Suburban Contrarian

Two things: 1.) It is unconscionable not to help stranded Americans get home. 2.) Nothing and no one is perfect, but in a time when so much of what I hear about government is concerning, crazy, or both, I really appreciate my governor and some other IL elected officials.

Only the weakest of people believe love is the weakest of weapons.

Photo of the four books listed in post side-by-side on a dark blue woven rug.

#BannedBookSkyClub schedule:

March 2026: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
April 2026: The Martian by Andy Weir
May 2026: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
June 2026: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Link to feed in replies. #BookSky

Please join us. Reposts appreciated.

Coffeehouse, Southwest Gardens, St. Louis, Missouri

#iphonephotography #mobilephotography #photographersofbluesky #photographersunited #b&w #blackandwhitephotography #monochrome #streetphotography #urbanphotography #nightphotography #stl #stlouis #SouthwestGardens

How come “How are you going to pay for it?” is never asked about endless war?

doing the parachute activity again like in kindergarten would fix me

Trump is being urged to declare a national emergency over U.S. elections and here’s what that plan is said to involve. The proposed executive order would assert federal control over election administration by citing claims that China interfered in the 2020 election, allegations that

A black and white cat sleeps on a fleece blanket on a couch. The cat's face is buried in the blanket.

Please, no photos.

#Caturday
#CatsOfBluesky

I'm begging my fellow politicians, Illinoisans, and Americans to realize that right now, we aren't fighting over policy or political party.

We're fighting over whether we're going to be a country rooted in empathy and kindness — or one rooted in cruelty and rage.

I'm funding a launching a new cat show in which I'm the judge. I hug each cat, tell the owner their cat is perfect, and then we all hang out and talk about our cats.

They won't start with banning birth control. First they'll lie about it. Then dictate who can prescribe it, use it, fund it, in what forms, and for how long. Suddenly, your doctor won't call you back. I know this is what they'll do because it's what they're doing to transgender healthcare right now.

The UK arresting Andrew.

South Korea tossing their wannabe dictator in jail for life.

John Roberts better be getting a really nice Edible Arrangement from the White House.

The ID you can buy a gun with,
board a plane with 400 people onboard with,
and get a commercial driver’s license with
is not sufficient to register to vote under the SAVE Amercia Act.

Make the files into trials

#Paramus #NJ
Make the files into trials
#VisibilityBrigade

Check out this beautiful picture. It makes me nostalgic for my commuting by Metra days.

The SAVE act also forces states to submit their voter registration lists to the DHS! I know we’ve been focused on voter ID but that’s only the tip of the iceberg !

When Pam Bondi was Florida's Attorney General, and was busy ignoring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, much like now, she took a $25,000 bribe from Donald Trump to drop her investigation into consumer fraud at Trump University.

Donald knew she'd be a corrupt US AG and do as she was told.

ICE After Minneapolis Trump’s team wants a reset on its mass-deportation goals, not a retreat.

Activists in Minneapolis say they’ve seen little change, and the city still feels besieged.

Several (officials) said they expect ICE operations to continue aggressively, but with less of the publicity and propaganda that DHS has indulged in for months.
🙄

www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

The Women Holding Minneapolis Together In Minnesota, a community is coming together to push back against ICE and support their neighbors. It should surprise no one that much of this work is being led by women. Glamour reports from the fron...

www.glamour.com/story/the-wo...
The Women Holding Minneapolis Together

Using genAI for art involved in the Olympics is ironic, because we've had technology "faster, higher, stronger" than humans for a long time. You can easily 'prompt' a machine to move faster than Usain Bolt, but we choose to value human excellence. Extend that to creativity.

you can actually just make chicken soup in like fifteen minutes. you don't need to spend ages doing all that faff, you can basically just cook it all together in a pot and it tastes pretty good

big chicken soup will never let you learn this

A black and white cat is curled up, holding his tail like a stuffed animal. He is sleeping on a fleece blanket.

He's purring in his sleep.

#Caturday
#CatsOfBluesky

Mainstream outlets are now confirming that the FBI has called state election officials into an unusual midterm briefing.

The clearest sign that a democracy has died is that a leader and his party make it impossible for their opponents to win an election & hold power. Once that stage is reached, however, the change is extremely difficult to reverse. We are hurdling towards autocracy. Your speech matters more than ever.

I'm relatively certain the CVS pharmacy automated call system was designed by people who have never used a pharmacy or an automated call system.

I hope lawyers, secretaries of state, and state attorneys general are preparing for what’s coming.

Photo of book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

#BannedBookSkyClub announcement!

The May 2026 book will be One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

Discussion begin date TBA. Please join us! Spread the news! Link to feed in replies.

#100YearsOfSolitude #BookSky

POWERFUL: With snow falling in freezing weather in Chicago last night, the massive anti-ICE/Border Patrol rally wrapped up in front of City Hall as the energized crowd chanted, "I believe that we will win!"

Solid advice.

Be sure to check with your local library to see what they have. I work at an academic library that is open to the public. We have areas for library users that may need a sensory break with relaxed seating, fidget toys, & calming visual items. It's our job to make libraries accessible for everyone.