More a feeling than an earworm, I guess.
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Over The Line
I see that Tulsi Gabbard made it over the NO vote of soon-to-be-gone Mitch McConnell and was conformed as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Excellent.
Now I’m wondering: who, exactly, approved the action which placed her on a “security risk” (SSSS*) list last year after she switched parties and became a Trump supporter?
If it was her predecessor, then he’s gone, no big deal. Then we have to ask: who motivated the action, if it wasn’t him?
Either way, I hope that Gabbard goes after the asshole — because if a former member of Congress can get blacklisted that way by the government, who is safe?
(Oh, and one last thought: I just hope that in her new positions she leaves behind all her earlier anti-2A bullshit.)
*SSSS: the code letters printed on your boarding pass that cause an “enhanced security check” when you check in. (FYI: it once happened to me too, for reasons never specified.)
Single Step
One might think at first that this was heartening news:
More than 65,000 federal workers have reportedly accepted the Trump administration’s buyout offer.
However:
“If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason),” the memo sent in January to roughly 2 million federal employees reads.
So: 65,000 down, leaving 1,935,000 still to go. And:
A federal judge is expected to weigh in on the matter Monday.
A federal judge in Massachusetts. The People’s Soviet of Massachusetts. Any prizes for guessing how that will turn out?
Gah. Still, I guess we should take heart in the 65,000 number — it’s better than nothing.
As long as Trump and Musk keep applying the screws…
SOLD!
Talk about welcome news:
Danish campaigners are proposing to buy California from the United States and turn it into a territory of Denmark in response to Donald Trump‘s bid to acquire Greenland.
The ‘Denmarkification’ campaign says it seeks to crowdfund $1trillion to purchase the US state, after which it plans to instill it with Danish values and make the most of its sunny weather and resources.
Good luck with instilling any values — let alone Danish ones — into that cauldron of assholes, guys. Hell, if you could clean up L.A. and San Francisco alone, you’d be doing the world a favor.
At least the new Danish “settlers” would be used to over-priced real estate, and the current crop of Californians would welcome your free healthcare and rampant socialism. And don’t forget to include the cost of a wall around the place — we’ve had more than enough Californians infest the rest of the country, thank you.
And you Danes might as well forget speaking that throat-clearing stuff you call a language and learn to speak Spanish. Although that need may disappear soon, if you get your way:
Denmark’s immigration approach has been influenced by Right-wing parties for more than 20 years, with Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister and leader of the centre-Left Social Democrats, pursuing a “zero refugee” policy since coming to power in 2019.
The country of around six million people received 2,300 asylum requests last year.
“Last year, authorities granted the smallest number of residency permits to asylum seekers that we have seen in recent years,” Kaare Dybvad Bek, the immigration minister, said, calling the figure “historic”.
If you can do that in California… see the title of this post.
Rolling Back The Greenies #17
…and about fucking time, too. More goodness from POTUS:
I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS, WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS, etc., and to likewise go back to the common sense standards on LIGHT BULBS, that were put in place by the Trump Administration, but terminated by Crooked Joe. I look forward to signing these Orders.
Or, to be more formal about it:
President Donald Trump is waging war against former President Joe Biden’s green energy regulations on Americans’ household appliances.
Is there any way to make this stuff permanent? Oh wait, that would require Congressional assistance.
Nemmind.
Just a reminder of what he’s talking about:
Biden imposed climate standards for some appliances, including gas stoves, washing machines, and dishwashers during his only term as president.
In July of 2023, the Biden administration cracked down on water heaters by slapping them with greater efficiency standards.
The following month, Biden imposed a ban on incandescent light bulbs, limiting what kinds of lighting would be available for consumers.
In 2023, Biden proposed a rule targeting ceiling fans.
…and the list goes on and on, all about Big Gummint sticking its nose into our private lives, and screwing it all up.
Bad Pennies
I don’t like this latest thing by the POTUS:
President Donald Trump announced he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to have the Treasury Department stop making new pennies, explaining that it costs more than two cents to make them.
Yes, it makes sense on a facile cost : benefit basis, but what it does is surrender to the trope that inflation (created by government in the first place) has rendered the penny valueless.
Why not work to rein in inflation and lower prices so that a penny becomes worth something again?
Oh wait; that would be more difficult than just quitting on the penny.