*taps mic* Ahem THE US MILITARY IS NOT APOLITICAL, IT IS NONPARTISAN. BY ITS VERY EXISTENCE IT IS POLITICAL. Please disseminate to the highest levels because they still aren’t getting it That is all. Carry on.

I am still incensed that Dunkelman called these examples out as “public sector competence” when they are demonstrably reckless and drivers of decreasing trust in government. It’s a preposterous take. Reminds me of weird fetish some people had with SOF in GWOT.

My latest this AM with @warontherocks.bsky.social. Of note: "[Military officers] will be active participants with choices to make about the degree to which they continue to serve civilians intent on undermining the liberal values enshrined in the Constitution." 1/ warontherocks.com/2025/12/the-...

this year in my watch up of Christmas + royalty Netflix movies I am deeply appreciating how they treat playing basic Christmas carols on the piano as unparalleled musical talent.

New! Sirens welcomes @kedseconomist.com to explain (dun-dun) the economy (no pressure!), unpack the visit of "strategic partner" MBS and whose strategy he's partnering under, looks at the justice system and cringes through the lens of Comey, Epstein, and Kelly. sites.libsyn.com/92063/ai-dea...

Episode starts with my favorite Optimist Economy segment: what executive order would you issue if you had the chance?

New Paper: Presidential Control of the Civil Service. Conventional wisdom holds that the civil service sits safely beyond the president's reach. Does it? (1) Not nearly as much as legal scholars think. (2) That's a problem for the execution of the law. 1/12 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

I travel back in time to visit 2018 Loren, who among many was getting crap for making too much of various civ mil issues: the president is calling for the execution of people who advocate for only following legal military orders; also there is a CSG in the Caribbean.

We don’t have to put up with this.

Recent @sirenspod.bsky.social listeners on our episode on taxes will love this new piece from Merici Vinton and Thushan Amarasiriwardena on creating a product-driven government fas.org/publication/...

Nuclear weapons, so hot right now (I crack myself up). @heatherwilly.bsky.social stayed to chat on weapons testing, the health of our nuclear deterrent, how she wished the public would engage on nuclear weapons, and House of Dynamite in our new mini sites.libsyn.com/92063/more-o...

Good recommendation by @dsallentess.bsky.social to invest in repairing democratic systems and institutions alongside campaign donations: open.substack.com/pub/therenov...

Your mid forties: kneading sourdough, “oh yeah this is some good shit,” in the voice of a Breaking Bad extra.

I want to pay tribute to this single basil plant that is still going strong with lots of bee friends today in the middle of November.

In the newest episode, Sirens explores life's certainties: taxes, trade taxes, acquisition reform, and nuclear annihilation. Wait, WHAT? What's the end of direct file have to do with democracy, what's portfolio acquisition, and are we starting nuclear testing? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

Featured on the latest @sirenspod.bsky.social: the new book the Price of Democracy by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social. What does Direct File have to do with democracy? We discuss that and attempt a lot more when it comes to taxes, but you should read Vanessa's book!!

Featured on the latest @sirenspod.bsky.social: the new book the Price of Democracy by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social. What does Direct File have to do with democracy? We discuss that and attempt a lot more when it comes to taxes, but you should read Vanessa's book!!

Also, @heatherwilly.bsky.social for a short discussion on nuclear testing and House of dynamite ahead of a longer mini out next week!

The Pentagon press corps has taught me so much in my career. @sirenspod.bsky.social extended our chat with @valerieinsinna.bsky.social to explore what makes it different, what DOD owes Americans in terms of transparency and access, and where we go from here. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

The Pentagon press corps has taught me so much in my career. @sirenspod.bsky.social extended our chat with @valerieinsinna.bsky.social to explore what makes it different, what DOD owes Americans in terms of transparency and access, and where we go from here. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

What is trust in government was actually high? I worry that we've given up on trust as fixable issue. So much that I hosted a workshop with FAS this summer. In addition to the worst, we imagined what high trust in govt workforce, CX, data, and procurement might look like. fas.org/publication/...

What is trust in government was actually high? I worry that we've given up on trust as fixable issue. So much that I hosted a workshop with FAS this summer. In addition to the worst, we imagined what high trust in govt workforce, CX, data, and procurement might look like. fas.org/publication/...

NEW episode with the spectacular @valerieinsinna.bsky.social to explore Pentagon Press Corps dynamics; plus, shutdown impacts, waking up to a totally new world in SOUTHCOM, and, what protest costume calls to you? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

Trump is illegally moving money around to pay the troops, but he won't feed hungry people under SNAP even though the contingency fund is sitting right there. www.axios.com/2025/10/29/w...

Really important analysis from @rooseveltinstitute.org about the structures and decisions that held back a more ambitious Biden Administration agenda that might have resonated more with the public and what should change in a future administration. 1/ rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

(entirely speculatively, no actual illegal machinations in the making)

Sirens episode preview: if you by chance were planning a heist of a museum---what museum would you choose?

Trust in government is not generic–the way Americans encounter and engage government systems can vary significantly. What would it look like if trust in key functions (workforce, data, CX, procurement) hit a breaking point? how would we know? fas.org/publication/...

Why must centrists believe that the best political approach is to be an amoeba with teflon glamour and a bespoke bigotry, and not, like, a person with mild complex views.

Trust in government is not generic–the way Americans encounter and engage government systems can vary significantly. What would it look like if trust in key functions (workforce, data, CX, procurement) hit a breaking point? how would we know? fas.org/publication/...

If you are so excited by this you want to try yourself, well, why not? We have a basic facilitation guide available here: 4 fas.org/publication/...

Summaries at this link only scratch the surface of conversations that were exciting, terrifying, inspiring and hilarious. Even better: they’re starting points for you as you consider the future of public sector talent, data, structural organization, partnerships, and more. 3 fas.org/publication/...

The goal was not to predict the future, but to create space to imagine preferred futures in actionable detail; beyond slogans and into the weeds . The models aren't meant to be definitive answers (yet), but provocations and starting points for deeper discussion and experimentation 2

What if we could just control-alt-delete our federal governing systems and redesign? This summer at FAS, we tried! Participants designed blue-sky models of a future US government, like decentralized, AI driven, technocratic, outcomes oriented, community-based, and much more1 fas.org/publication/...

There are enormous and extreme other catastrophes in my own city limits. I am here note that my Libby loan and hold and expired list is in dire straights. Help.

@teaandtactics.bsky.social a friend is asking for an accessible reading on Clausewitz (or a good meaty excerpt) for high schoolers. Do you have a suggestion?

Wondering what to make of recent Supreme Court decisions? Or maybe concerned Separation of Powers isn't what it used to be? Listen to our new @sirenspod.bsky.social mini with Laura Dickinson where @emsetc.bsky.social and I go deep deep on what it means for natsec podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

What if we could just control-alt-delete our federal governing systems and redesign? This summer at FAS, we tried! Participants designed blue-sky models of a future US government, like decentralized, AI driven, technocratic, outcomes oriented, community-based, and much more1 fas.org/publication/...

It’s obviously off the record, she says, as she shrinks into a tiny tiny corn cob.

Throwback: Does protest turnout matter for achieving results, and other big questions on the efficacy political protest in our July 9 @sirenspod.bsky.social episode Revolving Doors, RIP USAID and Resistance. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

“On August 19, I was in a pub in rural western Ireland when my phone chimed with a text from a reporter. The Director of National Intelligence was yanking my security clearance, vaguely associating me and others with unspecified allegations. Did I want to comment?” -- Emily Horne

NEW awesome episode! TLDR: Is there a new phase of Russian combat ops? What about cyber attacks? Special guest Laura Dickinson helps us define just whether powers are separated at all. And you too set google alerts of your partners' doppleganger and niche civ-mil? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

Civ mil people: it's totally not weird that I set a google alert for "best military advice," right, that's not deeply obsessive?

I would guess that issuing the double reverse Thunderdome Hiring EO is not an excepted activity. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

In nerd reading today I discovered this gem: the stupid rule button. Which puts the rule up for review or request positive justification by leadership. www.goodthingsguy.com/business/the...

I found @martylederman.bsky.social's post on @justsecurity.org particularly compelling, not just on questions of law but also "The Military’s Longstanding Commitment to the Fundamental Principle of Distinction Prohibiting the Targeting of Civilians." - LDS www.justsecurity.org/120296/many-...

Throwback: earlier episode "AI Skills, Appropriations, and Armed Conflict Law" goes into depth on why these strikes are decidedly unlike prior administration's signature strikes (though the very question highlights how poorly those were communicated). podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

This also (positively) suggests to me that senior political leaders are now able to view the federal workforce as less a Rube Goldberg machine (press that and who knows?) and more a sensitive logic model (press that and ZOMG wait no don't press that).

"I want government to prioritize ___ so that in 2050 …” My summer in a nutshell, and the series of findings kicks off today. One fascinating thing: over a dozen radical reimaginings of the role and design of government had several pretty basic ingredients in common! fas.org/initiative/r...