Leland Dale Murphy
@lelanddalemurphy.bsky.social
Lover & a Fighter | Austin, TX 📍 | Probably doing something in progressive politics.
Rather than asking people who don’t want to have kids why, we rather need to start asking people who do want to have kids, why?
the fraction of parents reading to their 0-4 year old kids frequently has apparently fallen by 23 POINTS since 2012 www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children, survey suggests
Report from Nielsen and HarperCollins shows that parents see reading as a literacy skill, rather than something to encourage their children to love
www.theguardian.com
May 2, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Rather than asking people who don’t want to have kids why, we rather need to start asking people who do want to have kids, why?
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
Happy Hitler Shoots Himself In The Head day to all who celebrate. The 80th anniversary. May his ignominious end, with his body doused in petrol and burned by his last remaining loyalists, be a model for all tyrants.
April 30, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Happy Hitler Shoots Himself In The Head day to all who celebrate. The 80th anniversary. May his ignominious end, with his body doused in petrol and burned by his last remaining loyalists, be a model for all tyrants.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
It kinda sucks that 8 billion people are at the mercy of the dumbest 200,000 people in 4 swing states every 4 years
April 30, 2025 at 8:21 PM
It kinda sucks that 8 billion people are at the mercy of the dumbest 200,000 people in 4 swing states every 4 years
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
I have in general become way less tolerant of ‘crunchy’ bullshit since ascension of people like RFK jr. to actual power. Sorry but the obnoxious Reddit science and logic guys were right, you should be scorned for believing objectively wrong things about consequential issues.
April 30, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I have in general become way less tolerant of ‘crunchy’ bullshit since ascension of people like RFK jr. to actual power. Sorry but the obnoxious Reddit science and logic guys were right, you should be scorned for believing objectively wrong things about consequential issues.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
If they’re arguing that Harvard hasn’t done enough “in the public interest” to deserve tax exempt status, wait until they get a look at evangelical megachurches!
The IRS is making plans to rescind the tax-exempt status of Harvard University, CNN reports
IRS making plans to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status | CNN Politics
The Internal Revenue Service is making plans to rescind the tax-exempt status of Harvard University, according to two sources familiar with the matter, which would be an extraordinary step of retaliat...
www.cnn.com
April 16, 2025 at 8:54 PM
If they’re arguing that Harvard hasn’t done enough “in the public interest” to deserve tax exempt status, wait until they get a look at evangelical megachurches!
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
The Monarch #butterfly embarks on one of nature's most incredible journeys, migrating up to 3,000 miles from #Canada to central #Mexico. These tiny travelers, with wings of vibrant orange, navigate the vast distances using the sun and Earth’s magnetic fields, defying the odds
April 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The Monarch #butterfly embarks on one of nature's most incredible journeys, migrating up to 3,000 miles from #Canada to central #Mexico. These tiny travelers, with wings of vibrant orange, navigate the vast distances using the sun and Earth’s magnetic fields, defying the odds
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
AOC: When he talks about rapists and criminals, he should look in the mirror
April 15, 2025 at 1:15 AM
AOC: When he talks about rapists and criminals, he should look in the mirror
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
April 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
The president told a Central American dictator to build five more massive slave labor camps to hold US citizens.
April 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The president told a Central American dictator to build five more massive slave labor camps to hold US citizens.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of you all supporting us with your time, resources, and energy.
Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities.
All with an average donation of $21.
THANK YOU & Pa’lante 🙏🏽♥️
Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities.
All with an average donation of $21.
THANK YOU & Pa’lante 🙏🏽♥️
News: AOC had her strongest ever quarter, raising over $9.5m from 266k individual donors for an average of just $21.
AOC doesn’t take a dollar from lobbyists or corporate PACS. Our top donor professions are teachers and nurses. 64% were first time contributors.
AOC doesn’t take a dollar from lobbyists or corporate PACS. Our top donor professions are teachers and nurses. 64% were first time contributors.
April 15, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of you all supporting us with your time, resources, and energy.
Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities.
All with an average donation of $21.
THANK YOU & Pa’lante 🙏🏽♥️
Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities.
All with an average donation of $21.
THANK YOU & Pa’lante 🙏🏽♥️
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
"If liberal funders are going to have any more convenings, they need to do some soul searching and examine why—when everything is burning down—they are still hesitant to fund the strategies the right-wing has used to such breathtaking and horrifying success."
“You want a plan to save democracy? You want a plan to stop fascism? Here it is, broken down into two parts”
Funders, here’s the blueprint for saving democracy
Two weeks ago, I met with a colleague who was invited to a convening of funders in Seattle. He reported...
nonprofitaf.com
April 15, 2025 at 1:59 PM
"If liberal funders are going to have any more convenings, they need to do some soul searching and examine why—when everything is burning down—they are still hesitant to fund the strategies the right-wing has used to such breathtaking and horrifying success."
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
DOGE is a criminal conspiracy to defraud the people of the United States
Oh dear you’re going to want to read this. Looks like DOGErs were caught exfiltrating NLRB data, likely on unions, for private (seemingly Elony) use. This is must read. What we’ve all suspected. But now details. www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data
A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that ... information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.
www.npr.org
April 15, 2025 at 12:47 PM
DOGE is a criminal conspiracy to defraud the people of the United States
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
We expected hundreds of thousands of people yesterday.
Instead, millions of Americans flooded the streets to demand an end to Trump’s authoritarian power grab.
Trump and Musk have spent their first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us and make us feel powerless, but we’re not going anywhere.
Instead, millions of Americans flooded the streets to demand an end to Trump’s authoritarian power grab.
Trump and Musk have spent their first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us and make us feel powerless, but we’re not going anywhere.
April 6, 2025 at 1:37 PM
We expected hundreds of thousands of people yesterday.
Instead, millions of Americans flooded the streets to demand an end to Trump’s authoritarian power grab.
Trump and Musk have spent their first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us and make us feel powerless, but we’re not going anywhere.
Instead, millions of Americans flooded the streets to demand an end to Trump’s authoritarian power grab.
Trump and Musk have spent their first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us and make us feel powerless, but we’re not going anywhere.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
Bombshell in North Carolina: the state's GOP-dominated Court of Appeals just sided with the GOP candidate in last year's supreme court race.
Their decision would toss roughly 60,000 ballots (!) that have been counted, & likely hand the election to GOP instead of incumbent Dem Justice who won it.
Their decision would toss roughly 60,000 ballots (!) that have been counted, & likely hand the election to GOP instead of incumbent Dem Justice who won it.
April 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Bombshell in North Carolina: the state's GOP-dominated Court of Appeals just sided with the GOP candidate in last year's supreme court race.
Their decision would toss roughly 60,000 ballots (!) that have been counted, & likely hand the election to GOP instead of incumbent Dem Justice who won it.
Their decision would toss roughly 60,000 ballots (!) that have been counted, & likely hand the election to GOP instead of incumbent Dem Justice who won it.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
“These are normal, everyday people who are saying I’ve had enough. I’ve seen institutions fall. I’ve seen universities, I’ve seen businesses, I’ve seen law firms not stand up, not support our liberal democracy. So what am I going to do as an individual?”
“That’s what tomorrow is about.” - Ezra
“That’s what tomorrow is about.” - Ezra
April 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
“These are normal, everyday people who are saying I’ve had enough. I’ve seen institutions fall. I’ve seen universities, I’ve seen businesses, I’ve seen law firms not stand up, not support our liberal democracy. So what am I going to do as an individual?”
“That’s what tomorrow is about.” - Ezra
“That’s what tomorrow is about.” - Ezra
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
ICMYI: reported protests in the US in 2025 are almost certainly outpacing protests during Trump 1.0. In March 2025, we recorded significant growth in the number of cumulative events, and also an uptick in the rate of events (# of protests/week).
April 4, 2025 at 1:28 PM
ICMYI: reported protests in the US in 2025 are almost certainly outpacing protests during Trump 1.0. In March 2025, we recorded significant growth in the number of cumulative events, and also an uptick in the rate of events (# of protests/week).
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
going to start calling myself a centrist and then listing all my leftist views as proof, just going to start moving the overton window by force
March 31, 2025 at 12:37 PM
going to start calling myself a centrist and then listing all my leftist views as proof, just going to start moving the overton window by force
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
I received a heartbreaking email today: A paper in a special issue I’m editing is being retracted because one of its authors is afraid of losing their job and their legal status in the U.S. if they publish a scientific study on evolution. Yes, on evolution, nature's engine of diversity.
March 29, 2025 at 11:52 PM
I received a heartbreaking email today: A paper in a special issue I’m editing is being retracted because one of its authors is afraid of losing their job and their legal status in the U.S. if they publish a scientific study on evolution. Yes, on evolution, nature's engine of diversity.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
my four point plan to fix congress (without requiring a constitutional amendment)
1: abolish the filibuster
2: reapportion the house
3: add new states
4: bring back pork barrel spending
1: abolish the filibuster
2: reapportion the house
3: add new states
4: bring back pork barrel spending
I actually think that one of the main problems is that our political systems were built around the assumption of venal ambition from self serving politicians and are kind of collapsing under a critical mass of genuine ideologues.
March 29, 2025 at 1:43 AM
my four point plan to fix congress (without requiring a constitutional amendment)
1: abolish the filibuster
2: reapportion the house
3: add new states
4: bring back pork barrel spending
1: abolish the filibuster
2: reapportion the house
3: add new states
4: bring back pork barrel spending
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
The worst thing the federal government has done to unions in my lifetime happened last night. The second worst thing was three weeks ago.
The labor movement will either protect ourselves right now or be smashed. That's all there is to it.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/they-are-g...
The labor movement will either protect ourselves right now or be smashed. That's all there is to it.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/they-are-g...
They Are Going to Take Everything If We Don't Stop Them
The government is going to destroy unions if we don't fight now.
www.hamiltonnolan.com
March 28, 2025 at 1:02 PM
The worst thing the federal government has done to unions in my lifetime happened last night. The second worst thing was three weeks ago.
The labor movement will either protect ourselves right now or be smashed. That's all there is to it.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/they-are-g...
The labor movement will either protect ourselves right now or be smashed. That's all there is to it.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/they-are-g...
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
Every single Democratic lawmaker should be calling for Hegseth's immediate resignation right now. Not just some. Not just a few dozen. Every single one, starting at the top with Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries. And the fact that it hasn't happened yet is nearly as shocking as Hegseth's conduct.
March 25, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Every single Democratic lawmaker should be calling for Hegseth's immediate resignation right now. Not just some. Not just a few dozen. Every single one, starting at the top with Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries. And the fact that it hasn't happened yet is nearly as shocking as Hegseth's conduct.
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
there are like three overlapping scandals with signalgate — illegal distribution of sensitive government materials by top members of the administration, illegal attempt to circumvent records laws and possible unlawful use of military force — and democrats should be screaming about them all
March 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
there are like three overlapping scandals with signalgate — illegal distribution of sensitive government materials by top members of the administration, illegal attempt to circumvent records laws and possible unlawful use of military force — and democrats should be screaming about them all
Reposted by Leland Dale Murphy
Looks like Musk is very much trying to kill Social Security washingtonpost.com/politics/202... I guess when you have $400 billion it is very funny (even MAGA), when retirees can't get their $1,800 monthly benefit.
Long waits, waves of calls, web crashes: Social Security is breaking down
A flood of cuts led by Elon Musk has sent the agency into chaos as a new commissioner prepares to take charge.
washingtonpost.com
March 25, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Looks like Musk is very much trying to kill Social Security washingtonpost.com/politics/202... I guess when you have $400 billion it is very funny (even MAGA), when retirees can't get their $1,800 monthly benefit.