Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
@joshstein.bsky.social
Philosopher by training; cranky by nature. Professional in science and technology policy. Also photography, combatting antisemitism, politics, and ethics.
Pinned
Look… don’t share medical data with LLMs. But also, no one needs a first, second, or fifth opinion from MechaHitler.
Counterpoint:
Don’t upload your medical records to any LLM.
That’s fucking insane.
Don’t upload your medical records to any LLM.
That’s fucking insane.
February 18, 2026 at 4:12 AM
Look… don’t share medical data with LLMs. But also, no one needs a first, second, or fifth opinion from MechaHitler.
Ok, it is wild that the craziest story about AI misuse/abuse also included a (more conventional) story about AI misuse.
(I get being pissed at Edwards, but I think this is a pretty good showing of taking responsibility here. I suspect the investigation he faces is worse punishment.)
(I get being pissed at Edwards, but I think this is a pretty good showing of taking responsibility here. I suspect the investigation he faces is worse punishment.)
February 17, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Ok, it is wild that the craziest story about AI misuse/abuse also included a (more conventional) story about AI misuse.
(I get being pissed at Edwards, but I think this is a pretty good showing of taking responsibility here. I suspect the investigation he faces is worse punishment.)
(I get being pissed at Edwards, but I think this is a pretty good showing of taking responsibility here. I suspect the investigation he faces is worse punishment.)
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
But it imposes serious costs.
As we at @brennancenter.org explain in a comment submitted last week w/ @knightcolumbia.org & @epic.org, this broadscale collection will chill free speech and association, silencing would-be travelers’ speech and restricting Americans’ ability to receive that info. 4/
As we at @brennancenter.org explain in a comment submitted last week w/ @knightcolumbia.org & @epic.org, this broadscale collection will chill free speech and association, silencing would-be travelers’ speech and restricting Americans’ ability to receive that info. 4/
Brennan Center, Knight Institute, and EPIC Submit Comment Opposing DHS’s Proposal to Collect Foreign Travelers’ Social Media Identifiers
On February 9, 2025, the Brennan Center for Justice, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, and Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) submitted a comment urging the Department...
www.brennancenter.org
February 17, 2026 at 7:21 PM
But it imposes serious costs.
As we at @brennancenter.org explain in a comment submitted last week w/ @knightcolumbia.org & @epic.org, this broadscale collection will chill free speech and association, silencing would-be travelers’ speech and restricting Americans’ ability to receive that info. 4/
As we at @brennancenter.org explain in a comment submitted last week w/ @knightcolumbia.org & @epic.org, this broadscale collection will chill free speech and association, silencing would-be travelers’ speech and restricting Americans’ ability to receive that info. 4/
If Sally makes $100K a year and the tariffs cost her $2k and Tom makes $40k a year but the tariffs cost him $1k, then that’s *still* regressive, even if Sally is paying more. Greer and Kernan both know this; they’re just lying on television.
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on tariffs: "It's not regressive. Most consumption in America is done by the wealthiest people. So the idea it's somehow regressive is just wrong."
February 17, 2026 at 7:45 PM
If Sally makes $100K a year and the tariffs cost her $2k and Tom makes $40k a year but the tariffs cost him $1k, then that’s *still* regressive, even if Sally is paying more. Greer and Kernan both know this; they’re just lying on television.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
I know this makes me an extremist but I think our baby concentration camps should be abolished.
‘His life is in danger,’ U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said about newborn Juan Nicolás. The child fell ill after spending almost a month — or half his life — in a San Antonio-area family detention facility.
Two-month-old baby 'choking on his own vomit' while detained in Dilley
'His life is in danger,' U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said about newborn Juan Nicolás. The child fell ill after spending almost a month — or half his life — in a San Antonio-area family detention facility...
www.sacurrent.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:11 AM
I know this makes me an extremist but I think our baby concentration camps should be abolished.
I will always recommend listening to Strict Scrutiny on anything.
As a thought here: “Relearn” is the ministry that Dale Partridge runs. He’s literally qting himself.
As a thought here: “Relearn” is the ministry that Dale Partridge runs. He’s literally qting himself.
On this week's @strictscrutiny.bsky.social episode, @leahlitman.bsky.social, @kateshaw.bsky.social, and I discussed the new Heritage Foundation plan to return women to home and hearth. Apparently, this guy is all in on it.
February 17, 2026 at 5:33 PM
I will always recommend listening to Strict Scrutiny on anything.
As a thought here: “Relearn” is the ministry that Dale Partridge runs. He’s literally qting himself.
As a thought here: “Relearn” is the ministry that Dale Partridge runs. He’s literally qting himself.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Not only did Trump fail to learn any lessons from covid, but his public health policies have somehow gotten far more dangerous and destructive in Trump 2.0. God forbid he and RFK Jr have to handle a global pandemic. We'll be pining for the days of Dr. Birx.
Trump somehow got worse on public health after covid
He's incapable of learning lessons and actively resists it.
www.publicnotice.co
February 17, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Not only did Trump fail to learn any lessons from covid, but his public health policies have somehow gotten far more dangerous and destructive in Trump 2.0. God forbid he and RFK Jr have to handle a global pandemic. We'll be pining for the days of Dr. Birx.
Statistically, if there’s an instance of voter fraud in 2026, it’s far more likely to be perpetrated by a Trump supporter than a non-citizen.
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
February 17, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Statistically, if there’s an instance of voter fraud in 2026, it’s far more likely to be perpetrated by a Trump supporter than a non-citizen.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
February 16, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
Rubio’s willingness to just completely and openly flip positions to appease Trump should be more remarkable, but it just makes him like the vast majority of Republicans.
Marco Rubio just flew to Budapest to deliver a speech in which he provided a full endorsement of Viktor Orbán in the upcoming Hungarian elections.
Here is the letter he signed in 2019 warning about Hungary's "downward democratic trajectory" under Orbán
h/t Carrick Ryan
Here is the letter he signed in 2019 warning about Hungary's "downward democratic trajectory" under Orbán
h/t Carrick Ryan
February 17, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Rubio’s willingness to just completely and openly flip positions to appease Trump should be more remarkable, but it just makes him like the vast majority of Republicans.
The fact that the GOP position is basically just “we can’t do the 4th amendment” is not surprising, but it is appalling and shows how open their authoritarianism has become.
Rep. Buddy Carter: "Some of the demands that the Democrats have put forth, we're not gonna be able to obtain that. We can't have a warrant every time."
February 17, 2026 at 2:32 PM
The fact that the GOP position is basically just “we can’t do the 4th amendment” is not surprising, but it is appalling and shows how open their authoritarianism has become.
I call this: The John Wayne Gacy theory of authoritarianism.
Arendt suggests Eichmann is a clown *rather than* a monster. But why not both—a clown AND a monster? It seems to me a key part of the horror of fascism is precisely its pervasive clownishness. There's a mind-rending indignity in having to take seriously rulers who are fundamentally unserious.
February 17, 2026 at 2:16 PM
I call this: The John Wayne Gacy theory of authoritarianism.
One of the lessons that sticks out to me is when I hear Dems looking back and saying “no one understood that [x,y,z] back then” and there’s pretty much always a clip of Rev Jesse Jackson saying it.
May his memory be a blessing, and may we all find in him a model of advocating justice.
May his memory be a blessing, and may we all find in him a model of advocating justice.
i think jesse jackson was one of the most important american political figures of the post-war era and i think that his 1984 and 1988 campaigns for the democratic nomination still have a great deal to teach about forging a path to a more egalitarian world. RIP.
February 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM
One of the lessons that sticks out to me is when I hear Dems looking back and saying “no one understood that [x,y,z] back then” and there’s pretty much always a clip of Rev Jesse Jackson saying it.
May his memory be a blessing, and may we all find in him a model of advocating justice.
May his memory be a blessing, and may we all find in him a model of advocating justice.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
“My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised. They are restless and seek relief.”
— Jessie Jackson www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
— Jessie Jackson www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader Who Sought the Presidency, Dies at 84
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:31 AM
“My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised. They are restless and seek relief.”
— Jessie Jackson www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
— Jessie Jackson www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
When I was 17/18 and Prop 8 was on the ballot in CA, one of the major points of discussion (especially in Oakland) was about Black churches support for Prop 8. A good friend of mine, Rev Byron Williams, told me about this story, and he preached about it.
“Jackson is arrested in 1993 after blocking 5th Avenue as part of a group protesting against the Clinton administration’s policy of maintaining a detention camp for Haitian political refugees who were HIV positive”
Remember this history as we remember this man.
Remember this history as we remember this man.
Jesse Jackson – a life in pictures
The US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, a pioneer of progressive Democratic politics, close ally of Martin Luther King Jr, and two-time candidate for the presidential nomination, has died at 84
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:29 PM
When I was 17/18 and Prop 8 was on the ballot in CA, one of the major points of discussion (especially in Oakland) was about Black churches support for Prop 8. A good friend of mine, Rev Byron Williams, told me about this story, and he preached about it.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Someone tell Hillary that this is her husband’s legacy too
February 17, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Someone tell Hillary that this is her husband’s legacy too
Fetterman literally doing spin for the GOP. We could’ve had Lamb.
February 17, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Fetterman literally doing spin for the GOP. We could’ve had Lamb.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Fascinating chart with one outlier: Warren Buffett.
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
February 16, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Fascinating chart with one outlier: Warren Buffett.
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
Watching the ANTM docu-mini-series and these things are always so much worse than you think. But was looking into producer Ken Mok (who's responsible for a lot of the scandals/horrors on the show) also produced... Making the Band.
Yeah, that checks out.
Yeah, that checks out.
February 16, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Watching the ANTM docu-mini-series and these things are always so much worse than you think. But was looking into producer Ken Mok (who's responsible for a lot of the scandals/horrors on the show) also produced... Making the Band.
Yeah, that checks out.
Yeah, that checks out.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
There’s going to be Covid style shortages of cars, TVs and even washing machines and fridges, then job losses because assembly lines can’t source solid state memory, just so the stupidest person you know can state with 100% confidence a chatbot confirmed dinosaurs coexisted with humans.
I understand framing the AI bubble RAM supply crisis in terms of stuff like video game consoles because nerds can conceptualize that but the framing does really undersell the sheer magnitude of how it's going to fuck up everything that even touches a computer.
February 16, 2026 at 9:02 PM
There’s going to be Covid style shortages of cars, TVs and even washing machines and fridges, then job losses because assembly lines can’t source solid state memory, just so the stupidest person you know can state with 100% confidence a chatbot confirmed dinosaurs coexisted with humans.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
I understand framing the AI bubble RAM supply crisis in terms of stuff like video game consoles because nerds can conceptualize that but the framing does really undersell the sheer magnitude of how it's going to fuck up everything that even touches a computer.
February 16, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I understand framing the AI bubble RAM supply crisis in terms of stuff like video game consoles because nerds can conceptualize that but the framing does really undersell the sheer magnitude of how it's going to fuck up everything that even touches a computer.
For Americans who don't know the context, Matt Lucas and long time collaborator David Walliams were doing blackface on British television in 2003, then decided to take a second crack at it in 2010.
I’m more appalled the protestor that shouted pro-Palestine slogans at Matt Lucas missed the chance to confront him about his constant blacking up than I am at the antisemitism, which is the exact same type constantly perpetuated in the UK media, viz. conflating diaspora Jews with the state of Israel
February 16, 2026 at 7:38 PM
For Americans who don't know the context, Matt Lucas and long time collaborator David Walliams were doing blackface on British television in 2003, then decided to take a second crack at it in 2010.
Agree with this. It's just open racist garbage.
It also won't work, because European nationalists are extremely attached to the distinctions between countries, and people who claim Magellan (Portuguese) aren't claiming Beethoven (German) or Michelangelo (Italian). This ain't European nationalism.
It also won't work, because European nationalists are extremely attached to the distinctions between countries, and people who claim Magellan (Portuguese) aren't claiming Beethoven (German) or Michelangelo (Italian). This ain't European nationalism.
This is just open, unabashed white nationalist rhetoric at this point.
February 16, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Agree with this. It's just open racist garbage.
It also won't work, because European nationalists are extremely attached to the distinctions between countries, and people who claim Magellan (Portuguese) aren't claiming Beethoven (German) or Michelangelo (Italian). This ain't European nationalism.
It also won't work, because European nationalists are extremely attached to the distinctions between countries, and people who claim Magellan (Portuguese) aren't claiming Beethoven (German) or Michelangelo (Italian). This ain't European nationalism.
There's a lot going on here, but I deal with a fair number of people at the War Colleges (students, alumni, and faculty) in my work and this kind of take is much more likely to show up with politicians and State Dept officials than at the War College.
February 16, 2026 at 5:45 PM
There's a lot going on here, but I deal with a fair number of people at the War Colleges (students, alumni, and faculty) in my work and this kind of take is much more likely to show up with politicians and State Dept officials than at the War College.
If you can’t answer this with a straightforward “yes,” then I don’t think we can trust any of the things you say. This question is a basic “is the sky blue?” test. Disappointing to see Moore fail it.
February 16, 2026 at 4:40 PM
If you can’t answer this with a straightforward “yes,” then I don’t think we can trust any of the things you say. This question is a basic “is the sky blue?” test. Disappointing to see Moore fail it.