Darcy Conaty
@dconaty.bsky.social
Old queer nerd, recently retired. Books, games, currently LOTS of politics
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Someone has sure already made this observation but the fact they can convert all those empty warehouses into prison camps means they could have converted them into housing, community centers, job training centers or, hell, libraries or schools all along. It’s always a matter of will not resources.
February 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Someone has sure already made this observation but the fact they can convert all those empty warehouses into prison camps means they could have converted them into housing, community centers, job training centers or, hell, libraries or schools all along. It’s always a matter of will not resources.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
"Nnedi Okorafor credits Le Guin with proving fantasy heroes didn't have to be white."
WRONG.
AI is just out here flat out lying about me. I never said this. No disrespect the Great LeGuin but no one ever needed to "prove" such a thing. Mschew. Anyone who knows me knows I don't speak like that.
WRONG.
AI is just out here flat out lying about me. I never said this. No disrespect the Great LeGuin but no one ever needed to "prove" such a thing. Mschew. Anyone who knows me knows I don't speak like that.
February 15, 2026 at 4:34 PM
"Nnedi Okorafor credits Le Guin with proving fantasy heroes didn't have to be white."
WRONG.
AI is just out here flat out lying about me. I never said this. No disrespect the Great LeGuin but no one ever needed to "prove" such a thing. Mschew. Anyone who knows me knows I don't speak like that.
WRONG.
AI is just out here flat out lying about me. I never said this. No disrespect the Great LeGuin but no one ever needed to "prove" such a thing. Mschew. Anyone who knows me knows I don't speak like that.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
This piece has been viewed over 14 million times over the last 48 hours. Unbelievable.
I'm so encouraged to see how many people are as disgusted by this as I am.
Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you're not alone.
Keep fighting, good people!
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/dear-pam-b...
I'm so encouraged to see how many people are as disgusted by this as I am.
Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you're not alone.
Keep fighting, good people!
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/dear-pam-b...
Dear Pam Bondi, (A Letter From A Father)
Dear Ms Bondi,
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 2:58 AM
This piece has been viewed over 14 million times over the last 48 hours. Unbelievable.
I'm so encouraged to see how many people are as disgusted by this as I am.
Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you're not alone.
Keep fighting, good people!
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/dear-pam-b...
I'm so encouraged to see how many people are as disgusted by this as I am.
Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you're not alone.
Keep fighting, good people!
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/dear-pam-b...
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
You need to know about the SAVE Act, which recently passed in the House.
So here's a crash course from reporter Ari Berman on how the sweeping voter restriction bill could disenfranchise millions of Americans
So here's a crash course from reporter Ari Berman on how the sweeping voter restriction bill could disenfranchise millions of Americans
February 14, 2026 at 8:06 PM
You need to know about the SAVE Act, which recently passed in the House.
So here's a crash course from reporter Ari Berman on how the sweeping voter restriction bill could disenfranchise millions of Americans
So here's a crash course from reporter Ari Berman on how the sweeping voter restriction bill could disenfranchise millions of Americans
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
There is obviously a pretty strong cultural push from the right to normalize sexualization if, sex with, & marriage of female children and I think the term “pedophilia” is actually covering for them.
The perpetrators in the Epstein files, by and large, are predators, probably not pedophiles. (1/x)
The perpetrators in the Epstein files, by and large, are predators, probably not pedophiles. (1/x)
February 15, 2026 at 4:47 PM
There is obviously a pretty strong cultural push from the right to normalize sexualization if, sex with, & marriage of female children and I think the term “pedophilia” is actually covering for them.
The perpetrators in the Epstein files, by and large, are predators, probably not pedophiles. (1/x)
The perpetrators in the Epstein files, by and large, are predators, probably not pedophiles. (1/x)
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
The administration has weaponized the Department of Justice, which now has become a direct threat to elections. Former DOJ officials at the Brennan Center join The Briefing with Michael Waldman to discuss. bit.ly/4ctIZKl
How the Justice Department Came to Threaten Elections (with Eileen O'Connor and Chris Berger)
Listen to this episode from The Briefing with Michael Waldman on Spotify. Recently, we’ve seen an escalation in efforts to meddle with elections, from the dangerous SAVE Act, which is gaining momentum in Congress, to President Trump himself calling for “nationalizing” the counting of ballots. Less known is how the administration is leveraging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to subvert the vote. Over the last several months, the DOJ has been demanding access to voter rolls and suing states that don’t comply — a move that is not only unlawful but raises numerous alarms. In this episode, former DOJ officials and Brennan Center experts break down what’s happening inside the department, why it matters for the future of free and fair elections, and what can be done to stop the administration from undermining the rule of law.Recorded on February 10, 2026.Speakers:Eileen O’Connor, Senior Counsel and Manager, Democracy Program, Brennan Center Chris Berger, Patricia Bauman Senior Fellow, Brennan CenterHost: Michael Waldman, President and CEO, Brennan CenterKeep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.
open.spotify.com
February 15, 2026 at 2:02 PM
The administration has weaponized the Department of Justice, which now has become a direct threat to elections. Former DOJ officials at the Brennan Center join The Briefing with Michael Waldman to discuss. bit.ly/4ctIZKl
Today we can have a little bit of actual history, as a treat.
Here's a drawing of gold-toothed Kentucky hero Smilin' Sid Hatfield (yes, related to the feuding ones), chief of police of Matewan, WV, who battled coal coal company gun thugs after preventing them from displacing and robbing the striking miner families to whom he'd sworn his protection. 1/
February 15, 2026 at 2:24 PM
Today we can have a little bit of actual history, as a treat.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Jaywalking in the United States is a made up "crime" that was literally a psyop campaign....
funded by automakers
because their cars were killing pedestrians
So they turned it back around on the victims. "Jay" was a negative slang at the time for someone who was a gullible rural person.
funded by automakers
because their cars were killing pedestrians
So they turned it back around on the victims. "Jay" was a negative slang at the time for someone who was a gullible rural person.
I'm not especially opposed to driverless cabs, but I'm fucked if I'm giving up my ancestral British right to cross the road anywhere if it's safe for me to do so. "Jaywalking" isn't a thing or a crime here, techbros, so your magic cars will have to learn to deal with that.
Politics London discussing driverless taxis casually referring to “jaywalking pedestrians”.
Jaywalking is not a thing in UK law.
Transport for London and Government had better not be asleep at the wheel on this.
Jaywalking is not a thing in UK law.
Transport for London and Government had better not be asleep at the wheel on this.
February 15, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Jaywalking in the United States is a made up "crime" that was literally a psyop campaign....
funded by automakers
because their cars were killing pedestrians
So they turned it back around on the victims. "Jay" was a negative slang at the time for someone who was a gullible rural person.
funded by automakers
because their cars were killing pedestrians
So they turned it back around on the victims. "Jay" was a negative slang at the time for someone who was a gullible rural person.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
The "AI revolution" in science is going so smoothly that my instititutional library is having to deploy multiple technical protection measures against "poorly behaved Gen AI crawling" just to maintain its timely service library.ed.ac.uk/research-sup...
February 14, 2026 at 11:41 PM
The "AI revolution" in science is going so smoothly that my instititutional library is having to deploy multiple technical protection measures against "poorly behaved Gen AI crawling" just to maintain its timely service library.ed.ac.uk/research-sup...
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
If you live in the US, call your fucking representatives and tell them that repealing Section 230 is a horrible idea. If Section 230 is gone, you can kiss Bluesky goodbye.
Reminder that they're still trying to repeal section 230 (thereby making platform holders like bsky legally responsible for content posted by their users etc etc)
There is still a need for you to blow up your rep's phones on this if you enjoy being able to do things like "post" or "have an porn"
There is still a need for you to blow up your rep's phones on this if you enjoy being able to do things like "post" or "have an porn"
Complete Nonsense
YouTube video by penguinz0
www.youtube.com
February 8, 2026 at 8:14 PM
If you live in the US, call your fucking representatives and tell them that repealing Section 230 is a horrible idea. If Section 230 is gone, you can kiss Bluesky goodbye.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Oh my GOD King County Public Health is just wilding out for Valentines Day (and a lovely one).
February 13, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Oh my GOD King County Public Health is just wilding out for Valentines Day (and a lovely one).
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Notice how those who wanted to overthrow the government for being asked to carry proof of their covid vaccination, claiming it’s an infringement on their freedoms, are suddenly all in favor of needing multiple proofs of identity just so they can exercise their constitutional right to vote.
February 15, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Notice how those who wanted to overthrow the government for being asked to carry proof of their covid vaccination, claiming it’s an infringement on their freedoms, are suddenly all in favor of needing multiple proofs of identity just so they can exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Lrs: I've kinda been waiting on that tbh. AI is low key a massive surveillance project. So yeah if you tell Caude, no shit whatever you said isn't priviledged any longer.
But I want to jump off that and explain HIPAA like you're 5, cuz I think a lot of people are missing details to their detriment.
But I want to jump off that and explain HIPAA like you're 5, cuz I think a lot of people are missing details to their detriment.
February 15, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Lrs: I've kinda been waiting on that tbh. AI is low key a massive surveillance project. So yeah if you tell Caude, no shit whatever you said isn't priviledged any longer.
But I want to jump off that and explain HIPAA like you're 5, cuz I think a lot of people are missing details to their detriment.
But I want to jump off that and explain HIPAA like you're 5, cuz I think a lot of people are missing details to their detriment.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
HIPAA is a set of rules applied specifically to healthcare workers due to the sensitivity of information they have access to. There are secrets you can't keep from them, so they must promise to keep those secrets for you.
Nobody else makes that promise. And certainly no software.
Nobody else makes that promise. And certainly no software.
February 15, 2026 at 5:27 AM
HIPAA is a set of rules applied specifically to healthcare workers due to the sensitivity of information they have access to. There are secrets you can't keep from them, so they must promise to keep those secrets for you.
Nobody else makes that promise. And certainly no software.
Nobody else makes that promise. And certainly no software.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
“ICE surge into MN reflects a series of mistaken MAGA assumptions.
1st is belief that diverse communities arent possible:
“Social bonds form among ppl who have something in common,” Vance said last year. “If you stop importing millions of foreigners into the US, you allow social cohesion to form”
1st is belief that diverse communities arent possible:
“Social bonds form among ppl who have something in common,” Vance said last year. “If you stop importing millions of foreigners into the US, you allow social cohesion to form”
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
www.theatlantic.com
February 15, 2026 at 3:03 AM
“ICE surge into MN reflects a series of mistaken MAGA assumptions.
1st is belief that diverse communities arent possible:
“Social bonds form among ppl who have something in common,” Vance said last year. “If you stop importing millions of foreigners into the US, you allow social cohesion to form”
1st is belief that diverse communities arent possible:
“Social bonds form among ppl who have something in common,” Vance said last year. “If you stop importing millions of foreigners into the US, you allow social cohesion to form”
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Medicare for All would save $450B a year.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
February 14, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Medicare for All would save $450B a year.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
Yesterday I met a retired art teacher / current artist at @crindivisible.bsky.social's Unity in Action: Politics & Coffee Talk.
She gave me a piece of her art:
She gave me a piece of her art:
February 15, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Yesterday I met a retired art teacher / current artist at @crindivisible.bsky.social's Unity in Action: Politics & Coffee Talk.
She gave me a piece of her art:
She gave me a piece of her art:
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
For American democracy to survive, we must as a country learn to embrace the beauty, the awesomeness, the Americanness of our cities.
Homey little songs about how cities are amazing and you feel good when you wander around them and they're where you're from and you couldn't imaging living anywhere else are one of my favorite microgenres.
We need to build some real social stigma around being afraid of cities. You don't have to like them or live there, but a politics built this strongly around watching TV and going "ewww" is embarrassing, and people should be embarrassed by it. It's like "fear of werewolves" being your top issue.
February 14, 2026 at 11:08 PM
For American democracy to survive, we must as a country learn to embrace the beauty, the awesomeness, the Americanness of our cities.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Violets are blue
Roses are red
Someday it will happen
And he will be
Roses are red
Someday it will happen
And he will be
February 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Violets are blue
Roses are red
Someday it will happen
And he will be
Roses are red
Someday it will happen
And he will be
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
It just happens that back in 2014 I made a bunch of Winter Olympic Lolcats. Let's have a look!
February 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM
It just happens that back in 2014 I made a bunch of Winter Olympic Lolcats. Let's have a look!
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
Thanks to you, we made a lot of progress since yesterday!
But the Democracy Docket growth team tells me we still need 250 new subscribers this weekend to hit their next benchmark. If you haven’t already signed up here is your chance to support independent, pro-democracy media. bit.ly/4qmEiFz
But the Democracy Docket growth team tells me we still need 250 new subscribers this weekend to hit their next benchmark. If you haven’t already signed up here is your chance to support independent, pro-democracy media. bit.ly/4qmEiFz
February 14, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Thanks to you, we made a lot of progress since yesterday!
But the Democracy Docket growth team tells me we still need 250 new subscribers this weekend to hit their next benchmark. If you haven’t already signed up here is your chance to support independent, pro-democracy media. bit.ly/4qmEiFz
But the Democracy Docket growth team tells me we still need 250 new subscribers this weekend to hit their next benchmark. If you haven’t already signed up here is your chance to support independent, pro-democracy media. bit.ly/4qmEiFz
I've been recommending "The Year Without Sunshine" by @naomikritzer.bsky.social A LOT this year. Yesterday one of them told me how much she liked it so I gave her additional recs to try, including "So Much Cooking".
Thank you, Naomi!
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
Thank you, Naomi!
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
The Year Without Sunshine - Uncanny Magazine
During one of the much smaller disasters that preceded the really big disaster, I met a lot of my neighbors online. I can’t remember if we set up the WhatsApp group because of the pandemic or the civi...
www.uncannymagazine.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:19 AM
I've been recommending "The Year Without Sunshine" by @naomikritzer.bsky.social A LOT this year. Yesterday one of them told me how much she liked it so I gave her additional recs to try, including "So Much Cooking".
Thank you, Naomi!
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
Thank you, Naomi!
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
If you’re tempted to yell at a Trump voter who has now decided they’re anti-ICE, pack that impulse as deep down within yourself and scream it into your pillow later.
Yeah I mean the very basic thing is that in November 2024 the fascists had more numbers and we’ve got to find them somewhere and getting a convert counts double.
February 14, 2026 at 10:53 PM
If you’re tempted to yell at a Trump voter who has now decided they’re anti-ICE, pack that impulse as deep down within yourself and scream it into your pillow later.
Reposted by Darcy Conaty
I think I'm going to scream.
Multiple for-sale listings on eBay etc. that claim their copy of Gnomes is signed by artist Rien Poortvliet on the title page and by the author at the end of the introduction.
THAT'S HOW THE BOOK WAS PRINTED.
Do not pay $200+ for a book that wasn't actually signed 🫠
Multiple for-sale listings on eBay etc. that claim their copy of Gnomes is signed by artist Rien Poortvliet on the title page and by the author at the end of the introduction.
THAT'S HOW THE BOOK WAS PRINTED.
Do not pay $200+ for a book that wasn't actually signed 🫠
February 14, 2026 at 11:25 PM
I think I'm going to scream.
Multiple for-sale listings on eBay etc. that claim their copy of Gnomes is signed by artist Rien Poortvliet on the title page and by the author at the end of the introduction.
THAT'S HOW THE BOOK WAS PRINTED.
Do not pay $200+ for a book that wasn't actually signed 🫠
Multiple for-sale listings on eBay etc. that claim their copy of Gnomes is signed by artist Rien Poortvliet on the title page and by the author at the end of the introduction.
THAT'S HOW THE BOOK WAS PRINTED.
Do not pay $200+ for a book that wasn't actually signed 🫠