Read Against the Machine
@readmachine.bsky.social
Springfield, MO Book Club readagainstthemachine.org
Pinned
We had another great book discussion this week! Our next book is “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. We’re extending the length of our meetings to 1.5 hours and we’ll hold two meetings (May and June) to allow for deeper discussion and more time to read. Details in comments!
Our June book discussion will be held this Wednesday evening, 6 pm at the Library Center. We’re discussing the second half of “How Democracies Die.” All are welcome to attend.
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
A little positive news in the book/library censorship arena.
Rhode Island governor signed into law a Freedom to Reed Act. The law contains protections for schools and librarians, and guarantees writers and readers a right to sue for censorship.
A little positive news in the book/library censorship arena.
Rhode Island governor signed into law a Freedom to Reed Act. The law contains protections for schools and librarians, and guarantees writers and readers a right to sue for censorship.
In Wake of Court Losses, Rhode Island Codifies ‘Right to Read’
Rhode Island signed into law the Freedom to Read Act on July 10. The law is the first to guarantee writers and readers a right to sue for censorship, and shields librarians from criminal prosecution.
www.publishersweekly.com
July 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
A little positive news in the book/library censorship arena.
Rhode Island governor signed into law a Freedom to Reed Act. The law contains protections for schools and librarians, and guarantees writers and readers a right to sue for censorship.
A little positive news in the book/library censorship arena.
Rhode Island governor signed into law a Freedom to Reed Act. The law contains protections for schools and librarians, and guarantees writers and readers a right to sue for censorship.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
Listen, I met with a tiny group from Joplin over zoom last December. They didn’t know what to do after the election, but they knew they had to do something.
They invited me down to speak in Joplin a few weeks ago. That tiny group ended up organizing 350 people for the event.
Never give up.
They invited me down to speak in Joplin a few weeks ago. That tiny group ended up organizing 350 people for the event.
Never give up.
June 26, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Listen, I met with a tiny group from Joplin over zoom last December. They didn’t know what to do after the election, but they knew they had to do something.
They invited me down to speak in Joplin a few weeks ago. That tiny group ended up organizing 350 people for the event.
Never give up.
They invited me down to speak in Joplin a few weeks ago. That tiny group ended up organizing 350 people for the event.
Never give up.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
We don’t know exactly what this means, but if it means what it seems like it means, it's very bad.
"Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need..."
www.archives.gov/college-park
"Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need..."
www.archives.gov/college-park
June 24, 2025 at 10:39 PM
We don’t know exactly what this means, but if it means what it seems like it means, it's very bad.
"Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need..."
www.archives.gov/college-park
"Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need..."
www.archives.gov/college-park
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
I am looking forward to the discussion!
I hope you’ll join me, @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social, @coreydukes.bsky.social, and Lauren DesRosiers this Thursday at 6 p.m. for an engaging discussion on how YOU can fight for our democracy.
Register here: ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
OR tune in to our livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
Register here: ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
OR tune in to our livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
June 24, 2025 at 11:38 PM
I am looking forward to the discussion!
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
I hope you’ll join me, @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social, @coreydukes.bsky.social, and Lauren DesRosiers this Thursday at 6 p.m. for an engaging discussion on how YOU can fight for our democracy.
Register here: ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
OR tune in to our livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
Register here: ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
OR tune in to our livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
June 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I hope you’ll join me, @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social, @coreydukes.bsky.social, and Lauren DesRosiers this Thursday at 6 p.m. for an engaging discussion on how YOU can fight for our democracy.
Register here: ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
OR tune in to our livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
Register here: ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/regi...
OR tune in to our livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
Our June book discussion will be held this Wednesday evening, 6 pm at the Library Center. We’re discussing the second half of “How Democracies Die.” All are welcome to attend.
We had another great book discussion this week! Our next book is “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. We’re extending the length of our meetings to 1.5 hours and we’ll hold two meetings (May and June) to allow for deeper discussion and more time to read. Details in comments!
June 23, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Our June book discussion will be held this Wednesday evening, 6 pm at the Library Center. We’re discussing the second half of “How Democracies Die.” All are welcome to attend.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
What we learned yesterday.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
The Times They Are a-Changin'
June 15, 2025 at 4:42 PM
What we learned yesterday.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Jess Piper speaks about Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc, and her recent trip to Joplin, MO.
I spoke about the Missouri GOP overturning our will on abortion and earned sick time and a higher minimum wage and when I tell you the rage that seethed in that room at the mention of those things…it was palpable.
open.substack.com/pub/jesspipe...
open.substack.com/pub/jesspipe...
Applebaum and Joplin
My name is Jess and I was a high school Literature teacher for 16 years until I decided to run as a Democrat in a rural, red district in Missouri. I bring you news and politics from Missouri and beyon...
open.substack.com
June 3, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Jess Piper speaks about Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc, and her recent trip to Joplin, MO.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
This is another important history lesson that we need to heed!
Historian
@hcrichardson.bsky.social dedicated her substack to it last night!
Read it here! 👇🏻
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Historian
@hcrichardson.bsky.social dedicated her substack to it last night!
Read it here! 👇🏻
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
June 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This is another important history lesson that we need to heed!
Historian
@hcrichardson.bsky.social dedicated her substack to it last night!
Read it here! 👇🏻
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Historian
@hcrichardson.bsky.social dedicated her substack to it last night!
Read it here! 👇🏻
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
There are no mudsills in America, just human beings, all created equal with certain inalienable rights. Among these rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Everyone deserves an education, so that they can stay free and pursue happiness.
This notion, that there always has to be a large underclass of people who aren’t well educated and just do manual work for the rest of us, is called “Mudsill Theory.”
I bristled yet again at what the Party of Lincoln has become.
marypezzulo.substack.com/p/the-mudsil...
I bristled yet again at what the Party of Lincoln has become.
marypezzulo.substack.com/p/the-mudsil...
The Mudsill Theory and Karoline Leavitt
Education and manual work aren't opposed, and Republicans ought to know it.
marypezzulo.substack.com
June 1, 2025 at 7:19 AM
There are no mudsills in America, just human beings, all created equal with certain inalienable rights. Among these rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Everyone deserves an education, so that they can stay free and pursue happiness.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
May 31, 2025
May 31, 2025
“I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition,” Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine told her colleagues on June 1, 1950.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
June 1, 2025 at 6:13 AM
May 31, 2025
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
NEWS: Ranking Members Raskin, Jayapal, Crockett, Scanlon, Nadler, Johnson, and McBath release a joint statement on the Department of Justice’s unfounded targeting of Rep. LaMonica.
May 20, 2025 at 12:33 AM
NEWS: Ranking Members Raskin, Jayapal, Crockett, Scanlon, Nadler, Johnson, and McBath release a joint statement on the Department of Justice’s unfounded targeting of Rep. LaMonica.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
None of the 278 men sent to CECOT have been returned. Meanwhile their lawyer has been arrested and "disappeared" in El Salvador.
Lawyer for Venezuelans deported to El Salvador prison arrested
Ruth López held without access to lawyers at secret location accused of ‘embezzlement’ a decade ago
www.theguardian.com
May 19, 2025 at 10:22 PM
None of the 278 men sent to CECOT have been returned. Meanwhile their lawyer has been arrested and "disappeared" in El Salvador.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
I will be in Joplin on May 31 at the library at 2 PM.
I’d love to see you there.
I’d love to see you there.
May 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I will be in Joplin on May 31 at the library at 2 PM.
I’d love to see you there.
I’d love to see you there.
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging."
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress
I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.
time.com
May 13, 2025 at 11:19 AM
"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging."
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Our next book club meeting is tomorrow, 6-7:30 pm at the Library Center. We’re discussing the first four chapters of How Democracies Die. See you there!
May 13, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Our next book club meeting is tomorrow, 6-7:30 pm at the Library Center. We’re discussing the first four chapters of How Democracies Die. See you there!
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
Learn what comes next in our fight to protect the voice of the people this Friday, April 25th at 6pm at The Library Center in Springfield!
actionnetwork.org/events/savin...
#RespectMOVoters #moleg #missouri
actionnetwork.org/events/savin...
#RespectMOVoters #moleg #missouri
Saving Democracy in Missouri: Next Steps
A lot of organizing goes into a statewide signature gathering campaign. Get together with the Respect MO Voters Field Team to learn about next steps in our fight to protect the voice of the people.
actionnetwork.org
April 22, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Learn what comes next in our fight to protect the voice of the people this Friday, April 25th at 6pm at The Library Center in Springfield!
actionnetwork.org/events/savin...
#RespectMOVoters #moleg #missouri
actionnetwork.org/events/savin...
#RespectMOVoters #moleg #missouri
Reposted by Read Against the Machine
Five international college students in Missouri have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the termination of their student registrations by the Department of Homeland Security. #moleg #mogov via @thebeacon.bsky.social
International students in Missouri sue Trump administration over revoked status • Missouri Independent
Five international college students in Missouri have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the termination of their student registrations.
missouriindependent.com
April 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Five international college students in Missouri have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the termination of their student registrations by the Department of Homeland Security. #moleg #mogov via @thebeacon.bsky.social
Increasingly hearing from wobbling Trump supporters that we need to “leave identity politics behind and focus on class issues, not race issues.”
We need to focus on both. We can hold two values at the same time. We can address two problems at the same time.
We need to focus on both. We can hold two values at the same time. We can address two problems at the same time.
If we really want to stop Trump and prevent future Trumps from coming to power, we will need to address the root causes of his rise. youtu.be/zTQoc5Jrciw?...
How to Prevent Future Trumps
YouTube video by Robert Reich
youtu.be
April 22, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Increasingly hearing from wobbling Trump supporters that we need to “leave identity politics behind and focus on class issues, not race issues.”
We need to focus on both. We can hold two values at the same time. We can address two problems at the same time.
We need to focus on both. We can hold two values at the same time. We can address two problems at the same time.
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," says Steven Levitsky, professor of government at Harvard, & co-author of How Democracies Die. "It is relatively mild compared to some others. It is certainly reversible, but we are no longer living in a liberal democracy."
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism
Most — but not all — political scientists are deeply troubled by the president's attempts to expand executive power, according to a national survey.
www.npr.org
April 22, 2025 at 2:26 PM
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," says Steven Levitsky, professor of government at Harvard, & co-author of How Democracies Die. "It is relatively mild compared to some others. It is certainly reversible, but we are no longer living in a liberal democracy."
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
Last call to RSVP for Fascism 101 with Dr. Heidi Backes. The zoom webinar is this Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 PM. Check your email, our discord channel, or reach out to me here for info on how to RSVP to get the zoom url.
Book club members, check your email for an invitation to Fascism 101 zoom webinar with MSU professor @heidibackes1.bsky.social on April 22. Please RSVP, space is limited. Dr. Backes is a professor of Spanish literature & cultural history specializing in representation of fascism in Gothic fiction.
April 21, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Last call to RSVP for Fascism 101 with Dr. Heidi Backes. The zoom webinar is this Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 PM. Check your email, our discord channel, or reach out to me here for info on how to RSVP to get the zoom url.