Patrick Schmidt
@pdwschmidt.bsky.social
Political scientist @MacalesterCollege: American law, comparative and historical constitutionalism, architecture, and...just curious about everything. Moot Court coach. Rarely refuses an opportunity for a dad joke.
I think they released a new movie in the Halloween franchise? Something about a clown who terrorizes fishermen. At least, I saw this movie poster:
October 26, 2025 at 4:16 AM
I think they released a new movie in the Halloween franchise? Something about a clown who terrorizes fishermen. At least, I saw this movie poster:
Here's an example today in which @ktoropin.bsky.social decides to start with Hegseth's bad-faith explanation and go on to frame the rest of the article in terms of Tren de Aragua and a drug crackdown. This is the media-as-gullible-tool kind of stuff. Wake up.
October 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Here's an example today in which @ktoropin.bsky.social decides to start with Hegseth's bad-faith explanation and go on to frame the rest of the article in terms of Tren de Aragua and a drug crackdown. This is the media-as-gullible-tool kind of stuff. Wake up.
The image that he's holding immediately reminds me of the 1789 Estates General. Any similarity to Versailles must be purely coincidental.
October 22, 2025 at 9:41 PM
The image that he's holding immediately reminds me of the 1789 Estates General. Any similarity to Versailles must be purely coincidental.
"Hey, it's your friend, Jair. If I'm in prison, you should be, too. We can hang out together."
October 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
"Hey, it's your friend, Jair. If I'm in prison, you should be, too. We can hang out together."
Medbeds? I want a bacta tank, thank you very much.
September 28, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Medbeds? I want a bacta tank, thank you very much.
The bluntness here will draw some attention, but to be fair, Antonin Scalia told us this about Clarence Thomas twenty years ago already.
September 26, 2025 at 3:10 AM
The bluntness here will draw some attention, but to be fair, Antonin Scalia told us this about Clarence Thomas twenty years ago already.
Smdh at the historically illiterate things that get published, such as this WaPo headline. As if a state legislative leader hadn't been killed just months before! Not to mention the deep, continuing history of American political violence. See the thread below for a corrective.
September 12, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Smdh at the historically illiterate things that get published, such as this WaPo headline. As if a state legislative leader hadn't been killed just months before! Not to mention the deep, continuing history of American political violence. See the thread below for a corrective.
Get this: The Supreme Court Historical Society writing competition for teens (13-19) on the theme of "The Rule of Law" has a trio of judges, including the 5th Circuit's James Ho.
Wouldn't it be wonderful for him to get to read very thought-provoking entries? Poetry allowed (50 to 1000 words)!
Wouldn't it be wonderful for him to get to read very thought-provoking entries? Poetry allowed (50 to 1000 words)!
September 11, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Get this: The Supreme Court Historical Society writing competition for teens (13-19) on the theme of "The Rule of Law" has a trio of judges, including the 5th Circuit's James Ho.
Wouldn't it be wonderful for him to get to read very thought-provoking entries? Poetry allowed (50 to 1000 words)!
Wouldn't it be wonderful for him to get to read very thought-provoking entries? Poetry allowed (50 to 1000 words)!
The NYT writer of this story about the tragic murder of a child in Texas apparently had a sheltered childhood, and knew only to give credit to TikTok for popularizing a game that was popular in my neighborhood in the 1970s.
And, for the record, it's "Ding Dong Door Ditch".
And, for the record, it's "Ding Dong Door Ditch".
September 2, 2025 at 9:12 PM
The NYT writer of this story about the tragic murder of a child in Texas apparently had a sheltered childhood, and knew only to give credit to TikTok for popularizing a game that was popular in my neighborhood in the 1970s.
And, for the record, it's "Ding Dong Door Ditch".
And, for the record, it's "Ding Dong Door Ditch".
"I see, soldier, that you fought valiantly in the great Chicago campaign."
August 24, 2025 at 3:28 AM
"I see, soldier, that you fought valiantly in the great Chicago campaign."
If the Right can't stop Cracker Barrel's wokeness, who knows how bad it could get?! Perhaps they'll even lose Colonel Sanders from the chicken bucket.
August 22, 2025 at 1:04 AM
If the Right can't stop Cracker Barrel's wokeness, who knows how bad it could get?! Perhaps they'll even lose Colonel Sanders from the chicken bucket.
Yes, it's bad text. But we're beyond a little tinkering now. Texts without norms produce nothing.
August 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Yes, it's bad text. But we're beyond a little tinkering now. Texts without norms produce nothing.
Here's one direction it could go to look more 2025.
August 15, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Here's one direction it could go to look more 2025.
I can assure you that I have experienced summer every year of my life, without ever even having heard of this.
August 11, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I can assure you that I have experienced summer every year of my life, without ever even having heard of this.
Given the training data, AI's predictive model would probably make "a round of layoffs" the most response to any piece of data.
August 6, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Given the training data, AI's predictive model would probably make "a round of layoffs" the most response to any piece of data.
I really want to see this reboot of The Thick of It.
August 5, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I really want to see this reboot of The Thick of It.
Disgusting.
[Texts aren't real security, etc etc, but:] The next constitution is going to need to be specific on this point:
[Texts aren't real security, etc etc, but:] The next constitution is going to need to be specific on this point:
July 25, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Disgusting.
[Texts aren't real security, etc etc, but:] The next constitution is going to need to be specific on this point:
[Texts aren't real security, etc etc, but:] The next constitution is going to need to be specific on this point:
What if we had a data center as big as the world of itself?
July 17, 2025 at 1:17 PM
What if we had a data center as big as the world of itself?
The new owners of the Wolves are going to destroy the time-honored tradition of slipping down into better seats in the 2nd half. They have no respect for the game!
July 12, 2025 at 2:19 AM
The new owners of the Wolves are going to destroy the time-honored tradition of slipping down into better seats in the 2nd half. They have no respect for the game!
Gender-affirming care is o.k. now, apparently.
July 11, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Gender-affirming care is o.k. now, apparently.
Meet my favorite household appliance, The Shark handheld vacuum, which I use daily because my dog sheds a pillow's worth of fur every day.
July 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Meet my favorite household appliance, The Shark handheld vacuum, which I use daily because my dog sheds a pillow's worth of fur every day.
You can choose George Washington's vision or JD Vance's, but you can't have both.
July 9, 2025 at 5:13 AM
You can choose George Washington's vision or JD Vance's, but you can't have both.