I preferred America before it was overrun with Republican goons and thugs.

I'm so proud to be a columnist for Scientific American. The late Oliver Sacks' assistant Kate Edgar told me it was his favorite magazine. Oliver not only read every issue, he saved them in his library in bound volumes.

"Nation's Republicans Admit They Were Totally Kidding About Electing Trump Again, 'Do You Think We're Nuts?'" #plausibleheadlines

Trump giving a thumbs-up at an illegal campaign event at Arlington National Cemetery.

Fact check: "No, Trump Did Not 'Literally Dance' on a Veteran's Grave at Arlington Cemetery. At Worst, He Engaged in a Bit of Finger Puppetry, Which Children Find Amusing" - Politifact, probably

How the media blew 2024′s election | Opinion Plus, does America really need the world’s 'most lethal' military?

The ever-astute Will Bunch on how the media is blowing the most important election of our lifetime. www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...

How does French TV show "Astrid" (streaming on PBS app) land w/ #autistic folks? As someone who is not but learned a lot following folks who are over at 🐦, I've found the show really compelling. I hope I'm not missing something important. @ericmgarcia.bsky.social @stevesilberman.bsky.social

Trump campaign staff had altercation with official at Arlington National Cemetery The cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried, a source with knowledge of the event told NPR.

Freakshow: To get that grotesquely disrespectful thumb's-up photo opp at a veterans' grave, Trump campaign staff had a "physical altercation" with an Arlington Cemetery official. These people are TERRIFYING. www.npr.org/2024/08/27/n...

Photo of JD Vance with American flags.

The best hashtag I've seen yet for JD Vance: #HillbillyVanilli.

Mask bans disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities “I have a kidney transplant and will take immunosuppressant medication for the rest of my life. I can’t return to your mask-free ‘normal,’” writes Kaitlin Costello.

"Mask bans are a threat not just to disabled people, but to all of us. It’s never too late to start masking again—to protect not just your health and the health of people around you, but also to protect our fundamental human rights." By @k8lin.bsky.social:

www.statnews.com/2024/08/20/m...

Ghost of GC (@gtconway3dg) on Threads New Vance Audio via @heartlandsignal - During a Center for Christian Virtue forum in 2021, JD Vance attacked American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten for "brainwashing" children...

It's not just a meme. There's something seriously, seriously wrong with this dude and his unrelenting, obsessive, white-knuckling hyperfocus on whether women are having enough children. He's obviously making up for some profound, gnawing inadequacy about his masculinity. It's freakish!

Trump campaign staff had altercation with official at Arlington National Cemetery The cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried, a source with knowledge of the event told NPR.

Freakshow: To get that grotesquely disrespectful thumb's-up photo opp at a veterans' grave, Trump campaign staff had a "physical altercation" with an Arlington Cemetery official. These people are TERRIFYING. www.npr.org/2024/08/27/n...

Trump campaign staff had altercation with official at Arlington National Cemetery The cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried, a source with knowledge of the event told NPR.

Freakshow: To get that grotesquely disrespectful thumb's-up photo opp at a veterans' grave, Trump campaign staff had a "physical altercation" with an Arlington Cemetery official. www.npr.org/2024/08/27/n...

Two statements that demonstrate when someone has no empathy and therefore assumes that nobody has empathy:

"If you don't have children, you have no stake in the future."

"If you don't believe in god, you have no motivation to be a good person."

Photo of JD Vance with American flags.

The best hashtag I've seen yet for JD Vance: #HillbillyVanilli.

I have such a feeling of déja vu not caring about Oasis all over again.

Silicon Valley’s Very Online Ideologues are in Model Collapse The dangers of talking only among yourselves.

The very online right-wing ideologues of Silicon Valley are in model collapse: Like an AI trained on its own output, they're growing increasingly divorced from reality, and are reinforcing their own worst habits of thought. My latest: www.reimaginingliberty.com/silicon-vall...

Those headlines, translated: "Zuckerberg Regrets that His Tool to Enable Global Fascism Didn't Kill More People By Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation"

Warped | Nieman Reports As the U.S. presidential election draws closer between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, confusion over the news media’s role in American life has only deepened, writes John Harwood.

Deeply thoughtful and fair piece by John Harwood on how our media is struggling to meet this dire historical moment. [via @jayrosen.bsky.social] niemanreports.org/articles/war...

It's amusing to watch all this legacy media try to pretend that Kamala not giving their publication an interview is some sort of "crisis." Instead, just hire the Goodyear blimp to fly over your HQ flashing WE GOT NUTHIN.'

A '50s style advertisement featuring a redheaded housewife and a box of N95 masks with the caption, "It's never too late -- to start masking again! You can restart COVID-safe practices at anytime! No matter when and why you stopped!"

This, with the caveat that it's also never too late to have NEVER STOPPED masking. #COVID19

I blocked him, Matt. Life is too short.

Find at least one thing you can do for democracy right now ⬇Harris/Walz will have enough money⬇ While cash can still make a big difference, let’s give where our money will matter the most and can make the most difference. Just decide how down you want to ge...

Want to make the most progress while we have the chance?

Think Harris/Walz will have plenty of cash?

CHECK OUT DOWNBALLOT FOR DEMOCRACY

It's a hitlist of the best donations you can make to help win power up & down the ballot, especially in swing states.

www.erlywrm.com/get-down

...who supported gun control. Nobody's perfect, and I was obviously talking about his film persona, not the actor himself.

Say what you will about joy not being a strategy, we're all going to live a little longer after the DNC vaccine against despair. #HarrisWalz2024

When others don’t realize that Project 2025 is already underway in the South.

Jimmy Stewart in a hat smiling with flowers.

One reason the wholesome Tim Walz jokes are so landing so well is that we need a huge dose of that good ol' Jimmy Stewart earnestness and goodheartedness after 9 years of being told that small, greedy, obviously unwell cheaters, bullies, and psychopaths are worthy of leadership.

Because tranche, like scrum, is a very impactful word.

The Next Quiet Place: My Unlikely Friendship with David Crosby photo: Jay Blakesberg ______________________ Sunset smells of dinner Women are calling at me to end my tales But perhaps I’ll see you the next quiet place

That sounds great! Yes, Crosby was my closest older friend. Here's the whole story: relix.com/articles/det...

Fox headline: Speaker Johnson issues warning on Harris presidency 'Only person our adversaries fear less than Biden'

It's hilarious that pompous buffoon Mike Johnson is trying to sell this jive while Trump is shitting his pants, in brown rivulets pooling around his golf shoes, at the thought of having to spend 90 minutes on a debate stage under Harris' withering gaze.