HARSH, BUT FAIR:

Hey Patty, where are your posts defending coal miners, natural gas technicians, and other blue collar workers in the energy field? https://t.co/nd3oHTP2IZ

— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) February 23, 2025

ENDORSED: RICO the NGOs: Make them pay or it will happen again.

AND IT”S GLORIOUS: Matt Taibbi: Trump is Trolling the AP. “People are claiming the White House is bullying the AP, repeating the saw that Trump is telling them ‘what words to use.’ If you don’t see the irony, you’ve never used the AP stylebook.”

BRINGING BIGOTRY AND ANTI-SEMITISM TO ACCOUNT: George Washington University Retaliated Against Jewish Students Who Lodged Anti-Semitism Complaint, Federal Probe Finds.

VINAY PRASAD: Universities are falling short again: By not having honest debates about the NIH funding, University are failing the social bargain.

Every successful system accumulates parasites. American academia has been very successful for a long time.

HOW’S IT GOING?

Voters are mostly liking what they see in the first month of the new presidency. By 57/43 voters say Trump doing a better job than Biden in advance look at poll coming out Monday.

Job approval at 52 but closing the border, cutting waste are hugely popular. So is resetting merit…

— Mark Penn (@Mark_Penn) February 23, 2025

TELL THE THEATER KIDS WHO SEEM TO RUN THE BUREAUCRACY TO SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP: An upside-down American flag flew over Yosemite National Park yesterday, as the park plummets into ruin because of Orange Hitler’s fascist plan to make the federal government somewhat smaller. “So the number of employees who run the park and serve visitors has PLUMMETED from about 1,151 to about 1,140, with NPS staffing falling from about 451 to about 440. It’s like we don’t even have a national park there anymore, Hitler Hitler Hitler. Eleven actual employees have been laid off, in a savage Nazi assault on the very concept of public parks. These numbers show that Yosemite National Park has been ruined, and everything has gone straight to hell, and the park is under attack.”

OPEN THREAD: Ring out the weekend.

OPENING A BIG GAP IN DAYTIME RADIO: Trump names Dan Bongino as Deputy FBI Director.

The press will say “Trump appointed a talk show host,” but Bongino has a lot of law enforcement experience and a lot of knowledge of high-level Washington.

🚨BREAKING: President Trump names Dan Bongino as Deputy Director of the FBI. pic.twitter.com/bzS5102DBz

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 24, 2025

MY LATEST SUBSTACK ESSAY: Let’s Go Privateering! An old idea gets new enthusiasm.

Plus Grok Image Generator’s delightful idea of what a modern privateer might look like.

SPACE: US Space Force reveals 1st look at secretive X-37B space plane in orbit (photo).

SCIENCE, UNSETTLED: We’ve Been Misreading a Major Law of Physics For Almost 300 Years.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: China’s Space Dream: No Limits, No End. China’s space strategy is shaped by military ambitions, aspirations for technological dominance, and ubiquitous commercial considerations.

THE LEGAL ACADEMY IS NOT COVERING ITSELF WITH GLORY THESE DAYS:

Stevie's statement in that clip is all the funnier when put in the context of his "areas of expertise": pic.twitter.com/LR5qc5EhVe

— Progressing California (@ProgressingCali) February 22, 2025

CHICKS DIG BAD BOYS: At the Courthouse With Luigi Mangione’s ‘Fangirls.’

Jeffrey Dahmer got fan mail from women. Why should this guy be any different? Is it really about politics, or just atavistic lust for a killer?

Women love killers.

The original, real, gender roles were that women gave life (birth, the gardens) and men took it (hunting, war).

If you cut through a LOT of nonsense, these archetypes ("fertile," "my protector") aren't unpopular today!

Am I kidding here? https://t.co/OV78nXZL0x

— Wilfred Reilly (@wil_da_beast630) February 23, 2025

WE CAN HOPE: Ilya Shapiro: Is DEI about to die? His book came out just in time!

ROGER KIMBALL: The Three Amigos Give a Progress Report.

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY IN NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA: Feb. 25-26 California Bar Exam Is In Shambles: Free July Exams Offered To All 5,600 Registrants If They Bail Or Fail.

MY LATEST SUBSTACK ESSAY: Let’s Go Privateering! An old idea gets new enthusiasm.

Plus Grok Image Generator’s delightful idea of what a modern privateer might look like.

FROM THE CRIME PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER: A Deep Dive into Cases Where Civilians Stopped Active Shooters. Did they accidentally shoot bystanders, get in the way of police, get their gun taken away, or create other problems? How does it compare to police who stopped these attacks?

CHANGE: Commerce Department Has Ended Biden Administration’s Ban on Small Arms Exports.

EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS:

BREAKING: Kash Patel will also serve as the Acting Director of ATF.

Holy sh*t

— Jack (@jackunheard) February 23, 2025

PANIC AT THE DISCO:

I mean, if you can’t name five things you accomplished in a 40 hour work week, then you aren’t providing any value. https://t.co/MTbim9757k

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) February 23, 2025

The rational response from someone who actually does work for the federal government: https://t.co/wz2qvJWkBC pic.twitter.com/u2XjGxb54e

— Kyle Seraphin (@KyleSeraphin) February 23, 2025

The state of America: People feeling as if their rights are violated for having to make a list of 5 things they accomplished over a 40 hour period. How many people are going to list “responding to this email” as one?

— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) February 23, 2025

MY LATEST SUBSTACK ESSAY: Let’s Go Privateering! An old idea gets new enthusiasm.

Plus Grok Image Generator’s delightful idea of what a modern privateer might look like.

OPEN THREAD: Saturday night’s all right for blogging. Get a little action in.