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Reposted by Mike Westphal

Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 12h

Abolish ICE, pack the court and DC statehood have to be the bare minimum any Dem candidate runs on.

Reposted by Mike Westphal

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 17h

Three key points:
1) The admin has been planning mass firings to begin in October since February
2) The work necessary to carry out mass firings is illegal during a shutdown, violating the Antideficiency Act, which carries a criminal penalty
3) This harms America, ridding us of talent and expertise

Russ Vought v @russvought
The RIFs have begun.
12:27 PM • 10/10/25 • 15K Views

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 16h

I wish

Maria Bustillos @mariabustillos.com · 15h

weak lol sure they would

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h

Thune: "If the Democrats had won the majority, they probably would've tried to nuke the filibuster. And then you'd have four new senators from Puerto Rico and DC, you'd have a packed Supreme Court, you'd have abortion on demand ... "

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🦇🧛‍♂️Bram Stoker’s GuitarMoogula🧛‍♂️🦇 @guitarmoog.bsky.social · 18h

The reason the far right, authoritarians and tyrants everywhere are obsessed with attacking funding of opponents and even of fictional organisations is that they cannot conceive of any person acting out of concern and conviction rather than for self-gain through money, power or status.

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 17h

I confess I’m a fan of steely calm in my FBI directors, whoever they are, but this guy always looks like something is halfway done chewing through his leg

billkittle.bsky.social @billkittle.bsky.social · 21h

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 17h

Oh man yes. I’m going to get it just to frame those pics of Sam and Isabelle.

Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 20h

Well, there goes all my money

Second Sight @secondsightfilms.bsky.social · 21h

POSSESSION: LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD & BLU-RAY released Dec 8, preorder now! Featuring new audio commentaries, new interview with @realgdt.bsky.social and a lot more! Plus 220-page hardback book, original shooting script book & art cards! Std Eds also available. bit.ly/PossessionLt...

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Jennifer Molidor @jennifermolidor.bsky.social · 1d

Hanging onto every bit of good news

The river has come alive in the Klamath with wild Chinook salmon. The wider ecosystem is healing.

This most powerful story of Indigenous-led #rewilding after the largest dam removal in US history keeps getting better.

lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/oct/9/o...

One Year After Klamath Dam Removal, 'There's Just Fish Jumping All Over the Place': Scientists Describe Improvements to Water Quality and Wildlife

lostcoastoutpost.com

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 17h

It is literally the job of the federal government to prevent these guys from existing, because wealth = power. It is the most Democratic thing in the world to take that wealth away from them, even if it means burning it in a big pile, Joker style.

ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 20h

this is correct. and while you would get a nontrivial one off sum from a billionaire tax (not enough for a welfare state, but a lot), the ongoing point of that tax would be prevent billionaires from existing

Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 1d

“The problem with billionaires isn’t that they’re hoarding money that would otherwise pay for a Scandinavian social utopia. It’s that their money has become a source of wildly distorted political power that allows a few men with extremist views to wreak havoc on the rest of us.”

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Gilly @gillyarcht.bsky.social · 20h

‘Now we are broke, the sky was the colour of a dirty nickel, and a mean mountain wind cut down Larimer Street.’
I’ve only ever met one of the people in the article (not Kerouac) and I can 100% guarantee that the backstory to this piece would make a delicious piece of film by whoever directs it

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21h

‘Very significant’ Jack Kerouac story discovered after mafia boss auction

Exclusive: Two-page 1957 manuscript signed by author linked to his classic of beat literature, On the Road A “very significant” unpublished story by Jack Kerouac described as “a lost chapter of the On the Road saga” has been discovered after languishing in the files of an assassinated Mafia crime boss for at least 40 years. The two-page typewritten manuscript signed by Kerouac in green ink is titled The Holy, Beat, and Crazy Next Thing and is dated 15 April 1957, five months before his classic of beat literature, On the Road, was published. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 18h

A lot of them gave their lives.

Dr Surekha Davies (she/her) @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social · 1d

Extraordinary that people need reminding of this, but anyone with US relatives - parents, grandparents... - who fought in the US army in the Second World War has relatives who fought against fascism.

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Shaenon K. Garrity @shaenon.bsky.social · 1d

"DO SOMETHING"
(people do things)
"FUCK YOU, THOSE ARE THE WRONG THINGS"

...is quickly becoming my least favorite discourse.

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Lauren MacIvor Thompson @lmacthompson1.bsky.social · 23h

If you in any way suggest that we "earned" this upon ourselves you will be blocked faster than you can blink. Profs are being fired, threatened, doxxed, harassed as a years long pattern now but we have reached a new phase with what has happened with Dr Bray, a fellow historian.

Lauren MacIvor Thompson @lmacthompson1.bsky.social · 1d

Please acknowledge what is happening to American professors right now.

We do not deserve this.

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Nothings Monstered @nothingsmonstrd.bsky.social · 22h

"Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence"

National Security Presidential Memorandum NSPM-7

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 1d

I am dealing with a “thorny problem” right now, today. It is hard and scary because IT IS ALWAYS HARD AND SCARY. But it is also where you do your best work. It is where stories go from “meh” to “WOW”. When I fix it - because that is the job - I will be that much closer to something worth reading.

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Lauren Beukes @laurenbeukes.com · 1d

This is a phenomenal read

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 7d

3c) Want to take the opportunity to share this great article from @truthout.org about racism/fascism and The Punisher character

Marvel’s “Punisher” Was a Hate Symbol Long Before Police Co-opted His Character

The Punisher has long been embraced as a classic superhero, but his comics spread reactionary ideology.

truthout.org

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 1d

Hahahaha fuck Elon Musk, what a dumbass

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 1d

1. Anti-trans outrage is losing its bite.

Last week, Elon Musk led a mass boycott campaign to get trans characters removed from shows on the platform.

Major conservatives joined in.

Now, we have the result: the boycott was a fizzle, and Netflix stock is up.

Subscribe to support my journalism.

Netflix Stock Up As Elon Musk's Anti-Trans Boycott Fails To Materialize

Last week, conservatives tried to cancel Netflix to force the carrier to remove transgender characters.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Reposted by Mike Westphal

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 1d

1. Anti-trans outrage is losing its bite.

Last week, Elon Musk led a mass boycott campaign to get trans characters removed from shows on the platform.

Major conservatives joined in.

Now, we have the result: the boycott was a fizzle, and Netflix stock is up.

Subscribe to support my journalism.

Netflix Stock Up As Elon Musk's Anti-Trans Boycott Fails To Materialize

Last week, conservatives tried to cancel Netflix to force the carrier to remove transgender characters.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Reposted by Mike Westphal

💀 Crypt Jones 💀 @cjones47.bsky.social · 1d

I've always thought that imagery that contrasts state power/violence against innocence/silliness/courage is infinitely more powerful than revolutionary cosplay.

This is an iconic historical photograph, widely known as **"Flower Power,"** taken by photographer Bernie Boston.

The image captures a tense yet poignant moment during an anti-Vietnam War protest at the Pentagon on October 21, 1967.

In the frame, a young protester with short dark hair is seen on the right, extending her hands toward a line of soldiers. She is gently placing a single carnation into the barrel of a rifle held by one of the soldiers.

Facing her is a formidable line of military police or National Guardsmen in full uniform, equipped with steel helmets and holding rifles with fixed bayonets, forming a human barricade. The soldiers appear very young and have stoic, serious expressions.

The photograph is renowned for its powerful symbolism and stark visual contrast:

* **Peace vs. War:** The soft, fragile flower against the hard, menacing steel of the rifle.
* **Non-violence vs. Force:** The gentle, peaceful gesture of the protester in the face of armed authority.
* **Humanity vs. Institution:** The individual's act of connection towards the uniformed, anonymous line of soldiers.

The image has become a defining symbol of the 1960s counterculture movement and the philosophy of non-violent resistance, powerfully encapsulating the clash between the peace movement and military force.

This is the world-famous and iconic photograph known as **"Tank Man"** or **"The Unknown Protester."**

The image was taken on June 5, 1989, in Beijing, China. It captures a pivotal moment of defiance during the Tiananmen Square protests, the morning after the Chinese government's violent military crackdown on the demonstrators.

The photograph depicts a lone, unidentified man standing in the middle of the wide Avenue of Eternal Peace, directly in the path of a column of advancing Type 59 military tanks. The man, dressed in a simple white shirt and dark trousers and carrying what appear to be two shopping bags, single-handedly brings the armored column to a halt.

The lead tank is stopped just feet away from him, creating an incredibly tense and powerful standoff between the unarmed individual and the immense power of the state's military.

The image, taken from a distance and slightly grainy, has become one of the most recognizable photographs of the 20th century. It is an enduring international symbol of:

* **Individual Courage:** The bravery of one person standing up to an oppressive regime.
* **Defiance:** A non-violent act of resistance against overwhelming military force.
* **The Struggle for Freedom:** The universal human desire for liberty and democracy.

The identity and ultimate fate of the "Tank Man" have never been confirmed, adding to the profound mystery and legendary status of the photograph. It is widely considered one of the most powerful images of dissent ever captured.

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Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 1d

Perry: The federal government is "temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

That's it. Thanks again for following.

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Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 1d

Illegitimate grandfather, which of course is perfect for our Ollie, isn't it.

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Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 1d

From The New Yorker

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 1d

I’m a furloughed Federal employee, I can confirm this 1000%. It sucks not being able to work and possibly not getting a paycheck at the end of it all, but it’s going to suck for *everybody* if millions of people lose their healthcare.

I-75 Scientist @flscitriguy.bsky.social · 1d

My portfolio had 100s of UG & Grad students lose their funding in the previous 9mo. PIs that had their training programs canceled for bogus reasons. I’m ok holding out for congress to get a spine and remember it’s a system of checks & balances.

Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 1d

“What kind of person would I be if I went with what works best for me versus what works best for the collective?”

Spoken like a true civil servant.

www.huffpost.com/entry/govern...

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Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 1d

Our plane to Spain is in the air!

🙌🙌

Thank you so much to the countless people supporting us in every way and in particular all of the Rutgers students and faculty who have supported us every step of the way.

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 1d

We have, in plain sight, a perfect & fair way to exercise confiscatory taxation to halt the rise of AI trillionaires. Somebody start writing these laws. $1 trillion is 1 million million dollars. *All* the artists could become millionaires & the investors could still have 10s of millions in profit.

Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 1d

Wow, if all we need to do to kill the AI industry is force it to pay artists, let’s fucking go. There’s no downside here.

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 2d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

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Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 1d

Just getting angrier. The people investing in AI clearly think it’s going to turn them into trillionaires. How about if they just be good about getting a couple million dollars out of it & maybe all the artists can make a living wage for the rest of their lives. Because that’s how it could work out.

Mike Westphal @mfwestphal.bsky.social · 1d

Wow, if all we need to do to kill the AI industry is force it to pay artists, let’s fucking go. There’s no downside here.

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 2d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.