Thomas Hall

How hard do you think I would have to get my buddy to hit me over the head before I could be part of the 1%?

Do you guys think it would be worth it?

True Colors • Cyndi Lauper
(Cover by Jasmine Wesley)

The beauty
of the world lies
in the diversity
of its people.

They never apologize to anyone...
#MAGACULTRACISTS

I’m so sorry for the world you have to live in...

#Humanity #Respect #Diversity

2/2

Team USA skier: Just because I wear the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.

"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].

So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem

has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]

Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.

Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that all four people arrested today, including two journalists, were Black.

And now we find out the charge is “conspiracy to violate civil rights,” a statute rooted in the Ku Klux Klan Act.

Sit with that.

We aren't the most restive people these days... Evidence is we will accept a lot before we decide open rebellion is preferable.

Civilians in Downey, California, bravely rescue elderly men from the clutches of aggressive masked goons.

If you are a resident of California, the state now has a portal where you can demand deletion of your personal data from 500+ registered data brokers with a single request form, for free.

consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov

First Secretary of Defense you could defeat by painting a tunnel on the side of a boulder.

I would love to read your full piece. Didn't find it on your website... though I did find a lot of other things to read later. I appreciate you in many ways.

Very disappointed none of you told me that Lewis Mumford made a 1963 film about car dependency, and it's available on YouTube.

"The motor car inflates our private ego, proclaims our social status, and provides us with the illusion of freedom and power."

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

There is also the constitutionally mandated structural bias of the Senate, which also Carrie’s into the electoral college. The House itself isn’t affected by this.

If you don’t know Lina Khan, now is a great time to know about her. She’s now on Zohran Mamdani’s transition team. She’s also the former FTC Chair, only 36, & committed to leveling the playing field for everyday Americans. She is an absolute star. This is what hope feels like.

Thank you all!
Catch your breath, for tonight.
The real fight can wait, just a little while.
Good morning, America.

How many?

Or nickname your son Schwartz Hund...

I don't have all the answers, but Speaker Jeffries is being an idiot of the "wrestle in the pigstye" variety. Everyone gets dirty, but some enjoy it, and politically importantly, *look like they enjoy it* more.

I am not saying I know 100% what the right response is, but I am pretty sure this is an example of Speaker Jeffries being an idiot of the "wrestle with the pigs" variety, where all end up dirty but some of them are having more fun, and look like it.

I don't know what detaching is, or muting. Blocking sounds straightforward. But I would like not to get caught up in this...

For what it is worth, I do know you are a Doctor... and are way smarter than me, at least in science.

No chance you are judging me a little more quickly than is warranted? Obviously this is your page, your thread... and you can keep it on point the way you see fit.

But social media might be better as gumbo than miso and tofu, with a little scallions.

I am willing to chalk this one as an L, though. And try to come back in the future having observed the whole conversation a little better.

*winces*

Eh... at the risk... I read it slightly differently. To me it sounded more like he was coarsely accusing you of giving aid-and-comfort to a trending group of assholes, or not realizing that both-sidesism is really big right now.

I do acknowledge I was going off of just one post.

I do realize there is probably a vibrant community here that was probably talking just fine before Stu and I arrived... and I haven't checked Stu's profile or history.

I like lively exchanges and people not being excessively careful with what they say.

See... nuance and lack of nuance.

I don't see all the ways my reply was ill-timed or poorly conceived, but I am sure there are a few.

I am also sure sometimes I, and others, do need to take our floaties off and jump in the deep end.

I am not sure if it is a rhetorical technique. It could be mostly trying to be polite to someone who doesn't know me and I don't know her... but also dropping the ball.

or, rather...

Huge tool my middle name. It is what all the ladies call me. Thanks, Piper.

Buddy, work with me.... and let's do nuance. No. She wasn't blaming Dems for Trump's actions.

She was saying that this shit-show has more than one root.

By the way I am Thomas. But you can just call me Mixed Metaphor today. I am brewing my coffee.

Dr. Prescod-Weinstein. Of course. My apologies. Will you let me blame it on not having my coffee yet this morning?

I do think we should absolutely talk about Clinton, Obama and Biden tango-ing the rising tide. And I am pretty sure the asshole-meter would bump on Stu and me.

But we are, ultimately, on your side.

Ms. Prescod-Weinstein, I am a big fan, having bumped in on some astronomy posts. My 2c on this? You and Stu Duncan should both just cook. As somebody prone to cursing and coarse and simplistic statements, at times, myself, I do hear what both of you are saying, and think there is something in there.

YouTube video by More Perfect Union We Put 7 Uber Drivers in One Room. What We Found Will Shock You.

youtu.be/OEXJmNj6SPk