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aaronkashtan.bsky.social
"Comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures." – Harvey Pekar
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It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office. Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc. Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.

Happy 100th Birthday Edward Gorey! Starting Monday, we’re dedicating a week to all of you Real Dear Persons out there with Gorey musings, reviews, scribbles and letters- enjoy!

“That is why Trumpists are so focused on “ending DEI” in the federal workforce. They see anti-discrimination and inclusion as a ladder of upward mobility for people they do not believe should have one.”

Excellent & MUST READ breakdown of exactly what Trump, Musk & #Project2025 are up to, by @adamserwer.bsky.social

This is how I would respond to the email Musk has had sent to government employees (not legal advice). 1. Refused to violate the law. 2. Refused to violate the Constitution. 3. Refused to bow or scrape. 4. Refused to bend a knee. 5. Deleted this stupid email.

The Trump regime's segregationist agenda is clear. I argue that having a Black man as president of white America enraged a portion of this country so much, that they decided to destroy any pipeline to Black advancement in academia, government, & workplaces. karenattiah.substack.com/p/trumps-seg...

If members of Congress—like Rep. Grothman —are this clueless about what the man who is dismantling our government is saying and promising, they don’t deserve to keep their jobs! This woman is in his face, begging him to wake TF up—and he just walks off. Pathetic.

Humans care for the rich, robots are forced on the poor. The neoliberal fantasy of the oligarchs is coming to fruition by the way of austerity measures and spending cuts. Why pay for actual human support if a robot can tick the checkbox.

This is what Stalin did to his government. This is terror.

Also if you feel strongly about Eric Adams, you should call your city councilmember to express that and ask for their position. You’d be surprised. Hochul’s stance is highly disappointing but it doesn’t come from nowhere. Press all your electeds. City elections are in 5 months. Ask candidates too.

WaPo Page One: “If you’re going to just yell at me, that’s not going to be an effective town hall,” McCormick said .. “But we’re pissed!” a woman shouted. #GA07 www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Remarkable: Trump's own pollster just found that in swing House districts, Dems lead by 5 points and voters want tax policy to prioritize working people, per Politico. Yet GOP is about to brutally slash the safety net and give the rich huge tax cuts! New piece: newrepublic.com/article/1918...

This is a shamefully racist movement that should be resisted by every person of good will. @brian-goldstone.bsky.social’s forthcoming book is incredible and it’s honestly the archive’s loss (and the nation’s). www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/a...

I was set to launch my book at the Carter Library next month. This week, we were told all events now need approval from the National Archives. The next day, my event was forced to relocate. A book about the working homeless. A book about civil rights. Apparently these topics are now off limits.

Current status: we're smuggling eggs in from Mexico now. So let's talk about WHY Mexico's egg industry has been stable- while US egg prices are through the roof! 1. Mexico puts people in jail for price-fixing. 2. Mexico lets farmers vaccinate their chickens against bird flu.

I truly think people don’t realize how many universities and colleges — especially public ones — may shut down if restrictions on and withholding of federal funding persists for even one presidency We are facing the demolition of American higher education

Anti-DEI is an attack on civil rights by segregationists. Most white "allies" are completely silent while segregationists attack Black people and our civil rights. These silent "allies" without a shred of shame or self-awareness, fully expect Black voters to make sacrifices to save them at midterms

It feels like people are waking up

Something is shifting. They are still breaking things and stealing things. And they will keep trying to break and to steal. But the propaganda magic around the oligarchical coup is fading. (1/2)

Heard a song from the 80s reference a "long distance call" and it occurred to me that this is a concept that no longer holds any emotional currency whatsoever

Democrats are fundamentally misunderstanding the moment: We're not asking them to be *legislators* right now. We need them to be *politicians.* There's nothing to be done about the legislative situation. They're right about that. But there's PLENTY to be done as politicians.

Following Elon Musk, the world's richest man, two speakers at CPAC, Steve Bannon, who was pardoned by Donald Trump, and Mexican actor Eduardo Verástegui, have now given Nazi salutes. This is a major scandal + should push us all to mobilize, protest, and call out #CPAC for what it is: a Nazi rally.

what the moment calls for is fighters instead of gormless boobs who should have retired 30 years ago. policy differences can be hashed out later, everyone can agree that Musk and Trump must be stopped and democracy restored

Overflow angry crowd for town hall with Glenn Grothman in Oshkosh this morning ... www.wpr.org/news/glenn-g...

"The crowd again started shouting 'tax Elon,' 'tax the wealthy,” “tax the rich' and 'tax the billionaires.'" The county went 68% for Trump www.lagrandeobserver.com/news/local/r...

I'm begging people to remember that 'meritocracy' was coined for a work of satirical fiction. It is not a real thing, and, as the satire suggested, defining 'merit' as a standalone measurable individual quality is impossible.

So. It has officially happened. I have been officially let go from my position at CDC. I wasn’t a probationary employee. I had stellar performance reviews every year. I’ll be ok. But please understand that many worked HARD to get into these positions and were doing great public health work.

Update: The White House is already backing down on this. Keep calling your reps. Keep pressuring them. Along with your reps, the white house phone number is (202) 456-1111. Use 5calls.org to get all your reps in one place along with a guide. www.nysun.com/article/whit...

Too many white folks think they John Brown when their barely Charlie Brown

Go stand in the woods and stare at the lichen. Don't think about it just do it

This is such a savvy move by Judge Ho. It’s not just that Clement has impeccable (conservative) credentials; he was the Solicitor General from 2004–08, and even Acting AG briefly, so he can participate with quite a bit of perspective as to the proper role of the Department of Justice.

In other words: Judge Ho did not dismiss Adams’ case at this time. Instead, he appointed Clement to act as a friend of the court to present his own briefing on the issues Judge Ho set forth in his Order. Both sides and Clement will file briefs for the court to consider to reach his decision.

here is the thing about the “argument” that democrats should have run roughshod over the law when they had the chance: it is much easier to break the law to destroy a program than break the law to create one.