Leigh Grossman
@swordsmith.bsky.social
Writer, editor, independent publishing professional, professor, and game designer. Principal of Swordsmith Productions and Unleash the Book. Elected Democrat.
Pinned
The January Unleash the Book course is full, but if you're struggling to write a book, I'm meeting on zoom with folks now about the summer course. Feel free to drop me a line to see if it's a fit for you.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Hegseth reversed the policy Mark Esper put in place in 2020, which was designed to prevent “discrimination, prejudice, and bias in all ranks.” Hegseth wants to know what they look like when these decisions are made.
December 7, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Hegseth reversed the policy Mark Esper put in place in 2020, which was designed to prevent “discrimination, prejudice, and bias in all ranks.” Hegseth wants to know what they look like when these decisions are made.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Two things:
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
She compares the boat strikes to Jesus breaking the sabbath to heal someone.
December 6, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Two things:
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
1) The principle here, called pikuach nefesh, says that you can break a law *to save a life*, not to TAKE a life.
2) But even then, some laws can never be broken to save a life. One thing you *cannot* do for the sake of pikuach nefesh is to kill someone else.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
this sentence alone, my goodness
“She showed up as scheduled, and when she arrived, officers were asking everyone what country they were from, and if they said a certain country, they were told to step out of line and that their oath ceremonies were canceled.”
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2... @gbhnews.bsky.social
Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide
Trump administration is pausing naturalizations for immigrants from 19 countries.
www.wgbh.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:56 PM
this sentence alone, my goodness
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
oh god, the Jan 6th pipe bomb guy was a Brony
December 5, 2025 at 10:04 PM
oh god, the Jan 6th pipe bomb guy was a Brony
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I sincerely hope we get to the point in which all MAGA swag is treated as nazi paraphernalia and the only place you will be able to buy it is at a sketchy booth exiled to the very back of a flea market.
At some loint, this has to end in a patriotic display of brutal mob violence.
Years later, so many fake parts than the actual remains. Buckets of teeth. At least sixteen skulls. We have Antiques Roadshow telling folks that sorry, that Trump Femur they got from gran-gran is actually from a coyote.
Years later, so many fake parts than the actual remains. Buckets of teeth. At least sixteen skulls. We have Antiques Roadshow telling folks that sorry, that Trump Femur they got from gran-gran is actually from a coyote.
December 5, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I sincerely hope we get to the point in which all MAGA swag is treated as nazi paraphernalia and the only place you will be able to buy it is at a sketchy booth exiled to the very back of a flea market.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
A quick tip: AI is notably bad at menorahs.
(Special mention for the blue glasses of Traditional Hanukkah Beverage)
(Special mention for the blue glasses of Traditional Hanukkah Beverage)
December 3, 2025 at 6:57 PM
A quick tip: AI is notably bad at menorahs.
(Special mention for the blue glasses of Traditional Hanukkah Beverage)
(Special mention for the blue glasses of Traditional Hanukkah Beverage)
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I didn’t need these people to convince me to hate gambling, but I appreciate all the effort they’ve put into making my personal stance appear sane and reasonable.
The co-founder of Kalshi says: " The long-term vision is to financialize everything and create a tradable asset out of any difference in opinion."
December 4, 2025 at 5:30 AM
I didn’t need these people to convince me to hate gambling, but I appreciate all the effort they’ve put into making my personal stance appear sane and reasonable.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
George Will:
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.”
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.”
December 3, 2025 at 2:40 AM
George Will:
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.”
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.”
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Good point from @swin24.bsky.social and team here: Trump and Hegseth suddenly refusing to take credit for the second strike, after they've spent weeks sadistically yukking it up over their killings, is a key tell:
zeteo.com/p/trump-hegs...
zeteo.com/p/trump-hegs...
Trump Admin Lawyers Now Warn Boat Strike May Be Illegal, as Hegseth Passes the Buck
‘If the Washington Post is right, then a crime was committed,’ a Trump admin lawyer tells Zeteo, as Pete Hegseth tries to pass the buck.
zeteo.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Good point from @swin24.bsky.social and team here: Trump and Hegseth suddenly refusing to take credit for the second strike, after they've spent weeks sadistically yukking it up over their killings, is a key tell:
zeteo.com/p/trump-hegs...
zeteo.com/p/trump-hegs...
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
jesus christ
Trump on Somalis: "We're gonna go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country. Ilhan Omar is garbage. She's garbage. Her friends are garbage."
December 2, 2025 at 7:12 PM
jesus christ
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
NEW: North Carolina prison officials, this summer, raised the price of items that incarcerated people can buy.
The prices are already way marked-up; & incarcerated people make a tiny fraction of minimum wage if they work.
An incarcerated reporter explains what's happening, & why it matters:
The prices are already way marked-up; & incarcerated people make a tiny fraction of minimum wage if they work.
An incarcerated reporter explains what's happening, & why it matters:
North Carolina Prison Officials Raise Prices for Those Who Can Least Afford It - Bolts
It’s 4:30 pm on a Monday as Colell Steele stands in front of the closed canteen window at Neuse Correctional, a medium-custody prison in North Carolina. He’s lined up to... Read More
boltsmag.org
December 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM
NEW: North Carolina prison officials, this summer, raised the price of items that incarcerated people can buy.
The prices are already way marked-up; & incarcerated people make a tiny fraction of minimum wage if they work.
An incarcerated reporter explains what's happening, & why it matters:
The prices are already way marked-up; & incarcerated people make a tiny fraction of minimum wage if they work.
An incarcerated reporter explains what's happening, & why it matters:
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Trump: "Under Boot Edge Edge - another grossly incompetent. Get on his bicycle, ride to work. What they do is they take the fiber optics & they take fiber, try to hook it into copper. And fiber and copper don't mix. You can't do it...you saw that by the helicopter crash. You saw that into the plane"
December 2, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Trump: "Under Boot Edge Edge - another grossly incompetent. Get on his bicycle, ride to work. What they do is they take the fiber optics & they take fiber, try to hook it into copper. And fiber and copper don't mix. You can't do it...you saw that by the helicopter crash. You saw that into the plane"
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
there is no legitimate definition of the term "democracy" under which maps like these are "democratic." this level of stovepiping is banana republic shit. this is effectively no different from stuffing a ballot box
Indiana Republicans have unveiled their proposal to re-gerrymander the congressional map & expand their current 7-2 majority to 9-0.
The Dem-held 1st would flip to Trump+12 & the 7th to Trump+19. All 7 GOP seats would be at least Trump+18.
Interactive map:
davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap...
The Dem-held 1st would flip to Trump+12 & the 7th to Trump+19. All 7 GOP seats would be at least Trump+18.
Interactive map:
davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap...
December 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
there is no legitimate definition of the term "democracy" under which maps like these are "democratic." this level of stovepiping is banana republic shit. this is effectively no different from stuffing a ballot box
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
6 years today the first COVID case was identified in a man in Wuhan marking the beginning of a global pandemic that changed the world. We are way less prepared today to face another pandemic than we were back then. This fact makes me sad.
November 30, 2025 at 10:52 PM
6 years today the first COVID case was identified in a man in Wuhan marking the beginning of a global pandemic that changed the world. We are way less prepared today to face another pandemic than we were back then. This fact makes me sad.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
(RACHEL walks past children playing. Her biological clock ticks. She’s thirty, almost dead.)
LITTLE GIRL: Are you excited for the County Hanukkah Fair?
RACHEL: Not really. I’m not super into Hanukkah.
LITTLE GIRL: Are you excited for the County Hanukkah Fair?
RACHEL: Not really. I’m not super into Hanukkah.
Scenes from a Hallmark Hanukkah Movie Written by Someone Who Has Definitely Met a Jew
EXT. SMALL TOWN BUS STOP – DAY (A beautiful woman with slightly wavy brown hair steps off a bus. She’s RACHEL, a corporate lawyer from The Big Cit...
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM
(RACHEL walks past children playing. Her biological clock ticks. She’s thirty, almost dead.)
LITTLE GIRL: Are you excited for the County Hanukkah Fair?
RACHEL: Not really. I’m not super into Hanukkah.
LITTLE GIRL: Are you excited for the County Hanukkah Fair?
RACHEL: Not really. I’m not super into Hanukkah.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Sen. Mark Kelly to NBC: "When I heard the Secretary say that they're going to pause immigration from 'third world' countries, I mean, I take that as a message that they don't want brown people coming to the United States. And I find that disturbing."
December 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Sen. Mark Kelly to NBC: "When I heard the Secretary say that they're going to pause immigration from 'third world' countries, I mean, I take that as a message that they don't want brown people coming to the United States. And I find that disturbing."
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
"Agents are arresting foreign-born spouses when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency, and charging them with visa violations that could result in deportation." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:19 PM
"Agents are arresting foreign-born spouses when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency, and charging them with visa violations that could result in deportation." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
I 100% set Gemini up for failure here but I appreciate LLMs' game willingness to go along when I asked it for details on the musical number I had just entirely made up
November 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I 100% set Gemini up for failure here but I appreciate LLMs' game willingness to go along when I asked it for details on the musical number I had just entirely made up
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
X rolled out a new feature overnight showing where accounts are based. This network of “Trump-supporting independent women” that claimed to be “real Americans” are based in Thailand.
The photos were stolen from European models & posts pushed pro-Trump lines while targeting Islam and LGBTQ people.
The photos were stolen from European models & posts pushed pro-Trump lines while targeting Islam and LGBTQ people.
November 23, 2025 at 12:55 PM
X rolled out a new feature overnight showing where accounts are based. This network of “Trump-supporting independent women” that claimed to be “real Americans” are based in Thailand.
The photos were stolen from European models & posts pushed pro-Trump lines while targeting Islam and LGBTQ people.
The photos were stolen from European models & posts pushed pro-Trump lines while targeting Islam and LGBTQ people.
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
In Rhode Island, ICE arrested an intern who worked for a court, and then a judge intervened to say they had the wrong person.
All leading to a scene where ICE agents surrounded the judge's car and "threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply." www.wfla.com/news/judge-i...
All leading to a scene where ICE agents surrounded the judge's car and "threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply." www.wfla.com/news/judge-i...
November 22, 2025 at 8:45 PM
In Rhode Island, ICE arrested an intern who worked for a court, and then a judge intervened to say they had the wrong person.
All leading to a scene where ICE agents surrounded the judge's car and "threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply." www.wfla.com/news/judge-i...
All leading to a scene where ICE agents surrounded the judge's car and "threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply." www.wfla.com/news/judge-i...
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Props to Rep. Nydia Velazquez. This is exactly the right approach from a longtime member of Congress in their 70s. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/n...
November 20, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Props to Rep. Nydia Velazquez. This is exactly the right approach from a longtime member of Congress in their 70s. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/n...
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Not should, when
Trump's economy is being held up by a massive AI bubble.
A recent study found that of 300 companies that owned generative AI tools, 95% reported zero return on their investments.
We will not entertain a bailout of these companies should this bubble pop.
A recent study found that of 300 companies that owned generative AI tools, 95% reported zero return on their investments.
We will not entertain a bailout of these companies should this bubble pop.
November 19, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Not should, when
Reposted by Leigh Grossman
Standing up to a tyrant - who is willing to impose pain as leverage to compel loyalty or acquiescence - is hard. You can convince yourself that yielding stops the pain and brings you back to "normal".
But there is no "normal". Submission emboldens the tyrant. The threat grows.
But there is no "normal". Submission emboldens the tyrant. The threat grows.
November 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Standing up to a tyrant - who is willing to impose pain as leverage to compel loyalty or acquiescence - is hard. You can convince yourself that yielding stops the pain and brings you back to "normal".
But there is no "normal". Submission emboldens the tyrant. The threat grows.
But there is no "normal". Submission emboldens the tyrant. The threat grows.