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pygalge.bsky.social

@pygalge.bsky.social
996 followers 603 following 3.7K posts

Retired electron jockey; sometime satirist; semantics buff; word nerd; In the words of the immortal WC Fields, "Don't applaud, just throw money."

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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
To help prepare for the midterms: www.cip.uw.edu/2026/10/06/f...
cip.uw.edu
Federal fraud charges resonate with debunked non-citizen voting narratives
A flurry of recent charges and press conferences amplifying alleged non-citizen voting make a small phenomena seem bigger.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
It's an old adage that statesmen and generals never change history as much as historians. But Trump's defenders and spin doctors are making a real attempt over the "let ’em, let ’em take Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego" remarks.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Why am I reminded of King Canute? www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-ord...
theepochtimes.com
Trump Orders 90 Percent Reduction in Invasive Mosquitoes on Federal Land in DC
The president’s executive order to reduce insect pests could be used as a nationwide model, the White House said.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Is there a reason we don't refer to the occupant of the Oval Office as "Agent Orange"? Toxic, spread by broadcast, destroys everything green and leaves behind a wasteland. Seems like a good match to the original.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It is a common theme on the Right to decry Left-wing violence. A team at UC Davis has looked into it. Support for political violence is "generally more common among Republicans and conservatives than Democrats and liberals." doi.org/10.1371/jour...
doi.org
Party affiliation, political ideology, views on democracy and society, and support for political violence in the United States of America: findings from a nationally representative survey
Background Recent research in the United States has found concerning levels of support for and willingness to engage in political violence and for extreme beliefs linked to violence. Associations betw...
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The ultimate irony here would be if they used Flock tracking to identify and stop him. www.techdirt.com/2026/09/22/i...
techdirt.com
ICE Officer Who Dodged Extradition To Minnesota Arrested By MN Cops One Day Before His *Federal* Criminal Court Appearance
I love everything about this. I love the way this ICE officer was picked up. I love the fact that his lawyer claims an arrest is the same thing as "surrendering." And I especially love the fact that this officer is in state custody only a day prior to scheduled court appearance to face federal...
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
There is frequent talk about "25th Amendment now." Congress does not initiate action under the 25th, that is a Cabinet function. constitution.congress.gov/constitution...
constitution.congress.gov
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Much has been said about Trump's authoritarianism. He seems to be abandoning it now, transitioning to pure totalitarianism.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"Trump Says His Son Repaid Putin-Linked Oligarch Who Spent Hundreds of Thousands on Wedding Parties" I'm sure he did. And he may even have reimbursed some of the monies spent, too.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
HTSB will come to a conclusion as to what caused the news helicopter crash in Chatsworth. Until then, may we speculate that some local might have been flying a drone to get footage of the SUV-Bus crash so they could sell it to the networks, and they tried to occupy the same space at the same time.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A useful reminder. If you miss any, it's time to go back and look at where you have been getting your information. www.pewresearch.org/journalism/q...
pewresearch.org
Quiz: How much do you know about the First Amendment?
How well do you know the First Amendment, including press freedom and other rights? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Is there a specific reason that the Right refer to last week's midterm convention as the "Trump-Papa-loser" event, or did I miss something?
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A message for Elon and the rest of the GOP
Female is not always XX
XY is not always Male
That's the way it is
Live with it
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
In the context of AI Doom pronouncements and the corresponding arguments pro and con: reason.com/volokh/2026/...
reason.com
Remember: The "S" in "Artificial Intelligence" Stands for "Safety"
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
An analysis a bit more nuanced than what was available on the MSM today: reason.com/2026/09/10/a...
reason.com
Americans have learned virtually no lessons from 9/11
25 years later, we still believe in the false promise of trading freedom for safety.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"Condoleezza Rice: ‘Sept. 11 tested us, but it did not break us’" She's right, you know, it did not break us. We did that to ourselves, using 9/11 as an excuse.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This sounds to me like the definition of the tradwife that the Right are all so hot on. www.vice.com/en/article/g...
vice.com
'Good Girl Syndrome' Is Real, and It's Not as Wholesome as It Sounds
Growing up, many girls are taught to be quiet, modest, helpful, and agreeable. Only then are they praised for being a “good girl”—or really, for accommodating those around them, even at their own expe...
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
One good thing to come out of this administration: they demonstrate the clear difference between high status in the power structure and leadership. One can hope that we can learn from their example.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This certainly appears to be a clearcut case of Stolen Valor, as modified in 2013, though he could claim that he did not receive any "tangible benefit." Perhaps not a High Crime, but certainly a misdemeanor. www.afba.com/military-lif...
Trump depicted in US Army uniform with 5 stars, Presidential seal belt buckle and Congressional Medal of Honor.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I have studied sex and sexuality for a long time and I can confidently state:
Symbols indicating that Female is not identical with XX
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
An apt onomatopoeia.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Is it just a coincidence that we have been hearing about AI agents breaking out of their sandboxes and attacking other AI agents and that the major AI players were all down at the same time that ChatGPT-6 Astra was introduced?
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A nicely nuanced approach to the 2A issues. From The Guardian; you aren't likely to see this in American MSM. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
I own six guns. Here’s how to talk to conservatives about firearms
In rural America, guns are a fact of life. But even conservatives agree that properly locking them up is crucial in preventing deaths
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
119th Congress in a nutshell -- pun intended. www.notus.org/perspectives...
notus.org
Dana Milbank: The Only Thing Mike Johnson’s House Is Good at Doing Is Wrongdoing
This may be the do-nothingest Congress in generations. But it produced a bumper crop of scandals.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
A more nuanced look at the data-center arguments than I have seen in most of the media. Is this the future of America? www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
theverge.com
Your future is in Virginia
If you want to know what the data center occupation looks like, there’s one place where it already arrived — 20 years ago.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The next level of escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It will be interesting to see what impact this will have on the Russian economy. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
euronews.com
Zelenskyy warns ‘Russian airspace will effectively be closing’
The Ukrainian president warned airlines, insurers and foreign governments that the growing scale of Kyiv’s drone operations would make Russian airspace increasingly unsafe for aircraft. #EuropeNews
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"Two people, separated by a common language." The Argyle Sweater by Scott Hilburn - for August 29, 2026 COPYRIGHT 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication
Two workers in a Human Resources department.
1st worker: "I don't get it. Not one person has signed up for the company's 401K."
2nd worker: "To be fair, it's a long way to run."
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Why we need to get back to basics. As the US turns 250, a forgotten founding influence helps explain its current unease theconversation.com/as-the-us-tu...
theconversation.com
As the US turns 250, a forgotten founding influence helps explain its current unease
Montesquieu shaped how Americans understood liberty, and his warning about a ‘tyranny of opinion’ speaks to today’s polarization.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
More from the oligarchy. I've never been a fan of Thiel, and Elon, well.... ATC has been chronically understaffed and undersupported since Reagan decertified their union and fired everyone. www.theverge.com/transportati...
theverge.com
Elon Musk broke the FAA — Palantir is picking up the pieces
Palantir’s reach in the FAA keeps growing.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
As if we needed another reason to despise DOGE, Musk, and the regime that sponsored them. www.techdirt.com/2026/08/20/d...
techdirt.com
DOGE’s Screwworm Legacy May Be Tons Of Euthanized Cats And Dogs
Of all the things I thought the Trump administration would cause to enter the public lexicon, I certainly did not have screwworms on my list. If you somehow haven’t heard of this, screwworms …
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Pastis tells it like it is:
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This is much of what powers the so-called Deep State. wapo.st/4qnsYdU
wapo.st
Opinion | America has 3 billion words of legal code riddled with ‘policy sludge’
Outdated rules are gumming up governments across the country.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
He nailed it.
"I think what I like best about books is not being targeted with ads."
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This pretty well defines the quality of the "data" used to try to pillory Fauci. retractionwatch.com/2026/08/11/b...
retractionwatch.com
BMJ Group retracts paper on COVID-19 vaccines and mortality featured in Senate hearing
BMJ Public Health has retracted a paper some — including a witness at a recent U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing — have used to link COVID-19 vaccines to deaths. The action comes more than two years…
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Written by people who do research and document their findings -- unlike most of those described here: typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...
typeinvestigations.org
How ideas of a vast censorship network moved from the online fringe to Trump policy - Type Investigations
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
In the "Orwell was an optimist" category:
Brick wall has a poster with two angry-looking eyes saying "Tech Bro is Watching You."
Couple in front, man is saying "I always though mass surveillance would lead to government cracking down on civil liberties, not an AI deciding how much I pay for takeout."
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Headline in Euronews: "IDF to continue to 'operate proactively' in Gaza, Israeli military chief says" "Operate proactively" means "I thought he was going to hit me, so I hit him back first." They seem to believe that the best defense is to be as offensive as possible.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The reality of "Antifa" www.techdirt.com/2026/08/04/t...
techdirt.com
The Antifa Terrorism Threat Trump Describes Does Not Exist
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The State Department on July 16, 2026, hosted what officials billed as a ministerial on the resurgence of left-wing political terrorism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invited representatives from more than 60 countries to Washington to hear an argument...
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
"liars and cheats who can't be trusted" Birds of a feather?
Trump at a desk labeled "Art of the Deal" saying, "The rulers of Iran are liars and cheats who can't be trusted, but in my case, they have decided to make an exception..."
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Learned a new word: flagitious /flə-jĭsh′əs/ adjective Characterized by extremely brutal or cruel crimes; vicious. Infamous; scandalous. Disgracefully or shamefully criminal; grossly wicked; scandalous; shameful; -- said of acts, crimes, etc. Seems apropos to the current administration.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I don't remember the suit, but he sues so often that the interesting ones get lost in the noise. How to become wealthy while not producing anything useful. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review
Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Fauci using the Fifth Amendment was just protecting himself from the attack that the GOP had pioneered against Clinton: ask a question, then change the definition of one of the terms in the answer to create a (bogus) perjury. During the Dave Beck hearings in the 1950s I got curious about the Fifth \
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Dems in the Senate are asking for input for a new platform for working with healthcare. Typically for politicians, it is long and wordy. However it is a PDF and you can jump to your area of interest. A chance to get you opinion noted. www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/do...
finance.senate.gov
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Portland can breathe easier this week. The judge's opinion: s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28... www.techdirt.com/2026/07/29/j...
techdirt.com
Judge: DOJ Undid Its Attempt To Bully Portland Police Because AG Harmeet Dhillon Tweeted Thru It
There are several layers of bullshit in operation here, so we'll walk through it all. But keep in mind the only reason this is all being exposed is because Trump administration officials feel they're more obligated to "own the libs" than actually do their damn jobs. Last October, "conservative influencer" Nick Sortor was arrested by...
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
We may get a chance to see whether this is a conservative Court or a Trump court. Conservative if they follow the "individual responsibility" mantra, Trump if they go with presidential immunity because it happened when he was serving. www.axios.com/2026/07/28/t...
axios.com
Scoop: Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn $83M judgment for E. Jean Carroll
Trump's lawyers argue he had immunity because his remarks were made when he was president.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Justice Kagan may be a Court apologist, but she is hardly a Trump apologist. So SCotUS is a Trump Court only to the degree that Trump is following the Heritage Foundation playbook, from this standpoint. reason.com/volokh/2026/...
reason.com
Justice Kagan Understands The Conservative Legal Movement
For the Court's conservatives, there is a "playbook" that has nothing to do with Trump.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
An interesting view of economics -- and cookery. I don't happen to agree that a BLT needs to use toasted bread, but for many kinds of bread, toasting is an enhancement. reason.com/2026/07/26/b...
reason.com
Bureaucracy, Labor, & Tariffs: How government is making BLTs more expensive
The BLT—a delicious celebration of the power of markets—exemplifies political attacks on the free movement of goods and people.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
AI slop in lawyers' briefs is annoying. This, however, is genuinely scary. If we can no longer trust trial transcripts, the whole system is at risk. www.404media.co/judge-caught...
404media.co
A Stenographer Submitted AI-Generated Errors in Official Court Transcript, Judge Says
A judge in Indiana warns a court reporter than it's their job to proofread their work, after catching errors likely made by AI transcription services.
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Headline on Freespoke: "Thune Tells White House to 'Get the Votes' After Leavitt Says Trump's 'Patience Is Running Out' on SAVE America Act" This is silly; when has Trump shown patience on anything?
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pygalge.bsky.social @pygalge.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
In spite of las-and-order fear mongering, violent crime is down. I will not claim that this is all due to the massive increase, across the political spectrum, of gun ownership, but it puts paid to the "it's the guns" arguments. www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
the-independent.com
US on track to have historically low number of homicides in 2026
Should the trend continue, it would push the annual homicide rate to the lowest levels in over a century
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