Canary
@vaelis.bsky.social
GenXer who grew up on PBS in a small town & ended up in Fortune 5s. I have very strong feelings about our failed government, media, tech, fascism .. and video games. Not here for clout, just old and treat this like it’s a BBS 🙂
Pinned
Canary
@vaelis.bsky.social
· Feb 26
One of my favorite things about Bluesky (or at least my little corner of it) is that people are always sharing resources for taking action.
So here's a pinned thread collecting those resources, some made by me and some made by others.
So here's a pinned thread collecting those resources, some made by me and some made by others.
This is an excellent compilation of resources for folks looking to take action. Thank you Laura for putting it together.
Reposted by Canary
Wild that we had a Dem administration in between his two terms that couldn’t seem to do anything about any of this.
Good morning. The President of the United States was in the middle of the most serious child sex trafficking ring of the last quarter century.
He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
February 8, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Wild that we had a Dem administration in between his two terms that couldn’t seem to do anything about any of this.
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After a certain point the sanity of Palantir's leadership does matter to the national security of the UK and other European states buying its software
February 8, 2026 at 12:14 PM
After a certain point the sanity of Palantir's leadership does matter to the national security of the UK and other European states buying its software
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The radical and unrealistic position of "no concentration camps"
The reasonable moderate position of "some concentration camps in certain circumstances"
The reasonable moderate position of "some concentration camps in certain circumstances"
February 8, 2026 at 4:58 AM
The radical and unrealistic position of "no concentration camps"
The reasonable moderate position of "some concentration camps in certain circumstances"
The reasonable moderate position of "some concentration camps in certain circumstances"
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I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.
February 8, 2026 at 6:15 AM
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.
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Three geniuses gaining and using their platforms without compromising their humanity or their artistic visions, and showing us just why art matters. They are changing the conversation, each one of them.
Bad Bunny and Sir Ian McKellen and Anoushka Shankar all reminding us this week, in very different ways, just how important art is for a progressive future.
February 7, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Three geniuses gaining and using their platforms without compromising their humanity or their artistic visions, and showing us just why art matters. They are changing the conversation, each one of them.
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this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
February 7, 2026 at 2:20 PM
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
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on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
February 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
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But if we prosecute everyone in the Epstein files, who will go on the Sunday shows?
February 7, 2026 at 4:00 AM
But if we prosecute everyone in the Epstein files, who will go on the Sunday shows?
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It really pays to remind ourselves frequently that this whole immigration "crisis" is made up out of whole cloth. There was no emergency,danger or problem, only a demagogue stirring up racist grievances for political advantage.
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
It really pays to remind ourselves frequently that this whole immigration "crisis" is made up out of whole cloth. There was no emergency,danger or problem, only a demagogue stirring up racist grievances for political advantage.
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Haven't seen this angle mentioned, but it's an extraordinary national security risk to have an anonymous "staffer" impersonating the president of the United States, posting racist memes, from his personal accounts, at 10 PM.
Live updates: White House blames 'staffer' for racist Obamas post shared by Trump
Trump administration live updates: New Jersey's special House primary too close to call
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Haven't seen this angle mentioned, but it's an extraordinary national security risk to have an anonymous "staffer" impersonating the president of the United States, posting racist memes, from his personal accounts, at 10 PM.
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Amy Klobuchar running for Governor of Minnesota
February 6, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Amy Klobuchar running for Governor of Minnesota
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Fun thought experiment: Imagine if Biden told Ted Cruz he would withhold funds for a new highway overpass in Dallas until Cruz agreed to name the entire Texas interstate system after him.
Once again, this would be a Defcon 1 level scandal for any other president and spark weeks of intense media coverage and calls for impeachment.
For Trump, it is merely a Thursday.
For Trump, it is merely a Thursday.
February 6, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Fun thought experiment: Imagine if Biden told Ted Cruz he would withhold funds for a new highway overpass in Dallas until Cruz agreed to name the entire Texas interstate system after him.
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Finneas is better at political messaging than 99% of the Democratic consultants in DC.
February 6, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Finneas is better at political messaging than 99% of the Democratic consultants in DC.
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In related news about the Washington Post and the state of journalism today, Amazon "ran a $1.2 billion tax bill last year, down from $9 billion the previous year, even as its profits jumped by 45% to nearly $90 billion."
That's in the wake of the 2025 tax bill
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
That's in the wake of the 2025 tax bill
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Amazon's tax bill plunges after GOP tax cuts
The 87 percent drop is largely due to a more generous depreciation break in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act.'
www.politico.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:33 PM
In related news about the Washington Post and the state of journalism today, Amazon "ran a $1.2 billion tax bill last year, down from $9 billion the previous year, even as its profits jumped by 45% to nearly $90 billion."
That's in the wake of the 2025 tax bill
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
That's in the wake of the 2025 tax bill
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
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1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
February 6, 2026 at 5:42 PM
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
Reposted by Canary
VA Gov. Spanberger (moderate, was in CIA) and NYC Mayor Mamdani (left, is in DSA) both taking steps to block local law enforcement from helping ICE as it violently violates people's rights is a good example of how the relevant divide in the Dem coalition isn't center-left, it's fight-don't fight.
February 6, 2026 at 6:40 PM
VA Gov. Spanberger (moderate, was in CIA) and NYC Mayor Mamdani (left, is in DSA) both taking steps to block local law enforcement from helping ICE as it violently violates people's rights is a good example of how the relevant divide in the Dem coalition isn't center-left, it's fight-don't fight.
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He's racist, we been knew that. That's what the conniptions over "woke" and "DEI" and immigrants and everything else has always been about.
You wanna be useful? Rebuke this shit with deeds and hire us. Stand with us. Respect us and our leadership.
I don't need pity or condolences. I need a job.
You wanna be useful? Rebuke this shit with deeds and hire us. Stand with us. Respect us and our leadership.
I don't need pity or condolences. I need a job.
February 6, 2026 at 5:01 PM
He's racist, we been knew that. That's what the conniptions over "woke" and "DEI" and immigrants and everything else has always been about.
You wanna be useful? Rebuke this shit with deeds and hire us. Stand with us. Respect us and our leadership.
I don't need pity or condolences. I need a job.
You wanna be useful? Rebuke this shit with deeds and hire us. Stand with us. Respect us and our leadership.
I don't need pity or condolences. I need a job.
Reposted by Canary
There's exactly one normal man left on planet Earth.
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 5:12 AM
There's exactly one normal man left on planet Earth.
Reposted by Canary
1. deregulate everything and destroy all regulators so nothing functions in the public interest under the pretense this "aids innovation" and "empowers entrepreneurs"
2. blame poor people and minorities when nothing works
2. blame poor people and minorities when nothing works
Nashville is furious about power outages. Republicans say ‘woke’ is to blame.
As Nashville’s utility company struggled to recover from a catastrophic ice storm and its Democratic mayor ordered a review, some conservatives attacked diversity training.
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:51 PM
1. deregulate everything and destroy all regulators so nothing functions in the public interest under the pretense this "aids innovation" and "empowers entrepreneurs"
2. blame poor people and minorities when nothing works
2. blame poor people and minorities when nothing works
Reposted by Canary
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
A screenshot from a video posted on Trump's Truth Social account: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 6, 2026 at 9:28 AM
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
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The entire anti wokeness nonsense of the past decade was about making this kind of gutter racism broadly acceptable again bsky.app/profile/adam...
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
A screenshot from a video posted on Trump's Truth Social account: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 6, 2026 at 10:09 AM
The entire anti wokeness nonsense of the past decade was about making this kind of gutter racism broadly acceptable again bsky.app/profile/adam...
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No one has yet talked in depth about Mamdani's play- as in, a childlike wonder and ceaseless fun and joy. That is rooted in what he learned from his mom about acting, which is pure play. Everything he does is rooted in encouraging US to be more playful, too. It's wonderful.
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
No one has yet talked in depth about Mamdani's play- as in, a childlike wonder and ceaseless fun and joy. That is rooted in what he learned from his mom about acting, which is pure play. Everything he does is rooted in encouraging US to be more playful, too. It's wonderful.
Reposted by Canary
It's true that Mamdani is a skilled improviser but that's counterintuitively a result of his superior preparation — spending time and energy to hone your speaking style, memorize talking points etc frees up cognitive load to notice and react to what's around you instead of thinking about what to say
Dude is such a natural and charismatic communicator. Something occurs that would make someone else stumble or lose focus and he just rolls it into his speech almost like it was prepared. That takes not just talent but instinct.
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 4:52 AM
It's true that Mamdani is a skilled improviser but that's counterintuitively a result of his superior preparation — spending time and energy to hone your speaking style, memorize talking points etc frees up cognitive load to notice and react to what's around you instead of thinking about what to say
Reposted by Canary
The media is brazenly, openly republican and it sucks that democrats don’t know how to communicate this
CNBC's Rebecca Quick and Joe Kernen brought Chris Coons on this morning so they could team up to berate him about how terrible they think the an idea shutting down the government again is, as though Democrats would be entirely to blame and ICE is just normal law enforcement
February 6, 2026 at 1:39 PM
The media is brazenly, openly republican and it sucks that democrats don’t know how to communicate this
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Their argument is: rich white people are allowed to do whatever they want, and that includes pedo islands or rounding up the rest in camps.
There is no contradiction, no hypocrisy, no argument that will sway them. The ideology is: power is moral
There is no contradiction, no hypocrisy, no argument that will sway them. The ideology is: power is moral
February 6, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Their argument is: rich white people are allowed to do whatever they want, and that includes pedo islands or rounding up the rest in camps.
There is no contradiction, no hypocrisy, no argument that will sway them. The ideology is: power is moral
There is no contradiction, no hypocrisy, no argument that will sway them. The ideology is: power is moral