"He stood on that stage, in front of a widow, in front of grieving people, and said he hated half the country. That he didn’t wish them well. The President of the United States declaring that hatred is his guiding principle."

Oh, how I miss him.

Robin Snyder writes that the not-president of more than half the country said the not-quiet-at-all part out loud at Charlie Kirk's memorial service yesterday. What a disgrace.

There's maybe never been a more important moment for #BookSky to get REALLY into small & indie presses. If you don't know where to start, tell me what you're into and I'll give you a recommendation

It's a good first day of fall when you open up Bluesky and discover that @zalmanr.bsky.social reposted your post.

Today’s WaPo opinion page strikes a conciliatory tone with columns by @shadihamid.bsky.social and @zalmanr.bsky.social. Crucial reading in this fraught moment, when people are being silenced in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing and the potential for more political violence has risen exponentially.

A neighbor told me "we've seen all this before." But I beg to differ, because the guardrails that protected democracy are gone.

Stand up and say something.

I wish things were at least less stupid if they had to be so dire

I wonder if it has ever crossed Trump's mind that if 97% of commenters disapprove of what he's doing, it might be *checks notes* because he's doing things wrong.

REMINDER: The Nazis fired people in the entertainment industry for mocking Hitler. What Trump is doing is right the fascist playbook. You either are with Trump or with America. There is ZERO overlap. www.nytimes.com/1939/02/04/a...

Oregon!

My favorite comedian commentary on ABC's capitulation was Colbert's "If You Give A Mouse A Kimmel" bit. Perfection.

STEWART: “Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s a bellwether— we’re the banana peel in the coal mine… authoritarians are the threat to comedy, music, art, thought… progress.” Nailed it.

The last political column I was allowed to write in the @washingtonpost.com was a criticism of Obama. His people took issue with my piece, but we were respectful. Now he is tweeting in support of me. This is how free political speech and respect for debate *actually works*. Or used to work.

"In July, (Trump) applauded CBS’s cancellation of Stephen Colbert. Last night, he crowed about ABC yanking Jimmy Kimmel, and warned Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers that they could be next. Soon, the only comedian left on TV will be Karoline Leavitt." Thanks, @borowitzreport.bsky.social.

Jimmy Kimmel should have stuck to acceptable comments, like suggesting that homeless people be executed

Meanwhile, Brian Kilmeade, who advocated killing all homeless people, still has a cushy Fox job.

Re: the regime "blowing up boats full of people who they claim, with no evidence, are narco-terrorists," Robin Snyder says that Vance "joked" he "wouldn’t go fishing right now in that area of the world." Murdering people at sea is an OK punchline, but Kimmel gets canceled. No double standard there.

Not right. Not okay. The silencing is growing. It is wrong.

Sort of a "Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport" response to the madness. Good on ya, @miriamgershow.bsky.social.

A source of credible, reliable information that has helped me make sense of things when it felt impossible to untangle them, then and especially now. Thank you, @hcrichardson.bsky.social.

Corporate media doesn't want to hear anyone say America is sick, and won't tolerate its employees stating the obvious.

"I do think any progress we want as a country has to start with recognizing each other’s basic humanity." Thank you, @charlotteclymer.bsky.social.

My mom was in a dementia care center for three years after my dad could no longer care for her in their home. Getting to that point took a decade. Neither of them wanted to talk about it. That took a toll. My kids and my husband know I want to face this disease head on if it's part of my future.

Epstein Files.

I don’t want a ballroom. I want, among other things, PBS, clean water, and for other countries to not loathe us.

Oh, yes. And—followup question—how's that "me" speech, not free speech thing going?

The tragedy is that we knew this when he ran the first time and we elected him a second time. He only ever will like those loyal to him, not to their country.

"Ultimately, it’s the same story I am always telling: how people want desperately to be close to each other, often get it wrong, try again, and hope (against hope?) to get closer." Huzzah, @miriamgershow.bsky.social!

How does someone so young, with an apparently very narrow and prejudicial view of the planet and her people, find a platform so huge, where he did not "debate" so much as debase? I knew nothing—no-thing—at 31. But I knew better than to dehumanize other folks. I knew the Golden Rule.

A beautiful reflection by @miriamgershow.bsky.social. Deliciousness, as it were.

There's a huge difference between free speech and me speech and no one is playing around when they say that.

The image that's been with me all day today in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing is that famous photo of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming and kneeling over a dead Jeffrey Miller at Kent State in 1970, only in my mind his body is the corpse of America and, like Vecchio, right now I can only weep over her.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk was terrible and wrong in every way. I'd like to say it was a canary in the coal mine, but in these absurd and reckless times, that bird has flown. America in 2025 is a tinderbox. Where she will end up has us all on tenterhooks. We look to the sky, still hoping.

Ngl, "Charlie Kirk, martyr" is nightmare fuel.

Killing people we disagree with is wrong in every way, whether it’s Melissa Hortman or Charlie Kirk. This is especially true in a country awash with guns and run by fascists looking to amplify their already militarized policies. No thoughts and prayers. Down with fascism and up with gun control.

Look how wonderful this is! Yay, @danielolivas.bsky.social and @forestavenuepress.bsky.social!

As @lmelina.bsky.social astutely observed this morning, the story that SCOTUS has endorsed racial profiling by ICE in L.A. was usurped on the NYT's digital front page by the salacious Trump doodle in Jeffrey Epstein's birthday book. The former is much more important, but both recommend 47's removal.

The 34-time convicted felon who created a disgusting doodle as part of deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's 50th "birthday book" should not be allowed within five hundred feet of any elementary or middle school, let alone the Oval Office.

Local woman wakes up, is too tired for oatmeal affirmations so encourages you to make your own good trouble today, makes oatmeal.

This is a very important 13-minute listen. With context, and appreciation as always, from @hcrichardson.bsky.social.

All I know is, I'd like my grandkids to grow up in a world free of this imbecilic monster and the four horsemen of the apocalypse his followers rode in with.

My dear dad was a Reagan aficionado and a yellow dog Republican, a straight-ticket GOP voter. He was also a commander in the US Navy with 20 years of service to this nation. Yet I believe he would have shuddered at the loose-cannon-in-chief renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War.

Preach.

YES. From @laurastanfill.bsky.social: "... as writers, we linger and agonize over each verb. We replace em dashes with commas and then switch them back to em dashes. We activate our characters and scenes and sacred objects, making artistic decisions alongside the practical ones."

One tiny moment from the brilliant memoir MOTION DAZZLE: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss, and Skating on Thin Ice by @jocelynjanecox.bsky.social. Out September 30 from Vine Leaves Press.

After almost two weeks, I finally figured out what I wanted to say about my experience of our 50th high school reunion. Bottom line is, if you have a chance to go to yours, I encourage you to consider attending. A sumptuous buffet of stories, generosity, memories, and connection awaits. #gopacers