So'Westerner gone AWOL
@3elo.bsky.social
Well-published author, healthcare wonk, policy wonk. Southwesterner gone AWOL to Blue Yonder. Liberal Forever. Admires Voltaire & Sam Adams. Alas, too near-sighted to become an astronaut. Possessed by felines & hummingbirds.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
A starter pack is a curated list of accounts assembled by a Bluesky user and shared publicly, so that other users can browse them and choose accounts to follow. These packs are the fastest way to find a bunch of great accounts to follow or to add to your lists:
2/
blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
2/
blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
Starter Pack - Bluesky Directory
Recommended custom feeds and users to help communities find each other.
blueskydirectory.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:02 PM
A starter pack is a curated list of accounts assembled by a Bluesky user and shared publicly, so that other users can browse them and choose accounts to follow. These packs are the fastest way to find a bunch of great accounts to follow or to add to your lists:
2/
blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
2/
blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
NEW: Mass resignations at the DoJ Civil Rights Division - including the Chief of the Criminal Section - over the administration’s refusal to investigate the murder of Renee Good. www.cbsnews.com/news/minneap...
Mass resignations hit Justice Department's Civil Rights Division amid lack of action in Minneapolis, sources say
At least six prosecutors, most of whom are supervisors in the Civil Rights Division's criminal section, will be leaving their jobs.
www.cbsnews.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:42 PM
NEW: Mass resignations at the DoJ Civil Rights Division - including the Chief of the Criminal Section - over the administration’s refusal to investigate the murder of Renee Good. www.cbsnews.com/news/minneap...
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
The Trump era in a nutshell:
Ordinary citizens are holding ICE accountable, while large law firms are doing nothing.
Small businesses are speaking out, while large corporations remain silent.
Independent media show moral urgency, while legacy media reports "both sides."
Ordinary citizens are holding ICE accountable, while large law firms are doing nothing.
Small businesses are speaking out, while large corporations remain silent.
Independent media show moral urgency, while legacy media reports "both sides."
January 13, 2026 at 4:44 PM
The Trump era in a nutshell:
Ordinary citizens are holding ICE accountable, while large law firms are doing nothing.
Small businesses are speaking out, while large corporations remain silent.
Independent media show moral urgency, while legacy media reports "both sides."
Ordinary citizens are holding ICE accountable, while large law firms are doing nothing.
Small businesses are speaking out, while large corporations remain silent.
Independent media show moral urgency, while legacy media reports "both sides."
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Every dictator in history has claimed that they’ll only use their powers to go after the worst of the worst.
Every dictator in history has lied.
Donald Trump is no different.
Every dictator in history has lied.
Donald Trump is no different.
January 13, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Every dictator in history has claimed that they’ll only use their powers to go after the worst of the worst.
Every dictator in history has lied.
Donald Trump is no different.
Every dictator in history has lied.
Donald Trump is no different.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Conveniently, the state being able to specifically articulate why it’s stopping a vehicle happens to be the longstanding legal test for whether it’s constitutionally permissible to do so.
![Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
Overview Opinions Materials
Nonetheless, the notions which underlie both the warrant procedure and the requirement of probable cause remain fully relevant in this context. In order to assess the reasonableness of Officer McFadden's conduct as a general proposition, it is necessary "first to focus upon
[21]
the governmental interest which allegedly justifies official intrusion upon the constitutionally protected interests of the private citizen," for there is "no ready test for determining reasonableness other than by balancing the need to search [or seize] against the invasion which the search [or seizure] entails." Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U.
S. 523, 534-535, 536-537 (1967). And, in justifying the particular intrusion, the police officer must be able to point to specific and articulable facts which, taken together with rational inferences from those facts, reasonably warrant that intrusion. [Footnote
18] The scheme of the Fourth Amendment becomes meaningful only when it is assured that, at some point, the conduct of those charged with enforcing the laws can be subjected to the more detached, neutral scrutiny of a judge who must evaluate the reasonableness of a particular search or seizure in light of the particular circumstances.
[Footnote 19] And, in making that assessment, it is imperative that the facts be judged against an objective standard: would the facts](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:on5oeywiqx32fh2zau473wz6/bafkreigqybbyb7kipnvue7szo2igyhlavzyf2fr777sgb6ln5bnhnfqafy@jpeg)
January 13, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Conveniently, the state being able to specifically articulate why it’s stopping a vehicle happens to be the longstanding legal test for whether it’s constitutionally permissible to do so.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Things I did not need to know from a political campaign: ""Graham has great sperm," Gertner said in the video. “The infertility was something that was part of my body.”"
Graham Platner on campaign hiatus to pursue pregnancy with wife in Norway
In a video on social media, Platner said a first attempt at IVF costs $25,000 in the U.S., while one IVF round in Norway costs $5,500.
www.newscentermaine.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Things I did not need to know from a political campaign: ""Graham has great sperm," Gertner said in the video. “The infertility was something that was part of my body.”"
"Does addiction result in a need to keep exercising power in an increasingly domineering fashion?
“Yes, a central component of addiction is increased tolerance — i.e., you need to increase the dose to keep the same effect. It can become an unquenchable appetite.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/o...
“Yes, a central component of addiction is increased tolerance — i.e., you need to increase the dose to keep the same effect. It can become an unquenchable appetite.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/o...
Opinion | If Power Corrupts, What Do We Have Here?
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:13 PM
"Does addiction result in a need to keep exercising power in an increasingly domineering fashion?
“Yes, a central component of addiction is increased tolerance — i.e., you need to increase the dose to keep the same effect. It can become an unquenchable appetite.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/o...
“Yes, a central component of addiction is increased tolerance — i.e., you need to increase the dose to keep the same effect. It can become an unquenchable appetite.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/o...
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Are you a graduate student in meteorology, atmospheric, or related sciences🔬?
Apply for the Richard Grotjahn Research Fellowship in Extremes (RGRFE) for a chance to receive a $10,000 stipend for extremes-related research.
Apply by 1 February 2026: https://bit.ly/3Na5GsA
Apply for the Richard Grotjahn Research Fellowship in Extremes (RGRFE) for a chance to receive a $10,000 stipend for extremes-related research.
Apply by 1 February 2026: https://bit.ly/3Na5GsA
January 13, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Are you a graduate student in meteorology, atmospheric, or related sciences🔬?
Apply for the Richard Grotjahn Research Fellowship in Extremes (RGRFE) for a chance to receive a $10,000 stipend for extremes-related research.
Apply by 1 February 2026: https://bit.ly/3Na5GsA
Apply for the Richard Grotjahn Research Fellowship in Extremes (RGRFE) for a chance to receive a $10,000 stipend for extremes-related research.
Apply by 1 February 2026: https://bit.ly/3Na5GsA
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
“We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased. These are clear-cut violations of an unambiguous law.” www.commondreams.org/news/epstein...
'The Law Must Be Enforced': Epstein Survivors Speak Out Against Trump DOJ Cover-Up and Delay | Common Dreams
Epstein survivors criticize Trump administration for withholding files related to their case, demand accountability and enforcement of the law.
www.commondreams.org
January 13, 2026 at 1:31 AM
“We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased. These are clear-cut violations of an unambiguous law.” www.commondreams.org/news/epstein...
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Add it to the war crimes list.
Breaking NYT:
The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter.
The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status.
That is a war crime called "perfidy."
The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter.
The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status.
That is a war crime called "perfidy."
U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Add it to the war crimes list.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
January 13, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Donald Trump is a bona fide fascist who will destroy everything and anything in his way of absolute power. Criminally charge Fed Chair Jerome Powell? WTF! Hey #SenateDems #HouseDemocrats DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS AND REMOVE TRUMP #BBCNews #DV1 #ProudBlue @housedemocrats.bsky.social @democrats.senate.gov
January 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Donald Trump is a bona fide fascist who will destroy everything and anything in his way of absolute power. Criminally charge Fed Chair Jerome Powell? WTF! Hey #SenateDems #HouseDemocrats DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS AND REMOVE TRUMP #BBCNews #DV1 #ProudBlue @housedemocrats.bsky.social @democrats.senate.gov
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
the thing is, AOC’s message here is in some substantive ways not different from what Schumer says when he talks about COL stuff except his comms team is like next level incompetent and hers is very good
AOC: I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face.
January 13, 2026 at 1:36 AM
the thing is, AOC’s message here is in some substantive ways not different from what Schumer says when he talks about COL stuff except his comms team is like next level incompetent and hers is very good
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
The longer they talk, the more Nazi they get.
#NazisgonnaNazi
#NazisgonnaNazi
Look at the podium.
After an SS officer was killed in 1942, the Nazis erased Lidice: men executed, women sent to camps, children murdered or stolen. Putting that phrase on a U.S. government podium isn’t a mistake. It’s a threat. And history tells us where threats like this go.
After an SS officer was killed in 1942, the Nazis erased Lidice: men executed, women sent to camps, children murdered or stolen. Putting that phrase on a U.S. government podium isn’t a mistake. It’s a threat. And history tells us where threats like this go.
January 13, 2026 at 1:35 AM
The longer they talk, the more Nazi they get.
#NazisgonnaNazi
#NazisgonnaNazi
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Initial polls with interviews after Nicole Good's killing are showing Trump's already terrible job approval dropping:
3 point decline - Morning Consult
5 point decline - RMG/Napolitan Institute
7 point decline - TIPP Insights
It's possible - thankfully - this terrible act has moved public opinion.
3 point decline - Morning Consult
5 point decline - RMG/Napolitan Institute
7 point decline - TIPP Insights
It's possible - thankfully - this terrible act has moved public opinion.
January 13, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Initial polls with interviews after Nicole Good's killing are showing Trump's already terrible job approval dropping:
3 point decline - Morning Consult
5 point decline - RMG/Napolitan Institute
7 point decline - TIPP Insights
It's possible - thankfully - this terrible act has moved public opinion.
3 point decline - Morning Consult
5 point decline - RMG/Napolitan Institute
7 point decline - TIPP Insights
It's possible - thankfully - this terrible act has moved public opinion.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
The Church Committee's investigation into the crimes of the intelligence community is about as good a model as we have for the kind of investigation into the crimes of ICE and other agencies. This is really a must-read for understanding our own moment.
With MLK day approaching, worth reading what the official Senate investigation found about surveillance, sabotage, and blackmail as part of the FBI's "war" on Martin Luther King.
"No holds were barred. We have used [similar] techniques against Soviet agents...This is a rough, tough business."
"No holds were barred. We have used [similar] techniques against Soviet agents...This is a rough, tough business."
The Church Committee Report: Revelations from the Bombshell 1970s Investigation Into the National Security State
Revelations from the Bombshell 1970s Investigation Into the National Security State
bookshop.org
January 11, 2026 at 6:48 PM
The Church Committee's investigation into the crimes of the intelligence community is about as good a model as we have for the kind of investigation into the crimes of ICE and other agencies. This is really a must-read for understanding our own moment.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has replaced a photo of President Donald Trump and reportedly a caption that accompanied it — erasing mentions of Trump’s two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Wake up America‼️
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has replaced a photo of President Donald Trump and reportedly a caption that accompanied it — erasing mentions of Trump’s two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Wake up America‼️
National Portrait Gallery makes changes to Trump part of 'America's Presidents' exhibit
The new photo was taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok, a museum spokesperson said.
www.nbcnews.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:34 PM
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has replaced a photo of President Donald Trump and reportedly a caption that accompanied it — erasing mentions of Trump’s two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Wake up America‼️
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has replaced a photo of President Donald Trump and reportedly a caption that accompanied it — erasing mentions of Trump’s two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Wake up America‼️
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
Mark Kelly has sued Pete Hegseth & DOD, over Hegseth's censure of Kelly and effort to reduce his retirement grade, alleging violations of the First Amendment, due process, Speech & Debate Clause & federal laws.💙
#ProudBlue #Pinks #SheShed #IStandWithKelly
#ProudBlue #Pinks #SheShed #IStandWithKelly
January 12, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Mark Kelly has sued Pete Hegseth & DOD, over Hegseth's censure of Kelly and effort to reduce his retirement grade, alleging violations of the First Amendment, due process, Speech & Debate Clause & federal laws.💙
#ProudBlue #Pinks #SheShed #IStandWithKelly
#ProudBlue #Pinks #SheShed #IStandWithKelly
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
...Phillips-Staley watched Trump reclaim the nation’s highest office — after he was found liable for sexual abuse — then go on to install, in similarly lofty positions, a string of men credibly accused of sex crimes.
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
January 12, 2026 at 3:56 PM
...Phillips-Staley watched Trump reclaim the nation’s highest office — after he was found liable for sexual abuse — then go on to install, in similarly lofty positions, a string of men credibly accused of sex crimes.
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
"ICE agents suck and should be prosecuted, and ICE should have its funding cut" is now the majority sensible moderate centrist popularist abundance third way blah blah blah position.
Anyone who says otherwise—as many 'data-driven' 'liberal' pundits still do—is really just MAGA without the hat.
Anyone who says otherwise—as many 'data-driven' 'liberal' pundits still do—is really just MAGA without the hat.
This YouGov poll on ICE is really eye-opening. Public opinion has really swung against DHS/ICE and their terror regime.
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/IC...
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/IC...
January 13, 2026 at 1:38 AM
"ICE agents suck and should be prosecuted, and ICE should have its funding cut" is now the majority sensible moderate centrist popularist abundance third way blah blah blah position.
Anyone who says otherwise—as many 'data-driven' 'liberal' pundits still do—is really just MAGA without the hat.
Anyone who says otherwise—as many 'data-driven' 'liberal' pundits still do—is really just MAGA without the hat.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
I am at a vigil for Renee Good at St Mark's in the Bowery.
They handed out cards bearing the names of people killed by ICE in this second Trump era.
There are a lot of cards.
They handed out cards bearing the names of people killed by ICE in this second Trump era.
There are a lot of cards.
January 13, 2026 at 1:08 AM
I am at a vigil for Renee Good at St Mark's in the Bowery.
They handed out cards bearing the names of people killed by ICE in this second Trump era.
There are a lot of cards.
They handed out cards bearing the names of people killed by ICE in this second Trump era.
There are a lot of cards.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
AOC: I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face.
January 13, 2026 at 1:20 AM
AOC: I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face.
Reposted by So'Westerner gone AWOL
“Target declined to comment”
A Minnesota state representative said two Richfield Target employees detained by U.S. Border Patrol on Jan. 8 were U.S. citizens and were both injured in the incident.
Target employees detained by federal officers were U.S. citizens, legislator says
Minnesota Rep. Michael Howard, who represents Richfield, said the employees also were injured in the incident.
bit.ly
January 13, 2026 at 1:04 AM
“Target declined to comment”