Worthwhile thread for cold, hard legal reasoning.

Matthew’s Bible repackaged Tyndale’s banned work for authorized use in 16th-century English churches, shaping English Scripture and reflecting Reformation polemics. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/matthews-b...

Dense, dry, and confusing, Volume II of Marx's "Capital" charts capital’s ceaseless circulation, overproduction shocks, and labor exploitation, yet never grapples with the problem of power. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/capital-vo...

I am supposed to be a 'words' guy, yet I find that I lack the words to fully express the sense of rage and betrayal that I feel, having been raised to believe in the beauty of the United States as an - imperfect - pluralistic republic, to see these quislings try to turn it into a boring ethnostate.

The other day I experienced an inhuman assault on Christmas – an AI carol. The machine's inability to understand the carol's message of love made it eerie. Basic cultural forms like holiday ritual and music are weakened under the assault of algorithms. snyder.substack.com/p/the-inhuma...

Geralt holds to honor in a cruel, contemptuous world, making this Witcher entry a powerful story of integrity under siege. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/the-time-o...

Lots of strands of modern atheism that are just Calvinism with the serial numbers filed off

I worked myself up to give the last full measure of devotion for this last great hope of earth. Instead, they’re just stepping on rakes and slipping on banana peels. I’m embarrassed to have enemies like these.

Greenland, be afraid. Iceland, be afraid. Venezuela, be afraid. Canada, be afraid. Mexico, be afraid. He’s a cruel, ignorant, lawless madman. And his approval #’s are way down. He needs a fucking distraction. He’s probably gonna declare war on some country. Hey world, heads up.

The volume of self-congratulations among my MAGA friends will be so gleeful that they won’t even notice how small the island’s getting.

Monkeys haven’t gone for $2k since 2019, monkey inflation under Biden is an under appreciated factor in Trump getting reelected

This is why there will be parties when he dies. Not just gleeful or angry partisans sniping at each other online. Literal parties, in physical space, and well attended. His will be the most celebrated death in recent American history.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

A blessing for you: May you find as much joy today as a Cardassian capturing a Klingon Bird of Prey. 🙏

I donated. Because I hate what MAGA is doing to our immigrant communities. Because I hate Trump’s project to dim the light of Lady Liberty. Because I hate feeling helpless. Because I won’t feel helpless. Will you donate?

My dear cousins across the pond: these are the sorts of barking mad proposals that make right-wing madmen seem like lesser evils to your average voter. As an American with some experience in this, I implore you to find some normal politicians now.

UPDATE: Another Chicago-area church has put up an immigration-themed Nativity scene. A church member at Urban Village Church sent this one along, where Mary, Joseph and Jesus are gone and replaced with a sign that reads: “Due to ICE activity in our community, the Holy Family is in hiding.”

i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.

The media network that turned me against Trump was C-SPAN, because they aired his campaign speeches unedited and without commentary. I saw a pathological liar without shame, honor, or attachment to reality. I tried to warn people he would remake the GOP in his image, they laughed, and here we are.

Nothing is more ironic than the fact that the party that trumpets itself as defending a "Culture of Life" is actively working to kill as many people as it can.

King's poem and Chadbourne's art conjure a menacing early vision of Randall Flagg—banal, corrupting, timeless. A brief, eerie trek through a world gone to rot, perfect for King and horror fans. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/the-dark-man

Hegseth thing is Trump II in microcosm - gain notoriety for being pro-war crime, commit a war crime in office, then demand that everyone else trust your denials despite doing the exact thing you said you would do

Meacham’s youth-oriented Jefferson bio softens flaws but offers a clear, engaging intro to the third president’s ideas and adventures—good fuel for young historians. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/thomas-jef...

Independence-era Mexico wasn’t driven by grand ideals but by local loyalties, fears, and village-level grievances. Van Young’s study reveals a rebellion shaped from the ground up, not the top down. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/the-other-...

While listening to The Roys Report this morning, I came to a conclusion: if you’re a Christian who thinks that Charlie Kirk was a good man and Julie Roys is a bad woman, I know all I need to know about your moral universe. We are not the same, and you need to meditate on Isaiah 5:20 very carefully.

Aztec nature, myth, and colonial exchange come alive in Book 11 of the Florentine Codex—a dense but fascinating look at how two worlds met and reimagined the earthly things around them. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/florentine...

Brilliant. More of this from Europeans, please. Our emperor is naked. Call it out.

Stendhal’s novel follows Julien Sorel, an ambitious outsider cutting through post-Napoleonic France’s drab age of lost glory, desire, and self-delusion—a sharp study of yearning in an unheroic era. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/the-red-an...

Everything was better when I was 12. The Theory remains undefeated.

Never forget that Trump is this petty because he doesn’t understand honor, service, or sacrifice. In Zelenskyy’s shoes, Trump would’ve aligned with Moscow for personal profit, or in the event of war cut a sweetheart deal for himself to end it. Trump will never understand a man like Zelenskyy. Never.

The first piece of evidence for how much Congress hates Trump is the near-unanimous House vote as soon as it became inevitable. They voted aye because they hate him, and no longer fear him, and that says something. Second piece of evidence is the Senate’s unanimous consent. Congress HATES Trump.

Trump in a room with a very charismatic person results in like half a day of Trump agreeing with everything that person said, so this has the potential to be very, very funny.

Every Epstein email is like > down . waht if up ? . smae difection or > hey just wanted to reach out about our crimes and the following accomplices

LOLOL the situation room

A Tale of Two Cities I always loved reading, but had no interest in stuffy classics. Had to read one for school though, and ATOTC was short. It confused and annoyed me, and then it shattered me and left me in tears. I’ve had a torrid love affair with classic lit for 30+ years because of that book.

we are going to win

Yes, he’s dumb. Yes, he’s evil. Yes, someone evil whispered this in his ear and he’s being a parrot. But the basic explanation is more mundane: he’s never in his life held a conversation with someone forced to rely on food stamps. We elected a “man of the people” who doesn’t know how the 99% live.

I always remind myself to be the American that Japanese anime thinks I am. 🥹

Even odds Trump tore down the East Wing because someone told him Black slaves built the White House.

I need to emphasize what I say down-thread: this is a temporary, procedural move known as an administrative stay issued in haste by Justice Jackson. Little to nothing should be read into this ruling for how SCOTUS might ultimately rule on SNAP—either way.

Breyer’s Making Our Democracy Work argues that trust, pragmatism, and good faith—not rigid textualism—keep our republic alive. A thoughtful case for judicial humility in polarized times. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/making-our...

Should’ve been two in the fridge

I really think that we need to talk more about the fact that Republicans have basically quietly abolished the House of Representatives

Humanity brings its demons to the stars in Abaddon’s Gate, where faith meets vengeance at the edge of the unknown. Abraham and Franck ask whether hell awaits us—or travels with us. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/abaddons-g...

Marx saw how industry deformed humanity—and he wasn’t wrong. His critique of greed, labor, and power still hits home, even if his cure proved another form of disease. A flawed prophet, but one whose message still matters. Full review: nwcasebolt.substack.com/p/capital-a-...

Vibe shift in the culture towards earnestness

I’m connected to a lot of MAGA or MAGA-adjacent folks on Facebook. The volume of butt-hurt whistling past the graveyard after Saturday’s “No Kings” protest is delightful.