At left are the words of Sarah Longwell, American political strategist and publisher of the conservative news and opinion website The Bulwark. A member of the Republican Party, she is the founder of Republican Accountability, which spent millions of dollars to defeat then-President Donald Trump in 2020.
All I can add here is: “Yes. You either get this or you don’t.”
From this story on Newsweek: FEMA employees were left bewildered during a Monday briefing after agency chief David Richardson remarked that he hadn’t known the U.S. had a hurricane season, according to Reuters, citing four sources familiar with the call.
According to recent surveys, many Americans say that “The United States is on the right track.”
That’s hard to imagine, when the average 12-year-old knows more about science than that director of the federal agency that deals with recovery from natural disasters.
As the risk of appearing too cavalier on the subject of human health, we need to realize that this mess discussed at left should come as absolutely no surprise.
We have a president who largely rejects science in general, and has little if any concern for the wellbeing of anyone but himself. He appointed a crackpot, a part of whose brain was eaten by a worm, to run Health and Human Services.
If you’re taking RFK Jr.’s advice on medical issues that is at variance with what you’re hearing from your licensed, certified doctor, you may want to rethink this before it’s too late.
We’ve all heard people make the claim that both of the American political parties are essentially the same and, as George Carlin put it, exist only to provide us with the illusion of choice. Perhaps there was some truth to that in the 1950s, when even the Republicans, led by Dwight D. Eisenhower, had some progressive ideas.
Today, however, this claim is ludicrous. How similar is life in Denmark compared to life here in the United States as the federal government is being dismantled and Project 2025 is becoming the law?
And, of course, there are regimes all around the globe far less free than any orange-colored would-be American tyrant ever dreamed of.
From EV Insider: Battery giant CATL is working with automakers on battery swapping that takes just over a minute-and-a-half. And the first cars with the capability are already on the road.
About 15 years ago, it seemed that battery swapping might be a great idea, and come to dominate the way we charged our EVs. Readers who are interested in this piece of history can look up “Project Better Place.”
For some reason, however, the concept never gained traction and now has largely been forgotten.
I know a lot of folks are wondering how far the Republicans are going to move to the right before a significant number of Trump supporters have simply seen enough and call for a return of some sort of sanity. When he was re-elected and it became clear that he and his administration were far more mentally unhinged than his first term in office, I thought that a mass epiphany might be right around the corner.
To be clear, the ideological aspects of things like Project 2025 are strongly appealing to the uneducated, white nationalist MAGA bunch: bans on abortion, mass deportations, removal of DEI, the gutting of education, food programs and public health, etc.
While this may bring great joy to hateful and ignorant people, the economic effects are not going to be as pleasing. Tourism in California is down 9% from where it was a year ago. That’s a lot of disgruntled owners of restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and retail shops, not to mention displaced workers. The average 401(k) portfolio is down, and economists are predicting a higher risk of recession, with some surveys indicating a 36% chance in the next 12 months. These predictions are influenced by factors like rising inflation, a weakening job market, and concerns about trade wars.
A dear old friend sent me a documentary from the mid-20th Century about the Rothschild family, exposing how, its creator claims, they covertly control everything of any importance going on in the world.
I think most of us baby boomers have run across this idea, and, to be honest, there was a point in my life at which I was open to this idea, but I think that window has closed.
What killed it for me was the presence of the centibillionaires, i.e., individuals whose net worth of $100 billion or more.
I’m not saying that the Rothschilds aren’t filthy rich, but think about this for a moment. Elon Musk just got finished dismantling a solid chunk of the federal government of the most powerful nation on Earth. Is it credible that he was either hired by the Rothschilds, or somehow got their permission before he did that?
Sorry. Doesn’t fly for me.
The Stoic philosophers, e.g., Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, were arguably the sages most focused on the practical issues of the human condition.
Remember that you are mortal, and thus every minute of your life should be regarded as sacred. You cannot control what happens to you, but you can determine how you will react, maximizing the best in life and minimizing the worst.
If someone can explain how this is an example of “making America great again,” I’d be very interested.
It does appear that the White House has crossed a red line, and that there is really no return path.
In Round #1, Trump pardoned hundreds of felons convicted of a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol–simply because they support the president politically.
In Round #2, he pardoned dozens of white collar criminals who had made huge financial contributions.
