I'm not usually a big fan of David French, but this is an excellent breakdown of the laws of war and rules of engagement. Very informative.

"Secretary of War? You look like a hair hopper to me."

"Fog of war" or "Fog of brain"?

Fog of war? You mean he was drunk off his ass when he gave the order? That would be my guess.

Trump is summarily executing people suspected of being drug dealers, without providing any proof. How close are we to Trump ordering the execution of Americans he considers opponents? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-illegal-executions

This is almost certainly a non-starter, but after the hassle and expense of getting a dual Irish citizenship and passport, I would rather "self-deport" to the EU than give it up.

I don't read as much Chauncey DeVega as I used to, but I agree with this warning. Trump isn't going away all by himself.

This is invasive and unworkable. It's simpler to lump income together and tax it without micromanaging where it came from. For that matter, how about paying a uniform living wage and eliminating tips entirely or adding a fixed gratuity? People may even use "no tax" as an excuse to tip less.

Know something a Dem President CAN do w an Executive Order, bc this is what EOs are actually meant to do? Take away ICE’s toys.

I'm not really "left" and I haven't had a high opinion of him.

Bigger than my 3D printing projects

Feral Christmas elf and wild goblin. AI art done with Ideogram. #ai-art #elves #goblins #ideogram #holidays

Does anyone want a survivorship bias shortbread

It's tragic that two young people were shot, one of them fatally and the other in critical condition. That's not throat-clearing. I feel it. But it's terrifying and predictable in equal parts that Trump wants to use this to further Stephen Miller's ethnic cleansing agenda. Which do I prioritize?

Worth repeating: "remigration" is just another term for ethnic cleansing. Please don't let the administration hide their racism with rebranding.

A reminder for those who are not aware: "remigration" is the process of deporting all non-white people from a country. It includes citizens and is, by definition, ethnic cleansing. And to be clear: this is not fake. I just screenshot it myself.

This is a smart move. The Trump administration really loves to do things at night and on weekends when they think nobody is paying attention.

ICE DETAINED MARILYN. Fuck these people. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

PSA: If you don't regard Putin as a bad guy, then you are one yourself.

My only consistent Thanksgiving tradition. It starts with a scraggly thyme plant I have somehow kept alive for over 20 years. Then a tedious process of separating enough for stuffing... with Boy George singing in my head "But you and me we know they've got nothing but thyme." A day early this year.

Some say the glass of American democracy is 90% empty. I say it is 10% full.

What do you call someone who shows up in a mask and combat gear to confront the most vulnerable, defenseless members of society? I can think of a lot of names, but let's start with coward. Bully works too. Thug is good. That's without getting analytical or considering the politics. Shall I go on?

"Indeed, such abductions have become so common that a major recent Bitcoin conference included a daylong “counter-kidnapping” workshop, in which participants learned, among other things, how to gnaw their way through zipties."

I didn't even know Page was in the running. He's been so quiet for years.

Another commute from Mountain View Caltrain and I still haven't spotted the emu.🥁

I am not religious but this is a great article on the rightwing perversion of Christianity from a very personal perspective.

Without reading first, I'm going to bet it's because when you fly into Toronto, you don't run the risk of being handcuffed at customs and sent to prison in Louisiana. Am I on the right track here? #ice #massdeportation

"Much of China’s foreign policy, rather than exporting its ideology abroad, is aimed at shoring up the power of the Communist Party at home. What outside observers take to be aggressive moves are often aimed at solving internal problems." (Gift article)

New printable. Ink stamps based on Penrose tiles. #printables #3d-printing #crafts #math

This is interesting research though it confused me. The synthetic part is the growth medium. It is used to grow human brain cells. That part is real.

"We always knew that President “Piggy” despised women and admired tyrants, seeing nothing wrong with hacking up your critics with a bone saw. But even a few months ago I think he would have been self-controlled enough to be less obvious about it."

Too many fish. #ai-art #animation

"While many political analysts on the center and center left today suggest the Democrats need to publicly take more moderate positions to appeal more to independents, the evidence suggests the weak party brand is actually coming from disaffection the left."

Some inspiring Bible verses that all our self-proclaimed "Christians" ought to be aware of. Sometimes I think many are not. For some reason I can't quite put my finger one.

It only harms us.

Jeffrey Epstein’s emails reveal a disdain for morality among the elite | Moira Donegan

"The big money always responds to threats of tax hikes, or even mere verbal criticism, by threatening to go all Ayn Rand and move to Galt’s Gulch. In reality, they won’t even move to Florida."

I have been playing around with QWEN for AI art. It started out a little finicky, but it gets the narrative best in these pictures. My idea is a "careful what you wish for" cautionary tale. In each image, a portal opens up to an eldritch but not actually hostile world. #ai-art #qwen #fantasyart

I have no trouble seeing myself as an animal. We're made out of the same kinds of cells, and our anatomy is like every other tetrapod, just in different proportions. Our power structures resemble chimp hierarchies at a larger scale. What's the puzzle?

More 3D-printing polymer clay fun. You can see that mine did not come out perfect, but I'm a rank amateur at polymer clay. If you want to make a stocking-stuffer puzzle, the clay is more personal and can be varied e.g. with marbling. #3d-printing #polymerclay #pentominoes #puzzles

“Why do people see little horns and leap to ‘devil’ instead of ‘juvenile gazelle?’”

"The Times can make an issue salient, and its choice not to make an issue salient is tremendous."

Trying to do some concept art here with AI. I don't know if the narrative comes through but what I imagine is a simple spell to produce apples opens a portal into an orchard where mindless servants dump apples in wheelbarrows into the kitchen. I wanted goblins but they look like costumes. #ai-art

"... What I did find surprising was its decision to present the estate tax as a massive burden on small businesses and farms, which was simply a lie. In 2004 only around 300 small businesses and farms owed any estate tax at all."

The thing is, nothing really surprises me about Trump's connection to Epstein. The latest revelations fit accusations that were floating around before the 2016 election. There is also the Access Hollywood tape and the E. Jean Carroll verdict. I assumed this was all "priced in."

Good to see this. (Gift article)

Skating in Union Square park from my office window. #sanfrancisco #unionsquare #holidays

Some unusually good reporting from NYT.