Kurt Taylor Gaubatz
@kurttg.bsky.social
Independent scholar & analyst-Washington DC. Previously Old Dominion, Oxford, & Stanford Universities. Democracy & foreign policy, int'l law, research methods, & political philosophy. Some work now on econ forecasting, philosophy & the equality of women.
I wonder what the green lady would think about this?
Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...
Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...
October 16, 2025 at 3:38 PM
I wonder what the green lady would think about this?
Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...
Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...
I'm planning to be at No Kings on the 18th. But I hear someone is handing out Cava bags of cash for attending. Where do we get that? (And do we have to report it on our taxes?)
October 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I'm planning to be at No Kings on the 18th. But I hear someone is handing out Cava bags of cash for attending. Where do we get that? (And do we have to report it on our taxes?)
So now the failure by politicians to take action when law enforcement is under attack is a jailable offence. Let's talk again about that 187 minutes on January 6...
October 8, 2025 at 2:44 PM
So now the failure by politicians to take action when law enforcement is under attack is a jailable offence. Let's talk again about that 187 minutes on January 6...
Hegseth's "Warrior Spirit" & Trump's "The Enemy Within" are clashing visions. In the 90's troops returning from peacekeeping ops required considerable retraining. "Crime fighting," let alone mulch-spreading, would be even more deleterious for combat preparedness.
www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/w...
www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/w...
October 3, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Hegseth's "Warrior Spirit" & Trump's "The Enemy Within" are clashing visions. In the 90's troops returning from peacekeeping ops required considerable retraining. "Crime fighting," let alone mulch-spreading, would be even more deleterious for combat preparedness.
www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/w...
www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/w...
The UK last week as well:
September 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The UK last week as well:
The Trump-maligned “Shape of Power” exhibit closed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum this week. I think this exhibit of a James Baldwin quote may have particularly stung:
September 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
The Trump-maligned “Shape of Power” exhibit closed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum this week. I think this exhibit of a James Baldwin quote may have particularly stung:
Two adjacent WaPo articles. In 1st even some Republicans are squeamish about honoring Confederate slavers. But relevant to the 2nd story, a Pentagon spokesperson defends the Confederate honors and says:
“Here at the Pentagon we honor our American history and traditions, we don’t erase it.”
“Here at the Pentagon we honor our American history and traditions, we don’t erase it.”
September 17, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Two adjacent WaPo articles. In 1st even some Republicans are squeamish about honoring Confederate slavers. But relevant to the 2nd story, a Pentagon spokesperson defends the Confederate honors and says:
“Here at the Pentagon we honor our American history and traditions, we don’t erase it.”
“Here at the Pentagon we honor our American history and traditions, we don’t erase it.”
And from today's NYT: "Crime Crackdown in D.C. Shows Trump Administration’s Uneasy Relationship With Guns"
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/u...
September 1, 2025 at 7:59 PM
And from today's NYT: "Crime Crackdown in D.C. Shows Trump Administration’s Uneasy Relationship With Guns"
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/u...
There are federal troops in my gentrifying DC neighborhood. It looks like there is no deployment in the higher crime areas of DC (Wards 7 & 8, southeast of the Anacostia River).
I wonder if Trump has ever even been southeast of the Anacostia River?
I wonder if Trump has ever even been southeast of the Anacostia River?
August 16, 2025 at 2:48 PM
There are federal troops in my gentrifying DC neighborhood. It looks like there is no deployment in the higher crime areas of DC (Wards 7 & 8, southeast of the Anacostia River).
I wonder if Trump has ever even been southeast of the Anacostia River?
I wonder if Trump has ever even been southeast of the Anacostia River?
Having hijacked the Kennedy Center honors, the guy who did this is now the final word on what constitutes good art in America.
August 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Having hijacked the Kennedy Center honors, the guy who did this is now the final word on what constitutes good art in America.
Here are the rough numbers from the Small Arms Survey (via Wikipedia):
August 13, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Here are the rough numbers from the Small Arms Survey (via Wikipedia):
WOW! Trump holds up chart making the case for gun control!
August 12, 2025 at 4:49 PM
WOW! Trump holds up chart making the case for gun control!
Surely this obsessive desecration of the Oval Office is grounds for impeachment and/or application of the 25th amendment!
August 9, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Surely this obsessive desecration of the Oval Office is grounds for impeachment and/or application of the 25th amendment!
Tales from the olden times of American soft power:
As best I can tell, none of the pictures from this critical China/Russia border town show any Cyrillic letters. The Latin alphabet shows up often, including on "Sam's Russian Supermarket" and Stalin wine.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/b...
As best I can tell, none of the pictures from this critical China/Russia border town show any Cyrillic letters. The Latin alphabet shows up often, including on "Sam's Russian Supermarket" and Stalin wine.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/b...
July 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Tales from the olden times of American soft power:
As best I can tell, none of the pictures from this critical China/Russia border town show any Cyrillic letters. The Latin alphabet shows up often, including on "Sam's Russian Supermarket" and Stalin wine.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/b...
As best I can tell, none of the pictures from this critical China/Russia border town show any Cyrillic letters. The Latin alphabet shows up often, including on "Sam's Russian Supermarket" and Stalin wine.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/b...
Wrong Again!
I really thought the Supreme Court would use the Birthright Case as easy opportunity to assert its independence and salvage some constitutional dignity. But nope.
I really thought the Supreme Court would use the Birthright Case as easy opportunity to assert its independence and salvage some constitutional dignity. But nope.
June 27, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Wrong Again!
I really thought the Supreme Court would use the Birthright Case as easy opportunity to assert its independence and salvage some constitutional dignity. But nope.
I really thought the Supreme Court would use the Birthright Case as easy opportunity to assert its independence and salvage some constitutional dignity. But nope.
Scary "People you may know" suggestion in my Facebook feed today:
June 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Scary "People you may know" suggestion in my Facebook feed today:
Two sides of the coin in today's NYT Fred Smith obituary.
What's wrong with universities, and what's wrong with the Trump agenda:
What's wrong with universities, and what's wrong with the Trump agenda:
June 23, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Two sides of the coin in today's NYT Fred Smith obituary.
What's wrong with universities, and what's wrong with the Trump agenda:
What's wrong with universities, and what's wrong with the Trump agenda:
Mike Huckabee called it and God said to his representative on earth: “Two more weeks, please.”
June 20, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Mike Huckabee called it and God said to his representative on earth: “Two more weeks, please.”
Kim Sajet, the embattled director of the National Portrait Gallery has stepped down. One of the Trump charges against her was her rejection of this painting for the Portrait Gallery, saying it was too political and was not good art:
June 13, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Kim Sajet, the embattled director of the National Portrait Gallery has stepped down. One of the Trump charges against her was her rejection of this painting for the Portrait Gallery, saying it was too political and was not good art:
Struck by the contrast in DC today between the exuberance of World Pride Parade and the grim picture of flatcars full of tanks rolling into DC for Trump’s military parade.
June 7, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Struck by the contrast in DC today between the exuberance of World Pride Parade and the grim picture of flatcars full of tanks rolling into DC for Trump’s military parade.
Struck by the contrast in DC today between the exuberance of World Pride Parade and the grim picture of flatcars full of tanks rolling into DC for Trump’s military parade.
June 7, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Struck by the contrast in DC today between the exuberance of World Pride Parade and the grim picture of flatcars full of tanks rolling into DC for Trump’s military parade.
Pet Peeve: When the Washington Post publishes an article but then leaves Washington D.C. & the local angle out of the story:
Washington DC had a confirmed measles case in March, that precisely fit this story since it involved Union Station & an Amtrak train.
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
Washington DC had a confirmed measles case in March, that precisely fit this story since it involved Union Station & an Amtrak train.
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
June 3, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Pet Peeve: When the Washington Post publishes an article but then leaves Washington D.C. & the local angle out of the story:
Washington DC had a confirmed measles case in March, that precisely fit this story since it involved Union Station & an Amtrak train.
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
Washington DC had a confirmed measles case in March, that precisely fit this story since it involved Union Station & an Amtrak train.
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
Trump is trying to fire the director of the Nat’l Portrait Gallery after anger over an exhibit at the co-located Smithsonian American Art Museum. That exhibit makes the obvious point that public sculpture reflects & perpetuates systems of power. Perhaps this included sign particularly irritated:
May 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Trump is trying to fire the director of the Nat’l Portrait Gallery after anger over an exhibit at the co-located Smithsonian American Art Museum. That exhibit makes the obvious point that public sculpture reflects & perpetuates systems of power. Perhaps this included sign particularly irritated:
This is a very helpful summary of the financial costs of the Republican budget plan. We could also use an analysis of how difficult it will be to recover from these provisions on that golden day in the future when America recovers its sanity.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
May 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
This is a very helpful summary of the financial costs of the Republican budget plan. We could also use an analysis of how difficult it will be to recover from these provisions on that golden day in the future when America recovers its sanity.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...