Ben Hort

"Creative Printer Since 1915" Fan of NY Yankees, NY Mets (yes both), NY Giants & NY Knicks. Opinionated Observer of Politics.

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@JonHeyman I thought it was a bruise?

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@uscfan981 Shaq

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@JLas43_ I thought he had a bruise?

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@emmitonair Joe Barry Carroll

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@Sarah_Hardy_c Madden is the mold for modern day color commentators.

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@TheSports_Shift I’ve been a Simms guy since 1979 but it’s probably Eli because of the 2nd ring & durability.

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@Patricia_Traina @art_stapleton Weren’t a lot of them in San Antonio last night? I know they fly private but still not much sleep. Did they ask Coach Harbaugh? Did they know today was going to be a bonding day?

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@VinnysCorner1 5

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@ShamsCharania @michaelkruse Is he paying for a ticket?

[Jesus Freakin Congress @TheJFreakinC]

🚨An ICE agent, in Palm Beach, threatened to arrest a U.S. citizen for standing in his own front yard.

The video shows a man filming ICE agents surrounding and questioning a young man, which is happening directly in front of his home.

While the man stands on his lawn, recording, an ICE agent walks onto the man’s property, points his finger at him, and orders him to move back 25 feet.

The homeowner backs up and shouts:

“This is MY PROPERTY!”

And yet, the agent continues threatening him with arrest.

For what exactly?

Standing on his own lawn, while filming government agents operate in front of his driveway?

Since when do Americans need permission from the federal government to stand in their own yard?

The First Amendment protects the public’s right to observe and document government activity.

Property rights don’t disappear because federal agents show up in your neighborhood.

And if there was a legitimate safety concern requiring a “25-foot perimeter,” why was the agent able to simply turn around and walk away moments later?

The Constitution doesn’t become optional when federal officers find it inconvenient.

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@VinnysCorner1 One can make that argument. Pretty easy to take either side. He is certainly the most unique that we have seen. His run is not over but if it ended now is he more Ruth or Koufax?

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@FiresideYankees Please no

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@CBSNews Of all the teams in NY there are probably fewer MAGA supporters on the #Knicks than any other team. Other than Dolan pretty woke organization & the crowd will also be mostly against him. Will he really show up?

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@sportingnews No didn’t do enough. Last 4-5 years not great. Needed that 2nd Super Bowl win. Never a fan but he was a good Pro for #Giants last season. Conducted himself like a pro after he lost his job. I was not sure he would do that.

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@VinnysCorner1 True

[Miles Taylor @MilesTaylorUSA]

Yesterday Donald Trump tripled the size of his personal political army inside the government. Illegally. And almost no one noticed.

Here's what happened:

He signed an order converting ~8,000 of the most senior career officials in government into employees he can fire for any reason, or no reason at all.

These aren't rando's. They're the directors, chiefs of staff, and the people who write the rules or decide who gets federal money, i.e. the lieutenants right below his political appointees.

Until yesterday, they answered to the law. Now they answer to him.

A president normally gets ~4,000 political appointees. People he can bring into government and fire at will. I was one of them at DHS. You serve at his pleasure, full stop -- so if you're gonna speak truth to power, you're prepared to quit (or get fired if he doesn't like it).

The rest of the federal government is PROTECTED from firing if they tell the truth.

But Trump just stripped those protections. Adding 8,000 more people to his personal army. Overnight. Without asking Congress.

With the stroke of a pen, those people now serve at the pleasure of the president. They're "his" people, whether they like it or not.

And the chilling effect is real. An official who can be fired this afternoon for "subversion of presidential directives" (the order's own words) doesn't need to be hand-picked to know what's expected of him or her.

The threat does all the work.

By the way, this order is illegal. The law only lets Trump reclassify jobs when "necessary" in exceptional circumstances. And this blows an 8,000-person hole in the merit hiring / firing system created by Congress.

Without permission, Trump has created a whole new category of stormtroopers inside the Executive Branch.

If this doesn't get challenged in court, you're going to see the U.S. government become a very different place.

Here's the full story: https://t.co/mJzrvzhxGR

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@NamethatYank Cerone?

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@NamethatYank Girardi would also work but a bit old now.

[Ben Hort @HortBen]

@KDilanianMSNOW Wow did not expect that.