@arabbookworm.bsky.social
Lover of books, art. Leftist. Opinionated. Recovering from cancer.
Reposted
it helps in two ways:
1) I don't sit around thinking "what is the longterm strategy here?" which I think is a trap
2) I notice that many things aren't followed through longterm, and in fact this is the expected state
of course there are real lives at stake here. but the principles are the same
1) I don't sit around thinking "what is the longterm strategy here?" which I think is a trap
2) I notice that many things aren't followed through longterm, and in fact this is the expected state
of course there are real lives at stake here. but the principles are the same
January 5, 2026 at 10:36 AM
it helps in two ways:
1) I don't sit around thinking "what is the longterm strategy here?" which I think is a trap
2) I notice that many things aren't followed through longterm, and in fact this is the expected state
of course there are real lives at stake here. but the principles are the same
1) I don't sit around thinking "what is the longterm strategy here?" which I think is a trap
2) I notice that many things aren't followed through longterm, and in fact this is the expected state
of course there are real lives at stake here. but the principles are the same
On fb I used to do a 12 days of Xmas singalong starting on Christmas and ending on the 12th day. (I stopped because fb effed up the algorithm enough that people were not seeing it. I miss it). Let’s do a round today? Everyone add a line…. (Can be snarky/funny/Muppetty)
HAPPY LAST DAY OF CHRISTMAS
Happy twelfth night everyone! It is still Christmas, and anyone who says different us weird and being weird.
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
January 5, 2026 at 11:42 AM
On fb I used to do a 12 days of Xmas singalong starting on Christmas and ending on the 12th day. (I stopped because fb effed up the algorithm enough that people were not seeing it. I miss it). Let’s do a round today? Everyone add a line…. (Can be snarky/funny/Muppetty)
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The man with the nuclear codes
Trump in a single gaggle on Air Force One just threatened:
-- a second strike against Venezuela
-- Cuba
-- Mexico
-- Colombia
-- Iran
-- Greenland (which in turn would be an attack on the EU and Denmark)
-- a second strike against Venezuela
-- Cuba
-- Mexico
-- Colombia
-- Iran
-- Greenland (which in turn would be an attack on the EU and Denmark)
January 5, 2026 at 2:43 AM
The man with the nuclear codes
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You gotta admit it's really funny that Trump is cognitively at about the level of a lower beast in one of Aesop's fables.
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:35 AM
You gotta admit it's really funny that Trump is cognitively at about the level of a lower beast in one of Aesop's fables.
Please go watch Control Room. I know its an old movie, your library probably still has a copy. Its a doc about reporting and bias, and wagging the dog.
January 5, 2026 at 8:14 AM
Please go watch Control Room. I know its an old movie, your library probably still has a copy. Its a doc about reporting and bias, and wagging the dog.
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Take it from a Filipino, even if you despise the current rulers of your country, you will live to regret the day the United States comes in to remove them
January 3, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Take it from a Filipino, even if you despise the current rulers of your country, you will live to regret the day the United States comes in to remove them
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NBC's sources said that "the potential mission in Mexico is not designed to undermine the Mexican government." But that's what it will do if the US is doing CIA drone strikes on Mexican soil over the objections of the president.
January 4, 2026 at 7:19 PM
NBC's sources said that "the potential mission in Mexico is not designed to undermine the Mexican government." But that's what it will do if the US is doing CIA drone strikes on Mexican soil over the objections of the president.
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talked to the owner of a denim company that produces jeans in the US. he said that he's seen declining sales abroad in EU and Canada. stores tell him that customers don't want to buy MiUSA products bc Trump makes dumb, pointless threats like "taking over Canada or Greenland"
January 4, 2026 at 10:30 PM
talked to the owner of a denim company that produces jeans in the US. he said that he's seen declining sales abroad in EU and Canada. stores tell him that customers don't want to buy MiUSA products bc Trump makes dumb, pointless threats like "taking over Canada or Greenland"
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A really sad follow-up to this story — Alexis Erlinmeyer, one of the trans federal intelligence workers who was fired, has died of a pulmonary embolism. She was 31. Her family is burying her under her deadname, so friends are fundraising for an accurate memorial: www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-...
NEW—In late Feb, Chris Rufo published leaked chats between queer/trans employees at US intel agencies. Then Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she’d fire all involved.
I spoke to chat members who were fired, are on admin leave, and who kept their jobs about the new lavender scare:
I spoke to chat members who were fired, are on admin leave, and who kept their jobs about the new lavender scare:
Queer intel officers targeted by top secret chat leak get their chance to speak
Chris Rufo published the chats. Staffers say a new "lavender scare" is upon us.
www.thehandbasket.co
January 4, 2026 at 10:24 PM
A really sad follow-up to this story — Alexis Erlinmeyer, one of the trans federal intelligence workers who was fired, has died of a pulmonary embolism. She was 31. Her family is burying her under her deadname, so friends are fundraising for an accurate memorial: www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-...
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Avoiding my geopolitical anxiety by reading the Harvard Magazine obits, and damn this issue starts off with a banger
January 5, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Avoiding my geopolitical anxiety by reading the Harvard Magazine obits, and damn this issue starts off with a banger
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I know there are a lot of
speculative fiction readers among you. If you haven’t tackled @older.bsky.social Infomocracy series, it is horribly relevant. We played with some of the same ideas in the Leverage S3 finale, political perception as reality.
speculative fiction readers among you. If you haven’t tackled @older.bsky.social Infomocracy series, it is horribly relevant. We played with some of the same ideas in the Leverage S3 finale, political perception as reality.
in Infomocracy, an incompletely post-national cyberpunk elections book, one of the plotlines involves a political party promising revanchist revenge fantasies to a bunch of different voters. when they win, it turns out they don't deliver bloodshed but rather the media experience of victory.
January 4, 2026 at 7:21 PM
I know there are a lot of
speculative fiction readers among you. If you haven’t tackled @older.bsky.social Infomocracy series, it is horribly relevant. We played with some of the same ideas in the Leverage S3 finale, political perception as reality.
speculative fiction readers among you. If you haven’t tackled @older.bsky.social Infomocracy series, it is horribly relevant. We played with some of the same ideas in the Leverage S3 finale, political perception as reality.
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THREAD: Viral misinformation on US capture of Nicolas Maduro - 4 January
This video, shared by Alex Jones and others, falsely claims to show millions of Venezuelans in Caracas celebrating Maduro's capture.
In fact, it shows anti-Maduro protests in July 2024 over a highly disputed election.
This video, shared by Alex Jones and others, falsely claims to show millions of Venezuelans in Caracas celebrating Maduro's capture.
In fact, it shows anti-Maduro protests in July 2024 over a highly disputed election.
January 4, 2026 at 7:29 PM
THREAD: Viral misinformation on US capture of Nicolas Maduro - 4 January
This video, shared by Alex Jones and others, falsely claims to show millions of Venezuelans in Caracas celebrating Maduro's capture.
In fact, it shows anti-Maduro protests in July 2024 over a highly disputed election.
This video, shared by Alex Jones and others, falsely claims to show millions of Venezuelans in Caracas celebrating Maduro's capture.
In fact, it shows anti-Maduro protests in July 2024 over a highly disputed election.
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My friends in Austria sent this and I can't stop watching...wait for the end. 🤗💜
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
I would also not be surprised if he tries to go into Brazil.
And surprising no one paying attention, Trump wants to expand his violent regime change violations of international law to Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia.
Did you think he'd stop with Venezuela? Not a chance. He is putting the world in danger. This is what colonizers do. That is who Trump is.
4/4
Did you think he'd stop with Venezuela? Not a chance. He is putting the world in danger. This is what colonizers do. That is who Trump is.
4/4
January 4, 2026 at 2:55 PM
I would also not be surprised if he tries to go into Brazil.
And this is the problem with our current media landscape. Even PBS, defunded, still errs towards… I don’t know what to call it… bipartisaaaan military worship.
Imagine being the person brave enough to leak this in the hopes that media attention could stop it and then the media just……buries it.
NEW: Plans for secret U.S. raid to capture Maduro leaked to the Washington Post and New York Times before it happened, but both decided not to publish to protect U.S. troops - Semafor
January 4, 2026 at 2:38 PM
And this is the problem with our current media landscape. Even PBS, defunded, still errs towards… I don’t know what to call it… bipartisaaaan military worship.
And maybe if it was leaked it wouldn’t have happened.
if you leak to me i certainly won’t pull this shit
🟡 NEW: The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops.
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
January 4, 2026 at 1:37 PM
And maybe if it was leaked it wouldn’t have happened.
Also, urge them to find a way of handing Maduro over to an international body. The UN, the ICJ, something. We cannot have the precedent of “trying” another country’s leader in US courts. It sets up all kinds of awful potential.
Our elected officials need to hear from us. Urge them to do everything in their power to stand up to the regime and prevent war with Venezuela.
Call your senators: indivisible.org/resource/cal...
Call your representative: indivisible.org/resource/cal...
Or email your Members of Congress. 👇
Call your senators: indivisible.org/resource/cal...
Call your representative: indivisible.org/resource/cal...
Or email your Members of Congress. 👇
Take Action: Stop Trump’s War in Venezuela
Demand your Member of Congress do everything in their power to stop Trump’s escalating attacks against Venezuela.
act.indivisible.org
January 4, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Also, urge them to find a way of handing Maduro over to an international body. The UN, the ICJ, something. We cannot have the precedent of “trying” another country’s leader in US courts. It sets up all kinds of awful potential.
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If someone truly wants to contribute something useful to an already confusing moment, then keeping people’s suffering at the center of the analysis would be a good place to start. Not as an afterthought.
Not as collateral damage.
As the baseline.
Not as collateral damage.
As the baseline.
January 3, 2026 at 11:04 AM
If someone truly wants to contribute something useful to an already confusing moment, then keeping people’s suffering at the center of the analysis would be a good place to start. Not as an afterthought.
Not as collateral damage.
As the baseline.
Not as collateral damage.
As the baseline.
Dear rest of the world, its time to start boycotting US goods. Yes, I know you can’t boycott everything US [because internet/banking/etc], but you CAN boycott products, companies, and international events.
January 4, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Dear rest of the world, its time to start boycotting US goods. Yes, I know you can’t boycott everything US [because internet/banking/etc], but you CAN boycott products, companies, and international events.
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In each regime change, U.S. media showed images of locals celebrating as a means to justify the change. Yet each ended in tragedy.
Violent regime change does not work. It never has. Why not? Because it is driven by oil and profit—not people and principles.
2/3
Violent regime change does not work. It never has. Why not? Because it is driven by oil and profit—not people and principles.
2/3
January 4, 2026 at 4:04 AM
In each regime change, U.S. media showed images of locals celebrating as a means to justify the change. Yet each ended in tragedy.
Violent regime change does not work. It never has. Why not? Because it is driven by oil and profit—not people and principles.
2/3
Violent regime change does not work. It never has. Why not? Because it is driven by oil and profit—not people and principles.
2/3
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Regime change in Afghanistan to remove the Taliban resulted in the return of the Taliban
Regime change in Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein resulted in the rise of Daesh (ISIS)
Regime change in Libya to remove Ghadaffi resulted in chaos and a decade plus of civil war
1/3
Regime change in Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein resulted in the rise of Daesh (ISIS)
Regime change in Libya to remove Ghadaffi resulted in chaos and a decade plus of civil war
1/3
January 4, 2026 at 4:04 AM
Regime change in Afghanistan to remove the Taliban resulted in the return of the Taliban
Regime change in Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein resulted in the rise of Daesh (ISIS)
Regime change in Libya to remove Ghadaffi resulted in chaos and a decade plus of civil war
1/3
Regime change in Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein resulted in the rise of Daesh (ISIS)
Regime change in Libya to remove Ghadaffi resulted in chaos and a decade plus of civil war
1/3
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And this is basically what it boils down to:
he's just gonna keep doing illegal shit as long as everyone keeps letting him
January 4, 2026 at 12:17 AM
And this is basically what it boils down to:
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Folks bypass things like the fact that NYPD activated drones and 30 cop cars for a demonstration of 1000 people in freezing weather today. The levels of surveillance and potential repression are taken as regular order in this country.
January 4, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Folks bypass things like the fact that NYPD activated drones and 30 cop cars for a demonstration of 1000 people in freezing weather today. The levels of surveillance and potential repression are taken as regular order in this country.
Reposted
In the past week, the Trump-Vance admin:
–Bombed Nigeria
–Bombed Venezuela, abducted its leader
–Bombed more ships in the middle of the ocean
–Threatened military action in Iran, Colombia, and Cuba
–Accepted the “Israel Prize” & hosted Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago (despite his soldiers killing Americans)
–Bombed Nigeria
–Bombed Venezuela, abducted its leader
–Bombed more ships in the middle of the ocean
–Threatened military action in Iran, Colombia, and Cuba
–Accepted the “Israel Prize” & hosted Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago (despite his soldiers killing Americans)
January 3, 2026 at 9:13 PM
In the past week, the Trump-Vance admin:
–Bombed Nigeria
–Bombed Venezuela, abducted its leader
–Bombed more ships in the middle of the ocean
–Threatened military action in Iran, Colombia, and Cuba
–Accepted the “Israel Prize” & hosted Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago (despite his soldiers killing Americans)
–Bombed Nigeria
–Bombed Venezuela, abducted its leader
–Bombed more ships in the middle of the ocean
–Threatened military action in Iran, Colombia, and Cuba
–Accepted the “Israel Prize” & hosted Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago (despite his soldiers killing Americans)
Reposted
Venezuela's Vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez: "An attack of this nature has a zionist tinge... the defence decree is now activated, all of Venezuela is mobilised. There is only one President in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros."
Long live Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution.
Long live Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution.
January 3, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Venezuela's Vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez: "An attack of this nature has a zionist tinge... the defence decree is now activated, all of Venezuela is mobilised. There is only one President in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros."
Long live Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution.
Long live Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution.