George Dubya
@itisgeorge.bsky.social
A mishmash: Middle East stuff, development stuff, organizational dysfunction, crisis response, carbon transition dynamics, silly sports things. Mostly here to read smarter people than me.
Looks like we’ve got competition for most batshit disaster response policy. Javier Milei, the guy from Argentina who gave his chainsaw to Elon, cut their National Fire Management Service 81% and now Patagonia is burning up
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘The land will be left as ashes’: why Patagonia’s wildfires are almost impossible to stop
Funding cuts, conspiracy theories and ‘powder keg’ pine plantations have seen January’s forest fires tear through Chubut in southern Argentina
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Looks like we’ve got competition for most batshit disaster response policy. Javier Milei, the guy from Argentina who gave his chainsaw to Elon, cut their National Fire Management Service 81% and now Patagonia is burning up
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
It might be tough for WA to get in. In high school they taught us that we were named Washington specifically to annoy the British who were then running Canada, and the Brits reciprocated by naming their corresponding territory British Columbia. Not sure if true
I have a feeling that more American states would vote to join Canada right now than there are provinces keen to head the other way…
January 29, 2026 at 7:43 PM
It might be tough for WA to get in. In high school they taught us that we were named Washington specifically to annoy the British who were then running Canada, and the Brits reciprocated by naming their corresponding territory British Columbia. Not sure if true
Hey babe, wanna join the other 12 people in the entire city of Spokane who are going to see the Melania movie tomorrow
www.regmovies.com/movies/melan...
www.regmovies.com/movies/melan...
www.regmovies.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Hey babe, wanna join the other 12 people in the entire city of Spokane who are going to see the Melania movie tomorrow
www.regmovies.com/movies/melan...
www.regmovies.com/movies/melan...
Reposted by George Dubya
Quick iconic comic cover edit to laud Ilhan Omar.
January 28, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Quick iconic comic cover edit to laud Ilhan Omar.
(Guy who's been in Congress writing federal laws since 1975) "I just grow corn, I don't know all that legal stuff, I can barely even read"
"Ask someone else, I am just a U.S. Senator." — Chuck Grassley
January 28, 2026 at 3:51 PM
(Guy who's been in Congress writing federal laws since 1975) "I just grow corn, I don't know all that legal stuff, I can barely even read"
Have a fun party, hang out with your friends, huddle together so you don't freeze, meet new penguins, maybe meet some cute lady penguins, or you can wander off by yourself out on the ice cap to die alone
January 27, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Have a fun party, hang out with your friends, huddle together so you don't freeze, meet new penguins, maybe meet some cute lady penguins, or you can wander off by yourself out on the ice cap to die alone
OP, and everyone replying to and contributing to this horrid discussion, are not fit for polite society and should be run out of town on a rail
so one thing that I've never seen anyone write on, and I apologize in advance, is Donald Trump as an object of female sexual fantasy.
We know that Hitler, Stalin, Mao all got *thousands* of letters from women on a constant basis. And you can see it, I think, in some of the women at rallies.
We know that Hitler, Stalin, Mao all got *thousands* of letters from women on a constant basis. And you can see it, I think, in some of the women at rallies.
January 26, 2026 at 11:42 PM
OP, and everyone replying to and contributing to this horrid discussion, are not fit for polite society and should be run out of town on a rail
Kids these days don't appreciate the cutting edge styles of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Ice Cube. Probably because of woke.
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
Younger generations “have fallen out of love with Harry Potter because they have fallen out of love with the worldview the series represents,” writes Louise Perry. “Which is to say that young people have fallen out of love with liberalism.”
Younger generations “have fallen out of love with Harry Potter because they have fallen out of love with the worldview the series represents,” writes Louise Perry. “Which is to say that young people have fallen out of love with liberalism.”
Opinion | Why Gen Z Doesn’t Love ‘Harry Potter’
The wizarding worldview is naïve.
nyti.ms
January 26, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Kids these days don't appreciate the cutting edge styles of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Ice Cube. Probably because of woke.
Possibly dumb question from a not-lawyer, but I'm assuming Minnesota has state laws against witness tampering, messing with crime scenes, and other obstruction of justice-type activities which ICE/BP is clearly doing. Could there be criminal charges along those lines?
It’s hard to overstate how freakish it is for law enforcement who just shot someone to be shuffled off to other assignments with no investigative period at all.
BASH: Are they agents who were involved still on the job?
BOVINO: Yes
BOVINO: Yes
January 26, 2026 at 5:03 AM
Possibly dumb question from a not-lawyer, but I'm assuming Minnesota has state laws against witness tampering, messing with crime scenes, and other obstruction of justice-type activities which ICE/BP is clearly doing. Could there be criminal charges along those lines?
This style of journalism is just baffling. I read the paper because I want to know what happened and so many media guys think the most important thing that happened is that powerful people disagreed about something
Goddamit I should have known it was too good to last. Some senior editor decided to both-sides it after all. Cowards! Charlatans!
January 25, 2026 at 5:47 PM
This style of journalism is just baffling. I read the paper because I want to know what happened and so many media guys think the most important thing that happened is that powerful people disagreed about something
Been thinking about this for a while. The bar to removing Trump is way too high and we'venever once been able to remove a president, but even if we do this time we're stuck with Vance. Remove him and we've got (insert Trump toady here). Etc. No actual change in government until 2029.
the US is (i'm reasonably sure) the only current democracy where the term dates for federal office holders are set in the constitution with no wiggle room to change them under any circumstances (or at least that's how we've always interpreted it)
It just now strikes me that the United States, unlike every other democracy in the world, has never ever ever had an early presidential election. This seems like a problem? Like you need to have an institutionalized path for designating an entire administration illegitimate and voting for a new one?
January 24, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Been thinking about this for a while. The bar to removing Trump is way too high and we'venever once been able to remove a president, but even if we do this time we're stuck with Vance. Remove him and we've got (insert Trump toady here). Etc. No actual change in government until 2029.
Border Patrol protecting the good people of Spokane from 10 year old girls. Front page of the local paper 1/6
www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
Border patrol detains 10-year-old Spokane girl and her dad, sends them to Texas detention center
Arnoldo Tiul Caal dropped his daughter off for school at Logan Elementary the morning of Jan. 9 with the unnerving sense that they were being followed.
www.spokesman.com
January 24, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Border Patrol protecting the good people of Spokane from 10 year old girls. Front page of the local paper 1/6
www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
Amazing story of two women saving an ICE agent's life and getting arrested by ICE anyway. But this quote sticks with me: "I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me."
That agent has a debt for the rest of his life. He can pay up and live right or else he's beyond saving
That agent has a debt for the rest of his life. He can pay up and live right or else he's beyond saving
Detained by ICE, two women became first responders during agent’s seizure
The women say they guided agents through the emergency, later raising concerns about medical protocols, weapons safety and accountability.
www.startribune.com
January 24, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Amazing story of two women saving an ICE agent's life and getting arrested by ICE anyway. But this quote sticks with me: "I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me."
That agent has a debt for the rest of his life. He can pay up and live right or else he's beyond saving
That agent has a debt for the rest of his life. He can pay up and live right or else he's beyond saving
This has been remarkable. The discipline showed by the anti-ICE movement has been amazing—and it’s working 1/
bsky.app/profile/jame...
bsky.app/profile/jame...
one thing i’ll note is that the administration is desperate for a repeat of 2020 and the targeted jurisdictions refuse to give it to them
One of the big trends in opposition activism during Trump 2.0 has been the localism of protest. This level of organizing is pretty astonishing to watch, and anyone who insists that there haven't been any protests against Trump is simply ignoring it www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
January 24, 2026 at 12:46 AM
This has been remarkable. The discipline showed by the anti-ICE movement has been amazing—and it’s working 1/
bsky.app/profile/jame...
bsky.app/profile/jame...
Shoutout to Pastor Bob from Westminster UCC in Spokane, who is in Minneapolis now and might be buried buried under one of those piles of clothing. If he’s not at the airport then he’s probably at the federal building
Spokane gets cold but not Minnesota cold. Minny peeps, keep our guy warm!
Spokane gets cold but not Minnesota cold. Minny peeps, keep our guy warm!
Police have arrived. Arrests seem imminent. The crowd chants “let them pray” and “Minnesota nice means prosecute ICE”
January 23, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Shoutout to Pastor Bob from Westminster UCC in Spokane, who is in Minneapolis now and might be buried buried under one of those piles of clothing. If he’s not at the airport then he’s probably at the federal building
Spokane gets cold but not Minnesota cold. Minny peeps, keep our guy warm!
Spokane gets cold but not Minnesota cold. Minny peeps, keep our guy warm!
Gonna keep an eye on this. Over the last year I've occasionally seen "we should have a general strike" with no specifics, but if Minnesota has figured out how to make it happen it's potentially a game changer
The Minnesota strike has made it to the top story on NYT. I am not a knee jerk NYT hater, but imo this is noteworthy given the paper’s relative lack of interest in other recent anti-Trump protest activity
January 23, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Gonna keep an eye on this. Over the last year I've occasionally seen "we should have a general strike" with no specifics, but if Minnesota has figured out how to make it happen it's potentially a game changer
I'm heartbroken, disillusioned, perplexed. Last Friday there was no Tony Dokoupil, just me drinking whiskey all alone. I can't get hurt like that again.
How will you prepare for this week’s Whiskey Friday with Tony Dokoupil?
One more sleep until it's Whiskey Friday With Tony Dokoupil
January 22, 2026 at 5:52 PM
I'm heartbroken, disillusioned, perplexed. Last Friday there was no Tony Dokoupil, just me drinking whiskey all alone. I can't get hurt like that again.
As a fan of the seahawks, who have a practice facility that isn't close to a substation, I recommend the 49ers spend a large amount of time raising the salience of a nonsense theory which they can neither fix nor disprove to the satisfaction of social media medics
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Niners to look into 'everything,' including substation theory
Niners GM John Lynch said the team will look into "everything" to find out why injuries continue to pile up year after year, including an investigation into the viral electrical substation conspiracy ...
www.espn.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:07 AM
As a fan of the seahawks, who have a practice facility that isn't close to a substation, I recommend the 49ers spend a large amount of time raising the salience of a nonsense theory which they can neither fix nor disprove to the satisfaction of social media medics
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Can you run a political party? You probably think you can't but seeing how unbelievably half-assed these guys have been at the national level, you probably could
Hilariously, they did it. Or at least said they did it. The DNC chair announced the creation of a "people's cabinet" back in early April.
It was essentially never heard from again.
It was essentially never heard from again.
The shadow cabinet idea was a great idea and should have been implemented a year ago. Would have presented an organized, unified response to the chaos, issue by issue, by people with expertise.
January 19, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Can you run a political party? You probably think you can't but seeing how unbelievably half-assed these guys have been at the national level, you probably could
Oh God I just realized there truly is an America-flavored version of this. Not that Buffalo fans deserve to suffer having Trump as an owner but in this timeline they haven't won a championship anyway so we'd all be better off
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
January 18, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Oh God I just realized there truly is an America-flavored version of this. Not that Buffalo fans deserve to suffer having Trump as an owner but in this timeline they haven't won a championship anyway so we'd all be better off
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
This is just enraging. I'm showing my age here but in high school I saw Nirvana--after they got big--for $17.50 plus tax. Forget the nonexistent "convenience" etc. Ticketmaster, Live Nation, re-sellers and the rest of the online ticket industry are all just monopoly mechanisms to overcharge people.
As you can see, most of the tickets for next Sunday’s NFC Championship Game is already gone thanks to the re-sellers (i.e. Venue Kings) who plan on re-selling them above face value. And note, this is the lowest priced standard ticket available at the moment.
#Seahawks #NFCChampionship #WeAre12s
#Seahawks #NFCChampionship #WeAre12s
January 18, 2026 at 4:34 AM
This is just enraging. I'm showing my age here but in high school I saw Nirvana--after they got big--for $17.50 plus tax. Forget the nonexistent "convenience" etc. Ticketmaster, Live Nation, re-sellers and the rest of the online ticket industry are all just monopoly mechanisms to overcharge people.
Jesus. Seahawks absolutely dog walking SF
January 18, 2026 at 3:35 AM
Jesus. Seahawks absolutely dog walking SF
The 49ers would have prevented that kick return TD if they weren't all screwed up by the substation
ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports...
ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports...
49ers injury conspiracy theory with an electrical substation explained
There's a theory about the San Francisco 49ers being affected by an electric substation near their practice facility. We explain.
ftw.usatoday.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:27 AM
The 49ers would have prevented that kick return TD if they weren't all screwed up by the substation
ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports...
ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports...
Well if you guys would have let him have whiskey Friday, he might have gotten drunk enough to spill the beans
Just weeks ago, Dokoupil promised he would be more transparent than Cronkite. Why didn’t he report this WH threat?
NYT publishes audio of Karoline Leavitt threatening CBS over its Trump interview: “He said, ‘If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off.’” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/b...
January 17, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Well if you guys would have let him have whiskey Friday, he might have gotten drunk enough to spill the beans