In the last week I’ve written, revised, and rewritten blog posts about the latest outrages coming from the White House and its slithering sycophants — from pardons of violent January 6 insurrectionists, to the shocking suspension of due process for immigrants who can’t produce proof of legal status on the spot and are merely accused, not convicted, of crimes (and Democrats voted for that one!), and the cruel, stupid, absurd, and short-lived “freeze” of federal funding that supports services to children, seniors, veterans, and low-income folks. But as soon as I feel a piece is polished and ready to publish, BAM! Another outrage! It’s hard to keep up.
Ah, but that’s the point, isn’t it–to bombard us with so many flagrantly illegal, unconstitutional, and flatly shocking actions that we get so overwhelmed we don’t know what to pay attention to before the next outrage lands. The latest of these (at least as of Friday evening) was giving Elon Musk unfettered access to the Treasury’s payment system. That’s the system which harbors highly confidential personally identifiable information on millions of Americans, disburses social security, Medicare, and tax refund payments, and makes payments to Musk’s direct competitors. And now Musk can see it all.
This deflection tactic shows that the administration thinks were like Dug, the dog with the talking collar in the Pixar film UP, who gets distracted every time he sees a squirrel. This is Steve Bannon’s “flood the zone” strategy.
At least one, if not more of these outrages will eventually end up in front of our ethically compromised Supreme Court, which is stuffed with a majority of Trump appointees.
We’re talking “Justices” who wouldn’t recognize the appearance of impropriety if it actually appeared to them, like the ghosts in A Christmas Carol:
“Hi! I’m the Appearance of Impropriety! Next you’ll meet my big brother, ACTUAL Impropriety! And to top it all off, here’s our boss, Flat Out Corruption!”
Oh, I think those “Justices” recognize you, impropriety. They just don’t give a shit. They have an agenda: to redefine the boundaries of presidential power over the executive branch to, oh, I don’t know–no boundaries at all? That’s called the “unitary executive theory,” developed during the Reagan administration, when, according to the NYT, five, count ’em, FIVE (a majority), of the current justices worked as lawyers in the executive branch.
And the Project 2025 creeps running the show are serving up several intentionally manufactured Constitutional crises. They’re rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation as lawsuits are filed that could make their way toward the likes of Clarence “motor home and momma’s house” Thomas, Samuel “gone fishin‘” Alito, Neil “I won’t tell you what lawyer bought my ranch right before I was confirmed“ Gorsuch, Brett “debt? what debt?” Kavanaugh, and John “take me out to the ballgame” Roberts, with Amy “it’s not really a cult” Coney-Barrett trailing along.
Which isn’t to say that other supreme court justice haven’t accepted cushy gifts or junkets, or promoted their books while serving on the court. It’s just that most of the other justices disclosed those things.
Now, Donny Dreamsicle (you know, orange on the outside, white on the inside, with a stick up its bottom) has issued an edict attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship, firmly established in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. If he were to have written it himself, I imagine it would have gone something like–
“I, Emperor Donny, all powerful King of America, Greenland, Panama, Canada, and Mars, hereby declare, with these very pointy, very black and very inky strokes of my pen, and it’s a magnificent pen, by the way, really the best pen ever in the history of the world, because it’s mine, obviously, a great, great pen, that the Constitution I took an oath to uphold and defend (didn’t put my hand on the Bible, though, suckers!) doesn’t apply to stuff I want to do to pander to my base, and they love my pandering, you know, so I’ll tell them that birthright citizenship is a lie, the whole 14th amendment is a lie, which is a lie, and you know I love a lie, lying is the best thing ever, you get everything you want when you lie, and I’m so good at it, lying is so easy and people believe you, you know, when you lie on TV or social media, a lot, every minute of every day, so let’s do more of that and…. I seem to have lost the thread of my weave…what was I signing, again?”
Captain Carrotface is 78 years old. He’ll sign anything his evil Project 2025 courtiers stick under his nose. “Here, sire, have another cheeseburger, and oh by the way, sign this….”
Honestly, have ANY of the Marmalade Monarch’s appointees and nominees actually read the Constitution? Here’s the text of section one of the 14th Amendment that the slimy Squamata in servitude to the Saffron-faced Sultan are challenging:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
They’re arguing, apparently, that if you’re born in the United States to non-citizens, you are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. That argument can’t pass the red face test (the one where you knowingly argue something so flagrantly unsupportable that your face should turn a deep shade of rouge).
The incredulous, Reagan-appointed federal judge who froze the birthright citizenship order noted his disbelief that any member of the bar would have the gall to claim that an executive order attempting to invalidate birthright citizenship was constitutional. “It boggles the mind,” said the judge.
But that doesn’t mean that the-man-who-would-be-king’s-edict won’t be appealed, and possibly even make it’s way up to the current Supreme Court.
God help us.
Wearily anticipating the next round of nonsense, I remain
Your wondering-how-I-can-still-call-myself-ridiculous-in-the-middle-of-this-circus
Ridiculouswoman
Bravo! Well said. The Orange Menace is “Flooding the zone,” with one asinine executive order after another. Spineless Republicans in Congress are supporting him, and corrupt judges on the Supreme Court are giving him a pass for lawbreaking. We must stand united against this criminal.
Which is why Democrats need to get their s#!t together, and fast. Another thing: all politics is local. Democrats need to start from the ground up again. And while LGBTQ+ rights are important, they’re not the whole picture. We need to start with what’s really affecting people and go after it. Hard. If we do, then the Midterms will turn things around. It also doesn’t hurt to contact both your local congressional rep and senator and tell them what you think, even if you’re on their side.
While this blindsidedness of all the EOs are coming fast and furious, eventually it’s going to hurt the reds in their pockets, in their lives and where they least expect it. It’s still the honeymoon phase. Nothing’s really settling in to those who voted for him…yet. But oh, it certainly will!
Also: by stopping all the nonprofit/grant funding, unemployment will rise. Not only did those grants fund a lot of programs, but they paid people to carry them out. Those people visited restaurants, bought things in stores, sent their kids off to summer camp, etc. And those restaurants won’t have the business they once did, and, well, you know where I’m going with this. Call it “collateral damage.”
So true!! When the soybean farmers find out China is now buying from Russia, they might make a few calls to their reps too! Calling both my senators and my representative is the first thing on my plan for tomorrow!!