(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
@braak.bsky.social
It's me, braak, returned at long last from my social media exile.
I encourage you to purchase my book, RADHIKA RAAD AND THE TOWER INGENIUS, which is now available (for purchase).
https://a.co/d/1nix74W
I encourage you to purchase my book, RADHIKA RAAD AND THE TOWER INGENIUS, which is now available (for purchase).
https://a.co/d/1nix74W
I believe everyone should get off of twitter EXCEPT for Joyce Carol Oates, who should haunt Musk until he dies.
February 17, 2026 at 2:40 AM
I believe everyone should get off of twitter EXCEPT for Joyce Carol Oates, who should haunt Musk until he dies.
Thom Nickels is both a vile bigot and also a raging numbskull and I hope old Fergus dropkicks him to the fucking moon.
People who post "all lives splatter" are apparently not welcome at Fergie's Pub. Philly conservative columnist Thom Nickels just learned this.
Philly Bar Bans Conservative Columnist Over Offensive Memes
People who post "all lives splatter" are apparently not welcome at Fergie's.
www.phillymag.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Thom Nickels is both a vile bigot and also a raging numbskull and I hope old Fergus dropkicks him to the fucking moon.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Incredible to me that the current US administration has looked at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and concluded that the real problem with the US military is that its officers weren't good enough at killing stuff but knew too much history, anthropology, theology and international relations.
Evidently, something was broken with the other link. So, here, I've written about the right-wing attacks on PME and civilian educational institutions.
othermeans.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
othermeans.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
The Myth of the Warfighter
The Soldier and the Educational Institutions
othermeans.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Incredible to me that the current US administration has looked at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and concluded that the real problem with the US military is that its officers weren't good enough at killing stuff but knew too much history, anthropology, theology and international relations.
The thing is that we're never going to not have to perform the value of democracy and multiculturalism, we know what happens when we stop performing it and take it as a given.
The thing that annoys me is when people sneer "It's just performative!" don't seem to understand how much narrative shaping via so-called "performative" acts does lead to concrete action when done consistently on a wide scale.
This is literally the mechanism by which propaganda works!
This is literally the mechanism by which propaganda works!
February 16, 2026 at 11:04 PM
The thing is that we're never going to not have to perform the value of democracy and multiculturalism, we know what happens when we stop performing it and take it as a given.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
I'm going to promote the heck out of this:
The Minneapolis Foundation has $4 million in grants available to small businesses for everything from rent and payroll costs to legal help and temporary relocation.
More details and the application here: www.minneapolisfoundation.org/stories/comm...
The Minneapolis Foundation has $4 million in grants available to small businesses for everything from rent and payroll costs to legal help and temporary relocation.
More details and the application here: www.minneapolisfoundation.org/stories/comm...
Economic Response Fund Grant Guidelines
Small businesses in Minnesota that have experienced operational disruptions in recent weeks may now apply for emergency financial support through the Economic Response Fund.
www.minneapolisfoundation.org
February 15, 2026 at 8:10 PM
I'm going to promote the heck out of this:
The Minneapolis Foundation has $4 million in grants available to small businesses for everything from rent and payroll costs to legal help and temporary relocation.
More details and the application here: www.minneapolisfoundation.org/stories/comm...
The Minneapolis Foundation has $4 million in grants available to small businesses for everything from rent and payroll costs to legal help and temporary relocation.
More details and the application here: www.minneapolisfoundation.org/stories/comm...
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
thinking about Nick Groom's suggested "seven types of obscurity" in Gothic novels, forming a handy "is it goth" checklist lmao
February 15, 2026 at 9:56 PM
thinking about Nick Groom's suggested "seven types of obscurity" in Gothic novels, forming a handy "is it goth" checklist lmao
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Please read this, it’s more coherent than the thoughts of the richest assholes in the world, although that’s not saying much.
Oh hey the newsletter I threatened for weeks is finally out!
Is This Medieval Saint’s Life Feminist?
The twelfth-century "Life of Saint Ita the Virgin" gives us a surprisingly independent and active portrayal of medieval nuns.
buttondown.com
February 16, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Please read this, it’s more coherent than the thoughts of the richest assholes in the world, although that’s not saying much.
This was a concern for a lot of things (bikes, trains, ski jumping apparently)
Some people thought it would make a woman's uterus fall out.
February 16, 2026 at 9:16 PM
This was a concern for a lot of things (bikes, trains, ski jumping apparently)
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Dems: How much does it matter that your reps can't actually propose these amendments because Republicans would block any effort for them to do so? Bc, I think people want to see Dems do some political theater, to posture like fighters. We know they are in the minority, we know this won't get added.
Democrats should propose amendments to the SAVE act that require the government to furnish free IDs to all eligible voters before requiring them, automatically register all people to vote, expand mail-in voting, and create a national voting holiday. Then watch republicans block them.
February 16, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Dems: How much does it matter that your reps can't actually propose these amendments because Republicans would block any effort for them to do so? Bc, I think people want to see Dems do some political theater, to posture like fighters. We know they are in the minority, we know this won't get added.
*I* wouldn't. RIP to those destroyed by hubris, but I'm different &c
Every now & then I see people post things like “if I suddenly got rich, you’d never hear from me again, all my socials will be deleted,” etc.
Are we forgetting everything we know about wealth, power & unaccountability? You would post constantly. Trivially. Self-destructively. Like rich people do!
Are we forgetting everything we know about wealth, power & unaccountability? You would post constantly. Trivially. Self-destructively. Like rich people do!
February 16, 2026 at 8:27 PM
*I* wouldn't. RIP to those destroyed by hubris, but I'm different &c
Something I think about is, I know it's standard language to describe it as a "loss", but I don't think that Robert Duvall dying is a loss. This not because I don't like him, I do like him! He was great! But he was also 95 years old. He had an entire lifetime of incredible work.
February 16, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Something I think about is, I know it's standard language to describe it as a "loss", but I don't think that Robert Duvall dying is a loss. This not because I don't like him, I do like him! He was great! But he was also 95 years old. He had an entire lifetime of incredible work.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Anthropic “is prepared to relax its terms of use, but wants assurances its tech won’t be used for mass domestic spying operations or to build weapons that can be deployed with no human involvement.”
Anthropic's Deal With US Military Under Threat | PYMNTS.com
The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to sever its relationship with artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic. The government is also “close” to
www.pymnts.com
February 16, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Anthropic “is prepared to relax its terms of use, but wants assurances its tech won’t be used for mass domestic spying operations or to build weapons that can be deployed with no human involvement.”
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Every Wednesday I go to yoga with a retired gay man and then we go back to his house and eat the dinner his husband cooked for us while we were out, and when I told them some of the stuff the UK government are doing to trans people they literally said "it's happening again!"
HELLO I WAS A QUEER TEEN IN THE 1990s AND THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST SOCIAL TRANSITION NOW ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST "LETTING" US BE (at the time, for me) GAY OR LESBIAN THEN.
They all rest on the belief that it's inherently better to be straight (then)/cis (now) and that's BS.
They all rest on the belief that it's inherently better to be straight (then)/cis (now) and that's BS.
Hilary Cass here arguing for children to be prevented from being known by a preferred name or getting a haircut in case it encourages them to continue later in life to transition.
Hilary Cass acts like gender variant children should have the transness hazed out of them.
Hilary Cass acts like gender variant children should have the transness hazed out of them.
February 16, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Every Wednesday I go to yoga with a retired gay man and then we go back to his house and eat the dinner his husband cooked for us while we were out, and when I told them some of the stuff the UK government are doing to trans people they literally said "it's happening again!"
It's funny to see Warren Buffet in here with a extremely respectable $68 billion, but the thing of it is that Buffet is 95 years old, he has *at most* ten more years in him. What the fuck is he gonna do with the other $140 billion? He can't possibly spend it in the time he's got left!
February 16, 2026 at 7:36 PM
It's funny to see Warren Buffet in here with a extremely respectable $68 billion, but the thing of it is that Buffet is 95 years old, he has *at most* ten more years in him. What the fuck is he gonna do with the other $140 billion? He can't possibly spend it in the time he's got left!
My wife is trying to explain how the arcade works and he can't accept it. "I already bought the card, and then I have to put MORE money on it? But I can't get more games from it?"
I agree man it's actually a scam. I'm sorry to tell you.
I agree man it's actually a scam. I'm sorry to tell you.
February 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM
My wife is trying to explain how the arcade works and he can't accept it. "I already bought the card, and then I have to put MORE money on it? But I can't get more games from it?"
I agree man it's actually a scam. I'm sorry to tell you.
I agree man it's actually a scam. I'm sorry to tell you.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
The teacher wasn’t fired, though. He quit twice.
There’s no “potentially dangerous precedent” being set here, because the “Go Gestapo” guy wasn’t fired!
Instead, we should be talking about LASD history teacher Ricardo Lopez, who was actually fired for opening a gate to keep his students safe.
There’s no “potentially dangerous precedent” being set here, because the “Go Gestapo” guy wasn’t fired!
Instead, we should be talking about LASD history teacher Ricardo Lopez, who was actually fired for opening a gate to keep his students safe.
February 16, 2026 at 4:16 PM
The teacher wasn’t fired, though. He quit twice.
There’s no “potentially dangerous precedent” being set here, because the “Go Gestapo” guy wasn’t fired!
Instead, we should be talking about LASD history teacher Ricardo Lopez, who was actually fired for opening a gate to keep his students safe.
There’s no “potentially dangerous precedent” being set here, because the “Go Gestapo” guy wasn’t fired!
Instead, we should be talking about LASD history teacher Ricardo Lopez, who was actually fired for opening a gate to keep his students safe.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
February 16, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
yeah fuck it, okay look at all my emails if you want, motherfuckers.
Posting about ICE on Instagram is now enough to get you an “administrative subpoena.” 👀
@nytimes.com #$META
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
@nytimes.com #$META
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
February 16, 2026 at 6:58 PM
yeah fuck it, okay look at all my emails if you want, motherfuckers.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
They want to scare people out of posting ICE-critical content, because they know these posts are turning even their supporters against them. But the better option is to take a page out of their playbook and flood the zone.
Posting about ICE on Instagram is now enough to get you an “administrative subpoena.” 👀
@nytimes.com #$META
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
@nytimes.com #$META
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
February 16, 2026 at 1:49 PM
They want to scare people out of posting ICE-critical content, because they know these posts are turning even their supporters against them. But the better option is to take a page out of their playbook and flood the zone.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
and ofc the athenians went on to get their shit rocked, not bc they were woke nerds but bc they alienated their former allies by indiscriminate use of force to get what they wanted. at long last, we are doing the melian dialogue from thucydides's classic historical work Don't Do The Melian Dialogue.
February 16, 2026 at 6:45 PM
and ofc the athenians went on to get their shit rocked, not bc they were woke nerds but bc they alienated their former allies by indiscriminate use of force to get what they wanted. at long last, we are doing the melian dialogue from thucydides's classic historical work Don't Do The Melian Dialogue.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
the guy that hasn't washed his hands in years is threatening a $300 bn AI company's existence
because they want guarantees that he won't use their AI to surveil American citizens or kill people autonomously
and he refuses to agree to those terms
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
because they want guarantees that he won't use their AI to surveil American citizens or kill people autonomously
and he refuses to agree to those terms
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
Exclusive: Pentagon warns Anthropic will "pay a price" as feud escalates
The Pentagon may label Anthropic a "supply chain risk," forcing all its vendors to sever ties.
www.axios.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:23 PM
the guy that hasn't washed his hands in years is threatening a $300 bn AI company's existence
because they want guarantees that he won't use their AI to surveil American citizens or kill people autonomously
and he refuses to agree to those terms
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
because they want guarantees that he won't use their AI to surveil American citizens or kill people autonomously
and he refuses to agree to those terms
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
Also clearly makes the case that the reason working class people can't make music is because they don't have time, but that's because Mr. Monopoly here won't raise their wages. Real standard "create a problem then charge people to fix it"
What do we think about the assertion in this meme? I know, we think it's asinine, but I'm looking for specific arguments as to why it's asinine.
February 16, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Also clearly makes the case that the reason working class people can't make music is because they don't have time, but that's because Mr. Monopoly here won't raise their wages. Real standard "create a problem then charge people to fix it"
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
We need SALES of the PHYSICAL comic books for the DAKOTA INCIDENT 100K CHALLENGE!
Let's sell 100,000 copies of NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: THE DAKOTA INCIDENT from @dc.com and Milestone so you can ask for an ONGOING STATIC SERIES with SALES DATA to back you up!
IN COMIC BOOK SHOPS FEB. 25TH!!
Let's sell 100,000 copies of NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: THE DAKOTA INCIDENT from @dc.com and Milestone so you can ask for an ONGOING STATIC SERIES with SALES DATA to back you up!
IN COMIC BOOK SHOPS FEB. 25TH!!
THE DAKOTA INCIDENT 100K CHALLENGE is a call to action to sell 100,000 of NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: THE DAKOTA INCIDENT hitting comic book shops FEBRUARY 25TH!
I pre-ordered 50 copies of this book so I hope you will join me to get 100,000 copies sold.
So we can DEMAND an ongoing STATIC book!
I pre-ordered 50 copies of this book so I hope you will join me to get 100,000 copies sold.
So we can DEMAND an ongoing STATIC book!
February 16, 2026 at 4:42 PM
We need SALES of the PHYSICAL comic books for the DAKOTA INCIDENT 100K CHALLENGE!
Let's sell 100,000 copies of NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: THE DAKOTA INCIDENT from @dc.com and Milestone so you can ask for an ONGOING STATIC SERIES with SALES DATA to back you up!
IN COMIC BOOK SHOPS FEB. 25TH!!
Let's sell 100,000 copies of NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: THE DAKOTA INCIDENT from @dc.com and Milestone so you can ask for an ONGOING STATIC SERIES with SALES DATA to back you up!
IN COMIC BOOK SHOPS FEB. 25TH!!
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Trump backed off calling Renee Good & Alex Pretti domestic terrorists because people didn't like it. But as I wrote, the admin is still doubling down on the use of domestic terrorism investigations to scare Americans away from using their First Amendment rights. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Trump’s Version of “Domestic Terrorism” vs. the First Amendment
The administration has given itself permission to prosecute people and organizations for their political views.
www.brennancenter.org
February 16, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Trump backed off calling Renee Good & Alex Pretti domestic terrorists because people didn't like it. But as I wrote, the admin is still doubling down on the use of domestic terrorism investigations to scare Americans away from using their First Amendment rights. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...