James Ernest

@jdernest.bsky.social

405 Followers 151 Following

human being, publisher, theologian verbasparsa.org

If Trump wants boots on the ground in Iran, he should deploy the ICE agents. They've spent months in American cities strutting around like elite military forces. Let's see how brave and courageous they really are. They can even wear their masks. Now is the time.
So on the mark. We might add: surrounds themselves with other people who face similar allegations, founded a modeling agency that gave them access to selected goats.... People are contorting themselves to avoid an obvious problem. Ragnar Blackwolf • 23h Hypothetically if someone was accused of having sex with goats by over 30 different people and regularly denied it, but also dropped very public hints about how much he liked to have sex with goats for decades, and ran a goat pageant to find the best looking goats, and was best friends with someone who got convicted of fucking goats and trafficking goats to friends all over the world who also liked to fuck goats, and his name was in the classified goat fucker chronicles 5,000 times, and he wished other goat fuckers well in prison, what do you think the odds are that person is also a goat fucker?
February 4, 2026 Kristi Noem Secretary of Homeland Security U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528 Kash Patel Director Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington, DC 20535 Dear Director Patel and Secretary Noem: I write to request the immediate removal of any U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents from the FBI investigation into the deadly shooting of Mr. Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents, and to ask that ICE HSI agents transfer all evidence and investigative materials to the FBI before departing. Following the FBI’s initial decision not to open an investigation into Mr. Pretti’s killing, the reported removal of the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Field Office, and the unusual mass resignation of federal prosecutors—who reportedly objected to efforts to prevent an investigation into the deadly shooting of Ms. Renee Good by an ICE officer—the public is reasonably questioning whether FBI agents will be allowed to conduct a thorough, objective, and independent inquiry. Allowing ICE HSI agents—who were reportedly instructed to investigate the homicide victim and bystanders for potential crimes, rather than the Border Patrol agents who fatally shot Mr. Pretti and detained witnesses—to participate in the FBI investigation will undermine confidence in its credibility. If the FBI needs additional resources, the appropriate action would be to request support from other FBI field offices, the DOJ Civil Rights Division, or the independent DHS and DOJ Inspectors General… The bottom line is that ICE HSI agents lack the experience, expertise, and independence to conduct credible use‑of‑force investigations involving DHS law enforcement officers and must be removed from the FBI investigation into the killing of Mr. Pretti… Sincerely, Tammy Duckworth United States Senator
A newsletter from the vapid hypocrite Congress Man John Moolenar, sent the Monday after CBP agents murdered Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis, begins "I believe every life has value and deserves protection." And go on to offer a one-question survey about . . . abortion. My response: "What a timely survey, Congressman John Moolenaar! As it happens, I'm very right-to-life. I think you should definitely look into the abortion your president's operatives performed on Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis Saturday. I mean, he definitely had a heartbeat and seemed perfectly viable until they threw him down on the pavement and shot him in the back a dozen times. I think he had a right to life. What do YOU think?"
ICE agents arrived in Maine this week, and one took pictures of a legal observer's car, prompting her to remind him that it is legal to record their actions and to ask why he was taking her information. He answered: "Cause we have a nice little database and now you're considered a domestic terrorist." He appeared to be referring to Trump's September 25, 2025, memo NSPM-7 that describes opposition to the administration's policies—opposition protected by the First Amendment—as "domestic terrorism."
In the end, he will have: • stolen years of our lives • poisoned our families, friendships, and communities • destroyed our institutions - courts, justice, elections, and the rule of law • turned Americans against Americans • humiliated us on the world stage • weakened our alliances while our enemies celebrate • and taken a 250-year democracy and treated it like his personal property And that's why you NEVER hand power to a malignant narcissist - not in politics, not at work, not in your home, not anywhere. Hold him accountable. No immunity. No excuses. LOCK HIM UP.
Trump chose one of the most incompetent, unqualified Cabinets in modern history. And their actions against the American people shouldn’t be overlooked: Marco Rubio: A Trump critic turned YES MAN who’s on the brink of starting another endless war. Pete Hegseth: A former Fox News and now WAR CRIMINAL who’s supporting extra-judicial killings abroad and suppressing peaceful protests at home. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: An anti-vax LUNATIC who spreads conspiracy theories like wildfire. He’s already slashed billions in critical public health funding and overseen the largest measles outbreak in decades. Pam Bondi: A clueless political HACK who is more focused on targeting Trump’s enemies than upholding the rule of law. AND SO MANY MORE!!
Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, are paragons of the manosphere — influencers who say a man’s role is to dominate women. In 2023, Romanian prosecutors said the brothers had seduced women and then pressed them into performing for the Tates’ pornography business. Andrew was also accused of rape. They were barred from leaving the country while prosecutors built their case. Earlier this year, though, Romania lifted the travel restrictions. An investigation by my colleagues Megan Twohey and Isabella Kwai found that support from Trump administration officials had played a crucial role in the decision. “We’re massively back,” a grinning Tate said in a video he posted in February as the brothers flew to Florida by private jet. For years, Megan and Isabella found, Andrew built relationships with Trump’s advisers and relatives, including Barron Trump, the president’s youngest son. They interviewed dozens of people in Romania, the United States and Britain. They reviewed hundreds of pages of court documents and private messages. Their work explains why the Tates are free again, at least for now.
Adam Kinzinger on Substack The Trump admin has been quietly pressuring Europe to not seize the Russian billions for Ukraine. He fully intends to give it back to Russia and likely will find a way to profit himself. Shame on America, and shame on Europe
I happened across this short entry this while looking for something else in the Congressional Record: OUR NAPALM BOMBING Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. Mr. President, in Vietnam a popular song blaring from tape recorders in GI hooches or sung by helicopter pilots goes something like this: Napalm sticks to kids, napalm sticks to kids, When'll those gooks ever learn? We shoot the sick, the young, the lame, We do our best to kill and maim, Because the "kills" all count the same, Napalm sticks to kids. In a Saigon officer's club, with officers entertaining their Vietnam gal guests, the GI orchestra did not play this popular song. Also, it is a good bet marines in our Embassy at Sagon do not customarily sing "Napalm Sticks to Kids," at least unless Ambassador Bunker is away. Another of the many verses is: Blues (helicopter gunships) out on a road recon, See some children with their mom, What the hell, let's drop the bomb, Napalm sticks to kids. A helicopter pilot with access to a typewriter made mimeographed stencil copies of the song. He wanted the song printed. Those officers in charge of headquarters' mimeograph machine refused permission, saying, “That’s not official business.” https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1970-pt20/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1970-pt20-4-2.pdf
Upside-down US flag
Steady State, a group made up of more than 340 former U.S. intelligence officers from the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the State Department, and other intelligence agencies, [has] released a report assessing the state of American democracy. Applying the tools of their craft to the U.S., they assess that the nation is “on a trajectory toward competitive authoritarianism: a system in which elections, courts, and other democratic institutions persist in form but are systematically manipulated to entrench executive control.” https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-16-2025 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fWQLXXMOyFb_vRbRd7CWQLsoh5XQB019/view
TEXT Trump is visibly and unapologetically targeting his political enemies for criminal prosecution. He’s unilaterally and capriciously raising import taxes (tariffs) that will cost Americans dearly. He’s threatening the media with more punishment should it continue to criticize him. IMAGE Upside down US flag in black & white.
Israeli colonists attack ambulance in Ramallah, assault homes near Bethlehem Israeli colonists attack ambulance in Ramallah, assault homes near Bethlehem Archive photo RAMALLAH, September 20, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists carried out two new attacks on Saturday evening, targeting an ambulance in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and Palestinian homes in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem. Local sources reported that colonists hurled stones at an ambulance belonging to the Sinjil Municipality while it was present south of the town. The attack shattered the vehicle’s windows and caused damage, but the ambulance crew escaped unharmed. The Sinjil Municipality confirmed this was the second such attack on its ambulance, describing it as part of an intensifying pattern of colonist aggression against the town’s residents, lands, and property. Meanwhile in the Bethlehem district, Israeli colonists assaulted homes on the outskirts of the village of Kisan using stones and clubs, according to Ahmad Ghazal, the secretary of Fatah in the village. Residents were able to confront the attackers and repel them. The village of Kisan has witnessed a sharp uptick in colonist violence in recent months, as colonists aim to drive out Palestinian residents and seize more land for settlement expansion. Israeli colonist attacks on Palestinian communities—often carried out under the protection of the Israeli military—have increased significantly across the occupied West Bank, particularly in rural areas, in an effort to force Palestinians away from strategic locations.
Photographs depict the port of Gaza before and after the current war
Headline: No, ICE is not just like the gestapo. PHOTO 1: Gestapo member in dress uniform. PHOTO 2: Homeland Security agent in full tactical gear, including fatigues, helmet, mask, and machine gun. TEXT IN TABLE FORM: List of things they have in common: private army serving one man, purpose is to facilitate ethnic cleansing, dress in intimidating clothing, sent out to terrorize neighborhoods, randomly kidnap innocent people, often do not carry search warrants, do not allow their victims a fair trial, send their victims to concentration camps. ICE only: hide their faces behind masks. Gestapo only: The public is afraid to fight back.
Warning: Do not try to say this prayer— The Prayer for Mission O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. - while bang a nationalist.
Ecclesiasticus 10:1-8,12-18 NRSV A Reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus. A wise magistrate educates his people, and the rule of an intelligent person is well ordered. As the people’s judge is, so are his officials; as the ruler of the city is, so are all its inhabitants. An undisciplined king ruins his people, but a city becomes fit to live in through the understanding of its rulers. The government of the earth is in the hand of the Lord, and over it he will raise up the right leader for the time. Human success is in the hand of the Lord, and it is he who confers honor upon the lawgiver. Do not get angry with your neighbor for every injury, and do not resort to acts of insolence. Arrogance is hateful to the Lord and to mortals, and injustice is outrageous to both. Sovereignty passes from nation to nation on account of injustice and insolence and wealth. The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord; the heart has withdrawn from its Maker. For the beginning of pride is sin, and the one who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities, and destroys them completely. The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers, and enthrones the lowly in their place. The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations, and plants the humble in their place. The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations, and destroys them to the foundations of the earth. He removes some of them and destroys them, and erases the memory of them from the earth. Pride was not created for human beings, or violent anger for those born of women. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Billionaire tax cuts are a policy choice. Cutting healthcare for millions is a policy choice. Cutting food assistance for children is a policy choice. Taking from the poor and giving to the rich is a policy choice. Trump and the GOP are choosing to do this. --Robert Reich
If MAGA doesn't care that their guy is a literal felon, tell me why I should care if my neighbor has "papers"
On Friday, May 23, the White House issued an executive order called “Restoring Gold Standard Science.” The order cites the COVID-19 guidance about school reopenings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to claim that the federal government under President Joe Biden “used or promoted scientific information in a highly misleading manner.” (Schools closed in March 2020 under Trump.) The document orders that “[e]mployees shall not engage in scientific misconduct” and, scientists Colette Delawalla, Victor Ambros, Carl Bergstrom, Carol Greider, Michael Mann, and Brian Nosek explain in The Guardian, gives political appointees the power to silence any research they oppose “based on their own ‘judgment.’” They also have the power to punish those scientists whose work they find objectionable. The Guardian authors note that science is “the most important long-term investment for humanity.” They recall the story of Soviet biologist Trofim Lysenko, who is a prime example of the terrible danger of replacing fact-based reality with ideology. As Sam Kean of The Atlantic noted in 2017, Lysenko opposed science-based agriculture in the mid-20th century in favor of the pseudo-scientific idea that the environment alone shapes plants and animals. This idea reflected communist political thought, and Lysenko gained the favor of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Lysenko claimed that his own agricultural techniques, which included transforming one species into another, would dramatically increase crop yields. Government leaders declared that Lysenko’s ideas were the only correct ones, and anyone who disagreed with him was denounced. About 3,000 biologists whose work contradicted his were fired or sent to jail. Some were executed. Scientific research was effectively banned. In the 1930s, Soviet leaders set out to “modernize” Soviet agriculture, and when their new state-run farming collectives failed, they turned to Lysenko to fix the problem with his new techniques. Almost everyth…
Trump proclaimed, and still proclaims, nearly every time he opens his mouth, through all manner of self-contradiction, a fundamental worldview premised on the idea that misfortune is personally discrediting, ugly, embarrassing, and rightly to be shunned. . . . He will contradict himself on every other point, but he never wavers from that one. This worldview is, of course, a direct contradiction of everything Christ taught by word, and even more by deed. Trump hates losers. In the incarnation, God broke metaphysics in order to become one. —Phil Christman, Why Christians Should Be Leftists
Someone please explain to me why a man forced to pay $25,000,000 for defrauding his students at his fake University is suddenly an expert on Harvard student enrollment policy
Too early to say ‘brain drain’” but . . . Universities worldwide are always trying to recruit from one another, just as tech companies and businesses in other fields do. What’s unusual about the current moment is that many global recruiters are targeting researchers by promising something that seems newly threatened: academic freedom. . . . “Our American research colleagues are not particularly interested by money,” [said the president of a French university that has launched a “safe space for science” campaign]. “What they want above all is to be able to continue their research and that their academic freedom be preserved.”
Project Esther exclusively focuses on antisemitism on the left, ignoring antisemitic harassment and violence from the right. It has drawn criticism from many Jewish organizations amid increasing calls for them to push back against the Trump administration. “Trump is pulling straight from the authoritarian playbook, using tools of repression first against those organizing for Palestinian rights,” said Stefanie Fox, the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace. “And in so doing, sharpening those tools for use against anyone and everyone who challenges his fascist agenda.”
No one takes comparisons with Nazi Germany seriously. Media presences, elected officials, and other ‘thought leaders’ say that nothing can be compared to the uniquely horrific Holocaust. That is true when one believes that Adolf Hitler rose to power immediately and exterminated millions of human beings as soon as he rose to power. That is not historically correct. Hitler’s political career lasted over a decade before he was made chancellor of Germany, and he was Führer of the persecution-based Nazi movement for years before the Nazis implemented industrialized death camps. Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Death camps began operation in 1942. World War II ended in 1945. The death camps were the most horrific outcome of Nazi Germany but they existed for a relatively brief time—their efficiency contributing to their horrific existence.