Dave Kearn
@davekearnjr.bsky.social
Son, brother, uncle. Teacher, retired bartender, (slowly) improving golfer. RIP E.B.
“It’s a fragile thing, this life we lead…”
“It’s a fragile thing, this life we lead…”
Pinned
Dave Kearn
@davekearnjr.bsky.social
· Oct 24
Limited nuclear war and the defense of Taiwan
This article assesses proposals to address the challenge of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan with the threat of first use of tactical nuclear weapons by the United States. While it is not clear that a ...
www.tandfonline.com
For anyone interested, a new article I’ve been working on for some time. Nice to see in print.
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/H6RJT...
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/H6RJT...
Reposted by Dave Kearn
Leading a discussion of the expiration of New START and what happens next at Managing the Atom, 1:30-3:00 today (Feb. 9). Take part if you're interested!
harvard.zoom.us/j/9102746884...
harvard.zoom.us/j/9102746884...
February 9, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Leading a discussion of the expiration of New START and what happens next at Managing the Atom, 1:30-3:00 today (Feb. 9). Take part if you're interested!
harvard.zoom.us/j/9102746884...
harvard.zoom.us/j/9102746884...
Reposted by Dave Kearn
Reposted by Dave Kearn
Kerryman who is married, living and working legally in the United States for >20 years has been incarcerated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) since September 2025.
Profoundly disturbing report by Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
Profoundly disturbing report by Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘Absolute hell’: Irish man with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
Seamus Culleton has been in a detention facility in Texas for nearly five months despite having no criminal record
www.irishtimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:36 AM
Kerryman who is married, living and working legally in the United States for >20 years has been incarcerated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) since September 2025.
Profoundly disturbing report by Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
Profoundly disturbing report by Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
Reposted by Dave Kearn
The SASC discussed nuclear deterrence policy after New START, but it's not particularly encouraging stuff. almauroni.substack.com/p/coping-wit...
almauroni.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:30 PM
The SASC discussed nuclear deterrence policy after New START, but it's not particularly encouraging stuff. almauroni.substack.com/p/coping-wit...
For the record, “Sweet Caroline” is wretched.
I hate that vapid, moronic song with the fire of a million sons.
Curse Fenway Sports for making it a thing has linking it like a cancer to the Red Sox.
And F-whatever that idiotic ad was about.
Even as a spoof that song sucks out loud,
I hate that vapid, moronic song with the fire of a million sons.
Curse Fenway Sports for making it a thing has linking it like a cancer to the Red Sox.
And F-whatever that idiotic ad was about.
Even as a spoof that song sucks out loud,
February 9, 2026 at 2:48 AM
For the record, “Sweet Caroline” is wretched.
I hate that vapid, moronic song with the fire of a million sons.
Curse Fenway Sports for making it a thing has linking it like a cancer to the Red Sox.
And F-whatever that idiotic ad was about.
Even as a spoof that song sucks out loud,
I hate that vapid, moronic song with the fire of a million sons.
Curse Fenway Sports for making it a thing has linking it like a cancer to the Red Sox.
And F-whatever that idiotic ad was about.
Even as a spoof that song sucks out loud,
Yep. Agreed. Prep has improved!
And damn that breakfast after is amazing.
And damn that breakfast after is amazing.
The prep isn't nearly as bad as it used to be, the surgery is the best nap you'll ever have, and the first meal after is a religious experience.
Just got a colonoscopy this week! Unlike poor Saavik here, prep was basically painless for me. Drink the goop, poop a lot, done. Really the whole thing was smooth & easy & not worth the dread lots of folks bring to it.
If you're nearing or above 50, do it!
If you're nearing or above 50, do it!
February 7, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Yep. Agreed. Prep has improved!
And damn that breakfast after is amazing.
And damn that breakfast after is amazing.
Ughh…
Ronald Reagan could run as a Democrat today.
This is a problem.
This is a problem.
February 7, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Ughh…
Reposted by Dave Kearn
I sincerely hope that JD Vance gets this reaction every single place he goes.
Vice President JD Vance gets roundly booed at the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics. "Those are a lot of boos for him, whistling jeering," says the presenter. US athletes receive a warm welcome from fans, though.
February 6, 2026 at 9:34 PM
I sincerely hope that JD Vance gets this reaction every single place he goes.
Reposted by Dave Kearn
I'm back on Substack with reflections on today's very interesting reveal of what appear to have been previously classified U.S. intelligence conclusions about alleged Chinese nuclear-testing activity at Lop Nur panda.substack.com/p/china-us-i...
China, U.S. Intelligence, and Nuclear Weapons Testing
Parsing out a new, specific U.S. claim.
panda.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I'm back on Substack with reflections on today's very interesting reveal of what appear to have been previously classified U.S. intelligence conclusions about alleged Chinese nuclear-testing activity at Lop Nur panda.substack.com/p/china-us-i...
This is absolutely nuts.
And the trend goes both ways, by the way.
The US government is telling Americans to hate Europeans and Canadians. And many have dutifully changed their opinions.
The US government is telling Americans to hate Europeans and Canadians. And many have dutifully changed their opinions.
February 7, 2026 at 9:57 PM
This is absolutely nuts.
As someone who worked a few campaigns in Charlottesville, this is beautiful…
February 7, 2026 at 9:51 PM
As someone who worked a few campaigns in Charlottesville, this is beautiful…
Yup!
Absolutely right. Democrats backed a national ban on gerrymandering while Republicans pushed their advantage in key states. This evens things up but also draws us closer to real reform.
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
February 7, 2026 at 9:40 PM
Yup!
Reposted by Dave Kearn
Pete Hegseth's decision to end all military education and fellowships at Harvard is bad for the military, as well as bad for Harvard. I'm proud to say many of my former fellows are making big contributions to the U.S. military -- helped by their time at Harvard.
x.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Pete Hegseth's decision to end all military education and fellowships at Harvard is bad for the military, as well as bad for Harvard. I'm proud to say many of my former fellows are making big contributions to the U.S. military -- helped by their time at Harvard.
Reposted by Dave Kearn
If Trump resumes nuclear testing, it would be a gift to China. The US has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests; China has done just 45. Beijing has much more to gain from new nuclear tests than Washington. For Trump, this would be the height of stupidity. thehill.com/policy/inter...
US accuses China of secret nuclear test, calls for new arms control treaty including Russia
The U.S. on Friday called for a new, broader nuclear arms control treaty with China and Russia after it accused Beijing of conducting a secret nuclear test. “China has conducted nuclear explosive t…
thehill.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:57 PM
If Trump resumes nuclear testing, it would be a gift to China. The US has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests; China has done just 45. Beijing has much more to gain from new nuclear tests than Washington. For Trump, this would be the height of stupidity. thehill.com/policy/inter...
Reposted by Dave Kearn
1/4
As the Trump administration’s “What about China?” nuclear arms control agenda for a New START follow-on unfolds, here’s a 2020 throwback. @thebulletin.org
Link here: doi.org/10.1080/0096...
As the Trump administration’s “What about China?” nuclear arms control agenda for a New START follow-on unfolds, here’s a 2020 throwback. @thebulletin.org
Link here: doi.org/10.1080/0096...
February 7, 2026 at 5:04 PM
1/4
As the Trump administration’s “What about China?” nuclear arms control agenda for a New START follow-on unfolds, here’s a 2020 throwback. @thebulletin.org
Link here: doi.org/10.1080/0096...
As the Trump administration’s “What about China?” nuclear arms control agenda for a New START follow-on unfolds, here’s a 2020 throwback. @thebulletin.org
Link here: doi.org/10.1080/0096...
Reposted by Dave Kearn
SEN. OSSOFF: “.. why are roving gangs of masked men — who look like they couldn’t pass the Army physical exam — dressed up like pretend Delta Force operators, on our streets, demanding papers, dragging people from their cars, and shooting people to death?”
@acyn.bsky.social
@acyn.bsky.social
February 7, 2026 at 7:38 PM
SEN. OSSOFF: “.. why are roving gangs of masked men — who look like they couldn’t pass the Army physical exam — dressed up like pretend Delta Force operators, on our streets, demanding papers, dragging people from their cars, and shooting people to death?”
@acyn.bsky.social
@acyn.bsky.social
No…
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said he had "limited interactions" with Jeffrey Epstein, but documents show they were in business together as recently as 2014.
www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-...
www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-...
Lutnick and Epstein were in business together, Epstein files show
Though the commerce secretary has called his interactions with Epstein as "limited," the two were in business together four years after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea.
www.cbsnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:15 PM
No…
Damnit.
Somewhere between becoming a professor at the age of 27 and being one now at the age of 53, I crossed this line without realizing it until the looks on my students' faces drove it home.
You definitely want to learn to stop saying, "I am SO OLD!" long before the people to whom you're saying it just look at you in response with expressions that say, "I mean...yes."
February 7, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Damnit.
Reposted by Dave Kearn
Trump says he worries about "nuclear" as the world's biggest problem, but he's letting the last major arms treaty - one even the Russians want - lapse.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The End of the Nuclear-Arms-Control Era
The last significant treaty is about to expire, and Trump isn’t putting anything in its place.
www.theatlantic.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Trump says he worries about "nuclear" as the world's biggest problem, but he's letting the last major arms treaty - one even the Russians want - lapse.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by Dave Kearn
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
Reposted by Dave Kearn
For the record: I will not send another cent to Kristi Noem or Stephen Miller while the department they run is shredding the Constitution and murdering American citizens in the streets.
A two-week extension is two weeks too long. I’m voting no.
A two-week extension is two weeks too long. I’m voting no.
February 2, 2026 at 10:44 PM
For the record: I will not send another cent to Kristi Noem or Stephen Miller while the department they run is shredding the Constitution and murdering American citizens in the streets.
A two-week extension is two weeks too long. I’m voting no.
A two-week extension is two weeks too long. I’m voting no.
Reposted by Dave Kearn
"It's not a crime to party with a convicted sex offender and the victims of his sex trafficking pedophilia ring, and ... hang on, let me start again."
February 3, 2026 at 12:46 AM
"It's not a crime to party with a convicted sex offender and the victims of his sex trafficking pedophilia ring, and ... hang on, let me start again."
Reposted by Dave Kearn
There’s the winning message. They finally nailed it.
February 3, 2026 at 12:33 AM
There’s the winning message. They finally nailed it.
Reposted by Dave Kearn
I have never seen anything like this tbh on.wsj.com/4tuYacD
Exclusive | Classified Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Stalls Within Her Agency
Congress hasn’t seen the complaint, which was filed eight months ago with the U.S. intelligence community watchdog’s office.
on.wsj.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:42 AM
I have never seen anything like this tbh on.wsj.com/4tuYacD
Reposted by Dave Kearn
Jeffrey Epstein did not stop raping children after his 2008 conviction. Jeffrey Epstein did not stop facilitating the rape of children after his 2008 conviction. He kept doing it.
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly sexually abused girls in the US Virgin Islands through 2018 | CNN
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly transported underage girls to his secluded homes in the US Virgin Islands and forced them into sex work from 2001 through 2018, according to a lawsuit filed by the Attorney G...
www.cnn.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Jeffrey Epstein did not stop raping children after his 2008 conviction. Jeffrey Epstein did not stop facilitating the rape of children after his 2008 conviction. He kept doing it.
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...