Phil Haack
@phil.neuralgraffiti.com
Software guy turned lawyer; please don't hold it against me.
💼: Patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and "internet law"
@[email protected] on the Fediverse.
https://profile.neuralgraffiti.com/
Lawyer, but (probably) not yours.
💼: Patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and "internet law"
@[email protected] on the Fediverse.
https://profile.neuralgraffiti.com/
Lawyer, but (probably) not yours.
Reposted by Phil Haack
They believe that Trump will use the formal powers of the government and whatever informal powers he may have to extract costs from them if they do not play ball and they equally believe that the anti-Trump coalition will not extract these costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
given how unpopular Trump is, it’s insane that civil society/universities/law firms are still asking themselves “how do I stay on Trump’s good side” rather than “how do I avoid facing consequences for complying with Trump’s illegal demands”
New Gallup poll shows Trump's approval hit a new low for his second term:
-36% approve
-60% disapprove
His approval among Republicans went from 91% in January to 84% in November
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
-36% approve
-60% disapprove
His approval among Republicans went from 91% in January to 84% in November
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
November 28, 2025 at 6:09 PM
They believe that Trump will use the formal powers of the government and whatever informal powers he may have to extract costs from them if they do not play ball and they equally believe that the anti-Trump coalition will not extract these costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
Reposted by Phil Haack
AR-PHARAZÔN THE GOLDEN: What you have to remember also is he appeared in fair form.
CHOTINER: The next time the invasion of Valinor and the destruction of Númenor come up, I'll keep in mind that Sauron was handsome when it happened.
AR-PHARAZÔN: He was. Not that that excuses it.
CHOTINER: Right.
CHOTINER: The next time the invasion of Valinor and the destruction of Númenor come up, I'll keep in mind that Sauron was handsome when it happened.
AR-PHARAZÔN: He was. Not that that excuses it.
CHOTINER: Right.
October 28, 2025 at 9:21 PM
AR-PHARAZÔN THE GOLDEN: What you have to remember also is he appeared in fair form.
CHOTINER: The next time the invasion of Valinor and the destruction of Númenor come up, I'll keep in mind that Sauron was handsome when it happened.
AR-PHARAZÔN: He was. Not that that excuses it.
CHOTINER: Right.
CHOTINER: The next time the invasion of Valinor and the destruction of Númenor come up, I'll keep in mind that Sauron was handsome when it happened.
AR-PHARAZÔN: He was. Not that that excuses it.
CHOTINER: Right.
Reposted by Phil Haack
as we approach Thanksgiving it's time for an important reminder
Pie is better than Cake
Pie is better than Cake
November 15, 2025 at 12:28 AM
as we approach Thanksgiving it's time for an important reminder
Pie is better than Cake
Pie is better than Cake
Reposted by Phil Haack
“Cities are good, people want to live in dense walkable neighborhoods, and urban governance should prioritize city residents’ quality of life over suburban drivers’ convenience” remains a genuinely radical political program in America.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that a big piece of Mamdani’s campaign was simply “cities are cool and lots of people enjoy living in them” which in and of itself dismantles alot of rightwing talking points
November 7, 2025 at 10:28 PM
“Cities are good, people want to live in dense walkable neighborhoods, and urban governance should prioritize city residents’ quality of life over suburban drivers’ convenience” remains a genuinely radical political program in America.
Reposted by Phil Haack
Smash your Ring doorbell to pieces first thing today if you haven’t already.
Oakland PD wants to join Flock’s sprawling surveillance network, which means connecting public & private systems including Ring doorbells, businesses and drones that will fuel 🧊dirty work.
Go to bit.ly/noflock-oakland to support the fight ✊🏽
Go to bit.ly/noflock-oakland to support the fight ✊🏽
October 30, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Smash your Ring doorbell to pieces first thing today if you haven’t already.
The cider is going like gangbusters!
October 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM
The cider is going like gangbusters!
Words I have lived by.
October 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Words I have lived by.
Reposted by Phil Haack
When the Supreme Court struck down Biden's policies, it was tempting to think: "At least these limits on executive authority will bind Trump if he comes back into office." But no—the court's skepticism of executive power vanished on Jan. 20, 2025. This dynamic is obvious to anyone paying attention!
October 9, 2025 at 2:50 PM
When the Supreme Court struck down Biden's policies, it was tempting to think: "At least these limits on executive authority will bind Trump if he comes back into office." But no—the court's skepticism of executive power vanished on Jan. 20, 2025. This dynamic is obvious to anyone paying attention!
My "Please don’t murder my children" sign has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my sign.
October 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
My "Please don’t murder my children" sign has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my sign.
Surprisingly good parenting advice from the construction site.
October 5, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Surprisingly good parenting advice from the construction site.
Reposted by Phil Haack
Why would you do a thing like that?
October 2, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Why would you do a thing like that?
Reposted by Phil Haack
The basic infrastructures that allow women to be participants in public life—birth control & abortion access, no fault divorce, childcare access & affordability, civil rights law in employment and public accommodations, the minimal efforts to mitigate sexual and domestic violence—are all crumbling.
September 30, 2025 at 2:29 PM
The basic infrastructures that allow women to be participants in public life—birth control & abortion access, no fault divorce, childcare access & affordability, civil rights law in employment and public accommodations, the minimal efforts to mitigate sexual and domestic violence—are all crumbling.
Reposted by Phil Haack
they don't have the capacity to compel obedience by the process of law.
they don't have the capacity to compel obedience by violence.
the only lever by which they can obtain obedience is fear.
do not offer it to them.
they don't have the capacity to compel obedience by violence.
the only lever by which they can obtain obedience is fear.
do not offer it to them.
September 18, 2025 at 1:58 AM
they don't have the capacity to compel obedience by the process of law.
they don't have the capacity to compel obedience by violence.
the only lever by which they can obtain obedience is fear.
do not offer it to them.
they don't have the capacity to compel obedience by violence.
the only lever by which they can obtain obedience is fear.
do not offer it to them.
Reposted by Phil Haack
Look, I get the Bluesky discourse, honestly. It’s an annoying website full of scolds. But what I think most commentators miss is that it’s also the first website where everyone on it is of the right age to have a close personal relationship with the music of The Hold Steady
September 14, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Look, I get the Bluesky discourse, honestly. It’s an annoying website full of scolds. But what I think most commentators miss is that it’s also the first website where everyone on it is of the right age to have a close personal relationship with the music of The Hold Steady
Reposted by Phil Haack
rarely have I more acutely felt the dynamic by which Dems are held responsible for the rhetoric of every random left-leaning person on the internet and Republicans are not even asked to answer for their own personal words
September 11, 2025 at 1:25 AM
rarely have I more acutely felt the dynamic by which Dems are held responsible for the rhetoric of every random left-leaning person on the internet and Republicans are not even asked to answer for their own personal words
Reposted by Phil Haack
You're in good company, friend, welcome.
September 10, 2025 at 11:30 PM
You're in good company, friend, welcome.
Reposted by Phil Haack
The problem with stopping escalatory violence is that it requires political factions to see the other side as not an enemy. You can't only find violence targeted at yourself as abhorrent.
Which is difficult to square with months of cheerleading for deploying the military to Democratic-run cities.
Which is difficult to square with months of cheerleading for deploying the military to Democratic-run cities.
September 10, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The problem with stopping escalatory violence is that it requires political factions to see the other side as not an enemy. You can't only find violence targeted at yourself as abhorrent.
Which is difficult to square with months of cheerleading for deploying the military to Democratic-run cities.
Which is difficult to square with months of cheerleading for deploying the military to Democratic-run cities.
Seems in violation of at least the spirit of 37 CFR § 1.11.
September 10, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Seems in violation of at least the spirit of 37 CFR § 1.11.
🧐 where are the ornamental bits?
D787,901 - issued in 2017 for a design for a "crab opening tool." #DesignPatents
September 10, 2025 at 2:18 PM
🧐 where are the ornamental bits?
Reposted by Phil Haack
Translation: “The Pope was just practice.”
“.. if, God forbid, there's a terrible tragedy, I can't think of better on-the-job training than what I've gotten over the last 200 days,” he added.
@usatoday.com
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
@usatoday.com
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
August 29, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Translation: “The Pope was just practice.”
Reposted by Phil Haack
Every lawyer should get the day off in observance of the fact that they actually failed to indict a ham sandwich
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday were unable to secure a felony assault indictment against a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent on the streets of Washington this month, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent
www.nytimes.com
August 27, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Every lawyer should get the day off in observance of the fact that they actually failed to indict a ham sandwich
Reposted by Phil Haack
The best part of this photo — which is a good example of how photographers make art — is the slogan “American workers first” on the banner observed by troops who’ve been forced to pick up trash and do landscaping because the president on the banner illegally fired the American workers who did that.
August 27, 2025 at 2:43 PM
The best part of this photo — which is a good example of how photographers make art — is the slogan “American workers first” on the banner observed by troops who’ve been forced to pick up trash and do landscaping because the president on the banner illegally fired the American workers who did that.
Reposted by Phil Haack
Go read a book. Specifically read a fiction book. There’s so much good out there and it’s enriching and wonderful and it’s so easy to fall out of practice at it.
There has been a steady decline in reading for fun. From 2003 to 2023, the share of Americans who read for pleasure fell 40%, a sharp decline that is part of a continuing downward trend, according to a study published on Wednesday.
Fewer People Are Reading for Fun, Study Finds
From 2003 to 2023, the share of Americans who read for pleasure fell 40 percent, a sharp decline that is part of a continuing downward trend.
nyti.ms
August 20, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Go read a book. Specifically read a fiction book. There’s so much good out there and it’s enriching and wonderful and it’s so easy to fall out of practice at it.
Reposted by Phil Haack
Federal agents doing slapdash safety check checkpoints because they have nothing better to do than harass American citizens is repugnant to our foundational principles. We should not tolerate it in a free society.
August 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Federal agents doing slapdash safety check checkpoints because they have nothing better to do than harass American citizens is repugnant to our foundational principles. We should not tolerate it in a free society.