Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle

@mgerstner.bsky.social

Politics & grammar/spelling geek; love travel, music & sailing; retired financial services exec; recovering tax attorney

781 followers1.2K following77 posts

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/u... Been saying this for years, “It’s the CORRUPTION, Stupid!” Trump & his grifter family perfected the Art of the Steal for his 2nd term. Can’t believe anyone would put money in a venture with a convicted fraudster, but suckers are born every minute. #Trumpfelonocracy

nytimes.comSecret Deals, Foreign Investments, Presidential Policy Changes: The Rise of Trump’s Crypto Firm (Gift Article)World Liberty Financial has eviscerated the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in ways without precedent in modern American history.
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

And it’s a fact Joe Biden won the 2020 election, yet Fox News et al. sit in that room every day.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

COLLINS: Which White House official made the decision to bar the AP reporter? LEAVITT: It is a privilege to cover this WH C: Isn't this retaliatory? LEAVITT: It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

This from the people that called liberals the “word police”. They’ve literally published a list of forbidden words.

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social

1. EXCLUSIVE Today, the NSA is planning a "Big Delete" of websites and internal network content that contain any of 27 banned words, including "privilege," "bias," and "inclusion," a NSA source tells Popular Information. The massive purge is creating chaos, taking down "mission-related" work

popular.infoThe NSA's "Big Delete"Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) is planning a "Big Delete" of websites and internal network content that contain any of 27 banned words, including "privilege," "bias," and "inclusion." The "...
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

“Wikipedia may best be understood as the apotheosis of a view fashionable among the anti-“woke” tech milieu: Free speech, which the group claims to passionately defend, counts only so long as they like what you have to say.” I encourage all to support Wikipedia. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

theatlantic.comElon Musk Wants What He Can’t Have: WikipediaMusk and other right-wing tech figures have been on a campaign to delegitimize the digital encyclopedia. What happens if they succeed?
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

WTF?? How can this be legal? Is this a slow coup?

Stephanie Kennedy@wordswithsteph.bsky.social

Aides to Elon Musk have locked government workers out of computer systems at US agency OPM. www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...

reuters.comExclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources sayAides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

Infuriates me - assumption that “DEI hires” (aka women/Blacks/Hispanics/disabled/vets) are compromising quality. White males aren’t better at EVERYTHING! Decades of progress on reducing discriminatory hiring practices down the drain with a few strokes of a Sharpie. 🤬🤮 #youvotedforthis #wetoldyouso

kristinekenyon.bsky.social@kristinekenyon.bsky.social

I remember the first time I heard the term ‘DEI’, looked it up, and thought “how in the world will they turn diversity, equity, and inclusion into a perjorative? Now we know, white hoods are off. “Merit” is BS. Read & follow @amandamarcotte.bsky.social www.salon.com/2025/01/23/d...

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

I’m glad I’m not the only one with these same exact thoughts.

D. Earl Stephens@dearlstephens.bsky.social

📌"I might be wrong that a decided increase in idiotic people is the reason for America’s descent toward fascism, but I am confident as hell that many working-class Republican voters and the millions of Democrats who stayed home on Nov. 5th, are about to get the government they deserve." (my latest>

dearlstephens.substack.comSTUPID IS AS STUPID DOESThe reason working-class voters are moving toward the party that screws them ...
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

Strongly agree with this. #youvotedforthis

#TuckFrump@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social

thehill.comAmerica voted for a dumpster fire — Democrats just need to let it burn itself out MAGA Republicans have caught the car of undivided power. If the government now lurches from one pointless crisis to the next, or if Trump’s plans are disastrous, the Democrats’ one job is to make sure that voters know who is to blame and what they can do…
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

I’d heard about this, but never seen the actual footage. How this isn’t all over social media (except X of course), I’ll never know.

Imran Bristol@imranicus.bsky.social

#ElonMusk loves to complain and demonise immigrants however according to his brother Kimbal in an interview in 2013 - they were both illegal immigrants to the USA. Elon however claimed this was a grey area - his brother however reiterated that both himself and Elon were illegal immigrants.

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

Love this!!

BrooklynDad_Defiant!@mmpadellan.bsky.social

The day America decided to ignore Jared Kushner's $2 billion from the Saudis, and put an insurrection-inciting convicted felon back in the White House, is the day I stopped giving a shit about any "moral high ground." I hope President Biden takes his "presidential immunity" out for a fucking spin.

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

Kakistocracy - power word for the next 4 years. #youvotedforthis

Jeff Tiedrich@jefftiedrich.bsky.social

here's today's post: "Charles Kushner and Kash Patel join Donny’s Confederacy of Sewer Clowns" — a kakistocracy the likes of which no one has ever seen. thanks for reading, and please sign up for my daily newsletter so you never miss a post —

bit.lyCharles Kushner and Kash Patel join Donny’s Confederacy of Sewer Clownsa kakistocracy the likes of which no one has ever seen
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

How about having it apply to the future POTUS? How about that?

David French@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social

This is wrong. The rule of law should apply to the president’s son just as it would apply to you or me. www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12...

nytimes.comPresident Biden Pardons His Son Hunter: Live UpdatesThe “full and unconditional pardon” comes weeks before President Biden leaves office. The president’s spokeswoman had denied for months that he had any intention of granting clemency for his son.
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

And Republicans are such slaves to precedent? Give me a break. This is why Rethuglicans are eating Dems’ lunch. We care about the rule of law, democratic norms, etc., etc. And they think we’re a bunch of suckers and losers. I love the rule of law - applied equally to both sides.

Charlie Sykes@sykescharlie.bsky.social

On a human, parental level, the decision is understandable. But politically, it is a gift to Maga. And a terrible precedent.

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

Thank goodness Biden didn’t fall for the never-ending what-aboutism of the radical right. Dems have to have perfect behavior while Rethugs are literally shitting in the halls of Congress. Imagine the graft and corruption the Trump administration will be guilty of. Leave Hunter out of it.

The New York Times@nytimes.com

Breaking News: President Biden pardoned his son Hunter, saying his prosecution was political and designed to hurt him politically. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/u...

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

#youvotedforthis Love this one you posted on FB

Occupy Democrats@occupydemocrats.bsky.social

All of the voters who supported Donald Trump because of the "price of milk" or "inflation" are in for a rude awakening when his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico skyrocket the price of literally everything. Share if you knew this would end in disaster!

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

Kakistocracy - power word for the next 4 years #youvotedforthis

Laurence H. Tribe@tribelaw.bsky.social

“Taken together, these appointments suggest an attempt to make our government dysfunctional, to make it fall apart, to pervert it, until it’s not capable of doing anything at all.” They’re not just unqualified but “anti-qualified.” www.huffpost.com/entry/timoth... www.huffpost.com/entry/timoth...

huffpost.comAuthoritarianism Expert Delivers Chilling Assessment On Trump Cabinet PicksIt's not “just that these people are not qualified enough" or even "totally unqualified," warned Timothy Snyder, who said their selection aims to do one thing.
Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle
@mgerstner.bsky.social

#youvotedforthis

Brian Tyler Cohen@briantylercohen.bsky.social

Trump's team is in "preliminary discussions about making significant changes to Medicaid, food stamps & other federal safety net programs to offset the enormous cost of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts next year.” Medicaid, food stamps are now on the chopping block to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

washingtonpost.comTrump allies eye overhauling Medicaid, food stamps in tax legislationAs Republican leaders look for ways to offset the costs of a new set of tax cuts, social safety net programs are under discussion.

Maribel Gerstner aka Firebelle reposted

Brian Tyler Cohen
@briantylercohen.bsky.social

Trump's team is in "preliminary discussions about making significant changes to Medicaid, food stamps & other federal safety net programs to offset the enormous cost of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts next year.” Medicaid, food stamps are now on the chopping block to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

washingtonpost.comTrump allies eye overhauling Medicaid, food stamps in tax legislationAs Republican leaders look for ways to offset the costs of a new set of tax cuts, social safety net programs are under discussion.

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