Out my window

It's more cloudy today than this photo taken a few days ago. 

Shams is out exploring the desert. 

I do Karuna today. Yesterday was a real struggle generating metta with the coup. Today I started with my empathy and compassion for those who are actually following politics and know what is going on and feel hurt by the abuses, power grabs, etc. Indeed all Americans and the world suffer through this. Everything is interconnected, we have an interbeing. Senators and representatives went in front of the build where Musk's team has been granted illegal access, as an unvetted governmental official, and is trying to close down a legislative elected department. Words are nice, but the naked power grabs are another thing, feels like patience is required to see the resolution of the lawsuits that spring up from this, and the slow grinding of democracy and justice. 

There are always people who like far right wing people tearing down the federal government, and I think about the pain I suffer for when my side is in office. Of course my side never really takes it to the right and often democrats are in the middle, I see Clinton as a Republican, and I criticize them from the left, so I never really stop being unhappy politically. 

Reading the Wikipedia article linked above, I read:

"DOGE employees have entered US federal buildings in Washington DC. The events have been described as "takeover", "freeze", or "coup" by members of the Democratic party and media, who claim that the DOGE does not have the authority to carry out these activities. Trump and Republicans argue Musk is acting out campaign promises of government efficiency, and that Musk's powers are limited. Musk says that it is to stop government corruption and waste."

Also, "Musk himself has been present with his team. In January, it was reported that he was sleeping at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. He was also seen at the GSA building. Wired magazine reported that Musk's team includes Riccardo Biasini, a former Tesla engineer; Amanda Scales, who worked at Musk's xAI; and two others that the magazine did not name because of their young ages – one was 21 and the other a teenager. Wired also identified six men aged 19 to 24 who have little to no governmental experience, that are working as engineers within DOGE. The New York Times reported that Brian Bjelde, a SpaceX employee, and Anthony Armstrong, a banker involved in the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk, had both been appointed senior directors at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The team has been called "Doge Kids" by some reporters."

It's actually interesting to read this objective voice, away from the liberal imagination, where he's accessing social security numbers, even though he's not been vetted as a federal employee. 

"On February 2, it was reported that DOGE personnel attempted to improperly access classified information and security systems at the US Agency for International Development but were thwarted by USAID security officials who were subsequently put on leave. The group moved to dismantle USAID in February. The website was taken offline, staff were fired, and work overseas stopped. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared himself acting administrator of the agency, although it has been an independent body for sixty years."

You have to I suppose read between the lines to see how sinister this all is. Reorganizing the government so quickly and without democratic participation, well I guess the right doesn't have that value. 

I think it is a coup. And a violation. And a railroading. But it's good to see a more objective narrative on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a living beast, so that can be edited, this was accessed on 2/5/2025.

It later goes into the outrage:

"Musk has been sharply critical of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), characterizing it as a "criminal organization", a "viper's nest of radical-left marxists who hate America", and "evil". On February 1, members of DOGE gained access to classified information of USAID without sufficient security clearances. Two top security chiefs at USAID were placed on leave by the Trump administration after attempting to deny access to the DOGE members, who threatened to call US Marshals to be allowed access. The organization's website and X account were also removed. On February 3, Musk said of USAID: "We're shutting it down", with Musk saying Trump "agreed"; an email from special adviser Gavin Kliger to USAID staff instructed staff to keep away from USAID headquarters while hundreds of staff lost access to USAID computer systems."

Please note I take out cites since I don't link them, see Wikipedia to find them.