#Montana

[xtruss]

How Recent State Laws Are Making It Harder to Sue Trucking Companies After Crashes

— July 12, 2023 | By James O'Donnell | Frontline

The trucking industry is engaged in a concerted lobbying effort that critics say will make it harder for victims of crashes to sue the companies involved and limit the compensation plaintiffs can win. In the past three years alone, the industry has helped prompt new laws in seven states including Texas and Florida, which rank among the highest in the nation for fatal truck crashes.

The industry says those new laws will help curb frivolous lawsuits and excessive payouts, but safety advocates say they instead shield trucking companies from legitimate liability after crashes and disincentivize the companies from working to prevent crashes in the first place.

The new laws come as fatal truck crashes are on the rise. More than 5,000 people die each year in crashes with large trucks, up by more than 50% compared with a decade ago. FRONTLINE and ProPublica’s recent documentary, America’s Dangerous Trucks, examined one gruesome kind of truck accident — underride crashes — and why they keep happening.

After a crash, the best way a survivor can receive compensation for serious injuries or the loss of a loved one is to sue the trucking company and driver, according to Joe Fried, an attorney in Georgia with two decades of experience in truck crash litigation who spoke to FRONTLINE. That’s because most truckers carrying general freight across state lines are required by law to have $750,000 in liability insurance, but lifetime medical costs after serious crashes can quickly exhaust that amount. Carriers may be ordered to pay more than that figure, but if the company goes bankrupt or does not have the assets to pay, victims may never receive it. The $750,000 minimum was set by Congress in 1980 and, despite numerous efforts to increase it, has remained unchanged.

In late 2019, one of the trucking industry’s most vocal leaders, Chris Spear of American Trucking Associations, described crash lawsuits as an “all-out assault” on the industry in a radio interview. In a speech to ATA members around that time, Spear announced curbing crash lawsuits as a “tier-one priority” for the organization and vowed to work with state governments and state lobbying groups to pass new laws to do so. Since then, the ATA has also said that crash lawsuits are becoming more frequent and expensive, therefore raising insurance costs for carriers.

Mark Geistfeld, a professor of civil litigation at NYU Law and the author of five books on liability, told FRONTLINE he’s heard similar refrains about frivolous lawsuits from industry groups since the 1980s. That’s when industry lobbyists began trying to pass what they called tort reforms at the state level. Geistfeld has examined tort reform since then, noting that while the movement is less active now than it was in the 1980s, industries like trucking are ramping up their efforts.

“They call it reform, but historically most of the reforms have been about cutting back on liability,” Geistfeld said, referring to the industry groups.

He called the issue of meritless lawsuits a “bogeyman,” as the legal system has ways of sanctioning plaintiff lawyers if they knowingly bring frivolous cases. Industries campaigning for tort reform, he said, are typically more focused on reducing the amount they’ll be liable to pay if found responsible. They do so through campaigns for new state laws that change things like how trials are conducted, set caps on damages or redefine what evidence can be produced at trial.

Iowa, Montana, West Virginia, Louisiana and Missouri have also passed new tort reform laws supported by the trucking lobby. They take different forms in each state: Louisiana and West Virginia repealed rules which had prevented defense lawyers from bringing in evidence about whether the plaintiff had been wearing a seatbelt, and a law in Missouri raised the bar for ordering a trucking company to pay punitive damages. Jeremy Kirkpatrick, spokesperson for the ATA, said the state laws mark “initial successes in a long term campaign.”

While negligent trucking companies should be held accountable, he said, the new tort reform efforts the ATA is supporting aim to restore “balance and fairness” to the litigation system and are not about reducing liability. When a trucking company’s insurance premiums go up after large verdicts and settlements, according to Kirkpatrick, leadership may cut costs by lowering wages, which can mean hiring less experienced drivers and can have a negative impact on safety.

“The trucking industry has become a target for plaintiff-attorney profiteering,” he said. “This is about reforming specific rules and practices that enable plaintiffs’ attorneys to inflate damages and engineer nuclear and disproportionate verdicts and settlements.”

Texas: Limits on Company Liability and Evidence

Texas, which ranked first in the nation for truck-related fatalities in 2020 with 643 deaths, passed a law in 2021 that says trucking companies cannot be sued for their role in a crash unless the driver has first been found liable by a court — a process called a bifurcated trial. It passed with support from the Texas Trucking Association, a state lobbying group and ATA member, which said the law will protect trucking companies from “biased and unfair courtroom tactics.”

Previously, according to trucking lawyer Fried, plaintiff attorneys could bring in evidence about a trucking company’s broader practices — such as how many other accidents it was involved in — to convey to the jury that the crashes were a systemic problem. It’s a practice long-derided by truck lobbying groups, which refer to it as “reptile theory” and say it wrongfully aims to rile up the jury against trucking companies to encourage larger verdicts.

The new Texas law changed that. In the first phase of the trial that determines compensatory damages, attorneys are now more confined to the facts immediately surrounding the specific accident and whether the company was negligent in hiring or vehicle maintenance before the crash. Broader evidence about the company’s past is only allowed if the driver or company is proven at fault and the trial moves to a second phase. It’s a legal change Fried expects trucking groups will try to bring to other states.

“This passed in Texas because the politics were ripe for it there,” he said. “But it’s definitely being pursued elsewhere.”

Florida: Shrinking the Window to Sue

The trucking lobby also notched a win in Florida, which ranks third in the nation for truck-related fatalities, with a law passed in March that made a number of changes to civil litigation that are particularly relevant to trucking. Alix Miller — president and CEO of Florida Trucking Association, an ATA member — lobbied heavily for its passage.

“Florida is one of the worst when it comes to trucking litigation,” Miller told FRONTLINE, saying that the state’s new law and others like it aim to make the legal system more balanced for defendants. The Florida law changes how medical bills are presented at trial by only admitting the amount paid versus the amount initially billed. It also reduces the statute of limitations from four to two years for personal injury cases.

Safety advocates say that a shorter time frame in which one can sue becomes an obstacle to victims in their effort to pursue accountability after crashes.

“When you talk to victims who have been through this, they will tell you that the first two to three years are completely disorienting,” said Zach Cahalan, executive director of Truck Safety Coalition, a group that provides resources and support to people involved in truck crashes and advocates nationally for safety regulations. He noted that victims often have to deal with a deluge of paperwork, medical bills, physical therapy appointments and other demands as they process the crash.

“By the time they realize that ‘Hey, I might need to pursue a civil trial,’” he said, “sometimes the statute of limitations is over.”

Iowa: Caps on Damages

Another path these laws have taken is to cap the amount of noneconomic damages awarded to plaintiffs — compensation for losses that, unlike medical bills or wages, cannot be easily measured, such as the loss of a child.

The Iowa legislature passed a law in April, supported by the Iowa Motor Truck Association, an ATA member, that caps pain and suffering payments to $5 million in accidents involving commercial vehicles, though it includes exceptions for certain situations of extreme negligence, like if the driver was intoxicated.

Supporters of the law say that plaintiff lawyers profit too much off of crash litigation and that the cap will help fix this. But Cahalan of the Truck Safety Coalition opposes such limits on damages, and he said instead that juries should continue to have agency in determining how much should be paid after a crash.

“Your ability to be made whole following a crash should not be arbitrary,” he said.

Geistfeld, from NYU Law, said that whether in trucking or another industry, the outcomes of tort reform efforts decide who is responsible for paying for the cost of injuries. They also shape the incentives that businesses weigh when deciding how to conduct their operations safely, he said.

“The idea, ultimately, is if the businesses are forced to pay for the liabilities of their drivers, then the businesses are going to adopt safety measures to try to make sure that they can do as much as possible to keep drivers from getting into crashes,” he said. “And that’s obviously good for society.”

— “America’s Dangerous Trucks” is part of a collaborative investigation from FRONTLINE and ProPublica. The documentary premiered on June 13, 2023, and is available to stream in the PBS App and on FRONTLINE’s Website.

[kalopsic-lagomorph]

miku worldwide usa edition (click to fully appreciate)

(go follow the cool artists under the cut)

finished map: here

washington: @mochasucculent

oregon: @the-jelliphish

california: @camiliar

arizona: @apelgif

nevada: kikiCPU

utah: @ace-o-hearts

montana: @just-luxx

idaho: @roxyrot

wyoming: @saintlethanavir

colorado: @yaelartworks

new mexico: @eldritch-ace

north dakota: @schwoopsiedoodles

south dakota: beebeerock

nebraska: @glassofoj-twitter

kansas: @petziez

oklahoma: @razzafrazzle

texas: @princepsed

minnesota: @pastabaguette

iowa: @rumpledcrow

missouri: @inkyharpy

arkansas: @basement-buddy

louisiana: @circusclownproductions

wisconsin: @plush0fairy

illinois: @shrimpimage

kentucky: @double-m-b

tennessee: @thebiscuiteternal

mississippi: @juneyybee

alabama: @burnt-scone

michigan: @chorne-the-firstborn

idiana: @meowjuniper

ohio: @teethflavoured

west virginia: @littleivyart

virginia: @splemonocracy

georgia: @alyossan

florida: kierscribbles

south carolina: @ash-animates

north carolina: @pinkcultgirl

maryland: @f4ceache

pennsylvania: @sukifoof-art

new york: @doodoobirds

new jersey: @porcelain-rob0t

delaware: easybriizydraws

rhode island: @crazywolf828

conneticut: @koreyeet

vermont: @maggotwithanf

massechusettes: @wishpetal

new hampshire: @ohnoshiv

maine: @limesade

alaska: @owldart

hawaii: @theexistingbox

[libraford]

The word 'rural' is in the public consciousness again and every time people start going in about the 'rural values' 'rural way of life' I remember just how subjective that word is.

I have a friend that lives in LA. He considers Columbus, OH to be 'rural.' A population of over 900k. Thriving arts community, tons of culture festivals, every kind of restaurant you can think of, one of the most annoying college campuses ever, several smaller colleges, lots of queer spaces, comic book conventions, huge concerts... rural.

The town I live in considers itself 'rural.' 38k population. Arts festival every year, a small pride celebration, monthly gallery hop, big Halloween festival. Five ice cream shops, three coffee shops, a couple fancy bars, so many grocery stores. Huge library, conservation and sustainability advocates, queer spaces, a hospital, one private college. Rural.

The town we nearly annexed, but lost the deal considers us 'urban' compared to them. Less than 5k. They have a limited hospital, often send their surgeries here. Downtown has hardware store, bars, craft supply store, a couple grocery stores, pizza places. There's some farmland, but much of the square acreage is golf. Mega churches. The houses here are 500k. Most people drive ATVs. They have a handful of festivals in the summer.

A town I would often get sent to to cover their high school sports- a little over 2k. There's a Subway, a Domino's, Family Dollar. Some bars, some corner stores. Some local crafts. All the students grow up knowing each other, most of them stay there. But they have craft fairs and art galleries, still.

Less rural still than the town I go through to get there, population of around 600. Houses, farmland, post office, general store.

Who would still look down upon the town of about 400 that I would go to sometimes- post office. Gas station. Bar. The school is the only big thing there.

And yet still, I have seen towns with population in the double digits that have a church and a post office.

Even just looking at the numbers doesn't lend accuracy to what 'rural' actually looks like. Because this is what it looks like in ohio, but it's different in West Virginia- where your closest neighbor might be a mile down a hill. Or in Montana, where your town might be planned very tightly and your neighbors are very close, but the nearest grocery store is an hour and a half away. These are places I've been, friends that I've talked to. I've never been to Missouri or Alabama or Louisiana- I'm sure they have a unique experience of being 'rural.'

So my point is that when people talk about 'the rural experience' or 'rural values,' they are talking about millions of people across the entire country who all have lived unique lives- and who may not even agree on what 'rural' is.

Think about who is talking, and who is being talked over, and who isn't even being asked to join the conversation.

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #29

July 26-August 2 2024

President Biden announced his plan to reform the Supreme Court and make sure no President is above the law. The conservative majority on the court ruled that Trump has "absolute immunity" from any prosecution for "official acts" while he was President. In response President Biden is calling for a constitutional amendment to make it clear that Presidents aren't above the law and don't have immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. In response to a wide ranging corruption scandal involving Justice Clarence Thomas, President Biden called on Congress to pass a legally binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court. The code would force Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political actions, and force them to recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. President Biden also endorsed the idea of term limits for the Justices.

The Biden Administration sent out an email to everyone who has a federal student loan informing them of upcoming debt relief. The debt relief plan will bring the total number of a borrowers who've gotten relief from the Biden-Harris Administration to 30 million. The plan is due to be finalized this fall, and the Department of Education wanted to alert people early to allow them to be ready to quickly take advantage of it when it was in place and get relief as soon as possible.

President Biden announced that the federal government would step in and protect the pension of 600,000 Teamsters. Under the American Rescue Plan, passed by President Biden and the Democrats with no Republican votes, the government was empowered to bail out Union retirement funds which in recent years have faced devastating cut of up to 75% in some cases, leaving retired union workers in desperate situations. The Teamster union is just the latest in a number of such pension protections the President has done in office.

President Biden and Vice-President Harris oversaw the dramatic release of American hostages from Russia. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan held since 2018, Russian-American reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva convicted of criticizing the Russian Military, were all released from captivity and returned to the US at around midnight August 2nd. They were greeted on the tarmac by the President and Vice-President and their waiting families. The deal also secured the release of German medical worker Rico Krieger sentenced to death in Belarus, Russian-British opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, and 11 Russians convicted of opposing the war against Ukraine or being involved in Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption organization. Early drafts of the hostage deal were meant to include Navalny before his death in Russian custody early this year.

A new Biden Administration rule banning discrimination against LGBT students takes effect, but faces major Republican resistance. The new rule declares that Title IX protects Queer students from discrimination in public schools and any college that takes federal funds. The new rule also expands protections for victims of sexual misconduct and pregnant or parenting students. However Republican resistance means the rule can't take effect nation wide. Lawsuits from Republican controlled states, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, means the new protections won't come into effect those states till the case is ruled on likely in a Supreme Court ruling. The Biden administration crafted these Title IX rules to reflect the Supreme Court's 2020 Bostock case.

The Biden administration awarded $2 billion to black and minority farmers who were the victims of historic discrimination. Historically black farmers have been denied important loans from the USDA, or given smaller amounts than white farmers. This massive investment will grant 23,000 minority farmers between $10,000 and $500,000 each and a further 20,000 people who wanted to start farms by were improperly denied the loans they needed between $3,500-$6,000 to get started. Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.

The Biden Administration took an important step to stop the criminalization of poverty by changing child safety guidelines so that poverty alone isn't grounds for taking a child into foster care. Studies show that children able to stay with parents or other family have much better outcomes then those separated. Many states have already removed poverty from their guidelines when it comes to removing children from the home, and the HHS guidelines push the remaining states to do the same.

Vice-President Harris announced the Biden Administration's agreement to a plan by North Carolina to forgive the state's medical debt. The plan by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper would forgive the medical debt of 2 million people in the state. North Carolina has the 3rd highest rate of medical debt in the nation. Vice-President Harris applauded the plan, pointing out that the Biden Administration has forgiven $650 million dollars worth of medical debt so far with plans to forgive up to $7 billion by 2026. The Vice-President unveiled plans to exclude medical debt from credit scores and issued a call for states and local governments to forgive debt, like North Carolina is, last month.

The Department of Transportation put forward a new rule to bank junk fees for family air travel. The new rule forces airlines to seat parents next to their children, with no extra cost. Currently parents are forced to pay extra to assure they are seated next to their children, no matter what age, if they don't they run the risk of being separated on a long flight. Airlines would be required to seat children age 13 and under with their parent or accompanying adult at no extra charge.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it is giving $3.5 billion to combat homelessness. This represents the single largest one year investment in fighting homelessness in HUD's history. The money will be distributed by grants to local organizations and programs. HUD has a special focus on survivors of domestic violence, youth homeless, and people experiencing the unique challenges of homelessness in rural areas.

The Treasury Department announced that Pennsylvania and New Mexico would be joining the IRS' direct file program for 2025. The program was tested as a pilot in a number of states in 2024, saving 140,000 tax payers $5.6 million in filing charges and getting tax returns of $90 million. The program, paid for by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, will be available to all 50 states, but Republicans strong object. Pennsylvania and New Mexico join Oregon and New Jersey in being new states to join.

Bonus: President Biden with the families of the released hostages calling their loved ones on the plane out of Russia

[zanmor]

Using Your Vote Strategically

Your vote doesn’t matter (probably). Luckily you can make it do a bit more.

Your vote is one of a few hundred million game pieces. Knowing how best to use it requires you to understand your place on the game board. Let’s take a look at that board.

Current polling has the following ten states (yellow on the above map) as highly competitive in this year’s presidential election: Maine, New Jersey, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. Realistically those first three have only gone to Democrats since at least 2000 so speculation is more focused on the last seven (and even New Hampshire has been solidly Democrat since it voted for Bush in 2000).

If you’re one of the roughly 37.5 million voters who lives in one of those states, congratulations! Your vote will actually help decide who wins the presidency in November. As such you should probably vote for one of the major parties. To the other 82% of the electorate, it’s time to think a little harder about how you’ll utilize your vote in the fall.

Meanwhile there are 35 states that solidly belong to one of the two parties and that ain’t changing. They’re blue and red on the map above.

These states have only given electoral votes to their respective party since at least 2000 and current polling (according to 270towin.com) shows that they will do that again this year, well beyond any margin of error in the polls. California for instance is currently polling heavily in favor of the Democratic candidate and has voted for a Democratic candidate since 2000. Obviously that’s not about to change. That’s the case with these other 34 states as well. Which means if there’s any way to “throw your vote away” then it’s by blindly tossing it in with the millions of others that will not impact the electoral college or party platforms in any way.

The states where your vote matters least are:

California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Alaska, Missouri, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.

If you live in one of these states I have no qualms about advising you to vote third party in the general election. It will not change the electoral college outcome. But it can have important benefits you wouldn’t see by simply tossing another ballot on the mountain. I’ll talk below about those benefits. First, the last part of the game board.

The following six states (green on the above map) are technically polling within the margin of error where they could potentially go either way. I personally think it’s unlikely they’ll flip but you can make your own call on that and vote accordingly. If you live in North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, or Colorado, I think you’re likely to get more use from your vote giving it to a third party candidate based on current polling.

As I said above, I don’t expect that third party voting will impact the electoral college outside of those few truly competitive states.

So what does voting third party do?

If enough people vote third party it can do two helpful things: 1. if a party’s candidate receives over 5% of the popular vote then they can get federal matching funds in the next election, helping spread messages currently relegated to the sidelines, and 2. the major parties are more likely to take note of these votes and try to adjust their platforms to grab these voters in later elections. Voting for one of the two major parties doesn’t send any sort of message. What little utility your vote has in that regard is lost.

Voting for a candidate like Jill Stein of the Green Party can accomplish both of the above goals. Her platform is incredibly progressive. Across the board it’s a lot of things that leftists have been clamoring for. It will show establishment Democrats that there is voting support for those policies.

By supporting a third party candidate (not an independent solo candidate) we could see her get 5% of the popular vote and gain federal matching funds in 2028. It’s not about if she would be a good president or if you like her personally—she is not and never will get elected. It’s about hitting that 5% and showing the establishment that if they cater to the folks who like this platform that they can win votes.

Five percent of the 2020 election would have been just under 8 million votes. Four million Californian voters could have voted Green Party and Biden still would have won the state by over a million votes. We can definitely find 4 million votes in the other 40 states that otherwise are unlikely to impact the election. And we should.

[jjmcquade-misc]

DEMS FRAUD Numbers of illegal Aliens allowed to vote in American elections by state. Shame on AZ, Missouri and PA who are the worst offenders. Can you imagine going to England, Canada or any other foreign country and voting in their elections? It wouldn’t happen. Source is Social Security Admin. Numbers are growing each week. We are already over 10 million collectively. Alabama 57,272 Alaska 3,765 Arizona 1,313,742 Arkansas 6,141 California 188,019 Colorado 45,105 Connecticut 4,912 Delaware 0 District of Columbia 0 Florida 46,191 Georgia 246,698 Hawaii 0 Idaho 5,093 Illinois 373,398 Indiana 174,499 Iowa 10,043 Kansas 25,593 Kentucky 0 Louisiana 6,192 Maine 5,328 Maryland 70,041 Massachusetts 4,830 Michigan 20,196 Minnesota 27,768 Mississippi 1,587 Missouri 1,709,753 Montana 23,983 Nebraska 7,440 Nevada 66,105 New Hampshire 0 New Jersey 166,558 New Mexico 0 New York 116,616 North Carolina 374,665 North Dakota 0 Ohio 35,954 Oklahoma 0 Oregon 22,490 Pennsylvania 1,583,781 Rhode Island 59,286 South Carolina 0 South Dakota 15,878 Tennessee 0 Texas 3,129,627 Utah 14,539 Vermont 2,982 Virginia 0 Washington 19,004 West Virginia 0 Wisconsin 7,573 Wyoming 7,755 ‌ 2024 TOTAL: 10,000,402

[kleosvarietyblog]

USA PATCH NOTES

-made Wisconsin significantly larger by absorbing several other states into it, as well as giving it most of Michigan

-minnesota is now an independent country

-made missouri much smaller (much of what used to be missouri now belongs to wisconsin)

-resolved v-fighting between utah and wyoming

-split the rest of Michigan between ohio and indiana

-the entire delmarva peninsula is now part of Washington, D.C.

-gave georgia's coastline to south carolina

-further divided the dakotas

-southern montana is now part of southwest dakota

-the alaskan panhandle is now canadian

-3 of the hawaiian islands are now part of mexico

-merged arizona, nevada, and southern california into a single state

-alabama and mississippi's coastlines are now floridian

-oklahoma is now very very long

-eastern texas is now in louisiana

-arkansas is slightly larger

-western texas is part of new mexico

-merged northern california, western oregon, and the entirety of washington into a new state

-eastern oregan is part of idaho

-the idaho panhandle is now a separate state

-rotated the border between virginia and north carolina by 90° (virginia in the east, NC in the west)

-merged kentucky, east tennessee, and the maryland panhandle into west virginia

-merged the rest of maryland as well as most of western new york into Pennsylvania

-merged eastern Massachusetts and all of new hampshire into maine

-merged western massachusetts, new york city, long island, and all of new jersey into vermont

-renamed colorado to squareland

-rhode island is entirely unchanged

[feddy-34]

check your registered voter status

all 50 US states and territories below. every link is to the official state/territory elections page, all with .gov domains.

information taken from the official vote.gov website

US STATES:

alabama: alabamavotes

alaska: myvoterportal

arizona: myarizona vote

arkansas: voterview

california: voterstatus

colorado: sos.state

connecticut: portaldir

delaware: ivote

florida: myflorida

georgia: myvoterpage

hawaii: olvr

idaho: vote idaho

illinois: ova.elections

indiana: indianavoters

iowa: sos.iowa

kansas: myvoteinfo

kentucky: vrsws

louisiana: voterportal

maine: maine.gov

maryland: voterservices

massachusetts: sec.state

michigan: mvic.sos.state

minnesota: mnvotes

mississippi: msegov

missouri: voteroutreach

montana: prodvoterportal

nebraska: votercheck

nevada: nvsos

new hampshire: app.sos.nh

new jersey: voter.svrs

new mexico: voterportal

new york: voterlookup

north carolina: vt.ncsbe

north dakota: sos.nd

ohio: voterlookup

oklahoma: okvoterportal

oregon: sos.state.or

pennsylvania: pavoterservices

rhode island: vote.sos.ri

south carolina: scvotes

south dakota: sdsos

tennessee: tnmap

texas: votetexas

utah: votesearch

vermont: mvp.vermont

virginia: elections.virginia

washington: votewa

west virginia: sos.wv

wisconsin: myvote wisconsin

wyoming: check status by contacting your local registration office through your county clerk. country clerk contact information here

US TERRITORIES:

american samoa: aselections

guam: gec.guam

puerto rico: consulta.ceepur

northern mariana islands: votecnmi

virgin islands: vivote

washington dc: dcboe

remember to cast that ballot in november!

[brotherseannsfw]

|| ONLINE ||

No, my name is not actually Sean. I post about dark kinks and random thoughts. Viewer discretion is advised.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

My Fuck-it List

Fuck a stripper in the vip section

Finger fuck a broad under the table while having dinner with her family

Fuck an Amish girl

Fuck a pair of twins

Fuck a woman and her daughter

Fuck a married woman

Fuck a girl half my age (once I'm 36)

The Helen Keller (threesome with a blind girl and a deaf girl) (God forgive me)

Be part of an orgy

Be part of a gangbang

Fucking on a mountain top

Fuck a squaw bitch

Roadhead (shocking I haven't done this)

Sex on a greyhound bus and head on a public bus

Fuck a broad in every room of my family home, including the barns

Fuck at a national monument

Backshots in a graveyard

Make love on acid

Get head under the table at a fancy restaurant/social club

Join the Mile High Club

Accept a sexual favor as payment for goods and/or services

Fuck a girl from each continent (N. America, S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania/Australia, Antarctica)

Fuck a girl from each major religion (Catholic, Evangelical, Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Shinto, Rastafari, Neo-Pagan, Wiccan, Local Religion)

Fuck a girl in each state (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai'i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming) (send me a message and I'll put you down to be the bitch I cross off one of these messages)

[nevgovhater]

Since u all fw marching band wttt then here u go except I'm only doing the states cause gov would def be the director who has to deal with them

Also these headcanons r real I swear I'm right (by a trombonist)

all in alphabetical order btw

1. ALABAMA — probably would do bari-sax

2. ALASKA — percussion. thats it. just percussion. (Up for interpretation)

3. ARIZONA — flute or bass clarinet, one of those.

4. ARKANSAS — flute

5. CALIFORNIA — he would be a fucking clarinet, no exceptions. He just gives off clarinet vibes, or just woodwind in general

6. COLORADO — tenor drums

7. CONNECTICUT — piccolo or mellophone

8. DELAWARE — flute

9. FLORIDA — cymbals or piccolo, one of those at the very least.

10. GEORGIA — trumpet. 100% trumpet player

11. HAWAI'I — glockenspiel or marimba

12. IDAHO — trumpet

13. ILLINOIS — euphonium or bass drums

14. INDIANA — saxophone

15. IOWA — alto saxophone

16. KANSAS — trumpet

17. KENTUCKY — trumpet or saxophone

18. LOUISIANA — trombone. (Sorry to all those saxophone loui lovers.. but i feel like his instrument would be the trombone,, it's still a jazz instrument so ykyk)

19. MAINE — bass drums or euphonium

20. MARYLAND — clarinet

21. MASSACHUSETTS — oh he's a flute, that's for sure. 😭😭

22. MICHIGAN — tenor sax

23. MINNESOTA — mellophone

24. MISSISSIPPI — trumpet

25. MISSOURI — vibraphone

26. MONTANA — cornet

27. NEBRASKA — trumpet

28. NEVADA — I'm sorry but he'd probably do tenor sax

29. NEW HAMPSHIRE — piccolo

30. NEW JERSEY — snare drum

31. NEW MEXICO — cornet

32. NEW YORK — snare or tenor drums

33. NORTH CAROLINA — trumpet

34. NORTH DAKOTA — flute (sighs)

35. OHIO — trombone

36. OKLAHOMA — alto sax

37. OREGON — marimba

38. PENNSYLVANIA — glockenspiel

39. RHODE ISLAND — sousaphone/tuba. im fucking SERIOUS about this man he would love this

40. SOUTH CAROLINA — clarinet

41. SOUTH DAKOTA — saxophone

42. TENNESSEE — tenor sax

43. TEXAS — sousaphone/tuba

44. UTAH — flute or bass clarinet

45. VERMONT — flute. (dear god help me)

46. VIRGINIA — flute (guess what)

47. WASHINGTON — flute (im going insane please stop)

48. WEST VIRGINIA — cymbals or drumline

49. WISCONSIN — xylophone

50. WYOMING — euphonium

I'm literally right abt this i swear ⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

"You're wrong about—" SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP GET OUT OF MY HEAD ⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

[martiancount1877]

jokes

What do Barack Obama and George W. Bush Jr have in common?

They both love Dick.

---

What do Israeli Jews have in common with Palestinian Muslims?

They both hate Turtle Necks.

---

How many Jews does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

None, the shabbos goy will do it.

---

Why did Eve give Adam a bite from the apple instead of something nicer?

Man hadnt yet invented the housewife.

---

How many hours does it take to walk across Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, respectively?

No idea, I fly over.

---

There are plenty of fish in the sea, they said.

I'm no ichthyophile.

---

What do you call a gay country fella with a thick booty?

Hubba Bubba

---

How much beer does a dolphin drink?

5 cans

---

What game do Dwayne Johnson, the Pope & Ellen Degeneres play?

Rock, Papal, Scissors

---

What does a gay Cholo and Asian men have in common?

They love doing their éses

---

How do transpeople cross the road?

One splat at a time.

---

Nothing worse than getting fired,

from a canon.

---

What's John Oliver's drunk irish cousin's name?

Seán O'MacLiver

---

What do women and transwomen have in common?

Nothing.

---

What do proud and out gays and indians have in common?

They love holding hands with men.

---

Recently a family of indian immigrants got food poisoning at an lgbt restaurant.

---

What do they call jokes in india?

Delhihihihihi

---

Fin

[starblaster]

hey please go check your freezers if you've bought any bags of frozen strawberries, frozen mixed fruit, or fruit smoothie blends from Walmart, HEB, or Costco; the brands Great Value and Rader Farms (plus Rader Farms: Fresh Start) had products recalled for hepatitis A contamination (source):

Willamette Valley Fruit Co. in Salem, OR is voluntarily recalling select packages of frozen fruit containing strawberries grown in Mexico due to the potential for Hepatitis A contamination. To date (June 13th, 2023), there have been no illnesses associated with this voluntary recall.

Company name: Willamette Valley Fruit Co Brand name: Great Value and Rader Farms Product recalled: Frozen strawberries and frozen fruit blends containing frozen strawberries Reason of the recall: Potential for Hepatitis A contamination FDA Recall date: June 13, 2023

Products were distributed via the following retailers:

Walmart: Great Value Sliced Strawberries, Great Value Mixed Fruit, and Great Value Antioxidant Blend distributed to select Walmart stores in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York state, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming from January 24th, 2023 to June 8th, 2023

Costco Wholesale Stores: Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blend distributed to Costco Wholesale stores in Colorado, Texas, California, and Arizona from October 3rd, 2022 and June 8th, 2023.

HEB: Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB stores in Texas from July 18th, 2022 to June 8th, 2023.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from exposure to the Hepatitis A virus, including from food. It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious illness lasting several months. Illness generally occurs within 15 to 50 days of exposure and includes fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, abnormal liver tests, dark urine and pale stool. In rare cases, particularly consumers who have a pre-existing severe illness or are immune compromised, Hepatitis A infection can progress to liver failure. Persons who may have consumed affected product should consult with their health care professional or local health department to determine if a vaccination is appropriate, and consumers with symptoms of Hepatitis A should contact their health care professionals or the local health department immediately.

Recalled products include the following:

Walmart: Great Value Sliced Strawberries are packaged in a 64oz (4lb) 1.81kg plastic bag with the following codes: Lot: 4018305; Best By: 7/19/2024 Lot: 4019305; Best By: 7/20/2024

Great Value Mixed Fruit, packaged in a 64oz (4lb) 1.81kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4024205; Best By: 7/25/2024 Lot: 4025305; Best By: 7/26/2024 Lot: 4032305; Best By: 8/3/2024 Lot: 4033305; Best By: 8/4/2024 Lot: 4034305; Best By: 8/5/2024 Lot: 4035305; Best By: 8/6/2024

Great Value Antioxidant Fruit Blend, is packaged in a 40oz (2lb 8oz) 1.13kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4018305; Best By: 7/19/2024 Lot: 4019305; Best By: 7/20/2024

Great Value Mixed Fruit, packaged in a 64oz (4lb) 1.81kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4024205; Best By: 7/25/2024 Lot: 4025305; Best By: 7/26/2024 Lot: 4032305; Best By: 8/2/2024 Lot: 4033305; Best By: 8/3/2024 Lot: 4034305; Best By: 8/4/2024 Lot: 4035305; Best By: 8/5/2024

Great Value Antioxidant Fruit Blend, is packaged in a 40oz (2lb 8oz) 1.13kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4032305; Best By: 8/2/2024

Costco Wholesale: Rader Farms Fresh Start Smoothie Blend, packaged in 48oz (1.36kg) plastic bag containing six 8oz plastic pouches. With the following codes: Lot: 4224202; Best By: 2/11/2024 Lot: 4313202; Best By: 5/10/2024 Lot: 4314202; Best By: 5/11/2024 Lot: 4363202; Best By: 6/29/2024 Lot: 4364202; Best By: 6/30/2024 Lot: 4017302; Best By: 7/18/2024 Lot: 4018302; Best By: 7/19/2024 Lot: 4042306; Best By: 8/12/2024 Lot: 4043306; Best By: 8/13/2024 Lot: 4060306; Best By: 8/30/2024

HEB: Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB packaged in a 3lb (1.36kg) plastic bag. With the following codes: Lot: 4153205; Best By: 12/2/2023 Lot: 4283202; Best By: 4/10/2024 Lot: 4284202; Best By: 4/11/2024 Lot: 4058302; Best By: 8/28/2024 Lot: 4059302; Best By: 8/29/2024

Consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled product, not to consume it and either discard the product or return it to the store for a refund. Products that have different lot code or purchase dates are not subject to this recall.

In case you experienced Hepatitis A symptoms, it is important to report it. It can help to detect [and] resolve issues and prevent others from being harmed, and it enables better surveillance [of food contamination-related illnesses].

[1americanconservative]

@WallStreetApes

This Data is from The Official Website of The US Social Security Administration, HAVV ‌

This is the amount of people in each state that attempt to register to vote WITHOUT ID just in 2024 ‌

Alabama 54,579

Alaska 3,561

Arizona 1,255,486

Texas 3,108,083

California 176,604

Arkansas 6,141

Colorado 41,338

Connecticut4,564

Delaware 0

District of Columbia 0

Florida 43,897

Georgia 241,671

Hawaii 0

Idaho 4,846

Illinois 362,798

Indiana 165,717

Iowa 9,383

Kansas 25,083

Kentucky 0

Louisiana 5,866

Maine 5,090

Maryland 67,181

Massachusetts 4,380

Michigan 14,921

Minnesota 25,488

Mississippi 1,506

Missouri 1,597,775

Montana 22,390

Nebraska 7,228

Nevada 63,732

New Hampshire 0

New Jersey 158,146

New Mexico 0

New York 109,937

North Carolina 363,966

North Dakota 0

Ohio 33,308

Oklahoma 0

Oregon 21,599

Pennsylvania 1,536,052

Rhode Island 59,206

South Carolina 0

South Dakota 15,229

Tennessee 0

Utah 14,081

Vermont 2,982

Virginia 0

Washington 17,170

West Virginia 0

Wisconsin 7,077

Wyoming 6,240 ‌

TOTAL 9,664,301

[never-was-has-been]

!Get Out The Vote ALL 50 States!

USE These links to find YOUR STATE’S Election Board. Reply to my Tumblr messages if any of these links Fail.

PLEASE Reblog & share to other sites OFTEN!

Alabama https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/

Alaska https://voterregistration.alaska.gov/

Arizona https://voter.azsos.gov/VoterView/Home.do

Arkansas No State registration page. Commissioners by County. http://www.arkansas.gov/sbec/election-commissioner

California https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/

Colorado https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/main.html?menuheaders=5

Connecticut https://voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR/welcome.do

D.C. https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Register-To-Vote/Register-to-Vote/

Delaware https://ivote.de.gov/voterlogin.aspx

Florida https://registration.elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus

Georgia https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov/GAOLVR/welcome.do#no-back-button

Hawaii https://olvr.hawaii.gov/

Idaho https://idahovotes.gov/

Illinois https://ova.elections.il.gov/RegistrationLookup.aspx

Indiana https://www.rockthevote.org/voting-information/indiana/

Iowa https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/regtovote/search.aspx

Kansas https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView

Kentucky https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/VIC/

Louisiana https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/VoterRegistration

Maine https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/index.html

Maryland https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/VoterSearch

Massachusetts https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

Michigan https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections

Minnesota https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/VoterStatus.aspx

Mississippi https://www.msegov.com/sos/voter_registration/amiregistered/Search

Missouri https://s1.sos.mo.gov/elections/VoterLookup/

Montana https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo/

Nebraska https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/VoterView/

Nevada https://www.nvsos.gov/votersearch/

New Hampshire https://sos.nh.gov/elections/information/notices/voter-registration-motor-vehicle-law-jointly-issued-faqs/

New Jersey http://www.njelections.org/

New Mexico https://voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us/wheretovote.aspx?&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

New York https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/

North Carolina https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

North Dakota https://vip.sos.nd.gov/PortalListDetails.aspx?ptlhPKID=51&ptlPKID=7

Ohio https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/voterlookup.aspx

Oklahoma https://oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.html

Oregon https://sos.oregon.gov/voting-elections/Pages/default.aspx

Pennsylvania https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx

Rhode Island https://vote.sos.ri.gov/

South Carolina https://info.scvotes.sc.gov/eng/voterinquiry/VoterInformationRequest.aspx?PageMode=VoterInfo

South Dakota https://vip.sdsos.gov/vipLogin.aspx

Tennessee https://tnmap.tn.gov/voterlookup/

Texas https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

Utah https://vote.utah.gov

Vermont https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/voters/registration/

Virginia https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

Washington https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVote/#/login

West Virginia https://apps.sos.wv.gov/elections/Voter/AmIRegisteredToVote updated 9-20-2024

Wisconsin https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/FindMyPollingPlace

Wyoming http://soswy.state.wy.us/Elections/RegisteringToVote.aspx

!USE These links to find YOUR STATE’S Election Board Website! !!!BE AWARE THAT SOME STATES CHANGE THEIR Election Board Policies on Registration, etc.!!! !STAY INFORMED! PLEASE Re-Blog & Share this post on other Sites OFTEN!  Reply to my Tumblr messages if any of these links Fail.

[probablyasocialecologist]

In a position paper published Wednesday, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders Michel Forst chronicled the increasing criminalization of environmental activists in Europe and argued for states to protect protesters and listen to their demands instead of harassing, intimidating and repressing those engaged in peaceful acts of civil disobedience.  Meanwhile, the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law tracks state and federal legislation introduced in the U.S. that restricts first amendment rights to peaceful assembly and has found 42 currently enacted laws and 25 pending bills that would restrict these rights.  Examples include new or expanded “critical infrastructure” laws in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia that explicitly protect pipelines and mining operations, ramping up fines and multi-year prison sentences for trespassing or impeding operations. Some states will also fine those conspiring with individuals found in breach of critical infrastructure laws up to $100,000. At the U.N., Forst’s analysis followed a year-long inquiry in a landscape of rising risk for environmental defenders: As global public demand for decisive climate action grows and activists engage in more frequent and targeted forms of civil disobedience, there’s been an uptick in violent crackdowns from law enforcement, harsh sentencing for protesters and legislation to make it harder for protesters to engage in peaceful demonstrations.