Serving Up the Public

July 23, 2024 Library Board Meeting

By Gretchen Garrity

As residents continue to pressure the Christian County Library to relocate inappropriate books from the children and teen sections of the library, the staff and some members of the board of trustees continue to resist commonsense solutions.

At the July 23, 2024 board meeting, several things occurred that point to President Allyson Tuckness as a vector for at least part of the resistance. For some months now, the library has hired off-duty police officers to attend the public board meetings and to keep the peace. This has proven wise since there was a physical outburst by a citizen who had to be removed.

In an effort to keep tight control of the public meetings, Tuckness had enforced stringent rules for the public, including limiting speakers to 10, limiting speech time to three minutes, and attempting to limit audience reactions such as clapping or holding of signs. After she was roundly admonished by Rep. Jamie Gragg she has since allowed both clapping and signs, as well as sometimes allowing for more than 10 speakers:

 

Although the Missouri Public Library Trustee Manual (from the Secretary of State) states that board meetings “generally should be completed within two hours,” most Christian County library board meetings are targeted to end within one hour. They usually end on time or nearly so.

After the meeting on the 23rd, at least 12 or more citizens remained talking in the parking lot in small groups. The meeting ended a little later than usual, about 7:08 p.m. Distributed among those groups were current board of trustee members, as well as a citizen who is a constitutional coach with a nationally known organization.

At one point the security officer approached the citizens and requested they disperse. Citizens resisted and were told the library parking lot was private property. After assuring the officer the parking lot was public property the officer stepped away to consult a supervisor, only later to come back and again assert that because it was now a closed business, citizens were being asked to disperse and that it “was a little suspicious.”

“My sergeant said, ‘Yes it is a government building, but it is closed at this time, and that the president requested to disperse,'” the officer stated. So, Library Board President Allyson Tuckness was behind the manipulation of public peace officers to remove citizens from a taxpayer-funded library property.

After no less than three police cars converged in the Nixa library parking lot and conferred with citizens, it was agreed that all were peacefully assembling and had a right to be present in the parking lot, regardless of the time and the wishes of the library board president.

This kind of behavior on the part of the library board president is unacceptable. To get an idea of how she treats the public, watch July’s meeting as Tuckness refuses to allow board member Echo Alexzander to address allowing more than 10 citizens to comment. Her excuse was that the issue was not on the agenda. Later, she interacts with a citizen who had noted that the timekeeper, Tory Pegram, was starting the timer late with certain citizens, allowing them more time to speak. Forward to the public comment section at about 36:00 minutes. Tuckness specifically mentions “no raising of voices.” Watch her raise her voice when a speaker asks to reclaim time on the clock that had apparently been running while the board took pictures of one speaker’s sign. Timestamp: 43:42. 

To a great extent, the friction between the public and the library board and staff is due to an ongoing refusal to address concerns and to disrespect the public by ignoring questions and pleas about child safety within the library. Having made child safety a political issue, the board and staff are now having to deal with a growing number of citizens who insist the library must address relocating inappropriate books to the adult section, where parents may decide for themselves if they want their children exposed to them.

Board President Tuckness is politically motivated enough to sic the police on citizens, including other board members with whom she may disagree. It is to the police officers’ credit that they ultimately refused to go along with her dictate.

NOTE: This article is cross posted at Hick Christian's Substack.

Whaley to Join Alex Bryant tomorrow morning

 

From: Wake up Springfield

 Candidate for representative of the 138th district, Burt Whaley, will be Alex Bryant's guest at 6:45 a.m. on 93.3 FM radio tomorrow morning. Listen live HERE.

They Just Keep Doing It

 At Tuesday night's Christian County Library Board of Trustees meeting, it was revealed that the library continues to promote sexually explicit books to minors. David Rice has a stellar article about it. Read it HERE.

The Library Bill of Rights is for Sexualizing Children by David Rice

Protecting Innocence: How Library Policies and Court Decisions Expose Children to Harmful Content, Undermining Parental Rights

Read on Substack

Meeting tonight in Nixa

 

Burt Whaley: 100% Pro-life

 

The 138th District. From: Ballotpedia

 

By Gretchen Garrity

 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..." Jeremiah 1:5

There is a significant difference between Missouri Representative candidates for the 138th District, Burt Whaley and Tom Franiak. 

Vying for Rep. Brad Hudson's seat, who is running for the state senate, the two candidates have both been endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life, even though Franiak is willing to compromise on the "Morning After Pill" aka the "Plan B" pill.

At a February 13, 2024 meeting of the Christian County Missouri Republican Assembly, Tom Franiak was asked about his pro-life views.

Question: "...but you are pro-life, correct?"

Franiak: "Yes, sir."

Question: "Life begins at conception, correct?"

Franiak: "Yes."

Question: "But you also said you were alright with the abortion pill?"

Franiak: "You know we cannot detect when life begins, right?"

Question/Statement: "Life begins at conception."

Tom Franiak

Franiak: "It begins at conception, yes, for my religion. But there is no way to detect it medically so I will be very transparent here and say if Missouri was to pass a Morning After Pill I don't see it being much different than any other contraceptive, because we cannot detect a heartbeat. We cannot tell whether the cell has been divided, um, I believe that in order to be a great legislator you're going to have compromise. I can plant my feet in the ground and I can say absolutely no compromise, but we'll never win that battle. The liberals will come after you every time. So, in order to be a great legislator in Jeff City you're going to have to be open to some compromise. But one thing I will do is stand up here and tell you exactly where I will compromise and that's one of them. But once we can hear a heartbeat it's off...so if we have to compromise it would be the Morning After Pill, and that's the only place I would compromise."

Months later at a July 16, 2024 meeting/town hall candidate event hosted by the Christian County Republican Central Committee, a question was asked about determining whether or not the Morning After Pill could result in abortion as opposed to preventing a pregnancy since there is a question about when and whether conception has taken place.

Franiak explained that there are two kinds of pills that accomplish the end of a pregnancy, one being an over-the-counter pill that is a high dose of a contraceptive drug, while the other pill is a prescription chemical abortifacient. At one point he called the OTC pill an "extreme" dose of contraception. Franiak went on to say that conception doesn't happen for at least five days and up to two weeks after sexual contact. He argued in favor of the OTC pill because there is no harm to a fetus. 

Burt Whaley

Contrast Franiak's position with that of Burt Whaley, who taught biology during his career as an educator. Whaley answered the question by explaining the issues involved when life begins. "Now let's define conception. In most cases, conception occurs within the first 12 to 24 hours. There are rare situations where it has taken longer. We can detect life in the second--in two-and-a-half weeks. We can actually view a sonogram to determine that there is a...gestational sack...You can determine that within two-and-a-half to three weeks. So for that structure to occur you have to have multi-cellular process occurring early. So you're talking about a zygote starting within the first few days. That zygote then forming and moving down the fallopian tube and starting to form the gestational sack. How can we, how can we create legislation that takes the life of a growing baby? Whose says the baby...when does the baby start? At conception. The starting process of the multicellular division. How can we create any legislation that determines that we're going to destroy that cell, or that multicellular structure--which I call a baby. If we call it a baby--that's what God calls it. He says in Jeremiah 1:5, "Before you were formed in your mother's womb I knew you." How can we make any other legislation that would violate that essential principle? I can't, and I won't."

According to Missouri Right to Life:

"Missouri Right to Life acknowledges the scientific reality that for humans produced by fertilization, the life of a human being begins at conception.¹ Therefore, all drugs or devices that are intended to prevent implantation after conception occurs, or in any other way destroy human life, cause abortions. They are abortifacients. Some drugs, such as the so-called “morning after” pills (“Plan B”) do not act as abortifacients in every instance. Plan B in some instances prevents conception. If conception occurs despite taking Plan B, however, Plan B prevents implantation, and as a result, the new human being cannot obtain nutrition and dies. Because of this feature of Plan B, one never knows when it will act as an abortifacient. Anything that may act as an abortifacient at any time is wrong to use. Just like Russian roulette, it may kill at any time. Therefore, Missouri Right to Life opposes “Plan B” and any other drugs that may act like it."

This is the stated position of Missouri Right to Life. How then, have they endorsed both candidates for state representative in the 138th district? One adheres perfectly to MRL's stated position, the other is willing to compromise.

Candidate for Governor Bill Eigel Meet & Greet in Ozark

 

MO Liberty Radio: First-hour Guest is Burt Whaley

 

Sam Britton's Off the Cuff radio show will be live tonight at 6 p.m. His guest in the first hour is Burt Whaley, state representative candidate for the 138th district. Get to know Burt HERE and HERE.

In Case You Missed It

 

It Ain't Over by a Longstretch

  

Thanks to Travis for the meme.

Tyler Bowyer (AZ) Stands Up for Missouri Grassroots

 

In my final meeting, we had a Contests Committee report delivered highlighting the removal of all the delegates from Missouri and their replacements.

I asked the RNC to overturn the contest committee decision in what looks to be a very short sighted attack on the grassroots.… https://t.co/ciTh6f5mv4

— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) July 10, 2024

It's On!

 

This is How They R&Rd the Grassroots-Elected Delegates

 

The Missouri Cure

 

Image: Milorganite

By Gretchen Garrity

A pointed and well-referenced amicus brief has been submitted to the RNC Committee on Contests in support of the July 5, 2024 Coby Cullin Appeal. The appeal and supporting amicus brief are in response to a recommendation from the RNC that vacated the duly-elected slate of delegates and alternates to the national convention, which begins July 15. Link to the Amicus Brief HERE.

Read about the challenges to the grassroots slate of delegates in The Gateway Pundit article “Missouri Republican Party in Turmoil: Grassroots Delegates Challenge Corrupt Committee Decisions,” which includes a copy of the Cullin appeal, as well as background information.

Submitted by a group of mostly state delegates who attended the 2024 Missouri GOP convention, the brief asserts the Derrick Good and Daniel O’Sullivan challenges to the duly-elected slate of delegates should have been disqualified and dismissed, and the original slate retained. While the brief acknowledges the “incredible shortcomings of the State Chair and the MRSC to execute the state convention in a timely and organized manner, we contend that the issues with credentialing were CURED prior to the vote on the Credentials Report.”

ATTORNEY DERRICK GOOD

 

Image: Thurman Law

 

The brief wastes no time getting to key issues regarding the challenges and RNC response. On page 2 of the brief, number 10 states, “We request that the Challenge submitted by Contestant Derrick Good be disqualified without consideration. We contend that Good has a serious conflict of interest which was omitted from his challenge, and he misrepresented incidents about the convention. If Good had not omitted the conflict of interest or made misrepresentations, we believe that the Committee would have either disqualified Good’s challenge on their own or, at the least, come to a different conclusion.”

The brief goes on to reveal that Derrick Good, an attorney from Congressional District 3, provides legal counsel to the Missouri Republican State Committee (MSRC). According to the brief, Good’s challenge omitted mention of his relationship with the MSRC, and was submitted as if he was “just any” delegate. It notes he used his home address in the submitted challenge, but “On the other hand, the copies of the challenge that Good sent via email to the Delegates and Alternates were sent via his law firm email account, giving the impression to a layperson who is unfamiliar with legal documents that they might be subjected to lawfare...”

A KEY POINT

The amicus brief goes on to note another omission by Attorney Good. “Also omitted by Good in his challenge is information about his role, as legal counsel, in drafting the very rules which caused the conflict between the standing rules and the convention rules on delegate slates. The conflicting rules were subsequently addressed by the Missouri Republican Party Rules Committee on the afternoon of April 26, 2024, leaving a mere 5 business days for review and analysis by delegates and others.”

At the April 26 meeting of the state rules committee, a motion was passed that stated, “The Rules Committee met to clarify the convention Rules and Standing rules that the Missouri Republican Party Chairman has a slate of 16 delegates and 16 alternates that will be named by the State Party Chairman, and additionally, there will be a slate of 11 delegates and 11 alternates. Once both slates are approved that will make the complete slate of 27 delegates and 27 alternates that will be voted on by the convention.”

Oddly, this motion did not reconcile the issues with the Standing Rules and the Rules of Convention. It took three parliamentarians at the state convention to come to a “concurrence” on them. The Standing Rules state, “To be considered full and complete, a proposed slate must include 27 names for At-large Delegates and 27 names for At-large Alternates.”

Yet, the amendment passed in the April meeting allows the state chairman (currently Nick Myers) to choose a slate of 16 with a slate of only 11 to be elected by convention delegates. This smacks of the selling of delegate seats, a common but unethical practice in many state parties that suppresses the ability of voters to choose who represents them at the national convention.

CONFLICTING REPRESENTATIONS

The amicus brief continues its focus on Derrick Good by noting he is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Association with a ranking in the Top 100. “That makes Good’s representations about the lunch break, the venue doors being locked, and delegates/alternates being turned away very perplexing.” The brief notes the lack of cross-examination in Good’s account by the providing its own cross-examination:

1) Which Convention Chair gave the instructions (the temporary or the permanent Chair)?

2) Did the volunteers know the actual Chair at that time instructions were given to lock the doors?

3) Which volunteers spoke with Good?

4) Since the newly-elected Permanent Chair, Sophia Shore, did not leave the main room, from whom/where did the volunteers get instructions?

5) Good admits he was not locked out, and fails to collect the names of any delegates who “walked away.”

6) Who was the point of contact for the venue, and how did it come about that the staff were instructed to lock the doors?

And finally, the single affidavit Good submitted is written by Aliana Good, who is believed to be his daughter!

RULESFARE

The brief begins the wrap up of the section pertaining to Good with a summation:

1) The original rules allowed for delegates and alternates to be elected at the 2024 state convention.

2) The state committee submits a “clarification” that allows the state chair to choose 16 of the 27 delegates and 16 alternates to the national convention.

3) Because of the conflict and subsequent resolution of the rules, the state chair’s slate of 16/16 is given back to the convention delegates to elect.

Here is the kicker, “But some promises might have already been made for delegate seats, perhaps some money changed hands. Who would you turn to for help? Your lawyer? Perhaps the same lawyer who drafted the very rules that caused the conflict?”

Further, the brief states, “We contend that there are arguments and details in Good’s challenge that would not be available to him, except in his role as legal counsel for MRSC.” It notes that the MRSC, in some instances, has declined to share information with committeemen and women but “Good obtained some very specific details for his challenge that could have only come from the MRSC.”

Finally, the amicus brief states, “The foregoing leaves us with no other conclusion than that Good’s challenge is actually submitted on behalf of the MRSC and should be disqualified without consideration.”

DISMISSING O’SULLIVAN’S CHALLENGE

Noting that Daniel O’Sullivan’s challenge is based entirely on the claim “that ALL business transacted at the State Convention was invalid because the seated body was not properly credentialed,” the brief seeks to have it dismissed through the evidence it presents that the credentialing issues were CURED and the Credentials Report approved.

OH NUTS!

Image: Fast-growing Trees

 The amicus brief next addresses several issues pertaining to National Committeewoman Carrie Almond, including statements in a letter she read to the Missouri Federation of Republican Women.

It must be noted that Almond is a member of the RNC Committee on Contests, the same committee that vacated the grassroots-elected delegates and alternates. She is also on the RNC committees for Arrangements, Faith Engagements, and Grassroots.

Almond made inappropriate public comments and “even a threat against the delegates to the State Convention.” Almond stated ,“Firing the so-called establishment will have consequences,” as well as reportedly telling different groups that the RNC would overturn the convention.

At the state convention during her nomination speech, Almond named all four committees she serves on; but the next month when she spoke to the MRSC she omitted mentioning she serves on the Committee on Contests.

In the Cullin appeal to the RNC’s report, submitted on July 5, 2024, it is noted that, “We have reason to believe that she did recuse herself from the vote, but has failed to recuse herself from the discussion about this contest.”

The Cullin appeal further states “We believe allowing Ms. Almond to discuss this case with anyone on the committee is a breach of ethics. It would be practically impossible for the respondents to receive a fair hearing when someone on the inside was speaking against us.”

THE AMICUS BRIEF CONCLUDES

The 53-page brief includes numerous footnotes and references to video and other evidence, as well as affidavits from nine individuals well known in local, state, and even national politics. It concludes with the following requests to the Committee on Contests: withdraw the June 28, 2024 report; disqualify the challenge of attorney/delegate Derrick Good; dismiss the challenge of Daniel O’Sullivan; and remove Carrie Almond from the RNC Committee on Contests.

Further, it states if the requests are not honored, “...then we consider this matter open for as long as needed, and we will be pursuing all legal recourses available to us.”

Click on image for clarity

NOT BACKING DOWN

Now that the RNC and the Missouri GOP have destroyed their credibility with millions of Missourians and beyond, it would behoove them to walk back their actions and reinstate the original slate of 27 grassroots-elected delegates and 27 alternates. Those directly involved in the debacle: Nick Myers, Carrie Almond, Derrick Good, Daniel O’Sullivan, et al, should reflect on their actions, take humble and appropriate action to rectify them, and get out of the way of the Grassroots.

The Truth is Marching On: Exposing Missouri Politics

 By Gretchen Garrity

"It is not enough to simply beat Trump. He must be destroyed thoroughly. His kind must not rise again."

— Tweet by Obama adviser David Plouffe (@davidplouffe), June 13, 2016

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) February 13, 2021

 A major scandal has been brewing in the Missouri Republican Party that may have repercussions on the national level. After the Missouri GOP establishment's preferred platform and slate was overturned at the May 4, 2024 MOGOP convention, the dirty tricks began almost immediately to defeat the will of the people.

Desperate people do desperate things.

Background HERE and HERE and HERE. 

And information HERE on the challenges to the duly-elected slate of delegates.

Not only did the MOGOP establishment--through gross incompetence and/or machinations--cause the convention to close without a 2024 platform, but establishment challenges to the grassroots slate were mounted quickly and submitted to the RNC Committee on Contests. The RNC obliged by recommending the slate of grassroots-elected delegates be vacated.

RNC Committee on Contests Chairwoman, Jeanne Luckey, released a report and recommendation on June 28, 2024. According to the Committee on Contests, "As a result of the improper credentialing process at the State Convention, the Committee recommends vacating the at-large delegates and alternate delegates from Missouri. The Committee recommends that pursuant to RNC Rule No. 18, the vacant delegate and alternate delegate positions be filled by the MOGOP by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 5. The Committee urges the MOGOP to meet as soon as possible to resolve this issue and to work towards unity."

This recommendation has caused the very division it supposedly recommends against. In fact, the deceit and bad faith with which the state GOP committee has acted, is causing an avalanche of information to be shared among the Missouri Grassroots.

As a result of the recommendation, the MOGOP has removed the slate of delegates and alternates that were elected at the state convention and are attempting to cobble together a new slate of delegates to attend the 2024 national convention. Another challenge was mounted against the other elected positions, including the electors, and they have also been vacated. In effect, this move by the state organization has disenfranchised the citizens who elected their delegates at district conventions around the state.

Click on the tweet to see video of the grassroots slate being unanimously approved by convention delegates:

🚨🚨🚨
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐀 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢

The DC & Missouri Swamp are trying to remove the grassroots MAGA delegates & newly elected RNC Committeemen & Committeewoman in Missouri

The grassroots slate elected at the @MissouriGOP… pic.twitter.com/gLMrP8LgC8

— Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) July 3, 2024

Below is a link to a short video of state GOP Chairman, Nick Myers, admitting the state committee was at fault in the credentialing process, a process that was used by the RNC and the MOGOP to invalidate the grassroots slate:

MOGOP Chair Admits Credentialing Errors

Additionally, the RNC report asserts that "there exists no accurate roll of the credentialed delegates and alternate delegates at the state convention." Indeed, Leann Green, chair of the credentials committee for the state convention even signed a sworn affidavit that the committee cannot show an accurate roll of credentialed members of the May 4 convention.

However, in its Response Statement of Position, the Missouri Delegation states, "The Missouri State Committee created a problem with a credentials debacle, locking some delegates out and submitting contradictory rules for the selection of Delegates and Alternates to the National Convention...The credentials debacle was ultimately settled to the satisfaction of the state convention delegates who were physically present at the state convention...There are NO delegates who claim to have remained outside after the lunch break. ALL were ultimately allowed back into the building."

That the very committee who caused the issues would benefit from their own mistakes is unconscionable.

THE CLEAN HANDS DOCTRINE

Missouri delegates mounted a cogent defense of the validity of the election of delegates to the national convention, partly using the Doctrine of Clean Hands: "The doctrine requires that a party act fairly in the matter for which they seek a remedy. A party who has violated an equitable principle, such as good faith, is described as having "unclean hands.” The clean-hands doctrine is invoked when a party seeking equitable relief or claiming a defense based in equity has themselves violated a duty of good faith or has acted unconscionably in connection with the same subject matter out of which they claim a right to relief."

That the credentialing process was delayed and problematic was the fault of the MOGOP, not Chairwoman Sophia Shore or the convention delegates. The state committee has tried to hide their culpability by having delegates, Derrick Good and Daniel O'Sullivan (who both ran unsuccessfully), mount challenges to the grassroots slate of delegates, and indeed the convention in total.

In a June 24 affidavit, Chairwoman Shore relates, "I was elected by a vote of 465 to 365...After the election of a permanent secretary, the next order of business was the adoption of the rules package."

The rules package was adopted by the convention delegates after striking two sections that conflicted with the Standing Rules, "which stated that a full slate had to be 27 delegates, and these delegates would be selected by election of a majority."

Further she states, "The second part of this rule change occurred in order to ensure that everyone who wanted to submit a delegate slate that day could do so. Regarding the election of delegates, GOP Chairman Nick Myers had ample time to combine his two slates--his slate of 16 and his slate of 11."

The Nominating Committee Chair, Chris Howard "ultimately was the one who had the power to decide which slates were valid." No slates were turned in to the convention chair, and Miles Ross, the Executive Director of the MOGOP, approached Shore and pulled Nick Myers' slate.

Shore states "Nick wasn't disenfranchised, he just knew he didn't have the majority and wanted to spare himself the embarrassment." She closes with the assertion that she did not make any unilateral decisions. "I did not have the authority to make unilateral decisions as the permanent chair of the convention. The majority of the delegation body made the decisions, as it should be...Attempts to disenfranchise the will of the delegation should not be entertained."

How ironic that the MOGOP, in collusion with the RNC, have now disenfranchised Missouri citizens who sent their delegate representatives to the convention in good faith.

THE GRASSROOTS REVOLUTION

On its face, it is clear the MOGOP was blindsided by the tidal wave of grassroots delegates who voted to overturn the proposed platform and slate the state committee had tried to impose. The dirty tricks since the convention have ranged from closed meetings that do not promote transparency or unity, threats to have delegates removed from meetings if they speak out, outright lies, and more.

The MAGA movement, headed by President Donald Trump, has been a thorn in the side of the GOP establishment. By any means necessary they seem willing to destroy their credibility to accomplish the goal of excising MAGA from the party.

In an article published in The Miami Independent, titled "The RNC's Apparent Plot Against Trump Thickens," the question is asked, "Yesterday - TWO MONTHS AFTER THE MISSOURI DELEGATES WERE CHOSEN - the Republican National Convention Committee ruled that there had been “alarming irregularities” in the process of their election. Why weren’t these “alarming irregularities” discovered months ago?? Why not, when the state had a chance to fix whatever was deemed wrong?

The article notes, "The list of rejected delegates includes two of the major GOP candidates for governor, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel."

The article further states, "In general, the stench of undercover acts to throw the nomination away from Donald Trump, is becoming undeniable. This stinks because Donald Trump is the people’s choice, nationwide. That’s how it used to work.

This is horrifying because these state party maneuvers are being done in support of the brain dead old man and his Junta leader, Obama, who have demonstrated their contempt for us and our freedom, for years.

Mao is rearing his ugly head for all to see."

The corruption and cronyism in Missouri politics is being exposed, and it often includes actors on the national level who work with convenient state-level tools to make things happen. The members of the state GOP who embarked on this usurpation of duly-elected delegates will go down in the history of our state as scurrilous scoundrels who betrayed everything the Republic has stood for since our first Independence Day. May they be roundly condemned and quickly forgotten.

Missouri Liberty Radio live at 6 p.m.

 

David Rice of Hick Christian will be a guest on Sam Britton's "Off the Cuff" show tonight. He's up at the six o'clock hour. Two great interviewers on one show!

Listen live HERE.