Republican Tim Sheehy.

“This a sham by arguably one of the most liberal judges in Montana history can’t cover up the fact that Jon Tester broke his own ethics pledge and let lobbyists write his bills, held secret meetings with them, became the #1 recipient of lobbyist cash, amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune while in office… and $1 million on fancy dinners, wining and dining lobbyists and the DC elite,” said a spokesperson for Tim Sheehy.

Whoever this spokesperson is, they should hit the road. Sheehy and his people are so freaking angry and aggressive that they would order a missile strike on an ant farm. Sheehy needs a reset of staff and his message before the primary.

TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY:

The folks on the right had conniption fits about President Joe Biden’s “Presidential Proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility, 2024.” It was observed on March 31.

People were saying Biden “Hijacked Easter” which was observed on March 31 this year.

Many on the right embarrassed themselves. The former Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted on X and his message was reposted by Tim Sheehy: “Joe Biden just proclaimed that “Transgender Visibility Day” is on Sunday, March 31st. I wonder how he came up with that date.”

The right-wing pastor Franklin Graham embarrassed himself with his comments on X:

“President Biden has declared tomorrow—Easter Sunday—as “Transgender Day of Visibility.” This once again shows how little respect President Biden and his administration have for God. On the most significant day of the Christian calendar, when the Church around the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood for the sins of mankind, the Biden administration uses this opportunity to flaunt sin, to glorify sin, and to celebrate sin.”

Donald Trump, the Speaker of the House, and others embarrassed themselves, too. (Source).

Why don’t these people check the facts before firing off insults? Why can’t we be nice and respect everyone?

The fact is the “Transgender Day of Visibility” was established in 2009 and is held every March 31. Easter is not always on March 31. (Source)

Once again, the self-righteous folks on the right embarrassed themselves.

I did some checking and if my calculation is correct, the next time Easter falls on March 31 will be in 2086. The conservatives should prepare!

EASTER 2024:

I celebrated Easter with my family, attending church and then feasting on ham, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and asparagus. I finished it off with some cookies and some white wine.

God is so good to me. I hope you know him.

I remember celebrating Easter at Lackland AFB, Texas in 1981. It was April 19, and they marched us to a parade field for a sunrise Easter service. It was a beautiful event. Little did I know that a few weeks later I would be transformed for the better.

Have a great week!

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13 thoughts on “The Monday Memo”

  1. LOL’z on that whole Easter deal.

    An appropriated holiday with an appropriated name —

    Eostrae: “The Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.”

    True Christians don’t need a calendar because to them, the resurrection of Christ is pretty much celebrated every day of the year anyway.

    • “Eostrae: “The Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.”

      Which might explain a date determination system that seemingly follows a pagan full moon ritual to figure out when it’s going to be each year.

      At least the transgender crowd knows exactly when their recognition day is going to be, each and every year.

      • Yes

        These secular flavored Christians seem to put just a bit too much stock in those Pagan holidays

  2. I see Rick bad mouthing Biden about the trans post but that didn’t surprise me. What I did find interesting was his Yoko singing “What a Wonderful Word”, video. I’d like his readers catch Rick’s cover of “Down Under” for some perspective.

    • He has a lot of MAGAs commenting. I enjoy reading their comments about the stolen election and some lean toward violence. Most are not too bright and that tells me a lot about ol’ Rick.
      Thanks, JmB

  4. Sheehy needs any message at all. So far all we have heard is pablum – “pro-Trump conservative”, ” Navy seal”, etc. Tell us your big ideas, Tim. Talk about specific legislation and policies and issues.

    • I’ve sat in many campaigns strategy meetings and I’ve never seen one run like Sheehy’s. People grow tired of attacks and since Tester has been around awhile some people feel like the attacks are on a friend. I don’t see a winning strategy here. Thanks, JmB

      • I think that is out of necessity because Sheehy HAS no positive policy ideas and never did. So they’ve decided the message will be “Tester bad; I have no ideas of my own but will kiss Trump’s a**”. Which is probably good enough for 99.9% of MAGAs.

        He is a guy Daines plucked from obscurity to run for that office simply because he “looks good in a suit” and has enough money to self-fund since the Repubs keep getting hammered in fund raising.

      • Speaking of attacks, have any of you been visited by Shehee’s Rangers, his local yokels out knocking on doors for him? They showed up at my son’s house. When he told them he was voting for Tester, they got downright nasty and argumentative. They wouldn’t drop it and leave. They sat there and argued until my son had to run them off.

        This I’ve never heard of before. I’m thinkin’ this is a new MAGA tactic. Intimidation. I don’t think they’re gonna win over many folks with that tactic, especially when they run down Tester. The moron even said that Tester was an out of stater too. Pretty sad bunch ol’ Shehee has there!

      • One came to my door two months ago. Gave me a Sheehy flier. Asked if I would answer a short survey. I said no. He left.

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