Is Big Brother Watching
I am worried for hubs. This illegal threatening, intimidating email requesting federal employees to reply with 5 bullet points of what they did last week by Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET. or get fired. My hubby can make a list of 105 things, but should he? I do hope his union provides some guidance on Monday morning. We all know this is bogus and illegal, but legality doesn't seem to matter anymore, they just make threats and do whatever they damn well please.
Anything Musk tweets about - anything - should be considered BS and a lie. If all Federal employees refuse and resist it will send a strong message. There are still LAWS protecting Federal employees from arbitrary dismissal.
Republican members of congress
Trusk: Consistently fail to see the bigger picture or the fact that we live in a complex society.
Hubs, is at work right now and stuff is going on there that he has only filled me in on briefly but even his sketchy report is not good. I have called our two Senators and Representative and told them to stop the monster Musk from destroying the government and the country. Thankfully, our congresspersons are Dems and the persons who answered the phone were all very supportive. I have been on the verge of tears all morning.
Not all departments are giving the same advice. Which just adds to the confusion.
But apparently we are no longer a nation where the government respects LAWS.
Eggs are the least of our worries today.
(In response to a story about "GOP House Rep Tells Furious Constituents That “God Has Plan And Purpose” For Them Getting Fired": F your phony god and his non-existent "plan".
(In response to a comment supporting the Musk request/demand) Obviously, a troll. You know nothing of real people and real lives that this is affecting. Go delete yourself.
Hubs has been dealing with this today. So much confusion and conflicting info/advice from management/unions. I am worried for him. Can’t wait till he gets home.
Hubby and I are waiting for some math wiz to calculate the cost to the government incurred by federal employees today who were called into meetings and strategy sessions to determine if and how to respond to Monster Musk's ridiculous demands. I would guess hours per employee were spent on this nonsense.
Hubby and I are cautiously optimistic about his job. I wish I could be more specific, but there may be spies out there...
...I cannot say specifically. He and all coworkers (about 35 in his office) did respond. Personally I think they should have told Musk to shove it, but I don't have a job to lose. I guess it was a disturbing day for all, but they did what they thought best. I cannot fault them for that. It's all new territory.
The request/demand was illegal but the threat was real. So yeah, it presented a moral and ethical dilemma for every federal employee. It was not a matter of typing a few words and hitting “send” (as Musk jested). Nothing about Musk’s activities is authorized or legal and yet he somehow has control over millions of government employees.
This has to end.
I put blame where it belongs: the republican party, the heritage foundation, christian nationalists, and a national disease/crisis of despair and anger that has been growing unchecked for decades.
Yes, I want them (the Dems) to DO SOMETHING! But realistically, we are all in
unexplored territory. The three branches of government and the DOJ are
all under the control/influence of Trump/Musk/Republicans and in
complete defiance of the laws and customs of our government.
Ordinarily it would be the DOJ and the courts that would enforce compliance. And the legislature would have impeached the felon again by now. (Or if any iota of reason had prevailed, the felon would NEVER have been nominated, let alone elected).
So what do the Democrats have in their arsenal
right now? Rhetoric? Indignation? Moral Superiority? YouTube?
I want
to hear from Obama, Carter, Biden, Harris, and every elected Democrat,
every day until this coup is taken down and destroyed forever! And the
rest of us will, sooner or later, have to take to the streets. I fear
there will be violence before this is over.
P.S. to fellow bloggers. I've been a bit preoccupied so haven't been keeping tabs on you guys.
Relevant Laws Federal Employees Should Know Regarding Forced Resignations & Performance Reporting:
(I cannot vouch for the annotations below each cited law; I took this from a Federal Employee's comment elsewhere on the internet)
5 U.S.C. § 7513 - Adverse Actions Against Federal Employees
-Federal employees cannot be removed or disciplined without cause and due process.
-Any action taken based on non-response to an email demand is legally challengeable.
5 U.S.C. § 2302 - Prohibited Personnel Practices
-Federal employees are protected from arbitrary personnel actions.
-Any executive directive must comply with the Merit System Principles.
5 U.S.C. § 7701 - Right to Appeal Adverse Employment Actions
-Employees have the right to appeal terminations and disciplinary actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
-Forced resignations due to non-response to an email do not meet the legal standard for involuntariness.
5 U.S.C. § 552a - Privacy Act of 1974
-Any request for performance records must comply with federal records and privacy laws.
-Requests without proper documentation, Privacy Act notices, or legal justification may be unauthorized.
5 C.F.R. § 351 - Reduction in Force Regulations
-Layoffs and workforce reductions must follow legally established procedures, including seniority and formal review.
-A mass demand for employee self-justification does not constitute a lawful reduction in force.