JT Scott

Hey all! Remember, the only way to overcome fascist nonsense is to prepare with your neighbors. Check out this great thread of resources and how-to guides!

Interrupting Criminalization@interruptcrim.bsky.social

While our collective attention is focused on voting, we sometimes don't think about what comes after Election Day....

bostoncircusguild.comCirque of the DeadPrepare for an evening of mesmerizing original circus acts, featuring breathtaking aerials, acrobatics, contortion, and more. This immersive, adults-only Halloween spectacular is designed to thrill an...

Had a great time last night at Boston Circus Guild's annual "Cirque of the Dead" show! Highly recommended, and it's in Somerville's Own Armory! Sold out this weekend, but tickets still available for Oct 31 shows at 5pm and 8:30pm... go buy yours now! www.bostoncircusguild.com/cotd.html

If you like acrobatics, feats of strength, dance and grace, campy humor, or all of the above, this is the show for you. The circus school and the performers are Somerville folks too. Not many cities host this level of skill and creativity!

Yall, just mark NO on 3, 5, and 8. Please. Especially 3. If you have questions about "why", just ask! I'll happily explain my rationale.

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Yes, it is insane to file a DOJ lawsuit asking the court to pre-emptively guarantee a GOP victory. And it will fail. AND they are going to do this AND MORE, grasping for ANY pretext to stay in power and further break the system. All it may take is one Brooks Brothers riot. One flashpoint.

The Once-ler@maledicta.bsky.social

The prayer for relief is insane. They want the court to preemptively announce that it will block the state from certifying the election result, but only if the incumbent Dan Sullivan loses.

@jonathancohn.bsky.social

Yeah, that part. ALSO You know what would make it real easy for potential tenants to identify vacant spaces for their businesses? **A frickin published list of empty commercial spaces as specified and required by the Vacant Properties Ordinance** No concierge needed

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JT Scott reposted

Jonathan Cohn

In a democracy, having many good candidates should be a blessing. Under the top-two “jungle primary” system of Question 3, having many good candidates becomes a curse. Here’s how. This isn’t voter choice. It’s voter suppression. Vote NO on 3.

Interestingly enough, it *wouldn't even require fines* and doesn't cost the city anything in the long run. The inspections required by the VPO are a "service" the city provides, with a fee charged to the property owner to cover the city's costs for each inspection. It is built to be cost neutral!

Tom@badusername2121.bsky.social

@mayorjakewilson.bsky.social have you considered… hiring the staff to enforce the ordinance? Surely the city could use some of the fine revenue to fund ordinance enforcement staff. The QOL costs and fire risks of vacant properties should be enough to justify the cost of issuing fines.

And if an owner doesn't want to pay the city to send an inspector down there regularly, they can always just *rent out the property*. The "all carrot, no stick" approach we have taken for years isn't working. And it is a legacy of times when pols were beholden to land owners.

My favorite bit: "So whether it’s an empty storefront on Broadway in East Somerville, or an empty garage on Washington Street, what, exactly, can the city do?" Maybe enforce the ordinance I wrote and passed back in 2019. When the Biscuit closed. archive.is/UByRf

archive.isarchive.is

Chris Dwan (he/him)@somershade.bsky.social

The Biscuit has been empty for so long that it's news that @mayorjakewilson.bsky.social went and looked in the window.

The entire article is basically a recounting of a decades-long policy of inaction and failure. "We've tried nothing new, and we are all out of ideas!" If anyone from the Globe (or anyone else, really!) wants to have a chat with someone who has a plan of how to fix this, I am easy to find.

mississippifreepress.orgKohen Wiley Shooting ‘Was Justified,’ Mississippi AG SaysThe police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley as he sat in his mother’s lap in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Miss., in June “was justified,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s…

As bad as this lede is, i promise that when you read the linked story you will see how much worse it is than even the headline suggests. I feel like we are deep in pre-2004 Red Sox territory on police accountability: "There's always next year."

Ashton Pittman@ashtonpittman.bsky.social

JUST IN: The police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley as he sat in his mother’s lap in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Miss., in June “was justified,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office said on Monday. Her office will not charge the white officer who shot the child.

I am proud to represent this particular constituency well

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Ted Cruz: "Right now, if you are left-wing transgender witch, you hate Donald Trump"

Charlie Baker was *very* Governor-shaped, for example

tweety fish oh wow like a chimera or something spoooky@sifu.tweety.fish

The key part is: it's REAL. People judge people this way. They do it constantly. It's incredibly important to how they interact with those people. You, me, everybody does this. /

There's no feeling quite like opening day for a new small business. Congratulations and welcome to Union Square, brubarbell.com

(Yes, they are still hosting the Community Fridge!)

450 millimucccis! Def a new record (I'm sure she will make a fine ambassador to Greece)

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux@bretdevereaux.bsky.social

So that's 0.45 Scaramuccis? Is that a record? It feels like a record.

This is important to understand. Domestic gas prices are far more important to Trump than Ukraine, NATO, or the existing international order, because domestic gas prices are a direct threat to him. He will do whatever he can to increase supply (without having to be seen as backing down on Iran)

Olga Patlyuk @olgapatluyk.bsky.social

The US is threatening to block weapons supplies to Ukraine over its attacks on russian oil refineries. This includes the PURL initiative, which allows European countries to purchase American weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot interceptor missiles.1/2

View full thread

Trump's recently announced deal for russian diesel constitutes about 1.5 days of US consumption over 2 years. It will have a trivial impact on the cost of diesel, it is just an optics move domestically. However, it signals internationally that the US is departing from the sanctions regime.

To drop costs without folding on Iran, he will back Russian production and sell out every ally we have in Europe. Not because of kompromat, but because of his fear of personal consequences domestically.

Olga Patlyuk @olgapatluyk.bsky.social

What that means here is that not only will he lift sanctions on Russia, he will pressure Ukraine to stop refinery strikes. And since he does not care about the international order or Ukraine, he will do it by revoking previous commitments, rather than brokering a mutual energy ceasefire.

That's not proof of him being "Putin's Puppet", but at this particular moment it is hard to tell what behavior would be different if he were. This set of threats is directly related to stopping UKR attacks; lifting sanctions is only step 1 and he knows that is not enough to save him.

twincities.comRoss Raihala: Here’s the story of the St. Paul Saints jacket that went viralThe Saints sold 37 of the jackets, designed to look like a thrift store find. Then came the Stump Party.

This is a damn fine story about some damn fine folks wearing a damn fine Jacket

Ross Raihala (Alpha Male) 🌈@rossraihala.bsky.social

I wrote a column about The Jacket. “There are a lot of people wearing it who have been through a thing, you know? Even if they weren’t doing it together, we went through it together.” (gift link)

I'm a sucker for Zelda on brass (8-bit Brass Band from Seattle)

DC Activist Street Band banging out the start of their set, from the Star Wars Imperial March blending into 7 Nation Army. They are not happy about DC being occupied by National Guard. They demand statehood.

The pettiest parts of my heart love these @kevinmkruse.bsky.social threads, but man this one made me take a step back (DJ Qualls catching strays out here and he isn't even standing anywhere CLOSE to Thiel)

Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social

My man looks like DJ Qualls taking human growth hormones

So: as a federal govt are starting to fund the war on Ukraine in exchange for lowering gas prices, shooting civilians in NYC, scheduling a public execution, and preparing to send troops to polling places. I'm putting the phone back down.

actionnetwork.orgPetition to the Cambridge City Council for the Decriminalization of People Engaged in Consensual Adult Sex WorkCambridge is a city that is home to many, and some of our neighbors and loved ones are sex workers. However, because sex work is criminalized in Massachusetts, sex workers in Cambridge live in fear th...

I am ready for some good Lanterns conversation, who's game?

JT Scott reposted

Chris Dwan (he/him)

@somershade.bsky.social

On Monday, the Cambridge city council will consider following Somerville's lead (from 2020) by decriminalizing consensual, adult sex work. I encourage everybody to read the letter linked below and consider adding your name in support. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe...

JT Scott reposted

Angie Nixon

@angieforfl.bsky.social

I don't wanna COUCH my words here: I know JD Vance, his eyeliner, and absent Ashley Moody are used to running away from people when things get tough because they care more about themselves and their billionaire buddies than the people they represent. But this is my home. /1

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

JD Vance on Angie Nixon: "Get the hell out of here. You don't belong in America"

prnewswire.comVotingWorks Makes History as First Open-Source Voting System to Earn Federal Certification/PRNewswire/ -- VotingWorks, a nonpartisan nonprofit maker of voting equipment, announced today that its voting system has been certified to VVSG 2.0, the U.S....

Now this seems like really Cool Stuff

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD@josephhall.org

But here’s the thing I learned: you don’t bet against Ben. Today, VotingWorks has the first US-federally certified open-source voting system: www.prnewswire.com/news-release...

Lemonade stand/citrus divination antics in Lincoln Park today. Lovely! I suspected GWACCAnistas. These are Calvin St, folks, so... maybe?

Kindly get the fuck out of my city and stay out @jonlink.bsky.social and I have been pushing the city to ban these, but...

Super easy, barely an inconvenience No jury in Michigan will convict this nurse (hopefully)

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Pardon the complete nicheposting, but hearing Nathan Fillion give Ambush Bug love in a Lanterns promo interview was just awesome. Ambush Bug was DC's Deadpool before Deadpool existed, and I laugh just imagining what a live action version of that character would do in the DCU.

I am pulling up a virtual lawn chair just to sit here, watch her cook, and then enjoy the HECK out of what eventually comes off her grill

Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social

preview: "Referring to AI development as 'the frontier' is a laughable ploy to get men who’ve never had a creative thought in their life to believe they’re an NPC in a gritty reboot of the Oregon Trail."

nytimes.comRead the document (Gift Article)Sheri H. Mecklenburg resignation letter

The time to resign under protest was before she committed jury tampering. She did that all on her own. This person was FINE with prosecutorial misconduct up until leopards came for her face... very similar to every other cop who gets rung up.

Anna Bower@annabower.bsky.social

Wild stuff. Sheri Mecklenberg, career prosecutor accused of misconduct in Broadview 6 case, resigns from DOJ. The NYT obtained her scathing resignation letter, in which she says the U.S. attorney directed her to bring felony charges over her objection. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

We really need to figure out how to get rid of Qualified Immunity and how to nullify every pardon issued by DJT. There's going to be a lot more of those, and if we don't get accountability here we are fully cooked as a nation.

boston.comSomerville has been trying to fire a police detective since 2018. He's still getting paid.After prosecutors said the detective will never be called to testify in court because of alleged misconduct, he was placed on paid leave.

My favorite* part of all this was his defense: "of COURSE i told a violent dealer where his target was so he could chop dude up with a machete and then covered it up... thats standard cop stuff that everyone else does too! I only got charged b/c the Chief/Mayor doesn't like me, it's retaliation"

Chris Dwan (he/him)@somershade.bsky.social

This is the current state of police accountability in Somerville. www.boston.com/news/local-n...

JT Scott reposted

Chris Dwan (he/him)

@somershade.bsky.social

This is the current state of police accountability in Somerville. www.boston.com/news/local-n...

I remember the slips of paper when i was little. The town drug store wrote down what we took and knew our parents would come pay for it when they could. I remember layaway for everything. I remember my mom switching grocers when one stopped giving credit. No interest. We were all just getting by.

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massdump.ghost.ioMass law enforcement misconduct news, Sept. 14-20Another cop accused of tracking his ex with Flock, former Methuen police chief sentenced for fraud, and more

If you are NOT following @andrewqmr.bsky.social and/or subscribed to his newsletter, I highly recommend it. Excellent reporting. If you've ever wondered how your local cops are, this will answer your question.

Andrew Quemere@andrewqmr.bsky.social

Another cop accused of tracking his ex with Flock, former Methuen police chief sentenced for fraud, and more—here are the media reports of alleged law enforcement misconduct in #Massachusetts that I’ve tracked during the last week.

evanstonnow.comFederal agents detained U.S. citizen Sunday morning - Evanston NowPolice chief says officers responded to a man with injuries to head, neck and teeth on Howard and made contact with agents involved.

I say, once again, ICE must be abolished

Matthew Eadie@mattheweadie.bsky.social

BREAKING: Evanston police confirm a U.S. citizen was briefly detained by federal agents Sunday morning near Howard and Dodge before being released The man was taken to the hospital for injuries to his head, neck and teeth after agents drove off

I don't think it can be overstated how significant of a shift this is, and what the consequences will be. I lived in BFLO back in the Frank Reich era and we had *cigarette smugglers* hiding cartons in car door panels b/c of the cost delta. Imagine what a negative flow on gas means...

Not That Rick Scott 🇨🇦@shadowspar.bsky.social

as someone who lives right on the border, it's wild to see Michigan's gas prices rising higher than those in Ontario. we're almost always much more expensive for tax and structural reasons.

If gas prices go high enough (which ain't much more than parity, depending on proximity to the border), US drivers at the border will go to Canada to fuel up. And the bigger the customer, the farther they'll drive/more they'll invest and also the more they'll want the cost delta to come down.