“They were careless people, … they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made"

- F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

It’s unsurprising that in their “merit” over DEI claims, Trump and Hegseth fired a highly qualified Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (who happens to be black) and nominated a (white) replacement, who lacks qualifications req’d by law, which then requires a Presidential waiver to bypass req’ments

h/t @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social. Astonishing how people think he was actually good in business, or the his reality TV role in the Apprentice was somehow real.

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.

And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger—something better, pushing right back.”

- Albert Camus

A few weekends ago I hiked Matilija Canyon, part of an expansive wilderness set aside in 1992 as a reserve for the California Condor. Amid the authoritarian, theocratic, oligarchic insanity we’re being force-fed, it served as a helpful reminder.. <thread> 1/7

Leopard: I will eat your face

Bank analysts: Our baseline assumes no face-eating

Leopard: Chomp chomp chomp

is it good or bad that a billionaire oligarch with close ties to foreign dictators is currently downloading the most sensitive information the us federal government has about its citizens to his own private servers?

Important thread.

I’d bet if we got to know our immigrant neighbors we’d discover that the vast majority of them are kind, hardworking, honest, and remarkably generous. That’s been our experience and the experience of everyone we know who works with immigrants. We’re grateful to have them as neighbors and as family.

Don't give up - do something. A great list for civic minded Americans, from @protectdemocracy.org

open.substack.com/pub/protectd...