Whether you agree or disagree with Musk’s “makeover” of the federal government, surely you must be impressed with how precisely and effectively it’s being carried out? Here’s a paragraph on just that point from today’s newsletter of historian Heather Cox Richardson:

On Thursday Musk’s team fired more than 300 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, apparently not aware that they were the people who oversee the nation’s nuclear weapons. NBC News reported that officials are now trying to rehire them but can’t figure out how to reach them because the workers lost access to their work email when they were fired.

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Can you put a face to “transgender.” We can. Several. One of our Lianna’s first trans friends is the sweetest young man, Oliver. They met online through some shared interest and Linda and I drove her about 30 minutes north for their first in-person meeting a while ago. It was our job to assess the safety of it, you know, meet the parents, etc. It took about five seconds. The house and neighborhood were nice and the mom had a streak of pink in her hair and we connected instantly. But the joy of Lianna’s and Oliver’s meeting was more to the point. They just started jumping up and down together. They are wonderful kids. Beyond wonderful.

Kudos to the NYT for devoting their entire editorial page today to the hateful and brutal campaign Trump and the Republicans are waging against the trans community. Anyone who has resisted comparisons to Nazi Germany thus far can pretty safely join the rest of us now. Here are a few statements from the Times Editorial Board:

What shouldn’t be debated is whether the government should target a group of Americans to be stripped of their freedom and dignity to move through the world as they choose. This is a campaign in which cruelty and humiliation seem to be the fundamental point. The chaos of these past few weeks shouldn’t mask that in this period, Trump has waged as direct a campaign against a single, vulnerable minority as we’ve seen in generations.

Within hours, a series of executive orders and actions were issued excluding transgender people from nearly every aspect of American public life: denying them accurate identification documents such as passports, imposing a nationwide restriction on gender-affirming medical care for trans youths, investigating schools with gender neutral bathrooms, criminalizing teacher support for trans students, and commanding the Federal Bureau of Prisons to force the estimated 1,500 trans women in custody to be housed with men.

Another order aims to oust openly transgender soldiers from the armed services. In this move Trump took aim at people who have put their lives on the line for their nation. The order called for imposing federally mandated discrimination against the estimated 20,000 Americans who have put their lives on the line to defend the nation. He offered no evidence that this order would remove unqualified people from the armed forces or make the country safer, because there is none. The language of the order was notable for its meanness.

“Adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” Not only does this order erase the honorable service (and potentially the pensions) of soldiers who led infantry patrols in Afghanistan and flew combat missions over Syria; it denies that they exist as transgender people at all. 

But we know you exist, Oliver. Hang in there buddy.

[Sorry for devoting so much space to this, but it really gets on my goat.]

Oh, last point, almost forgot: Headline on page 25, front section of today’s Times. Five Arrested in Death of Transgender Man Who Police Say Was Tortured.

If you need to put a name and face to it: Sam Nordquist, 24.

His mom described him as “very kind,” and shared that he was loved by his family. Regarding the torture, Police Capt. Kelly Swift said: “In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated.” 

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OK, let’s divide ourselves up into two groups, using this tiny love story as the vehicle. It’s by Elizabeth Vecchione and is from today’s NYT.

I was sitting at my kitchen table, mulling over the reality of my life after the death of my beloved husband, Joe. This was the second Valentine’s Day without him, and my loss was still painful. No more large bouquets of roses from the Korean market across the street; no more cards with the sappy verses he favored. Just then, a large silver and red Mylar balloon floated by — staying for a quick wiggle in front of my 25th-floor window. Was this Joe sending me a valentine, after all? I acknowledged his message to me, and smiled appreciatively.

So what group are you in reader? Was it Joe?

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Those of us who sport one were happy to see a moustache in the puzzle today. And not just any moustache — a WALRUS MOUSTACHE. Neat clue too: “Style sported by Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain.”

Here’s Teddy’s, sorely needing a trim.

And MT’s, even more unruly than Ted’s.

Does the constructor have a thing about facial hair? There was also “Van _____ (beard style).” A Van DYKE is required to have a moustache too, BTW. It’s defined as beard + moustache with the cheeks shaved. Here’s Ned Flanders, Sr. with one.

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First time I recall actress Portia de ROSSI in the grid. She is 52 now and married to Ellen DeGeneres, who is 67. Before her marriage, she dated Francesca Gregorini – the step-daughter of Ringo Starr. Portia and Ellen have been married since 2008.

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Turning to sports, we watched the UCONN women stomp the crap out of South Carolina, 87-58. It was tense because we kept thinking SC, ranked #4 nationally, above UCONN, would come alive at some point. Get this — the game was in South Carolina and the loss snapped SC’s 71-home-game winning streak. Seventy-one! OC fave Paige Bueckers had a solid game (12 pts, 10 assists), but Azzi Fudd, below, no relation to Elmer, was brilliant with 28 points.

Less successful were our Sirens, bowing to a very tough Montreal team 6-2 in front of a sell-out (10,000) crowd up there yesterday. Our Sarah, skated well, but with Alex Carpenter still out, we just didn’t have the firepower to keep up with the league’s top team on their home ice.

We’ll let Sarah’s pretty smile send us off tonight. Thanks for popping by. We’ll see if we can report on the road from Ohio tomorrow.

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