Politree
@neccessary.bsky.social
Trans rights in the US and hating on AI. @unnecessary.bsky.social 's political account.
Pinned
Politree
@neccessary.bsky.social
· Jan 25
In this spirit, I've made a political-only account: @neccessary.bsky.social That account is where I'll be staying up to date on the status of trans rights and fascism in the US right now (and complaining about AI).
This account will be fandom + good vibes only so I can take a break & you can too.
This account will be fandom + good vibes only so I can take a break & you can too.
"Limit your exposure to horrors": keep a designated time period for "learning about what fresh hell went on today", unfollow people who post nothing but rage politics, make wide-ranging use of Bluesky's keyword mute, list, and labeler functions--
This is where I’ll be posting about politics, trans rights in the US, and how much AI sucks.
Fandom account below.
Fandom account below.
Reposted by Politree
The FDA is urging customers to toss certain brands of grated Pecorino Romano; at the same time, it escalated an existing recall of numerous shredded cheeses. n.pr/48yohW6
Check your cheese: Shredded and grated varieties are recalled nationwide
The FDA is urging customers to toss certain brands of grated Pecorino Romano; at the same time, it escalated an existing recall of numerous shredded cheeses.
n.pr
December 3, 2025 at 7:54 PM
The FDA is urging customers to toss certain brands of grated Pecorino Romano; at the same time, it escalated an existing recall of numerous shredded cheeses. n.pr/48yohW6
Reposted by Politree
"Of course, it doesn’t feel right to want IT to HAPPEN. And it’s obviously not okay to try to make IT HAPPEN. That’s not what this is ABOUT, just to make things CLEAR LEGALLY as far as VARIOUS AGENCIES are concerned."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/whe...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/whe...
When It Happens
It’s been so long, you sometimes forget that eventually, IT will HAPPEN. It’s impossible to say when IT will HAPPEN. But it can’t be too long until...
www.mcsweeneys.net
November 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
"Of course, it doesn’t feel right to want IT to HAPPEN. And it’s obviously not okay to try to make IT HAPPEN. That’s not what this is ABOUT, just to make things CLEAR LEGALLY as far as VARIOUS AGENCIES are concerned."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/whe...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/whe...
Reposted by Politree
How it started / where it goes / how it ends up
December 1, 2025 at 12:20 PM
How it started / where it goes / how it ends up
Reposted by Politree
No prison job has ever stimulated me as much as Braille transcriber.
How I Learned to Transcribe Braille in Prison
Braille books, business cards and tactile maps are often crafted in prisons throughout the U.S. The job is more fun than most prison work.
prisonjournalismproject.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:32 PM
No prison job has ever stimulated me as much as Braille transcriber.
Reposted by Politree
The CEO of Google admits that Google search provides more accurate information that the company’s AI.
He acknowledges that Google search is "more grounded in providing accurate information."
He acknowledges that Google search is "more grounded in providing accurate information."
December 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The CEO of Google admits that Google search provides more accurate information that the company’s AI.
He acknowledges that Google search is "more grounded in providing accurate information."
He acknowledges that Google search is "more grounded in providing accurate information."
Reposted by Politree
It's not a foolproof plan but every political debate from now on should be a Normal Guy competition. Ask them to describe grocery shopping in detail. Talk about what it's like to have a friend
November 19, 2025 at 2:13 AM
It's not a foolproof plan but every political debate from now on should be a Normal Guy competition. Ask them to describe grocery shopping in detail. Talk about what it's like to have a friend
Reposted by Politree
Exciting news: my union @pen-guild.bsky.social won our fight to hold management accountable for rolling out AI tools with no notice & for failing to hold the bots to the same standards all of us humans must follow — in violation of the contract they agreed to. A neutral arbiter said we were right!
PEN Guild wins landmark arbitration on AI protections - Washington-Baltimore News Guild
This marks one of the first major labor-arbitration rulings on the impact of AI on journalism, setting an important precedent for the U.S. news industry.
wbng.org
December 1, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Exciting news: my union @pen-guild.bsky.social won our fight to hold management accountable for rolling out AI tools with no notice & for failing to hold the bots to the same standards all of us humans must follow — in violation of the contract they agreed to. A neutral arbiter said we were right!
Reposted by Politree
FYI: the EXAMPLE of what a war crime is in the DoD Law of War manual is EXACTLY what Hegseth did. bsky.app/profile/jjin...
⚖️ DoD Law of War Manual, page 1075:
"For example, orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal."
ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/d...
"For example, orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal."
ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/d...
December 1, 2025 at 5:06 PM
FYI: the EXAMPLE of what a war crime is in the DoD Law of War manual is EXACTLY what Hegseth did. bsky.app/profile/jjin...
Reposted by Politree
*not shopping at Target intensifies*
December 1, 2025 at 8:31 PM
*not shopping at Target intensifies*
Reposted by Politree
Feels like a number of people have a hard time calling direct aid, direct aid. I don't know why. Not all direct aid is part of mutual aid but many mutual aid efforts INCLUDE direct aid. The key here is INCLUDE which suggests that there is more happening than direct aid in mutual aid efforts.
December 1, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Feels like a number of people have a hard time calling direct aid, direct aid. I don't know why. Not all direct aid is part of mutual aid but many mutual aid efforts INCLUDE direct aid. The key here is INCLUDE which suggests that there is more happening than direct aid in mutual aid efforts.
Reposted by Politree
It sucks that meeting a new class now involves not just going over the syllabus, setting expectations, and trying to establish a rapport, but also trying to deduce whether any of your new students are vigilante right wing operatives out to seek viral controversy at the expense of your job
If you are a chair of a department or supervise grad students, it might be important to collaborate with your colleagues on ways to strategize when a "problem essay" comes down the pike. It's one small way of protecting each other.
December 1, 2025 at 8:38 PM
It sucks that meeting a new class now involves not just going over the syllabus, setting expectations, and trying to establish a rapport, but also trying to deduce whether any of your new students are vigilante right wing operatives out to seek viral controversy at the expense of your job
Reposted by Politree
U.S. air travelers without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the TSA announces
US air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee
The Transportation Security Administration has announced that U.S. air travelers without a REAL ID will face a $45 fee starting in February.
apnews.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:23 PM
U.S. air travelers without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the TSA announces
Reposted by Politree
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
November 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
Reposted by Politree
And I don't know if the answer is: everyone is too traumatized to do work and we need to reinvent society. Or if it's more like: generations are losing their cognitive abilities and willpower due to destructive technologies. Or: we all have post-viral brain damage. Or: all of the above.
November 28, 2025 at 11:34 PM
And I don't know if the answer is: everyone is too traumatized to do work and we need to reinvent society. Or if it's more like: generations are losing their cognitive abilities and willpower due to destructive technologies. Or: we all have post-viral brain damage. Or: all of the above.
Reposted by Politree
This is not a "students today" post--it's more "this is a new form of dysfunction" that doesn't look exactly like it's been in previous decades. It's more than just "first-year chaos." It's an across-the-board inability to process instructions, engage with longer texts, and *connect* with others.
November 28, 2025 at 10:22 PM
This is not a "students today" post--it's more "this is a new form of dysfunction" that doesn't look exactly like it's been in previous decades. It's more than just "first-year chaos." It's an across-the-board inability to process instructions, engage with longer texts, and *connect* with others.
Reposted by Politree
BREAKING: According to a recent investigation by NYC's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Starbucks illegally violated workers' protection laws in NYC 500,000 times since 2021. Over $35.5 million will be paid in restitution to Starbucks workers!
gothamist.com/news/starbuc...
gothamist.com/news/starbuc...
Starbucks to pay $35M to NYC workers after city alleges years of abuses
The city says about 15,000 employees will get paid $50 for each week worked over a three-year period. For some workers, that's thousands of dollars.
gothamist.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:35 PM
BREAKING: According to a recent investigation by NYC's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Starbucks illegally violated workers' protection laws in NYC 500,000 times since 2021. Over $35.5 million will be paid in restitution to Starbucks workers!
gothamist.com/news/starbuc...
gothamist.com/news/starbuc...
Reposted by Politree
I think maybe people want to vote for good people?
November 5, 2025 at 3:32 AM
I think maybe people want to vote for good people?
Reposted by Politree
Specifically, the fear of God comes from GOP uncertainty with rejiggering maps after Virginia turned into practically a supermajority state overnight. You might redistrict yourself right out of a job
really important element of this basically total victory is that it puts the fear of god in republican incumbents and may bring the redistricting push to a total halt
November 5, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Specifically, the fear of God comes from GOP uncertainty with rejiggering maps after Virginia turned into practically a supermajority state overnight. You might redistrict yourself right out of a job
Reposted by Politree
Reposted by Politree
super happy this happened but damned if it isn't fucking horrifying that this isn't the norm everywhere
BREAKING: Colorado voters approved a ballot measure that would raise state income taxes on higher-earning households to fund free meals for all public school students.
Follow AP for live updates.
Follow AP for live updates.
Live updates: US voters head to the polls in first general election since Trump's return to power
One year after Donald Trump retook the presidency, 2025 Election Day includes closely watched races for New York City mayor, New Jersey governor and California's Proposition 50.
bit.ly
November 5, 2025 at 4:24 AM
super happy this happened but damned if it isn't fucking horrifying that this isn't the norm everywhere
Reposted by Politree
Zohran at the rally for trans youth on february 8 ❣️ he was polling single digits.
June 25, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Zohran at the rally for trans youth on february 8 ❣️ he was polling single digits.
Reposted by Politree
PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE DONALD TRUMP AND THEY ARE DESPERATE FOR AN OUTLET TO EXPRESS THAT
GIVE IT TO THEM
GIVE IT TO THEM
Holy shit, the Prop 50 turnout was massive! NYT projecting 10.6 million votes, CA GOV 2022 was 10.9M votes.
November 5, 2025 at 4:34 AM
PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE DONALD TRUMP AND THEY ARE DESPERATE FOR AN OUTLET TO EXPRESS THAT
GIVE IT TO THEM
GIVE IT TO THEM
Reposted by Politree
Good things are possible and we don’t have to settle.
November 5, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Good things are possible and we don’t have to settle.
Reposted by Politree
this may sound hopelessly naive of me , but i truly believe we can transform our world into one where we do good things instead of bad things
January 14, 2025 at 8:53 PM
this may sound hopelessly naive of me , but i truly believe we can transform our world into one where we do good things instead of bad things
Reposted by Politree
Trans rights is a winning platform. Pro immigration is a winning platform. Taxing the rich is a winning platform. Affordable housing is a winning platform. Free childcare is a winning platform. Hating Andrew Cuomo is a winning platform. SOCIALISM IS A WINNING PLATFORM
November 5, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Trans rights is a winning platform. Pro immigration is a winning platform. Taxing the rich is a winning platform. Affordable housing is a winning platform. Free childcare is a winning platform. Hating Andrew Cuomo is a winning platform. SOCIALISM IS A WINNING PLATFORM