Rebane's Ruminations
January 2025
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[I think the Dems will put up a greater and more desperate ‘resistance’ to the Trump2 administration that they did to Trump1 and also the interregnum Trump.  The poor bastards have nothing else to offer thinking Americans – i.e. no policy alternatives that anyone who pays attention would accept.  All they have left is a pathetic program of digging up dirt that doesn’t stick to anything that Trump proposes.  And that effort is patently silly to all except their own hard core socialists/communists and media lackeys.  gjr]

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188 responses to “Sandbox – 22jan25”

  1. The Estonian Fox Avatar
    The Estonian Fox

    Maybe the liberals will realize how much Trump has been talking and DOING, compared to Joe Biden. This in 2 days. It would take Joe more than a month to do similar things. Trump seems super-prepared to DO stuff, compared to his first time in office. Even the liberals must be impressed in comparing the two.
    And JD Vance & Rubio are capable of responding without teleprompters or notes as well.
    Not sure pre-emptive pardons is a legal thing – appears that a federal crime has to be committed. Article II Section 2 of the Constitution:
    “he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States”. I read this as you having to have committed a Federal crime to be pardoned, not applying to a pre-emptive pardon. But I’m not a lawyer.

    Like

  2. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    A return to merit based hiring means increased safety for all –
    I hereby order the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administrator to immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law. All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous preferencing policies or practices, shall immediately be rescinded in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication.
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/22/trump-directs-faa-return-merit-based-hiring-system/
    😉

    Like

  3. The Estonian Fox Avatar
    The Estonian Fox

    Maybe the FAA has already responded to DEI changes. Old procedure:
    “In early 2020, FAA staff offices collaborated to achieve two pressing goals — filling mission critical jobs and improving diversity within the air traffic control workforce.
    The result is the agency’s Aviation Development Program, an innovative approach to opening doors for people who may otherwise lack access to career opportunities. The initiative offers Persons with Targeted Disabilities (PWTD) the opportunity to gain experience as air traffic controller trainees. Targeted disabilities may include partial and complete paralysis, missing extremities, dwarfism, and other conditions.”
    Links showing the actual regulations have been discontinued or unavailable (Page not found; This site can’t be reached). I don’t know if this was initiated months ago, or just in the last 2 days, since I don’t check those FAA pages frequently. At least it’s taking into account that old Chinese saying: “Never reach finish line if don’t start.” Seems we may have started.
    And of course, I’ve always interpreted “DEI” as the Latin, meaning “of God”. Not sure what the translation ‘of Trump’ would be.

    Like

  4. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    “Maybe the liberals will realize how much Trump has been talking and DOING”
    I think there’s a genius to this. Obviously they’ve had some time to plan a bunch of these moves.
    One advantage is that if you bury everyone with a bunch of policies, the DNC-run MSM and DNC-run judges and the like can’t keep up. The public only has so much interest in this and you can push through a bunch of things in a hurry.
    Naturally, there’ll be knock-on legal efforts by activist judges, so we’ll see.
    I rather like the idea of an air traffic control center being staffed by Stephen Hawking clones. It just reinforces my tendency to drive places. It sounds like a natural place to introduce AI but no doubt there’ll be a lot of conservatism in any introduction.
    In the meantime, there’s the Lesson of Twitter. That you can take hugely metastasized organizations and cut them by 75% and no one notices. There might be a bit of that sort of thing upcoming.

    Like

  5. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    on a different matter.
    Aleksandr Dugin on the Ukraine.
    https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/1882422205415665664

    Like

  6. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    I get it, gaslight Trump sycophants were convinced by all the lies, exaggerations, and pie in the sky promises and became convinced that the country was on the verge of collapse, and evil psycho illegal aliens were hiding in the bushes around every house.
    But of course the truth is markedly different than their fevered imaginations were telling them.
    Oh look, egg prices are not 50% cheaper with Trump.
    Why isn’t gas $2.00?
    It was all just a PR campaign.
    https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/world/video/danish-official-responds-donald-trump-greenland-purchase-digvid

    Like

  7. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    A good point.

    “There are now thousands of unemployed DEI “experts.”
    They have useless degrees, minimal skills, wildly unrealistic salary expectations and delusionally-high opinions of themselves.
    These people are unemployable.
    They’re toxic, bad energy, team-killers, and walking lawsuits.
    etc.

    https://x.com/JohnLeFevre/status/1882249029435916774

    Like

  8. Scott O Avatar

    Ah, the loser Hillbilly is projecting again. That’s quite a fabulous tale about what Trump voters believed.
    The reality was and is that the leftist/Dem policies have worsened every single aspect of our American govt, economy and society.
    The socialist policies of our govt were long in coming and will take years to undo if ever. I see America as a failed state in the long run no matter who is POTUS although the left and the Dems would surely hasten our economic and societal collapse far quicker than the Rs. In the end, very few Americans will tolerate the necessary changes to our lives and our economy.

    Like

  9. fish Avatar
    fish

    It was all just a PR campaign.
    Well it’s CNN so sure….it has to be! It’s certainly not “news”!

    Like

  10. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    ” I see America as a failed state …”
    Unless we see some sort of technological revolution, one thing I think we can be assured of is how the grossly unbalanced budget will be dealt with.
    Currency devaluation and collapse.
    Impossible to tell when, but it’ll be obvious in retrospect. No doubt ‘economists’ will be able to explain it all with their typical 20:20 hindsight.

    To be fair, all states are future failed states.

    I think the local liberals are mostly sad with the failure of Biden to have another term because they wanted a President who looks and acts like them.

    It’s a natural impulse.

    Meanwhile, on Politico.
    “Time to Admit It: Trump Is a Great President. He’s Still Trying To Be a Good One.
    The most consequential presidents divided the nation — before “reuniting it on a new level of understanding.””
    https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/21/harris-column-trump-great-president-00199564
    There is nothing the Orange Man cannot do. Except maybe balance the budget.

    Like

  11. Scott O Avatar

    “…one thing I think we can be assured of is how the grossly unbalanced budget will be dealt with.”
    It’s actually worse than that. Overall it comes down to how much value Americans collectively produce vs how much value we collectively consume. And that includes the people that work – not just the millions that won’t work. It’s completely out of balance due to our increasing abandonment of the free market system. We’ve gone from a country that doesn’t want to see anyone go hungry to a nation where we don’t want to see anyone go without the latest smart phone and large screen TV.
    People of the world used to flock here for an opportunity to better themselves despite uncertainty and hardship. And that is how we built the nation.
    We had cheap labor here until we collectively wouldn’t tolerate it. Now we depend on overseas cheap labor that we don’t have to look at.

    Like

  12. Scott O Avatar

    “Well it’s CNN so sure….it has to be! It’s certainly not “news”!”
    Yes – that’s quite the hot anti-Trump “scoop” CNN dug up there. One single “official” in Denmark who is probably their AOC equivalent F-bombs Trump. Wow.

    Like

  13. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly
  14. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    The grift is written deep into the DNA of Democrats.
    “And I was told this came from on high at Politico: Don’t write about the laptop, don’t talk about the laptop, don’t tweet about the laptop. And the only thing Politico wound up writing was that piece that called it disinformation, which charitably could be called misinformation, at the least.”
    https://www.mediaite.com/news/dont-write-about-the-laptop-dont-talk-about-the-laptop-ace-reporters-claim-politico-killed-negative-biden-stories/amp/

    Like

  15. Scott O Avatar

    Hillbilly at 11:17 is doing his darnedest for the “resistance”. One nothing-burger after another.
    Off hand comments that go no where because there’s nothing to them.
    Here’s a pro tip for Hillbilly – try to find stories about something that has actually happened as a matter of policy or a comment made by someone who actually has the power to make to make that comment turn into policy.

    Like

  16. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    Interesting statement:
    “Paul Buchheit on the trajectory of AI progress
    “Everything prior to 2012 was fake in my opinion. It was really deep learning that started to deliver on AI.
    Now what’s happened in the last 10 years is that we’ve found the right objective function, which is simply to predict the next token.
    Intelligence in its most raw form is simply predicting what comes next.””
    https://x.com/Overlap_Tech/status/1882823586987352170

    Like

  17. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    “Hillbilly at 11:17 is doing his darnedest for the “resistance”. One nothing-burger after another.”
    I think it’s just a mob looking for a raison d’etre.

    Like

  18. fish Avatar
    fish

    Posted by: scenes | 24 January 2025 at 08:56 AM
    I think it’s just a mob looking for a raison d’etre.

    Oh they have it…..TRUMP! (It works better if you say it in a high pitched sing song voice like Cardi B….TWUMP!!)
    The Tangerine Tornado is truly the life essence that allows Joe Biden impersonator Paul Raymond Emery of Nevada city, California to drag his desiccated carcass out of his coffin every morning.

    Like

  19. fish Avatar
    fish

    And as long as we’re discussing random deportations I’d like to start with Nevada City’s Fattest Little Pirate himself AKA the Constipated Hillbilly, AKA multiple pseudonyms, AKA jeffy for threatening the Food Security (that’s the marketing term the progressive grifters favor right now) of the United States!
    Such a gross waste of resources simply screams out for punishment!

    Like

  20. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    “TRUMP JUST KILLED NIH AND FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS TO HARVARD AND OTHER UNIVERSITIES WITH DEI PROGRAMS
    -DEI will be removed from all contracts
    -Contractors (universities) must “certify that it does not operate any programs promoting DEI”
    -Agency heads (NIH) must take measures to deter DEI at “institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars”
    -Attorney Genera will issue guidance to end DEI at “institutions of higher education that receive Federal grants” in 120 days.”
    …Paul D. Thacker on X

    Like

  21. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    More Magloon Bullshit
    “President Trump has consistently taken a strong stance that weaponizing the government to go after pro-life advocates and other ideological opponents is wrong. There is no question these prosecutions were political. Even ex-FBI director Chris Wray admits the overwhelming majority of abortion-related threats and violence since Dobbs is directed at pro-life Americans – not done by them. We look forward to the end of Biden’s anti-life discrimination under Attorney General Pam Bondi.
    https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/promise-kept-trump-pardons-imprisoned-pro-life-americans
    But the interesting thing is what Christopher Wray actually said…
    “Approximately 70% of abortion-related threats of violence in the US since the Dobbs decision have been against pro-life groups, according to the head of the FBI.
    FBI Director Christopher Wray gave the statistic while speaking at a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.”
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pro-life-centers-targeted-70-abortion-related-violent-threats-dobbs-decision-fbi
    Come on Trump Brown Nosers, you got this. Let the gaslighting begin
    I guess you can just make this shit up.
    LOL!

    Like

  22. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    And the Magaloon Bull has OD’d on Magnesium’
    the shit is flying now!
    “Ogles’ resolution is tailored specifically to permit Trump to serve a third term, but not to allow three out of the four living former presidents to serve third terms.
    ″No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms,” the amendment states.
    Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all served two consecutive terms, and thus would be barred from being elected to a third term.
    But not Trump, who is the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to be elected to a second, non-consecutive term.
    “It is imperative that we provide President Trump with every resource necessary to correct the disastrous course set by the Biden administration,” Ogles said in a statement.”
    Fourth Grader Ogle whines, give Trump 3 terms…but not those bad men Clinton, Bush and Obama.
    https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-constitution-ogles.html
    Sad, just sad

    Like

  23. fish Avatar
    fish

    Posted by: Resurrected Hillbilly | 24 January 2025 at 11:38 AM
    I guess you can just make this shit up.

    Indeed! It’s what Progressive America has feasted upon for 50 years.
    Mangia jeffy….mangia!

    Like

  24. fish Avatar
    fish

    Good….make Mikey spend it all!

    Bloomberg charity to cover UN funds revoked with Paris Agreement withdrawal

    https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5103697-bloomberg-philanthropies-paris-climate-agreement-withdrawal/

    Like

  25. fish Avatar
    fish

    Hey look….”A Strange New Respect” posting in the wild! You so rarely see those. They’re usually reserved for journalists.

    …. give Trump 3 terms…but not those bad men Clinton, Bush and Obama.

    Bush…..yeah….I remember the Good Ol Days when he was Hitler!
    Good times!

    Like

  26. fish Avatar
    fish

    Good to see Progressive America out themselves as the cheap labor party!

    California’s food industry readies to fight ‘the cruelty and the stupidity’ of Trump
    The new president’s proposed initiatives could have a huge impact on agriculture, restaurants and more

    You’ve never heard “Karen” yell louder to speak to the manager than when her brunch bill is $4.00 higher than it was last time!
    https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/trump-administration-food-industry-california-20038946.php

    Like

  27. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    “Good to see Progressive America out themselves as the cheap labor party!”
    Just wait until RFKJr outlaws another food coloring.
    It’s funny how little labor content there is in food. The increase in retail price by doubling the wages (or automating) is pretty small.
    My favorite part about the whole Invasion of the 3rd World was all the posturing that a)it’s not that bad, you’re exaggerating b)we need someone to pick oranges c)well, what are you gonna do about it.
    The (now famous) chart is all you need to know. Liberals prefer strangers over family members or even countrymen. Everything else follows.
    https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Heatmaps-indicating-highest-moral-allocation-by-ideology-Study-3a-Source-data-are_fig6_336076674

    Like

  28. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    So happy TikTok is back.
    Thank Trump!
    https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2L3hD7W/

    Like

  29. Gregory Avatar
    Gregory

    Jeff, no matter how hard you cry and stomp your little feet, Trump will be the President until this time in 2029.
    That’ll be President Vance, possibly. And another pretty first lady.

    Like

  30. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    Just keeping you honest and busting MAGA myths, Gregory

    Like

  31. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    Magaloons flipping out, as per usual,
    “I’ll never understand why Leftist media that tried to destroy @JDVance and @realDonaldTrump are rewarded with exclusive interviews as opposed to those who were supportive and ethical,” MAGA extremist Laura Loomer wrote on X.
    “Why is Vance rewarding a corrupt Democrat partisan who tried to rig a debate with his first interview as VP?” said Sean Davis, founder of the fraudulent conservative website The Federalist.
    “Why would @JDVance even do this interview, let alone as his first? Don’t resuscitate your dying enemy,” right-wing radio host Rich Baris wrote.
    “VP Vance rewards a left-wing media outlet by giving them his first interview,” wrote Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist’s editor in chief.”
    Well Looney Tunes let me explain it to all’s y’alls, Face the Nation is very well respected, unlike MagaTunes podcasters like Simian Man Bongino, Alex Jones humor podcast, etc.
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/maga-loses-mind-over-jd-151749845.html

    Like

  32. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    Thanks Joe Biden.
    How about that price of eggs Trump?
    US arms exports hit record in 2024 on Ukraine-related demand – https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ukraine-related-demand-sends-us-arms-exports-record-2024-2025-01-24/

    Like

  33. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    “Face the Nation”
    Good Lord, I hadn’t heard of that show in years, maybe decades.
    Looking it up, I’ve got no idea who ‘Margaret Brennan’ is, but I’m sure she’s ‘very well respected’.
    They seem to have decent ratings for a modern news broadcast thing, basically 10% of what Walter Cronkite used to get. The funny thing is that the 25-54 demographic looks to be 1/6 or less of the total. Dead man walking. Their YouTube numbers are hilariously low.
    A person would probably be better off getting their news from some 2:00AM shortwave programming.
    I can see why normal working-age adults think old people are so out of touch.

    Like

  34. fish Avatar
    fish

    Just keeping you honest and busting MAGA myths, Gregory
    You only make me laugh inadvertently but that was pretty funny!

    Like

  35. fish Avatar
    fish

    Well Looney Tunes let me explain it to all’s y’alls, Face the Nation is very well respected….
    Damn….there’s another one! You keep this up and you could have a real future in stand-up!

    Like

  36. Gregory Avatar
    Gregory

    Federalist.com a fraudulent website?
    You’re bending low for that one, Jeff.

    Like

  37. Gregory Avatar
    Gregory

    Deface the Nation?
    Margaret Brennan is OK for a DEI hire. Prove she isn’t one.

    Like

  38. Scott O Avatar

    “busting MAGA myths”
    Really? Maybe name a few you’ve “busted”.
    And you don’t get to invent any myths.

    Like

  39. Scott O Avatar

    “the fraudulent conservative website The Federalist”
    That means:
    “I don’t like what they have to say, but it turns out they’re correct and I have no answer.”
    See Hillbilly? We grok your newspeak.

    Like

  40. Scott O Avatar

    Hillbilly is really going for the comedy today:
    “US arms exports hit record in 2024 on Ukraine-related demand”
    Oh, whoopee! And who shelled out the money for all these arms going to Ukraine?
    Not Ukraine.
    What a maroon.

    Like

  41. Scott O Avatar

    Oh, please! Do it!
    “California secession? Ballot initiative to make state a country is cleared to gather signatures”
    Now, will they wait to secede after the rest of the country bails them out? Or will the newest failed state go begging to the UN?
    https://www.kcra.com/article/california-ballot-initiative-independent-country/63536323

    Like

  42. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    Congratulations Pete Hegseth.

    Like

  43. Gregory Avatar
    Gregory

    Well… yes, Hegseth is in.
    Jeff… so, Trump has been President for nearly 5 days.
    How’s it going?

    Like

  44. fish Avatar
    fish

    $852,000 spent to fly 80
    Funny….I don’t remember this being a concern when the Biden Administration was flying these people into the country (all around the interior….as well) At least until they tried to deposit them in Martha’s Vineyard. That’s when they called out the National Guard….when wealthy white people were scared and inconvenienced.

    Like

  45. Scott O Avatar

    fish 8:05 – I’ll bet we save more than 100K on every one we kick out.

    Like

  46. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    “Well… yes, Hegseth is in.”
    I was considering this morning the attack vector that Democrats really seem to specialize in.
    Any Presidential appointment that’s not a shoo-in bureaucracy person, usually a guy, has umpteen gumshoes aimed at him to dig into his personal life. You interview people back to their second grade teacher and look for personal failings, ability and/or domain knowledge be damned.
    Kavanaugh. Thomas. Gaetz. Hegseth. Tower. even Bolton.
    Maybe it’s just a gender difference in the two parties. Republicans will tend to be men, usually more manly than Democrats. Democrats have been largely taken over by mean girl middle-aged women. An interesting side effect looks to be how lesbians hit way above their weight (which can be considerable) in local governments and NGOs like the teachers organizations.
    I’m thinking there’s an underlying logic or reason here, but haven’t arrived at it yet.

    Like

  47. scenes Avatar
    scenes

    fwiw
    “BREAKING: Inside the MASSIVE Trump DOJ shake-up you need to know about. A thread that will blow your mind…
    1/16”
    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1882849055417799096.html

    Like

  48. Resurrected Hillbilly Avatar
    Resurrected Hillbilly

    Fox TV personality named SecDef – so Trumpian
    Let’s see how he does.

    Like

  49. fish Avatar
    fish

    Well yes …..keeping the grift flowing to the right people is kind of delivering.

    Liberal Media Scream: CBS sucks up to Biden to the end: ‘Did deliver’

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/3292540/liberal-media-scream-cbs-sucks-up-to-biden-till-end-he-did-deliver/

    Like