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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡
@dearsarah.bsky.social
120K followers 1.1K following 37K posts
Accountability Architect💡 Artisanal Database Maker🔎 🧾 Storyteller/Writer/Producer🎙️✍️🎥 Avenger, Academic, Lawyer🗳️ Redistributive Justice ⚖️ Choice Optimizer🤖 Researcher & OG Prompt Engineer🧌 Whistleblower🚨 Human Palantir🔮 https://linktr.ee/realdearsarah
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · Nov 14
Experiment confirms quantum theory weirdness; proves reality does not exist until measured <a href="http://phy.so/351940527" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://phy.so/351940527 <a href="http://t.co/BjOhcGrwTs" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://t.co/BjOhcGrwTs
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
emollick.bsky.social
Ethan Mollick @emollick.bsky.social · 1d
On one hand: don't anthropomorphize AI. On the other: LLMs exhibit signs of gambling addiction.

The more autonomy they were given, the more risks the LLMs took. They exhibit gambler's fallacy, loss-chasing, illusion of control...

A cautionary note for using LLMs for investing without guardrails.
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 15h
On 10/2, Trump unilaterally slashed foreign farmworkers wages.

At the end of the season, when workers who might protest are no longer in the fields, he cut 400,000 people’s wages by as much as 1/3.

Workers with H-2A visas who earned $19.94 this year will earn $13.90 next year flip.it/ywmNTR
Trump Drops the Hammer on Farmworkers
At the end of the season, he cuts wages of 400,000 workers by a third.
flip.it
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 15h
The Trump Administration Is Hiding How Many Pregnant People Are in ICE Detention

flip.it/UWg1ZM Pregnant people generally aren’t supposed to be held in immigration detention at all—but since we no longer have any laws…
The Trump Administration Is Hiding How Many Pregnant People Are in ICE Detention
The evidence indicates ICE is detaining pregnant women at alarming rates, in rapidly deteriorating conditions.
flip.it
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 15h
👏MIT rejects White House proposal to overhaul policies for preferential funding

Other universities (ahem USC) are still mulling proposal while MIT’s president said it would compromise academic freedom

www.theguardian.com/education/20...
MIT rejects White House proposal to overhaul policies for preferential funding
Other universities still mulling proposal while MIT’s president said it would compromise academic freedom
www.theguardian.com
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 15h
In old modeling interviews, she used to list Russian as one of her many languages—&, when she was a child, it was required in some (but not all) primary schools in the town she grew up in…& her former classmates from her primary school speak Russian.

But to be fair: who knows?
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 17h
Melania Has Been Secretly Working With Putin for Months
www.thedailybeast.com/melania-has-... Sure Putin, who is still allegedly an enemy of this country, got her husband elected a decade ago—& she speaks fluent Russian—& yet they’ve only been “secretly working” together for months. #SPECTRE
Melania Has Been Secretly Working With Putin for Months
The first lady has been engaged in talks with the Russia leader over the war in Ukraine.
www.thedailybeast.com
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 1d
😂 “A reasonable listener would not equate…lyrics such as, "Ain't no law, boy, you ball boy, fetch Gatorade or somethin'” with accurate factual reporting.”

Judge Jeanette Vargas deserves a Grammy for her dismissal of Drake’s defamation suit against Kendrick. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Page 8 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf 11: The next day. on May 4, 2024, Lamar released "Not Like Us." Am. Compl.. 116-7. "Not Like Us" explicitly names Drake and his associates as pedophiles. Id.. 60-62. Specifically, the track contains the following lyrics: Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young You better not ever go to cell block one Case 1:25-cv-00399-JAV Document 96 Filed 10/09/25 Page 8 of 38 To any b**** that talk to him and they in love Just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him Am. Compl., Ex. A." On May 5, 2025, Drake responded in "The Heart Part 6," Req. J. Not. at 3, directly denying Lamar's allegations of pedophilia, id., Ex. O ('I never been with no one underage, but now I understand why this the angle that you really mess with/Just for clarity, I feel disgusted, I'm too respected/If I was f***ing young girls, I promise l'a have been arrested/I'm way too famous for this g*** you just suggested/. .. Drake is not a name that you gon' see on no sex offender list."); see also Am. Compl., 1 102. In the track, Drake further sneers that "[t)his Epstein angle was the **** I expected" and accused Lamar of wanting to "misdirect." Req. J. Not., Ex. O. Drake also alleges that he had planted some of the information Lamar has used against him. Id. ("We plotted for a week, and then we fed you the information/.. But you so thirsty, you not concerned with investigation/... You gotta learn to factcheck things and be less impatient."). Page 19 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf Of particular relevance, in 'Taylor Made Freestyle," Drake challenged Lamar to make the pedophilia accusations at issue. Using the artificially generated voice of deceased rapper 2Pac, Drake goads Lamar; Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast savior Engraving your name in some hip-hop history If you deal with this viciously You seem a little nervous about all the publicity f*** this Canadian lightskin, Dot We need a no-debated West Coast victory, man Call him a b**** for me Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me Heard it on the Budden Podcast, it's gotta be true Id., Ex. I. It is in this context in which such lyrics as "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young" from the Recording must be assessed. The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song. Plaintiff argues that the Court should ignore the songs that came before and assess "Not Like Us" as a "singular entity." Page 24 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf "Not Like Us" is replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language, all of which are indicia of opinion. A reasonable listener would not equate a song that contains lyrics such as, "Ain't no law, boy, you ball boy, fetch Gatorade or somethin', since 2009 I had this b**** jumpin'," with accurate factual reporting. Accordingly, the reasonable listener of "Not Like Us" would conclude that Lamar is rapping hyperbolic vituperations. Plaintiff contends that, in determining if the lyries in "Not Like Us" express fact or opinion, the Court must consider the subjective views of listeners, "as well as commentators in the rap industry and the press," who understood the Recording, Video and Image as an attempt to "convey a precise factual message (pedophilia) about Drake." Opp'n Br. at 7, 9; see also Am. Compl., $ 219. The Amended Complaint cites extensively to comments and posts from YouTube and Instagram that expressed the belief that the Recording had exposed the truth and that Drake truly was engaged in "pedophilia and sexual violence against children." Am. Compl., 1 219; see also id., 91 73-76, 78-82, 220. But "distinguishing between fact and opinion is a question of law for the courts, to be decided based on 'what the average person hearing or reading the communication would take it to mean."' Davis v. Boeheim, 24 N.Y.3d 262, 269 (2014) (citation omitted). "The dispositive inquiry is whether a reasonable (listener) could have concluded that the statements were conveying facts about the plaintiff." Id. at 269-70 (citation omitted). Courts make that determination by looking at the Page 25 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf full context and surrounding circumstances of the challenged communication. Id. at 270. The Court holds, based upon a full consideration of the context in which "Not Like Us was published, that a reasonable listener could not have concluded that "Not Like Us" was conveying objective facts about Drake. The views expressed by users @kaioken8026, @mrright8439, and @ZxZNebula, and the other You'Tube and Instagram commentators quoted in the Complaint, Am. Compl., 19 73-74, do not alter the Court's analysis. In a world in which billions of people are active online, support for almost any proposition, no matter how farfetched, fantastical or unreasonable, can be found with little effort in any number of comment sections, chat rooms, and servers. "[That some readers may infer a defamatory meaning from a statement does not necessarily render the inference reasonable under the circumstances." Jacobus, 51 N.Y.S.3d at 336. The artists' seven track rap battle was a "war of words" that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse. Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that "Not Like Us imparts verifiable facts about Plaintift.
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
andrewmarder.net
Andrew Marder @andrewmarder.net · 1d
For folks who want it, here's the transcript: www.cbc.ca/radio/frontb...
What exactly is Antifa? - Transcript | CBC Radio
Front Burner Transcript for October 8, 2025
www.cbc.ca
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 1d
93 yo Dan Rather Says Bari Weiss Hire & Skydance Paramount Merger Mark “A Dark Day In The Halls Of CBS News”
deadline.com/2025/10/dan-... With gratitude/no disrespect to wealthy nonagenarians & octogenarians, truthfulness (& truthiness) is now only their privilege/burden in this shared disaster?
Dan Rather Says Bari Weiss Hire And Skydance-Paramount Merger Mark “A Dark Day In The Halls Of CBS News”
Rather said that Weiss' hire will add to fears journalists have of losing their jobs.
deadline.com
4 37 88
dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 1d
😂 “A reasonable listener would not equate…lyrics such as, "Ain't no law, boy, you ball boy, fetch Gatorade or somethin'” with accurate factual reporting.”

Judge Jeanette Vargas deserves a Grammy for her dismissal of Drake’s defamation suit against Kendrick. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Page 8 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf 11: The next day. on May 4, 2024, Lamar released "Not Like Us." Am. Compl.. 116-7. "Not Like Us" explicitly names Drake and his associates as pedophiles. Id.. 60-62. Specifically, the track contains the following lyrics: Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young You better not ever go to cell block one Case 1:25-cv-00399-JAV Document 96 Filed 10/09/25 Page 8 of 38 To any b**** that talk to him and they in love Just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him Am. Compl., Ex. A." On May 5, 2025, Drake responded in "The Heart Part 6," Req. J. Not. at 3, directly denying Lamar's allegations of pedophilia, id., Ex. O ('I never been with no one underage, but now I understand why this the angle that you really mess with/Just for clarity, I feel disgusted, I'm too respected/If I was f***ing young girls, I promise l'a have been arrested/I'm way too famous for this g*** you just suggested/. .. Drake is not a name that you gon' see on no sex offender list."); see also Am. Compl., 1 102. In the track, Drake further sneers that "[t)his Epstein angle was the **** I expected" and accused Lamar of wanting to "misdirect." Req. J. Not., Ex. O. Drake also alleges that he had planted some of the information Lamar has used against him. Id. ("We plotted for a week, and then we fed you the information/.. But you so thirsty, you not concerned with investigation/... You gotta learn to factcheck things and be less impatient."). Page 19 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf Of particular relevance, in 'Taylor Made Freestyle," Drake challenged Lamar to make the pedophilia accusations at issue. Using the artificially generated voice of deceased rapper 2Pac, Drake goads Lamar; Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast savior Engraving your name in some hip-hop history If you deal with this viciously You seem a little nervous about all the publicity f*** this Canadian lightskin, Dot We need a no-debated West Coast victory, man Call him a b**** for me Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me Heard it on the Budden Podcast, it's gotta be true Id., Ex. I. It is in this context in which such lyrics as "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young" from the Recording must be assessed. The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song. Plaintiff argues that the Court should ignore the songs that came before and assess "Not Like Us" as a "singular entity." Page 24 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf "Not Like Us" is replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language, all of which are indicia of opinion. A reasonable listener would not equate a song that contains lyrics such as, "Ain't no law, boy, you ball boy, fetch Gatorade or somethin', since 2009 I had this b**** jumpin'," with accurate factual reporting. Accordingly, the reasonable listener of "Not Like Us" would conclude that Lamar is rapping hyperbolic vituperations. Plaintiff contends that, in determining if the lyries in "Not Like Us" express fact or opinion, the Court must consider the subjective views of listeners, "as well as commentators in the rap industry and the press," who understood the Recording, Video and Image as an attempt to "convey a precise factual message (pedophilia) about Drake." Opp'n Br. at 7, 9; see also Am. Compl., $ 219. The Amended Complaint cites extensively to comments and posts from YouTube and Instagram that expressed the belief that the Recording had exposed the truth and that Drake truly was engaged in "pedophilia and sexual violence against children." Am. Compl., 1 219; see also id., 91 73-76, 78-82, 220. But "distinguishing between fact and opinion is a question of law for the courts, to be decided based on 'what the average person hearing or reading the communication would take it to mean."' Davis v. Boeheim, 24 N.Y.3d 262, 269 (2014) (citation omitted). "The dispositive inquiry is whether a reasonable (listener) could have concluded that the statements were conveying facts about the plaintiff." Id. at 269-70 (citation omitted). Courts make that determination by looking at the Page 25 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046/gov.uscourts.nysd.635046.96.0.pdf full context and surrounding circumstances of the challenged communication. Id. at 270. The Court holds, based upon a full consideration of the context in which "Not Like Us was published, that a reasonable listener could not have concluded that "Not Like Us" was conveying objective facts about Drake. The views expressed by users @kaioken8026, @mrright8439, and @ZxZNebula, and the other You'Tube and Instagram commentators quoted in the Complaint, Am. Compl., 19 73-74, do not alter the Court's analysis. In a world in which billions of people are active online, support for almost any proposition, no matter how farfetched, fantastical or unreasonable, can be found with little effort in any number of comment sections, chat rooms, and servers. "[That some readers may infer a defamatory meaning from a statement does not necessarily render the inference reasonable under the circumstances." Jacobus, 51 N.Y.S.3d at 336. The artists' seven track rap battle was a "war of words" that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse. Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that "Not Like Us imparts verifiable facts about Plaintift.
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
mark-bray.bsky.social
Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 1d
Friends and comrades made a crowdfunding page for my family.

It’s really hard to post this. I know that there are a lot of other important issues asking for money but things have gotten to the point where we need to open ourselves up to your support.

Thank you for your consideration.
"Help us leave safely" on FreeFunder
Click here to support "Help us leave safely" by Dara on FreeFunder!
www.freefunder.com
45 730 1.7K
Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
maxtani.bsky.social
max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 1d
New: Bari Weiss booked Hillary Clinton, Mike Pompeo, and Antony Blinken for a roundtable on Gaza, her first major move at CBS.

Notably on a CBS call today in which the panel was floated, one producer also repeatedly emphasized the need to hear from Palestinians in Gaza (Weiss did not respond).
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 1d
At a Boyle Heights hospital in Los Angeles, hospital administrators are allowing ICE agents call the shots—& are interfering in medical decisions & blocking doctors from properly treating detainees who need emergency care.

flip.it/ImWek3
At a Boyle Heights hospital, ICE agents call the shots, doctors say
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care.
flip.it
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
brunojnavarro.bsky.social
Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 2d
here’s a great, informative interview with @mark-bray.bsky.social published yesterday
brunojnavarro.bsky.social
Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 2d
Mark Bray — scholar of European history and radicalism, and the author of several books including ‘ANTIFA — the anti fascist handbook’ — on the rise of antifascist movements from the 1930s to today, and why Trump's terror designation recalls authoritarian crackdowns through history
What exactly is Antifa? | CBC Radio
In late September, Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terror organization. Today, we’re tracking the meaning and history of antifascist protest — from 1930’s Europe, to today — and asking: how ...
www.cbc.ca
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 2d
No. Only the USG has that power?
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 2d
Rutgers Professor @mark-bray.bsky.social, who studies & writes about Antifascism,Tries to Flee to Spain After Death Threats

By the time he & his family reached the gate, their tickets were cancelled.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/n... flagrantly & appallingly lawless. Hope he & his family are ok.
Rutgers Expert on Antifa Tries to Flee to Spain After Death Threats
www.nytimes.com
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 2d
👏The last major coal-fired power plant serving CA is closing next month

The US got nearly 1/2 its electricity from coal as recently as 2007.

By 2023, that figure had dropped to just 16.2%—& in 2024, CA got just 2.2% of its electricity from coal! #ProudCalifornian www.latimes.com/california/n...
California says goodbye to coal and hello to cleaner electricity
Your morning catch-up: California says goodbye to coal, trash fees will surge for L.A. residents and more big stories.
www.latimes.com
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 3d
😖LA is trying to overturn a federal injunction barring LAPD from using crowd control weapons & “less lethal” munitions against journalists & nonviolent protesters www.latimes.com/california/s... Dear @cityattorneyla.bsky.social, please protect our safety & our rights—& drop both of these cases!
City seeks to overturn judge's order limiting LAPD use of crowd control weapons
The move comes less than a month after a federal judge issued a temporary injunction over allegations that LAPD officers used excessive force against members of the press covering protests against the...
www.latimes.com
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 2d
The hidden cost of ultra-processed foods on the environment: ‘The whole industry should pay’

There are 34 ingredients in M&Ms from 30+ countries (from 🇨🇮 to 🇳🇿 ). Each ingredient has its own supply chain.
www.theguardian.com/environment/... also won’t tariffs make M&Ms even more wildly expensive?!
The hidden cost of ultra-processed foods on the environment: ‘The whole industry should pay’
Industrially made foods involve several ingredients and processes to put together, making it difficult to examine their true cost
www.theguardian.com
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 3d
Yeah no lol tbh the reason I didn’t include his name is because I really dig his work! He’s got a new book coming out soon too, which may just break my heart.

I’m sure he knows all this—seemed like editing/shorthand in a small portion of great piece…so seemed worth noting, but not to him?
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 3d
😖LA is trying to overturn a federal injunction barring LAPD from using crowd control weapons & “less lethal” munitions against journalists & nonviolent protesters www.latimes.com/california/s... Dear @cityattorneyla.bsky.social, please protect our safety & our rights—& drop both of these cases!
City seeks to overturn judge's order limiting LAPD use of crowd control weapons
The move comes less than a month after a federal judge issued a temporary injunction over allegations that LAPD officers used excessive force against members of the press covering protests against the...
www.latimes.com
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dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 3d
Idk; I don’t think that was the point of the piece & I get why he summarized—but its inaccurate/misleading to suggest that, amongst Israeli Jews & diaspora Jews, there’s not a long history of dissent from & critique of zionism? For eg en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arna_Me...
Arna Mer-Khamis - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
1
dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 3d
I thought it was a good piece …& I’m quibbling about 2 grafs—but arguably his definition of zionism, at least there, is sooooo broad that it basically includes all US Jews…. except folks who explicitly oppose the existence of 🇮🇱 as a state (so Satmars)…

But for eg JVP formed in 1996…& obvi BDS etc..
1
dearsarah.bsky.social
Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 3d
The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging www.theguardian.com/world/commen... yes—even tho (as a child of a Holocaust survivor who grew up in NY) IME zionism has NOT been universal amongst Jews in the US for decades…but that might just be this author’s definition?
The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging | Shaul Magid
Two years after the 7 October massacre and the onset of Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, American Jewry has been profoundly transformed
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Sarah Szalavitz💡
gwensnyder.bsky.social
Gwen Snyder is undead @gwensnyder.bsky.social · 3d
ICE now very literally at war with Presbyterians
jackjenkins.me
Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 3d
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray. “I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.” But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire. “We could hear them laughing,” Black said.
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