Charles Rathmann
@charlesrathmann.bsky.social
Construction and enterprise technogy wonk, fisherman, guitarist and family guy in the #Driftless region of #Wisconsin.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
The Situation, Nov. 23, 2025: On Shame
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
November 24, 2025 at 12:03 AM
The Situation, Nov. 23, 2025: On Shame
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
One other thing: People often ask me how they can support my #SpecialMilitaryOperations work. Short answer: Thanks, but you can't. Please give your charitable dollars to organizations that are doing the work: advocacy, military support, refugee aid. I will fund the ventilation of my own rage.
November 23, 2025 at 3:33 AM
One other thing: People often ask me how they can support my #SpecialMilitaryOperations work. Short answer: Thanks, but you can't. Please give your charitable dollars to organizations that are doing the work: advocacy, military support, refugee aid. I will fund the ventilation of my own rage.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
The image is by Kriss Salmanis, a Latvian artist who created it in the early days of the full-scale invasion. It hangs as a giant banner on a museum across the street from the Russian embassy in Riga, Latvia.
November 23, 2025 at 3:33 AM
The image is by Kriss Salmanis, a Latvian artist who created it in the early days of the full-scale invasion. It hangs as a giant banner on a museum across the street from the Russian embassy in Riga, Latvia.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Sitting in the pews, the service felt like an iconic American moment, suffused with grandeur, dignity, deep faith, and a kind of patriotism — a celebration of American values and sacrifice — that, in itself, seemed an act of defiance.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
A Split Screen Moment for America
Dick Cheney's funeral. Donald Trump's deranged rant.
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Sitting in the pews, the service felt like an iconic American moment, suffused with grandeur, dignity, deep faith, and a kind of patriotism — a celebration of American values and sacrifice — that, in itself, seemed an act of defiance.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
What does a middle-aged Quaker guy in the Driftless do on a Saturday night in November?
November 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
What does a middle-aged Quaker guy in the Driftless do on a Saturday night in November?
Won't you be ... my neighbor? #realestate #waterfrontproperty #driftless #wisconsin www.realtor.com/realestatean...
www.realtor.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Won't you be ... my neighbor? #realestate #waterfrontproperty #driftless #wisconsin www.realtor.com/realestatean...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
I predict Trump will pardon Maxwell as a way to lash out and because it will be the ultimate loyalty test for the GOP (and his base)
November 12, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I predict Trump will pardon Maxwell as a way to lash out and because it will be the ultimate loyalty test for the GOP (and his base)
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Kinzinger & Sykes: "The Last Republican"
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Kinzinger & Sykes: "The Last Republican"
The man, the movie, the podcast.
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Kinzinger & Sykes: "The Last Republican"
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Pardons are now available for anyone who can pay for them. This is the most corrupt President in history.
November 9, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Pardons are now available for anyone who can pay for them. This is the most corrupt President in history.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
I have tonight taught my tween how to make mac and cheese from scratch, thereby launching her into adulthood. 😏
November 9, 2025 at 12:04 AM
I have tonight taught my tween how to make mac and cheese from scratch, thereby launching her into adulthood. 😏
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
November 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
I also do not use the LLM. The folks I talk to who also don't use the LLM tell me they tried it & found it was stupid & the ideas/information wrong & the citations made up & it was a huge waste of time. These are people who have to provide good advice & correct information. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Recently met someone who was very surprised to hear I didn’t use ChatGPT or any LLM.
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
November 8, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I also do not use the LLM. The folks I talk to who also don't use the LLM tell me they tried it & found it was stupid & the ideas/information wrong & the citations made up & it was a huge waste of time. These are people who have to provide good advice & correct information. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
This is an excellent episode with an excellent guest Rachel Janfaza. We’re talking Zoomers. Personally I think this is a can’t-miss episode. I learned a ton. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
Gen Z: They're Zooming Apart (with Rachel Janfaza)
Podcast Episode · The Focus Group Podcast · 11/08/2025 · 1h 4m
podcasts.apple.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
This is an excellent episode with an excellent guest Rachel Janfaza. We’re talking Zoomers. Personally I think this is a can’t-miss episode. I learned a ton. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
The authoritarian exploitation of vague legalisms:
"One of the things that strongmen do... is they try to construct and 'legalize' systems that allow for the arbitrary use of power by constructing benefits for those who are compliant and consequences for those who are not"
"One of the things that strongmen do... is they try to construct and 'legalize' systems that allow for the arbitrary use of power by constructing benefits for those who are compliant and consequences for those who are not"
Trumpist rule consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: there must be a president and executive branch whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside its opponents and victims whom the law binds but does not protect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/m...
November 2, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The authoritarian exploitation of vague legalisms:
"One of the things that strongmen do... is they try to construct and 'legalize' systems that allow for the arbitrary use of power by constructing benefits for those who are compliant and consequences for those who are not"
"One of the things that strongmen do... is they try to construct and 'legalize' systems that allow for the arbitrary use of power by constructing benefits for those who are compliant and consequences for those who are not"
Not a positive development ... #AI
Shutdown Resistance in Large Language Models
We show that several state-of-the-art large language models (including Grok 4, GPT-5, and Gemini 2.5 Pro) sometimes actively subvert a shutdown mechanism in their environment in order to complete a si...
arxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Not a positive development ... #AI
@timmiller.bsky.social Hey, was going to listen to this podcast as I walk thr little Morkie. Seems some of the audio is missing ... audioboom.com/posts/879610...
Bulwark on Sunday: The End of The Republic?
Bill Kristol and Michael Wood take on the fears we could be at the end of the republic as we know it.
audioboom.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:58 PM
@timmiller.bsky.social Hey, was going to listen to this podcast as I walk thr little Morkie. Seems some of the audio is missing ... audioboom.com/posts/879610...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
If the National Guard is really in D.C. to protect federal
property, they should probably have been at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. two days ago
property, they should probably have been at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. two days ago
October 22, 2025 at 7:15 PM
If the National Guard is really in D.C. to protect federal
property, they should probably have been at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. two days ago
property, they should probably have been at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. two days ago
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
“We found over 35 cases in which the judges have specifically said what the government is providing…false information. It might be intentionally false information, including false sworn declarations time and again," says Ryan Goodman, law professor at New York University.
October 19, 2025 at 11:43 PM
“We found over 35 cases in which the judges have specifically said what the government is providing…false information. It might be intentionally false information, including false sworn declarations time and again," says Ryan Goodman, law professor at New York University.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
This is quite a hed/subhed.
1) Start with Vance. Use strong action verb. Accept the autocratic premise that the “Marines’ Might” are Vance’s to flex.
2) Mention the protest second and absurdly describe them as in the thousands
3) Treat Trump’s strong man use of the military as a partisan scuffle.
1) Start with Vance. Use strong action verb. Accept the autocratic premise that the “Marines’ Might” are Vance’s to flex.
2) Mention the protest second and absurdly describe them as in the thousands
3) Treat Trump’s strong man use of the military as a partisan scuffle.
October 19, 2025 at 10:31 AM
This is quite a hed/subhed.
1) Start with Vance. Use strong action verb. Accept the autocratic premise that the “Marines’ Might” are Vance’s to flex.
2) Mention the protest second and absurdly describe them as in the thousands
3) Treat Trump’s strong man use of the military as a partisan scuffle.
1) Start with Vance. Use strong action verb. Accept the autocratic premise that the “Marines’ Might” are Vance’s to flex.
2) Mention the protest second and absurdly describe them as in the thousands
3) Treat Trump’s strong man use of the military as a partisan scuffle.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
In exchange for getting to house migrants in El Salvador's notorious prison, the Trump administration agreed to give up top MS-13 cooperators, "a key step in hindering an ongoing U.S. investigation" into the Salvadoran government's relationship with the gang.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
October 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
In exchange for getting to house migrants in El Salvador's notorious prison, the Trump administration agreed to give up top MS-13 cooperators, "a key step in hindering an ongoing U.S. investigation" into the Salvadoran government's relationship with the gang.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
So the Louvre was robbed? We need the greatest detective in France. www.bbc.com/news/live/c6...
October 19, 2025 at 2:03 PM
So the Louvre was robbed? We need the greatest detective in France. www.bbc.com/news/live/c6...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
This is the best political news I’ve seen in a very long time — so please pass it on👇
Each state can limit Citizens United in their own state & they don’t have to wait for other states to do it.
Our new @rollingstone.com piece based on our new book MASTER PLAN. Get the book at LeverNews.com/book
Each state can limit Citizens United in their own state & they don’t have to wait for other states to do it.
Our new @rollingstone.com piece based on our new book MASTER PLAN. Get the book at LeverNews.com/book
October 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
This is the best political news I’ve seen in a very long time — so please pass it on👇
Each state can limit Citizens United in their own state & they don’t have to wait for other states to do it.
Our new @rollingstone.com piece based on our new book MASTER PLAN. Get the book at LeverNews.com/book
Each state can limit Citizens United in their own state & they don’t have to wait for other states to do it.
Our new @rollingstone.com piece based on our new book MASTER PLAN. Get the book at LeverNews.com/book
This is super unhealthy.
Trump Posts Bizarre AI Video in Which He Airdrops Feces On ‘No Kings’ Protesters
Trump posted a bizarre AI video to Truth Social, late Saturday, in which he's seen dropping feces on "No Kings" protesters from a fighter jet.
www.yahoo.com
October 19, 2025 at 1:29 PM
This is super unhealthy.