Bluesky has become a safe space for liberals seeking to avoid the triggering presence of opposing views since the Trump reelection. The relatively small site now has over 30 million followers (in comparison 260 million for X and 3 billion on Facebook). Now, however, users like billionaire Mark Cuban are complaining that Bluesky is just another intolerant echo chamber on the left and some are reportedly returning to X.
Billionaire Mark Cuban was one of the early champions of the site, writing “Hello Less Hateful World” in joining the site in November 2024.
At the time, some of us criticized the premise of the Bluesky devotees. Many supported the anti-free speech and censorship efforts during the Biden Administration. Bluesky offered a replication of the echo chamber in higher education, where liberals can go unchallenged or uncontradicted. This included some of the most intolerant figures in media, academia, and the government.
Now, Cuban and others are experiencing what many of us have lived through in higher education for years, an orthodox environment where even marginal disagreements are treated as litmus tests.
Cuban this week decried that “Even if you agree with 95% of what a person is saying on a topic, if there is one point that you might call out as being more of a gray area, they will call you a fascist etc.”
In his post on Monday, Cuban notes that “the replies on here may not be as racist as Twitter, but they damn sure are hateful. Talk AI: FU, AI sucks go away. Talk Business: Go away. Talk Healthcare: Crickets.”
“Because the Musk and Trump haters are the largest and most passionate group, the result is something of an echo chamber where it’s hard to get positive engagement unless you’re saying things progressives want to hear — and where the negative engagement on things they don’t want to hear can be intense.”
The problem is that many users went to Bluesky because they did not want to be challenged in a free-speech environment. It is a site for those who do not wish to be “triggered” by opposing views. If you only watch MSNBC and post on Bluesky, you can live within a hermetically sealed liberal space without the fear of contradiction or opposition.
Ultimately, 30 million users are not a significant threat to social media companies like X or Facebook. The hope that Bluesky would drain X of revenue has not materialized. Analysts are reporting that X appears to be rebounding after years of boycotts and ad revenue could grow by 17.5% to $1.31 billion, with global ad sales expected to rise by 16.5% to $2.26 billion.
Bluesky will still be able to capitalize off the draw as a safe space draw for the left with uniformly favorable media coverage. It also offers a concentrated membership of liberal users for Democratic politicians and pundits. However, it does little in terms of impact outside of that space.
That is the reason why most liberal politicians and pundits are still actively posting on X. Some belong to both — engaging a broader audience on issues on X while retreating to the safe space of Bluesky for reaffirmation.
However, it is harmful to the left in further insulating themselves from reality. Take a typical user like a Harvard professor who watches MSNBC and reads the New York Times. She then goes to work at a university with a faculty that has less than three percent of conservatives or Republicans and less than ten percent conservative or Republican students. She then goes to Bluesky to converse within a liberal ecosystem on social media. It is a virtual bio-containment tent that filters out any discordant elements.
The reason that many on the left were shocked by the election results is that they lived within these protected spaces. They have removed themselves further from the majority of this country, disengaging with anyone who objects to their priorities and values. Within that echo chamber, opposing views become more intolerable and shocking.
Bluesky will continue to be a draw for free-speech-phobic and viewpoint-intolerant users. Fortunately, most people want to be part of a larger discourse and engage with the world around them, despite the presence of trolls and hateful commentators.
Cuban’s call for greater diversity of thought on Bluesky is unlikely to alter the culture of a site that is maintained as a safe space for liberals. That cloistered environment only increases sensitivity and intolerance for opposing views. It is akin to developing an immune deficiency from a lack of exposure to certain elements.
If Cuban and others want robust debate, they will not find it in digital safe spaces like Bluesky.
Jonathan: This is a unpaid promo for the “No Kings” day protests tomorrow around the the country where millions will be protesting DJT’s authoritarian policies. Coincidentally DJT will be holding his huge military birthday parade in DC. He thinks a military show of force will cow the protesters. It will not!
Historians often employ the “3/12 rule” in dealing with fascists claims of power. Historical studies show that if 3/12% of the population shows up to oppose the wannabe dictator he fails. It really doesn’t require an overwhelming majority to show up and oppose the dictator. Tomorrow will be one of those benchmarks that determines the fate of our Democracy!
BS AS USUAL FROM ANON!!
Anon is a paid agitator working for China.
Tomorrow there will be paid insurrectionists in many cities. These is the Communist vanguard aiming to topple tge duly elected American government and install a Communist dictatorship. Resist them, defend the USA!
Any historian that beleives that 0.25% of the population is consequential in ANY way is an idiot.
Regardless, you make fools of yourselves.
Throughout this left wing nut political violence Trump’s polling has been going UP.
The american people voted for what Trump is doing.
Even people who did not vote for Trump – in voverwhelming majorities want what Trump is doing.
Recent Yougov poll found that 54% of americans want ALL illegal aliens removed from the US
No tomorow ia not some meaningful benchmark it is just more of democrats masterbating in public,
and idiotically beleiving that people are not appalled.
Please, Please keep making fools of yourself.
^^^ Are you certified as off your rocker?
Shabbat Shalom everyone 😊
Have a peaceful sabbath
Shabbat shalom
The Orange Retard said over and over and over and over that when he’s president there will be no wars. He specifically said there would be no war in the Middle East because no one knows how to negotiate except for him. And on a couple of occasions he said it would be easy. Trump is an utter f*cking failure. And anyone who supports him is a moron.
ANON can cry/lie on Bluesky!!!
The conflict with Hamas started under Biden – Trump is ending it.
The conflict with the Houthis started under Biden – Trump is ending it.
Syrian collapsed under Biden
Israel went to war with Hezbolla under Biden.
The conflict with Iran started under Biden – Trump is ending it.
What war did Trump start in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025 ?
Wars have ENDED under Trump, but none have started under Trump.
There are 4 choices with respect to Iran.
Iran gets nuclear weapons.
Israel destroys Iran’s nuclear program.
The US destroys Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran negotiates an end to their nuclear program.
Most of us would prefer the last, but that requires Iran to agree,
and Iran has chosen not to agree.
That means that either we get a nuclear Iran or either the US or Israel takes on Irans nuclear program.
Most americans would prefer that Israel does that.
The only moron here is YOU! Prez Trump has not started any wars.
I tell you, the anti MAGA people are the most hateful violent people there are. Just look at the rioting in LA. 3 burned police cars, a few rocks thrown, a few windows busted. MAGA would never be violent. Just look at how peaceful they were on Jan 6. And then there is this little sign of how peaceful MAGA is…
“Members of several far-right MAGA-affiliated groups are now urging members to carry out acts of violence against protesters during Saturday’s “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s administration.”
Oh wait, I read that wrong, never mind, nothing to see, here.
^ Stupidest comment of the day ^
Second that!
The don’t make a comment.
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So typical. The rhetoric of “far-right” groups equated to the actual violence carried out by thousands of leftists.
This weekend may be a very violent one. Far Left George Soros Open Society Foundation is funding No Kings” Protest across the nation, via a far-left organization known as Indivisible who gets its funding via Act Blue (original source being George Soros). The MSM are marketing the “No Kings Protests” event far and wide. However, none of the MSM are providing the connection of “No Kings” protests to far-left anarchist, George Soros. A low traffic newsite in Vermont does however:
Soros-backed group plans 30 VT ‘No Kings’ protests
Indivisible has drawn more than $7 million in funding from the Open Society Foundation, a philanthropic organization funded by leftist billionaire George Soros. It also claims broad support from large numbers of small donors, but does not provide financial details on its website.
https://vermontdailychronicle.com/soros-backed-group-plans-30-vt-no-kings-protests/
Chances are likely that a “No Kings” event is occuring this Saturday in your town. Check for locations here, a google docs spreadshet
As others have stated, this was never about negotiations but about surrender.
Democrats literally have nothing to offer except violence, rage and revolution. They abused Joseph Biden as he suffered with neurocognitive impairment for 4+ years, lied to Americans about the Russian “collusion” hoax, as well as Joseph Biden’s demise himself, and now they are just warming up to destroy America. Their polling numbers are in the toilet but their Left base wants violence. So Democrats are responding as requested by their Far Left base. Democrats have zero intentions of honoring democracy nor the 2024 election results.
Every American should be carrying a weapon on their person at this point whenever they in the public, as provided by the 2nd Amendment, and a concealed weapons permit if required by their state laws. Democrats are stoking the violence and betting on Americans being taken by surprise. Don’t be a victim of Democrats stoking violence
Thank you for the heads up, Estovir. I looked on the list you provided and they will be in my city, but I live in a suburb three miles away. I will be staying home all day.
Thank you for the update.
They employ a Rent-a-crowd for propaganda purposes. The left-wing faction of the Democratic Party offer no solutions, no good ideas, do not solve problems. They spend money and are hell-bent on destroying this nation and western civilization. These are dangerous radicals and in some cases thugs. They protect hardened criminals.
What else should we expect from them? I am sure there will be bakers of rocks mysteriously appearing where the staged demonstrations (riots) will be as they did in 2020.
*. Yes, a looter will throw a brick through a window and chaos will erupt. Focus on crowd control tactics. Close streets.
*. The police can call a moratorium on protests for 30 days. They call curfews, too. Enough evidence the potential for violence warrants it.
Rhetoric = smashing windows of the Capitol Building.
The LEFT burn cities down!!!
Care to post who said that, of like most lib stories, it’s a lie
ATS
Again no source, you are not citing Maga groups you are citing an unsourced claim”
As we have seen most of these from the left are just made up.
Nor do I expect conservative groups to do anything but stand back and laugh as Democrats once again prove what violent idiots they are.
“Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake”
Sun Tzu
It is odd that the DNC/MSM leftists are apoplectic (again) about the Israel-Iran scenario. If one compares the geographic land masses between Israel (tiny) vs Iran (huge), any sentient being would conclude that Israel is conducting a mostly peaceful air strike.
So afraid for Israel. Seriously frightening.
Bless you Israel.
Estovir,
It has become the core to their radicalization. Hate Trump, no matter what, embrace Marxism, hate Israel and extreme environmentalism.
Those radicalized are much like those who were part of Jonestown in Guyana, Charlie Manson‘s the family, or any number of high mind control cult.
I have watched numerous videos from an Israeli, who goes into the anti-Israel, protest crowds and asks them what they are protesting about. A larger majority of them haven’t a single clue.
Manchurian candidates spurred into action by DJT as detonator. They’ve been trained from childhood.
*. Armageddon?
Time to stock up: Premium Potassium Iodide Tablets 130 mg Thyroid Support Potassium Iodine Pills
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJGQQ6B7
To many possibilities for Nuclear conflicts (Israel-Iran, Ukraine-Russia, N.Korea-S.Korea, China?)
Don’t wait for the Strontium-90 fallout to fill the Air.
Powdered Milk is also a good stock item. Dairy Cows graze on grass that have been covered with Strontium-90 fallout ending up in the Milk supply.
Re:
Strontium-90 (Sr-90) is a radioactive isotope of strontium with a half-life of approximately 28.8 years. It’s a byproduct of nuclear fission in reactors and nuclear weapon explosions. Due to its chemical similarity to calcium, Sr-90 can be incorporated into bones and other tissues, posing a health risk.
It must become an egregious and immediately actionable crime with the ICC, UN, et al., for a nation to pursue nuclear weapons, WMDs, etc., Iran and North Korea among them.
Whatever, PROTECT YOURSELF from radiation poisoning. Just a few Buck$ now will save you a lot of physical pain later.
The ICC, UN, et al., are not going to save you from fallout, after the Bombs drop.
“Just sing out a te deum
When you see that ICBM
And the party will be
Come as you are.”
Tom Lehrer
I took potassium iodide administered by physician as a child when above ground nuclear testing was done. You aren’t funny.
Apologies for my unfunny post. 😞
Ok
It’s the Fallout that’s going to kill you not the Blast.
Today’s Bombings halfway around the, assuming they hit the mark and the target was an Atomic enrichment facility.
The clouds of Smoke seen from the blast would contain Uranium-235 (U-235) and Uranium-238 (U-238) particles.
Those particles go aloft and drift in the atmosphere eventually covering other places of the Earth accordingly to the Winds.
A good majority of Us live next to Nuclear Plants (and they want to build more) such as 3-Mile Island or say Chernobyl or Fukushima.
Imagine one of those being hit intentionally with a Missile. The Nuclear Bomb Targets are already there just waiting to be Hit, like the ones hit today. It’s not the ICBMs be-all-end-all, It’s the Nuke Plant down the road that’s the imminent threat.
https://explorenuclear.com/maps/map-of-us-nuclear-sites/
We got dosed Today, tomorrow the Fallout will rain. This is no joke.
Uranium-235 (U-235) and Uranium-238 (U-238)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | CDC (.gov)
https://www.cdc.gov › hcp › isotopes › uranium-235-238
Apr 17, 2024 — Uranium-235 (U-235) Half-life: 700 million years. Uranium-238 (U-238) Half-life: 4.47 billion years. Mode of decay: Alpha particles.
cdc.gov/radiation-emergencies/hcp/isotopes/uranium-235-238.html
It’s the Fallout that’s going to kill you, not the Blast.
Today’s Bombings halfway around the Globe, assuming they hit the mark and the target was an Atomic enrichment facility.
The clouds of Smoke seen billowing from the blast would contain Uranium-235 (U-235) and Uranium-238 (U-238) particles.
Those particles go aloft and drift in the atmosphere eventually covering other places of the Earth accordingly to the Winds.
A good majority of Us live next to Nuclear Plants (and they want to build more) such as 3-Mile Island or say Chernobyl or Fukushima.
Imagine one of those being hit intentionally with a Missile. The Nuclear Bomb Targets are already there just waiting to be Hit, like the ones hit today. It’s not the ICBMs be-all-end-all, It’s the Nuke Plant down the road that’s the imminent threat.
https://explorenuclear.com/maps/map-of-us-nuclear-sites/
We got dosed Today, tomorrow the Fallout will rain. This is no joke, and what happened today effects all of us. That dust Cloud will be with us for a long while now.
Uranium-235 (U-235) and Uranium-238 (U-238)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | CDC (.gov)
Apr 17, 2024 — Uranium-235 (U-235) Half-life: 700 million years. Uranium-238 (U-238) Half-life: 4.47 billion years. Mode of decay: Alpha particles.
https://www.cdc.gov/radiation-emergencies/hcp/isotopes/uranium-235-238.html
Look on the bright side. Nuclear winter would offset global warming.
If your a boomer, you already have plenty of str 90 in you fron the atmospheric tests of the 40’s thru the 60’s.
UNSERIOUS AND IMPUDENT VISITORS HERE.
BAN FOR LIFE!
(OT)
Brevard County, FL Sheriff Wayne Ivey issued a blunt warning to potential *rioters*:
“If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at. Because we will kill you, graveyard dead. We’re not gonna play.”
Here’s how the Left “reports” that warning:
“Florida sheriff threatens to shoot protestors.”
And they wonder why decent people don’t believe a word they say.
They don’t wonder, Sam. They simply don’t care they’ve lost their credibility, believability, and trustworthiness.
JAFO: Oh, but they DO care—it is an intentional slant of the news, n’est ce pas?
(BTW, it’s raining outside so I am spending some good time here today and I meant to tell tell, maybe last week or the week before, you made some excellent, poignant comments about something (which I do not remember now) and I meant to compliment and thank you but I had to leave, so now I take the time to say that you really do add some new, thoughtful perspective to some topics.)
Lin,
That is true too. They have to feed their loyal, non-thinking, viewers what to think. Some idiot tried to claim there were ONLY three cars burning.
JAFO,
You are correct. That is why so many people are switching them off. And when they make dumb claims like, “mostly peaceful,” while cars burn in the background, fireworks going off (aimed at LEOs), flash bangs, they lose their credibility even more.
“They simply don’t care . . .”
You’re probably right — which makes them lower than I thought. It means that they’re *complacent* pathological liars.
Members of several far-right MAGA-affiliated groups are now urging members to carry out acts of violence against protesters during Saturday’s “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s administration.
LIST ANY ANON!!
Libs… that says it all. Lies is all they got.
Members of several far-right MAGA-affiliated groups are now urging members to carry out acts of violence against protesters during Saturday’s “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s administration.
Still waiting for proof
Still waiting for ANYTHING
Which “far right groups” ?
Does ATS have their emails ?
Video of them ?
Anything ?
Is there any reason to beleive this is not a left wing hoax ? Like the collusion delusion ?
Anything at all to establish the slightest reason to beleive ?
YOU FAIL TO LIST ANY ANON! AS already requested!!!
“Intolerant and hateful postings”? But it’s all free speech. Here’s one: Airhead Noem should resign her orifice effective immediately. DHS is a useless sham organization and a waste of taxpayer dollars. If she doesn’t resign, the Department surely will be dismantled when the Trump Dark Age has ended.
Get a grip. You fool said zip when Biden was in charge.
How ’bout these:
“Remember the Alamo!”
and
“Get up on Old Paint and get the —- where you ain’t.”
or
“The American Dream is for Americans.”
Actual Americans.
Well, duhhhh!
Noem should be Vance’s VP pick for 2028. Then after two successful Vance terms, Noem should run and have her own successful two terms.
OT
Now you know why Mossad took down the Twin Towers with controlled demolition on 9/11.
To bring the U.S. in.
Take down Iraq.
Clean out Afghanistan.
Convert Syria.
And eviscerate Iran.
Through 9/11, Mossad scrubbed up the entire region in one fell swoop.
Well played, Israel, well played.
OT
Yesterday, Aninny mentioned, in the pejorative, that President Donald J. Trump went bankrupt.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
“TOO BIG TO FAIL”
The United States of America went bankrupt in 2008.
AI Overview
In 2008, the investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15th, marking the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at the time. This event, along with the failure of other financial institutions like Washington Mutual, was a major catalyst for the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent Great Recession.
Can you say, national “Bailout?”
Can you say, national “Spending spree”
That Trump is a real bad guy—the only bad guy in America, right?
Yeah, Trump was the only American who filed for bankruptcy.
So much for Peaceful.
***************
NOW – LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell just shattered the “peaceful protester” narrative.
What’s happening in Los Angeles isn’t civil unrest—it’s urban warfare.
“They have weapons of all kinds.”
“WE ARE AT WAR!”
https://x.com/i/status/1924869408788189368
https://x.com/i/status/1931561299395190949
SHE ALONE could do damage; like LaMonica McIver!!!
Jonathan: The title of your column should have been “Clouds Over DJT’s Agenda”. It seems the courts are the few government institutions pushing back on DJT’s fascist agenda. He has lost 96% of his court cases. Today was no exception. Judge Denise J. Casper of the US District Court in Massachusetts ruled today that DJT’s 3/25 EO to compel state election officials to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and not to count any ballots not received on election day was unconstitutional.
Judge Casper sided with the plaintiff state attorneys general that “the Constitution does not grant the President power over elections”. The Judge found that US citizenship is already required to vote in federal elections and DJT’s EO would “burden the states with significant efforts and substantial costs” to update voting procedures.
This is the second legal setback in DJT’s efforts at voter suppression. A federal judge in DC previously blocked parts of DJT’s EO. Casing a ballot by a non-citizen is already illegal and there have only been a total of about 100 ballots cast by non-citizens in the last two election cycles–nothing that would be vote result determinative. DJT’s claims of “massive election fraud” in both the 2017 and 2020 elections have been proven false.
Dennis: The title of your post should have been “Clouds of Emotional Quotient Flew Right Over My Head.”
already illegal and there have only been a total of about 100 ballots cast by non-citizens.
********************
The number is low, because they don’t want to really check. Look at both WA & Oregon, they found ballots from non-citizens voting and instead of checking their entire system. They said no it’s fine…
BS
* That’s not the answer to my question. There aren’t illegal votes cast. Only citizens vote. Citizens combined with illegals for census count . Census count determines the number of reps in the House and not just citizen count on census. There isn’t a question on census about citizenship. A birthplace does not establish citizenship.
&^^^^ IT’S ELECTION INTERFERENCE. The migrants are just body count. The dems don’t care if they’re ever citizens or ever vote. The migrants don’t understand that.
You are correct thatg the constitution does not grant the president power over elections.
It does however constrain elections itself.
The constitution requires an election DAY – not a week, or month or year.
The president CAN enforce the constitution by executive order.
Another dingbat left wing nut judge soon to be overturned.
Oh. BTW your only 100 non-citizens have voted claim is nonsense.
There is a SINGLE county in TX where over 100 non-citizens voted in ONE election.
A US house race was recently decided by 29 votes. In the recent conadian elections one parlimentary seat was decided by ONE vote.
The 2000 presidential election was decided by a few hundred ballots in FL,
The 2016 presidential election was decided by about 250,000 ballots in 3 states.
the 2020 election was decided by 41K ballots in 3 states.
In 2020 control of the house, senate and presidency would have flipped with as little as 100,000 ballots.
There is absolutely no reason to trust a close election when the law is not being followed.
#9. Professor, Do you mean to say; that Mark Cuban has figured out that humanity as a specie lacks the cranial aptitude of civility and critical reasoning, nay the complete and total inability to coalesce together whether that be in physical form or digitized impersonation without devolving into primeval hostility and tribal hatred, devoid of sympathy and compassion acting on base emotion of the fight or flight response, in order to facilitate a dialog of any particular subject beyond that of a simple “Have a nice day”, without the mutual encounter devolving into an OK Corral shoot out?
The surprise is, that Mark Cuban was capable of figuring that out.
Dear Prof Turley,
Gas jumped 25cents/gal overnight climbing .. . my coffee is $12.99 a tin (double what it was a few years ago).
*there’s a very dark cloud floating across my clear, sky-blue mind.
Israel just bombed Iran you fool. It’s just a spike.
Gas here went down by $0.15 since last month. The lowest it has been in years.
Upstate, The left refuses to consider inflation, so gas prices are probably lower than they were for a long time at least before this war.
Isn’t this is the seasonal time when gas prices go up for the summer, dg.wetden?
Today is Friday the 13th!
Professor – better than Monday the anything, haha.
My lucky day!!!
Jonathan, Is the Pot calling the Kettle Black here?
This very Forum is an “Echo Chamber” such as Bluesky.
It has been suggested to ‘turn off’ the Comments section so many many times,
and move to a more suitable platform without said open-air comments.
The Comments are Legalized Political Porn. Have you no more political Prurient interest in the atmosphere of this decorum?
Will it take Mark Cuban to join Us here and then exodus for you to take note and do something about it? The Moderators, have you thought of them? Poor Darren, Kristin, and Hartwell, have you given any thought to the pain & suffering they must endure to produce and maintain the Comment’s Section endless and mindless rhetorical? The labor and suffrage that they must endure and support to raise You up to Shooting-Superstar Status so lofty you sh-t marble. We think NOT!
Just as Bluesky has gone to the Dogs, so be it that this Comment section has reduced itself to 98% Nonsense and 2% Substance. It has become a Rubber-Room for the Mentally Ill. Really, someday when you read the Comments, you can’t tell if you’re on Shutter Island or not. Is this the “If it ain’t broke, Don’t fix it!” approach to Free Speech? My God Son!!! have you lost all your faculties? This request is not Censorship, but a pleading for merciful Sanity.
Please, PLEASE! get Us off the Island or end it all.
Around half the comments on this blog are from leftists. Professor Turley does not block them. Your premise is false.
Half? ROLF!!!! More like 5%.
As always, George is completely disconnected from reality. He is therefore, quite literally, psychotic. But we already knew that.
Proof?
You have none as usual
Notice, you are still here posting pure BS al the time
OldManFromKS,
Most of the comments are sensible, logical, common sense.
Then there are the others that insult the good professor, or make inane comments related to nothing, ad hominem, or just plain dumb.
Upstate – I really would not mind if reasonable liberal folks commented here. I’ve often said that having a worthy friend is a blessing, but having a worthy opponent is just as great a blessing. The trouble is finding worthy opponents on the left. Their comments on this blog are virtually always sarcastic, contemptuous, and clichéd. Either that or hysterical, juvenile, superficial, or based on blatant lies (e.g., Dennis, George).
OldManFromKS,
That is why I generally dont read them.
When I do, I find amusing is they are a reflection of the exact echo chamber of those who use Bluesky.
(Then I will truly apologize to you and others for my silly sarcasm now and then -and feeble attempts at levity.)
(But we really do have some mean ole guys (and girls) on here who claim a higher status but bring down the tenor of the comments.)
Lin, you are the farthest thing from an offender in terms of tone. You always maintain the high ground.
-Uncle Henry
(I wasn’t soliciting a response, just trying to be a little introspective.
True story: I remember once, when I was doing my SCOTUS summaries gig writing of that year’s cases, -there was an intellectual property case that involved “Barbie” -don’t remember the case caption at all, -maybe Mattel? You’re good at remembering these cases—maybe you remember?..
ANYway, I wrote a good summary, very legalese and all, but then, my impishness got the best of me and my last sentence was something like,” “As to Barbie, she is alive and well and living incognito in Buenos Aires…” or close thereto.
The editors caught it. I thought it was funny, just trying to lighten up the serious text.
N-O-T…….
Lin,
Ah, but therein lies the difference. You and some others display a good sense of humor. Does not have to be related to the topic at hand or could be something else all together (after having typed that sentence, the scene from the movie, Airplane, just went through my head). Whereas the various annony morons humor is generally crude, juvenile or just outright classless.
“Then I will truly apologize . . .”
Please don’t. And please don’t stop.
Your humorous comments and playfulness are often (sorry, not always) a source of much-needed pleasure. And they are very effective at skewering the absurd.
Your barbs are not “silly.” And your levity is not “feeble.” Both are intelligent. Compared to the gutter “humor” that degrades this site, yours elevates it.
@Anonymous
You all sure are amazing at proving other people’s points for them. 🙄🙄
Isn’t the Internet, Shutter Island?
(These Walled Gardens: Bluesky, Facebook, 𝕏, e.g. Blogs & Social Media)
A honeypot setup for Psychiatric; diagnosis, treatment, and conditioning,
with prescriptions of Police State oversight.
Society’s insanity needs a place to go. Free Speech is just a symptom.
It’s darkside entertainment?
But you’ve been told many times before
Messiahs pointed to the door
And no one had the guts to leave the temple!
Jonathan: When Elon Musk bought Twitter he soon turned it into a cesspool of neo-Nazi, anti-semitic and racist hate speech and propaganda. He used X to put out propaganda supporting the neo-Nazi party in Germany’s last election. That is why many left X for Bluesky. Thankfully, there is now an alternative to Musk’s fascist form of “free speech”. So why don’t we move on from your distractive column to more important news.
For starters, we should recall that DJT promised voters last year that he would be the “peace” President: “I will keep you out of WWIII–won’t happen if I am President”. So what happened yesterday? DJT joined Israel in staring a war with Iran. Marco Rubio claims the US was not involved in Israel’s air strikes in Iran. That’s a lie. A senior US intelligence official says the US provided real-time reconnaissance support for Israel before, during and after the attacks. An Israeli official confirmed to the Jerusalem Post what everyone knew: “We presented the American administration with evidence [??] of Iran’s breakthrough toward a nuclear bomb. There was full and complete coordination with the Americans”. So now only 5 months into his second term DJT is at war with Iran! So much for another broken promise by the Trumpster!
Then yesterday Kristi “Barbie” Noem held a news conference in LA attacking the people of the second largest city in the nation, its Mayor and the governor of the state. Noem wants to get rid of not just marginalized immigrants but the elected governments in California. While Noem was going full fascist California’s senior Senator Alex Padilla entered the room and tried to ask Noem some questions. He was immediately attacked by Noem’s fascist goons, dragged from the conference room and in a hallway out side was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. Noem claims Padilla didn’t identify himself and she didn’t know who he was. The video of that confrontation proves Noem was lying. Padilla clearly identified himself before he was attacked.
Fascist dictators often start wars to divert public attention from their domestic agenda of sending the military into the cities to stamp out popular dissent. Tomorrow will be DJT’s birthday and his big military parade. It will also be the occasion of massive “No Kings!” rallies and marches around the country to protest DJT’s fascist regime. DJT says if there are any peaceful protests at his military parade the protesters will be met by “massive force”.
Folks, we are witnessing the face of fascism!
WAH WAH WAH EFF OFF ALREADY
-Rabble
🤣
Anonymous – Your posting is the only thing here that “looks like the of fascism.”
“we are witnessing the face of fascism!”
Or of projection.
Sadly, you are delusional. Your rant is unconvincing; it says more about you than it does the Administration.
Yawn
*. Try Facebook and post pics of your grandchildren and new projects. Maybe some recipes and places to visit of interest.
The only way a Twitter/X clone will ever overtake the original is by offering a better experience while appealing to everyone. Gab, Truth Social, Parler, Mastodon, Threads and BlueSky were doomed from the start because politicized echo chambers aren’t normie friendly and only get more insular as time goes on. These smaller platforms will never be able to compete with the dopamine firehose of engagement that made X/Twitter so addictive in the first place, so even if Cuban hadn’t been chased off of BlueSky by extremist crazies, he (and the other high profile Twitter defectors) were inevitably going to come crawling back for their fix. Right now the only real threat to X/Twitter would be an entirely new kind of platform that would make it look like a relic, much like what Facebook did to Myspace, or Reddit did to Digg. The closest we’ve seen to that is TikTok, which fused the endless algorithmic drip feed of video content like YouTube with the interactivity of X/Twitter and Instagram. The near exclusive youth focus and CCP ties have put a ceiling on TikTok’s normie appeal, so it will likely never be the X/Meta killer it could have been.
*. Bluesky and its patrons have alternate values and principles. No need to list them because those values and principles are apparent. The US will merely morph into just another western hemisphere 3rd world. It’s arrived.
ICE picked up some rapists, murderers, gangsters and others in the LA Barrio action. Most likely the remainder of illegals will continue in place skewing the census for California House representatives skewing the House itself. As Senator Padilla pointed out those who do low skill work must be illegal entries. Apparently, legal entries won’t do low skill work implied.
What do the dems want? A house, food, cool clothes and a cool car and the ability to make people wait in line.
Blueskies patrons are similar to those groups that shelter such as the Amish and orthodox Jewish people. The motives differ, values and principles differ but adherence to their beliefs is similar and insulation is demanded to remain pure. The bluesky group might be soulfully contaminated if exposed to the conservatives’ crimes and sins.
Find a hobby in the 3rd world and do your time. In other news, the Israeli Iran war is stunning.
“*. Bluesky and its patrons have alternate values and principles. No need to list them because those values and principles are apparent.”
kindness, tolerance for different cultures, treating people with respect?
You have a problem with that?
Yeah, it’s a lie.
The post said nothing about disrespecting murderers, rapists and other criminals of different cultures.
Off topic but it needs to be said to all those ignoramuses who rant about American imperialism or Zionism: the biggest beneficiaries of Israel’s attack on Iran are Muslims. The most likely target of Iranian nuclear blackmail is other Muslim states. Tehran has murdered and tortured far more Muslims they have Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians combined. The civil wars in Yemen and Syria are perfect examples. The clandestine war Tehran wages on its internal opposition is another.
Iran wants a bomb, and it does not want peace because without wagging the dog, the Mullahs can’t distract Iranians from the stunning corruption and incompetence of their theocrats.
Thank you, Israel. A lot of Arab capitals are quietly breathing a sigh of relief today.
Diogenes,
I completely agree with your comments.,This is something that had to be done.
I was fortunate enough to travel through Iran before the revolution. As a people, they have an amazing culture. I had numerous Iranian as classmates at university and one of the best mathematics professors I had was Iranian.
I hope this regime falls. I imagine the Iranians would like to see their downfall.
No doubt!
Diogenes – and there is precedent. Israel thwarted Saddam Hussein’s nuclear ambitions in 1981. The world publicly condemned Israel but privately breathed a sigh of relief. That will happen with this strike too.
Yes. Antisemitism, now parading as anti-Zionism, will continue unabated, no matter how much Israel contributes to the world. The label has changed, but the hatred is the same. For many, ‘anti-Zionist’ (Israel) is simply the sanitized term that allows them to deny being antisemitic while indulging in it freely.
Israel also thwarted Bashar Assad’s nuclear ambitions in 2007. That one was not condemned by the world because Israel and Assad had a tacit agreement not to talk about it. Assad did not want to look weak, and Israel is always happier not publicizing its operations if at all possible, so it served both their interests. Regardless, Israel has now been keeping the Middle East nuclear-war-free for 44 years. It’s a great service to all residents of the Middle East, Muslim or otherwise, and to the world.
True!