"The high-pitched whistle shredding the grey atmosphere is the only warning of the missile. Ma grabs my hand, and we weave a blind path... away from where we think the sound will end." Read the latest from Mandy Munro. Subscribe today: zurl.co/g4ePA

Read "A Little Contagion Never Hurt Anyone," from Natasha Smith / ‪@natashabennett.bsky.social: After drawing the short straw, Devon is forced to merge his consciousness with an invasive species. Link: zurl.co/TKLPZ

Read "Black Rain," from Mandy Munro / @mandymunro_author: Alien soldiers hunt Ana and her Ma. Link: zurl.co/TIy0R

"I hunkered down behind the charred ruin of an Eland armored car, its turret punctured with dozens of small holes. The rain came down in torrents, threatening to swell the Nhia River to overflow." Read the latest from Sean Patrick Hazlett. Subscribe: zurl.co/BrW7y

Happy #Halloween! Read "Mandible," from Sean Patrick Hazlett: A haunted CIA agent seeks an extreme occult method to end the Cold War in war-torn Angola. Link: zurl.co/YvhED

"Lila held her daughter tightly. The blows from the girl’s little fists fell onto Lila’s shoulders, her cries reverberated through Lila’s head." Read the latest from Emma Burnett / @slashnburnett.bsky.social: Subscribe today: zurl.co/GngLj

Here on day 28, I may have a solution to the perpetual #shutdown problem: VOTE!

Read "The Room on the Other Side of the Plexi," from Emma Burnett / @slashnburnett.bsky.social: Lila, a refugee, must save her daughter’s teddy when a pebble pierces the hull. Link: zurl.co/nToJT

“Damien dusted sand off his clergy uniform. What was once black was now tinged with specs of yellow. Another laundry run tomorrow. Figures. Keeping his rags clean in the desert was a chore.” Read the latest from Michael Baez. Subscribe today: zurl.co/HzhSl

Do we really appreciate the dilemma that federal employees are facing in the #shutdown? We may not get back pay, but who would hire us in the short term? Day 27, and still counting.

External security threats are the single-greatest predictor of the choice to use conscripts. Add Croatia to the growing list of European countries worried about war with Russia. zurl.co/LbApi

Day 23 of the #shutdown. We can't keep doing this. Our adversaries will gain on us.

Read "A Lesson in History," from Michael Baez: In an alternate universe, the clergyman is more than just an acolyte. Link: zurl.co/6YHa4

ألف مبروك! أين النسخة بالعربية؟

On Day 22, USDA just opened 2,100 offices to distribute agricultural aid, and those employees are now being paid. What does this say about the power of the purse, or who's responsible for the #shutdown? Could other once-nonessential employees now be deemed essential? From AP: zurl.co/50b88#shutdown

It's day 21 of the #shutdown. A big shout-out to the great work of @U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, @CDC, and @National Institutes of Health (NIH) in improving public health over the years!

Insightful analysis of the Trump peace plan in Gaza from @yezidsayigh.bsky.social , courtesy of @BeirutCalling and @carnegiemec.bsky.social . View it here: zurl.co/nYNzP

Bullet Points offers the best new and classic military science fiction and fantasy. Read today: zurl.co/M9v5b. #MilSF #IndieMag

"Steel yourself. No one is really prepared for their first, unfettered mental contact with Tauran Monster Crabs. These things will stare into your very soul if you allow it. Don’t allow it." Read more from Gerri Leen / @gerrileen.bsky.social. Subscribe: zurl.co/5Tg9N

On day 19 of the #shutdown, the focus is on the Department of Transportation. Our roads and air travel are MUCH safer than they would be without the regulations and standards that DOT enforces.

Watching #ChiefsRaiders. It's not clear that the two teams are playing the same sport. If the @The Kansas City Chiefs stay healthy, I'm not sure who can keep them from the Super Bowl.

On Day 18 of the #shutdown, here is video from a #NoKings protest in McLean, VA. About half the cars were in support and only two people flipped the bird, so more support than in June.

Who's to blame for the #shutdown? A new poll gives answers... sort of. Day 17. Link: zurl.co/oroSB#shutdown

"The landscape was a maze of abandoned buildings and cobblestone alleyways.... It wasn’t the first time Simms had found himself in enemy territory outnumbered and outgunned." Read the latest from Kurt Newton / @kurtnewton.bsky.social: Subscribe today: zurl.co/8s557

People talk about the 300k+ Black women who have lost their jobs as if they are statistics for their research projects and I’m here to remind yall, we are real ass people feeling the effects of it. In our homes, quality of life and well-being. To those of you in this boat with me, I see you. 💙

#inflation, for real

Read "How to Deploy Tauran Monster Crabs," from Gerri Leen / @gerrileen.bsky.social: Don’t deviate from these instructions. Link: zurl.co/qJlSO

I don't take health benefits for granted, especially here on day 16 of a #shutdown over health care.

Hey there! On day 15 of the #shutdown, we should appreciate the range of services that the Federal government provides. Here's looking at you, #USDA.

Bullet Points 11: @jamesaaron.net @slashnburnett.bsky.social @gioclair.bsky.social @henryherz.bsky.social @liamjhogan.bsky.social @gerrileen.bsky.social @grigorylukin.bsky.social @kurtnewton.bsky.social ‪@natashabennett.bsky.social @jeremyszal.bsky.social #DarkMilSF zurl.co/0jolK

Read "Wax Soldiers," from Kurt Newton / @kurtnewton.bsky.social: Simms fights enemy soldiers from a bombed-out church. Link: zurl.co/KKelj

On day 14 of the #shutdown, it seems like the pain is the point.

Today is the LAST DAY to get Bullet Points 11 at a discount ($4.99 digital, $7.99 print). Vol. 11 has 16 #DarkMilSF stories from Rich Larson, Jeremy Szal, Sean Patrick Hazlett, Mandy Munro, and more. Buy on Amazon: zurl.co/T605T. Subscribe: zurl.co/NX5qs#DarkMilSF

This #shutdown started a while ago, and it's about how we think about public service, not just about opening the government. Day 13, of many.

"It’s not easy to live inside the armor, but between getting my skin peeled away like wet paper by the razorstorms and my bones shredded to chalk, it’s an easy choice." Read the latest from Jeremy Szal/@jeremyszal.bsky.social: Subscribe today: zurl.co/eNV5J

I'm a public servant and I want to SERVE. I didn't get into this to become rich, or to be a political football. #Shutdown, Day 11.

This #shutdown is deeply personal. It's about trust, or the lack thereof. Negotiations are going so poorly that the furlough has fallen out of the news cycle. It's like our politicians know they can't get a deal done until someone feels more pain. This is Day 10, of many.

"I found the sniper in the ruins of New Warsaw, where the enemy’s cloud factories had been hard at work tarring the sky. A nanomachine-laced smog, black as pitch, sucked up the sunlight and deadened all sensors." Read more from Rich Larson. Subscribe: zurl.co/tW6L4

What's REALLY going on here? It's not social media or the Epstein files. I think this is the start of the ten-year entitlement fight. #Shutdown, day 9.

Read "Dead Men Walking," from Jeremy Szal / @jeremyszal.bsky.social: Armoured soldiers on a far-flung planet discover a dark secret about their commander, and themselves. Link: zurl.co/RLxoc

Bullet Points 11, from @jamesaaron.net @slashnburnett.bsky.social @gioclair.bsky.social @henryherz.bsky.social @liamjhogan.bsky.social @gerrileen.bsky.social @grigorylukin.bsky.social @kurtnewton.bsky.social ‪@natashabennett.bsky.social @jeremyszal.bsky.social 30% off: zurl.co/f6tnk

What would you do with such uncertainty? #Shutdown, Day 8.

So, wait... children ARE dying as a result of cuts to U.S. humanitarian aid. Did I get that right? zurl.co/WjwgM

On Day 7 of the #shutdown, I really appreciate my colleagues. They're still in the office, but ALSO not getting paid.

Read "The Sniper and I," from Rich Larson: An endless war. A sniper bonded to a living rifle. An agent sent to spot them. Link: zurl.co/8955M

Read "A Lesson in History," from Michael Baez: In an alternate universe, the clergyman is more than just an acolyte. Link: zurl.co/vTOGR

The mission of Bullet Points is to build understanding between civilians and military professionals on the experience of war. From now until October 15 all new print subscribers will get a free back issue along with Volume 11. zurl.co/L11jz

I'd love to be wrong about this #Shutdown, but I don't think it'll end soon. This one touches on entitlements, the third rail of American politics. On day 6, I say "Yikes."

On Day 5 of the #Shutdown, I feel like this one is going to last longer than the 35 days we had in 2018, with both sides entrenched and constituencies unlikely to feel pain until January. So, I'm diversifying revenue. Subscribe to my magazine! zurl.co/FOT30#Shutdown

On Day 4, life has to go on, even in a #Shutdown. We need to focus on solving problems, not moping or casting blame.