I’ve been a fan of Michael Lewis for years. The latest Michael Lewis book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, tells the stories of six civil servants who risked or ended their careers to protect critical government functions, ranging from IRS data protection to wildfire prevention, and scientific research.
DOGE and Trump have purged the Government of thousands of career federal civil servants. Lewis shows how federal workers targeted by President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were dealt with. They labeled resistant public servants as “blockers”.
“I, _, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”– Civil Service Oath of Office, U.S. Code § 3331.
That’s the oath Federal employees take when hired. They are NOT bound to a political party or a particular President. But Trump feels the Government works only for him. Lewis writes about heroic actions of Federal employees who took their oath seriously and tried to serve American citizens.
The resistance to Trump and Musk is an inspiring story that should give us hope we can dig out of the hole those fools have put us in. GRADE: A
Not too much OT:
Yesterday Banned Books Week started again!
I Don’t read too much anymore but I’ll have a look …
Wolf, I highly recommend all of Michael Lewis’s books!
Sounds like it should be a manual for dealing with a corrupt and evil president. As a San Diegan, I’m appalled at his threats against San Diego and Los Angeles
Maggie, why any President would wish destruction on San Diego and LA is insane. Trump has lost what little mind he had…
Yes, but I just can’t keep reading this stuff every day.
Jeff, I know what you mean. But each day Trump drops another threat. I’m hoping he and the GOP get trounced in November!
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/09/25/us-trump-administration-rejects-external-election-observers
Todd, thanks for the link!
My father found himself doing some of this kind of thing in his last years in the FAA under the Reagan Admin. Would that this were new, and even more that by now it was old and long since disappeared, as we had grown out of electing pulling infantile demagogues.
Todd, it’s beyond infantile to offer Iran a chance at blowing up LA and San Diego!
So much to be worried about at this advanced age. I’d like to hear Patrick’s assessment of AI or SI.
Patti, the only thing Patrick says–because of his GOOGLE NDA–is “In five years, everything will be completely changed!”