Daniel Dvorkin @medigoth@qoto.org

#Reagan took a hard line against #Soviet power. #Trump will surrender to #Russia his first day in office. This is a really bizarre comparison.

I mean okay, it’s a MAGAt, so definitely not sweet, and no child of mine. But you know, poetic license.

Arguing about the #ColdWar with someone who told me I “know nothing about #history.” Oh my sweet summer child …

#Humans change. #Dogs don't. And that's just fine.

#Republicans, of course, will spin this as "#Democrats refuse to cooperate with #Trump's #transition team!" I suppose we could reply that we thought Republicans were against transitioning, but I doubt they'd get it.

Upon careful consideration, I believe it is time for us as a #nation to heal the wounds of our #division and move forward together. Therefore, as a #Democrat, I promise to treat #Trump with exactly the same respect and deference #Republicans showed for #Clinton, #Obama, and #Biden. I invite you to join me in this high-minded effort.

You know what, I never want to hear my fellow members of #GenerationX complaining about #Boomers ever again.

(source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls)

Good morning, and good luck.

I admit, I did not have "public health department endorses mass murder" on my 2024 bingo card. But I guess I should have.

https://apnews.com/article/covid19-vaccine-public-health-idaho-76f1c29bf3f07a2c029175bf6c2180c4

#antivax #vaccine #covid

Some answers just write themselves.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-that-red-headed-human-beings-are-very-rare/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

“Well, I’m going to do it whether the #women like it or not.”

There it is. The entire #Republican Party of 2024 in a … er … nutshell.

#Vaccines work.

#Evolution is real.

#Human activities cause #climate change.

#Chemtrails don't exist.

#HAARP doesn't control the #weather.

People landed on the #Moon.

And FFS, the #Earth is *round*.

... I'm thinking of making t-shirts. Any takers?

All too often, when I finally do learn what happened to them, it's permanent. I know this will only get worse as the years go by.

Okay, #Vance's #internet #history is as embarrassing as everything else about him. But we're rapidly reaching the point where it doesn't matter, and may be there already. *Most* people under a certain age have lives which are thoroughly documented #online, and when they run for office, other voters their age just aren't going to care. Vance is the first #Millennial to run for national office, but he won't be the last. What we old folks think about it will become less relevant with every passing year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/30/jd-vance-venmo-blog-digital-footprint-privacy/

BOOM.

So you're hanging out in your rock, doing the same thing for a couple billion years, and these busybody multicellular organisms come and break your rock open and dump a bunch of fluorescent dye on you just so they can take pictures to show their friends? RUDE!

Seriously, this is nifty.

https://www.popsci.com/environment/oldest-microbe-life/

Today I saw my name in print for the first time in twenty years.

Oh sure, I've been #published in various journals since then. A couple of first-author papers, about a dozen others with my name buried somewhere in the author list.

But I honestly don't recall seeing any of those #journal issues in physical form, even for those which publish paper copies at all. In any case, #academic #writing is such a different kind of writing that it hardly seems like it should go by the same name.

This is a #fiction #anthology. A *book*, with my name (among those) on the cover. To paraphrase Damon Knight, what I point at when I say "writing." I don't quite have words for how that feels. Which I guess is kind of a strange thing for a writer to say.

A #writer. Yeah. That's me. Cool.

In case you were wondering, because of course you were: https://www.amazon.com/SF-Horror-Boundary-Shock-Quarterly/dp/B0DJD9JDLP/

Large portions of this country have gone completely insane. We knew that already, but here's further proof, as if any were needed:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/10/13/federal-officials-nc-temporarily-relocated-amid-report-armed-militia-email-shows

This particular flavor of madness has been metastasizing for almost exactly a decade, since the #Bundy #Ranch standoff. That was the point where the loons found out they could #threaten the #federal #government with armed force and get away with it. And from there to #Malheur to 1/6, we've been treating #domestic #terrorists with suicidal gentleness.

We made the same mistake after #Appomattox, but it was at least understandable. Almost everyone was sick of killing. Now, after a century and a half of seeing the legacy of that misguided mercy, we have no excuse.

If these #militias exist, we should hunt them down like the rabid dogs they are, and deal with them accordingly. Whether they do or not, those calling for their existence are suborning #insurrection: *that* would be an appropriate use for "seditious conspiracy," as opposed to the charges of #treason that should be levied against the 1/6ers.

But we won't. And when the Republic falls, it will be because we refuse to face up to this cancer on the body politic. Unpleasant but survivable treatment now, or slow agonizing death later. Those are our only choices. So far I'm not optimistic about which option we'll take.