Jun 032025
 

Yesterday, Trinette emailed about sending Zach over to whack my weeds. I chuckled, because this was the second time in just a few days I had made a correct prediction. The first one was on Saturday, when I told Virgil that by Sunday morning he would forget that was coming to see him. Then when I got home, I looked at the yard and thought I should be hearing from Trinette soon about the weeds. My name is still not Jeane Dixon, and I am still not psychic. Both predictions were based on lots of prior knowledge. But it’s still amusing. Also, when I saw this alert from Axios, the word which caught my eye was “federal” – what could have motivated this regime to prosecute a hate crime? After looking at the details I realized the injured must all be white, and the suspect is Muslim. Sigh. Not that prosecution isn’t appropriate – it is – but in this regime it only goes one way. And that’s not appropriate. Finally, The Nature Conservancy is offering a guide to “day trips” around the country, I gather hoping to get people to look at the natural beauty we have and maybe even care about protecting it. Of course they want you on their mailing list – but if you aren’t already and don’t like that you can always unsubscribe.

“The inmates are running the asylum” is bad enough, but when it comes to the point where the inmates in the asylum are running the country, well, that’s a few levels up. (Americans love sports analogies, and I guess computer gaming is a sport now.) Heather Cox Richardson discusses how Federal budget cuts are going to cost more money than they save, as anyone with a brain could have foreseen. (But Richardson does it better than just “anyone with a brain.”)

Harry Litman discusses independent agencies, the unitary executive theory, the shadow docket of the Supremes, and a dangerous decision from the latter last week. As someone who was born a few month’s after FDR’s death, I have never lived in a United States which did not have independent agencies (and I am the oldest one here, except for Mitch D, and he’s not that much older.) We’ve all studied governments without independent agencies, in history, and in other countries. But we haven’t lived under those conditions. Now we are about to.

I think it’s only fair to Steve Schmidt to share his expose of someone who once worked for him and now works for the Nectarine Napoleon through RFK Jr. Steve has good reason to be furious (including with himself for not seeing fellow Republicans for who they are sooner. Although I get it. It’s tough to see someone gradually falling into insanity – until it’s too late.)

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Feb 212025
 

Yesterday, sadly, I learned that a long time friend had died. I knew this was coming, but that never makes it easier. He was an announcer at my classical radio station, and was considered a personal friend by everyone he met, I believe, and even by hundreds of people who only “met” him over the radio. Fred was a member of the local Freethinkers group, a practicing atheist, and possibly the most generous person I’ve ever met – certainly that was true for many years, though now I’d need to put SoINeedAName right up there with him. The station is being very protective of his personal information (which is laudable) so I don’t know exactly when it happened, but it must have been very recent – there’s no obituary in the local paper yet (not that that’s conclusive, as he always considered it a Nazi rag.) I dreaded telling Virgil – which I however did when he called – because it’s part of my job – and he was indeed very upset. But he also admitted he’d rather know than not know.

Michael Waldman, writing for the Brennan Center for Justice, discusses the Unitary Executive Theory – what it is, why it’s “fringe” (IMO that means a tactful way to say BS), how its influence shows up in Project 2025, executive orders, and general Republican attitude, as well as coming court battles.

Harry Litman of Talking Feds references George Orwell on the subject of Memory Holes and discusses the implications of the destruction of (supposedly) permanent records. I’m sure this is also why people are suggesting that everyone who is receiving Social Security, and everyone who is currently or ever has been employed in s job where they paid into Social Security, go log in to The Social Security website right now and download all the informaion on you stored there. The same with the IRS, and any other government body which might have any stored information about you (I always keep a copy of my tax returns, and have them for a lot longer than the seven years normally recommended). Especially if you have already established an account with LogIn dot gov, it’s a lot easier than freezing your credit. At least it is now. Don’t wait too long.

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