maniraptor
@maniraptor.bsky.social
Boltzmann brain.
Sometimes on a trapeze.
Sometimes on a trapeze.
Reposted by maniraptor
It's an MTV simulator with almost 30,000 videos, organized by decade, with special sections for Headbanger's Ball and Yo! MTV Raps. This is so good.
January 6, 2026 at 5:11 PM
It's an MTV simulator with almost 30,000 videos, organized by decade, with special sections for Headbanger's Ball and Yo! MTV Raps. This is so good.
Reposted by maniraptor
Put it outside Mike Johnson’s office
New: After Mike Johnson indicates he won’t place a legally mandated plaque honoring Jan. 6 officers who defended the Capitol, Nancy Pelosi tells me @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social will do it after Dems win the House in 2026.
Where? “Speaker Jeffries will decide that.”
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Where? “Speaker Jeffries will decide that.”
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Pelosi says ‘Speaker Jeffries’ will hang plaque honoring Jan. 6 officers after midterm elections
The office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he won’t hang a legally mandated plaque honoring the officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
www.nbcnews.com
January 7, 2026 at 2:35 AM
Put it outside Mike Johnson’s office
Reposted by maniraptor
It’s been five years since a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, but the aftermath of that day is still felt in Washington. https://to.pbs.org/44YlPHA
How the aftermath of Jan. 6 still challenges the Capitol
Five years later, the U.S. Capitol is still living with the aftermath of Jan. 6. Geoff Bennett discussed how the insurrection's impact continues to reverberate in Washington with Lisa Desjardins and L...
to.pbs.org
January 7, 2026 at 4:14 AM
Reposted by maniraptor
Worth noting: ABC World News Tonight offered a full report on the J6 anniversary, including one rioter’s tearful apology to police, a statement from Pence and a note that the WH website today repeated “the lie” that the election was stolen.
NBC Nightly News didn’t cover the anniversary at all
NBC Nightly News didn’t cover the anniversary at all
Tonight on the CBS Evening News, the 5-year anniversary of January 6 got 15 seconds of coverage 25 minutes into the show. The only pictures shown: Pardoned “defendants” marching through DC as Dokoupil said Trump accused Dems of “failing to prevent” J6 while “Jeffries accused Trump of “whitewashing.”
January 7, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Worth noting: ABC World News Tonight offered a full report on the J6 anniversary, including one rioter’s tearful apology to police, a statement from Pence and a note that the WH website today repeated “the lie” that the election was stolen.
NBC Nightly News didn’t cover the anniversary at all
NBC Nightly News didn’t cover the anniversary at all
Reposted by maniraptor
A new dragon at the Joan of Arc parade
January 7, 2026 at 2:59 AM
A new dragon at the Joan of Arc parade
It would be nice if world leaders stopped tolerating and enabling these regime shenanigans.
“But diplomacy—!” Alas.
“But diplomacy—!” Alas.
Jared Kushner has somehow found a place at Coalition of the Willing press conference with Scholz, Zelensky, Macron, Starmer and Witkoff.
Kushner has no official position in the US government.
Kushner has no official position in the US government.
January 7, 2026 at 5:35 AM
It would be nice if world leaders stopped tolerating and enabling these regime shenanigans.
“But diplomacy—!” Alas.
“But diplomacy—!” Alas.
Reposted by maniraptor
SpongeBob is a contraceptive sponge and you can't convince me otherwise
A SPONGE that...
Lives in "Bikini Bottom"
Next to a "starfish"
Best friend is a squirrel named Sandy Cheeks
A SPONGE that...
Lives in "Bikini Bottom"
Next to a "starfish"
Best friend is a squirrel named Sandy Cheeks
a woman in a white coat is standing in front of a door with the word so on her shirt .
ALT: a woman in a white coat is standing in front of a door with the word so on her shirt .
media.tenor.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:37 PM
SpongeBob is a contraceptive sponge and you can't convince me otherwise
A SPONGE that...
Lives in "Bikini Bottom"
Next to a "starfish"
Best friend is a squirrel named Sandy Cheeks
A SPONGE that...
Lives in "Bikini Bottom"
Next to a "starfish"
Best friend is a squirrel named Sandy Cheeks
Reposted by maniraptor
It must be awkward for NORTHCOM which has to work with the Danes on everyday Greenland security and logistics issues, but at the same time the Danes have to assume given WH statements that NORTHCOM has been tasked with developing executable plans to take it by force
They do want Greenland. They are serious. I disagree with the fellow who said it won't take much more than quartering more troops at Pituffik and rolling tanks into the airport. You are in the sparsely-populated arctic. You have to control ports, civilian energy and logistics, auxiliary airfields.
January 7, 2026 at 3:11 AM
It must be awkward for NORTHCOM which has to work with the Danes on everyday Greenland security and logistics issues, but at the same time the Danes have to assume given WH statements that NORTHCOM has been tasked with developing executable plans to take it by force
Reposted by maniraptor
Two more US naval aircraft flew over Irish airspace on surveillance missions in the Atlantic. One just off the tip of Donegal. Another over the centre of the country (taking in Doonbeg along the way). Simon Harris says he "imagines" rules were followed
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
Two more US aircraft fly over Ireland to track oil tanker under Russian flag
Tánaiste ‘would imagine’ rules on accessing State’s skies were followed on previous flight
www.irishtimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Two more US naval aircraft flew over Irish airspace on surveillance missions in the Atlantic. One just off the tip of Donegal. Another over the centre of the country (taking in Doonbeg along the way). Simon Harris says he "imagines" rules were followed
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
Reposted by maniraptor
Reposted by maniraptor
For anyone considering a re-read, this readaloud by Tilda Swinton, David Attenborough, and so many awesome folks is so good www.mobydickbigread.com
Moby Dick Big Read
www.mobydickbigread.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:02 AM
For anyone considering a re-read, this readaloud by Tilda Swinton, David Attenborough, and so many awesome folks is so good www.mobydickbigread.com
Reposted by maniraptor
I've made this point elsewhere, but it seems bananas to me that in the state where I live, I would have to enter a valid ID to watch consensual, ethically produced pornography but if I want to watch actual, honest to gawd CSAM all I have to do is log on Twitter and holler at Elon's little bot.
January 7, 2026 at 3:28 AM
I've made this point elsewhere, but it seems bananas to me that in the state where I live, I would have to enter a valid ID to watch consensual, ethically produced pornography but if I want to watch actual, honest to gawd CSAM all I have to do is log on Twitter and holler at Elon's little bot.
Reposted by maniraptor
one takeaway from the grok noncon porn thing is that much of the media just isn't interested in an issue they can't pretend has two sides or that doesn't give them an opportunity to shit on the left. Also it would be uncomfortable to justify remaining on twitter after acknowledging it
January 6, 2026 at 9:06 PM
one takeaway from the grok noncon porn thing is that much of the media just isn't interested in an issue they can't pretend has two sides or that doesn't give them an opportunity to shit on the left. Also it would be uncomfortable to justify remaining on twitter after acknowledging it
Reposted by maniraptor
now will all the dipshits who used discord instead of a wiki or faq page please get that shit on the web now? time is of the essence here.
Discord has confidentially filed for an IPO, according to Bloomberg.
Details: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Details: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
January 7, 2026 at 3:43 AM
now will all the dipshits who used discord instead of a wiki or faq page please get that shit on the web now? time is of the essence here.
Reposted by maniraptor
White Bull by Franz Marc, 1911
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137861
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137861
January 7, 2026 at 3:47 AM
White Bull by Franz Marc, 1911
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137861
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137861
Reposted by maniraptor
Juana Ramírez was born in Venezuela in 1790. The daughter of an enslaved African woman & a Spanish general, she commanded an all-female artillery unit in 1813 “instrumental in resisting Spanish soldiers’ attempts to reconquer independent Venezuela” & is interred in the National Mausoleum of Heroes.
January 6, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Juana Ramírez was born in Venezuela in 1790. The daughter of an enslaved African woman & a Spanish general, she commanded an all-female artillery unit in 1813 “instrumental in resisting Spanish soldiers’ attempts to reconquer independent Venezuela” & is interred in the National Mausoleum of Heroes.
Reposted by maniraptor
“The Brazilian response reflects a hard-earned lesson from the comparative study of democratic collapse: early, forceful, and legally grounded intervention is often the only way to stop backsliding once elites signal a willingness to subvert electoral outcomes”
"Brazilian authorities refused to isolate January 8 as a spontaneous and feverish riot. Instead, they treated it as a conspiracy with identifiable authors. Days after the attack, police searched the home of Anderson Torres (...Brasília’s then–security chief)..."
jacobin.com/2026/01/janu...
jacobin.com/2026/01/janu...
What Brazil’s January 8 Can Teach Us About January 6
In 2021, the January 6 Capitol attack exposed deep connections between the US state and far-right groups. When something similar happened in Brazil in 2023, it prompted a national attempt to reform th...
jacobin.com
January 7, 2026 at 2:59 AM
“The Brazilian response reflects a hard-earned lesson from the comparative study of democratic collapse: early, forceful, and legally grounded intervention is often the only way to stop backsliding once elites signal a willingness to subvert electoral outcomes”
Reposted by maniraptor
Same for the Vox Populi, Vox Dei thing, which in the original context warned about the madness of crowds. But these people go back to the classics for contextless snippets, not any kind of real erudition
January 7, 2026 at 3:41 AM
Same for the Vox Populi, Vox Dei thing, which in the original context warned about the madness of crowds. But these people go back to the classics for contextless snippets, not any kind of real erudition
Reposted by maniraptor
People who fancy quoting the Melian Dialogue ("the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must") ignore the fact that Thucydides was clearly portraying this as the kind of hubris that squandered Athens' primacy and paved the way for a devastating peer war that it ultimately lost.
January 7, 2026 at 3:36 AM
People who fancy quoting the Melian Dialogue ("the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must") ignore the fact that Thucydides was clearly portraying this as the kind of hubris that squandered Athens' primacy and paved the way for a devastating peer war that it ultimately lost.
Reposted by maniraptor
three bylines, six months late, almost zero new information we hadn't reported months ago. lowercased our name and mentioned deep in the story. no link to us. said they couldnt find the govt privacy document (we did). good job wall street journal
One of the WSJ's A1 stories today was reported *6 months ago* by @404media.co, a team of just four journalists.
January 5, 2026 at 10:10 PM
three bylines, six months late, almost zero new information we hadn't reported months ago. lowercased our name and mentioned deep in the story. no link to us. said they couldnt find the govt privacy document (we did). good job wall street journal
Reposted by maniraptor
I agree with this. Find wedge issues and shove there. Affordability? Wedge. Dial in.
Epstein? Wedge.
Trump’s mental acuity? Absolutely a wedge. Push here, push hard. Ask questions. Who’s really making these decisions. Who’s glossing things over?
“Doesn’t he look tired?”
Epstein? Wedge.
Trump’s mental acuity? Absolutely a wedge. Push here, push hard. Ask questions. Who’s really making these decisions. Who’s glossing things over?
“Doesn’t he look tired?”
IMO the argument is that you can make things into big enough deals that it matters. Khanna found Massey and found survivors and made the Epstein Files the gigantic story it should be. Only then did establishment Dems come along. You can, in fact, make things into big hairy deals if you do it right.
if you want the Senate to do something, Senate Republicans must do something.
People are dunking on this but I'm not really sure what plays Schumer has other than to try to peel off Rs.
People are dunking on this but I'm not really sure what plays Schumer has other than to try to peel off Rs.
January 6, 2026 at 1:35 AM
I agree with this. Find wedge issues and shove there. Affordability? Wedge. Dial in.
Epstein? Wedge.
Trump’s mental acuity? Absolutely a wedge. Push here, push hard. Ask questions. Who’s really making these decisions. Who’s glossing things over?
“Doesn’t he look tired?”
Epstein? Wedge.
Trump’s mental acuity? Absolutely a wedge. Push here, push hard. Ask questions. Who’s really making these decisions. Who’s glossing things over?
“Doesn’t he look tired?”
Reposted by maniraptor
The GOP didn't have the votes for many years but that didn't stop them from pulling out every procedural trick possible while screaming at Dems on TV. And now they're in charge.
Lot of people yelling recently "but we don't have the votes!" True! That doesn't mean "immediately quit." (Also not what propter is saying here, to be clear.) It means create a spectacle, make things cause celebres, make the Republican position untenable.
Create bargaining position and force votes.
Create bargaining position and force votes.
January 6, 2026 at 1:31 AM
The GOP didn't have the votes for many years but that didn't stop them from pulling out every procedural trick possible while screaming at Dems on TV. And now they're in charge.
Reposted by maniraptor
This is peak “she fits she sits”. The “box” she is sitting in with all four feet is a silicone *spoon rest*. Espresso cup for size (I hate bananas).
January 6, 2026 at 1:48 AM
This is peak “she fits she sits”. The “box” she is sitting in with all four feet is a silicone *spoon rest*. Espresso cup for size (I hate bananas).
Reposted by maniraptor
K402.3
The ass
without a heart.
The ass
without a heart.
January 6, 2026 at 2:44 AM
K402.3
The ass
without a heart.
The ass
without a heart.
Reposted by maniraptor
And then what? What does the next day, week, month, six month, or year look like? Neither Israel or the US are going to put boots on the ground to actually undertake humanitarian assistance (HA) operations. Israel because they don't do HA, the US because it doesn't have enough capability. 1/
◾️ Israel is strongly hinting that the events in Venezuela will soon seem like "child's play" compared to Iran's future.
January 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
And then what? What does the next day, week, month, six month, or year look like? Neither Israel or the US are going to put boots on the ground to actually undertake humanitarian assistance (HA) operations. Israel because they don't do HA, the US because it doesn't have enough capability. 1/