Sam I Am

Conspiracies also block real action, because if the enemy is an unbeatable cabal, then you can stay outraged forever without having to do the slow, boring work of actual reform.

It’s psychologically easier to say “Those are satanic elites” than “A normal man with power and opportunity abused children, and other normal people enabled it.” Conspiracies let people keep their group and themselves pure.

Me at 20: I’ll have it all figured out by the time I’m 40.

Me at 40: wtf do you mean they rearranged the grocery store

this was on Page 424 of the Project 2025 document from The Heritage Foundation, on display for two of your Earth years

Professors in the Epstein Files Begin to Face Consequences Several faculty members who spoke regularly with Epstein have been stripped of their titles or teaching duties.

surprising and heartening to see higher education take some initiative on something.

Computer, Enhance People keep running crime footage through AI thinking they’re helping. They’re not.

Today's newsletter: New piece: after the Guthrie kidnapping, the Kirk assassination, and both Minneapolis shootings, the same thing happened every time. People asked AI to "enhance" blurry footage. AI invented faces.

www.readtpa.com/p/computer-e...

I have a couple friends who claim this is not merely Covid, but the vaccine destroying immune systems. I know it's bonkers, but how do you counter that?

Ammon Bundy is fed up with federal overreach again. This time, it’s about ICE "I think the left has it much more correct than the nationalist right,” Bundy told The Atlantic.

Never thought he and I would agree on anything!

When you get visited by three Puerto Rican ghosts

I beginning to think … that maybe … Trump … has never seen … The Lion King

Weird convo with MAGA friend as always. Told him about the Friday protest here near me has more than doubled in size since December, just to rile him up. He said "bet they'd hate it if pro Palestinian ppl joined in." I said I was sure they're already there. He said he doubted Soros would allow it.

The real reason I'm leaving The Great British Baking Show Trump is threatening bombing the likes of which Tehran has never seen Prue Leith

the Spectator accidentally recycled a subhed from a previous day’s article about Tehran

Every American needs to watch this:

Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.

The Cult Of "Before" Stories: A Mega-Review Of Zachary King's Testimony We review Zachary King's testimony--and explain how it fits into the narrative peddled by the members of the Cult of Before Stories.

Big news from MAGA friend, who was an avowed atheist: He has been introduced to the testimonials of Zachary King and is now 'rethinking everything he ever knew' www.patheos.com/blogs/rollto...

Another one I thought was fake

I swear, I do my due diligence every time I read something ridiculous like this and it always turns out to be true

I wish that were true and it was as easy as dumb people being duped. The sad fact is that this is a smart guy who is falling for a big lie that is being reinforced at all levels in his media bubble.

Had to hunt down this article again. I've had a front row seat to it this year: archive.ph/aYyXK

So, last night MAGA friend told me that there was no point to Holocaust remembrance events as "no one really cares about that anymore." When I stared at him in shocked horror, he said I was "out of touch." The path from alt-right to antisemitic is real, strong, and happening here in Portland, OR.

An A.I. Pioneer Warns the Tech ‘Herd’ Is Marching Into a Dead End

Something I have also wondered about: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/t...

A major newspaper publishing guide to help people identify the munitions their government is using against them is a real "Late Republic America" timepeice that future historians will comment on.

I don't know what happened in MN today but given Noem's track record with honesty...

Back when I was more active in racial justice protests in red parts of rural WA, in the first Trump administration, I saw counterprotestors with handguns and rifles all the time. Brandished in order to make us compliant and afraid. Part of the reason I stopped going out.

Text is king read on, queen

Thinking about this today. MAGA friend has a friend who is asking why libraries don't stock some conspiracy coded self published books. I said it's because we tend not to buy self published works due to quality. He told me that was censorship and we didn't want people to learn about the truth.

One thing about menopause is that my migraines have shifted from a classic style headache with severe pain, light sensitivity and nausea that lasts for about 24 hours to an aura style where I effectively go blind for 20 minutes but have minimal pain, nausea, etc. Not sure this is better.

This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.

He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.

(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)

Who wore it better?

Oof. Relatable.

Anyhow. Just feeling really disillusioned today. Hopeless.