Diane
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dianefurst.bsky.social
Diane
@dianefurst.bsky.social
260 followers 410 following 97 posts
Interests include democracy, nature, science, Bay Area, and travel. Former small-town mayor. Please no complaints about potholes.
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dianefurst.bsky.social
Now up to $40B, and all to bail out wealthy US investor buddies of Scott Bessent who face big losses if their Argentina bets go bad, according to this article (gift link)

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...
But the administration’s decision to rescue Argentina’s economy is raising concerns about whether the real aim is to help rich investors whose bets on Argentina could falter if its economy sinks. Those efforts have been complicated by the fact that major hedge funds, including those led by friends of Mr. Bessent, stand to benefit financially from an Argentina economic lifeline. Funds at investment firms including BlackRock, Fidelity and Pimco are heavily invested in Argentina, as are investors such as Stanley Druckenmiller and Robert Citrone, both of whom worked with Mr. Bessent when he was an investor for George Soros.
October 16, 2025 at 3:29 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
TL/DR: “This isn’t a call to smash the machines. It’s a call to govern them…to put portability… auditability…sunlight…and civic consent ahead of vendor convenience and political convenience.
Because if we don’t…the arrangement will govern us…the quietest tyranny ever engineered.”
Trump’s dream is simple: build a state that runs not on laws and institutions…but on loyalty and fear. That dream needs infrastructure. A surveillance web to keep tabs on the “enemy within.” Platforms that favor his narrative. Centralized health and identity data that can be toggled like a switch. Procurement power that locks government into loyal vendors. Ellison is uniquely positioned to deliver all of that. Not Zuckerberg. Not Musk. Not Bezos. Ellison. Because Ellison believes surveillance is a virtue. He once bragged that AI-driven monitoring would make citizens “behave.” That’s not a slip…that’s a worldview. And Trump hears it as music. This isn’t a call to smash the machines. It’s a call to govern them…to put portability… auditability…sunlight…and civic consent ahead of vendor convenience and political convenience. Because if we don’t…the arrangement will govern us. Not loudly. Not with boots and fists. But with settings…the quietest tyranny ever engineered. If you want a free country…don’t just defend the ballot box. Defend the admin box. That’s where this fight is headed…and Ellison is already there waiting…with the keys in his hand.
October 2, 2025 at 5:05 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
October 1, 2025 at 7:54 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
Received a CA Redistricting hit piece in the mail yesterday featuring a prominent quote from the CA LWV president calling to reject mid-cycle redistricting to “protect the integrity of our democratic process.” Paid for in part by Republican mega donor Charles Munger Jr.
Cover of a political mail piece with title “Weakening our Democratic Process. A threat to California’s Landmark Election Reform”. Prominently features this quote from League of Women Voters of California President Gloria Chen Hoo: “California has become a national model for independent redistricting. Let’s protect the integrity of our democratic process and reject the dangerous idea of mid-cycle redistricting.” Below that the text says for readers to “visit VotersFIRSTAct.org before you vote.” Mail piece with title “Vote NO in the Special Election. Let’s Protect California’s Independent Redistricting Process.” Also includes several quotes including one from LeBron Hill, Opinion Contributor, The Sacramento Bee 8/7/25: “Redistricting promotes a partisan agenda, suppresses minority thought, and RACIALLY DISCRIMINATES against Black, brown, and other politically underrepresented neighborhoods. Regardless is where you are in this country, GERRYMANDERING TEARS AWAY THE POWER OF CHOICE bestowed to voters across America.” Mail piece says the ad is paid for by Protect Voters First sponsored by Hold Politicians Accountable Ad Committee’s top funder Charles T. Munger Jr.
August 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
Hey Ed Martin: You’ve got a really big “but” there. And it shows how much of an uncaring ass you are. Pathetic
May 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
Spotted in Sonoma, CA
Photo of protest sign saying “IKEA has better cabinets”
April 6, 2025 at 3:32 AM
dianefurst.bsky.social
Sonoma, CA. Population 10,000
Crowd of protesters in front of historic Sonoma City Hall. One sign reads, “IKEA has better cabinets”
April 5, 2025 at 5:58 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
January 19, 2025 at 7:20 PM
dianefurst.bsky.social
Hand holding tickets for event called “Stay home and do nothing and go to bed early”
January 1, 2025 at 12:52 AM