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Robert Frederick

@refrederick.bsky.social
592 followers 259 following 339 posts

Science 🧪 Journalism Reporter / Editor / Producer / Podcaster / Videographer / Manager. Teach journalism+podcasting online for Harvard. Nieman Fellow & AAAS Mass Media Fellow. sustainlab.substack.com

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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Four core challenges companies face who design or employ A.I. agents: 1. Where are my agents? 2. What can they do? 3. What are they doing? 4. How do I respond? No wonder both new parents and A.I. researchers are concerned about humanity's future.
sustainlab.substack.com
Designed to Withstand
Data-center pushback gets heated at ClimateWeekNYC, reflecting broader concerns regarding survivability that take attention away from sustainability.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🎶 One of these is not like the other…. #DC #Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor building with large banners of Trump and Teddy Roosevelt (who, as President, created the Department).
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Imagine all the places “New Mexico” would have to be changed…. #LincolnMemorial “New Mexico’s Name Is Older Than the U.S. Trump Still Wants to Change It.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...
Detail from the top of the Lincoln Memorial showing engraving of state names, including New Mexico. 
Photo by Robert Frederick on September 24, 2026
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Sure doesn’t look like bronze to me…. Is that “gold” coming off? Should I collect the dust? #DC #LincolnMemorial
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
OSHA compliant — yes or no? www.osha.gov/sites/defaul... #ReflectingPool #DC
Workers and federal employees generating clouds of dust on September 24, 2026.
Photo by Robert Frederick.Workers and federal employees generating clouds of dust on September 24, 2026.
Photo by Robert Frederick.Workers and federal employees generating clouds of dust on September 24, 2026.
Photo by Robert Frederick.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Trying to distract, as usual, from the real issues going on.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Last week, three men sat down to talk up the groundbreaking of a new fusion facility. They’re all traditionally successful. But none are physicists.
sustainlab.substack.com
Energy Generation with Weapons Applications
“You are living in the most scientifically exciting time in the history of planet Earth,” but there are concerns accompanying those hopes for fusion power.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The award-winning movie #Spotlight provides a helpful tale about how today's climate change and sustainability reporting gets buried. But even Marty Baron, editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe at that time, today says journalists have something to learn about authenticity from influencers.
sustainlab.substack.com
What To Do When People Look Away
Sometimes the political reality is harsh, but there's hope for humanity’s capacity for a sustainable future.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
bsky.app/profile/whit...
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
As seen in #Nashville: “The office of President, as well as postmaster, was created for the people.” — President Polk 🧐🤔🧐
A picture of President Polk with the quote “The office of President, as well as postmaster, was created for the people.” 

The word “for” is underlined.

The image is outside the city’s performance arts building, a block from the State Capitol.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Follow the leader? What if the leader is corrupt and responds to questions with nonsense or silence? It's happening at the national level, sure. But there's a lot of "follow the leader" going on at the regional, state, and local level, too. Where I live, it's poisoning the air.
sustainlab.substack.com
All for One Without One for All
When "Follow the Leader" becomes unsustainable, what does it take for followers to change?
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
OMB proposal about more than science / scicomm: "It governs every federal grant from every agency, totaling approximately $1.1 trillion annually. Grant funding at risk includes money for state health services, transportation projects, education....” elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/my-public-...
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
“What’s new?” — the question *most likely* to cause your journalist friend to ask you a clarifying question in reply. *in an unscientific study conducted 4-5 July 2026
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Erin Brockovich or Julia Roberts could probably guess why developing restaurants on brownfields leads to a load of potential problems. My latest for SustainLab: sustainlab.substack.com/p/when-talke... Also for easy sharing on Facebook: www.facebook.com/share/p/17aa...
sustainlab.substack.com
When Talkers Stay Silent
People's silence reveals the best stories in the age of Artificial Intelligence, especially when the Earth shows us brown versus green.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Today, JetZero broke ground on a $4.7 billion manufacturing plant at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina. Although touted as "economic development," the project is really about economic growth (bigger) not economic development (better). Bigger isn't always better.
sustainlab.substack.com
Economic Growth Versus Development
Growth can be malignant.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Producing journalism with A.I. appears more cost-effective, but requires ignoring A.I.’s costs, including degradation to our information environment… …which may be why this new stormwater drain now conveys contaminated sediment, counteracting protective measures put in place only months before.
sustainlab.substack.com
Watchdog, Muckraker, Mirror, Guide, Searchlight…
How can journalism be sustainable in the age of Artificial Intelligence?
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
They chowdered that verb form of “chowder”!
docs.google.com
Feedback for Example Sentences
Please use this form to contact us about the "Recent Examples on the Web." We review all feedback and take action when necessary, and your feedback helps ensure that the examples presented are as accu...
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
What if "the only winning move is not to play” with A.I.? "Resistance is[n't] futile." So we don't have to "adapt or die"? Looks as though A.I. companies are pushing the science/society coproduction out of whack, and that's prompting resistance, as it does in modern times.
sustainlab.substack.com
"Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms"
In rolling out Artificial Intelligence products, companies appear to use a hundred-year-old understanding that people will adopt A.I. products. Here's how that's going.
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Reposted by Robert Frederick
John Archibald @johnarchibald.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Interesting, with a surprising Moon Pie drop reference. I'm going with your winning move.
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Reposted by Robert Frederick
kaitlynsunsword.bsky.social @kaitlynsunsword.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
"A.I. as it is now only performs the illusion of intelligence, like early mainframe computers only performed the illusion of multitasking."
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
What if "the only winning move is not to play” with A.I.? "Resistance is[n't] futile." So we don't have to "adapt or die"? A.I. companies are pushing the science/society coproduction out of whack, prompting resistance.
sustainlab.substack.com
"Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms"
In rolling out Artificial Intelligence products, companies appear to use a hundred-year-old understanding that people will adopt A.I. products. Here's how that's going.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
And those they quietly employ…. www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
wbur.org
'Money, Lies and God' details how far-right extremists work to erode democracy
Katherine Stewart has done 15 years of reporting and into anti-democracy extremism and the threats that come with it.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
"The world is [not] simply a battlefield for partisan ideas" as state propagandists would like us to believe. But those who deploy the bandwagon effect purposefully—leading people to extremes of cynicism or warrantless trust—can threaten us all. So how to move forward sustainably?
sustainlab.substack.com
In Trust We Trust
Producing records improves trust and, in turn, sustainability, but sometimes watchdogs have to bark and even bare their teeth.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
The business of environmental reporting is often incompatible with environmental stories about “structural” or “slow violence” of long-term pollution, climate change, etc. Should we work to change that? If so, how? Discussion I hope to have at this year’s @sejorg.bsky.social meeting, #SEJ2026.
sustainlab.substack.com
Sustainable Dissent
How might we address structural/slow violence before it does harm, but before we need a hero?
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
“Uh oh.” As a journalist, I never want to see my picture on the front page of any newspaper But that’s what greeted me when I got my weekly Jamestown News today. So please allow me -- this first #LocalNewsDay -- to tell you the story behind the headline. www.facebook.com/share/p/1HSw...
A picture of the front of the weekly edition of the Jamestown News (in North Carolina). The headline shows "Delayed Request: Triad resident fights for public records" with pictures of Matthew Johnson (Town Manager of Jamestown) and Robert Frederick (that's me -- the person making the public records request).
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Remember that video of politicians vaguely telling members of the military that they must refuse illegal orders? youtube.com/shorts/Fk9Gh... Or that article clarifying it for the troops? www.military.com/feature/2025... Might be time to watch and read that again?
Highlighted text from  Military.com article that states: “They involve clear violations of U.S. or international law, such as intentionally targeting civilians or committing acts explicitly prohibited by statute.”

Full pictured text gives context:

“The core legal concept the lawmakers invoked is correct: military personnel must not carry out blatantly unlawful actions, and their oath is to the Constitution; but the legal standard is narrow, not broad. Unlawful orders are not simply orders someone dislikes or finds questionable. They involve clear violations of U.S. or international law, such as intentionally targeting civilians or committing acts explicitly prohibited by statute. A lawful order that may be controversial, politically fraught or later judged unwise is not “unlawful” under the UCMJ. The video’s broad phrasing risks muddying that vital distinction.

The lawmakers likely intended to reassure service members that constitutional norms still matter, especially during a volatile political period. Yet public messages to troops must avoid ambiguity. Without concrete examples, legal context or acknowledgment of process, such as the role of commanders and JAGs, the video oversimplifies a complex legal area that service members navigate at real personal risk. It also inadvertently feeds civil-military anxieties at a time when stability is essential.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
It's CERAWeek, the annual energy conference, and it seems -- at least here in the U.S. -- the fossil fuel industry is focused on making short-term profits due to higher oil prices & using its financial power + political influence to ensure the industry’s own “sustainability” for decades to come.
sustainlab.substack.com
Amplifying One Kind of Sustainability
War on Iran is leading to increasing interpretations of "sustainability" as adaptation.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Relatedly, as Sen. Whitehouse said on the 5th Anniversary of the Citizens United decision in 2015: “Before Citizens United came along, there was actually a pretty robust conversation between Democrats and Republicans about carbon pollution and climate change and what needed to be done about it.”
sustainlab.substack.com
Reframing Sustainability
Using truthful statements to deceive others.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Same influence preventing action on climate change, as Sen. Whitehorse said in 2015: “Before Citizens United came along, there was actually a pretty robust conversation between Democrats and Republicans about carbon pollution and climate change and what needed to be done about it.”
sustainlab.substack.com
Reframing Sustainability
Using truthful statements to deceive others.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Tomorrow we find out about billion-dollar company D.R. Horton’s “Development in the Dark” in Jamestown, NC. I don’t like reporting by (unpaid) Letter to the Editor, but in a time with increasing threats of lawsuits, local reporting still needs to be done. www.yesweekly.com/news/jamesto...
A picture from mid-February, 2026 of two houses under construction at D.R. Horton's property. 

After the original Development Agreement was passed in 2023, they have cleared land and put in below-ground infrastructure. But building only began after the agreement was amended in 2025… behind closed doors… along with approval of the Plat Map… which attested to the development plan having met watershed restrictions for curbing density… without any public records showing Jamestown Council or Planning Board knew anything about either the amended agreement or plat map happening at the time.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
It is "paltering" to discount the need to address climate change by saying "fossil fuels are important for economic growth and development." But there’s no denying the truth of that statement itself for as long as the U.S. lacks the political will to transition away from fossil fuels.
sustainlab.substack.com
Reframing Sustainability
Using truthful statements to deceive others.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
“A growing number of recruitment drives are vying to entice disgruntled or displaced researchers to Canada, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other countries.”
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Never let anyone tell you your individual vote couldn’t change an election outcome. 2 votes separate Sheriff Sam Page from NC Senate leader Phil Berger, who gerrymandered for and was endorsed by Trump. All precincts have reported. Certification will take weeks with a mandatory recount. Wow.
Results from the NC Senate Republican primary show Sam Page with 13,077 votes and incumbent Phil Berger with 2 fewer at 13,075.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
It’s primary election day here in North Carolina and Republicans where I live are choosing either * a sheriff with $39,000 in his campaign account, or * the incumbent State Senator with $2.4 million and the full weight of a political machine. Why it’s a real race: www.facebook.com/share/1CFCri...
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
I’m all for standing up for science, but I wonder if your organization might use its permit for a D.C. Mall rally to invite people *also* to: * stand up for democracy, * stand up to authoritarianism, * stand up against Executive overreach, … etc.
Robert Frederick wearing a shirt that says “Science is the new rock ‘n’ roll” in front of a sign at a American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in 2018 that says “I am a force for science.” 

(Frederick was an employee of AAAS from 2007-2011 working at Science magazine.)
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
You already did in naming yours — thanks!
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Many definitions of “sustainability” among this list. Some are like those from Sustainability Magazine’s top-250 list, which includes executives from fossil fuel companies alongside Philip Morris and Patagonia (pictured). More reflections on SustainLab: sustainlab.substack.com/p/covering-s...
A spread of two pages from Sustainability Magazine’s Top 250 Sustainability Leaders for 2026 (published February 3, 2026) showing the #50 spot awarded to the chief sustainability officer for Phillip Morris International, a tobacco company that uses non-biodegradable plastic for its cigarette filters, which not only offer no beneficial filtering, but may also pose health risks from ingesting and inhaling filter fragments. 

Patagonia’s commitment to sustainability is a stark contrast to that of Phillip Morris International, as this business case study examines : https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/B5853-PDF-ENG
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
“A war is a time when we will be told not to ask questions. But a war is actually when questions must be asked. And they must be asked in light of what we already know.” — from the author of “On Tyranny,” among others
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Earlier this week, my “Covering Sustainability” course at Ansbach University formally came to a close. Upon reflection, I'm feeling hopeful.
sustainlab.substack.com
Covering Sustainability Redux
Meeting the needs of an emerging science-focused beat and making its coverage more sustainable
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Was A.I. used to make up the justification for repealing the EPA's own 2009 Endangerment Finding? I grok that it at least played a role... and have inquired of the EPA to find out more.
sustainlab.substack.com
Reckless Endangerment
Arguably the world's single largest greenhouse gas emitter is being committed to burning more coal, and evidence suggests the U.S. EPA is using A.I. to justify even more emissions.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Please note, too, that the White House’s policy position (e.g. on CAFE standards) appears to have been justified by A.I.,… … which made things up + doesn’t match what the (misattributed) researchers actually wrote. See ALT text to image + more on SustainLab sustainlab.substack.com/p/policy-inf...
Text from 
THE WHITE HOUSE
The Trump Administration eliminated the overbearing Biden-era electric vehicle mandate by resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. NBER economist Mark R. Jacobsen estimates that "a one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers of all income levels approximately 0.5% of their income in the first year of the increase. By the 10th year following the increase, however, this cost becomes regressive, as the increase drives up the price of used cars. A one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers earning less than $25,000 per year 1.12% of their income, but only costs consumers earning more than $75,000 per year 0.41% of their income."

But, as described in the SustainLab linked post, there are…

 Problems: 
1) Mark R. Jacobson did not write that. 

2) The linked research (under “estimates”) does not contain those words, either. 

3) That National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) paper is on the same topic, but is co-authored by four people and a “working paper,” meaning it has “not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications."
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” — The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776 On #Sustainable #Infrastructure -- three types: sustainlab.substack.com/p/sustainabl...
sustainlab.substack.com
Sustainable Infrastructure
Without supporting all three types of infrastructure, things fall apart.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” — The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776 On #Sustainable #Infrastructure -- three types: sustainlab.substack.com/p/sustainabl...
sustainlab.substack.com
Sustainable Infrastructure
Without supporting all three types of infrastructure, things fall apart.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” — The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776 On #Sustainable #Infrastructure -- three types: sustainlab.substack.com/p/sustainabl...
sustainlab.substack.com
Sustainable Infrastructure
Without supporting all three types of infrastructure, things fall apart.
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Reposted by Robert Frederick
Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
I get tired of saying it, but I’ll say it again: the nature of oppression in America is that they workshop it first on Black, Latino, Asian & Native people. But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
I just called my U.S. House/Senate reps again. As always, it meant leaving voicemails. Does anyone answer the phone anymore? But I believe calls to reps are better than responding to reps' social media posts. If you're a U.S. citizen, please consider making calls. This website makes it easy.
5calls.org
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
The White House is altering images now. Tell everyone to diversify news sources. Noem’s original: x.com/KristiNoem/s... White House’s manipulated: x.com/whitehouse/s...
Two annotated screenshots of Noem’s and the White House’s social media posts — links provided in this BlueSky post — showing the original and manipulated photo.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
To respond to a bully, sometimes a bully’s own language is appropriate… even in formal situations. But, in a different venue, I did also appreciate the recent thoughtful speech by Mark Carney, PM of Canada, at the World Economic Forum annual meeting. youtu.be/flsgJe8mN-A (starts at 2:40)
youtu.be
Special Address by Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026
YouTube video by World Economic Forum
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
"Unlimited arbitrariness and violence unchecked by any legal guarantees"? The U.S. President's power — becoming ever more centralized — is also becoming more unsustainable. One year in, the time to act is now, while we still can.
sustainlab.substack.com
Sustainable Power
Decentralizing makes power, in all its various forms, more sustainable.
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Robert Frederick @refrederick.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
IMHO, it’s worth noting in every story and post about the action in Minneapolis & St. Paul that the combined number of sworn police officers in both cities is < 1500. So ICE’s presence—mostly in the Twin Cities—is double that. This information need not be commented on, but it should be added.
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