Water 💦
@anancientwell.bsky.social
obsessed with politics, history, jazz
interested in too many things
perpetually stuck between liberals and leftists
“And so it goes.”
📍Tulsa, OK
interested in too many things
perpetually stuck between liberals and leftists
“And so it goes.”
📍Tulsa, OK
Pinned
Water 💦
@anancientwell.bsky.social
· Dec 5
“Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple many things which are involved in haunting and harassing difficulties and obscurities now.” — Mark Twain
Reposted by Water 💦
Babe, wake up, new sarcastic but entirely worthwhile internet abbreviation just dropped
Over on threads someone just use ai;dr and we all need to adopt that right quick
February 11, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Babe, wake up, new sarcastic but entirely worthwhile internet abbreviation just dropped
Reposted by Water 💦
I cannot emphasize enough how insane all of this is. These people are extremely evil, but thankfully also extremely stupid. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
February 11, 2026 at 2:31 AM
I cannot emphasize enough how insane all of this is. These people are extremely evil, but thankfully also extremely stupid. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Reposted by Water 💦
At this point I don't really think of ICE's masks as being used for wearers' safety. I think of them as used for victims' fear.
I get the logic that masks can boost anonymity, limit doxxing etc. But I tend to see "masked men" more as a victim-intimidation, wearer-emboldenment tactic.
I get the logic that masks can boost anonymity, limit doxxing etc. But I tend to see "masked men" more as a victim-intimidation, wearer-emboldenment tactic.
Here's what DHS doesn't want you to know: Working for ICE is one of the safest jobs in America — and last year was the second-safest year for the agency on record.
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
ICE's Masks Are All a Lie
Working for ICE is actually less dangerous than being an elementary school student in America.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 10, 2026 at 7:03 PM
At this point I don't really think of ICE's masks as being used for wearers' safety. I think of them as used for victims' fear.
I get the logic that masks can boost anonymity, limit doxxing etc. But I tend to see "masked men" more as a victim-intimidation, wearer-emboldenment tactic.
I get the logic that masks can boost anonymity, limit doxxing etc. But I tend to see "masked men" more as a victim-intimidation, wearer-emboldenment tactic.
Reposted by Water 💦
This basic dynamic is why the leftist "appealing to voters pales in comparison to my plan, forcing voters to admit that their self identity is bullshit and a world-historic crime" is not going to be a winning political stratagem.
People generally are extremely resistant to admitting that they were wrong or did a bad thing and "he wasn't who we thought he was" or "I didn't know he was going to do these things" is the glove that these folks use to handle "I was wrong." This is what winning is going to look like.
one thing that will always be a mystery to me is the number of trump voters who basically thought they were electing george bush again reut.rs/3Mc4h4H
February 10, 2026 at 2:26 PM
This basic dynamic is why the leftist "appealing to voters pales in comparison to my plan, forcing voters to admit that their self identity is bullshit and a world-historic crime" is not going to be a winning political stratagem.
It pains me to admit the cosplay cowboy (Governor) of Oklahoma did the right thing.
OK GOP Governor Kevin Stitt still offering lessons in how to manage Trump.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Annual governors gathering with White House unraveling after Trump excludes Democrats
The National Governors Association annual conference is unraveling after President Donald Trump did not invite some Democrats to events.
apnews.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:50 PM
It pains me to admit the cosplay cowboy (Governor) of Oklahoma did the right thing.
Reposted by Water 💦
No exaggeration, we can’t have a republic if this behavior becomes normalized
This is part of a pattern that is impeachable: Trump cuts previously appropriated Congressional funds, but only to states led by Democrats (California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota).
The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats because it finds the grants “inconsistent with agency priorities,” according to documents reviewed by the NYT
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
February 9, 2026 at 11:51 PM
No exaggeration, we can’t have a republic if this behavior becomes normalized
Reposted by Water 💦
SpaceX shifts focus from something that it will never do on Mars to something it will never do on the Moon.
February 9, 2026 at 3:32 AM
SpaceX shifts focus from something that it will never do on Mars to something it will never do on the Moon.
Reposted by Water 💦
I never noticed this either.
February 8, 2026 at 7:09 PM
I never noticed this either.
Reposted by Water 💦
Yeah, that pretty much sums up the bullish case for America.
American urban and transit policies are third-rate before most other developed countries, but culturally there's just no fucking comparison and victory goes to the country that's least maladjusted to the realities* of modernity.
*women, queer people, and immigrants are people
*women, queer people, and immigrants are people
February 8, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Yeah, that pretty much sums up the bullish case for America.
Reposted by Water 💦
you can’t be the tough-talking get-it-done guy if there’s submissive pee running down your leg.
LAWLER: Renaming infrastructure projects is not a new concept
KARL: Okay, but this isn't like, 'let's honor somebody.' Trump wants it named after himself! And he says he'll unfreeze the money if they do it
L: I could care less what the name of an infrastructure project is. I care that it gets done
KARL: Okay, but this isn't like, 'let's honor somebody.' Trump wants it named after himself! And he says he'll unfreeze the money if they do it
L: I could care less what the name of an infrastructure project is. I care that it gets done
February 8, 2026 at 3:42 PM
you can’t be the tough-talking get-it-done guy if there’s submissive pee running down your leg.
Reposted by Water 💦
Five years ago I caught my dumbest ban
February 8, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Five years ago I caught my dumbest ban
Reposted by Water 💦
every study of term limits shows that it makes pols less responsive to constituents and gives lots of power to staffers who have no commitment to constituents.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
If we had term limits for politicians, perhaps they'd spend more time caring about their constituents instead of kissing ass for reelection money from wealthy donors.
I often see ppl say things like, "this pol is only doing this thing/saying this because they think it will be popular"
which...yes? this is why politicians do things or say things.
which...yes? this is why politicians do things or say things.
February 8, 2026 at 2:57 AM
every study of term limits shows that it makes pols less responsive to constituents and gives lots of power to staffers who have no commitment to constituents.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
Reposted by Water 💦
Friendly reminder that data coming from The White House is either the result of incompetence or deliberately misleading. Either way, best data practice is to always include longitudinal data to provide your audience with context.
February 7, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Friendly reminder that data coming from The White House is either the result of incompetence or deliberately misleading. Either way, best data practice is to always include longitudinal data to provide your audience with context.
Reposted by Water 💦
Stalin did more to undermine the global cause of socialism and waste the revolutionary moment than anyone else, the Trotskyists aren't wrong about that.
February 7, 2026 at 3:53 AM
Stalin did more to undermine the global cause of socialism and waste the revolutionary moment than anyone else, the Trotskyists aren't wrong about that.
Reposted by Water 💦
I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win
Update: They succeeded: www.mississippifreepress.org/byhalia-ice-...
February 7, 2026 at 2:14 AM
I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win
Reposted by Water 💦
It is so funny to see Republicans act like we care if it's an R or a D next to the name of someone who was sexually abusing, raping, and trafficking children.
We don't.
This isn't a political divide. It's basic morality. If you think this is "us vs. them," congrats on being Team Pedo, I guess.
We don't.
This isn't a political divide. It's basic morality. If you think this is "us vs. them," congrats on being Team Pedo, I guess.
February 6, 2026 at 9:05 PM
It is so funny to see Republicans act like we care if it's an R or a D next to the name of someone who was sexually abusing, raping, and trafficking children.
We don't.
This isn't a political divide. It's basic morality. If you think this is "us vs. them," congrats on being Team Pedo, I guess.
We don't.
This isn't a political divide. It's basic morality. If you think this is "us vs. them," congrats on being Team Pedo, I guess.
Reposted by Water 💦
somewhere in the world, a sewer worker is casually deadlifting a 70-lb manhole cover for the 16th time today so civilization can continue.
February 6, 2026 at 7:18 PM
somewhere in the world, a sewer worker is casually deadlifting a 70-lb manhole cover for the 16th time today so civilization can continue.
The only time I believe Trump is when when he boasts about accomplishing things nobody thought was possible.
you have to be a real piece of shit to be a foreign vice president well-known enough to be loathed on sight
February 6, 2026 at 11:11 PM
The only time I believe Trump is when when he boasts about accomplishing things nobody thought was possible.
Reposted by Water 💦
I've said it before and I'll say it again
"We can't fix the Dems, we need a new viable third party" is the political equivalent of "we can't fix Earth's environment, let's colonize Mars"
In that however hard the first one might be - maybe very! - the second one is orders of magnitude harder
"We can't fix the Dems, we need a new viable third party" is the political equivalent of "we can't fix Earth's environment, let's colonize Mars"
In that however hard the first one might be - maybe very! - the second one is orders of magnitude harder
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again
"We can't fix the Dems, we need a new viable third party" is the political equivalent of "we can't fix Earth's environment, let's colonize Mars"
In that however hard the first one might be - maybe very! - the second one is orders of magnitude harder
"We can't fix the Dems, we need a new viable third party" is the political equivalent of "we can't fix Earth's environment, let's colonize Mars"
In that however hard the first one might be - maybe very! - the second one is orders of magnitude harder
Reposted by Water 💦
Haven't seen this angle mentioned, but it's an extraordinary national security risk to have an anonymous "staffer" impersonating the president of the United States, posting racist memes, from his personal accounts, at 10 PM.
Live updates: White House blames 'staffer' for racist Obamas post shared by Trump
Trump administration live updates: New Jersey's special House primary too close to call
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Haven't seen this angle mentioned, but it's an extraordinary national security risk to have an anonymous "staffer" impersonating the president of the United States, posting racist memes, from his personal accounts, at 10 PM.
🔥 Wish I could argue this is unfair. 😞
February 6, 2026 at 10:07 PM
🔥 Wish I could argue this is unfair. 😞
Reposted by Water 💦
From @joelhs.bsky.social
"Arendt’s insistence on the “banality of evil” wasn’t a provocation for its own sake, but a methodological warning: when we mythologize genocide, we obscure the mundane mechanisms... that made it possible"
religiondispatches.org/2026/02/05/f...
"Arendt’s insistence on the “banality of evil” wasn’t a provocation for its own sake, but a methodological warning: when we mythologize genocide, we obscure the mundane mechanisms... that made it possible"
religiondispatches.org/2026/02/05/f...
The Ferocity of Responses to Tim Walz's Anne Frank/ICE Comments Are Revealing
When Minnesota Governor Tim Walz invoked Anne Frank while criticizing ICE deportations in his state, the backlash was immediate and fierce. Walz, who earned a master’s degree in Holocaust education, s...
religiondispatches.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:53 PM
From @joelhs.bsky.social
"Arendt’s insistence on the “banality of evil” wasn’t a provocation for its own sake, but a methodological warning: when we mythologize genocide, we obscure the mundane mechanisms... that made it possible"
religiondispatches.org/2026/02/05/f...
"Arendt’s insistence on the “banality of evil” wasn’t a provocation for its own sake, but a methodological warning: when we mythologize genocide, we obscure the mundane mechanisms... that made it possible"
religiondispatches.org/2026/02/05/f...
Reposted by Water 💦
i think we all need to step back and realize that peak art was made when neolithic pot in the shape of a pig was fired
February 6, 2026 at 7:46 PM
i think we all need to step back and realize that peak art was made when neolithic pot in the shape of a pig was fired
This is not a prediction or a dismissal of concerns, but I just don't believe Trump will be invested enough to interfere or contest election results when his name is not on the ballot. He's much more interested in re-litigating 2020 than fixing future elections.
February 6, 2026 at 9:14 PM
This is not a prediction or a dismissal of concerns, but I just don't believe Trump will be invested enough to interfere or contest election results when his name is not on the ballot. He's much more interested in re-litigating 2020 than fixing future elections.