Joel Curzon
@joelmcurzon.bsky.social
Author of book on the Everglades; environmentalist; serpent lover; hard-hearted empiricist; atheist with a religious past. Physics B.S., Harvard J.D.
San Diego & Tucson
San Diego & Tucson
Pinned
Joel Curzon
@joelmcurzon.bsky.social
· Oct 30
“No Person shall . . .hold any office ... under the United States . . . who, having previously taken an oath ... to support the Constitution . . . shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion...”
U.S. Constitution, Amendment XIV, § 3:
The Supreme Court ignored it; voters shouldn’t.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment XIV, § 3:
The Supreme Court ignored it; voters shouldn’t.
“The Sierra Club Embraced
Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.”
Yup. The Sierra Club officially sucks now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.”
Yup. The Sierra Club officially sucks now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:59 PM
“The Sierra Club Embraced
Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.”
Yup. The Sierra Club officially sucks now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.”
Yup. The Sierra Club officially sucks now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Reposted by Joel Curzon
The Executive is laying taxes without the consent of Congress.
The Executive is spending money without the consent of Congress.
Other than that, everything is totes normal.
The Executive is spending money without the consent of Congress.
Other than that, everything is totes normal.
October 13, 2025 at 12:25 PM
The Executive is laying taxes without the consent of Congress.
The Executive is spending money without the consent of Congress.
Other than that, everything is totes normal.
The Executive is spending money without the consent of Congress.
Other than that, everything is totes normal.
If the Democratic Party were a functional, reasonable party, Trump never could have won. It’s not sufficient to say, “The voters are just bad.” A country doesn’t elect a demagogue like Trump without major preexisting dysfunction, and the Democratic Party is part of the problem.
October 17, 2025 at 3:36 AM
If the Democratic Party were a functional, reasonable party, Trump never could have won. It’s not sufficient to say, “The voters are just bad.” A country doesn’t elect a demagogue like Trump without major preexisting dysfunction, and the Democratic Party is part of the problem.
Reposted by Joel Curzon
One of the most important stories of this fire season -- how USFS repeatedly dragged it's feet every step of the way to prevent prescribed burning in the Teakettle Forest, which as a result burned to a crisp in the Garnet fire. An avoidable tragedy. 🌎 fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...
Did Forest Service negligence make the Garnet Fire worse?
Years of inaction by the US Forest Service station near Fresno put one of the agency’s last stands of old growth forests in California on the brink of
fresnoland.org
October 15, 2025 at 7:34 PM
One of the most important stories of this fire season -- how USFS repeatedly dragged it's feet every step of the way to prevent prescribed burning in the Teakettle Forest, which as a result burned to a crisp in the Garnet fire. An avoidable tragedy. 🌎 fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...
Reposted by Joel Curzon
Shout out to @motherjones.com for republishing this and adding the alt title.
Trump Team’s Plans to Exploit Public Lands Follow the Blueprint of Reagan’s Interior Secretary. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump Team’s Plans to Exploit Public Lands Follow the Blueprint of Reagan’s Interior Secretary. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The Trump Team's plans to exploit public lands follow the blueprint of Reagan's Interior secretary
James Watt led a similar effort to privatize natural resources for mining, energy development, logging, and sprawl.
www.motherjones.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Shout out to @motherjones.com for republishing this and adding the alt title.
Trump Team’s Plans to Exploit Public Lands Follow the Blueprint of Reagan’s Interior Secretary. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump Team’s Plans to Exploit Public Lands Follow the Blueprint of Reagan’s Interior Secretary. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
“The earth has a skin; and this skin has diseases. One of these diseases, for example, is called ‘man.’”
— Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
— Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
October 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
“The earth has a skin; and this skin has diseases. One of these diseases, for example, is called ‘man.’”
— Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
— Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
I see that the trans cult still dominates this platform. One reason I spend little time here. Get a grip.
October 16, 2025 at 4:25 PM
I see that the trans cult still dominates this platform. One reason I spend little time here. Get a grip.
Reposted by Joel Curzon
Congrats to the folks who say that AI is just a tool.
I am being asked to tell my department which pieces of lab equipment should be supported with backup power because they expect rolling blackouts and brownouts in 2026 due to increased energy demands from AI. In case you're wondering how my day is going.
October 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Congrats to the folks who say that AI is just a tool.
Reposted by Joel Curzon
Forests collapsing, bats dying, apes infected—the planet is running a fever.
Habitat loss and climate change are creating a perfect storm of pathogens.
Like COVID, humanity will treat it as fiction until it becomes the headline.
www.thecanary.co/global/world...
Habitat loss and climate change are creating a perfect storm of pathogens.
Like COVID, humanity will treat it as fiction until it becomes the headline.
www.thecanary.co/global/world...
Disease is catastrophically reshaping the planet's most protected landscapes
A new report from the IUCN warns that the next great biodiversity crisis may already be underway, as wildlife diseases spread quickly
www.thecanary.co
October 16, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Forests collapsing, bats dying, apes infected—the planet is running a fever.
Habitat loss and climate change are creating a perfect storm of pathogens.
Like COVID, humanity will treat it as fiction until it becomes the headline.
www.thecanary.co/global/world...
Habitat loss and climate change are creating a perfect storm of pathogens.
Like COVID, humanity will treat it as fiction until it becomes the headline.
www.thecanary.co/global/world...
“Jesus in the gospels is neither pure historiography nor pure mythography. Even if the Christ of the gospels is pure myth, Jesus may still have existed — or at least his existence is the most plausible hypothesis to explain the gospels as literary products.”
—M. David Litwa
🧵
1/n
—M. David Litwa
🧵
1/n
October 16, 2025 at 2:08 AM
“Jesus in the gospels is neither pure historiography nor pure mythography. Even if the Christ of the gospels is pure myth, Jesus may still have existed — or at least his existence is the most plausible hypothesis to explain the gospels as literary products.”
—M. David Litwa
🧵
1/n
—M. David Litwa
🧵
1/n
“[Jesus was] a fool, a madman, a wretched fanatic, and a miserable scoundrel.”
—Jean Meslier, an active Catholic priest, died 1729.
*************
(Meslier left this in a written manifesto, notarized, directed to his parishioners and the public, to be released upon his death.)
—Jean Meslier, an active Catholic priest, died 1729.
*************
(Meslier left this in a written manifesto, notarized, directed to his parishioners and the public, to be released upon his death.)
October 15, 2025 at 4:27 AM
“[Jesus was] a fool, a madman, a wretched fanatic, and a miserable scoundrel.”
—Jean Meslier, an active Catholic priest, died 1729.
*************
(Meslier left this in a written manifesto, notarized, directed to his parishioners and the public, to be released upon his death.)
—Jean Meslier, an active Catholic priest, died 1729.
*************
(Meslier left this in a written manifesto, notarized, directed to his parishioners and the public, to be released upon his death.)
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t a contest between perfect good and metaphysical evil: it is a contest between deeply flawed (Israel) and utterly unacceptable (Palestinian culture). That isn’t a difficult choice for me.
October 8, 2025 at 12:55 AM
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t a contest between perfect good and metaphysical evil: it is a contest between deeply flawed (Israel) and utterly unacceptable (Palestinian culture). That isn’t a difficult choice for me.
What are the children of Gaza taught to believe? They are taught to believe this:
⬇️
⬇️
October 8, 2025 at 12:52 AM
What are the children of Gaza taught to believe? They are taught to believe this:
⬇️
⬇️
It’s October 7th, and I want to say for the record that when it come to the conflict between Israel and Gaza, I am firmly on the side of Israel. As a rule of thumb, I’ll never side with Islamists. I don’t have to overlook Israel’s faults to make this choice.
October 8, 2025 at 12:52 AM
It’s October 7th, and I want to say for the record that when it come to the conflict between Israel and Gaza, I am firmly on the side of Israel. As a rule of thumb, I’ll never side with Islamists. I don’t have to overlook Israel’s faults to make this choice.
“Theology . . . induces a dogmatic belief that we have knowledge where in fact we have ignorance and by doing so generates a kind of impertinent insolence towards the universe.”
— Bertrand Russell, “A History of Western Philosophy”
— Bertrand Russell, “A History of Western Philosophy”
October 1, 2025 at 6:10 AM
“Theology . . . induces a dogmatic belief that we have knowledge where in fact we have ignorance and by doing so generates a kind of impertinent insolence towards the universe.”
— Bertrand Russell, “A History of Western Philosophy”
— Bertrand Russell, “A History of Western Philosophy”
Reposted by Joel Curzon
We’re keeping the gates open while the foundations crumble. National parks look “normal,” but ecosystems, science, stewardship & staff are being gutted. It’s the same story everywhere: we sacrifice both nature and our health for profit.
apple.news/AlHfxyGInRKu...
apple.news/AlHfxyGInRKu...
Trump Is Setting the National Parks Up to Fail — The Atlantic
Workers say the real crisis is happening behind the scenes.
apple.news
September 28, 2025 at 11:13 PM
We’re keeping the gates open while the foundations crumble. National parks look “normal,” but ecosystems, science, stewardship & staff are being gutted. It’s the same story everywhere: we sacrifice both nature and our health for profit.
apple.news/AlHfxyGInRKu...
apple.news/AlHfxyGInRKu...
Reposted by Joel Curzon
As you say Lyle, >95% of western larch forests have been lost, and nobody around now has much of an idea what they were like before logging. But we know the species is very long lived, at least up to 1,000 yrs old and growing over 9' diameter. Just a few exemplars of their real potential remain.
September 28, 2025 at 11:31 PM
As you say Lyle, >95% of western larch forests have been lost, and nobody around now has much of an idea what they were like before logging. But we know the species is very long lived, at least up to 1,000 yrs old and growing over 9' diameter. Just a few exemplars of their real potential remain.
Reposted by Joel Curzon
Old-growth western larch (tamarack) is among the rarest forests in North America.
Once scattered across Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and into BC, nearly all were logged for their durable wood. What remains are scattered relics.
Once scattered across Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and into BC, nearly all were logged for their durable wood. What remains are scattered relics.
September 28, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Old-growth western larch (tamarack) is among the rarest forests in North America.
Once scattered across Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and into BC, nearly all were logged for their durable wood. What remains are scattered relics.
Once scattered across Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and into BC, nearly all were logged for their durable wood. What remains are scattered relics.
Reposted by Joel Curzon
horrible
BREAKING: Multiple people have been shot at a Mormon church in Michigan and the shooter is down, police say.
Multiple people shot at Mormon church in Michigan and shooter is down, police say
Police say multiple people have been shot at a Mormon church in Michigan and the shooter is down. Local police said in a social media post that the shooting occurred at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, about 50 miles north of Detroit.
bit.ly
September 28, 2025 at 3:48 PM
horrible
Who sees how bad this polling question is? Raise your hand if you understand the problem.
This is from Gallup. Widely quoted, highly respected, worse than useless.
🧵
1/n
This is from Gallup. Widely quoted, highly respected, worse than useless.
🧵
1/n
September 28, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Who sees how bad this polling question is? Raise your hand if you understand the problem.
This is from Gallup. Widely quoted, highly respected, worse than useless.
🧵
1/n
This is from Gallup. Widely quoted, highly respected, worse than useless.
🧵
1/n
As between Coates and Klein, I’ll take “neither.” Thanks.
September 28, 2025 at 6:32 PM
As between Coates and Klein, I’ll take “neither.” Thanks.
Reposted by Joel Curzon
Reposted by Joel Curzon
“‘[N]obody would have the balls’ to write The Satanic Verses today. More precisely, nobody would publish it, because sensitivity readers would notice the theological delicacy of the book’s title and plot. The ayatollahs have trained them well . . .”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Salman Rushdie and the Cult of Offense
This is what happens when you debase free expression in the name of free expression.
www.theatlantic.com
April 5, 2025 at 3:13 AM
“‘[N]obody would have the balls’ to write The Satanic Verses today. More precisely, nobody would publish it, because sensitivity readers would notice the theological delicacy of the book’s title and plot. The ayatollahs have trained them well . . .”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Joel Curzon
I do get bored quickly with discussions that amount to, “Where’s my stuff, and why does it cost so much?”
There’s a bigger picture:
There’s a bigger picture:
April 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I do get bored quickly with discussions that amount to, “Where’s my stuff, and why does it cost so much?”
There’s a bigger picture:
There’s a bigger picture:
Reposted by Joel Curzon
One of the only groups to benefit from Trump's international aid cuts: wildlife traffickers.
Chinese triads and Mexican cartels exploit US cuts to wildlife aid
Gangs involved in trading endangered species are ‘loving’ the closure of conservation programmes
on.ft.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:51 AM
One of the only groups to benefit from Trump's international aid cuts: wildlife traffickers.