JPB

@freefuture.bsky.social

Retired educator, large scale fiber optic network operator, consultant, and researcher.

1/4 I am deeply troubled that Trump and others reportedly left reporters and staff aboard Air Force One as unwitting decoys while Trump secretly departed on a C-32A.

1/5 On July 23, 2026, James Percival, DHS general counsel, posted a thread on X titled “Worst of the Worst: District Judge Edition.” He published the thread through his official DHS general counsel account.

A new digital military-industrial complex is emerging—built around AI, surveillance, drones, targeting platforms, and Silicon Valley capital. Eisenhower warned us about this danger in 1961. We should be listening now. See my new Substack article. open.substack.com/pub/johnbran...

War, Markets, and the Digital Military-Industrial Complex

Since the start of the war with Iran, newscasters and commentators have expressed puzzlement over the fact that, despite the war and the rapid rise in prices for gasoline and other commodities, the st...

open.substack.com

The Wall Street Journal, AP, The New York Times, etc. report that the Trump administration is sending Americans exposed to Ebola to Kenya. The reports note that the administration is setting up a “state-of-the-art” facility there. Those showing symptoms may be sent to other countries for care.

Trump’s D.C. golf-course push has a twist: East Potomac is reportedly eyed for a high-end course while toxic East Wing debris was dumped there. It echoes Ferry Point, where a taxpayer-built NYC course became a Trump luxury venue. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/... apnews.com/article/trum...

What happened to a New York public golf course when Trump ran it

Ferry Point, a lavish municipal course Trump operated in New York, could hold clues to the administration’s vision for D.C.’s public courses.

washingtonpost.com

Reports say the GOP added $1B for security tied to the “East Wing Modernization Project” in a $70B ICE/CBP package. One problem: there’s no East Wing left to enhance. Photo from last month. A roof and walls might help security.

Bild

Today, Donald Trump posted the following meme on Truth Social. As the meme below shows, the taking of lives is all part of Donald Trump’s macho fantasy—one that we are all living in.1/2

Bild

One thing thing that I found very different between Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump was that Orbán conceded to his opponent rather than whine and say the election was rigged.

These are quotes from Pete Hegseth's press briefing yesterday. Do these statements sound like the sober remarks of a leader who is unleashing "death and destruction"? News reports indicate more than 1,000 civilians killed, including 169 killed at a girls elementary school, mostly children.

1/3 Today, the U.S. Department of Defense has reportedly demanded that Anthropic—the only AI provider currently cleared to work with classified systems—lift the restriction on its products being used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weaponry.

1/4 This is a New York Times article reporting on 16 shootings by U.S. immigration officials since the end of last July through January 24th. In three cases, no charges were filed against the victim.

“He remembers ICE agents pulling him from a friend’s car outside a St. Paul shopping center and throwing him to the ground, handcuffing him, then punching him & striking his head with a steel baton. He remembers being dragged into an SUV and taken to a detention facility, where he was beaten again.”

Immigrant whose skull was broken in eight places during ICE arrest says beating was unprovoked

A Mexican immigrant whose skull was broken during his arrest by immigration officers last month in Minnesota says the beating was unprovoked.

apnews.com

1/2 When Steve Bannon say, "we're gonna have ICE surround the polls come November" and Karoline Leavitt states, "I can't guarantee that an ICE agent won't be around a polling location in November." They are trying to instill fear in minority citizens and suppress their vote.

So impressive and inspirational to witness the courage of Minneapolis residents to stand up for their neighbors and community. We are all Minnesotans!

Back in 2017, while on a camping trip to World's End State Park, my friend and I took an excursion into the historic village of Eagles Mere. The focus of our side trip was to visit the Eagles Mere Bookstore, an expansive shop with new, used and rare books.

The Nazi Conscience

The Nazi Conscience - Kindle edition by Koonz, Claudia. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Nazi Conscience.

amazon.com

I worry as the Trump administration rages war on Venezuela and threatens our NATO allies, that we are hearing less about the Epstein files. It all is overwhelming, but focus cannot be lost!

If, as Kristi Noem and others in the Trump administration state, the ICE officer who shot Renee Good was acting as he had been trained, then ICE agents are being trained to murder innocent citizens. What they really should be trained to do is not step in front of cars!

Multiple news agencies and the Portland Police have confirmed that a man and his wife were shot by a Customs and Border Protection agent last night in Portland, Oregon. It is noteworthy that the driver, once clear of the federal agents, called 911 for medical assistance.