We need to make sure the Trump voters in our lives are aware that we are aware that they are doing this to the poor.

Maybe today’s MAGA Christians didn’t start out by gleefully defending murder. But at some point, each of them was shown a shabby, taunting little devil in the corner, and said “yes, I choose that.” rebeccabrattenweiss.substack.com/p/why-the-mo...

Where, indeed? Once again: the right wingers have decided that if it's not a physical newspaper, it's not real journalism.

There's a niche right wing cadre that pretends to care about journalism but says nothing about assaults on journalists globally or here. They think the difference between real and fake journalism is "physical newspapers." They love the image of themselves as "gentlemen" reading the paper.

Warnock on the arrest of Don Lemon: It’s chilling, and I think that is the intent. They intend to send chills down the backs of journalists. The authoritarian march is happening in real time, and it’s way past the time to wake up.

So we must keep raising our voices and shaming every single MAGA we know.

I've been meaning to write for years about how anti-LGBTQ ideology predisposes people to become extremists. Historically, extremist movements have often been queerphobic. And the "moderates" I knew who got sucked into MAGA were the queerphobic ones. open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

MAGA is a refuge for people who hate institutions because institutions hold them to standards like “don’t be racist,” or "consult the building inspector so the church you’re building won’t collapse and kill people.” open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

If I would come up with some advice, it would be EXACTLY THIS. Far too many people say "oh, I don't think it will come to that," when I say Trump will cancel elections or sic ICE on all democrats. Like what do you think is going to stop him? We can't just sit here counting on the hamberders.

"Unfortunately, when a right-wing man tells a woman he finds her unattractive, that doesn’t mean he’s going to leave her alone." On why right wing men keep mocking the appearance of a murder victim. rebeccabrattenweiss.substack.com/p/why-right-...

yes a WAR CRIME

AOC: I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face.

Whatever path they took to arrive at this moral low, whatever sophistries they invoke to justify themselves, these men believe they are entitled to murder women simply for not being “respectful” enough. open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

Millions in this nation have given themselves over to evil so completely, that they consider the pain and suffering of others reward enough. No need to give them health care or housing. rebeccabrattenweiss.substack.com/publish/post...

"Those of us who have spent years writing about sexual abuse in conservative Christian spaces are not shocked to see right wingers in the United States move the goalposts when it comes to defending Donald Trump. They’ve been practicing for this, for years."

Kind of on the nose, this particular round of Ransom Notes:

I've been remiss about engaging with all you good folks on this platform, for the past few weeks. But while I was away, my book came out: a journey of religious deconstruction through the problematic classics of modern Christian literature. orbisbooks.com/products/the...

Thanks John!

'The Books That Made Us' comes out in a week. If you are recovering from having been "educated" in a conservative academic subculture, you may find it relatable. Link to order below.

This regime is such a grotesque inversion of actual gospel values and multiple people I know who are pious churchgoers are cheering it on.

This is what he's doing to everything. But it wouldn't have been possible without the millions of you who put him in power. Really great job folks.

I was grateful to have the chance to read this book as part of my ongoing informal project of understanding why people get sucked into fascism. Aside from the book offering several essential puzzle-pieces, it also illuminated aspects of arts cultures and subcultures of the 20th century.

“Even for those without a stake in yoga, @stewarthome.bsky.social’s book is enlightening. Recognizing elements of fascism in yoga culture can help clarify how fascism finds a toehold in other communities, including Christian ones.” – review by @rbratten.bsky.social @plutopress.bsky.social

Insomnia is back for the first time in years.

'The Books That Made Us' is available for pre-order. Part memoir, part literary criticism, part theological analysis, it's a journey of religious deconstruction through the modern Christian classics: the writings of Chesterton, Eliot, Lewis, Tolkien, O'Connor, etc. Links to order below.

I have issues with some things Mamdani has said but I have bigger issues with Cuomo's actual behavior. Either way this point stands. Among conservative catholics I encountered many people who fetishized the Ideal Jew while spreading hate about real live Jews in the world today.

Well, I had an interesting Sunday night, how 'bout you?

Pay attention, headline writers: THIS is a proper headline. State what happened just as you would if it were any other gang of thugs, without parroting government euphemisms or excuses.

I'm grateful for Pope Francis' 12 years of leadership. He had a good life and a good death. I know many catholics are worried that his successor will be more conservative, but the fact is, Francis himself was pretty conservative on some issues. Especially to do with women and LGBTQ issues.

I know he's dumb but I also can see him doing it on purpose just to taunt us for having standards.

Consequences can happen.

As far as I can tell, the ivermectin-slurping, essential-oil-hawking MAGAs think this is great. Because they don't understand how much they rely on science for things they take for granted in daily life. Including every time the essential oils didn't work and they ended up in hospital for weeks.

Amidst everything else going on, a minor quibble: I'm weary of writers who have been successful for years chide us that "we write for love, not to get rich." I'm not trying to get rich, Ms. Italy Vacation. I just want to be able to afford my eventual cremation without piling more debt on my kids.

I'm sure a lot of crunchy fash types will say, "No worries, I grow my own!" Because they do not care about anyone but themselves. Also, that demographic is notorious for having no hygiene / safety standards. The "fresh poo on the lettuce beds" approach to gardening.

A nation where we just let far right goons haul folks off and torture them because it's "popular" is a nation where we let the immoral, demented MAGA movement win. We should not be letting them direct any aspect of this narrative.

I have a rule about not trash-talking other writers by name unless they did something genuinely nasty (Neil Gaiman, JKR, etc) but this guy was throwing a tantrum in a bookstore and harassing the staff, all women of color, because he thought they had hidden his book.

I would like to have a conversation about the motifs in contemporary lit by well-off white women that connects with that demographic's failure to take a stand against fascism. (Besides obvious stuff like JKR being morally loathsome I mean)

NEW: Senator Marshall (R-KS) RUNS AWAY, fleeing his own town hall after being asked about DOGE firing Veterans. MAKE HIM GO VIRAL.

Quite hard to describe massive cuts at Social Security Admin plus cancelling (without explanation) the flu vaccine committee meeting as anything other than an intentional financial, physical, and psychological attack on everyone over 65 years old. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...

Vox Populi

Oh, look what normal countries do when a former president leads a far right coup attempt.

The MAGAs follow the typical abuser playbook, as we all know. This includes: after an act of aggression, behaving like everything's normal, and if you don't go along and act happy and friendly, YOU'RE the baddie and THEY'RE the injured party.

My book "The Books That Made Us: Deconstructing the Modern Christian Classics" is forthcoming from Orbis this year. A project born out of my attempt to draw the line from my conservative humanities education to the rise of the intellectual arm of the MAGA movement.

The conspiracy rot has spread so far. I just saw a catholic school principal sharing a junk science link claiming vaccines cause autism, and a bunch of college educated dingleberries acting all "this is serious!" Like it's not a made up piece of ableist nonsense that's circled for years.

Antisemitism was essentially created in and by the early church, and Christians need to reckon with this.