Matt Hedstrom
LightNews LightNews
matthedstrom.bsky.social
Matt Hedstrom
@matthedstrom.bsky.social
600 followers 720 following 4 posts
Historian of US religion, politics, culture, SBNR at UVA. Writing a book about religion, the UN, and “one world” in Cold War America. Author of The Rise of Liberal Religion. Will also post about baseball and tennis whether you like it or not.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
grogsgamut.bsky.social
The Night of the Long Tweets
June 5, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
bcbsara.bsky.social
The largest paying crowd in the history of Wrigley Field was the day Jackie Robinson made his debut. Wrigley is the only park left Jackie played a game in. Mike Ryoko was a kid at that ballpark that day and he wrote about it. Take a minute and read this today.

press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago...
A newspaper clipping from Mike Ryoko part one: Jackie's Debut a Unique Day All that Saturday, the wise men of the neighborhood, who sat in chairs on the sidewalk outside the tavern, had talked about what it would do to baseball. I hung around and listened because baseball was about the most important thing in the world, and if anything was going to ruin it, I was worried. Most of the things they said, I didn't understand, although it all sounded terrible. But could one man bring such ruin? They said he could and would. And the next day he was going to be in Wrigley Field for the first time, on the same diamond as Hack, Nicholson, Cavarretta, Schmitz, Pafko, and all my other idols. I had to see Jackie Robinson, the man who was going to somehow wreck everything. So the next day, another kid and I started walking to the ballpark early. We always walked to save the streetcar fare. It was five or six miles, but I felt about baseball the way Abe Lincoln felt about education. Usually, we could get there just at noon, find a seat in the grandstand, and watch some batting practice. But not that Sunday, May 18, 1947. By noon, Wrigley Field was almost filled. The crowd outside spilled off the sidewalk and into the streets. Scalpers were asking top dollar for box seats and getting it. Part II: I had never seen anything like it. Not just the size, although it was a new record, more than 47,000. But this was twenty-five years ago, and in 1947 few blacks were seen in the Loop, much less up on the white North Side at a Cub game. That day, they came by the thousands, pouring off the northbound Ls and out of their cars. They didn't wear baseball-game clothes. They had on church clothes and funeral clothes·suits, white shirts, ties, gleaming shoes, and straw hats. I've never seen so many straw hats. As big as it was, the crowd was orderly. Almost unnaturally so. People didn't jostle each other. The whites tried to look as if nothing unusual was happening, while the blacks tried to look casual and dignified. So everybody looked slightly ill at ease. For most, it was probably the first time they had been that close to each other in such great numbers. We managed to get in, scramble up a ramp, and find a place to stand behind the last row of grandstand seats. Then they shut the gates. No place remained to stand. Robinson came up in the first inning. I remember the sound. It wasn't the shrill, teenage cry you now hear, or an excited gut roar. They applauded, long, rolling applause. A tall, middle-aged black man stood next to me, a smile of almost painful joy on his face, beating his palms together so hard they must have hurt. Part III: When Robinson stepped into the batter's box, it was as if someone had flicked a switch. The place went silent. He swung at the first pitch and they erupted as if he had knocked it over the wall. But it was only a high foul that dropped into the box seats. I remember thinking it was strange that a foul could make that many people happy. When he struck out, the low moan was genuine. I've forgotten most of the details of the game, other than that the Dodgers won and Robinson didn't get a hit or do anything special, although he was cheered on every swing and every routine play. But two things happened I'll never forget. Robinson played first, and early in the game a Cub star hit a grounder and it was a close play. Just before the Cub reached first, he swerved to his left. And as he got to the bag, he seemed to slam his foot down hard at Robinson's foot. It was obvious to everyone that he was trying to run into him or spike him. Robinson took the throw and got clear at the last instant. I was shocked. That Cub, a hometown boy, was my biggest hero. It was not only an unheroic stunt, but it seemed a rude thing to do in front of people who would cheer for a foul ball. I didn't understand why he had done it. It wasn't at all big league. I didn't know that while the white fans were relatively polite, the Cubs and most other teams kept up a steady stream of racial abuse from the dugout. I thought that all they did down there was talk about how good Wheaties are. Part IV: Late in the game, Robinson was up again, and he hit another foul ball. This time it came into the stands low and fast, in our direction. Somebody in the seats grabbed for it, but it caromed off his hand and kept coming. There was a flurry of arms as the ball kept bouncing, and suddenly it was between me and my pal. We both grabbed. I had a baseball. The two of us stood there examining it and chortling. A genuine major-league baseball that had actually been gripped and thrown by a Cub pitcher, hit by a Dodger batter. What a possession. Then I heard the voice say: "Would you consider selling that?" It was the black man who had applauded so fiercely. I mumbled something. I didn't want to sell it. "I'll give you ten dollars for it," he said. Ten dollars. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what ten dollars could buy because I'd never had that much money. But I knew that a lot of men in the neighborhood considered sixty dollars a week to be good pay. I handed it to him, and he paid me with ten $1 bills. When I left the ball park, with that much money in my pocket, I was sure that Jackie Robinson wasn't bad for the game. Since then, I've regretted a few times that I didn't keep the ball. Or that I hadn't given it to him free. I didn't know, then, how hard he probably had to work for that ten dollars. But Tuesday I was glad I had sold it to him. And if that man is still around, and has that baseball, I'm sure he thinks it was worth every cent.
April 15, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
chrismurphyct.bsky.social
Good morning.

Today is the 80th day that the U.S. President is running a backdoor bribery scheme in which any CEO or foreign oligarch can send him money secretly through his crypto coin scam in exchange for favors.

It's the biggest scandal in the history of the Presidency.
April 9, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
This is like O.J. attending Nicole’s funeral (which he did, and for the same reason).
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Apr 6
* HHS SPOX: SECOND CHILD WITH MEASLES HAS DIED IN TEXAS // HHS SECY KENNEDY EXPECTED TO ATTEND FUNERAL SUNDAY

(via @nbcnews.com)
April 6, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
birchlse.bsky.social
It's a myth that universities are predominantly liberal or left-leaning. We see this at Columbia. Arts and humanities depts are tiny enclaves. As soon as financial interests are threatened, the "apolitical" and "value free" parts of the institution immediately reveal their politics and values.
March 22, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
juddlegum.bsky.social
These are the same Senate Democrats who lectured the base for years about the importance of preserving the filibuster so it would still be available when Democrats were in the minority
March 14, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
cammillerfilms.bsky.social
A minute and twenty-five seconds of smack ya in yer face truth.
rexchapman.bsky.social Rex Chapman @rexchapman.bsky.social · Mar 11
Is musk a scam?
March 11, 2025 at 2:19 AM
matthedstrom.bsky.social
No one voted for this
March 4, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
tristansnell.bsky.social
BREAKING: Foreign-born leader comes to Oval Office, dressed down in a disrespectful manner, having already received billions from America, asking for American taxpayers to keep paying him more billions, subsidizing him for years to come:
March 3, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
jamellebouie.net
the single most un-american and anti-constitutional statement ever uttered by an american president
February 15, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
davidcorn.bsky.social
This is fascism.
February 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
ericmgarcia.bsky.social
If Mitch McConnell had voted to convict Donald Trump, he would not have to vote against confirming RFK Jr.
February 13, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
sallylhudson.bsky.social
Fanning the collective freak out is helpful. People are looking around for social cues about how big a deal this all is. Forcing big institutions to amplify the story that none of this is normal helps.
February 4, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
kkdumez.bsky.social
The National Association of Evangelicals was a recipient of this largess, as were countless evangelical parachurch orgs. The investment paid off handsomely.
The rage against Bishop Budde is part of a much longer story, one that has profoundly shaped Christianity in this country, & our politics.
January 22, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
kkdumez.bsky.social
It may be a good time to recall that almost 100 yrs ago wealthy businessmen hatched a scheme to weaken progressive Christianity because the social gospel wasn’t conducive to corporate profits. They poured $$$ into Chr orgs that preached a different tune: the gospel of free market capitalism.
January 22, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
jeffsharlet.bsky.social
Problems with Pete Hegseth ranked from very bad to way, way worse: 6. drunkenness (common); 5. incompetence (common); 4. corruption (common); 3. raving bigotry (common); 2. alleged rape (less common); 1. Proposing military attack on US cities to exterminate all enemies. (That’s a new one).
January 11, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
danielswise.bsky.social
This is horrible. The Theosophical Society has had a massive influence on spirituality throughout the world. Mahatma Gandhi was deeply influenced by it. Modern astrology was shaped by it. So much that now or has been labeled New Age or metaphysical spirituality has been shaped by it.
Image of the Thesosphical Society in Altadena near Pasadena, along with a post by Wouter J. Hanegraaff: Horrible, deeply dramatic news for anybody who cares about the preservation of Theosophical heritage. I was just told that the entire property of the Theosophical Society in Altadena near Pasadena has been completely destroyed by the fires in Los Angeles. This was the world's largest archive of Theosophical materials, including a library with 40.000 titles, the entire archive of the history of the TS, including ca. 10.000 unpublished letters, pertaining to HPB, the Mahatmas, W.Q. Judge, G.R.S. Mead, Katherine Tingley, and G. de Purucker, membership records since 1875, art objects, and countless other irreplaceable materials. The archives also contained works of Boehme, Gichtel, donations from the king of Siam including rare Buddhist scriptures, and so on. [with thanks to Reinout Spaink for the information] This is obviously just one part of an even much larger drama that is currently unfolding, but one that deals a devasting blow to the modern study of esotericism and of modern Theosophy more in particular. It is hard to fathom but it seems to be true.
January 9, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
leahmcelrath.bsky.social
Christmas Eve, 1968:

“And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close, with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”
Photo of the planet Earth taken from Apollo 8 during the lunar sunrise. You can see the Moon and its grey, pockmarked surface curving in the foreground and a portion of the planet Earth emerging from the darkness of space in the background like a distant, precious blue and white gem.
December 25, 2024 at 5:46 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
ecourtem.bsky.social
This thread has me crying with laughter 😹
dieworkwear.bsky.social derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · Nov 24
The Washington Post reports that Michael Anton and Sebastian Gorka had a falling out over who should receive credit for writing Trump's speeches. This is incorrect. In this thread, I will tell you the real reason why Anton dislikes Gorka. 🧵
Tweet says: Last year, Anton wrote about his strained relationship with Gorka, which in Anton’s account stemmed from Gorka irritating senior White House staff by exaggerating his own role in writing a speech Trump delivered in his first term. Anton said he was charged with clarifying to the media that Gorka did not draft the speech, an act that culminated in Gorka calling Anton a “coward” and scolding him in a Fox News green room, according to his account. Anton did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Gorka told The Post: “I don’t comment to the fake failing news." Anton expected to be in contention for other administration jobs
November 24, 2024 at 2:29 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
mattseybold.bsky.social
The Faculty: A One-Skeet Play

Everybody Else: THE WORLD IS HOPELESSLY FUCKED! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! HOW CAN YOU BE TALKING ABOUT ART RIGHT NOW!

The Humanists: The world is hopelessly fucked. We’re all gonna die. Why aren’t you talking about art right now?????
November 23, 2024 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
leastactionhero.bsky.social
finally some GOOD news
Weekly World News MOON TO EXPLODE IN 6 MONTHS! U.S. GOV'T COVERING UP THE SHOCKING TRUTH
November 20, 2024 at 1:04 AM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
brendannyhan.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/past...
pastpunditry.bsky.social Nicole Hemmer @pastpunditry.bsky.social · Nov 19
Elections do not—cannot—act as a substitute for criminal prosecution of a single person. That’s not what they’re meant to do. A campaign is not the same as an evidence- and rules-bound trial. The voters are an electorate, not a jury, and someone who runs a law blog should know the difference.
Democracy’s ultimate verdict on these prosecutions was rendered by voters on Election Day. The charges were front and center in the campaign. The president-elect made a central feature of his candidacy that the cases were political and calculated to stop him from being elected again. Despite the prosecutions, more than 75 million people, a majority of the popular vote counted so far, decided to send him back to the White House.
November 19, 2024 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
allofmilov.bsky.social
This is an unfortunately timely collection of essays about public employee free speech, a coming front in Trump's war on bureaucracy, expertise labor, and civil liberties.
knightcolumbia.org Knight First Amendment Institute @knightcolumbia.org · Nov 18
Read our latest essay collection, “Permission to Speak Freely? Managing Government Employee Speech in a Democracy,” featuring six papers by leading scholars on the law and politics of public employee speech. 
knightcolumbia.org/research/per...
Permission to Speak Freely? Managing Government Employee Speech in a Democracy
knightcolumbia.org
November 19, 2024 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
maxberger.bsky.social
Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez proposed a new task for to look at electoral reforms which could break up the two party system in Congress, expand the number of House districts, and move the House to a form of proportional representation.

It's a very, very good idea.
Blue Dogs Propose New Task Force to Look at ‘Winner-Take-All’ Election System
The bipartisan task force would investigate structural reforms like multimember districts and adding more House members in an effort to address growing polarization and distrust of Congress.
www.notus.org
November 19, 2024 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Matt Hedstrom
daveweigel.bsky.social
Not really an interesting point anymore, but the number of Democratic crises caused by old people not shuffling their bones offstage (Ginsburg 2014, Biden 2022-23, Feinstein 2018) was really remarkable.
November 15, 2024 at 12:35 PM