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lyrabee.bsky.social
Lyra Bérénice
@lyrabee.bsky.social
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Living on the unceded ancestral lands of the dxʷdəwʔabš (Duwamish) people
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lyrabee.bsky.social
Misogyny and Racism
is the brand.
A black woman with her back to the camera faces a wall where large 3-D letters read: DONALD TRUMP IS A RA_IST She is holding a 3-D letter P in one hand and a letter C in the other.
February 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
"Weapons are the tools of violence;
all decent people detest them..."
~Tao te Ching, Chapter 31

May we always seek peace, but never at the expense of justice.

(Photo of an off-season salmonberry flower by me, seen on January 17, 2026 with no others in sight anywhere)
Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent people detest them. Weapons are the tools of fear; a decent person will avoid them except in the direst necessity and, if compelled, will use them only with the utmost restraint. Peace is their highest value. If the piece has been shattered, how can they be content? Their enemies are not demons, but human beings like themself. They do not wish them personal harm. Nor does they rejoice in victory. How could they rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of people? They enter a battle, gravely, with sorrow and with great compassion, as if they were attending a funeral. ~ The Tao te Ching Chapter 31 (Photo of an off-season salmonberry flower by me, seen on January 17, 2026 with no others in sight anywhere) The open face of a single, bright pink, five-petaled flower, with a cluster of anthers bundled tightly in the center, and a light dusting of pollen on the petals below. With the flower occupying the majority of the frame, three stalks of the plant appear to frame the flower with one stalk descending straight below the flower, and one stalk on each side in a wide V, suggesting a person with their arms raised above their head and to the side, perhaps in surrender, or perhaps ready to offer a hug.
January 31, 2026 at 1:26 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Post from Jay Inslee, former governor of Washington state: "In the midst of ICE horror, the Senate needs to prohibit Trump from using ICE as a voter suppression tool. Senate Dems need to put in the approps bill a prohibition on ICE agents being near polling places. This is a must-have. Last chance to do this."
January 30, 2026 at 12:17 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Text above photo: "So one ICE agent shoots Renee Good, and another ICE agent refuses to allow her medical treatment, and now we find out that the poor woman laid there alive for 8 full minutes before bleeding out. That my friends, is called murder." Photo: Sculpted from snow, a car viewed from the driver's side, with a driver looking towards the camera. A paper sign attached to the rear quarter of the car with Renée Nicole Good's last words, reads: "I'm not mad at you." A bouquet of flowers in a vase is placed below the driver's side window.
January 23, 2026 at 12:44 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Boromir from The Lord of the Rings with the caption: "Perhaps we could give the Ring better training."
January 19, 2026 at 2:27 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Boromir, from the Lord of the Rings, with the caption: "Perhaps we could give the Ring better training."
January 18, 2026 at 7:40 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Nailed it!
The master plan of the Trump Regime
@jimmykimmel.com
"You know, I never believed there was some big master plan, but maybe there is. Maybe it goes like this: Step One, you call your opponents vermin and violent and the enemy within. You say they're part of a group of paid protesters called Antifa. Step Two, you send a bunch of poorly trained, heavily armed goons into cities that don't need or want them there. Step Three, when the people inevitably protest being occupied by their own government, you accuse them of starting an insurrection. And then, Step Four, you invoke the Insurrection Act. You call out the military. You cancel the elections and you take charge for good." ~Jimmy Kimmel January 15, 2026
January 16, 2026 at 9:53 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
"Democracy doesn't defend itself.
It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
~Rob Reiner

Leaving the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked:
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"

He replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."
Cover of the course guidebook for The Great Debate: Advocates and Opponents of the American Constitution, 2007, published by The Great Courses. Professor Thomas L. Pangle The University of Texas at Austin In the lower right field is an image of a portion of the original Constitution with the words We the People clearly shown, and a white quill pen laid upon it "The deepest, and perhaps the most important, Anti-Federalist contribution is their highlighting of the insufficient attention paid by the founders and by our Constitution to fostering civic virtue through civic education, encouraging civic, citizen participation. All of which, the Anti-Federalists plausibly insist and fruitfully warn, must be more vigorously cultivated in the populace if our system is not going to drift slowly toward a condition in which a passive, apathetic, and atomized populace becomes dominated by a paternalistic, bureaucratic, and distant government apparatus. The kind of civic education the Anti-Federalists warn us that we need to keep striving to invigorate, includes as an important cornerstone what we have been doing in this course itself; the ever renewed rethinking of the Great Debate out of which our unique republic was born." ~Professor Thomas L. Pangle
January 14, 2026 at 2:56 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Parkrose Permaculture makes a very important distinction between "peaceful protest" and "non-violent protest," explaining that the purpose of the organized protests we've had so far have been to create solidarity and community through visibility, and that such protesting is not going to end authoritarian overreach by itself. Referring to the non-violent protests during the Civil Rights Era, she explains how they were actually disruptive to the systems of oppression, and that those kinds of protests built upon the earlier community-building protests.
January 13, 2026 at 8:22 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
@marcelias.bsky.social
@hcrichardson.bsky.social
@mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Please protest peacefully. The administration-deeply unpopular, increasingly worried about impeachments, and knowing that they cannot win in 2026 without voter suppression (ending mail-in voting, removing drop boxes, closing polling locations, gerrymandering, purging voter roles...)-is getting desperate, and we should expect them to be doing more extreme things to try to hold on to power. Attached post from Mehdi Hasan (mehdirhasan.bsky.social): The goal here is martial law. It's martial law. Let's be clear about that. 10:22 AM Jan 10, 2026
January 12, 2026 at 10:04 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
While this is not the primary message of this TED Talk, the implications are profound. Owning print books is a good idea.
"I've been with the libraries for well over half my life, over 35 years, and I've come to believe that libraries are a fundamental pillar of democracy. Democracy demands an informed citizenry and informed citizens must have free and equitable and open access to information, and to knowledge, especially the knowledge that we've collectively funded and created. Knowledge is not a private commodity to be handed off to some third party. Knowledge is a public good and it must be treated as such." ~Jeffrey Edmunds Digital Access Coordinator at the Penn State University Libraries
January 7, 2026 at 8:41 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
@markwarner.bsky.social
The End of the Rules Based Order Established at the End of WWII? "Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it [...] America's strength comes from our commitment to the rule of law, Democratic norms, and constitutional restraint. When we abandon those principles even in the name of confronting bad actors, we weaken our credibility, endanger global stability, and invite abuses of power that will long outlast any single presidency." ~Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee
January 4, 2026 at 10:24 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
I was today years old when I learned that what some people mean when they say they are dog people/dog-lovers is not what I mean when I say that.

Dogs are not objects to satisfy our needs for companionship or entertainment, but are living entities with physical, emotional, and social needs.
Coco and Beau playing and resting after some wrestling. Two photos of a white, female Schnauzer/Bijon-Frise (Coconut) and a red/gold, male Shih Tzu (Beau Bo). In the first photo, the photographer caught Beau sitting on his haunches facing Coco while retreating from a playful attack, which caused both of his ears to extend out and above his head, looking like wings. Coco is on her belly, head turned toward Beau warning him off. In the second photo both dogs are sitting on their haunches, tongues lolling, while Coco looks nonchalantly forward and Beau looks toward Coco like he's thinking about another assault.
November 24, 2025 at 6:53 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
On the left is George Washington holding the Declaration of Independence against his chest with the words, "We The People", shown clearly, while he faces Jesus on the right. The word bubble above President Washington says, "It's like they didn't listen at all." On the right is a Palestinian-looking Jesus in white robes with his right hand raised in the air, facing George Washington, with the word bubble, "Bro. Same."
November 24, 2025 at 3:44 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Plaque at West Point military academy about showing loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and not to any one particular leader, president, king, or tyrant.

@captmarkkelly.bsky.social
@slotkin.senate.gov
@crow.house.gov
@goodlander.house.gov
@deluzio.house.gov
@houlahan.house.gov
LOYALTY TO THE CONSTITUTION THE UNITED STATES BOLDLY BROKE WITH THE ANCIENT MILITARY CUSTOM OF SWEARING LOYALTY TO A LEADER. ARTICLE VI REQUIRED THAT AMERICAN OFFICERS THEREAFTER SWEAR LOYALTY TO OUR BASIC LAW, THE CONSTITUTION. WHILE MANY OTHER NATIONS HAVE SUFFERED MILITARY COUPS, THE UNITED STATES NEVER HAS. OUR AMERICAN CODE OF MILITARY OBEDIENCE REQUIRES THAT, SHOULD ORDERS AND THE LAW EVER CONFLICT, OUR OFFICERS MUST OBEY THE LAW. MANY OTHER NATIONS HAVE ADOPTED OUR PRINCIPLE OF LOYALTY TO THE BASIC LAW. THIS NATION MUST HAVE MILITARY LEADERS OF PRINCIPLE AND INTEGRITY SO STRONG THAT THEIR OATHS TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION WILL UNFAILINGLY GOVERN THEIR ACTIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY IS TO PROVIDE SUCH LEADERS OF CHARACTER. https://www.facebook.com/543210855/posts/pfbid02FWNN3GVJVfYD7xoNFa5p76yCL8yPgdQPiVbkHtfHKh81ULqiaHzMDEXJz978VZbbl/?app=fbl
November 23, 2025 at 9:05 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
My father and paternal grandmother, who I am named after. My dad was on his way to Europe during WWII. He started in the Army Air Corps and then became a scout in the 44th Infantry Division after the Air Force was formed as a separate branch.

He came home with two Purple Hearts and PTSD.
B/w photo of my paternal grandmother and my dad before he was sent to Europe during WWII.
November 11, 2025 at 8:52 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
@democraticredistricting.com
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
"Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason." Mark Twain
November 11, 2025 at 1:35 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
Walmart is trash
Pink, hoodie sweatshirt sold by Walmart, reading, "TRANS WOMEN ARE MEN"
November 10, 2025 at 2:43 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
The Traitor Eight
led by Shady Schumer
The eight senators who voted for the shit CR Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia Sen. Angus King of Maine Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
November 10, 2025 at 9:26 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
@repkimschrier.bsky.social
@repdelbene.bsky.social
THANKS“GIVING" FOOD DRIVE Pantry Packs provides weekend food packs to food insecure students in the Lake Washington School District. Donate to our annual fall food drive in two ways: 1)Direct donation via our Amazon wish list: www.lwsf.org/amazon-wish-list or 2)Deliver your donations to our warehouse [14816 NE 95th Street Bldg. 6 Redmond, Washington] Nov 12, 2-4 pm Nov 13, 10am-1pm Nov 19, 10am-2pm Dec 3, 2-4 pm or 6-8pm December 6, 10am-12pm *Most Needed Items: www.lwsf.org/kid-friendly-food-list PANTRY PACKS IS A PROGRAM OF THE LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOLS FOUNDATION. LEARN MORE AT LWSF.ORG/PANTRY-PACKS Questions? Email pantrypacks@lwsf.org
November 6, 2025 at 11:39 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
"[...] transgressive behavior becomes a mark of purity, and really, the Republican party has become an extremist movement. What we know about extremist movements is they demand more and more purity tests." ~Stuart Stevens Former Republican Political Operative, Senior Advisor of the Lincoln Project
November 4, 2025 at 1:54 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
"...transgressive behavior becomes a mark of purity, and really, the Republican party has become an extremist movement. What we know about extremist movements is they demand more and more purity tests." ~Stuart Stevens Former Republican Political Operative, Senior Advisor of the Lincoln Project
November 4, 2025 at 1:52 PM
lyrabee.bsky.social
"...constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong... With such a people, you can do whatever you want." ~Hannah Arendt (Oct 1906 - Dec 1975) German historian and philosopher
November 4, 2025 at 11:02 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
"...constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong... With such a people. You can do whatever you want." ~Hannah Arendt (Oct. 1906 - Dec. 1975) German historian and philosopher
November 4, 2025 at 10:56 AM
lyrabee.bsky.social
US citizen taken into custody for photographing ICE.
Phone was kept by ICE.
Denied legal counsel.
Witnessed others held who weren't allowed to contact their families.
Followed by ICE when they left.
@rickiruizor.bsky.social
@tinakotek.bsky.social
@mayorkwilson.bsky.social
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY IN GRESHAM SHOULD ALARM EVERYONE EARLIER TODAY, REPORTS SURFACED THAT A U.S. CITIZEN WAS DETAINED BY ICE AFTER TAKING PHOTOS OF UNMARKED VEHICLES. THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS LATER RELEASED. THINK ABOUT THAT - SOMEONE USING THEIR PHONE IN PUBLIC, ON THEIR OWN TIME, WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY SIMPLY FOR TAKING PICTURES. WITNESSES SAY OFFICERS ACCUSED THEM OF "TERRORIZING" AND ARE NOW ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN A WARRANT TO SEARCH THEIR PHONE. THE INDIVIDUAL SHARED THAT THEY WERE ONLY RELEASED BECAUSE THEY ARE A U.S. CITIZEN. ICE KEPT THEIR PHONE AND IS NOW TRYING TO JUSTIFY SEARCHING IT. THEY ASKED FOR A LAWYER BUT WERE DENIED ACCESS BECAUSE THE LANDLINE PHONES INSIDE THE FACILITY WERE DOWN. THEY WERE NEVER PROVIDED LEGAL COUNSEL - AND EVEN OTHERS BEING HELD THERE REPORTEDLY COULDN'T CONTACT THEIR FAMILIES. THIS PERSON MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE ONLY REASON THEY WERE TAKEN WAS BECAUSE THEY DARED TO TAKE PHOTOS OF GOVERNMENT VEHICLES. AFTERWARD, THOSE SAME VEHICLES FOLLOWED THEM WHEN THEY LEFT,. THIS IS A SERIOUS ABUSE OF POWER AND A DIRECT THREAT TO BASIC RIGHTS. TAKING A PICTURE IN A PUBLIC SPACE IS NOT A CRIME - IT'S PROTECTED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. WE SHOULD ALL BE ANGRY - BECAUSE IF THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ONE OF US FOR SIMPLY OBSERVING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE. AT THIS MOMENT, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION FROM ICE OR LOCAL AUTHORITIES, BUT COMMUNITY MEMBERS REPORTED SEEING UNMARKED VEHICLES NEAR THE CHICK-FIL-A IN GRESHAM AND LATER SHARED FOOTAGE APPEARING TO SHOW SOMEONE BEING PULLED FROM THEIR CAR NEAR STARK AND HOGAN. NO ONE SHOULD BE SILENCED OR PUNISHED FOR PAYING ATTENTION. WE DEMAND TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND ANSWERS NOW. IF YOU WITNESSED THIS INCIDENT OF OR HAVE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE PORTLAND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS COALITION (PIRC). PIRC HOTLINE: 1-888-622-1510
October 28, 2025 at 11:54 PM