“Mr. Dernbach, don’t play Russian roulette with H’s life. Err on the side of caution. There’s a reason the US government along with many other governments don’t recognise the Taliban. Apply principles of common sense and decency.” That was an email that Jon, a retired American from a Philadelphia suburb, fired off from his Gmail account to a prosecutor at the Dept of Homeland Security after reading a story about efforts to deport an Afghan whose life would be in immediate danger from the Taliban. The email contained no threats. It was just a measured call for caution and decency from someone who thought that people like him needed to speak up if we want to preserve America’s better values. The response was less measured. “Five hours and one minute later, Jon was watching TV with his wife when an email popped up in his inbox. He noticed it on his phone. ‘Google,’ the message read, ‘has received legal process from a Law Enforcement authority compelling the release of information related to your Google Account.’ Listed below was the type of legal process: ‘subpoena.’ And below that, the authority: ‘Department of Homeland Security.’ That’s how it began. Soon would come a knock at the door by men with badges and, for Jon, the relentless feeling of being surveilled in a country where he never imagined he would be.” There are a lot of things going on in our country that we never imagined would be. Most of the coverage goes to the things happening out in the public, often captured on video. But, as the knock on Jon’s Philadelphia front door makes clear, there are a lot of things happening in the shadows as well. WaPo (Gift Article): Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon. Anything you say can and will be used against you. But that’s no longer just limited to the moments after you’ve been arrested and read your Miranda warning. Anything you say, write, buy, do, share, or send anywhere, anytime can be used against you. Just ask a guy named Jon from a Philadelphia suburb who shared this story, but who, for obvious reasons, asked that his last name not be used. In America. 2France Stance“French prosecutors raided the offices of social media platform X on Tuesday as part of a preliminary investigation into allegations including spreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes. They have also summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning.” In different times, this may have been an investigation American officials would have led. Instead, we can expect a lot of pushback, and probably some threats, from the US government. 3Tear Jerkers“I know that intellectually. But I still did not expect them to gas a chill, friendly protest full of nurses and teachers and children and the elderly.” Sarah Jeong in The Verge: How to tear gas children. 4Five Ring CircusIt sort of seems hard to believe that the Winter Olympics are just a few days from now. For a quick preview, NPR has a guide to 19 Winter Olympic storylines. For Americans, all eyes will be on Lindsey Vonn, whose high-profile comeback was dealt a serious blow when she crashed at the last event before the games. Despite a ‘ruptured’ knee ligament, Lindsey Vonn says she will compete in the Olympics. (If I had a ruptured knee ligament, I’m not sure I’d have the strength to watch the Olympics...) 5Extra, ExtraGrill Bill and Hill: “For months, the Clintons resisted subpoenas from the committee, but House Republicans — with support from a few Democrats — had advanced criminal contempt of Congress charges to a potential vote this week. It threatened the Clintons with the potential for substantial fines and even prison time if they had been convicted.” Clintons finalize agreement to testify in House Epstein probe, bowing to threat of contempt vote. 6Bottom of the News“For decades, Japan has enjoyed a reputation as one of the cleanest places in the world, all while having almost no public trash cans. But an influx of foreign visitors—a record 42.7 million last year—is disrupting the garbage equilibrium. In some tourist-heavy areas, littering is on the rise, leading some local officials to rethink waste management.” Tourists in Japan Are Baffled: Where Are the Trash Cans?
|
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
This Knock Knock is No Joke
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"Coming Together" With Oregon AG Dan Rayfield and GovAct's Julia Spiegel
Excited to bring conversations with two vital leaders in our pro-democracy movement to you today....... ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏...
-
Four Ohio cities ranked in the nation's top 100 best cities for single people, according to a WalletHub survey that considered fact...
No comments:
Post a Comment