It's actually *exactly* like this, because Vannevar Bush laid out the modern structure for US research funding after WWII to ensure general R&D capacity—to keep the economy humming, but also in case there was another war, because it had been so hard to get big defense-critical projects spun up.
"Enlisted personnel obey lawful orders; officers ensure the orders that reach them are lawful. The real constitutional failsafe...is the officer corps, obligated to the Constitution alone."
@markhertling.bsky.social on the military and illegal orders: www.thebulwark.com/p/what-ameri...
“Walmart was the top employer of SNAP recipients in five states and one of the top four employers in the remaining four states. McDonald’s was among the top five employers of Medicaid enrollees in five of six states and SNAP recipients in eight of nine states.”
www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/w...
My colleague @hunterw.bsky.social in tonight's Where Things Stand:
"The '3.5 Percent Rule' refers to the idea that no government has survived a challenge against it from a nonviolent mass movement that brought together at least 3.5 percent of the population during a 'peak event.'"
More ⤵️
Color photo of a large colorfully dressed crowd of No Kings protesters who stand on and around the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building, Harrisburg PA. The protesters carry a wide variety of homemade and printed No Kings signs. It’s noon on a sunny October day. A glittering gold statue tops the green Capitol dome under a bright blue sky.
No Kings protest - 18Oct25
State Capitol
Harrisburg PA
#NoKings #HarrisburgPA
“The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction, and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence. No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and noncitizens alike.”
#NoKings
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...
Image of a home made, Staples-printed No Kings poster with dark blue letters in a bold felt-tip typeface, on a white background. “Trump has pardons and tanks… What do you have?” Alone, I have nothing but my sense of duty. Together, We the People of the United States — you and me — have our magnificent Constitution. William G. Young, Judge of the United States, District of Massachusetts Logo: A gold crown crossed out by bold red lines and the words NO KINGS American Association of University Professors v. Rubio United States District Court, District of Massachusetts Civil Action No. 1:25-10685-WGY, Document 261, Filed 09/30/25 FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)
Judge William G. Young’s 30 Sep 2025 1st Amendment ruling in AAUP vs. Rubio
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
18 Oct 2025 No Kings Day Protest, Harrisburg PA. #NoKings
youtu.be/FCARADb9asE?...
Horus with outstretched wings and the head of a King Julius the Lemur.
a very wet black and white husky puppy glares at you from his perch in a bathtub. his front paws are hooked over the lip of the tub, and his fur forms little damp tufts all over his face, ears, and chest. the black fur on top of his head has been pushed into a faux hawk. his icy blue eyes look exceedingly stern, and there is no hint of a smile on his lips.
This is Delta. He just had his first bath. And you just had your last day of peace. 12/10 (IG: camphusky)
Nature: US senators poised to reject Trump’s proposed massive science cuts Committee gives first hint that policymakers might preserve, rather than slash, funding for US National Science Foundation and other agencies.
DO NOT GIVE UP!
Our advocacy is working.
A key Senate committee has indicated that it will reject Trump’s proposed cuts to science agencies including NASA and the NSF.
Keep speaking up and calling your electeds 🗣️🗣️🗣️
“Going back right to the beginning, Superman’s storylines have defined good versus evil. Superman’s co-creator Jerry Siegel, a Jewish writer, said the rise of Nazism made him feel “the world desperately needed a crusader, if only a fictional one.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️ essay
#Superman
flipboard.com/@csmonitor/t...
Elite journalists wriggle & wriggle & try & try but they can not escape the fundamental dilemma: journalism is, by its nature, supposed to be on the side of accuracy, against lies & liars, but the GOP is lies & liars top to bottom. And for reasons of power & access, journalism can not say so.
Praise be, my visionOS 26 persona is significantly less cursed!
www.theverge.com/hands-on/684...
(me, smugly) I've successfully incorporated the day's news into the cartoon I had written! Now as long as there are no further developments tomorrow, I can finish this one up and take a nice relaxing weekend!
"In one of his final public appearances leading the stations of the cross on Good Friday, Francis [said], “Today’s builders of Babel tell us that there is no room for losers and that those who fall along the way are losers. Theirs is the construction site of Hell.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/a-pope-who...
@mobydickatsea.bsky.social
Please follow bsky.app/profile/ap.b... to let all Fediverse folk follow mobydickatsea using Bluesky.
I can’t see mastodon.art posts since the federate.social host I use is blocked by mastodon.art due to an admin dispute
concerning some other federate.social user. 😕
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🧵Real time notes
An illustration in a whimsical, painterly style depicts a fantastical scene with a central focus on a brown, vintage-looking tram car suspended in a vibrant, dreamlike sky. The tram car has glowing yellow windows, suggesting it is illuminated from within, and is positioned vertically, as if ascending or descending. Two small figures are visible inside the tram. The background is a rich tapestry of floating islands and celestial bodies against a deep blue, star-speckled expanse. These islands vary in size and shape, some resembling small, self-contained worlds with houses, greenery, and water features. One large, spherical island dominates the upper right, showcasing fields, buildings, and a body of water. Another, more abstractly shaped island with glowing elements is visible on the left.
The Day I Bought A Star (Hoshi o Katta Hi, 2006): A rare space-related short directed by Hayao Miyazaki
"A young boy is tired of the city and escapes into the country. Two strangers trade him a strange seed. The boy accepts and the seed sprouts into a miniature planet, which continues to grow."
@profile-labels.bossett.social
It would be very helpful have a label for profiles that follow Bridgy. Maybe ‘Bridgy Sender’ or similar.
This would make it much easier to recognize ATProto folk who can be followed from the other side of Bridgy.
#suggestion
Robbie the Robot warns the crew of the of United Planet C57D starship of approaching danger. The robot’s round horizontal and vertical antennas attached to the left and right sides of its head spin rapidly. The curved horizontal lights which form its wide mouth flash in a sequence that resembles speech. From the 1956 Technicolor movie Forbidden Planet.
B. Plaintiffs Cannot Plead Around the First Amendment by Alleging Fraud. Plaintiffs wield the terms “election interference” and “fraud” like an alchemist’s incantation, hoping to transform their political dross into legal gold. But no amount of vacuous repetition can convert their expansive concept of “fake news” to the very limited and specific legal concept of fraud. The Supreme Court has made clear that slapping the “fraud” label on a claim cannot satisfy the specific showing required or extinguish the First Amendment. Madigan, 538
![U.S. at 617. Fraud has “exacting” requirements in order “to provide sufficient breathing room for
protected speech,” so a “[f]alse statement alone” cannot trigger liability. Id. at 620.
Plaintiffs’ lawsuit simply misunderstands fraud. Fraud is “[a] knowing misrepresentation or knowing concealment of a material fact made to induce another to act to his or her detriment.” Fraud, Black’s Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024). Fraud requires not just a false statement, but one made by the defendant in the context of persuading the plaintiff to “part[] with money, or property of value in reliance upon the defendant’s representations.” William L. Prosser, Handbook of the Law of Torts § 105, at 684 (4th ed. 1971); see Alvarez, 567 U.S. at 722–23 (distinguishing false statements generally from fraud, which is designed to “secure moneys or other valuable considerations, [like] offers of employment”). The classic example of fraud is a crooked used-car salesman rolling back an odometer. See Restatement (Second) of Torts § 525, cmt.b, illus. 1.
Plaintiffs allege no representations by Selzer for the purpose of inducing them into a transaction. Instead, Plaintiffs skip (several) steps. They allege Selzer made false statements and tack on conclusory allegations that Plaintiffs later “relied on” and were “damaged” by the statements. Even accepting such unspecific allegations as true, that’s not fraud. There is no transactional nexus between the parties and no purpose by Selzer to induce Plaintiffs into doing anything. Being wrong (even intentionally) does not become fraud when someone listens and acts.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7r477jd7q7p2mzmyqfm7jmp7/bafkreifpk72odnoe6p7mrveg6uc4vexmqlymi5fhooz3sbdypvqxaau26q)
U.S. at 617. Fraud has “exacting” requirements in order “to provide sufficient breathing room for protected speech,” so a “[f]alse statement alone” cannot trigger liability. Id. at 620. Plaintiffs’ lawsuit simply misunderstands fraud. Fraud is “[a] knowing misrepresentation or knowing concealment of a material fact made to induce another to act to his or her detriment.” Fraud, Black’s Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024). Fraud requires not just a false statement, but one made by the defendant in the context of persuading the plaintiff to “part[] with money, or property of value in reliance upon the defendant’s representations.” William L. Prosser, Handbook of the Law of Torts § 105, at 684 (4th ed. 1971); see Alvarez, 567 U.S. at 722–23 (distinguishing false statements generally from fraud, which is designed to “secure moneys or other valuable considerations, [like] offers of employment”). The classic example of fraud is a crooked used-car salesman rolling back an odometer. See Restatement (Second) of Torts § 525, cmt.b, illus. 1. Plaintiffs allege no representations by Selzer for the purpose of inducing them into a transaction. Instead, Plaintiffs skip (several) steps. They allege Selzer made false statements and tack on conclusory allegations that Plaintiffs later “relied on” and were “damaged” by the statements. Even accepting such unspecific allegations as true, that’s not fraud. There is no transactional nexus between the parties and no purpose by Selzer to induce Plaintiffs into doing anything. Being wrong (even intentionally) does not become fraud when someone listens and acts.
Here is the meat of that argument, explaining why (allegedly) false speech is simply not "fraud":
Motion to dismiss Trump's "consumer fraud" lawsuit against J. Ann Selzer, filed on her behalf by @thefireorg.bsky.social today: www.thefire.org/research-lea...
The gravitas gap between @petebuttigieg.bsky.social and Karoline Leavitt would be HUGE -- and it may be the only measurable advantage Dems get for a while. But the world is watching and need Dems to fight back. If we fight -- they will fight with us. If we fold -- they stand down.
A web page essay on ‘What Motivates Doug Engelbart’ starting with a long quote from Engelbart’s 1962 ‘Augmenting Human Intellect’ report. By "augmenting human intellect" we mean increasing the capability of a man to approach a complex problem situation, to gain comprehension to suit his particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems. Increased capability in this respect is taken to mean a mixture of the following: more-rapid comprehension, better comprehension, the possibility of gaining a useful degree of comprehension in a situation that previously was too complex, speedier solutions, better solutions, and the possibility of finding solutions to problems that before seemed insoluble. And by "complex situations" we include the professional problems of diplomats, executives, social scientists, life scientists, physical scientists, attorneys, designers--whether the problem situation exists for twenty minutes or twenty years. We do not speak of isolated clever tricks that help in particular situations. We refer to a way of life in an integrated domain where hunches, cut-and-try, intangibles, and the human "feel for a situation" usefully co-exist with powerful concepts, streamlined terminology and notation, sophisticated methods, and high-powered electronic aids. 1a1 Quote from Doug Engelbart Augmenting Human Intellect: A Conceptual Framework. SRI Summary Report AFOSR-3223, October 1962
Douglas Engelbart
Born 100 Years Ago Today
“By ‘augmenting human intellect’ we mean increasing the capability of a man to approach a complex problem situation, to gain comprehension to suit his particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems.”
#botd
tractionsoftware.com/traction/per...
Only someone who didn’t want to make America great again would personally disappoint Trump by wearing a coat or shoes to his inauguration. Frostbite is made up by Dr. Fauci and Big Wool. Don’t be a cuck.
