Another excuse to continue not listening to KISS. 🇺🇸🎵

Trump inducting KISS, Sylvester Stallone & more into 2025 Kennedy Center Honors (which he’s hosting)

I’ve been reading less books this year. The overwhelm of our crumbling democracy inside the United States has been devastating, which I’ve used as an excuse to feed my screen addiction.

I’m making a conscious effort to take a step or two back from internet consumption, and read more physical books. Amidst a wealth of inspiration from On Tyranny, this quote is present for me right now.

Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey the thing you think everyone else is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.

Thought matters. Your thoughts change, for the better, I think, when they’re slower. As painful as changing any addictive habit can be, I’m trying to slow down and read. 📚 🇺🇸

A long-held conservative dream is now a reality, the fuckers.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it’s shutting down. 🇺🇸

When Moderation Becomes Appeasement - by Toby Buckle

For almost two decades, our politicians have listened to anti-immigrant voices and prioritized their concerns—arguably over all others. To placate the anti-immigrant right, our leaders have stalled our economy, mangled our constitution, and diminished our standing in the world. And rather than recede in satisfaction, those voices have grown louder and angrier than ever. 🇺🇸

Liv Veazey writes a must-read expose on the banality of ICE evil for Hellgate.

Two agents, the woman who had already achieved 3,000 steps and a man in a black gaiter, began looking at articles written about the arrests in immigration court on the man’s phone. “There we are!” the man said, pointing to photographs of them. “Look, we’re famous! We’re rock stars. This is everywhere across the country.” They both laughed, then the woman leaned her head on the man’s shoulder.

What ICE Agents Talk About When They Think Nobody Is Listening 🇺🇸

Flock, a surveillance system ostensibly for traffic enforcement, is in reality a back door goldmine for authoritarians, ICE, and criminalizing women.

From the EFF, with original reporting by 404 Media.

Flock’s insistence that what’s happening with abortion criminalization and immigration enforcement has nothing to do with them—that these are just red-state problems or the fault of rogue officers—is concerning. Flock designed the network that is being used, and the public should hold them accountable for failing to build in protections from abuse that cannot be easily circumvented.

🇺🇸

I don’t say it enough, but fuck the New York Times. 🇺🇸

Anonymous, crowd-sourced, free app to track ICE movements. Like Waze, but for the new Gestapo. I downloaded. 🇺🇸

I can’t believe it. Zohran won the primary. Maybe we can have nice things! 🇺🇸🌇

I voted. 🗳️ 🇺🇸🏙️

Let’s have something nice in NYC. Everyone turn out tomorrow, and, of course, don’t you God damn rank Cuomo. Or Eric Adams, for that matter, but even he isn’t voting for himself. 🇺🇸🏙️

Todsy I learned that civil rights legislation in the United States was made possible by a peaceful protest of children.

The marches were stopped by the head of police, Bull Connor, who brought fire hoses to ward off the children and set police dogs after the children. This event compelled President John F. Kennedy to publicly support federal civil rights legislation and eventually led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Corey Doctorow quoting others on fraud.

“The optimal amount of fraud is non-zero,” because “everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Complexity is generative, but “all complex ecosystems have parasites.”

Something to keep in mind during this extended “conversation” on waste we’re having in America. Worth a read. 🇺🇸

I rarely link to the New York Times opinion section, because it usually sucks shit. We all know this. However, One Way to Keep Trump’s Authoritarian Fantasy From Becoming Our Reality? Pretty good.

Trump wants us to be demoralized. He wants his despotic plans to be a fait accompli. They will be if no one stands in the way. But every time we — and especially those with power and authority — make ourselves into obstacles, we also make it a little less likely that the administration’s authoritarian fantasy becomes our reality.

Remember when I asked for more anti-trust? Ask and you shall receive. It’s good for society when billionaires face plant.

Google keeps losing anti-trust cases. All of them will be appealed, but damn if that isn’t heartening. More anti-trust.

You love to see it. The Alamo Drafthouse Workers Won via Hell Gate (paid link).

No one should be surprised Trump is a fascist. No one should be surprised at the speed at which he is wrestling away democracy from us. No one should feel like they will be spared.

A few more shots from the NYC #HandsOff protest.

Went to the NYC #HandsOff protest today. Really well attended, people of all different ages, despite the rain. A good day.

Jason Koebler reporting for 404 Media: Facebook Cybertruck Owners Group Copes With Relentless Mockery.

You love to see it.

I haven’t been posting regularly. The onslaught of Nazi noise from up top has been smacking me around. That is, of course, the goal. Yet, as we well know, we can’t post our way out of this. Keep your head up, and do what you can. Despite everything, they are ultimately a bunch of pathetic losers. 🇺🇸

I’m choosing to recognize only one significant event today. Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr seems a lot more productive.

From Molly White.

The TikTok ban, the Musk Twitter takeover, the Facebook moderation policy changes, the Republicans’ rapidly intensifying crackdowns on speech… let these be the proof you needed to move anything you care about online to a space you control.

Went to the NYC People’s March yesterday. A lot smaller than last time around, but nice to be part of that positive energy. Representative of the crowd, I overheard one older woman say, “Oh, there’s a young person” 🙃