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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9h

Hope you get this past the top editors so that it doesn't get headlines like "Strategic Redirection of Federal Funding May Affect Science, According to Experts"

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9h

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9h

This pretty much sums up one major reaction I have, which is that it would be so great if the people in charge just absolutely laughed in their faces and said "come the fuck on".

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 3d

Like, we're going to have "oh this isn't so bad" enablers telling us that really this is not the worst fascism ever even when they get detained. "Hey, they only waterboarded me twice and shocked my testicles once about something I never did, it was way worse somewhere else".

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 3d

Sick of this kind of "oh sweetheart, it's not fascism until you get thrown out of the helicopter or get tossed in a death camp" thing. Nichols has as much experience of real fascism as I do, which is to say it's all intellectual, analytic. Don't worry, Tom, the real deal is coming.

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 4d

If we were living under fascism, none of you would be here daring to post things. You'd be erasing your social media accounts and keeping your head down; you'd know that peacocking your faux-bravery on a network would expose you to being disappeared.
You have no idea what "fascism" really means.

shane @mouthfulofcavities.bsky.social · 4d

the regime is zip tying toddlers and ripping them away from their mothers unclothed... calling it fascism upsets this neo-con.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 6d

Vanderbilt soiled itself in the early civil rights movement, so I guess this a grand old tradition.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 6d

This sums it up perfectly. Injustice that is a result of indifference, exhaustion, the contradictions of flawed systems is one thing. We are now governed by people for whom injustice is the objective, cruelty is the point, and they're so far executing those goals comprehensively.

Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 6d

/5 This is not merely about indifference to the brutality against the least of us that is characteristic of our system; that happens under every administration. This is about brutality being the goal, because it makes evil people happy to see others brutalized.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 6d

Nothing is too petty for these guys. They're going to be firing individual postal delivery workers at some point for delivering campaign flyers for the Democrats.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 6d

"So that a government of Donald Trump, by Donald Trump, for Donald Trump, shall do whatever he desires whenever he desires it. Everyone else just exists to service him."

Tony Clark @anthonyclark.bsky.social · 7d

BREAKING: sources say NARA has forced out Dr. Todd Arrington, the federal director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, after he declined to allow the Trump administration to remove a sword from the library for a gift to King Charles

lastcampaign.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

EXCLUSIVE: NARA Ousts Eisenhower Library Director Over Proposed Trump Gift to King Charles

The director, a historian and Army veteran, declined to allow the Trump administration to remove a priceless artifact from the library's permanent collection

lastcampaign.substack.com

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 7d

Cawthorn-Santos Presidential ticket incoming in 2032. Though I'm surprised that Cawthorn isn't taking the shorter route to right-wing welfare and offering himself up as a Trump appointee. He'd fit right in.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 7d

Former congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-North Carolina), who left office in 2023 after a series of scandals, is launching a comeback campaign in Florida.

Cawthorn announced that he is running for the state’s 19th Congressional District.

Madison Cawthorn, ousted from House in 2022, tries comeback in Florida

The Republican will run for Florida’s 19th Congressional District, where a seat is open because Rep. Byron Donalds (R) is seeking the state’s governorship.

wapo.st

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 8d

Guess why the first thing they did at the Pentagon was get rid of most of the military lawyers.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 8d

Seems pretty safe, since Democrats in Congress seem nearly as obedient as Republicans are.

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Reposted by Timothy Burke

Boo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 8d

It's becoming clear that this is not an administration that is popular or skilled enough to do the consolidation needed to implement actual fascism, so they've decided that constantly creating fascism-flavored content is good enough

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 8d

If we come out of this dark era as an intact nation capable of producing reflective history about what the hell happened in the 2020s, I guarantee Hegseth's speech is going to be an iconic example of the incoherence, incompetence and dysfunction of this regime and this moment.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9d

I don't know if Hegseth is just gonna do some dumb ego thing with the military, but at the least it pays to have some eyes on the situation. At the same time, we all have to remember that the entire MO of these guys to to have Prez Le Petomaine do dumb shit while the Hedley Lamarrs do evil shit.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9d

At a minimum, every elected Democrat needs to reboot their relationship to their constituency and basically ask again for their trust rather than assume it or assert it. They can't say "we're the only defense against the worst" because the worst is happening despite them.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9d

This is about where I thought we'd be. The thing that depresses me is that the Democratic Party leadership talked as if they understood that--they *ran* on it--and plainly they didn't actually believe it themselves and made no plans for it.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9d

The Democratic leadership in the House and Senate are moving forward as if the people who are about to have their ACA costs dramatically increased (and the people who've already suffered from Medicaid cuts) are going to blame the GOP and turn to the Dems. Bad assumption on both counts.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9d

More rebranding from the Trump Administration! DOJ will become Department of Vengeance. HHS will become Brainworm High Command. Commerce Department will become Big Piggy's Bribe Bank.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 9d

All those cautionary tales about the dangers of winning the lottery plainly have to include J.K. Rowling as one of the prime exhibits. She could be having fun and travelling, she could be heading a foundation, anything--but she's obsessively online trying to win the game of "everyone is wrong".

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 11d

This is literally right after a new book was published that suggested that a lot of her most dangerous flights--including the last one--were orchestrated by a spouse who saw her as a meal ticket and nothing else and otherwise abused her. I can see why Trump is fascinated.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 12d

I suspect the unacceptable part of his conduct is having his face unmasked.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 13d

Let's just suppose that an entirely random process identified an individual who a federal prosecutor was told "Secure an indictment of them by any means necessary". How many American citizens could not be indicted regardless of that order? My guess would be close to zero.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 13d

Maybe a bourbon tasting.

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Timothy Burke @timothyburke.bsky.social · 13d

Apparently a lot of serving top military officers have been called to Washington DC for an urgent face-to-face meeting. I wonder what Operation Never Heard Of Epstein is going to be about. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Martial law? Greenland invasion? Seizure of all escalators in NYC?

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