My phone rang at 6:45 this morning. The school called to say that the building is closed today and the kids have an e-learning day. No further explanation was given. Unfortunately, the kids were already on the bus headed downtown. They’ll have to wait until they reach the transit center and take the next bus back home.
My mind immediately started whirring with possible reasons why the school building could be closed unexpectedly. Obviously, this wasn’t a planned event or the kids would have known about it yesterday. The building itself is old, a refurbished factory building nearly 100 years of age, so things do occasionally break. Perhaps the heat went out. Perhaps there was an electrical issue. I suppose there’s also the chance of some form of water break. Those are the benign possibilities.
Late Edit: it was, indeed, a power outage that caused the school to close.
It’s difficult for me to think of the world as benign, though. The school is on the east side of town, which sees its fair share of trouble. In fact, there was a police-involved shooting early this morning that left one dead on the same street that the school is on. The location is less than a mile from the school, at a major intersection on the bus route. The ongoing police investigation into the shooting could be the reason that the school decided to close the building. That would make sense in a sad sort of way.
There’s also the possibility of ICE being at the school this morning. The school serves breakfast, as many schools do, and the timing of the closure would match the time that food service workers would be arriving to prep for the morning. There’s a lot of speculation to that possibility, though. I don’t know that any of the food service workers are immigrants. There haven’t been any credible ICE events in the city in the past couple of weeks. The odds here are pretty slim, but we live in a world where the possibility can’t be ruled out.
Here’s the upshot, though. AP, you know, the guys not allowed in the White House, reports this morning that nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings. Federal services are being cut just for the sake of cutting. That means that US citizens ultimately pay the price for what isn’t getting done. We are less of a country than we were five weeks ago.
Through all of this, most Americans have been under the assumption that the courts would prevent anything illegal that the White House might attempt. That’s not the case. Congressional Republicans are mounting an effort to impeach federal judges who rule against the administration. The move directly undermines the rule of law and pushes us further toward a constitutional crisis. If the courts go away, if judges are not allowed to protect the Constitution, we no longer have a country in which any of us have a part.
Confusion Reigns
My phone rang at 6:45 this morning. The school called to say that the building is closed today and the kids have an e-learning day. No further explanation was given. Unfortunately, the kids were already on the bus headed downtown. They’ll have to wait until they reach the transit center and take the next bus back home.
My mind immediately started whirring with possible reasons why the school building could be closed unexpectedly. Obviously, this wasn’t a planned event or the kids would have known about it yesterday. The building itself is old, a refurbished factory building nearly 100 years of age, so things do occasionally break. Perhaps the heat went out. Perhaps there was an electrical issue. I suppose there’s also the chance of some form of water break. Those are the benign possibilities.
Late Edit: it was, indeed, a power outage that caused the school to close.
It’s difficult for me to think of the world as benign, though. The school is on the east side of town, which sees its fair share of trouble. In fact, there was a police-involved shooting early this morning that left one dead on the same street that the school is on. The location is less than a mile from the school, at a major intersection on the bus route. The ongoing police investigation into the shooting could be the reason that the school decided to close the building. That would make sense in a sad sort of way.
But this is 2025. We also have to consider the possibility of a bomb threat against the school. Less than two weeks have passed since an Indiana teen was arrested for plotting a mass school shooting. Threats of acts of violence against school students are not uncommon any more. Two Houston-area girls were accused of planning to detonate pipe bombs in their school last week. As frightening as it is to consider, school violence is a background threat every day. Yet, we still have to send our kids to school.
There’s also the possibility of ICE being at the school this morning. The school serves breakfast, as many schools do, and the timing of the closure would match the time that food service workers would be arriving to prep for the morning. There’s a lot of speculation to that possibility, though. I don’t know that any of the food service workers are immigrants. There haven’t been any credible ICE events in the city in the past couple of weeks. The odds here are pretty slim, but we live in a world where the possibility can’t be ruled out.
I hate living in this world.
Confusion and chaos over the weekend’s email to federal employees continues. There was some claim yesterday that the whole thing was a ruse. But the source of that story is highly questionable, especially considering other news. The confusion and chaos is mindboggling. HuffPost reports that the mass firings are illegal. Yet, CBS News says that Muskrat has given federal workers ‘a second chance’ to justify their jobs. At the same time, though, NPR says the administration has ‘backed off’ requiring any response at all. Federal workers have also filed suit against the email order. For federal employees, the stress is consuming. For those dependent on federal services, there is no guarantee that there’s going to be anyone left to fulfill those services. The entire situation is a mess that Felonious Punk and the Muskrat are enjoying.
Here’s the upshot, though. AP, you know, the guys not allowed in the White House, reports this morning that nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings. Federal services are being cut just for the sake of cutting. That means that US citizens ultimately pay the price for what isn’t getting done. We are less of a country than we were five weeks ago.
Through all of this, most Americans have been under the assumption that the courts would prevent anything illegal that the White House might attempt. That’s not the case. Congressional Republicans are mounting an effort to impeach federal judges who rule against the administration. The move directly undermines the rule of law and pushes us further toward a constitutional crisis. If the courts go away, if judges are not allowed to protect the Constitution, we no longer have a country in which any of us have a part.
Through all of this, the rest of the world keeps churning. The stock market appears to be continuing its downward slide this morning, though the bell hasn’t opened the NYSE yet. Fabric and craft retailer Joann to go out of business and close all of its stores after it was unable to find a buyer yesterday. I know a lot of people who are going to be upset by this move. There was another fatal crash of two small planes yesterday that raises the question of what the fuck is going on in control towers. I’m rather glad I don’t need to go anywhere at the moment.
Meanwhile, in London, there’s this:
And Rolling Stone Magazine is reporting that Elon’s Email Demand Is Being Met With ‘Very Rude’ Flood of Spam. The resistance is there and it’s having an effect. Yet, it’s not enough to prevent the administration from planning multiple immigrant detention facilities at US Air Force bases. Everywhere I look this morning shows increased chaos and confusion everywhere the federal government is involved.
This editorial cartoon by Ben Jennings sums up my feelings quite accurately.
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