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caerathornton.bsky.social
Carolina Texpat making good trouble. I don’t evangelize; I shenanigize. Might be an author again someday.
280 posts 100 followers 109 following
Prolific Poster

In packed rooms with overflow spaces, constituents have shown up this week both to demand that their representatives take a stand against Musk’s slashing of the federal government and access to personal data, and to protest Trump’s claim to be a king. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

“The belief that every single thing that goes wrong in American or world society is because white straight males aren’t in charge is a religious endeavor. It takes faith and belief and total capitulation to white supremacy to believe that.” contrarian.substack.com/p/dei-means-...

Neither the Admin nor DOGE has produced evidence for their claims of cutting waste Fect-checkers have pointed out so many errors that observers are questioning what they’re really doing. Fed Govt spending under Trump is actually higher than it’s been in recent yes. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

DOGE claimed responsibility for canceling $55B in govt spending. The largest item contributing to the total was an $8B contract for a diversity initiative paid for by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The real max value of the contract was $8M.

At a time when Dems need not only strong voices, but effective ones to reach Americans who may have given up on Dems, Beshear provides a powerful example of successful governance and strategically smart rhetoric. open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Voters who don’t have access to proof of citizenship are more likely to be people of color and independents. With people of color leaning Democrat and independents swaying outcomes in tight elections, reducing their numbers could be a way to reach victory.  www.democracydocket.com/analysis/wha...

This is what true politicization of the DoJ looks like.

To the people of Europe and the rest of the world: Save yourselves. Shore up your defenses, sanction the U.S. the way you do Russia, and don’t back down. It might be too late for us, but it isn’t for you. We’ll fight on; so take care. - An American who did not want and did not vote for this.

To my mind, his trolling, threats, and official actions fall into three basic categories. And once you understand what they are, it’s easier to contain the flood. open.substack.com/pub/thinkbig...

Begich told his constituents that he was concerned about the impact of Musk-directed cuts on Alaskans and wished he had more advance notice. But on X, he has repeatedly celebrated Musk's work with DOGE. open.substack.com/pub/elonmusk...

NIH layoffs. FAA layoffs. FDA layoffs. USAID dismantled. America isn’t just losing workers—it’s losing safety, science & stability. Jen Rubin argues the sooner Americans grasp the damage, the sooner Republicans feel the heat. Ignore it, and they’ll face a voter backlash.

After Vance told Europe to “change course and take our shared civilization in a new direction,” he refused to meet with Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz and instead met with the leader of the far-right German political party that has been associated with neo-Nazis. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

The central tactic of authoritarianism is to try to convince you that you have no power and that you should just live in despair. You do have power. You do have agency. You can make a difference. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Banding together is the way forward.

“In the royal MAGA court, ‘Christian’ isn’t a term that describes someone who follows Jesus. It is a privileged, protected status awarded by the Great Leader to politically useful religious people.” Read the latest from Robert P. Jones.

Authoritarians attack women’s and LGBTQ rights to consolidate power—it’s a strategy, not a side effect. Trump’s playbook is no different. Follow Jennifer Weiss-Wolf as she tracks these attacks, with a deliberate eye toward solutions.

Tetanus shots are annoying. I mean, yeah they’re better than getting the disease, but why does my whole arm have to become useless for days? 😖

Callahan writes: “So, with what dwindling space remains, how should Black Americans commemorate our culture? As we have always done best: in resistance.” @goodfaithmedia.bsky.social @craignash.bsky.social #blackhistory

Trump is simultaneously weakening the government’s anti-corruption infrastructure and summarily firing those in charge of government oversight. contrarian.substack.com/p/what-the-l...

By even placing a call to Putin—someone who is under indictment by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in Ukraine—Trump gave Putin a great reward. contrarian.substack.com/p/the-americ...

Every American can do something—show up, walk out, call, sign up, demonstrate engagement. Democracy will be saved not by a cadre of politicians but by a movement of citizens like you who are determined to protect our American experiment in democracy. open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Every American can do something—show up, walk out, call, sign up, demonstrate engagement. Democracy will be saved not by a cadre of politicians but by a movement of citizens like you who are determined to protect our American experiment in democracy. open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

In today’s piece, I’ll look at all the ways Donald Trump is exerting his toxic and chaotic politics of spite, and explore different ways Democrats in Congress can fight back. open.substack.com/pub/thinkbig...

DOGE recommended firing workers at: -FDA, which oversees Neuralink -FAA, which oversees SpaceX -USAID, which probed Starlink -CFPB, which oversees Tesla's financing arm and a potential payment platform on X. "Conflict of interest" is a severe understatement.

"This is essentially a private citizen directing an org that's not a fed agency that has access to the entire workings of the federal gov to hire, fire, slash contracts, terminate programs, all without any congressional oversight." Yet Musk is “just an advisor?” open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

There’s a reason I call my nature hikes Green Therapy. This is from a tiny nature trail halfway between my parents’ house and a coffee shop I go to on Sunday afternoons to write. #NorthCarolina #Nature #GreenTherapy

The US is in the midst of a regime change… the idea is to make the government as a whole dysfunctional, while preserving the parts of it than can intimidate and oppress citizens. The FBI, as the chief national law enforcement agency, will have to be transformed. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

The ad linked to an online petition, which has received roughly 95,000 signatures, calling for "a massive public outcry demanding US lawmakers take action [against Musk and DOGE] before more damage is done." open.substack.com/pub/elonmusk...

American planes are crashing almost every day and the Secretary of Transportation is visiting the Daytona 500 and tweeting at Pete Buttigieg.

@charlieangus104.bsky.social Has it right, my friends in Canada. As a recently escaped Texan, take my wors for it, and take your business elsewhere. Abbott is A-butt.

Descendants of FDR & his key allies warn that economic security is the backbone of democracy. FDR’s Economic Bill of Rights championed jobs, healthcare, and fair wages to prevent oligarchs from seizing control. Will Americans accept Trump’s oligarchy, or demand an economy that works for everyone?

The meeting with Modi was the first time Musk has met with a foreign leader since being named to lead DOGE, last month. It was the most brazen example of how Musk is leveraging his powerful position in the administration to advance his private economic interests. open.substack.com/pub/elonmusk...

The headlines are about “peace negotiations.” But what is really going on? How should we think about this unusual encounter in Saudi Arabia? Here are ten suggestions… open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

The US gov has been taken over by a clique of extremists who have embarked on a process of regime change in the world’s oldest democracy…They think their actions will increase US power but they are in fact wrecking their own country and in the process everyone else. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

Portuguese editorial cartoonist Zez Vaz reaches back to Tiananmen Square to call on American defiance.

Mugshot. Kidding! Selfie I took in my hotel room last week with color and background removed because, drama. I liked the circular mirror light. I need to find other people to photograph. pixelfed.social/p/caerathorn...

American policy, under Mump, amounts to a kind of affirmative action for dictators. The power that they cannot achieve on their own is to be granted by American intervention. This is true not only with respect to Russia, but also to China. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

“The thing that I can’t get over is that the actual richest man in the world directed my f*cking firing. I make $50K a year and work to keep drinking water safe. The richest man in the world decided that was an expense too great for the American taxpayer.” open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

The DOGE site appears not to be on gov servers, is not secure, and pulls information from an open database that anyone could edit. Coders promptly added: “this is a joke of a .gov site” and “THESE ‘EXPERTS’ LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN-roro.” open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

The National Archives safeguards our collective history, protects the public's right to know, and ensures transparency and accountability in government. action.everylibrary.org/nationalarch... follow @everylibrary.bsky.social to support libraries.

Do you know of anyone who wants to interfere with the Electoral College vote, wipe out government regulations, change the Constitution, destroy or illegally retain government records, etc.? action.everylibrary.org/we_should_al...

I /love/ how you can tell Christian music on the radio even if you’re not able to hear all the words over the noise in a business, because it all. sounds. exactly. the. same. I thought the same thing about it even when I listened to it regularly and played it in church every week.

Posted around NYC, Chicago, DC and other cities. Be creative. Do something!

Remembering that stupid Valentine’s Day that Stalker No. 1 “anonymously” sent me a half dozen pink carnations in second period. I’d been telling him all year I wasn’t gonna date him. 🤦🏻 High school was an experience, that’s for sure. 😅

It would be a mighty shame if the the White House's new CFPB tip line meant to snitch on regulators were stuffed full of demands to bring back consumer protections & regulate Big Tech... fftf.link/floodthecfpb