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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck
@tomfodw.bsky.social
4.6K followers 2.2K following 8.1K posts
Historian of 19th & 20th century Russia/Europe (mostly pre-1921); science fiction author & fan; lover of cats, dogs, chocolate, books, movies, television, baseball, soccer, ice hockey, cricket, Hawaii. Follow my Substack! https://thomasbeck.substack.com
thomasbeck.substack.com
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Reposted by Thomas Beck
floridawildchild.bsky.social
Florida Wild Child @floridawildchild.bsky.social · 34m
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 4h
most interesting part of article the bit about coordinating among different national rules of engagement. wish there had been more details.
Reposted by Thomas Beck
alexsaysstuff.bsky.social
Dr Alex Cruikshanks @alexsaysstuff.bsky.social · 4h
He's right, of course, unpopular as that will be with the HDZ establishment.
stevanbozanich.bsky.social
Stevan Bozanich @stevanbozanich.bsky.social · 4h
Saving this one for later

balkaninsight.com/2025/10/15/h...
Historian Ivo Goldstein: ‘Croatia’s Anti-Fascists Were on The Right Side’
The respected author tells BIRN that his latest book – on World War II in Croatia – rejects the thesis that communism and fascism deserve equal condemnation.
balkaninsight.com
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 14h
Dead Dog
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 14h
someone shot her puppy
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 16h
again, what we need is not the unconstrained savage spasmodic rampaging of the right. especially because we really aren’t at all good at it.

we need more focused anger, but not simply more animal rage.
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 16h
the way some people unfortunately seem to see him.
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 16h
years ago, in a Time magazine story about the WaPo, a Post spokesperson said their approach was to print gossip—that is, what people told them—without grading it.

Nothing has changed since then, except now the entire mainstream media follows that lazy approach.
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 16h
is daunting to opponents while being invidiously entertaining to gatekeepers. he has always been propped up by enablers and opportunists scheming to get something out of association with him.
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 16h
Trump is a larger-than-life character with a unique public persona. he has charisma even Reagan did not, based on at least twenty years of bogus imagery. he is more blusterous and belligerent than any previous politician in recent American history. his attack-first -last and -always approach
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 17h
i still get a lot of my news there.
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 17h
i assume you’re not talking about DK.
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 18h
“… naah”
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 18h
hair-splitting is what i do. i’m a creaky, cranky old historian. i can’t help being pedantic and obsessive about classifications and definitions.

but i truly think negative emotions aimed at the people who unquestionably deserve them do not qualify as “hate.” and i think that’s a good thing.
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 18h
Oliver, you’re fucking great at expressing justified rage at injustice, at lies and hypocrisy, at racism and fascism. That is not at all the pure petulant mindless cave-monster HATE that fuels MAGA.
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 18h
some people are excellent at expressing their rage and revulsion. again, that’s not “hate.” It’s justified anger. not sure why people are pushing back against this idea. it’s not any kind of surrender or undue call for moderation to point out that we’re better than our opponents.
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 18h
tell me we’ve ever been as “good” at hating as the Tea Party. Or Jesse Helms. Or the Koch Brothers. I don’t mean justified anger or rage at injustice. I mean HATE, unreasoning, incapable of being reasoned with. We can’t be that monomaniacal, that insensate, that violent. good thing, too.
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 20h
very fine people
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 20h
“One night it happened that he took
A peep at an old picture-book,
Wherein he came across by chance
The picture of a King of France
(A stoutish man) and, down below,
These words: "King Louis So and So,
Nicknamed 'The Handsome!'" There he sat,
And (think of it!) the man was fat!
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 21h
he can pimp his christofascist idolatrous supporters to chime in assuring him that he’s guaranteed heaven. nothing he likes more than pitying worship.
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 21h
influence of all the academics on board here. 😉😛🤣
tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 21h
family money
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 21h
it’s antisemitic to assume people attacking Jews are automatically doing so because the target is Jewish. “defending” Jews tribally or cynically is in its own way antisemitic. we’re tough enough to take the heat when we do something wrong.
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Reposted by Thomas Beck
goldengateblond.bsky.social
shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 22h
whoever did this little bit of magnificence, take a bow
satire: a spirit halloween costume that’s a “violent antifa terrorist” and includes: - inflatable frog suit - cape - pepper spray filter - a thirst for the blood of the innocent - air pump batteries and Molotov cocktails not included
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tomfodw.bsky.social
Thomas Beck @tomfodw.bsky.social · 22h
nothing again for me.”
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