@kerkhovia.bsky.social
Externalities matter. If Israel had done this then they almost certainly would face a military response and possible regime change. Netanyahu is trying to retain power. Executing the genocide incrementally gives Israel plausible deniability while also keeping Bibi in office longer.
This is the part where I point out that if Netanyahu and the Israeli military were really "doing their damnedest to wipe out the Palestinian population," as this person claims, it would have been over in weeks or months, and could have been almost entirely accomplished from the air.
It seems pretty clear that Bibi was doing his damndest to *wipe out* the Palestinian population. Do the finer details of definition really matter when that much is obvious?
October 13, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Externalities matter. If Israel had done this then they almost certainly would face a military response and possible regime change. Netanyahu is trying to retain power. Executing the genocide incrementally gives Israel plausible deniability while also keeping Bibi in office longer.
The man who wrote "the death of expertise" will evade discussing the findings in the UN's independent commission into the genocide, experts who are on the ground. Instead he talks about his expertise as a professor on the subject. I'll trust the experts on the ground.
I taught this stuff every summer at Harvard for 18 years and led students through discussions of what genocide is, and about whether genocide is a legitimate cause to go to war.
I'm sure Bluesky's noble posters would have been mad about it, but they just got here too late :)
I'm sure Bluesky's noble posters would have been mad about it, but they just got here too late :)
Tom finds it easy to be glib about death to online personalities he can infantilize, but he avoids actual expert opinion on the subject because he knows that requires putting his reputation where his mouth is.
October 13, 2025 at 4:17 AM
The man who wrote "the death of expertise" will evade discussing the findings in the UN's independent commission into the genocide, experts who are on the ground. Instead he talks about his expertise as a professor on the subject. I'll trust the experts on the ground.
Tom misrepresented what I said then argues that AcKsHuAlLy McGrath is not even close to AoC, which is what I was saying in the comment he quoted.
The Issue is using McG as an example why there shouldn't be D primary challenges for contested seats, because McG never stood a chance and isn't a comp.
The Issue is using McG as an example why there shouldn't be D primary challenges for contested seats, because McG never stood a chance and isn't a comp.
Ah, no. AOC won a fluke low-turnout primary against the guy who was likely to be the next Speaker in a +bazillion Dem district, thereby guaranteeing her win.
McGrath's run wasn't even in that same universe.
McGrath's run wasn't even in that same universe.
Amy McGrath's 1st run isn't comparable to the candidates currently running. She won the primary to go against a Republican incumbent. AoC primaried an incumbent, won, and then won against the challenger R. AoC's challenge is more similar to the candidates they're upset with in this election cycle.
October 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Tom misrepresented what I said then argues that AcKsHuAlLy McGrath is not even close to AoC, which is what I was saying in the comment he quoted.
The Issue is using McG as an example why there shouldn't be D primary challenges for contested seats, because McG never stood a chance and isn't a comp.
The Issue is using McG as an example why there shouldn't be D primary challenges for contested seats, because McG never stood a chance and isn't a comp.
Reposted
DO NOT PUT CHILDREN ON TV TALKING ABOUT A SHOOTING THEY JUST LIVED THROUGH
The media who do this are heartless bastards
The media who do this are heartless bastards
August 27, 2025 at 9:04 PM
DO NOT PUT CHILDREN ON TV TALKING ABOUT A SHOOTING THEY JUST LIVED THROUGH
The media who do this are heartless bastards
The media who do this are heartless bastards
Reposted
I wrote a bunch of words trying to explain how economically incomprehensible the tariff stuff is. It explains how a 5th grader understands basic econ better than Trump and his economic advisors.
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/03/t...
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/03/t...
Trump Declares A Trade War On Uninhabited Islands, US Military, And Economic Logic
There’s a fundamental problem with Donald Trump’s new trade policy: it fails a test that actual 5th graders can pass. I know this because I tried explaining his “Liberation Day…
www.techdirt.com
April 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I wrote a bunch of words trying to explain how economically incomprehensible the tariff stuff is. It explains how a 5th grader understands basic econ better than Trump and his economic advisors.
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/03/t...
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/03/t...
Reposted
The detention of Mahmoud Khalil puts all Americans fundamental rights at risk. And if you can’t see that because you oppose his politics, well that’s exactly the reaction Trump and his cronies are counting on. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is a Trial Run
The pro-Palestine student was arrested without due process for exercising his right to free speech. He will not be the last.
www.theatlantic.com
March 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
The detention of Mahmoud Khalil puts all Americans fundamental rights at risk. And if you can’t see that because you oppose his politics, well that’s exactly the reaction Trump and his cronies are counting on. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted
The folks obsessively posting about egg prices for the past few years have gone strangely quiet just as egg prices hit an all-time high.
January 23, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The folks obsessively posting about egg prices for the past few years have gone strangely quiet just as egg prices hit an all-time high.
Reposted
the clear sign that they just don’t see these kids as real people is the endless concern over hypotheticals and the indifference to the reality that actual children are more likely to kill themselves because of these bans
Kavanaugh also brings up "detransitioners," people who "regret" their decision to transition genders. Like Alito, he cites European countries that are "pulling back" from gender-affirming care for minors, saying it's a "yellow light" or "red light" for the court that Europe is "pumping the brakes."
December 4, 2024 at 4:01 PM
the clear sign that they just don’t see these kids as real people is the endless concern over hypotheticals and the indifference to the reality that actual children are more likely to kill themselves because of these bans
Reposted
SPD Sweeps Homeless Encampment: bit.ly/41gRanR
December 3, 2024 at 5:40 AM
SPD Sweeps Homeless Encampment: bit.ly/41gRanR
Reposted
Most folks know that I'm not on here during live action on Sundays -- but just wanted to say:
AWESOME to see so many mentions...AWESOME to see so many of you. This is the first Sunday where I really feel like it's taking off!
RT this if you'd like to see even more Bluesky coverage, and I'll do it!
AWESOME to see so many mentions...AWESOME to see so many of you. This is the first Sunday where I really feel like it's taking off!
RT this if you'd like to see even more Bluesky coverage, and I'll do it!
November 24, 2024 at 7:39 PM
Most folks know that I'm not on here during live action on Sundays -- but just wanted to say:
AWESOME to see so many mentions...AWESOME to see so many of you. This is the first Sunday where I really feel like it's taking off!
RT this if you'd like to see even more Bluesky coverage, and I'll do it!
AWESOME to see so many mentions...AWESOME to see so many of you. This is the first Sunday where I really feel like it's taking off!
RT this if you'd like to see even more Bluesky coverage, and I'll do it!
Reposted
“There was no drop in margin among late deciders who saw ads attacking Democrats on transgender issues, and a one-point drop among late deciders who didn’t see them”
Republicans spent over $200 million on trans-related attacks. Some Democrats worry they’re committed to unwinnable positions.
After a stinging loss, Democrats debate where to draw the line on transgender rights | Semafor
Republicans spent over $200 million on trans-related attacks. Some Democrats worry they’re committed to unwinnable positions.
www.semafor.com
November 12, 2024 at 8:03 PM
“There was no drop in margin among late deciders who saw ads attacking Democrats on transgender issues, and a one-point drop among late deciders who didn’t see them”
This itself is the doomerism that he is decrying. Saying that a portion of a voting block *that chose not to vote* is going to be the downfall of democracy is unhinged.
November 11, 2024 at 1:01 AM
This itself is the doomerism that he is decrying. Saying that a portion of a voting block *that chose not to vote* is going to be the downfall of democracy is unhinged.
Reposted
recall that gray said that it was a form of blackmail to note that the results of the 2016 election would shape the future of abortion rights for a generation
October 23, 2024 at 12:22 PM
recall that gray said that it was a form of blackmail to note that the results of the 2016 election would shape the future of abortion rights for a generation
Reposted
I wrote about how the Trump Justices tricked themselves into thinking they could turn the presidency into a near dictatorship while still maintaining their own power www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
July 24, 2024 at 2:06 PM
I wrote about how the Trump Justices tricked themselves into thinking they could turn the presidency into a near dictatorship while still maintaining their own power www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Don't do this. Claiming someone has "the political acumen of a toddler" after they expressed a benign take of hoping that a more viable candidate than Biden is available is wrong.
It shows a lack of political acumen on Kevin's part. This is how Dems lose elections by attacking their left flank.
It shows a lack of political acumen on Kevin's part. This is how Dems lose elections by attacking their left flank.
You’re 36 years old and have the political acumen of a toddler.
Good luck holding your breath until the magical unicorn of your dreams proposes to you personally on your doorstep
Good luck holding your breath until the magical unicorn of your dreams proposes to you personally on your doorstep
November 11, 2023 at 9:54 PM
Don't do this. Claiming someone has "the political acumen of a toddler" after they expressed a benign take of hoping that a more viable candidate than Biden is available is wrong.
It shows a lack of political acumen on Kevin's part. This is how Dems lose elections by attacking their left flank.
It shows a lack of political acumen on Kevin's part. This is how Dems lose elections by attacking their left flank.
Reposted
A fifth-grader from Brownsville ISD reported being bullied by his principal. Five days later, he was handcuffed and detained. He spent 3 days in solitary confinement.
A horrifying story uncovered by Investigative Reporting Fellow Josephine Lee:
A horrifying story uncovered by Investigative Reporting Fellow Josephine Lee:
This 11-Year-Old Brownsville ISD Honor Student Was Put in Solitary
A fifth-grader reported being bullied by his principal. Five days later, he was handcuffed and detained.
www.texasobserver.org
November 3, 2023 at 2:05 PM
A fifth-grader from Brownsville ISD reported being bullied by his principal. Five days later, he was handcuffed and detained. He spent 3 days in solitary confinement.
A horrifying story uncovered by Investigative Reporting Fellow Josephine Lee:
A horrifying story uncovered by Investigative Reporting Fellow Josephine Lee:
Reposted
Some things take time.
So much of this discussion is that people are impatient. And with impatience comes a demand for action, a lack of due process, and vigilantism.
Patience helps.
So much of this discussion is that people are impatient. And with impatience comes a demand for action, a lack of due process, and vigilantism.
Patience helps.
October 13, 2023 at 5:01 AM
Some things take time.
So much of this discussion is that people are impatient. And with impatience comes a demand for action, a lack of due process, and vigilantism.
Patience helps.
So much of this discussion is that people are impatient. And with impatience comes a demand for action, a lack of due process, and vigilantism.
Patience helps.