John Bull
@john-a-bull.bsky.social
CEO @ xCanary | Co-Founder @ CYB
Writer, musician, and cat enthusiast.
https://rationaldissent.substack.com/
Writer, musician, and cat enthusiast.
https://rationaldissent.substack.com/
“We live in this moment where this idea of ‘seeing is believing’ has been replaced by ‘what you believe now determines what you see.” - Geoff Bennett
Oof. Spot on. Factionalism is actively replacing rationalism.
Oof. Spot on. Factionalism is actively replacing rationalism.
January 10, 2026 at 6:06 PM
“We live in this moment where this idea of ‘seeing is believing’ has been replaced by ‘what you believe now determines what you see.” - Geoff Bennett
Oof. Spot on. Factionalism is actively replacing rationalism.
Oof. Spot on. Factionalism is actively replacing rationalism.
Reading “Bitter Fruit” by Schlesinger and Kinzer on 1900s US actions in Central America; the parallels to current dynamics are incredibly revealing.
I may have notes included in my upcoming Part 2 of “Trust and the Design of Democracy.”
Read Part 1 here: substack.com/@iamjohnbull...
I may have notes included in my upcoming Part 2 of “Trust and the Design of Democracy.”
Read Part 1 here: substack.com/@iamjohnbull...
Trust and the Design of Democracy (Part I) - A System Built for Good Faith
A Lock Built for a Village
substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Reading “Bitter Fruit” by Schlesinger and Kinzer on 1900s US actions in Central America; the parallels to current dynamics are incredibly revealing.
I may have notes included in my upcoming Part 2 of “Trust and the Design of Democracy.”
Read Part 1 here: substack.com/@iamjohnbull...
I may have notes included in my upcoming Part 2 of “Trust and the Design of Democracy.”
Read Part 1 here: substack.com/@iamjohnbull...
Reposted by John Bull
The US has a long and seedy history of mucking around with its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere. Take, for example, the Banana Wars. #history #comic #webcomic #latinamerica
January 6, 2026 at 2:02 PM
The US has a long and seedy history of mucking around with its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere. Take, for example, the Banana Wars. #history #comic #webcomic #latinamerica
“You can’t have an easy life and a good character.” - Jimmy Carr
January 5, 2026 at 6:09 PM
“You can’t have an easy life and a good character.” - Jimmy Carr
My latest, a reflection on my experiences of the last two years, and what comes next. medium.com/@John-Bull/l...
Looking Back to Build Forward
You can read this entry here if you do not have a Medium subscription.
medium.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:56 AM
My latest, a reflection on my experiences of the last two years, and what comes next. medium.com/@John-Bull/l...
Reposted by John Bull
These are the right questions to be asking. AI is a disruptive technology, and public policy should be structured with that in mind. There need to be guarantees made to the public to ensure a bridge to the new paradigm.
Bernie Sanders: "We need to be thinking seriously about a moratorium on data centers. You gotta slow this process down. It's not good enough for the oligarchs to tell us 'you adapt.' Are they gonna guarantee healthcare to all people? What are they gonna do when there are no jobs? Make housing free?"
December 28, 2025 at 5:54 PM
These are the right questions to be asking. AI is a disruptive technology, and public policy should be structured with that in mind. There need to be guarantees made to the public to ensure a bridge to the new paradigm.
The U.S. Constitution wasn’t designed to survive bad actors at scale.
It was designed to restrain power in a much smaller world.
That distinction matters more than people want to admit.
↓
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
It was designed to restrain power in a much smaller world.
That distinction matters more than people want to admit.
↓
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
Trust and the Design of Democracy (Part I) — A System Built for Good Faith
Why American democratic institutions rely on trust, and how that reliance makes them vulnerable to exploitation in the modern political…
medium.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM
The U.S. Constitution wasn’t designed to survive bad actors at scale.
It was designed to restrain power in a much smaller world.
That distinction matters more than people want to admit.
↓
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
It was designed to restrain power in a much smaller world.
That distinction matters more than people want to admit.
↓
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
Reposted by John Bull
The White House has been caught.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
December 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM
The White House has been caught.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
I've published the first installment of a seven-part series on the innate fragility of U.S. institutions relying on good-faith leadership, and how that has been exploited at scale. I welcome comments, questions, and dialogue. Please share!
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
Trust and the Design of Democracy (Part I) — A System Built for Good Faith
Why American democratic institutions rely on trust, and how that reliance makes them vulnerable to exploitation in the modern political…
medium.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I've published the first installment of a seven-part series on the innate fragility of U.S. institutions relying on good-faith leadership, and how that has been exploited at scale. I welcome comments, questions, and dialogue. Please share!
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
medium.com/@John-Bull/t...
Reposted by John Bull
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
Read my latest on the gradual erosion of material value in modern human evolution.
medium.com/@John-Bull/f...
medium.com/@John-Bull/f...
From Soil to Simulation
A brief history on the counterfeiting of value.
medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Read my latest on the gradual erosion of material value in modern human evolution.
medium.com/@John-Bull/f...
medium.com/@John-Bull/f...
Wanna know how I know my wife loves me? I was heading out the door to go grocery shopping this morning and she said, “I hope no one kills you today.” 🥰
November 9, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Wanna know how I know my wife loves me? I was heading out the door to go grocery shopping this morning and she said, “I hope no one kills you today.” 🥰
A collapse in belief: 70% doubt the American Dream is achievable with just 25% feeling upward mobility remains possible.
The American Dream once promised hard work was enough. Now it takes a lottery-winner’s luck. A golden ticket.
The American Dream once promised hard work was enough. Now it takes a lottery-winner’s luck. A golden ticket.
September 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
A collapse in belief: 70% doubt the American Dream is achievable with just 25% feeling upward mobility remains possible.
The American Dream once promised hard work was enough. Now it takes a lottery-winner’s luck. A golden ticket.
The American Dream once promised hard work was enough. Now it takes a lottery-winner’s luck. A golden ticket.
Jobs are softening, inflation is still hot, the trade deficit is widening, yet corporate sentiment is up. That optimism is built on expectations, not fundamentals. Plan as if relief is temporary. Build for resilience, not shortcuts based on assumptions.
September 4, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Jobs are softening, inflation is still hot, the trade deficit is widening, yet corporate sentiment is up. That optimism is built on expectations, not fundamentals. Plan as if relief is temporary. Build for resilience, not shortcuts based on assumptions.
Reposted by John Bull
Reposted by John Bull
The No. 1 indicator of my businesses’ success.
August 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
The No. 1 indicator of my businesses’ success.
Reposted by John Bull
![Four panel comic of two aliens being interviewed:
Alien: Jesus? We love that guy!
Press: We’ve been waiting centuries for his return.
Alien: Really? He comes to us every year. We invited him for cookies. What did you do?
Press [worried looks]
Alien 1: Wait.
Alien 2: What did you do?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:p5j4zfk4ef4otmf5dxtrziq2/bafkreidufg36kfxw6ctl6jvny2svdivv37efd4sngrfkotfupau42vkvae@jpeg)
August 30, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by John Bull
Yeah, you should.
August 28, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Yeah, you should.
I want to live in a world in which I pay taxes and then get services paid for with that tax money. Like health care. Or education. Or, hell—both.
August 28, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I want to live in a world in which I pay taxes and then get services paid for with that tax money. Like health care. Or education. Or, hell—both.
Reposted by John Bull
It pisses me off that gay people are hated mostly because of some poorly translated ancient outdated book full of other bullshit idiots base their entire lives on. Religion is a curse, man.
August 24, 2025 at 1:51 PM
It pisses me off that gay people are hated mostly because of some poorly translated ancient outdated book full of other bullshit idiots base their entire lives on. Religion is a curse, man.
Reposted by John Bull
Sunday
I have basically said the same thing for decades, their answer is, "but my god is the one true god" 🤦♂️
MamaMephistopheles
I have basically said the same thing for decades, their answer is, "but my god is the one true god" 🤦♂️
MamaMephistopheles
August 23, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Sunday
I have basically said the same thing for decades, their answer is, "but my god is the one true god" 🤦♂️
MamaMephistopheles
I have basically said the same thing for decades, their answer is, "but my god is the one true god" 🤦♂️
MamaMephistopheles
Reposted by John Bull
Jon asks why the GOP's "one is too many" logic applies only to immigrants and not mass shootings
August 22, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Jon asks why the GOP's "one is too many" logic applies only to immigrants and not mass shootings
Reposted by John Bull
Verified. Press Conference scheduled in DC to draw attention to legislation that would force the public release of the government’s full records related to Epstein.
Sept. 3rd, 10:30 a.m. EST
Sept. 3rd, 10:30 a.m. EST
August 23, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Verified. Press Conference scheduled in DC to draw attention to legislation that would force the public release of the government’s full records related to Epstein.
Sept. 3rd, 10:30 a.m. EST
Sept. 3rd, 10:30 a.m. EST