billvon

So quick summary on FEMA: Trump appointed Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and businessman, as head of FEMA. A day after his appointment, he praised the men and women working at FEMA, saying they are "one of the greatest workforces in the entire federal government." He also stated his support for FEMA - "As the senior advisor to the President on disasters and emergency management, and to the Secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency." This, of course, was intolerable to Trump, who wants to eliminate FEMA. So he had him fired. Kristi Noem then searched for a yes-man to replace Hamilton, and found David Richardson, a former Marine and college professor. He has done well so far by Trump, announcing the cutting of programs and talking about how they will do far less. Yesterday at a meeting he mentioned that he did not know the US had a hurricane season. A few hours later the DHS sent out a press release claiming he was joking. However, a few hours after that, Richardson finally did release a plan for hurricane season - but it is last year's plan, apparently just copied over. Good luck to all you people living in hurricane areas.

Because he is following Bannon's approach and "flooding the zone with shit." When he gets caught taking bribes he deports a toddler with cancer, or calls Pelosi a withered up whore. or appoints his son to be VP. And the press moves on to the latest pile of shit. Keep in mind that the press IS reporting on all this. But what drives availability is popularity; the new shit doesn't end replacing the old shit, it just drives it off the front page so almost no one sees it.

"The primary targets of the Hitler tariffs—the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands—were outraged by the sudden suspension of favored-nation trading status on virtually all agricultural products, as well as on textiles, with tariffs in some cases rising 500 percent. With its livestock essentially banished from the German market, Denmark, for example, was facing substantial losses. Farmers panicked. The Danes and Swedes threatened 'retaliatory measures,' as did the Dutch, who warned the Germans that the countermeasures would be felt as 'palpable blows' to German industrial exports. That proved to be true." - Austrian historian Timothy W. Ryback, from a book he wrote on the rise of Hitler.

Apparently your two options now are woke or racist.

You know them.

The poorly educated reject anything that messes with their preconceptions. A woman pilot? She must suck! And if she's done well - she was promoted because she was a woman! A poll that disagrees with my biases? It must be WRONG! The better educated can better comprehend both poll results and actual competence. And, of course, can spell.

Yep. Also consider that Trump's knee-jerk efforts to hire more controllers happen against a backdrop of: - a system that is heinously overloaded, and that blames controllers for most of the problems with that system - a system that now excludes "DEI" (i.e. black, female, gay, trans etc) controllers - a United Airlines CEO blaming his problems on controllers "walking off the job" (for the ATC people taking medical leave) - Trump's relocation of the Newark controllers from NY to Philly for cost savings (many could not move and were fired) How many people is he going to get who want to work in that environment?

Most men die with prostate cancer. Most men don't know it. Of course, if you aspire to ignorance and praise the uneducated, you likely would not know that.

The Austin airport just announced ground delays (i.e. aircraft are not allowed to taxi) due to ATC staffing shortages, leading to delays between one and 7.5 hours for passengers. And this is going to get worse; due to the layoffs of government personnel, there are only 32 controllers total at Austin - their normal complement is 60. And the people who might increase this number - trainers, human resources, and supervisors - were hit even harder by the DOGE layoffs.

As most of you have heard, the US has lost its AAA credit rating from all three rating organizations due to, in their words: "the increase over more than a decade in government debt and interest payment ratios to levels that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns . . .The new outlook also takes into account institutional features, including the constitutional separation of powers among the three branches of government that contributes to policy effectiveness over time and is relatively insensitive to events over a short period." This will make it harder for the US to borrow money to increase its deficit - which is unfortunate, because Trump is asking for (and will likely get from the Senate) a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit. The money they CAN get will come at higher interest rates and with more strings attached, which will of course accelerate the increase in the deficit. In other news, the company Wolfspeed (formerly known as Cree) is declaring bankruptcy. This was a company that was formed to bring cutting edge power electronics IC's back to the US, and had a foundry here that was pumping out power devices, mostly for EVs and solar applications. With the CHiPS act being cancelled by Trump, and the loss of EV support, manufacturers are revising their estimates - and Wolfspeed's business plans no longer make sense. So they will fold and that IC manufacturing will go back to Taiwan and South Korea.

In the real world: DEI (or something just like it) In the FOX News world: that never happens

White supremacists in 1950: "Of course there's discrimination and it's how God wants it! Blacks are naturally shiftless." White supremacists in 1980: "There is absolutely no discrimination in the world and anybody who thinks there is is a racist. Blacks are the racists, not us!" White supremacists today: "Of course there's discrimination and it's all against white straight men! We're the victims!"

DEI is the opposite of discriminatory. Diversity - a skilled black candidate is more desirable than a less skilled white candidate. Equity - a skilled candidate in a wheelchair is considered because the place has handicapped ramps, so he can get to work. Inclusion - a skilled candidate who is a mother is considered because they get 10 minutes off every 2 hours to pump milk. Anti-DEI means you hire the boss's son, whether he has any skill or not.

Agreed. And today, if that mediocre violinist is the child of the largest donor to the symphony, odds are they will get that first chair. A DEI approach would ensure that the best violinist gets that chair. Even if they are black. Even if they're in a wheelchair. Even if they are not the child of the biggest donor. Even if they express political opinions you dislike.

Woke isn't endorsing any of that. Woke is understanding it. By definition.