Canadian born Floriduh boy living in the PNW. Interested in science, politics, music, nature, books...plus some gaming and bad movies too. Reader of Balloon Juice, TPM, dKos, Eschaton etc Original posts under #MusicalOffering and #BackyardBirding He/him
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It should come as no surprise to absolutely anyone the statewide rightwing propaganda network a.k.a. SuperTalkFM features outright bigots on their shows. One of their favorite guests is Douglas Carswell, CEO of "Mississippi Center for Public Policy". Seems Mr. Carswell is quite the Islamophobe:
On September 1, 2025, we lost a true legend. Graham Greene, Oneida from Six Nations Reserve, walked on at the age of 73. Over the span of more than 175 acting credits, he gave us characters that were unforgettable, complex, and real. redpopnews.com/remembering-... #redpopnews
This one hurts. I've always admired his work and the depth that he brought to every role. One of the roles that has stuck with me for years is Mogie in SKINS. Graham Greene was so gifted in the way he way he could bring so much nuance to the characters he played. youtu.be/uaW2sd_cswg?...
[CUE MUSIC: “IN THE ARMS OF AN ANGEL” PLAYING SOFTLY] [FADE IN BACKGROUND SOUND: A solemn voice reads names] Nate Silver. Matthew Yglesias. Megan McArdle. Mark Cuban. [FADE IN: SALLY STRUTHERS sits on a stool in a pool of light on a minimalist set. She looks SAD.] /1
this is what i mean when i say the suburbs can't be retrofitted
Release the Epstein files. It's what Trump would have wanted.
thy spirit ebbs away to whence it came
Dem electeds have been ceding premises to Republicans since Ronald Reagan. Government is too big. Taxes are too high. Etc., etc.
Did everyone else miss the news that Trump's director of personnel failed a background check, was using a false name, was born in the Soviet Union despite claiming to be from Malta, and has now been made Ambassador to India? nypost.com/2025/06/17/u...
They should have recast Katt Williams as Frank Underwood in the last season of House of Cards, and kept everything the same, except Doug is the only person who notices the change.
2025 Telluride Film Festival poster by Daniel Clowes
The Witches Broom Nebula is the remnant from a supernova from 10-20K years ago. Nearby stars energize the dust/gas cloud that formed from the explosion and make it glow. It’s a big object - as long as 6 moons side by side. Telescope needed to view. Click ALT for more info #astronomy
Yup! www.eschatonblog.com/2025/08/publ... "Court records reviewed by The Washington Post show that among the 10 chases since Aug. 14, at least six involved crashes."
For Labor Day, Mark Twain's paean to the Knights of Labor: Power, when lodged in the hands of man, means oppression - it means oppression always: not always consciously, deliberately, purposely; not always cruelly, or sweepingly; but oppression, anyway, & always, in one shape or another. 1/15
These thoughts cross one's mind
#NowListening #MusicalOferring Is it a good time to listen to Hella? Yes, it is always a good time to listen to #Hella www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Paf...
oh my the baby raccoons seem to like the kiddie pool--all three of them!
Obligatory... www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdVM...
I’ve been sent numerous photos the last few days of guards members with rifles, including down by the wharf for jazzfest.
“The people in this book are brave,” said Toad. “They fight dragons and giants, and they are never afraid.” “I wonder if we are brave,” said Frog.
Trump's contribution to our politics was exposing that conservatives don't care about any of the principles they've said are sacrosanct for 100 years, and all they wanted was to be openly evil instead of circuitously evil. The Democrats who win will be the ones who understand this and act like it
You'll have to pardon me for likening this phenomena to transphobia, but it's an area where ignorance has been treated as not just the equivalent of knowledge, but superseding it. People are wrong about what they're talking about, loudly, and at scale, but treat experience as a corrupting influence.
WNBA + Angela Davis?!! No wonder the authoritarians are afraid of women playing sports.
This should be a bigger story. A government official had the YouTube channel of a private citizen shut down bc he didn’t like what that citizen was saying. This administration’s version of free speech is a joke.
It’s a little weird to demand people vote for a candidate as a necessary lesser evil three years before you even know if they’re going to be the candidate
I need to start sighing more.
Unable to resist shooting Apache degeeri, as always ♥️ #InverteFest
Thread BREAKING: A new 38 page proposal shows Trump & Netanyahu are openly planning to take over Gaza & turn it into a casino & tourism resort. Here are the horrid details, & yes all of this is a violation of international human rights law & further confirms Israel is committing genocide. 1/4
An updated statement, finally! This makes a lot more sense.
Well, that does make more sense :)
I had missed the lake's name. Now my life is complete
periodic reminder that there is boat built to look like a hotdog on an ohio lake named the edmond glizzgerald have a lovely evening.
Gonna link back to this but just start a Ghost blog or something at this point, its never been easier. aftermath.site/website-musk...
Let's give a shout out to the men & women who labor in the fields to put food on our tables. #WeFeedYou #LaborDay. Mandemosle un saludo a los hombres y mujeres que trabajan en el campo para poner comida en nuestras mesas. Thank you Ignacio Gomez for letting us use this art
This enormously pernicious and no one should still be on Substack - not just because of the Nazis, but for sheer practical business reasons.
Listen if Giuliani, Clinton, and Trump make the rule of three, I'm ok with it.
If you're making demands about someone's Presidential primary vote in 2025, you need to chill out. If you're distressed about the politicians who have stepped up so far, encourage someone better to step up. We've got three years, this discussion is still trivia.
If I’ve learned only two things from being in union leadership, they are: 1. You only get what you’re willing to fight for. 2. What you fight is who you are. Solidarity.
Dear Democratic Leaders, If you won’t stand up for trans people and their rights, you’re tellling me you won’t stand up for *anyone* or *any rights* the second they come under attack. You’re telling me you don’t stand for anything at all. Also, they’re *people*. Grow a spine or get out the way.
Don't be fooled! Trump only died to distract us from the Epstein files
Caterpillar cutie at the farm stand today. Sycamore tussock moth (I’ll add a photo of the moth it turns into in the comments) #inverteFest
Important context here is Mamdani is muslim and Bill Maher hates muslims.
Look at this graph. The share of national income going to the richest 10 percent was lowest (and share to lower 90 percent highest) when union membership was at its highest. As unions have weakened, inequality has widened. This is why we must build back union power.
So sick of being made to feel like a lunatic conspiracy theorist for calling a spade a spade.
Six years ago today, August 31, 2019, Brooklyn Center Police officers fatally shot Kobe Heisler-Dimock, an unarmed 21-year-old autistic man, as they responded to a mental crisis call. Kobe's mother, Amity, said her son “was never a threat to anybody but himself” when the police killed him. 🧵
Some people are conflating "kids shouldn't be allowed to use their smartphones at school" with "kids shouldn't be allowed to use the Internet at all," and IMO, those are two VERY different proposals.
Wow, what an amazing evening! Thanks so much to everyone who came out to our SOLD OUT show at L.A.’s Fabulous Forum! You made my hometown show really special, and I’ll never forget it.
JB Pritzker calls for ‘all to stand up’ to Trump’s immigration crackdown in Chicago
what a nightmare, to flee a domestic violence attack & flag down a passing car & out pops Rudy Giuliani — not that there’s any reason to believe that’s what actually happened
I'm sure that others have noticed this, but the video of Trump that came out yesterday was shot a couple months ago. I think it got flagged by Community Notes on the other site. A bunch of "Truth Social" postings could have been done by others (as they almost certainly are anyway). So then. What is
The LGML case came very close to being JGG redux. But just before the hearing began, the judge decided not to wait. She entered a TRO barring removal of all the children. That made all the difference: DHS already had the kids loaded on planes. One plane even took off (then turned around).
do think in one way 2024 is kinda ominous for the GOP because they had a 6 point national swing, a swing so wide that basically only a dozen or two counties even slightly swung left (and all those pretty mildly), and that put together a shallow EC majority and very sketchy House majority
Rudy Giuliani absolutely did not try to shortchange a sex worker and then was pursued by her colleagues, don’t you dare suggest such a thing
"Nobody wants to be a cop [in DC]. They were abused. They were spit on." "When you when you say they were abused and spit on, I'm assuming you're talking about January 6th, correct?" "All you guys want to do was bring up J6 about the answer to everything."
American fascism first phase was always to resegregate society while rebuilding the systems of patriarchal control and violence used to subjugate women and those seen as a threat to the fascist vision of “normal” including the end of same sex marriage and the violent erasure of lgbtqia+ folks.
Here's a great read on this very point. Balko is one of my faves... www.theunpopulist.net/p/liberals-c...
Outstanding piece from @radleybalko.bsky.social
Cryptids
This should be being used as a huge test for Rupert Lowe - it's a White Power festival in his constituency. Does he endorse this?
Pritzker out here giving a master class in countering the right wing propaganda machine’s efforts to justify further federal invasions and occupations of American cities: he’s effectively reframing the discussion (beyond debates re: crime rates) to one of rising authoritarianism & federal overreach.
www.oregonlive.com/pacific-nort... the article for the curious
idk if this story is getting much traction elsewhere but a 27 year old man who is the director of the oregon coast military museum in florence raped a 15 year old and the response of the board which his father chairs btw was to literally say to her parents' faces "maybe your daughter is a slut"
I know there’s a lot going on but in June ICE took custody of a U.S.-born citizen in Chicago, Illinois and handed him over to a private contractor, which confined him in a hotel without a phone or other form of communication for five days. The city and state aren’t ready for what’s coming next.
Pritzker: "No one in the administration -- the president or anybody under him -- has called anyone in my administration or me. It's clear that in secret they're are planning this invasion with US troops."
Republicans in swing constituencies are retiring left and right. you think that’s because they think Daddy Trump is going to rig the elections?
Genocide. We all need to keep collectively calling it exactly what it is. Especially us cis folks. When they’re done gunning for the most vulnerable groups they’ll just go after the next most vulnerable and won’t stop because they never stop. Thats what hatred is. It’s Genocide, plain and simple.
Chicago is amazing and if I hadn’t had to move for a job I’d still gladly be living there.
Yes indeed, and were it not for the char limit I'd have brought up specifics, especially around the budget. The next big gut check for Dems is going to be over supporting a GOP budget or not. I'm with Warren in that any budget they agree to isn't worth the paper so Dems need to reject it all
I take anti-immigration protests personally. My family left the Balkans in January 1995 with nothing but suitcases. I was 12 and didn’t speak English. I have been wearing the Australian flag on my shoulder since I was 18. Next January that will be 25 years of military service to this great land.
Because voters hear from them 'The GOP is horrible' but what they see is elected democrats working with the horrible GOP. Voters understandably are at best puzzled by this. So maybe it is better, electorally, that they go complete opposition even if it means no softening of GOP policies.
Which is why it is so frustration when some Dems try to meet them halfway! So, politics is compromise and Dems are out of power, so perhaps they can get them to soften their terrible policies to be slightly less terrible. That is a real good! But, I think it costs them at elections...
That said, I am very proud to be a Democrat. The party has accomplished great things against huge odds. I just wish more elected Democrats acted like _they_ were proud of their party.
Exactly! At times it seems as if they have no vision. It sounds like they want the same things the GOP does, but to be nicer about it. They lose an election and act like their long held values are have been repudiated and need to be jettisoned. It is infuriating!
If you're really curious it's because Democrats halved the uninsured rate, opened up COVID vaccine patents, allowed Medicare prescription bargaining rights, capped insulin payouts, invested $400 billion in renewable energy, and forgave over $180 billion in student loan debt, among many other things.
What is killing me about Jeffries right now is his inability to recognize the lightning in a bottle that Mamdani has caught. My ideal Dem leadership would be saying "Hell yes, more of this please!" And looking to encourage younger talent that resonates the same way in different parts of the country
3/2 (drat!) So being means to Dems that hold positions you do not like does not help. However, when Dems blame other Dems (just talking about electeds) that is when I can't help but get mad at them. "I'm not one of those Dems that thinks trans people can use any bathroom they want, vote for me" NO!
Given the size and diversity of this country and the goal to get Republicans out of power, we need to embrace Democrats with different backgrounds and view points. What gets AOC elected in NYC, isn't going to flip a red seat in Iowa. What works in New Hampshire might not work in LA. 2/2
I can understand peoples' frustration with certain Democratic electeds, especially when they concede points to the opposition (crime is bad, crack down on immigration etc). As Atrios often says, if you offer people a choice between GOP and GOP-lite policies, they pick the GOP every time. But... 1/2
Not to belabor the point but: I am not the weird one for being this mad at the Democratic Party and its leaders. Look at polls of your average rank and file Dem voters and how they feel about the party now. It is YOU who are out of touch if you’re asking why people are being mean to Dem politicians
The overwhelming support of New Haven community, including Mayor Elicker,city alders, teachers, students and administrators from Wilbur Cross High School, made difference in preventing Zabaleta-Ramirez from being deported and in convincing the judge to release him, Colón Williams said. SPEAK UP !
Worth thinking about how Chris Van Hollen, hardly a ultra left-wing firebrand, has accumulated a ton of credit over the last few years from the growing pro-Palestine constituency of the DP by simply 1) Demanding that there be justice for Shireen Abu Akleh, 2) Demanding that US law is adhered to.
Yes‼️ 💙 @mstiffanytoussaint.bsky.social
“Blind obedience to authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” — Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
What Trump has produced: an India completely alienated by the US, and moving quickly into China's orbit. Another huge strategic victory for Beijing. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/30/u...
The extent to which ICE is ignoring all civil rights and due process is astounding — and indicative of a culture where they’ve been told they can do literally no wrong. Agency and admin leaders must face sanctions and legal consequences.
My small subscription to Bolts is WELL worth it!
Israel denies two US Senators even a fly-over of Gaza. Ask yourself what that is about.
“A team of expert lesbians infiltrated small towns and began inserting themselves into the handiness system. They’ve been doing their best to win over these towns for the alphabet agenda.”
my day got eaten up with some dumb chores but on the plus side it was TACOS FOR DINNER because I am a goddamn adult who can do this whenever I want (I almost never think to do it) (yeah I know this has real "I sleep in a race car bed" vibes but man sometimes the race car bed is what you got)
At the age of nine, exposed to my first D&D manual, I decided I was going to embrace chay-os and I haven't looked back since
Johnson and Feucht doing their best “we are the victims” “Slander and outdoor event as being anti-LGBTQ” Slander??? Lmao *“We love gay people as long as we can save them from the devil that possess them, become straight, join our flock, tithe and make content about how they were “saved” *
Seriously, fuck these people. www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2...
They’re doing all this to prevent people from MEMORIALIZING A MASS SHOOTING
Drs. Glaser and Miller, College first-year world history. Dr. Glaser lectured to a class of maybe 50. This was a small liberal arts college. Dr. Miller ran my quiz section. It was a required course. We learned dates, many dates. I didn't appreciate it until many years after.
Deeply fascinated by the new wave band Trent Reznor used to play with in the 1980’s and how everyone looks so incredibly 80’s except for Trent Reznor who looks exactly the same as he always has to the point where he might as well have time traveled
We should be ready for a cascading # of well-known politicians dying in the coming years because these people are incredibly old.