Having been through the US immigration process (I got my first work visa more than 25 years ago and became a citizen in 2022), it's obvious to me that Americans have *no idea* how weird and tortuous their immigration system is:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/52177745821/

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/06/doge-ball/#n-600

1/

🧵 As a former Republican consultant who left in 2015, I'm often asked why Trump and his minions are willingly destroying science, K12 education, universities, international organizations, public broadcasting, and social welfare institutions.

There are many reasons, but the main ones are psychological rather than ideological. They struggle with abstract thinking and are afraid of the world...

Update update:. Thanks folks who sent money their way this past couple days. One of their friends sent them some cash too and they'll be okay for a few more days. They're also talking to some local organizations to find something more permanent but so far they don't have any solutions.

If there are local folks who are in/can get to the Bellingham area and are able to offer them a place to crash or just even take their dog and some of their stuff in (they wouldn't be able to keep them if they end up in a shelter) please DM me.

---
One of my friends is trying to get some mutual aid for her trans friend in Florida who just became unhoused and doesn't really have a support system there. Please donate and/or share it within your circles if y'all can — https://gofund.me/dd7fa169b

Also, boosts are really appreciated since I have a relatively small circle on fedi 🙏🏼

#MutualAidRequest #mutualaid

The Democratic Party lost in 2024. It did an autopsy.

Then they hid it.

If we can’t be honest about why we lost so badly, why young voters walked away, and why leadership closed ranks, we’re not fixing a party

We’re protecting the corporate donors

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/30/democratic-party-autopsy-report-2024-election

Happy holidays, fediverse!

I got you a megathrust earthquake, soil liquefaction, spine-tingling papers about the way our networks confound knowledge, and a PDF in a pear tree. It's my wrap on a year of trying to make sense of how we make sense of what's happening to us.

https://www.wrecka.ge/landslide-a-ghost-story/

The fundamental project of the Internet is people sharing information with each other.

The fundamental project of AI is to capture and control all of that information.