heather gm (she/her)
@heathergm.bsky.social
Nonprofit design and interenet stuffs for work, cats and cooking for home, politics and anti-racism for making a better world and fighting fascists. Chronic illness & COVID safety concerned.
Rarely post but reskeet lots of smart folks I follow.
Rarely post but reskeet lots of smart folks I follow.
This sums it up nicely
The harm caused by the shutdown was real, affecting millions, and no one should downplay that. But America is not in a situation of harm or no harm. Rapidly backsliding into authoritarianism, America is in a terrible situation where appeasement trades short-term relief for more long-term harm.
Democrats Have to Get Out of a Normal Democracy Mindset
By folding in the government shutdown in exchange for virtually nothing, eight Democratic senators aid Trump's authoritarian takeover rather than oppose it
www.arcdigital.media
November 10, 2025 at 8:22 PM
This sums it up nicely
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
They caved in March so they could get a better deal now. They’re caving now so they can get a better deal in some indeterminate future. The better deal is always just beyond their reach, but continuing to cave will get them there. And if you don’t agree with that, you don’t understand Politics,
November 10, 2025 at 2:44 AM
They caved in March so they could get a better deal now. They’re caving now so they can get a better deal in some indeterminate future. The better deal is always just beyond their reach, but continuing to cave will get them there. And if you don’t agree with that, you don’t understand Politics,
I don't want people's lives to be in turmoil, but caving now only ensures worse in the future. This would have maybe gotten enough people to wake up. Now we will limp along losing more ground and end up with worse outcomes. You CANNOT make a deal with fascists and win.
This might sound crazy, but travel disruptions at Thanksgiving would have been … good? It would have driven home why we need a functional government. Dems could have capitalized. Instead, they worried more about disrupted travel than people getting thrown off their health insurance. Unbelievable.
November 10, 2025 at 4:16 AM
I don't want people's lives to be in turmoil, but caving now only ensures worse in the future. This would have maybe gotten enough people to wake up. Now we will limp along losing more ground and end up with worse outcomes. You CANNOT make a deal with fascists and win.
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
Regular reminder that Axios stories saying Dems are about to cave are likely sourced from GOP staffers trying to make it happen.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Regular reminder that Axios stories saying Dems are about to cave are likely sourced from GOP staffers trying to make it happen.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
"ICE" refers to a specific federal agency—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—and is also a generalized term meaning "federal agents who brutally violate rights in Trump's anti-immigrant campaign."
So the Boarder Patrol is a separate agency, but also, it's ICE.
Both. Like Q-Tip or Kleenex.
So the Boarder Patrol is a separate agency, but also, it's ICE.
Both. Like Q-Tip or Kleenex.
November 8, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"ICE" refers to a specific federal agency—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—and is also a generalized term meaning "federal agents who brutally violate rights in Trump's anti-immigrant campaign."
So the Boarder Patrol is a separate agency, but also, it's ICE.
Both. Like Q-Tip or Kleenex.
So the Boarder Patrol is a separate agency, but also, it's ICE.
Both. Like Q-Tip or Kleenex.
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
I feel like we have the opportunity to turn David Lynch's quote into this moment's "Keep Calm and Carry On" and it's a far better rallying cry too.
November 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
I feel like we have the opportunity to turn David Lynch's quote into this moment's "Keep Calm and Carry On" and it's a far better rallying cry too.
Woot!
BREAKING NEWS: We just secured a final court order blocking National Guard deployment!
Today's ruling is a huge victory for Oregon. The courts are holding this administration accountable to the truth and the rule of law.
Today's ruling is a huge victory for Oregon. The courts are holding this administration accountable to the truth and the rule of law.
November 8, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Woot!
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
BREAKING NEWS: We just secured a final court order blocking National Guard deployment!
Today's ruling is a huge victory for Oregon. The courts are holding this administration accountable to the truth and the rule of law.
Today's ruling is a huge victory for Oregon. The courts are holding this administration accountable to the truth and the rule of law.
November 8, 2025 at 1:40 AM
BREAKING NEWS: We just secured a final court order blocking National Guard deployment!
Today's ruling is a huge victory for Oregon. The courts are holding this administration accountable to the truth and the rule of law.
Today's ruling is a huge victory for Oregon. The courts are holding this administration accountable to the truth and the rule of law.
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
frame: smart glasses are just like an iPhone
negation: no, they're different in important ways
kirby: THIS IS A SURVEILLANCE TOOL. THEY WANT TO NORMALIZE CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE. they are making a bad faith comparison bc they want to move the boundaries of acceptable behavior
negation: no, they're different in important ways
kirby: THIS IS A SURVEILLANCE TOOL. THEY WANT TO NORMALIZE CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE. they are making a bad faith comparison bc they want to move the boundaries of acceptable behavior
while i appreciate @404media.co explaining this, if you ever find yourself explaining to someone why smart glasses recording people is different from a smartphone, i think you have to consider that they're playing with you, and you're playing back in turn.
November 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
frame: smart glasses are just like an iPhone
negation: no, they're different in important ways
kirby: THIS IS A SURVEILLANCE TOOL. THEY WANT TO NORMALIZE CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE. they are making a bad faith comparison bc they want to move the boundaries of acceptable behavior
negation: no, they're different in important ways
kirby: THIS IS A SURVEILLANCE TOOL. THEY WANT TO NORMALIZE CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE. they are making a bad faith comparison bc they want to move the boundaries of acceptable behavior
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
Frame: food stamps are used by undeserving / Black people
Negation: actually many people on food stamps are deserving / white
Kirby: THEY ARE STARVING PEOPLE ON PURPOSE. They are using racist tropes to justify it bc many people will find that persuasive. Everyone deserves to eat
Negation: actually many people on food stamps are deserving / white
Kirby: THEY ARE STARVING PEOPLE ON PURPOSE. They are using racist tropes to justify it bc many people will find that persuasive. Everyone deserves to eat
Seeing all the content focused on centering all the people who need help who aren’t “fat, ghetto asses” and we can already see how the deserving/undeserving rhetorical lines are going to fall.
October 27, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Frame: food stamps are used by undeserving / Black people
Negation: actually many people on food stamps are deserving / white
Kirby: THEY ARE STARVING PEOPLE ON PURPOSE. They are using racist tropes to justify it bc many people will find that persuasive. Everyone deserves to eat
Negation: actually many people on food stamps are deserving / white
Kirby: THEY ARE STARVING PEOPLE ON PURPOSE. They are using racist tropes to justify it bc many people will find that persuasive. Everyone deserves to eat
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
basically every 2024 truism is dead. Trump did not build a lasting multiracial coalition or turn young men into committed Republicans. You don’t need to cave on trans rights to win. The pundits have nothing left to tell you.
November 5, 2025 at 1:57 PM
basically every 2024 truism is dead. Trump did not build a lasting multiracial coalition or turn young men into committed Republicans. You don’t need to cave on trans rights to win. The pundits have nothing left to tell you.
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
Big night for woke
November 5, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Big night for woke
Yeah - what he said! I dare not hope this will stop the onslaught of "run right" and "throw X group under the bus!" advice but at least it seems like most people do get it
I’m just a small-town political scientist, & it’s still relatively early, but it appears that The Actual Democrats did not Need To Do any of the Things or Learn any of the Obvious Lessons that Ezra Douthglesias said they Must Do & Learn.
November 5, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Yeah - what he said! I dare not hope this will stop the onslaught of "run right" and "throw X group under the bus!" advice but at least it seems like most people do get it
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
I'm trying to determine how our view of social media went from "spaces where we interact with people of our choosing to discuss topics of our choosing" to "it's incumbent upon you to actively, regularly consume content you don't wish to/aren't interested in - or else you're an insufferable scold"
November 3, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I'm trying to determine how our view of social media went from "spaces where we interact with people of our choosing to discuss topics of our choosing" to "it's incumbent upon you to actively, regularly consume content you don't wish to/aren't interested in - or else you're an insufferable scold"
whole thread, up and down
This is why bipartisanship is so destructive and not at all desirable.
This is why trying to appease them has been not only pointless but destructive.
This is why the GOP always wants to do the worst possible thing like all the time—and why it needs a massive, self-contained propaganda machine.
This is why trying to appease them has been not only pointless but destructive.
This is why the GOP always wants to do the worst possible thing like all the time—and why it needs a massive, self-contained propaganda machine.
November 3, 2025 at 1:25 AM
whole thread, up and down
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
As Zohran has pointed out, these NYC billionares have already spent waaaaaaay more on attack ads against him than he ever would have taxed them in four years.
They're trying to apply the classic conservative tactic of "I am willing to hurt myself to hurt someone I don't like more." but trying to make it appeal to the left by targeting rich people, and it just seems so fucking stupid because it's obvious that rich people dgaf about bus fare.
October 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
As Zohran has pointed out, these NYC billionares have already spent waaaaaaay more on attack ads against him than he ever would have taxed them in four years.
excellent thread with a direct comparison of what each party actually DOES when they have power vs. what the endless punditry thinks each party stands for
The reality of the Democratic Party -- what its elected officials actually do with the power they are given -- is almost entirely immaterial to US political discourse. Happens off-stage, basically.
Discourse is dominated by a kind of collective hallucination, a bogieman invented by its opponents.
Discourse is dominated by a kind of collective hallucination, a bogieman invented by its opponents.
This right here, this exact sentence, is THE problem in American political journalism.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
November 1, 2025 at 9:23 PM
excellent thread with a direct comparison of what each party actually DOES when they have power vs. what the endless punditry thinks each party stands for
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
There’s a sort of Dunning-Kruger effect happening where people who read widely, consider various perspectives, and put in effort to understand views they disagree with worry that they don’t do that enough, while people who don’t do any of that accuse others of being in a bubble and call it a day.
November 1, 2025 at 4:29 PM
There’s a sort of Dunning-Kruger effect happening where people who read widely, consider various perspectives, and put in effort to understand views they disagree with worry that they don’t do that enough, while people who don’t do any of that accuse others of being in a bubble and call it a day.
👇
Facial recognition + bad data protection structures + "AI" that regularly gets behavioral prediction very badly wrong + glaring holes in tech regulations & privacy laws + a stunning & nakedly bigoted authoritarian regime= a threat surface, a bottleneck, & an arm of oppressive state control, all in 1
DHS document states ICE will NOT let people decline from being scanned by its new facial recognition app - Mobile Fortify.
It is used to verify one’s identity and immigration status. However, the face photos taken will be stored for 15 years, regardless of your immigration status.
It is used to verify one’s identity and immigration status. However, the face photos taken will be stored for 15 years, regardless of your immigration status.
November 1, 2025 at 3:41 PM
👇
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
Last chance to turn it off.
On Monday, November 3rd, Microsoft will start using your LinkedIn data for AI training. And remember, you're opted in by default.
To toggle it off 👉 Account - Settings & Privacy > Data privacy > Data for Generative AI Improvement.
On Monday, November 3rd, Microsoft will start using your LinkedIn data for AI training. And remember, you're opted in by default.
To toggle it off 👉 Account - Settings & Privacy > Data privacy > Data for Generative AI Improvement.
October 31, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Last chance to turn it off.
On Monday, November 3rd, Microsoft will start using your LinkedIn data for AI training. And remember, you're opted in by default.
To toggle it off 👉 Account - Settings & Privacy > Data privacy > Data for Generative AI Improvement.
On Monday, November 3rd, Microsoft will start using your LinkedIn data for AI training. And remember, you're opted in by default.
To toggle it off 👉 Account - Settings & Privacy > Data privacy > Data for Generative AI Improvement.
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
lmao david byrne showed the video of the ice agents tripping over themselves while trying to run after a biker on wacker drive during the “life during wartime” segment of his chicago show tonight
October 30, 2025 at 3:41 AM
lmao david byrne showed the video of the ice agents tripping over themselves while trying to run after a biker on wacker drive during the “life during wartime” segment of his chicago show tonight
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
will kim is still in ICE detention
will taeheung kim, a korean american scientist and doctoral candidate with a green card, is still being detained by ICE. he's been in detention since July 21, first at SFO for over a week and then in various ICE facilities all over the country.
October 30, 2025 at 7:39 PM
will kim is still in ICE detention
Reposted by heather gm (she/her)
Do you use Spotify Premium? Cancel your subscription until Spotify stops running ICE ads. There are other streaming options that don’t profit from exploiting artists while recruiting for ICE: indivisible.org/cancel-spoti... #CancelSpotify
October 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Do you use Spotify Premium? Cancel your subscription until Spotify stops running ICE ads. There are other streaming options that don’t profit from exploiting artists while recruiting for ICE: indivisible.org/cancel-spoti... #CancelSpotify