America's Awesome: 11 July 2025. The Government Always Sucks, But I Still Believe in America
Grok, MAGA Civil War & all the political BS ➕ Fighting suicide with Rock n' Roll, health news & Happy Slurpee Day, Major Tom
The Government Always Sucks, But I Still Believe in America
INHABIT: Interesting News, Headlines, And Bullshit I’m Tracking
Good News & Nonsense
Today’s Podcast
In Closing: Happy Slurpee Day, Major Tom
The Government Always Sucks, But I Still Believe in America
America’s Awesome. As miserable as many things are in this Bizarro America Cinematic Universe (BACU), even as I shared yesterday my sincere concerns that “This is How We Get Prepared for Martial Law,” I still believe in America. As I said in a post earlier today, the American People are far greater than our government. This Administration manufactures chaos and then ratchets up its authoritarianism (see below). But amid the chaos, Americans are still fighting for what’s right.
Gallup: Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated.
30% of Americans want immigration decreased, down from 55% a year ago
Record-high 79% consider immigration good for the country
Support down for border wall, mass deportation
A Baseball Coach Says He Fended Off ICE Agents Questioning Kids on the Upper West Side. “Wilder was leading a group of 11 middle school and high school kids through a batting cage practice near 72nd Street in Riverside Park, when he had an unexpected run-in with… (ICE) agents... ‘I go over quickly and the agents are asking the kids inappropriate things like where they are from, their country of origin, so I say, “whoa, whoa,” and I tell the officers that their questions are inappropriate, and that I’m going to tell my kids not to answer them.’”
California surgical center staff demand to see warrant as ICE agents detain landscaper. “Federal immigration agents seeking to detain a Honduran landscaper chased him into a Southern California surgical center and quickly found themselves in a tense standoff as clinic staff demanded to see identification and a warrant… Ontario Advanced Surgery Center staff in blue scrubs are heard telling an armed (ICE) agent wearing a mask and bulletproof vest to let go of the man, who is crying and gasping for breath. ‘Get your hands off of him. You don’t even have a warrant’ …‘Let him go. You need to get out.’ …agents eventually arrested the Honduran man, and advocates do not know where he is.”
Americans will not accept the Administration's delusional desires of monarchy. I believe in America and the American People.
More on the manufactured chaos and associated bullshit it leads to:
ICE handcuffs 71-year-old grandmother, a U.S. citizen, at San Diego immigration court
A crisis of faith: ICE raids force some churches to take ‘extraordinary’ action
The Department of Homeland Security Says Trump's Immigration Enforcers Are on a Mission From God
Judd Legum, via Bluesky: “Trump's megabill includes $45 billion for the construction of immigrant detention facilities. To put that in perspective, the Los Angeles Clippers' Intuit Dome, one of the most expensive sports arenas in the world cost $2 billion. Trump has enough to build 22 Intuit Domes.”
Trump's immigration enforcement record so far: High arrests, low deportations
INHABIT
Grok 4 seems to consult Elon Musk to answer controversial questions. “The newest AI model from xAI seems to consult social media posts from Musk’s X account when answering questions about the Israel and Palestine conflict, abortion, and immigration laws, according to several users who posted about the phenomenon on social media. Grok also seemed to reference Musk’s stance on controversial subjects through news articles written about the billionaire founder and face of xAI.”
Nothing to see here. 🙈🙉🙊 Trump's $100 million crypto mystery man. “World Liberty… will have injected tens of millions of dollars into their personal coffers. The Trumps have now earned around $500 million from World Liberty since the crypto platform was launched...”
Trump Announces He's Working on Mass Amnesty Plan for Illegal Aliens After Passing 'Big Beautiful Bill.' “In his first speech after the House passed his ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ President Trump on Thursday announced he's working on a mass amnesty for potentially millions of illegal aliens working in farm, hotel and leisure industries which ‘radical right people’ won't be happy about.”
🍿MAGA Civil Wars:
Scoop: FBI's Dan Bongino clashes with AG Bondi over handling of Epstein files
Joe Rogan’s Latest Post Amplifies Epstein Conspiracy Theories; The podcast king takes a cryptic shot at Trump and the Justice Department, reigniting suspicions of a government cover-up in the Epstein saga.
Podcast Bro Andrew Schulz Turns on Trump: ‘I Voted For None of This’ (like Rogan, the guys don’t hesitate to run down into conspiracy rabbit holes in their discussion)
Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified; There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.
Incompetence and Bullshit:
DHS Tells Police That Common Protest Activities Are ‘Violent Tactics.’ DHS is urging law enforcement to treat even skateboarding and live-streaming as signs of violent intent during a protest, turning everyday behavior into a pretext for police action. This points back to yesterday’s post on setting the conditions for martial law.
As an Army officer, you're taught to fight with the main effort, leading your team where it counts the most. Maybe that's just the Army… FEMA leader is a no-show after deadly Texas flooding.
Kristi Noem Faces Investigation Over FEMA's Response to Texas Floods
Trump administration backs away from abolishing FEMA. Ya’ think?
Justice Dept. Whistle-Blower Warns of Trump Administration’s Assault on the Law
Trump quietly claimed a power even King George wasn’t allowed to have; A truly scary new revelation about Trump’s effort to circumvent the TikTok ban.
Trump hands Congress a ‘weapon’ he once warned would do ‘grave damage’ to presidency. “Trump has agreed to ‘waive’ any claims of executive privilege, the legal shield that presidents typically use to maintain the secrecy of candid conversations between a president and close confidants.”
The GOP Sucks. The Dems Do Too. All this nonsense may give Democrats a sense of confidence. As usual, they’re missing it. Lack of support for the GOP doesn’t mean anyone is enthusiastic about the other trad party…
New poll delivers troubling signs for Democrats. “The Democratic Party’s credibility with voters has plummeted even further since the 2024 election, raising alarm bells as the party looks to rebuild ahead of the midterms and the next presidential election… ‘out of touch,’ ‘woke’ and ‘weak.’”
These fucking guys, part one: The Kash Patel Loyalty Test. “FBI under Director Kash Patel has a new application for polygraphs: Sniffing out whether employees have ever said anything mean about their boss, the controversial right-wing figure himself.”
These fucking guys, part two: White House Ridiculed Over ‘Superman Trump’ Photo: ‘Epstein List Is Your Kryptonite’
These fucking guys, part three. How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power;
I really appreciate my local police department and sincerely believe most cops want to serve, protect and do the right thing. But, we also have some really rotten things happening across these United States:
'Not getting a free ride to the hospital': Jail staff told inmate to 'stop being a p—y' as he lay on floor writhing in pain before his death, lawsuit says
Good News & Nonsense
Fighting Suicide with Rock n’ Roll is Awesome: The Heavy Metal Festival Aiming To Curb Teen Suicide; Fire in the Mountains looks to reduce the suicide rate among Native Americans, the highest among any ethnic group. “Native Americans have the highest suicide rate of any ethnic group in the United States, according to the CDC, and Indigenous high school students have ‘seriously considered attempting suicide’ more than teens of any other ethnicity… The suicide rate among Native Americans has increased year over year from 2018 to 2021, according to the CDC, with the problem especially adverse in Montana, which holds the U.S.’s highest overall suicide rate. The state is home to the Native American tribe the Blackfeet Nation.” The article goes on to talk about an awesome effort to “improve… lives and reduce the suicide rate by giving them something exciting in their lives.” Rock n’ Roll for the win.
Health & Health Science Are Awesome: A Friday Threesome:
Arnold’s Pump Club: Number You Won’t Forget: One Inch. From today’s newsletter, a good reminder on the value of eating smart, exercising and staying healthy. “Research suggests that each additional inch of waist size can raise your risk of dying, regardless of your BMI. Researchers tracked more than 100,000 adults …found that the bigger the waistline, the greater the risk of death… For every inch increase in waist size, mortality risk rose by three to six percent.”
Scientists Succeed in Reversing Parkinson’s Symptoms in Mice. “CASES OF PARKINSON’S disease have doubled in the last 25 years… a series of experimental therapies are laying the groundwork for potentially reversing the condition, which affects nearly 10 million people…”
Your Poop Schedule Says a Lot About Your Overall Health, Suggests Study. A good reminder to take the time to know your body, monitor for what’s changing and ask why. “This study shows how bowel movement frequency can influence all body systems, and how aberrant bowel movement frequency may be an important risk factor in the development of chronic diseases”
Today’s Podcast
Men of a Certain X EP 257. As the Taco turns, NYC, rank choice voting, and spreading fear. Friday Men of a Certain ❌‼️
Dave introduces a new segment: As Taco Turns 🌮
NYC Mayoral race & the Dems' curious position
Ranked Choice Voting & why it should be the way we vote
Spreading fear & threats of Martial Law
In Closing: Happy Slurpee Day, Major Tom
On this 7-11 (go get your free Slurpee!) in 1969, David Bowie released one of his most well-known classics, Space Oddity. There’s really so much Bowie to love. Have a great weekend!