Reconstructed exPat

Glad y'all are ok, I had a friend who needed stitches from just an errant throw once.

It takes a messed up person to ride in a beloved parade on a beautiful day and choose to be a dangerous asshole like that to spectators.

An inflatable crawfish in sunglasses stands next to a fake skeleton in a hat on a condo balcony in a red brick building. The railing of the balcony is covered in shiny beads and there are cam lights in gold, purple, and green.

A little spark of Mardi Gras spirit on Damen Ave in Chicago. I can almost hear Nat'lie da Crawfish hollerin "Hey, dawlin'" from the balcony.

The gun industry is exempt from all federal consumer-product safety regulation. Unlike hair dryers, mattresses, and even BB guns, firearms do not need to meet minimum safety standards.

Read more: thetr.ac/oxs8Z

Official government website of the Illinois General Assembly Welcome to the Official government website of the Illinois General Assembly

📣 Witness Slips needed

#HB2454 would make cyclists intended users of roadways. Instead of just permitted. This would hold cities accountable for hazardous conditions that kill an injure cyclists.

ilga.gov/House/hearin...

Happy Thoth Sunday to all who celebrate

My favorite Frederick Douglass quote on a piece of @vargvargas.bsky.social's art.

Yes it’s Valentine’s Day. But it’s also the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass who was born in 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped from slavery & rose to become the most eloquent and forceful voice for the abolition of slavery & for Black voting rights in the U.S.

Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social

Chicago go take a walk in the park right now. Right now!!!

March 2026 Cook County Judicial Election Guide | Injustice Watch Injustice Watch's guide to the March 2026 Cook County judicial primary elections.

📣 Our judicial election guide for the March 2026 primary is here! We spent months researching each candidate’s background, legal experience, political connections, conduct, and more — all so you can make informed decisions about who should be a Cook County judge. buff.ly/O4cRnL6

I know some folks on #NOLAsky / #NOLATwitter remember the night Eris was attacked in the Marigny.

"Statement Calling on State's Attorney to Pursue Charges Against Federal Immigration Agents for Excessive Force We call on the Cook County State's Attorney to pursue all available charges related to the killing of Silverio Villegas González and the use of excessive force by federal immigration agents against unarmed civilians, including the shooting of Marimar Martinez. We also recognize that excessive force has historically been used against the Black community-justice must be applied consistently and anything less weakens the integrity of the very institutions meant to serve our communities. No officer and no agency is above the law. The Trump Administration's immigration enforcement agenda has produced a clear and alarming pattern of violence. Federal agents operating in Cook County and across the country have increasingly relied on aggressive and reckless tactics that endanger lives and violate fundamental civil and human rights. These actions undermine community safety, erode public trust, and threaten the rule of law. 1/2"

"Statement Calling on State's Attorney to Pursue Charges Against Federal Immigration Agents for Excessive Force We support thorough law enforcement investigations wherever federal agents have violated the law. We urge the Cook County State's Attorney to act swiftly, proactively and transparently to ensure accountability and deliver justice for the families and communities who have been harmed. President Toni Preckwinkle Commissioner Tara Stamps Commissioner Jessica Vasquez Commissioner Bill Lowry Commissioner Stanley Moore Commissioner Alma Anaya Commissioner Kevin Morrison Commissioner Frank Aguilar Commissioner Josina Morita Commissioner Maggie Trevor Commissioner Kisha McCaskill 2/2"

Toni Preckwinkle and 10 Cook County Board members call on State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke to pursue "all available charges" against immigration agents in the killing of Silverio Villegas González, the shooting of Marimar Martinez & other uses of excessive force
www.linkedin.com/posts/cook-c...

I'm still in regular contact with friends I've known since elementary school (some of whom are on here and may troll me for this post).

Why is ICE seizing people’s phones and documents? • Minnesota Reformer After the federal agents took the shackles off Gust Johnson’s ankles to release him from detainment, he asked for his phone back. That would be staying at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, th...

A 76-year-old veteran and nurse was tackled and detained at the site of Alex Pretti's killing. Agents told him his phone was evidence in an investigation into him assaulting an officer.

“I didn’t assault an officer. I got assaulted by three officers." minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/w...

It was still light out when I got home from work today. Feels like my brain works better.

i am old enough to remember during the shutdown when the transportation secretary said that airspace closures cause "mass chaos"

Worth noting that El Paso consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the US

That they're able to play it off as a technicality really demonstrates the very small but incredibly important procedural impact of "sanctuary" policies.

This is, essentially, what DHS has been demanding all local police do to become de facto immigration enforcement. It looks like an almost complete reversal of the previous policy.

This appears to be a very big change. IIRC, local authorities previously only contacted ICE during prosecution for a crime (after *arrest*).

Checking status after *detention* could mean "every traffic stop."

Boston is piloting a new type of heat pump that's as easy to install as a window AC The Boston Housing Authority is piloting a new type of window-mounted heat pump that's relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

Meet the window heat pump: A compact unit that's relatively cheap and takes half an hour to install.

While they're not widely available yet, they could prove to be an important climate solution in the future.
@wbur.org #energysky #decarbonization
www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

Millions of dollars & billions of words are spent everyday to convince people that "politics" is a bad word that should be avoided in everyday life, but rarely is there such a clear example of the genre.

Carjackings Have Fallen An Incredible Amount Each December I do a presentation for a group known as the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI).

New this week: I wrote about the incredible drop in carjackings in America over the last 3 years. There were nearly as many carjackings in New Orleans in January 2022 (53) as occurred in all of 2025 (57). It's a trend happening pretty much everywhere with data.
jasher.substack.com/p/carjacking...

a fat possum walking on a wooden fence

saw a possum out the window, that’s a good omen

A lot of folks in "blue" states don't understand that in most "red" states, there is not a lot of functional Democratic Party infrastructure outside a few individual campaigns.

A lot of B’s coworkers in Chicago are all “wait your parade is during the Super Bowl?😱” like I think they feel sad that nobody will come to it ahhahaha

GM: Charisma check.

Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]

GM: that’s a d6 how did you

Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊

Four packzi in a box. Packzi, pronounced "poonch-KEY" is a Polish style pastry that has a filling & frosting.

Thank goodness Chicago social media doesn't have a "No Packzi Until Packzi Day" rule.

so funny to see republicans complaining about this as if they have not been pulling this shit for 15 years.