Elon Musk Not Happy that Presidential Power Is Limited by the U.S. Constitution
With the passing of each day, we’re learning more about how Elon Musk fails to understand the most essential parts of the U.S. law.
Changes in the World
At left we see a reader’s observation that the world has undergone some fundamental changes in the past few years.
And no, he’s not the only one with that perception. From here, it looks like the world is a less democratic, less scientific, and more hostile place than it’s ever been–at least in the lifetimes of any of us alive today.
The aggression coming from China, Russia, the United States, and the Middle East is a good example. The autocracies that have arisen in places like Hungary and Turkey are also noteworthy.
Of course, Americans are especially attuned to the insanity that’s happening here at home, with our saber-rattling not with historic enemies like Russia, but with our allies like Canada and Denmark. We’re also running headlong into Project 2025, which promises to, among other things, consolidate power in the executive branch, one whose current leader is regarded by many as a criminal sociopath.
Keep in mind that all this is taking place on a globe that’s getting hotter and less capable of supporting life with each passing year.
Tagged with: autocracies that have arisen in places like Hungary and Turkey, consolidate power in the executive branch, globe that's getting hotter and less conducive to supporting life with each passing year, Project 2025, The aggression coming from China Russia the United States and the Middle East, trump criminal sociopath
Is Being a Crackpot Trump’s Only Criterion for Selection?
When we look at people like RFK Jr. we’re forced to think: This guy just might be the very least qualified person for the job in the entire United States. He’s a crackpot, for sure, and he poses an extreme threat to the health and safety to every U.S. citizen. In Trump’s eyes, that makes him perfect for the job.
Hey, what about the Secretary of Defense? What about an alcoholic Fox News anchor with no experience in leading military operations? Bullseye!
FBI Director? No problem. We need someone whose only qualification is his pledge to use the agency to exact revenge against Trump’s enemies.
“It’s Great for Ratings, But It’s Terrible for the Country.”
This is reminiscent of what the president of CBS said when Trump came on the political scene in 2015, something like: “I know he’s terrible for the country, but he’s terrific for CBS.”
Tagged with: Trump Terrible for the Country
Lies About Sustainabiliy
This sounds good in principle, but is there any honesty here?
What are the processes by which these avocado pits are gathered and made into cutlery? How does that compare to plastic itself?
Tagged with: Lies About Sustainabiliy
To Speak or Not to Speak
What American writer Sophia Dembling says here is correct, but in many cases there are also risks to speaking up.
As long as we have this level of polarization in American politics, I’m reluctant to start (or join) a conversation that will either be tantamount to preaching to the choir, or to become the galactic waste of time that is arguing with Trump supporters and their familiarity with the content coming from Fox News.
Having said that, I had an interesting experience at a party a few months ago, where I must have been silent for a while early in the evening. A guy I had never met approached me later and said, “Until you started talking, I thought you were unintelligent.” It seems true that people read whatever they will into others’ silence.
Tagged with: arguing with Trump supporters
Our Specialty: Destruction
The realization we all need to have concerning the meme at left is that human health is only one category of things that the current administration is in the process of wrecking.
Put alternatively, if it can be destroyed, it will be destroyed, and that’s true regardless of the topic: democracy, rule of law, relationships with military allies, women’s rights, the federal government, international trade, education, environmental responsibility, or any appearance of sanity.
All. Gone.
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico: Why?
One thing Trump supporters adore about their hero is his fierce independence, his lack of concern for what others may think about him.
In the case of the Gulf of America issue, there must be people on his team urging him to “knock off this petty s***,” or words to that effect, and concentrate on matters that got him elected in the first place: mass deportations, lowering grocery prices, environmental deregulation, etc.
But again, the fact that he looks like a jackass to people all around the globe means absolutely nothing to him.
Tagged with: Renaming the Gulf of Mexico: Why?
Why “Drill, Baby, Drill” Isn’t Taking Us Anywhere
In his latest article in Forbes, energy analyst Robert Rapier explains why “Drill, Baby, Drill” is unlikely to have a substantial impact on oil production. “There’s a total disconnect between Trump’s desire to lower gasoline prices and any incentive for producers to drill more,” he writes.
Rapier goes on to quote Liam Mallon, President of ExxonMobil’s Upstream division, who recently reinforced this sentiment, stating:
“A radical change in production is unlikely because the vast majority, if not everybody, is primarily focused on the economics of what they’re doing.” Mallon’s perspective reflects a broader industry trend—oil producers remain focused on financial sustainability rather than short-term production boosts.
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We need to ask ourselves which seems more likely: Big Oil’s knee-jerk reaction to Trump’s political rhetoric, or their approaching the matter rationally, opting to do everything possible to remain profitable.
Tagged with: drill baby drill
Alien Civilizations
How will alien intelligences regard humankind, when and if we finally meet? It comes down to the criteria they impose.
Let’s hope it’s not kindness. Many of the planet’s formerly great societies, including our own, have taken a turn for the worse, in just the past few years.
In 2010, the democracy in Hungary was regarded as among the very strongest on the planet, certainly the most robust in Central and Eastern Europe. Now, a scant 15 years later, under Viktor Orbán, the country has sunk into dictatorship.
It’s almost certain that the United States is headed in the same direction. The document outlining Project 2025 and the course that Orbán took his country through are practically identical.
At some point in our lives, most of us have been drunk and said to ourselves, “God, I hope no one sees me like this.” That’s the state of the world right now. Let’s hope the aliens don’t see us like this.
Tagged with: Alien Civilizations
