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Michael Fletcher

@mefletcher54.bsky.social
9K followers 2.8K following 8.2K posts

Retired Intelligence Analyst. Cold War era US Army Vet. Fairly familiar with System Dynamics and History. Personal eccentricities: Scadian KSCA, USCF NM&LM. Details and periodic commentary at mefletcher.blogspot.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 5h
The definition of Republican insanity: The GOP-controlled Congress trying to pull a "gotcha!" on Jack Smith and expecting results other than getting their heads handed to them on a platter by someone far smarter than they are.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 9h
This abomination should be illegal. This policy amounts to working to bypass (what little is left of) US legal protections by shipping people to what are essentially foreign concentration camps in nations with questionable governments (to say the least). www.washingtonsun.com/courts/supre...
washingtonsun.com
Supreme Court Allows Trump to Continue Third-Country Deportation Push
The justices agreed to hear arguments over the speedy deportation policy in December.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 9h
[Sarcasm On] A brief review of economic history shows, of course, that corporations of all types require no oversight, and that regulations and laws limiting their behavior are completely unnecessary. They are perfectly capable of self-regulation. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump announces vague ‘morally binding’ AI deal among tech CEOs for ‘tremendous self-policing’
US president also issues executive order officially rebranding ‘artificial intelligence’ as ‘superintelligence’
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 9h
A tale as old as time, these days. "Yes, it will worsen the Climate Disaster, but it will help the economy!" This reminds me of this classic parody, also about Australia and coal. It completely sums up the attitude of fossil fuel corporations. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqXz...
youtube.com
AUSTRALIANS FOR COAL. What is your investment dollar doing?
YouTube video by Yannis Nikolakopoulos
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 19h
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"It's one of my favorite JM Keynes quotes. It can be incredibly hard to simply follow the evidence. Forget everything you thought you knew. Tabula rasa.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A senator on the Senate UnTrumpian Activities Committee makes a bombshell announcement: "I have in my hand an envelope that contains all the names of former government employees named Jack Smith who had reserved seats for an NBA game."
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
AI instruction seems more mind-numbing than this classic bit of teacher parody which at least had a real teacher in front of the class. We are talking pencils-in-the-ears-level mind-numbing. I suspect it's a conspiracy to make sure Texas kids grow up to be mind-numbingly stupid Republicans. 😎
static.klipy.com
Teacher Asks 'Anyone?'
Alt: Teacher Asks 'Anyone?'
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There is a lesson from history. Few people know that much of the manpower behind the Holocaust was provided by ordinary police, not the SS or the Gestapo. It is a common practice, an authoritarian governments to co-op ordinary civil servants, making them part of the machinery of repression.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seems doubtful. 😎
static.klipy.com
Pretty Bubbles Animation with Sparkles
ALT: Pretty Bubbles Animation with Sparkles
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There is a strong argument to be made that the super-billionaires need to be downsized by a wealth tax in addition to the income tax they already (mostly don't) pay (that should also be increased. One Economist proposed a measly 2%. Why not 10% or even 20% - A YEAR until their wealth drops
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Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Bruce Wilson @brucewilson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The contrition tango.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The business model for the 21st Century. Create a product (e.g., invasive surveillance tools) Sell products to let people avoid the negative impact of that product (e.g., a VPN or even Philip K. Dick's Scramble Suit)
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Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Khashoggi's Ghost @urocklive1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Unbelievable. Apparently at the same time Trump is withholding a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan approved by Congress, he offered to sell arms to Xi Jinping, despite the fact that China is aiding Iran and Russia. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Offered to Sell Arms to China, U.S. Ambassador Says (Gift Article)
President Trump made the offer to Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said David Perdue, the ambassador to China. The White House later said the U.S. had no plans for such a sale.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It's fairly pathetic how the Trump and the GOP have copied and are still copying Orban's playbook. Have they realized that Orban ultimately lost? Don't expect the GOP to see the light and reform. Instead, expect them to double down.
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Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Frederick Deknatel @freddydeknatel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"It is almost impossible to overstate their desire to avoid responsibility." @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social to @shainin.bsky.social on his "incriminating account of America’s foreign policy establishment, even as Biden’s top staffers are busy whitewashing their reputations elsewhere in the media."
equator.org
Guilty Men • EQUATOR
A new book thoroughly documents America’s complicity in genocide
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
How will the GOP attempt to disrupt, interfere with, and sow doubt about election results? Let me count the ways. Also, if space weren't a vacuum, you would hear the echoes of their yelling after it bounced off the moon about 26 days after Election Day. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump allies could use midterms ‘counting window’ to disrupt results, experts warn
Fears grow that loyalists in key states could use critical period when votes are counted to amplify false claims
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Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Big Tech wants us talking about about whether AI will usher in "superintelligent" heaven or killer-robot hell so we won't talk about the harms their technologies are already unleashing. @arimelber.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaja88xxirY
youtube.com
AI psyop? Author calls BS on 'end times' warnings
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Vought, like Trump, is supposed to faithfully execute the law. He is flagrantly flouting it. He needs to be impeached just like Trump.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It's literally the President's job to carry out and enforce the laws Congress passes, including allocating money to programs he doesn't like. The Constitution specifically states that he is supposed to "faithfully execute" the laws. www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-c...
cbsnews.com
Trump cancels nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, a move some lawmakers called illegal
President Trump moved to cancel almost $1 billion in spending that was approved by Congress, marking the second time his administration has employed a rarely used tactic that some lawmakers in both pa...
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Europe is the cautious, practically unresponsive frog in the cooking pot while Russia slowly ups the temperature. With the Trumpian US now playing for Team Autocracy, they appear nearly paralyzed with fear.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Rahm vs. Vance is 2028, is a nightmare scenario that should cause anyone to wake up screaming in a cold sweat at 3 AM.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As I was saying earlier today. It's human use and misuse of AI that worries me the most.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Today, from the pulpit of the First Nerd Reich Church: "I love Cthulhu and Satan because those guys really get things done!"😎
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The stupid is genuinely fingernails-on-blackboard painful.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Human misuse is a far bigger threat than AI becoming Skynet. It is already happening. The problem is that these models are so complex that they become black-box models; that is, the people who program them often can't say exactly how results are generated. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
It’s not hypothetical: the dangers of AI are already here | Granate Kim and Mohamed Hussein
Israel and the US have used AI to kill in Gaza and Iran, while law enforcement uses it in surveillance and arrests. The future is here
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to have their own voter database. What we know about this cobbled together data disaster is that it lends strong credence to Theodore Sturgeon's dictum, "Eighty percent of everything is crap."
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
AI doing what you didn't want it to do and doing harm is a programming error. The people who wrote the code are responsible. It's not an autonomous being with agency. It's code. It's really that simple people.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Storm from the northeast, sailor and beach residents take warning.
High surf Due to the outer bank storm.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
promoting a reply discussing the motivations of the Roberts Court.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Question: Will Bibi sink any deal (again) because of Lebanon, and because the war provides cover and conveniently distracts the international community's attention from his ethnic cleansing efforts in Gaza and the West Bank? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Iran awaiting response from Trump on proposal to open strait of Hormuz in six days
Country says US must lift sanctions on its oil exports and end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Corporations paying for science fraud papers is nothing new. Sadly, a few choose a fat paycheck over professional integrity. A few years ago, one scientist lined up a series of fraudulent papers and called them his "deliverables." It is sad and pathetic stuff.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Tough, but fair. 😎
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Trump never pays for anything. I wonder how many statutes this violates. I'm guessing there is more than one. apnews.com/article/paid...
apnews.com
US government foots bill for television advertisement featuring Trump's midterm messaging
An ad running on Fox News and Newsmax showing images of President Donald Trump and calling for the defeat of communism was paid for by the U.S. government.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is the way.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The "Florida Man" classics keeps dropping. Also, I wonder if the Florida Man phenomenon has anything to do with the conditions in Florida - a State largely dominated a corrupt GOP for over a decade
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
More on Stephen Miller's Orwellian Doublespeak, "remigration" policy.
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Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, this argument should be chilling. Trying to limit freedom of the press under the guise of national security is what tinpot dictators do. That’s not how a functioning democracy works.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Ah, the old National Security dodge. If I had a dollar for every time someone used that excuse to cover for doubtful, unethical, or even illegal activities, I'd be rich. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
nbcnews.com
Defending Trump media ban, DOJ cites national security and says White House access is a ‘privilege’
The court filing urges a federal judge not to block the order, ahead of an emergency hearing Wednesday after a lawsuit filed by CNN, MSNOW and Politico.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Get used to the idea that deaths from the growing Climate Disaster will start adding zeroes, a lot of zeroes. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Huge El Niño projected to cause 450,000 deaths in next six months
New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the climate crisis
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Trump has had corrupt links with the Russians for decades. It very likely began in the 80's but possibly even earlier. Connections to US mob figures go back even further. It was practically common knowledge in New York that Trump was "mobbed up."
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It can't get much more stupid than that. Oz must have cut statistics class. Or, like many Republicans he is so overcome by ideological tunnel-vision that he doesn't know how the system works, or even care to know how it works. He will do what ideological purity demands, no matter the harm.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
You were warned about this man for 10 years.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The banality of corruption joins the banality of evil. The amount of corruption in the GOP has become so commonplace that is has overwhelmed most. Corruption that once would have ended careers is now barely commented on or even taken note of. By ignoring it, the public becomes part of it.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is so weird.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
For small nations or regions, letting the billionaires and corporations in to run amok is almost as bad as finding oil or rare minerals and then governments, billionaires and corporations come in to run amok.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've decided to write a cautionary short-story even shorter than Frederic Brown's shortest: Assassinations and military coups don't end well. The End.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
What we are doing isn't enough. All the pledges to do something, as long as it doesn't hurt the global economy or fossil fuel profits. That model was always doomed to fail. It was never going to be enough. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Planetary boundaries’ necessary for flourishing of life have been massively breached, scientists warn
New report shows key indicators of Earth’s health are ‘outside the safe operating space’ as climate disaster looms
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Night Economy is coming. That is my name for a time when daytime temperatures become so dangerous that all significant human activity outdoors, including sports and economic activity, will be moved out of the the deadly daytime heat or, if possible, be transferred indoors.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Filtering out parts of history we don't like or that make us feel uncomfortable is a huge mistake. It should be presented as it was, warts and all; no chaser. Otherwise the space gets filled with narratives meant to manipulate people's beliefs and understanding.
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Michael Fletcher @mefletcher54.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
As I was saying....
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