D.C. Journalist in Exile
@longingforethics.substack.com
Twenty-year veteran editor for Knight Ridder, McClatchy, and Tribune in D.C. Now working in knowledge management, data analysis, and ethics from the desert Southwest.
Most of the $39 trillion in U.S. national debt has accumulated from unfunded Medicare, Social Security, and interest costs on debt from past deficits, the COVID-19 bailout, 2008 recession bailout, and Iraq, Afghan, Israeli, and Ukrainian wars.
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February 13, 2026 at 7:05 AM
Most of the $39 trillion in U.S. national debt has accumulated from unfunded Medicare, Social Security, and interest costs on debt from past deficits, the COVID-19 bailout, 2008 recession bailout, and Iraq, Afghan, Israeli, and Ukrainian wars.
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For an unspecified cost, Trump has pardoned Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
Trump pardoned them for perjury, drug trafficking, conspiracy, and counterfeiting as recent as 2009.
Trump pardoned them for perjury, drug trafficking, conspiracy, and counterfeiting as recent as 2009.
President Trump pardons Klecko, Newton, Lewis, Henry, Cannon
President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned former NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon on Thursday.
www.espn.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:19 AM
For an unspecified cost, Trump has pardoned Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
Trump pardoned them for perjury, drug trafficking, conspiracy, and counterfeiting as recent as 2009.
Trump pardoned them for perjury, drug trafficking, conspiracy, and counterfeiting as recent as 2009.
Do supporters of Donald Trump care when he shrinks the economy, increases taxes and bureaucracy, offshores American jobs, makes us more dependent on oil imports, makes the border less secure, increases migrant crime, or undermines the Second Amendment?
No.
No.
February 13, 2026 at 2:49 AM
Do supporters of Donald Trump care when he shrinks the economy, increases taxes and bureaucracy, offshores American jobs, makes us more dependent on oil imports, makes the border less secure, increases migrant crime, or undermines the Second Amendment?
No.
No.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
The United States at this perilous moment simply cannot afford to entirely lose one of its key guarantors of accountability – no matter how venal the owner, and no matter how mixed a job the Post’s political staff has done in the past. presswatchers.org/2026/02/we-n...
We need the Washington Post too much to give up on it entirely | Press Watch
Bezos’s cuts were devastating and unforgiveable. But I’m rooting for the journalists who are still there.
presswatchers.org
February 10, 2026 at 10:29 PM
The United States at this perilous moment simply cannot afford to entirely lose one of its key guarantors of accountability – no matter how venal the owner, and no matter how mixed a job the Post’s political staff has done in the past. presswatchers.org/2026/02/we-n...
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Gun Owners of America is lobbying Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require a majority of Americans to show a passport to register to vote.
But GOA opposes any law that requires showing a drivers license to buy a gun.
These are not serious people.
But GOA opposes any law that requires showing a drivers license to buy a gun.
These are not serious people.
February 9, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Gun Owners of America is lobbying Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require a majority of Americans to show a passport to register to vote.
But GOA opposes any law that requires showing a drivers license to buy a gun.
These are not serious people.
But GOA opposes any law that requires showing a drivers license to buy a gun.
These are not serious people.
For all of Biden's presidency, mainstream media tried to hold him accountable while he sought to conceal issues with his mental acuity.
2021: Vanity Fair wrote that reporters’ frustration was rising over limited access and lack of press conferences. www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/03...
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2021: Vanity Fair wrote that reporters’ frustration was rising over limited access and lack of press conferences. www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/03...
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Reporters’ Frustration Is Building Over Lack of Biden Access
While the president regularly takes a handful of questions from the press, he has yet to hold a formal, solo news conference since taking office—a break from his White House predecessors.
www.vanityfair.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
For all of Biden's presidency, mainstream media tried to hold him accountable while he sought to conceal issues with his mental acuity.
2021: Vanity Fair wrote that reporters’ frustration was rising over limited access and lack of press conferences. www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/03...
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2021: Vanity Fair wrote that reporters’ frustration was rising over limited access and lack of press conferences. www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/03...
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Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
If we want freedom, let's defend it for everyone.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
If we want freedom, let's defend it for everyone.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
If we want respect, show it. If we want a better country, be better in how you treat people.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Being a good American goes hand in hand with being a good neighbor. We do not have to approve of everyone…but we can still be fair, humble, and kind. Freedom is not just for “our side.” It is for all of us.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Being a good American goes hand in hand with being a good neighbor. We do not have to approve of everyone…but we can still be fair, humble, and kind. Freedom is not just for “our side.” It is for all of us.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
No one can force you to respect people … but you can choose it.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
No one can force you to respect people … but you can choose it.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Choose curiosity over contempt, facts over rumors, and strength over cruelty. If you want to be taken seriously, be the kind of person who can handle a free country that often disagrees with you.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Trump supporters are tired of liberal "noise."
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Trump supporters are tired of liberal "noise."
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
Their answer -- mocking, banning, and bullying -- makes the noise worse.
The answer, if Trump supporters want it, is decency, self-control, and letting other Americans live their lives. That is the kind of strength worth admiring.
MAGA Trump supporters are not wrong to be tired of being talked down to.
But if anyone wants a stronger country, we have to be strong enough to handle disagreement, different faiths, different languages, and other people’s freedoms…even when it annoys us. That is what real patriotism looks like.
But if anyone wants a stronger country, we have to be strong enough to handle disagreement, different faiths, different languages, and other people’s freedoms…even when it annoys us. That is what real patriotism looks like.
February 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
MAGA Trump supporters are not wrong to be tired of being talked down to.
But if anyone wants a stronger country, we have to be strong enough to handle disagreement, different faiths, different languages, and other people’s freedoms…even when it annoys us. That is what real patriotism looks like.
But if anyone wants a stronger country, we have to be strong enough to handle disagreement, different faiths, different languages, and other people’s freedoms…even when it annoys us. That is what real patriotism looks like.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
For those who don't know, Luttig was once considered the intellectual heir to Scalia. He was about as conservative a judge as you could find...
Luttig: It doesn’t matter what the Supreme Court does from this point forward. For two years, the Supreme Court has authorized the absolute lawlessness and unconstitutional activity of this president.
February 6, 2026 at 1:32 AM
For those who don't know, Luttig was once considered the intellectual heir to Scalia. He was about as conservative a judge as you could find...
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
📣 BEFORE ICE TAKES YOUR PHONE — PREPARE
📞 Memorize numbers (lawyer, trusted contact).
📄 Carry: A-number, DOB, meds, key contacts.
⏱ Set a check-in rule = family acts.
📁 Pack: ID, immigration docs, school/med info.
🧠 Train: silence + no consent.
📲 One-tap alert: “Being stopped.”
🧭 More paxis.app 
📞 Memorize numbers (lawyer, trusted contact).
📄 Carry: A-number, DOB, meds, key contacts.
⏱ Set a check-in rule = family acts.
📁 Pack: ID, immigration docs, school/med info.
🧠 Train: silence + no consent.
📲 One-tap alert: “Being stopped.”
🧭 More paxis.app 
Donate to PAXIS: An AI Lifeline for Immigrant Rights and Support, organized by Joe Walsh
PAXIS - WHEN ICE KNOCKS, WE ANSWER.
Together with immigrant advocate… Joe Walsh needs your support for PAXIS: An AI Lifeline for Immigrant Rights and Support
paxis.app
February 6, 2026 at 3:06 AM
📣 BEFORE ICE TAKES YOUR PHONE — PREPARE
📞 Memorize numbers (lawyer, trusted contact).
📄 Carry: A-number, DOB, meds, key contacts.
⏱ Set a check-in rule = family acts.
📁 Pack: ID, immigration docs, school/med info.
🧠 Train: silence + no consent.
📲 One-tap alert: “Being stopped.”
🧭 More paxis.app 
📞 Memorize numbers (lawyer, trusted contact).
📄 Carry: A-number, DOB, meds, key contacts.
⏱ Set a check-in rule = family acts.
📁 Pack: ID, immigration docs, school/med info.
🧠 Train: silence + no consent.
📲 One-tap alert: “Being stopped.”
🧭 More paxis.app 
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
The Wharton School of Business estimates that U.S. taxpayers are charged an average $70,236 per deportee to arrest, detain/monitor, process, and remove undocumented immigrants, based on averaging two studies. In that breakdown, detention/monitoring is the largest cost component.
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Mass Deportation of Unauthorized Immigrants: Fiscal and Economic Effects — Penn Wharton Budget Model
It is well known that mass deportation reduces aggregate economic variables like GDP due to scale effects. We project that deportation also reduces wages of high-skill workers, compromising 63% of wor...
budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu
February 6, 2026 at 6:15 AM
The Wharton School of Business estimates that U.S. taxpayers are charged an average $70,236 per deportee to arrest, detain/monitor, process, and remove undocumented immigrants, based on averaging two studies. In that breakdown, detention/monitoring is the largest cost component.
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Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Detention length averages from 44 to 54.7 days.
Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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Fast Facts: Expenditures (66)
The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). Get answers on Early Childhood Education, Elementary and Secondary Education an...
nces.ed.gov
February 6, 2026 at 6:15 AM
Detention length averages from 44 to 54.7 days.
Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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Compare that to taxpayers' annual per-pupil public school spending: $18,614.
$70,236 per detainee is roughly 3.8 to 4.5 times the typical spending on each public school student.
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"If a newspaper’s publisher makes a bunch of decisions that lose money, and then the owner keeps the publisher while firing the staff who puts out the paper—none of this is really about the money, is it?"
"What happened to the Washington Post over the last three years happened for one reason and one reason only: Because Jeff Bezos wanted it to be so. Because he gets off on civic vandalism." lnk.thebulwark.com/4qiJnyH
The Washington Post Dies in Daylight
Civic vandalism and the mutilation of a great paper.
lnk.thebulwark.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:43 AM
"If a newspaper’s publisher makes a bunch of decisions that lose money, and then the owner keeps the publisher while firing the staff who puts out the paper—none of this is really about the money, is it?"
The Washington Post leadership "is behaving much like private equity owners of newspapers—cutting costs primarily to squeeze out short-term profits."
At this point, it’s hard to say that Jeff Bezos has any real ambition to grow The Washington Post into a larger business. For much of the past year, I was willing to suspend disbelief and assume there was some broader strategy at play. But now it feels more like a company managing decline. In fact,
Washington Post Tears Up Plans to Cover Winter Olympics
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:13 AM
The Washington Post leadership "is behaving much like private equity owners of newspapers—cutting costs primarily to squeeze out short-term profits."
A few hours after federal immigration agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, anti-government extremist Aamon Bundy said, “It’s sickening to me, just to see the parallels of history repeating itself.”
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Ammon Bundy Is All Alone
The anti-government militia leader can’t make sense of his allies’ support for ICE violence.
www.theatlantic.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:32 PM
A few hours after federal immigration agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, anti-government extremist Aamon Bundy said, “It’s sickening to me, just to see the parallels of history repeating itself.”
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Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Elon Musk has publicly claimed he never visited Epstein's island and barely knew the man.
New documents show Musk emailing Epstein in Dec 2013: "Is there a good time to visit?"
Epstein: "always space for you"
This was 5 years after Epstein's 2008 conviction and sex offender registration.
New documents show Musk emailing Epstein in Dec 2013: "Is there a good time to visit?"
Epstein: "always space for you"
This was 5 years after Epstein's 2008 conviction and sex offender registration.
January 30, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Elon Musk has publicly claimed he never visited Epstein's island and barely knew the man.
New documents show Musk emailing Epstein in Dec 2013: "Is there a good time to visit?"
Epstein: "always space for you"
This was 5 years after Epstein's 2008 conviction and sex offender registration.
New documents show Musk emailing Epstein in Dec 2013: "Is there a good time to visit?"
Epstein: "always space for you"
This was 5 years after Epstein's 2008 conviction and sex offender registration.
MAGA comedians and fans are again demanding a special right to use comedy clubs to assault audiences with celebrations of police violence and mafia-style executions, while calling it "comedy."
This time they want to dehumanize Renee Good and assault her family in their own home town.
This time they want to dehumanize Renee Good and assault her family in their own home town.
Comic Ben Bankas shows canceled at St. Paul club after jokes about Renee Good
The comedian would have been one of the strongest draws in Laugh Camp Comedy Club’s history.
www.startribune.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:40 AM
MAGA comedians and fans are again demanding a special right to use comedy clubs to assault audiences with celebrations of police violence and mafia-style executions, while calling it "comedy."
This time they want to dehumanize Renee Good and assault her family in their own home town.
This time they want to dehumanize Renee Good and assault her family in their own home town.
Reposted by D.C. Journalist in Exile
Following the Kent State massacre in May 1970, a Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans thought the shootings were justified. The night *before* the killings, Ohio's GOP governor described the student protesters this way: "They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America."
January 26, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Following the Kent State massacre in May 1970, a Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans thought the shootings were justified. The night *before* the killings, Ohio's GOP governor described the student protesters this way: "They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America."