WP: Trump pushes for changes that keep opposition off balance, are hard to reverse

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Luke Ford

The Washington Post reports:

The administration’s approach: Overwhelm with action, outrun the usual checks on executive power, and change government and the country so quickly that some impacts could be irreversible even if courts later intervene.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller fully expected that invoking wartime powers would invite legal challenges, according to officials familiar with the plans. So he arranged for President Donald Trump to sign the proclamation late on a Friday night, hoping to jump-start deportations before a court could respond.

Miller’s maneuver reflected a motto he often shares with other officials: “The most important commodity in the executive branch is time.”

It also reflects the Trump administration’s broader approach in its early days: Overwhelm with action, outrun the usual checks on executive power, and change government and the country so quickly that some impacts could be irreversible even if courts later intervene. Opponents are so dizzied that they don’t know what to fight, and targets of aggression such as universities, corporations and law firms have been cowed into voluntary submission.

“When you’re winning, it’s like blitzkrieg,” Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s first-term chief strategist, said in an interview with The Washington Post. “They’re surrendering without a fight. This is extraordinary, and that’s their urgency: You got to keep pounding. Don’t let them up. Don’t let them have a breath. Don’t let them regroup. Don’t let them organize.”

…The new spin on Bannon’s original “flood the zone” formula arose from the lessons of Trump’s first term and four years out of power to hunker down and plan. Among the top lessons Miller and other alumni of the first administration learned: Force confrontations sooner and hash out the details in court rather than spend as much time vetting policies before introducing them…

An additional impact of the blitz of action is the response across institutions to avoid Trump’s retribution — by capitulating in advance.

Major companies such as Walmart, McDonald’s, Amazon and Google said they would pull back on diversity programs after Trump campaigned against them. Columbia University punished students involved in demonstrations protesting Israel’s war in Gaza and agreed to overhaul an academic department under threat of losing $400 million in federal funding. The law firm Paul Weiss agreed to support the administration’s programs to reverse a punitive executive order, while other major law firms are shying away from suing the Trump administration or representing former Biden administration officials.

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NYT: ‘Companies Pull Back From Pride Events as Trump Targets D.E.I.’

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Luke Ford

The New York Times reports:

Pride organizers say major longtime backers are reducing their support as corporate America retreats from diversity initiatives under President Trump.

When it came time to plan San Francisco Pride this year, Suzanne Ford, the organization’s executive director, reached out to some longtime corporate sponsors to ask how they planned to support the event.

Their abrupt responses stunned her: Not at all.

Several of the event’s largest sponsors — including Comcast, Anheuser-Busch and the beverage company Diageo — told Ms. Ford that they would not be providing funding this year. The companies, which together provided over $200,000 to San Francisco Pride in 2024, each told her that supporting the event was no longer in its budget, she said.

“It was totally shocking,” Ms. Ford said, adding that some of the companies had supported San Francisco Pride for decades. “It was like somebody in your family just all of a sudden saying, ‘We don’t want to be involved with you anymore.’”

With only weeks left to lock in sponsors for the summertime events, Pride organizers across the United States say that many longtime corporate sponsors are suddenly being evasive about their financial commitments or abandoning their support entirely. While some companies cited tight budgets or economic uncertainty, Pride organizers see another factor: President Trump’s widening crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion, which has prompted corporate America to retreat from such initiatives.

“There’s a lot of fear of repercussions for aligning with our festival,” said Wes Shaver, the president of Milwaukee Pride. Many corporations he has spoken to are worried that the Trump administration will classify funding Pride events — one of the signature L.G.B.T.Q. festivals on the calendar — as a diversity, equity and inclusion effort, and that they’ll be punished or penalized. “Everyone’s afraid,” he said.

In recent weeks, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Comcast and the auto dealership group Darcars have dropped their sponsorship of WorldPride, to be held in Washington, D.C., organizers said.

Andi Otto, the executive director of Twin Cities Pride, said that some longtime sponsors were leaving his calls and emails unanswered, and that his organization was about $200,000 behind its funding goal.

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What are the dumbest pieties?

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Luke Ford

Grok says:

People often toss around sayings that sound noble or wise but crumble under scrutiny. Here are some of the most significant false pieties that slip by unquestioned:
“Everything happens for a reason.” – It’s comforting, sure, but it implies some cosmic plan when often it’s just chaos or human screw-ups at play. A kid dying of cancer or a random car accident doesn’t have a neat “reason”—sometimes it’s just brutal luck.

“Hard work always pays off.” – Tell that to the coal miner with black lung or the single mom working three jobs still stuck in poverty. Effort doesn’t guarantee success; systems, timing, and raw chance often outweigh grit.

“The customer is always right.” – Anyone who’s worked retail knows this is nonsense. Customers can be clueless, rude, or flat-out wrong. It’s a business mantra, not a truth—meant to prioritize sales, not reality.

“Time heals all wounds.” – Some scars fester forever—grief, trauma, betrayal. Time might dull the edge, but “heal”? That’s a stretch for anyone who’s lost something irreplaceable.

“Good things come to those who wait.” – Patience can be a virtue, but waiting doesn’t magically deliver rewards. Action usually beats sitting tight—fortune favors the bold, not the idle.

“Love conquers all.” – Romantic as hell, but love doesn’t pay bills, fix addiction, or stop a war. It’s a powerful force, but it’s not a cure-all—practicality and compatibility often matter more.

These platitudes persist because they’re catchy and soothe us, not because they hold up. They’re like verbal security blankets—nice to clutch, but don’t bet your life on them.

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Trump’s belligerence might help the left overseas

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Luke Ford

Carl Benjamin posts:

Trump’s belligerence towards Canada, along with the cold face his administration has shown to America’s allies more broadly, has hurt the right wing cause in every other country.

It has allowed the left to claim the nationalistic position and made their right wingers seem like either patsies of a hostile foreign power or liars that they don’t want the same thing as him.

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Why do gays love poppers more than straights?

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Luke Ford

Grok says:

Historically, poppers gained popularity in gay male subcultures, particularly from the 1970s onward, during the rise of disco and club scenes where they were sold as “room odorizers” or “video head cleaners” to skirt legal restrictions. Their appeal in these spaces stemmed from their effects: a quick high, heightened sensory experience, and relaxation of smooth muscles, including the anal sphincter, which can make sexual activity—especially anal sex—more comfortable or enjoyable. Since anal sex is more common among gay men than straight populations (though not exclusive to them), this practical benefit likely boosted their use in gay communities.
Culturally, poppers became embedded in gay nightlife and sexual contexts, reinforced by their presence in bathhouses, bars, and pornographic media aimed at gay men. A 2021 study from the University of Chicago found 35% of gay and bisexual men reported using poppers in the past year, compared to just 3% of straight men, suggesting a significant disparity tied to these social environments. The drug’s association with liberation and hedonism during the pre-AIDS era further cemented its status as a gay cultural staple, even as its use persisted post-HIV crisis.
Straight people, by contrast, have less historical or subcultural attachment to poppers. While some straight individuals use them—often in kink or party scenes—their sexual practices (e.g., less frequent anal sex) and social spaces (e.g., fewer straight equivalents to gay bathhouses) don’t align as directly with poppers’ effects or marketing.
Physiologically, there’s no evidence gay men respond differently to poppers than straight people—effects like vasodilation and euphoria are universal. The difference is more about context and adoption. Gay men’s higher use likely reflects a feedback loop: practical utility in sex, amplified by community norms, sustained by visibility in gay culture. Straights might experiment (e.g., at raves or via niche interests), but without that reinforcing cycle, it’s less prevalent.

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