Breaking: Governor McSmarmy Doubles Down But Also Retreats

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Local Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Feeling the heat: RALEIGH, N.C. – Governor McCrory signed an executive order Tuesday that clarifies existing state law and provides new protection for North Carolina residents. According to the Governor’s Office, Executive Order 93 does the following: Maintains the common sense gender-specific restroom and locker room facilities in government buildings and schools. Affirms the private sector’s right to establish its … Read More

How Does A “Error” Like This Happen?

Ken AshfordVoter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

Answer… it doesn’t.  I’m talking about the Spanish-language voter guides from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office include two errors about registering to vote in the state, while the English guides do not include the same errors. The Spanish-language guides said that voters could register up to 15 days before the election, while the English version included the correct … Read More

Duke On Trump And Other Thoughts

Ken AshfordElection 2016Leave a Comment

I am listening to Annie Duke on the Smerconish show, talking about Trump.  You may wonder why her opinions matter.  Annie Duke (a childhood friend of mine, but that’s not relevant) is known as “the Duchess of Poker”, being one of the highest ranking female poker players ever.  And she was on Celebrity Apprentice for that, although that’s not why … Read More

Why Keep An Embarrassing Law On The Books If You Can’t Even Enforce It?

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

So happy Mother Jones did this: Two days after North Carolina enacted one of the country’s most sweeping anti-LGBT laws, The New Yorker‘s Andy Borowitz imagined the scene at the state capitol in Raleigh: In a “historic ceremony,” he wrote, “North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory swore in a thousand officers charged with enforcing the state’s new public-bathroom regulations.” The new … Read More

For THIS, I Finally Appear In Playbill

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Local Interest, Sex/Morality/Family Values, TheatreLeave a Comment

Sigh: In a new statement provided to Playbill.com by Schwartz’s team, the composer-lyricist takes a hard line against North Carolina Governor McCrory and encourages citizens of the stage to turn their anger into activism. It can be read in full below: First of all, I think it’s important to remember that this is not just me, this is a collective … Read More

Post-Wisconsin Thoughts On This Election Thing

Ken AshfordElection 2016Leave a Comment

Can we get back to politics, please? So after a two-week hiatus, we had another primary last night.  In Wisconsin.  On the GOP side, this happened: and on the Dem side, this: Let’s start with Sanders and the Dem side. Yes, he “won” in that he got more delegates.  But who cares about a win when you’re so far behind? … Read More

Paypal Pulls The Plug

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

HB2, the very discriminatory “anti-discrimination bill in North Carolina” (Why do Republicans always name laws the opposite of what they actually do — like the Clean Water Act?  Do they think we are idiots?) wasn’t supposed to result in any job loss to North Carolina.  The opposition to the bill was all “political theater” Governor McCrory said. Nnooope. The Charlotte … Read More

What’s The Panama Papers All About?

Ken AshfordCorporate Greed, Crime, Cybersecurity, WorldLeave a Comment

The leak amounts to 2.6 terabytes of information — perhaps the largest whistleblower leak in history.  Also, it might topple a country or too. So it might be interesting to learn what the Panama Papers leak is all about. It starts with a company called Mossack Fonesca.  That’s a Panamanian law firm that has long been well-known to the global financial … Read More

SCOTUS Strikes Down Texas Voting Suppression Attempt

Ken AshfordSupreme Court, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

They saw what you did there, Texas. Since the 1960s — the case of Wesberry v. Sanders – to be specific — we have had a “one person, one vote” which says that state legislative districts must be drawn so they are equal in population. But the Republican asshole legislature in Texas (of course) wanted legislative lines to be drawn based on eligible … Read More