Repubs in disarray…
Senate Republicans plan budget vote, despite Trump's endorsement of competing House version
The Senate will proceed with its own plan, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, continuing to cast doubt on the House's ability to pass Trump's agenda in one big bill.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con…— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) February 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
DOGE is focusing on foreign aid (~$70 billion, or 1% of the budget), DOE (3%), federal workforce (6%) and running into serious issues.
Meanwhile, Trump is pushing for tax cuts that would add at least $5 TRILLION to the national debt.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog…— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) February 19, 2025 at 8:52 AM
you should actually be much angrier *if you take them at their word and agree with their objectives*, to be honest, because their approach does not and will not achieve their stated objectives.
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) February 17, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Only an idiot would think we should eliminate:
– Emergency response in natural disasters
– Education and healthcare for disabled children
– Clean air and water programs
– Gang crime investigations
– Monitoring of nursing home abuse
– Nuclear reactor regulation
– Cancer research— JB Pritzker (@jbpritzker.bsky.social) February 19, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Let’s just do it, and be LEGENDS!
i really didn’t think they’d go ahead and grab the single deadliest third rail in american politics, but since no one with the power to stop them has bothered, i guess i understand why they’re not afraid
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) February 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM
fuck the stove, folks, we're gonna straight up juggle the demon core
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) February 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM
1. Trump admin cuts off payments to farmers with signed contracts
2. Farmers desperately contact Republican reps in Congress for help
3. Republicans in Congress reply: Uh, this must be Democrats' fault, anyway buzz off we don't care
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202…— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 8:16 AM
I endorse this statement:
It’s becoming clear that many people want democrats to experience the embarrassment of losing an election and being out of power but still be protected by them. It doesn’t work that way—either give them the power to stop republicans and keep them there or shut up.
— Tim ???? (@trouble_man90) February 17, 2025
On The Road – Mike in Oly – Winter at Billy Frank Jr.-Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge pt. 2
Baud
Tim speaks gospel.
CW
My daughter is a probationary employee at the IRS. They had a meeting yesterday, telling them to clear out their workspace and to expect a termination letter around noon today.
She’s there now, waiting for the axe to fall.
I hate that guy.
Baud
@CW:
I’m sorry.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: absolutely
zhena gogolia
@CW: FUCK THEM ALL
A Ghost to Most
Their programming prevents them from even seeing THEIR leopards.
Suzanne
It’s a death cult. We’ll find out how many people are actually in it.
Baud
@Suzanne:
All of them. Katie!
Soprano2
@Baud: Boy, ain’t that the truth. Farmers thought they could vote for FFOTUS and keep getting that sweet, sweet government money that many of them absolutely depend on. Now they have no idea what to do. I can’t feel too sorry for the ones who voted for FFOTUS, you got what you voted for.
Baud
@Soprano2:
I don’t feel sorry for Trump voters at all. Just for innocents like CW’s daughter.
Those farmers are free to join us whenever they want.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
I’ve said it before, but I feel guilty for feeling safe, here across the ocean in what I suppose I can still call the Free World.
When I wake up in the morning, I can only handle reading the news for about ten minutes before my brain starts screaming for respite. I’m gaining a new understanding of how people turn to drink or drugs to deal with it. (I don’t take that path, myself; my brain’s fragile enough without damaging it that way.)
As for the people who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces party and are now screaming for help and sympathy in dealing with the leopards about to eat their faces?
They want help, I imagine we’ll give it, because we’re not the monsters in American politics.
They want sympathy, they’d better be prepared for it to come with an industrial-strength dose of “we f@$!ing warned you this was going to happen.”
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
Is this having a ripple effect? Do any of you get that sense from normies or low information voters you know? I see headlines that talk about DOGE doing this or that, and layoffs of federal employees at X and why agency, but they’ll be next to headlines that Trumps followers are supportive of Trump’s policy or Congress approval is at a high (couldn’t bring myself to read that), so I find it hard to gauge on this side of the world what if anything is having an impact.
Suzanne
@Baud: No, they aren’t all actually in it. That’s what makes this tricky. Some of them are ride-or-die MAGA, but plenty more are conditional…. the condition being other people’s suffering.
The cruelty is the point, I never thought the leopards would eat my face, etc etc etc.
Soprano2
Did I dream that FFOTUS issued an EO saying only he and the head of OMB can say what the law actually means? How does that differ from being a dictator?
Soprano2
@Baud: Yep, I agree. That guy getting dragged all over the internet for losing his job who admitted he voted for FFOTUS but “this wasn’t what he wanted”, no sympathy at all, you got what you voted for!
Tim C
@Baud: Yeah, that guy has nailed it. It’s a perfect distillation of the current zeitgeist of “This is all the Democrats fault, and it’s the Democrats fault because only Democrats ever have agency to do anything, if only Chuck Schumer said the words I wanted him to, everything would be okay!” The Green Lantern theory of politics will kill us all.
different-church-lady
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): They’re still not feeling the teeth marks on their faces.
different-church-lady
@Soprano2:
Or a king?
Soprano2
@Suzanne: Somehow they thought the damage would only be confined to the “bad people” they don’t like. The actual immigrants who say to interviewers “But he won’t deport family people, it’s only criminals and bad people he’ll deport” make me want to bang my head on the desk. They don’t understand, FFOTUS and MAGA see all of them as “criminals and bad people”. You’d know that if you’d paid any attention at all to what he said during the campaign.
Suzanne
@Tim C: There’s a gulf between wanting Democrats to be maximally effective even with minimal power and only Democrats have agency.
lowtechcyclist
@Soprano2:
I think it was the AG (still can’t believe Pam Bondi is the AG of the U.S.A.) rather than the OMB head, but other than that, yes, that happened. And whether it differs from being a dictator depends on whether anyone in a position to do so contradicts him.
narya
I really like Tim’s framing–short, sweet, accurate. And Maddow played a long clip last night from My Governor, JB Pritzger, and it was well worth it. I find I also have zero sympathy for the people who voted for FFOTUS. And, as noted last night, I’m going to figure out how to move my retirement funds; the person I deal with–who has been very nice and helpful–called yesterday to answer a question I had, and at one point said something about liking Duffy. Really, hon? In that case, I’m moving my money. I didn’t say it, because I have exactly nothing lined up and life is particularly chaotic at the moment (bro got through surgery, so yay for that, AND the organization I’m consulting for that was circling the drain got a big cash donation so are staying in business), so it won’t be today, but it’s on the list. Lots and lots of chaos–even good chaos is still chaotic.
Gin & Tonic
So Trump repeats Kremlin lies about Ukraine verbatim, and there’s not a single Republican Senator who’s willing to say they are lies. I despair of what will become of the US over the next four years.
Baud
@Suzanne:
I don’t think there is. Speech is finite and there’s an opportunity cost when we focus on one thing rather than another.
ETA: When the NYT focuses on emails, they’re not focusing on important matters.
different-church-lady
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
Hmmm… maybe it is:
So there’s some data that suggests at least 8% of the electorate is just gullible.
lowtechcyclist
@Soprano2:
That would be an improvement. He sees them as vermin.
satby
They think they can bribe people with big sounding checks, and they can, temporarily, with their MAGA base. But SS and Medicaid funds a lot of elderly, disabled parents in nursing homes and if that’s cut it will be a bloodbath in red states. $5K will not help with that at all.
Made it to Flagstaff after 11 last night. If anyone going to Flagstaff wants a really clean, reasonable hotel to stay at stay at the Highland Country Inn. I stayed here last time I was in town too, it’s one of the historic old motels along RT 66; quiet and you could eat off these floors immaculate.
Suzanne
@Soprano2:
People are dumb.
People are really, really fucken dumb, guys.
All this behavior flummoxes us, fundamentally, because we aren’t dumb. But, like, all of their behavior is explained by the fact that they’re really dumb. That manifests in different ways — ignorant, delusional, incurious, mean, taking too many risks — but the root cause is dumb.
lowtechcyclist
@Suzanne:
This.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@Soprano2: Yup, he actually put out an EO that creates a Commissar at every agency that then runs decisions through OMB. How did we fall so far so fast? It’s frightening that nothing is holding up to this onslaught. I expect it won’t be long before this administration decide to ignore court orders, too.
@different-church-lady: At some point more than a few will. I wonder what the turning point number will be when the tide shifts?
NickM
This is from a friend of a friend that works at the VA in DC:
“I have to go back into the office the week of the 24th — next week. The problem is they gave away all of our office space. They literally have no monitors for us, they have no docking stations for us, and they have no desks for us. They’ve told us we will all have to go into conference rooms, former storage closets, or the lobby. It is a fucking joke.”
Most people who work at the VA are veterans themselves, and this is how they’re treated.
different-church-lady
@Suzanne: Dumb and mean-spirited in their souls.
Suzanne
@Baud:
Have you met my Spawn?
In all seriousness…. disagree. We can only control or influence ourselves and our side of the aisle. I believe we can disagree about tactics and effectiveness while fully realizing that the other side is the real enemy.
NotMax
Thing I did not know.
When Sean Connery bowed out of playing 007 one of the people the producers approached to take over the role was Dick van Dyke.
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:
Everything in this universe is finite, but speech is an exceedingly abundant resource. There’s more than enough to go around.
different-church-lady
ZOT: There will come a time — it’s a time that comes for every bully, every despot — where he will turn the cruelty on his own inner supporters.
It will lead to his downfall. The only question is how much will be ruined before he reaches that point.
Kay
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
I don’t think it’s getting thru. Media are now unabashedly pro plutocracy. They’re still being portrayed as bold maverick cost cutters. Part of it is just the incredibly lazy and sloppy reporting. Hegseth hasn’t cut shit, all he’s done is announce, yet it’s being reported as if he did.
Bold, maverick in-charge men owning the (hated) libs, women and Black people. That’s how its being portrayed in normie-land.
I think reality gets the last word though, and they’re killing the economy. It was slowing anyway and these truly awful tech bros economic ideas will tank it. I expect Musk and Trump will do some kind of stimulus check to placate the masses as unemployment rises and housing sales stall.
I admit, I’m stumped. I dont know how anyone gets thru our captured media and social media. The Right owns all of it.
John S.
@different-church-lady:
100% accurate. The sentiment I am getting from the MAGAs in my family is exactly “Until it affects me, I don’t care.” They figure if something hasn’t impacted them or anyone they know, then it didn’t matter if it was broken because that proves it wasn’t needed in the first place. 🙄
Matt McIrvin
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): Based on an conversation I had recently I suspect one of the big ripple effects is going to be in areas with a large military presence– not just service members but anyone tangentially connected. A lot of those people probably voted for Trump and they’re terrified and pissed off right now. The same may be happening in law enforcement. I mean, they openly compare this to the de-Baathification of occupied Iraq– how did that work out? Weird how often they admiringly compare their actions to known mistakes and disasters.
NotMax
@different-church-lady
Blame the botox.
//
Suzanne
@Matt McIrvin:
My heart, it bleeds.
#reginageorgeliberal
The Thin Black Duke
@Gin & Tonic: The people who voted for Trump or voted third party or chose to not to vote at all are finding out to their horror that the Democrats can’t save them from the GOP this time. The societal guardrails that kept America from plunging into the abyss are being taken away.
Oops.
Welcome to the Terrordome.
We’re seeing the twilight of the American Empire. It’s a reality TV show that’s not going to go away by changing the channel.
Scout211
Governor Pritzker is great and I do approve of calling President Musk and his side-kick Trump idiots. And leopards eating faces is always good to point out.
Here’s my but . . .
The cutting of popular programs is not a mistake made by idiots, it’s a plan that is deliberate and all part of the long-term plan.
Lisa Featherstone spelled it out very succinctly a few days ago in her commentaryat The New Republic.
And IMHO, the GOP in both houses should be the ones called out as idiots and chumps, also too.
But then again, there are a lot of idiots in Washington.
ETA: clarity
Dorothy A. Winsor
@NickM: I want pictures of that splashed everywhere.
NickM
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): I think the scope and stupidity of some of these changes are starting to get thru to people here and there. Nothing close to a sea change. But something is starting to trouble the water.
Kay
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
They own and control every media outlet except Bluesky and Mastadon.
Its a barrage of pro Trump and Right wing dogma promotion all day every day. If normies find their way thru this thicket of bullshit it will be a miracle. OTOH, it will probably crash spectacularly, which will get their attention.
different-church-lady
@NotMax: Oooh, sharp!
different-church-lady
@John S.: That dude is really really good at leveraging selfishness.
Kay
And Reddit. I dont think Reddit is captured yet.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@different-church-lady: I don’t have any sympathy for fools. FFOTUS’ first term was a disaster. His character is on par with one of his gilded toilets. Anyone with a teaspoon of critical thinking skills should have seen what a horrible leader he was, not to mention he can’t string a coherent sentence together. At the moment, though, we are stuck with him, so we will have to do what we can to push against the MAGA rot.
Geminid
Senate Republicans will put their budget bill on the Senate floor this afternoon, after a vote on the Patel/FBI nomination. This will kick off a “vote-a-rama,” in which Democrats will introduce amendments. The debate and votes on the individual amendments are expected to last into tonight and could continue tomorrow. Then, Thune and company will pass the bill and it will be Mike Johnson’s turn.
different-church-lady
@The Thin Black Duke: It’s only going to go away when the ratings get bad. (See: conclusion of “Network.”)
different-church-lady
@Geminid: They’ll confirm Patel and that’s when the fascist shit show will REALLY get started.
different-church-lady
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
Ooops, I think I see the problem…
Betty Cracker
Wondering whether you should take down bird feeders due to avian flu? Cornell Lab’s latest recommendation here. Summary: the risk to songbirds is low, so it’s okay to keep feeders up UNLESS you keep poultry.
Kay
14 people are dead in the flooding in Kentucky. Trump has been either golfing or chatting with his friends in media thru the entire crisis.
Remember how North Carolina flooded and it was front page news and the fault of Joe Biden?
They deliberately cover for him. I dont know how to beat that.
Jeffg166
@narya:
When you do leave do tell them. Choices have consequences.
I am thinking about getting solar installed with a battery backup. The guy I saw was pitching the job and mentioned Tesla batteries. I asked if there is an alternative because of Elmo. There is. His quote was based on the alternative.
lowtechcyclist
@NickM:
I’m surprised they even left somewhere for these workers to badge in at.
Scout211
OT: Memeorandum.com has been down since last night. I realize how often I check that site now that it’s down.
different-church-lady
@Betty Cracker: This far into winter in the snowy parts of the country I’d think you’d really not want to take them down before spring. Once they decide to not migrate, the feeders are critical to survival.
The Thin Black Duke
@Kay: When people won’t need to watch the news to see how bad it is. They’ll just look outside their windows.
Starfish (she/her)
@Bruce K in ATH-GR: I am glad that it is safe there, and I would appreciate it if you could bring us a little bit of a sense of normalcy.
I am seeing a lot of folks outside the US yelling at the folks inside the US for being self-absorbed, colonialist, etc., and I am having a hard time handling that on top of whatever it is we are going through.
John S.
@different-church-lady:
It’s more than just one guy (and a few women, too). It is baffling to observe people whose actions are usually not selfish express such wantonly selfish sentiments. Typical cult behavior.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@Kay: I hear you on that. I subscribed to the WaPo because it let me keep up with national politics and general news, but then they proved through their motto that democracy dies even with the spotlight bright on it.
@Matt McIrvin: My family is in San Diego–huge military town. I’ve checked the headlines of the SD Union-Tribune to see if there are any headlines on this, but nothing has stood out. We’ll see after today’s SecDef announcement of 8% cuts every year.
@NickM: I hope you’re right. The longer he has time to break things, the harder it will be to fix them. That said, if we get through this, we need some kind of commission/convention to ensure this can’t happen ever again.
Belafon
Republicans have been wanting to kill the New Deal, all they needed was someone else to do it. Democracy was a small price to pay.
Kay
@The Thin Black Duke:
Well, it will be too late. This is far,far Right economic policy. Rich people and corporations aren’t going to be paying any taxes AT ALL.
The Trump budget shortfall – the 3 trillion dollars – is the GOP number. Its made up. Its going to be much, much bigger than that.
Betty Cracker
@different-church-lady: Excellent point. I forgot snow!
Kay
@Belafon:
Agreed. Musk is the bullet proof hatchet man. Immune from public response to his actions.
zhena gogolia
@Gin & Tonic: And the New York Times calls it a “feud” between Trump and Zelensky. A feud. This caused violent screaming in my household this morning, and I’m afraid the screams were coming from my mouth.
Belafon
@Soprano2: The EO specifically said that they own all the executive government agencies, such as the Federal Reserve, that Congress can’t create them to be independent of the president.
Baud
@Suzanne:
@lowtechcyclist:
Do what you want. I’m just giving my opinion about the harm I see. I could be wrong, and I have no power over anyone else anyway.
jonas
@CW: Fuckin’ a, man. Best of luck to your daughter.
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: Filling the birdfeeder is on my to-do list for this morning.
I don’t keep poultry, but Rockingham County to my west has a lot of chicken and turkey operations.* I guess I’ll listen to the Harrisonburg radio station today, see if they’re having problems. They reported a couple weeks ago that local poultry raisers hadn’t been hit by bird flue epidemic yet.
* Broadway High School calls their sports teams “The Gobblers.”
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Kay: Right. Musk won’t face voters and has more money than he can spend.
Belafon
@Scout211: I can only see the text, so i only see idiot and not mistake, but mistake can mean bad idea and not just oops.
Baud
@Kay:
I wonder if people will still buy the debt.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@CW:
So sorry to hear that.
And what Tim said.
Kay
I still think doing something big for the federal workers would be effective. Indivisible or MoveOn could organize a fundraiser and run it thru their orgs for transparency. I think it would get a lot of positive media for liberals and drive Musk and Trump fucking crazy.
Treat it like a natural disaster. Don’t just say you support the workers. Help them. Has to be big though.
Betty Cracker
@Kay: For now he is. Could be we’re going to find out if he’s bulletproof in the figurative sense as consumers react to the growing carnage in his wake. Maybe in the literal sense too; increasing the number of desperate people in a country awash in weapons may have unintended consequences.
Belafon
@Kay: Which is why, even though I like that people like Krugman are able to write more freely, I think it’s a net negative when people move from the big platforms like the NYT to places like Substack. The people who really need to read Krugman don’t know or don’t get on those sites. Too many places to go will cause people to ignore them.
Kay
@Baud:
My husband’s been saying that.
This is trickle down like no one has ever seen before. Income inequality is going to go thru the roof. They are setting this up so owners pay NO federal taxes. And they had to end up there, right? The dogma says cutting taxes makes a strong economy. Therefore ending taxes will make an even stronger one!
sixthdoctor
@CW: Wishing the best for you and your daughter. I’m sorry.
Ohio Mom
@lowtechcyclist: My neighbor the VA pharmacist had to go back to office.
Her job is chart review, she goes through charts of very sick patients, looking for drug interactions and other red flags. It takes a surprisingly long time to complete a chart. It was a great work-from-home job, she had peace and quiet.
She complained that there is not enough parking or desk space at the hospital; she will probably be interrupted constantly.
She hates Trump and didn’t vote for him but I think it is slowly dawning on her that voting for Republicans for Congress was a mistake.
Kay
@Belafon:
Agreed.
Melancholy Jaques
@Suzanne:
The majority of Americans – or at least the majority of the white ones – have to approve of all this or they would have to admit they were wrong.
Llelldorin
@The Thin Black Duke: My biggest worry is that the bullshit will survive the apocalypse, so a lot of people will be cursing the Democrats for somehow being responsible even then.
We seem to be in a post-rational thought environment.
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone 😊 😊 😊
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Melancholy Jaques
@different-church-lady:
That number is low, way low.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Say it again…
They deliberately cover for him.
And, no mention of what is happening in Detroit either 😒
rikyrah
@CW: sorry for your daughter.
I am so mad about this. It’s just ridiculous 😡
MazeDancer
Rachel Maddow’s show from last night was so uplifting. Just listened to the free podcast, here’s the link so you can, too.
She played some of Pritzker’s speech. And read a statement from Indivisible that left you shouting “To the ramparts!”.
She also dwelled on the GOP “dilemma. Cassidy sacrificing his entire career to Bobby, Jr. Youngkin trying to defend Trump and VA people having their jobs nuked. Old line hawks like Wicker railing against Putin.
Really wiped out the fear in me. At least for today.
rikyrah
@Suzanne:
There are the true MAGA
And those who were fine with THOSE PEOPLE being hurt
But, how dare I get hurt?
The farmers are a great example. And, I have to admit that I hope they wind up being sharecroppers on their FORMER FARMS
UncleEbeneezer
@zhena gogolia: People want the benefits of good governance without paying the taxes needed to fund them. Likewise, people want the adults in charge (Dems) without having to support them. They want Dem policies but only if they can constantly bitch about Dems and refuse to cheerlead for them when everything is on the line. Their unwillingness to go to the mat for Biden and then their refusal to stop “protesting” Harris when we needed to get her every vote possible, shows you how fucked up these people are and how little they actually care about our the stakes, real progress and our coalition. When we urge them to get in the fight by stopping the bashing and simply praising Dems to the hilt, they throw a tantrum as if we asked them to swallow a cockroach. All their favorite evils: GroupThink, Sheeple, Blindly-Loyal, BlueMAGA etc., suddenly come out of the woodwork because heaven-forbid they actually support an imperfect Dem in order to save a century of progressive gains, Abortion, voting rights, the Supreme Court, Ukraine, etc.
Kay
This is just an AMAZING gift for Putin. The Unites States handing him Ukraine and becoming a Russia-like kleptocracy means he won. Its the greatest victory ever, and he didn’t fire a single shot.
Quiltingfool
@Betty Cracker: I just wonder if Musk has paid any attention to how Putin has dealt with oligarchs in Russia?
I know Trump is stupid, but he is drunk on power right now. Trump isn’t interested in rule of law. When the shit hits the fan and someone whispers to Trump that Musk is at fault, he might get the idea he can take all of Musk’s companies and money and toss ol’ Musky out a window. You know, like his buddy Putin does. Who’s going to stop Trump from doing that? The Supreme Court? Yeah, right.
I think Musk is treading in dangerous waters right now. All the money in the world ain’t gonna mean squat if a person with all the power can take it away from you, with no consequence.
I doubt Putin would care, either. He’s got Trump on a leash.
rikyrah
The thought that they fired those responsible for protecting our NUCLEAR ARSENAL
AND it not be the lead story every phucking day 😡😡
rikyrah
@Kay:
We knew Trump would abandon Ukraine.
That was absolutely obvious 😡😡
YY_Sima Qian
Well, this could go in so many different ways (gift link to NYT article):
Kay
@rikyrah:
Detroit is such a shame because Michigan used some of their federal infrastructure money for water infrastructure. They tore up the road in front of my Michigan house last summer and replaced the water pipes. They probably just didn’t get to that part of Detroit yet.
Baud
@YY_Sima Qian:
Trump values gloating that his toughness brought about the best trade deals ever. And his supporters want to believe that too. They’ll cling to nothingburgers if need be.
You see the same thing with DOGE and “waste.”
sixthdoctor
@Kay: That’s an excellent idea. Since I’m MD-based when I make my calls to the Senators and my rep (Mfume) today I will suggest that.
My wife works for CMMI so while she avoided this round, she has been very stressed and said that her in-office day felt like a funeral.
gene108
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
Close to half the country supports Trump.
The farmers that are mad they aren’t getting money they were promised aren’t coming over to our side. They’ll keep voting Republican. The only thing Trump’s done that upsets them is what’s affected them. Otherwise, they’re happy with the rest of the Musk-Trump agenda.
UncleEbeneezer
@The Thin Black Duke: Also, the people who voted for Kamala but only after spending 18 months telling everyone there was no difference between Biden/Harris and Trump because of Gaza (which is also bullshit and they damn-well know it).
Now they are (rightfully) upset about us abandoning Ukraine. My initial response is: where the fuck was all this energy for Ukraine when it mattered for stopping Trump? When y’all were screaming Genocide and claiming there was no difference in foreign policy between a Biden/Harris administration and a Trump administration? The difference was obvious and huge and they could have all been making sure voters knew that electing Biden or Harris was absolutely essential to US support of Ukraine (and countering Russia’s genocidal aims).
JML
I had a “friend” from high school cheering on the DOGE efforts and cutting people from the IRS this week, because she got “targeted” by the IRS back in 2021 (she thinks she only got hit because of the 80K they hired to staff up the agency) and when she claimed to have only made $21K that year. Of course, this is someone who is always posting pictures of her vacations to warm places in the winter, trips to Vegas, fancy nights out on the town, etc. So either she was spending down savings or the $21K was just the income she reported to the IRS. I’m thinking she was trying to hide income and got caught.
But this is the way the MAGA-curious who don’t go in for the overt bigotry get into the cult: it’s all about some kind of resentment that they got caught or think they were treated unfairly. Politically, these bastards play to that resentment constantly, and the cruelty to others fools them into thinking that all the bad things will happen to other people, and they’ll finally get what they deserve.
Well, they’re gonna get what they deserve (the leopards eating their faces) but unfortunately the rest of us have to suffer through the oligarchs looting the nation too.
Bill Arnold
@Belafon:
It does not help that purity police are calling people Nazis for even visiting hosting platforms like substack.
Meanwhile, the right wing has numerous ways to communicate, and enjoys huge communication advantages, in speed and pervasiveness.
Chief Oshkosh
@CW: Yep, just had dinner last night with the father of a former mentee of mine. She’d gone off to the UCal system and did great. Started her family. Had an opportunity to move into what she really wanted at CDC. Took the job, moved out to ATL, is pregnant with her second child…
…and is probably getting the axe for no other reason than the the shitbird declared that we must all suffer.
Baud
@gene108:
Agree.
Jeffro
I’d love to see some sort of daily Democratic news conference that keeps piling up the damage these goons are doing and asks, “WHEN WILL REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS DO THEIR JOBS?”
(maybe they are? I haven’t seen it)
But that’s the only critique I have for Dems. This is all the result of trump’s lawlessness and the GOP’s refusal to rein him in, so I guess they can let us know if they plan on doing anything.
Leto
For people wondering what happened in Detroit, a 50” water main burst and froze water mid way up cars. Here’s video of it. Every car you see is a total loss. Not sure how extensive it is but I know it’s not just this one street.
Like someone said above, NC flooded and it was non-stop “Biden fucked up!” But we have Kentucky and now this, and not a fucking peep. They’re going to cover for all of those worthless fucks. Though I understand why they’re not going to talk about Detroit. Ni-CLANG’s live there.
Geminid
I just saw video of heavy construction equipment moving up a road in Gaza. Some of the loaders flew Egyptian flags. 🇪🇬
Egyptian President al-Sissi flew to Ryadh today, to discuss reconstruction and future governance of the Gaza Strip with Saudi leaders.
Jackie
@Kay:
Does Kentucky having a Dem governor have anything to do with FFOTUS’s dismissive attitude? It doesn’t seem to matter that Kentucky’s 99.9% MAGA, otherwise.
The Thin Black Duke
@UncleEbeneezer: Pontificating Progressive Purity Ponies.
Belafon
We will probably be waiting a while for some people to come around after they get hurt by Trump’s actions. This post captures someone who wrote that all of these plane crashes are being caused by 15 minute city planners.
https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3likk4embpc2g
Jackie
@Scout211:
I noticed, too. It’s my go-to for checking latest headlines. I can’t help but think something Musk-related is going on.
Kristine
@UncleEbeneezer:
The Ugly Truth.
It’s just supposed to happen, and anyone who does that work is overpaid.
Good government is like preventive maintenance. It’s not sexy or fun, it’s often invisible, and it can be expensive. So you’re consistent for a while, but then you put it off for a year because nothing’s happened so far so you figure you can skip. Then another year passes, and another year. And then you use the fireplace you’ve neglected and oh my chimney fire, or the flooding rains fall and the roof leaks like a colander, etc etc.
Thinking of the folks who laughed at the Y2K panic because nothing happened.
Lyrebird
@Baud: Hear, hear.
FWIW I do not regret the several bucks I donated to Lucas Kunce, not one bit. I don’t agree with him on everything, but hey, I don’t agree with myself on everything! And keeping MO Sen to such a close count was pretty impressive.
I am rambling, but anyhow, I am rooting for everyone who might help bring more people together against fascism. And everything else that the Trump-Musk admin is dishing out.
prostratedragon
@UncleEbeneezer: They were told these things constantly and by both campaigns, actually. About Ukraine, and most of the rest. That dictator-on-day-one stuff was before the election. What did thenumbskulls think it meant?
As for me, I just found out I’m being billed twice as much for farxiga as in the past — over $900 for 90 days. Will call my insurer to find out whether they’re frontloading my annual deductable, because this is not sustainable time after time.
NeenerNeener
I suspect Musk is paying some of T****p’s Secret Service detail and they’re not so loyal to T****p anymore. I’m also wondering if the folks Musk wants to bring in from South Africa are his own private militia.
Belafon
Images at the post, but basically one is about the 28 federal agencies that interface between the states and the 85% of federal employees outside of DC, and the other is a training program for people who want to work in the federal government.
https://bsky.app/profile/chrisgeidner.bsky.social/post/3lilg3rgxns2n
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@NickM:
I laid out this scenario at the start of the year when this was first floated basing it on my agency’s experience putting people into fulltime-remote status a decade ago plus our sending everybody home in March 2020 and then the establishment of a hybrid arrangement in 2023.
It took a while to rid ourselves of the office spaces opened up by remote work, as in years. Then in 2023 when the Feds went on a massive hiring spree resulting from the two Biden spending bills, we began to get more physical space again but again, hybrid and not as much because we’d been bleeding edge in terms of remote work.
That’s one reason the Klowns have fired all the propationary people, they represent the Biden bills. It was also probably an attempt to free up some space for what’s happening now.
But, what about people who have been remote working for a decade? I had one user who lives in Eagle. She’s on the other side of the Continental Fucking Divide and now is probably expected to change her life completely.
Or quit. And that’s what they’re looking for as well.
This sucks and is sooooo sad.
TBone
VATNIK GOVERNMENT KISS MY VAGINA, EAT ME MOTHERFUCKERS and also FUCK OFF AFTER THAT. ALL THE WAY OFF.
Pardon my French yelling please
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k-bpuCbU6MY
Doug R
@CW:
The IRS? In late February? So back to 8 hour wait times on hold?
Old Man Shadow
Waiting for the markets to figure out that dumping a shitload of people into unemployment and cutting government spending and government defense spending is going to result in a major recession.
Dave
@Llelldorin: You see it people angrier at Democrats for being too milquetoast and not meeting the moment (criticisms I have leveled while always keeping in mind that it’s the GOP and associated complex that deserves 99.95% of the blame) continuing the only Democrats have agency.
Gloria DryGarden
@TBone: i won’t let them kiss me there. But yeah.
sent you an email, said a few things similar to your comment, but in my exotic way
mornin’ everyone
gene108
@Kay:
Republicans have been setting the stage for this kind of authoritarian takeover since the 2000 election, when they decided getting their President in office was more important than letting the votes be counted.
Everything they’ve done at every level they’re in control from gerrymandering by state legislatures, to SCOTUS’s Citizrns United and Shelby decisions, to the scorched earth opposition to Obama, and most importantly refusing to acknowledge Russian election interference in the 2016 election has set the stage for where we are now.
Putin realized what power hungry cowards Republicans are and accelerated the process with Trump.
Lobo
@UncleEbeneezer: This!
Geminid
@Jeffro: Senate Democrats held a press conference yesterday to denounce proposed Medicaid cuts. A picture showed Patty Murray at a podium, flanked by Catherine Cortz-Masto, Maggie Hasson, Tammy Baldwin, Peter Welch and Raphael Warnock.
I expect Democrats will introduce one or more amendments to remove Medicaid cuts once debate begins on the Senate Republican budget bill. That will start this afternnoon.
Dave
@Quiltingfool: Hell if I wouldn’t be surprised if there is someone in the administration who is evil but intelligent that is planning for that.
Would laugh a very dark laugh because you have to take solace where you can.
Gretchen
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): I think there hasn’t been time for ripple effects yet. The layoffs are just happening now. The federal government is Kansas City’s biggest employer. I’ve seen news reports that there aren’t enough other jobs to replace those layoffs – we have a big IRS site here and that’s where a lot of layoffs happened. But it’s not until people are out of work for awhile, can’t pay rent, don’t buy things – that the knock-on effects will be obvious. Unfortunately, it might be too late to reverse the damage. It’s heartbreaking for all the innocents who will be hurt because of the arrogance and stupidity of a few men.
TBone
@Gloria DryGarden: I adore your exotic way! I’m supposed to be in a hot shower right now but both kitties acted up simultaneously (Katrina vomited a bit, I suspect she’s jealous of all the attention her brother is receiving. At least, that is my fierce hope).
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
Has anyone heard anything from the ex-Presidents? If they were to stand together and call out this BS, would the media cover it and would people listen? Then again, I suppose FFOTUS would cancel their Secret Service details in retaliation.
The Thin Black Duke
The Musk takeover of the federal government is the January 6th insurrection 2.0.
Gloria DryGarden
@CW: JFC.
cry emoji
Belafon
@Kristine: Or how the Great Recession wasn’t that big a deal because Democrats solved it, or how Covid wasn’t that big a deal because of the science that they hate, or how the recovery wasn’t a big deal because Republicans solved it, or how Democrats should have gotten more out of the ACA because they passed the watered down bill.
Edited
NotMax
@TBone
No need to sugarcoat it, tell us how you really feel.
:)
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@Gretchen: The fallout will be bad. My only hope is that the Republican brand becomes toxic for a couple of generations.
Gloria DryGarden
@The Thin Black Duke: did you want to quantify how much worse it is by comparison. Twice as bad? 100x?
so high the rage and shock and blindsided incandescence can’t be read by our meters?
im just ranting this morning. I’m off to the doctor for help with my frightening lab numbers, try to make something better, in personal world.
catclub
I still have less sympathy for the ones who did not even bother to vote. Less than zero.
Leto
@Dave: just look to the head of OMB.
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): I mean, they came out before the election and basically said what you needed them to say. At least Carter, Clinton, and Obama did. Shrub was last seen at Carter’s funeral thinking about more bathtub paintings.
catclub
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
Sure.
Just like the 2006 elections heralded a generation in the wilderness for the GOP!
Kristine
@Belafon: I’d love to let them wallow in the mess they’ve made, but dammit they’re dragging the rest of us down with them.
Almost Retired
@satby: This was a timely recommendation. We’re heading for Santa Fe this weekend as the first destination on our road trip, but it’s too far to comfortably drive in one day (I like to drink coffee while I drive, so we make a lot of stops). Flagstaff is a comfortable one day drive from Los Angeles. This place looks great. Thanks! Full service blog, and all that.
Belafon
@Belafon: I do not know why I kept typing Republicans even though I meant to type Democrats.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@Leto: Yes, but now he’s in there breaking things. Maybe they could sit down and do some fireside chats and in simple English explain to the America public what the Constitution means and what exactly the powers of the president are and aren’t. Seems like a lot of people skipped those classes.
prostratedragon
A great sign in a great place for it:
Moreover:
The Thin Black Duke
@Gloria DryGarden: It succeeded. That’s what makes it worse.
LAC
@Baud: amen to that. Poor kid has to sit there like that. I am so sorry, CW. The cruelty is a feature not a bug.
Those fucking farmers want to come around, great. I am not holding their hands and baby talking them back.
The Thin Black Duke
In this Brave New World, the arms dealers are gonna make out like bandits. The serfs won’t be carrying torches and pitchforks this time around.
Geminid
@Almost Retired: The Lowell Observatory is right next to Flagstaff, just up a hill. The grounds are nice to walk around, with a few old observatories scattered about. The place was developed in the 1920s. They also have programs for the public at the main building.
Kay
@prostratedragon:
Interesting about Vance. Thanks
cain
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat):
The media sane washing everything. We won’t hear a thing about how bad it is.
Professor Bigfoot
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): This gets right to my great fear— that the 1798 Constitution of the United States is now dead.
schrodingers_cat
Nothing will change unless enough white people decide that they have had enough of the Orange Error. That’s biggest and most powerful demographic in this country. And the rest of us are invisible to the white supremacists in power. They enjoy it when we are in distress.
tam1MI
When I went to the Grand Canyon with my Mom, literally every travel forum I went on told me not to stay in Flagstaff – it sucked, was boring, nothing interesting there, etc. We stayed there anyway and it was awesome! It’s got a lot of “college town” energy, which I vibe with. Plus, it’s a great place to use as “home base” to go to not only the Grand Canyon, but also Sedona (the Oak Creek Canyon drive is SPECTACULAR), Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest, and Williams. Walnut Canyon National Monument is located just east of town and is a fascinating place to visit. And I used Humphreys Peak as a landmark when driving because you could see it everywhere! Needless to say, the travel forums were WRONG – Flagstaff is well worth a visit!
Gloria DryGarden
@prostratedragon: i really hate that. Selling the rug out from under Americans by putting farms out of business.
Gloria DryGarden
@The Thin Black Duke: well said, albeit, so unpleasant. Today judge chutkin is meeting again about the TRO, right?
Professor Bigfoot
@The Thin Black Duke: You are assuming white people will look outside their windows and see other white people suffering.
If it’s the rest of us, well, things are working as they should.
Gloria DryGarden
@Professor Bigfoot: only for the people who want there to be racism
Gretchen
@prostratedragon: Wow. That’s a terrific explanation of why they’d cancel contracts farmers have already spent, so the farmers lose their land and JD Vance’s company can sell it to foreigners. That’s a pretty good answer to “why are they doing this?”. To make money.
schrodingers_cat
@Gloria DryGarden: For a majority of white people racism is not a deal breaker. Their voting patterns are a good indicator of this.
Geminid
@Gloria DryGarden: Good morning Ms. Drygarden. I saw you discussing the Kurdish situation the other night, and I wondered if you knew about Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government. It rules 4 northern Iraqi provinces, under a form of autonomy written into the Iraqi constitution.
Around 6 million Kurds live there along with other folks including Turkmen, Assyrian Christians and 60,000 Romani.
Rudaw English is a good source on events in the Kurdish Region. It’s published in Erbil, which was known as Arbella back in the day. Kurdistan24 is a good site too, and there are others
Ed. Kurds have a big holiday coming up. That would be their New Year or”Nowruz,” celebrated at the Spring Equinox. The Iranians also celebrate Nowruz.
kindness
The Oligarchs own the Republican Party. The billionaires see they are about to make bank with their upcoming tax reductions. The elected Republicans all know this and are toeing the big $$ line they’ve drawn. That’s why not one of them has done their actual jobs overseeing the Executive branch. The billionaires won’t care until there is an economic collapse like 2008/09. And sadly that’s most likely when normie Republican voters start wondering if maybe they’ve been conned. By then it’ll be too late. We’re fucked for the next 2 years.
satby
@Leto: maybe there could be more coverage, but I saw news about the Kentucky flooding (and in WV, Virginia, and Tennessee) on CNN and the Weather Channel. So not completely ignored
The Thin Black Duke
@kindness: This has been the vicious cycle as long as I have been alive. Republicans fuck things up, Democrats get elected to fix the things the Republicans broke, then the Republicans get voted back into office to break things some more. This time around, the impact of this is going to be generational and things will never be the same again.
satby
@Almost Retired: glad to be helpful.
TBone
@NotMax: muah!
Soprano2
@Kay: Haven’t you see the headlines that Musk wants to send everyone $5,000 with the DOGE savings? (But we’re supposed to believe he isn’t running any of this.) Of course, that assumes that they actually save $2 TRILLION, but all the normies see is “Musk wants to give me $5,000, he must be a great guy who cares about us”. That’s deliberate in the headline IMHO, because they will never get those checks.
TBone
@Geminid: full service blog points AGAIN!
Juju
@Soprano2: Apparently they neither of them remember Marbury v Madison.
Soprano2
@Kay: We know they’ll notice the bad economy, and they’ll blame the people in power. At least that’s how it usually works. They sure noticed the higher prices and thought the economy is terrible. If those outlets start lying to them about things being great, I don’t think the normies will believe it.
Soprano2
@different-church-lady: Someone should remake that movie, you’d only have to change a couple of things and it would still be as true as it was in 1976.
Tim C.
@Suzanne: That’s totally fair. And yes, effective communication matters a lot.
Parfigliano
@Kay: Musk may be immune. He is definitely not bullet proof.
Citizen Alan
@Soprano2: if by some absolute miracle the democrats actually regain power, all farm aid should be targeted towards blue states and to blue districts over at states. Not one penny, to help those farmers who think they can spit on us and still expect our tax dollars to keep themselves afloat. And I say that as someone who has family members operating part time as farmers in mississippi and collecting government benefits for it.
Elizabelle
Mitch McConnell is retiring. A few terms too late to save the Republic, alas. The Guardian says he announced it during a Senate speech in honor of his 83rd birthday today.
Juju
@Parfigliano:
He is definitely not bullet proof.
That’s why he carries his son everywhere.
Parfigliano
@Juju: Collateral damage.
cain
@The Thin Black Duke:
Unfortunately, our people have become entitled and yes they expect the Dems to save them so they can vote however they want.
In a lot of ways it’s like the evangelical view of sin. They can do whatever the fuck they want and God or Dems in this case will forgive them and help repair the damage.
Ruckus
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Well musky is trying to buy a country. That’s not that cheap. Well it would be cheaper if he can break it first. Of course then it won’t be worth as much. Is it possible he’s not all that good of a planner/thinker? I think it is.
@Betty Cracker:
We have to remember to look at this entire mess, not from our perspective but from elon’s. The world’s wealthiest man is possibly also the world’s greediest man. He want’s it all. Or at least the largest share of it. He was, growing up, a poor little rich boy. He turned into the world’s richest little boy. But his pouting is not like other kids pouting. He pouting on the world’s stage, playing the “I want it all” game. And he’s doing this in a country that is built specifically not in the one person owns it all manner. We don’t count money as a part of citizenship. And equality. This is a country that was intended not to be all about the size of your bank account(s), but the equality of each of us. elon does not come from a country like that and has NEVER had to live like he does. He sees his money as his “rite of citizenship.” And while it sometimes seems like this country holds that concept near and dear, that’s REALLY not how it works. Yes it sometimes veers in that direction, especially as it is not a poor country, but that is NOT the basis of this country.
artem1s
@Suzanne:
I keep posting this in various places. It’s still valid and in the case of the US voters, cumulatively harmful to underestimate the number of stupid people on this planet
5 basic laws of human stupidity
as someone once famously said, “you do not know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump”. We’ve all been guilty of underestimating the harm a stupid person can do.
prostratedragon
@Soprano2: There have been variations on Network themes since before Meet John Doe. Somehow they don’t sink in.
prostratedragon
@artem1s: Amen.
WTFGhost
“Trump’s trying to cut $30 billion from the budget, so he can give away tax cuts worth $5,000 billion”
Headline writers: fixed that for you. Effing moronic headline writiers.
Ruckus
@NickM:
There are also a lot of vets that use the VA for mostly healthcare but there are a lot of things that some vets need beyond just healthcare. And people who have never served a minute in the military, who have never been shot at, who think it is a waste of money want to not pay for something that vets earned in service of this country. Sure not everyone using the VA is combat vet with wounds to prove it, but that’s not the basis of the VA. If people who have never served and never thought about it in any way, shape or form think they can just fuck over the countries vets without any repercussions, I seriously doubt they know one vet. Pay was rather small 50+ years ago, it is better today but it still is at not going to get rich in any way level.
WTFGhost
@Ruckus: Yeah, I had a come-to-grips moment over vets. Like, Vietnam, we were fighting a nation that wanted communist rule, on a majority basis. Okay, but… sooner or later, there *could* be a threat that looks *stupid*. And if that threat raises its head, you need military force to put it down. And to do that, you need people who say “I trust you, America. You won’t fuck me over without a good reason. That includes making me kill a bunch of people who don’t need killing – I trust you to point me at *real* bad guys.”
And for that, you need a hell of a defense-in-depth VA, because people people ain’t made for killing and watching friends die. Oh, they can do both, don’t get me wrong! But they’re not healthy *people* after that, unless they’re exceptional, and many times more folks want to *look* exceptional, even if they can’t *be* that way.
Another thing I’ve heard is that warfare often *feels* good. You got shot at, and missed! WHOOO-HOOOO! I’ve heard it said some people get horny as hell after surviving, which, hey, That’s actually an actually *productive* piece of evolutionary psychology, “nearly died, have a kid!” It makes some sense, right? Nearly got eaten, hey, wife, let’s make another baby!
(I’ve heard it said that *individual* fatherhood wasn’t a big deal in early human societies, before animal husbandry became a science, and the best joke past Uranus. (Um. I pronounce that “YOUR-a-NUS”, no emPHAsis on the second syLAble. Just so you know.))
You don’t want to put people who are all thrilled to be shot at at missed back into normal society without support. And that doesn’t mean *ordinary* counseling. It’s like, a white counselor might not handle a Black client properly, not because they’re a bad counselor, but because they don’t understand what it means to be Black. “Oh, come on, now, if the officer pulled you over for a broken tail light, your tail light was broken! A cop, breaking your tail light? Give me a *break*!”
You need someone who has been there to facilitate. You don’t want to lecture (even if you’re *good* at explaining how to live through trauma); you want someone to relate an experience that tells the same story – and then, follow up with those that need it.
Trudeau (Doonesbury author) got *big* into this during Iraq. He’d take one look at an injured vet, and tell them how they got injured, and ask how they’re doing. He explained, in an interview, that being that severely injured is the biggest thing that’s ever happened in most people’s lives, so, it’s what they most need to talk about (or so he thought – and *I* will say it was wise thought, even if wrong, so…).
The VA is the cheap-ass fulfillment of our promise to those who said “I trust you, America.” Cutting it makes my blood boil, because I could never have served. You remember the Marine who died in “A Few Good Men”? That poor sorry bastard might have had me/CFS, just like me. And he might have been struggling to be a good Marine, not understanding why he kept falling behind in runs, and so forth, and *furious* at the Code-Reds he pulled, because those are for screw-ups and cut-ups, *not* for guys doing their absolute effing best, who just can’t quite make the standard.
Those guys are supposed to be shuffled into desk-jockey jobs, and monitored for their “minimum one hour of aerobic exercise” to make sure they completed it (no room for the lazy in the USMC, but, “general discharge under honorable conditions” is appropriate for a medical).
Then they should muster out with an Honorable Discharge.
That’s what a good military should look like, and the VA should be in, at every level, for situations like “Marine can’t cut the physical requirements, even though he’s otherwise a hard worker.”
WTFGhost
@zhena gogolia: When *I* (ahem) f-word someone, they are blissful about it for a while afterward.
No offense intended, but “eff them all” sounds, to me, like you’d like me to *please* them all, and ain’t none of ’em worth the effort of pointing them to an Aneros(tm) or Sybian(tm).
Much less letting my magic fingers and OMG my penis *touch* them. I mean, WTF, do you think I don’t *value* my penis? You think I want it to turn black, and die, like everything Trumpthought touches? EwwwwwWWWWWwwwww.
Just saying.
(Seriously: no offense intended, just riffing off the word. Also, I like to eff.)
WTFGhost
@artem1s: I will argue that I have a *very* good idea of how much damage a “stupid” person can do, because I worked high level database support for many years.
That said: as a generality, yes, I agree 100%. Most people have no idea how much damage one stupid person can cause. *I* know, but usually because I’ve been charged with *correcting* that stupidity.
OMG, did I love saying “well, you must understand – I don’t know your app, your needs, your business rules… *I* can’t fix this! It requires *code*. I *can* instruct your coders, though.”
@cain: Well… I’d say “not all evangelicals,” but, the last time I knew the difference, it was the mid-to-late 80s, so….
(“Evangelical” is mostly a political tag these days. Earlier, the term was “Fundamentalist, but that’s fallen out of favor. Probably because it’s not a useful political tag. Fundies believed the Word of God was perfect, so they might believe that you should feed the hungry, shelter the needy, and care for the sick and imprisoned. Who the eff wants that in a Republican administration? Sure, *Democrats*, but….)
AM in NC
@prostratedragon: Well that seems like something that we should be lasting out on radio stations all across Ohio and the rest of the midwest.
We need rapid-response, crowd-sourced ads that we can deploy on rural radio when shit like this happens. Because it is going to keep happening to the growers and their communities.
Nettoyeur
@Professor Bigfoot: 1789
Kayla Rudbek
@CW: I’m sorry to hear this. I hope to all the gods of justice that we can stop Musk and Trump.