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Indiana GOP Gov. Mike Pence Sends Pride Letter, Just Can’t Bring Himself To Mention LGBT People

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Mike Pence clearly has learned nothing from the multi-million dollar disaster he created by signing an anti-LGBT bill, and now he’s back, offending LGBT people and allies once again.

Mike Pence is in hot water again.

The conservative Republican Indiana governor penned a letter for Indy Pride participants, to be shared with locals, visitors coming from out of town, and from out of state for the LGBT Pride month celebration.

But Gov. Pence just couldn’t bring himself to mention LGBT people.

Instead, the letter reads like a tourism promotion – which it is, in part – rather than an honest, sincere welcome.

Pence has been forced to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to repair the Hoosier brand image after signing his disastrous and discriminatory “religious freedom” bill into law in April. That law was designed to allow businesses and individuals to cite a deeply-held religious belief to refuse service to LGBT people.

LOOK: Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s Approval Ratings Crash, Burn After ‘Religious Freedom’ Law Firestorm

Now that he has an opportunity to mend fences, he’s wholly squandered it.

Take a look for yourself:

Greetings,

On behalf of the people of Indiana, welcome to Indianapolis. I am confident that those of you who traveled from out of state will come to know our famous Hoosier Hospitality.

Our state’s capital city is well known as a destination for conventions, festivals, business meetings and other events. In fact, a recent USA TODAY Reader’s Choice digital poll ranked Indianapolis as the Best Convention City in the country.

Like so many other organizations who continue to use Indianapolis as their destination of choice, I am confident you will come to know a vibrant city.

During your stay, please explore the many entertainment options Indianapolis has to offer such as our museums, restaurants, theaters, historic landmarks, White River State Park, and the Indianapolis Zoo, just to name a few.

So, once again, welcome to Indiana. We hope you enjoy your stay.

Sincerely,

Mike Pence

Bilerico founder and Indiana native Bil Browning offered a few thoughts.

Is it any wonder that adding nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people “is not a priority of this administration?” Hell, Governor Pence can’t even be bothered to say the name of our community. He has words for out of state visitors, but nothing for the locals he supposedly represents.

Indiana NBC affiliate WTHR compared Gov. Pence’s letter to those written by other Hoosier Republicans.

For example, in 2005, GOP Governor Mitch Daniels’ Pride celebration letter began “Dear Friends,” not, “Greetings.”

“This celebration seeks to foster understanding and acceptance of individuals without regard to gender, gender identity, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any of the differences that too often divide us, in a state that urgently needs to confront its challenges with urgency of purpose,” Daniels wrote.

That, and more, which Indy Pride posted on Facebook, from a Republican governor a decade ago.

Governor Pence recently announce he will not seek the Republican presidential nomination, but will seek re-election next year.

 

Related:

Guess How Much $$ Indiana Spent Fighting Against Marriage Equality In Court

Activist Buys Domain Names Of Anti-Gay Indiana Lawmakers, Offers To Hand Them Over, If…

SNL: Michael Keaton Leads Spoof CNN Reenactment Of Indiana ‘Religious Freedom’ Law In Action

 

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license

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News

Trump Appears to Think Jeb Bush Was President: ‘He Got Us Into the Middle East’

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September 25, 2023

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During a rally in South Carolina on Monday, Donald Trump appeared to confuse former Florida GOP Governor Jeb Bush with his brother, former President George W. Bush, while bragging to supporters how he beat him.

Jeb Bush, who was largely considered to be the default Republican Party nominee for the 2016 presidential election when he launched his campaign, dropped out in February of 2016 after the South Carolina primary.

“When I come here, everyone thought Bush was going to win,” Trump said, before claiming he was “up by about 50 points” over Bush. “They thought Bush because Bush was supposedly a military person.”

“You know what he was…He got us into the Middle East,” Trump claimed, wrongly. “How did that work out?”

READ MORE: ‘Isn’t Glock a Good Gun?’ Trump Asks Before Saying He Is Buying One – Campaign Forced to Deny He Did

“But they also thought that Bush might win. Jeb. Remember Jeb? He used the word ‘Jeb,’ he didn’t use the word ‘Bush,’ I said, ‘You mean he’s ashamed of the last name?’ and then they immediately started using the name Bush,” Trump claimed.

The ex-president went on to continue denigrating Jeb Bush, accusing him of bringing his mother to campaign with him.

“Remember,” Trump said, “he brought his mother, his wonderful mother who’s 94 years old and it was pouring and they’re wheeling her around and it’s raining and horrible. I said, ‘Who would do that your mother, 94 years old. How desperate are you to win?”

Media Matters’ Craig Harrington, commenting on Trump’s latest gaffe, observed: “In the past two weeks, Donald Trump has:

– Warned that Joe Biden might start ‘World War 2’
– Confused his 2016 election opponent (Hillary Clinton) with former President Barack Obama
– Confused his 2016 primary opponent (Jeb Bush) with former President George W. Bush.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Careening’ Toward ‘Risk of Political Violence’: Experts Sound Alarm After Trump Floats Executing His Former General

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Fulton County Judge in Trump Case Orders Jurors’ Identities and Images Must Be Protected

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September 25, 2023

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The Fulton County Superior Court judge presiding over Georgia’s RICO, conspiracy, and election interference case against Donald Trump on Monday afternoon ordered the identities and images of all jurors and prospective jurors to remain secret, ordering they may only be referred to by a number.

“No person shall videotape, photograph, draw in a realistic or otherwise identifiable manner, or otherwise record images, statements, or conversations of jurors/prospective jurors in any manner” that would violate a Superior Court rule, Judge Scott McAfee ordered, “except that the jury foreperson’s announcement of the verdict or questions to the judge may be audio recorded.”

“Jurors or prospective jurors shall be identified by number only in court filings or in open court,” he added.

READ MORE: ‘Careening’ Toward ‘Risk of Political Violence’: Experts Sound Alarm After Trump Floats Executing His Former General

Judge McAfee also ordered no juror’s or prospective juror’s identity, “including names, addresses, telephone numbers, or identifying employment information” may be revealed.

MSNBC’s Katie Phang posted the order, and added: “Another important part of the Order: no responses from juror questionnaires or notes about jury selection shall be disclosed, unless permitted by the Court.”

Judge McAfee’s order comes after Donald Trump’s weekend of attacks on his former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Trump strongly suggested he should be executed for treason. Trump also strongly suggested he would target Comcast, NBC News, and MSNBC if he wins the 2024 presidential election.

Responding to the news, MSNBC’s Medhi Hasan observed, “We have just normalized the fact that the former president, and GOP presidential frontrunner, is basically a mob boss.”

 

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‘Isn’t Glock a Good Gun?’ Trump Asks Before Saying He Is Buying One – Campaign Forced to Deny He Did

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7 hours ago

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September 25, 2023

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During a photo shoot at a South Carolina gun shop, Donald Trump posed with and then said he wanted to buy a Glock, asking if it is “a good gun.”

Some say it might be illegal to sell a gun to anyone under criminal indictment, and if he took the gun with him that too might be illegal. It was not clear if, despite saying he would, he actually bought the firearm. The Trump campaign initially said he had, although later backtracked on its claim, and deleted the social media post saying he had.

In the photo op (video below,) Trump posed with several people, including the Republican Attorney General of South Carolina, Alan Wilson, who has held that elected position since 2011.

“Trump’s spokesman announced that Trump bought a Glock today in South Carolina. He even posted video,” wrote former Chicago Tribune editor Mark Jacob. “If Trump took the gun with him, that’s a federal crime since he’s under indictment. There’s also a law against selling a gun to someone under federal indictment like Trump.”

READ MORE: ‘Poof’: White House Mocks Stunned Fox News Host as GOP’s Impeachment Case Evaporates on Live Air

Reuters’ crime and justice reporter Brad Heath posted the federal laws that might apply, as well as Trump’s campaign spokesperson’s clip of the ex-president’s remarks, and his spokesperson saying, “President Trump purchases a @GLOCKInc in South Carolina!”

CNN analyst Stephen Gutowski, who writes about gun policy, added, “It would be a crime for him to actually buy this gun because he’s under felony indictment. Did he actually go through with this purchase?”

“People under felony indictments can’t ‘receive’ new firearms. That also means you can’t buy them,” he also wrote.

MSNBC anchor and legal contributor Katie Phang wrote, “I don’t know if he actually bought the gun. At least it didn’t happen in this video. Also, the Attorney General of South Carolina is in this video. Is he watching Trump commit a crime?”

But some pointed to a federal judge in Texas’ ruling from last year. Reuters reported, a “federal law prohibiting people under felony indictment from buying firearms is unconstitutional.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

 

 

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