Toni McSkelly, she/her
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tonimc.bsky.social
Toni McSkelly, she/her
@tonimc.bsky.social
380 followers 410 following 290 posts
Feral hag and word corvid at www.newtomephrases.com.
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Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
Dark times don’t destroy hope; they reveal who’s been carrying it all along.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
ordinary americans are filming ice agents and trying to save their neighbors. for all the hemming and hawing during 2024 about how democracy was an elite concern, the elites gave up far more quickly than average people.
For my newsletter about fun words and phrases, I do a feature lovingly titled "Asshole Bird of the Month." Why? Because my love for birds is in no small part because they are ungovernable, and I think that's fun to read about.

So send me any funny birb stories you find (ahem) in the wild! #birds
"there is another, even more insidious way freedom can die for large parts of society: when the state is unable or unwilling to constrain predatory private powers . . . and the officials and politicians who go into business with them."

Huh. Sounds vaguely familiar.
You Can Kill a Democracy Without a Dictator www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/o...

With a gift link because I think it is very important for people to understand this:
Opinion | You Can Kill a Democracy Without a Dictator
www.nytimes.com
Imagine if these people had hobbies. Or souls. Or put their energy into helping people in need.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
Unbreaking is essential reading to keep up with what this administration is breaking, in the hope that one day we might rebuild it.
In Immigration this week, we saw more ICE raids around the country, expansions of immigration enforcement—often under the guise of crime reduction—in blue cities, and great reporting on the assembly of an unaccountable national police force. Our briefing is up:
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
This week at Unbreaking, October 23 — Unbreaking
We caught up on what’s been happening in data security, immigration, and medical research funding, along with what’s happened in the federal workforce since the government shutdown began October 1.
unbreaking.org
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
In Immigration this week, we saw more ICE raids around the country, expansions of immigration enforcement—often under the guise of crime reduction—in blue cities, and great reporting on the assembly of an unaccountable national police force. Our briefing is up:
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
This week at Unbreaking, October 23 — Unbreaking
We caught up on what’s been happening in data security, immigration, and medical research funding, along with what’s happened in the federal workforce since the government shutdown began October 1.
unbreaking.org
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
Not sure the folks at NBC/Peacock thought this one through
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
Hi. I wrote an essay about AI slop: How it feels like an invasive species for the internet. How its boosters describe building a future that’s devoid of craft. How frictionlessness can be nihilistic & how this stuff seems to leach part of our shared humanity out of the world. I hope you'll read it.
AI’s Invasive Species
The slop is winning.
www.theatlantic.com
Am I still writing my weird word newsletter? Yes. Yes I am. Political humor and farts. What more could one ask for in a newsletter? www.newtomephrases.com/p/ntmp-147-m...
NTMP 147: Make Americans Fart Again
Plus: Big changes are coming for NTMP in 2026!
www.newtomephrases.com
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
This lady deserves the presidential medal of freedom once the place is back under adult control and im not kidding
Hero’s of the day - In a small town of Beckley, WV, Kendra Sullivan staged a one-woman No Kings protest. She was confronted, had the police called on her, but stood her ground. She was physically threatened. Police came more than once and protected her right to protest. This is how we do it.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
🏔️ Steal the Look: Cerulean Warbler Mountain Core

☕ This fit is giving trails at dawn and celebratory pour-over coffee at the peak.
Get more outfit inspo from the birds in our bird library:
t.co/S12cZ9pBh9 t.co/GeOKKELq4V
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
One of my favorite state fair creative activities objects this year: a quilted infographic documenting climate change.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
I see protest discourse is hitting the feed again ahead of No Kings—idk man, go, don’t go,

…but if you do go make sure to link up with an org that’ll help you get into longterm organizing and if you don’t go, make sure to link up with an org that’ll help you get into longterm organizing
🧵
Congressional Democrats are refusing to authorize short-term measures to keep the government open unless Republicans agree to renew ACA subsidies, and possibly to reverse Medicaid cuts as well. As the shutdown enters its third week, we look at the ripple effects of this summer’s healthcare cuts.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
People are SHOWING OUT for today’s Protect Rogers Park ICE protest at Clark and Lunt!

There are a lot of great resources here:
- sign making
- school watch group chats
- ICE Watch newsletters
- KYR posters
- and more!

Drop by before 3!!
Yes, I agree. I think this admin and its satellite oligarchs are too chaotic to have a central planner/thinker.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
I considered writing a long carefully constructed argument laying out the harms and limitations of AI, but instead I wrote about being a hater. Only humans can be haters.
I Am An AI Hater
I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.
anthonymoser.github.io
I saw a post saying that the data centers aren't about using AI for work or to create a shark with three boobs, but for a surveillance state. IDK how credible that assertion is, but given Larry Ellison's belief that humans need constant monitoring to be compliant, it tracks with broligarch thought.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
The clear story in Immigration this week is the escalation of—and pushback against—the Trump administration’s militarized raids and warrantless stops in Democrat-run major cities. We’ve updated our timeline with a lot of events in this zone:

unbreaking.org/issues/immig...
Immigration — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
Honestly this post is giving more of a view of my brain than I should have shared lol
Part of today's to-do list, presented without context.
Reposted by Toni McSkelly, she/her
If you're in Illinois and facing criminal charges from protesting ICE, or if you were attacked by ICE or law enforcement supporting them, I might be able to represent you pro bono. Email me at [email protected]. As always, I will take as many cases as I can.