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Michele Somerville she/her

@michelesomerville.bsky.social

1K followers 470 following 1.1K posts

NYC mama, poet, writer, teacher, religion scholar. I’m Indie Theology. Books (poems): Glamourous Life, Black Irish, WISEGAL. Bylines: Harvard Divinity, Religion Dispatches, NYT. https://indietheology.substack.com/https://linktr.ee/mmsnypoet

indietheology.substack.com

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 1d

#NewEvangelization #CatholicChurch #SaintofTheInternet #CanonizationRacket
open.substack.com/pub/indiethe...

Who Was Carlo Acutis, Who Is Selling Him, and Why? Part 5

"He's just like us!" Carlo Swag and the Catholic Child Indoctrination Merch Industry

open.substack.com

Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 8h

Like much of that this regime does, the murders of Venezuelan fishermen and boat passengers seem to be being conducted for the sake of making social media content that demonstrates Trump’s masculine dominance. So one way to describe them is as snuff films.

Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 8h

There is no conceivable argument that these ships, even if we assume they were carrying narcotics, could not be dealt with in some other way. I think we can just drop the caveats and say: This is mass murder.

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 12h

Unless and until some kind of compelling legal and moral argument is presented as to why this is a legitimate use of deadly force, this is just…mass murder.

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The Verge @theverge.com · 11h

Facebook removes ICE-tracking page after US government ‘outreach’

Apple and recently removed the ICEBlock app.

buff.ly

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ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 15h

Anyway, here's @thenation.com profile of Graham Planter.

And yes, it is true to point out that I was politically incorrect to say that the sitting governor is *primary-ing* him. But, in a more true way, fucking bite me, y'all know what I meant.

www.thenation.com/article/poli...

Graham Platner Is the Real Deal

The Maine oyster farmer embodies the populist energy that Americans have been looking for. He’s the best candidate to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins.

www.thenation.com

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Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 21h

If Republicans are going to label you a terrorist for peacefully protesting Trump's failing presidency, abuses of power, and treatment of blue America as an enemy nation, let's turn out in even bigger numbers.

On the pod, @jilldlawrence.bsky.social and me on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2016...

MAGA Rage at “No Kings” Boils Over—and It Quickly Backfires on Trump

As Trump allies smear the coming protests, a good writer on MAGA skewers the absurdity of these attacks on large swaths of Americans—and explains why our best recourse will be to turn out in force.

newrepublic.com

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 20h

This is wonderful news!

Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

Gareth Gore @garethgore.bsky.social · 22h

The paperback edition of my book OPUS goes on sale TODAY

With a new afterword bringing the story up to date, including details of Opus Dei’s links to Project 2025, the human trafficking case against it—and the challenge Pope Leo faces in holding this abusive cult to account

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 20h

3/“The office is the central nervous system for programs that support students with disabilities, not only offering guidance to families but providing monitoring and oversight of states to make sure they're complying with the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).”

Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 20h

2/“…all staff in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), with the exception of a handful of top officials and support staff,
were cut in Friday's RIF. >

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 20h

“‘This is decimating the office responsible for safeguarding the rights of infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities," said one department employee, who, like the others NPR spoke with, requested anonymity for fear of retribution.1/
www.npr.org/2025/10/13/n...

Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education

Multiple sources tell NPR that, as part of the Trump administration's latest reduction-in-force, the U.S. Department of Education has gutted the office that handles special education.

www.npr.org

Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

Emily Drabinski @edrabinski.bsky.social · 1d

LibraryPAC is proud to endorse @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social for mayor of New York City. He understands the role libraries play in civic life and is committed to .05% baseline funding. That would transform our city!

librarypac.nyc/endorsements...

LibraryPAC Endorsements

librarypac.nyc

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Hille Haker @hillehaker.bsky.social · 1d

We must now expect the worst. The cruelty box is open, and the sadism will know no end.
Some of us knew and saw it coming (83% of Black voters cast their vote for Kamala Harris, only 15% for the other guy). It’s too late to complain. We need to get back democracy.
Oct 18: Non-violence is crucial.

Ruth Delgado @heylookitsruth.bsky.social · 1d

A mom in Houston reported her 15-year-old son with autism missing. She spent 6 days terrified, searching for him. The whole time, Houston police knew exactly where he was since they helped ICE place him in a refugee facility.

This is beyond cruel.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Missing teen with autism transferred to refugee facility by HPD

He is currently being held at an Office for Refugee Resettlement facility.

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

ACLU @aclu.org · 1d

The trailblazing transgender rights activist Miss Major has passed away at the age of 78.

Miss Major was a lifelong organizer and participant in the ballroom scene. She took part in the 1969 Stonewall Riots and was injured by the police — but she kept fighting.

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 1d

“As self-appointed truffle pig for rooting out Trump’s enemies, Loomer…doxes and slanders her targets, often with references to cannibalism, oral sex, and other eating-related images that suggest some sort of Hannibal Lecter–ish… pathologies.”
Nice piece !
newrepublic.com/article/2016...

Everybody Around Trump Hates the Unhinged Laura Loomer. Except Trump.

She has zero qualifications, zero experience, zero talent except self-promotion. So how’d she get the national security adviser fired?

newrepublic.com

Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 3d

Should have been Woody Allen.

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Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 2d

He seems to be thinking about the afterlife kind of a lot.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump: "I don't think there's anything that's gonna get me in heaven. I think I'm not maybe heaven bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One. I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to make heaven."

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Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 2d

President Fears the Judgement of Angry God

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Jorie Graham @joriegraham.bsky.social · 1d

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Growing number of US veterans face arrest over Ice raid protests

Veterans are facing federal charges after protesting Ice sweeps and Trump’s national guard deployments. The justice department claims the veterans were violent

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

Massimo Faggioli @massimofaggioli.bsky.social · 1d

I wonder if and when someone like a Karl Barth for our time will emerge in the church in the USA, to confront the believer and the church with a message they resist hearing. To be clear, I do not think it's something the pope from the Vatican can do.

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 1d

That former #Jesuit Marko Rupnik is still a #Catholic priest reveals quite a lot about the institutional Roman #CatholicChurch. I wrote about this predator cleric & his garbage art in 2023
on #IndieTheology
open.substack.com/pub/indiethe...

Dead Eyes Wide Shut : What to do with Rupnik's Art? Destroy it all. It Sucks.

Which is the Rupnik?

open.substack.com

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Han VanderHart @hanvanderhart.bsky.social · 1d

Ah, description, of all the arts the least appreciated.
Well, it's just this and it's just that,
someone will point out.

[…]

And what's more metaphysical than that,
The world in its proper posture, on all fours, drinking the sweet water?

Charles Wright, in a poem for Mark Strand

Homage to What's-His-Name

Ah, description, of all the arts the least appreciated.
Well, it's just this and it's just that,
someone will point out.
Exactly. It's just this and it's just that and nothing other.
From landscape to unsuppressed conjunction, it's only itself.
No missteps, no misreading.
And what's more metaphysical than that,
The world in its proper posture, on all fours, drinking the sweet water:

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 1d

#NewEvangelization #CatholicChurch #SaintofTheInternet #CanonizationRacket
open.substack.com/pub/indiethe...

Who Was Carlo Acutis, Who Is Selling Him, and Why? Part 5

"He's just like us!" Carlo Swag and the Catholic Child Indoctrination Merch Industry

open.substack.com

Reposted by Michele Somerville she/her

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

There is absolutely zero chance that a man who took $50,000 in cash in a paper bag from an FBI agent on camera would have been appointed to any position by any other president.

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Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 1d

2/These efforts are both legit efforts to correct, do the right thing etc. —AND reputation scrub. These priests are
members of the clerical hierarchy that overturned Roe, fought Marriage equality & supported t Rump & Project 2025. #CatholicChurch #ICE #VaticanOptics

Michele Somerville she/her @michelesomerville.bsky.social · 1d

1/ We can hope & pray that detainees have the spiritual & faith support they need & deserve, but must remember the silence of all of the so-called “pro-life” members of the Roman #Catholic hierarchy who threw in w/ the dictator & #USCCB in order to get their “pro-life” POTUS. >

Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 2d

"Hundreds of Catholic priests, nuns and lay people led a march from a Catholic church in Maywood to the ICE detention center in Broadview..."

www.fox32chicago.com/news/faith-l...

Faith leaders blocked from sharing Communion with detainees at Broadview ICE center

A large group of Chicago area Catholics marched to the ICE detention center in Broadview Saturday, hoping to share Communion with detainees.

www.fox32chicago.com

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Haunted Drive-in @haunteddrivein.bsky.social · 2d

Turf war.

Large animatronic figures of characters from Rudolph stand opposite Halloween figures in a home improvement store.

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