BISBEE WIRE #93/lotsa commercial buildings for sale/funny words/Bisbee economy/the visitor center/acts of resistance/words

editor: fred Miller                 May 5, 2025                   #93  /May 2025

Hello,

Well, despite a semi-serious vow to keep these issue shorter....

There seems to be some speed up going on, kinda like each day is a triple caffeine day and brings more actions that tear down the edifice of the United States; universities being attacked, basic research halted, health agencies kneecapped, veterans forced to wait long hours for attention to their concerns, the whitewashing of most everything, poor people demonized, innocent citizens of the US snatched and sent away, and vengeful christianity on the rise. There is more but ya'll know it.

   But I have found many glimmerings of hope amid the chaos caused by the fat balding guy in the house of lies. This Nation article is among the best analysis I've read of the the prez election and offers a path forward that doesn't involve democratic consultants and their incessant ads. It takes to task the kind of litmus tests that progressive people sometime demand. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-turnout-2024-analysis/. And this article by Antonia Scatton is congruent with the Nation article.

I'm sure I've left something out, please forgive if you have sent me info, but don't see it here. My proofing may leave something to be desired.  I've been kind of waylaid by thinking and writing about the visitor center/budget situation for the past couple of weeks. A detailed discussion below. It's tiring. A new business group is in the initial process of formation that hopefully will provide a focus for the many issues that need to be addressed in OB. 

I know they are busy and understaffed, but damn, we've got a sewer issue that needs resolution by the city and I can't get a callback. I'm getting a bit cranky. 

fred

      ...............AROUND TOWN................         

SIERRA VISTA 90/92 INTERSECTION FINALLY GETTING PAVED 5/4-5/8

If going to SV this week, you might want to add some minutes to your trip because the Targer/Fry/Food City/Ace intersection is getting repaired. Nearing the end of the Hwy 90 paving project, the busy intersection of Fry/hwy90/hwy92 is finally scheduled for work this week. There will be periodic lane closures. A shorter section of MLK Parkway is scheduled for paving work May 12. For more info go here (a route that avoids the paving would be to take why 80>Hwy 90, and then take a right at the first light past the hospital-Guilio Cesare, go to Charleston Rd, take a left and that turns into MIK, goes past Lowes and Walmart and ends at Fry/Coronodo Dr.)

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ARTIST RESPONSES TO trumpie et al 5/9

Art that considers and answers to the current state of our politics and culture. Friday May 9 and runs through May 25 more info: https://www.centralschoolproject.org/post/art-action

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SHRED IT 5/10

SHED-IT SHRED-IT event on Saturday, May 10 from 9am to noon at the Ace parking lot on Naco Highway. The suggested $10 per box donation covers the cost of getting the shredding truck to Bisbee, with the remainder of the donation supporting Bisbee Community Chorus expenses.

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MUSIC OF RESISTANCE 5/17

Folks in Portal are looking for acoustic musicians to play at their Get Up! Stand Up! protest music festival Sat, May 17, 10 AM - 6 PM. Potential performers should contact Scott Huber wmscotthuber@gmail.com. The free event will be held at the Geronimo Event Center. More info

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COUNTY VEHICLE AUCTION 5/12-5/24

Looking for a new ride? Here’s the place to get a beater or better.  A public auction of surplus County vehicles will be held online through Public Surplus from May 12 through May 24, 2025.The auction includes a selection of well-maintained vehicles, including: Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Express Van, GMC Sierra, 

Interested buyers can view and bid on vehicles by visiting www.publicsurplus.com and searching for Cochise County. Additional information, contact 520-432-8390.

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CITY HALL GRAND OPENING 5/24

A ribbon will be cut to celebrate the opening of the new city Hall at 118 Arizona St. May 24 12-3:00pm.

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BIG DEMO 6/14

Save the date for a large turnout on trumpies birthday. More info here

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STREET SWEEPING BEGINS ANEW

The city finally has a new street sweeper, specially built from the frame up for our narrow streets which is why it was ordered in Sept of 2023 and only delivered last month. Streets haven't been swept for at least five years. It will be operating soon when the necessary paperwork is completed.

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LIFEGUARDS NEEDED

The summer is coming fast, and the City of Bisbee is looking for lifeguards, as well as our neighboring cities and towns.  Adults, retirees and those on summer breaks from college are welcome and encouraged to apply! For more info go here

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OLD TREE NEW TREE

The much loved old tree  that anchored lower Vista Park and provided shade and comfort for many over the years, is gone. It had become a danger because it was dying slowly for years, a large limb fell last years, and the core was hollow. It has been replaced by a large Arizona Ash donated by Freeport.

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THE PERCENTAGE OF TREE COVERAGE IN CITIES IN THE US

And speaking of trees...Bisbee currently has 5.1% coverage with a loss of cover in the past five years. Desert cities are suggested to have 15%. Zone in on any area in the country on this excellent map to see what percentage of tree coverage any city has.

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PILOT PROGRAM FOR CARDBOARD RECYLING BEGINS

The city will soon be putting dumpster containers for collecting recyclable cardboard around town. It is an effort to keep more recyclables out of the landfill and make some dough for the city. Locations have not yet been announced, but if you see a tan colored blue top container, that's them. 

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ARMY VETS SOUGHT FOR 250TH BIRTHDAY FEATURE

The Herald Review is seeking Army vets to share stories about their time in service. The paper is planning a feature on the 250 year birthday of the Army. Contact Alycia at 520 559-0845 to schedule a video.

And the HR media company is also looking for nominations for the best business in Bisbee and elsewhere in the county.

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BISBEE BIKEWAYS SEEKING MATCHING FUNDS FOR PIT PATH

To move forward with construction of the west segment of the Lavender Pit Path—from the Queen Mine Tour to Old Bisbee—the team must raise a $177,183 local match by April 2026. This match is required to unlock federal construction funding. A work session has been scheduled with the city on May 6  5:30 to address this.

Construction is expected to begin next year on the east segment of the path—from the Queen Mine Tour to Lowell

Since 2018, Meggen Connolley, founder of Bisbee Bikeways, has led the charge to build a 27-mile shared-use path system through Bisbee and into neighboring Naco, raising nearly $10 million through grants and donations.

Connolley was recognized nationally for her efforts. She recently traveled to Los Angeles on April 14th as a finalist in Nexstar’s Remarkable Women Awards. To contribute or learn more, visit their website

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BISBEE MEDIA MENTIONS

What to do in Bisbee

https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2025/04/30/things-to-do-in-bisbee-az/83344415007/

Ted Sorich

https://tucson.com/sports/article_017ad2b0-260a-440b-82ad

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MINERAL EXPLORATION CONTINUES NEAR TOMBSTONE AND BISBEE

A second round of exploratory drilling is being done near Bisbee with initial results of carbonate Replacement Copper-gold-silver deposits, skarn copper-gold, and porphyry copper-gold deposits promising, according to Intrepid metals. The company leases or buys properties adjacent to older mines in an effort to locate mineral-rich areas. Go here for more info

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ROTARY LOOKING FOR NEW BLOOD

The Bisbee Rotary Club is looking for new members! Feel free to join us at one of our meetings to get to know our club. The Bisbee Rotary Club meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 5:15pm at the VFW, 1326 Highway 92. Come learn about how the Bisbee Rotary Club works to improve our community, while having fun! For more info, contact 

(Some listings courtesy of This Week in Bisbee

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KBRP NEWS

Independent community media has become much more valuable as the attacks on main stream media have begun with NPR and Corporation for Public Broadcasting next in line.  CPB is the source of some funding for some public and rural stations. We hope  you will support us by becoming members.

KBRP is planning a lil party in June, more details to come but live music is most def. We hope to bring at least a portion of the music fest in Portal later this month. And we have some new equipment on the way.

   We would like to expand public affairs and news but are hampered by a lack of people. Soooo if you would like to voice a commentary, interview someone interesting, do a report on an incident, do a lil segment on Bisbee, or anything along those lines, contact me at bisbeewire@gmail.com. We can use volunteers for lots of stuff too including tabling at events, contact BisbeeKBRP@gmail.com  for where you could be helpful. If you have technical expertise of programming, engineering, or producing, your help would be appreciated.

Our board has expanded to include Ginger Ryan, Nancy Potenza, and Edwin Basye.

         ..............BISBEE ECONOMY..............           

CITY OF BISBEE AVAILABLE JOBS

Go here for listings

Sanitation Driver

Lifeguards

Bus Driver

Firefighter/EMT

Police Officer

Equipment Operator/Streets

Wastewater Collection Systems Operator

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THE BUDGET

The city recently held public hearings for the 2025/2026FY budget. For a copy of the draft budget, and how the city says they are going to spend your money,  go here

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TOURISM

In the last Wire, I suggested that kiosks could replace a visitor center. At the budget hearings for the visitor center budget, I mentioned kiosks but also suggested a visitor center leased on Main Street as well as a few kiosks would be better than building a new visitor center. Hundred of thousands of dollars better. But....

   The cm/mayor/and almost all council members (Ms. Schumacher was an exception) did not like the idea of kiosks. In fact they spent the majority of time talking about how bad kiosks would be, how expensive, how prone to vandalism, how impersonal they were. They talked about kiosks so much that they didn't talk about or ask the city manger/mayor to explain how they propose to build a new one story building on Main St. for $400,000 when it is clear that half that would be needed to clean up the site. Nor did they talk about the paltry $80,000 for advertising in the budget-only $7,000 more than 8 years ago. And they did not talk about how the city is being marketed, the lack of data to inform marketing, or even at a budget hearing the visitor center manager goes over budget. Sigh.

Bisbee is in a much more competitive tourism environment now, compounded by the wacky behavior, of the current administration. There are also many different sources for information available to visitors.

Kiosks are not a complete answer, at least not yet. And after thinking more about it, I realize I was partially wrong to suggest kiosks could replace a visitor center. But they can be valuable for giving and collecting information.  The combination of kiosks and visitor center is what is needed for then next few years.

  The main problem, ha ha get it?, is that $400k is in the viz center budget for capital improvements-I take that to mean building a viz center as the cm and mayor have said they want to do with 28 Main. But no way is that sum going to build a one story building with modern amenities. Half of that would be for cleanup. It will take at least another $400k and likely more. If there is going to be a move of the viz center, rather than stuck at the mine tour which has never been a good location, then lease one of the empty storefronts on Main St. for five years. And also put 3-4 indoor kiosks in various places including Warren/San Jose/OB to see how they are used. Put signs on them guiding them to in-person info such as at the museum and viz center. Program them so every biz in town is noted. And then put some of the money that is saved from not building a new building into marketing. The city simply has to get the better info collection to do better marketing. An advertising budget of $150k-$200k is needed. $80k is not nearly enough to do the kind of targeted marketing needed to bring visitors in who appreciate the environment, architecture, history, birding. Those are low impact visitors and will retain the quality of life for residents-and that is primary.

   One thing is clear that if business owners/managers and residents do not speak up with one or more possible solutions, the city administration will do what they think best. And that is why the visitor center is at the mine tour...

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COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FOR SALE

Thirteen properties are for sale in Old Bisbee plus two additional addresses, 26 & 28 Main are no longer buildings and 21 Main is vacant. This is not the sign of a healthy economy.

Hotel San Ramon/Former Santiago

$1,670,000

1 Howell Ave

Copper Queen Hotel

$9,000,000

11 Howell Ave

Eldorado Suites Hotel

$1,900,000

55 Ok St.

Former Hot Licks

$1,299,000

37-39 Ok St

Allens Coffee shop bldg.

$515,000

31 Subway St

Former Convention Center

$1,695,000

2 Main

Cafe Roka

$1,600,000

35 Main St.

Former Desert Diva

$498,000

41 Main

Bisbee Grand Hotel

$2,000,000

61 Main St.

Palace Livery Bldg/Acacia

$800,000

69 Main

Former Art furniture

$625,000

79 Main

Former Finders Keepers

$599,000

81 Main

Former Contessa’s Restaurant

$532,000

202 Tombstone

Former Pep Tech

$395,000

203A Bisbee Rd

Gasoline Alley

$649,900

14 Black Knob

Double P Roadhouse

$405,990

600 Romero

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HOUSE SALES

House sales dipped a bit from the double digit sales the first two months of 2025. Sales in March have typically been slow, in the single digit, with the exception of 2022, coming out of the pandemic, when 18 houses were sold. Four of the nine houses sold were in Warren with two each in Bisbee and San Jose.

There are some exceptions, but generally houses are selling  about two months after listing. And it is no longer unusual to see houses in Bisbee proper selling for more than $400k. (85603 area code extends outside of Bisbee and sometimes those sold properties are included as Bisbee.)

Address/original list/list/sell price/days on market

4 Campbell                  $130k/130k/$140,000  49

539 C Tombstone        $199k/195k/$160,000  52

1614 N. Fairway vw     $225k/205k/$175,000   159

4 Gardner St.              $189k/180k/$180,000   41

206 N. Cleveland         $239k/219k/$219,000   127

4885 N. Sandstone Dr. $227k/227k/$223,000   48

608 Arizona St.            $399k/300k/$300,000   93

66 Mohave Dr.             $425k/425k/$395,000   52

115 W. Vista                $419k/419k/$447,547   78

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 BUILDING PERMITS

Commercial permits, $311k, were bumped by a few larger projects such as the transformation of a space at Chirichcua Clinic to create a meeting space for training and rent to community groups, $168k. St. John’s Episcopal church put on a new roof, the convention center owned by Border Cities Land Corp.  did some minor renovation, perhaps on the space that used to house KBRP. Object @ 29 Main and 54 Brewery had fire alarm systems installed, 120 Naco Rd, owned by The Empress LLC, completely renovated one of the units at a cost of about $45k.

   Building permits generally lag behind sales 2-3 months as new owners decide what they need done to the place they buy. Also many permits are for needed upgrades for existing homeowners.  March saw the lowest total dollar amount of permits since Nov. 2023.

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SALES TAX STATS (2 months prior)

Bar/Restaurants taxes were down, about $33.5k, that is the lowest total since Sept of 2023.

Retail taxes were middling, brining in $113k, and continue to be up and down over the past year from a high in January to a low in September of 2024.

Grocery taxes dropped $10k from February but continue the up/down pattern over the past couple of years.

Bed taxes continue to be strong coming in at $23,425,

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ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

Laundry Hill Estates llc

501A Mayor St.

Matthew Spaid/St. David

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AUCTION

100 Black Knob View

June 4, 2025 @ 11:00

County Courthouse

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        ..............COCHISE COUNTY................          

COUNTY JAIL DISTRICT IMBROGLIO CONTINUES

Secretary of State, Arian Fontes, has weighed in on the challenge to the jail district election results and the subsequent ‘deal’ worked out by the supes and challengers to void the election.

He wants to intervene in the case. A ruling on that should come in early May.

Fontes in his argument for inclusion in the suit said nix on the deal-two opposing parties cannot now agree to simply invalidate an election. Nor invalidate the collection of taxes.

He also had some assertions about the questionable legal strategy of the lawyer representing the county that seeks to get rid of the entire thing and perhaps set a new election.

A decision about Fontes and the original lawsuit is due sometime in May.

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Supe Tom Crosby may yet escape justice. Although he has, through his lawyer, tried to get his two felony charges of interference with the Sec of State duties and conspiracy dismissed, none have yet been successful. However a recent Maricopa County Superior court decision may throw him a rope.

    The issue is a section of the manual put out by the Sec of State that is the guide for all things elections. It says that supervisors can’t “delay certifying the results without express statutory authority or a court order.” As well the canvass (certification) has to be received by the Sec of State in a timely manner and if not done, the county voters could be disenfranchised-their vote not counted.

   The court ruled that the Sec of State overstepped his bounds in the manual when he included the above in the manual. The judge ruled that the courts were to intervene if there was an election issue, not the supervisors, who did not have the right to do so. Nor did they have to certify results.

    Previously Crosby has challenged, and lost in a court of appeals, that an Arizona statute says that supervisors “shall meet and canvass the election” within 20 days of a general election, unless results from polling places are missing. Even then, they can postpone certification only up to six times. The terms “canvass” and “certify” are both used in the statute, but they aren’t defined. They’re often taken to mean something similar: to finalize results.

   The AG who is actually prosecuting Crosby has recently won the right to use a large number of documents at Crosby's trial that has been delayed will be held in the Fall.

       ...............THE LEGE................              

Unfortunately the lege is still in session and that means they can  try and wreak more damage to voters, spend more taxpayer money, diddle around with no budget, and thwart the gov in her picks for department heads.

(The following information comes from the CEBV weekly newsletter about the lege and actions around the state.)

Some of what is being proposed for laws.

Our rep, Consuelo Hernandez (D-21) and a few other democrats YES on SB1025  which  would allow the state treasurer and state retirement systems (such as those serving teachers and first responders) to invest up to 10% of their public monies in cryptocurrency, a mostly speculative and volatile financial instrument. VETOED!

Consuelo Hernandez (D-21) is also a co-sponsor of HB2880. This bill would ban “encampments” on university and community college campuses. Aimed squarely at those protesting the occupation of Gaza by Israel. Boo!

The Hernandez family, the two sisters in the lege and the brother a former legislator and now running for CD-7 seat, are staunch supporters of Israel Zionists. Any action against the Israeli government is considered anti-semitism. This is obviously wrong since hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have demonstrated against the war on Hamas.

On the gov's desk, hopefully a veto

(Zionism saw itself as bringing Jews into the modern world by redefining what it means to be Jewish in terms of identification with a sovereign state, rather than Judaic faith and tradition.)

The following are a few of the  more odious pieces of legislation being considered.

SB1052, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would ban US citizens from registering to vote in Arizona if they have a parent who is a US citizen and who is registered to vote in Arizona, but they themselves have never lived in the US. Banning citizens from voting is clearly unconstitutional. Scheduled for House 3rd Rea

SB1091, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-14), would require that ballots in school district bond and budget override continuation elections state how much voters' taxes would drop if they refused to pass the continuations.

SB1116, sponsored by Tim Dunn (R-25), requires the director of ADWR to fast-track developers’ applications for alternative groundwater models, including a written response with rationale for any rejections.

SB1518, sponsored by Tim Dunn (R-25), would allow irrigated grandfather rights in a subsequent active management area like Douglas or Willcox to be sold or transferred, leading to more groundwater pumping.

The gov vetoed bills the rupugnicans sent to here including; two on water (by Gail Griffin r-19), two banning  DEI mandates, downloading voter rolls for free, weakened oversight for initiatives, no amendments of birth certificates, and more.

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BILLIONAIRE OWNER WANTS PUBLIC TO PAY FOR CHASE FIELD 

Taxpayers will be on the hook to renovate Chase field in Phoenix, home of the Diamondbacks. The billionaire owner of the team is trying to get the legislature to pass a bill that puts all costs on taxpayers with all proceeds going to the team. For an indepth analysis go here. For an succinct explanation of how sports teams try to extort taxpayers in order to fund new stadiums, go here

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ESA PARENTS WANT LESS CAPS ON SPENDING

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and the Board of Education are in hot water with parents of private schooled kids, according to an article in Capitol Times. The parents, some with children with disabilities, want caps on spending either removed or increased.

The draft stated that, "If adopted, ESA account holders would be prohibited from spending more than $2,000 on personal laptops and computers, $4,000 on instruments, $2,500 on physical education equipment, $2,500 on a playground, $3,000 on a SmartBoard, $1,500 on vocational education, and $500 annually on home economic equipment.

    The draft included an exemption for students with disabilities as long as they could provide a letter from a medical provider or specialist showing the necessity to exceed the price caps."

 There will be continued haggling over the caps as the program in its entirety approaches spending $1 billion taxpayer dollars. However there will be some 'conferring' with members of the legislature-not known for being watchdogs for spending taxpayer dough-as well as one or two public meetings with parents.   Although the ESA program has been a savior for many families with children with disabilities and/or special needs, some analysis suggests that the top 25% highest income zip codes in Arizona have approximately ten times more ESA students compared to the lowest 25%. ++++++++++         ................EVERYTHING ELSE................

QUICK STRETCHES WHILE READING THE WIRE

As someone who spends far too much time on the computer, I stumbled on this site and have been using it.

Here’s a quick lil exercise to do as you are reading the Wire. It works. Go here for a lil neck stretch. Go here and here for a wrist and hand stretch. Both are less than two minutes. More here for longer ones.

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THE MANOSPHERE; UH OH, TROUBLE ON MUSCLE BEACH

The ‘manosphere’ has been much in the news the past couple of years since the Researcher Richard Reeves published presents evidence of growing disparities with women in several areas in his 2022 book, Of Boys and Men. Bloomberg has an interesting issue about the state of ‘Men’ falling behind women detailing the consternation about how the nature and types of work  have changed and the problems for men that stem from that.

This comprehensive graph (may be paywalled) illustrates the rate of change occurring in many areas of life. Some takeaways:

“Boys are graduating from high school at a lower rate than girls in every state except Vermont. The trend holds true across racial groups as well.”

US public high school graduation rate in 2023, by race

Black boys/77.3%

Hispanic boys 83.6%$

Black girls/85.5%

White boys/86.9%

White girls/90.1%

Hispanic girls/90.4%

Asian boys/97.6%

Asian girls/99.8%

“The gap in high school graduation rates translates into a widening gap at all levels of higher education. Even professional programs that men formerly dominated are now either majority-female or approaching parity.”

  While there’s been a decisive increase of women in fields traditionally dominated by men, there hasn’t been any movement in the other direction. The share of women in STEM has increased to 24%, up from 9% in 1970, while the share of men in HEAL (health care, education, administration and literacy-a term coined by Reeves) has fallen to 22%, down from 31% in 1970. As he notes in his book, that, while there have been major efforts to get women into men’s fields, there’s been essentially no movement in the opposite direction.

  With the rise of social media and sites that have become ‘homes’ for aimless young males, there has also been an increase in attacks on women, both verbal and physical, in addition to an attraction to authoritarianism.

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A LIL SALMONELLA? SO WHAT!

At the behest of chicken and turkey producers, the USDA has withdrawn a rule aimed at reducing salmonella contamination in raw chicken and turkey products. Too costly they said. Read about it here

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A SPEECH WORTH READING

Heather Cox Richardson’s reprint of much of Illinois Governor Pritzger’s speech highlights all that is wrong with Trump and what to do about it.for the entire article. Go here

“These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soap box, and then punish them at the ballot box. They must feel in their bones that when we survive this shameful episode of American history with our democracy intact—because we have no alternative but to do just that—that we will relegate their portraits to the museum halls reserved for tyrants and traitors.”

 I would be grateful for your donation to support the Wire. 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.

                .............. WORD...............            

 Out of respect for the archaic ritual now going on at the Vatican, for your enjoyment is Tom Lehrer's The Vatican Rag.

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Small Acts of Resistance

Screens in j  Dept of Housing and Urban Development were hacked to show an AI generated video depicting trumpie licking elons’ toes.

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A Mississippi legislator introduced  the Contraception Begins at Erection Act. Which would penalize “discharge of genetic material without the intent of fertilizing an embryo.

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The email address for the Office of Personal Management H?R is publicized resulting in spam, memes, and chaos.

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Vermonters picket VP Vance’s family ski vacation holding a sign saying Vance skis in Jeans.

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8647 begin to appear written on paper money. It’s a plea to 86 the 47th prez.

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Etsy has sold more than 16,000 anti-Musk bumper stickers to those with buyers remorse about their Tesla

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National Park Service workers hung an American flag upside down on El Capitan in Yosemite.

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These are from the now discontinued Style International page of the WaPo. Lots of funny lil contests. These are some examples.

Underachiever’s Midlife List of Goals: Win the admiration of my dog. (Jean Lightner Norum, Week 413, 2001)Neologisms containing POLE:  Gestapolemics: Calling your political opponents NazisChange a movie title by one letter:  Four Weldings and a Funeral: A man attaches a set of rocket engines to his Chevy and momentarily achieves his dream of driving a flying car.Two words differing by one letter: The difference between genial and genital: It’s okay to greet your neighbors with a genial wave.Good/bad/ugly jokes: Good: You get to spend a summer’s day at a beautiful beach.  Bad: It’s awfully crowded and noisy. Ugly: It is June 6, 1944.Neologisms totaling 14 Scrabble points: Buphoon: An ill wind from Washington that blows nobody any good.Good/bad ideas:  Good idea: Give her a bowl of irises. Bad idea: Give her Ebola viruses.