Mark Greenberg
@markg.bsky.social
Retired lawyer, nerd for constitutional law and ancient history, non-profit volunteer, player and occasional writer of TTRPGs, and climber of relatively small mountains.
Reposted by Mark Greenberg
(carefully pouring a drop of wine back into the glass) I am announcing a 90 day pause on the FROGS, but the LOCUSTS will remain in place
April 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM
(carefully pouring a drop of wine back into the glass) I am announcing a 90 day pause on the FROGS, but the LOCUSTS will remain in place
The adminstration is going to need good news, and fast. They can't do the usual "flood the zone" when every market is crashing. I'm guessing they are desperately working on a deal with some country, any country, to show they have a plan. The question is, which will be first?
April 7, 2025 at 2:03 AM
The adminstration is going to need good news, and fast. They can't do the usual "flood the zone" when every market is crashing. I'm guessing they are desperately working on a deal with some country, any country, to show they have a plan. The question is, which will be first?
As heartening as it is to see the nationwide protests, perhaps even more notable is the absence of (more than nominal) counterprotests. Advanced authoritarians would have organized to shut the protests down. The fact they haven't reveals their weakness, and provides hope for the future.
April 5, 2025 at 6:50 PM
As heartening as it is to see the nationwide protests, perhaps even more notable is the absence of (more than nominal) counterprotests. Advanced authoritarians would have organized to shut the protests down. The fact they haven't reveals their weakness, and provides hope for the future.
I have resurrected my old blog to try to answer a question that has baffled me: why does this administration appear to be committing political self-immolation?
I may have an answer. Check out my post and see if you think I'm on to something.
www.musingsofaradicalmoderate.com/blog/the-pai...
I may have an answer. Check out my post and see if you think I'm on to something.
www.musingsofaradicalmoderate.com/blog/the-pai...
The Pain is the Point — Musings of a Radical Moderate
On April 2, the Trump administration imposed base and reciprocal tariffs on imports from nearly every country on earth at the highest rates in almost a century. Markets collapsed and have continued to...
www.musingsofaradicalmoderate.com
April 4, 2025 at 11:13 PM
I have resurrected my old blog to try to answer a question that has baffled me: why does this administration appear to be committing political self-immolation?
I may have an answer. Check out my post and see if you think I'm on to something.
www.musingsofaradicalmoderate.com/blog/the-pai...
I may have an answer. Check out my post and see if you think I'm on to something.
www.musingsofaradicalmoderate.com/blog/the-pai...
Another ringing endorsement of the Trump administration's actions from . . . uh . . . Iran?
www.columbian.com/news/2025/fe...
www.columbian.com/news/2025/fe...
Iran praises U.S. for cutting foreign aid funding as it looks for a Trump message on nuclear talks
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s government seems to be welcoming some recent decisions by the United States — even though they happen to come from a man Iranian operatives have allegedly been plotting to a
www.columbian.com
February 5, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Another ringing endorsement of the Trump administration's actions from . . . uh . . . Iran?
www.columbian.com/news/2025/fe...
www.columbian.com/news/2025/fe...
In dark times, look for the helpers. There are people fighting the good fight. You are not alone.
Updates to Litigation Tracker. New cases today against:
1) DOJ purge of FBI personnel (2 cases)
2) “Fork Directive” of deferred resignation for USG employees
2) Ban on gender affirming care for under 19 yr olds
3) Removal of HHS information on “Gender Ideology Extremism”
1) DOJ purge of FBI personnel (2 cases)
2) “Fork Directive” of deferred resignation for USG employees
2) Ban on gender affirming care for under 19 yr olds
3) Removal of HHS information on “Gender Ideology Extremism”
Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
A public resource tracking the legal challenges to the Trump administration's executive orders and actions.
www.justsecurity.org
February 5, 2025 at 3:37 AM
In dark times, look for the helpers. There are people fighting the good fight. You are not alone.
I just don't see how anyone who claims to be a conservative can be OK with this. You don't like USAID or how or what it does, fine; then work through Congress and pass legislation.
But executive fiat to destroy an agency? It's illegal, unconstitutional overreach.
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
But executive fiat to destroy an agency? It's illegal, unconstitutional overreach.
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
Musk says Trump 'agreed' USAID should be shut down, staffers told to stay out of agency’s headquarters
Staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development have been instructed to stay out of its Washington headquarters, and yellow police tape and officers have blocked the lobby.
www.pbs.org
February 3, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I just don't see how anyone who claims to be a conservative can be OK with this. You don't like USAID or how or what it does, fine; then work through Congress and pass legislation.
But executive fiat to destroy an agency? It's illegal, unconstitutional overreach.
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
But executive fiat to destroy an agency? It's illegal, unconstitutional overreach.
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
Not a surprise. It's typical Trump negotiations: threaten, demand concessions, get something (no matter how little), claim victory, and move on.
The problem is that this tactic destroys both trust and good faith. And kills friendships. Terrible for US in the long run.
www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/t...
The problem is that this tactic destroys both trust and good faith. And kills friendships. Terrible for US in the long run.
www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/t...
Trump pauses tariffs on Canada for at least 30 days, Trudeau says
www.cnbc.com
February 3, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Not a surprise. It's typical Trump negotiations: threaten, demand concessions, get something (no matter how little), claim victory, and move on.
The problem is that this tactic destroys both trust and good faith. And kills friendships. Terrible for US in the long run.
www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/t...
The problem is that this tactic destroys both trust and good faith. And kills friendships. Terrible for US in the long run.
www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/t...
For something a little different, the view from the front of our hotel last night in Tromso, Norway. First time ever seeing the aurora borealis!
January 21, 2025 at 1:04 PM
For something a little different, the view from the front of our hotel last night in Tromso, Norway. First time ever seeing the aurora borealis!
"They crossed the bridge and wound slowly up the long steep paths that led out of the cloven vale of Rivendell, and they came at length to the high moor where the wind hissed through the heather. Then with one glance at the Last Homely House twinkling below them they strode away far into the night."
December 25, 2024 at 7:52 PM
"They crossed the bridge and wound slowly up the long steep paths that led out of the cloven vale of Rivendell, and they came at length to the high moor where the wind hissed through the heather. Then with one glance at the Last Homely House twinkling below them they strode away far into the night."
Documents like these help us see past the dusty historical record and recognize the long-ago lives of real people. Though in many ways their culture is alien to us, through it all we can still see our common humanity. Very cool.
Sometimes working with manuscripts gets us really, really close to the people from the past allowing us to hear their voices. This is a story of a letter from a schoolgirl to her teacher, written probably sometime at the end of the 9th or the beginning of the 10th century. A thread 🧵 #medievalsky /1
December 22, 2024 at 4:43 PM
Documents like these help us see past the dusty historical record and recognize the long-ago lives of real people. Though in many ways their culture is alien to us, through it all we can still see our common humanity. Very cool.
I suspect the Fed was going to be cautious anyway, with inflation still pretty sticky. But with monetary and trade policy so uncertain, a go-slow approach really was the Fed's only option. It's hard to see a rebounding rally until we get some clarity after the new administration takes over.
Trump has promised policies every halfway sane economist assures us will be inflationary - today the Fed announced that it will proceed with caution in cutting rates as it waits to see how it goes with inflation and today the stock market got real about the death of Bidenomics
December 18, 2024 at 11:19 PM
I suspect the Fed was going to be cautious anyway, with inflation still pretty sticky. But with monetary and trade policy so uncertain, a go-slow approach really was the Fed's only option. It's hard to see a rebounding rally until we get some clarity after the new administration takes over.
"[O]ur poll suggests that Democrats ran the wrong campaign. Whereas they ran a 'values campaign,' focused on a government Americans could trust, what voters really wanted was an effective government, and on that, they preferred Donald Trump."
Surprise!
thehill.com/opinion/camp...
Surprise!
thehill.com/opinion/camp...
Post-election polling suggests a new reason behind Trump’s victory
Our poll, the first post-election poll specifically focused on trust in government, reveals that while voters are less trusting of the government as a result of the election, they believe the gover…
thehill.com
December 18, 2024 at 10:13 PM
"[O]ur poll suggests that Democrats ran the wrong campaign. Whereas they ran a 'values campaign,' focused on a government Americans could trust, what voters really wanted was an effective government, and on that, they preferred Donald Trump."
Surprise!
thehill.com/opinion/camp...
Surprise!
thehill.com/opinion/camp...
Watching this video about the work NOAA is doing to model an earthquake and tsunami that hit the Pacific Northwest in 1700 made me think about the roles of government and the private sector. What would happen if we privatized NOAA and let businesses do this work? 1/8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1R6...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1R6...
How Scientists Solved the Mystery of a 300-Year-Old Megaquake
YouTube video by PBS Terra
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2024 at 5:59 PM
Watching this video about the work NOAA is doing to model an earthquake and tsunami that hit the Pacific Northwest in 1700 made me think about the roles of government and the private sector. What would happen if we privatized NOAA and let businesses do this work? 1/8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1R6...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1R6...
I took the silliest flights of my life today. I flew from Denver to Colorado Springs (20 minutes total time in the air), had an hour layover, and then flew back to Denver.
Why? All so I can make the minimum number of flights for the next level of status on United.
Why? All so I can make the minimum number of flights for the next level of status on United.
December 12, 2024 at 1:09 AM
I took the silliest flights of my life today. I flew from Denver to Colorado Springs (20 minutes total time in the air), had an hour layover, and then flew back to Denver.
Why? All so I can make the minimum number of flights for the next level of status on United.
Why? All so I can make the minimum number of flights for the next level of status on United.
Reposted by Mark Greenberg
FYI NYT folks, this poll shows Donald Trump is running the second-least popular transition in the history of the question, beating only his own first extremely unpopular transition.
The New York Times is an echo chamber of sorts. Just like Twitter has become. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
The New York Times is an echo chamber of sorts. Just like Twitter has become. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
December 11, 2024 at 9:01 PM
FYI NYT folks, this poll shows Donald Trump is running the second-least popular transition in the history of the question, beating only his own first extremely unpopular transition.
The New York Times is an echo chamber of sorts. Just like Twitter has become. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
The New York Times is an echo chamber of sorts. Just like Twitter has become. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
There really is a simple principle here. Standing should not vary depending on whether or not you want the plaintiff to win.
And another: if you want to be a real originalist, you should be willing to engage with other interpretations of history, and not just demand your opinion be obeyed.
And another: if you want to be a real originalist, you should be willing to engage with other interpretations of history, and not just demand your opinion be obeyed.
The Thomas-Alito Second Amendment Gospel “is not originalist but based on a fantastical alternative history peddled by the gun industry and its defenders.”
Earlier this year, the Hawaii Supreme Court published a scathing critique of SCOTUS' bogus originalism and Second Amendment extremism.
Now Clarence Thomas has finally responded. And it's clear that the lower court's withering takedown got under his skin. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Now Clarence Thomas has finally responded. And it's clear that the lower court's withering takedown got under his skin. slate.com/news-and-pol...
December 10, 2024 at 8:20 PM
There really is a simple principle here. Standing should not vary depending on whether or not you want the plaintiff to win.
And another: if you want to be a real originalist, you should be willing to engage with other interpretations of history, and not just demand your opinion be obeyed.
And another: if you want to be a real originalist, you should be willing to engage with other interpretations of history, and not just demand your opinion be obeyed.
Alito really says the quiet part out loud when he encourages courts to hear "contentious constitutional questions": an admission he has an expansive view of standing when he wants to rule in the plaintiffs' favor, and a narrow view when he disagrees with the plaintiffs.
Today, Sam Alito penned some anti-trans propaganda in a SCOTUS writing — but also asked his fellow Republican appointees on the court to change standing rules so that more “contentious constitutional questions” could get in front of the justices.
SCOTUS sidesteps case about school gender policy — but Alito calls for action
In a dissent Monday, Justice Alito called for the court to take action that would send more far-right cases to the justices. And: More on the push to clear federal death row.
www.lawdork.com
December 10, 2024 at 4:52 AM
Alito really says the quiet part out loud when he encourages courts to hear "contentious constitutional questions": an admission he has an expansive view of standing when he wants to rule in the plaintiffs' favor, and a narrow view when he disagrees with the plaintiffs.
Happy birthday, General Relativity!
Albert Einstein submitted "The Field Equations of Gravitation" to the Prussian Academy #OTD in 1915.
After years of work culminating in a frenzied month-long race against David Hilbert, Einstein had finally obtained the correct form of the field equations for general relativity. 🧪 🔭 ⚛️
(1/n)
After years of work culminating in a frenzied month-long race against David Hilbert, Einstein had finally obtained the correct form of the field equations for general relativity. 🧪 🔭 ⚛️
(1/n)
November 25, 2024 at 4:26 PM
Happy birthday, General Relativity!
I remember learning BASIC on a good old TRS-80 in my high school's computer lab. Back in the days when you used casette tapes for data storage. It never really occurred to me to wonder who invented it. Farewell, Dr. Kurtz.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/t...
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/t...
Thomas E. Kurtz, co-creator of BASIC programming language, dies at 96
At Dartmouth, long before the days of laptops and smartphones, he worked to give more students access to computers. That work helped propel generations into a new world.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2024 at 10:40 PM
I remember learning BASIC on a good old TRS-80 in my high school's computer lab. Back in the days when you used casette tapes for data storage. It never really occurred to me to wonder who invented it. Farewell, Dr. Kurtz.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/t...
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/t...
Senate Republicans will only have so much political capital they'll want to spend on rejecting cabinet nominations. I wonder if Gaetz was nominated to suck up so much political capital that other nominations -- that would otherwise find tough going -- will breeze through.
November 14, 2024 at 12:35 AM
Senate Republicans will only have so much political capital they'll want to spend on rejecting cabinet nominations. I wonder if Gaetz was nominated to suck up so much political capital that other nominations -- that would otherwise find tough going -- will breeze through.