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While the Swamp squabbles over Cabinet picks put forward by President-elect Donald Trump, folks in the heartland are busy preparing for extreme family gatherings and arguments over whether fresh cranberry sauce is better than canned. The answer is always fresh, but that gooey gel-canned stuff is definitely easier. The problem is how much that darn side dish will cost Americans in the most dismal economy in 60 years. But the Thanksgiving menu wasn't the only conversation starter. Add in North Korea posturing against the US and the battle in the halls of Congress over bathroom rights, and the kitchen table discussion just got interesting.
Rocket Man Sours on Trump
Remember that hold-your-breath moment on June 30, 2019, when Trump met with Kim Jong Un along with Moon Jae-in at the DMZ, a demilitarized zone, and briefly crossed the border into North Korea? Well, it meant something for both countries diplomatically. Trump was the first sitting president to make that bold move, although former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton had visited North Korea long after leaving the White House.
That moment in time may never happen again, however. This week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signaled that he had no interest in working with the incoming President-elect Donald Trump.
During his first term, Trump improved relations somewhat between the two nations by negotiating with Kim, but that went out the window when the Biden administration came to the Swamp. Kim said the 2024 US is more hostile and that his country was left with no action other than to bolster its military and weaponry capabilities. It's not a friendly statement, and it suggests no offer of diplomatic meetings and junkets in the future.
Over in Orofino, ID, Cheri Hebert wasn't concerned: "Tougher sanctions, and he will come crawling back."
Ron Nappi, watching from his front porch in Ashtabula, OH, was even more confident. "Trump will take care of Little Rocket Man," he declared.
Pottygate
There has been quite a dust-up in the hallowed halls between the women of Congress: It's about access to a bathroom. No, it's not about the usage of Charmin so much as biological men in the women's lavatory. Yes, even now, our American legislators can't quite figure out who to allow into the women's bathroom. It started when Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) decided that there needed to be official rules.
Mace's timing is impeccable, as Representative-elect Sarah McBride, a self-described woman born a biological male, is coming in fresh from the great state of Delaware. Rep. Mace did not mince words when asked if her pro-women bathroom bill was in opposition to the incoming transgender representative.
Heartlanders want to know how they can possibly create a law when no one in the government can even figure out the meaning of the word “woman.” Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson apparently lacked the biologist credentials necessary to define the word during her confirmation hearing, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) seems worried about the practical application of enforcing any such law:
"Because if you ask them, 'What is your plan on how to enforce this?' they won't come up with an answer. And what it inevitably results in are women and girls who are primed for assault because people are gonna want to check their private parts in suspecting who is trans and who is cis and who's doing what."
Mace fired back at AOC, saying she "lived rent-free in that tiny brain." Catfights are becoming a congressional nuisance. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), hours after he had been asked if McBride was a "man or a woman," clarified that a "man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman."
Bruce Kaufman of Phoenix explained: "McBride can play dress up if it makes him feel like a better person. The capital has many Unisex bathrooms throughout, and this whole thing was a case of McBride trying to push the issue."
In Woodstock, GA, Chip Sekula had a thought about the lack of clarity demonstrated by our representatives: "We have a Supreme Court Justice that does NOT know what a woman is."
Artie Cates Sr. decided the whole discussion needed clarification and simply said, "Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve."
Happy Thanksgiving
The cost of Thanksgiving has increased dramatically since Joe Biden entered the White House. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the inflation and labor shortages driving up food supply chain costs will make this year's Turkey Fest one of the highest-priced ever. Cubed stuffing and dinner roll prices increased more than 8% from last year.
But there is some good news. Toms are nearly affordable: An average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67, or $1.68 per pound, according to the AFBF survey. It's still more costly than pre-pandemic prices, but it’s down slightly from last year, and folks will take that win.
"The turkey is traditionally the main attraction on the Thanksgiving table and is typically the most expensive part of the meal," said AFBF Economist Bernt Nelson. "The American turkey flock is the smallest it's been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices."
As Mike McGee in Utah pondered: "But what are you gonna do with the remaining three dollars you will have?"
