Paul Wester
@paulwester.bsky.social
Running, cello playing, steel-cut oatmeal eating, healthy living family man. And retired archivist and librarian. he/him/his #Terp4Life Views are my own.
A random P.J. Wester from the @pomological.xor.blue bot this morning. Thank you, old fruit pictures. ❤️
custard apple, painted by ellen isham schutt, 1907
November 17, 2025 at 10:24 AM
A random P.J. Wester from the @pomological.xor.blue bot this morning. Thank you, old fruit pictures. ❤️
My first randomly found great grandpa PJ Wester cultivar on Bluesky! Thank you, @pomological.xor.blue bot!!!
scala loquats, painted by deborah griscom passmore, 1909
September 22, 2025 at 10:29 AM
My first randomly found great grandpa PJ Wester cultivar on Bluesky! Thank you, @pomological.xor.blue bot!!!
Reposted by Paul Wester
It’s wonderful seeing friends formerly in federal service landing on their feet elsewhere (in some cases with much-deserved somersaults). It’s terrible being cognizant of the massive loss to the public good, breathtakingly talented individuals who were working for all of us for a comparative song.
July 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
It’s wonderful seeing friends formerly in federal service landing on their feet elsewhere (in some cases with much-deserved somersaults). It’s terrible being cognizant of the massive loss to the public good, breathtakingly talented individuals who were working for all of us for a comparative song.
The prospect of loading Caro's works, his/wife's 150 cf of notes and papers from the NYHS, and the LBJ Library collections into NotebookLM to generate the fifth volume of Caro's magisterial LBJ series is horrifying ... yet intriguing, should the 89-year-old Caro not deliver the final volume.
A.I. Is Poised to Rewrite History. Literally.
www.nytimes.com
June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The prospect of loading Caro's works, his/wife's 150 cf of notes and papers from the NYHS, and the LBJ Library collections into NotebookLM to generate the fifth volume of Caro's magisterial LBJ series is horrifying ... yet intriguing, should the 89-year-old Caro not deliver the final volume.
Reposted by Paul Wester
Protests are not an insurrection.
This is an insurrection.
This is an insurrection.
June 13, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Protests are not an insurrection.
This is an insurrection.
This is an insurrection.
So, the crappy self-driving Tesla is programmed to blow past a school bus that has its flashing red lights on and the STOP sign arm extended? What a bunch of dumb, ketamine-fueled clowns.
“Tesla’s driverless ‘robotaxis’ could launch in Austin as soon as June 22. But a demo in Austin today showed a $TSLA, manually driven to test its Full Self-Driving system, failed to stop for a child-sized dummy at a school bus—and hit it.”
@cbsaustin @velez_tx
@cbsaustin @velez_tx
June 13, 2025 at 2:49 PM
So, the crappy self-driving Tesla is programmed to blow past a school bus that has its flashing red lights on and the STOP sign arm extended? What a bunch of dumb, ketamine-fueled clowns.
Reposted by Paul Wester
New from @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social: "A Democratic member of Congress attempted over the weekend to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia at his new detention site in El Salvador only to be turned away by local authorities." www.thebulwark.com/p/democratic...
Dem Reps Aren’t Done Pushing for Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Congressman Glenn Ivey went to El Salvador over the holiday weekend to try to see the man who has become a symbol of Donald Trump’s deportation regime.
www.thebulwark.com
May 27, 2025 at 12:56 PM
New from @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social: "A Democratic member of Congress attempted over the weekend to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia at his new detention site in El Salvador only to be turned away by local authorities." www.thebulwark.com/p/democratic...
Reposted by Paul Wester
"Strains bounds of propriety"?
How about "shatters every ethical norm of public service"?
I truly want to know what the headline writers at the
@nytimes.com are smoking, and to what end.
How about "shatters every ethical norm of public service"?
I truly want to know what the headline writers at the
@nytimes.com are smoking, and to what end.
May 12, 2025 at 11:29 PM
"Strains bounds of propriety"?
How about "shatters every ethical norm of public service"?
I truly want to know what the headline writers at the
@nytimes.com are smoking, and to what end.
How about "shatters every ethical norm of public service"?
I truly want to know what the headline writers at the
@nytimes.com are smoking, and to what end.
My neighbor in Beltsville and our U.S. Senator. Thank you for your service and courage, Senator Van Hollen.
I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.
April 18, 2025 at 3:12 PM
My neighbor in Beltsville and our U.S. Senator. Thank you for your service and courage, Senator Van Hollen.
Reposted by Paul Wester
I just got confirmation that National History Day, a program that does more to ignite K-12 students' love of history, learning, and yes, even the United States than anything else I've ever seen, had all its funding cut yesterday by the DOGE-axe at the NEH - including for this year's ongoing contest.
April 3, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I just got confirmation that National History Day, a program that does more to ignite K-12 students' love of history, learning, and yes, even the United States than anything else I've ever seen, had all its funding cut yesterday by the DOGE-axe at the NEH - including for this year's ongoing contest.
Reposted by Paul Wester
Unidentified men grabbing someone off the street and putting her in a car because she wrote an op-Ed. This as flatly authoritarian as anything we’ve seen in this country in a very long time.
Video of the international student at Tufts being arrested by "federal authorities" in Massachusetts has been released and it's terrifying.
They're not even uniformed officers. Just secret police thugs in hoodies and masks.
From WCVB: youtu.be/PuFIs7OkzYY
They're not even uniformed officers. Just secret police thugs in hoodies and masks.
From WCVB: youtu.be/PuFIs7OkzYY
March 26, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Unidentified men grabbing someone off the street and putting her in a car because she wrote an op-Ed. This as flatly authoritarian as anything we’ve seen in this country in a very long time.
I can't take Ka$h seriously because the clown can't manage to button the top button of his dress shirt or tie a proper four-in-hand knot like a g-d damned adult.
J. Edgar Hoover is rolling in his grave over both the stupidity emanating from his pie hole and the breathtaking sartorial sloppiness.
J. Edgar Hoover is rolling in his grave over both the stupidity emanating from his pie hole and the breathtaking sartorial sloppiness.
"Every single state in this country is a border state," FBI Director Kash Patel in Senate testimony today says.
March 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
I can't take Ka$h seriously because the clown can't manage to button the top button of his dress shirt or tie a proper four-in-hand knot like a g-d damned adult.
J. Edgar Hoover is rolling in his grave over both the stupidity emanating from his pie hole and the breathtaking sartorial sloppiness.
J. Edgar Hoover is rolling in his grave over both the stupidity emanating from his pie hole and the breathtaking sartorial sloppiness.
I love this! 🐢🐢🐢 I hope @kevinbblackistone.bsky.social grades Mr. Lochte's call on Around the Horn this afternoon ... and asks Tyler who is on the WMUC call for the Alabama vs Maryland game at Xfinity, if not Mr. Lochte!
Student in my Sports Reporting & Writing class. He is citing this as reason he can’t get back from Seattle in time for Monday morning’s class. 🤔https://awfulannouncing.com/radio/maryland-buzzer-beater-derik-queen-tyler-lochte-radio.html
Student announcer Tyler Lochte calls Derik Queen 'Maryland hero' in call of dramatic buzzer-beater
Tyler Lochte, the co-station director of WMUC Sports, Maryland's student-run radio station, called Derik Queen's buzzer-beater.
awfulannouncing.com
March 24, 2025 at 10:31 AM
I love this! 🐢🐢🐢 I hope @kevinbblackistone.bsky.social grades Mr. Lochte's call on Around the Horn this afternoon ... and asks Tyler who is on the WMUC call for the Alabama vs Maryland game at Xfinity, if not Mr. Lochte!
Reposted by Paul Wester
Trump’s numbers on US & European aid to Ukraine are completely fabricated — Europe has given more to Ukraine and the US hasn’t reached anywhere near $350 billion.
February 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Trump’s numbers on US & European aid to Ukraine are completely fabricated — Europe has given more to Ukraine and the US hasn’t reached anywhere near $350 billion.
This is disgusting and outrageous.
“In the US Department of Agriculture, multiple people have been asked to report the names of LGBTQ employee resource group leaders to higher-ranking officials, according to interviews with workers and a document reviewed by Mother Jones.”
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
LGBTQ federal workers brace for a McCarthyist purge
"They’re not asking people, ‘Are you gay? Are you lesbian?’ They’re asking, ‘Who is participating in DEI?'"
www.motherjones.com
February 24, 2025 at 9:18 PM
This is disgusting and outrageous.
The deletion or disappearance of this data is outrageous.
Farmers Sue Over Deletion of Climate Data From Government Websites (Gift Article)
The data, which disappeared from Agriculture Department sites in recent weeks, was useful to farmers for business planning, the lawsuit said.
www.nytimes.com
February 24, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The deletion or disappearance of this data is outrageous.
Reposted by Paul Wester
Interesting: the State Department’s procurement forecast detailing a $400 million order for "armored Tesla" has now been edited to "armored electric vehicles." The document shows the edit was made tonight at 9:12 p.m. -- after it was highlighted in reports
February 13, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Interesting: the State Department’s procurement forecast detailing a $400 million order for "armored Tesla" has now been edited to "armored electric vehicles." The document shows the edit was made tonight at 9:12 p.m. -- after it was highlighted in reports
From Trump I, I remember all the hyped-up meetings with dramatic heat maps and dashboards -- built by overpaid contractors who could not understand and interpret the data they developed -- regarding where all the potentially under-utilized federal vehicles were. DOGE duplicity and waste abound.
State Dept. Plans $400 Million Purchase of Armored Tesla Cybertrucks (Gift Article)
The department plans to buy armored Tesla vehicles. Elon Musk, who is leading efforts to cut government spending, has won more than $13 billion in government contracts in the past five years.
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2025 at 11:39 AM
From Trump I, I remember all the hyped-up meetings with dramatic heat maps and dashboards -- built by overpaid contractors who could not understand and interpret the data they developed -- regarding where all the potentially under-utilized federal vehicles were. DOGE duplicity and waste abound.
Reposted by Paul Wester
My dog always begs to go on runs with me so today we did 400 meter repeats together and now he is lying on the floor asleep with his leash still on
February 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
My dog always begs to go on runs with me so today we did 400 meter repeats together and now he is lying on the floor asleep with his leash still on
Reposted by Paul Wester
“Why don’t they play popular music at the Super Bowl anymore.”
— Man who thinks 1996 was 10 years ago.
— Man who thinks 1996 was 10 years ago.
February 10, 2025 at 4:29 AM
“Why don’t they play popular music at the Super Bowl anymore.”
— Man who thinks 1996 was 10 years ago.
— Man who thinks 1996 was 10 years ago.
Reposted by Paul Wester
What libraries and archives are committed to: preservation and access. What democracy requires: preservation and access for accountability and transparency.
One of the most important acquisitions @jcblibrary.bsky.social in the last years, in my view, was the three volume _The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787_ gathered by Max Farrand and published by Yale Uni Press. A remarkable and enduringly important work. 1/ #GovDocs 🗃️
February 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
What libraries and archives are committed to: preservation and access. What democracy requires: preservation and access for accountability and transparency.
@janecoaston.bsky.social ... heavy episode (as most are these days, sadly), but thank you so much for the Tommy Tuberville takedown (with receipts) on "What a Day" this morning. I am pumping my fists and have tears streaming down my face. YOU ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE!
What Will Be Left Of USAID?
Podcast Episode · What A Day · 02/07/2025 · 21m
podcasts.apple.com
February 7, 2025 at 11:31 AM
@janecoaston.bsky.social ... heavy episode (as most are these days, sadly), but thank you so much for the Tommy Tuberville takedown (with receipts) on "What a Day" this morning. I am pumping my fists and have tears streaming down my face. YOU ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE!
I'd like to think Samantha Power penned this banger while wearing the old "backbone" t-shirt that Cass Sunstein brought home.
Opinion | Samantha Power: Killing U.S.A.I.D. Is a Win for Autocrats Everywhere (Gift Article)
The attacks on the agency are cruel and counterproductive.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 10:24 AM
I'd like to think Samantha Power penned this banger while wearing the old "backbone" t-shirt that Cass Sunstein brought home.
Michelle Goldberg's NYT oped is right. This is the hubris and gross incompetence of the CPA in Iraq. I pray my former boss -- an OG Elon Musk devotee - doesn't find himself and our agency in Musk's woodchipper. The role model for Agility, Innovation, and Relevance talks like this. Let that sink in.
Opinion | The Familiar Arrogance of Musk’s Young Apparatchiks (Gift Article)
He and his team are treating the government like hostile territory to be conquered.
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Michelle Goldberg's NYT oped is right. This is the hubris and gross incompetence of the CPA in Iraq. I pray my former boss -- an OG Elon Musk devotee - doesn't find himself and our agency in Musk's woodchipper. The role model for Agility, Innovation, and Relevance talks like this. Let that sink in.
Reposted by Paul Wester
This Hannah Arendt quote feels appropriate right now
"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty."
"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty."
January 30, 2025 at 12:14 AM
This Hannah Arendt quote feels appropriate right now
"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty."
"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty."