Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Thomas Long

@rayosunlong.bsky.social

34K followers 1.1K following 6.7K posts

Artist Dude Dad Dog Lover Fascist Foe Threader. Destroyer of Propaganda. Elon’s worst nightmare. Reformer. If it needs to be said… I’ll say it. Happily engaged to @lisaloe.bsky.social

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · Dec 15

Since my followers are growing, I’m reintroducing myself.

My main focus here is on Propaganda, Propaganda Delivery Networks, and Counter Propaganda (how we fight back 👊).

This is my thread of threads, which will remain pinned on my timeline for easy access and reference.

First, a primer:

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · Nov 24

🧵 I think it’s time for a little history lesson… about echo chambers and how they are used to control the people, specifically.

We simply need to look at Hitler’s regime, and in this case… it was as simple as a cheap radio. exhibitions.ushmm.org/propaganda/g...

German Radio: The People’s Receiver - State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The Nazi’s propaganda ministry and the German radio industry heavily promoted the People’s Receiver. Not surprisingly, sales soared, as did radio listenership.

exhibitions.ushmm.org

26 180 560

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 9h

Gosh, I said this four months ago and I’m not a scientist… I just pay attention.

bsky.app/profile/rayo...

1 7 13

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 9h

All they have are threats.

That’s their only currency.

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 10h

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said there will be deeper cuts to the federal workforce the longer the government shutdown goes on, adding to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands who are already furloughed without pay amid the stubborn stalemate in Congress.
https://to.pbs.org/4921nZ9

On 12th day of shutdown, Vance warns new 'painful' cuts ahead

Hundreds of thousands of workers have been furloughed in recent days. In a court filing on Friday, the White House said well over 4,000 employees would soon be fired.

www.pbs.org

1 10

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 10h

Well… you’re watching it in real time… so just stay tuned.

Dr. DaShanne Stokes @dashannestokes.com · 10h

www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles...

How Did Adolf Hitler Happen?

Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. He ruled absolutely until his death by suicide in April 1945.

www.nationalww2museum.org

1 2

Reposted by Thomas Long

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 11h

It's hard to help Americans left behind because so much of US identity is rooted in individualism. The average American conservative holds all three positions at once:

— Virtue signals about supporting US manufacturing
— Against raising the minimum wage
— Buys foreign imports because they're cheap

HardPass4 on Twitter tweets: "I'm willing to pay more for quality products if they are made in America, by Americans, who are paid a decent income." The tweet shows Norman Rockwell's "Freedom of Speech" painting, which is often used to show the tweeter is expressing a brave opinion.

HardPass4 on Twitter tweets: "MINIMUM WAGE JOBS WERE NOT MEANT TO BE A CAREER. Why does no one understand this? Entry level jobs are STEPPING STONES to better jobs. No one wants to work towards that though."

HardPass4 on Twitter tweets: "Buy $5 gloves instead of $50 ones. Trust me." The tweet shows a box of "Gorilla Grip" gloves.

The label on Gorilla Grip gloves show they're made in China.

67 1.1K 5.2K

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 10h

Sally is quite literally only here for the ratio, apparently, because she does it so well, and so often… boldly defending those who have no reasonable defense.

Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 16h

This is really smart. Amazed at the hysteria over the ascendance of a woman entrepreneur who clearly knows how to cover and sell news and who's not afraid to take on a mob. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss

The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.

www.theatlantic.com

1 3

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 10h

If by “winding” you mean “utterly unhinged and insane”, then sure, okay.

www.rawstory.com/trump-univer...

'Corrupting our youth and society': Trump issues winding threat to American universities

President Donald Trump issued a winding threat to American universities on Sunday, saying the institutions are "corrupting our youth and society." "Throughout most of our History, America’s Colleges a...

www.rawstory.com

3 12

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 10h

Amazing to watch what was just recently the world’s most respected newspaper, willingly, gleefully… and purposefully, sliding headlong into irrelevance.

Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 10h

The New York Times knows crime is not “out of control” in major U.S. cities — in fact, crime is way down from past years and decades — but NYT amplifies JD Vance’s lie without a fact check.
It’s journalism malpractice that helps the fascists.

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 10h

I’ve been saying for over a decade that trump decided early on in life that he was comfortable being a “dark figure” in history.

He knew he’d never be famous for his intellect, or his humanity… so he decided to be the bad guy. He did so consciously.

He simply wanted fame… but infamy sufficed.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 11h

Doocy: Does this help get you into heaven?

Trump: I don’t think there’s anything that’s going to get me into heaven. I think I’m not heaven bound.

1 1 6

Reposted by Thomas Long

Clark Kent @clarkfromearthx.bsky.social · 14h

Feeling the weight of the grim headlines? The escalating rhetoric designed to make you look like a demon to justify the boot?

What if the most powerful weapon we have is a refusal to be demons?

What if the answer is a joke?

Oct 18th. No Kings. Get your costumes ready.

#FrogBloc #RadicalOptimism

1 4 16

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

Yes.

Clark Kent @clarkfromearthx.bsky.social · 6d

I've seen worlds succumb to the whisper: "Why bother?" That radical nihilism is a poison. It paves the way for strongmen.

My mission is radical optimism. Not naivety. The stubborn, rigorous work of believing in our better angels, then proving it.

#RadicalOptimism #Humanism

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

78% of farmers voted for trump, but my best friend is a farmer, and I know a lot of farmers who didn’t vote for trump. I’m getting pretty fed up with generalizations. I live in Texas, and literally every day I see people saying something similar about Texans. The fact is, nobody deserves this shit.

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

My little contribution

1 7

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

Agreed. No human is illegal.

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

So… melania and putin are sexting… apparently.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Melania Trump: "President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication."

2 1 5

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

Does @govpritzker.illinois.gov mean anything he says?

amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 1d

Illinois State Police issue a final warning to disperse from in front of the Broadview ICE facility, a full 20 minutes before the protest curfew time.

1 3

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 11h

Finally someone with courage.

CajunBlueAZ ⚜️🇺🇸 🇺🇦 @cajunblue.bsky.social · 13h

🚨🚨🚨WA Governor Bob Ferguson responds to a letter he received from AG Pam Bondi in which she threatened to place him in jail. 🧯He is on fire! 1/2

13 35

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 12h

This administration will be happy to hear this news.

The more family farms go bankrupt, the more land corporate farms can acquire cheap, and the easier it is to create “shortages”, fix prices and gouge consumers.

The agricultural corporations’ campaign donations are about to really pay off.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 15h

Baldwin: Our farmers are facing incredible headwinds. A lot of the fertilizer inputs come from Canada. Those have shot up because of tariffs. About a quarter of all farmers use the ACA for their health care coverage. This president is just contributing to the headwinds that our farmers are facing.

3 16 43

Reposted by Thomas Long

Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 14h

I’m horrified to hear that two people were kidnapped by ICE in Evanston this morning.

There’s a protest at Home Depot shortly. We’ll be delivering water and supplies to protesters — I hope you’ll join us in standing with our community.

210 3.4K 16K

Reposted by Thomas Long

Cat Alyst 🏳️‍⚧️🇨🇦 @catalystmeow.bsky.social · 15h

#USDemocracy #Mexico

🚄 Mexico will get a new train for its Mexico City-Nuevo Laredo railroad.

🌊 Part of the Mexican population was polled about what to call the train, and they voted to name it “Gulf of Mexico”.

Mexico notches 9.1% revenue increase: Thursday's mañanera recapped

Mexico's finance minister reported that the government's tax and non-tax revenue increased 9.1% annually in real terms in the first nine months of 2025 to reach 4.63 trillion pesos (US $251.7 billion)...

mexiconewsdaily.com

2 26 58

Reposted by Thomas Long

Dumb Beezie @dumbbeezie.bsky.social · 13h

Also why I read headlines now: none of you are getting clicks and views from me until you start reporting what you should be. Here are some examples:

He’s Dead At Last

2 4 38

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 15h

I once rented space in my studio to a longtime friend who sculpted stone.

Once he moved in, I found out he listened to Limbaugh all day long.

I did not renew the rental contract and have not spoken to him since.

It’s okay to lose friends and family who choose toxicity.

Breathe fresh air.

Corbyn Travers ✍️ @corbyntravers.bsky.social · 15h

That is horrible; I'm so sorry for both of you.

I grew up in a Rush Limbaugh home. When I was a sophomore in high school, my history class assigned us to keep a daily scrapbook of the War. Before the semester was halfway done I was an antiwar activist.

The break with my parents was permanent.

1 11

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 15h

I think of all the potential “Dystopian AI Hellscape Futures” ever imagined in literature and film, Idiocracy seems the most likely.

Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P @clairezagorski.bsky.social · 1d

A student on TikTok has been documenting her journey with a professor who “wrote” the anatomy textbook and it’s all a bunch of AI hallucinations.

She’s saying that, understandably, the students are doing super poorly!

Behold what we’re teaching the healthcare professionals of tomorrow:

A diagram of the bones and (some) deep muscles of the hand and forearm. AI says that we only have four digits. It’s also identified a tendon as the median nerve, another tendon as the ulnar nerve, among other issues.

An AI generated diagram of the muscles of the neck. It hallucinated the “ennocleidomasid” muscle, and the “anterior scalpalin muscle”.

An AI generated diagram of the muscles of the lateral thigh. It says that the gluteus Maximus (the big juicy butt muscle) is on the anterior side. It also points to the quadriceps muscle and says “attattment”. It also says that the same structure is the tibia AND the deep fascia of the leg.

An AI generated diagram of the bones of the hand and forearm. This time AI says we have 6 digits. It also says that the radius is the ulnar artery. Among other many issues.

2 6

Reposted by Thomas Long

Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 18h

Hey @jaketapper.bsky.social, I'm no expert on cognitive illnesses, but it feels a bit detached from reality for a sitting POTUS to forget that he was in power during an attack on the U.S. Capitol, doesn't it? Do you know anyone in journalism with experience covering dementia-like symptoms?

270 3.6K 12K

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 15h

1. Create chaos.

2. Blame democrats.

3. Grift taxpayer’s money while they’re distracted.

4. Add more chaos, rinse and repeat.

5. Buy a jet, a yacht and a private island and rape children.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18h

BRENNAN: CBS confirmed the Trump administration rescinded the layoffs of CDC scientists. Some were involved with the federal measles response. How does a mistake like this happen?

VANCE: The govt shutdown inevitably leads to some chaos. It happened because of Schumer

B: But this was a WH decision

3 9

Thomas Long @rayosunlong.bsky.social · 15h

It was intentional and they did it exactly the way they intended, just to foster an environment of fear within the department. None of this… in fact, none of anything they do serves any other purpose besides creating chaos, fear and confusion, and grifting money while the media chases the chaos.

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 1d

So now the Administration are saying that the mass firing of CDC scientists, including many responsible for preventing outbreaks, was an “error” and many will be brought back.

Whether by intention or incompetence, dismantling public health will kill people.

1 7