Emptywheel

Marcy Wheeler is a freelance journalist focused on issues related to national security and civil liberties. She writes under the name emptywheel on her personal blog and contributes to various publications such as Motherboard, the New Republic, and Al Jazeera. Additionally, she often shares her insights on television and radio programs. Marcy is the author of "Anatomy of Deceit," which provides an overview of the CIA leak investigation, and she gained attention for her live coverage of the Scooter Libby trial. She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the House Fourth Amendment Caucus and serves as a senior fellow at George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. Marcy has also been honored as an Internet Human Rights hero by AccessNow. Since 2007, Marcy has dedicated herself to blogging full time. She is particularly recognized for her live coverage of the Scooter Libby trial and her reporting on the number of times Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding. Moreover, she has been ahead of the curve in uncovering government surveillance practices long before they were made public. Marcy holds a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she studied "feuilleton," a brief, conversational format in journalism that has been significant during periods of increased censorship. In addition to her academic pursuits, she has provided documentation consulting for companies in the automotive, technology, and energy sectors. Recently, Marcy, along with her spouse and their dog June Bug, relocated to Ireland.

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Introduction To Yarvin's Formalism

1 week ago | emptywheel.net | Ed Walker

The introduction to this series should be read first. It has the index to all posts in this series. The previous post discussed two aspects of Yarvin’s first blog post, his rejection of current ideologies and his loathing of democracy. This post describes the ideology he created, formalism. The goal of formalismYarvin starts with the proposition that the only truly significant problem facing humans is violence. The goal of formalism is to rid the planet of violence.
Despite Pete Hegseth, Signal is Good

1 week ago | emptywheel.net | Quinn Norton

Why you should use Signal (But maybe ditch Whatsapp?)The Secretary of Defense and Fox Host Pete Hegseth keeps using Signal to talk about war plans with people he’s not supposed to be talking with at his day job. He also gets caught, because he’s bad at security as well as his job. Hegseth uses his personal phone for Department of Defence business, including killing a lot Yemenis.
The Beginnings of Curtis Yarvin

3 weeks ago | emptywheel.net | Ed Walker

This introduction to this series should be read first. It has the index to all posts in this series. Marcy points out that there is no policy in the Trump administration, only destruction, revenge, and palace intrigue. That’s a great start for Curtis Yarvin and the evil shits surrounding Trump, especially the destruction part. This post introduces Curtis Yarvin’s justification for that nihilistic approach.
Harvie Wilkinson Tries To Salvage Trump v. US

3 weeks ago | emptywheel.net | Ed Walker

Every bad thing that has happened during this lawless administration can be traced to the execrable decision of John Roberts and the Trump Clique in Trump v. US. That certainly includes the rendition of Kilmar Albrego Garcia to a notorious prison in El Salvador; he’s been moved to another prison there. Trump and his henchmen believe that they can lever that decision to justify their outrageous goals. Step one: claim there’s an emergency. Step two: issue a proclamation.
When We Take The Streets

1 month ago | emptywheel.net | Quinn Norton

Protesting Safer in AmericaIt’s not looking good out there, and a lot of people in the coming months (and maybe years) will be taking the streets to show the government their displeasure. Protesting the Trump Administration is still legal, but there’s a lot you should know before you take your rights out for some exercise. You need a lot more than your funny sign ready before you head out for a protest. First and foremost, you need to have a plan.
Sell Your Tesla Dump Your Stock

1 month ago | emptywheel.net | Ed Walker

That was one of the chants at the #TeslaTakedown event I attended in Chicago last Saturday. But selling your Tesla car is not easy. There isn’t much of a market for used Teslas in this area. There’s a similar problem in Boston. And Seattle. It seems to be a world-wide problem. Perhaps Trump will single-handedly create a market for used Teslas among his cult. That would be great, since only a few years ago they were crazy angry about libtards driving electric vehicles.
NOAA: The Biggest Little Agency in America

2 months ago | emptywheel.net | Quinn Norton

What We are Quietly Losing in All the TumultLast week the ghouls of DOGE came to gut NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) by firing all the probationary employees, because they were the easiest to fire. It was terrible, but it won’t be their last visit.
Conclusion To Series On Individuality

2 months ago | emptywheel.net | Ed Walker

A stupid despot may constrain his slaves with iron chains; but a true politician binds them even more strongly by the chain of their own ideas; it is at the stable point of reason that he secures the end of the chain; this link is all the stronger in that we do not know of what it is made and we believe it to be our own work; despair and time eat away the bonds of iron and steel, but they are powerless against the habitual union of ideas, they can only tighten it still more; and on the soft...
A Cautionary Tale Of The Limited Reach Of Legal Ethics

2 months ago | emptywheel.net | Ed Walker

Lawyers are very good at making up reasons why their clients are right, regardless of the nature of the dispute. And they’re very good at explaining why applicable laws and cases do or don’t apply, whichever serves the client’s interests. In this post I look at the ethical requirement related to purely legal arguments. RulesAll lawyers are bound by the ethical obligations set by the state in which they are licensed. Generally these are a version of the ABA Model Rules Of Professional Conduct.
What We Talk About When We Talk About AI (Part Two)

2 months ago | emptywheel.net | Quinn Norton

The Other Half of the AI relationshipWhen trying to understand AI, and in particular Large Language Models, we spend a lot of time concentrating on their architectures, structures, and outputs. We look at them with a technical eye. We peer so close and attentively to AI that we lose track of the fact that we’re looking into a mirror. The source of all AI’s power and knowledge is humanity’s strange work. It’s human in form and content, and only humans use and are used by it.