Raoul Meyer
@mistermeyer.bsky.social
Writing about civics and government; making things; dad & husband. Working with my brother on a documentary about American teachers. Yes, I did write all those Crashcourse history videos for John Green.
Among my many issues with Civics Education is that its focus on “citizens” excludes millions of people who live and work in America. Almost by definition it establishes that there are people here that don’t deserve rights or the protection of laws, which makes it easier to deprive them of such.
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Among my many issues with Civics Education is that its focus on “citizens” excludes millions of people who live and work in America. Almost by definition it establishes that there are people here that don’t deserve rights or the protection of laws, which makes it easier to deprive them of such.
It has finally dawned on me that 25 years teaching history has had the most tangible effect on my life of giving me the knowledge base to make really obscure jokes on websites like this.
February 5, 2026 at 9:30 PM
It has finally dawned on me that 25 years teaching history has had the most tangible effect on my life of giving me the knowledge base to make really obscure jokes on websites like this.
My two cents on the whole Helen of Troy mishegas: I would 100% believe that Lupita Nyong'o would be the first one to recognize Telemachus as Odysseus' son at a glance, definitely before John Bernthal (no shade on Frank Castle, tho)
February 5, 2026 at 6:54 PM
My two cents on the whole Helen of Troy mishegas: I would 100% believe that Lupita Nyong'o would be the first one to recognize Telemachus as Odysseus' son at a glance, definitely before John Bernthal (no shade on Frank Castle, tho)
Thinking about the whole argument that desire to tax the rich is "envy" makes me wonder about the pervasive anti-union feeling among many of the self-proclaimed left or liberal folks I know who get big mad because unionized workers have sick days and pensions and job protections that they wish for.
February 5, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Thinking about the whole argument that desire to tax the rich is "envy" makes me wonder about the pervasive anti-union feeling among many of the self-proclaimed left or liberal folks I know who get big mad because unionized workers have sick days and pensions and job protections that they wish for.
Reposted by Raoul Meyer
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
I’m not saying that a relentless single-minded focus on the Constitution as the be-all-end-all of American government supports an exceptionally misogynistic view of who counts as an American, but I’m not NOT saying that either.
February 5, 2026 at 12:50 PM
I’m not saying that a relentless single-minded focus on the Constitution as the be-all-end-all of American government supports an exceptionally misogynistic view of who counts as an American, but I’m not NOT saying that either.
Hey @schumer.senate.gov, @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social, @nadler.house.gov, how about you take back all that money you spent on ICE and use it to build an independent, publicly-funded Public News Service? Do something useful, will you?
February 4, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Hey @schumer.senate.gov, @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social, @nadler.house.gov, how about you take back all that money you spent on ICE and use it to build an independent, publicly-funded Public News Service? Do something useful, will you?
If there were a good, worker-run, newspaper with broad national and international reach and good editors, I would pay good money for it. I enjoy reading my daily substacks, but boy, do I wish I could get reliable, well-written news in one place.
February 4, 2026 at 5:32 PM
If there were a good, worker-run, newspaper with broad national and international reach and good editors, I would pay good money for it. I enjoy reading my daily substacks, but boy, do I wish I could get reliable, well-written news in one place.
One thing that legislatures in Blue states could do is expand early voting options so that people who care enough can vote early and then go to other states and help keep elections fair.
February 4, 2026 at 12:41 AM
One thing that legislatures in Blue states could do is expand early voting options so that people who care enough can vote early and then go to other states and help keep elections fair.
Reposted by Raoul Meyer
every epstein file drop underscores how elite power operates through shared socio-economic networks, regardless of people's ideological differences, populist posturing, or public feuds
January 30, 2026 at 11:58 PM
every epstein file drop underscores how elite power operates through shared socio-economic networks, regardless of people's ideological differences, populist posturing, or public feuds
Reposted by Raoul Meyer
"In their private lives, public schoolteachers generally have the right to political speech. But in the classroom, their free speech is curtailed, and they must teach the curriculum set by their states and districts."
not enough people understand this
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...
not enough people understand this
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...
She Fought a Book Ban. She May Never Teach Again.
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:34 PM
"In their private lives, public schoolteachers generally have the right to political speech. But in the classroom, their free speech is curtailed, and they must teach the curriculum set by their states and districts."
not enough people understand this
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...
not enough people understand this
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...
I would guess that there is a non-zero chance that someone in Trump’s orbit suggested to him that no one would care if he had two Black independent journalists arrested.
January 30, 2026 at 2:01 PM
I would guess that there is a non-zero chance that someone in Trump’s orbit suggested to him that no one would care if he had two Black independent journalists arrested.
Hey @mayor.nyc.gov have you considered raising the sales tax on luxury goods over a certain threshold as a way to raise money for the city? It would hit the very wealthy and tourists the hardest. Anyone who is buying a Rolex shouldn't blink at a 10 or 15% sales tax on it, right?
January 28, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Hey @mayor.nyc.gov have you considered raising the sales tax on luxury goods over a certain threshold as a way to raise money for the city? It would hit the very wealthy and tourists the hardest. Anyone who is buying a Rolex shouldn't blink at a 10 or 15% sales tax on it, right?
"You earmarked $75 Billion and we need another $10 Billion" is a pretty strong admission that you suck at your job.
(or that you're committed to expanding your organization's waste, fraud, and abuse)
(or that you're committed to expanding your organization's waste, fraud, and abuse)
January 28, 2026 at 5:44 PM
"You earmarked $75 Billion and we need another $10 Billion" is a pretty strong admission that you suck at your job.
(or that you're committed to expanding your organization's waste, fraud, and abuse)
(or that you're committed to expanding your organization's waste, fraud, and abuse)
Been reading the Church Committee report and it's striking that most of the things Congress took the FBI and CIA to task for doing surreptitiously the Trump administration is now doing out in the open.
January 28, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Been reading the Church Committee report and it's striking that most of the things Congress took the FBI and CIA to task for doing surreptitiously the Trump administration is now doing out in the open.
I’m asking for a moratorium on comparing U.S. politics to Ancient Rome’s (Republic or Empire). The world has changed a lot in 2000 years and I just don’t think that a slave state which excluded women (and most men) from participating has many lessons to offer us.
January 28, 2026 at 1:06 PM
I’m asking for a moratorium on comparing U.S. politics to Ancient Rome’s (Republic or Empire). The world has changed a lot in 2000 years and I just don’t think that a slave state which excluded women (and most men) from participating has many lessons to offer us.
The most basic requirement for being a “law enforcement” officer is a thorough understanding of and respect for the law.
January 28, 2026 at 12:48 PM
The most basic requirement for being a “law enforcement” officer is a thorough understanding of and respect for the law.
Now would be a really good time to arrest Jonathan Ross for murder.
January 27, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Now would be a really good time to arrest Jonathan Ross for murder.
I don’t read the NY Post because … it’s the NY Post, but the paper that proudly claims it was founded by Alexander Hamilton published this:
The headline is enough; don’t read it, unless you want to be even more outraged than you already are.
nypost.com/2026/01/25/o...
The headline is enough; don’t read it, unless you want to be even more outraged than you already are.
nypost.com/2026/01/25/o...
Sorry, AOC — protest culture is un-American
Taking to the streets to disrupt the lives of average citizens is antithetical to the highest virtue of republicanism, namely minding your own business.
nypost.com
January 26, 2026 at 6:56 PM
I don’t read the NY Post because … it’s the NY Post, but the paper that proudly claims it was founded by Alexander Hamilton published this:
The headline is enough; don’t read it, unless you want to be even more outraged than you already are.
nypost.com/2026/01/25/o...
The headline is enough; don’t read it, unless you want to be even more outraged than you already are.
nypost.com/2026/01/25/o...
If Trump/ICE were really concerned with rounding up undocumented people, they would be in Florida right now.
immresearch.org/publications...
immresearch.org/publications...
50 States: Immigrants by Number and Share - Immigration Research Initiative
There are 48 million immigrants in the United States, making up 14 percent of the overall population. This includes all people who are living in the United States and were born in another country, irr...
immresearch.org
January 26, 2026 at 4:33 PM
If Trump/ICE were really concerned with rounding up undocumented people, they would be in Florida right now.
immresearch.org/publications...
immresearch.org/publications...
Boogie Nights - Ending speech
YouTube video by Octopus Panda
www.youtube.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Just for a little historical context, the first planned march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 was to demand answers about the death of protestor Jimmie Lee Jackson.
January 25, 2026 at 4:32 AM
Just for a little historical context, the first planned march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 was to demand answers about the death of protestor Jimmie Lee Jackson.
If I was trying to get people to forget my association with rapists, I would not choose to party with Mike Tyson.
January 25, 2026 at 4:22 AM
If I was trying to get people to forget my association with rapists, I would not choose to party with Mike Tyson.
Tina Smith’s response on this website has been pretty disappointing, especially considering she’s running for reelection.
January 25, 2026 at 2:57 AM
Tina Smith’s response on this website has been pretty disappointing, especially considering she’s running for reelection.
Someone who has a track record as a historian who can get books published and sold should get a bunch of friends together to write an inverse update of “Profiles in Courage” called “Profiles in Cowardice,” with chapters devoted to Senators who are allowing this to happen. @kevinmkruse.bsky.social ?
January 25, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Someone who has a track record as a historian who can get books published and sold should get a bunch of friends together to write an inverse update of “Profiles in Courage” called “Profiles in Cowardice,” with chapters devoted to Senators who are allowing this to happen. @kevinmkruse.bsky.social ?