1,353 experts on democracy, human rights, election security and violent extremism were unceremoniously laid off from the State Dept last week, in so doing gutting government diplomatic expertise.
“People should be feeling scared: they are going to be less safe no matter what this administration says.” says a terminated employee who
requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
How does this “streamlining” enhance America’s global position and who does this benefit?
The world sees a nation slipping from power. Once a leader in democracy and human rights, in a few short months we’ve descended into the chaos of right wing extremism and corruption, in turn losing the trust of our long time allies.
Besides the State Department we’ve also eliminated nearly 900 jobs from the National Weather Service. A public letter by the NWS warned that “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.” Exactly what happened in last week’s flash flood in Texas where 130 people died, including 29 campers and counselors from a summer camp for girls situated in the flood zone that saw the Guadalupe River rise over 25 feet in 3 hours. 160 people are still missing. Texas was warned by both the Obama and Biden administrations then ignored the information and refused the funding allocated to upgrade emergency services.
Proud puppy killer Kristy Noem, head of FEMA said it was up to the states to deal with it apparently not knowing that the F in FEMA stands for Federal. A White House spokesperson called FEMA “a bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience.” FEMA wasn’t deployed until 3 days after the flood. Just last month 2,700 Marines were sent to LA to stop protesters but none for Texas flood victims. For context both Mexico and José Andrés World Food Kitchen were there aiding victims well before FEMA.
Trump campaigned on it so it’s no surprise. In actuality he campaigned to stay out of prison, get revenge, and enrich himself and his friends.
It’s working.
The Commander-in-Thief has also been dropping hints of a 3rd term in office, toying with the idea of revoking citizenship of a certain comedian that’s critical to him and had his wealth increase- doubling his estimated fortune by 2 billion dollars since taking office. That’s a little over 6 months, mainly by crypto currency scams that he’s stopped regulations of.
Despite the 4th amendment, ICE claims they can detain people based on appearance. Here’s some news, A. No you can’t and B. if you’re not indigenous you’re either an immigrant or a refugee so enough with the racist delusions.
The Epstein files disappeared from Atty General Pam Bondi’s office and went from “They’re in my possession on my desk” to “They don’t exist” in a matter of days. How did Epstein’s procurer of pubescents Ghislaine Maxwell end up in prison then?
Must be that magic wand they use to make us forget things like January 6th.
To quote the Fondling Father “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It has even been said he likes beautiful girls as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it- Jeffery enjoys his social life.” Donald Trump 2002
Gotta wonder what happened to the client list (the one he said Obama wrote) and as long as we’re at it, why is there a minute deleted from the camera filming Epstein’s cell, the one he woke up dead in?
As America retreats, watch your back.
Chef/percussionist/writer/reprobate and lover of all things beautiful & delicious, Chef Alan Lake’s culinary career includes East Bank Club in Chicago; Sunset Marquis in W. Hollywood; Izakaya Hiwatta in Ichinomia Japan and legendary nightclub Purpur in Zurich, Switzerland. Working all around the world for over four decades, he's won numerous awards, professional competitions and distinctions. He’s the author of Home Cookin'- The Stories Behind The Food and The Garlic Manifesto- the history of garlic going back to 10,000-year-old Neolithic caves and contains facts, fiction, folklore, myths and legends (besides 100 recipes).
A lifelong musician that plays 70+ percussion instruments, he coined the term “Jazzfood” to describe his cooking style i.e. “solid technique coupled with tasteful improvisation.” He views his food as he does his music and writing and has been known to bust a pout if subpar in any way.