...just realized how similar my name is to a pokemon. Gonna just pretend I did that on purpose. Sure. Yup. Totally. 🙃

Nothing says racism, cruelty, hatred and weakness combined in one quite like the orange felon removing all free access to National Parks on federal holidays that honor black people whilst giving free access on his own birthday. He should’ve been sent to jail forever.

I have made a handy list of the appropriate uses of mentioning the 80s comedy film "Revenge of the Nerds": 1. Talking about how it's a rapey movie where the protagonist is a rapist That's it. That's the list.

Working on my next substack post, focused on (the lack of) socialization in homeschooling. It's coming along pretty good, but I can only work on it for a few minutes at a time before getting overwhelmed with bad memories. This is hard work 🫠 #cptsd #exhomeschool

NEW: Two Chicago police officers were investigated for sexual misconduct — then promoted. It wasn’t an oversight. Despite a decadeslong reform effort, the Chicago Police Department’s promotions system allows for disciplinary records to be ignored.

Maybe instead of making it so they can't discriminate against transcripts like mine (a literal google doc) we could make sure that homeschool parents aren't giving their kids google docs for transcripts...?

Surely I have been made whole lol

Snow! Snow! Snow!

will be jumping on stream in about 90 minutes for some cozy games. Come hang out if you're a homeschool alum and/or no contact with 'family' :3 www.twitch.tv/fennicknym

A child's safety and autonomy is always more important than a parent's authority.

We're founded and led by homeschool alumni and those experiences guide our work. If you are an alumni, consider joining us for a December focus group - you’ll be the first to hear about our new legislative and research work and we want to hear what you think is important too. tinyurl.com/CRHEAlumni

I find it interesting that the kids who are currently being homeschooled are not asked if *they* find the socialization adequate. My mom's reasons for homeschooling me were health and academic related- and yet I only finished maybe 2 textbooks over 9 years, and my health plummeted.

Saw this on my walk today and buddy, I relate, but it's time to let go lol

🎉🎉🎉🎉

My therapist: Try to find something stimulating enough to distract your brain from trauma ruminations Me:

Covering Jamal Khashoggi's murder was one of the most disturbing things I've worked on. Hearing Trump say he was "extremely controversial" and people "didn't like him" is chilling. Hard to take any other way than he thinks there is moral ambiguity in the murder of a journalist.

The hypocrisy is crazy-making. I guess if someone is controversial 'things happen'? Weren't people getting fired a few months ago for saying similar??!?

Yesterday, a Republican tried to give me holy water and Trump perfume because I’m “demonic.” Extremely normal stuff coming from an extremely normal party.

'Defending'

I wasn't surprised that the offender we called focused on how *inconvenient* protecting kids would be, but I was disheartened all the same. Part of me wants to believe homeschool parents when they say they are trying to 'protect' their kids, but when the reality is *this*, how can I?

Mike Johnson: ‘My Christian Faith Is More About Not Jacking Off Than Feeding The Poor’

conspiracy to make a cop go slow

So weird that generations of ritualized violence against children at home (and in many states at school) hasn't led to a less violent society. Truly baffling!

Hey, here's an idea: don't hit your kids! I call it the "don't hit your kids, you fucking ghoul" style of parenting!

NEWS: ICE arrests Chicago man whose teenage daughter is fighting cancer: “He belongs with her.” I spent yesterday afternoon with Ofelia Torres and her mother, Sandibell, talking about Ruben Torres. Here’s the story www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/21/i...

"It was just five months ago we had another situation involving a Waterbury child who was homeschooled, who then dropped off the radar screen, only to be discovered allegedly locked up in a house for years."

This morning, I was hit in the face by a baton. I’m going to have a pretty gnarly bruise but we need to remember why this is happening: Trump and ICE are rounding up our neighbors, treating them as subhuman, and shipping them off to labor camps in foreign countries. It has to end.

12 year old homeschooled child's remains found in Connecticut home. The parents pulled Mimi from school in August 2024. According to police, she has been dead for over a year

Chicago is safe, beautiful and vibrant. In fact, it was just voted the best big city in America for the ninth year in a row. If the jaw dropping images you’ve seen recently on TV or social media make it look like a war zone, that’s on Donald Trump. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

It's because they want to be able to abuse their children without any chance that a trained mandated reporter will notice. That, and to make sure their children never have to see a person who is in any way different from them. MFL delenda est.

We investigated the witness list from Illinois' homeschool bill and identified at least nine registered child sex offenders submitted testimony against it

I *know* that us in Chicago are dealing with *so* much right now- but please dont let homeschoolers who are being abused and have no voice get lost among the other atrocities we are fighting.

Chicago isn’t a war zone. Chicago isn’t in a state of emergency. Chicago isn’t a military training ground. Chicago isn’t in need of “saving”. The only threat in Chicago is the ICE fascists who are kidnapping people from their homes at night. Remove ICE & you remove the threat.

Corporal punishment of children is evil. Paddling a child is objectively worse in every possible way than paddling an adult and if you did the latter to an unwilling participant you would be thrown in prison and put on a sex offender registry.

I wrote about #HB2827- The Illinois bill that would have guaranteed homeschoolers basic rights that their public school counterparts already have. While opponents are fear mongering about this bill's return, here's why I welcome it:

Quick question, @cnn.com

If you care about protecting children from abuse, it is necessary that you understand who the actual child sexual predators are.

Oh hey, that's me lol

Hey a thing I really don’t want to get lost here is that while Tylenol doesn’t cause autism, IT’S FINE TO BE AUTISTIC. Let’s not grant them the premise that autism should be eradicated in our way to correct the science, okay? Okay.

"Don't call us fascists," they say, as they call each other Nazis.

ICE continues to assault us. We are peacefully protesting. They are kidnapping and hurting us.

I got to be NORMAL!!! I went to a concert and had a beer with my husband! I used to sneak their cds in my walkman when I was homeschooled, and I got to yell the lyrics and **not hide!** Little me never even dared to imagine something like that. ...and then I got COVID o.o

And in too many states, the legal answer is no you don't have to be smart. Only 13 states have *any* laws about parent's qualifications.

So proud of my city!!!!

First glance about half of these are charter schools & from spot checking most are in districts that mass shuttered schools under conservative management. We’ve had 35 years of “school choice” in Chicago and school choice freaks are using it to push for more school choice

A blackhole sucking in everything in its presence until it folds in on itself

James Dobson won't hear how you hope his spirit is tormented by demons for all eternity, but other evil people who've contributed nothing but misery to this world might and hopefully they'll know people will celebrate when they pass away too. Ask not for whom the crab raves, they rave for thee.

Buckle up, everybody because this is knowledge that we all need in order to keep our communities safe:

Reminds me of the time I was babysitting another homeschool family- one of the kids didn't listen right away, and their sibling *gleefully* exclaimed "That means you get to use the *TOOL* on him!!!" The tool was a leather belt hung up next to a plaque with a bible verse.