From Forbes:What happens when Dave Chappelle buys up your town

Iden Crockett, the "only black trans woman who is neighbors with Dave [Chappelle] in the world," and generally approves of him, nevertheless is not amused by his anti-trans rants:

“Because what he says in regards to the life of Black men in the country is so spot on and so insightful, he gets a lot of credit, people go to him for his opinions. He is an expert on that, because he is a Black man in America.” But “he’s not a trans woman in America. And to speak with authority on trans-ness when you’re not—and you clearly don’t understand—is problematic and dangerous, because other people who don’t understand look at you and assume that you do.”

Though Chappelle has a lot of admirers, he has vociferous skeptics:

Few people will say anything critical of Chappelle on the record, citing fear of losing their jobs or customers. Off the record, locals from different racial backgrounds and different generations say things like:

    Chappelle is “a force that’s turning us into the place that we’re all trying to stay away from.”
    “Dave’s got to be the biggest contentious thing that I’ve ever seen pit neighbor against neighbor.”
    Several villagers compared Chappelle to former President Donald Trump for his propensity to, as one put it, “never apologize, double down and blame the other person.”

When Chappelle started putting on shows ($200-$500 per ticket) in an empty field, during the pandemic, in violation of local zoning laws, attendees were "handed a mask with Chappelle’s logo, a white “C” with a red stripe above it and a green one below. You either left your phone in the car or let it be sealed in a special pouch..."

The local zoning inspector had to rule that the use was prohibited and order them stopped. Chappelle ignored the order until he was able to get a waiver. On SNL, he said this:

“The local farmers, my neighbors, started to complain that my shows were too noisy—in a cornfield!” He described the ensuing town meeting as “embarrassing” and said, “I resented it, I resented that these country farmers could decide a guy like me’s fate. People don’t deserve to do that. They haven’t seen enough. They don’t know anything.”

There's much, much more in Tyler J. Kelley's piece for Forbes at https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-dave-chappelle-yellow-springs

Want a divorce from the United States of America? It'll cost you $2,350

Renouncing your citizenship is subject to the approval of the Secretary of State, believe it or not. And you have to take an oath:

I desire and hereby make a formal renunciation of my U.S. nationality, as provided by section 349(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as amended, and pursuant thereto, I hereby absolutely and entirely renounce my United States nationality together with all rights and privileges and all duties and allegiance and fidelity thereunto pertaining. I make this renunciation intentionally, voluntarily, and of my own free will, free of any duress or undue influence.

Here is the form: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds4080.pdf 

 

Rep. Don Bacon to Ford Motor: if you make AM radios optional, we'll sic Pete Buttigieg on you!

Don Bacon is congratulating himself on twitter for a letter he signed "encouraging" Ford Motor not to remove AM radios as standard equipment in its gas vehicles.

He brags about the carrot, but is real quiet about the stick–a bill in Congress to give the National Highway Safety Administration the power to force the issue.

Yes, kids: Pete Buttigieg as the head of the Department of Transportation, is the boss of that.

Bacon disingenuously claims this is all about safety.

In a pig's eye it is.

AM radio is the #1 conduit of right wing propaganda in this country and Bacon knows it.

While it's true that many people rely on AM radio for Emergency Alert System and FEMA announcements, it is also true that participation in EAS is optional for both AM and FM radio stations. If Bacon were less hypocritical (dream on) he would be cheerleading Big Government to mandate that all radio stations, including FM, which most people listen to, become part of EAS as part of their license to broadcast on airways owned by the public.

Sharon Slater's Arizona hate group, Family Watch International, gets Uganda LGBT Death Penalty law resurrected

Sharon Slater (photo via GLAAD)

Family Watch International is a Gilbert, AZ organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified as a hate group.

It was founded and is led by a radical right-wing Mormon, Sharon Slater, who plies UN delegates and African governmental conferences with pseudoscientific research to persuade them to pass draconian anti-LGBT legislation in various jurisdictions.