ERA ratified, but Trump regime refuses to recognize it

This should be big news, but hardly anyone is covering it: A new constitutional amendment has just been ratified for the first time since 1992.

For decades, the popular Equal Rights Amendment had been waiting for ratification by the 38 states it needed to become part of the Constitution. Just days ago, Virginia became the 38th. Thus, the ERA is ratified. End of story.

There should be no ambiguity about it. I had been under the impression that the ERA had a time limit written into it, so it could never be effectively enacted if it wasn't ratified before the deadline. But now we know this is not true.

Nonetheless, the Trump regime - known for its lawlessness - is refusing to recognize the ERA's ratification. Trump's National Archives and Records Administration has declared that it would "take no action to certify the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment." The reason is that the Trump regime opposes the amendment.

Uh, the President and his administration have no say in approving constitutional amendments. If enough states ratify the amendment, the administration is required to certify it and recognize it as the law of the land. Full stop.

Now 3 states are suing the federal government to try to force it to certify the ERA. Why aren't 38 states suing? Part of this is because some states that approved the ERA a long time ago now have corrupt Republicans as their attorney general, and they don't care about the Constitution. The Republicans have proven during the Trump impeachment that they have no respect for the Constitution - but I've known that for a long time.

As far as I'm concerned, the ERA is ratified and is now the law.

(Source: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Democratic-AGs-in-last-states-to-ratify-ERA-plan-15015680.php)

Duke wants yet another rate increase

Another electric rate increase???

After Duke Energy's recent increase in electric rates for northern Kentucky was rubber-stamped, this utility monopoly is already demanding yet another increase - this one by a staggering 16%.

Why? Just because.

(Source: https://www.rcnky.com/articles/2020/01/30/public-meeting-planned-proposed-duke-energy-rate-increase-16)

Have no fear, the February ish is here!

Feb wouldn't be Feb without the February issue of The Last Word! So let's Feb it up!

And how do we do that, dare you ask? By...bipping! Just joking! Rather, you can do that by leaning back, relaxing, and probing your proboscis with the latest ish - which talks about the devious plot to tear down a historic building for a Burger King, bubble gum cigarettes, comic books getting ruined by a leaky toilet, a 'Super Fuzz' retrospective, modern-day homesteading, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/444681648/The-Last-Word-2-2020

If that doesn't work, point it here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2002.pdf

Connecticut lawmakers propose unit to fight right-wing violence

Listen up, Kentucky, because this is how it's done.

In 2017, authorities in Connecticut and nationwide reported a spike in what they called "bias crimes" - hate crimes motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, or certain other factors. New legislation in Connecticut broadened protections from hate crimes, but some state legislators there say more needs to be done.

Lawmakers now want to create a new unit within the state police designed to fight against hate crimes and other right-wing violence. They want to be more proactive at identifying and investigating the sources of such terrorism. A press release said the new unit would "specialize in investigating far right extremist groups and individuals." Just by releasing that statement, legislators have done more to identify the problem than most other states do.

In the meantime, what are Kentucky lawmakers doing? The Kentucky GOP is instead trying to pass bathroom bills, anti-immigrant laws, and voter suppression measures - like anyone still gives a shit about their right-wing agenda.

(Source: https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-csp-hate-crimes-20200122-vvirqerpevcvho3rrwg3ii4bh4-story.html)

January bunkeroo haul

Next time I go to an important family gathering, I'm bringing a gas mask!

Tonight, after a dinner with family members, we goed back to a family domicile to watch TV and be cool. While we were there, many silent but deadly bunker blasts were detected. I didn't notice most of them, but they reportedly went on all evening. The ones I did detect though were hilarious.

At first, it was agreed that these rock snakes had a canine source. But then the net was cast wider. Cries of accusation sprang up throughout the room. But no suspects were impeached for this high crime or misdemeanor.

St. Henry student accused of social media threats

Many media outlets intentionally do not cover terroristic threats or even actual violence in private schools as readily as they do for public schools. That is a matter of policy. Covering it conflicts with their aim of portraying private schools as perfect.

But they couldn't hide the fact that today, a 15-year-old student at St. Henry District High School - a Catholic school in Boone County - was arrested and accused of terroristic threatening for reportedly making threats on Snapchat. The threats included images of a pistol and knife.

In fact, he told police he had carried a pocketknife to school, and cops found a pocketknife in his locker.

He told authorities he made the threats because other students were harassing his pals. One thing is clear: Whether it was him or someone else, somebody precipitated this situation. This torpedoes a Bazooka hole through the media's unceasing claims of private school perfection.

Back when I went to Brossart, I heard about a student bringing a gun to school, and people made terroristic threats in paper form all the time. It cane nowhere near the media's threshold for coverage though, because there were no charges, as the offenders had a lot of money and clout.

Ohio cuts healthcare to give handouts to 1%

The Cincinnati Enquirer isn't exactly a progressive organ, but it took only one glance at the headlines on its website today to see how the Ohio GOP is robbing workers to give free Toy Money to the 1%.

One of the top headlines is: "You may soon be paying for Wyoming, Indian Hill students to attend private schools. Here's why."

The headline of another article reads: "Health-care cuts coming for 500,000-plus retired Ohio public employees."

These stories side by side speak volumes about Republicans' thirst for giving handouts to the 1%. It's about all you need to know about their priorities and their intent to harm workers.

Campbell County adopts Second Amendment resolution

Yesterday, Campbell County joined many other counties across Kentucky and the nation in passing a resolution supporting the Second Amendment, which safeguards the right to bear arms.

Spectacular! Now that Campbell County has proven it understands the Second Amendment, hopefully it will start to understand the rest of the Constitution too.

Take the First Amendment, for example, which the county has violated by prosecuting people over adult movies that are constitutionally protected.

Or the Fifth Amendment, which the county violated at least once - many years ago - by prosecuting a defendant twice for the same crime because it didn't get the conviction it wanted the first time.

County officials also have a lot to learn about the constitutional responsibility to fully fund public education.

Why did officials express support for the Second Amendment but nothing else in the Constitution? The Second Amendment is the law of the land, and in no way should it be abridged. But the same is true of the rest of the Constitution. In this democratic republic, we don't get to pick and choose which parts of the Constitution we want to obey - like it's a smorgasbord.

For a county that has historically been very weak on civil liberties and economic security, why pick just one part of the Constitution to support? What does it say about the county if it doesn't support the First Amendment or a number of other constitutional provisions that protect our liberty?

West Virginia tries to annex Virginia county

It's nice to know West Virginia Republicans waste time on ridiculous campaigns like this.

Republicans in the West Virginia Senate have approved a resolution urging the annexation of Frederick County, Virginia. Apparently, this would leave the city of Winchester - an independent city that is not officially part of Frederick County - as a part of Virginia completely surrounded by West Virginia.

This effort sounds like a cash grab to finance Republican mismanagement. Frederick County actually has a higher average income than most West Virginia counties, and with 90,000 people, it would be a cash cow. The West Virginia GOP has managed the state so incompetently that they think they need to annex new territory to recoup the economic losses.

But Frederick County doesn't want to join West Virginia - precisely because of Republicans' fiscal mismanagement.

Delta flight dumps fuel on playground

Here's more of the news the right-wing media seems to lose.

Today, a Delta Airlines flight that had just taken off from Los Angeles dumped jet fuel on an elementary school playground - as children were present. Thirty children had to be treated or hospitalized.

Will the media cover it? Of course not.

The airlines received a taxpayer-funded bailout just to do shit like this.

Warplanes bomb people around the world. But Delta wages a war of its own against America's children.

(Source: https://breaking911.com/breaking-30-children-treated-after-flight-dumps-fuel-on-elementary-school-in-l-a)

NKU residence halls close because of structural problems

Looks like the 2020s are gonna be another decade of stupid at Northern Kentucky University! Super!

Students who live on campus at 2 residence halls are being forced to move right away because the buildings have deteriorated so much that they must be closed. A third building must close in June.

These buildings are less than 30 years old, and they've already gotten so bad that they must be demolished.

NKU squandered an untold amount of money moving its sports program to Division I and buying a bulk subscription to a far-right newspaper, but it wouldn't even properly maintain its residence halls? For years, the school has been poormouthing about how we couldn't have this or couldn't have that because there was no money, yet it wastes money on ideological projects or other stuff it doesn't need.