Tweet from Pete Hegseth: "The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force. We are discarding the mandatory flu vaccine requirement, effective immediately."

In World War I more U.S. soldiers died of influenza than from combat. In America's first 145 years of war more soldiers and sailors died from infectious diseases than from enemy action. In every single war in human history more combatants have died of illness and disease than bullets and the blade.

a girl is holding a pink burn book with kisses on it ALT: a girl is holding a pink burn book with kisses on it

my favorite part of the event: where we went around the room reading aloud from our burn books

Go, Congresswoman Lucy McBath!

We all heard this oily, deluded man when he insulted families the first time.

Check out the Unbound Book Festival’s 2026 full schedule here, and come join me at the Broadway Hotel tomorrow morning, at 9AM:
www.unboundbookfestival.com/schedule

Unbound Conversations: Author and editor Samuel Cohen rejects efforts to ban books in America Samuel Cohen discusses 'Banning Books in America: Not a How-To.' He'll further talk about the work during Unbound Book Festival's Community Silences panel.

"I think you can't study the history of a country if you're not going to be honest about it"
@samcohen.bsky.social gets a few minutes on KBIA today--ahead of the panel discussion at Unbound Book Festival--to talk about the power of words and literature:
www.kbia.org/kbia-news/20...

Wow, #Missouri, look who’s missing.

So Freedom Caucus members in name only? Not in voting? So Missouri electeds do believe in unfettered surveillance of citizens?

Watch what they do, not what they claim.

lol--I would not like to know what that woudl uncover!

They got to hear about that at the end of debate on the bill. Partisan Republicans did not appear to enjoy being reminded that the head of their party is a sex criminal.

After hearing more about how this bill exists simply to demonize trans people, followed by loud complaints from Republicans to shut down Democrats' comments, the Republican leadership moves to shut down debate.

If this body were serious about protecting women, it would speak up about the predator who preys on women who serves in the White House, says Minority Leader Aune. #moleg

Audible in the background, another lawmaker is heard saying: "He did say grab them by the p..."

Missourians deserve to have privacy in multiuse places, says a partisan representative who rises to mock the Democrats for not holding more seats in the body. He is confirming that the supermajority Republicans view this as nothing other than a wedge issue--that he sees as a winning issue. #moleg

The bill sponsor seems to also be aiming to protect people from having people of any kind sleep over in dorms. Your roommate's boyfriend is, under this bill, breaking a law by sleeping over in your dorm room?

Laubinger says she is opposed to "mixing" of spaces.

No individual shall enter a sleeping quarters, the bill says.
The entity may allow parents into dorms to help move in/out, the sponsor claims. But Boyko says: the words of your bill don't match that intention.

Exclusive use of these spaces by males and females--your bill says this, Boyko says reading it to Laubinger (who can't find the language).
No individual of the other sex shall enter that space, the bill directs.
Laubinger says there is a carveout section about allowing family members.

Rep. Mark Boyko asks the bill sponsor about the part of her bill that affects college dorms. If this bill were law, a college student's mother would not be allowed into his room, right? Laubinger claims it's about sleeping spaces, changing rooms.
That's a dorm room, Boyko says.

Rep. Wick concludes: It is both harmful and irresponsible to focus on this--it's an insult to so many people--including our police, all the covered entities AND individuals who would be implicated in the bill. #moleg house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bi...

This bill is INSANE for so many reasons. The fiscal cost, the fact that they hid that it would change policies around ALL public college/university housing in the state, and on and on while weakly pretending they are protecting women from predators.

Rep. Wick serves on the committee that heard this bill. He reports that only 13 people testified in favor of this bill--and most were lobbyists for national (out-of-state, I presume) orgs.
And 500+ Missourians submitted testimony in opposition.

If this bill passes, it allows individuals to sue. The civil penalties could target entities who put up bathroom signage as outlined in the bill. It's incredibly fiscally irresponsible, says Wick.
#moleg

Lawmakers were told in the committee hearing on this bill: "If you think someone is using the wrong bathroom, then call the police" Rep. Wick reports. How incredibly wrong, making our local law enforcement officers into the gender police. #moleg

There's so much culture war stuff in this bill, Wick continues, that #moleg lawmakers are ignoring the ways it actually *expands* the number of men who are going to be allowed to enter women's private spaces.

This bill is called a women's protection bill, but it harms girls and women, says Rep. Wick Thomas.
What is a woman--the definition from the MO GOP that is incredibly brief--is new to our state. And it's how we talk about livestock, not people:

Asked about his comments on complaints from a constituent on a substitute teacher who wore a dress, Rep. Proudie asks for clarification about his embellished story. The parent, Martin says, asked where did that adult use the restroom--not for the school to follow a sub to see which restroom they use

So if signs--as Republicans believe--attract criminals, then what's the point of legislating signs that keep men out of certain bathrooms? It's more than a little convenient when signs are invoked as useful and powerful by these lawmakers. #moleg

They love to say on this floor that criminals don't follow the law, says Rep. Doll, reiterating Rep. Ingle's comments.
#moleg's supermajority ALWAYS champions a fallacy when discussing gun safety: signs that declare "gun-free zones" in fact create crime, they say. We all know this isn't the case.

Painting a picture of Columbia area "males and females washing hands together" in high schools as a central risk to safety is...hugely deluded. #moleg

I'm not a K12 educator, just a parent and former PTSA president, but I've never heard of a school in mid-MO where teachers and students are using the same restrooms--including subs. Staff and teachers use staff and teacher bathrooms.
Indoctrination, he says, is his real issue.

Rep. John Martin (Boone County), alleging that he has heard from a constituent family whose complaint about a transgender substitute teacher's presence in their school. That family removed their child from school out of fear that this sub would interact with their daughter in a restroom. #moleg

Principal Kirk Moore took swift action to stop a former student who entered Pauls Valley High School with a gun last week. He was shot and wounded in the process.

Our principals should not have to be heroes because our lawmakers are cowards.

The wild Geese chase Read to the end for a great Bluesky post

Here's another POV on the Geese story.

www.garbageday.email/p/the-wild-g...