Laura Fokkena
@laurafo.bsky.social
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government…”
~Patrick Henry
~Patrick Henry
October 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government…”
~Patrick Henry
~Patrick Henry
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
I would like to thank Mike Johnson, House Republican leadership, and Karoline Leavitt for all the free publicity this week promoting our rallies tomorrow. Find one near you here. www.nokings.org
No Kings
As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...
www.nokings.org
October 17, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I would like to thank Mike Johnson, House Republican leadership, and Karoline Leavitt for all the free publicity this week promoting our rallies tomorrow. Find one near you here. www.nokings.org
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
French philosopher and novelist Jean-Paul Sartre knew what made fascists tick.
badfaithtimes.com/its-one-long...
badfaithtimes.com/its-one-long...
October 17, 2025 at 2:02 PM
French philosopher and novelist Jean-Paul Sartre knew what made fascists tick.
badfaithtimes.com/its-one-long...
badfaithtimes.com/its-one-long...
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
Trump’s Department of Education actively collaborates w/ Moms for Liberty. Asked “what % of children she imagines should be in public schools going forward,” Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice told ProPublica: “‘I hope zero. I hope to get to zero.’” 1/ www.propublica.org/article/educ...
October 17, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Trump’s Department of Education actively collaborates w/ Moms for Liberty. Asked “what % of children she imagines should be in public schools going forward,” Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice told ProPublica: “‘I hope zero. I hope to get to zero.’” 1/ www.propublica.org/article/educ...
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
The people behind the inflated protests are performing a monumental service to democracy & peace in the US. The Regime wants riots, but these animal characters are not only an effective protest, grabbing attention & mocking ICE, they seem to reduce the risk of violent protests. It's perfect.
The Portland Frog army has now infiltrated Tulsa, OK and they’ve made an unlikely alliance with the T-Rex infantry and Sharks on Hoverboards mercenary forces.
This is truly terrifying.
This is truly terrifying.
October 14, 2025 at 10:21 AM
The people behind the inflated protests are performing a monumental service to democracy & peace in the US. The Regime wants riots, but these animal characters are not only an effective protest, grabbing attention & mocking ICE, they seem to reduce the risk of violent protests. It's perfect.
Charlie Kirk was a white man killed by a white man on a mostly white campus in a mostly white state. Explain to me how this act requires cracking down on minorities and minority organizations?
September 14, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Charlie Kirk was a white man killed by a white man on a mostly white campus in a mostly white state. Explain to me how this act requires cracking down on minorities and minority organizations?
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
Carney: The system of global trade anchored on the United States.. is over. Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over. The 80 year period when the United States embraced the mantle of economic leadership… is over.
April 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Carney: The system of global trade anchored on the United States.. is over. Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over. The 80 year period when the United States embraced the mantle of economic leadership… is over.
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
🇵🇱 PM Donald Tusk, speaking on Russian drones entering Polish airspace, told parliament it was “the closest we have been to open conflict since WWII.”
🇪🇺 The incident is closely watched in Brussels, as Dave Keating reports
🇪🇺 The incident is closely watched in Brussels, as Dave Keating reports
September 11, 2025 at 10:21 AM
🇵🇱 PM Donald Tusk, speaking on Russian drones entering Polish airspace, told parliament it was “the closest we have been to open conflict since WWII.”
🇪🇺 The incident is closely watched in Brussels, as Dave Keating reports
🇪🇺 The incident is closely watched in Brussels, as Dave Keating reports
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
Yes, and we rightly do not blame Kristallnacht on the Jews or even Grynszpan
We blame it on the Nazis who would've done something like it no matter what
We blame it on the Nazis who would've done something like it no matter what
September 11, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Yes, and we rightly do not blame Kristallnacht on the Jews or even Grynszpan
We blame it on the Nazis who would've done something like it no matter what
We blame it on the Nazis who would've done something like it no matter what
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
The Trump administration says it will withhold $350 million in grants to hundreds of colleges that serve large populations of minority students, calling the decades-old programs discriminatory.
Education Department ends grants for some minority college students
The Education Department is withholding millions of dollars in grant funding appropriated by Congress for colleges that serve large populations of minority students.
wapo.st
September 11, 2025 at 1:00 AM
The Trump administration says it will withhold $350 million in grants to hundreds of colleges that serve large populations of minority students, calling the decades-old programs discriminatory.
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
rarely have I more acutely felt the dynamic by which Dems are held responsible for the rhetoric of every random left-leaning person on the internet and Republicans are not even asked to answer for their own personal words
September 11, 2025 at 1:25 AM
rarely have I more acutely felt the dynamic by which Dems are held responsible for the rhetoric of every random left-leaning person on the internet and Republicans are not even asked to answer for their own personal words
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
“Perfect is the enemy of good” is not a phrase that can be applied to *human rights* and it’s really disturbing how many people don’t understand that
August 8, 2025 at 3:40 AM
“Perfect is the enemy of good” is not a phrase that can be applied to *human rights* and it’s really disturbing how many people don’t understand that
V.C. Andrews is the real culprit
When anyone asks what’s wrong with my generation, gen X, I always tell them that we all read Stephen King when we were too young to read Stephen King…
July 20, 2025 at 6:54 AM
V.C. Andrews is the real culprit
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.
July 18, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.
Exactly so. There is no soul in there. You can't hurt its feelings.
July 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Exactly so. There is no soul in there. You can't hurt its feelings.
Content aside, why does Trump capitalize every noun like he’s writing English in German?
A few things are clear from this:
1. Trump has lost control of the narrative.
2. Trump is panicked about what is in the Epstein files.
3. When the files get released, Trump will say they are forgeries.
4. Trump is going to target Democrats with political prosecutions.
1. Trump has lost control of the narrative.
2. Trump is panicked about what is in the Epstein files.
3. When the files get released, Trump will say they are forgeries.
4. Trump is going to target Democrats with political prosecutions.
July 14, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Content aside, why does Trump capitalize every noun like he’s writing English in German?
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
One of the drawbacks of referring to Elon as “Elmo” for so long is that I was momentarily unable to understand what was remarkable about this tweet, not realizing it is actually about the Muppet.
I cannot stress this enough: do not seek out what else Elmo is tweeting, the account’s been hacked by someone calling for the extermination of Jewish people, among other things.
What’s great about this is I totally read it in Elmo’s voice (deleted previous skeet so I could add actually-useful alt text):
July 14, 2025 at 12:04 AM
One of the drawbacks of referring to Elon as “Elmo” for so long is that I was momentarily unable to understand what was remarkable about this tweet, not realizing it is actually about the Muppet.
“I just know how the Constitution works”
ICE are going after children and interrogating them about their parents. This coach intervened.
Via @thetnholler.bsky.social
Via @thetnholler.bsky.social
July 14, 2025 at 7:18 AM
“I just know how the Constitution works”
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
A 21-year-old Florida man was beaten to death by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank.
Israeli settlers beat U.S. citizen to death in West Bank
A 21-year-old Florida man was beaten to death by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank.
n.pr
July 13, 2025 at 2:49 PM
A 21-year-old Florida man was beaten to death by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank.
If parents expecting you to work hard from a young age made you rich, every kid in a third world sweatshop would be a billionaire.
Bill Ackman’s post about Tucker Carlson and Jeffrey Epstein has an interesting explanation for why he believes he became a billionaire:
“I inherited good genes from wonderful parents who instilled good values in me.”
x.com/billackman/s...
“I inherited good genes from wonderful parents who instilled good values in me.”
x.com/billackman/s...
July 13, 2025 at 3:49 PM
If parents expecting you to work hard from a young age made you rich, every kid in a third world sweatshop would be a billionaire.
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
As a German political scientist who used to live in the US I cannot say how deeply disturbing it is to see these masked ICE goons dragging people off the streets, and the GOP building up this massive secret police force. What a shameful moment in history this is.
July 12, 2025 at 3:41 PM
As a German political scientist who used to live in the US I cannot say how deeply disturbing it is to see these masked ICE goons dragging people off the streets, and the GOP building up this massive secret police force. What a shameful moment in history this is.
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
New Gallup survey shows that 30% of Americans want immigration decreased, down from 55% a year ago. A record-high of 79% of Americans call immigration a good thing, a reversal from 64 percent last year.
news.gallup.com/poll/692522/...
news.gallup.com/poll/692522/...
Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated
The percentage of Americans wanting less immigration has dropped by nearly half this year to 30%, with 79% now saying immigration benefits the U.S.
news.gallup.com
July 11, 2025 at 1:21 PM
New Gallup survey shows that 30% of Americans want immigration decreased, down from 55% a year ago. A record-high of 79% of Americans call immigration a good thing, a reversal from 64 percent last year.
news.gallup.com/poll/692522/...
news.gallup.com/poll/692522/...
“I was always worried for people in conservative states and had a lot of fear for my community as a whole. But I never thought it would directly affect me in California”
Trans youth fight for care as California clinics cave to Trump: ‘How can this happen here?’
These teens say gender-affirming care saved their lives – now they’re protesting as two leading US hospitals halt their treatments
www.theguardian.com
July 12, 2025 at 9:01 AM
“I was always worried for people in conservative states and had a lot of fear for my community as a whole. But I never thought it would directly affect me in California”
Reposted by Laura Fokkena
I understand Holocaust inversion, but being a victim of a genocide does not prevent a group from inflicting genocidal violence against others. (Witness the modern history of the Balkans.) The standard here cannot be to never use that word to describe actions of Jews, ever, no matter the evidence.
July 9, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I understand Holocaust inversion, but being a victim of a genocide does not prevent a group from inflicting genocidal violence against others. (Witness the modern history of the Balkans.) The standard here cannot be to never use that word to describe actions of Jews, ever, no matter the evidence.
I know this isn’t the most urgent concern in light of everything else, but cuts to NASA are another reason this bill is trash. Gift article; author is an astrophysicist.
America Is Killing Its Chance to Find Alien Life
Cuts to NASA mean that the U.S. likely won’t build the next great space observatory.
www.theatlantic.com
July 7, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I know this isn’t the most urgent concern in light of everything else, but cuts to NASA are another reason this bill is trash. Gift article; author is an astrophysicist.