ERTBen's Avatar

ERTBen

@ertben.bsky.social

Figuring out where we go from here. Seeking community and new ways to engage people in progressive ideas. Weather, wildfire, wilderness and front-yard gardening. Midwest-born Californian. Exvangelical.

655 Followers  |  548 Following  |  1,383 Posts  |  Joined: 15.12.2023  |  2.5728

Latest posts by ertben.bsky.social on Bluesky

They found time and resources to give a state dinner for Prince Bonesaw but they can’t post a thank you for the volunteer spotters who save lives every year 🀬

20.11.2025 04:54 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Then let him keep doing that. We need real change in this country, and it won't happen by electing people served best by the existing order.

19.11.2025 23:19 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

abolish ICE is a winning issue

19.11.2025 18:34 β€” πŸ‘ 284    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Hagerstown mother and nail salon owner set for deportation to Vietnam Melissa Tran’s six-month legal battle has highlighted the impacts of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign on longtime residents and their families.

Melissa Tran came here on a Green Card at age 11.

She's since raised 4 kids, started a business, & is a beloved member of the Hagerstown community.

Trump is deporting her, despite a judge saying she poses no threat.

Is she the "worst of the worst"? Do you feel safer yet?

19.11.2025 18:46 β€” πŸ‘ 763    πŸ” 324    πŸ’¬ 35    πŸ“Œ 23

Twitter and chat gpt are down. Bad day for people who suck.

18.11.2025 13:11 β€” πŸ‘ 3094    πŸ” 667    πŸ’¬ 33    πŸ“Œ 18
Preview
a man wearing a jacket that says more ALT: a man wearing a jacket that says more
18.11.2025 22:08 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Ask Bill Clinton how likely he is to succeed with invoking executive privilege to avoid releasing information about this.

18.11.2025 22:07 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Its a real problem. We can either have low quality free data or costly good data. Real legal and policy questions are being answered with the low quality data, and no one is the wiser

18.11.2025 02:52 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
a cartoon girl wearing a yellow hat says octavia lafoon and lightning when they get jumpspace netflix ALT: a cartoon girl wearing a yellow hat says octavia lafoon and lightning when they get jumpspace netflix

Kpop Demon Hunters!

18.11.2025 04:36 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

You do not need to give even a moment's attention to Olivia Nuzzi

17.11.2025 14:53 β€” πŸ‘ 76    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 2

Unlike the various cases made in its columns, the case for not giving money to the NYT only ever grows stronger

18.11.2025 01:06 β€” πŸ‘ 40    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

And also increased funding for city services and amenities.

17.11.2025 23:22 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Sanford grandfather, born in refugee camp, nabbed by ICE after 70 years in U.S. Paul Bojerski never gained official residency, but he checked in regularly with ICE for years. Then in July, at age 79, he was detained and sent to Alligator Alcatraz.

79-year-old Paul Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a WWII German refugee camp. His family legally emigrated to the U.S. when he was 5.

He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.

www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...

17.11.2025 14:18 β€” πŸ‘ 4510    πŸ” 2720    πŸ’¬ 171    πŸ“Œ 423

Pam Bondi firing the DOJ’s top ethics advisor because she wanted to keep a box of cigars gifted to her by Conor McGregor is maybe the perfect example of this administration’s corruption.

If my dadβ€”a retired FBI agentβ€”had accepted a cup of cheap coffee from anybody, he would’ve lost his badge.

17.11.2025 20:56 β€” πŸ‘ 163    πŸ” 37    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 4

Also he had a wife who, after drafting the business plan and managing early operations for Amazon, stepped back from the business to provide free childcare for their kids.

17.11.2025 18:09 β€” πŸ‘ 27    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

More likely he got a private sector offer that pays more.

17.11.2025 18:06 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Billionaire-have-a-basic-grasp-of-the-literary-references-you-make Challenge (Impossible)

17.11.2025 13:20 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Wait this isn’t ChatGPT? That was my first impressio.

17.11.2025 15:22 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Here's the thing. Small steps, that we might even do individually, open the doors to the big things that make a difference.
This administration is lazy. Underresourced. Cowardly. When cities stand up they bend and run away.

We can scare them out of every city and neighborhood in this country.

16.11.2025 22:59 β€” πŸ‘ 104    πŸ” 33    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Why Does Flying Suck so Much? | Robert Reich
Robert Reich Why Does Flying Suck so Much? | Robert Reich

Trump's DOT has officially scrapped a Biden-era rule requiring airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when flight disruptions are caused by airlines.

Flying already sucks β€” and Trump wants to make it suck even more. https://youtu.be/eTzaMXXelew?si=OghvJOMzUq2ZeJrc

16.11.2025 23:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1514    πŸ” 535    πŸ’¬ 75    πŸ“Œ 26

Based on the number of people retweeting this today, the article is serving its purpose of driving traffic. Thank you for screenshotting and not linking.

16.11.2025 15:55 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

People aren’t β€˜lazy’ they have responsibilities. Childcare charges by the hour.

16.11.2025 15:32 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Voting against releasing #Epstein materials is complicity. In any context but #Congress, facilitating the hiding of evidence, would make you an accessory to a crime

16.11.2025 14:44 β€” πŸ‘ 473    πŸ” 108    πŸ’¬ 13    πŸ“Œ 6

So Finland no longer respects non-refoulement?

16.11.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yeah that worked terribly for Dems last time. Let’s not do that again.

16.11.2025 04:33 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
a picture of a leopard and a deer with a quote about leopards eating your face ALT: a picture of a leopard and a deer with a quote about leopards eating your face
15.11.2025 17:41 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Blow for OpenAI in Germany as court rules song lyrics used illegally A German court ruled on Tuesday that OpenAI violated copyright on nine popular songs in a lawsuit that marked another attempt to prevent the free use of artists' content online. The Munich Regional Co...

Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.

Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."

14.11.2025 14:49 β€” πŸ‘ 6848    πŸ” 2520    πŸ’¬ 54    πŸ“Œ 301

This is not even hyperbole. You could buy all 400 homes currently listed on Zillow in Kokomo for the cost of one NYC penthouse. $70m

14.11.2025 18:12 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It will never replace Rax Roast Beef. Don’t forget what they’ve taken from us. Uncle Alligator lives on in our hearts.

14.11.2025 18:09 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@ertben is following 20 prominent accounts