Agreed, Buck...and a speck....is a welcome amount of light these days!
Regarding the link you provided...I'll say this; at least for now...almost every claim being made checks out as being very credible. It's certainly not a bunch of gunk, pulled out of thin air. Worth paying attention to. Could this simply be overbuilt security? Possibly. But that explanation certainly appears to collapse when you account for the things discussed.
Thanks for looking into it. Seemed very credible to me but I value a second opinion, and yours is top shelf imo. I'm very greatful to have found your writings. They've taken me from dangling horizontally by one hand on the mainstay to 2 feet on the deck and arms wrapped around the mast. #holdfast
Well… I was already having a mini celebration over this ruling and now.. after your analysis? Like you said… Merry Christmas!
It’s hard to know what the Supreme Court will decide next. There’s a lot coming up. Birthright citizenship concerns me. We’ll see how that goes. Any predictions? In the meantime I’ll HoldFast to this bit of light in a very dark time.
Susan...that feels exactly right...and you should take the win.
This ruling doesn’t mean the Court has turned a corner...but it does mean there are still moments where legitimacy...optics...and institutional self-preservation outweigh ideological momentum. In a dark stretch...that matters.
On birthright citizenship...I’m concerned. The legal theory they’d need to unwind it is aggressive...historically weak...and openly political...but that hasn’t stopped this Court before.
If it comes, after having had conversations with a couple of good friends who are lawyers...I expect a fractured ruling...narrow on paper...expansive in effect. Roberts may try to shave the edges...but I wouldn’t count on a full stop.
So...yes...hold fast to this bit of light. Not because it solves everything...but because it proves the system hasn’t gone fully inert yet.
Sometimes survival is about recognizing the small restraints still in play...and defending them fiercely.
And truly, Merry Christmas. Even a flicker is worth protecting!
Happy Festivus! This decision gave me a reason to smile today. For most of his 11 months of contemptible terror on humanity, SCOTUS has given him a pass. To find he's been told no as clearly as can be us uplifting. We can all use more of this type of justice and less Trump Class Battleships 🙄🙄🙄
Jo, Happy Festivus indeed..and I felt that smile too.
You’re right...for most of these past 11 months...the Court has waved him through with barely a raised eyebrow. That’s what made this “no” feel different. Clear. Unmistakable.
Not dressed up as process or delay or deference...just a line drawn.
It doesn’t erase the damage...or the pattern...but it does remind us that the battleship isn’t invincible...no matter how much armor SCOTUS has bolted onto it lately.
Even one clean hit matters for morale...and for precedent.
Here’s hoping for fewer Trump Class Battleships in the new year… and more moments where power...actually meets resistance.
Happy Christmas to you too...and yes, to all a good night!
Happy Christmas to all. If the “battleships” are ever built, they will be sitting ducks. Remember we recently had 2 planes land in water rather than on deck 👹🎄❄️
Respectfully, Jack. Your vision of this ruling limiting or stopping Trump from using the military, or whatever forces he has available to him domestically or internationally, feels a bit Pollyannish because Trump doesn't care about rules, laws or policy. So, what ya gonna do about it?? will be Trump's play to whatever limit put on him. 🫤
Joe, that’s a fair challenge...and I don’t take it lightly.
You’re right about the core reality: Trump doesn’t care about rules...laws...or policy. He never has. So this ruling doesn’t stop him in the sense of restraining his WILL.
What it does...is constrain everyone else around him...and that’s where the real leverage lives.
Authoritarian moves don’t succeed because one man ignores the law. They succeed when enough institutions decide it’s safer...easier...or career-preserving to go along. This ruling raises the cost...significantly... of going along.
It gives governors...judges...military lawyers...and commanders something concrete to point to when they slow-walk...resist...or refuse. It sharpens the “I was just following orders” problem. Razor sharp.
So...no...this isn’t about trusting Trump to obey limits. Only fools and drunks do that. It’s about narrowing his usable options...and increasing friction at every step.
His play will ABSOLUTELY be to push right up to (and past) whatever line exists. The question is whether the system gives him a frictionless runway...or forces him to burn time...credibility...and allies doing it.
This ruling doesn’t end the danger. But...it makes every next move noisier...harder...and riskier for the people he needs to carry it out. In this moment...that’s not Pollyannish...that’s the difference between momentum and RESISTANCE.
Not to be crude...oh what the Hell. I wonder if it was painful for Roberts to finally grow a pair of balls?
Does this put a big red flag that says to Hegseth that he better calm his blood lust, and no using American cities for "training"? Too bad they didn't pull the plug on trumps empire building.
Buck and Jack, I had not considered a data center but it makes sense. Huge amounts of water needed, though. If it is underground, that would be even harder to keep cool. I assumed it was for his underground bunker/palace with gold painted Hobby Lobby designer wall decor, a gold toilet and shower, more marble floors, a McDonald's kitchen, and a tunnel from the White House.
Sue...sometimes "crude" is exactly what's called for.
And...crude, here...doesn't mean inaccurate.
And...yes..I suspect it was uncomfortable for Roberts. He’s spent years trying to square expansive executive power with the Court’s legitimacy...and moments like this force a choice. This felt less like courage than self-preservation...but even that still counts when it draws a real line.
On Hegseth...I do think this ruling throws up a very visible red flag. Not because it tames anyone’s instincts...but because it tells civilian leaders...military lawyers...and commanders that there is now a fresh...explicit precedent...they’ll be judged against.
“Training exercises” in American cities suddenly look a lot harder to launder...when SCOTUS has just said domestic militarization isn’t a free-for-all. It doesn’t stop reckless intent...BUT... it makes compliance riskier.
You’re also right to be annoyed they didn’t go further. This ruling limits ONE pathway...not the empire-building impulse itself. That fight...is STILL very much alive.
As for the data center vs. bunker-palace theory...I think your gold-toilet vision is emotionally satisfying...and entirely on brand.
But Buck and Jack’s angle clicks...because of the infrastructure math. Cooling...power... water...redundancy...those requirements dwarf what even a narcissist’s Versailles fantasy would justify.
Underground just makes the cooling problem harder… unless the heat is the point because computation is.
So maybe it’s not either/or. Maybe...it’s a command center with terrible taste-servers... humming beneath marble...McDonald’s grease traps...and Hobby Lobby gold leaf. Which, depressingly...might be the most Trumpian outcome imaginable.
Whew! It is about time SCOTUS paid actual attention to their actual reason to exist. I was afraid they would NEVER follow the Constitution again. Finally a guardrail held. A small light in the darkness we are living in. Thank you, Jack. Merry Christmas to you and your family. #HOLDFAST
This great merry Christmas news. Now to see if the other states have to file a lawsuit to get them all out. Also fingers crossed he realizes he can NOT disobey that. I figure this must not fall under his immunity they gave him….thanks for the upbeat news even if it for a short while!
Stacking SCOTUS appears to be in peril at this moment in time. No one knows which way ‘the wind blows’ here, yet, so, as a group we stay strong, steady, and steadfast. Awareness in plain site helps, and holding on to one another as the ship sails into the headwind binds the tie. We can do this! Thank you for bringing these matters forward to our attention, Jack. A gift to be sure.
Thank you Jack for my early Christmas present! I am actually pleasantly surprised that SCOTUS decided to reign in a little of the wide ranging executive authority they gave to Trump. Maybe they are getting a smidgen of common sense! Have a great holiday and again, a big thank you to you! ❤️🥰👍
This is a tiny but penetrating speck of light in the darkness to which I'll #holdfast. Do you have any insights about a data center possibly being under the WH balllroom as discussed here?: https://open.substack.com/pub/thedreydossier/p/trump-isnt-building-a-ballroom?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3nger8
Agreed, Buck...and a speck....is a welcome amount of light these days!
Regarding the link you provided...I'll say this; at least for now...almost every claim being made checks out as being very credible. It's certainly not a bunch of gunk, pulled out of thin air. Worth paying attention to. Could this simply be overbuilt security? Possibly. But that explanation certainly appears to collapse when you account for the things discussed.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thanks for looking into it. Seemed very credible to me but I value a second opinion, and yours is top shelf imo. I'm very greatful to have found your writings. They've taken me from dangling horizontally by one hand on the mainstay to 2 feet on the deck and arms wrapped around the mast. #holdfast
Well… I was already having a mini celebration over this ruling and now.. after your analysis? Like you said… Merry Christmas!
It’s hard to know what the Supreme Court will decide next. There’s a lot coming up. Birthright citizenship concerns me. We’ll see how that goes. Any predictions? In the meantime I’ll HoldFast to this bit of light in a very dark time.
Thanks Jack!
#HOLDFAST
~Susan
Susan...that feels exactly right...and you should take the win.
This ruling doesn’t mean the Court has turned a corner...but it does mean there are still moments where legitimacy...optics...and institutional self-preservation outweigh ideological momentum. In a dark stretch...that matters.
On birthright citizenship...I’m concerned. The legal theory they’d need to unwind it is aggressive...historically weak...and openly political...but that hasn’t stopped this Court before.
If it comes, after having had conversations with a couple of good friends who are lawyers...I expect a fractured ruling...narrow on paper...expansive in effect. Roberts may try to shave the edges...but I wouldn’t count on a full stop.
So...yes...hold fast to this bit of light. Not because it solves everything...but because it proves the system hasn’t gone fully inert yet.
Sometimes survival is about recognizing the small restraints still in play...and defending them fiercely.
And truly, Merry Christmas. Even a flicker is worth protecting!
-Jack
Read that it was ruined, at the same time, "...we've got to get going on the ballroom."
National Historical is suing 10 Billion Dollars.
Asked about the plans for the ballroom, the answer, "What plans?"
The command center is just about same size as ballroom. Ballroom "lid" to the command center?
🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Happy Festivus! This decision gave me a reason to smile today. For most of his 11 months of contemptible terror on humanity, SCOTUS has given him a pass. To find he's been told no as clearly as can be us uplifting. We can all use more of this type of justice and less Trump Class Battleships 🙄🙄🙄
Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Jo, Happy Festivus indeed..and I felt that smile too.
You’re right...for most of these past 11 months...the Court has waved him through with barely a raised eyebrow. That’s what made this “no” feel different. Clear. Unmistakable.
Not dressed up as process or delay or deference...just a line drawn.
It doesn’t erase the damage...or the pattern...but it does remind us that the battleship isn’t invincible...no matter how much armor SCOTUS has bolted onto it lately.
Even one clean hit matters for morale...and for precedent.
Here’s hoping for fewer Trump Class Battleships in the new year… and more moments where power...actually meets resistance.
Happy Christmas to you too...and yes, to all a good night!
-Jack
Happy Christmas to all. If the “battleships” are ever built, they will be sitting ducks. Remember we recently had 2 planes land in water rather than on deck 👹🎄❄️
Indeed
About damn time!!
#HoldFast
That's for DAMN sure, Rae!
-Jack
Respectfully, Jack. Your vision of this ruling limiting or stopping Trump from using the military, or whatever forces he has available to him domestically or internationally, feels a bit Pollyannish because Trump doesn't care about rules, laws or policy. So, what ya gonna do about it?? will be Trump's play to whatever limit put on him. 🫤
Joe, that’s a fair challenge...and I don’t take it lightly.
You’re right about the core reality: Trump doesn’t care about rules...laws...or policy. He never has. So this ruling doesn’t stop him in the sense of restraining his WILL.
What it does...is constrain everyone else around him...and that’s where the real leverage lives.
Authoritarian moves don’t succeed because one man ignores the law. They succeed when enough institutions decide it’s safer...easier...or career-preserving to go along. This ruling raises the cost...significantly... of going along.
It gives governors...judges...military lawyers...and commanders something concrete to point to when they slow-walk...resist...or refuse. It sharpens the “I was just following orders” problem. Razor sharp.
So...no...this isn’t about trusting Trump to obey limits. Only fools and drunks do that. It’s about narrowing his usable options...and increasing friction at every step.
His play will ABSOLUTELY be to push right up to (and past) whatever line exists. The question is whether the system gives him a frictionless runway...or forces him to burn time...credibility...and allies doing it.
This ruling doesn’t end the danger. But...it makes every next move noisier...harder...and riskier for the people he needs to carry it out. In this moment...that’s not Pollyannish...that’s the difference between momentum and RESISTANCE.
#HoldFast
-Jack.
Not to be crude...oh what the Hell. I wonder if it was painful for Roberts to finally grow a pair of balls?
Does this put a big red flag that says to Hegseth that he better calm his blood lust, and no using American cities for "training"? Too bad they didn't pull the plug on trumps empire building.
Buck and Jack, I had not considered a data center but it makes sense. Huge amounts of water needed, though. If it is underground, that would be even harder to keep cool. I assumed it was for his underground bunker/palace with gold painted Hobby Lobby designer wall decor, a gold toilet and shower, more marble floors, a McDonald's kitchen, and a tunnel from the White House.
#HoldFast
Sue
Sue...sometimes "crude" is exactly what's called for.
And...crude, here...doesn't mean inaccurate.
And...yes..I suspect it was uncomfortable for Roberts. He’s spent years trying to square expansive executive power with the Court’s legitimacy...and moments like this force a choice. This felt less like courage than self-preservation...but even that still counts when it draws a real line.
On Hegseth...I do think this ruling throws up a very visible red flag. Not because it tames anyone’s instincts...but because it tells civilian leaders...military lawyers...and commanders that there is now a fresh...explicit precedent...they’ll be judged against.
“Training exercises” in American cities suddenly look a lot harder to launder...when SCOTUS has just said domestic militarization isn’t a free-for-all. It doesn’t stop reckless intent...BUT... it makes compliance riskier.
You’re also right to be annoyed they didn’t go further. This ruling limits ONE pathway...not the empire-building impulse itself. That fight...is STILL very much alive.
As for the data center vs. bunker-palace theory...I think your gold-toilet vision is emotionally satisfying...and entirely on brand.
But Buck and Jack’s angle clicks...because of the infrastructure math. Cooling...power... water...redundancy...those requirements dwarf what even a narcissist’s Versailles fantasy would justify.
Underground just makes the cooling problem harder… unless the heat is the point because computation is.
So maybe it’s not either/or. Maybe...it’s a command center with terrible taste-servers... humming beneath marble...McDonald’s grease traps...and Hobby Lobby gold leaf. Which, depressingly...might be the most Trumpian outcome imaginable.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Right on the nose, Jack. Wishing you, your very patient wife and children a calm and lovely Holiday.
There is still the problem of a techno-take over. I'll be watching the theocrats on the bench closely.
Techno or theo?
Both, actually.
Whew! It is about time SCOTUS paid actual attention to their actual reason to exist. I was afraid they would NEVER follow the Constitution again. Finally a guardrail held. A small light in the darkness we are living in. Thank you, Jack. Merry Christmas to you and your family. #HOLDFAST
This great merry Christmas news. Now to see if the other states have to file a lawsuit to get them all out. Also fingers crossed he realizes he can NOT disobey that. I figure this must not fall under his immunity they gave him….thanks for the upbeat news even if it for a short while!
OMG ... I seem to be breathing. I'll be expecting the States to get more agtessive.
Stacking SCOTUS appears to be in peril at this moment in time. No one knows which way ‘the wind blows’ here, yet, so, as a group we stay strong, steady, and steadfast. Awareness in plain site helps, and holding on to one another as the ship sails into the headwind binds the tie. We can do this! Thank you for bringing these matters forward to our attention, Jack. A gift to be sure.
Yaay beloved @jackhopkins!! Thank you for this WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS GIFT! FOR ALLLL FAITHS!! Bless you! #HoldFast!
Thank you for explaining. Strange how hard it has become to believe something positive has actually happened.
Thank you Jack for my early Christmas present! I am actually pleasantly surprised that SCOTUS decided to reign in a little of the wide ranging executive authority they gave to Trump. Maybe they are getting a smidgen of common sense! Have a great holiday and again, a big thank you to you! ❤️🥰👍
Wishing you all a very happy holidays. Hold tight to your family. Enjoy the season. Spread kindness where ever you go. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦