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Kelsey Atherton

@atherton.bsky.social

29K followers 950 following 14K posts

War, robots, & bad futures but imagining better. I edit @cipolicy.bsky.social's International Policy Journal, opinions my own. Unitarian Universalist. He/him. Husband to @alymay.bsky.social & father of 2. Front takes towards enemies.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 25d

Flake Music

You're nine years, a second dog,
two cats, and two kids into what you thought would be a temporary return to straighten things out for a little bit. Online lets you feign cosmopolitanism as your material life is increasingly provincial. When you land here, you've already returned.

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Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · 4m

10 hate incidents over those two years in Texas were tied to Libs of TikTok, including bomb threats that were lobbed at four Planet Fitness locations after she highlighted their trans-inclusive locker room policies. Now it appears Gov. Abbott is taking her orders.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/09/g...

Cool! It Really Looks Like Greg Abbott is Taking Orders From Libs of TikTok

Acting on the orders of notorious cesspool Libs Of TikTok, the governor bravely stands up to the menace of decorative asphalt.

thebarbedwire.com

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conputer dipshit @davidcrespo.bsky.social · 7m

this is a bit out of left field, but I found Ben Thompson's piece a few days ago contrasting Sora and Instagram very interesting — the move to pure algo feed is a move a way from "social" social media because there are no actual friends involved
stratechery.com/2025/sora-ai...

Second, remember the creativity point above: one of the challenges of restricting Instagram content to just what your social network posted is that your social network may not post very many interesting things. That gap was initially filled by following influencers, but now Instagram simply goes out and finds what you are interested in without having to do anything. In Sora, however, your network is uniquely empowered to be creative, increasing the amount of interesting content in a network-mediated context (and, of course, Sora is also pulling from elsewhere as well to populate your feed).

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 39m

The fundamental pitfalls of the arrangement remain the same: there is no real political component, there is no real enforcement mechanism, and there is no real set of steps towards either.

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Andy Sellars @sellars.bsky.social · 31m

The TRO in Chicago Headline Club v. Noem:
- (mostly) no targeting of journalists or ordering crowds to disperse
- restrictions on use of less-lethal munitions
- two warnings before use of riot control weapons
- must wear ID and uniform (or similar)

storage.courtlistener.com

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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 27m

Everything the government does is for online clout because *that is the only thing that's actually real for them*

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 24m

"The demise of literate culture has just left us with a form of nonliteracy, in which simple texts can be processed but elaborate ones may as well be written in Linear B."

musgrave.substack.com/p/a-post-lit...

A Post-Literate Society is a Too-Literal Society

Directness is a virtue and subtlety is lost

musgrave.substack.com

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 3h

Should everyone be so lucky as to see the initial ceasefire stick, it will take major work to build this into a durable peace, work that foregrounds human dignity and breaks past the years and honestly decades of failed policy and deliberate harm. Here's @cipolicy.bsky.social's recommendations there

Two Years Later: Five Recommendations for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza and Ensuring Human Security in Israel and Palestine - CIP

How the United States can work to end the war and the atrocities faced by Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages, for long-term peace.

internationalpolicy.org

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 3h

For all those directly harmed by the war, another ceasefire is welcome relief. It comes seven months after Trump let another ceasefire fall apart, to say nothing of the prior 16 months of Biden refusing to apply pressure on Israel. Here's the statement from @cipolicy.bsky.social

Gaza Ceasefire an Immense Relief; US Must Use Leverage to Ensure Compliance and End to War - CIP

In response to the agreement of an initial phase of a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Center for International Policy President and CEO Nancy Okail issued the following statement: “The agreem...

internationalpolicy.org

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Anjali Dayal @anjalikdayal.bsky.social · 3h

the question is really why Trump wants so badly to be seen as a peacemaker, not whether he is one (obviously not)

Jack Mirkinson @jackmirkinson.bsky.social · 4h

there was a ceasefire when trump came in. he let israel blow that up, let famine spread, let his goons murder starving people, before using the power he'd had since he took office. grotesque to call this peacemaking. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/us/politics/trump-mideast-visit-israel-gaza.html

(from the nyt obvi) With Mideast Deal, Trump Is on the Brink of a Major Diplomatic Accomplishment

For President Trump, success in brokering a cease-fire is the ultimate test of his self-described goal as a deal maker and a peacemaker.

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Center for International Policy @cipolicy.bsky.social · 3h

🚨NEW statement by @nancyokail.bsky.social in response to the agreement of an initial phase of a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Full Statement 🔗 internationalpolicy.org/publications...

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Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 3h

I wrote about Chicago: "Is this city burning? There is a definite answer to the question. In all these cities, the answer is no. No American city is currently on fire, and if Chicago is a war zone, it’s because it’s being invaded by the president."

Trump Is Waging War on an American City

The real threat to people in Chicago (and Los Angeles and Portland) is our maniacal president.

newrepublic.com

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Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 3h

Doug Wilson co-authored a (plagiarized) book that defended the institution of slavery *as it was practiced in the antebellum South*. This is how Douthat introduced the subject while providing him with the NYT's platform:

Douthat: So, just to take a related example, one of the controversies of many that you’ve been mixed up in has to do with slavery, and whether slavery is absolutely forbidden by the Bible, absolutely forbidden to Christians, or whether it is critiqued, but allowed for.

Wilson: Right.

Douthat: And you think it is critiqued, but allowed for.

Wilson: Right.

Douthat: On this, on a straightforward reading of the New Testament, I would agree with you. I would say, pretty clearly, there is a pretty clear path from the message of the Bible to the abolition of slavery. But there is no moment in the New Testament when Jesus insists on the manumission of slaves.

Wilson: Right.

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Ilhan Omar @ilhanmn.bsky.social · 3h

For the sake of humanity, let’s hope this will be a lasting and permanent ceasefire. While this is a hopeful step, we must demand accountability for every war crime committed during this genocide and continue to call for an end to the occupation.

apnews.com/article/egyp...

Israel and Hamas agree to part of Trump's Gaza peace plan, will free hostages and prisoners

President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first Phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners.

apnews.com

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 5h

9 month sleep regression kicking my asa

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 7h

www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...

GEORGE MILLER: Al is here to stay and change things
PADME: For the better?
GEORGE MILLER:
PADME: For the better, right?

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 10h

It will of course be not surprising but still exhausting to see the Trump administration pursue legal action and deportation of Palestinian student protesters at the same time that Trump heralds whatever holds woth Israel and Hamas as his big accomplishment. Hypocrisy never bothered him but still.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 10h

If Trump, who has put in zero effort and done it through hacks, can get here simply by yelling and being impatient, it's yet another reminder that Biden's steadfast support for the first 16 months of killing was a choice he made to disastrous consequences abroad and at home.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 10h

I'm professionally cautiously optimisitic on the ceasefire, in the way I was cautiously optimistic that a halt of 2000 lbs bombs in May 2024 was going to herald greater restrictions.

What is most different now is mainly that Trump is impatient and comically thirsty for a Nobel. Followthrough tbd.

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 12h

The withdrawal line is different now, allegedly up to 600 meters closer to the borders of Gaza, as part of minor concessions given to Hamas in negotiations. This means for the first phase (however long it lasts) Israeli forces will remain in approx 50% of Gaza. It will then be "phased withdrawal".

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 13h

Absent the comprehensive resolution of the question of Palestine, which will undoubtedly not come any rime soon, the crisis of social and intellectual and ideological reproduction for the pro Israel consensus will continue.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 13h

honestly this post could have used an editor

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 14h

We will know how "real" the ceasefire is only after the prisoners are exchanged on Saturday-Sunday and whether or not the first phase is immediately violated by the Israelis like last time.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 13h

Nothing good I've ever written anything longer than tweet length got that way without an editor; my best work absolutely all transformed by an engaged editor offering the right pushback and asking the right questions. Anyone who says they do best without an editor needs them double.

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 19h

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 19h

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 13h

Do not Glorietta Pass do not collect an overland route to California

aaron @hillenjoyer.bsky.social · 15h

as a new mexican i just have to say that yeah texas invades sometimes you just have to kick their asses and send them home tail tucked. it’s usually way easier than you think, i think one time we just rolled a bunch of boulders on them from the canyon cliffs above. people love repelling texan armies

Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 16h

Also fuck you Texas for doing this, invading another state with armed troops; lone star Republic my ass

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 13h

right so my point here was not that the American colonists were overthrowing long-dead King Charles, but that they were *familiar with the abuses of King Charles* and *what happened after* and then designed a system to prevent those abuses, which makes it all the more striking that it's repeating.

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