Tina Russell
@tinarussell.bsky.social
I like Aphrodite and Sonic the Hedgehog, will update bio as I figure out more about myself
"The false choice between 'moderate' and 'progressive' has trapped Democrats in an irrelevant debate … anti-authoritarian movements don’t win by moderating their positions on a traditional left-right axis but by creating an entirely new one" www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no... Interesting read
How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism
Moderation used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated.
www.bostonreview.net
February 5, 2026 at 7:49 PM
"The false choice between 'moderate' and 'progressive' has trapped Democrats in an irrelevant debate … anti-authoritarian movements don’t win by moderating their positions on a traditional left-right axis but by creating an entirely new one" www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no... Interesting read
If Dem leadership started messaging from the (correct) position of "abolish ICE" and, lacking the votes, negotiated the Republicans down to "actually require ICE to abide by the Constitution," I would call that a victory (with more battles to come, of course). But starting from here just looks weak!
Democrats want commonsense reform for ICE:
End the roving patrols and racial profiling.
Take accountability and abide by the same rules as local police.
Masks need to come off, body cameras need to stay on—no secret police in the United States of America.
End the roving patrols and racial profiling.
Take accountability and abide by the same rules as local police.
Masks need to come off, body cameras need to stay on—no secret police in the United States of America.
February 4, 2026 at 4:50 AM
If Dem leadership started messaging from the (correct) position of "abolish ICE" and, lacking the votes, negotiated the Republicans down to "actually require ICE to abide by the Constitution," I would call that a victory (with more battles to come, of course). But starting from here just looks weak!
Reposted by Tina Russell
Don't agree with Cato Inst on much. But:
Very glad they have quantified what has been obvious for years.
Very glad they have quantified what has been obvious for years.
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 4, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Don't agree with Cato Inst on much. But:
Very glad they have quantified what has been obvious for years.
Very glad they have quantified what has been obvious for years.
Reposted by Tina Russell
Big uproar about Chappell Roan's outfit but after Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva is really the next logical step in historical cosplay
February 3, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Big uproar about Chappell Roan's outfit but after Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva is really the next logical step in historical cosplay
Reposted by Tina Russell
No masks on cops. No masks on cops. No masks on cops. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The Real Reason ICE Agents Wear Masks
Face-coverings may work less to protect federal agents from danger than to make it easier for them to do unconstitutional things.
www.theatlantic.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:41 PM
No masks on cops. No masks on cops. No masks on cops. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by Tina Russell
The fundamental thrust of totalitarianism is that the government dictates terms of how every aspect of every organization, as well as your own life, operates. The Soviet Union, the Nazis, the modern PRC, all have commissars in every org to ensure they follow the government political line.
Breaking news: The Pentagon issued a warning to Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, saying the organization risks losing its long-standing partnership with the U.S. military unless it rapidly implements “core value reforms.”
Pentagon warns Scouts to restore ‘core values’ or lose military support
The relationship dates back decades, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has criticized the organization for allowing girls to join and changing its name from Boy Scouts.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:54 PM
The fundamental thrust of totalitarianism is that the government dictates terms of how every aspect of every organization, as well as your own life, operates. The Soviet Union, the Nazis, the modern PRC, all have commissars in every org to ensure they follow the government political line.
Reposted by Tina Russell
not every Democrat is perfect on trans rights but they are one of the most successful pro-trans rights parties in the world.
February 3, 2026 at 8:15 PM
not every Democrat is perfect on trans rights but they are one of the most successful pro-trans rights parties in the world.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, I’m trying to write a poem to Aphrodite and coming to realize that poetry is hard. 😅 (It’s especially difficult as I’m trying to keep rhyme and meter, and while I know that’s not “required,” it’s my artistic vision, dammit.)
February 3, 2026 at 12:52 AM
With Valentine’s Day coming up, I’m trying to write a poem to Aphrodite and coming to realize that poetry is hard. 😅 (It’s especially difficult as I’m trying to keep rhyme and meter, and while I know that’s not “required,” it’s my artistic vision, dammit.)
Reposted by Tina Russell
Happy Hedgehog Day!
February 2, 2024 at 8:48 PM
Happy Hedgehog Day!
Reposted by Tina Russell
/2 Ezra Klein will dine out on being the subject of Sarah Lawrence students being meanies for years, and the right and its useful idiots will use it to frame the primary risk to free speech on college campus as being students rather than government censorship.
January 30, 2026 at 10:36 PM
/2 Ezra Klein will dine out on being the subject of Sarah Lawrence students being meanies for years, and the right and its useful idiots will use it to frame the primary risk to free speech on college campus as being students rather than government censorship.
Reposted by Tina Russell
I like neither Ezra Klein nor shouting down speakers. I think Ezra Klein profits, metaphorically and literally, by being shouted down by Sarah Lawrence students, and that doing it to him was more or less like trying to discourage a dog by throwing bacon at it.
/1
/1
January 30, 2026 at 10:33 PM
I like neither Ezra Klein nor shouting down speakers. I think Ezra Klein profits, metaphorically and literally, by being shouted down by Sarah Lawrence students, and that doing it to him was more or less like trying to discourage a dog by throwing bacon at it.
/1
/1
Okay, apparently what I posted before was wrong; Quantum Leap (2022) actually leaves Netflix on February _14,_ not 15. (Valentine's Day! 😢) I assume that means the last day to watch this is the 13th. But don't wait! Watch this ep, enjoy it, and encourage trans-friendly programming in the future.
I'm kinda late to the party, but I've been watching Quantum Leap (2022) on Netflix and holy kittens, I can't recommend enough S01E12 "Let Them Play." It's explicitly pro-trans (& pro-trans youth in sports, at that!), and it portrays trans inclusion so meaningfully & powerfully that it made me cry 🥲
January 30, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Okay, apparently what I posted before was wrong; Quantum Leap (2022) actually leaves Netflix on February _14,_ not 15. (Valentine's Day! 😢) I assume that means the last day to watch this is the 13th. But don't wait! Watch this ep, enjoy it, and encourage trans-friendly programming in the future.
Reposted by Tina Russell
I think that means we, and by we I mean highly activated, high-attention partisans, need to take things on the chin. It's not about us, it's about getting my wife's book club to the polls in huge numbers. If they're buying it, it's working, if they're not, it's not.
January 30, 2026 at 4:43 AM
I think that means we, and by we I mean highly activated, high-attention partisans, need to take things on the chin. It's not about us, it's about getting my wife's book club to the polls in huge numbers. If they're buying it, it's working, if they're not, it's not.
Reposted by Tina Russell
As the minority, the best way to do that is to make reasonable sounding asks that underline how absolutely horrific Republican governance is. That way Republicans either refuse, and look terrible, or concede, and still look terrible while giving us a policy win.
January 30, 2026 at 4:38 AM
As the minority, the best way to do that is to make reasonable sounding asks that underline how absolutely horrific Republican governance is. That way Republicans either refuse, and look terrible, or concede, and still look terrible while giving us a policy win.
Reposted by Tina Russell
Here's mine: Democrats are the minority. They are probably, but not definitely, going to become the majority. What we really want is for them to become a super majority, this requires making Republicans really fucking unpopular.
January 30, 2026 at 4:37 AM
Here's mine: Democrats are the minority. They are probably, but not definitely, going to become the majority. What we really want is for them to become a super majority, this requires making Republicans really fucking unpopular.
This is a real gut-punch to me. Not because I particularly needed to see superhero dick, but because I thought we were making slow, but tangible, steps towards acknowledging that console games aimed at adults having mature content isn’t the end of the world. Apparently that goal is still a ways away
January 30, 2026 at 4:18 AM
This is a real gut-punch to me. Not because I particularly needed to see superhero dick, but because I thought we were making slow, but tangible, steps towards acknowledging that console games aimed at adults having mature content isn’t the end of the world. Apparently that goal is still a ways away
Reposted by Tina Russell
the sluts WILL save us.
The Sluts Will Save Us: The Minneapolis Sex Shop Resisting ICE
Smitten Kitten, a sex shop in Minneapolis, has become an unlikely community hub for people protesting ICE.
www.playboy.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:59 PM
the sluts WILL save us.
Reposted by Tina Russell
"Ballet is woman."
-- George Balanchine
* BlueSky exclusive *
"Olivia - Talarra Eleganta" IG:@oliviapreston5 #fineart #female #figure #toned #canadamodel
-- George Balanchine
* BlueSky exclusive *
"Olivia - Talarra Eleganta" IG:@oliviapreston5 #fineart #female #figure #toned #canadamodel
January 30, 2026 at 1:12 AM
"Ballet is woman."
-- George Balanchine
* BlueSky exclusive *
"Olivia - Talarra Eleganta" IG:@oliviapreston5 #fineart #female #figure #toned #canadamodel
-- George Balanchine
* BlueSky exclusive *
"Olivia - Talarra Eleganta" IG:@oliviapreston5 #fineart #female #figure #toned #canadamodel
Brief, important, and terrifying thread 😬
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
January 29, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Brief, important, and terrifying thread 😬
I am, as always, torn between whether SonAmy or Sonadow is the better pairing.
(I don't, like, write porn of them, though. The only time I've ever written erotic fanfiction was back in the 2000s, when I wrote a story about Nell, Hawke, and Lash, from Advance Wars, having a threesome. It was weird.)
(I don't, like, write porn of them, though. The only time I've ever written erotic fanfiction was back in the 2000s, when I wrote a story about Nell, Hawke, and Lash, from Advance Wars, having a threesome. It was weird.)
Today's non-politics discussion thread time (as always, feel free to quote or reply):
What's your ship?
Any fandom, sky's the limit. Give me your OTP. (If you were never in any fan spaces... it's Bluesky, I don't believe you, but you still have that ship that made you go "aw they're cute" no?)
What's your ship?
Any fandom, sky's the limit. Give me your OTP. (If you were never in any fan spaces... it's Bluesky, I don't believe you, but you still have that ship that made you go "aw they're cute" no?)
January 28, 2026 at 11:58 PM
I am, as always, torn between whether SonAmy or Sonadow is the better pairing.
(I don't, like, write porn of them, though. The only time I've ever written erotic fanfiction was back in the 2000s, when I wrote a story about Nell, Hawke, and Lash, from Advance Wars, having a threesome. It was weird.)
(I don't, like, write porn of them, though. The only time I've ever written erotic fanfiction was back in the 2000s, when I wrote a story about Nell, Hawke, and Lash, from Advance Wars, having a threesome. It was weird.)
I feel a vague sense of accomplishment, now that I've beaten Super Mario Galaxy and completed every Galaxy available _without_ touching the Garden or the Trial Galaxies. They still say "New" on the map! BAHAHAHAHA
January 28, 2026 at 11:17 PM
I feel a vague sense of accomplishment, now that I've beaten Super Mario Galaxy and completed every Galaxy available _without_ touching the Garden or the Trial Galaxies. They still say "New" on the map! BAHAHAHAHA
Reposted by Tina Russell
Another vigil happening today, organized by VA workers and veterans. 🕯️
January 28, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Another vigil happening today, organized by VA workers and veterans. 🕯️
Reposted by Tina Russell
Similarly, the point of "First They Came" is not "when they came for me, that's when it was bad."
They point is everyone should oppose them when they first start coming for people, even if it's not anyone you know or like. Because if you don't, things usually get worse from there.
They point is everyone should oppose them when they first start coming for people, even if it's not anyone you know or like. Because if you don't, things usually get worse from there.
January 28, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Similarly, the point of "First They Came" is not "when they came for me, that's when it was bad."
They point is everyone should oppose them when they first start coming for people, even if it's not anyone you know or like. Because if you don't, things usually get worse from there.
They point is everyone should oppose them when they first start coming for people, even if it's not anyone you know or like. Because if you don't, things usually get worse from there.
Reposted by Tina Russell
The reason Anne Frank's story has resonated with so many people over so many years is not because circumstances have to be exactly the same as her's for anyone to care, but because anything remotely like it is wrong, and societies moving in that direction should oppose it well before they get there.
January 28, 2026 at 7:57 PM
The reason Anne Frank's story has resonated with so many people over so many years is not because circumstances have to be exactly the same as her's for anyone to care, but because anything remotely like it is wrong, and societies moving in that direction should oppose it well before they get there.