Hearing aids
Three weeks down...206 to go/only 1,442 days to go...
Lately, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m becoming increasingly deaf. I'm missing words in conversations, turning up the volume on the TV and asking the question, “What?,” a little too often these days. I have an appointment to see the hearing specialists in a few weeks. I guess, it’s yet another symptom of aging.
I’m bummed out about it, because neither of my parents, who lived very long lives, ever wore hearing aids. My dad’s hearing was always pretty acute — he was musically inclined and spent years listening to people's insides with his stethoscope. He was a good listener. Mother, on the other hand, preferred talking to listening and was always a master of the art of selective hearing, so it was hard to tell whether she became deaf with age.
I find this situation really frustrating, because when I was younger, my hearing was amazing. I could hear my folks’ quiet conversations; could overhear discussions in locker rooms; and could pick up side comments in meetings without working a sweat.
But it got me thinking… I’m more than five years younger than #FOTUS. He just had a frightening injury to his outer ear. He clearly likes to shout a lot and he seems to be oblivious to what’s going on around him.
I wonder; do you think the Depraved Grifter is going deaf?
I mean, we already know he’s tone deaf. Why else would he attack air crash victims, rather than sympathize with their families? Or why else would he lie about FEMA workers, rather than assist those needing their help? More recently, why else would he suggest that the US should militarily expel over 2M people from Gaza so that the Trump Organization could build its new Gaza-a-Lago resort?
But I can’t help but wonder, is he physically hard of hearing?
It is hard to tell. Unlike adept and thoughtful leaders, he doesn’t want to hear other people’s opinions. Since he perseverates about makeup, lighting, optics and his visual image rather than worrying about national policy and the rule of law —you know, the basics like protecting and defending the Constitution — I guess we’ll never know whether or not he needs hearing aids.
Thought for the day in honor of his birthday…
“The earth does not need new continents, but new men.” ~ Jules Verne
What I read every day…
Quote of the day:
“This administration has turned its back on the very voters they pretended to care about. Instead of tackling real issues, they are playing games with people’s livelihoods.”
~ Adam Kinzinger
What I’m reading today…
There's No Substitute For Public Opinion
Pro-democracy forces should wait for moments of excess that make large groups of Americans, including Trump’s supporters, squeamish, and they should drive these moments home, hard and with repetition over time. The democracy community may well have to move outside of its comfort zone and beyond procedural issues—upset as many of us get at the firing of inspectors general or politicized witch hunts in the civil service, these norms themselves are unlikely to move low-frequency voters.
Trump’s immigration raids ignore a looming global crisis: There just aren’t enough workers
“The impact this is going to have on food is crazy,” the farmer added. “They are visiting everyone. Southern California’s whole food infrastructure.”
We are witnessing something truly unsettling in the way the country is governed
If the Constitutional check on the presidency, aka Congress and the Judiciary, sit by and quietly allow this dismantling of our legal and constitutional legacies, they will not only be guilty of dereliction of duty, but wholly complicit in the effort.
Trump Justice Department sues Illinois and city of Chicago over immigration laws
"Chicago is and will remain a welcoming city, with welcoming people who work beside their neighbors to build strong communities where you can still raise a family. The safety and security of Chicago residents remains the priority… Chicago will continue to protect the working people of our city and defend against attacks on our longstanding values."
Senate confirms Project 2025 architect Russell Vought to lead powerful White House budget office
The Senate confirmed Russell Vought as White House budget director on Thursday night, putting an official who has planned the zealous expansion of President Donald Trump’s power into one of the most influential positions in the federal government.
This program saved the government $28 million a year. Now Trump is killing it
The GSA oversees 363 million square feet of real estate the federal government owns or leases in nearly 8,400 buildings nationwide. Previous GSA officials estimated that the technologies implemented through the Green Proving Ground program avoid 116,000 tons of CO2 emissions and save the government $28 million in energy costs annually.
Trump is gutting key aspects of America's global influence and the workforce that promotes it — leaving a vacuum that U.S. adversaries are eager to fill…Trump and his "America First" allies argue the money should be spent at home… The governments of China, Russia and Iran seem to agree.
Trump has never understood how the CIA’s people work. But he might know how to make them quit.
The Sociopaths Think Victory Is Theirs
We shouldn’t be shocked by what’s happening. And we surely shouldn’t be awed. The evidence was out there; they weren’t hiding their plans. Recall what Russell Vought, a key author of Project 20205 and just-confirmed Office of Management and Budget boss, said over a year ago. “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” he said, to be “viewed as the villains.”
What I am watching…
“This is what happens when you put a felon in the White House…”