Category: government

“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

That was White House spokesperson, Caroline Leavitt, responding to a video featuring a depiction of the Obamas as apes that Trump posed on Truth Social. Fake outrage? Really? Trump’s posting that video really angers me, but this response takes it to another level.

Trump has crossed so many red lines, which should have caused Republicans to abandon their support for him. This is another. For me, this has crossed a specific line as well. I’ve been somewhat circumspect about calling trump a racist, even though he’s repeatedly said and done racist things. This latest incident makes me feel foolish for even taking approach.

Trump responded to reporters on Air Force One about the incident, giving excuses that should insult an intelligent person who has followed Trump’s presidencies. Bottom line: he doesn’t apologize

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, Mr. Trump said he only saw the beginning of the video. “I just looked at the first part, it was about voter fraud in some place, Georgia,” Mr. Trump said. “I didn’t see the whole thing.”

He then tried to deflect blame, suggesting he had given the link to someone else to post. “I gave it to the people, generally they’d look at the whole thing but I guess somebody didn’t,” he told reporters.

Still, Mr. Trump offered no contrition when pressed. “No, I didn’t make a mistake,” he said.

Here’s the video, with commentary from the Washington Examiner (right-leaning outlet):

https://youtube.com/watch?v=q28qmEJO_j0%3Fsi%3DnoPRXvOmfnxurSmE

Are the Immigrants Recently Arrested by Ice Dangerous Criminals?

I’ve been reading articles about ICEs activities in U.S. cities, but I didn’t really see this question addressed, which I think is critical. If ICE is primarily arresting immigrants who pose a danger to society, or committed serious crimes, ICE apprehending these individuals and then moving to deport them seems entirely justified. The rhetoric of the Trump administration suggests this is precisely what they’re doing, but is it true? I’m going to share some of the information I found.

Continue reading “Are the Immigrants Recently Arrested by Ice Dangerous Criminals?”

Thoughts on Making Technology Easier to Use

My father has been asking me and my siblings for help with his computer and other devices. Recently, I went over to help him connect bluetooth headphones to the TV. This type of assistance can be frustrating, especially if my parents struggle can’t understand the process, even with multiple explanation. But while helping him, it hit me that operating computers and modern technology is actually very cumbersome and can be a bit too complicated.

These thoughts lead to this thread–namely, ways to make using computers and other modern technology a lot easier. I started thinking about an either paid or non-profit type of service center where subscribers could receive these type of administrative services–a kind of “IT department” for individual citizens. I can go into this more later, but at some point it occurred to me: why couldn’t an AI (on a device) handle things like connecting a bluetooth headphones to a TV? Why do individuals have to go into settings at all? Does Alexa already do something like this? Or the various AI? I’m wary of LLMs, but I’m more amendable to an AI not connected to the internet and only designed to help with administrative functions on a device.

Off the top of my head, I think there are three primary types of solutions to the problem I’ve described. First, individuals can handle this, which is the status quo. Second, some technological solution like an AI. Third, a group of individuals providing these services. I’ll give some thoughts on that third option in the next section.

Tracking the Activities of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

(Note: I originally wrote the posts below in the Trump 2.0 Tracker thread. That thread is becoming unwieldy, and I also thought this issue warranted a separate thread, so I’m moving those posts here. I’m actually writing this on 1/24/2026.)

August 14, 2025

Trump critics warn that Trump will likely use ICE, the national guard or U.S. military like an authoritarian ruler. Sounds extreme, right? I want to track any stories that support or go against this notion. (I want to include the reports on the way Trump handled the L.A. riots and how he recently announced taking over the D.C. police.)

Here’s a recent article today that is relevant: Border Agents Show Up in Force at Newsom Rally from the NYT.

As the governor was preparing to speak inside the Japanese American National Museum in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles, the agents assembled outside, many of them masked and armed, and some wearing tactical helmets and carrying rifles.

Mayor Karen Bass expressed outrage at this, saying there was no justification for this. Here how the Dept. of Homeland Security responded

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on social media that Ms. Bass “must be misinformed.”

“Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law — not about Gavin Newsom,” Ms. McLaughlin said.

Trump has decried the weaponization of federal agencies, but this is one of many examples that show he doesn’t care about this. At the very least he doesn’t care about a federal agency behaving in a political manner.

Another example,

A video shared on social media by Mr. Newsom’s press office shows the agents gathering outside the museum. In the video, Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol chief who is leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Southern California, says, “We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place, since we don’t have politicians who can do that. We do that ourselves.”

If Bovino did say this, this is pretty blatant politicization of what they’re doing.

Has the Descent into Autocracy Begun?

I believe Anne Applebaum of the Atlantic stated that modern day authoritarian regimes don’t usually occur through a violent coup. Instead, they happen gradually. The executive in power attempts to control the press, first through intimidation and threats, and then maybe eventually getting literal control. They take over the equivalent of the Department of Justice and FBI and begin to use these institutions to protect themselves and their family, while siccing these entities on their political enemies. They also surround themselves with people loyal to them–loyalty being more important than competence and fidelity to the rule of law. This is just some of things an autocrat does to gradually erode a liberal democracy.

Unfortunately, I think that process has begun in the US. (I would love to be convinced that I’m being too alarmist about this.) Really, I feel like I’m living in a nightmare, and I have a hard time believing this is happening. The situation is stressful, and in addition to praying a lot and greater effort to rely on God, I thought creating a thread to track the occurrences of backsliding would be therapeutic–specifically, having a place to let this out instead of keeping it bottled up. (Then again, this might have the opposite effect, in which case I might abandon the project.)

When I think about the beginning of liberal democratic demise, WaPo and the LA Times announcing they would no longer announce presidential candidates is what comes to mind.

A few days ago, here are some other things relevant to the topic:

  • Reports that Jack Smith will stop the two prosecutions against Trump;
  • Reports that Trump allies want to punish Smith, including talks that Rep. Jim Jordan will start a House investigation;
  • Trump’s appointments–Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the AG; Tulsi Gabbard to Director of National Intelligence (DNI); Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. That’s a few off the top of my head. This makes me think of a warning I constantly heard before the election: In Trump 2.0, there will be no guardrails.

More later.

The Process is More Important Than The Results

In this year’s NFL draft, the Seahawks had a decision to make with pick number 5. They badly needed to upgrade their defensive line–and the most talented defensive linemen, Jalen Carter (and some argued the most talented player in the draft regardless of position) was available. However, Carter had a lot of red flags relating to his commitment to the game and legal issues, among other things. A cornerback, Devon Witherspoon, who Pete Carroll said was a rare talent and compared his instincts and understanding to Troy Polamalu, was also available. Additionally, Witherspoon checked off all the boxes in other areas. But cornerback wasn’t a position of need. The Hawks chose Witherspoon.

I agree with this decision, even if Carter turns out to a great player and Witherspoon does not. To me, the rationale behind the decision is sound, and this is what I care about and focus on. Results matter. If Carter is great and Witherspoon is not, that has serious ramifications for the Seahawks. But the team can’t control the results, not completely. They have more control over their decision making–and the process they rely on for making decisions (which includes the way the gather and analyze information). I believe process is more important not only because one has the most control, but if the process is good, that increases the likelihood for good results.

This not only applies to the NFL, but almost anything. (I wonder what it doesn’t apply to.) Here are some other examples:

Continue reading “The Process is More Important Than The Results”