Author: condor

There Has Been A Renewed Flare-Up, Of Ebola — In Children — In Kampala, Uganda. This After An “All Clear”, Just Two Weeks Ago. Sigh.

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Now, two four year old children — in Kampala, the capital, have died from confirmed Ebola viral infections [these are unrelated to the male nurse’s chain, of January 2025].

This is doubly discouraging, since reliable reports on the ground indicate that United States Ebola aid sources remain frozen — despite Elon Musk’s lying, at a cabinet meeting this week and saying that aid was flowing again, for Ebola prevention, through USAID. The staffers in Uganda have contradicted this claim. And children are dying — again, because of the feckless Elon Musk — and the malign moron Donald Trump. Dammit. Here’s the UK Independent — on it all:

…A second child’s death in Uganda, a 4-year-old, from Ebola, marks a setback in efforts to contain the outbreak declared on 30 January.

The child, who died on Tuesday, had been receiving treatment at the main referral facility in Kampala. This follows the earlier death of a male nurse, the first recorded victim of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the child’s death on Saturday and said efforts were underway to bolster surveillance and contact tracing measures….

It is deeply barbaric that we have the means and methods to prevent these deaths, but Musk and Trump are consciously choosing to kill children. Damn. Out.

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In Which Scott Johnson — Unintentionally — Acknowledges His, John’s And Paul’s Own… Myopia

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Scott offers what I assume he thinks of as an amusing but poignant piece this morning, proposing about two dozen new laws, like Murphy’s Law — but expanded, and contorted — to the point of being self-mocking.

However, he writes one thing that is true — but not in the way he imagines it. After about 600 years of (mostly-mediocre) whyte men being able to exert unearned dominance in almost every corner of American life, they are finally seeing some measure of what real equality is: when they have to compete on merit — not a smile and a haircut alone, to get a job, etc. And Scott pens this (of course meaning to refer to DEI as an evil):

“…When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination….”

Scott, it is in fact the Bakke case that most exhibited this: in 1978 the Supremes dismissed a case from a whyte student who claimed he couldn’t get into the school of his choosing due to “reverse discrimination” — because he was… whyte. [It admitted him saying only that rigid racial quotas for Davis Med School were impermissible — but the whole person, including prior adversity faced and poverty, and/or racial discrimination… could be permissible plus factors” for admission.]

After that most of these were bounced out of court.

But here we are, nearly a half century later, and Scott, and John and Paul and Tangerine 2.0 have convinced an entire “grievance generation” of whytes, that they are the ones being put upon.

And a few more cases in the last five years have prevailed, and yet held that essays may be used, and rigid test scores alone need not finally determine who is admitted.

But the idea that it is whyte people (whyte men, in particular) who are at a comprehensive society wide disadvantage… well, that’s simply… preposterous. As it was in 1978 — through to today. No… these folks’ problem.. is that they’ve grown up thinking (wrongly) they are entitled to the vast bulk of our nation’s wealth.

Out — and onward, as a truly “Mediocre Whyte Guy” — but aware of his many faults and limitations. Grin.

Success — Blue Ghost Lander Is Upright On The Moon — And Now Sending Back Data Packets…

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Just as expected, the Firefly Aerospace lander has performed flawlessly.

We are enthused that so much can be accomplished without the need for the added weight of a crewed lander — and obviously, the added risks. Here’s the latest, from NASA earlier this morning:

…Carrying a suite of NASA science and technology, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully landed at 3:34 a.m. EST on Sunday near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a more than 300-mile-wide basin located in the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side.

The Blue Ghost lander is in an upright and stable configuration, and the successful Moon delivery is part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. This is the first CLPS delivery for Firefly, and their first Moon landing.

The 10 NASA science and technology instruments aboard the lander will operate on the lunar surface for approximately one lunar day, or about 14 Earth days.

“This incredible achievement demonstrates how NASA and American companies are leading the way in space exploration for the benefit of all,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “We have already learned many lessons – and the technological and science demonstrations onboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will improve our ability to not only discover more science, but to ensure the safety of our spacecraft instruments for future human exploration — both in the short term and long term….”

Onward, smiling into the sunshine — I did not stay up to watch live, but all is well, at Mons Latreille / Mare Crisium. Grin.

नमस्ते

Wait! Hinderaker Says NOTHING About Trump Trying To Overturn A Public Company’s Shareholder VOTE?!?

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Last week, the Apple shareholders voted overwhelmingly NOT to end their DEI efforts, inside the company.

They VOTED DOWN a hard right proposal to outlaw even the use of the term “DEI” — inside Apple. This is a for profit — and wildly profitable — company. In the $2 Trillion club.

But Tangerine 2.0 is trying to suppress Tim Cook’s ideas — as to how best to manage and run the world’s juggernaut of a tech company. He is doing that, as the preznit of the US. [Trump said Apple “better ditch DEI” — as he wants it “dead”.]

THAT’S 100% REAL “Commie censorship” of private for profit businesses, John.

When, on the other hand, a loose coalition of grass roots non-profits organize a series of daily boycotts… yep, that is free speech, John.

Exactly what Trump is trying to PREVENT the shareholders and Tim Cook — from doing — speaking about how best to meet the market’s desires… and sell more phones and computers and watches. Sheesh, Johnnie!

But Hinderaker writes as though the boycotts… are the true Commie plot.

I N S A N E.

Out.

An Able DC USDC Judge Rules, With Finality: Hampton Dellinger Keeps His Position, On Summary Judgment

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Here is the full 67 page opinion, from the ever-capable Amy Berman-Jackson.

There could not be a more complete loss for Team Tangerine 2.0.

There was no authority to try to oust him, in the manner that these chuckle-heads attempted.

Full stop. But do read it all, if you are a fan of our system of ordered liberty.

…There is no dispute that the statute establishing the Office of Special Counsel provides that the Special Counsel may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office, and that the curt email from the White House informing the Special Counsel that he was terminated contained no reasons whatsoever. This is the basis for Count 1, which alleges that the termination was an unlawful, ultra vires action, and the basis for plaintiff’s assertion that he is entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief. Compl. ¶¶ 37–41. The Court will grant plaintiff’s motion and enter judgment in his favor….

Although this Court does not consider plaintiff to be an inferior officer, the case is more akin to Morrison, in which the Court found that the removal protections did not unduly interfere with the functioning of the executive branch because, in part, the independent counsel had “limited jurisdiction and tenure and lacked policymaking or significant administrative authority.” Seila Law, 591 U.S. at 217, quoting Morrison, 487 U.S. at 691. If, as in that case, one considers the question posed by the Supreme Court – “whether a removal restriction is of such a nature that it impedes the President’s ability to perform his constitutional duty” – the answer is no….

These are very strange times, to be sure — and I do worry a little bit, that there is coming a time when Tangerine 2.0 will assert that he need not honor or obey any court’s order that he doesn’t agree with. At that moment, we all must stand tall: and if need be, the US Marshals and the various states’ police may be pressed into service. I hope it doesn’t come to that — but we should begin making contingency plans, now. [And Trump has already appealed the above, but it stands firm.]

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More Granularity — From The Wa Po — On In-Agency Directives To Ignore Muskian “Dot Point” Demands…

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The non-political heads of at least four agencies (including NASA) have instructed federal workers to NOT respond to Elon’s “Part II” email. Several USDC Judges have ruled that OPM / DOGE / Musk lacks any lawful authority to make these demands.

And on X-itter yesterday, Musk said consequences for failure to reply will “vary by agency” — implying he thinks the directive is mandatory. Multiple nationwide TROs have held the opposite. Here’s the latest — do go read it all:

…Many Agency Heads Openly Defy Musk….

A senior career official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who retired on Friday, Jeffrey Grant, sent a scathing open letter to the Department of Health and Human Services leader who executed the DOGE-directed firing of 82 of the 600 operations workers Grant managed.

“As a career federal official and senior human capital officer, you had to know that what you were doing was wrong,” Grant wrote to Jeffery Anoka, acting chief human capital officer at the department. “If you were ordered to write those letters, you should have refused to follow that unlawful directive.”

Grant said Anoka’s accusations in the firing letters that the terminated workers are “not fit” for continued employment because they were underperforming and lack required skills and ability are “factually incorrect on all counts.” A department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment….

Separately, Elon also welcomed a fourteenth child over the weekend — with yet another former employee — from another one of his companies.

I really don’t much care, such things are a “personal choice” between adults, in my view (and all of them know about the “other baby mamas“) but it is surprising and perhaps… to me, ironic… that Trump’s purportedly evangelical x-tian base is as quiet as the tomb — about these polyamorous, out of wedlock ways. He has (by my amateurish count) at least four concurrent “life partners” (all significantly younger than he is) — with whom he’s birthed these now 14 offspring.

Whatever.

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Overnight, Apparently — OPM / Musk / DOGE Sent A NEW Batch Of Dot Point Memo Demands (Though More Politely) To All Fed. Agencies. Sheesh!

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Earlier this week, at least three USDC Judges ruled that Musk / OPM had no authority to send the “dot point demands”. [It seems clear that Elon Musk, stupidly, thought OPM was the “HR Department” — for the whole of the federal government, ignorantly assuming that the for profit corporate organization template would map one for one, onto the government. That’s the most charitable version I can come up with — for the below. It is more likely that he… just doesn’t care about the law, and will do whatever the hell he wants… essentially, daring the courts to stop him. Well… they have. only 3 for about 33 are remotely in his favor, now. Moreover, there are five separate TROs preventing this nonsense, nationwide.]

Indeed, toward the below, we had heard rumblings that Kash Patel at FBI had converted it to a “permissive” request, and that most FBI agents are answering by saying “all my activities are sensitive“. But now, from the front lines of non-political pure science agencies, we have an example of what has been sent at NIH — the agency overseen (indirectly, though HHS) by that loon JFK, Jr.

There are enough different commenters here at my joint — and plenty enough employees at NIH, that this won’t be matched to any specific science professional at NIH — but one of our anon. commenters has shared the below, received last night — and again, it still originates from OPM, and asks for a reply. That reply would then send the employee’s dot points to… yep, OPM. That, all three USDC judges (we’ve been covering) have ruled — Musk had and has, no authority to even attempt. One USDC Judge said “no statute in any universe” would allow this.

Do see the below — and I will have more on this later today or tomorrow. What a sordid mess these jokers are making of the premier science organization on the planet. Damnation.

…To: OPM_ALLEMPLOEE_NOTIFICATION@LIST.NIH.GOV

Message of high importance

Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets describing what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.

Going forward, please complete the above task each week by Mondays at 11:59 pm ET.

Please do not send links, attachments, or any classified/sensitive information.

If all of your activities are classified or sensitive, please write “All of my activities are sensitive….”

I think I’d reply only to my direct supervisor, and indicate that I was doing so… as a “courtesy“. But I’d NOT send it on to OPM — or RFK. Jr. [And, those of us with access to truly anonymized mail server addresses, well… we might just start sending in our favorite recipes, old jokes, and anti-tangerine memes… to that email above listed as the originator of the dot point requests. People are already spamming it, to make it largely incapable of any real use to Musk / Trump / Rubio / Patel / RFK. Jr. Heh.] Onward — crazy times. Onward — crazy times.

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Hinderaker Thinks Hundreds Of Thousands Dead, In War… Should Be Covered — As A “You’re FIRED!” Moment?! That’s… Sad.

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As I wrote in an update, last night, Hinderaker thinks that Tangerine 2.0 is now no more than some sort of stupid “Golden Bachelorette Finale” episode. He refers to it, smirking — as a “theater” piece.

This is the end of all his principled thinking — on the international security stage. John has decided that Tangerine 2.0 should be allowed to carve up Ukraine, and hand chunks of it over to… Putin.

But even if he thinks it wise — to give a carved up Ukraine away for free to Putin, he owes us more critical thought to explain why.

To explain why Trump is whining, like some third or fourth grade bully who can’t get to pitch on the baseball diamond (because he sucks at it!) feels mocking, and berating, the President of a nation who has served honorably in wartime is a sensible approach to foreign affairs.

I personally think all that smells like Trump’s paying a prior debt — one owed to Putin.

But Hinderaker cannot bring himself to treat any of this seriously. Hundreds of thousands of both ordinary Russians and Ukrainians are now dead — and more dying, every day.

Yet, he along with Trump and Vance — mock the sacrifices of the Ukraine people and he won’t ever go so far as to chastise the lil’ bully Trump so tediously is, even entering his eighth decade on the planet.

That’s… disgusting.

Out.

Blue Ghost Will Touch Down On The Moon — On Sunday, In The Wee Hours… See It Here.

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This is just one of three private missions set to touch down on the lunar surface in the next two weeks.

This may have the best branding / naming — of all of them though. Grin. Here’s a bit, from NASA’s coverage blogs:

…Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is nearly on top of its Moon landing on Sunday, March 2, after launching on Jan.15. In preparation for landing, Blue Ghost completed its final lunar orbit maneuver on Monday, Feb. 24. This maneuver inserted Blue Ghost into a near-circular low lunar orbit, bringing the lander ever closer to the lunar surface.

Now, about one hour before touchdown in the early Sunday morning hours East Coast time, Blue Ghost will complete its Descent Orbit Insertion burn, which will initiate the lander’s descent trajectory toward its landing site on the near side of the Moon….

With a suite of NASA science and technology on board, Firefly Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 3:34 a.m. EST Sunday, March 2, to set their Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon. Blue Ghost is slated to touch down near Mare Crisium, in the northeast quadrant on the near side of the Moon, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence. Live coverage of the landing, jointly hosted by NASA and Firefly, will air on NASA+ starting at 2:20 a.m. EST, approximately 75 minutes before touch down on the Moon’s surface….

Do stop back in, if you can’t fall asleep as your clocks “Spring Forward” (or are sitting in a bar, at closing time) — as we will have the live video updated, right here. Onward.

नमस्ते

Schedule Now Set, For Briefing On Motion To Clarify / Expand The Prelim. Inj., In The “DEI Is Okay” Cases, In Baltimore: Monday And Tuesday…

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And yet another appellate court has held against Team Tangerine 2.0 — on much the same grounds: he cannot seem to grasp that he is subject to Constitutional checks and balances. He is… in a word, no king.

The Fourth Circuit has bounced Team Tangerine 2.0 out on its ear, summarily — in just two elapsed days (very much like the Ninth), thus:

…We join the Ninth Circuit in finding that the government has not made a “strong showing” that it is “likely to succeed on the merits” of its argument against universal injunctions. See Washington v. Trump, 2025 WL 553485, at *1 (9th Cir. Feb. 19, 2025) (quoting Nken, 556 U.S. at 434) (denying similar stay request). Our circuit precedent forecloses the government’s position that injunctions extending relief to those “similarly situated” to the plaintiffs are “categorically beyond the equitable power of district courts.” Roe, 947 F.3d at 232; see also HIAS, 985 F.3d at 326. And that precedent is based on our understanding that the Supreme Court, too, has “affirmed the equitable powers of district courts, in appropriate cases, to issue nationwide injunctions extending relief to those who are similarly situated to the litigants.” Roe, 947 F.3d at 232 (citing Trump v. Int’l Refugee Assistance Project, 582 U.S. 571, 580 (2017) (per curiam))….

[I]t is notable that the government is not prepared to argue that it will likely prevail on the merits of the Executive Order itself. We are aware of no case — and the government has not cited one – in which a court has stayed a preliminary injunction of a policy, already found likely unlawful, in which the movant did not argue for the policy’s legality. Under these circumstances, especially, we are hesitant to disturb a preliminary injunction that maintains the status quo while the lawfulness of the Executive Order is litigated….

[And the upcoming schedule — back in the Baltimore trial court:]

…Upon review of Plaintiffs’ Motion to Clarify Preliminary Injunction Order (ECF No. 50, “the Clarification Motion”), the following briefing deadlines will apply:

Defendants shall file their opposition to the Clarification Motion | Monday, March 3rd

Plaintiffs shall file their reply brief regarding the Clarification Motion | Tuesday, March 4th

The scheduling order regarding the Motion to Stay Injunction Pending Appeal (ECF No. 48), as outlined in ECF No. 49, remains unchanged.

Date: February 28, 2025

/s/ Adam B. Abelson

United States District Judge….

Now you know. That brings the overall tally, to like 3 for 32 — with Trump, on the losing end of that stick. Onward.

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