1. More Americans work at the Cheesecake Factory than in the entire coal industry, and that won't change. It's because of automation, not snooty libs. 2. Coal energy is now more expensive than wind and solar. 3. So this means: higher energy prices, more pollution, no jobs benefit. Genius!

the idea that you could just pass specific bills on specific areas with simple majorities is just beyond the ability and comprehension of most lawmakers in congress it seems

The near daily barrage of deadly mass shootings in America feels like low level warfare against normal citizens who just want to live in peace. And because people keep electing Republicans who won’t do anything about it there’s no solution in sight.

yeah they're just murdering random people on these boats

ICE is one of the most well funded military force on the planet, entirely used internally on it’s own citizens, and completely loyal to a far right fascist dictator. if democratic politicians are not on board with abolishing ICE, they must be replaced

Safety Advice: I keep seeing young trans people on social media talking about therapists disrespecting their pronouns and parents telling them that the therapist has a right to their beliefs. I want to be clear: you have a right to the therapy room being a safe supportive space for YOUR growth.

Such an important thread from Mallory about safety for trans people in therapeutic spaces. I often worry that Alice was harmed by some of the therapy we sought for her, as I was harmed by some of the therapy I sought after she died by suicide. Quotes from Her Name Is Alice in my 🧵

This is another really important point. People are so quick to defend the rights of abusive therapists to their beliefs. Do Trans people not have a right to our beliefs and to our own experiences and feelings? Many cis professionals in Trans healthcare act as if we are vessels for indoctrination

Another Kavanaugh stop.

“You need to come out of your shell,” says your neighbor, the iguana, not realizing that you ARE your shell. “You’d be a lot easier to teach if you stopped dragging that shell around,” says your aunt, the python, who is only trying to help. marypezzulo.substack.com/p/on-autism-...

BREAKING NEWS: Oregon sues Trump administration over unlawful federalization of National Guard. Read more.

“The changes are arriving at a precarious time for many, with grocery costs continuing to rise …”

The boilerplate. We have to live until pay day and pay day is all spoken for, so I could really use some new substack subscribers. Thank you to all my readers, more writing soon! www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

I picked several Romas which only taste of a tomato. They are the most prolific tomatoes, and the very best for cooking. I picked A Beefsteak which is sweeter than a Roma. A Beefsteak-sized Mister Stripey sweet as a pineapple, sweet enough to have for dessert. www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

That night, when he showed up with my laundry, I had an idea. “If you’ll use it to take Adrienne to school for me in the mornings, you can just borrow Serendipity to run your errands for a few days. Come down and ask for the key any time.” www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

I think that was the first of the American catastrophes Millennials have lurking in our memory: we were told, in elementary school, that some lunatic had blown up a building with fertilizer and killed scores of people. www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

I suppose that’s one of the things that happens more and more often when you get older: the things you saw happening live, become things that other people learn about in school. “Can we watch videos of 9/11?” asked Jimmy’s boy. www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

Conspiracy theorists would rant that the freckles were all a Big Pharma plot to sell sunscreen. Bootstrappy people would snarl that you should stop claiming your kid has freckles when all they really need is a spanking... substack.com/home/post/p-...

Autism isn’t a sickness I have, but the neurotype that I am. I was an autistic kid, and now I am an autistic adult. And I don’t think autistic children are hard to watch. substack.com/home/post/p-...

But do you really fear disability that much? Would you really rather your child died, or had a birth defect? Wouldn't you rather make a more compassionate world for the disabled? substack.com/home/post/p-...

79. American citizen.

“Show us your warrant!” “Ma’am, you’ve been watching too many movies. We’ll show you the warrant after we’re done.” 🤔 *busts in the door with babies crying*

When people lose health coverage, hospitals and nursing homes are forced to raise prices for everyone else. I am ready to back a budget that prevents a health care crisis. Republicans need to come to the table to fix this health care mess and avert a government shutdown now.

"...the reality does not remotely match what Trump has described. & some scuffles, according to Portland Police, appear to have been provoked by federal officers themselves.... We cannot allow Portland to be turned into a prop for Trump’s authoritarian theatrics." www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2025...

This is the secret the Trump regime tried so hard to keep about the Dallas ICE shooting The names of the dead and wounded Jose Andres Bordones-Molina Miguel Ángel García-Hernandez Norlan Guzman-Fuentes Fight Trump's dehumanization. Say their names. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/dall...

Justice Kavanaugh: “If the person is a U. S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, that individual will be free to go after the brief encounter.”

What would the reaction be if Democratic politicians went on TV every week to talk about how scary and dangerous Louisiana was, or how bleak and depressing life in rural Mississippi is, or how Oklahoma ranks last in education and “God, can you imagine being from there?”

Shouldn't Schumer and Jeffries tell Trump: Sorry, can't make it to the White House to chat tomorrow! You say a major city is so 'war-ravaged' as to require deploying federal troops authorized to use 'Full Force' against U.S. citizens. So we feel a responsibility to head to Portland to take a look.

CEO pay is up 1,094% since 1978, while worker pay is up just 26%. Why do we always hear "we can't afford to pay our workers more" but never "we can't afford to pay our CEO more"?

The Trump Administration's DHS officers appear to be carrying large weapons around downtown Chicago in camouflage and masks. This is not making anybody safer — it’s a show of intimidation, instilling fear in our communities and hurting our businesses.

The $170 billion in funding going to Miller’s agenda could build more than 7,000 new elementary schools, pay for more than 1.5 million young Americans to attend an in-state public college for four years, or fund the Head Start program for nearly 14 years: open.substack.com/pub/americas...

just released my latest email update, which includes links to all my best 2025 essays & videos so far: mailchi.mp/b02ec62cc347... but the best way to keep up with my work is via Patreon, which now has a "join for free" option (or become full member for just $1/month)! www.patreon.com/posts/my-lat...

Something that really got to me while observing the Trump sycophant wing of MilTwitter was watching how many of these guys refer to themselves as Constitutionalists when in reality, the Reconstruction Constitution has basically been defanged by the Supreme Court.

To answer this question from @ezraklein.bsky.social--you start from a position of what we have in common. Shared interests, shared values, shared humanity. You have to reset the frame from one of us vs. them and forced scarcity to what we're willing to fight for together.

BINGO:

Ladies and gentlemen, the meritocracy

In just two days the Trump administration has rhetorically expanded their bogeyman term from ‘antifa’ to ‘antifa-aligned.’ They are not hiding their goal of equating protest with terrorism.

This is depressingly common now. A lot of people have in absentia removal orders they don't know about. And now that the benefits office is becoming an arm of the mass deportation machine, so people are getting picked up in this situation -- and grace to give time to file a motion to reopen is gone.

The boilerplate. We could use a little money in the tip jar for weekend shopping ahead of Michael's pay day. Thanks to all my readers, more writing soon! www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

Bear with me for just a moment. Let’s pretend that the only people who were ever allowed to say they had freckles, were girls who had red hair, light skin, and hundreds of freckles all over their bodies. (This article is about autism.) substack.com/home/post/p-...

I have seen many kids with autism. I’ve also BEEN a kid with autism— or, as most autistic people prefer to be called, an autistic kid. Autism isn’t a sickness I have, but the neurotype that I am. substack.com/home/post/p-...

"They're being MEAN!" said the autistic boy, with horrified emphasis on the adjective. "Oh, it's a part of nature," I replied. "It's just like Thanksgiving dinner." He didn't look satisfied. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Where I found a patch of the first fallen leaves I stepped on them noisily, grinding them into the pavement. They made a sound like cracking the top of a creme brulee, and life felt worth living. What’s that Bible verse about honey coming out of a rock? www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

There was a small stone near the base of the hill that had a little American flag stuck beside it. Usually that means the person buried there is a veteran, but this one wasn’t. It was a baby, aged just two years., buried in the late 1800s. www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

I told them it might be time to harvest potatoes. Oh, they were excited for the potatoes. “Where are they?” “Under the soil! Under those dead plants. Potatoes are actually roots. Hold on, I’ll get a bowl.” www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

“There they go! There they go!” said Jimmy’s boy, smiling. To him, it looked like a scene from a movie or a video game and not real life. “We were all so scared,” I said. “We didn’t know what was happening, or if it would stop." www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

Now, there’s one more thing you have to know: transgender people are human beings just like you. God loves them every bit as much as He loves you. And they’re not dangerous. www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

The city at the bottom of the cliff was still bright, still lit up with stoplights and street lights and lights in the windows, much brighter than the dim stars overhead. Is this what God sees? When God looks down on Heaven and Earth, does God see the stars below? www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...

ICE is doing forced labor and sexual assault of transgender people in their detention centers, reads a new complaint.

Native Americans condemn Pentagon move to preserve Wounded Knee medals reut.rs/46I9oj6