Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Hal Espen

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 12h

Once again, the name of the other party is the "Democratic Party" & we needed to stop tolerating this nonsense over a decade ago:

bsky.app/profile/mcop...

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 12h

Johnson: “Manu asks, ‘Why don’t I change my strategy?’ I don’t have any strategy, Manu. I’m doing the right thing…I don’t have anything to negotiate.”

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.bsky.social · 12h

Remember this: Try.

youtu.be/wQd4JdFP0d0?...

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 1d

Missing context about media diets is a crucial part of our political journalism crisis—all that diner-safari reporting presenting opinions as if they’re emerging from the traditional grass roots of small-town America, when the quotes are verbatim parroting of Fox talking points from last week.

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Reposted by Hal Espen

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d

"The liberty and security of our fellow citizens is our great object, and not the prompt execution of the laws. Indecision, delay, blunders, nay villainous actions in the administration of government, are trifles compared to legalizing the full exertion of a tyrannical disposition."

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 1d

Then Schwarzenegger here almost trips on a plastic cup.

Reposted by Hal Espen

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 2d

one thing perhaps worth emphasizing is that under federal law an escaped enslaved person was a criminal. an "illegal," you might say.

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 2d

Consciousness of guilt

Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 2d

ICE / Border Patrol threatening to arrest a cyclist for following and recording in Chicago

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 3d

AI has lost the dunce vote. It’s over

Nate Silver
@NateSilver538 • 5h
•.°
I'm just one person, and my programming needs are somewhat unusual (building various kinds of statistical forecasting models). But I'm just not seeing the consistent productivity gains from LLMs that I would have expected if you'd asked me 6 months ago.

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 3d

My impression is that there are multiple variations of the SF homage frog poster — one I’ve seen says HOPE. If AI, seems way over on the relatively benign side of villainy.

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Howl by Allen Ginsberg @howl-bot.bsky.social · 3d

O skinny legions run outside O starry spangled shock of mercy the eternal war is here O victory forget your underwear we’re free

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 3d

“The essence of democracy and freedom is being unpredictable... Loving your country means being with other people.”

— Timothy Snyder

#NoKings

Portland frog hope poster + Timothy Snyder quotation

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 3d

Santa Fe, New Mexico Protest and Block Party on October 18. Join me, join us next Saturday. Resistance rooted in community and connection. Details below. #NoKings #SantaFe www.mobilize.us/mobilize/eve...

NO KINGS SANTA FE · Mobilize

**In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.** In Santa Fe, we’ve been rejecting kings since 1680. The spirit of the Pueblo Revolt lives on in our refusal to bow to authoritarianism and our com...

www.mobilize.us

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Dustin Mulvaney @dustinmulvaney.bsky.social · 5d

A park employee, who spoke with SFGATE on the condition of anonymity to protect their job, said they know of only one wilderness ranger working the entire park. And technically, that person is not even a ranger, the employee said, but a volunteer.

SFGATE @sfgate.com · 5d

"It's the Wild Wild West."

Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown

"It's the Wild Wild West."

bit.ly

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 5d

Perry: "I have seen no credible evidence that there is danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois."

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 5d

Unfortunately we’re invading Norway www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Norway on Edge Over Trump Ahead of Nobel Peace Prize Verdict

Norway is bracing for the aftermath of the Nobel Peace Prize announcement on Friday as the Nordic nation has faced increasing pressure from Donald Trump and his administration to award it to the US le...

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 5d

Nothing remotely resembling an insurrection is happening anywhere in the country. Any violence associated with protest has been isolated, mild, and, in nearly every case, instigated by federal law enforcement. If we let Trump get away with calling dissent an insurrection, our republic is over.

BREAKING: Trump Admin 'Seriously' Considering Using the Insurrection Act, Reports NBC

President Trump is "seriously" considering invoking the Insurrection Act in order to more easily deploy National Guard troops to major cities as part of crime crackdown, NBC reported on Wednesday

www.mediaite.com

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 5d

“neutrality-theater journalism” is a useful term ✓

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 6d

“the girlfriend of one of the co-founders of antifa“

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Grant @gdubbstl.bsky.social · 6d

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Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 6d

The White House Antifa Roundtable is one of the best displays I’ve seen of this-is-how-bad-it’s-gotten — just a sewer of open fascism, dementia, morons and freaks, and incoherent rage.

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 6d

This is doomer fuel, which the game-over replies are reinforcing.

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 6d

Beautiful post.

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Reposted by Hal Espen

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 7d

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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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 8d

The New York Times political headline idiom of winning, victory, triumph, strength, prevailing, success, and domination is now more or less exclusively reserved for far-right conservative / reactionary / authoritarian actors.

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Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 8d

Who took everything from where it once was
And put it where it last was seen?

— Neil Young, “Fontainebleau”

youtu.be/gD1F25_-Ng4?...

Fontainebleau (2016 Remaster)

YouTube video by The Stills-Young Band - Topic

youtu.be

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