“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” - Voltaire.

Every few months now I re-read this "Who Goes Nazi?" piece from 1941 and am blown away by how it captures the people we are dealing with 80 years later. harpers.org/archive/1941...

Here’s how Bertrand Russell said it. Maybe we could modernize it somehow: www.themarginalian.org/2016/10/06/b...

The reason we have rules of engagement isn’t to keep warfighters from killing our enemies. It’s to keep them from killing a farmer with a shovel bc they thought it was a rifle and didn’t bother to wait to check. Or a family in a car bc the driver looked nervous. Or a boat full of fishermen.

...my most watched video of the year reviews all the studies showing that trans ppl are victims (not perpetrators) in public restrooms & delves into the history of the "sexual predator" stereotype and how it's been used against other marginalized groups (including LGB people) […]

Simultaneously, the Pentagon has determined that an army massacre of 250-300 Lakota people at Wounded Knee Creek merited 19 Medals of Honor - the highest US military honor - bc land-stealing settlers were scared of indigenous dancing. Congrats, US military! Only the best! Only the finest!

If there’s one thing you do today, listen to Andy McCarthy who made clear that there is no case against Comey. It’s not surprising Halligan had to present the case to the grand jury herself.

42 years ago today I was at a strategic target and Stanislav Petrov saved my life.

If paper bags are made of paper, And plastic bags are made of plastic, And canvas bags are made of canvas, I will not let the pet store sell me dog waste bags.

Taps sign...

Good look at the evidence for gender dysphoria treatment. www.wonkette.com/p/transphobe...

Tylenol ain't taking this shit From tylenol.com

Ken White can be trusted for thoughtful and detailed writing on free speech. Here is a good one. www.popehat.com/p/how-free-s...

Bless The Onion. theonion.com/fearful-amer...

Dear American citizens, whatever you wish more German citizens would have done in 1933, do that now.

As someone who loves books and can get lost in a walk-in closet? I feel seen.

Post Rapture pet care. This time it is a Christian organization. aftertherapturepetcare.com

A Puerto Rican writes about what these days are like. I hope this isn't paywalled: I looked for a gift link and didn't find one. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/if-y...

Thank you for coming to my Teddy talk.

We brought together attorneys general from across the country to tell trans students: We see you. You belong here. And we will fight for you. As this school year kicks off, know that you are not alone, and we will work to make sure all schools are safe for every student.

If, for whatever reason, you needed proof that Trump is destroying American greatness rather than creating it, the cuts to funding LIGO ought to provide you that. www.science.org/content/arti...

Let’s listen to Jews about the crackdown on universities. drive.google.com/file/d/1sjIV...

1. Just so we’re clear, this is the clip that got Jimmy Kimmel’s show shelved by ABC. If I’m missing any other clips please let me know.

Things Charlie Kirk did and did not say. www.factcheck.org/2025/09/vira...

This keeps going through my mind. Theoden: “Now my heart is doubtful. The world changes, and all that once was strong now proves unsure. How shall any tower withstand such numbers and such reckless hate? "

Here’s the Jimmy Kimmel clip that got him pulled off the air

Do NOT allow them to rewrite history with disinformation. #COVID vaccines worked remarkably well and allowed us to come out of a global pandemic. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Really incredible effort by the indefatigable @nurseteria.bsky.social to raise awareness of what we are going to bring back by stripping access to vaccination 👇🏻

Here is the report the government deleted from their website about who perpetrates political violence. web.archive.org/web/20250911...

Your voice matters in every election, not just the presidential ones. 🗳 This #NationalVoterRegistrationDay, take a moment to be sure you’re registered and ready to vote. To register or confirm your status, visit @legaldefensefund.bsky.social’s resources at voting.naacpldf.org.

The outrage of a no bid contract on autism to an engineering school that doesn't even have a department of epidemiology or neuroscience is only exceeded by the choice of recipient, a data scientist who last published on autism in 2020 and thinks like Wakefield. 🧪 #episky 🧵 apnews.com/article/vacc...

This may explain why there’s an aggressive response to people who merely post Kirk’s own words. It threatens the existence of the alternate Kirk - the motivational speaker that had been marketed to young kids and white Christian groups through selective quotation & clips.

Anyone who could use a timeline cleanse, I'm posting once again the video where a traumatized kitten meets a fountain of love disguised as a Golden Retriever. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkuL...

Derek Trumbo: “We only make about 86 cents for a full day of labor. That means we have to work for eight days just to be able to afford a single package of commissary bacon.” Read about the exorbitant commissary food prices incarcerated people deal with @prismreports.org: bit.ly/baconbehindbars.

This is interesting. Someone overheard an anti-vax conversation, tried not to butt in, but eventually did and reported the results. Not as bad as you might expect. www.statnews.com/2025/09/06/c...

cowards and sycophants

How RFK Jr.’s misguided science on mRNA vaccines is shaping policy − a vaccine expert examines the false claims

If you’re wondering how much of what RFK Jr said yesterday about vaccines was true—almost none of it was. @FullerLab_UW is one of the most accomplished vaccinologists out there and her article is required reading to separate truth from falsehoods. theconversation.com/how-rfk-jr-s...

roses are red violets are blue singular they predates singular you

holy shit dude using a fake deployment for wildland fire crews from a fire that’s only 13% contained during peak western US fire season to detain multiple firefighters and remove the crews from the fire is a scale of evil & dangerous I can’t fully communicate to people not from wildfire regions

What would you call a sequel to "The Wizard of Speed and Time"? "The Doctor of Velocity".

RFK Jr must go www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

If you're 60, 69.1% of all job growth since your birth occurred under Democratic administrations. If you're 45, that number is 74.7%. If you're under 28, the number is 100%. Happy Labor Day.

Organized citizen pushback to the D.C. deployment. www.thenation.com/article/acti...

BREAKING: Big moment as CDC staff stage a mass walkout. They have lined the street outside its HQ to greet and salute the four top officials who have resigned in protest at RFK Jr’s attack on the agency’s science base. (🎥 AP)

From the decision in US v. Moylan: "If the jury feels that the law under which the defendant is accused is unjust, or that exigent circumstances justified the actions of the accused, ... the jury has the power to acquit, and the courts must abide by that decision."

Just a heads up. I was able to schedule my COVID vaccine appointment. Online it will ask “do you have a condition that puts you at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19 virus.” Click yes and it will allow you to schedule an appointment. No questions asked. No proof required. Pass it on.