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rbratten.bsky.social
Editor and journalist residing in the Appalachian region of Ohio. Writes about religion, culture, justice issues. Raised to be a prepper / homesteader and lived in some religious cults. Now trying to survive in another one, on a national scale.
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Posts 18 Comments 31

Well, I had an interesting Sunday night, how 'bout you?

submitted 54 days ago • 1727 comments

Pay attention, headline writers: THIS is a proper headline. State what happened just as you would if it were any other gang of thugs, without parroting government euphemisms or excuses.

submitted 57 days ago • 0 comments

I'm grateful for Pope Francis' 12 years of leadership. He had a good life and a good death. I know many catholics are worried that his successor will be more conservative, but the fact is, Francis himself was pretty conservative on some issues. Especially to do with women and LGBTQ issues.

submitted 63 days ago • 0 comments

I know he's dumb but I also can see him doing it on purpose just to taunt us for having standards.

submitted 68 days ago • 0 comments

Consequences can happen.

submitted 68 days ago • 0 comments

As far as I can tell, the ivermectin-slurping, essential-oil-hawking MAGAs think this is great. Because they don't understand how much they rely on science for things they take for granted in daily life. Including every time the essential oils didn't work and they ended up in hospital for weeks.

submitted 68 days ago • 3 comments

Amidst everything else going on, a minor quibble: I'm weary of writers who have been successful for years chide us that "we write for love, not to get rich." I'm not trying to get rich, Ms. Italy Vacation. I just want to be able to afford my eventual cremation without piling more debt on my kids.

submitted 69 days ago • 2 comments

submitted 69 days ago • 0 comments

I'm sure a lot of crunchy fash types will say, "No worries, I grow my own!" Because they do not care about anyone but themselves. Also, that demographic is notorious for having no hygiene / safety standards. The "fresh poo on the lettuce beds" approach to gardening.

submitted 70 days ago • 0 comments

A nation where we just let far right goons haul folks off and torture them because it's "popular" is a nation where we let the immoral, demented MAGA movement win. We should not be letting them direct any aspect of this narrative.

submitted 70 days ago • 0 comments

I have a rule about not trash-talking other writers by name unless they did something genuinely nasty (Neil Gaiman, JKR, etc) but this guy was throwing a tantrum in a bookstore and harassing the staff, all women of color, because he thought they had hidden his book.

submitted 70 days ago • 1 comment

I would like to have a conversation about the motifs in contemporary lit by well-off white women that connects with that demographic's failure to take a stand against fascism. (Besides obvious stuff like JKR being morally loathsome I mean)

submitted 78 days ago • 1 comment

NEW: Senator Marshall (R-KS) RUNS AWAY, fleeing his own town hall after being asked about DOGE firing Veterans. MAKE HIM GO VIRAL.

submitted 118 days ago • 5954 comments

Quite hard to describe massive cuts at Social Security Admin plus cancelling (without explanation) the flu vaccine committee meeting as anything other than an intentional financial, physical, and psychological attack on everyone over 65 years old. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...

submitted 121 days ago • 48 comments

Vox Populi

submitted 121 days ago • 129 comments

Oh, look what normal countries do when a former president leads a far right coup attempt.

submitted 129 days ago • 1156 comments

Because you are sucking up to the owner of your newspaper?

submitted 130 days ago • 1422 comments

The MAGAs follow the typical abuser playbook, as we all know. This includes: after an act of aggression, behaving like everything's normal, and if you don't go along and act happy and friendly, YOU'RE the baddie and THEY'RE the injured party.

submitted 138 days ago • 0 comments