@juniper-sky.bsky.social
My whole life, I've thought of myself as a leftist. I went to college hoping to fight for women's rights, universal healthcare, and election reform. Instead, everyone was just talking about "prison abolition" and boycotting Ben and Jerry's.
January 13, 2026 at 2:46 AM
My whole life, I've thought of myself as a leftist. I went to college hoping to fight for women's rights, universal healthcare, and election reform. Instead, everyone was just talking about "prison abolition" and boycotting Ben and Jerry's.
On the other hand, it's not as easy for Trump to ignore elections as people say. (Read the whole thread, if you don't mind)
bsky.app/profile/bret...
bsky.app/profile/bret...
The president and congress do not decide if there will be elections, nor do they administer those elections, which would make it pretty hard to suspend or delay them without just triggering a civil war.
January 12, 2026 at 10:51 PM
On the other hand, it's not as easy for Trump to ignore elections as people say. (Read the whole thread, if you don't mind)
bsky.app/profile/bret...
bsky.app/profile/bret...
To address some of your other musings, if the rest of the world tried to "rescue" the US from Trump, it would GREATLY increase Trump's support, domestically. Even many people who would otherwise hate him would get behind him. No one is ever grateful for being invaded. We learned that the hard way.
January 12, 2026 at 10:43 PM
To address some of your other musings, if the rest of the world tried to "rescue" the US from Trump, it would GREATLY increase Trump's support, domestically. Even many people who would otherwise hate him would get behind him. No one is ever grateful for being invaded. We learned that the hard way.
(Also, has there ever been a successful, full-scale "general strike" in Britain? I've never heard of one.)
January 12, 2026 at 10:40 PM
(Also, has there ever been a successful, full-scale "general strike" in Britain? I've never heard of one.)
Bluntly, general strikes have never been a thing in the United States, and will not be a thing for a good long while, because the United States does not have especially strong or politically active unions, and it's big enough and spread out enough that shutting down the economy is REALLY hard.
January 12, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Bluntly, general strikes have never been a thing in the United States, and will not be a thing for a good long while, because the United States does not have especially strong or politically active unions, and it's big enough and spread out enough that shutting down the economy is REALLY hard.
...What are you talking about? Of course they are. They've been doing that for decades. That's standard operating procedure for them.
January 12, 2026 at 10:26 PM
...What are you talking about? Of course they are. They've been doing that for decades. That's standard operating procedure for them.
America attacking Iran would be the worst possible response to this. Which is why Donald Trump is probably considering it right now.
January 12, 2026 at 3:19 AM
America attacking Iran would be the worst possible response to this. Which is why Donald Trump is probably considering it right now.
He signed laws prohibiting state law enforcement from aiding ICE, and prohibiting ICE from going near courthouses, and he supported Texas Democrats when they had to flee the state, among other things.
January 12, 2026 at 1:05 AM
He signed laws prohibiting state law enforcement from aiding ICE, and prohibiting ICE from going near courthouses, and he supported Texas Democrats when they had to flee the state, among other things.
It's times like these when I need to remind myself that specific corners of the internet are not representative of society as a whole.
January 11, 2026 at 3:06 PM
It's times like these when I need to remind myself that specific corners of the internet are not representative of society as a whole.
We are not defeated until we admit defeat.
January 6, 2026 at 10:53 PM
We are not defeated until we admit defeat.
This is correct, in part - as the grim, military historian in me feels the need to note - it is psychologically much harder to get soldiers to open fire on people they view as 'respectable.'
And I dread, with grim increasingly certainty, that we are headed to a point where that matters.
And I dread, with grim increasingly certainty, that we are headed to a point where that matters.
protests against this government should include white Boomer grandmothers who meet for pilates class, get a pitcher of mimosas & walk together to the public space
we need people in the street who think everyone can talk their way out of a speeding ticket, they're key to winning
we need people in the street who think everyone can talk their way out of a speeding ticket, they're key to winning
January 4, 2026 at 4:41 PM
For me, Barbara Gordon IS Batgirl...but Cassandra Cain is still my favorite. If that makes any sense.
January 4, 2026 at 4:36 PM
For me, Barbara Gordon IS Batgirl...but Cassandra Cain is still my favorite. If that makes any sense.
Every real, positive social change in this country was brought about by protests, with the exception of the end of slavery - and in that case, it was the bad guys who started the violence.
January 4, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Every real, positive social change in this country was brought about by protests, with the exception of the end of slavery - and in that case, it was the bad guys who started the violence.
Quite true, but I am disappointed you cannot make an acronym out of that. Well, I suppose "DOITKA" is kind of a funny acronym.
January 4, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Quite true, but I am disappointed you cannot make an acronym out of that. Well, I suppose "DOITKA" is kind of a funny acronym.
The president and congress do not decide if there will be elections, nor do they administer those elections, which would make it pretty hard to suspend or delay them without just triggering a civil war.
January 4, 2026 at 12:40 AM
On that, we agree.
January 2, 2026 at 10:32 PM
On that, we agree.
Better than "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality."
January 2, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Better than "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality."
And anyway, you have to look VERY hard to find any fanfiction story that's actually professional quality. If someone's favorite stories are fanfiction, it usually means they haven't read enough actual books.
January 2, 2026 at 11:44 AM
And anyway, you have to look VERY hard to find any fanfiction story that's actually professional quality. If someone's favorite stories are fanfiction, it usually means they haven't read enough actual books.
And sure, some fanfiction writers write out of a love for writing, or for their readers. But at least as many do it because they want attention, or just out of spite. Or because they want to "fix" a story that wasn't focused entirely on their weird hangups.
January 2, 2026 at 11:42 AM
And sure, some fanfiction writers write out of a love for writing, or for their readers. But at least as many do it because they want attention, or just out of spite. Or because they want to "fix" a story that wasn't focused entirely on their weird hangups.
For another, media has ALWAYS been "cheap, bland, recycled, and sponsored by people who love money more than the source material." We just only remember the good stuff, because it was the only stuff worth remembering. And the people making it were often mistreated and underpaid, too.
January 2, 2026 at 11:39 AM
For another, media has ALWAYS been "cheap, bland, recycled, and sponsored by people who love money more than the source material." We just only remember the good stuff, because it was the only stuff worth remembering. And the people making it were often mistreated and underpaid, too.
For one thing, fanfiction is NOT people's "primary form of entertainment right now." The corner of the internet one spends one's time in is not the whole world.
January 2, 2026 at 11:37 AM
For one thing, fanfiction is NOT people's "primary form of entertainment right now." The corner of the internet one spends one's time in is not the whole world.
Just...so many things wrong with that.
January 2, 2026 at 11:35 AM
Just...so many things wrong with that.