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hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
Hammer
@hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
30 followers 230 following 26 posts
I drink coffee and I know things. It's what I do.

Concerned citizen & veteran; ill-tempered Gen Xer who's sick of the BS.
Left-handed and left-thinking.

Opinions expressed are my own.
Posts Replies Media Videos
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
In probably not even a year, we're going to have to talk about the leopard obesity crisis.
Tweet with an image of visibly upset and frustrated Utah firefighters reacting to the Utah Senate advancing a bill that will take away their right to collectively bargain. Tweet text: Firefighters look on from the gallery as the Utah Senate votes to advance a bill that will take away their right to collectively bargain. (Photo by Tribune photographer Trent Nelson)
January 31, 2025 at 1:12 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
January 20: FAA director fired

January 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen

January 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded

January 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees

January 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years
January 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
"What can men do against such reckless hate?"
"How can we possibly fight against such overwhelming and destructive hatred?"

-Theoden
January 30, 2025 at 4:57 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
Gonna go scream/stare into the void/abyss now. I'm hoping said void/abyss responds in whatever way suits it best.
I'm "good"...just need to step away.
January 29, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Reposted by Hammer
rebeccasolnit.bsky.social
Hi that was a coup last night in case no one mentioned that to you. The executive branch seized the power of the purse the Constitution gave to Congress, which is a pretty authoritarian / illegal consolidation of powers move. Time to go yell at your reps, the media, etc.
Hey friends! We're seeing a lot of terrible things. We're not able to cover all of them, but we felt this latest one is a really big deal and needs much more awareness. Our summary is this: It's an administrative coup. Trump has ordered tens of billions (maybe up to $3 trillion) of budget halted indefinitely in a blatantly illegal move. He's claiming power to halt and potentially redirect funding that's already been authorized by Congress — a classic authoritarian move. Here's what we know. And we're doing our best to catch up with this story, because it's moving fast. There's a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting head of the Office of Management and Budget. (That's the same government entity who set-up the DEI "snitch" line, that's now been spammed by tens of thousands of our fellow residents.) In typical Trump-style, the memo gets its facts wrong. It claims in FY2024 the US government spent $10 trillion (actually it was $6.8 trillion). It says money should be used for the administration's priorities — "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve." (Again, it's very fact deficient.) The memo says a pause will begin at 5pm on January 28th where, "Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal." Anyone promised federal grants might have their money at risk, even states. This is Congressional directed spending and Trump is ordering people to not do it. This funding includes universities for education and research programs, nonprofits, local and tribal governments, disaster relief aid, e… So what can we do? It's been a lot. And the shock approach of this administration is to overwhelm us with nonsense and a state of paralysis. We continue to believe the best thing is to stay grounded and keep yourself sane amidst insanity. At this juncture, three actions we suggest that make sense to us: 1) Urge media to cover this story properly This is not "possibly illegal" — it's "patently illegal." You can read notes on that here. It's not "temporary" — it's "indefinite." There's no timetable for ending it. It's not just a memo — it's an administrative coup. 2) Urge your Representatives to act like this is a big deal If you know us, this isn't a knee-jerk action we suggest. We think this is a strategic because it's Congress that's being violated — their power is being directly undermined. 3) Continue to support ACLU and Democracy Forward These groups have been preparing litigation for some time. Unless Trump revokes this, this will certainly make its way through the courts. Our read is even the biased courts will have trouble swallowing this — so it may end up being shut down. Keep breathing. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again," Nelson Mandela. Warmly, - Choose Democracy
January 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
The assault on separation of church and state continues. Watch the Roberts court fall over itself to break down the wall further.
www.vox.com/scotus/39699...
A new Supreme Court case would force the government to create religious public schools
The Roberts Court’s slash-and-burn approach to the separation of church and state is unlikely to end any time soon.
www.vox.com
January 28, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Hammer
keithdjohnson.bsky.social
Deleted repost and replaced with image including alt text.
Quote from Catch 22 by Joseph Heller: It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue & slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into wisdom, & sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. I merely required no character. A photo of Trump included as an example.
January 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Hammer
keithdjohnson.bsky.social
"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explains how the ultra-rich are beneficiaries of an unjust economic system where billionaires don’t make money, they take money. It’s impossible to have that much money without profiting off of other people's lack of it." www.teenvogue.com/story/billio...
Billionaires Should Not Exist
Yes, every billionaire really is a policy failure.
www.teenvogue.com
January 26, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Hammer
costasamaras.com
They are looking for ways to sell off or cut the parts of America that benefit you, so they can line their pockets.
January 26, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Hammer
vigneshraman.bsky.social
AND the NIH actually brings in twice as much as it spends. www.nih.gov/about-nih/wh...
Direct Economic Contributions
NIH directly supports the economy through investments in research institutions and job formation.
www.nih.gov
January 25, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Hammer
survive2025.bsky.social
RECOMMENDED PHONE SETTINGS TO MAKE YOUR PHONE A PAPERWEIGHT TO AUTHORITIES🧵 A THREAD

If you are a woman, member of the LGBTQ+, an immigrant, or otherwise at risk under the Trump presidency, change/enable these settings on your phone IMMEDIATELY. #resist #resistance #antitrump #antifacism
January 25, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Hammer
survive2025.bsky.social
PROTEST SAFETY: A THREAD 🧵
We are already fed up with this administration. If you plan on attending any protests, please heed my advice on keeping your identity (both physical and digital) safe.
#protest #resist #resistance #fucktrump #project2025 #womensrights #immigrantrights #denydefenddepose
Protesters at the 2017 Women's March
January 24, 2025 at 4:46 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
Hell yes!
Do not comply in advance.
ariellaelm.com Ariella Elm @ariellaelm.com · Jan 25
The Inspectors General refuse to leave until the action is taken legally, which they do not believe it was, and neither do senators like Chuck Grassley. This is what not backing down looks like.
static.politico.com/b3/3e/5baf92...
January 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by Hammer
cadwego.bsky.social
“Most people stop studying history in their mid-teens. This creates a fundamentally historically illiterate population. The idea that there’s a widespread movement to learn from history or to understand it meaningfully is false. Only small numbers of people engage with it seriously.”
Inside the Nazi mind: why did millions of Germans embrace Hitler's ideology? — BBC History Magazine
My interest has always been in mentalities: why people think the way they do, how they justify their actions, and what makes them believe they are right. This focus has shaped my career much more than...
apple.news
January 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by Hammer
brooklynmarie.bsky.social
Here's some reading about how to survive, and I do want us all to survive pen.org/report/build...
Building Resilience - PEN America
People need reliable information to participate fully in the democratic process. Particularly, they need it to choose their next elected representatives, assess policy and policy proposals both locall...
pen.org
January 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
Democracy dies in darkness, right, WaPo?
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Jan 25
The White House late Friday fired the independent inspectors general of at least 12 major federal agencies in a purge that could clear the way for President Donald Trump to install loyalists in the crucial role of identifying fraud, waste and abuse in the government.
Trump ousts at least 12 independent inspectors general in late-night purge
The dismissals appeared to violate federal law, which requires Congress to receive 30 days’ notice of any intent to fire a Senate-confirmed inspector general.
wapo.st
January 25, 2025 at 2:42 PM
hawkeyehammer.bsky.social
Bottom line: Trump wants you to die.
joshtpm.bsky.social Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · Jan 24
The FDA has scrubbed from its website guidance on conducting medical trials with representative numbers of men/women and racial/ethnic minorities. these aren't symbolic issues. Drugs affect men/men, people with different genetic backgrounds differently. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/medic...
Medical Trial Guidance Scrubbed
Another detail out of FDA. The agency has removed pages which provide...
talkingpointsmemo.com
January 25, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Hammer
gothamgirlblue.com
This is the actual secret. Democrats build all of their messaging from upper middle class consultants whose biggest concern is whether their faux pas (racism, sexism, homophobia) will cost them reputation points. They should be listening to people on the ground and message their answers.
mtsw.bsky.social mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · Jan 24
Stuff like focus grouping and surveys give you the illusion of precision but genuinely Trump's carnie strategy of repeating stuff he hears back to rallies and seeing what gets the crowd juiced up has produced stronger messaging results bsky.app/profile/wehr...
wehrmanm.bsky.social Militia Etheridge @wehrmanm.bsky.social · Jan 24
In my field of work, stakeholders often get decision paralysis bc they want insights to point them to the *PERFECT* solution - for marketing, for messaging, for product, for any and all decisions.

But it doesn't exist. You gotta make a call with "good enough."

That's terrifying to Democrats.
January 25, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Reposted by Hammer
cadwego.bsky.social
“The movement that was loudest in warning about the dangers of cultural decadence is most responsible for electing a president who personifies cultural decadence. (Trump won more than 80% of the white evangelical vote in 2024.) Not a single area of Trump’s life is untouched by corruption.”
Evangelicals Made a Bad Trade
Hitching the evangelical wagon to Donald Trump has meant unhitching it from the life and teachings of Jesus.
www.theatlantic.com
January 25, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Hammer
juliannemcshane.bsky.social
NEW: 30 major anti-abortion leaders on Wednesday wrote to the DOJ formally asking them to enforce the Comstock Act banning the mailing of abortion pills

This appears to be the first step towards a threat legal scholars have been warning about: a de facto federal abortion ban
aul.org/wp-content/u...
aul.org
January 24, 2025 at 4:55 PM