Alright. Schumer. He needs to go. But I want to talk about the other guy that needs to follow him out the door. Mini-Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries.

Hakeem Jeffries had a moment last night. Standing in front of a crowd of well-wishers and hopefuls, he delivered a speech. A speech that will go down in history as a big ole nothing burger. A speech that is now, less than 12 hours later, largely forgotten in the political and collective memory of an otherwise monumental moment. I surmise this is because he lacks the commanding presence and leadership qualities necessary to serve as Speaker of the House.

His charisma, if it can even be called that, is more akin to that of a Home Depot bag of paver sand. You search through the poorly stacked pile selecting the one with the least holes. Yet, despite that effort, it still spills it’s contents all over the cart on the way to the register. Not a good look.

If that does not speak for itself, then consider this. As a potential Speaker, Mr. Jeffries would face the immense challenge of uniting a fractured party that has not managed to maintain a large and diverse tent of voters since Debbie Wasserman Schultz declared Bernie a non-starter. Mr. Jeffries is simply not capable of standing firm in the face of political opposition. Don’t take my word for it. Perhaps, instead, the ever present consumer advocate Ralph Nader may sway you:

More introspection may lead you to ask yourself whether you are up to leading the House Democrats in their immense and immediate tasks of policy and program restorations and adopting our Constitution’s mandated Congressional independence from the Presidency for the protection and advancement of the livelihoods, peace and freedoms of the American people. There is no indication that you are so willing and prepared. Unfortunately.

His record in Congress has not demonstrated the kind of bold, decisive leadership that the position of Speaker demands. Instead, he has often been seen as a cautious, moderate voice. Dare I say, a voice coming from a very real human (I swear) with a spine made of NeeDoh.

Let’s be frank. In times of crisis or when tough decisions must be made, the leader of the Democratic Party and Speaker of the House is not merely about personality. I understand that. Such positions require a deep understanding of the legislative process, the ability to negotiate, and the resilience to withstand the political pressures that come with the position. Jeffries has not consistently shown these traits in his career. For any informed observers, this must raise serious questions about his suitability for such a high-stakes role.

Finally, to convey my firm belief that Mr. Jeffries is not the right person for the leadership role come January, I paraphrase the amazing Forest Whitaker in his role as PFC Edward Garlick in “Good Morning Vietnam”

Hakeem Jeffries sucks the sweat off a dead man’s balls. I have no idea what that means, sir, but it seems very negative to me.

Meanwhile in California, over 50% of the population voted against taxing billionaires via Prop 40. I don’t understand that one at all. The fear mongering worked, I guess.

Huzzah! I’m getting more votes than I ever did for school government!

Your confidence in my abilities is both recognized and appreciated.

Thank you virtual non-board member!

A) Thank you kind internet person. B) That’s quite the username.

Checking privacytools.io, I see they have choices that aren’t great alternatives to Proton’s ecosystem. For example, NordVPN (not a great product) and Mullvad (didn’t the owner contribute to a Swedish nazi party?)

So…is there a curated set of recommendations to replace all Proton products?

I am, once again, offering to take over as CEO of Proton.

My work focuses on nonprofit-stakeholder-government relations. Specifically how organizations mediate between state agencies and stakeholders. No agenda beyond aligning mission, vision, and values, and keeping it that way.

Reach out if you prefer that to help guide Proton somewhere other than the trash bin of distrust.

I just came here to remind folks:

https://www.courthousenews.com/verizon-apologizes-for-throttling-firefighter-data-during-wildfire/

Playing the Verizon during Wildfire Card I see.

https://www.courthousenews.com/verizon-apologizes-for-throttling-firefighter-data-during-wildfire/

This guy deserves a run in with an Orca pod off the shores of the Azores.

Thanks. I’m alright.

II went a different Under > Grad > Post Grad direction. Morality in tact; lacking a Super Yacht.

Cheers internet friend.

If Proton is looking for a CEO that’s a) Not an ass b) Has a bunch of degrees and c) Will trust and support experts in the workplace because I don’t know enough about tech to act like a pretentious jerk…

I am looking for work.

Be me. Try to do the right thing. Do what society tells me. Work hard. Get hit in the face by the rock of life and am stumbling hard.

Be them. Worst of the worst, crimes against absolutely everyone and everything. Reach the pinnacle of success.

I really think the Germans need to come up with a new word for the contrast I’ve stated.

I’m with you. Look. This hijacks this thread and maybe I should post elsewhere, but, fuck it. Social media is neither social nor media. It’s a hellscape that encourages the worst to rise to the top -most of the time.- Have I had lovely interactions and met cool people? Yes. But those moments are absolutely a drop in the bucket compared to the harm.

I was reviewing my own writing today and looking at my numbers. They’re not great. Every single guide I read says I have to be active on social media. 10-15 posts, commenting on other peoples work, all with the hope traffic flows my way.

Sweet mother in buddha. I don’t have it in me to be that present online. Let alone online and actively engaging in social media. I just feel like I need to cleanse myself in a combination of bleach and ammonia (yes, I know what that does) when I try.

It made it easier, yes. Not arguing against that. And the name of the corporation with that alternative? DuPont.

I’ve been trying to distance myself from Reddit and I think that settles it for me. I can get my share of the dead internet elsewhere!

We are passed a habitable and comfortable zone for a diverse world. Its gone.

Governments allowed power companies, automakers, and petrochemical companies and now big tech corporations to trash an entire planet. We sped to our ruin starting in the late 19th century. When Edison turned on a power plant and tried to hide the smoke and tar from inspectors.

In 150 years with greed and avarice, humans learned about the damage. When corporate labs found out about it, they buried the lead, bribed, and attacked any alternative.

I am, sadly, convinced it won’t stop until its really bad. We as a species can’t think ahead well. We almost got there. We had a template with the Ozone solution. Kyoto and Paris were great. Renewables were coming. The Petrol States (especially KSA and Qatar) killed it all because the people in charge of our governments were, frankly, cowards unwilling to fight back.

Someone, somewhere, can start to heal this. But it’ll take a worldwide political revoltution to stop the bleeding. Frankly, again, we can’t convince people the earth is round right now so I’m not optimistic.

I have so many questions…