I'm really surprised that no one seems to be alarmed by what a member of the House of Representatives said: "You violated the law; you are not entitled to due process." It feels like a basic understanding of the Fifth Amendment, which protects our right to due process, should be common knowledge—even among high schoolers.
I want to share a story about Enron, a little company that became one of the most powerful corporations in history, only to disappear in a flash due to fraud. While many are familiar with the basics, I think it's worth reviewing the details. At its peak, Enron was hailed as America’s most innovative company and was the only one to appear on the cover of Fortune Magazine twice. The CEO was celebrated as a hero, and the company was ranked as the top employer in the nation. A great documentary on this topic is titled "The Smartest Guys in the Room," which highlights Enron's shady business practices, political connections, and eventual downfall. The executives were widely regarded as 'geniuses' by the media and shareholders. However, after a decade of impressive growth, some accounting experts began questioning Enron's numbers. It turned out that they were involved in the largest accounting fraud in US history, with even their reputable accounting firm, Arthur Anderson LLP, signing off on their manipulated figures. As Enron’s stock started to crash, insiders including executives and early investors began selling off their shares while urging employees not to do the same. Many employees had invested their lives into the company and relied on their stocks for retirement. Ultimately, Enron became infamous for its massive corporate bankruptcy, with the fallout largely mitigated due to its connections with influential figures in the White House. Does any of this sound familiar?
Independent Senator Angus King recently criticized Elon Musk and former Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick for their attempts to undermine Social Security. He expressed concern in a video on X, stating, "I never thought I’d say this, but Social Security is under assault." King highlighted that Musk and his associates are reportedly trying to access personal information from Social Security databases, leading to firings and office closures. He also addressed Lutnick's claim that retirees wouldn't mind if their Social Security checks were delayed, asserting, "Well, I’m sorry, but there are people across the country, if that check doesn’t come, they’re in trouble." King emphasized the importance of Social Security in keeping millions of Americans above the poverty line and warned that efforts to weaken this program could leave many elderly individuals in financial hardship. He noted the significant drop in poverty among seniors since 1960, attributing much of that progress to Social Security. Overall, he sees these actions as part of a larger trend to enrich billionaires at the expense of vulnerable populations.
I really feel like the cruelty of this administration is intentional. Just today, the official White House Twitter account posted an AI-generated cartoon depicting an ICE agent handcuffing a sobbing woman with brown skin. It feels like torture porn to me. This comes on the same day that Kristi Noem, our new Secretary of Homeland Security, shared a video standing in front of a prison in El Salvador—a place America should be shutting down instead of using to threaten others. I remember during the Iraq War when images of smiling US troops next to people in horrific conditions at Abu Ghraib caused outrage; it was a major scandal. Now, it seems like this administration is using similar tactics to appeal to those who thrive on cruelty and want to see their leaders act as bullies. I don’t think the division is just between left and right anymore, or even between rich and poor. It feels more like a struggle between decent human beings who value compassion and empathy, versus those who want to use brute force to get their way, regardless of the suffering they cause. We're truly fighting for the soul of America, and it’s crucial that we don’t let them win.
I've been thinking about the political landscape in America. It seems like our far left doesn't really have a strong movement. I see the far-right as fascists and the center-right as extremist nationalists. Meanwhile, the center-left feels more like classical conservatives, and our far-left is more about being moral centrist moderates. If you look at politicians like Sanders or Warren, they’re barely left of center on any objective political compass. A true far-left movement would push for things like forced property seizure by the working class, but instead, our far-left is focused on issues like preventing people from suffering in medical poverty.
I believe a group truly becomes a cult when the leader encourages followers to betray their friends and family. The recent actions of the "Tangerine Tyrant" telling our closest allies, particularly Canada, to go screw themselves really highlight how MAGA operates like a cult.
I heard that Trump has created an "electronic mailbox" for corporations to request exemptions from the Clean Air Act. These exemptions would enable companies to release mercury into the air, which is concerning because it can lead to brain damage and birth defects.
I recently learned that as of Friday, at least five states are dealing with active measles outbreaks. Texas has the largest outbreak, with around 400 cases reported.
I really resonate with the quote from FDR: "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." It makes me think about how true progress should be measured by our ability to support those in need, rather than just focusing on increasing wealth for the already privileged.
The NWS-Paducah is predicting that severe storms will arrive on Sunday, with the timeline showing that they could hit the Tri-State area as early as 9 PM or as late as 1 AM on Monday. Each period lasts about four hours, and while the models suggest an earlier arrival, this could change. I'll be keeping an eye on the forecast throughout the weekend to stay updated.
I was in the shower when I had this idea, not specifically for this platform but for something else I was working on. I thought about how great it would be to just express my thoughts out loud and have something capture, clean up, and organize them for later use. I wanted a personal thought processor. That’s when the concept for Rmbl started to take shape. I wasn’t looking for a blog or audio recordings; I just wanted a tool that could understand my thoughts and make them easier to read without losing their essence. Then, I realized, what if this idea was public? Imagine scrolling through other people's processed thoughts, all summarized in a consistent way, where you could respond or comment, but everything was filtered through that same layer of clarity. That’s the essence of Rmbl — a space to share our messy thoughts and have them cleaned up while still retaining our voice. It gives people something real to engage with.