Defy. Resist. Dissent.
Welcome to the Deep Freeze. When the Gulf (of Mexico) coast is forecasted to receive as much as twelve inches of snow, it’s time to pack everything up and stay inside for a while. We’re keeping the kids home from school today because, once again, it’s too damn cold for them to be standing at a bus stop. The ground was frozen to a degree that dirt crunched beneath my feet when I took the dogs out. My bones ache deep into their marrow. The animals are tightly snuggled together to preserve their body heat. I couldn’t write a more harrowing beginning to a novel of apocalyptic horror if I tried.
No one here watched the inauguration. We’re just not that into insipid stupidity. I’ve not read ‘the speech,’ and I won’t. I don’t mind fiction all that much, but I’m not into pompous self-aggrandizing from someone who is barely literate. No one who stood in the Capitol Rotunda yesterday has my respect. I refuse to acknowledge any authority they might claim. I will not use their names. I actively resist this entire administration and everything it attempts to do.
I didn’t turn off my news tickers yesterday, primarily because I was afraid that I might miss something legitimately newsworthy. While I was hoping for a mass suicide event in the Rotunda, I’ll settle for President Biden commuting the sentence of Leonard Peltier on his way out the door. Understand, a commutation is not the same as a pardon. This champion of Indigenous American rights is still technically under arrest but can finish out his days at home where he can receive the medical care he needs. The FBI can go pound sand on this matter. Peltier has always claimed innocence and there is plenty of evidence to support that claim, but because two federal agents were killed all the feds care about is having a scapegoat. Peltier has never been dangerous, but I remain hopeful that his words inspire an uprising.
The true criminals begin with the oaf who wouldn’t bother to put his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office. You know, that thing that begins with “I swear…” If he’s not swearing on the Bible, then what’s the authority on which he’s swearing? His actions deny there being any authority greater than himself, which means it is up to us to prove how wrong he is.
Other low points of the day include but are not limited to the following:
- The Punk signed an executive order beginning the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization.
- Revoking protections for transgender troops. The military doesn’t keep a unified list, so the whole concept becomes a deep invasion of personhood and privacy.
- Declaring a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, suspending refugee resettlement, and ending automatic citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. Given that birthright citizenship is protected by the 18th Amendment, the Punk is effectively violating the Constitution on this one.
- Temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals. Spoiler alert, funding already approved by Congress is obligated to be spent. The Punk does not have the power to stop it.
- Halting offshore wind lease sales and pausing the issuance of approvals, permits, and loans for both onshore and offshore wind projects. Does the Punk understand what he’s doing? No. Does this have everything to do with preserving oil money? Yes.
- Directing the Homeland Security and Justice departments to prepare for him to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the president to deport any noncitizen from a country considered an enemy of the U.S. No one in the US is safe regardless of immigration status.
- Rescinded a 2021 order signaling the Education Department would use Title IX to protect against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. This action puts your children in danger.
- Withdrawing from the Paris climate treaty. Again. Mind you, we are the only industrialized nation foolish enough to take such a step. So, you know that snow in the Deep South? This is just the beginning.
Worth watching: Early this morning, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi had a phone call. “We jointly support the development of a more just multipolar global order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world as a whole,” Putin told Xi in remarks carried by the Russian state TV. “Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in global affairs.” This is a frightening development as our two largest ideological enemies threaten to control more of the world. Keep an eye on this matter.
I don’t expect there to be a great deal of good news over the next four years. For that reason, I’m upping my use of AI-generated imagery on these posts. For the past few years, I’ve re-edited and re-imagined photos from my archives, but the situation we find ourselves in at this moment requires a change. Photos from my archives are from a happier time. They were full of fun, exploration, and frivolity. All that is gone and I’m not going to destroy my photos by trying to make them fit the disgusting and ridiculous circumstances we are in.
Not that any of this matters. Fewer than 100 people view any given update. That’s not exactly a movement that threatens to upset anything. Still, at some unknown point in the distant future, I want our descendants to know that someone put up a fuss. If the world collapses into this chaos, it won’t be because I didn’t try to warn you.
Personally, I’m going to sit here and drown my sorrows in caffeine.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Between The Cracks
How would you feel if I started adding small updates during the day? There are times when I feel that by the time morning comes around, stories such as the Delta plane that flipped over on a Toronto runway are old news. Yes, we’re glad that none of the 80 passengers on board were killed, but when we look at the number of airplane accidents in the past three weeks, we kinda have to worry about our air space. I know that, personally, I’m not going anywhere. But then, I never do, so there’s that.
As I’m typing (6:52 AM EST), the Russia/US talks in Saudi Arabia are on a lunch break. The fact that neither Ukraine nor any representative of the EU is included, has both groups feeling like they’ve been placed at the kids’ table. In yesterday’s meeting in Paris, EU leaders worried that they’re going to be caught picking up the bill, or worse having to do the cleanup. The US is acting more like an adversary than an ally toward Europe and decades of defense spending cuts put the continent in a vulnerable position. What’s not helping: Russian propaganda undercutting support for Ukraine. As right-wing groups grow, misinformation is as much a problem across Europe as it is in the US.
Did you know that the US has drones flying secret missions over Mexico? I guess it’s not too much of a secret if the NYTimes is carrying the news that the CIA is expanding the program. Supposedly, the flights are searching for fentanyl labs. Fentanyl has been a problem in the US for a few years now and there’s no sign that law enforcement is getting any closer to having a handle on the issue. Most of the supply comes from outside the US, making it as much of a border issue as immigration.
Speaking of immigration, hundreds of immigrants are stuck in Panama. The White House has asked the Panamanian government to hold them there because they can’t easily be sent back to their home countries. Of course, with this many upset people from various countries crowded into the same place, the chances that it will blow up in our faces are significant. The mass deportation policy remains one of questionable legality, but no one is stopping it and this administration has no issue with breaking the law. Human rights are in tatters.
This one from the “Florida Man” file has me rolling my eyes hard this morning. A Jewish man mistook two Israeli tourists for Palestinians and opened fire on them in Miami. The AP version of this story leaves the fact that this was a Jew-on-Jew crime (how rare is that?) out of its headline. There’s all kinds of subtext to be read here, namely that the war that has now surpassed 500 days is one of the most ridiculous to ever be fought. Religious mythology leads people to do stupid things, though, especially in Florida. I swear there’s something in the water down there besides radioactive crocodiles.
Tom Homan, the White House’s ‘border czar’ (they really need to stop using the word czar) verbally attacked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over her many activities letting immigrants in her district know what to do in case ICE shows up. The information is completely legal and helps calm nerves in neighborhoods with high immigrant populations. You know AOC didn’t take Homan’s criticism lightly. “This is why you fight these cowards. The moment you stand up to them, they crumble,” she wrote. “Homan has nothing. The Fourth Amendment is clear and I am well within my duties to educate people of their rights. He can threaten me with jail & call names all he wants. He’s got nothing else.” Yet more proof that this administration is hell-bent on ignoring the Constitution.
Politico’s Europe office is raising an uncomfortable question: Are LGBTQIA+ individuals safe anywhere? As right-wing organizations have made LGBTQIA+ rights a frequent target, violence has increased and many protections previously in place have been removed. This isn’t just a US thing, it’s a global problem. As this issue hits especially close to home, I’m not afraid to tell you that we’re more than mildly concerned. Just know that we will find a way to protect those living in our home. I’m pricing shotguns.
Apparently, a 2.4 magnitude earthquake just hit Portugal. The headline just hit, so I apologize for not having more information.
A British couple who were detained in Iran while on a round-the-world motorcycle trip have been charged with espionage, according to the Iranian judiciary news agency. This comes as tensions between Iran and Israel continue to intensify. So yeah, this is totally a political move on Iran’s part. They’re looking for leverage against whatever Netanyahu might try to through at them. Maybe this isn’t a particularly good time to do any globe-trotting.
Are we setting up a death watch for the Pope? That’s how it feels with the latest announcement that the religious leader has a ‘complex’ respiratory infection. The Pope is 88. The risks of any infection at his age are high. Given the way the universe has been treating the world this year, nothing is going to surprise me here.
It’s not 8:00 EST yet, which means the president likely isn’t awake. There are a number of known issues on the horizon today, including whether DOGE gets access to IRS data. The talks in Saudi Arabia have now concluded. I guess they all needed a nap after lunch.
I’m not going to promise any updates later because the past two days my body has not allowed me much time to be awake. But I have a bad feeling about what’s coming this week, and I’m not talking about the weather.
Stay warm, friends.
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