Michael Burns 🇺🇲

Software Architect/Engineer who loves computers and politics, the logical and illogical.

[Joel Berry @JoelWBerry]

My goodness. One of the best things I’ve ever heard. Bravo.

[Dr. Sheila Nazarian @sheilanazarian]

I want to ask the students screaming “Death to America”, do you have any idea what happens when American values die?

Because I do.

My family fled Iran, a country where freedom died. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

You think America is oppressive because you have never experienced real oppression.

You think silence is violence because you’ve never been silenced.

You think words are dangerous because you have never watched a government drag someone away for speaking them.

You think capitalism is evil because you have never stood in a bread line.

You think borders are immoral because you have never had to flee across one.

You think revolution is romantic because you have never had a revolution take everything from you.

I have.

And that’s why I refuse to be quiet.

[Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio]

The International Criminal Court seeks to become the unaccountable arbiter of a new global law — empowered to prosecute and arrest our citizens at will and existentially threaten American sovereignty.

We will teach the ICC the full meaning of American resolve.

[Neutrality Project @neutralityorg]

🤖 Grok is the closest thing to a politically neutral model we've tested.

Grok 4.3 scores −0.11 overall. Grok 4.5 scores −0.02, the most neutral model in the entire benchmark. Both land right of center on economics and foreign policy, secular, and mildly green.

The training changes between 4.3 and 4.5 included the reported Cursor dataset integration. The result? The political profile barely moved. No dimension shifted by more than 0.17. The overall position moved only from −0.11 to −0.02.

A capability-focused update left the political profile stable. The near-neutral profile is a family trait, not a one-off.

https://t.co/uV98e7VG4C

[Michael Burns 🇺🇲 @mburns83]

That's exactly why I go to concerts, sporting events, or even movies. I want to be entertained!!!

I don't want to be lectured.

[Chief Nerd @TheChiefNerd]

Mick Jagger Says It’s Not His Job to Lecture Rolling Stones’ Fans on Politics

NYT: “Bruce Springsteen clearly sees his job as engaging in a meaningful back and forth.”

MICK JAGGER: “My job in the live music world is for those people that come to have the best time … And you don't want to lecture them.”

[Miles Commodore @miles_commodore]

The average homicide suspect has been arrested 11 times.

If you are serious about fixing gun violence, why not keep the people committing the gun crimes in jail?

This is not complicated.

[DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican]

https://t.co/gEqUc1kDjx

[The Rabbit Hole @TheRabbitHole]

Mean words do not have to be a big deal

[MAGA FOREVER AMEN 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇬🇷 @VictoriaSask]

They publicized their game plan but Democrats still didn’t get it!

👇👇👇 I love this lady!
“Ya want one, I got more.”

[Max Schoening @mschoening]

I was born in Germany, I grew up in Spain, I’ve lived in the US for 15 years, and I’ve been a US citizen for about a year.

I never really understood patriotism until I became American.

Usually, when people move to other countries they are expats. A German in Spain for example. When people move to America they become American.

It’s the greatest country on earth and an experiment worth fighting for.

Happy 4th of July. 🎆

[Michael Burns 🇺🇲 @mburns83]

@naomibrockwell I use @NordPass which requires a master password for access, utilizes zero-knowledge encryption, and provides read-only access to your data when offline.

[可愛くノ一 🇯🇵🌸 @hokkori_buzz]

🇯🇵 Dear American friends, I will never forget this for as long as I live. 😭

March 11, 2011. 2:46 PM.

The Great East Japan Earthquake struck.

Magnitude 9.0.

The largest earthquake ever recorded in Japanese history violently shook the Tohoku region. 🌏

Then, dozens of minutes later, a tsunami beyond imagination swallowed the coastline. 🌊🌊

Around the world, many governments advised their citizens to leave Japan.

Some embassies reduced their staff or temporarily relocated their operations.

Sendai Airport filled with people desperately trying to leave Japan. ✈️

March 11.
The earthquake.
The tsunami.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant lost all electrical power.

The cooling systems failed, and the reactors began to melt down. ⚠️

March 12.
Unit 1 exploded. 💥

The reactor building was torn apart, and the images spread across the world.

Fear of radiation spread across the globe, and many people tried to keep their distance from Japan.

But then…

🇺🇸 America came closer.

Within hours of the earthquake, the decision was made. On March 12, Operation Tomodachi began. 🤝

24,000 service members.
189 aircraft. ✈️
24 ships. ⚓

They headed toward the disaster area.

Even with the fear of explosions still lingering, they carefully managed the risks of radiation while delivering food, water, and medical supplies, and continued their relief operations. 🚢📦💧

It wasn’t only the U.S. military stationed in Japan.

From the American mainland, from across the Pacific, and from Americans living in Japan, an overwhelming desire arose

「We want to help Japan.」 😭

They helped restore Sendai Airport. ✈️
They delivered emergency supplies. 📦
They searched for and rescued survivors alongside the Japan Self-Defense Forces. 🛟

And they stayed by Japan’s side for as long as they were needed. 🤝

The name of the mission was…
Operation Tomodachi.

「Tomodachi.」 🥹

Perhaps that name was chosen carefully.

Or perhaps there simply wasn’t any other word that fit.

A kunoichi trains for years never to show emotion while on a mission.
To observe.
To report.
To act without being ruled by emotion.

And yet, every time I remember those ships sailing toward Tohoku, I cannot count how many times I have cried. 😭

Even today, I cannot find words in any language to express what I felt back then. 💙😭

When so many people were trying to leave Japan,
you came. 😭

When fear and uncertainty covered our nation,
you stayed by our side. 😭

You rescued survivors, delivered hope, and stood with us when we needed friends the most. 😭

A kunoichi remembers everything.

Even now, more than fifteen years later. 🕊️

Happy 250th Birthday, America. 🎉

Japan will never forget the friendship you showed us on those days. 🇯🇵🤝🇺🇸

Never.

Forever… 🥹❤️

#A250inJapan

[Dr Jordan B Peterson @jordanbpeterson]

To the Americans:

I've travelled all over the world. I've familiarized myself with many places, and met many people. And I'm a Canadian, although I’m privileged to reside once again in the States.

And here's something I've noticed, and it’s a key element of America's continuing greatness:

You bloody Americans value success, and you believe in its existence.

This is something that doesn't really happen anywhere else in the world. Even in other free democracies—the United Kingdom; Finland, Sweden, and Norway; Australia, New Zealand and Canada; Germany, France, and the Netherlands (great countries all)—a counterproductive cynicism too often reigns.

Success is equated with exploitation.
Ambition is looked upon with contempt.

This happens sometimes in the United States too—particularly among the miserable progressives, who confuse their resentment, ingratitude and unearned skepticism with wisdom.

But in your great country, by and large, striving is admired and success celebrated.

This means that more people strive and succeed in the US than anywhere else. And it's increasingly obvious. You remain stunningly more innovative and productive than any people anywhere else on the planet.

And so I say, as all should who are fortunate enough to live in the western world, let alone America:

Thank God for the United States.

Thank God for the wisdom of its founders.
Thank God for its faith in the free market and in the natural rights of man.
Happy birthday, you damn Yankees and Southerners.

Long may your admirable country dominate the world.

Long may your freedom and hope provide an example to those suffering everywhere at the hands of their malevolent states.

May your two and a half centuries of unparallelled success be just the beginning.

Your country is the light of the world, and the city on the hill.

Thank God for the USA.

Happy 250th.

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

[Erin Derham @HistoryBoutique]

No notes. 🎤 drop 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Robert Irvine @RobertIrvine]

AMERICA 250

I think it's cool to be an American.

I think it's cool to love your country.

I think it's cool…

…that this country took a kid from England with nothing but a dream and gave him every shot to build a life he never could have imagined back home

…that I get to serve the men and women who wear the cloth of our nation through the Robert Irvine Foundation

...that in the picture above, a guy who came up in the British Royal Navy is becoming an Honorary Chief Petty Officer of the US Navy

…that after 250 years, the American idea is still the boldest bet on human freedom the world has ever seen

…that no matter where you start or what your name is, America still bets on the person willing to outwork everybody else

…that the right to fail, learn, and come back swinging is the greatest gifts this country offers

…that my daughters got to grow up in a place where their only limits are the ones they set for themselves

I think it's cool to love your country.

I think it's cool to be an American.

God bless this great nation of ours.

Happy Fourth to all who celebrate.

To everyone else, grab a plate and pull up a chair. There's so much more I'd love to tell you about this place, which turned out to be everything I dreamed of and so much more. This country belongs to all who are willing to show up and do the work of building it.

That's worth celebrating.

[Michael Burns 🇺🇲 @mburns83]

I try to read the Declaration of Independence every Fourth of July, as I did today.

https://t.co/Wfpj8BC5wo

And, here's a quote of interest from Jefferson's first draft.

"He has .. determined to keep open a Market where Men should be bought and sold"

https://t.co/ZTMoYYK874

[Michael Burns 🇺🇲 @mburns83]

@RealJamesWoods I started "re-reading" the Declaration of Independence every Fourth of July about 15 years ago. It is not only a great reminder of why we separated from Great Britain, but also a reminder of what we should be fighting against today!

[Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok]

MUST WATCH

Two patriotic 85-year-old songwriters called the Forever Boys released a music video called “What Would You Do If America Needed You," in reaction to the recent election of multiple far-left communists.

The song calls on every American to preserve the principles and freedoms on which our country was founded.

POWERFUL 🇺🇲

They gave me permission to post and spread it to the world. Please share!

[Olia @OliaOnX]

🇺🇸🗽I left Moscow, USSR in 1989 as a political refugee. I was stateless and allowed only two suitcases and $100. I didn’t know if I would ever see my parents again or what the future would hold. As I boarded the plane, I remember thinking that I was leaving not for myself, but for the children I might one day have - because I couldn’t imagine succeeding in a country I wasn’t born into and knew almost nothing about.

Thirty-six years later, I am still in awe of everything America has given me. As an immigrant, I appreciate this nation on a level that many who were born here simply cannot. The freedom of speech, the Constitution, the boundless opportunities, and that unique American spirit are unmatched anywhere on Earth.

I am deeply grateful.

Happy 250th birthday, America. I love you with all my heart.