hypebot
and 1 other
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ICE chief admits there’s no reason for immigration agents to be at voting sites
Beardy Star Stuff 🏴🌹🇵🇸
and 2 others
boosted
I'm far from being a website #accessibility expert but I've been learning the past few months and as of a week ago I've got our local rural regional library's website up to a solid result according to the IBM Accessibilty Checker extension for Mozilla. There are still some improvements to be made but we're getting there. The Silktide extension is another excellent tool for checking and learning about website accessibility.
The last time I looked there were no other Missouri library websites even close to passing which is a shame. Very few websites I've checked pass.
Also, look at all the cool stuff my local library does! Use your local library and volunteer if you can. I can think of no other social space as important as a #library in a society that strives for continuing #education, #learning #literacy, #democracy and anything resembling #freedom.
Be a part of yours!
ICE chief admits there’s no reason for immigration agents to be at voting sites
Trending Bot
boosted
Judge says #Hegseth is unlawfully retaliating against Sen. #MarkKelly over ‘illegal orders’ video
A federal judge on Thursday shut down #Defense Secretary #PeteHegseth’s attempts to punish Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over his urging of US service members to refuse illegal orders, ruling that the #Pentagon chief’s actions were unconstitutionally retaliatory.
#law #MilitaryLaw #Trump #dictatorship #RevengePolitics #democracy #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #PoliticalSpeech
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/politics/mark-kelly-pentagon-lawsuit-ruling
Judge says #Hegseth is unlawfully retaliating against Sen. #MarkKelly over ‘illegal orders’ video
A federal judge on Thursday shut down #Defense Secretary #PeteHegseth’s attempts to punish Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over his urging of US service members to refuse illegal orders, ruling that the #Pentagon chief’s actions were unconstitutionally retaliatory.
#law #MilitaryLaw #Trump #dictatorship #RevengePolitics #democracy #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #PoliticalSpeech
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/politics/mark-kelly-pentagon-lawsuit-ruling
I'm far from being a website #accessibility expert but I've been learning the past few months and as of a week ago I've got our local rural regional library's website up to a solid result according to the IBM Accessibilty Checker extension for Mozilla. There are still some improvements to be made but we're getting there. The Silktide extension is another excellent tool for checking and learning about website accessibility.
The last time I looked there were no other Missouri library websites even close to passing which is a shame. Very few websites I've checked pass.
Also, look at all the cool stuff my local library does! Use your local library and volunteer if you can. I can think of no other social space as important as a #library in a society that strives for continuing #education, #learning #literacy, #democracy and anything resembling #freedom.
Be a part of yours!
100% this. But also as it pointed out in the video, the United States is not a #democracy, is not democratic, it is not governed by the people. This is by design, and this has been the case for the entirety of the nation's existence I've mentioned Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States several times recently as I'm reading through it, and I will continue to recommend it. It makes pretty clear, what is also pointed out in this linked essay, the details are there decade after decade after decade. The political process of the United States, the two party system, this is not democracy, it is a fucking sham and always has been. Is a system designed by the wealthy for the wealthy.
"The presidential election in 2024 may be the last free vote taken in the United States. Dictatorships only hold elections with predetermined outcomes or do not hold them at all. Trump is no exception."
hamish campbell
and 1 other
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@tante yes. This is not chicken and egg.
Just as #democracy precipitates #revolution, the systems bounding #technology must allow for #freedom by being open.
And that freedom comes with responsibility.
And that responsibility is something #techbros have shirked by moving goalposts of how much freedom users have while extracting from users. They do this because they can buy influence in a nation where #freespeech is measured in dollars.
The fediverse is an isle of coherence.
Cory Doctorow
boosted
Just read @pluralistic's great article "The Nuremberg Caucus", which lays out a number of ways that our Democratic leadership *could* rise up to the moment of the Trump administration's fascist takeover, if they weren't a bunch of spineless cowards.
I decided to email it to my two state senators as well as my house rep. I recommend everyone else should do the same. Even if they don't go through with the aggressive responses Cory talks about, maybe they'll at least realize that the public wants them to do fucking *something*.
https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/10/miller-in-the-dock/
(Also if you wanna get your 3 congressmen's contact info, go here):
Just read @pluralistic's great article "The Nuremberg Caucus", which lays out a number of ways that our Democratic leadership *could* rise up to the moment of the Trump administration's fascist takeover, if they weren't a bunch of spineless cowards.
I decided to email it to my two state senators as well as my house rep. I recommend everyone else should do the same. Even if they don't go through with the aggressive responses Cory talks about, maybe they'll at least realize that the public wants them to do fucking *something*.
https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/10/miller-in-the-dock/
(Also if you wanna get your 3 congressmen's contact info, go here):
#Media organizations hold #power.
With power comes #duty. That duty is simple: show #reality as accurately as possible. Not only what is comfortable. Not only what feels safe. Also what is uncertain, complex, or uncomfortable.
If a highly powerful political leader repeatedly confuses countries, shows sudden speech disruptions, or displays noticeable physical changes, this is not #gossip. It can be an indicator of #cognitive decline. In medicine, patterns matter more than isolated events. One mistake can be random. Many similar mistakes over time are a signal. #Science works exactly this way: it looks for repeated deviations from normal baselines.
This is where the #moral #responsibility of the media begins. Media do not need to #diagnose. But they should not completely ignore signals that are being seriously discussed by qualified experts. Because omission also shapes public reality. In #psychology, this is known as #normalization through #exposure. If something is ignored often enough, it starts to appear normal.
Pop culture illustrates this clearly. Imagine a sci-fi series where a spaceship crew keeps ignoring warning lights. Every episode they say, “Probably just a sensor glitch.” Eventually the warp core explodes. Not because nobody could see the problem. But because nobody wanted to say it out loud.
Or think about multiplayer games. When one player is clearly lagging, the team adapts strategy. They do not pretend everyone is perfectly synchronized. Recognizing reality is the basis for good decision-making. Politics works the same way. Voters and institutions need an accurate situation assessment.
The concept often described as “sanewashing” reflects a broader social tendency. Humans and institutions prefer stability. The #brain likes predictability. That is why deviations are often downplayed. But science shows that early #warning signs are crucial. In #medicine. In #climate #research. In #engineering safety. And in political #analysis.
A common counterargument is: without a confirmed diagnosis, nothing should be discussed. This sounds careful. But it is only partially scientific. Science often operates with probabilities, not absolute certainty. Evidence-based expert hypotheses are not taboo. They are part of #knowledge formation. The key is #transparency: What is proven? What is #hypothesis? Who says it? Based on which methods?
If media avoid all relevant expert hypotheses out of #fear of being wrong, an #information vacuum forms. That vacuum will be filled by uncontrolled sources. Social media rumors. Extreme narratives. This weakens #trust in professional #journalism.
Honor in journalism does not mean #perfection. Honor means #responsibility. Moral #integrity does not mean zero risk. It means pursuing #truth despite risk. The principle “tell it as it is” remains correct. But “what is” constantly changes. Reality is not a frozen picture. It is closer to a live stream. Showing only old frames is no longer truth.
In pop culture terms: Reality is not a finished movie. It is an open-world game. New events constantly appear. If media only show the starting map, they mislead the players.
Therefore, media institutions should evolve their #tools and standards. They need clear, ethical frameworks for discussing medical or cognitive warning signals in extremely powerful public figures. Not sensationalist. Not #disrespectful. But also not #blind.
Because ultimately, this is not about individual politicians. It is about systems. About #democracy. About informed citizens. Truth is rarely comfortable. But ignoring it does not make it less real.
Moral journalism means this: Do not only report what appears stable. Also report when #stability itself may be in #question. That is where real responsibility begins.
#press #economy #mainstream #health #politics #world #globalization #future #humanity #wisdom #ethics #compass #system #matrix #trump #biden #usa #whitehouse #government #humanrights #law #justice #epstein #epsteinfiles #epsteingate #conspiracy #sanewashing
It's much easier and cheaper than you think to start your own Mastodon server:
- You don't need to be a tech nerd and you don't need any hardware. You can use a "managed hosting" service which does all the hosting and techy stuff for you behind the scenes.
- You don't need to be rich, managed hosting starts from around 5 to 10 euros per month including everything.
I've done a non-technical step-by-step guide to creating your own Mastodon server at:
🌱 https://growyourown.services/making-your-own-mastodon-server-in-10-steps
@homegrown Mastodon is switching to location based hosting.
If people starting hosting from the own dsl, then Mastodon could end up being a civic infrastructure.
Important is how to create a DMZ behind a modem.
Not sure how it works in the U.S. in the E.U. you often get one. And then you can also buy one yourself.
Probably a recommendation combo of router and small server setup could end up creating a civic infrastructure.
Alex Akselrod
boosted
Time to call our reps and keep calling. (thanks to https://www.5calls.org/ )
* Oppose the SAVE vote-stealing act.
* Defund ICE, take away their Slush fund, stop their assaults.
* Impeach Kristi Noem, fire Stephen Miller, shut down ICE, and investigate.
* Fully investigate the figures in the Epstein files and release all funds.
* Stop the politicization of the DOJ - investigate the arrest of Don Lemon
Find your rep: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Senators:
Schiff: 202-224-3841
Padilla: 202-224-3553 (Fresno 559-497-5109 and Sacramento 916-448-2787)
Governor Newsom: 916-445-2841
#politics #democrats #democracy #California #santaclara #USPol #CAPol
Time to call our reps and keep calling. (thanks to https://www.5calls.org/ )
* Oppose the SAVE vote-stealing act.
* Defund ICE, take away their Slush fund, stop their assaults.
* Impeach Kristi Noem, fire Stephen Miller, shut down ICE, and investigate.
* Fully investigate the figures in the Epstein files and release all funds.
* Stop the politicization of the DOJ - investigate the arrest of Don Lemon
Find your rep: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Senators:
Schiff: 202-224-3841
Padilla: 202-224-3553 (Fresno 559-497-5109 and Sacramento 916-448-2787)
Governor Newsom: 916-445-2841
#politics #democrats #democracy #California #santaclara #USPol #CAPol
Anti-graft watchdog Transparency International said the United States had slid to the lowest-ever score on its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index as it warned of worsening corruption in democracies worldwide. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/world/politics/corruption-decline-democracies/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #democracy #corruption #hungary #viktororban #ukraine #volodymyrzelenskyy #us #donaldtrump #denmark #europe #eu
Alex Akselrod
boosted
NEW: Nurses, labor organizers, and survivors of a brutal dictatorship are banding together to apply lessons learned from anti-authoritarian organizing in the Philippines to the present-day United States.
This story is published in partnership with the 19th.
