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Sam Jones's avatar

💥 Army Secretary Dan Driscoll just told Pete Hegseth “No” in writing and refused to resign. Montana found a real way around Citizens United, a small Wisconsin town crushed Big Tech at the ballot box — this is what winning looks like. 👊 💪

Robin D's avatar

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Larry Bushard's avatar

The CU vote in MT is a ray of sunshine. If it passes All other states mist sit up and take notice!

Lily's avatar

COME ON OTHER STATES! STAND UP!

Charlie's avatar

Send this to your state legislators--this won't pass just by us wishing.

Linda Ollis's avatar

I wish Driscoll every success. It has to be encouraging to many members of the military to see someone stand up to warrior/dictator Hegseth. Someone who has experience, honor and integrity!

Sam Jones's avatar

Even if it’s a Trump or vance pick—any sign of true patriotism is a nice breath of fresh air!

Charlie's avatar

Whoa. The enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend!

Pete Kegsbreath is paranoid because he knows he's so totally unqualified for the position that he's anti-qualified

skayen's avatar

You nailed it on Kegsbreath!

M McConlogue's avatar

1. The biggest threat to our lives, livelihoods and democracy is organized crime and corruption. Citizens United must be reversed if we are to survive at all.

2. Nothing but gratitude for Driscoll.

Thank you for the urgent actions.

Ms Jonington's avatar

Love every bit of this!

MDL's avatar

I love what the retired general said about Hegseth making himself look bad all on his own. So much good news! It's just incredible how both these IA centers and buildings to use as concentration camps are being stopped by citizens and local governments.

Bruce McIntyre's avatar

These AI centers are NOT the big enemy. They are the future of the economy, and handled correctly will be a huge asset to states, not a disaster. If you simply require that they must agree to fund or supply half again as much energy as they use, it will end up being an asset.

And the water usage is not a huge problem, because this is just cooling water, and can be re-used by the site with little "consumed." The water can be discharged directly into local sources since it is not contaminated in any way.

DaisyBroadhurst@myyahoo.com's avatar

They are also not CREATING JOBS!

In addition, how do you know there is NO CONTAMINATION after running through pipes, coming in contact with other materials that can be absorbed by heated water?

There is no indication of the TEMPERATURE at which this WATER will be discharged.

There were similar issues created by HOT WATER discharged from NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.

If TOWNS don't want these monsters - MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION - they have the right to say NO and are doing so!

Bruce Hatchell's avatar

Bruce..I see your point somewhat, BUT, the key words are "handled correctly" which also applies to using AI without the needed oversight and guardrails which do not exist. So it is not just the 'water' or the 'energy' the data centers represent but the overall impact on our cities and country. The Anthropic issue is a good example of how our government has tried overreach and failed (so far). AI will be our future but must have 'rules' to check the power. Thanks.

Sam Jones's avatar

Just a couple of Bruce’s making some really good points here

Nikki Thomas's avatar

You have totally missed the point. The AI data centers are illegally spying on us. Dealer-Brokers are selling our private information to our government to track cell phones, website visits, even pregnancies. Reclaimed water is the least of our problems.

Mary Kellogg's avatar

Bruce and Nikki: I'd love to see you two working together to harness development of AI centers so that they are advantageous, rather than deleterious to the communities where they're built, and also on legal systems to keep data harvesting under control.

Sam Jones's avatar

Yes! That’s an excellent idea

netta glaser's avatar

The illegal spying, Why has it not been stopped?

Nikki Thomas's avatar

Next week, a little-known law that allows the government to sidestep the Constitution and spy on US citizens is set to expire.

Congress should let it die -- but we fear some Democrats could join most Republicans in reauthorizing this civil liberties disaster at a time the regime is greedily gobbling up mass surveillance data to punish its enemies and round up immigrants. And we know Stephen Miller is eager to use the creepiest of AI tools to massively expand the government’s ability to spy on us.

The details get a bit wonky, but they really matter: Section 702 of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was designed, in 2008, to facilitate warrantless electronic surveillance of non-US citizens in other countries; in the meantime, though, courts have ruled that information gleaned “incidentally” about citizens' communications can also be searched, no warrant necessary. Despite being a clear civil liberties disaster, Congress has routinely reauthorized Section 702 with bipartisan support.

In practice, this has meant that what was intended as a foreign intelligence tool and counterterrorism measure has been aggressively repurposed into a program for spying on American citizens -- and a loophole lets the government get access to data which, even under FISA, requires a warrant. All they have to do is pay for it.

Tell your Members of Congress to vote NO on any legislation that reauthorizes Section 702 without significant reforms to protect us from the authoritarian Trump regime.

In the 18 years since the law was passed, the gathering and sale of private information by data brokers has exploded. If reauthorized as-is, Section 702 will not only let the regime continue buying data to target political opponents and immigrant communities, as well as potentially monitoring pregnancies -- it'll be turbo-charged by Miller and AI broligarchs to give the regime surveillance capabilities unprecedented in our history. The potential repercussions for our Constitutional freedoms are nightmarish.

Two years ago, this legislation sailed through Congress; now the regime is hoping the wonky details will help them slip mass, AI-driven surveillance through with a backroom deal. We can't let that happen.

Let your Members of Congress know that they have a choice to make: Will they greenlight warrantless mass surveillance of American citizens, or uphold the Constitution and reject Trump's authoritarian power grabs?

FISA's Section 702 threatens our foundational liberties. Congress needs to let it die.

In solidarity,

Indivisible Team

this is from Indivisible. I hope this answers your question Netta!

Sam Jones's avatar

It’s the way they’re going about it that’s the problem!

BEpiper's avatar
4hEdited

Why do you think that’s an economy anyone wants or needs?

Even Google’s AI response says this:

“Consumption vs. Withdrawal: Reports estimate that 45% to 60% of the water withdrawn for data centers is consumed (evaporated), rather than returned to the water source.“

netta glaser's avatar

How do we know that it is not contaminated, where's the truth?

DaisyBroadhurst@myyahoo.com's avatar

AI DATA CENTERS ARE NOT ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN!

NOTE: these are just basic questions being raised by NON-EXPERTS...just simple stuff that goes beyond BRUCE's comment.

Another poster added this:

“Consumption vs. Withdrawal: Reports estimate that 45% to 60% of the water withdrawn for data centers is consumed (evaporated), rather than returned to the water source.“

It's HOT WATER - TEMPERATURE UNKNOWN!

It comes in contact with pipes, cooling mechanisms, other metals.

What will HOT WATER absorb? Will HOT WATER be amended by absorbing metallic particles? Will the chemistry of the water be amended? For instance, will it change the pH?

IT IS DISCHARGED AS HOT WATER! WITH NO DISCLOSED TEMPERATURE into

existing water sources. What's the impact?

Within the recent past, a NUCLEAR POWER PLANT in PLYMOUTH, MA was decommissioned - the HOT WATER DISCHARGED into CAPE COD BAY was one of many issues that was raised because it effected MARINE LIFE.

Eugenie Myers's avatar

It's incredibly encouraging to hear about the work around that the Montana Plan entails. Brilliant!

As for Hog's Breath, he is a disgusting POS, a joke, I can only imagine what real military leaders say about him behind closed doors. Love that they stand up to him. Yes.

Bruce McIntyre's avatar

To be at all effective, this action to stop "Citizens United" must happen in all of the big states, or companies will just move the headquarters to another state, and say "it doesn't apply to us."

Next should be Delaware and Texas.

Sam Jones's avatar

Yes! Everywhere

Mary Kellogg's avatar

Perhaps also South Dakota?

Mike Hammer's avatar

Did anyone catch Whisky Pete’s expression on film when he was told “No!” By the general?

Ballard Graham's avatar

Good day Scott,

We’re better off as a country and society when we push back against the unbridled corruption and lawlessness that permeates our daily lives by unethical elected officials! I’m sick of the Blatant criminality of these corrupt individuals and the resultant impact that their corruption has on our lives and government institutions that citizens of this country have a right to expect and receive!

Mary Kellogg's avatar

(After all, our taxes do pay their salaries….)

Bruce S Victor's avatar

To your question about Driscoll standing up to Hegseth: a vital next step in the adults reassuming control in the room.

Nancy Wright's avatar

I wish we had a thousand Driscolls. Unfortunately most people are not untouchable.

Marc's avatar

This IS Democracy, that dictators, tyrants, criminals and billionaires hate.

Marteann Bertrand's avatar

I've lived in Montana all my life. I'm very proud of my fellow Montanans for the stand we're taking against corporate money attempting to buy our elections. That's how we are here - we're tough, we're resilient, and we're fiercely independent.

Pete Hegseth, on the other hand, is a small, petty man. He's glaringly incompetent and totally unqualified for the position he now holds. I applaud the Secretary of the Army for standing his ground against this fascist puppet.

Sharon Borg Wall's avatar

Another great newsletter, Scott. Power to the people!!!