It’s always helpful to know one’s strengths and weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is that I am no good at April Fools. Every April first, I think about writing something humorous. I’ve thrown up some groan-worthy jokes, but creating a fictitious narrative? I got nothing.
I thought about it again this year when I got a text:
E-Z Pass final reminder: You have an outstanding toll. Your toll account balance is outstanding. if you fail to pay by March 23rd, 2025 you will face penalty or legal action.
Now payment: weird URL
(Please reply Y, exit the SMS, and then open it again to activate the link, or copy the link to your Safari browser and open it.) Please settle your toll immediately after reading this message to avoid penalties for delaying the payment. Thank you for your cooperation.
I thought I would conjure up some silly story about giving them my credit card number, and they cleaned out my bank account or something, but it was lame. I got no April Fools’ game.
However, it made me want to explain why I knew it wasn’t an actual text. Besides the repeated grammar, I also have no driver’s license and haven’t driven on the New York State Thruway since the E-Z pass came into being. Also, the text number had a country code of 63, which is the Phillippines.
So tired
I realize that 2025 is exhausting because I read so many stories – FOMO for the dubiously constitutional track – that I must verify as true or false. One can’t merely dismiss specific sources. They may be accurate, even as they spin the meaning.
I go to the Federal Register page when I hear about various Executive Orders. You should know there’s a lag of a couple of days from the EO being issued and published. In this case, one can check with the White House Presidential Actions page.
Regarding DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posing in front of prisoners at that dire El Salvadorian facility:
Common Dreams – “‘This is some truly sick sh*t,’ wrote Fred Wellman, a political consultant and podcast host… John Pavlovitz, an author and pastor, wrote, ‘If hell exists, Kristi Noem is a shoo-in.’ Noem was also accused of making ‘content’ out of the imprisoned men at the facility.”
Blabber Buzz would AGREE that Noem was making “content”: “The audacity of Noem’s PSA, filmed in front of actual Tren de Aragua and MS-13 terrorists, is underscored by the fact that these are the very individuals that Democrats have fought vigorously to keep within American communities. This raises questions about the priorities of those who would rather see President Trump behind bars than these dangerous criminals.” Yeesh.
Even in accurate and non-controversial stories, one must be on the lookout for bad AI. In a story about CBS News anchor Rita Braver of CBS News retiring, the image of a law professor—which she was—was not her; it reeked of a ‘Female professor-type of a certain age.'”
To keep myself honest, I use fact-checkers such as PolitiFact and FactCheck. I recently signed up for GroundNews to “see all sides of every story on US Politics and more.” I heard about it from videos by the Randy Rainbow and the Liberal Redneck, defined as left of center, and the LegalEagle, which, Before FOTUS, looked at how movies, et al. portrayed the law. It’s useful for me.
For the past few weeks, I have received these wonderful missives from Bethlehem Indivisible labeled Today’s Actions. As a citizen who’s lived long enough to know voter suppression when I see it, the first item is particularly meaningful to me.