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John Pettus

@johngpettus.bsky.social
3.1K followers 1.9K following 14K posts

Social venture entrepreneur. San Francisco native. Iraq veteran. Economics-trained, MBA liberal. Both more liberal and more conservative than you, in some ways. Working on improving public discourse and teaching & measuring critical thinking at scale.

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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 3h
The fact that rightwingers are completely habituated to speaking and accepting nonsense is self-evident. And it affects everything in life when you can’t think with basic rationality.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 3h
I thought he was talking about the capacity of planet earth to absorb continued warming without things breaking that the human species relies on to live.
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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Me when my parents rented DEEP IMPACT from Blockbuster
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Joe Walsh @walshfreedom.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This.👇
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
That Hemingway quote about hunting men is alarmingly common in police culture. I've seen it on police union merch and on t-shirts and other swag at SWAT competitions and policing conferences.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"Someday everyone will always have been against this"
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Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
ChatGPT is adding the signatures of real New Yorker cartoonists to its AI-generated images. So far, I've found the signatures of more than 15 contributors. "It’s slop, and unlike the other slop that I’ve encountered, this is slop that’s pretending to be me." www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/chat...
Left: A cartoon generated by ChatGPT and signed with Emily Flake’s signature that was posted to a Reddit forum in June. Right: A real Emily Flake cartoon published in The New Yorker on August 20, 2026 and licensed via The Cartoon Bank.
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Thor Benson @thorbenson.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
no no no you misunderstood. I said "fuck YOUR feelings". MY feelings are very important and must be handled gently, like a tiny baby hummingbird
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"De-Trumpification" has to be one of the top agenda items if Dems win power. All the lawlessness and every last one of his efforts to turn DC into an imperial capital should be undone.
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Fantasizing about the nuclear destruction of blue cities is definitely Cool and Normal for a president.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This wealth tax is badly designed. But I think I've been convinced that you have to do it just to signal to the public that we the people are sovereign and we don't have to live in the dystopia that our feudal lords allow us. Corporations exist BY OUR LEAVE and we need to yank the chain. A LOT.
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David Rothschild @davmicrot.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Entire time listening to @theresthistory.bsky.social on The Terror, I keep thinking how everyone heading to guillotine had to be thinking some version of: 'I never thought leopards would eat MY face.'
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
IF you're going to do capital punishment—which we shouldn't as a policy matter—firing squads seems better than constantly failing lethal injection. But it can traumatize shooters. What's wrong with guillotines? Some things are classic because they work reliably.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Republican Speaker of the House who raped little boys. Then instituted another degradation of our institutions by insisting on "the Hastert rule" by which Republicans still govern—nothing can get a vote in the House of Representatives unless it has the support of more than half of *Republicans*.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This is both wise and humane. Each incredibly rare things in the world of business! You don’t even have to be an owner to do this. We can all do this with good people we’ve worked with.
youtube.com
Why I Text Good Employees 6 Months After They Quit
YouTube video by Zero Dollar Coach
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's getting hard to stomach the use of Christianity by radical rightwingers to control so much of our population. And farm them / scam them out of their money. (See: Pablo Torre investigation into Life Surge and Tim Tebow.) And... see how it's fused with their propaganda arm? No separation.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This idiocy is *now* powered by Republicans, but it started with wine moms in Marin county who did yoga and thought they knew better than doctors. Happily/sadly, those morons have mostly moved over to the Republican Party—which embraces any woo that makes people easy to control.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Prediction: KAT is going to *really* struggle with the new free-arm-pushoff area of emphasis by the refs this season. He's one of the worst in the league. Dude tucks the ball in one arm and just bashes the defenders, like a fullback.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 05/10/2026
Abdul El-Sayed on Fox News: "I think about MLK. He said this thing I always think about -- 'If your coalition is not uncomfortable, it's not big enough.' A lot of people wonder why I'm having this conversation with you. It's because there are people out there who I want to have a conversation with."
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Yglesias was a better thinker and public intellectual when he didn’t make money from farming rage / attention in thr public square to bring people to his monetized private square.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 04/10/2026
the idea that rufo has, at any point in his public career, been a sincere advocate for “colorblind meritocracy” is brain dead
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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
this is my favorite genre of social media post and I am soliciting links or screenshots to your favorites
Jesse Raub @jesseraub.online
King Darius looking down at Daniel in the pit:
Norm Charlatan @normcharlatan....
Man, what are the Lions doing?
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David Schraub @schraubd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
One of my least favorite political narratives is this weird idea that it’s *obvious* how to defeat the fascists and the only reason Democrats don’t do it is because they’re feckless/corrupt/cowards.
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🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 @specialkhersoncat.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Footage from a Russian FPV drone shows it diving toward a Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicle. Moments before impact, the UGV fires an anti-drone net from its rear section, catching and bringing down the attacking FPV.
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William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I do think this should put some of the hand-wringing over the uniquely sinful American electorate, uniquely feckless institutions, etc in perspective. The truth is that there is a large trans-national constituency of people who actively want this. They aren’t deceived. They want this.
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Unfrozen Caveman Librarian @latefiennes.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Original Tweet: “I like Hole better than Nirvana”

Quote Tweet: “me leaving the monastery”
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Absolutely. Do it out of spite if for no other reason. F that guy.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
@jamellebouie.net.web.brid.gy is spot on, once again. The problem is not “polarization”, it’s radicalization. And the correct response to that isnt conciliation—it’s to fight the radicals until they once again accept democracy, thr rule of law, and basic morality and the social contract.
youtu.be
Forget about "polarization"; the real problem with American politics is the radicalized right-wing
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
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Valkyries Beat @valkyriesbeat.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
NEW POST: The Valkyries are going to the WNBA semi-finals. How did we get here? www.valkyriesbeat.com/p/valkyries-...
valkyriesbeat.com
Valkyries Insider: Another instant playoff classic for Valkyries
This game had EVERYTHING.
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Mind-boggling - just mind-boggling Now expected to peak at an extraordinary 4.2C in December
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Yo the Valkyries are so freaking awesome. What a comeback. Insanity. They are now the highest seed left in the playoffs.
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Micah @rincewind.run · 03/10/2026
my dude you flew a stop the steal flag outside your house
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Jules⚖️📨 @northjules.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
You went to the protest. Great. That took courage. Fascism is not stopped by people who show up for one march and skip the next election. Fascism is stopped by people who register, vote, and bring their friends along to. #LetsGetVoteReady #Pinks 🌊
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Toto releases “Hold the Line” 48 years ago tonight. “.. When I was in high school, all of a sudden the phone started ringing off the hook,” said David Paich. “I had 3 girls all call at the same time, all the lights were flashing. I was kind of juggling girlfriends, and that's how that came about."
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CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
My gut told me no NYT reporter could possibly keep a straight face summing up the in-your-face illegality here with the mincing “criticized as” and “possible violation” language from their written version. And I was right.
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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Khashoggi's assassination was in hindsight one of the highly salient norm-shattering moments of impunity that helped recalibrate contemporary expectations for outrageous crimes: if you're rich & powerful enough, in the words of the President of the United States, "they just let you do it"
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
It appears that the National Guard shot and killed an unarmed man (in the back). www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Autopsy shows National Guard fatally shot Memphis man in the back
The report conflicts with the authorities’ initial account, which said Tyrin Johnson had been shot in the chest.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Dems getting better at this
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Courtney 🦊 @courtneyfox1.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Golden State Valkyries Mascot Violet Dancing
Alt: Golden State Valkyries Mascot Violet Dancing
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I’m sorry, what’s that acronym again?
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Valkyries are the best team left in the playoffs!!
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Americans are relearning the lesson we learned during the Gilded Age of the late 1890s, when robber barons ran the government and the economy for their own benefit: Oligarchy is incompatible with the common good. I'm hopeful we'll respond with a new progressive movement.
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Humor Satire Memes @funnysnarkyjoke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
#protestsigns
A crowded outdoor protest scene focused on a protest sign held up in the center, highlighted by a drawn white circle. The cardboard sign reads in white capital letters: "IMAGINE LOSING OUR COUNTRY TO A FAT BITCH THAT CAN'T EVEN BLEND HIS MAKEUP". Protesters, other signs, and city buildings are visible in the background.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Folks look at you like you're crazy when you say we're in the midst of the worst, most unprecedented Article I constitutional crisis in American history, & then it's Friday.
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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In announcing her decision, U.S. District Judge April Perry quoted both Spider-Man and the 7th Circuit. 7th Circuit: "The greater the power that defies the law, the less tolerant the court can be of defiance." Spider-Man: "With great power comes great responsibility."
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Hal 10000 @hal10000.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is a great if frustrating piece. Also: "Luckey—who co-founded the defense firm Anduril Industries" -- my rule that people who name things after stuff in Lord of the Rings should be avoided at all costs remains undefeated.
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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
White supremacist fascism
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404 Media @404media.co · 01/10/2026
NEW: Public records obtained by 404 Media show administrators taking meetings with parents and alumni when they take issue with student reporting. This comes as student journalists at The Cornell Daily Sun earned recognition for breaking the “Cornell Seven” story.
404media.co
How Schools and Universities Try to Censor Student Journalists
As the Cornell 7 case highlights the importance of student journalism, public records reveal how schools try to censor on-campus news outlets.
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