Rettar
@rettar.bsky.social
Former legal tech, ex-classical singer, traveler, reader, gardener, and mediocre mosaicist, working to transform 10 acres into meadows and wildflowers for pollinators. Trying to stay sane while living in a red state. 💙
A dense Saturday morning fog in North Texas.
December 6, 2025 at 5:15 PM
A dense Saturday morning fog in North Texas.
More of this, please, Mr. Friedman!
“This is one of the most shameful episodes in American foreign policy, and the entire Republican Party is complicit in its perpetuation.”
-Gift article
The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
“This is one of the most shameful episodes in American foreign policy, and the entire Republican Party is complicit in its perpetuation.”
-Gift article
The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
Opinion | The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:58 PM
More of this, please, Mr. Friedman!
“This is one of the most shameful episodes in American foreign policy, and the entire Republican Party is complicit in its perpetuation.”
-Gift article
The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
“This is one of the most shameful episodes in American foreign policy, and the entire Republican Party is complicit in its perpetuation.”
-Gift article
The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
“The killing of the survivors by this moral slum of an administration should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself. As the recent “peace plan” for Ukraine demonstrated.”
-George F. Will
wapo.st/4pg1HJa
-George F. Will
wapo.st/4pg1HJa
Opinion | A sickening moral slum of an administration
Regarding Venezuela, Ukraine and much more, Trump and his acolytes are worse than simply incompetent.
wapo.st
December 3, 2025 at 12:41 AM
“The killing of the survivors by this moral slum of an administration should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself. As the recent “peace plan” for Ukraine demonstrated.”
-George F. Will
wapo.st/4pg1HJa
-George F. Will
wapo.st/4pg1HJa
Reposted by Rettar
I just don't get David Brooks. His opinion last Friday infuriated me. Jim's comment in the clip below expresses exactly what I felt better than I could have put into words.
Gift article.
The Epstein Story? Count Me Out. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/o...
Gift article.
The Epstein Story? Count Me Out. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/o...
November 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I just don't get David Brooks. His opinion last Friday infuriated me. Jim's comment in the clip below expresses exactly what I felt better than I could have put into words.
Gift article.
The Epstein Story? Count Me Out. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/o...
Gift article.
The Epstein Story? Count Me Out. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/o...
“How do you say “Thanksgiving” in Russian?”
-gift article
Trump’s Proposed Ukraine ‘Deal’ Is a Disgrace www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
-gift article
Trump’s Proposed Ukraine ‘Deal’ Is a Disgrace www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Proposed Ukraine ‘Deal’ Is a Disgrace
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:14 PM
“How do you say “Thanksgiving” in Russian?”
-gift article
Trump’s Proposed Ukraine ‘Deal’ Is a Disgrace www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
-gift article
Trump’s Proposed Ukraine ‘Deal’ Is a Disgrace www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
The vulture family is back for a visit.
November 16, 2025 at 6:24 PM
The vulture family is back for a visit.
Glorious weather yesterday and today. Makes it almost worth being a 🔵 in this red state. Almost.
November 13, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Glorious weather yesterday and today. Makes it almost worth being a 🔵 in this red state. Almost.
“On a Veterans Day when optimism about the American experiment can be hard to summon, they [cemeteries] transport us back to a moment when America was an essential force for good.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
Opinion | ‘Thanks, U.S.A.’
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:53 AM
“On a Veterans Day when optimism about the American experiment can be hard to summon, they [cemeteries] transport us back to a moment when America was an essential force for good.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
Gift article.
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Gift article.
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
This pretty well captures my mood this morning — equal parts gloomy and furious.
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
This pretty well captures my mood this morning — equal parts gloomy and furious.
Way to go my NJ peeps!🎉
Live Updates: Key Races in New Jersey and Virginia to Be Decided www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Live Updates: Key Races in New Jersey and Virginia to Be Decided www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Live Updates: New Jersey Elects Sherrill Governor as Democrats Pick Up Key Wins
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Way to go my NJ peeps!🎉
Live Updates: Key Races in New Jersey and Virginia to Be Decided www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Live Updates: Key Races in New Jersey and Virginia to Be Decided www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Finally, something in the news that made me smile.
Live Updates: Mamdani Wins N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race After Highest Turnout in Decades www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Live Updates: Mamdani Wins N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race After Highest Turnout in Decades www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Live Updates: Mamdani Wins N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race After Highest Turnout in Decades
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Finally, something in the news that made me smile.
Live Updates: Mamdani Wins N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race After Highest Turnout in Decades www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Live Updates: Mamdani Wins N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race After Highest Turnout in Decades www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Gift article. I am glad that the NYT made such a dramatic statement, but it isn't the NYT readers who need to see it. How do you get this across to tRumpers?
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Gift article. I am glad that the NYT made such a dramatic statement, but it isn't the NYT readers who need to see it. How do you get this across to tRumpers?
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Good morning Bluesky. Tooting my own horn after a 2+ mile early morning walk with a friend.
October 27, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Good morning Bluesky. Tooting my own horn after a 2+ mile early morning walk with a friend.
The rampant bothsideism in this column is infuriating. The Reader Picks are far more illuminating than the opinion piece.
Gift article.
The Rot Creeping Into Our Minds www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Gift article.
The Rot Creeping Into Our Minds www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Opinion | The Rot Creeping Into Our Minds
www.nytimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The rampant bothsideism in this column is infuriating. The Reader Picks are far more illuminating than the opinion piece.
Gift article.
The Rot Creeping Into Our Minds www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Gift article.
The Rot Creeping Into Our Minds www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Love this —
“Literature is fragile. It serves no obvious purpose. It does not feed us or clothe us or, unless you get very lucky, enrich us. But literature is also as close to immortal as any cultural endeavor of humankind has ever been.” -Gerald Howard
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...
“Literature is fragile. It serves no obvious purpose. It does not feed us or clothe us or, unless you get very lucky, enrich us. But literature is also as close to immortal as any cultural endeavor of humankind has ever been.” -Gerald Howard
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...
Opinion | The Dogged, Irrational Persistence of Literary Fiction
www.nytimes.com
October 21, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Love this —
“Literature is fragile. It serves no obvious purpose. It does not feed us or clothe us or, unless you get very lucky, enrich us. But literature is also as close to immortal as any cultural endeavor of humankind has ever been.” -Gerald Howard
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...
“Literature is fragile. It serves no obvious purpose. It does not feed us or clothe us or, unless you get very lucky, enrich us. But literature is also as close to immortal as any cultural endeavor of humankind has ever been.” -Gerald Howard
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...
I love this guy.
“The more gets burned down around us in this awful period that we’re living through right now, during the Trump administration, the more we have to get to work building things that will stand for the next century.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/o...
“The more gets burned down around us in this awful period that we’re living through right now, during the Trump administration, the more we have to get to work building things that will stand for the next century.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/o...
Opinion | Pete Buttigieg on Rebuilding America After Trump
www.nytimes.com
October 14, 2025 at 11:34 AM
I love this guy.
“The more gets burned down around us in this awful period that we’re living through right now, during the Trump administration, the more we have to get to work building things that will stand for the next century.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/o...
“The more gets burned down around us in this awful period that we’re living through right now, during the Trump administration, the more we have to get to work building things that will stand for the next century.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/o...
Reposted by Rettar
Well stated. This man is detestable, demonstrating a complete lack of empathy and integrity in his actions.
wapo.st/3VTALll
wapo.st/3VTALll
Opinion | Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr.
We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.
wapo.st
October 7, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Well stated. This man is detestable, demonstrating a complete lack of empathy and integrity in his actions.
wapo.st/3VTALll
wapo.st/3VTALll
I thought that David Brooks might be gaining a new perspective, but after reading his opinion piece, "Why I Am Not a Liberal” he obviously doesn't understand what it means to grow up in poverty. What an outrageous statement —
“As a society, we are pretty good at transferring money to the poor, …”
“As a society, we are pretty good at transferring money to the poor, …”
Opinion | Why I Am Not a Liberal
www.nytimes.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I thought that David Brooks might be gaining a new perspective, but after reading his opinion piece, "Why I Am Not a Liberal” he obviously doesn't understand what it means to grow up in poverty. What an outrageous statement —
“As a society, we are pretty good at transferring money to the poor, …”
“As a society, we are pretty good at transferring money to the poor, …”
Watching these Black Vultures has been a blast! Had a pair chilling on an old shed, and before long, they had a nest. I think these three are the two chicks and their mom. They’re always together and super curious about everything. Right now, they’re enjoying a drink from an uncovered rain barrel.
August 14, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Watching these Black Vultures has been a blast! Had a pair chilling on an old shed, and before long, they had a nest. I think these three are the two chicks and their mom. They’re always together and super curious about everything. Right now, they’re enjoying a drink from an uncovered rain barrel.
Reposted by Rettar
August 8, 2025 at 3:13 PM
As a musician, I have an appreciation for semicolons; they serve as a pause in writing, like musical rests. They provide a moment of reflection without concluding the thought completely.
wapo.st/4kXLLsO
wapo.st/4kXLLsO
Opinion | This punctuation mark is semi-dead. People have thoughts.
No other bit of punctuation causes such a fuss.
wapo.st
June 29, 2025 at 12:57 PM
As a musician, I have an appreciation for semicolons; they serve as a pause in writing, like musical rests. They provide a moment of reflection without concluding the thought completely.
wapo.st/4kXLLsO
wapo.st/4kXLLsO
Great article by Dana Milbank. Reading about the Appalachian Trail rekindles my dream of hiking it.
I hiked the Appalachian Trail. It fixed my brain.
I hiked the Appalachian Trail. It fixed my brain.
June 18, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Great article by Dana Milbank. Reading about the Appalachian Trail rekindles my dream of hiking it.
I hiked the Appalachian Trail. It fixed my brain.
I hiked the Appalachian Trail. It fixed my brain.