Eric Badofsky

Portrait of actor James Earl Jones (1931 – 2024), photographed by Lawrence Schiller in Barcelona during 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 stage tour, 1968. Shirtless and shaven bald, Jones is gazing intensely toward camera left, his right arm twisted around the back of his head and both of his hands clasped firmly around his throat. More reading on the 1967 Howard Sackler play, the subsequent film of the same name, and Jones’ indelible role in both: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/looking-back-legacy-great-white-hope-180977089/

#JamesEarlJones (1931 – 2024), photographed by Lawrence Schiller in Barcelona during production of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦, 1968

More on the play, the subsequent film adaptation, and Jones’ indelible role in both (via smithsonianmag.bsky.social, 2021) :

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/look...

Thank you, my friend! 👊🏼

So did Peter Baker. And Jake Tapper. Bottom-feeders, all.

Indeed. Imagine sitting on a mountain of evidence in a child trafficking case of this magnitude, but withholding it from the public in lieu of a big, fat payday. This is not a good human being.

Bukele's dirty secret: He made deals with the worst gangs This has been going on in El Salvador for years — cartels agree to chill for special perks inside and outside prison

Via @geopolwonk.bsky.social:

“A cacophony of right-wing pundits now believe that El Salvador, under Bukele’s dictatorship, is the ‘safest’ country in the hemisphere. Bukele himself certainly wants us to believe it’s because he’s gone to war with the gangs.

“They’re all wrong—and disastrously so.”

Bukele's dirty secret: He made deals with the worst gangs This has been going on in El Salvador for years — cartels agree to chill for special perks inside and outside prison

Indeed. And he’s getting plenty of help from his new BFF in El Salvador.

responsiblestatecraft.org/bukele-trump...

His birthday is right around the corner, and I know the perfect gift.

Deporting Immigrants Will Cost America Trillions – Citizen Of Europe - Citizen Of Europe Mass deportation plans in the U.S. could drain trillions from the economy, gut vital industries, and shrink the tax base — all while creating political and humanitarian crises that echo far beyond Ame...

Via @citizenofeurope.com:

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳: 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 #𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺—𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺? 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

www.citizenofeurope.com/deporting-im...

Black-and-white photo of Leo Fender, the influential American inventor and entrepreneur who founded Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. He is seated in his office workshop, working on one of his electric guitars with a long, precision screwdriver. A portable “Music Man” amplifier can been seen in the background. Fender is best known for revolutionizing the music industry with his innovative electric guitar and amplifier designs, including the iconic Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars, and the Precision Bass. His designs emphasized simplicity, durability, and ease of manufacturing, earning him the nickname "The Henry Ford of Guitars" for his streamlined production methods. Despite his profound impact on the world of music, it's widely noted that Leo Fender himself never learned to play the guitar. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, a rare honor for someone who was not a musician.

This image shows the patent drawing for the “Fender Tremolo Device for Stringed Instruments,” filed by C. L. Fender on August 30, 1954, and granted on April 10, 1956 (U.S. Patent 2,741,146) This patent details the innovative tremolo system, also known as a "whammy bar," which allows guitarists to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. The design featured a floating bridge device that moved with the strings during tremolo operation without friction, and allowed for adjustments to string length, elevation, and lateral position. The handle of the tremolo arm was designed to pivot about an axis substantially perpendicular to the guitar body, allowing for ease of use while playing. This device was a significant advancement in guitar technology, offering greater control over sound and enabling a wider range of musical expression.

On this day in 1909: Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender is born in Anaheim, California (d. 1991)

More reading on the man whose maverick approach to #guitar and amp design changed #music forever: “The Guitar Genius Who Couldn’t Play a Note” (via Tony Bacon, 2019):

guitar.com/features/int...

The Far Right Contagion It’s not a Trump thing. It’s not a politics thing.

@chadbourn.bsky.social writes:

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜.𝘚. 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 […]

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘱...”

YouTube video by phantasm 57 Blazing Saddles 1974 - People Of The Land

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 – 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵…

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 – 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

youtu.be/hYTQ7__NNDI?...

Great show, Dan. Factual, measured, and thought-provoking. I look forward to reading (and hearing) more of your work.

The image captures a moment between American author and activist James Baldwin and American singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Nina Simone. The photograph, taken by Bernard Gotfryd in 1964, shows Baldwin and Simone engaged in friendly conversation. Ms. Simone, on the left, is dressed in a white, button-down round-collared, blouse; Baldwin in a dark sport jacket, white shirt and thin, black necktie.

The image captures a moment between American author and activist James Baldwin and American singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Nina Simone. The photograph, taken by Bernard Gotfryd in 1964, shows Baldwin and Simone smiling joyfully toward the camera. Ms. Simone, on the left, is dressed in a white, button-down round-collared, blouse; Baldwin in a dark sport jacket, white shirt and thin, black necktie.

The image captures a close, personal moment between American author and activist James Baldwin and American singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Nina Simone. The photograph, taken by Bernard Gotfryd in 1964. It shows Baldwin and Simone looking at a document in Baldwin's hands while engaged in conversation. Ms. Simone, on the right, is dressed in a white, button-down round-collared, blouse; Baldwin in a dark sport jacket, white shirt and thin, black necktie.

Singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist #NinaSimone (1933 – 2003) and writer, poet, and playwright #JamesBaldwin (1924 - 1987). Photos by Bernard Gotfryd, 1964

Bittersweet reading from Claudia Roth Pierpont (writing for @newyorker.com) – “A Raised Voice”:

www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...

Biggest organized crime outfit in America.

Cartoon by @pizzacakecomic.bsky.social

Digital Nuremberg. Count me in.

Happily, this “crimson” POS is already on a number of major MAGAt blocklists. He’s not getting a whole lot of traction here on Bluesky.

We're Still Here with Simon and Julie Podcast Episode · The John Fugelsang Podcast · 08/09/2025 · 40m

Essential listening for #indigenous allies everywhere: @juliefrancella.com and @simonmoyasmith.bsky.social join @johnfugelsang.bsky.social for their weekly “We’re Still Here” segment – covering issues, wins and ongoing battles across Indian Country (40 minutes).

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

100% accurate. I hope to hell it’s not too late.

Video shows Department of Justice official urging Jan. 6 rioters to 'kill' cops The Department of Justice hired a former Jan. 6 defendant who was caught on tape urging rioters to "kill" police. The department calls him a "valued member" of the administration.

“𝘒*𝘭𝘭 '𝘦𝘮! 𝘒*𝘭𝘭 '𝘦𝘮!, 𝘒*𝘭𝘭 '𝘦𝘮! 𝘎𝘦𝘵 ‘𝘦𝘮! 𝘎𝘦𝘵 ‘𝘦𝘮!”

– Accused #J6 rioter Jared Wise, urging his fellow insurrectionists to k*ll police officers during the attack

Wise is currently a senior adviser to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

www.npr.org/2025/08/07/n...

Yep. He built his podcast career as an Epstein truther. Now he’s the dog who caught the car.

I’m still waiting for him to apologize to all the men & women of the FBI whom he openly accused of covering up the case back in 2024. I don’t know how anyone in the Bureau could possibly trust him now.

Paul Pressler, a former Southern Baptist leader accused of sexual abuse, dead at 94 One of the most influential evangelical figures of the last half-century, Pressler died about six months after he settled a high-profile lawsuit with a former member of his youth group.

Only the good die young.

“[𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘳’𝘴] 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦… 𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘹 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 1978 𝘵𝘰 2016…”

We Illinoisans are damned lucky to have @govpritzker.illinois.gov at the helm.

Trump is nowhere near cunning enough to plan something this heinous, but his oligarch handlers certainly are.

They need to be stopped by any means available.

Fort Stewart shooting suspect was a hard worker who had been bullied over his stutter, Army soldiers say “He got bullied a lot,” said a soldier who trained with Sgt. Quornelius Radford in 2018. “It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk.”

Sgt. Quornelius Radford, the soldier accused of opening fire at Fort Stewart on Wednesday, reportedly endured relentless #bullying over his stutter almost as soon as he joined the military.

“He got bullied a lot,” said one fellow soldier. “It was very bad, to the point where he could barely talk…”

His birth name is Dean Tanaka – a guy whose 𝘰𝘸𝘯 family members were rounded up and imprisoned in a U.S. concentration camp during WWII—simply for being of Japanese descent.

My grandmother had a word for men of this ilk. She called them “kapos.”

A “steroid-addled nepo-carny.”

I love it.

Junior has spent his entire life seeking approval from the most disgusting man in America. If you keep that fact in mind, nothing else he does should come as a surprise.

He’s talking directly to @edokeefecbs.bsky.social, who never had a problem bullying @karinejean-pierre.bsky.social every, single, day but who now cowers like a mouse at press briefings.

To call it dereliction of duty would be an understatement. It’s flat-out cowardice.

Healing wishes, my friend! 🌱

In a word, no. For all his patriotic puffery, Bongino is a cowering lap dog at heart. I fully expect him to skitter off into history with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.