Ryan Simmons
@xbillups.bsky.social
The stormy petrel of crime.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
i made a very vibes-based presidential tier list. i didnt put a ton of thought into it. just for funsies. i def think i have some hot takes (esp jfk and washington)
December 29, 2025 at 6:14 PM
i made a very vibes-based presidential tier list. i didnt put a ton of thought into it. just for funsies. i def think i have some hot takes (esp jfk and washington)
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
43 years ago today, readers the world over opened their newspapers and gazed upon cow tools for the first time. happy birthday cow tools. you look great.
October 28, 2025 at 12:23 PM
43 years ago today, readers the world over opened their newspapers and gazed upon cow tools for the first time. happy birthday cow tools. you look great.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
October 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
AI bubble now 17 times bigger than dot-com boom and four times larger than subprime crisis, per MW
October 12, 2025 at 3:03 AM
AI bubble now 17 times bigger than dot-com boom and four times larger than subprime crisis, per MW
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
We really hit on something with the 12 year old theory of governance because that’s really the entire political project. It’s being 12 years old and not even normal 12 year olds but real pieces of shit 12 year olds
October 7, 2025 at 1:24 PM
We really hit on something with the 12 year old theory of governance because that’s really the entire political project. It’s being 12 years old and not even normal 12 year olds but real pieces of shit 12 year olds
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
Also: when a government acts brutally and lawlessly and immorally, but tells you that pointing those things out incites violence and terrorism, that government and its agents are entitled to no respect or credence.
If a government tells you that you can’t call it authoritarian, it’s authoritarian.
September 25, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Also: when a government acts brutally and lawlessly and immorally, but tells you that pointing those things out incites violence and terrorism, that government and its agents are entitled to no respect or credence.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
This is like how voters screamed (for 20 years) to get American troops out of Afghanistan and then Biden got us out of Afghanistan and then within thirty days his approval rating was in the low 40s and never rebounded. Median voters are brain dead and should take some ownership of this clusterfuck.
September 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This is like how voters screamed (for 20 years) to get American troops out of Afghanistan and then Biden got us out of Afghanistan and then within thirty days his approval rating was in the low 40s and never rebounded. Median voters are brain dead and should take some ownership of this clusterfuck.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
3/6
What my client and I would work on...immediately...was their fear of death...even if they were convinced they didn't fear death.
Something "magical" happens when you no longer fear death: anxiety almost always just falls away. The number of reasons for it...PLUMMET.
What my client and I would work on...immediately...was their fear of death...even if they were convinced they didn't fear death.
Something "magical" happens when you no longer fear death: anxiety almost always just falls away. The number of reasons for it...PLUMMET.
August 17, 2025 at 9:17 PM
3/6
What my client and I would work on...immediately...was their fear of death...even if they were convinced they didn't fear death.
Something "magical" happens when you no longer fear death: anxiety almost always just falls away. The number of reasons for it...PLUMMET.
What my client and I would work on...immediately...was their fear of death...even if they were convinced they didn't fear death.
Something "magical" happens when you no longer fear death: anxiety almost always just falls away. The number of reasons for it...PLUMMET.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
Late last night I mapped crime rates for cities in OH, SC and WV to show how often they exceeded the rate in DC — where those states’ governors are sending National Guard troops to “combat crime.” www.pbump.net/o/more-peopl...
More people in Ohio need protection from violent crime than there are people in D.C.
Governors of three states — Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia — are sending members of their state National Guards to D.C. to … well, theoretically to combat crime but, if the past week is any in...
www.pbump.net
August 17, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Late last night I mapped crime rates for cities in OH, SC and WV to show how often they exceeded the rate in DC — where those states’ governors are sending National Guard troops to “combat crime.” www.pbump.net/o/more-peopl...
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
1. "'Trusting the experts is not a feature of either a science or democracy," Kennedy said."
It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.
I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.
It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.
I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.
RFK Jr. in interview with Scripps News: ‘Trusting the experts is not science’
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. sat down with Scripps News for a wide-ranging interview, discussing mRNA vaccine funding policy changes and a recent shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
www.scrippsnews.com
August 12, 2025 at 4:48 AM
1. "'Trusting the experts is not a feature of either a science or democracy," Kennedy said."
It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.
I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.
It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.
I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
Ross Douthat released a new interview with Jeremy Lewin, the DOGE staffer who ended up running USAID. It's the first time he's spoken publicly at length.
As expected, he shows total moral bankruptcy—for him, millions of deaths are "some disruption in the short term"
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/o...
As expected, he shows total moral bankruptcy—for him, millions of deaths are "some disruption in the short term"
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/o...
Opinion | The DOGE Alum Asking if Foreign Aid Is America’s Problem
www.nytimes.com
July 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Ross Douthat released a new interview with Jeremy Lewin, the DOGE staffer who ended up running USAID. It's the first time he's spoken publicly at length.
As expected, he shows total moral bankruptcy—for him, millions of deaths are "some disruption in the short term"
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/o...
As expected, he shows total moral bankruptcy—for him, millions of deaths are "some disruption in the short term"
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/o...
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
July 27, 2025 at 9:01 PM
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
When you strip away humanity
July 26, 2025 at 11:31 AM
When you strip away humanity
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
I think it's now possible to make a poli-sci course that equips one for modern political analysis better than most classic theory and has a syllabus sourced entirely from random internet posts.
Text 1. Wilhoit's Law, born as part of a 2018 blog comment
crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/l...
Text 1. Wilhoit's Law, born as part of a 2018 blog comment
crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/l...
July 13, 2025 at 1:07 AM
I think it's now possible to make a poli-sci course that equips one for modern political analysis better than most classic theory and has a syllabus sourced entirely from random internet posts.
Text 1. Wilhoit's Law, born as part of a 2018 blog comment
crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/l...
Text 1. Wilhoit's Law, born as part of a 2018 blog comment
crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/l...
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
On values and culture this July 4th:
America is a cultural melting pot. We embrace different cultures, urban culture and rural culture alike.
But America has values it was built upon.
The foremost is that all are created equal.
1/
America is a cultural melting pot. We embrace different cultures, urban culture and rural culture alike.
But America has values it was built upon.
The foremost is that all are created equal.
1/
July 4, 2025 at 10:16 PM
On values and culture this July 4th:
America is a cultural melting pot. We embrace different cultures, urban culture and rural culture alike.
But America has values it was built upon.
The foremost is that all are created equal.
1/
America is a cultural melting pot. We embrace different cultures, urban culture and rural culture alike.
But America has values it was built upon.
The foremost is that all are created equal.
1/
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
Happy Independence Day America! I am proud to be American. To me, the real patriots are those who push their country to do better and live up to its ideals. Because if you love America as a beacon of hope, you have to love liberty and justice for all.
July 4, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Happy Independence Day America! I am proud to be American. To me, the real patriots are those who push their country to do better and live up to its ideals. Because if you love America as a beacon of hope, you have to love liberty and justice for all.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
The Democratic Party is Its Voters And They’re Doing Just Fine talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-d...
The Democratic Party is Its Voters And They’re Doing Just Fine
Last week, I read an article about the special primary election to...
talkingpointsmemo.com
June 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The Democratic Party is Its Voters And They’re Doing Just Fine talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-d...
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
If you had a 15 year old who said this to you and seemed to believe it, you’d be up all night panicking about what it’s going to cost you in tutors to get them into the 2nd-to-last ranked public university in your state.
June 28, 2025 at 3:36 PM
If you had a 15 year old who said this to you and seemed to believe it, you’d be up all night panicking about what it’s going to cost you in tutors to get them into the 2nd-to-last ranked public university in your state.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
This is a travesty & a nightmare. The US was a founder of @gavi.org. It lowers global vaccine costs, has vaccinated 1B children, & averted 19M deaths. This pull out will cost 100s of thousands of children's lives a year - and RFK Jr will be personally responsible.
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
RFK Jr. says US won’t donate to global vaccine effort
Kennedy ripped into Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in a video address at its pledging summit.
www.politico.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:59 PM
This is a travesty & a nightmare. The US was a founder of @gavi.org. It lowers global vaccine costs, has vaccinated 1B children, & averted 19M deaths. This pull out will cost 100s of thousands of children's lives a year - and RFK Jr will be personally responsible.
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
The way people are losing their fucking minds over a proposal for a publicly owned grocery store should give you some insight into how a proposal for public libraries would be greeted today if they didn't already exist.
June 26, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The way people are losing their fucking minds over a proposal for a publicly owned grocery store should give you some insight into how a proposal for public libraries would be greeted today if they didn't already exist.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
It was always a crystal clear 100% certainty that if the orange convicted felon was sent back into the White House instead of being sent to prison that he would bring the United States into war, economic collapse and total chaos. This is on everyone who voted for him.
June 18, 2025 at 9:41 PM
It was always a crystal clear 100% certainty that if the orange convicted felon was sent back into the White House instead of being sent to prison that he would bring the United States into war, economic collapse and total chaos. This is on everyone who voted for him.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
Posting this 1967 Birmingham News editorial cartoon for all the people who don't realize that this is how MLK was viewed by a big chunk of white America.
June 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Posting this 1967 Birmingham News editorial cartoon for all the people who don't realize that this is how MLK was viewed by a big chunk of white America.
🧵
A few words about “peaceful protests.”
1. At least 5% of people are uncontrollable assholes and will behave badly in any situation, let alone a high-tension one. So a large protest without ANYONE throwing shit, yelling slurs or for violence, etc. is likely not achievable.
/1
1. At least 5% of people are uncontrollable assholes and will behave badly in any situation, let alone a high-tension one. So a large protest without ANYONE throwing shit, yelling slurs or for violence, etc. is likely not achievable.
/1
June 10, 2025 at 2:43 PM
🧵
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
It’s obvious but worth drawing out what raids of Home Depot’s of all places is about. It’s rounding up people who are really eager for work and for whom there is work, peoples whose labor is in demand. We know this but shows just how far it is from rounding up just the bad guys.
June 8, 2025 at 8:07 PM
It’s obvious but worth drawing out what raids of Home Depot’s of all places is about. It’s rounding up people who are really eager for work and for whom there is work, peoples whose labor is in demand. We know this but shows just how far it is from rounding up just the bad guys.
Reposted by Ryan Simmons
A million years ago, this was a national scandal. Today, it is just an every day occurrence that we all tacitly accept.
June 3, 2025 at 1:45 PM
A million years ago, this was a national scandal. Today, it is just an every day occurrence that we all tacitly accept.