“Hope Is not a Bird, Emily, It’s a Sewer Rat” - Poem by Caitlin Seida.
Hope is a Sewer Rat
This is required reading if you’re tired of feeling depressed and you want to do something but need some direction. There’s nothing so motivating as the discovery that giving the bad guys something to worry about (teeth and claws) is really quite refreshing.
TennesonWoolf blog, old read, but spot on, April 2022
The Department of Government Ineptitude
Elon Musk's DOGE team is violating every basic principle of good management. Scattershot reports have been hitting their mark (us) for three weeks now. At last, a real manager’s wrap-up gives DOGE a very poor performance evaluation!
Max Stier, The Contrarian, Feb 26, 2025
We’re Not Russia, Yet
Trump voters furious at losing their jobs and other top headlines are joined by the ones most of us don’t read. The Bulwark’s favorite podcasters go after a few that have slipped under the radar. Not Russia, but a couple moves have been pure Moscow. Tim Miller with Bulwark co-founder Sarah Longwell and wise investor JVL. Video 56 minutes, saves us having to surf MAGA sites, because these folks do. And they’re alarmed, too.
The Bulwark, Feb 26, 2025
Mitch McConnell Announces Retirement from Senate
One of the most powerful leaders in Senate history is stepping down. But, despite his immense impact, Republicans hoping to succeed him want nothing to do with him. Having got a no vote on several Cabinet nominees, the Wannabe King tweeted, “Bye, Mitch.” The Dem field is still pretty slim, but there’s always hope.
David Nir and Jeff Singer, The Down Ballot, Substack, Feb 21, 2025
We Went To The Town Elon Musk Took Hostage
SpaceX has done a number on Brownsville, TX. Want to know why DOGE is going after EPA and other regulatory agencies? They get in the way of unregulated profit-taking. Eminent domain, private domain, same difference. PS - Watch out for falling debris!
Video, More Perfect Union, Feb 21, 2025
This is What Happens When Billionaires Get the Breaks
Puerto Rico, last year, well before DOGE: We see that giving tax breaks to the rich doesn’t help the local economy. Adding a residency requirement to get those breaks just means you get a colorful collection of self-congratulatory a**hats. Sounds more realistic in 2025 than it did a year ago when Project 2025 first broke into headlines. Video.
The ClassRoom, More Perfect Union, February, 2024
The “Daddy” Party Is Scaring the Hell Out of the Family
Republicans portray Trump as the nation’s “daddy,” a disciplinarian father who’s going to get America’s house in order. The analogy is more revealing than they realize.
Susan Milligan, The New Republic, Feb 24, 2025