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Fargo Pentameter

@fargopentameter.bsky.social
87 followers 174 following 108 posts

Supporter of small-d democracy and small-c civilization.

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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A good magician never reveals her secrets.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Happy birthday to Ruth López, who is spending her second birthday in a Salvadoran prison for her anticorruption work. Que llegue pronto un ambiente global que permita florecer la justicia y los derechos humanos #FreeRuthLopez #JuicioPúblicoParaRuth cristosal.org/es/ruth-lope...
cristosal.org
Ruth López: One Year Unjustly Imprisoned
Stand with Ruth López, a human rights defender unjustly imprisoned in El Salvador. Learn about her fight against corruption and how to take action for her release.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This came across my feed today. I haven't heard or read Ginsberg's America in decades. It is so much a product of a particular moment in history and culture but it still feels urgently relevant. open.spotify.com/track/6XVVPb...
open.spotify.com
America
Allen Ginsberg · Howl and Other Poems · Song · 1998
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
It would take a book to refute the BS that Hassen serves in this uncritical #WaPo puffery. 1 example: his evidence of "systematic malaise" is misspellings in a project description. Dude, let's read the word salad your bots issued to fire 10K #USAID staff. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
He spent 11 months inside DOGE. Now he wants to set the record straight.
In his first major interview about his tell-all memoir, Tyler Hassen describes the culture clash surrounding DOGE’s mission and the backlash that followed.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
1 thing that might slow down the #AI train is a few good test cases establishing old-fashioned liability for humans when the agents or systems they deploy go "rogue." What sort of litigation risks should a public Anthropic need to disclose to investors? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/t...
nytimes.com
Anthropic Pursues IPO Despite Its A.I. Safety Warnings
The company is expected to reach $100 billion in annualized revenue this year, even as chief executive Dario Amodei calls for slowing down development of some advanced A.I. models.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I like community radio. And I like smart community radio graphics! #kvmr #NevadaCounty
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Petey Pete inaugurates his Chippendale batallion.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
#USAID staff in Kinshasa, Americans and Congolese alike, endured a nightmare scenario where their safety and that of their families disintegrated at the moment when DOGE was ripping the wiring out of the agency they relied upon for protection. afsa.org/fsj/foreign-...
afsa.org
They Left Nothing
As administration officials were busy dismantling USAID back in Washington, one USAID family was under attack in DR Congo, their home overrun by rioters.
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Senator Scott Wiener @scottwiener.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
The Supreme Court has become a partisan body that’s undermining democracy and empowering authoritarianism. We must reform the Court by expanding it, putting term limits on it, and codifying strong ethics standards in law.
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Foreign Policy for America @fp4america.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
In today’s #MustRead, @iyengarish.bsky.social and @christinalu.bsky.social explain why U.S. water systems are becoming an easy target for hackers linked to Iran, with utilities in at least seven states targeted in recent attacks. ⬇️ foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/13/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Why Hackers Keep Going After U.S. Water Supplies
A spate of new attacks believed to be linked to Iran has highlighted the water sector’s vulnerability.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Manzanar provides a too-relevant reminder of one of the largest US Government experiments with internment camps & loyalty oaths for immigrants and natural born citizens. I am so glad that part of the site was preserved so that it can continue to shock the conscience. #WWII #history #California
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O Ninguém de Ningures 🛰🍉🎗 @ninguemningures.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Elon Musk tem todo o dinheiro do mundo e, em lugar de adicar-se à caridade como outros milionários, meteu-se no governo de Trump com o "DOGE", a recurtar programas de ajuda e foder aos pobres. É sen dúvida um dos maiores filhos de puta que nunca vim, e merece todo o malo que lhe poida passar.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
When we start saying things like "AI broke into systems" rather than "Open AI engineers negligently used AI in ways that violated systems of others," we have already lost an important battle. #AI www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
theatlantic.com
A Startling Glimpse at AI’s Ruthless Efficiency
The Hugging Face hack reveals that the web is in a vulnerable new era.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Meanwhile, America's partners know that diplomacy with the US now consists primarily of stroking the engorged ego of our own Caligula. www.jeuneafrique.com/1827206/poli...
jeuneafrique.com
Donald Trump a « son » autoroute au Maroc
Sur les réseaux sociaux, le président américain a remercié le roi Mohammed VI pour avoir baptisé « Donald J. Trump Highway » l’axe routier marocain qui relie Tiznit à Dakhla. Il évoque un « honneur co...
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
State Department's Inspector General, one of the cadre of real professionals looking out for gov't fraud, waste, and abuse, continues to show how badly this administration has botched its responsibilties regarding foreign assistance. #foreignassistance #usaid www.stateoig.gov/report/aud-f...
stateoig.gov
Evaluation of Department of State Administration of Foreign Assistance Programs Transferred from the U.S. Agency for International Development | Office of Inspector General
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22/07/2026
impeachment is not going to happen — the bar is too high — but it just takes a simple majority and a signature to expand the entire federal judiciary.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
go.bsky.app/RRWUme7 #starterpacks #water #california
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I thought I'd try to read Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, as I heard it relates to my recently adopted home. What I discovered is another story, much more troubling and 3-dimensional, that won't stay on the page. What is the word for this kind of experience? www.altaonline.com/books/fictio...
altaonline.com
The Dark Secret Hiding in the Pages of Angle of Repose
Finding current relevancy in the accusations of plagiarism that have long haunted a classic of the West: Stegner’s Angle of Repose.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I would be curious to hear from @ossoff.bsky.social and @captmarkkelly.bsky.social how they think the next administration can help restore trust in Congress, the judiciary, and rule of law in the US. If we are going to make it to the tricentennial, we have a lot of work to do.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
"I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love. Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed.... I can assure you it has not recurred. Women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I do not avoid women, Mandrake, but I do deny them my essence."
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
go.bsky.app/8LkgMXh #foreignpolicy
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EL PAÍS @elpais.com · 05/07/2026
"Algunos políticos traen mala suerte al mundo, disparan la siniestralidad", escribe Íñigo Domínguez. Lee la columna social.elpais.com/vqv…
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
#TaylorSwift got me a wedding present... a bouquet of righteously indignant populist outrage on behalf of all NYC.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Reading online comments where US #worldcup fans theorize how to litigate the red card call in the match they won is a perfect American pastime.
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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Steve (and Mark) are good correctives to the weird, glib "it'll all work out" take so popular with court-knowers
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
It is shocking that 4 of 9 #SCOTUS justices deny that the 14th Amendment says what it clearly says, and what courts have consitently held that it says. When their cutesy interpretations fly in the face of common sense, the Court loses all credibility. Time for term limits & expansion of the court.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
This puff piece on an underqualified child of privilege, whose candidacy would have been laughable except for his family history, is a perfect illustration of why America needs national newspapers that are not based in the northeast. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/n...
nytimes.com
Schlossberg’s Defeat Dampens Dream of a Renewed Camelot
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The reflecting pool of Dorian Gray.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The demise of USAID is a rolling disaster on many levels. It is an abandonment of the US' most powerful diplomatic tool in much of the world & a historic moral failure. But it is also the front line of the administration's assault on rule of law at home. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
“A Huge Grab of Power”: Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid
Lawmakers gave specific orders to Trump officials on foreign aid spending, but officials have refused to follow many of them — likely in violation of the law, experts say. In doing so, they’re escalat...
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Messi vs. Ronaldo as an ideological divide doesn't make sense. But it suggests some kind of underlying totemic, binary market logic that is used to sell soccer, soda, and politics to the masses. Maybe that's ok when people are choosing what color jersey to buy; it doesn't bode well for democracy.
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 19/06/2026
Just watched a video of an Australian dude who went to Texas Roadhouse and summarized the experience as: “I don’t even know why you Americans are so angry all the time.”
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Family reunion, Alaska style.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
"So ... so I said ... why not sign your treaty here, at Versailles?"
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
I learned today that the famous "trolley problem" in philosophy was first explored in a 1929 recording by Harry "Haywire" McClintock. www.bluegrassnet.com/songs/the-co...
bluegrassnet.com
The Cowboy Fireman
Author: "Haywire" Harry Mcclintock In the high Sierra mountains came an SP passenger train, the hobos tried to ride her, but alas was all in vain. The cond...
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
This article covers ground that @doctorow.pluralistic.net covers in his books. It's a reminder how so-called IP protections pushed by the oligarchy have harmed the consumer and impoverished US culture. theconversation.com/todays-bans-...
theconversation.com
Today’s bans on DIY repairs of everything from cell phones to tractors grew out of Hollywood’s fear of videotaping
Efforts to use technology to police copyright evolved into companies using copyright law to lock people out of repairing their own devices.
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Jeune Afrique @jeuneafrique.com · 22/05/2026
Quand l’USAID se détourne de l’Afrique, la violence croît
l.jeuneafrique.com
Quand l’USAID se détourne de l’Afrique, la violence croît
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
In case it needs to be said, I am anti-fascist. Until tbey say otherwise, I presume that the government elected by the people of the United States is also anti-fascist. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Pushes Allies to Chase a New Terrorism Target: The Far Left
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Meet three scientists who said no to Epstein
The warning signs included a web search, a mother’s doubts, and inklings of a “sexist attitude”
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Four GOP Senators. At most four Repubs in the House. Together they could stop nearly all the mad-king's rampages. They would be known to history as Profiles in Courage. They might/would lose the next election. But people have sacrificed a lot more, for a lot less.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
thehill.com/policy/techn... FFS, journalists. Grok can't 'apologize' any more than it can 'hallucinate,' 'empathize,' or 'have a come to Jesus experience.' The headline should be, "Grok constructs a paragraph that resembles what a human apology might look like."
thehill.com
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 21/12/2025
“My parents looked so old / and small next to them. Whose life was this size? / Up close, the gold paint was scotched and chipping.” Read a new poem by Drew Rollins:
bit.ly
Theft
A poem
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/u...
nytimes.com
Upending Precedent, Thune Bows To Realities of a Polarized Senate
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
is no reporter in the Trump cabinet meeting going to ask about this report or…?
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 02/07/2025
Elon Musk casually, and illegally, dismantled USAID. According to a new study in the Lancet, that action will lead to *14 million* premature deaths between 2025 and 2030. Again: Elon Musk is directly responsible for 14 million coming deaths. 4.5 million will be children.
thelancet.com
Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis
USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates show that, unless the a...
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The Onion @theonion.com · 30/06/2025
Idiom Shortage Leaves Nation All Sewed Up In Horse Pies theonion.com/idiom-s...
Idiom Shortage Leaves Nation All Sewed Up In Horse Pies
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Three👁️Eyed👁️Devil👁️ @anarcish.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
“Independence day is canceled because of fear of secret police raids” is really a level of on the nose political symbolism you just can’t make up.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Immigrants rights' advocates — including the ACLU and Democracy Defenders Fund — have filed a new nationwide class-action lawsuit challenging Trump's birthright citizenship order. The lawsuit is in direct response to the Supreme Court ruling.
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Fargo Pentameter @fargopentameter.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
By "inner city rats," I think he means crypto bros in downtown Miami.
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