Anyway, far more importantly: Thomas's speech is even worse than you heard, and we'll be getting into it on @openargs.bsky.social for this week's Vapid Response along with selected excerpts from the NYT shadow docket memos unless something stupider comes along by then (possible but unlikely!)

Oobviously it's the last one, but now I'm wondering if it is possible that Clarence Thomas doesn't know what a "skank" is, because I feel like anyone hearing "Skanksville" coming out of their own mouth would immediately correct themselves because it just such an inappropriately funny thing to say

comedy = tragedy + your mom

No doubt kids in southwestern PA have been calling Shanksville "Skanksville" for my entire life, but why is a Supreme Court justice doing it? Did one of his speechwriters decide that the mysterious calculus of tragedy + time allowed this small bit of comedy 25 yrs later? or is his brain just bad?

Justice Clarence Thomas issues WARNING in rare address YouTube video by Fox News

Ok so this is maybe not the most important question raised by his big speech last week, but does Clarence Thomas actually believe that Flight 93 crashed in "Skanksville," Pennsylvania because I have replayed this no fewer than 10 times and that is what he says

youtu.be/NW1NIr-Oopc?...

#Abolition

anyway this document was made for an @openargs.bsky.social footnote so I'll save the rest for the show, but here's the whole thing

399759da.delivery.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/u...

Violation of Standards of Conduct Policy 320. 5.9 Conduct H: Use of obscene indecent, profane, or derogatory language while in uniform. Officer used derogatory language and threatened to harm another officer while arguing in the police station parking lot A-00009585 Sustained Other Misconduct Other / conduct unbecoming Standards of Conduct Policy 320. 5.9 Conduct : d- The unauthorized or unlawful fighting, threatening, or attempting to inflict unlawful bodily harm on another. A-00012264 Sustained Other Misconduct Other / conduct unbecoming Standards of Conduct Policy 320. 5.9 Conduct O: The commission of any specific act or acts of immoral, improper, disorderly, personal conduct which reflects discredit on the officer, his/ her fellow officers, or on the department. A-00012265 Sustained Other Misconduct Other / conduct unbecoming Standards of Conduct Policy 320. 5.9 Conduct F; Failure to be considerate and polite at all times to all department personnel and maintain good relations with their superior and fellow employees in a spirit of mutual concern for their common objectives.

[REDACTED] in violation of Rule [REDACTED] Involvement in a fight while off-duty in violation of Rule 29: Section 30

Officer tried to take his phone while recording a fight. Alleged the officer forcefully shoved him to the ground and the officer knelt on his legs, restraining him & leaning his body weight into him. No injuries reported.

Canon Eight: Officer's decision to engage in a physical fight with a family member reflects unfavorably on the department

[REDACTED] in violation of Rule [REDACTED]

also the word "fight" appears in this document 26 times

Officer was [REDACTED] Officer was not truthful about [REDACTED] Officer violated BPD rule and regulation when he had [REDACTED]

Summary of incident in which officer forgot to put cruiser in park and "rolled into" the vehicle he had pulled over in a routine traffic stop and subsequently did not notify Operations Division of the accident

Kennedy discharged his service weapon in his personal vehicle while off duty and intoxicated After a fit for duty evaluation, Kennedy was deemed unfit for duty

Allegations that Trooper Kent was involved in a [REDACTED], on various dates in 2024 A-00015122 Sustained Criminal Conduct [REDACTED] crime Allegation where Trooper was [REDACTED]. A-00022761 Sustained Criminal Conduct A-00022762 Sustained Criminal Conduct [REDACTED] crime Allegation where he was [REDACTED]. Other / conduct unbecoming Trooper identified himself as a state trooper after being identified as suspect in a [REDACTED] in order to avoid the consequences of his illegal actions. A-00022763 Sustained Other Misconduct Other / conduct unbecoming Allegation on various dates and locations, Trooper brought the State Police into disrepute after being summonsed to court and charged for [REDACTED] in [REDACTED] brining extension negative attention to the agency

I can't stop reading this thousand-page PDF full of disciplinary reports for local Mass cops

I know exactly who needs to hear this but whoever you’re thinking of when you use the term “profound autism” is also worthy of existing

In evaluating legal arguments and advocacy of academics like Randy Barnett and Kurt Lash, consider that their statements about the Eastman disbarment reveals that they think lying to courts and the public is neither legally nor morally blameworthy. They think lying is fine; judge them accordingly.

It is entirely appropriate to discriminate against those whose viewpoint is "I think it is a good idea to take part in this criminal conspiracy to overthrow the government."

Here’s is the problem with characterizing J6 as viewpoint discrimination: it is not. It was an attempt to overturn a lawful election. We have been here as scholars and we have a choice for history: we cannot rewrite public memory to excuse violent anti-democratic acts.

I watched Eastman, in real time, testify to the Georgia General Assembly that it was their *duty* to overturn my vote in 2020. He lied about evidence. He misled his client about the law. Law profs who back wannabe coup leaders and authoritarians should retire because what’s the point of law at all?

If your livelihood depends on being anywhere near the US immigration system and you don't appreciate absurdist theater you may not understand the US immigration system and/or absurdist theater

ESTRAGON: I can't go on like this.
VLADIMIR: That's what you think.

-Samuel Beckett, "Waiting for G-1566"

Probably just a coincidence that the law professors defending insurrectionist John Eastman are the same guys arguing against birthright citizenship, in no way reflective of a world view on who the law protects vs binds

agreed, but I think that even unreasonable people can appreciate between unreasonable (and/or borderline) arguments and disciplinable ones. The Eastman memos show a level of mens rea here even beyond "just asking questions"-level bad faith

JOHN EASTMAN DID J6 never forget the name of the man who was morally, legally, and personally responsible for Trump's insurrection

and as I hope you know by now John Eastman did not make a "questionably constitutional argument." He enthusiastically quarterbacked a legal insurrection to overturn an election which directly manifested an actual insurrection which got people killed

deportnation.substack.com/p/john-eastm...

Guy who promoted fake history of birthright citizenship in bad faith to disenfranchise children of immigrants backs up guy who promoted fake history of the 2020 election in bad faith to disenfranchise Georgia in defense of guy who designed fake elector scheme in bad faith to disenfranchise America

ICE Arrests 85-Year-Old French Widow Who Married Her G.I. Sweetheart

Not only did the sons probably call ICE on her, the day after her husband died they took their dad's cars, leaving her housebound. Then they rerouted mail, causing her to miss a visa appointment & the utilities to be turned off. Tony and Gary Ross are going to hell.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/u...

THE HOUSE JUST VOTED TO EXTENDED TPS FOR HAITI!!! Thank you, Rep. Ayanna Pressley for your leadership on this. Proud to help co-lead this effort for our Haitian brothers, sisters, and siblings. What a day.

Just checked this out, this is very much the right direction!

dateme.directory/join

reading back that list & realizing that these places are not only gone but have never been replaced. Tinder, Hinge, Feeld, current OKCupid, & Bumble are *far* more alike than they are different--and none of them are as fun or effective as Craigslist, a website which has looked the same since 1995

as someone who has been regularly dating while partnered since 2003, I've had an unusually steady view of this corner of internet history and imo it's

1) Pre-2010 Craigslist (text is my jam)
2) Nerve. com personals (you had to be there)
3) OG OKCupid (the data!)

(tbc I like how I look in life, just not in photos--is there a word for this?)

beauty is in the ear of the behearer

a thumb swiping on a human face forever

*checking urban dictionary* oh no

Giving this one out for free bc it needs to exist for those of us who are bad at photos

Tinder, but swiping on profiles which consist of only voice notes and text with no photos available until you have clocked at least 15 minutes of actual conversation (text or voice). Call it Sounder or whatever