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Carmen Celestini

@philofwrite.bsky.social
4.4K followers 1.9K following 2K posts

Researcher in conspiracy theories, religion, gender, extremism, end times, and hate. Lecturer at the University of Waterloo. Carmencelestini.com drcarmencelestini.substack.com/?r=1… My Book GodsAngryMen.com

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Reposted by Carmen Celestini
Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 8h
I think we all saw that coming
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 7h
I second this! I keep repeating in my head something, one thing, has to be a win.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Days before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, masked men appearing to be associated with Second Sons Canada displayed a “Got bones?” banner in Kamloops. I looked at the response from Derek Harrison, DerekRants online, who identifies with Second Sons online,
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Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 23h
Student journalists across this country have been churning out some of the best journalism these last couple years Thinking of the radio crew covering the encampments in New York, UCLA crew doing the same, not to mention groundbreaking investigation after investigation Brilliant, the best of us
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 12h
Ken Paxton told a group of conservative donors and lobbyists last week that Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas had hurt Paxton politically, according to an audio recording obtained by the @nytimes.com. @teddyschleifer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/u...
nytimes.com
Ken Paxton, G.O.P. Nominee in Texas, Privately Said Trump’s Convention Hurt Him
Ken Paxton, one of the party’s top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody’s numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There is nothing better in the world than coming home to your puppy. The excitement, the kisses, and omg how does a tail move that quick? I have been home 15 minutes and I am already serving my role as the human pillow. We do not deserve dogs.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Trump: "We're gonna be signing a document today renaming artificial intelligence, because it's not artificial. We're gonna be naming it Super Intelligence. Officially renaming it."
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
IMHO the recurring caravan narrative is not simply because it works, but Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon have both said The Camp of the Saints book was inspirational to them. The racist book is about a caravan of immigrants coming to the Western world to destroy it. With the role
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is how the alternative "news," influencers, and cacophony of right wing voices have manipulated and controlled the narrative for decades. There are other posts floating on bluesky of Hannity and others doing the same. This is where we need to hold people and orgs accountable for the harm
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Reposted by Carmen Celestini
Raw Story @rawstory.com · 29/09/2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's choice to be the next Army secretary is being called out by former Trump officials for puffing up his resume — adding to the pile of problems facing Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
bit.ly
'Simply false': Hegseth's pick for Army chief accused of lying on resume by ex-Trump aides
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's choice to be the next Army secretary is being called out by former Trump officials for puffing up his resume — adding to the pile of problems facing Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.Parnell, who already has allegations of spousal abuse clouding his future, is now a...
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Katie Phang @katiephang.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A case that isn’t getting the headlines it deserves: an LSU student was raped by an LSU football player. He admitted it, but the school is still letting him play football. How multiple systems have failed this young woman & why she went public to get the help she needs: youtu.be/LihN7hsNKnw?...
youtu.be
SHOCKING College SCANDAL EXPOSES Stakes Of Trump’s DANGEROUS AGENDA!!
YouTube video by Katie Phang
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Lol. This would be hilarious. I mean after Venezuela we would probably get invaded but still the comedy...
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I feel so seen in this image. I am already exhausted.
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Reposted by Carmen Celestini
Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 29/09/2026
Truly incredible story and video here from @alejacorazonhm.bsky.social and @fiona-murphy.bsky.social: Barred from the U.S., a pastor leads his Wisconsin church from Guatemala —> religionnews.com/2026/09/29/h...
religionnews.com
Barred from the U.S., a pastor leads his Wisconsin church from Guatemala
(RNS) — RNS found at least 25 immigrant pastors were detained, deported or otherwise separated from their churches. While the Rev. Esdras Paredes ministers via video, his congregation sells tamales to...
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ummm I mean it is longer than his boss has served for the same crime. My brother in Christ, that is not the defense you think it is.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
And now SCOTUS supports the powers of a king, and the demoralization of a people.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Almost like Johnson is writing the democrat's ads for them. I would just put this clip as the commercial, and then add the name of the dem running for congress.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Canada is not immune to this, as white nationalist Paul Fromme runs in Hamilton, and as this piece outlines an open supporter of the Dominion Society runs in St. Catherines. www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/municip...
stcatharinesstandard.ca
Who are St. Catharines’ mayoral candidates? All five face off in Cogeco debate
The five people who signed up for the top job at city hall all participated in the event which will air in the coming days
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Reposted by Carmen Celestini
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 29/09/2026
In RBG hall. Symbolism vs material reality. “The latest allegation was reported to Cornell University Police by a third party on September 23 and is said to have taken place four days earlier inside Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall, a residence dorm on the school's North Campus.“
dailymail.com
Cornell rocked by new sex assault probe days after 'gang rape' lawsuit
The latest allegation was reported to Cornell Police by a third party on September 23 and is said to have taken place four days earlier at Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on the school's North Campus.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
These beliefs are the backbone of the far-right populist movements. The constructed victimhood of white men, place the blame on groups/communities, for their misfortune. Now that they have been given power, that hate does not dissipate. Cas Mudde is right, this is not new. What we do should be
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This Tyee piece is well written and fills in some of the blanks from what I wrote last night. We need to act and not dismiss denialism and conspiracies. thetyee.ca/News/2026/09...
thetyee.ca
Masked Group in Kamloops Sparks Alarm and Racism Fears | The Tyee
‘I don’t want these people in my neighbourhood, in my city, in my country.’
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Days before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, masked men appearing to be associated with Second Sons Canada displayed a “Got bones?” banner in Kamloops. I looked at the response from Derek Harrison, DerekRants online, who identifies with Second Sons online,
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is not going to make things worse at all. Sarcasm Why does it feel like this is the worst timeline and path to ww3.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Beating the Monday blues I'm scrolling pix of my puppy while commuting. I love this pic from a weekend away we had this summer.
A small black and brown  dig in a dress with butterflies on an inlet into lake Huron. Lots of grass and rocks for her to sniff.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Kitchener police have charged a man with uttering death threats in a hate motivated case. The charges stem from an online stream. www.cambridgetoday.ca/police-beat/...
cambridgetoday.ca
Kitchener resident charged with uttering death threats in hate-motivated case
Waterloo Regional Police say they have arrested a 33-year-old Kitchener man in connection with what investigators are calling a hate-motivated incident involving alleged death threats and antisemitic ...
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Often while within the ecosystem of Canadian active clubs and remigration influencers online, residential school harms are dismissed as a hoax. Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation was the first to speak out. www.ubcic.bc.ca/fifth_annive...
ubcic.bc.ca
Fifth Anniversary of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Announcement: UBCIC Honours Residential School Survivors and Condemns Denialism
Working towards the recognition, implementation and exercise of our inherent Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Next week I’m presenting some of my new research on Orthobros, Catholic traditionalism, crusader imagery, conspiracy theories, and online extremism at JCRT’s Religion, Politics, and Cognitive Warfare conference. Thursday, Oct. 1 — program + registration: jcrt.org/blog/2026-08...
jcrt.org
Registration Now Open: Religion, Politics, and Cognitive Warfare
Registration is now open for the online JCRT conference Religion, Politics, and Cognitive Warfare: Information, Interpretation, Conspiracy, and the Struggle for Reality, taking place October 1-3, 2026.
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Kimberley Johnson @kimberleyjohnson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just in time for the holidays, suckers. The FDA is recalling ground cinnamon, a staple in holiday cooking, for “elevated levels of lead” as officials warn of “permanent damage to the central nervous system.” Source: www.fda.gov/safety/recal...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 27/09/2026
Our Pulitzer-winning "Friends of the Court" series began with this story that revealed how SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas had, for 20+ years, been treated to undisclosed luxury vacations by real estate titan and GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. (Published April 2023)
propublica.org
Clarence Thomas Secretly Accepted Luxury Trips From Major GOP Donor
Island-hopping on a superyacht. Private jet rides around the world. The undisclosed gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the Supreme Court. “It’s incomprehensible to me tha...
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Christopher Hale @christopherjhale.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
NEW: Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass with an estimated 800,000 people in Paris on Saturday. At a migrant house before Mass , he said the history of humanity “is not written by those who give the impression of winning by imposing themselves and ‘dominating the room,’ but by those who ‘make room.’”
thelettersfromleo.com
Drawing 800,000 in Paris, Pope Leo XIV Calls on the Church to “Make Room” for Migrants and the Poor
“No one is so poor as to have nothing to give.” Before Mass, the pope sat with migrants and told catechists to respect each person’s pace. Six altar servers with Down syndrome served his Mass.
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Eleven days before the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Egypt's intelligence chief made a secret mission to Israel to warn officials of a possible assault. He was on the ground just 67 minutes, so intent he had to come in person. Vivian Salama has the receipts. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
theatlantic.com
Egypt’s Warning to Israel
Cairo’s intelligence chief visited Tel Aviv shortly before October 7 with a dire message about Gaza.
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NPR @npr.org · 26/09/2026
President Trump said he was rejecting an Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian proposal is similar to a memorandum of understanding agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran back in June. n.pr/4ynJVZ8
n.pr
Trump calls Iranian plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz not 'acceptable'
President Trump said he was rejecting an Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian proposal is similar to a memorandum of understanding agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran back in June.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Great work here, that should be read and shared.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I agree this is a real thing, but we cannot ignore the religion of materialism, of individualism, and some thinking they are united by being on the side of the eternal.
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Reposted by Carmen Celestini
Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The world has gone bloody frigging mad, higher ed edition, vol 9364
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Last night the Polievre video appeared on my ig timeline. After laughing and thinking "how do you do my fellow kids" I remembered this Milhouse and Lisa rap video. www.instagram.com/reel/DFfNzMo...
instagram.com
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
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Reposted by Carmen Celestini
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 26/09/2026
Trump’s continued attempts to handpick which journalists can cover him are all about controlling what the public is allowed to know. He’s terrified of the public seeing what he and his administration are up to.
nytimes.com
White House Blocks CNN From Air Force One
CNN won’t be able to join President Trump on a Saturday trip to Tennessee. He had banned CNN and two other news outlets from the White House, but a court order on Thursday restored their access.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Manitoba locations have found stickers from the NS13 Active Club. I have written a lot about Active Clubs, and the spread of hate ideology. Second Sons Canada is more visible, but we cannot ignore this group. www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...?
winnipegfreepress.com
Signs of local neo-Nazi recruiting efforts spark concern
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 25/09/2026
"U.S. President Donald Trump is 'comfortable' with where things stand w/Canada — his country's once closest ally — & is in no rush to reach a new trade deal, according to his top trade envoy." Translation: The U.S. is digging in & leaving Canada to stew in its own recalcitrance.
cbc.ca
Trump's top trade envoy says U.S. 'comfortable' with state of relationship with Canada | CBC News
U.S. President Donald Trump is "comfortable" with where things stand with Canada — his country's once closest ally — and is in no rush to reach a new trade deal, according to his top trade envoy.
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The Tyee @thetyee.ca · 25/09/2026
How a web of institutes and academics — with ties to a U.S. non-profit and outsized influence on the United Conservative Party government — helped turn separatism from fringe idea to the mainstream. thetyee.ca/News/2026/09...
thetyee.ca
How the US Atlas Network Built Alberta Separatism | The Tyee
A global cabal of libertarian and right-wing organizations has fuelled the province’s independence movement.
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rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
you guys broke watergate
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 25/09/2026
Pope Leo XIV signaled support for journalists targeted by the White House, telling reporters they were “all welcome” to cover him when asked about the Trump administration’s press restrictions. This adds a new dimension to the tensions between the pontiff and President Trump. trib.al/3ijUCyI
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The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
First it was Russia helping Iran kill Americans. Now it's China, too. www.cnn.com/2026/09/25/p...
cnn.com
Intelligence from Chinese groups aiding in Iran’s increasingly effective targeting of US sites, sources say | CNN Politics
Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups have helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz and launch precision strikes on US military bases in the Middle East, part...
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Fear is trending. Not just on X, but in our politics, our conspiracy theories, and increasingly in how we understand the world around us. Who gets to decide which fears are “rational”? Who profits from keeping us afraid? And what happens when fear overwhelms critical thinking?
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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Right before Netanyahu was set to address the UN in NYC, Zohran Mamdani preempts him with this moving video — He hosted Palestinians who were forced to leave or lost family in Gaza, and planted an olive tree with them at Gracie Mansion:
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 24/09/2026
America's allies no longer think the country's isolationism and protectionism will end with Trump, Vivian Salama reports.
bit.ly
America’s Allies Are Done Trying to Wait Trump Out
They now figure isolationism and protectionism will be U.S. foreign policy for a long time to come.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Incredible. First Secretary Mullin claimed that DHS had identified 15,903 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter roll. Then DHS officials told a skeptical Nevada, no no no, that’s just people we flagged. Here are the names of 185 people we KNOW aren’t citizens. All 185 were citizens. DHS got 100% wrong.
When the Department of Homeland Security sent Nevada a list of 185 names last month that it claimed identified noncitizens who had been improperly allowed to register to vote, state election officials got to work.
On Tuesday, the state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen.
"As for the 185 individuals, our records indicate that they were citizens," Greg D. Ott, a deputy attorney general in Nevada, wrote, according to a copy of a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security officials obtained through open records requests.
"You have provided nothing of substance to suggest otherwise."Following the meeting, Ms. Vogt sent a clarifying email to Nevada officials. "I also wanted to be sure I clarified that we did not reduce the 15,903 to 185," she wrote. "We've manually reviewed some of the 15,903 and confirmed 185 are not U.S. Citizens."
Now, Nevada officials are saying even that 185 number is wrong. They also took issue with a letter D.H.S. sent them in early September, in which the agency reiterated its initial claims about nearly 16,000 noncitizens on the rolls and pressured state officials to review each case in a letter to Nevada officials in early September.
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Liz Renzetti @lizrenzetti.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"The violent contents of Van Rootselaar’s two ChatGPT accounts, detailed here for the first time, are far more extensive and disturbing than previously known." "It advised her to always frame her content as fictional or hypothetical in order to “never get flagged again” by OpenAI’s moderation"
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Fear is trending. Not just on X, but in our politics, our conspiracy theories, and increasingly in how we understand the world around us. Who gets to decide which fears are “rational”? Who profits from keeping us afraid? And what happens when fear overwhelms critical thinking?
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I wrote about the greater danger here, a military force already entrenched in Christian nationalism, a holy mission, and end times. sojo.net/magazine/jul...
sojo.net
How Christian Nationalists Took Control of the U.S. Military
Under Pete Hegseth, long-present Christian nationalist influence in the U.S. military is taking over.
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