Frank Thames
@fthames.bsky.social
Political Scientist, Beer Drinker. Soccer Bores Me
Reposted by Frank Thames
I’ve written a new piece for @liberalcurrents.com in response to an open letter from the economist Donald Boudreaux. I address ways in which criticisms of egalitarianism err. It’s not enough to accuse them of envy or economic illiteracy. There are serious moral, social, and political concerns.
Is It All Just Envy?
The sides of the inequality debate continue to talk past one another, as Don Boudreaux's recent criticisms demonstrate.
www.liberalcurrents.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:42 PM
I’ve written a new piece for @liberalcurrents.com in response to an open letter from the economist Donald Boudreaux. I address ways in which criticisms of egalitarianism err. It’s not enough to accuse them of envy or economic illiteracy. There are serious moral, social, and political concerns.
Reposted by Frank Thames
This is a post about animal excrement and the English language.
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
February 2, 2026 at 3:23 PM
This is a post about animal excrement and the English language.
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
Reposted by Frank Thames
Look if Minnesota is the hub then it's a Purple Revolution.
If we're gonna have to have a color revolution, we should pick a good color.
January 28, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Look if Minnesota is the hub then it's a Purple Revolution.
Reposted by Frank Thames
Blueskis, studies have shown that when folks see or hear about a book more than five times, they are likely to check it out, and buy it.
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
January 18, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Blueskis, studies have shown that when folks see or hear about a book more than five times, they are likely to check it out, and buy it.
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
Reposted by Frank Thames
We now have a full-blown European-American crisis, and for no reason that the president is able to articulate
January 18, 2026 at 2:08 PM
We now have a full-blown European-American crisis, and for no reason that the president is able to articulate
Reposted by Frank Thames
Today is National Thesaurus Day.
Personally, we find these made-up holidays contemptible, abhorrent, nauseating, repugnant, and unpalatable.
Personally, we find these made-up holidays contemptible, abhorrent, nauseating, repugnant, and unpalatable.
January 18, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Today is National Thesaurus Day.
Personally, we find these made-up holidays contemptible, abhorrent, nauseating, repugnant, and unpalatable.
Personally, we find these made-up holidays contemptible, abhorrent, nauseating, repugnant, and unpalatable.
Reposted by Frank Thames
DOJ investigating whether Denmark lied on its Greenland mortgage.
January 17, 2026 at 6:23 PM
DOJ investigating whether Denmark lied on its Greenland mortgage.
Reposted by Frank Thames
Nice thing about Minneapolis being kinda small is that it’s hard to convince us protesters are being paid because you’d go out and oh there’s that kid from my high school who played Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha one year, and is that the pharmacist at my CVS over there, and there goes our realtor
January 17, 2026 at 6:10 AM
Nice thing about Minneapolis being kinda small is that it’s hard to convince us protesters are being paid because you’d go out and oh there’s that kid from my high school who played Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha one year, and is that the pharmacist at my CVS over there, and there goes our realtor
Reposted by Frank Thames
Reposted by Frank Thames
1) I have a new piece in the @lseinequalities.bsky.social blog today. Here I'm responding to the many who have suggested that all objections to inequality come from envy of the rich and "successful."
Concern about inequality is not mere envy
Are those who object to inequality simply voicing their envy of the richl? If so, we must dismiss the principled arguments of Plato, Jesus, Hobbes, Mill and Marx
blogs.lse.ac.uk
January 13, 2026 at 1:14 PM
1) I have a new piece in the @lseinequalities.bsky.social blog today. Here I'm responding to the many who have suggested that all objections to inequality come from envy of the rich and "successful."
Mayo and guac seems problematic to me....
January 6, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Mayo and guac seems problematic to me....
Reposted by Frank Thames
Not a humble brag (ok, maybe a little), but if somebody wants the chapter I wrote from this very expensive Oxford Handbook, please send me an email. This is not the best figure, but I promise the others are worth it! Transitional Justice and Elite Polarization url: academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
Transitional Justice and Elite Polarization
AbstractDoes the origin of polarization regarding transitional justice (TJ) in Poland lie with the elites or within society? We examine the causes of polar
academic.oup.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Not a humble brag (ok, maybe a little), but if somebody wants the chapter I wrote from this very expensive Oxford Handbook, please send me an email. This is not the best figure, but I promise the others are worth it! Transitional Justice and Elite Polarization url: academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
Reposted by Frank Thames
There is little coherent thought animating the Trump administration, just a president motivated by his psychological urges (and greed) and a bunch of other key actors (Vance, Rubio, Miller, etc.) pursuing their own pet agendas. 2/2
January 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
There is little coherent thought animating the Trump administration, just a president motivated by his psychological urges (and greed) and a bunch of other key actors (Vance, Rubio, Miller, etc.) pursuing their own pet agendas. 2/2
Reposted by Frank Thames
I don't think we should over index Trump's "Donroe Doctrine" comments & infer that he favors a great-power-spheres-of-influence world. He's not that consistent. A few months ago he claimed to have brokered an Armenia-Azerbaijan deal, cutting out Russia. 1/2
January 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
I don't think we should over index Trump's "Donroe Doctrine" comments & infer that he favors a great-power-spheres-of-influence world. He's not that consistent. A few months ago he claimed to have brokered an Armenia-Azerbaijan deal, cutting out Russia. 1/2
Reposted by Frank Thames
Sopranos bustout episode
“Trump's Venezuela Attack: It’s All About the Oil, Stupid!”
Here are five times Donald Trump himself admitted that illegally attacking Venezuela and toppling Nicolás Maduro was aimed at seizing the country’s massive oil reserves.
My latest for Zeteo:
Here are five times Donald Trump himself admitted that illegally attacking Venezuela and toppling Nicolás Maduro was aimed at seizing the country’s massive oil reserves.
My latest for Zeteo:
Trump's Venezuela Attack: It’s All About the Oil, Stupid!
Here are five times Donald Trump himself admitted that illegally attacking Venezuela and toppling Nicolás Maduro was aimed at seizing the country’s massive oil reserves.
zeteo.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Sopranos bustout episode
Some of us like slimy okra with just butter, salt, and pepper.
January 1, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Some of us like slimy okra with just butter, salt, and pepper.
Reposted by Frank Thames
The Incas had ritual human sacrifice. We have Pop-Tart self-immolation and cannibalism.
December 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM
The Incas had ritual human sacrifice. We have Pop-Tart self-immolation and cannibalism.
Reposted by Frank Thames
Technically, ‘should of’ is ‘should have,’ but we’re all about showing grace in the new year.
December 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Technically, ‘should of’ is ‘should have,’ but we’re all about showing grace in the new year.
Reposted by Frank Thames
The USC-Notre Dame rivalry may be ending, but we'll always have that weird bowl game they played on Christmas Eve in Die Hard... bit.ly/3NhIf0j
A Christmas query: Why is Notre Dame playing USC in 'Die Hard?'
Nearly 30 years after its release, one question about 'Die Hard' remains unanswered. Why was Notre Dame playing USC in a Christmas Eve bowl game?
bit.ly
December 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The USC-Notre Dame rivalry may be ending, but we'll always have that weird bowl game they played on Christmas Eve in Die Hard... bit.ly/3NhIf0j
Reposted by Frank Thames
Whereas this student is being empowered for making vague and unsubstantiated references to Biblical authority, I was once placed on TPUSA's Professor Watchlist for specifically citing Biblical authority in a paper outlining the Bible's concerns about concentrated wealth. You can't win.
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that pr...
www.cnn.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Whereas this student is being empowered for making vague and unsubstantiated references to Biblical authority, I was once placed on TPUSA's Professor Watchlist for specifically citing Biblical authority in a paper outlining the Bible's concerns about concentrated wealth. You can't win.
Mom always fried up the cheese grits the next day. Usually had ham and fried eggs. One of my favorite meals she made.
December 18, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Mom always fried up the cheese grits the next day. Usually had ham and fried eggs. One of my favorite meals she made.
Make sure you fry up some of the leftovers for breakfast!
December 18, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Make sure you fry up some of the leftovers for breakfast!
Reposted by Frank Thames
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
“I had just let the whole thing wash over me. I marveled at what a good story the truth could make in the right hands,” the author Stephen King writes about seeing “Stand by Me,” Rob Reiner’s adaptation of King's novella “The Body.”
“I had just let the whole thing wash over me. I marveled at what a good story the truth could make in the right hands,” the author Stephen King writes about seeing “Stand by Me,” Rob Reiner’s adaptation of King's novella “The Body.”
Opinion | Stephen King on Rob Reiner’s ‘Stand by Me’
In Rob’s hands, “Stand by Me,” my most autobiographical novel, rang true.
nyti.ms
December 16, 2025 at 5:50 PM
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
“I had just let the whole thing wash over me. I marveled at what a good story the truth could make in the right hands,” the author Stephen King writes about seeing “Stand by Me,” Rob Reiner’s adaptation of King's novella “The Body.”
“I had just let the whole thing wash over me. I marveled at what a good story the truth could make in the right hands,” the author Stephen King writes about seeing “Stand by Me,” Rob Reiner’s adaptation of King's novella “The Body.”