It’s Monday.
I want to take a minute of your time to talk about Twitter…
Twitter is a cesspool; this was true before Elon bought it…
It’s worse now.
Aside from the assholes Elon is welcoming back to Twitter with open wings; Elon has been pushing buttons behind the scenes that have made it almost unusable…
Direct Messages (DM’s) that don’t show unless you refresh the page; the other day I had to refresh it 3 times before the message, I knew was there, showed up.
My timeline is jacked up with the new “for you and following” options. Meaning that I get tweets that are days old versus hours old similar to the jacked up shit Facebook pulled years ago. If I wanted Twitter to be more like Facebook; I’d use Facebook.
My notifications lag; I was not a fan of new-twitter that rolled out during Twice Impeached 45’s term, but I had figured new-twitter out. I was able to see what I wanted/needed, ignore what I didn’t want or need, and bookmarked the rest. Now, new-new-Twitter is just a craptastic low-rent Facebook.
In keeping with Muskfuck’s desire to be Mark Zuckerberg, in early December 2022, Muskfuck confirmed that the character limit would increase…
Early January 2023 Muskfuck said:
I have zero clue how WordPress will handle a 4,000 character count blog posted via tweet. Not to mention how Disqus will handle a 4,000 character count blog posted via tweet in our comment section.
And I will be 100 percent honest; I truly have zero idea if Musk follows through with his 4,000 character limit on accounts that aren’t paying their $8 or $10 dollars a month for their blue check mark swag…
He sure as hell hasn’t followed through with his long-promised edit button; unless, of course, you’re a paid sub.
Anyhoo, given that February is only 16 days away I thought I’d try out some of the alternative things I’ve thought up during hell week aka the twelve days I suffered without wi-fi.
Our first alternative is Instagram…
For today only the tweets and matching Instagram posts will appear together…
When last we met on Friday the 13th, President Biden had tweeted 2 times. He added 6 tweets giving him a Friday the 13th Tweeting Total of 8 tweets and 0 retweets.
The first 3 tweets focus on his meeting with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan.
Prior to their meeting the pair held a Oval Office pool spray. The YouTube is 8 minutes and 54 seconds. Their full remarks can be found here. The 1 minute and 1 second video is snips taken from those remarks.
President Biden:
Well, Mr. Prime Minister, it’s great to see you again. Welcome. To be able to welc- — welcome such a close friend to the Oval Office again. And, you know, we meet at a remarkable moment in our alliance. I can honestly say — more as a student of history than a participant — that it’s been — I don’t think there’s ever been a time when we’ve been closer to Japan in the United States.
(Addressing the interpreter.) I’ll stop so you can translate.
Last year in Japan, you said to me, and I quote, “We are two nations that share fundamental values.” I couldn’t agree with you more. We are.
These shared democratic values are the source of our strength, the source of our alliance, and the source of our being able to deliver for all our people.
We’re modernizing our military alliance, building on Japan’s historic increase in defense spending and new National Security Strategy.
Let me be crystal clear: The United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance and, more importantly, to Japan’s defense — the defense of Japan.
We’re working closely on tech and economic issues, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
And we’re stepping up to hold Putin accountable for his unprovoked war in Ukraine. And I want to thank you — thank you for your strong leadership on this from the very first — the very first conversation we had on this.
Today, I’m looking forward to how we can continue advancing our shared goals and values, including at the G7 Summit in Japan and the APEC in — in San Francisco later this year.
Rather than figuring out how we can work more closely together, a more difficult job would be trying to figure out how and where we disagree.*You’re a real leader, and you’re a real friend.
White House.gov. 01/13/2023.
Prime Minster Kishida Fumio:
(As interpreted.) Well, Joe, thank you so much for those warm words of welcome.
As we enter the new year of 2023, I am pleased to make my first visit to Washington, D.C., as Prime Minister and to have this meeting with you, Joe, my dear friend.
And last year — or starting with your visit to Japan in May, we were able to accomplish so much for our peace and security in the region and prosperity in the region and the international community through numerous meetings, not just our bilateral summit meetings but also the Quad meetings, the Japan-U.S.-ROK trilaterals, among others. And I’m sincerely grateful for your cooperation, Joe.
And Japan and the United States are currently facing the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history. And in order to ensure our peace and prosperity in the region and to contribute to that and also safeguard peace and security of Japan, in late last year, Japan formulated a new national security strategy.
And in so doing, Japan decided to fundamentally reinforcing our defense capabilities, including in possessing the counterstrike capabilities, and in order to ensure that, increased our defense budget. And this new policy was set forth by Japan, and I believe that this will be beneficial for the deterrence capabilities and response capabilities of the alliance as well.
And, Joe, as you rightly pointed out, I too feel that the role to be played by Japan and the United States — which share the fundamental values such as democracy and the rule of law — the role that we are to play is becoming even greater.
And, today, I very much look forward to having a candid exchange of views with you, Joe, on the various important topics, including a free and open Indo-Pacific, the G7, APEC, as well as climate change.
White House.gov. 01/13/2023.
*the sentence comes after PM Kishida’s highlighted remarks.*
The White House posted the following; Joint Statement of the United States and Japan:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan meet at a historic moment for our Alliance, the Indo-Pacific, and the world. Our cooperation today is unprecedented, rooted in our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and a peaceful and prosperous world, guided by our shared values including the rule of law. At the same time, the Indo-Pacific faces growing challenges, from actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order by China to provocations by North Korea. In Europe, meanwhile, Russia continues to wage its unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, anywhere in the world. Taken together, this landscape demands that the United States and Japan continue to strengthen our individual and collective capacity. To that end, President Biden commended Japan’s bold leadership in fundamentally reinforcing its defense capabilities and strengthening diplomatic efforts, as illustrated in the new National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program. This investment will bolster security across the Indo-Pacific and beyond and modernize the U.S.-Japan relationship for the 21st century.
Our security Alliance has never been stronger. The two leaders reaffirmed that the Alliance remains the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. President Biden reiterated the unwavering commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan under Article V of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, using its full range of capabilities, including nuclear. He also reaffirmed that Article V applies to the Senkaku Islands. In their Security Consultative Committee (“2+2”), our foreign and defense ministers highlighted the exceptional progress we have made toward modernizing our Alliance. Together, we have aligned our collective force posture and deterrence capabilities to meet new and emerging threats, including in the cyber and space domains. The leaders also instructed their ministers to reinforce cooperation on the development and effective employment of Japan’s counterstrike and other capabilities. We have deepened cooperation on critical and emerging technologies that are crucial for national security. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. President Biden reaffirms U.S. commitment to the immediate resolution of the abductions issue. We emphasize that our basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged, and reiterate the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. We encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We also recognize that the challenges we face transcend geography. United across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, we have stood together in firm opposition to Russia’s unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, and we will continue to impose sanctions on Russia, and provide unwavering support for Ukraine. We state unequivocally that any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way. And we will continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s abhorrent attacks on critical infrastructure.
The United States and Japan also reaffirm our economic leadership. As the two largest democratic economies in the world, we look forward to advancing domestic and global prosperity and upholding a free, fair and rules-based economic order through Japan’s Presidency of the G7 and the United States’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The two leaders discussed priorities for the G7 Hiroshima Summit and will continue to work closely toward a successful summit so as to demonstrate the G7’s commitment to upholding the international order based on the rule of law. Building on our efforts in the U.S.-Japan Competitiveness and Resilience (CoRe) Partnership, including through the Economic Policy Consultative Committee, we will sharpen our shared edge on economic security, including protection and promotion of critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors; space, including through our new bilateral Space Framework Agreement; and clean energy and energy security, where we have deepened our cooperation on nuclear energy while upholding the highest nonproliferation standards. We will build resilience in our societies and supply chains among like-minded partners against threats such as economic coercion, non-market policies and practices and natural disasters, accelerate global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, and advance data free flow with trust. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is at the center of achieving these goals. As inclusive democracies, we will ensure economic prosperity is broadly shared across our societies and recommit to achieving gender equity and equality as well as women’s empowerment. Globally, we will work together to drive sustainable progress to net zero, evolve the multilateral development banks to better address global challenges, and improve creditor coordination to provide debt relief. We will condemn all who use their economic power to take advantage of others, including Russia’s undermining of energy and food security around the world. We also call on China to report adequate transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data regarding the spread of COVID-19, to enable public health officials around the world be prepared to reduce the spread and identify any potential new variants.
With an unbreakable bilateral relationship as our foundation, we will also collaborate with others, in the region and beyond, for the benefit of the Indo-Pacific and the world. Together with Australia and India, we will ensure the Quad continues to be a force for good, committed to bringing tangible benefits to the region, including by delivering results on global health, cybersecurity, climate, critical and emerging technologies, and maritime domain awareness. We will continue supporting ASEAN centrality and unity as well as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We commit to strengthening vital trilateral cooperation among Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, in security and other domains. And we will bolster our growing collaboration in the Pacific Islands, including through the Partners in the Blue Pacific. President Biden congratulated Japan on the start of its two-year term on the UN Security Council and on its presidency for the month of January. We begin 2023 together as the closest of allies and friends, newly committed to achieving peace and prosperity, not only through our words but through our actions. The times demand no less.
White House.gov. 01/13/2023.
The Other Tweets:
The next three tweets came from remarks he gave on Thursday, 1/12/2023 regrading the economy. The YouTube is 10 minutes and 59 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden: Companies have announced nearly $300 billion in manufacturing investments here in the United States since I became President. Instead of exporting jobs, like we did for decades, we’re now creating jobs and exporting product. Creating jobs and exporting product, that’s the idea.
President Biden: We’re seeing American families breathing a little easier. More Americans have health insurance than they did ever in our history. Fewer families are facing foreclosures today than before the pandemic.
“Wages” appears twice in his remarks:
President Biden: You know, and as inflation is coming down, take-home pay for workers is going up. Workers’ wages are higher now than they were seven months ago, adjusted for inflation. Wages for lower-income and middle-income workers have gone up even more.
President Biden: My administration took action to get more oil onto the market and bring down prices. Now, gas is down more than $1.70 from its peak. And that adds up to a family with — a typical family with two vehicles to a savings of $180 a month, every single month, that stays in their pockets instead of being spent at the pump.
He has one Instagram post from Friday that does not match up with a tweet…
Saturday’s Tweeting Total was 5 tweets and 0 retweets.
From White House.gov/Clean Energy:
In 2023
For new vehicles, income-qualified households can receive a tax credit of up to $7,500.
- The vehicle must be assembled in North America.
- The vehicle must have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $80,000 or less for pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and $55,000 or less for other vehicles, including sedans.
For previously-owned electric vehicles, income-qualified households can access a tax credit of up to $4,000.
- The vehicle must be at least two years old and cost $25,000 or less.
He’s talking about the Inflation Reduction Act.
From the White House fact-sheet By the Numbers (08/15/2022):
TAXES
Making the Tax Code Fairer
- $0:Â how much some of largest, profitable corporations pay in federal income tax.
- 55: the number of America’s largest, wealthiest corporations that got away without paying a cent in federal income taxes in 2020.
- $160 billon:Â how much the top 1 percent of earners is estimated to evade each year in taxes.
- 15%:Â the minimum tax on corporate profits the Inflation Reduction Act imposes on the largest, most profitable corporations.
- $124 billion: savings over 10 years the Inflation Reduction Act will generate from collecting taxes already owed by wealthy people and large corporations, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
- And no family making less than $400,000 will see their taxes go up a penny.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued the following statement on 12/01/2022:
We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case on our student debt relief plan for middle and working class borrowers this February. This program is necessary to help over 40 million eligible Americans struggling under the burden of student loan debt recover from the pandemic and move forward with their lives. The program is also legal, supported by careful analysis from administration lawyers.  President Biden will keep fighting against efforts to rob middle class families of the relief they need and deserve. As we previously announced, student loan payments will remain paused while the Supreme Court resolves the case.
White House.gov. 12/01/2022.
The photo was taken on 12/06/2022 during his tour of the TSMC Semiconductor Plant located in Phoenix, Arizona. The words in the tweet were taken from remarks he gave following his tour.
President Biden: When Arizonans see the big picture in your hometowns — cranes going up, shovels in the ground, workers with hard hats — I want you to feel the way I feel: pride. Pride. We can do — what we can do together is just anything — virtually anything.Â
Sunday’s Tweeting Total was 7 tweets and 0 retweets.
As mentioned above the student debt relief case will be heard in the Supreme Court in February.
He had 2 Instagram posts that did not match Saturday’s tweets.
The YouTube is 36 minutes and 50 seconds long. President Biden begins his remarks at the 12 minute and 54 second mark. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden: Folks, you know, on this day of remembrance, as we gather here at this cherished Ebenezer to commemorate what would’ve been Dr. King’s 94th birthday, we gather to contemplate his moral vision and to commit ourselves to his path — to his path. The path that leads to the “Beloved Community,” to the sacred place and that sacred hour when justice rains down like waters and righteousness was a mighty stream.
President Biden: But I don’t need to tell you that we’re not always at our best. We’re fallible. We fail and fall. But faith and history teaches us that, however dark the night, joy cometh in the morning. (Applause.)Â
President Biden [Rev =’s Senator Raphael Warnock] You stand in Dr. King’s pulpit, and you carry on his purpose. And this service doesn’t stop at the church door. It didn’t with Dr. King, it doesn’t with you, and it doesn’t with the vast majority of you standing — sitting before me. I want to thank you for the honor of inviting me to be call to America’s — “America’s freedom church”.
President Biden: And the battle for the soul of this nation is perennial. It’s a constant struggle. It’s a constant struggle between hope and fear, kindness and cruelty, justice and injustice against those who traffic in racism, extremism, and insurrection; a battle fought on battlefields and bridges, from courthouses and ballot boxes, to pulpits and protests. And at our best, the American promise wins out. At our best, we hear and heed the injunctions of the Lord and the whispers of the angels.
President Biden’s public schedule for Monday 1/16/2023:
| 8:30 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Out-of-Town Pool |
| 10:30 AM | The President departs New Castle, Delaware en route Washington, D.C. Out-of-Town Pool |
| 10:55 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time In-Town Pool |
| 11:25 AM | The President arrives at the White House South Lawn Open Press |
| 11:35 AM | The President departs the White House en route the National Action Network Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Breakfast North Grounds In-Town Travel Pool |
| 12:00 PM | The President delivers remarks at the National Action Network Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Breakfast Open Press |
| 12:55 PM | The President arrives at the White House South Grounds In-Town Travel Pool |
President Biden’s remarks are scheduled for noon D.C., time.
President Biden has tweeted…
He’s posted 2 tweets so far for Monday.
“To redeem the soul of America” appears four times in his remarks from Sunday:
President Biden: The goal of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Dr. King led, stated it clearly and boldly, and it must be repeated again, now: to redeem the soul of America. (Applause.) I’m not joking. To redeem the soul of America.
President Biden: Every generation is required to keep it, defend it, protect it, to be repairers of the breach, and to remember that the power to redeem the soul of America lies where it always has lie — lay: in the hands of “We the People.” “We the People.” (Applause.)Â
President Biden: But at this inflection point, we know there’s a lot of work that has to continue on economic justice, civil rights, voting rights, on protecting our democracy, and on remembering that our job is to redeem the soul of America. (Applause.)Â
The long Instagram post came from the Proclamation on; Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2023 posted by the White House on 1/13/2023:
 Today, we honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by continuing his unfinished work to redeem the soul of America.
    Dr. King came of age in the South during a time when racial discrimination was the law of the land. Black Americans risked jail time for accessing public accommodations like drinking fountains, parks, restrooms, restaurants, and hotels.  Their voting rights were denied by complicated, onerous, and discriminatory rules. Even if they attempted to register to vote, they could be fired from their jobs, be run off of their farms, or face vigilante violence.Â
    Dr. King imagined a different future for America — an America he called the “Beloved Community.” Building the Beloved Community required a key shift in human understanding. It meant looking beyond external differences to see the union of all humankind. It also meant finding a way to deal with our grievances without animosity, in a way that recognized the interconnectedness of all humanity and allowed us to move forward together.
    From the pulpit to the podium to the streets, Dr. King devoted his life to the quest for this Beloved Community in our Nation.  His activism and moral authority helped usher in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He gave a voice to the restless spirit of millions yearning for change.  He gave us a roadmap to unify, to heal, and to sustain the blessings of the Nation to all of its people.
    But the work continues because it remains unfinished.  That is why my Administration has called on the Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to ensure that every citizen has a voice in deciding our future.
    In keeping with Dr. King’s campaign for economic justice and the rights of workers, my Administration is striving to make the American Dream a reality for every family.  By creating good-paying jobs, investing in the middle class, improving access to affordable housing and quality education, and closing the racial and gender wealth gaps, we can give hardworking families the dignity Dr. King would say they deserve.
    Dr. King called for greater fairness in our health care system, and my Administration is pushing to put quality, affordable health care within reach of all people — especially the most vulnerable and marginalized Americans.  By lowering costs and improving access, we can make health care a right and not just a privilege.
    Dr. King preached that “darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.”  In his memory, we strive to challenge violence and bigotry with grace and goodness. We work to embed equity and opportunity into all of the Federal Government’s policies and programs. And we serve to bring together a Nation in our dedication to these ideals.
    This Sunday, I will pay my respects and express my gratitude for his life and legacy by speaking at services at his cherished Ebenezer Baptist Church.  On this day of commemoration, service, and action, let us hold up a mirror to America and ask ourselves:  What kind of country do we want to be? Will we honor Dr. King’s legacy by rising together — buttressed by each other’s successes, enriched by each other’s differences, and made whole by each other’s compassion? I believe we can.  It will require constant care for our democracy, stubborn faith in this great experiment, and a commitment to stamping out discrimination in all forms.  It will demand honest reflection about how far we have come and how far we have yet to go to be the best version of ourselves. But like Dr. King, I know that there is nothing beyond this Nation’s capacity and that we will fulfill the promise of America for all Americans — perfecting the Union we love and must protect.    NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Monday, January 16, 2023, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service projects in honor of Dr. King and to visit MLKDay.gov to find Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across our country.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
White House.gov. 1/13/2023.
thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.
Word Counter.net told me that in the long form Instagram post the character count is 1,817.
From his remarks on Sunday:
As I sit at my desk and look at the fireplace, just to the left is the bust of Dr. King. It’s there, in that spot, on purpose. Because he was my inspiration as a kid. He does know where we should go.Â
I ran for three reasons. I said I wanted to restore the soul of America. I wanted to rebuild this country from the bottom up and the middle out. And I wanted to unite it.
And not far from him, if you look about 40, 50 degrees to the right, there is another statue, another bust — of Rosa Parks. (Applause.)Â
People ask me, “Why?” I say — and I put in my words — she’d just say, “I’ve had enough.” “I’ve had enough.”
Folks, I often think of the question that Dr. King asked us all those years ago. I think it’s important. You all remember; I think it’s important the nation remember it. He said, “Where do we go from here?” That’s a quote. “Where do we go from here?”
Well, my message to the nation on this day is: We go forward, we go together — (applause) — when we choose democracy over autocracy, a beloved community over chaos; when we choose believers and the dreams, to be doers, to be unafraid, always keeping the faith.
White House.gov. 1/15/2023 (posted on 1/16/2023).
This is an Open Thread.
