iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Assuming (counterfactually) he were competent: he'd at least try to be popular with the American people and the military members he would need to keep him in power. It wasn't hard, and we were lucky that he didn't try.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Thinking this thru further, though, impeachments themselves have to at least consider the effect on preservation of democracy. Who are Americans madder at? And also: whom can we remove (if it's possible to remove any of them) & expect we won't get someone just as bad?

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

^ Important typo above, can't edit now. Should have been: "Now it might be different if RFK Jr was convincing people not to take a vax for a very contagious (measles) AND very serious (that's not measles, think Black Plague or engineered virus) disease."

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

But to the extent that we can tell, that's the real measure. Not sure we can tell though. If so, I guess it's back to counting bodies, past and predicted future.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Is there anything that Hegseth is doing that contributes to the fall of our republic, sufficient that it's worse than RFK Jr's effect on health (and possibly his indirect harming of our democracy as such - or even strengthening of it, who knows?)? I don't know. / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

worse than measles ripping thru the population. Many children contracting measles would be horrible, with hospitalizations, disabilities, and deaths-not saying otherwise. But the structure of government is more important in the medium and long term, including for quality and length of life. / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Now it. might be different if RFK Jr was convincing people not to take a vax for a very contagious measles AND very serious (that's not measles, think Black Plague or engineered virus) death rate. But as it is, military at the polls seizing ballots and voting machines would be / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Hate to say this, but it's true. Past body counts - and even short-term future body counts - can't be the measure. The measure has to be the effect on the likelihood of America, and maybe the world, continuing as democratic republics.The body counts from fascism and communism are far higher.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Where are the Epstein files?

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

And by "feedback", I don't mean someone saying "good teaching"; I mean interactions where you have a chance to know that students have learned something or are actually engaging with the material in some way.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Or the music. Lily makes up for all the repetition or any disagreements I might have though.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Not admonishing. Not even addressing Tom. Just responding to another reader in partial agreement of what that reader said. It's okay to voice an opinion on the internet you know.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Hmmm.... I'm not convinced.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Time for the intermediate class maybe?

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Lily is the best. She shows that Tom is a human.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Talking is not teaching, though. Teaching requires that some people are learning, and to know whether you're teaching or just talking requires at least some feedback. I assume you got feedback at times on your teaching, yes? Here, I never see anyone seeming to learn. But maybe they do, silently idk.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Perplexity made the same error.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I thought of Russians as prisoners in an authoritarian country, same as the rest. When the Berlin Wall fell, we celebrated the freedom of East Germans, among other things. Had the book about Walter Polovchak (teen who refused to return to Soviet Union with his family). I didn't hate Iranians either.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Power move for Mamdani. And I'm pretty sure he knows it. That changes the whole feeling I'd think.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

They do the same thing with the military. When someone attacks Trump for sending Americans to die in the Mideast for no good reason, they pretend that the speakers are attacking soldiers. It's a form of forced teaming.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

When they were in elementary school (before ~2015), teachers often had girls line up to go to recess/lunch and then boys, or vice versa. It was just a convenience thing, but I do think it adds up to subtly matter. Worse was when they treated girls and boys as separate "teams" for group rewards.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Name of my younger daughter's 4-year-old girls' soccer team was Pink Princesses. They chose it themselves. Some girls want Purple Princesses or Purple Fairies. A large # of them spent games standing on the field chatting. My older daughter's 6-year-old coed team played soccer. Sort of. /cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Good headline. Unusual for NYTimes.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Political Gabfest (news/commentary/left slant). Hard Fork (tech/commentary). Bulwark Illegal News (legal news/commentary). New York Time Magazine (various). Wall Street Journal (not sure if it's the anti-democracy-slant-editorial or straight news side). WJS has other podcasts re tech, etc.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

with Lawrence O'Donnell. Economist Podcasts. Lawfare Daily (legal news/commentary-pro-democracy). Advisory Opinions (legal news/commentary-conservative/pro-democracy David French is one of the commentators, other, well). Slate News (news/commentary-left slant). [Washington] Post Reports. / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Free podcast news: Bulwark Daily (covers some news stories in real time, lots of commentary included). NYTimes Daily. Letters from American (some news with commentary from a historian). Main Justice (legal news, pro-democracy commentary), Daily Blast (pro-democracy, left slant). Last Word / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Vast majority of Bulwark content is free because they've understood since ~2016 that the republic is on the line. All my favorite podcasts are free (except Secret Podcast & I subscribe so others can get content free). Sarah's Focus Group podcast is free. All 3 of the new podcasts will be free.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Nah, the GOP is unfixable and George has known that since 2018. We have two different parties now: pro-keeping-the-rule-of-law-democracy and anti-same. Most Dems are pro-rule-of-law.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

From what I call "Real America" (you know, the people supporting the US Constitution, free trade, treating allies well, treating enemies firmly, welcoming immigrants and visitors): We fully understand and thank you. Maybe see ya in 2029. And if not even then, we'll understand.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Voter intimidation is a very serious crime in every state. Trump cannot pardon people of state crimes. ICE, Border Control, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers need this to be made *extremely* clear to them.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

retain immunity for as long as the younger people do. I live in Georgia and usually target my shot after the "beginning" of national flu season, since flu season starts here a little later, and I'm trying to make sure I have some immunity at peak. Any info at all? (We're healthy.) Thanks so much!

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

was that they were sort of plug-in-play: sequence the virus currently circulating most, put it in MRNA shot, so we're not always a season or two behind as with the old tech. (2) [for 60s again] is there info on when to take the flu vax (either type) and covid vax, give that we might not cont'd /

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"The vaccines’ effectiveness varies depending on how well they match the strains that are circulating." For people in early 60s and late 60s, respectively (1) does the MRNA flu vax have a better match than the old technology one? Any idea? I thought one of the values of the MRNA vaxes / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

You need to make one - for fairness doctrine - for your def of genocide - for the fact that not all war crimes are genocide - for the difference between Fascist Trump & fascist America - for one other I can't remember, but I'm sure I'll see it again Would save you & us followers a lot of time.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Can't disagree with this. But no child sexual abusers or enablers or CSA should be excused no matter whether they are Catholic, Evangelical, other religion, no religion.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"Catholic Church fought the reforms to the statutes of limitations being levied only against the Church". Wait, what. Did I miss something? There were bills seriously at risk of passage that created a new SoL *only* for the Catholic Church? The link you give later says it was changes in SoL for CSA.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

You can't claim "severe due process concerns" as a reason for avoiding restitution for actual wrongs. I think what you mean is (1) the Church didn't voluntarily want to pay actual, known victims and didn't want to be forced to, and (2) it didn't believe the word of other victims.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

order them to pay, no credit. When they refuse to settle or discount settlement amount due to statute of limitations only (especially when they *know* that the assaults occurred), it shows their true motivations. Prevent trials (embarrassing), avoid making actual restitution ($$).

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

They did it in case in which they knew the criminal assaults had occurred. Unconscionable. It's not "restitution" if it's not voluntary. If a defendant pays because jury orders them to and their assets would be attached if they didn't pay, no credit. If they settle because a jury may / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"Not all parishes had incidents of rape." I mean ... congrats??

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"They also paid restitution to victims." Eh. *Sort* of. Not enough & not voluntarily. The Church heavily relied on statutes of limitations for very serious criminal assaults their priests & bishops had committed. It's not restitution if a jury has to order it or it comes from fear of same.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Monster. ... Guess the Ukrainians are just supposed to let their children be blown up in their beds because Trump screwed up and started a worse-than-useless war in Iran?

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

"Favorite" in the sense of deeply moving and uniquely memorable.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Elections aren't just about individual interests. It is democracy that ultimately pays the price.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Or just liked him for the bravado. That's why the Biden/Trump debate was risky even if Biden hadn't "had a bad night" or didn't already have problems. It's so much easier to sound confident & fluent when you know the press doesn't care about the fact that you're not speaking about the real world.

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This is why Trump could be so fluent (back when he was fluent sounding) - he knew how to make words sound confident when they were completely false, contradicted something he'd said a few minutes earlier, or were just incoherent. And many ignorant or not intelligent people fell for it. / cont'd

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Laurie Em @laurieem.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Yep. Maps are maps until the voters, a court, or some voter-ignoring legislature changes them. *Always* need to be looking ahead because every election for a long time is gonna be absolutely crucial. Best case scenario: this country isn't going to stabilize again as a republic for a very long time.

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