My dream this morning…
…and, I’m curious about what you are thinking along these lines
I had a vivid dream this morning, and when I awoke, I realized it could come true.
It was a nightmare.
In the dream, I was walking down a hallway with a friend when a voice came over the sound system, contradicting something we had just said in conversation.
The problem? What we had said was undeniably true.
Yet the voice on the sound system declared it was not.
At first, we assumed it was just a prerecorded message playing for those in the building. But then we realized it wasn’t. It was listening.
The sound system was an electronic eavesdropping device, monitoring our conversation and countering our words with so-called "facts" that were demonstrably false. Alarmed, we hurriedly left the building.
But as we walked away, another realization hit: the seemingly harmless digital eavesdropping we’ve grown accustomed to—through Google, Siri, geotargeting by Facebook, and countless other tech platforms—could be turned into something far more sinister. A programming machine. A sophisticated tool for curating an enemies list. A weapon capable of pushing Democrats into changing their party affiliation just to fool the algorithms.
I was trapped in that half-sleep state, struggling to wake myself up.
Finally, I opened my eyes. At first, I was relieved. It was just a nightmare.
Then, I thought about all those moments when an ad pops up in my social media feed—advertising a product Richard and I had just been talking about.
Suddenly, the warnings about the dangers of technology no longer seemed so far-fetched.
What is unfolding in this country today was unthinkable just weeks ago. The entire database of the U.S. Treasury is now under the control of Elon Musk.
How did that happen?!
And if you really want to be scared, read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Musk. You’ll learn about his dysfunctional childhood in Pretoria, South Africa, his thirst for chaos, his lack of empathy, and so much more—traits we now see playing out, unchecked, under his influence in the United States.
A friend just told me that the Musk stories are not on Fox News. I wouldn’t know. Maybe I should. But folks who get most of their news from that source, don’t know that their identity - Social Security number, and mailing address - is now under the control of one man, who was not elected to anything, but bought himself a president.
I asked ChatGPT if Fox is covering the Musk takeover of Treasury. Here is the response:
As of now, Fox News does not appear to have published any articles specifically covering Elon Musk's access to the U.S. Treasury's payment systems through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, other major news outlets have reported extensively on this development.
On January 31, 2025, The New York Times reported that David Lebryk, a senior Treasury Department official, resigned after refusing to grant DOGE access to a system responsible for disbursing over $5 trillion annually, including Social Security and government paychecks. Following his departure, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent authorized DOGE's access to this system.
Subsequently, federal employee unions filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department, alleging that Secretary Bessent unlawfully provided DOGE with access to sensitive data. The unions expressed concerns over potential violations of the Privacy Act and cybersecurity laws.
In response to these concerns, a federal judge temporarily restricted DOGE's access to the Treasury's payment system, limiting it to existing users. This decision was made amid ongoing debates about the legality and implications of DOGE's actions within federal agencies.
While Fox News has not directly covered this specific story, they have reported on related topics concerning federal data access and surveillance. For instance, they highlighted instances of the federal government conducting broad and unjustified surveillance of Americans' private financial data through financial institutions.
Given the significance of Elon Musk's involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency and its access to federal systems, it's possible that Fox News may address this topic in future reports.
That was from ChatGPT.
This means that most of the folks we talk to at the dog park have no clue their data is now in the hands of a few young tech bros. What could go wrong?
I try to calm myself down. Surely, the courts will intercede.
But I just read
’s Substack column this morning, and am terrified it is too late.I’m curious about what you are thinking? How are you coping with what is going on right now? If you are reading this column, I suspect you, too, are obsessively thinking about these things. How is that showing up for you? Are you having nightmares? Are you trying to avoid thinking about it to preserve your sanity?
There are no wrong answers.
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Yes, Julie - your dream is not only our country’s, but the world’s nightmare. While I’m trying very hard to be proactive, reaching out to congress, working on League of Women Voters’ projects and the activities of our Blue Women’s group, (and promoting The Negro Artist documentary of course), it doesn’t seem like my efforts are even a slight ripple in the tsunami that the Trump/Musk team has unleashed, at the behest of millions of American voters - whether they knew what they were doing or not.
It’s a somewhat familiar feeling of despondency, similar to what I experienced after my first husband’s sudden death at age 37. You pick yourself up and carry on with the activities of daily life, one day at a time. But it’s like you’re walking in a dream, or a nightmare, that you can’t wake yourself from - while you look at others around you moving on as though nothing has happened. “They don’t know what I’m going through, the uncertainty of my future, the fears I have for my children,” you tell yourself. You hear them laughing, and you think, “How can they find anything funny in this nightmare?” You wonder if you’ll ever be “normal” again, and have the weight in your chest lift for just a few minutes.
I’m angry a lot and sad most of the time. Angry with the “I don’t have any interest in politics” crowd, the non voters and the Fox cult. Sad for everyone who has children with special needs as an already difficult journey was just made incredibly more difficult for no reason other than the love of power. Make that lust for power - there is no love in either of these men or their minions.
The America first crowd should get to know a few of the Ukrainians living in our community. Their lives are a pretty good indicator of what we have ahead of us if our courts can’t or won’t stop the madness and restore some semblance of order. The insanity (even before his “development scheme” for Gaza) affects so many outside the U.S. I have regular conversations with my friends in Denmark - here’s one tidbit: “Talked about it yesterday, what if he was to use force against Denmark? We'd be run over. Someone said we could hope for our European friends to help us. Trouble is, Europe is falling apart and two major countries are without government. And my oldest is on his way into the military. I can't stand it. Need to try and not follow the news. But from what I have seen, a lot of Americans should really read up on European history!”
Sigh. Time to call on our legislators again. And again….
Sorry to post twice (delete if not acceptable) but I just recalled what the pastor of our church said last summer. In turning on the water to take his morning shower, the shower head literally fell off and hit the floor. He called to his wife (in Spanish) to call a plumber. Immediately, his cell phone lit up with a list of local plumber names and numbers -- in Spanish.