Democracy Not Plutocracy

Energy Archives Reporting and commentary on the Texas energy industry and innovations shaping its future

Texas Monthly does some of my favorite long-form energy reporting, and I just discovered that a 2 year digital subscription is only $25?? What a steal.

Recent energy stories: www.texasmonthly.com/category/ene...

And follow @russellgold.bsky.social if you haven't yet.

As I said, the long term goal of Trump and the Republicans is to delegitimize and dismantle the Federal Government.

That’s why he wants to appoint a man who is under investigation for sex trafficking to head up the Justice Department.

Elon, using Trump’s casual racism as a certificate of authenticity, warns Senators against confirming Biden nominated judges during the lame duck.
Do not sleep on the Elon thuggery.

Jack Smith Plans to Step Down as Special Counsel Before Trump Takes Office The prosecutor who investigated and charged Donald J. Trump plans to finish his report and leave the job before he can be fired.

Jack Smith plans to step down before Trump takes office. Just in case it was lost on anyone: Smith was an extraordinary public servant and a hero.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/u...

It’s also crypto propaganda. It tells the bros “Hey, as promised this is really happening. Sell everything you’ve got, borrow everything you can get, and move all your US dollars into crypto.”

Okay I made one because I was having a tough time finding Black academics in this space. Share your handle in the replies if you are a Black Academic and wish to be added to this discipline list :).
go.bsky.app/PHKhesN

A reminder to people that independent bookshops that are coming to here from Twitter are taking a financial risk as that social media outlet is a major factor in marketing and getting sales.

Quite understandably, because he grew up in Pretoria and didn’t start working as an illegal immigrant in the United States until the mid- or late 1990s, Elon never got to watch that Schoolhouse Rock episode on bills and laws and stuff.

Pete Hegseth, President-Elect Trump's pick for Defense Secretary "says he was removed from the 2021 inauguration mission after Jan 6 because he has a Deus vult cross tattoo - an image that has been appropriate with the far-right."

via military reporter @stevenbeynon.bsky.social

Beynon's thread⬇️

The new Defense Secretary says women shouldn’t be in combat. The new Ambassador to Israel says the West Bank and Gaza don’t exist. The new Homeland Security Secretary is a dogkiller. The new SoS had a dick-measuring contest with Trump. Musk—who secretly talks to Putin—has an illegal job.

It’s Day 7

The fall of the Roman Empire but very stupid and everyone has phones.

Imagine taking a gun to a puppy’s head and pulling the trigger??

That’s our new Director of Homeland Security.

I just realized that a self preservation habit I formed over at the other place was not looking at replies hardly at all to keep from seeing all the hate. Bear with me as I get used to actually chatting with decent folks again.

The MSM is reporting on the failures of the losing campaign and the winning campaign’s picks for cabinet positions, because that’s what they’ve always done after an election.

If we’ve learned nothing else these last eight years, it’s that MSM is incapable of change.

Stay off of mainstream media, who want you to be scared and keep reading. Work on the things you can control. Accept the reality you live in. It might just be easy for for me because it’s how I do my job. Say the Serenity Prayer?

A woman is challenging Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban and six-week ban, arguing a violation of the right to privacy and self-determination and is requesting class-action status for those who may become pregnant, but are unable to access abortions. www.aclu-ky.org/sites/defaul...

Was there today for the H.R. 9495 vote (bill that would have allowed labeling nonprofits as terrorist supporting organizations).

Voted no, of course - but I do want to report that the activism DID work and persuaded members.

I thought it’d be a lonely NO vote, which we take often. It wasn’t.

May I suggest a book for the impending collapse? "Surviving the Future" by Shaun Chamberlain and David Fleming has been a comfort read for me lately. A gentle but prescient book about what it means to create community amidst societal collapse. Highly recommend for this moment.

Researchers say Twitter changed its algorithm to promote Elon Musk and Republican posts leading up to the election.

"The date at which [the spike] in engagement occurs coincides with Elon Musk's formal endorsement of Donald Trump on 13th July 2024." eprints.qut.edu.au/253211/

This is designed to show the crypto bros that the government WILL move from US dollar to crypto. Looks silly but it’s strong propaganda and will drive more crypto investments—before the big squeeze.

“Elon Musk's X is bleeding users after Trump's election win *** On Tuesday, Bluesky announced that it has welcomed one million users since the U.S. presidential election.” 11/12/24 #Xodus #bluesky www.yahoo.com/news/trump-v...

The best thing I've done for my mental health in years has been to start spending two hours a day working from my local library. Those places have healing energy.

The public library’s free app Libby makes this super-easy. You can join more than one library. They have free audio books too. Great to listen to on walks or at bedtime. Love it. 💙

“The Santa Clara County [Californua] Registrar of Voters Office was evacuated over the weekend after a bomb threat that was sent by email was seen by an employee *** About 100 employees who were inside still counting & processing votes…were evacuated…” 11/11/24 localnewsmatters.org/2024/11/11/b...

Several Maryland Board of Elections received bomb threats Friday, officials say State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis took to X to say he has zero tolerance for threats against election officials.

A bomb threat, by email, was sent to my state too, Maryland.

www.wmar2news.com/local/severa...

Gotta break the Elon rule because Musk just posted this 👇

Funny how watching Russian television better helps you predict Trump’s staffing decisions than watching American television does. If in doubt follow @juliadavisnews.bsky.social

Trump is Musk’s client. Musk is Putin’s client. Putin is Xi’s client.

Shifting the Paradigm in Ukraine | by Marci Shore - Project Syndicate Marci Shore examines the tragic causes and deadly consequences of the ban on using US weapons against targets in Russia.

"he [Biden] still can – and should – take a risk, shift the paradigm, and embrace the possibilities, and the demands, of a new historical moment."
@marcishore.bsky.social, "Shifting the Paradigm in Ukraine"
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/u...

What Does It Mean That Donald Trump Is a Fascist? Trump takes the tools of dictators and adapts them for the Internet. We should expect him to try to cling to power until death, and create a cult of January 6th martyrs.

"liberals struggle with the overwhelming volume of questions to be asked, answers to be offered... A fascist just has to be a storyteller. Because for fascists words do not attach to meanings, the stories don’t need... to accord with external reality."
www.newyorker.com/magazine/dis...