A friend took this at a rally today and I barked laughing.
Here for dogs, whisky, politics/protesting, M:TG, and urbanism. I also sometimes pair movies with whisky, and talk about them. 🏡: DC (Seeking employment! I'm an ex-Googler who does DevOps-y things, and knows Linux, Kubernetes, and cloud environments well)
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A friend took this at a rally today and I barked laughing.
Fister Roboto?
I wear a t-shirt every single day, but I'm in tech and I want you to have this
I've been to one Spirit game. I loved it so much. I want to do it again, and I want to do it without walking through a gauntlet of M16s
Lee Pace dominates discussion at Gay Magic Night, and this is a significant reason why
… than protesting later. It’s an investment. If you think protesting now is hard, it will only get worse if you don’t!
I don’t deny my privilege as a white man with savings, but it’s frustrating when there are absolutely prime opportunities for protesting and I can’t get friends or neighbors to leave their houses; I understand it to a degree, but it’s irritating. Some of it is knowing that protesting now is easier..
Me too!
I’m often the straight man at Gay Commander Night, so no, I haven’t... (yet)
Just imagine thinking there’s some set of rules that a “healthy child” is “supposed to look like”
You'll hear the cheers all the way from DC
It is, but it's part of the same effort. And law enforcement presence is significantly different in DC now. You don't have checkpoints every day. You don't have masked men hanging out en masse around elementary schools. My neighborhood isn't usually swarming with HSI, USSS, Border Patrol, etc agents
Why distinguish between the Guardsmen and the alphabet soup/agencies? I understand people may view them differently, and the work they're doing is different (patrol, trash, etc vs. arrests), but fundamentally they're both part of Trump occupying DC And lots of us absolutely do see one or both daily
She stormed the Capitol. She tried to overthrow the US government by force (the legislative branch absolutely counts). And the official line of this administration is that she’s an innocent patriot who will be vindicated.
I stared straight ahead down the sidewalk once I had the sign, so as not to give her detail any ideas. She shouted “wooo!!” when she saw it, so it’s entirely possible 🤷‍♂️ Corona appears to have been her drink of choice.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to bait me into doing something stupid
When she saw my sign (one of her companions must have alerted her since I was coming from the other side), she started yelling “woo!!!”, which to me sounds an awful lot like an embrace of the fascist label
Update: she’s gone. My work here is done
Doing laps of nearby blocks to space it out a little.. I’m out of shape and my lower back is killing me if anyone wants to take a shift!
(My feelings are not hurt. Her detail says I can “keep walking”, when I asked how not to get in trouble. So I’m doing laps of the block
Oh good, she’s mocking me
Jeanine Pirro is on the patio at Matchbox on E St NW. I’m making a sign and going back down there shortly..
This statement alone is enough to nullify any and all obligations to accept the legitimacy of his authority.
Not only is this woman my neighbor, she's also a tremendous piece of shit trying to make Trump seem like a dictator, both to himself and to the American people. Next time we're on the elevator together, I'll hop out early and explain that I couldn't stand the stench.
Armed National Guardsmen from Tennessee are doing rounds on my literal block and Metro station a block away, it’s the fucking worst
Redditor saw these guys at The Wharf today: www.reddit.com/r/washington... And someone posted a phone of a US Marshal they claimed carrying a long gun on the Gallery Place Metro platform yesterday
Again, there is no reason for this. This solves no problem that the residents of DC have. It only solves the "problem" of Trump not thinking DC residents are scared or subservient enough of him.
In DC earlier this evening, US Marshals—one carrying a long gun—were patrolling the green/yellow line at the Gallery Place metro station. Photo shared with me (gun strap is visible but weapon out of view when pic was snapped, per witness):
Have you considered crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women?
WESH-TV - Protesters in Orlando have repainted the Pulse Memorial crosswalk after Florida state-directed crews removed the rainbow stripes that honor the 49 lives lost during the 2016 massacre.
.. people by himself; there are a lot of people going along with this because they want to make mortgage payment and grocery bills. Then again, a lot of people work for ICE and just go full stiff for it all 🤷‍♂️
Something I think a lot about is that a lot of federal govt and other employees go along with things that are ostensibly legal, but if their jobs weren’t tied to their ability to live and eat in a capitalist society, would object, and decline to participate in the fascism. Trump doesn’t arrest ..
UPDATE: Fox News reports that ICE told Kilmar Abrego Garcia they are going to deport him to Uganda on Monday.
The notion that because furniture factories used to be in those places means they will be again is… well, I guess it makes more sense when you think you control the economy (or don’t care about it)
Everything in this event has been sycophantic nonsense and officials lying repeatedly about what's happening in DC, but this part is actually newsworthy. Trump is saying he intends to send the National Guard to other cities after LA and DC. Not hypothetically.
This doesn't solve a problem. I haven't heard any reports of any Guardsmen being in danger, being assaulted, etc. Someone argued yesterday that they're fulfilling their oaths by following lawful orders, but lawful or not, this is wrong: it's helping to establish Trump as an unrestrained dictator.
Republicans: helping those who already have the means to help themselves
And PILF! The anti-immigration people who try their damnedest to de-register voters, under the careful guidance of Hans Spakovsky!
Southern states have armed military units occupying the streets of my city, making arrests and serving as an occupying force to help establish authoritarian rule. Trump is one man who’d lose a staring contest with a ham sandwich; these people are enabling him. www.instagram.com/p/DNgGERktU6...
@musicologyduck.bsky.social Gallery Place this morning (and also right now, just exiting on my return!)
But I haven't yet seen anything saying the legislature can effectively imprison its lawmakers in the Capitol or the state, even if it can compel their attendance at times, like when in session (is there something?). And trying to compel IL to enforce their rules was demand I, uh, didn't appreciate..
My concerns have been less with the idea of compelling attendance than the reasons for doing so, and today's (and previous) remedies - with permission slips and DPS officers. The scary thing is that if the scheme succeeds, its very nature insulates itself from political ramifications.
Something I wonder about is if we're going to let AI be our self-imposed sophon (ala Three-Body Problem); I worry there are too many people (especially with commercial motive) willing to trade-off verifiability and reproducibility for speed, and that not enough people understand just how bad that is
.. and Congress and Republican state legislatures now have more pretext to try their own schemes, with Trump effectively lending cover/rallying Republicans to the cause.
I walked across the Mall to hang at a friend’s in SW and ran into a stranded cab and passengers along the way. Together the four of us dug it out with our hands, and I supplied everyone with a Red Stripe for replenishment!
At a party someone last night someone was curious about the 1994 Montreal Expos roster (I'm very cool and go to very cool parties), and told me "just plug it into ChatGPT". I replied "Nah, ChatGPT is real loser shit", and I do not think she was prepared for that...
Just saw this review on Letterboxd; I had no idea this was a George Miller film! I haven't seen it in 30+ years, will give it a go soon!
Washington DC fucking rules
Haven’t used Discord in forever, but I am interested in The Ongoing Adventures of Beth, so I just sent a request. Apparently my username is jmmdc!
I’m a section over and it’s a great night
I also thought that was particularly odious. Pentagon had Kingsley Wilson giving out quotes last night, too, and I’m still angry she’s (ostensibly) a public servant
(Deleted previous skeet because I didn’t want to downplay the effect the guard’s mere presence has..) But while the principle is the most important thing, as someone who lives blocks from places like Union Station, the details of the sausage and how it’s made matter to me :/
Something I only realized when I was inspired to look by this skeet is that the Adjutant General of the DCNG has only been in the role for five days. I wonder who’s actually asking for this; surely not Trump himself. Has he delegated to.. Miller? Driscoll? Homan? www.dvidshub.net/news/545279/...
I know I’m skeeting a lot about this, but it’s very important to me that the fascists don’t make the police force of the city I live in a directly controlled instrument of their rule
BREAKING: Attorney General Pam Bondi’s directive effectively replacing the Washington, D.C., police chief was “unlawful,” the capital’s attorney general wrote in a late Thursday memo.
The CNN article doesn’t really address the legality of Trump/Bondi/Cole trying to hijack MPD, either. Articles that take her claims at face value make it easier for her to commandeer a police force… (www.cnn.com/2025/08/14/p...)
Truly hoping the MPD rank-and-file don’t decide they’d rather follow Trump than laws
BREAKING: DC leadership rejects Bondi order and asserts she has no authority to rescind DC police orders or to replace the police chief. Will a lawsuit follow?
Also not a fan of Wikipedia already taking the questionable Bondi claims at face value (that she can appoint a commissioner, essentially)
(Happy to walk up 7th to deliver, too!)
@musicologyduck.bsky.social if you need some bottled water or snacks or my lobby bathroom for a bit, just holler; I’m across the street from Jaleo
Also note that the Pentagon press secretary quoted here is Kingsley Wilson, a Great Replacement conspiracy theorist who likes to talk about testicles a lot
Anyone have insights into the legality of this? The linked article doesn’t seem to, and doesn’t at first glance appear to jibe with 740..
Guys I think I bought a war crime
The president the United States using armed, masked paramilitaries to intimidate a political rival.
Gavin Newsom is holding a press conference today on redistricting and DHS agents have arrived masked up and in full gear. Many are armed with guns.
Seduced.. by Jesus?
I literally tried to round up friends to head over there but I was too slow!
It is. I’m watching my unwatched movie collection from longest to shortest, so I think I have a little while before I get to the original. I’m under the impression this is better, and that I haven’t lost anything by going in this order!
Will be looking forward to your Letterboxd review! This is my evening watch.. (1978)
Agree, which I think inextricably overlaps with his second "definition" of crime just being "behavior I don't like"
People think of the internet like it’s some fictional universe outside our own, with no connection to real life. The same people who maybe legitimately have a few non-white friends don’t see any dissonance in effectively creating micro hate sites (which affect how people think and act in reality!)
used … all in an effort to drive down crime,” Bowser told reporters. (From www.cnn.com/politics/liv... )
how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have. We have the best in the business in (the Metropolitan Police Department) in Chief Pamela Smith to lead that effort and to make sure that the men and women who are coming from federal law enforcement are being well...
Mayor Bowser: "How hard can I lean into the fascism?" "Mayor Muriel Bowser said that she’s focused on maximizing the surge of federal law enforcement ordered by President Donald Trump rather than dwelling on the circumstances surrounding the situation. What I’m focused on is the federal surge and..
Oh, for sure; I maybe just misinterpreted your "what?" as a question about what he was seeing, not his (lack of) critical thinking skills ;) (there are a lot of people who keep thinking this means like, three kids on bikes, not these legit dangerous enormous groups who've injured people!)
Sadly, it is actually a real thing. Groups of 100-200 kids will get ATVs, dirtbikes, motorcycles, etc. and just parade all up 7th Street or U Street or Florida, as loud as possible, popping wheleies, not really caring about pedestrians, cars, traffic signals, etc.
with a lack of consideration. (Also doesn’t help that some people don’t engage with the apps in good faith. Lots of people swipe right on literally everyone, *then* screen out people after they’ve matched. Form letters abound, etc.)
… that they should factor in what you’re looking for enters their calculus at all. I’m all for people shooting their shot with people they worry might not be interested; but at least those people *considered* it. This is more.. unintentionally selfish? Youthful male confidence going hand-in-hand…
My unsolicited guess is that they find y’all attractive, but don’t have enough experience with women (or life!) to realize that for a lot of people, mutual attraction is important. From their perspective, they’re interested and find you interesting, so why not go for it? I don’t think the idea…
I worry that a lot of Americans (not just Guardsmen, but everyone) struggle with things that may be legal, but morally or ethically questionable. If this comes to pass, Guardsmen need to resign rather than participate: it’s a literal military unit created to suppress protest against Donald Trump
(Looks like YouTube is the best/only place to watch them now?) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undressed
I was reminiscing about MTV's Undressed last night, and didn't realize the eventual star power it had: Pedro Pascal! Christina Hendricks! Katee Sackhoff! Anna Silk! Lauren German! There are bigger names than the last two, but I'm a Lost Girl & Lucifer fan. Peak MTV = Amp + Undressed!
This, but also there will not be exact parallels to 1933/1939/1941/etc. Don’t wait for an exact parallel; fascism and authoritarianism adapt to their times (and the stupidity and banality of Donald Trump). It’s here already.
🤔
I still read, and appreciate your insights, so.. yes :)
This is my city, this is my neighborhood. I live here. This weekend I’ve had to walk through Border Patrol and FBI agents just to get to dinner. Crime is at 30 year lows. One man shouldn’t get to create a police state because someone named “Big Balls” got his ass kicked by a pair of teenagers
Ah yes, the ol' "lower taxes on the largest corporations that have the most capacity to pay higher wages" strategy, no obvious downsides there
Someone tried to mug a friend while she was jogging and she was like “bitch I’m jogging why do you think I even have anything to steal??”; he slowly saw the flaw in his plan, and demanded her wedding ring, so she told him to “fuck off” and just kept jogging 🤷‍♂️
I hope he’s not starting with s1e1..
company's health insurance plan was declining, but they were more than doubling our costs while our wages were in a multi-year COVID freeze, but the Canadians on my team all chimed in to say they didn't give a shit. Not American allies that day!)
I was trying to rouse some rabble at my last job because our salaries were so low, and my coworker, in front of our boss said "I'm really happy with my salary" and just.. dude, wtf are you doing. He didn't like me, but the feeling was more than mutual! (I also pointed out the price of the
A fun reminder that as federal police presence intensifies in my neighborhood (it's already started), I won't be living in a police state: I'll be living in a police federal district, which is pretty similar, but with less congressional representation.
Is this in DC??
Remy, my parents’ dog, is having a bit of a health scare at the moment (we’ll know more Monday). In the meantime, he seems to be in good spirits
(And Bluesky may legitimately not be for everyone, and that's OK!)
