Rational Gal
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rationalgal.bsky.social
Rational Gal
@rationalgal.bsky.social
160 followers 370 following 70 posts
mother & wife, former software engineer and educator, she/her 🇺🇸🌊🌈☮️
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Reposted by Rational Gal
muellershewrote.com
I’m sharing Aliya’s entire opening statement. We owe it to her, and those who no longer have a voice, to watch. youtu.be/zrcW8SZtYpI?...
WATCH: Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen Aliya Rahman describes being detained by ICE
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
youtu.be
February 4, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by Rational Gal
angrystaffer.bsky.social
This was posted in the new Epstein files release and removed about 20 mins later.

Wonder why that is.
January 30, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
zhbuchanan.bsky.social
I've been sent video from the end of the ICE raid at the Zipps on 32nd and Shea.

It shows protesters -- on the sidewalk, impeding no one -- getting drive-by maced by an ICE agent from a truck as it rolls away down the road.

Hard to see how such tactics are justifiable.
January 27, 2026 at 6:07 AM
Reposted by Rational Gal
johnsipher.bsky.social
Gift article for your reading pleasure.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...
Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Rational Gal
mariopro.bsky.social
January 23, 2026 at 5:40 PM
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anneapplebaum.bsky.social
this is what patriotism looks like
January 12, 2026 at 9:53 AM
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juddlegum.bsky.social
1. Hundreds of corps that pledged to stop donating to members of Congress who voted to overturn the election on 1/6/21 have broken their promise over the last 5 years

But we've identified 10 promise keepers:

Farmers
Airbnb
Expedia
Nike
Clorox
Eversource Energy
Holland & Hart
Qurate
Whirlpool
Lyft
Five years later, these 10 corporations still aren’t funding election deniers
Five years ago today, on January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the Capitol building.
popular.info
January 6, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
mrsbettybowers.bsky.social
Are you available today?
January 4, 2026 at 7:14 PM
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sanderson7575.bsky.social
Extremes are not good for society. Perhaps we should embrace a blend of individualism and collectivism?
January 2, 2026 at 1:32 PM
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joshuajfriedman.com
Happy New Year from the Izu Shaboten Zoo!
January 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
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brennancenter.org
Private prison company GEO Group allegedly made immigration detainees work for no pay. Now it's at the Supreme Court trying to prevent the detainees from suing. bit.ly/4pfafj2
Supreme Court Considers Private Prison Case
A private prison company seeks a ruling that could help all government contractors evade liability.
www.brennancenter.org
December 27, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
ashtonpittman.bsky.social
DOJ briefly uploaded this letter from Jeff Epstein to serial child molester Larry Nassar:

"Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to 'grab snatch,' whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system."
letter says: J. Epstein NOVA 220 Manhattan Correctionio PMSL NYC NY 10007 NETURNTO BENPER nmas 口 INMATE NAME AND REGISTER NÚMBER ARE REQUIRED TO 口 UNATHORIZED PACKA REQUIRE AUTHOREA I EIGHING VARESS OF NO LONGER AT THIS ADDRESS. 85 BS756-970688 x 85756 hoijhhahedl-2112--225a218g7-d2-l2-/2-2118 Dear L. N As you know by now, I have taken the "Short route" home. Good ench! We shared one thing... our love i cains fo yue hage ladies auf' Thad read thais foll Om president allo shares on love o young, nubile girl. When a young beauty walked by loved to grab snatch, Whereas we ended up snatching grub in The mess halls o the sxem "Life is unfai Your Г. Epstein
December 23, 2025 at 6:03 AM
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bubbaprog.xyz
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
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muellershewrote.com
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment
I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.
www.muellershewrote.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
annabower.bsky.social
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
News Team, Thank you for the notes and texts. I apologize for not reaching out earlier. I learned on Saturday that Bari Weiss spiked our story, INSIDE CECOT, which was supposed to air tonight. We (Ori and I) asked for a call to discuss her decision. She did not afford us that courtesy/opportunity. Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now-after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one. We requested responses to questions and/or interviews with DHS, the White House, and the State Department. Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story. If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a "kill switch" for any reporting they find inconvenient. If the standard for airing a story becomes "the government must agree to be interviewed," then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state. These men risked their lives to speak with us. We have a moral and professional obligation to the sources who entrusted us with their stories. Abandoning them now is a betrayal of the most basic tenet of journalism: giving voice to the voiceless. CBS spiked the Jeffrey Wigand interview due to legal concerns, nearly destroying the credibility of this broadcast. It took years to recover from that "low point." By pulling this story to shield an administration, we are repeating that history, but for political optics rather than legal ones. We have been promoting this story on social media for days. Our viewers are expecting it. When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of "Gold Standard" reputation for a single week of political quiet. I care too much about this broadcast to watch it be dismantled without a fight. Sharyn
December 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
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ricksteves.bsky.social
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.

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December 21, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Reposted by Rational Gal
charlesgaba.com
🚨 I won't repost the whole thread again, but I'm *BEGGING* #ACA enrollees to VISIT YOUR STATE'S ACA EXCHANGE WEBSITE & *COMPARE PLANS!*

The deadline in most states for coverage strating Jan. 1st is MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!

DO NOT PASSIVELY AUTO-RENEW your current plan.

acasignups.net/25/12/11/gro...
Grouching towards Enrollment: My 2026 ACA OEP Guide (Updated w/2 more tips!)
Almost exactly a year ago I began my 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period guide with the following words: This is the best OEP ever for the ACA for several reasons: The expanded/enhanced premium subsidies ...
acasignups.net
December 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
gbrockell.bsky.social
I’ve heard from immigration attorneys that clients say ICE guards lay out the WRAP device (essentially a full-body straitjacket) on the tarmac as a threat — “do what we say or you’re getting the WRAP on the whole flight.”

And here’s proof, from Seattle livestream today via @lalabote.bsky.social.
A screenshot of an Embraer 145 from ICE flight contractor Key Lime Air/Denver Air Connection on a tarmac with with guards and detainees . In the lower right hand corner is a contraption with a bunch of nylon straps and metal fasteners. A closeup of the contraption
December 11, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
sharonk.bsky.social
From Amnesty International:
“We’re locked up in 1000 ft2 cages. There are 32 people in each cage, and 8 cages inside the tent. The lights are like stadium lights; they’re always on, they’re never turned off or even dimmed. It’s very cold, the air conditioning is very strong. There are a lot of mosquitos.”197 Individual previously detained at “Alligator Alcatraz” “We didn’t have access to any sort of media. There are no televisions or newspapers. We didn’t have the ability to practice our religion; there are no bibles. We were locked up in the cages for almost 24 hours a day. We couldn’t have any visits, not even our lawyers or family members.”198 Individual previously detained at “Alligator Alcatraz”
December 8, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
minakimes.bsky.social
Read this: www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
Becoming a U.S. citizen takes years and involves immigrants acquiring a green card, extensive interviews, background checks, classes and a citizenship test. The naturalization ceremony is the final step to the process, where the oath of allegiance and a citizenship certificate are granted. Immigrants approved to be naturalized went to Faneuil Hall Thursday - known as the country's cradle of liberty - for that long-awaited moment to pledge allegiance to the United States. But instead, as they lined up, some were told by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials that they couldn't proceed due to their countries of origin.
December 7, 2025 at 12:22 AM
rationalgal.bsky.social
Zillow caved, so look for self help in this thread..thank you to those who posted helpful links/info
volts.wtf David Roberts @volts.wtf · Nov 30
Lol, Zillow tried to rate the climate risks facing individual properties. The real estate industry *hated* it, precisely because it worked -- it made selling risky properties more difficult. So they rebelled & Zillow caved.

Don't look up!
Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Reposted by Rational Gal
gilduran.com
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.

Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
donmoyn.bsky.social Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Nov 29
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
List of headlines from media covering FDA, most emphasizing the claim that covid killed children
November 30, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Reposted by Rational Gal
thetnholler.bsky.social
Surprise! The “peace plan” is really just a plan for Trump, Witkoff, Don Junior and their friends to get rich.

Everything is a grift. (And the Hunter hunters are silent)

www.wsj.com/world/russia...
November 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
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walshfreedom.bsky.social
November 28, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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lizzieohreally.bsky.social
Every person I know who is roughly my age is dealing with something like this right now www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
Opinion | ‘We Had No Idea What Was Coming’: Caring for My Aging Father
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:39 PM