A blessing for this evening. From the Black Rock Prayer Book.

Black-and-white photograph of Ursula K. Le Guin in her later years, seated comfortably in a wicker chair in front of a bookshelf filled with books. The acclaimed science fiction and fantasy author has short white hair, warm eyes, and a gentle smile as she gazes directly at the camera. She wears a dark long-sleeved shirt, her arms crossed and resting on her lap, with a bracelet on one wrist and a ring on her finger. To the right of the portrait is the vibrant cover of the 50th Anniversary Edition of her novel The Left Hand of Darkness, featuring a bold blue starry gradient background with the title in white text and her name prominently displayed.

Ursula K. Le Guin died #OTD in 2018.

First female author to win both the Nebula & Hugo awards for Best Novel for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 (1970). In total, she won 8 Hugo & 6 Nebula awards. Second woman Grand Master of the #ScienceFiction & Fantasy Writers of America. #scifi #literature #booksky

Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.

The state of the union is that Trump fired cancer researchers and forest service rangers.

He's letting Elon Musk smash the Social Security Administration into pieces.

And he is pushing Congress to pass more tax giveaways for billionaires while destroying Medicaid.

Trump and Elon are destroying the Social Security Administration, and without staff & offices, there will be people who can’t get their benefits—period.

I put together a fact sheet about what Elon's decimation of Social Security will mean for YOU.

Please share it far and wide.

The threat of the bird flu is GROWING because the federal workers tracking and responding to the disease were fired by a smugly uninformed billionaire.

YOUR health is at risk and egg prices will keep skyrocketing because Elon and Trump have ZERO clue who they are firing.

Trump officials start dismantling civil rights offices, as part of DOGE’s secret plan Legal experts said that unwinding a civil rights-era bulwark designed to safeguard employees’ rights removes a crucial check on institutional power.

worth saying again that this was a bait and switch. if trump had openly announced he was running on allowing companies to discriminate against women and minorities he would not have won wapo.st/43aVQg1

Donald Trump has disgraced the United States of America in countless ways since he first entered political life ten years ago.

But he had never disgraced the nation as badly as he did today.

He has brought shame on this country to an extent I had never thought possible. And he has only just begun.

It's past midnight, and Senate Republicans are voting NO against every Democratic-led amendment to PROTECT HEALTH CARE for our families.

Pay close attention: Republicans are working to push kids off Medicaid to pass MORE tax cuts for billionaires.

Walter Wink-03 What Jesus Really Said? YouTube video by gtwisp

If you are preaching on the lectionary this coming Sunday - "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also" - please watch this video featuring the late Walter Wink. Great exegesis. Preach this sermon!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCgB...

If you wanted to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, you would empower the inspectors general.

If you wanted more waste, fraud, and abuse, you would fire them.

Washington state’s senior U.S. senator: RFK Jr. meeting was her most troubling in 32 years 'I walked out from my meeting with him because he threw out so many nonsense, nonsensical questions and statements that it was head-spinning.'

'I walked out from my meeting with him because he threw out so many nonsense, nonsensical questions and statements that it was head-spinning.'

ABA It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform. Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity. We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law. The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.

Someone at the American Bar Association ate their Wheaties this morning.

I wrote this NASA page about wildfires and climate change, and I'm so excited it's finally live. It's a tireless effort to get big pages published at NASA - as it should be!

How long will it remain up? Who knows. Check it out while you still can. 🧪 #climatesky

science.nasa.gov/wildfires-an...

The only way out is through. And the only way through is TOGETHER.

Opinion | A sample of the government webpages Trump doesn’t want you to see Dozens of government webpages disappeared as part of his plan to reshape the U.S. government to his liking. Not even NASA was spared.

Great work being done by the @washingtonpost.com here. If there were piles of books being burned, people would notice. Web pages can easily be deleted with just a click of the mouse. wapo.st/4hPMU3A

Sunday Musings Fishing trip...or something else?

When you think the Bible story is about a fishing trip with Jesus but is really a call to join Jesus in resisting an authoritarian dictator....

Sunday Musings open.substack.com/pub/dianabut...

Elon Musk's DOGE team examines Medicare and Medicaid Services - WSJ By Investing.com Elon Musk's DOGE team examines Medicare and Medicaid Services - WSJ

BREAKING: DOGE has gained access to Medicare and Medicaid payment systems www.investing.com/news/politic...

Please speak up protect our children. 💚

Immigrants make us better Sounder at Heart will be taking a break from posting in solidarity with “A Day Without Immigrants.”

statement: Immigrants make us better
Sounder at Heart will be taking a break from posting in solidarity with “A Day Without Immigrants.”

www.sounderatheart.com/2025/02/day-...

if I understand American politics correctly, progressivism is something that requires 60 senate votes to work, while national conservatism doesn’t require any votes at all

Elon Musk now has access to your Social Security number. The world’s richest man has gained access to the confidential personal information of every taxpayer in the United States.

1/4 This from Emma's Revolution on FB

Clear and simple directions for what you CAN do and how:

www.facebook.com/share/p/1A2A...

Must read. Musk has taken control of all of our money!

Again: Trump just ordered 2 dams open to levels that would’ve flooded areas and farms, without warning, all to back up the lies he told about the fires — and the rivers don’t even flow to LA.

Locals panicked and they backed off.
sjvwater.org/decision-to-...

"DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup."

And most importantly, imagine if Biden asserted that he alone controlled which funds would be spent, overturning the Constitution and the law, and blocked all payments to military contractors, law enforcement agencies, private prisons, energy companies, and faith-based service providers

Acting on Trump's order, federal officials opened up two California dams The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just opened up two California dams. A spokesperson says the flows are 'controlled' and being coordinated with local officials.

For a photo op & a bragging media post, Trump minions at the USACoE have thrown away millions of gals of #water farmers were relying on for later this year. This water will not be captured, will not be useful for cities or farms or firefighting. It is now lost.

www.latimes.com/environment/...

NEW -- NYTimes spokesperson on Pentagon's decision to rotate media office space:

“This move to expel The Times and other independent, fact-based news outlets from the Pentagon’s press spaces is a concerning development.