Geoffrey T. Blackwell

I feel so seen.

Was there actually a time when being a lunatic disqualified you from polite society or are we now just far more aware of "polite" society's inner thoughts and they were always this way?

2nd meeting of White House's "Religious Liberty Commission" is occurring. I reported on problems with 1st meeting: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/when-chris...
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is chair, which shows group is fraud. He doesn't believe in religious liberty: www.youtube.com/shorts/LZhNn...

I am constantly frustrated at the judiciary's and bar's unwillingness to take a stance against AI. Instead we get uncritical hype pitches disguised as seminars and CLEs, and otherwise crickets until it's a problem like this. Then suddenly the judicial claws come out like it's an isolated problem.

Trump Says He Doesn’t ‘Draw Pictures.’ But Many of His Sketches Sold at Auction.

I guess I always assumed he would draw like an uncoordinated five-year-old but it's weird to see proof of it in the goddamn @nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/u...

I'm curious to see what #copaganda CBS replaces the @colbertlateshow.bsky.social with.

What the Senate Republicans are trying to do here is not to just freeze the poor out of the judicial process, which would be egregious on its own, but rather to freeze all but the wealthiest individuals out of the courts.

...There is no meaningful distinction between a rule which would deny the poor the right to defend themselves in a trial court and one which effectively denies the poor an adequate appellate review accorded to all who have money enough to pay the costs in advance."

...Such a law would make the constitutional promise of a fair trial a worthless thing. Notice, the right to be heard, and the right to counsel would under such circumstances be meaningless promises to the poor. ...

Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12 (1956):
"Surely no one would contend that either a State or the Federal Government could constitutionally provide that defendants unable to pay court costs in advance should be denied the right to plead not guilty or to defend themselves in court. ...

This provision in the Senate version of the bill would violate the #FirstAmendment guarantee of access to the courts. At least, if would under any sane judicial interpretation. With the extremist Supreme Court we have now, though? Who's to say?

How to ACTUALLY Deal with Tear Gas Transcript: Hello from California, where things are finally getting spicy. In case you missed it, Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to go help our secret police disappear people off the stree…

With anti-Trump protests ramping up, I’ve seen some misinformation being spread even by people with good intentions. So here’s a quick correction on what the science says about dealing with tear gas 🧪 skepchick.org/2025/06/how-...

We need answers about what happened on Alderaan and assurances from the Empire that it won’t happen again.

‘Walking Tall' actor, known for James Bond roles, dead at 89: ‘A beacon of kindness and generosity’ The Texas native played both a good guy and bad guy in Bond franchise.

Looks like I'll be watching the "Mitchell" episode of #MST3K tonight.

www.al.com/life/2025/05...

I was really pulling for Pizzaballa in the #conclave. He assured me personally that his #pope name would be Strombol I.

If the head of the White House Faith Office can sell supernatural blessings, so can we.

ACT NOW, and we'll throw in magical cures* for ANY NUMBER of ailments!!

Our faith tell us that together, with your $$$, we will stop bed wetting for good 💦 🛏️

*while supplies last

This Court has consistently put the speculative "rights" of religious groups ahead of the civil rights and safety of millions of Americans. More from our Legal Director @gtblackwell.atheists.org

Nina being adorable

She thinks she's soooo cute.

"Stop everything you're doing, but do it in a way that doesn't interfere with the stuff you were doing that people liked."

Tesla Recalls More Than 46,000 Cybertrucks Over Panel Detachment Issue Tesla is recalling more than 46,000 Cybertrucks after regulators warned an exterior panel could detach, potentially raising the risk of a crash.

I'm sure this is fine. Those door panels were probably just impeding the vehicle's efficiency.

finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-r...

I'm so glad we're still being led by a generation that came of age when there was lead in house paint.

Suing the Devil | God Awful Movies Get more from God Awful Movies on Patreon

#GodAwfulMovies 497: “Suing The Devil”
(2011) is ready on @Patreon.

🔊: www.patreon.com/posts/124070...

This week, American Atheists legal director Geoff Blackwell joins us for possibly the least accurate courtroom drama in all of cinematic history.

Having spent part of my childhood in Kansas City, and now being a Philly resident, I should care about the game tonight.

Yet I do not.

In the Heat of the Night - Not So Grand Jury Geoff, Mike, and Derrick talk about In The Heat of the Night (1967), currently streaming on Prime Video.  Among other things, we discuss issues related to the Fourth Amendment and police officers...

The 9th episode of @notsograndjury.bsky.social dropped this morning! This episode we discuss a landmark film: In the Heat of the Night, starring the late, great Sidney Poitier.

"They call me Mr. Tibbs!"

notsograndjury.buzzsprout.com/2413122/epis...

H/T to @thedailyhaley.bsky.social , @doo-dc.bsky.social, Sydney Bryant, and @americanprogress.bsky.social for this fantastic report!

Domestic Deployment of the Military: The Past, Present, and Potential Future Since the founding of the United States, domestic deployment of the military has been a move of last resort; that may be about to change.

"Americans should be deeply concerned about the prospect of troops carrying out missions on U.S. soil, for violence and escalation are likely to follow."
www.americanprogress.org/article/dome...

Congrats to all the Democrats propping up National Prayer Breakfast just to get blasted by Trump as opposing religion & opposing God. Resistance to Trump means one must also detox from #ChristianNationalism like the NPB (amzn.to/4143zef).

Re-upping this and adding the following:

- Marvin Gaye, What's Going On
- The Beatles, Revolution
- David Bowie, "Heroes"

For those playing along at home, this is the President of the United States openly advocating for an ethnic clensing (or a genocide) in a press conference with another head of state.

This is where we're at now... [checks watch] ...15 days in.

www.npr.org/2025/02/04/n...

"I thought they were doing these things the government isn't allowed to do and that was fine, but then I found out they were doing these other things that I don't personally like, so I knew they had to be stopped."
-Kristi Noem