@bmarchetich.bsky.social
6. Speaking of military service, Platner repeatedly made clear his time fighting US wars had shaped his worldview, and left him disillusioned & cynical about both what he called US "imperial adventures" and the system as a whole.
October 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
6. Speaking of military service, Platner repeatedly made clear his time fighting US wars had shaped his worldview, and left him disillusioned & cynical about both what he called US "imperial adventures" and the system as a whole.
5. A good e.g. of the contradictions of Platner's posts: he could share what most people would consider an offensive story about a military game of gay chicken one moment, and condemn homophobia the next. He used Reddit to give his fellow service members help & advice.
October 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
5. A good e.g. of the contradictions of Platner's posts: he could share what most people would consider an offensive story about a military game of gay chicken one moment, and condemn homophobia the next. He used Reddit to give his fellow service members help & advice.
4. Gun rights aside, Platner, a veteran, shared a host of conventionally progressive views, albeit expressed in the hyper-vulgar style of what he called "our crude and offensive world" of military service.
October 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
4. Gun rights aside, Platner, a veteran, shared a host of conventionally progressive views, albeit expressed in the hyper-vulgar style of what he called "our crude and offensive world" of military service.
3. In spite of the single, unflattering quote about rural voters that has been picked out, most of Platner's posts see him railing against liberals who look down on rural Americans, and insisting they'd be potential progressive allies if Democrats soften on gun control.
October 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
3. In spite of the single, unflattering quote about rural voters that has been picked out, most of Platner's posts see him railing against liberals who look down on rural Americans, and insisting they'd be potential progressive allies if Democrats soften on gun control.
2. Platner often talked about his left-wing views and, even more frequently, angrily railed against fascism and armed far right groups, which he viewed as a growing threat that might require self-defense. He plainly is not a secret far right extremist.
October 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
2. Platner often talked about his left-wing views and, even more frequently, angrily railed against fascism and armed far right groups, which he viewed as a growing threat that might require self-defense. He plainly is not a secret far right extremist.
1. Platner frequently expressed outrage & anger at the US military's mistreatment of Afghan civilians, and often pushed back against other users' racism, or angrily criticized what he viewed as instances of racism in the news.
October 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
1. Platner frequently expressed outrage & anger at the US military's mistreatment of Afghan civilians, and often pushed back against other users' racism, or angrily criticized what he viewed as instances of racism in the news.
4th, the scale & intensity of bombing. The 70k tons of bombs (a lowball) dropped on Gaza are 6x Hiroshima bombs, but on an area 1/2 the size of Hiroshima and with 6x its population. It's worse than any war going back decades. And Israel used the most destructive possible bombs.
August 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM
4th, the scale & intensity of bombing. The 70k tons of bombs (a lowball) dropped on Gaza are 6x Hiroshima bombs, but on an area 1/2 the size of Hiroshima and with 6x its population. It's worse than any war going back decades. And Israel used the most destructive possible bombs.
3rd the physical destruction: most of its homes, roads, hospitals, schools, cultural heritage sites, vital infrastructure, cropland & livestock, fishing sector. Basically everything that makes organised life possible in Gaza has been almost completely destroyed.
August 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM
3rd the physical destruction: most of its homes, roads, hospitals, schools, cultural heritage sites, vital infrastructure, cropland & livestock, fishing sector. Basically everything that makes organised life possible in Gaza has been almost completely destroyed.
2nd, the extraordinary violence toward children, both statistically & anecdotally, and the famine we're now watching:
August 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM
2nd, the extraordinary violence toward children, both statistically & anecdotally, and the famine we're now watching:
I don't know if people really understand how bad what Israel has done to Gaza is. So here's a collection of stats (often conservative undercounts) that make clear how much worse this is than anything we've seen in recent history.🧵
1st, the death rate & proportion of civilians killed:
1st, the death rate & proportion of civilians killed:
August 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I don't know if people really understand how bad what Israel has done to Gaza is. So here's a collection of stats (often conservative undercounts) that make clear how much worse this is than anything we've seen in recent history.🧵
1st, the death rate & proportion of civilians killed:
1st, the death rate & proportion of civilians killed:
Among other things, the judge, Loretta Preska, bought an $8.7 million Manhattan penthouse on discount from a former exec at Bear Stearns, the firm Epstein was arguably most closely associated with.
This is only the latest conflict-of-interest controversy for Preska:
This is only the latest conflict-of-interest controversy for Preska:
July 28, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Among other things, the judge, Loretta Preska, bought an $8.7 million Manhattan penthouse on discount from a former exec at Bear Stearns, the firm Epstein was arguably most closely associated with.
This is only the latest conflict-of-interest controversy for Preska:
This is only the latest conflict-of-interest controversy for Preska:
NEW: A federal judge who sealed a slew of Epstein-related docs is also, through her husband's Wall St-representing law firm, connected to financial institutions tied up in the Epstein scandal. She's also the judge who imprisoned Steven Donziger after he beat Chevron.
July 28, 2025 at 9:51 PM
NEW: A federal judge who sealed a slew of Epstein-related docs is also, through her husband's Wall St-representing law firm, connected to financial institutions tied up in the Epstein scandal. She's also the judge who imprisoned Steven Donziger after he beat Chevron.
A brief compilation of the reporting & evidence we have of not just Trump's relationship with Epstein, but Epstein's intel ties - including a CBS News producer told by Maxwell that Epstein had tapes of both Trump & Clinton.
July 10, 2025 at 10:09 PM
A brief compilation of the reporting & evidence we have of not just Trump's relationship with Epstein, but Epstein's intel ties - including a CBS News producer told by Maxwell that Epstein had tapes of both Trump & Clinton.
Yet again making the point that Biden's decision to split the centerpiece of his presidency into two bills (the BBB & the infrastructure bill) was why it failed in 2021 - and we can see this by the fact that Trump just succeeded where he failed by doing the opposite.
July 8, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Yet again making the point that Biden's decision to split the centerpiece of his presidency into two bills (the BBB & the infrastructure bill) was why it failed in 2021 - and we can see this by the fact that Trump just succeeded where he failed by doing the opposite.
Anyone who wants to apply proper scrutiny to the Trump admin should shift away from the outrageous, attention-seeking Musk, and focus their attention on Russell Vought - esp. since he's the one who's actually been running the show the past five months.
June 5, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Anyone who wants to apply proper scrutiny to the Trump admin should shift away from the outrageous, attention-seeking Musk, and focus their attention on Russell Vought - esp. since he's the one who's actually been running the show the past five months.
The avalanche of corporate spending to unseat two socialist New York City council members is coming from groups & companies that have clashed directly with them over their votes & legislation - e.g. strengthening worker & tenant protections or banning biometric data gathering:
June 3, 2025 at 8:25 PM
The avalanche of corporate spending to unseat two socialist New York City council members is coming from groups & companies that have clashed directly with them over their votes & legislation - e.g. strengthening worker & tenant protections or banning biometric data gathering:
This is part of a rising trend across the country, of bills and laws that both seek to weaken tenure, while also creating a complaints process against faculty, often on the basis of protecting "intellectual diversity" (while actually attacking it):
May 14, 2025 at 9:49 PM
This is part of a rising trend across the country, of bills and laws that both seek to weaken tenure, while also creating a complaints process against faculty, often on the basis of protecting "intellectual diversity" (while actually attacking it):
Robinson has been one of the most outspoken faculty engaging in activism against the war, and was repeatedly targeted by some of these same groups, while also clashing with the IU administration. For his efforts he has, absurdly, been accused of antisemitism:
May 14, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Robinson has been one of the most outspoken faculty engaging in activism against the war, and was repeatedly targeted by some of these same groups, while also clashing with the IU administration. For his efforts he has, absurdly, been accused of antisemitism:
A big part of the story here is not just govt pressure on IU to crack down on criticism of Israel, but a university administration that one professor charges has gone "beyond the call of duty" to comply, sometimes working with controversial pro-war groups to do so:
May 14, 2025 at 9:49 PM
A big part of the story here is not just govt pressure on IU to crack down on criticism of Israel, but a university administration that one professor charges has gone "beyond the call of duty" to comply, sometimes working with controversial pro-war groups to do so:
Critics warned Indiana's SEA 202 - which ostensibly exists to safeguard "intellectual diversity" - would chill academic freedom and create a "snitch system" where anonymous accusations could trigger career-damaging punishment. This appears to be what happened w/ IU's Ben Robinson
May 14, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Critics warned Indiana's SEA 202 - which ostensibly exists to safeguard "intellectual diversity" - would chill academic freedom and create a "snitch system" where anonymous accusations could trigger career-damaging punishment. This appears to be what happened w/ IU's Ben Robinson
Trump was so opposed to de-dollarisation efforts, he threatened BRICS with 100% tariffs.
But his tariffs are hastening de-dollarisation, while getting into a trade war w/ China + sanctions on Russia gives that threat less teeth:
But his tariffs are hastening de-dollarisation, while getting into a trade war w/ China + sanctions on Russia gives that threat less teeth:
April 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Trump was so opposed to de-dollarisation efforts, he threatened BRICS with 100% tariffs.
But his tariffs are hastening de-dollarisation, while getting into a trade war w/ China + sanctions on Russia gives that threat less teeth:
But his tariffs are hastening de-dollarisation, while getting into a trade war w/ China + sanctions on Russia gives that threat less teeth:
This could maybe be overcome by giving the state a more direct hand in driving industrial expansion...except Trump's austerity push is hollowing out all the government machinery that would do that:
April 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
This could maybe be overcome by giving the state a more direct hand in driving industrial expansion...except Trump's austerity push is hollowing out all the government machinery that would do that:
If the goal is reshoring US manufacturing, the tariffs' overly broad and aggressive nature is making companies less likely to invest + raising the cost of building factories.
Meanwhile, Trump's treatment of legal migrants will make it harder to attract skilled workers for them:
Meanwhile, Trump's treatment of legal migrants will make it harder to attract skilled workers for them:
April 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
If the goal is reshoring US manufacturing, the tariffs' overly broad and aggressive nature is making companies less likely to invest + raising the cost of building factories.
Meanwhile, Trump's treatment of legal migrants will make it harder to attract skilled workers for them:
Meanwhile, Trump's treatment of legal migrants will make it harder to attract skilled workers for them:
If the goal is to decouple the US economy from China, then it seems like a bad move to also wage trade war on the entire rest of the world, do it while continuing hostilities with Russia, and antagonise your two biggest trading partners:
April 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
If the goal is to decouple the US economy from China, then it seems like a bad move to also wage trade war on the entire rest of the world, do it while continuing hostilities with Russia, and antagonise your two biggest trading partners:
Both Trump's critics & allies say there's a master plan to his tariff policy. I am not so sure. Its rollout is undercutting, and being undercut by, other core elements of his foreign & domestic policy, while hurting its own end game. Take the goal of isolating China for one:
April 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Both Trump's critics & allies say there's a master plan to his tariff policy. I am not so sure. Its rollout is undercutting, and being undercut by, other core elements of his foreign & domestic policy, while hurting its own end game. Take the goal of isolating China for one: