Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jason Kuznicki

@jkuznicki.bsky.social

4.9K followers 960 following 7.9K posts

A gay dad cultivating his garden in Puna, Hawaii. Now working on some big projects for the future.🍍🌴🌱📖🌐☸️ Newsletter: https://pacification.beehiiv.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/3319839950/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

pacification.beehiiv.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

The remedy for a president who believes he can levy taxes and spend the revenue without congressional authorization is removal from office.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 4d

The remedy for a president who even attempts to invent new crimes by decree is removal from office.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 5d

The remedy for a president who both lies to your face and also expects you to make a deal with him is removal from office.

1 56 150

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 5h

This is Naruto, a community cat we’ve been taking care of. Like his namesake, he is a loud fluffy orange slipper wearing ninja.

Naruto is a light ginger orange longhair tabby cat. He’s resting his paw on a sandal and looking at the camera. His ear is clipped, a sign that he’s been trapped, neutered, and released (by us) to humanely control the feral cat population.

1 9

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 6h

I like this post a lot more than the typical like.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 6h

You may want to follow @andycraig.bsky.social if you don’t already.

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 9h

Aside from shattering core state sovereignty, it's saying one state's Guard (TX) is somehow more loyal to the national authority than another's (IL). It's treating the latter as something bordering on hostile, or at least alien. One part of the country and its soldiers are more America than another.

6 120 650

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 9h

In none of these cases, when the federal government was openly and with good reason using military force, did Eisenhower or JFK or LBJ say "ok, we're sending the Vermont National Guard to Mississippi to handle this." That would have been understood as insane, it wasn't even considered.

1 54 490

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 9h

Presidents have federalized a state's own Guard to use over its objection, most famously desegregation. And sometimes regular military has been used. But taking one state's soldiers and putting them in another state? This is a completely unprecedented breakdown of what the Union fundamentally is.

3 170 880

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 9h

Never before in American history has one state's military force been deployed in another state over its objection.

I say never because the Civil War involved states whose governments legally ceased to exist, their offices vacated by constructive resignation, with no legitimate governors to object.

58 1.1K 4.3K

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 9h

Borders are important, and they can and do exist just fine without requiring passports or controls of any other kind.

Throughout history there have probably been more open (though still real) borders than closed ones.

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 10h

This remains THE issue, and it's not one you can solve credibly without the Trump regime fundamentally abandoning its modus operandi thus far, as by firing Russ Vought. (Either that or the Senate GOP nukes the filibuster)

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 10h

“.. How can anyone in Congress — Democrats or Republicans — make a budget ‘deal’ with this administration if we now know the President is going to ignore implementing any part of the ‘deal’ he wants?”

@vermontgmg.bsky.social
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/there-is-n...

2 18 55

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 9h

No, quite different. And necessary before considering violence.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 10h

We have feral pigs in our neighborhood. They're a nuisance because they eat fruits and vegetables and tear up the land. They're seldom deadly though. I'm a lot more afraid of stray dogs.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 11h

The administration should exist to carry out the laws, and Trump has been the single biggest impediment to carrying out federal law in any of our lifetimes.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 11h

The presidency might become an office more often vacant than filled.

To which I say: Don’t threaten me with a good time.

1 3

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 11h

It tends to get underplayed in American historical imagination, but our Revolution was in a direct, conscious lineage from the Glorious Revolution and before that the English Civil Wars. The road to 1776 began outside the Banqueting House in 1649. We are, in that real sense, still Anglo-Americans.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

This is personalism. It's the Charles I scenario -- the king rules without the a legislature and simply taxes and spends in whatever way he feels like.

Impeach, remove, disqualify.

George Pearkes @peark.es · 14h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

6 38 220

Reposted by Jason Kuznicki

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 11h

So Trump is now going to try to rule like an early modern king - just avoid calling the estates general or parliament or the diet and so rule by fiat.

Maybe someone in the GOP should turn the page in book and see what happened next...oh, oh dear...oh no...oh dear ohnonono....

George Pearkes @peark.es · 14h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

17 96 480

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 11h

Lower the threshold for success. Make it a bare majority in both houses.

2 4

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 11h

I mean, it's always possible to make bad building codes. My post only meant to say "make good building codes, which allow for density."

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 11h

A Grand Remonstrance, and no, I am not joking.

Grand Remonstrance - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

1 2

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 12h

From a comparative politics perspective, the things that are interesting about today's constitutional monarchies are 1) continuity of government in an emergency and 2) taking what should be ceremonial duties out of politicians' hands.

As an American, I'm thinking about both of those a lot lately.

1 2

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 12h

Institutionally they are the exact same picture. I don't agree with the death penalty, but I do think we need to take some fairly serious steps, and soon.

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

I maintain my opposition to the death penalty in all cases. 🤷‍♂️

1 1

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

I thought I was making an observation about a different polity at a different time. Our own future isn't set yet, and we can still make meaningful choices about it.

1 2

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

"Dear England,

We also hear France has a royal family, and..."

1 3

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

The English Civil War was awful, and I don't wish it on anyone.

1 4

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

(I hate when a typo goes viral.)