BISBEE WIRE #103/CM going/around town &county/events/mr. piggy/brazilian butt lift explained/understanding men/word/and lots more
- fred
- 2 days ago
- 25 min read
editor: fred miller November 19, 2025 #103/November 2025 Hello, The firehose of information just keeps gushing...It truly is difficult to keep track of all the 'flooding the zones' that the trump administration is doing. The idea is that if there is so much going on then there can be no resistance to any one thing. However sex is the one thing has always captures the corporate owned media. But, while influential middle aged men having sex with underage females is the magnet for news stories about Epstein and related figures, the real story, mostly unreported, is the revelations about how business is really conducted among corporations, politicians, countries,and billionaires. And not one of the trad media is asking where was Melania when the buddy buddy wink wink stuff was happening? See below for more. Change is coming to city hall in January when current city manager Steve Pauken retires. Look for some stirrings beginning in December for the three council seats and the mayor's job in addition to figuring out the CM sitch. The fall season has kicked off with a bunch of events. I was lucky to be asked to be part of the Friends of the Library spelling bee, a big success and a ton of fun.
I was bartending, along with uber-competent Amy and Deb, so I didn't get to see much while making about 40+ Bees Knees, but I did hear it. Cathy Clifton and her crew did a wonderful job. And I caught several bands at Sidepony-Fatigo was particularly outstanding-and was one of several interviewers doing some live chats through the KBRP. Liz, Joe did outstanding work getting the tech set up and functioning. And Shawnee and Liz helped make this the most organized event of the 12 year history-I mean a list of the which bands were playing at what venues available a day before!. Also stopped by the Carriage House gallery to see the current exhibition entitled 'The Infinite Face'. Several local artists along with many others. Stunning works illuminating humans in our many forms. My Bisbee Wire is 12 years old this month and the anniversary issue will be out end of the month...hopefully. Jeez, that's a lot of words! I'm also working on a special issue that will come out soon. The vicious assault on democratic norms didn't just happen, there are clear public docs that outline a vision of christian nationalism, free market capitalism, monoculturalism, and white supremacy in the US. I'm trying to summarize how it is being done, who is doing the doing, as well as fledgling efforts to not only resist, but forge a different path. St. Johns is hosting their annual thanksgiving dinner for the community. All are welcome. I'll be carving turkeys for the 16th year. They can use some help. Contact Gina at cactuskate2008@gmail.com to volunteer. It's a wonderful time of the year, go out there and do some good. fred ...............AROUND TOWN................ CITY MANAGER OUT THE DOOR The Bisbee career saga, here/gone, here/gone, here/going, of city manager Steve Pauken, will be ending on January 3. He submitted his resignation letter last week. Pauken has had some challenging years during his three tenures in Bisbee, particularly the last couple of years; the Valentine’s night fire and aftermath, the decrease in visitation, and resignation of the visitor center manager under his supervision. On his watch, tourism has suffered some with unfocused ads, minimal data collection, and increased criticism of the entire tourism operation by a significant number of businesses. Opposition became more visible when the city manager pushed through a transfer of $400,000 from the visitor center fund to a capital improvement fund in the FY 2025/26 budget ostensibly to construct a new visitor center at 30 Main. In response to the economic challenges, a new business group, Bisbee Forward, has formed that has challenged existing practices and proposed a new way of marketing the city. (A new contract is being worked on by the group and the city but for some reason the work session devoted to hashing out the particulars last night/Tueaday/18 is not up on the city's website, nor facebook.) Mr. Pauken has successes also. He was one of the main drivers in getting a new city hall built, six years after the old one burned to the ground. Final cost figures for the entire building and surrounding landscaping has not yet been made public, but at least $3 million was available through the insurance settlement on the old building. In his resignation letter, Mr. Pauken said, “During almost five years, we have accomplished a lot, and I would dare to say that they have been five of the most productive years in our city’s history. The list of accomplishments is large, and I will provide it under separate cover, but the most important accomplishment has been the team of professionals we have assembled that makes it all happen. To them I owe a debt of gratitude.” The outgoing manager added that he plans to remain involved in local government in some capacity. For an article about the city manager's extensive accomplishments go here ++++++++++ COMPLAINT ABOUT MAYOR DISMISSED Bisbee mayor Ken Budge will not be charged for forwarding a screenshot to blogger, Nolan Nouguet. A complaint was filed with police by Nouguet saying that the screenshot threatened violence against him. The county attorney declined to prosecute because of the likelihood of no conviction. The screen shot that was forwarded to Nouguet said, “So that weasel that got the 75gs settlement from the city trying for another payday? Running his ‘free speech’ mouth to the wrong person might get him some in the field dental work.” Gouguet been a thorn in side of city officials for the past several years. In the summer of 2020, Gouguet was filming a former Bisbee animal control officer who had responded to a call at the park about a rabid raccoon. Gouget was standing on public property when the animal control officer yelled at him to leave. She called the cops after Gouguet refused to move. Gouguet videoed the entire encounter which made international headlines.He subsequently filed a claim against several city employees and received a $75,000 settlement. ++++++++++ TABLES TURNED ON NOUGUET; CLAIMANT BECOME CLAIMEE The blogger who originally claimed the mayor threatened him with a screenshot of someone else’s post, is himself now a target for a claim by city manager Steve Pauken for harassment. According to an article in the Herald Review, on May 19, Gouguet approached Pauken was at a recycling bin, and was verbally threatening toward the city manager who attempted to ignore Gouguet. Gouguet is now facing charges for disorderly conduct and harassment — both Class 1 misdemeanors — court records show, and he’s been summoned to appear at the Bisbee Justice Court on Nov. 12 for arraignment. The complaint filed against Gouguet shows that he faces a disorderly conduct charge because he used “abusive or offensive language or gestures in a manner likely to provoke immediate physical retaliation…” Under the harassment charge, the complaint states that Gouguet “with intent to harass or with knowledge that he was harassing (Pauken), did continue to follow (Pauken) in or about a public place for no legitimate purpose after being asked to stop…” ++++++++++ KBRP IN THE NEWS SSVEC"s Current magazine has a good rundown of the current state of affairs at your local radio and streaming station KBRP. Go here ++++++++++ HOLIDAY GARBAGE COLLECTION Thanksgiving holiday week... Monday/24 ok Tuesday/25 moved to Monday Thursday/27 is moved to Tuesday Friday/28 is moved to Wednesday ++++++++++ BISBEE BIKEWAY ROLLING ALONG Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has awarded a $30,000 grant to help build the West Segment of the Lavender Pit Shared-Use Path. The group has been seeking matching grants to continue the work of connecting OB with Warren, and eventually Naco. The West Segment will start at the Lyric Theater crosswalk, go under State Route 80, and end at the Queen Mine Tour entrance, where it will connect to the East Segment, which runs to Lowell. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 for the East Segment and fall 2026 for the West Segment. For more information, go to their website. ++++++++++ PIPCORN AT PANTERRA The Bisbee Turquoise jewelry of Randall Pipcorn,owner of the former Gold Shop (1987-2024!) will now be offered at Panterra Gallery. The Turquoise that came out of the Copper Queen Mine is in high demand because of its rarity, unique beauty and supply, which ended when the mine closed in 1974. Pipcorn will be showing his wearable jewelry, using natural, untreated Bisbee turquoise hand cut. These pics are our wedding rings, with Bisbee turquoise and Anita's grandmother's diamonds, designed by Anita and made by Randall 18 years ago. ++++++++++ BISBEE MEDIA MENTIONS KBRP has a vid sampling of many of the bands playing at Sidepony. go here Lolly Bombs get some pub in this article Sidepony article Go here ++++++++++ BONSAI! Chairy Tree Art Gardens presents an exhibit of more than 40 Bonsai Trees created by Bisbee native Henry Haros. The spectacular collection of Juniper and Boxwood Bonsai trees includes specimens of all ages, sizes, and levels of development. Several of these exquisite trees are over 35 years old and 4 feet tall. The trees will be on display through the end of the year. Browse the collection during regular hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 11-4. Chairy Tree Art Gardens is located under The Chairy Tree on Highway 80 towards Douglas, just east of the traffic circle in Bisbee. Follow the red chair signs. ++++++++++ DOUGLAS FOOD ASSISTANCE St. Vincent de Paul...Lunches MWF 11-noon; food bags Tuesday 1-3 pm, +++++++++ MORE MEASLES The outbreak on the Arizona-Utah border as of Nov. 12 had grown to 182 cases, with 58 in Utah and 124 in Mohave County in Arizona. The state has had a total of 128 measles cases in 2025. Most of the people who have been infected in the ongoing outbreak are under the age of 18, and the vast majority had not been vaccinated against measles, state data and public health officials have said. The Mohave County Department of Public Health as of Nov. 13 had not provided any information about new exposure sites. The last time the department posted about measles on its Facebook page was Nov. 5 with a public service announcement that says measles is preventable but made no mention of an outbreak. During the last academic school year, Mohave County schoolchildren had some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. This is largely due Arizona allowing non-medical "personal belief" exemptions to required school vaccinations. Three more possible exposure outside of Mojave county have been confirmed. At at Phoenix Tate McRae concert, the Home2 suites in downtown Phoenix, and at the Flagstaff mall. Symptoms of measles include a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher; red, watery eyes; a cough; runny nose, and a rash that is red, raised and blotchy. The rash begins after other symptoms, usually on the face at the hairline and moves down the body. The rash may last five to six days. .............EVENTS............ (Compiled from various sources including TWIB) November 21…ReMake Art show 6-8:30 reception more go info here November 22...Artemizia Gallery Opening Reception for Jessica Gonzales. Saturday, November 22nd, 1pm to 4pm. Jessica Gonzales is a Tucson-based artist and muralist whose work explores the layered spaces between identity, culture, and authenticity. Exhibition Dates: November 22, 2025 – January 4, 2026. Gallery 818, Artemizia Foundation, Bisbee, AZ, hours: Thur-Sun 11am-4pm. More info here November 22… "The Infinite Face", an international portrait show with 100 works from 40 artists. Carriage House Studios, 308 Powell St in Warren. 1-5 pm. Sat/Sun Nov 2 & Sat/Sun 23/27,28. More info go here November 28, 29…Home Tour & Art Auction 10-4. More info go here December 9… The Bisbee Science Exploration and Research Center (BSERC),located on Melody Lane, will present the designs for the Bisbee Backyard Project. The open house is at the Legion Bar and Grill at 3 pm. They are looking for feedback about their plans. Light bites, will be served during a question and answer time after the presentation. December 31... January 3, 2026...Power To The People Resistance Music Festival. Oldfield Mile-high Oasis. More into with Scott at 520 321-5579 I very much appreciate people who have supported the Wire with some bucks. Thank you. If you find it useful and would like to donate to offset the cost of news subscriptions, use the QR code for Zelle with my email bisbeewire@gmail.com or send a check made out to fred miller, 39 Hazzard, 85603. Thank you. ..............COCHISE COUNTY................ There is no news about Tom Crosby. ++++++++++ TURNING POINT HAS INITIAL MEETING IN SV "Around 50 people gathered Saturday morning at LifeHouse Church on Sierra Vista’s West End for a public meeting hosted by the Cochise County Conservatives, introducing local residents to Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action representatives and programs. Turning Point staff prohibited photography and video and requested that speakers not be quoted, citing safety and privacy concerns. A heavy security presence was on hand both inside and outside the church." The TP reps said there were three new high school groups in Sierra Vista, one at Buena High School, and a homeschool chapter that meets at Calvary Chapel. And efforts to establish a Cochise County chapter were underway. Herald Review article here ++++++++++ ARIZONA MEN THAT SIGNED FAKE ELECTOR DOCS PARDONED FOR A CRIME THEY WERE NOT CHARGED FOR If they accept a pardon issued by president trump, three Arizona men may acknowledge they would be guilty of breaking a federal law-if they had been charged-by trying to overturn the legal results of the presidential election in 2020. The presidential pardon was weird because none of the 88 people pardoned were charged with breaking a federal law. They were pardoned but did not break a federal law? Wtf? The men, Arizona Sen. Jake Hoffman, leader of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, former Arizona Sen. Anthony Kern, and Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point Action USA CEO signed bogus documents claiming they were legitimate electors. Eight other people in Arizona, including Robert Montgomery- then head of the Cochise County republican party-were not covered by the pardon edict from trump These men and 8 others Arizona Republicans were accused by AZ AG Kris Mayes of attempting to use a certificate of ascertainment to falsely claim Trump had won the state's electoral votes in the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Arizona. A judge denied the filing on procedural grounds and the AG has until the end of the month to refile charges against the eleven. ++++++++++ AZ: ONE BILLION FOR VOUCHERS, PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLOSING We’re sad to report that, this week, Arizona’s ESA voucher program officially reached $1 billion in annual costs, not even halfway through the school year, as enrollment in the program reached 96,802 students. This means $1 billion in taxpayer dollars is being siphoned away from local public schools to private schools with no requirements for financial reporting, academic standards, or safety oversight. It means taxpayers are providing a $1 billion subsidy for primarily wealthier families who were already choosing (and affording) private options. More than 20 public schools have been closed or slated to close in Arizona because of budget cuts to accommodate vouchers. Go here for the full SOS article. ++++++++++ SNAP WORK REQUIREMENTS EFFECTIVE NOV 1. New SNAP work requirements took effect on November 1, 2025, and include the following changes:
Although some counties, such as Pima, are exploring opportunities to volunteer for the county as a work requirement, to date there has been no public discussion for the estimated 23,000 SNAP recipients in Cochise County. ++++++++++ COCHISE COUNTY EVICTION FILINGS Just an fyi. If the economy continues on a decline, these number will surely rise. 2020…350 2021…275 2021…382 2023…383 2024…477 2025…339 to date ++++++++++ 53 COUNT DRUG INDICTMENTS ANNOUNCED BY AG (thanks to AM for this tidbit) Attorney General Mayes today announced the indictment of seven individuals for their roles in an illicit drug enterprise in Cochise County. Most lived in northern Cochise County. On August 25, 2025, a State Grand Jury indicted Reina Jimenez, David Shuler, Daniel Kempker, James Bunch, Rudolph Verdugo, and James Morlin for offenses including Illegally Conducting an Enterprise, Conspiracy, Possession of Dangerous or Narcotic Drugs for Sale, and Misconduct Involving Weapons, relating to a series of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and firearm transactions. The crimes are alleged to have occurred between February 2024 and August 2025. Meth, Fentanyl, heroin were the drugs sold. To read the indictment go here RESIST THE PRESIDENT OF THE US TELLS FEMALE REPORTER "QUIET! QUIET,PIGGY!" The real trumpie emerges in this clip telling a female Bloomberg News reporter Quiet! Quiet piggy!" while pointing his finger at her. Go here to hear and see the slur by turkey neck trump continuing his long history of demeaning and attempting to silence women. ++++++++++ HOW THINGS REALLY WORK...AND A SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF EPSTEIN FILES The Epstein docs are very important because a bright light has revealed the sexual use and trafficking of young girls by wealthy men. However there are other revelations summarize how things really work. "... an important illustration of how our economic order functions. The Copper Courier created a searchable database of the so-far released files, and if you go through some of it, it becomes clear that this elite network was as likely to be organizing African politics, the U.S. Treasury Secretary slot, or ideas around monopolies in the information economy as discussing sexual adventures. The Epstein files serve as a sort of sex offender registry list for the powerful, but more than that, a dramatic illustration of the two-tiered system of justice we despise." The quote comes from this commentary by Matt Stoller's in his newsletter, BIG, that explains the career of Lawrence Summers as a front man for corporations and billionaires as well as how this system really works. It is incisive and revelatory. ++++++++++ ARGENTINA BAILOUT BENEFITS CRONY OF TREAS. SEC. Popular Information revealed that the Trump administration’s $20 billion bailout of Argentina would benefit hedge fund billionaire Robert Citrone, a personal friend and former colleague of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Citrone asked Bessent for help because he made some very bad investments that threatened to tank his company. While this admin couldn't find money for SNAP bennies, they found the billions for cronies. We are running out of words to describe the extend of the corruption of this administration. ++++++++++ CANCEL SPOTIFY Spotify is running ads recruiting ICE agents, the federal agency charged with mass deportation and surveillance of immigrant communities. These ads target vulnerable populations, dangle signing bonuses, and normalize fear and intimidation in our neighborhoods. Spotify claims these ads comply with their policy, but the truth is streaming hate is not neutral. It’s a choice. Cancel Spotify and tell them why ++++++++++ PARTY AFFILIATION, NUMBER OF VOTERS NATIONALLY National party and election data in one place at usafacts.org Arizona had 69% of eligible voters registered. Voter registration was highest in Minnesota at 83.6%. Arkansas’s rate of 64.7% was the nation’s lowest. Go here for info. (USA Facts is an attempt to take the huge amount of available public data on a variety of topics of interest and make sense of it. They strive for impartiality and stick to the data and what it reveals about a subject It is an interesting website. Lately, topics of publication are What happens when the Government Shuts down, One of the most concise visual examples of trumps BUB bill provisions and when they take effect is here, as well a brief explanation of the each provision; taxes, immigration, education, etc.) ++++++++++ TRUMP ADMIN EXPANDS CITATIONS OF PROTEST SITES TO ‘FEDERAL SITE ADJACENT’ As masked and costumed protesters demonstrate outside federal immigration facilities nationwide, the federal government has sped up the start of a new rule that may expose those protesters to fines and additional penalties. Under the new rule, which took effect this month, those fines can apply to people who commit crimes near federal property as well as on it, giving the Department of Homeland Security what it calls “enhanced charging authority.” The new fines cover “approximately 8,500 federal facilities,” according to the Federal Register notice, and — in another change from prior practice — apply “to criminal misconduct that occurs on the federal property and adjacent off-property misconduct that … affects, threatens, or endangers the federal property and its occupants.” Arizona Mirror ++++++++++ WE ARE NOT POWERLESS IN THE FACE OF CORPORATE GOUGING. There are fundamental changes that can be enacted in how states and cities interact with corporate power to bring down prices not just temporarily, but permanently, and return a sense of stability and predictability to costs. For examples of what to do, look at what states have accomplished in just the last few years. Six have banned deceptive junk fees. New York adopted a law preventing algorithmic landlord collusion, and California went further, cracking down on algorithmic price-fixing across its economy. Oregon and Massachusetts embraced new limits on private equity firms acquiring health care facilities, while Minnesota placed new requirements on hospital mergers. And states such as Ohio and Kentucky have cut PBMs out of state programs, while Arkansas adopted a law banning them from owning pharmacies. These policies aren’t a one-size-fits-all agenda that can be slapped onto a particular state without forethought; they need specific state-based organizing and support of the sort Economic Liberties and its allies have provided in the past and stand ready to provide again. They address the affordability crisis the voters see so clearly, the one the Democrats who won on Tuesday said they’d fix. If they break their word, or are not successful at assuaging voter fears about the high cost of living, they will likely find themselves where Trump and the GOP are today, staring at a slate of broken promises and once-again restive voters ready for yet another change. From the The Economic Populist ++++++++++ NO-TRACE COMMUNICATION BEGUN BY HOMELAND SECURITY DHS has stopped using software that automatically captured text messages and saved trails of communication between officials, The New York Times reports. Since April, officials have been expected to take screenshots of their messages to comply with the Freedom of Information Act, which experts claim opens the door for willful noncompliance in the agency that oversees both ICE and Border Patrol. ++++++++++ OTHER ELECTIONS; A REJECTION OF TRUMPIE (from Popular Information) Although Democratic electoral victories in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and California dominated the headlines, significant contests were held across the nation. Pennsylvania’s largest swing county, which Trump narrowly won in 2024 — Democrat Danny Ceisler was elected county sheriff after the Republican incumbent signed a deal to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this year. In Texas’s Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD), which is the third largest in the state, progressive candidates won all three open board seats, giving them a 4-3 majority. Since 2023, the board has been controlled by a 6-1 conservative supermajority, which has enacted a range of far-right policies. Two Georgia Democrats, Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson, won election to the state’s Public Service Commission, which regulates electricity, telephone services, and natural gas. (The commission will now only have a 3-2 Republican majority for the first time since 2006) Colorado through prop MM, will raise taxes for households with incomes of more than $300,000 per year to fund free school meals, buy local ingredients in school cafeterias, and provide raises to cafeteria workers. Any excess funds raised by the tax increase will support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In Maine, voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot initiative that would have created new voter ID requirements and made absentee voting less accessible, with over 60% of voters opposing the initiative ++++++++++ IN THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES…SOME SATIRE Warning: This is Not Satire. “In late September, President Trump signed an executive order purporting to designate “Antifa” as a “domestic terrorist organization.” A few days later, he issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) on Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence.” Warning: This is Satire! (From David Fitzsimmons former political cartoonist and current satirist.) Defining the legal term “Anti-Fa related terrorism” is solely determined at the discretion of the President of the United States Be On The Alert for these transgressions If you are found in possession of an Anti-Fa membership card, an Anti-Fa decoder spy ring, an Anti-Fa Club “Special Agent” badge or cap or any Anti-Fa related items you will be subject to arrest and incarceration for an undetermined time. If you are found in possession of, or intend to distribute, any Anti-Fa related publications by George Orwell such as “Animal Farm” or “1984” you will be subject to arrest and incarceration for an undetermined time. If you are found in possession of one roll of Anti-Fa related toilet paper with the President’s likeness on it or if you are found in possession of, with an intent to distribute, 10 or more rolls of Anti-Fa toilet paper with the President’s likeness on it you will be subject to arrest and incarceration for an undetermined time. ................EVERYTHING ELSE................ REPUBLICAN CONGRESS..HAVEN'T EVEN WORKED ENOUGH TO QUALIFY FOR SNAP BENNIES The House of Representatives took all of October off. In fact, the GOP-led chamber has only worked 14 days since July 25. These people wouldn't even qualify for SNAP work requirements. As Congress sat idle, hardworking Americans faced rising health care costs, farmers battled dangerous market instability, and millions may lose necessary food assistance. ++++++++++ CANARIES IN THE COPPER MINE Former Federal Reserve bank examiner Mark Williams now a professor of finance at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, points to ominous signs in the private credit market. The largely unregulated industry took off about a decade ago, fueled by private equity firms and startups that wanted to get around the regulation and scrutiny that come with borrowing from traditional banks. Private credit thrived in the shadows and now represents a $3 trillion market, Williams says. “It got so big, the banks got FOMO—the fear of missing out,” he adds, and they started lending money to private credit institutions, which turned around and used that money to make high-risk loans. As the economy has started to soften, some of those risky loans have gone bad, causing private credit institutions to go belly up. Now some of the banks that became directly and indirectly entangled with private credit, including regional banks like Zions and Western Alliance and bigger players like Fifth-Third and JPMorgan Chase, are potentially sitting on a lot of bad loans. “ The big unknown is, what is the level of the hit?” Williams says. “This market is not transparent, so we can only guess.” Bloomberg AND MORE… Year-to-date job cuts have exceeded 1 million, the most since the pandemic. In the same period, US-based employers have announced the fewest hiring plans since 2011. US companies announced the most job cuts for any October in more than two decades as artificial intelligence reshapes industries and cost-cutting accelerates, according to data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Companies announced 153,074 job cuts last month, almost triple the number during the same month last year and driven by the technology and warehousing sectors. It’s the most for any October since 2003, when the advent of cellphones was similarly disruptive, said Andy Challenger, the company’s chief revenue officer. Bloomberg News ++++++++++ LARGEST EGG PRODUCER IN ARIZONA SOLD The sale of Hickman Farms, announced Nov. 14, transfers Arizona’s largest egg producer to Mantiqueira USA, a new joint venture backed by Mantiqueira Brasil and JBS N.V., one of the world’s biggest meat processors. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Hickman's lost an estimated 95% of laying hens this year due to a severe avian influenza outbreak. A Fourth Estate article, using public records, details how the company weathered earlier crises through practices that placed incarcerated women in hazardous working and living conditions. ++++++++++ CREDIT CARD FEES TO BUSINESSES DECREASE? A deal under discussion aims to end a 20-year-old legal dispute by lowering fees stores pay and giving them more power to reject certain credit cards. If an agreement is finalized, consumers could see big changes at the register. Some stores might turn away rewards cards, which charge them higher fees. Small businesses finally may get a modicum of relief from the predatory credit card monopolies. ++++++++++ NOT ENUFF WHITE BABIES? IMPORT EM! Although fertility rates for women in 2025 dropped for all groups, it is greater for white women. But not to worry tiny hands trump has got us covered, because do we really want to live in a country where whites are a minority? Worried about the low birth rate among white citizens, The Trump administration said it will only allow 7,500 refugees nationwide for the 2026 Fiscal Year, according to a notice published in the Federal Register. White South Africans will make up the majority of the refugees admitted, according to the notice.The notice said this cap is "justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest." ++++++++++ THE HISTORY AND MATH BEHIND THE BRAZILIAN BUTT LIFT Don’t be bummed out because you’re behind the trend. Combat the growing spread of misinformation by boosting your grasp of this uplifting story with this perky, cheeky article. Go here to enhance and bolster your edification. ++++++++++ FAT PEOPLE? VISAS? NOPE! The secretary of state directed visa officers to consider obesity, and other chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes, as reasons to reject applicants. ++++++++++ CONGRESS NIXES THC DRINKIES Congress, the somnolent body often thought to be on downers they get so little done, closed a legal loophole this month by prohibiting hemp/THC drinks. That effectively eliminates more than 95% of the market for the rapidly expanding fizzy drinks category. This is a win for beer and spirits giants who have fought against the budding industry to preserve sales as alcohol consumption dips. ++++++++++ The ten wealthiest people have gotten $500 billion richer this year An AI-fueled boom in stock prices has resulted in a $500 billion windfall for the ten wealthiest people on earth. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison leads the way, increasing his wealth by over $100 billion this year. The two Google co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, each increased their wealth by over $65 billion in 2025. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, still the wealthiest person in the world, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg each increased their wealth by around $25 billion since January. Go here and here for details. Using Federal Reserve data from 1989 to 2022, researchers also calculated that the top 1% of households gained 101 times more wealth than the median household during that time span and 987 times the wealth of a household at the bottom 20th percentile of income. This translated to a gain of $8.35m per household for the top 1% of households, compared with $83,000 for the average household during that 33-year period. Meanwhile, over 40% of the US population, including nearly 50% of children, are considered low-income, with family earnings that are less than 200% of the national poverty line Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill”, passed by Congress in May, has been one of the “single largest transfers of wealth upwards in decades”, according to the report, by cutting tax for the wealthy and corporations. ++++++++++ IRS DIRECT TERMINATED AMID HEAVY LOBBYING BY FOR-PROFIT FIRMS IRS Direct File, the electronic system almost 300,000 Americans used to file their taxes directly for free, has been terminated by the Trump Administration, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The program was piloted by the Biden administration and was intended to make it easier for users to file their taxes fast and easy. Regarding the change, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that there are “better alternatives” and that he thinks “the private sector can do a better job.” ++++++++++ SHORT VIDS UNDERSTANDING MEN: For Your Watching Pleasure… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEh-RkzzV3Y .... HOW TO SELL REAL ESTATE IN BISBEE Tips for Bisbee realtors on how to step up their game to move more wood… especially, Bill K, Eliza, Sam L. https://www.instagram.com/tampa_bre/reel/DI7hGToAHpf/ .............. WORD............... Funny vids for word junkies! Grammarians, and another! and another! WORD ODYSSEY About words, their origins, and the stories behind them. (Former City of Bisbee attorney and Chief Civil County Attorney Britt Hanson wrote several columns about the origins of words or phrases, which appeared in the Tucson Weekly and the Sierra Vista Herald Review a few years ago. They are too good to be forgotten, so I will include them in most Wire issues.)
Giving the “Devil” His Due By: Britt Hanson
Last week’s Word Odyssey was on the origins of the word “God”, so this week I’m giving the devil his due. I’m going to start with that mysterious character Lucifer. We think of Lucifer as an archangel, God’s right hand man, who got too big for his britches so God cast him down—and who we now identify with Satan. But that’s not how Lucifer got his start. Lucifer began as a reference to the King of Babylon in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. Isaiah sarcastically refers to the King in his heyday as the morning star, the brilliant son of dawn, who like everyone else dies sooner or later. The Latin translation of “morning star” is “lucifer”, which literally in Latin is bringer of light. (You can see this root in the Spanish word “luz”, meaning light). The only other time that Lucifer is used in the original 4th Century Latin translation of the Bible—called the Vulgate, which later became the official Roman Catholic version of the Bible—is in the New Testament, where the second letter of Peter uses “morning star” as a metaphor for the spirit of the Lord rising in your heart. The King James version of the Bible adopted the use of Lucifer to refer to the King of Babylon in Isaiah, but modern English versions dispense with it and use morning star or day star instead. So how the heck did Lucifer come to be a proper name, identified with a fallen archangel and Satan? The Book of Revelations mentions angels who were cast down from heaven, but doesn’t name names. But people love to interpret the Bible and give it their own spin. A couple of influential early Christian writers thought that the fallen angel must be Lucifer. The story caught on and kept getting passed down. In Dante’s Inferno, Lucifer is identified with Satan and cast down to hell. Then Milton, in his famous 17th Century epic Paradise Lost, used Lucifer as an alias for Satan, and was also cast down to hell. The story stuck. The Book of Mormon continues this tradition, referring to Lucifer as a spirit child of God (along with Jesus), but who rebelled. This is all muddied by the fact the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, which was then translated into Greek, which was then translated into Latin, which was then translated into English; then, English translators tried translating from the Greek, while others translated from the original Hebrew. And some of these translators couldn’t help but add a little color to Bible stories. And that’s more or less how we’ve come to picture Satan as that grotesque, evil dude lording over hades. The Hebrew word “satan” meant “adversary” or “accuser”. Sometimes the Bible uses satan with these normal meanings, and sometimes it refers to a guy who is testing the Hebrews’ faith in God. In the Book of Job, Satan is a member of God’s council. When God brags about how God-fearing Job is, Satan says of course he is, you’ve given him a great life, lots of cattle, many wives and children. I bet if you took those things away, he’d turn on you in a minute. So God tells Satan to go down, make Job’s life miserable, and we’ll see. Of course, Satan does wreak havoc on Job’s life, so it’s easy to understand why he got a bad reputation, but in that story he’s not actually the devil. That happens in the New Testament, where Satan is used as a synonym for devil. “Devil” is a Germanic translation of Latin “diablo”, meaning diabolical. Latin got it from the Greek word meaning slanderer. Sometimes the New Testament uses devil as an allegory, but sometimes the devil is given supernatural powers—God’s adversary, who is tempting people into sin. And if you sin, the devil might lure you right down into hell. Now, is the devil a demon? Hmmm…..that’s a tough one. “Demon” is from Greek, where it referred to an evil spirit that was above humans, but didn’t really rise to the level of the gods. A demon just kind of floated around tempting people or making them do bad things. Most cultures have the same kind of character. Many Native American stories have a wily trickster who has the same kind of mission as the Greek demon. Christian tradition typically describes demons as evil angels, who can tempt or possess people—and can be cast out, which is how Jesus often cures illnesses in the New Testament. So maybe they can be called cousins or compadres of Lucifer and the devil.
Why the devil is commonly depicted today with horns, a pitchfork, a pointy tail and a tight red suit—well, that’s a story for another day.
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