This judicial review provides at least a reprieve, a small hope that some of the administration’s most destructive impulses will be pared back.

In the past week or so, the courts have begun to try to set some boundaries on the Musk–Miller–Trump administration’s early blitz of recklessness.

. . .

This judicial review provides at least a small reprieve, hope that some of the administration’s most destructive impulses will be stopped. Or at least pared back. But even with the courts stepping up, and even with the reality of the administration’s ineptitude sinking in, this early Musk–Miller–Trump blitz remains very—maybe irreparably—damaging. Of course, there are a lot of moles to whack: the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are being dismantled at an alarming rate, and the court system is not known for being nimble. The administration is betting, perhaps rightly, that at least some of its thoughtless, lawless efforts will slip through the cracks.

But even if the courts caught them all—and even if every court facing each lawless escapade said, “Nope, that’s not a thing”—still the entire process would be doing serious damage to our institutions. Think of it as someone spoofing your identity and going on a shopping spree with your credit cards. Even if the goon gets caught, you still have to go store by store to argue that the fraudulent purchase wasn’t legitimate and hope the debt is forgiven. And all the while, perhaps long after all the debts are dealt with, the torrent of uncertainty kills your credit score.

MBFC
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  • @DarkSpectrum
    -12•5 days ago

    I don’t think a lot of Americans are grasping exactly how hard we fucked ourselves by refusing to responsibly inform ourselves even to a minimal degree.

    This! Methods that lower general intelligence:

    • Content Streaming - its starts with Bluey

    • Gaming - iPads have replaced paper in schools, in car trips colourful gems pop instead of engagement with the world. Adults game the night away, streaming live. Kids aspire to be them.

    • Social media - Algorithms, echo-chambers, bots, keyboard warriors, content cencorship and manipulation, advertising, yuck.

    • Dating Apps

    • AI - We’ll become dependent and lower general critical thinking skills.

    • Legalisation of marijuana. - Its political support should be a concern. While it may be seemingly harmless at an individual level, there seems to be issues with mass use. How many users abstained from voting?

    • Underfunded, cookie cutter lower education. There is no flexibility for the diversity of people and development potentials. Teaching children non-denominational meditation and concentration, or helping them observe but reconcile simple contradictory expressions of duality in existence, would strengthen their conciousness significantly.

    • Over emphasis on technical STEM in higher-education without equally supporting the arts and philosophy.

    • Cultural over-emphasis towards individual monetary wealth over knowledge, spirituality or even concern for the wealth of those around them. Prevents empathy.

    All of these focus on separating the individual from other individuals. The darkness does not want connected families or communities. It wants you to feel alone, helpless and willing to hand over your power.

    We have all seen the US police force’s brutality under democratic law. How much worse could it be under authoritarian rule? My advice would be to immediately set up public meetings with local law enforcement at the officer level, start a collaborative dialogue and get to know each other, fast.

    • @pulsewidth
      32•5 days ago

      If you think Bluey lowers kids intelligence or “separates the individual from other individuals” then you’ve never watched Bluey.

      It’s a great resource for teaching emotional intelligence to kids and empathises the importance of quality time with family. I don’t think you could have picked a worse children’s TV show example.

      • @Gumus
        14•5 days ago

        Also Bluey’s Aussie, not even made in the US.

      • @ManOMorphos
        5•4 days ago

        Cocomelon would have been a proper choice for OP to argue. It’s sensory overload brainrot that causes addiction rather than any sense of morals.

    • @[email protected]
      10•4 days ago

      You had me on your side until you went in on weed. Let’s focus on the bigger issue of alcohol addiction and drunk driving before we go after something less harmful.