Quantum Vibe, 02/17/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (02/16/25)
Vance rightly warns Europeans against the dark cloud of censorship, and critics freak out
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“The panic that gripped Europe’s political elites after JD Vance delivered some overdue home truths in Munich found expression back home in the most embarrassing question ever asked by a network anchor. Our vice president had accused smug Eurocrats at the Munich Security Conference of abandoning free speech and allowing unchecked migration to roil their countries, warned them to respect their voters and told them America should not bear the primary burden of funding Europe’s security. ‘If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you. Nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump,’ he said. ‘You need democratic mandates to accomplish anything of value.’ Cue apoplexy here and abroad.” (02/16/25)
Senate Dems: DOGE “Has No Right to Hoover up Taxpayer Data” at IRS
Source: Common Dreams
“As Americans prepare to file their taxes ahead of the April 15 deadline, two Democratic senators warned Monday that billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk’s arrival at the Internal Revenue Service raises serious privacy concerns and could significantly impact the tens of millions of people who count on their tax refunds each year to pay bills, pad their emergency savings, and afford other essentials. The Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE), the advisory body created by President Donald Trump and headed by Musk, has set its sights on the IRS as it works to gut agencies across the federal government — with the data of millions of ordinary taxpayers now among the troves of personal information DOGE is trying to seize. As The Washington Post reported, the IRS is considering a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to give DOGE employees access to agency systems and datasets including the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS).” (02/17/25)
Under Trump, the imperial presidency reaches its apogee
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“Yes, I know that all presidents have abused their executive-order authority, have defied the Constitution’s clear words and have used the administrative state to advance some dubious ends.
But there’s little question that Trump is taking the concept of the imperial presidency to its apogee. … Everyone has done it. George W. Bush used the War on Terror to justify everything. Barack Obama used the financial crisis as an excuse. But the situation is more perilous in our current dystopian world. First, Trump is more brazen than anyone since FDR in exerting presidential muscle. Second, some in the Trump orbit suggest the courts have no check on the executive branch. Third, the self-appointed defenders of the Constitution (conservatives) no longer are complaining about these power grabs.” (02/16/25)
Poll: Majority of Americans believe foreign aid “wasted on corruption”
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“A majority of American voters believe most US foreign aid never reaches people in need, a survey has found, underlining the difficulties of defending an agency targeted by Elon Musk’s cost-cutting task force. A poll by Public First for the Financial Times found that almost 60 per cent of respondents agreed that funds set aside for humanitarian causes were ‘wasted on corruption or administration fees.’ Only 12 per cent disagreed with the proposition. The findings come as the US Agency for International Development, a $40bn agency established decades ago with missions in more than 100 countries, continues to be dismantled by Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).” (02/17/25)
How to Fix It with John Avlon, season 2, episode 7
Source: The Bulwark
“End the Tech Overlords’ Self-Protection Racket (with Chris Hughes).” (02/16/25)
Martin’s Dream Has Become Malcolm’s Nightmare
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream, and it sounded pretty fucking sweet on the radio. Even a bitter post-everything anarchist like me gets a little choked up listening to the good doctor’s Sermon on the Mount at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Martin had a dream about America living up to its word and redeeming itself after centuries of barbarism by opening its doors and letting everybody in. A dream in which his own children wouldn’t be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character and all Americans would work together, play together, struggle together, go to jail together. A dream about inclusion that invited everyone to take part in the American Dream. You could actually argue that America has kind of achieved this goal at least on the surface.” (02/16/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/02/martins-dream-has-become-malcolms.html
MD: Bay Area Zizians “death cult” leader arrested after months on the run
Source: SFGate
“Jack ‘Ziz’ LaSota, leader of a so-called ‘death cult’ linked to at least six deaths across the United States, is in custody after months on the run, officials in Maryland confirmed Sunday. Also in custody is Michelle Zajko, who is a person of interest in the double homicide of her parents in Pennsylvania, and Daniel Blank, another member of the cult. LaSota, 33, was taken into custody on Sunday evening in Allegany County in northwestern Maryland. According to county jail records, LaSota, who uses female pronouns, is being held on charges of trespassing on private property, obstruction and having a handgun in her vehicle. … The three have been on the run since 2023, when they were found by law enforcement officers enacting a search warrant on a Chester City, Pennsylvania hotel.” (02/17/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-zizian-cult-leader-arrested-20172187.php
Trump’s Mass Firing of Inspectors General Bulldozed the Way for Elon Musk’s Unaccountable Shadow Government
Source: The UnPopulist
by Paul Matzko
“A functional Congress would have impeached the president for deliberately flouting the law.” (02/16/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-mass-firing-of-inspectors
Banks Approve of Republicans Increasing Bank Fees
Source: The American Prospect
by Emma Janssen
“As predicted, Republicans in Congress are going after a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule that protects consumers from predatory overdraft fees that can cost hundreds of dollars a year. Lawmakers introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval on Wednesday that, if passed and signed by the president, will reverse the rule and hand a win to banks. Because CRA resolutions cannot by stopped by a filibuster, they represent some of the most likely legislative actions of the early Trump term. The rule under challenge places a $5 cap on the overdraft fees that banks can charge their customers, a major decrease from the typical $35 fee. In the rulemaking process, the CFPB found that some banks scheme and scam to maximize overdraft fees, setting new rules without notifying customers or even engineering the order of transactions to generate more fees.” (02/17/25)
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-02-17-banks-approve-of-republicans-increasing-bank-fees/