Eli Friedmann

Eli Friedmann

@eligit.bsky.social

Guitar player/teacher/photographer in Manhattan. Pro Trump and other annoying accounts blocked/muted on sight.

1.7K followers509 following26.5K posts

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

If forced to choose between reading that gigantic block of text and jumping off a cliff I would have to give the matter some serious thought. Sane country would remove this kook from office on general principles.

Hemry, Local Bartender@bartenderhemry.bsky.social

checking in on the president of the united states

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Anyone who doesn’t want a sex change does not have to have one. Very simple concept to understand. And only a fraction of a fraction of a percent of people want a sex change. Harassment of this tiny minority is despicable. A distraction from GOP’s inability to govern.

Xela Hart@xelahart.bsky.social

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social
Raw Story@rawstory.com

With just over a week until Election Day, Republicans are playing defense in states they usually don't have to think about.

bit.lyGOP 'going nuts' as deep red states face 'cataclysmic down-ballot slaughter': analystWith just over a week until Election Day, Republicans are playing defense in states they usually don’t have to think about. One political scientist has a theory about why.“My theory on why the GOP is going nuts over the midterms in deep red states: Nobody normally polls in the solidly red states,” T...
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

One great little idea that audio people developed was to allow you to plug a USB drive into the front of a CD player. So all digital formats can be sent from one player to the amp, saving space. No streaming required.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

My way of holding onto obsolete audio technology was to buy a tiny little tube amp and feed it CDs and 24bit wav files. It sounds great and I just leave it at that. It sounds better to me than any vinyl set up I’ve heard. Less noise, distortion, and clutter. And less toxins as it turns out.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

I fully understand the nostalgia of tangible musical tech. A wall off gassing vinyl isn’t worth it to me. Tubes are fun to look at tho. And they last if you don’t blast at maximum volume. This set has run for 6 years w no problem.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Contrary to popular wisdom, religion is inversely related to morality.

ffrf.org@ffrf.org

New survey: 83% of nonreligious Americans see empathy as a core moral value, compared to just 42% of white evangelicals. If compassion threatens your religious worldview, perhaps the problem isn’t compassion. religionnews.com/2026/10/20/a...

religionnews.comAn ‘empathy gap' divides Americans ahead of the midterms, says PRRI report(RNS) — A survey released Tuesday (Oct. 20) found that Republicans and evangelicals increasingly see empathy as a danger that can lead society away from God. The survey found that more than half of Am...
View full thread
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

If one does the right thing because they are afraid that if they DON'T do the right thing a supernatural entity will punish them, is that actual morality? Or just being afraid of a threat? Acting right out of fear rather than an impulse to do the right thing.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

And as we see in this country, Trump's most loyal supporters are his most religious supporters. They have talked themselves into believing that this rapist psychopath was sent by Jesus to do his bidding here on earth. They truly do believe this, it's not just a pose or joke. Morality? nah.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Contrary to popular wisdom, religion is inversely related to morality.

ffrf.org@ffrf.org

New survey: 83% of nonreligious Americans see empathy as a core moral value, compared to just 42% of white evangelicals. If compassion threatens your religious worldview, perhaps the problem isn’t compassion. religionnews.com/2026/10/20/a...

religionnews.comAn ‘empathy gap' divides Americans ahead of the midterms, says PRRI report(RNS) — A survey released Tuesday (Oct. 20) found that Republicans and evangelicals increasingly see empathy as a danger that can lead society away from God. The survey found that more than half of Am...
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

I'm known plenty of perfectly nice religious people, including some in my own family. But I will never fully respect a morality that must be reinforced by a ghost. A truly moral person will act morally even if there is no threat of hell and no reward of heaven. No need for ghostly bribes or threats.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

He wants 25% approval apparently. 1 war nobody wanted? Not enough. Gonna add another one.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran ... those beautiful ships, they'll pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands, and then we're gonna send Marco Rubio in."

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

In a very noticeable way, Ossoff is on the offensive. He is not afraid to take the first punch in any interaction. This is not the usual Dem attitude. But maybe it should be. It's not about left vs right in the traditional sense. It's about projecting conviction. It inspires confidence and respect.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

New in PN: Strong & right "For decades, an article of faith among party apparatchiks was that if Dems simply published detailed policy platforms & then ran on those policies — or clever bywords like “affordability” or “abundance” — voters would swoon. Wrong. And Dems are finally figuring it out."

publicnotice.coStrong and rightDemocrats are finally attacking with strength.
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

I guess I should have said "deliver the first punch", not "take". Anyway, you get the point. He is on offense, not constantly hedging and apologizing. And there certainly is no shortage of soft targets on the GOP side.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

More reporters should act like Monica. Come on in, the water is warm! Trump is in the low 30s approval wise. He's basically a lame duck.

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News@froomkin.bsky.social

Total respect for NBC's Monica Alba, who asked Trump exactly the question he needs to answer. By refusing to answer, and attacking her, he has effectively told the world that no, sexual abuse allegations do no mean a thing to him. Imagine if she wasn't there. We'd be the poorer for it.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

TBH I'm fine with trump trying to run again. It will throw the GOP into complete chaos. You don't try to stay in office when your popularity is in the low 30s. It won't work.

Mike Walker@newnarrative.bsky.social

Last night Donald Trump told his Iowa rally crowd that he “has the right” to run for president again in 2028. He doesn’t. www.thedailybeast.com/trump-floats...

thedailybeast.comTrump Floats Desperate Bid to Cling On to PowerThe president said he believes he has the right to run for a third term despite the Constitution saying otherwise.
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Trump is vulnerable and reporters should feel free to do this. He's losing control of himself. If you keep picking at him he is going to flip out on camera and it will push his approval even lower.

Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social

Kudos to the reporter here, who does something we almost never see: she interrupts Trump to try to make him and answer the question she asked, not allowing him to bloviate.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

He might actually physically engage with a reporter who is too "impertinent", forgetting that everything is on camera. I admit that could be risky for the reporter in the moment. But the footage would be valuable.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

When trump snaps and calls a reporter a "f**king bitch" and lunges at her the footage will spread like wildfire. Again, this would be a risky move for the reporter. But the footage would be gold.

Eli Friedmann reposted

Dana Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror
@danacorn.bsky.social

Scandalously, Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, wants Dems to run things. They just think it’s nefarious for our side to want any amount of power. Like 2004, when one of the National Review guys wrote a book called like “The Plot To Bring Down A President” about Kerry trying to normally get elected.

Toby Buckle@polphilpod.bsky.social

yup

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Human brains are not like a hard drive with fixed data inside. We modify what we believe as we go along. Memory is constantly being modified to suit whatever we are currently needing. If it is more comfortable to "believe" or "remember" x, then humans will do it.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Elizabeth Holmes is an outlier. Clearly very ambitious and eccentric. Maybe more capable by nature of self delusion and con games than the average human. But the way she has hypnotized herself and others is not as far from the average human as we might like to believe. She's very human.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Climate change is here. And humanity will have to adapt. Because the "prevention" part of this situation is at least partially over. We didn't prevent it. The window is closed. Now we have to mitigate and adapt.

Mike Walker@newnarrative.bsky.social

Heat Waves This Year Killed an Estimated 50,000 in European Cities, a Likely Record www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/c...

nytimes.comHeat Waves Killed an Estimated 50,000 in European Cities, a Likely RecordThis summer’s heat was the continent’s deadliest by far this century, according to new peer-reviewed estimates.
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

And as we desperately try to push down emissions a LOT of severe events are already locked in. So adaptation is key. Managed retreat. Air conditioning. Sea walls. All the things.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

"belief" itself is a slippery concept. If a person wants something to be true badly enough they can absolutely convince themselves that it is true. It's a religious cult mindset. And it's not a fixed point. Maybe one day you "kinda believe" and a month later you "totally believe". It's fluid.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

“Hustlers of the world, there is one mark you cannot beat: the mark inside" The most effective con men (and women) con themselves first and foremost. Elizabeth Holmes does not have a firm grasp of reality. Never did. That made it easier to hypnotize others. Self hypnosis came first.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Yep. Trump is a creature of instinct. And this is his instinct in its purest form.

Schooley@schooley.bsky.social

Trump really can’t resist siding with abusers. It’s just who he is.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

It’s not even about the election anymore. It is about demonstrating that they will immediately circle the wagons around a rapist. That’s what they did for Trump.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "Ramaswamy put up a very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Acton, is a liar, and much worse. The Press is trying to get him to 'take down the Ad.' Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about daughter that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving"

Eli Friedmann reposted

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News
@froomkin.bsky.social

This sick, vile, disqualifying ad, siding with a monster who abandoned her 12-year-old daughter in favor of the boyfriend who raped her, and hasn't seen her daughter in 50 years, accusing Acton of lying about, it is being headlinezed into normalcy. It's NOT normal. Don't do that.

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News@froomkin.bsky.social

Please do not describe it as an "attack ad" in which Acton's "estranged mother" "calls her a liar." It's a "taboo-breaking ad accusing Acton of lying about being raped as as child"

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

People need to exercise agency. There is going to be some level of AI for some tasks. We don't need to let it melt our brains. Just because fentanyl exists doesn't mean we have to inject it. With proper regulation and education we don't have to allow AI to make us non literate. READ A BOOK

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

AOC: "As AI begins to encroach in our society, their goal is to take your cognition away from you. AI's goal is to take your thoughts away from you, your ability to think away from you, so that you become dependent on a machine ... reading books is active resistance"

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Educators will have to do their part. Emphasize blue books and class discussion. No phones in grade school classes. Some basic common sense can go a long way to prevent bad outcomes. Let an AI drive the car, that's fine w me. I ride the subway anyway.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

I didn't realize just how well Le Pen was doing from all of this. France is poised for hard right wing turn. ua.news/en/world/opi...

ua.newsIFOP poll: Le Pen leads all French election scenariosAn IFOP poll found Marine Le Pen leading in all examined French presidential election scenarios, with 34% to 38% support in the first round.
Eli Friedmann @eligit.bsky.social

Re France, via New Yorker: Confirmation that the U.S. does not have a monopoly on chaos and bad outcomes. Troubling stuff.

Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Here we go again:

Bill McCarthy@billmccarthy.bsky.social

NEW: A major Russian propaganda campaign has waded into the US midterms, seeding a fake video that purports to show a former student of James Talarico accusing him of sexual assault. The group spread near-identical disinformation about Tim Walz in 2024. factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

factcheck.afp.comRussian disinformation targets James Talarico with unfounded sexual assault claimA dubious video shared widely on X purports to show a former student of James Talarico accusing the Democratic US Senate candidate of sexual assault. But the man in the likely AI-altered clip does not...
Eli Friedmann
@eligit.bsky.social

Burn down the town hall, far right capitalizes on images of destruction. Only time will tell if Le Pen will succeed in using the chaos to seize power. Needless to say I am skeptical of those "on here" who admire the rioters. Could be some bad outcomes in France from this. Check back in april 2027...