Firsk.bsky.social
@firsk.bsky.social
Sailor, entrepreneur (electronic instrumentation), designer, woodworker, boat builder, potter.
Pacific Northwest resident, outdoorsy, classical liberal.
Parent of an adult trans child.
Date from the final days of the Truman administration.
Pacific Northwest resident, outdoorsy, classical liberal.
Parent of an adult trans child.
Date from the final days of the Truman administration.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Just to say it again:
In another federally regulated field with life-and-death consequences—aviation—anyone who made this sort of gross, grotesque error would be held accountable, and no longer put in charge of other people's fate.
In another federally regulated field with life-and-death consequences—aviation—anyone who made this sort of gross, grotesque error would be held accountable, and no longer put in charge of other people's fate.
🚨BREAKING: Federal prosecutors admitted Wednesday that the grand jury handling the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey never reviewed or voted on the final indictment used to charge him — a virtually unprecedented revelation that could topple the entire case.
In Stunning Admission, DOJ Says Grand Jury Never Saw Indictment Against Comey
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Just to say it again:
In another federally regulated field with life-and-death consequences—aviation—anyone who made this sort of gross, grotesque error would be held accountable, and no longer put in charge of other people's fate.
In another federally regulated field with life-and-death consequences—aviation—anyone who made this sort of gross, grotesque error would be held accountable, and no longer put in charge of other people's fate.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
wrote about the president’s flagrant and destructive corruption in a column that references street fighter, the simpsons, machiavelli, and a host of revolutionary-era americans (gift link)
Opinion | The White House Gold Rush Is On
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:51 AM
wrote about the president’s flagrant and destructive corruption in a column that references street fighter, the simpsons, machiavelli, and a host of revolutionary-era americans (gift link)
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
NEW: ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 19, 2025 at 12:00 PM
NEW: ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
"We've seen the early stages of what economists call stagflation. The '-flation' part is inflation, and you've all felt that at the grocery store. The 'stag-' part is stagnation, which is we've got rising unemployment and slower economic growth than we otherwise would have."
November 19, 2025 at 12:52 PM
"We've seen the early stages of what economists call stagflation. The '-flation' part is inflation, and you've all felt that at the grocery store. The 'stag-' part is stagnation, which is we've got rising unemployment and slower economic growth than we otherwise would have."
Wow- this thread provides a powerful framework for understanding our current corruption.
Worth reading.
Worth reading.
1/This week has seen a blitz of what looks like corruption sandals: Saudi development deals for US military tech, Pakistani payments to Trump insiders for tariff relief, Swiss gold bars for a trade deal. Far from a payoff, this is a reordering of internat'l system.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Wow- this thread provides a powerful framework for understanding our current corruption.
Worth reading.
Worth reading.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
6/Neo-royalism asks what happens to international politics when small groups of hyper elites (royalist cliques) become the central actor in world politics rather than the state. In short, tribute/extraction and exceptionalism replace rules and sovereign equality. Its all about the squeeze.
November 18, 2025 at 2:12 PM
6/Neo-royalism asks what happens to international politics when small groups of hyper elites (royalist cliques) become the central actor in world politics rather than the state. In short, tribute/extraction and exceptionalism replace rules and sovereign equality. Its all about the squeeze.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
1/This week has seen a blitz of what looks like corruption sandals: Saudi development deals for US military tech, Pakistani payments to Trump insiders for tariff relief, Swiss gold bars for a trade deal. Far from a payoff, this is a reordering of internat'l system.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
1/This week has seen a blitz of what looks like corruption sandals: Saudi development deals for US military tech, Pakistani payments to Trump insiders for tariff relief, Swiss gold bars for a trade deal. Far from a payoff, this is a reordering of internat'l system.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
NEW: The Trump administration’s slickly produced videos of an immigration raid at a Chicago apartment building in September showed federal agents rappelling from a helicopter and banging down doors.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
What the Trump Administration’s Videos From a Chicago Immigration Raid Don’t Show
Detained and deported Venezuelans tell their stories of what happened when immigration agents raided their apartment building.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NEW: The Trump administration’s slickly produced videos of an immigration raid at a Chicago apartment building in September showed federal agents rappelling from a helicopter and banging down doors.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
"They spent a month in detention before she gave up on her asylum case and asked to be sent back to Venezuela. Mejías later told me her son cried for his father and refused to eat the food served in jail. He lost weight."
Always read @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social
Always read @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social
NEW: The Trump administration’s slickly produced videos of an immigration raid at a Chicago apartment building in September showed federal agents rappelling from a helicopter and banging down doors.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
What the Trump Administration’s Videos From a Chicago Immigration Raid Don’t Show
Detained and deported Venezuelans tell their stories of what happened when immigration agents raided their apartment building.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"They spent a month in detention before she gave up on her asylum case and asked to be sent back to Venezuela. Mejías later told me her son cried for his father and refused to eat the food served in jail. He lost weight."
Always read @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social
Always read @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
This is such a common tactic- just lie & expect that no one will confront you on it.
Just saw it today with the Sec. of Agriculture claiming that prices have been going down steeply "across the board" for consumers. Trump does it every day. In his cabinet hey ALL do it, and rarely get called out.
Just saw it today with the Sec. of Agriculture claiming that prices have been going down steeply "across the board" for consumers. Trump does it every day. In his cabinet hey ALL do it, and rarely get called out.
Take a moment to listen
This is the Republican Mantra
All they do is LIE
THIS is also about Epstein
O'Reilly caught in lies and watch his face
Faux news has done this for years
And the gullible believe their lies
LIES, CORRUPTION, AND GREED
Please watch
This is the Republican Mantra
All they do is LIE
THIS is also about Epstein
O'Reilly caught in lies and watch his face
Faux news has done this for years
And the gullible believe their lies
LIES, CORRUPTION, AND GREED
Please watch
November 19, 2025 at 3:45 AM
This is such a common tactic- just lie & expect that no one will confront you on it.
Just saw it today with the Sec. of Agriculture claiming that prices have been going down steeply "across the board" for consumers. Trump does it every day. In his cabinet hey ALL do it, and rarely get called out.
Just saw it today with the Sec. of Agriculture claiming that prices have been going down steeply "across the board" for consumers. Trump does it every day. In his cabinet hey ALL do it, and rarely get called out.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
A reminder: Tariffs are a regressive tax. The anti-Robin Hood.
Trump's current tariff settings effectively impose a tax rate on low-income households that's roughly TRIPLE that on high-income folks. That's not the way taxes are supposed to work.
[source: budgetlab.yale.edu/research/sta...
Trump's current tariff settings effectively impose a tax rate on low-income households that's roughly TRIPLE that on high-income folks. That's not the way taxes are supposed to work.
[source: budgetlab.yale.edu/research/sta...
November 18, 2025 at 11:59 PM
A reminder: Tariffs are a regressive tax. The anti-Robin Hood.
Trump's current tariff settings effectively impose a tax rate on low-income households that's roughly TRIPLE that on high-income folks. That's not the way taxes are supposed to work.
[source: budgetlab.yale.edu/research/sta...
Trump's current tariff settings effectively impose a tax rate on low-income households that's roughly TRIPLE that on high-income folks. That's not the way taxes are supposed to work.
[source: budgetlab.yale.edu/research/sta...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Any sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice.
November 18, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Any sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Narcissistic rage is an intense, disproportionate outburst of anger or silence that occurs in individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) when their self-esteem, grandiose self-image, or sense of superiority is perceived to be threatened search.brave.com/search?q=nar...
Narcissistic rage
Narcissistic rage is an intense, disproportionate outburst of anger or silence that occurs in individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) when their self-esteem, grandiose self-image, or ...
search.brave.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Narcissistic rage is an intense, disproportionate outburst of anger or silence that occurs in individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) when their self-esteem, grandiose self-image, or sense of superiority is perceived to be threatened search.brave.com/search?q=nar...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Apart from being obviously awful you can see from the flash of anger on his face that he is feeling *completely* out of control about this situation. Reminds me of the interview he bailed on in the ESPN 30 for 30, “Who Killed the USFL,” when he was confronted on his failures by a reporter
"Quiet! Quiet, Piggy."
November 18, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Apart from being obviously awful you can see from the flash of anger on his face that he is feeling *completely* out of control about this situation. Reminds me of the interview he bailed on in the ESPN 30 for 30, “Who Killed the USFL,” when he was confronted on his failures by a reporter
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Politicians target grocery tariffs because we see those prices every week and they show up in polls. But rent, furniture, appliances, daycare—those costs matter just as much and many remain tariffed or high. Watch the whole household budget, not just the shopping cart.
November 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Politicians target grocery tariffs because we see those prices every week and they show up in polls. But rent, furniture, appliances, daycare—those costs matter just as much and many remain tariffed or high. Watch the whole household budget, not just the shopping cart.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
It is a serious journalistic crime to equate Donald Trump's outright lies about the economy with Joe Biden's arguable tone-deafness themoneytrail.substack.com/p/on-the-mon...
On the Money: Bad Economics Coverage Enables Trump, Threatens Democracy
New York Times coverage of Trump budget cuts is emblematic of the media’s failure
themoneytrail.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
It is a serious journalistic crime to equate Donald Trump's outright lies about the economy with Joe Biden's arguable tone-deafness themoneytrail.substack.com/p/on-the-mon...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Remember when Jack Smith’s case re classified documents at maralago got dismissed because Jack was “improperly appointed”?
Today in the firehose of news I learned that the DOJ used the same procedure to appoint Lindsey Halligan to prosecute Comey and James. They’re trying to say it’s fine now.
🙄🤦🏻♀️
Today in the firehose of news I learned that the DOJ used the same procedure to appoint Lindsey Halligan to prosecute Comey and James. They’re trying to say it’s fine now.
🙄🤦🏻♀️
November 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Remember when Jack Smith’s case re classified documents at maralago got dismissed because Jack was “improperly appointed”?
Today in the firehose of news I learned that the DOJ used the same procedure to appoint Lindsey Halligan to prosecute Comey and James. They’re trying to say it’s fine now.
🙄🤦🏻♀️
Today in the firehose of news I learned that the DOJ used the same procedure to appoint Lindsey Halligan to prosecute Comey and James. They’re trying to say it’s fine now.
🙄🤦🏻♀️
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
EXCLUSIVE: The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation. Read and share the latest from @propublica.org. By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social, Avi Asher-Shapiro & @amierjeski.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/andr...
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:42 PM
EXCLUSIVE: The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation. Read and share the latest from @propublica.org. By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social, Avi Asher-Shapiro & @amierjeski.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/andr...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
If this picture was of Obama, you know @FoxNews would do three weeks solid on why the flag was on the ground.
At least three weeks
At least three weeks
November 18, 2025 at 2:00 AM
If this picture was of Obama, you know @FoxNews would do three weeks solid on why the flag was on the ground.
At least three weeks
At least three weeks
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
"Agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, ERO, and CBP intend to implement a comprehensive plan to target Spanish-speaking churches across the country during the upcoming holiday season between Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, and Christmas, Dec. 25."
Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays
The Trump Dept. of Homeland Security is briefing federal agencies on plans for immigration enforcement operations inside churches over holidays.
thisweekinworcester.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:12 AM
"Agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, ERO, and CBP intend to implement a comprehensive plan to target Spanish-speaking churches across the country during the upcoming holiday season between Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, and Christmas, Dec. 25."
The atrocities keep getting worse, the cruelty more extreme, the lies more blatant.
How, exactly, does this "make America great"?
How, exactly, does this "make America great"?
79-year-old Paul Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a WWII German refugee camp. His family legally emigrated to the U.S. when he was 5.
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
Sanford grandfather, born in refugee camp, nabbed by ICE after 70 years in U.S.
Paul Bojerski never gained official residency, but he checked in regularly with ICE for years. Then in July, at age 79, he was detained and sent to Alligator Alcatraz.
www.orlandosentinel.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 AM
The atrocities keep getting worse, the cruelty more extreme, the lies more blatant.
How, exactly, does this "make America great"?
How, exactly, does this "make America great"?
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
This is a great message, NIcky.
I fear that much of America has forgotten Ukraine. It brings to mind the AMERICA FIRST policy from 1941.
I fear that much of America has forgotten Ukraine. It brings to mind the AMERICA FIRST policy from 1941.
November 17, 2025 at 10:37 PM
This is a great message, NIcky.
I fear that much of America has forgotten Ukraine. It brings to mind the AMERICA FIRST policy from 1941.
I fear that much of America has forgotten Ukraine. It brings to mind the AMERICA FIRST policy from 1941.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
NEW—US Park Police w/ DHS officers near DC are increasingly pulling over Black and brown men, leaving their work vans on the side of the parkway + immediately calling a local towing company to take them. Families who just lost their breadwinner are stuck with the bill.
@melbuer.bsky.social reports:
@melbuer.bsky.social reports:
Families of DC-area immigrant drivers snatched by feds stuck with tow bill
Elected officials and activists note work vehicles removed lightning fast, resulting in hundreds in fees.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 17, 2025 at 6:38 PM
NEW—US Park Police w/ DHS officers near DC are increasingly pulling over Black and brown men, leaving their work vans on the side of the parkway + immediately calling a local towing company to take them. Families who just lost their breadwinner are stuck with the bill.
@melbuer.bsky.social reports:
@melbuer.bsky.social reports: