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Alexander Howard

@digiphile

Dad, writer, cyclist, citizen, cereal dilettante. Advocate for freedom of information, open governance, & democracy. Lover of the Oxford Comma, hater of hubris. Recovering journalist. Trying to move carefully, & fix things. https://civic-texts.ghost.io

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27.04.2023
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Latest posts by Alexander Howard @digiphile

I’d miss your writing quite a bit if it didn’t exist, though. You amplifying me makes me smile: I’m a fan.

07.03.2026 00:59 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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10 miles, 22,263 steps. Still feeling a lot of emotions, but now I’m sore & will sleep better. Onwards. Spring is coming.

07.03.2026 00:48 👍 6 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Gonzalez choosing to drop his re-election bid means Brandon Herrera will face Katy Padilla Stout in the Texas 23rd: www.ktsm.com/news/border-...

Watch carefully to see how this uncovered:
bsky.app/profile/digi...

This border district is an important bellwether.

07.03.2026 00:12 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Rep Issa is reportedly retiring: www.axios.com/2026/03/06/d... I remember jousting with him over a decade ago, in the Before Times.

With Gonzalez’ announcement yesterday — who is still refusing to resign — that’s now 55 incumbents retiring: ballotpedia.org/List_of_U.S....

07.03.2026 00:12 👍 17 🔁 4 💬 2 📌 3
The end of ethics
The end of ethics YouTube video by Lawyer Oyer

Excellent call to arms from Liz Oyer.

06.03.2026 23:48 👍 29 🔁 15 💬 2 📌 2
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March 6, 2026 — DC
🏛️🗣️🌸🇺🇸

06.03.2026 22:54 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Photo of a banner on the USDA in Washington DC today with illustrations of President Lincoln and President Washington next to the words “250 years of freedom.”

Photo of a banner on the USDA in Washington DC today with illustrations of President Lincoln and President Washington next to the words “250 years of freedom.”

Freedom for all the People who reside in the USA began in 1965, not when leaders of colonies declared independence in 1776.

Slavery persisted until 1865.
Segregation endured in herrenvolk states across the South until the civil rights movement.

Taxpayer-funded propaganda in DC ignores our history.

06.03.2026 20:42 👍 9 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump

The pardon power is near-absolute under our Constitution:
constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay...
The only constitutional remedy for a President abusing this entrusted power for personal profit or political gain is to investigate, impeach, & remove them from office.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/u...

06.03.2026 18:34 👍 11 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0

Forgive my pedantry: osmosis only refers to H2O moving across a permeable membrane, nor a border. :)
American culture may diffuse northwards through our media, products & corporations, along with Americans who visit & emigrate, but Canadians showed they still value moral character in elected leaders

06.03.2026 17:47 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I think most Canadians are pretty great & am disappointed in many Americans at the moment, so the anecdata tracks here.

06.03.2026 17:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Image: In many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good
% who rate the morality and ethics of people in their country as ...
Very good 1
Somewhat good
Somewhat Very bạd
bad
U.S.
Turkey
Brazil
Greece
France
Italy
South Africa
Hungary
Argentina
Nigeria
Poland
Spain
Kenya
Israel
Germany
South Korea
Netherlands
U.K.
Mexico
Japan
Australia
Sweden
India
Indonesia
Canada
TOTAL good
47%
51
51
55
55
59
63
68
70
71
70
71
72
68
72
78
80
82
83
83
85
88
88
92
92
TOTAL
bad
53%
49
48
44
43
40
36
31
29
29
28
28
28
27
27
22
19
17
17
16
14
12
9
8
7
Note: Those who did not answer are not shown.
Source: Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey.
"In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad"
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Image: In many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good % who rate the morality and ethics of people in their country as ... Very good 1 Somewhat good Somewhat Very bạd bad U.S. Turkey Brazil Greece France Italy South Africa Hungary Argentina Nigeria Poland Spain Kenya Israel Germany South Korea Netherlands U.K. Mexico Japan Australia Sweden India Indonesia Canada TOTAL good 47% 51 51 55 55 59 63 68 70 71 70 71 72 68 72 78 80 82 83 83 85 88 88 92 92 TOTAL bad 53% 49 48 44 43 40 36 31 29 29 28 28 28 27 27 22 19 17 17 16 14 12 9 8 7 Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. Source: Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey. "In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad" PEW RESEARCH CENTER

@pewresearch.org asked people around the world to rate the morality & ethics of others in their country. The USA was the only nation they surveyed where more adults describe the morality & ethics of others there as bad than good.
pewrsr.ch/4ubNwaM
We don’t like what we see in the mirror right now.

06.03.2026 17:14 👍 0 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Address Delivered Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois | The American Presidency Project

“…that we improved to the last, that we remained free to the last, that we revered his name to the last, that during his long sleep we permitted no hostile foot to pass over or desecrate his resting place, shall be that which to learn the last trump shall awaken our Washington.”-Abraham Lincoln

06.03.2026 14:39 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Did Lincoln say that? Nope, not this time. | Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Lincoln's Lyceum Address is considered his first great speech. It is often misquoted today.

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us.”
“It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

06.03.2026 14:37 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

Incredible work. Thank you.

Please consider adding a line to the story that prebunks the White House’s false claim:

Unlike past administrations, this White House isn’t disclosing data of visitor logs online, presidential tax returns, or official transcripts. They may also be requiring NDAs, again.

06.03.2026 14:34 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

We requested and extracted information from more than 3,000 disclosure documents for you! Search around and let us know what you find. 👇

05.03.2026 14:09 👍 228 🔁 83 💬 1 📌 2
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Explore Financial Disclosures From President Trump and 1,500 of His Appointees - ProPublica Use this database to explore potential conflicts of interest for President Donald Trump and his team. The documents disclose positions officials have held outside government, their assets and their de...

Awesome database published by my @propublica.org colleagues where you can look up financial disclosures of over 1,500 of Trump's appointees. #NICAR26 data nerds will appreciate this one! projects.propublica.org/trump-team-f...

05.03.2026 16:45 👍 255 🔁 114 💬 2 📌 6
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ProPublica Wins Lawsuit Over Access to Court Records in U.S. Navy Cases A judge ruled that the Navy’s long-standing policy to withhold records from its criminal trials violated the First Amendment.

NEW: The Navy is no longer allowed to shroud its criminal trials in secrecy and must provide public access to hearings and records, a federal judge ruled last month, the result of a yearslong lawsuit filed by ProPublica.

06.03.2026 13:00 👍 936 🔁 262 💬 15 📌 14
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Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online The bipartisan push to remove anonymity from the internet is ushering in an era of unprecedented mass surveillance and censorship.

You should be able to criticize your government anonymously online.

Full stop.

"Age verification" legislation is just a pretty name for "forced online ID checks," meaning everything you post is associated with your government name

We have to stop this.

theintercept.com/2026/03/05/k...

05.03.2026 18:47 👍 1364 🔁 732 💬 14 📌 12
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ICE detains reporter Estefany Rodríguez in Nashville - Nashville Banner Reporter Estefany Rodríguez, detained by ICE with no arrest warrant, may face deportation. Her attorneys seek immediate review of the legality of her case.

ICE has arrested and detained a Nashville journalist who reported stories critical of ICE. She’s married to a U.S. citizen and has been seeking asylum here after fleeing death threats in Colombia because of her journalism there.

They’ve already sent her to Louisiana.

05.03.2026 23:41 👍 12198 🔁 7372 💬 289 📌 335
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NEW: Clemency for Tina Peters would be unprecedented, based on my analysis of Gov Polis' 25 commutations. Peters hasn't shown remorse, taken accountability, or sought to restore harm. No Polis commutation was for a harsh sentence alone and Peters' would be the shortest by 30+ yrs

05.03.2026 03:43 👍 1884 🔁 581 💬 75 📌 48
The Daniel Ellsberg Act Will End Espionage Act Abuse
The Daniel Ellsberg Act Will End Espionage Act Abuse YouTube video by Defending Rights & Dissent

The Espionage Act has been used to criminalize whistleblowing and newsgathering for years.

Join us for a webinar to learn about Rep. Rashida Tlaib's bill to reform the archaic law.

🗓️ March 12, 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

RSVP: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmXN...

05.03.2026 22:26 👍 72 🔁 21 💬 0 📌 1
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Accountability for corruption & lawlessness Noem’s tenure must not end with Trump firing her.

Unconstitutional policing endures, as does infrastructure for mass detention, repression of civil rights+violation of human rights at scale.

A new Truth & Reconciliation commission will be necessary.

05.03.2026 20:00 👍 19 🔁 7 💬 1 📌 1
Donald J. Trump
@realDonald Trump
I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at
"Homeland."
Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties — in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda. As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities.
Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
865 ReTruths 2.64k Likes
Mar 05, 2026, 1:41 PM

Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at "Homeland." Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties — in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda. As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP 865 ReTruths 2.64k Likes Mar 05, 2026, 1:41 PM

NEWS: President Trump says Sec. Kristi Noem is out at DHS.

Trump also says that Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin will be his next nominee for secretary of DHS, although Trump doesn't word it that way.

Finally, he says Noem will have a new federal role in a new initiative soon to be announced.

05.03.2026 18:57 👍 651 🔁 119 💬 46 📌 55
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Presidential Libraries Are Black Boxes — And Not Just Trump’s Funding disclosure for these institutions is sometimes inconsistent, incomplete or inaccurate, leaving the public in the dark.

Some corporate donors didn’t actually donate. Others did, but didn’t disclose as lobbying law required. The law, one government watchdog said, is “inadequate to the task.”

@notus.com cracks open the black boxes that are presidential libraries: www.notus.org/money/presid...

05.03.2026 11:10 👍 6 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0

That may be an evergreen statement.

I bet we agree about far more than not, here.

Vigorous agreement, on one count.

04.03.2026 22:57 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I’m still getting my head around you claiming every nation has a nuclear aircraft carrier.

04.03.2026 21:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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No: every nation does not have all of the weaponry the US military does.

Every nation does not have nuclear aircraft carriers & submarines, or advanced fighter jets & bombers. Dated reference: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

But every nation can build cheap drones, which is why they’re disruptive.

04.03.2026 21:32 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Brutal Texas primary night points to trouble ahead for House incumbents One House member lost outright, while four others face grueling 12-week runoffs.

1 Big Thing: Texas Congressman Warns Opponent is “Neo-Nazi”

Get Smart: US House Ethics Committee
just opened an inquiry into his sex scandal

Why It Matters: “The AK-47 Guy” could win a run-off election, & be elected this fall

Go Deeper: Read @hcrichardson.bsky.social on neo-Confederate ideology

04.03.2026 21:21 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1

Does every nation have all of the weapons the US possesses right now?

Do you claims arms sanctions or DoD restrictions on sales are totally ineffective?

04.03.2026 21:05 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

5) Blame the growth of preventable diseases on government agencies (*the ones you now run*) saying they've lost people's trust.

04.03.2026 20:52 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0