Ruth Zakarin
@ruthz.bsky.social
CEO of the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Knitter, cat lady, grey hair evangelist. Oh, and I box. #COYS. Opinions strong, plentiful, and my own.
Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
Pinned
Ruth Zakarin
@ruthz.bsky.social
· Jun 8
Your daily reminder from me that this administration operates like someone who abuses their partner.
They use hurt and fear to maintain power and control. They cannot tolerate pushback and refuse to take any responsibility for their actions.
And they always blame the victim for their violence.
They use hurt and fear to maintain power and control. They cannot tolerate pushback and refuse to take any responsibility for their actions.
And they always blame the victim for their violence.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
A JANUARY 6 insurrectionist pardoned by Donald Trump, Andrew Paul Johnson, HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR MOLESTING AN 11-YEAR-OLD BOY.
January 6 rioter who was pardoned by Trump arrested for child sexual abuse
Andrew Paul Johnson, 44, faces multiple charges in Florida and has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, authorities say
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:14 AM
A JANUARY 6 insurrectionist pardoned by Donald Trump, Andrew Paul Johnson, HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR MOLESTING AN 11-YEAR-OLD BOY.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
this just flooded my brain with so much dopamine
This They Might Be Giants TONIGHT SHOW performance of "Birdhouse In Your Soul" from 1990 remains firmly lodged in my noggin thanks to the Tonight Show Band's full commitment and Doc Severinsen's incredible trumpeting... It took an already great song and made it transcendent.
December 1, 2025 at 3:44 AM
this just flooded my brain with so much dopamine
My friend took a picture of the two of us speaking at an event and turned it into this. I think this might be the cover of our new super hero comic book?
November 30, 2025 at 10:50 PM
My friend took a picture of the two of us speaking at an event and turned it into this. I think this might be the cover of our new super hero comic book?
Hey all, if you like my bluesky rants I would love you to check out my longer form essays. I write a lot about the injustice that underlies so much of the trauma of the world, and I write to discharge my agitation about it. I invite you to come along for the ride.
open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Dot Connecting | Ruth Zakarin | Substack
Musings on complexity and competing truths, and my forever goal of connecting the dots. Click to read Dot Connecting, by Ruth Zakarin, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.
open.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Hey all, if you like my bluesky rants I would love you to check out my longer form essays. I write a lot about the injustice that underlies so much of the trauma of the world, and I write to discharge my agitation about it. I invite you to come along for the ride.
open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
My brain just blew up.
This guy lecturing a survivor of horrific gun violence on how she is allowed to talk about gun violence while telling her to fuck off is about as abusive as you’re going to get.
And you know who emboldens this kind of abuse?
Trump, the Abuser-in-Chief.
This guy lecturing a survivor of horrific gun violence on how she is allowed to talk about gun violence while telling her to fuck off is about as abusive as you’re going to get.
And you know who emboldens this kind of abuse?
Trump, the Abuser-in-Chief.
MAGA legal world, man…
Gorsuch and Grassley should be so proud.
Gorsuch and Grassley should be so proud.
November 30, 2025 at 9:52 PM
My brain just blew up.
This guy lecturing a survivor of horrific gun violence on how she is allowed to talk about gun violence while telling her to fuck off is about as abusive as you’re going to get.
And you know who emboldens this kind of abuse?
Trump, the Abuser-in-Chief.
This guy lecturing a survivor of horrific gun violence on how she is allowed to talk about gun violence while telling her to fuck off is about as abusive as you’re going to get.
And you know who emboldens this kind of abuse?
Trump, the Abuser-in-Chief.
The murder of a member of the National Guard was horrific.
And so is this.
I want the federal government to care just as much about these victims, and work just as hard to find actual solutions that address actual root causes of gun violence.
That should not be a radical concept.
And so is this.
I want the federal government to care just as much about these victims, and work just as hard to find actual solutions that address actual root causes of gun violence.
That should not be a radical concept.
HORRIFIC: A mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in Stockton, CA last night left 4 dead and 10 injured.
Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones whose lives were instantly changed during what should have been a joyful occasion.
abc7.com/post/several...
Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones whose lives were instantly changed during what should have been a joyful occasion.
abc7.com/post/several...
4 dead, 10 injured in mass shooting at California child's birthday party, officials say
Approximately 14 people were struck and four are dead in a mass shooting at a California child's birthday party, officials said Saturday night.
abc7.com
November 30, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The murder of a member of the National Guard was horrific.
And so is this.
I want the federal government to care just as much about these victims, and work just as hard to find actual solutions that address actual root causes of gun violence.
That should not be a radical concept.
And so is this.
I want the federal government to care just as much about these victims, and work just as hard to find actual solutions that address actual root causes of gun violence.
That should not be a radical concept.
The White House is attacking free speech again, this time by publicly shaming media outlets that call out their violent and shameful policies.
They are also calling out individual reporters. This is chilling.
🧵
They are also calling out individual reporters. This is chilling.
🧵
November 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM
The White House is attacking free speech again, this time by publicly shaming media outlets that call out their violent and shameful policies.
They are also calling out individual reporters. This is chilling.
🧵
They are also calling out individual reporters. This is chilling.
🧵
Okay, I’ll bite.
My oath to America is to do everything I can to stop the gun violence that traumatizes way too many people in this country.
I invite the president to do the same.
My oath to America is to do everything I can to stop the gun violence that traumatizes way too many people in this country.
I invite the president to do the same.
November 30, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Okay, I’ll bite.
My oath to America is to do everything I can to stop the gun violence that traumatizes way too many people in this country.
I invite the president to do the same.
My oath to America is to do everything I can to stop the gun violence that traumatizes way too many people in this country.
I invite the president to do the same.
Capitulation never works. Abusers might feel soothed and appeased in the moment, but they will always wake up the next morning wanting more power. Needing more control. Which is why capitulation to Trump never works.
He is our Abuser-in-Chief.
He is our Abuser-in-Chief.
The White House’s new anti-media website includes denunciations of:
-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor
Fools.
-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor
Fools.
November 30, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Capitulation never works. Abusers might feel soothed and appeased in the moment, but they will always wake up the next morning wanting more power. Needing more control. Which is why capitulation to Trump never works.
He is our Abuser-in-Chief.
He is our Abuser-in-Chief.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
They're not hiding it, folks—straight up neo-Nazi advertising, from the font to the language to the 11 stars for the Confederacy. Then you have the DHS openly using white nationalist language of "remigrate", which means ethnic cleansing.
This is who MAGA is now.
This is who MAGA is now.
November 30, 2025 at 6:43 AM
They're not hiding it, folks—straight up neo-Nazi advertising, from the font to the language to the 11 stars for the Confederacy. Then you have the DHS openly using white nationalist language of "remigrate", which means ethnic cleansing.
This is who MAGA is now.
This is who MAGA is now.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Also, Trump hates powerful women. He hates it when women dare to question him or push back on him in any way. And so do many others in his administration. So they attack those powerful women, specifically to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
November 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Also, Trump hates powerful women. He hates it when women dare to question him or push back on him in any way. And so do many others in his administration. So they attack those powerful women, specifically to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
I keep hollering about their co-opting of language. I keep hollering about their hypocrisy. But this might take the proverbial cake.
Trump entered the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for his Thanksgiving feast to the song “We Are the World,” a song used to raise money to help starving children.
Trump himself has cut aid to address global famine and has fought for the right to cut food stamps from American families.
Trump himself has cut aid to address global famine and has fought for the right to cut food stamps from American families.
November 29, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I keep hollering about their co-opting of language. I keep hollering about their hypocrisy. But this might take the proverbial cake.
Also, Trump hates powerful women. He hates it when women dare to question him or push back on him in any way. And so do many others in his administration. So they attack those powerful women, specifically to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
November 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Also, Trump hates powerful women. He hates it when women dare to question him or push back on him in any way. And so do many others in his administration. So they attack those powerful women, specifically to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Beyond depraved: "Hours after her detainment, court documents obtained by ABC News show that a federal judge ordered the government not to remove the 19-year-old from the U.S. and not to transfer her outside of Massachusetts. But Lopez Belloza was deported to Honduras the next day."
November 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Beyond depraved: "Hours after her detainment, court documents obtained by ABC News show that a federal judge ordered the government not to remove the 19-year-old from the U.S. and not to transfer her outside of Massachusetts. But Lopez Belloza was deported to Honduras the next day."
The man who now has a member of his cabinet giving orders to murder people once said he could shoot someone and get away with it. It’s the same man who called for the execution of five innocent Black teenagers.
We should not be surprised by who Trump is. Because he told us who he was.
We should not be surprised by who Trump is. Because he told us who he was.
November 28, 2025 at 11:26 PM
The man who now has a member of his cabinet giving orders to murder people once said he could shoot someone and get away with it. It’s the same man who called for the execution of five innocent Black teenagers.
We should not be surprised by who Trump is. Because he told us who he was.
We should not be surprised by who Trump is. Because he told us who he was.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Easy. These disillusioned, emotionally unbalanced young white men deserve *even more unrestricted access to guns*. 😳
Example: DeSantis's FL — anyone who can legally own a gun can carry one w/o a permit. No training or background check required to carry concealed guns in public.
🧾 is.gd/pRhsxI
Example: DeSantis's FL — anyone who can legally own a gun can carry one w/o a permit. No training or background check required to carry concealed guns in public.
🧾 is.gd/pRhsxI
November 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Easy. These disillusioned, emotionally unbalanced young white men deserve *even more unrestricted access to guns*. 😳
Example: DeSantis's FL — anyone who can legally own a gun can carry one w/o a permit. No training or background check required to carry concealed guns in public.
🧾 is.gd/pRhsxI
Example: DeSantis's FL — anyone who can legally own a gun can carry one w/o a permit. No training or background check required to carry concealed guns in public.
🧾 is.gd/pRhsxI
A government filled with murderers and abusers is destined to make murderous and abusive policies that cause death and suffering in its populace.
November 28, 2025 at 10:09 PM
A government filled with murderers and abusers is destined to make murderous and abusive policies that cause death and suffering in its populace.
“In Massachusetts, 74 percent of working-age recipients of the SNAP are employed, half of them full-time.”
From today’s Boston Globe, a reminder of what corporate welfare looks like in MA. How sad to see a hospital at the top of that list. Food is healthcare. 1/2
From today’s Boston Globe, a reminder of what corporate welfare looks like in MA. How sad to see a hospital at the top of that list. Food is healthcare. 1/2
November 28, 2025 at 9:08 PM
“In Massachusetts, 74 percent of working-age recipients of the SNAP are employed, half of them full-time.”
From today’s Boston Globe, a reminder of what corporate welfare looks like in MA. How sad to see a hospital at the top of that list. Food is healthcare. 1/2
From today’s Boston Globe, a reminder of what corporate welfare looks like in MA. How sad to see a hospital at the top of that list. Food is healthcare. 1/2
Pete Hegseth is a murderer. We should call it as such, and do so over and over again.
No functioning government should have someone like this in a position where they can hurt anyone else.
No functioning government should have someone like this in a position where they can hurt anyone else.
November 28, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Pete Hegseth is a murderer. We should call it as such, and do so over and over again.
No functioning government should have someone like this in a position where they can hurt anyone else.
No functioning government should have someone like this in a position where they can hurt anyone else.
Their campaign against immigrants is now targeting the communities that first occupied this land, which shows how none of this makes any damn sense. This is shameful. All of it is shameful.
"Miles said her son and uncle were both detained by ICE agents who initially did not accept their tribal IDs before they were eventually let go."
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Their campaign against immigrants is now targeting the communities that first occupied this land, which shows how none of this makes any damn sense. This is shameful. All of it is shameful.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
I am so sad to hear that National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from her wounds.
And while Trump is now singing her praises, his words ring hollow given his administration’s war against women in the military. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
And while Trump is now singing her praises, his words ring hollow given his administration’s war against women in the military. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
November 28, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I am so sad to hear that National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from her wounds.
And while Trump is now singing her praises, his words ring hollow given his administration’s war against women in the military. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
And while Trump is now singing her praises, his words ring hollow given his administration’s war against women in the military. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
I would like them to see a montage of people who speak up when they see a woman being verbally abused. I would like for people to stop wondering why so many young men are so damn angry and nasty to young women when such behavior is modeled every damn day by the President of this country.
November 28, 2025 at 2:20 AM
I would like them to see a montage of people who speak up when they see a woman being verbally abused. I would like for people to stop wondering why so many young men are so damn angry and nasty to young women when such behavior is modeled every damn day by the President of this country.
There will never be a world without Jeffrey Epsteins until more people are willing to call out men who abuse women. Including the President, who models abusive behavior every damn day.
Violence thrives in silence. And silence teaches other men they can abuse with abandon, and without consequence.
Violence thrives in silence. And silence teaches other men they can abuse with abandon, and without consequence.
I can’t believe people in the room don’t push back. It doesn’t matter if he’s the president, part of holding him accountable is standing up to his bullying— especially if he’s doing it right in front of your face
“You’re a stupid person” — Trump lashes out at a reporter who presses him on the fact that the suspected DC shooter was actually thoroughly vetted before he was let in the US from Afghanistan
November 28, 2025 at 2:38 AM
There will never be a world without Jeffrey Epsteins until more people are willing to call out men who abuse women. Including the President, who models abusive behavior every damn day.
Violence thrives in silence. And silence teaches other men they can abuse with abandon, and without consequence.
Violence thrives in silence. And silence teaches other men they can abuse with abandon, and without consequence.
In case you were wondering if Trump would punish all immigrants (of color) for the actions of one immigrant (and I was not wondering) the answer would be yes.
TRUMP: If you look at Somalia, they are taking over Minnesota.
REPORTER: What do the Somalians have to do with this Afghan guy who shot the National Guard members?
TRUMP: Ah, nothing. But Somalians have caused a lot of trouble. They're ripping us off.
REPORTER: What do the Somalians have to do with this Afghan guy who shot the National Guard members?
TRUMP: Ah, nothing. But Somalians have caused a lot of trouble. They're ripping us off.
November 28, 2025 at 2:12 AM
In case you were wondering if Trump would punish all immigrants (of color) for the actions of one immigrant (and I was not wondering) the answer would be yes.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
@drjackbrown.bsky.social not only will they punish all Afghan people, they will punish ALL immigrants. This is exactly what they’ve been waiting for to justify their kidnapping and terrorizing people. Sickening.
November 28, 2025 at 2:09 AM
@drjackbrown.bsky.social not only will they punish all Afghan people, they will punish ALL immigrants. This is exactly what they’ve been waiting for to justify their kidnapping and terrorizing people. Sickening.