David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
The US is about to be run by a military cunta.
Disillusioned, but trying my best to improve what can be improved, and slow bad inevitables. Not an expert, but I play one in every conversation. Privacy engineer at Google, but my voice is not theirs. What I write is either my opinion or not my opinion.
21 followers 47 following 83 posts
view profile on Bluesky David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
The US is about to be run by a military cunta.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Gemini doesn't think Netanyahu would be guilty of genocide, because of the very high burden of proof, but does think he would be guilty of: – Crimes Against Humanity of Persecution and Murder – War Crime of Starvation as a Method of Warfare
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
In an alternate timeline, we'd have been complaining about President Ted Cruz, not realising how lucky we were.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
I hope there are at least some reservists who refuse to cooperate.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Apparently Miss Teen USA doesn't have a swimsuit section anymore. I quizzed Gemini about how it's judged; it's now "athletic wear" instead, and interviews that penalise knowledge that takes more than a quip to express. I really don't get how this pædo objectification competition is still a thing.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
As an Australian, I apologise for Australia's inspiration* that has led to Trump's fascist scapegoating and persecution of asylum seekers. *Through the policies of a string of terrible Liberal Party leaders, which weren't even opposed by the opposition Labor Party.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I can't believe "study hall" is a "class" in US high school. What a waste of a real learning opportunity, for about 4 hours per week. If it's justified for equitable reasons, it would be more useful before or after school. Any value is undercut by letting the kids go on phones for the last 30 mins.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I was thinking about Kurt Vonnegut Jr's Timequake 2, and the concept of being along for the ride in a body that remembers what's going to happen, but can't control any of the actions, and what that would feel like. I realised that other than the foreknowledge part, it's what's already happening.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
E.g. your thoughts on the ethics of piracy (generally, not just as it affects you), the distinction between copying and theft, the extent and extensions of copyright laws, why copyright should give proprietary rights to creators of culture in a way that doesn't apply to other worker activity, etc.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Have you ever written up your detailed thoughts on the tension between cultural availability and reward for creative work? I wouldn't expect an answer to fit in a Blue Sky post, but I would guess you have a nuanced perspective, where I might find some interesting points of disagreement.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
For normal people, sure, join ICE, and do a bad job, slowly, until you're fired. That's the ethical thing to do. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/u...
I remember when this happened.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Actually, hang on, @openargs.bsky.social, if she can recover damages for emotional distress, where does the injured foot come into that? Is it causally linked to the shock? Or did the question not actually specify her foot as relevant to the claim?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
@openargs.bsky.social , it wasn't an LLM. I just had to trim it down massively to fit my (incorrect) rationale. I'm Australian, where there aren't the same rules regarding infliction of emotional distress, if I remember my torts class correctly.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
@asherwolf.bsky.social ^
Set aside the Constitution/search of private property. Section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act itself requires administrative warrants for ICE to even interrogate anyone about their citizenship unless they already have cause to believe that the person is "an alien"! Tell ICE to beat it.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
IIUC, running *can* be seen as creating reasonable suspicion, but there needs to be a newer, overriding principle, that negates the reasonableness if an innocent person in the targeted person's shoes would have a reasonable fear of being targeted based on protected characteristics.
No shock here... the affidavit charging the two surgical center employees says that the officers were, in fact, conducting a "roving patrol" when they decided to start "randomly" start following the landscapers... who happened to be Hispanic.
DHS initially claimed that the officers were engaged in a "targeted" enforcement operation--that is, this was not a random racial profiling incident, but the man was a known suspect who they had reason to believe was in the country illegally. But guess what... DHS LIES x.com/DHSgov/statu...
something something qualified immunity something something history and tradition something something clearly understood
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I just put my existing Samsung washer and dryer on the matching pedestals, to make access easier. The manual isn't great, but my #1 issue is it doesn't explain how the fuck to lift a washer 25cm, and move it precisely, in a small laundry. It doesn't even say min 2 people. ~2.5 hours. Ave. HR ~150.
Usually with these stories there is something buried deep in the last third of the article which explains a clear legal basis for enforcement which I can understand. But this is incomprehsible--and Guatemala?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
@openargs.bsky.social, I took your advice about trying to make ICE socially unacceptable, and made this (using AI on my phone – I'm no artist), as a proof of concept.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
I think politicians should clearly state their principles, and separately, clearly state what their practical positions are, so they can make incremental improvements with minimal alienation of idealistic voters, and then be judged on the totality.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
It's easy to have great policy positions if you're not expected to achieve them. Politicians should express their principles, but it's the ability to achieve something aligned with good policies that should earn votes, even if it means compromising from the subjectively ideal positions.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
The CBP officers at secondary loved the t-shirt, said a meme wasn't grounds for inadmissibility, and they'd be in trouble if they tried. They were really supportive of civil rights, and I was really pleasantly surprised. They were clear that this is for the 9th circuit. Other circuits might vary.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Several people told me it was risky, which was the point: We need to actively measure the risk of a citizen expressing political speech. If it's not risky, we should stop assuming it is. If it is… revolution? 🤷♂️ By chance, I did get a "random" secondary baggage inspection for the first time ever.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
@openargs.bsky.social I was recently in Australia when I heard about the Norwegian tourist not being admitted into the US due to a Vance meme on his phone. My best idea for a protest was printing this, and wearing it through customs when returning to America, at SFO.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
At this point, if a non-criminal person without legal authority to be in the US turned up at the airport to "give up" and fly back to their home country, is there the possibility that some DHS goon would say "you can't leave the country – we're detaining you for being in the country"?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
❌ B: it's about initial liability, not causality of subsequent injuries. ❌ D: "seeing" is too specific. "Witnessing" (which she did) would be better. ✅ C: A reasonable-sounding rule related to causality and foreseeability in negligence. 2️⃣ A, if olden-times people expected wives to auto-swoon.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
America: I love privacy! It's a constitutional right! Also America: Everyone should be able to see you when you're taking a dump.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Have you read Meta's advertising terms? I haven't, but I'm wondering if they could make suing easier by having a term that says that the parties agree that the display of an ad that violates Meta's content policies is worth $1 per impression, and will be charged at that pre-agreed rate.
If anyone is having trouble following my (increasingly long) thread tracking incidents where police assaulted journalists at protests in Los Angeles this weekend, it's also in spreadsheet form here. This is the more organized version I've been sending to lawyers, agency chiefs, electeds, etc.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Hey @aptshadow.bsky.social, can I message you to ask about a hypothesis of your thought process when writing Children of Memory? I don't want to write anything publicly that could be a spoiler.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Hey @repmarkdesaulnier.bsky.social, what was your reason for voting for this (or possibly not voting at all)?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
You're playing on easy mode though, because you consistently write really fun, thought-provoking fiction. Why don't you try writing crap and then see how you feel about critics?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Pizzaballa 2025!
It finally happened. Just received my first confirmed evidence of ICE targeting an Afghan wartime ally (a former Afghan Army soldier who was granted legal asylum) for detention and possible deportation. He went live on social media with the agents attempting to enter his home in Oklahoma City.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Sorry, but I'd like to continue thinking that you're actually Taylor Swift, giving your takes on security, so I don't think you have a VP or job reviews.
ICE waited to kidnap this man until he was within literal feet of the immigration finish line, and they are now doing everything they can to destroy his life and his spirit. Learning the rest of this story really got me today
"what process is due is a function of our resources... and so many other factors” Which stage of fascism is it when the Vice President describes one of the most important concepts in Western law the same way that Delta describes how I get to spend my Skymiles
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm sure it will give lots of plausible deniability for people when real photos of them come out.
84 long days into the new regime the Department of Justice seems to have decided to stop pretending to care about what federal judges tell them to do
I wrote this within hours of Trump's inauguration, & I'm doubling down now as we wait for the federal judiciary's response to DOJ's refusal to even attempt to reverse the "mistaken" exile of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. It's still okay to notice that things are illegal. Because if we don't, they won't be
One of hundreds of people abducted by ICE and sold to slavery in El Salvador was a 19 year old with no criminal record in the US or Venezuela and no tattoos of any kind. An ICE kidnapper who grabbed him outside his house said, "He's not the one." The other said, "Take him anyway." So they did.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
And who weighed him in Atlanta in 2023, when he was supposedly 215 pounds? He wasn't meant to control that process, but there's no way 215 is real. Someone in Georgia should investigate that obvious corruption.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I'm fat, but according to Trump's medical report, he is apparently 8 inches taller than me, and weighs less than me, despite him clearly being way fatter. Does he have no muscle? Is he a series of inflatable sacks? Or... Just possibly, is he a liar, who also corrupts those around him into lying?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
In Australia, people who arrive by boat are treated worse than other arrival methods. I can imagine that Massachusetts still has a lot of people descended from arrivals on the Mayflower, so it all kind of makes sense. /s
Here are two straightforward and incontrovertible statements of law about Mahmoud Khalil: 1) Khalil is a political prisoner of the United States 2) Khallil is a "prisoner of conscience" as defined by Amnesty International We need to say these things, and the world needs to hear them
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
The main consolation to the damage we're all taking in our savings, due to the fascist presidente messing with the economy.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Didn't know about this. Just picked up the audiobook.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
*...quests without guns...
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
MC Frontalot
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
This game sucks, because it's not in the NYT games app, so I can't prove I solved it and share it with friends without spoiling it. Fix that bug, please.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Oh yeah, like life imitating art imitating life. That's not what I meant though. I just meant that his face seems to be... running? Like, if there was a Salvador Dali slider on image generators, he looks like it's set to about 3/10.
OpenAI dropping its prohibition on deepfakes of public figures is a dispiriting milestone. We have two years of evidence that this stuff will be used for scams; OpenAI itself warned about it in the past. But "AI safety" is now a swearword and Grok sets the agenda. fakedup.org/openai-says-...
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
The problem with Musk images is that the real ones look like AI kind of messed it up.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
"but all murder is always wrong, no matter the motivation or outcomes!" search.app/r1kth
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
With all the political shit storms going on right now, I really wish we had this: youtube.com/shorts/J6iRw...
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
It looks like that gif isn't loading, but it's meant to show Arya Stark.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
"Pam Bondi Todd Blanche Emil Bove Ambishek Kambli Chad Mizelle Drew Ensign"
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm in the SF Bay Area, but quite a long way from the cities. I could get to protests with effort, but a few questions: 1. What protests? (That's on me to discover) 2. Will Trump give a crap about CA protests? 3. If he cares, which is more likely: will he change policy, or crush dissent?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Ok, I like that. What else do you have? I need ideas, if you have any to share.
I think a lot of people don't know what to even do. Start small. I've been printing these and leaving them on grocery store shelves.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
I've been asking around about this: what effective resistance is there, when we're already at the part where they're willing to ignore court orders, and they're already disappearing people without due process. I'm feeling immobilised, and I want to actually help. What should I be doing?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Because giving ground to bullies is a great way to get them to stop bullying. /s
Trump on MSNBC and CNN: "I think they're gonna be turned off."
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Hey @peterduttonsays.bsky.social, I don't suppose you'd consider changing your logo to a potato with an open mouth? It would be a really accurate description of "Peter Dutton says". I've attached some possible inspiration.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Holy shit. I'm a natural-born US citizen, but if my reading is correct, my dual citizenship leaves me vulnerable to deportation under the Alien Enemies Act, because I'm not "actually naturalized". That can't be the intent, but with this government, who can doubt they'd use it this way?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
He's asking for me, because the first book is fine, but the sequels are there, but can't be purchased, and have no reviews. Does anyone else experience that?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Go to www.aclu.org/khalil to send a message to the government that it's not ok to deport permanent residents who have committed no crimes, based on the content of their protected speech. I recommend being very impolite, so you're a little less ignorable than average. I used an Australian favourite.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
The fuck is this? www.cnn.com/2025/03/10/u... First they came for the Venezuelans... Then they came for the anti-genocide protestors... I don't feel like merely speaking up is really achieving anything though. Every day is getting worse.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
This is a point I make a lot, and which I extrapolated from @mattdillahunty.bsky.social in his interactions with religious people.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
The NYT article doesn't really get into the detail well, so I'm going to assume there's more context that's relevant to many of these words. Like "status" being banned is implausible. No more status reports or status updates? The administration is ridiculous, but I think this is exaggerated.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Is there a way, without limiting freedoms, to inject rationality and evidence into groups, to prevent them becoming mobs*? My guess is no, because it's an asymmetric problem, i.e. it's much easier to create an emotion-driven group than to disrupt it. * Groups who act like a stupid, violent person.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
I don't always agree with him, but I can always see the honesty in his rationale. He's generally leftwing, but characterised differently by people who require purity tests. The places he fails those tests are due to the conflict between ideals and practice, and I don't attack allies for that.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I listen to The All-in Podcast from time to time, and the drift rightward of the average host is obvious, driven by the dishonest argumentation of David Sacks. I listen to Sam Harris from time to time, and his consistently well-reasoned, non-doctrinal perspective is refreshing.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
There are cathartic responses, like insults. And ones opposing his fascism. But… If your audience is his audience, most don't viscerally care about democracy. Give people a positive, democracy-respecting agenda that addresses regular people's struggles. Stunts should be to get attention for that.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
If celebrities can be followed by paparazzi, can we do the same thing to politicians? When Trump does or says something that appears stupid, I want people to see the real reactions of his obedient acolytes, before they coordinate their unconvincing characterisations. That might break his spell.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Suggested interview questions for senior executives at large companies: What are your principles for evaluating ideas? Now tell me about 2 times that a status-quo challenging idea reached your awareness from a low-level employee. How did you evaluate each idea? What were the outcomes?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
That's only 1 family meal per week. I'm running way ahead of that.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
@katieeyer.bsky.social I heard you on @openargs.bsky.social. Thanks. It was good to hear your evidence-based optimism. Personally, I'm less optimistic about Skrmetti. I figure there's a way to differentiate from Bostock, so the majority will take the opportunity. I hope to be wrong.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Hey @aptshadow.bsky.social , do you know why the Australian Audible shop only has Children of Time available, and not the sequels? I'd like to buy the sequels, but I can't.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Trump's cabinet: Putting the mental in governmental.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
pepmangione.com is offline, and I can't think of a legal reason that could have been used to take it down. The manifesto I read wouldn't incite imminent lawless action, and it's not the whole site. Why is it offline? A weak provider who doesn't care about free speech, or an overstepping government?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Assuming this is legitimate, I'm totally onboard with the goals. I don't think I'd go for his approach, but you can't question the effectiveness of getting this topic back into the social consciousness. Ultimately, peaceful protests are ignorable protests. archive.ph/y7RiH #universalhealthcare
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I can't find out Luigi Mangione's birthdate. He's 26, but I'm wondering if he'll be 35 by inauguration day 2033.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
True, but... She was an obstetrician.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
William Sherman's niece was called Euthanasia. WTF was up with that? And she was a doctor. Who wants to go to a doctor called Euthanasia?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social) reply parent
Wow, it's such an empty offer, there's not even a USB port.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
At this seat, we're pleased to offer you nothing but this euphemism.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
"God needs to work cross-functionally with his stakeholders." — @ncraftius.bsky.social
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Someone at Safeway is being very creative trying to boost sales.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
New hobby I'm thinking of trying: any time I hear a conspiracy theory, I'll go skiing with it, but from the perspective that the conspiracy theory is good. "Yes, the government is controlling people through fluoride in the water, but that's because people are stupid and need to be controlled."
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I just read up a bit on the Voice to Parliament. I guess I'll vote for it, but, functionally, it's a bit useless, right?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I think Musk missed an opportunity in renaming Twitter. He should have gone with ℚ
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
I'll keep my account, but I just uninstalled 𝕏, because the brand shift is really killing the remainder of Twitter as what I remember. And it's so full of right wing crap being pushed at me now. I'll probably still check in from time to time to read fesshole.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Lose Yourself, by Eminem, is old enough to drink in the US. Have a good weekend.
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
Just wondering: at this point, would chattel slavery be illegal in the US, even if the 13th amendment were repealed?
David Crafti (@dcrafti.bsky.social)
R.I.P. Daniel Ellsberg