John Q. Public
@publius24.bsky.social
Former paper pusher for the deep state. Misanthropic humanist. Lover of art, literature, cinema, and all other humanistic endeavors.
Pinned
John Q. Public
@publius24.bsky.social
· Aug 25
I took a photo of the president’s latest portrait unfurled outside a federal building.
This one is outside the U.S. Department of Labor.
This one is outside the U.S. Department of Labor.
Reposted by John Q. Public
BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide.
This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.
This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.
February 18, 2026 at 5:39 PM
BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide.
This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.
This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.
By the way, emphasizing liberty over safety is going to have to be our main political argument if we want to get out of this fascistic dystopia.
People can feel the dehumanizing effects of mass surveillance and unregulated AI. They are desperate for somebody to lead them into a brighter future.
People can feel the dehumanizing effects of mass surveillance and unregulated AI. They are desperate for somebody to lead them into a brighter future.
I have to say that this notion that police abolition “creates more safety” is absolute nonsense because, if you talk with an abolitionist long enough, even they will admit “well we haven’t thought that far yet.”
The conversation would be better focused on deprioritizing safety in favor of liberty.
The conversation would be better focused on deprioritizing safety in favor of liberty.
Prison and police abolition creates more safety than a corporate carceral state and most of the benefits of are downriver from being the sort of people who solve problems sustainable solutions, thereby avoiding the terrible dangers inherent to being the sort of people who solve them with punishment.
February 18, 2026 at 6:04 PM
By the way, emphasizing liberty over safety is going to have to be our main political argument if we want to get out of this fascistic dystopia.
People can feel the dehumanizing effects of mass surveillance and unregulated AI. They are desperate for somebody to lead them into a brighter future.
People can feel the dehumanizing effects of mass surveillance and unregulated AI. They are desperate for somebody to lead them into a brighter future.
I have to say that this notion that police abolition “creates more safety” is absolute nonsense because, if you talk with an abolitionist long enough, even they will admit “well we haven’t thought that far yet.”
The conversation would be better focused on deprioritizing safety in favor of liberty.
The conversation would be better focused on deprioritizing safety in favor of liberty.
Prison and police abolition creates more safety than a corporate carceral state and most of the benefits of are downriver from being the sort of people who solve problems sustainable solutions, thereby avoiding the terrible dangers inherent to being the sort of people who solve them with punishment.
February 18, 2026 at 5:44 PM
I have to say that this notion that police abolition “creates more safety” is absolute nonsense because, if you talk with an abolitionist long enough, even they will admit “well we haven’t thought that far yet.”
The conversation would be better focused on deprioritizing safety in favor of liberty.
The conversation would be better focused on deprioritizing safety in favor of liberty.
Reposted by John Q. Public
BREAKING: MeidasTouch and MoveOn are hosting the People’s State of the Union on the National Mall as Dems boycott Trump’s address.
Hosted by Katie Phang and Joy Reid, it will feature lawmakers alongside federal workers, immigrants, and Americans impacted by Trump’s policies.
Watch on our YouTube.
Hosted by Katie Phang and Joy Reid, it will feature lawmakers alongside federal workers, immigrants, and Americans impacted by Trump’s policies.
Watch on our YouTube.
February 18, 2026 at 4:07 PM
BREAKING: MeidasTouch and MoveOn are hosting the People’s State of the Union on the National Mall as Dems boycott Trump’s address.
Hosted by Katie Phang and Joy Reid, it will feature lawmakers alongside federal workers, immigrants, and Americans impacted by Trump’s policies.
Watch on our YouTube.
Hosted by Katie Phang and Joy Reid, it will feature lawmakers alongside federal workers, immigrants, and Americans impacted by Trump’s policies.
Watch on our YouTube.
In my opinion, the last great right-leaning artist (accepted as such and appreciated by people on the left, as well) was Cormac McCarthy.
Maybe I’m missing some musician or actor, but I’m talking about the last artist to offer a conservative worldview in a thoughtful and artistic manner.
Maybe I’m missing some musician or actor, but I’m talking about the last artist to offer a conservative worldview in a thoughtful and artistic manner.
There used to be a ton of right-leaning artists, poets, writers etc. This kind of person doesn't really exist anymore because all right wing energy is aimed at asserting the intrinsic superiority of this or that arbitrary genetic group on a podcast
February 18, 2026 at 4:32 PM
In my opinion, the last great right-leaning artist (accepted as such and appreciated by people on the left, as well) was Cormac McCarthy.
Maybe I’m missing some musician or actor, but I’m talking about the last artist to offer a conservative worldview in a thoughtful and artistic manner.
Maybe I’m missing some musician or actor, but I’m talking about the last artist to offer a conservative worldview in a thoughtful and artistic manner.
Reposted by John Q. Public
The decline of right wing cultural production is just due to the fact that they don’t like culture, they like the signifiers of culture, ie “classic sculpture means white people are better.” They don’t like art at all except for this purpose. They don’t even like the nerd stuff they whine about
February 18, 2026 at 4:06 PM
The decline of right wing cultural production is just due to the fact that they don’t like culture, they like the signifiers of culture, ie “classic sculpture means white people are better.” They don’t like art at all except for this purpose. They don’t even like the nerd stuff they whine about
Anything is better than this
February 18, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Anything is better than this
Reposted by John Q. Public
Wow.
Watching 37 USAF aircraft - 23 tankers, 13 transports and an E-3 AWACS over CONUS and Europe over the last 4 hours.
Watching 37 USAF aircraft - 23 tankers, 13 transports and an E-3 AWACS over CONUS and Europe over the last 4 hours.
February 18, 2026 at 5:02 AM
Wow.
Watching 37 USAF aircraft - 23 tankers, 13 transports and an E-3 AWACS over CONUS and Europe over the last 4 hours.
Watching 37 USAF aircraft - 23 tankers, 13 transports and an E-3 AWACS over CONUS and Europe over the last 4 hours.
Reposted by John Q. Public
BIG NEWS: The federal government has given up their appeal in our National Guard case from last fall – meaning we’ve permanently succeeded in keeping National Guard members off our streets. #orpol
February 17, 2026 at 10:55 PM
BIG NEWS: The federal government has given up their appeal in our National Guard case from last fall – meaning we’ve permanently succeeded in keeping National Guard members off our streets. #orpol
Reposted by John Q. Public
It turns out late-stage capitalism is the monetization of addiction and dependence. The opium trade but via universally available digital media.
February 17, 2026 at 4:37 PM
It turns out late-stage capitalism is the monetization of addiction and dependence. The opium trade but via universally available digital media.
This feels like the equivalent of privatizing the nuclear arms race in the sense that each company is competing to see who can reach the end times the fastest.
Like there are no guardrails here whatsoever—legal, moral, or ethical.
Like there are no guardrails here whatsoever—legal, moral, or ethical.
Meta has patented AI that can run a dead person's account, continuing to post and chat on their behalf
It can message and video call by replicating a user's online behavior using their past data
It can message and video call by replicating a user's online behavior using their past data
February 17, 2026 at 3:20 PM
This feels like the equivalent of privatizing the nuclear arms race in the sense that each company is competing to see who can reach the end times the fastest.
Like there are no guardrails here whatsoever—legal, moral, or ethical.
Like there are no guardrails here whatsoever—legal, moral, or ethical.
Reposted by John Q. Public
The regime is now dictating what political views are acceptable to air on television and paramount/cbs are collaborating in that censorship bsky.app/profile/ditz...
Stephen Colbert said that the FCC and CBS - which is in no way a compromised or complicit organization - wouldn’t allow him to broadcast an interview with Democratic State Rep James Talarico. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/a...
Colbert Doesn’t Give an FCC About Calling Out CBS
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:09 PM
The regime is now dictating what political views are acceptable to air on television and paramount/cbs are collaborating in that censorship bsky.app/profile/ditz...
Reposted by John Q. Public
read that first paragraph if nothing else:
Federal court orders Trump administration to restore historical panel exhibits at President’s House in Philadelphia.
Happy Presidents Day.
Happy Presidents Day.
February 16, 2026 at 6:48 PM
read that first paragraph if nothing else:
So the federal government isn’t complying here. What are state officials going to do about it?
@governorwalz.mn.gov
@mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social
@governorwalz.mn.gov
@mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social
Minnesota criminal investigators have again been denied access to evidence and other materials collected by federal authorities after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, state officials said Monday.
FBI will not provide the BCA access to evidence gathered from Pretti shooting, BCA says
Minnesota criminal investigators have again been denied access to evidence and other materials collected by federal authorities after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, state officials said Monday.
www.mprnews.org
February 16, 2026 at 5:14 PM
So the federal government isn’t complying here. What are state officials going to do about it?
@governorwalz.mn.gov
@mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social
@governorwalz.mn.gov
@mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social
Beginning my political rite of passage.
February 16, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Beginning my political rite of passage.
Reposted by John Q. Public
imo Dems should treat these people the way they claim we treat them
Dude is quickly climbing the ranks of Most Dangerous Man Alive
February 16, 2026 at 1:35 PM
imo Dems should treat these people the way they claim we treat them
Reposted by John Q. Public
it should probably be a bigger story that the richest man in the history of humanity is, objectively speaking, just a straight up Nazi
also the next democratic administration needs to throw him in prison
also the next democratic administration needs to throw him in prison
February 15, 2026 at 11:24 PM
it should probably be a bigger story that the richest man in the history of humanity is, objectively speaking, just a straight up Nazi
also the next democratic administration needs to throw him in prison
also the next democratic administration needs to throw him in prison
Visiting Fraunces Tavern today, the site where Washington celebrated the evacuation of the last British troops from New York City in 1783.
Take a look at the 13 toasts that Washington made with his officers, particularly toast number 11:
“May America be an asylum to the persecuted of the earth.”
Take a look at the 13 toasts that Washington made with his officers, particularly toast number 11:
“May America be an asylum to the persecuted of the earth.”
February 15, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Visiting Fraunces Tavern today, the site where Washington celebrated the evacuation of the last British troops from New York City in 1783.
Take a look at the 13 toasts that Washington made with his officers, particularly toast number 11:
“May America be an asylum to the persecuted of the earth.”
Take a look at the 13 toasts that Washington made with his officers, particularly toast number 11:
“May America be an asylum to the persecuted of the earth.”
There’s a lot going on here, but nobody comes to this country to embrace a White, Anglo-Saxon culture. They come precisely because it is a “multicultural economic zone.”
And for most of this country’s history, that is exactly what people have fought and died for.
And for most of this country’s history, that is exactly what people have fought and died for.
1/3 What Musk is really referring to here is, of course “race” - that construct that served to define the hierarchies of wealth & power structured by modern colonialism. Like other far right racists though, he uses the word “culture” as a seemingly less pernicious synonym.
February 15, 2026 at 3:59 PM
There’s a lot going on here, but nobody comes to this country to embrace a White, Anglo-Saxon culture. They come precisely because it is a “multicultural economic zone.”
And for most of this country’s history, that is exactly what people have fought and died for.
And for most of this country’s history, that is exactly what people have fought and died for.
Reposted by John Q. Public
interesting to think that revolutionary era americans understood themselves as making a break with the “old world” and establishing a new civilization. and crucially, this new civilization rested on republican self-government, not “sovereignty.”
The Rubio speech really is appalling, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 1:17 AM
interesting to think that revolutionary era americans understood themselves as making a break with the “old world” and establishing a new civilization. and crucially, this new civilization rested on republican self-government, not “sovereignty.”
Reposted by John Q. Public
This is a hell of a headline:
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
The decisions amount to a huge legal rebuke, but the administration has continued jailing people indefinitely.
www.reuters.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:25 PM
This is a hell of a headline: