Hey, y’all, Trump did something nice to us – he separated the men from the boys.

Mike Pence said he is “offended” by Trump’s comments and he’s not going to the big Paul Ryan event, but an hour after the story broke …

Pence suggested that if Trump is elected to the presidency, “we’ll have a president who respects all of the American people.”

He continued in his praise of the mogul, pitching the crowd that said this election is “about maintaining the highest level of integrity in the highest office of the land.”

Pence called Trump a “winner” and a man “who never backs down.”

He went onto say this race is about “respecting our constitutional principles and our highest ideals.”

So he’s apparently not offended too much.

John McCain is hanging on, too. UPDATE: McCain out.

And Roger Ailes is still Jabba the Hut.

A guy this morning tried to convince me that Trump and Bill Clinton were the same deal. No. No, they are not. Bill Clinton had consensual sex. Donald Trump vividly boasted about criminal sexual assault. That’s not the same.

And taking the cake is Sean Hannity.

Seriously.  He said that.  Go look.

Friday Afternoon Treat:  Watching Katie Tur report that Trump has said sexually demeaning things about women on an open microphone.

Oh dear Lord, this makes me smile.  (Momma, do NOT click this link.)

To Katie’s credit as a professional, she never snickered.

Oh come on, Dude, “I’m sorry if anyone was offended,” is NOT an apology.

My son sent me this text message.

Dirty rotten Trump-Lovin’ Commies.

The Obama administration on Friday for the first time squarely blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government for a series of hacking attacks and email leaks, saying the goal was “to interfere with the U.S. election process.”

“The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations,” the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in an extraordinary gloves-off statement.

Well, I guess it beats Karl Rove not hacking Florida to give the state to Romney.

I have a weekend project for you guys.  One of our long-time customers – who needs to remain anonymous and you’ll see why – has a situation.

She lives in another state – let’s say Nevada except it’s not Nevada.  We’re gonna call her Mary.  Mary’s elementary age daughter attends public school there.  I’ll let her talk a minute …

The school district I’m in has a release time bible education program, which I know is constitutional (depending on implementation), but it goes well beyond what I think should be acceptable in terms of operation.

They don’t have classes on school grounds, but own buildings next to each elementary school. The school lets them have a table at the school orientation day (!), the employees of the bible school come in to the building to get students who come to their classes, the bible school gives candy rewards to students who recruit classmates to come, and in the past (although I don’t know if this is still happening), they’ve had access to complete class lists.

I don’t think that’s constitutional, but that’s not what is bothering Mary.

What is not okay to Mary is that “the district has a (what appears to be unwritten) policy that teachers can’t introduce new material while some of the students are away at bible.”  About half the class goes to bible.

That sucks.

Mary is a very well educated and gifted musician.  She volunteered to come in during that time and do something fun and educational with the kids who don’t go to bible so they aren’t just sitting there with a coloring book.

Mary again —-

Well, last week I was working with them on making soda straw horns, and one of the kids who went to Bible came back and saw that and was inconsolable. And this is somehow my freaking fault. (I wasn’t blamed for it, but a concern was raised about children feeling like they’re ‘missing out’ while they’re at Bible).

I feel like it can’t possibly be legal (which is probably why there’s no published policy), but I don’t know how best to express that.

And to be clear, I made a case for what *I’m* doing that the principal decided she could defend. Because my kiddo is in 3rd grade, I’m picking 1st and 2nd grade standards to hit with my projects. So if it’s not review, it really should be.

But I guess what I want to convey to the school district is that:
* my kid has a right to education during that time, and I shouldn’t have to come in and do it
* it shouldn’t just be in her class. The district needs to educate all the kids that don’t go.

Mary needs arguments to take to the principal – who appears to be on Mary’s side – and Mary thinks we know some good ideas to help her and then the principal can use them, too.

Jump in with anything you got.

If Trump refuses to concede the election, as he has threatened to do, can he be President long enough for us to impeach him?

(KUTV) Researchers at the University of Utah say there’s a strong case to impeach Donald Trump, should he be elected as president.

Law professor Christopher Peterson said he found ample evidence to charge the Republican candidate with fraud and racketeering, both of which are considered felonies within state and federal law.

And the government has more lawyers the Trump does.  Downside:  terminal whining.

Legal Dawgs can read it here.

I think if we were to make a list of the worst political teevee commercials, this would certainly make the list.

John Kennedy is running for Senate in Louisiana.  His commercial is getting lots of attention but not the good kind.

At about 18 seconds of the ad, photos of Kennedy and his wife — from their wedding and with their son — are shown on-screen, and Kennedy says, “I believe that love is the answer…”

As the camera goes back to Kennedy, he concludes: “…but you ought to own a handgun just in case.”

Click here to see it.

Thanks to everyone for the heads up.