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H.L. Mencken’s Winking Ghost

@harrysimmons3578.bsky.social

200 followers 340 following 820 posts

An account of satire, in the vein of literary critic Henry Louis Mencken. Polemicist at Verdigris, please send essays [email protected] Send all hate mail to [email protected]

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H.L. Mencken’s Winking Ghost @harrysimmons3578.bsky.social · Jun 21

Hi everyone.

At long last, here is my promised essay on stupidity, with the title slightly changed: 'Word to the Wise: Cheap Music, Numbs Brains, and Stupidity'.

I hope you enjoy!

vdgasjournal.com/2025/06/21/w...

Word to the Wise: Cheap Music, Numb Brains, and Stupidity

I have been asked to write about stupidity. I cannot think of why. Perhaps it is that glowing sagacity that rises, like steam, off my hateful words? Or, perhaps, there is some desire for a voice of…

vdgasjournal.com

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H.L. Mencken’s Winking Ghost @harrysimmons3578.bsky.social · 4h

aeon.co/essays/forge...

Forget Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics: try being Epicurean | Aeon Essays

A philosophy that values innocent pleasure, human warmth and the rewards of creative endeavour. What’s not to like?

aeon.co

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ACLU @aclu.org · 9h

There's no better way to honor Banned Books Week than to defend our freedom to read.

@aclusc.bsky.social is suing the state of South Carolina for banning 22 books in public schools statewide.

South Carolina Students and Librarians Sue State Education Superintendent Over Book Bans

South Carolina public school students and school librarians file a lawsuit against the state's education superintendent over book bans.

bookriot.com

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violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 9h

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 9h

“A second inflatable frog has now been spotted wiggling through Portland.”

Marco Rubio whispers into Donald Trump's ear.

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 20h

#WarRavagedPortland

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h

Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of polling places and if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes & count the votes himself"

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Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 9h

The Trump administration is escalating its legal fight against Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. It alleges that doctors are lying to get insurance to cover transgender care.

CHOP transgender care under scrutiny for ‘fraudulent billing practices,’ DOJ says

Federal officials are looking into whether doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh lied to get insurance companies to cover gender dysphoria treatments.

www.inquirer.com

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jam @socialistboat.dad · 13h

"This website is free" No. This website comes at a terrible cost

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Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 16h

He skipped the part where he wants the hospital to force that citizen to wait for the brink of death in the hospital parking lot if the health care she needs is an abortion

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h

Mike Johnson: "If you're a young, pregnant American citizen women who shows up in an ER and you get treated and they pay the hospital less for treating you than some illegal rabble rouser who came in from some South American country to do us harm, that is wrong."

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h

Pritzker: "It's unconscionable. This has never happened before. They're calling out troops onto the streets of a state that doesn't want them and they're not even telling us where they're gonna go, what they're gonna do. This hasn't happened I don't think since the Civil War."

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Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 15h

I can’t believe I have to say this, but historically, masked men who kidnap families in the middle of the night are usually not the good guys.

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Reason Magazine @reason.com · 14h

It's not a great state of affairs when the president is calling for the arrest of his political opponents at the same time he's sending the military into the streets.

Of course, in 2025, it feels like just another Wednesday in America's long perambulation toward a militarized police state.

Trump calls for arrest of Chicago mayor and Illinois Gov. Pritzker

As Illinois resists the federal immigration blitz, the Trump administration ups the ante on authoritarian rhetoric.

reason.com

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Winter @winterpolitics1.bsky.social · 1d

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek just took back control of the national guard.

She is sending the Oregon national Guard back home and is directing the California national guard to leave the State.

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ACLU of Missouri @aclumo.bsky.social · 17h

Happening now: We are in court fighting the state’s unconstitutional book ban — passed as SB775 —that led to the immediate removal of hundreds of books from school libraries. We will always stand to protect student’s First Amendment right to access information.

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FRANCE 24 English @en.france24.com · 21h

🇫🇷 #France’s outgoing PM Sébastien #Lecornu has launched a last-minute push to rebuild cross-party support for his collapsed government.

🏛️ He held talks with socialist, green and communist leaders Tuesday— just 2 days after his surprise resignation.

➡️ Philip Turle explains

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Venal Ant Libel 🔔 @teffie.bsky.social · Aug 22

Today in Evil #AI Bubble Bullshit, it looks like, if you do any business with Spreadshirt, it's time to get the hell away from there: pivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/19/s...

Spreadshirt to artists: We’re taking your designs for AI

Spreadshirt is an online print-on-demand store. You can sell T-shirts and mugs and so on. My wife Arkady Rose is an artist as well as a musician, and had a pile of designs on Spreadshirt and Redbub…

pivot-to-ai.com

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The Cincinnati Review @cincinnatireview.bsky.social · 20h

"I won't call it a detonator. But after pressing the button, I scamper around the refrigerator, taking cover behind layers of sheet metal and white plastic finish from the machine's invisible munitions."

In a miCRo essay, @ellenkfee.bsky.social takes us on a tour of the microwave's origin.

Caption: "I won't call it a detonator. But after pressing the button, I scamper around the refrigerator, taking cover behind layers of sheet metal and white plastic finish from the machine's invisible munitions."

Ellen K. Fee stands smiling in front of a window. She has long brown hair and is wearing earrings, a button-down polo style shirt.

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Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 1d

Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

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Stonekettle @stonekettle.bsky.social · 1d

If Chicago wanted to make those Texas soldiers feel at home, they'd wait for a blizzard, then turn off all the power and go to Cancun for the weekend.

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 1d

Um, ICE just coldly shot an unarmed PRIEST in the head w a pepper ball when he (and everyone around him) clearly posed no threat.

For the crime of … complaining about government policy.

Core 1A speech.

With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s video of the incident

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Dorothy Parker @dorothyparker.bsky.social · 1d

Satin glows in candle-light— Satin's for the proud! They will say who watch at night, 'What a fine shroud!'

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Doug Henwood @doughenwood.bsky.social · 1d

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 1d

Kristi Noem confronts enemy combatants in the Portland war zone today.

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onion person @junlper.beer · 1d

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ACLU @aclu.org · 1d

President Trump is deploying armed and masked federal agents to cities across the country, endangering our rights and safety.

But state and local leaders have the power to protect their communities.

Trump Deploys Federal Forces—States Push Back Against Abuse of Power

Trump is using the military and federal law enforcement to build out a paramilitary policing force across the country.

www.aclu.org

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