I could write something about the shitshow(s) currently happening in Congress, but Heather Cox Richardson does it so much better. Read her essay here.

Idaho has watched Florida and Texas become leaders in the “Return to the 1700s” contest, and after some consideration said “Hold my beer”. Idaho has created a new crime called “abortion trafficking”. From Huffpost:

Idaho already has some of the most extreme abortion restrictions on the books, with nearly all abortions banned in the state and an affirmative defense law that essentially asserts any doctor who provides an abortion is guilty until proven innocent. And now Idaho Republicans have set their sights on hindering certain residents from traveling out of state to get an abortion.

Pretty soon they’ll make it illegal to even mention abortion, 1st Amendment be damned. We’re very close to living in Gilead. When will women see that this is just the first step in stripping them of their rights and start voting appropriately?

This is interesting – the politics and culture of smiling. As illustrated by AI tools. Fascinating.

And on the personal front, I’m making real progress on the novel – edited the first 100 pages yesterday. Working on the next 100 today.