@meredithackroyd.bsky.social
Poet, Artist, Mother. I write poems for adults and children, primarily in the field of contemporary English-language haiku and related forms, and have an MFA in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. she/her meredithackroyd.com
This is infuriating. Spanberger and VA Dems seem intent to let the basic structures of public universities remain status quo, apparently quickly forgetting the damage that is done when Virginia doesn’t have a Dem trifecta.
All this was a choice. I can’t get over how all of this was a choice. A plurality of American voters saw corruption, bigotry, pandemic, economic crisis, coup attempt, and criminal conviction, then opted for more.
Not only is Trump undermining the First Amendment, he’s bragging about it.
Today in life under competitive authoritarianism
Every day, every week, more textbook stuff:
Possible solution to the Strait of Hormuz?
Literally straight out of the authoritarian playbook.
I would love to have smoke detectors that are not set off by every small insect that crawls through them. This inevitably happens at night while we are sleeping, most likely because bugs and spiders are attracted to the indicator lights.
This is just complete depravity. It’s horrific to see the president of the United States openly delighting in killing people.
bonus Discworld QOTD, from The Shepherd's Crown
"FOR I CAN SEE THE BALANCE AND YOU HAVE LEFT THE WORLD MUCH BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT, AND IF YOU ASK ME, said Death, NOBODY COULD DO ANY BETTER THAN THAT…"
Hegseth should spend a little less time worrying about how he looks in photos and a little more time fixing the fucking disaster he has created in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
Thanks so much for posting this update. I always appreciate your posts, and it’s really helpful to see all of the covid waves graphed over time.
Well, we gotta find something new, friends.
“DHS insists they are targeting criminals. But all I see here are mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers. Some have active green cards. Nevertheless, they are transferred from detention center to detention center. It is human trafficking, by another name.”
Somewhere in Tehran, infants, young children, and the elderly are likely dying from respiratory distress, and we’ll never know their names.
Happy Women’s History Month. Here’s your reminder that women and girls don’t gain freedom from bombs, invasions, or more violence.
Real liberation means safety, autonomy, health care, economic stability, and the power to shape our own futures – not more destruction at the hands of powerful men.
Kristi Noem Reassigned To Scarecrow Role At USDA https://theonion.com/kristi-noem-reassigned-to-scarecrow-role-at-usda/
SCOOP — Body camera footage obtained as a result of my lawsuit against the DC Metropolitan PD confirms DOGE and the Trump administration openly admitted they were entering private property when they raided the building on March 17, 2025. That didn't stop MPD from breaking down the doors.
My report:
"No stupid rules of engagement." — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, March 2, 2026
"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East." — Reuters, March 5, 2026
If you vote for the new $50 billion supplemental appropriations package, you are voting to force us to pay for more of this.
Trump on terrorist attacks in America: “Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die."
Canada is much smaller than the US, but Indonesia's population is like 280+ million people. I think an American culture that is actively anti-immigrant and encourages people to own guns "to protect themselves and their lived ones" relies on, and often encourages, a mass distrust of fellow citizens.
This is our shame, my fellow Americans. And our crime. We're making the lives of millions of everyday people miserable -- for no good reason.
The Constitution makes it clear that only Congress can declare war, but President Trump seems to think that doesn't apply to him.
Tell Congress to stop his unconstitutional war with Iran before more people are killed.
A US submarine sinking a lonely, dinky Iranian surface ship an ocean away from the theater of the main conflict—and 9000
miles from North America—makes it pretty clear the US is fighting a general war, without the declaration required by the Constitution. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
March 3-6, 1865: Federal troops defeated Confederate units in Waynesboro, Virginia, and continued marching east through thick mud. When Union forces arrived in Albemarle County and Charlottesville, Virginia, liberated slaves rejoiced.
The cancellation of a nationwide USDA research project leaves local farms like Bellair in limbo, waiting to learn whether they'll receive the full funding they were promised.
Trump/Hegseth are hell bent on exhausting the last stockpiles of munitions we have left with no real ability to scale up production to meet demand.
Either 2 things happen, deescalation or it escalates to tactical nuclear weapons. I pray to god it's not the latter.
www.reuters.com/investigates...
Important, unsettling point from @gregsargent.bsky.social I want to highlight:
Private companies profit from mass deportations. The arms buildup and concentration camp-like warehouse system makes people money and creates jobs. They’ll lobby to keep it.
Strong case for dismantling, not reforming.