Author | Lightnews

billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 1h

I agree the protests so far have not been enough to bring about change. But they are important steps in the right direction. Governmental legitimacy depends on the consent of the governed and the protests show that a significant and growing number of people do not consent to an imperial Presidency.

billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 1h

I disagree. At present, the protests are not strong enough to bring about change, but they are several steps in the right direction. Candidly your comment is not helpful.

billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 6h

I agree Americans aren't angry enough about the destruction that Trump has wrought. I've been to both No Kings protests in Chicago. The turnout on 10/18 was good but the anger energy to bring change was not there. Not like you see in other countries. Government depends on the consent of thegoverned.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 6h

Trump is not exclusively calling the shots in his White House. Ex: Trump is far too ignorant to have come up with the Executive Orders that he's signed. Vought, Miller & Vance (as proxy for Peter Thiel) are the real decision-makers. They would stop him from launching a nuke if they were against it.

billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 17h

LOL. DHS is squarely in the Sauron / Saruman camp. The only question is whether the cretins who join DHS are Orcs or Uruk-Hai.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 17h

LOL. DHS is clearly in the Sauron / Saruman camp. The only question is if they are Orcs or Uruk-Hai.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 19h

A big part of the reason I love living in Chicago is that it is so "multi-culti." It is difficult if not impossible to explain the value of being "multi-culti" to someone who has lived his life in a white Christian mono-culture in America.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 19h

Good question. If you read Vladeck's writings, he points out that the SCOTUS-6 are greenlighting Trump so that they could later pull the plug (shadow docket rulings). If a Democrat is ever elected president, the SCOTUS-6 could stop him Look at how they shut down Biden's student loan forgiveness EO.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 20h

The Trump - Russ Vought - SCOTUS-6 Axis of Evil envisions a federal government facilitating unrestricted capitalism: a huge conveyor belt of value from workers, consumers, and the environment to the rich.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 20h

The SCOTUS-6 are partisans in support of an extreme right wing agenda. They share the Heritage Foundation Project 2025 "vision" of nullifying all liberal legislation enacted since 1933: get rid of social welfare programs and end regulation of businesses. Cut taxes for the rich and businesses.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 1d

Wow! A tour de force critique of the SCOTUS-6. The SCOTUS-6 are Fox News watching partisan hacks in black robes who greenlight Trump as imperial president in order to attain their extreme right wing agenda of nullifying liberal legislation enacted since 1933: social welfare & business regulator.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 2d

Congress's power of the purse under Art. 1 of the Constitution is dead. How many times does the SCOTUS-6 need to let Trump spend what he wants, regardless of Congressional budget laws b/4 we realize that the Scotus-6 have created a president who is a dictator--as long as he's a right-wing dictator.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 2d

The Democrats are right to stand up for health care for millions of Americans. But Trump doesn't care about that & Voss & SCOTUS-6 want to get rid of federal social welfare. Trump, Republican legislators & the SCOTUS-6 don't care if Congress ever passes another budget. Trump will spend what he wants

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 2d

I completely agree with Victor's comment. The way forward for the Democratic party is to embrace European style social democracy. Bernie Sanders. AOC. Mamdani. Bernie has been subject to the most negative messaging because he's got the best message for middle and lower class Americans and the poor.

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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 2d

Saving Sight is a United24 campaign to raise money for medical equipment to treat eye injuries among both civilians and soldiers in Ukraine. You can make a meaningful difference to many people's lives by donating here.
@u24.gov.ua
u24.gov.ua/saving-sight...

Saving Sight

Donate towards eye-treatment equipment for Ukrainians.

u24.gov.ua

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@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 2d

Chicagoans are rightly furious about what ICE is doing here as it tries to sow chaos in this otherwise peaceful city. Now we also have a flurry of unwarranted tear gassing incidents across the city that sure look like a violation of a federal court order.
My latest: open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

scenes around chicago showing tear gas clouds. ice agent throwing canister, border patrol boss throwing tear gas, tear gas overcoming reporters at broadview facility, tear gas in lake view neighborhood, agent rolling canister down street

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@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 2d

omg this is brutal. and so spot on.

Great read from @vermontgmg.bsky.social:

www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-hiri...

But it turns out, if you’re hiring for a pariah agency using nakedly fascist and racist messaging and recruiting for a job where you get to be jeered by your neighbors and are so hated that you literally refuse to show your face, and trying to attract people who will get excited to cos-play as a Navy SEAL in full tactical gear to dress up like you’re taking Fallujah while facing down people in inflatable frog costumes and wrestling to the ground hard-working roofers in the Home Depot parking lot, America’s best, brightest, and most fit don’t apply.

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d

“The Russian can see us just from the other side of the river, and a minute later they hit you - and they are specifically targeting residential areas, kindergartens, hospitals.”

read this horrific report from Kherson:

open.substack.com/pub/twogrump...

Talking to Ukrainians under the rain of Russian bombs

Far away from the futile Trump-Putin noise (will he? won’t he? why didn't he?), Ukrainians are being targeted and killed every day. I talked to friends and acquaintances in Kherson, a frontline city.

open.substack.com

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 3d

Davis's comment is vile -- and false and misleading. Where are the Christians seeing this?

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Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 3d

Not that it should matter at all — these attitudes are truly vile — but the majority of SNAP recipients are working at least part-time, these benefits are especially vital as Trump economic policies drive up grocery prices, and the percent of non-citizens among SNAP recipients is very low.

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 3d

May I present a former clerk to Justice Gorsuch.

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d

When asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, DeepSeek, and xAI’s Grok all regularly cite Russian propaganda
www.wired.com/story/chatbo...

Chatbots Are Pushing Sanctioned Russian Propaganda

ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Grok are serving users propaganda from Russian-backed media when asked about the invasion of Ukraine, new research finds.

www.wired.com

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you, New York City.

Now let’s win.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 3d

Bovino doesn't care about Judge Ellis's order because he knows the SCOTUS-6 will reverse her. We all know that. The SCOTUS-6 are fully on board for a right wing dictatorship. They've shown their disdain for social welfare legislation, business regulatory legislation and for minority rights.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 3d

Congress's power of the purse under Art. 1 of the Constitution is dead. How many times does the SCOTUS-6 need to let Trump spend what he wants, regardless of Congressional budget laws b/4 we realize that the Scotus-6 have created a president who is a dictator--as long as he's a right-wing dictator.

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billejzak.bsky.social @billejzak.bsky.social · 3d

The Democrats are right to stand up for health care for millions of Americans. But Trump doesn't care about that & Voss & SCOTUS-6 want to get rid of federal social welfare. Trump, Republican legislators & the SCOTUS-6 don't care if Congress ever passes another budget. Trump will spend what he wants

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