I’m going to be taking another break from Bluesky—at this point my only social media exposure—for my mental health. I’ve been struggling for several months now, but I’ve taken a turn for the worse over the last few days and need to disconnect. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of others.

We have a government of psychopaths, by psychopaths, and for psychopaths.

We have a government of psychopaths, by psychopaths, and for psychopaths.

My daily experience, unfortunately. Though, I think people that interact with me more frequently can see I am not just merely “a bit picky/particular”. And stress is making it increasingly worse.

When I was placed on the Professor Watchlist in 2021, people sent death threats about my children. I had security officers monitor my 8yo at school. Where is all the outrage for those of us who have been targeted for years? Where is the outrage for our families? My own colleagues are silent.

#MEPolitics: UPDATE - the Council feared retaliation, putting a “target on our back” if such an ordinance was adopted. They did seem open to redrafting until the city solicitor chimed and spooked them. ACREIHR will work with them to craft something “safer” (aka watered down)—so the fight continues.

Posting a criticism of Charlie Kirk - much less noting something outrageous he himself said - is not “celebrating” his murder. Nor is it condoning his murder. It is simply saying that his political career and legacy are not something to be celebrated. And that is not the same thing at all.

If you still doubt that the regime is gearing up to aggressively ignore the Constitution and obliterate the rule of law in a massive crackdown on dissent and opposition fuelled by an expanded and emboldened American Gestapo… I really don’t know what it will take to convince you it is coming.

#MEPolitics: Attended the Bangor City Council Gov Ops meeting tonight in support of the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights’ testimony recommending that the city adopt an ordinance prohibiting Bangor law enforcement from entering into a 287(g) agreement with ICE.

The Washington Post Guild has released a strongly worded letter about @karenattiah.bsky.social’s firing. Senator Schumer would be proud.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” - George Orwell, 1984

Mark my words: we are only a few weeks away from the regime arresting Democratic Party members of Congress and prominent opposition organisers as “terrorists leaders”. And they’ll come for you and I next.

Trump Regime’s Goebbels has just promised to use the vast resources of the federal government to destroy ALL dissent and opposition to the regime, using the murder of a person that constantly worked to incite harassment, abuse, and violence against non-white people, women, and immigrants as pretext.

Washington Post fires their last remaining Black opinion writer @karenattiah.bsky.social over the most benign comments in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's murder... Meanwhile Fox still has Brian Kilmeade who casually said all homeless people should be killed. Its all unfair & unbalanced. Wake up.

RIGHT: Free speech is an inalienable, universal right, even in the case of racist, sexist, homophobic, antisemitic, or anti-immigrant speech which calls for harassment and/or violence. LEFT: Charlie Kirk was a horrible person. RIGHT: Anyone saying mean things about Charlie Kirk should be arrested.

Senator Katie Bree: “People exercising their free speech should be punished severely… unless they’re on the Right and exercising their free speech which we agree with, in which case we must protect them at all costs. And that is the beginning and end of it. Full stop.”

The person who allegedly murdered Charlie Kirk is a white, heterosexual, Christian, native-born American male (with a past history of supporting Trump), as is the case for the vast majority of incidents of recent political violence in the US. Not non-white or trans or muslim or immigrant or female.

These are the people that venerated—and are now canonising—Charlie Kirk. They are White Nationalists, Nazis, Technofascists, Christofascists, and Skinheads. This is Kirk’s legacy: inspiring and encouraging hatred, bigotry, division, conflict, violence, and oppression. That was his life’s goal.

Republicans: “Cancel culture is evil and out of control. The Democrats can’t handle free speech and they can’t compete fairly in the marketplace of ideas, so they try to silence conservative, god-fearing voices of reason, like Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk.” Also Republicans:

To further drive home this point—and how much our culture has dehumanised unhoused people—I’ll ask this question: Would a host at CNN or MSNBC or even Fox News be allowed to simply apologise and keep their job if they called for the mass murder of Jewish people via involuntary lethal injection?

“Hanz Frank deserves praise for his apology for the brutal exploitation, forced labor, and murder of millions of Polish civilians and Jews he oversaw.” That’s how you sound, Bill. A sadistic psychopathic narcissist does not deserve praise because he later apologised for calling for mass murder.

If Charlie Kirk were a first grader at school, America would have moved on by now.

ICYMI: This is the reason Fox News needs to immediately sack Brian Kilmeade (and he should probably be charged for attempting to incite mass murder). [Fox and Friends hosts discussing how to “deal with” unhoused people] Kilmeade: “…or involuntary lethal injection. Or something. Just kill them.”

REMINDER: “Free speech”, for the vast majority of the Right, is the ability to say whatever they want without negative consequences (from any entity). It has absolutely nothing to do with protecting *everyone’s* right to speak without fear of penalty, punishment, or persecution from the government.

Good godray morning from Portland, #Maine.

TIMELINE CLEANSE: UP THE HEARTS!

Can we all take a moment to ponder the deeply troubling fact that the far-right brigaded @msnbc.com into a craven firing of Matthew Dowd for publicly—but respectfully—calling out the depravity and destructiveness of a supposed “free speech absolutist”.

Tyler Robinson will be out of the news by Monday. Right wing which dominates media and politics and power is already gaslighting their audience and still blaming "the left." You can't shame shameless people who are committed to an extremist authoritarian project.

This is one of many occasions when Nancy Mace has dehumanised a House or Senate colleague. She has also dehumanised people from the following groups: Gay people Trans people Progressive people Non-Christian people Non-White people Retired people Immigrants Women Men Children Babies

#MEPolitics: Jared Golden is an American Fascist Party member in all but official affiliation. He (and Susan Collins) must be removed from office and replaced with a true progressive Mainer in order to return full honour, courage, and humanity to Maine’s legislative delegation.

#MEPolitics: Jared Golden is an American Fascist Party member in all but official affiliation. He (and Susan Collins) must be removed from office and replaced with a true progressive Mainer in order to return full honour, courage, and humanity to Maine’s legislative delegation.

It is surreal that people on the left are having their social media accounts suspended, being fired from their jobs, and receiving death threats for publicly posting factual statements about a man—often merely directly quoting the man himself—that the right claims was a “champion of free speech”.

The estate of Charlie Kirk cannot sue @stephenking.bsky.social for defamation, much less for posting a factual statement. But Stephen King can most certainly sue Mike Lee for defamation, threats against his safety, and inciting violence. It would be a better world for all of us if he did.

I don’t think that word means what she thinks it means.

The secret police come to Maine schools. #mepolitics

“Charlie Kirk being killed is the American Reichstag fire.” This is either a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” allusion to him believing this was a false flag killing or it is yet another example of how the US education system has failed so many people. Maybe both?

“How low can you go?” one advocate asked. Unfortunately, the Trump regime know no depths too deep for its depravity.

Ezra Klein: Charlie Kirk practiced politics the right way. Charlie Kirk: Clarence Thomas was a far better black role model to celebrate than Martin Luther King. Also, Kirk: We need to have a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor. We need it immediately. Kirk: Fuck “gays”.

Ezra Klein: Charlie Kirk practiced politics the right way. Charlie Kirk: Abortion is worse than the Holocaust. Also, Kirk: The American Democrat party hates this country... They love it when America becomes less white. Another Kirk: Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor.

I’ll just ask this: Would anyone actually be surprised if the Trump regime executed a public hit on a close ally that had broken ranks for the one scandal that actually seems to be sticking, in order to change the prevailing focus, unify a fragmenting base, and justify full persecution of the left?

DEBUNK: Charlie Kirk was a rampant antisemite and only loved Netanyahu’s authoritarian regime because it mirrored what he desired (and has thus far finally gotten with the Trump regime) in the United States.

Senate staff just got an alert: "Capitol Police are responding to an incident at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Headquarters. Staff are asked to remain clear of the police activity."

Gavin Newsom’s admission that his son is a fan of Charlie Kirk raises a lot of questions answered by Gavin Newsom’s admission.

Anyone want to join me on a Transgender Ideology weekend of debauchery?

If today’s media covered Hitler’s suicide: “He was a bold and innovative thinker, tirelessly working to find solutions to Germany’s biggest problems, even expanding his focus to the challenges of surrounding nations. He was a gifted orator; a master of motivating the masses to a common cause.”

These are calls for mass political violence, against all Democrats. They openly call for the bombing of "Democrat" cities and for the jailing or killing of Democratic politicians. They are from some of the most influential voices in right-wing politics. Will anyone say anything?

The only abundance Ezra Klein will ever manifest is dangerous neoliberal bullshit.

I think it is very telling that to most of those on the right today, “political violence” is only when it’s committed against them. Otherwise, it’s just “the price of freedom”.

On a day like today, which represents loss and sorrow for so many—of loved ones, of security, and, for many more, of their status as an “American”, and with it, their safety and rights—I think it’s especially important to remind ourselves of this lesson from from @joycewhitevance.bsky.social.

It’s also remarkable how coordinated the “all leftist entities must be destroyed” response from some of the far-right influencers close to the regime has seemed. I knew they would all try to blame the left, without evidence, but the uniformity and synchronisation has been impressive in its scope.