Janet Watson
@janetskwatson.bsky.social
History professor at UConn, mother, knitter, long COVID and cardiac arrest survivor. Author, Fighting Different Wars. Be kind, stand strong, and aim for democracy. Cats. Personal account.
Pinned
Once again: no one told me when I was in grad school that becoming a historian of 20th century Europe would mean I would need to convince people that Nazis were (and are) bad.
I really thought that was a given.
I really thought that was a given.
Reposted by Janet Watson
8/ The Kremlin is conducting multiple information operations against the Baltic states as it did to justify the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, likely as part of Phase Zero conditions-setting for a possible attack on the Baltic states at some point in the future.
November 13, 2025 at 5:46 AM
8/ The Kremlin is conducting multiple information operations against the Baltic states as it did to justify the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, likely as part of Phase Zero conditions-setting for a possible attack on the Baltic states at some point in the future.
Reposted by Janet Watson
a lot of people regretting the 'this shoulda been an email' advice rn lol
November 13, 2025 at 3:57 AM
a lot of people regretting the 'this shoulda been an email' advice rn lol
His course on the rise and fall of the Third Reich was one of the most popular on campus. He was a dynamic lecturer.
I’m still grateful for the considerable amount of time & especially patience he devoted to introducing me to the graduate study of history (and how it was different from undergrad).
I’m still grateful for the considerable amount of time & especially patience he devoted to introducing me to the graduate study of history (and how it was different from undergrad).
RIP to Dr. Thomas C. Childers Jr., one of the first and most popular Great Courses professors. He taught the monumental 48-lecture WWII course that set the standard for subsequent TGC history courses. www.cavanaghfuneralhome.com/obituaries/D...
Obituary information for Dr. Thomas C. Childers Jr.
View Dr. Thomas C. Childers Jr.'s obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.
www.cavanaghfuneralhome.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:59 AM
His course on the rise and fall of the Third Reich was one of the most popular on campus. He was a dynamic lecturer.
I’m still grateful for the considerable amount of time & especially patience he devoted to introducing me to the graduate study of history (and how it was different from undergrad).
I’m still grateful for the considerable amount of time & especially patience he devoted to introducing me to the graduate study of history (and how it was different from undergrad).
Reposted by Janet Watson
"This could take down Democrats, too."
I know. And I frankly wouldn't give even an itty bitty damn if it implicated every Democratic man in Congress, every Democratic hopeful for 2028 and every Democrat who has even thought about running for office.
Down with the sex predators, wherever they are.
I know. And I frankly wouldn't give even an itty bitty damn if it implicated every Democratic man in Congress, every Democratic hopeful for 2028 and every Democrat who has even thought about running for office.
Down with the sex predators, wherever they are.
November 13, 2025 at 1:15 AM
"This could take down Democrats, too."
I know. And I frankly wouldn't give even an itty bitty damn if it implicated every Democratic man in Congress, every Democratic hopeful for 2028 and every Democrat who has even thought about running for office.
Down with the sex predators, wherever they are.
I know. And I frankly wouldn't give even an itty bitty damn if it implicated every Democratic man in Congress, every Democratic hopeful for 2028 and every Democrat who has even thought about running for office.
Down with the sex predators, wherever they are.
I had one 5 years ago & it was one of the most painful experiences of my life (a fairly high bar).
I think the rationale for no meds was “so you can drive yourself home afterwards & not need to find a ride.”
(No cancer. I had stage 4 endometriosis - ignored for years bc period pain is normalized.)
I think the rationale for no meds was “so you can drive yourself home afterwards & not need to find a ride.”
(No cancer. I had stage 4 endometriosis - ignored for years bc period pain is normalized.)
I had a uterine biopsy last month and omg it was so painful, I wanted to scream. Afterwards they told me people usually do scream. There is no way they would put men through that pain. Next month I have a colonoscopy and I'm grateful it's something men do too, because it means I get anesthesia.
November 12, 2025 at 11:59 PM
I had one 5 years ago & it was one of the most painful experiences of my life (a fairly high bar).
I think the rationale for no meds was “so you can drive yourself home afterwards & not need to find a ride.”
(No cancer. I had stage 4 endometriosis - ignored for years bc period pain is normalized.)
I think the rationale for no meds was “so you can drive yourself home afterwards & not need to find a ride.”
(No cancer. I had stage 4 endometriosis - ignored for years bc period pain is normalized.)
Reposted by Janet Watson
Today is a good day to remember, and to say, that the #MeToo movement was right, and was righteous, and has been vindicated over and over again. There was no overreach. There was no excess. There was no they-went-too-far.
So much work remains to be done.
So much work remains to be done.
November 12, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Today is a good day to remember, and to say, that the #MeToo movement was right, and was righteous, and has been vindicated over and over again. There was no overreach. There was no excess. There was no they-went-too-far.
So much work remains to be done.
So much work remains to be done.
Reposted by Janet Watson
I'm in medicine and I'm convinced if men experienced period pain even for one day of the year, we would have more treatments on the market
qz.com/611774/perio...
qz.com/611774/perio...
Period pain can be “almost as bad as a heart attack.” Why aren’t we researching how to treat it?
It’s time to talk about period pain. Every month, every woman you know who’s pre-menopause and post-puberty bleeds from their vagina. Periods are one of the most basic facts of life. Any squeamishness...
qz.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:28 PM
I'm in medicine and I'm convinced if men experienced period pain even for one day of the year, we would have more treatments on the market
qz.com/611774/perio...
qz.com/611774/perio...
I was off line for a couple of hours and just about everything I’ve seen since I logged back on has made me livid
Absolutely livid
Absolutely livid
Jeffrey Epstein advised Steve Bannon that the lawyers representing Brett Kavanaugh in his confirmation hearing should accuse Christine Blasey Ford of being on medications that cause false memories or memory loss.
November 12, 2025 at 11:42 PM
I was off line for a couple of hours and just about everything I’ve seen since I logged back on has made me livid
Absolutely livid
Absolutely livid
Reposted by Janet Watson
people gotta lose their positions of power and influence
people gotta be shunned from their prestigious social circles
above all, people gotta go to jail
people gotta be shunned from their prestigious social circles
above all, people gotta go to jail
November 12, 2025 at 10:52 PM
people gotta lose their positions of power and influence
people gotta be shunned from their prestigious social circles
above all, people gotta go to jail
people gotta be shunned from their prestigious social circles
above all, people gotta go to jail
Reposted by Janet Watson
Every other major news outlet in America should be throwing teams of their best reporters in to finding out WTF happened with Epstein & the NYT.
And remember this.
And remember this.
November 12, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Every other major news outlet in America should be throwing teams of their best reporters in to finding out WTF happened with Epstein & the NYT.
And remember this.
And remember this.
Reposted by Janet Watson
The Epstein story gets a something that is tearing at the heart of the electorate: elite impunity. The idea that wealthy and powerful people can do terrible things *at scale* and face no consequences for them. Whatever political party actually stops it could rule the country for a generation.
November 12, 2025 at 10:23 PM
The Epstein story gets a something that is tearing at the heart of the electorate: elite impunity. The idea that wealthy and powerful people can do terrible things *at scale* and face no consequences for them. Whatever political party actually stops it could rule the country for a generation.
Reposted by Janet Watson
the biggest lesson from the emails today is that powerful people are so unafraid of consequences for crimes as bad as “raping children” that they will just talk about it openly in emails
the only path to a better society is one where that is no longer true
the only path to a better society is one where that is no longer true
November 12, 2025 at 10:51 PM
the biggest lesson from the emails today is that powerful people are so unafraid of consequences for crimes as bad as “raping children” that they will just talk about it openly in emails
the only path to a better society is one where that is no longer true
the only path to a better society is one where that is no longer true
Reposted by Janet Watson
I don't think legacy media is reading the room correctly on the Epstein Files. Many of us are asking why they have ignored this story for the last decade? Why did they dismiss all of us who were concerned that Trump might be compromised? And where is their fucking contrition and apology now?
November 12, 2025 at 11:01 PM
I don't think legacy media is reading the room correctly on the Epstein Files. Many of us are asking why they have ignored this story for the last decade? Why did they dismiss all of us who were concerned that Trump might be compromised? And where is their fucking contrition and apology now?
Reposted by Janet Watson
To recap: Jeffrey Epstein offered a NY Times reporter photos taken in Epstein's kitchen of Donald Trump and girls in bikinis *and* implored the NYT reporter to put this information in the public discourse in 2015
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
“would you like photos of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen?” -Jeffrey Epstein
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
To recap: Jeffrey Epstein offered a NY Times reporter photos taken in Epstein's kitchen of Donald Trump and girls in bikinis *and* implored the NYT reporter to put this information in the public discourse in 2015
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
Reposted by Janet Watson
okay I think I need to log off now before I break something
Jeffrey Epstein advised Steve Bannon that the lawyers representing Brett Kavanaugh in his confirmation hearing should accuse Christine Blasey Ford of being on medications that cause false memories or memory loss.
November 12, 2025 at 10:58 PM
okay I think I need to log off now before I break something
I remember hearing “two 12 year olds make a 24 year old”
I want people to understand that in my youth, a youth that happened somewhere between the youth of Epstein, Trump, Maxwell, ex-Prince Andrew, et al & that of their victims, the term "jail bait" was framed as a compliment.
November 12, 2025 at 11:08 PM
I remember hearing “two 12 year olds make a 24 year old”
Reposted by Janet Watson
“.. in the Situation Room.” 👀
Q: "Why are White House officials…meeting with Rep. Boebert in an effort to try to get her to not sign this petition calling for the release of the [Epstein] files?"
Leavitt: "I'm not going to detail conversations that took place in the situation room."
Leavitt: "I'm not going to detail conversations that took place in the situation room."
November 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
“.. in the Situation Room.” 👀
No one else wants the job
Just spoke briefly with Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. I asked what he made of calls for Senate Democrats to replace Chuck Schumer as their leader.
"The caucus is behind Leader Schumer."
"The caucus is behind Leader Schumer."
November 12, 2025 at 7:21 PM
No one else wants the job
Reposted by Janet Watson
Meanwhile, pretty much all of the United State’s NATO allies are leaking or publicly saying that Trump is committing war crimes, and that they refuse to be accomplices.
Notable from France's Foreign Minister:
"We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law."
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
"We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law."
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
www.reuters.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Meanwhile, pretty much all of the United State’s NATO allies are leaking or publicly saying that Trump is committing war crimes, and that they refuse to be accomplices.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Something I do wish non-historians would internalise is that (modern) historians are not (generally) just making shit up. We do in fact have sources and evidence and proof of things which have happened in the past
November 12, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Something I do wish non-historians would internalise is that (modern) historians are not (generally) just making shit up. We do in fact have sources and evidence and proof of things which have happened in the past
Reposted by Janet Watson
You see this in how they all talked about it. Ha ha ha, parties and girls and drugs, backslapping about it like a bachelor's party in Vegas. That some were obviously underage, and all were obviously being pimped, was just a bit of naughtiness. Accountability wasn't even on their radar as a concern.
November 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
You see this in how they all talked about it. Ha ha ha, parties and girls and drugs, backslapping about it like a bachelor's party in Vegas. That some were obviously underage, and all were obviously being pimped, was just a bit of naughtiness. Accountability wasn't even on their radar as a concern.
Reposted by Janet Watson
Trump getting elected a few weeks AFTER the Access Hollywood tape dropped was to America’s culture of sexual violence what Sandy Hook was for gun violence—a clear sign that tens of millions of “conservatives” were totally fine with it.
i mean c’mon. the president’s best friend was the most notorious pedo in the country’s history who ran a massive child trafficking ring. every bit of circumstantial evidence we have says that trump was a participant. if this were a criminal trial we’d have enough evidence to compel a plea deal.
November 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Trump getting elected a few weeks AFTER the Access Hollywood tape dropped was to America’s culture of sexual violence what Sandy Hook was for gun violence—a clear sign that tens of millions of “conservatives” were totally fine with it.
I’m not saying that parents are entirely responsible for how their children turn out, but when I took intro micro from Robert Summers my freshman year in college I never would have imagined that nice mild-mannered guy could be the father of such a piece of dirt as Larry has always been.
November 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I’m not saying that parents are entirely responsible for how their children turn out, but when I took intro micro from Robert Summers my freshman year in college I never would have imagined that nice mild-mannered guy could be the father of such a piece of dirt as Larry has always been.
This alone should be reason enough not to vote for it
Amendment which strikes section which “allows senators who were legally subpoenaed during the January 6 criminal conspiracy investigation to get millions of dollars deposited into their bank accounts at taxpayer expense” voted down by Republicans
November 12, 2025 at 1:30 PM
This alone should be reason enough not to vote for it
I can’t decide whether Vought or Miller is more downright evil.
They aren’t delusional fanatics like Kennedy or raging attention-seeking egomaniacs like Musk. They stay behind the scenes as much as they can, efficiently enacting their own agendas of cruelty, suffering, and death.
They aren’t delusional fanatics like Kennedy or raging attention-seeking egomaniacs like Musk. They stay behind the scenes as much as they can, efficiently enacting their own agendas of cruelty, suffering, and death.
“In Texas, CDC funds to stem a measles outbreak weren’t available until after the crisis had subsided and two children had died. A project to protect Alabamans from raw sewage and hookworm was abandoned…Time-dependent surveys on HIV and maternal mortality were halted…”
Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health - KFF Health News
Through shrouded bureaucratic maneuvers, White House budget director Russell Vought and DOGE have quietly upended outbreak response, HIV treatment, and dementia care in communities across America.
kffhealthnews.org
November 12, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I can’t decide whether Vought or Miller is more downright evil.
They aren’t delusional fanatics like Kennedy or raging attention-seeking egomaniacs like Musk. They stay behind the scenes as much as they can, efficiently enacting their own agendas of cruelty, suffering, and death.
They aren’t delusional fanatics like Kennedy or raging attention-seeking egomaniacs like Musk. They stay behind the scenes as much as they can, efficiently enacting their own agendas of cruelty, suffering, and death.