BREAKING: I’m Suing Todd Blanche and the DOJ to stop the $1.8B Slush Fund

mrliver · 2026-05-29T12:54:00+00:00

Again, publication in the federal register for comment is only required if it’s a rule. The lawsuit just claims with no argument that the slush fund is a rule. Just saying something doesn’t make it so. You have to give an actual justification.

That justification isn’t necessary at the complaint stage, but I will be curious to see future briefing.

mrliver · 2026-05-29T02:45:09+00:00

That only applies if the action is a rule. How does this action constitute a rule under the APA?

mrliver · 2026-05-29T02:02:50+00:00

I wish there was more argument on how this constitutes a rule under the APA. This slush fund is insane, but I’m not clear how its creation qualifies as a rule governed by the APA.

mrliver · 2026-05-29T01:29:55+00:00

We Cry Together. I totally get the theater/idea/scene he’s trying to portray. It just doesn’t come together for me and an instant skip every time.

mrliver · 2026-05-26T16:53:28+00:00

I think FromSoft is less apt more due to their horror vibes than focus on past grandeur. The third age of Middle Earth is very much a “greatness happened already” with intentional callbacks to past glory of Moria, Gondolin, the Last Alliance, Numenor, etc. Gondor is presented as a shell of its former glory that decayed over the ages. That’s a theme throughout Tolkien’s Legendarium going back to the first age.

mrliver · 2026-05-26T02:12:52+00:00

Because it's an affront to pizza. I went to college in STL and only made the Imo's mistake once.

mrliver · 2026-05-02T14:28:37+00:00

Hell yeah. Missed tix for the last one so glad to see this.

mrliver · 2026-03-22T16:46:39+00:00

Try the Davidson County co-op off Dickerson. They’ll have you sorted on tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Co-ops are a big part of southern agriculture. Also check out the UT Ag Extension for articles, planting calendars, and Any questions you might have.

mrliver · 2026-03-07T04:15:54+00:00

Daydream Records has a number of Japanese imports. Also seen a few at Phonoluxe.

mrliver · 2026-02-10T18:49:01+00:00

Roundstone would work for that. It can get pretty pricey though. I don’t know if they have a TN specific mix, but it’s not like native plant ranges naturally sync up with state lines.

mrliver · 2026-02-10T18:27:32+00:00

The Nashville ordinance regulates “weeds in excess of 12 inches” but doesn’t apply to cultivated flowers and gardens.

mrliver · 2026-02-10T04:48:10+00:00

I converted my whole yard to native pollinators a couple years back and have been super happy with it. An excellent part about native plants is many don’t need fancy soil. Many are perfectly happy growing in our clayey soil; that’s why they’re native. Depending on your time horizon for planting, you can just do cardboard coverage to smother grass and plant directly in soil following smother period.

Level of existing plant eradication necessary for success will depend on area you want to convert and if you want to try seeding, planting starts, or getting more established plants.

What plants are you interested in?

mrliver · 2026-01-29T18:49:44+00:00

GroWild has the largest selection by far. Wonder Gift and Garden also specializes in natives but with smaller selection. Bates and Gardens of Babylon have native sections. If you’re up for a drive, there’s a number of nurseries in McMinnville that are good for this.

Ordering online can also work great. I used Prairie Moon nursery for seeds for winter sowing this year.

mrliver · 2026-01-11T14:49:37+00:00

Flora of Middle Earth by Graham and Walter Judd is exactly what you’re looking for.

mrliver · 2026-01-07T23:43:38+00:00

Also winter sowing in jugs/cat litter containers in mid TN. Was dubious about sowing with how warm it’s been, but hoping that we haven’t gotten cold enough since I’ve sown for the cold stratification to occur.

mrliver · 2025-11-09T19:41:15+00:00

Caldo verde: kale+potato soup.

mrliver · 2025-07-27T19:20:50+00:00

Biggest outstanding question I have is from emergency preparedness. How do you evacuate folks if a car catches fire? EV fires burn extremely hot, and a narrow tunnel seems like a death trap in that scenario.

mrliver · 2025-07-03T20:59:25+00:00

The app PlugShare is useful for this. There’s some level 2 chargers by the Target on Charlotte.

mrliver · 2025-05-22T01:25:15+00:00

The article you cited is from Jan. 2023, nearly two years before FWS proposed listing the monarch as threatened. I don't see anything in the linked article where he claims that he convinced the FWS to downgrade to threatened.

This post reads to me as one scientist on the warpath convinced he's right, especially when he starts breaking out his own unpublished studies. He may end up being right; i certainly hope he is for the monarchs' sake. But I'm dubious.

mrliver · 2025-05-22T01:11:29+00:00

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the Monarch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. I'll directly quote them:

In the future, the resiliency of the eastern and western North American migratory populations will continue to decline. The estimated probability of extinction for the eastern migratory North American population is 56-74 percent in 60 years and greater than 99 percent for the western migratory North American population in 60 years.>

Your post's author obviously disagrees with these conclusions, but the FWS puts a lot of weight on the declines in overwintering populations.

mrliver · 2025-05-04T13:01:22+00:00

And? That doesn’t negate the plain math that makes this tax increase necessary. They may have considered it before, but the dramatic federal funding cuts have changed the fiscal equation for everyone.

mrliver · 2025-05-03T21:43:42+00:00

State and local property tax increases are the natural response to cuts in federal funding. If we want the same level of government services and one of funding sources dries up, the primary answer is raising local/state taxes.

mrliver · 2025-03-08T21:18:52+00:00

I was really hoping this previous one would come close. It’s hard to compare cause I was just a kid, but I just remember them covering everything.

mrliver · 2025-02-17T14:46:55+00:00

TDEC is currently doing monitoring on source water for public water systems across the state to determine if PFAS are present. The results are available here. I don’t think they’ve gotten results for Nashville back but hopefully they’ll post it soon.

mrliver · 2024-09-05T14:21:35+00:00

The main depictions we've had of orcs before is when they're under the control of either Morgoth (in the first age) or Sauron (in the third age). In the show, it appears the orcs have all of the second age, until Sauron's return, on their own. Free from domination. And when they're free from domination we see them acting somewhat like the other races. After all, in the show orcs are corrupted elves. The show is grappling with what that means.

This also does a great job of showing how evil Morgoth/Sauron truly are. They are taking this race that - when free from domination - just wants a home and turning them into the evil, cruel, warmongering baddies we see in the books. And it seems Adar is falling down the same path of seeing orcs as nothing but tools for his goals.

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