New York Representative Jamaal Bowman finally got a good reason to sound an alarm

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New York Representative Jamaal Bowman finally got a good reason to sound an alarm

He’s been an outspoken member of the far-left collection of representatives known as “the squad.” 

But new information suggests that his antics may be doing him more harm than good.

Now New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman finally got a good reason to sound an alarm.

New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D) has developed quite a reputation in recent years.

He’s had the good fortune to be running in a solidly Democrat-leaning congressional district.

Because his district isn’t competitive in a general election the leftist has had no problem letting his left-wing freak flag fly.

A long list of political missteps

Some of his greatest hits would have led to his ouster by voters if he represented more moderate territory.

Bowman once defended putting a convicted cop killer and fugitive in the Bronx Cornerstone Academy for Social Action’s “hall of honor.”

He also faced criticism for calling Israel an “apartheid” and alleged that reports of rapes and child murders during Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel were a “lie.”

That action wasn’t wise considering his congressional district is the home to a significant Jewish population.

Most famously, the congressman pleaded guilty last year to a misdemeanor after he pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building to delay a vote to avert a partial government shutdown.

Worse yet for him, the entire spectacle was caught on video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGIdm81xTCg

Now, there’s new evidence suggesting that the people who know him best – those represented by him in Congress – may be tiring of Bowman.

Poll: Bowman’s radicalism causing voters to rally to his primary opponent

In new polling obtained by the New York Post, Westchester County Executive George Latimer leads Bowman 52% to 35% among Democratic primary voters in the 16th Congressional District, encompassing Westchester County and parts of the northeast Bronx.

More ominously, among Democrats who voted in at least three of the last four primaries, Latimer’s lead expands to a solid 21 percentage points — 56% to 35%.

The survey was conducted by longtime Democrat pollster Mark Mellman for a group supporting Latimer.

Only 36% of respondents viewed Bowman’s work in Congress favorably while 55% have a negative view.

Bowman’s major vulnerability is that Latimer has a far better image among voters than the incumbent, who has been damaged by his self-inflicted actions and rhetoric.

Latimer has held various offices in Westchester for decades and is viewed positively by 68% of Democrats in the district while only 18% view him negatively.

Mellman said, “Latimer does 32 points better on the positive side, while Bowman’s negatives are a massive 37 points higher than Latimer’s. Very few unindicted elected officials receive such strongly negative ratings from their co-partisans.”

While primary races are notoriously more difficult to poll than general election contests, all available data suggests that Bowman has his work cut out for him if he wants to keep his job.

Should Bowman go down in defeat, it would be a major blow to the outspoken group of far-leftists in Congress known as “the squad” – because it would suggest that even mainstream Democrats are growing tired of their radicalism.

New York’s primary elections for the House of Representatives will take place on June 25th.

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

This blue-state school didn’t want parents to discover one insane lesson they are teaching young kids

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This blue-state school didn’t want parents to discover one insane lesson they are teaching young kids

For decades, Democrats have relied on government-run schools to indoctrinate and train the next generation of Leftist activists.

However, one of the only silver linings of the pandemic restrictions was the eye-opening effect it had on parents from coast to coast – with parents seeing the woke propaganda firsthand.

But this blue state school went to great lengths to hide one insane lesson for students from all concerned parents. 

Government-run indoctrination centers 

Teachers’ unions across the country force all educators to pay union dues for the privilege of employment.

They then turn around and donate those dues dollars to help elect Democrat candidates for elected office.

Those Democrats then block any common sense education reforms – like school choice, for example – that would offer better education opportunities to American students.

It’s a vicious cycle that is deteriorating the quality and reliability of the American education system – especially combined with the radical supposed “teachers” woke universities are now churning out. 

Fortunately, parents are starting to wake up and pull their children out of government- run schools.

Pandemic regulations that forced students out of the classroom helped expedite the flight away from so-called “public” schools.

According to the Urban Institute, during the pandemic, there was a 30% increase in homeschooling in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Household Pulse Survey found that currently, about 5.5% of students nationwide are now homeschooled.

And those numbers could soon skyrocket after parents learn what woke schools are now doing behind their backs.

Sex ed diagram teaches students trans science fiction 

An anonymous Oregon parent recently sent a tip – with receipts – to Libs of TikTok. 

According to Libs of TikTok’s Chaya Raichik, the parent reached out to her local school district to obtain a copy of the school’s sex education curriculum her child would be learning. 

However, Raichik reports the parent said the school refused to send a copy of the curriculum. 

However, they did say the parent could physically make a trip to the school and view the curriculum on one of the school computers. 

The parent called the bluff of the school officials and took them up on their offer. 

The parent was so disturbed by what she saw, that she grabbed some screenshots and sent them over to Libs of TikTok. 

In sex ed class, the unnamed Oregon school district is showing a diagram teaching about gender and sexuality. 

As you can see, the diagram depicts that gender/sex is indicated by the groin – and yet is “assigned at birth.” 

Whereas so-called “gender identity” is determined by the brain, and “gender expression” is determined by how you dress your body. 

The diagram also separates sexual orientation and “romantic orientation.”

According to the diagram, romantic orientation comes from the heart, while sexual orientation apparently comes from a flame at the bottom of your throat. 

In a separate slide, the lesson gives an example of a fictional “Casey,” who uses “they/them” pronouns. 

As you can see, this Casey character identifies as non-binary, and apparently was one of the 1 out of 5,000 people born with ambiguous genitalia. 

Casey expresses “them” gender fairly evenly between feminine, masculine, and whatever “other” means – with a slight lean toward feminine. 

And Casey appears to also be asexual with no specific sexual or romantic orientation mentioned. 

If you feel you need to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn’t be doing it 

Along with taking issue with the content of the lesson, Raichik identified yet another problem with this Oregon school. 

If the school administration and instructors don’t believe there is anything wrong with what they’re teaching – why hide it from parents? 

“Why are schools hiding lesson plans from parents,” Libs of TikTok tweeted. “They want to indoctrinate your kids with Gender Ideology and fake pronouns without you knowing. This is grooming 101.” 

Many commentators on the post asked another question. 

If you’re a parent with school-aged children who are still attending government-run schools – what are you waiting for? 

Blue State Blues will keep you updated as this story develops.

 

Officials in Gavin Newsom’s state are forcing one man to do the unthinkable

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Officials in Gavin Newsom’s state are forcing one man to do the unthinkable

Democrat-run major cities are collapsing.

They have finally reached their breaking point due to bad policies.

And officials in Gavin Newsom’s state are forcing one man to do the unthinkable.

Pro-crime policies implemented by George Soros-backed district attorneys are decimating communities.

One consequence is anarcho-tyranny, where the criminals get free rein (anarchy) and the law-abiding citizens get the crackdown (tyranny).

For example, serial shoplifters get a slap on the wrist if they steal under $950, but a good Samaritan who stops a thief could get hit with felony charges.

Anarcho-tyranny in the Bay

And in Oakland, Victor Silva, who is 102 years old and wheelchair-bound, is being forced by city officials to pay thousands of dollars in fines for not painting over graffiti on his back fence.

Silva has to paint over the graffiti or pay a $1,100 fine, plus $1,277 for a failed re-inspection of the property.

Silva’s daughter-in-law Elena told the New York Post, “It was so absurd, it’s like a joke. If you drive around the city and see the graffiti everywhere, it’s just—I don’t know what to say.”

Silva used to paint over the graffiti himself before he was confined to a wheelchair.

He explained, “Just had a roller and a paintbrush and just painted it. It was very easy because I was a contractor, you know. I’ll be 103 in two months or so. That slowed it up a little bit, you know.”

Even when the graffiti gets painted over, the vandals simply come back.

Silva’s son Victor Jr. commented, “It’s hard to keep up with it because as soon as we get it painted, it’s gonna be graffiti on it again, and it won’t last.”

The Silva family owns a small shop that often gets broken into.

A lack of services

Silva Jr. said that when he dials 9-1-1, “I’m put on hold every time. So it’s hard to understand where our tax dollars are going. They can’t answer 9-1-1, but they can come out and hassle you about a fence? . . . I would hate to think that there [are] other hundred-year-old people that are being harassed like this. Oakland has to change. The system is not working.”

Meanwhile, Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price, one of many Soros DAs, is more concerned with letting criminals out of jail.

Even members of the Oakland NAACP rebuked Price and the city for refusing to address crime in their supporters’ neighborhoods.

Add this graffiti to the list of reasons why Californians are fleeing the state in droves. 

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

Eric Adams is sputtering for answers after this television star unleashes a rampage against him

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Eric Adams is sputtering for answers after this television star unleashes a rampage against him

For centuries, New York City attracted people from all across the globe who wanted to make a better life for themselves and their families. 

Now people cannot get out of New York City fast enough due to rampant crime and high taxes.

 And Eric Adams is sputtering for answers after this television star does not hold back. 

This reality show star just said what many New Yorkers have been thinking

Every morning, New Yorkers wake up to horrifying headlines of random violent attacks and robberies, which have only increased in recent years. 

To make matters worse, elected officials in the Big Apple have done little to nothing to get a grip on crime, instead focusing their power on attacking their political enemies such as Donald Trump. 

As a result, thousands of New Yorkers have fled to places with less crime such as Florida and Texas. 

On Wednesday, former reality television star Leah McSweeney who starred in Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New York,” appeared on Fox & Friends to share her dismay with the current state of the Big Apple. 

While on the air, McSweeney recounted a recent incident in which her daughter and group of friends encountered a man on the New York subway who threatened to kill them. 

She then said, “This breaks my heart because New York City is the best city in the world.  But it is not safe right now, and it is especially not safe for women.”

Adding, “A man came in and sat across from them and said, ‘Shut the blank up, or I’m going to kill you and turn you into a pile of meat on the floor.’ She was scared to tell me because she knows I’m going to be nervous… she doesn’t want to make me nervous, but she was scared.

McSweeney then shared her plans to leave New York City, saying, “The worst thing is we’re being gaslighted by the politicians who tell us that it’s actually safer than ever, and it’s not. I’m sorry, there’s no way.  I’m out there. I’m on the train. I’m walking around. It’s not safe.”

She added, “I never thought I would say that. I was like, ‘No, New York ’til I die,’ but I am just sick of the quality of life here.  I’m hoping that things turn around, because like I said, this is the best city in the world, but the people who are in charge do not care. Mayor Adams is at Zero Bond, he’s at Casa Cipriani. Help us.”

New York City has turned into an international hub for violent crime 

Regardless of what Mayor Eric Adams has to say on the matter, violent crime has spiraled out of control in New York City. 

According to Fox News, “While crime has trended downward since the pandemic, some offenses are still much higher, including homicides, which were up 21% at the end of last year compared to 2019, according to NYPD data. Robberies and felony assaults have risen 26% and 35%, respectively, and motor vehicle thefts nearly tripled.” 

Nonetheless, many on the Left disregard any concerns about rising crime as “misinformation” and “fear-mongering” making the crime prevention process an uphill battle.  

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

All hell broke loose after fed-up citizens confronted this notorious Mayor

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All hell broke loose after fed-up citizens confronted this notorious Mayor

Presidential politics receives the most amount of media attention in today’s America.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump cannot even blink without making headlines; meanwhile, local and state officials make major decisions that directly affect the lives of millions. 

And all hell broke loose after fed-up citizens confronted this notorious Mayor. 

This beleaguered Mayor has made global headlines for her allegedly corrupt behavior 

Most political experts agree that local and state political decisions often have a more direct impact on your daily life than Congress. 

The citizens of Dolton, Illinois have learned this the hard way after electing Tiffany Henyard as Mayor in 2021. 

Almost immediately after taking office, Henyard allegedly participated in corrupt activities ranging from abusing the police force to fulfill personal vendettas to flat-out embezzlement. 

Henyard’s alleged illegal activities have become so flagrant that the FBI has initiated an investigation into her dealings. 

However, on Monday night, Dolton residents had the chance to voice their grievances about Henyard and her tenure as Mayor at the town’s monthly meeting. 

One resident addressed a recent Las Vegas trip that Henyard allegedly paid for with taxpayer funds, where one of Henyard’s colleagues allegedly committed a sexual assault.  The accuser was fired soon after making the allegations. 

In response, the resident said, “This has to end, I’m so disappointed in what’s been happening in Dolton.  Mayor, you need to step down because you have disgraced this Village, you really have, everybody up there need to go. We need to know what’s happening with our money.”

The individual then said, “You need to address what happened in Vegas and you have been silent and it’s not-that’s not going to fly,” adding, “You know what happened in Vegas you know what happened, you should be addressing it saying something to the residents about it and we want to know where our money is at, we’re tired of you just spending our money any type of way that you want to it’s not fair, it needs to go across the board.”

One woman named Cara Wilson went as far as to tell Henyard, “So let’s tell the truth, which I know you’re incapable of, I wouldn’t trust this woman if she stood on a stack of Bibles and had her tongue notarized, not a damn thing she says comes out her mouth is true.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Henyard’s office for comment on this raucous meeting, and Henyard’s office replied, “Access to the Dolton Village Hall has been restructured to protect our staff due to the overwhelming amount of threats of violence as a result of the continuous misinformation portrayed by the media and internet bloggers who are using Dolton as a means to generate ratings and revenue ie. clickbait.” 

Adding, “Our staff and elected officials have received several disturbing communications via email, social media, phone calls and visitors from across the country. As such, our security protocols have changed.”

For many Americans, Tiffany Henyard represents everything wrong with politics 

As it stands, Tiffany Henyard faces very serious allegations of rampant corruption. 

When she first was elected, Henyard received support from democrats all over the nation who blindly supported her, including President Joe Biden who has since invited her to the White House. 

Time will tell just how far Henyard’s alleged corruption has gone, and if the people of Dolton, Illinois will find a fitting replacement in a timely manner. 

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.

Gavin Newsom dishes out financial pain as prices skyrocket after his latest policy takes effect

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Gavin Newsom dishes out financial pain as prices skyrocket after his latest policy takes effect

Democrats’ legislative supermajority allows them to do whatever they want.

And prices skyrocketed after Gavin Newsom’s latest policy just took effect.

Democrats have a two-to-one advantage over Republicans in the state of California.

That means even fringe ideas can get passed into law.

And Gavin Newsom signed into law a fast-food minimum wage hike to $20 per hour that just took effect.

Buying off unions

NPR reported that “California’s pay hike is a result of a contentious deal struck by labor leaders, including the large Service Employees International Union [SEIU], and fast-food companies. The new wage law applies to fast-food chains with at least 60 locations nationwide, with exemptions for some bakeries and smaller outposts inside grocery stores, airports and other venues.”

Newsom landed himself in hot water when people found out that Panera received a carve-out exempting them from the new minimum wage; Newsom had financial ties to the company’s owner.

While people on the Left are championing the new law, they refuse to acknowledge the laws of economics.

The true minimum wage is zero, meaning that employees will have to lay off workers (or not hire workers they otherwise would have hired) in order to defray costs.

In addition to that, current employees will have their hours cut, and prices are going to increase, which passes on costs to the consumer.

Also, the employees are consumers themselves, so they will be paying more for goods and services at other establishments.

In fact, the New York Post reported that several popular food chains have increased their prices as much as 12% the week Governor Newsom’s minimum wage law went into effect. 

Businesses also cut back on fringe benefits like paid time off and vacation days in order to stay profitable.

Some companies have already said they will use more automation, which means fewer employees, or they might shut down locations altogether.

Good politics, bad economics

Unfortunately, passing these types of minimum wage hikes is popular for politicians, and they often are not around to suffer the economic backlash, or they can pawn it off as “corporate greed.”

Pizza delivery chains are already cutting back on drivers and farming out the work to Uber Eats, DoorDash, and other services.

Ali Bustamante of the left-wing Roosevelt Institute tried to defend the policy saying, “Prices have been so much higher than operating costs over the last decade that these companies could just absorb the high operating costs . . . This is about raising the floor and making sure that $20 being the new minimum wage puts workers on a better economic footing to cover their household needs.”

But people are not getting on a better footing when prices are rising all around them.

Minimum wages are not meant to be wages to support a household.

Only a small percentage of full-time employees even work for minimum wage.

Nevertheless, raising the minimum wage is always popular for politicians even if it is bad economics.

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

Democrat governor was shown the door when she tried to crash one event

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Democrat governor was shown the door when she tried to crash one event

Far-left policies are backfiring.

Residents in blue “utopias” are finally getting fed up.

And a Democrat governor was shown the door when she tried to crash one event.

Democrats and their media allies have spent the past many years demonizing police officers and valorizing career criminals.

During the George Floyd riots of 2020, the left-wing outrage mob pushed the “defund the police” movement until they realized it was wildly unpopular and cost them a lot of seats in Congress.

After that, Joe Biden tried to reframe Democrats as the party of law and order, but nobody bought it.

Far-left district attorneys have been implementing pro-crime policies that have put both police officers and civilians in more danger.

Pro-crime policy consequences

In New York, police officer Jonathan Diller was tragically killed during a traffic stop by a career criminal with 21 prior arrests, and Governor Kathy Hochul, who has been a proponent of pro-crime policies, tried to speak at his wake.

However, Hochul’s request was rejected.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who challenged Hochul for the governor’s seat, commented, “How completely out of touch and disrespectful – it’s about them when you make that kind of request. It really should be about the family. . .They can have speak whoever they want to have speak. And if you aren’t invited to provide remarks, then you don’t try to push your way into it.”

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade explained, “I’m told the family members let [Hochul] have it when she got there saying, quote, ‘his blood is on your hands’ — When Hochul got outside, that’s when another family member confronted her, telling … the governor laws need to change because that’s the reason why Officer Diller is dead tonight.”

The fact that the man who killed Officer Diller had an extensive rap sheet but was still free speaks volumes about the revolving door policies of blue strongholds like New York.

Unserious about law and order

In the past, Hochul has paid lip service to getting tougher on crime, particularly when Zeldin was running competitively against her in a state where Democrats have a massive voter registration advantage over Republicans.

Hochul recently deployed the National Guard in an attempt to thwart rampant subway crime, but the same hyper-liberal ethos of the Democrat Party remains.

Kilmeade added, “I have now learned tonight from a source that Kathy Hochul, the governor, asked to speak at tomorrow’s funeral at St. Rose [of Lima Roman Catholic Church]. So did, hold on to something tight: A.G. Letitia James. . .Both were rejected by the family.”

Democrats are interested in political stunts to appear tough on crime, but their underlying ideology remains the same.

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

Gavin Newsom steals an idea from dystopian novels to address his failed pro-criminal policies

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Gavin Newsom steals an idea from dystopian novels to address his failed pro-criminal policies

After years of neglect and mismanagement, conditions in one West Coast city have gotten precipitously worse.

It’s gotten so bad that political leaders are playing catch up but many are dissatisfied with the latest attempt at a quick fix.

Now Gavin Newsom is copying George Orwell’s 1984 instead of fixing his pro-criminal policies destroying this city.

Crime rates are surging in Oakland, California.

Years after the pandemic drastically altered life for Californians, the East Bay city continues to see a large increase in crime rates.

The rate of this criminal activity was already higher than most other big cities and new information suggests that the problem is getting even worse.

Oakland’s homicide rate in 2023 increased by 37% compared with 2019.

Robberies were up 30% during this time period and property crime also showed a large increase.

Vehicle thefts more than doubled with break-ins up 40%.

Conditions have gotten so dire that the local branch of the NAACP has even called on political leaders to declare a state of emergency.

In an open letter, the group wrote, “Murders, shootings, violent armed robberies, home invasions, car break-ins, sideshows, and highway shoot-outs have become a pervasive fixture of life in Oakland.”

The NAACP added that the “intolerable public safety crisis” was especially impactful to black residents in East Oakland.

Many local businesses have shuttered their doors in recent months, citing rampant criminal activity as the reason.

Given this harsh reality and perhaps sensing political peril from it in his future plans, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced that he is sending hundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras to be installed across the city and surrounding freeway system.

Newsom: We’re installing cameras to make the area safer

In a post on X, Newsom wrote, “480 new high-tech cameras are being installed along freeways and in Oakland to make the area safer. These will help law enforcement identify vehicles linked to crimes using real-time information and alerts. We’re building safer, stronger communities for all Californians.”


According to Jaime Coffee, the California Highway Patrol spokesperson, the contract with Flock Safety costs $1.6 million for the first year and nearly $1.5 million for each subsequent, optional year.

Privacy and abuse concerns

But Cat Brooks, the far-left executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project believes the money will be spent on faulty technology and placed in poor communities to “further terrorize black, Latino and other vulnerable residents.”

Brooks added, “How many people could be housed or trained into a living wage job or sent to college and get health care, things that actually keep people safe? You’re divesting in Oakland. You are taking critical resources that this city so desperately needs to build whole, happy, safe communities and you’re putting that toward the same failed strategies.”

In the end, it’s clear that something needs to be done to combat the out-of-control crime plaguing this California city.

What’s less far clear is that a George Orwell 1984– style surveillance state is the way to do it.

The truth is that it took several years and decades of far-left, soft-on-crime policies for the city to devolve into its current sad state.

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

What happened to this baby will make every parent’s stomach turn

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What happened to this baby will make every parent’s stomach turn

Poverty, homelessness, and drug abuse seem to be just a few of the growing problems that are facing many Americans today.

Sadly, children sometimes get involved in the fray which can often end in horrific tragedy.

And a couple are facing charges after the unimaginable happens to their baby.

GA couple faces child cruelty charges after baby overdoses on fentanyl

A couple in Georgia are now facing child cruelty charges after it was discovered that their 9-month-old baby overdosed on fentanyl, a potent and deadly synthetic opioid drug.

On March 23, a deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call to a trailer for a reported overdose.

A woman called 911 saying that her son had suddenly stopped crawling, his lips were starting to turn blue, and his skin was turning pale after he played with a $20 bill.

Per the police report, while Garcia called 911, her boyfriend, Thomas Wright, arrived at the home and began administering CPR to the child. 

When the deputy arrived at the residence, he spoke to Rosa Solis-Garcia who told him that her son was crawling around in her bed while she was trying to make it.

The report stated that Garcia said her daughter had found a $20 bill in front of the trailer and gave it to her, thinking that it belonged to her mother.

But later she said the baby had allegedly found the $20 bill hidden under her pillow, according to local news outlet WRDW.

WSB-TV, another local news outlet, reported that “EMS workers arrived and administered Narcan to the boy and took him to Augusta University Medical Center where he tested positive for fentanyl.”

The report stated that Garcia told deputies she thought the $20 bill might have had something on it that caused her son to become ill.

Garcia, 37, and Wright, 41, were both charged with felony second-degree cruelty to children.

In an arrest warrant obtained by the local news outlet, Wright admitted to using drugs inside the home and Garcia was accused of having fentanyl with a cut straw in her purse while her son was in her care.

The warrant also stated that the couple allegedly allowed the child to play with the money, “which led to the boy ingesting the narcotic.”

The story goes deeper

Not only were both parents charged with felony cruelty to children in the second degree, but Garcia also faced other charges.

The report stated that “Garcia also has a hold for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to inmate bookings,” which means she is an illegal alien.

Both parents were booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center on warrants that accuse them of causing the innocent child “cruel and excessive physical pain.”

Meanwhile, Wright was also held for probation and parole because he served time a decade ago for drug and weapons charges in Burke County.

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story

Ron DeSantis sat in stunned silence when a blue state created this new bill of rights

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Ron DeSantis sat in stunned silence when a blue state created this new bill of rights

Democrats are constantly trying to create new rights out of thin air.

But no one thought they would take it this far.

And Ron DeSantis sat in stunned silence when a blue state created this new bill of rights.

Instead of addressing the many problems facing the state of Washington, state lawmakers decided to create a bill of rights for strippers.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) signed the bill into law which supporters say creates the most comprehensive set of workplace protections for strippers of any state in the country.

Washington state strippers get a boost from Democrats

“It’s pretty simple why we are passing this bill. These are working folks — and working people deserve safety in the environment in which they work,” Inslee said.

The law allows strip clubs in the state to be able to apply to serve alcohol.

“The new law requires training for employees in establishments to prevent sexual harassment, identify and report human trafficking, de-escalate conflict, and provide first aid. It also mandates security workers on site, keypad codes to enter dressing rooms, and panic buttons in private rooms where entertainers are alone with customers,” CBS News reported.

Because most strippers work as independent contractors, they will now have the fees that clubs charge them capped and prohibit them from being charged certain fees.

The group Strippers Are Workers, an organization of Washington strippers, had been pushing for the law.

Madison Zack-Wu, the organization’s campaign manager, said that alcohol sales were added to the bill to help the state’s 11 strip clubs offset the costs of the added regulations.

The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Rebecca Saldaña (D-WA), said it provided strippers in the state much-needed protections.

“Strippers are workers, and they should be given the same rights and protections as any other labor force,” Saldaña said. “If they are employed at a legal establishment in Washington, they deserve the safeguards that every worker is entitled to, including protection from exploitation, trafficking, and abuse.”

Washington becomes the second state after Illinois to put workplace protections into law for adult entertainers.

“It is crucial that we confront the stigma surrounding adult entertainment and recognize the humanity of those involved in the industry,” Saldaña added.

Florida trying to raise the age for strippers to 21

While Washington was seeking to protect strippers, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that would raise the age to 21 to work in an adult entertainment establishment.

It’s awaiting the signature of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. 

Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story. 

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