Charles Rathmann
@charlesrathmann.bsky.social
Construction and enterprise technogy wonk, fisherman, guitarist and family guy in the #Driftless region of #Wisconsin.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
The values that once served as a unifying expression of civic behavior often become a means of dividing “real Americans” from everyone else, masking personal grievance under the banner of national pride. lnk.thebulwark.com/3XZz9aF
The Danger of Patriotism Detached From American Ideals
And how Ronald Reagan’s notion of ‘informed patriotism’ offers a path out of our political dysfunction.
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:30 PM
The values that once served as a unifying expression of civic behavior often become a means of dividing “real Americans” from everyone else, masking personal grievance under the banner of national pride. lnk.thebulwark.com/3XZz9aF
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Capitulation will never save you: “When finally you surrender to us, it must be of your own free will. We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us: so long as he resists us we never destroy him. We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him.” (1984)
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 3:06 PM
Capitulation will never save you: “When finally you surrender to us, it must be of your own free will. We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us: so long as he resists us we never destroy him. We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him.” (1984)
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Read about it here in Huddled Masses from @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social.
November 29, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Read about it here in Huddled Masses from @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
George Packer tells @timmiller.bsky.social that what’s happening in Arizona isn’t just rhetoric—it’s a turbocharged mix of rage, religion, and threats to criminalize dissent. A real step toward authoritarianism, playing out in plain sight.
November 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
George Packer tells @timmiller.bsky.social that what’s happening in Arizona isn’t just rhetoric—it’s a turbocharged mix of rage, religion, and threats to criminalize dissent. A real step toward authoritarianism, playing out in plain sight.
You have your Black Friday ... I have mine. Broke down the back yard spinning rods for the season. Have a couple.rigged for winter trout, plus my flyrods still poised for January.
November 28, 2025 at 10:49 PM
You have your Black Friday ... I have mine. Broke down the back yard spinning rods for the season. Have a couple.rigged for winter trout, plus my flyrods still poised for January.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
"Thanksgiving is a hymn to the basic macronutrients: fat, protein, carbs. You don’t need cocktails with all this hulking, corn-fed majesty. You need some really wonderful wine. Thanksgiving is not a party, it is a feast."
Skip the Cocktails This Thanksgiving
It’s a wine-and-brandy kind of holiday.
lnk.thebulwark.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:01 PM
"Thanksgiving is a hymn to the basic macronutrients: fat, protein, carbs. You don’t need cocktails with all this hulking, corn-fed majesty. You need some really wonderful wine. Thanksgiving is not a party, it is a feast."
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
"Then you get older and realize that it’s not about you. You understand how much it means just to show up for others.
That’s what Thanksgiving has always been to me. It’s a holiday about showing up. A holiday built around the corporal acts of mercy. A holiday about being present."
That’s what Thanksgiving has always been to me. It’s a holiday about showing up. A holiday built around the corporal acts of mercy. A holiday about being present."
November 27, 2025 at 4:40 PM
"Then you get older and realize that it’s not about you. You understand how much it means just to show up for others.
That’s what Thanksgiving has always been to me. It’s a holiday about showing up. A holiday built around the corporal acts of mercy. A holiday about being present."
That’s what Thanksgiving has always been to me. It’s a holiday about showing up. A holiday built around the corporal acts of mercy. A holiday about being present."
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Do You Work at a Federal Prison? Help ProPublica Investigate the Federal Prison System
We’re especially interested in tips about the priorities of Bureau of Prisons' leadership, contracting and budget decisions, and concerns about wrongdoing or abuses of power ⤵️
We’re especially interested in tips about the priorities of Bureau of Prisons' leadership, contracting and budget decisions, and concerns about wrongdoing or abuses of power ⤵️
Do You Work at a Federal Prison? Help ProPublica Investigate the Federal Prison System
If you work at a federal prison and know about wrongdoing, we want to hear from you.
www.propublica.org
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Do You Work at a Federal Prison? Help ProPublica Investigate the Federal Prison System
We’re especially interested in tips about the priorities of Bureau of Prisons' leadership, contracting and budget decisions, and concerns about wrongdoing or abuses of power ⤵️
We’re especially interested in tips about the priorities of Bureau of Prisons' leadership, contracting and budget decisions, and concerns about wrongdoing or abuses of power ⤵️
About to venture forth ...
November 26, 2025 at 5:05 PM
About to venture forth ...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
The Situation, Nov. 23, 2025: On Shame
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
November 24, 2025 at 12:03 AM
The Situation, Nov. 23, 2025: On Shame
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
One other thing: People often ask me how they can support my #SpecialMilitaryOperations work. Short answer: Thanks, but you can't. Please give your charitable dollars to organizations that are doing the work: advocacy, military support, refugee aid. I will fund the ventilation of my own rage.
November 23, 2025 at 3:33 AM
One other thing: People often ask me how they can support my #SpecialMilitaryOperations work. Short answer: Thanks, but you can't. Please give your charitable dollars to organizations that are doing the work: advocacy, military support, refugee aid. I will fund the ventilation of my own rage.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
The image is by Kriss Salmanis, a Latvian artist who created it in the early days of the full-scale invasion. It hangs as a giant banner on a museum across the street from the Russian embassy in Riga, Latvia.
November 23, 2025 at 3:33 AM
The image is by Kriss Salmanis, a Latvian artist who created it in the early days of the full-scale invasion. It hangs as a giant banner on a museum across the street from the Russian embassy in Riga, Latvia.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Sitting in the pews, the service felt like an iconic American moment, suffused with grandeur, dignity, deep faith, and a kind of patriotism — a celebration of American values and sacrifice — that, in itself, seemed an act of defiance.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
A Split Screen Moment for America
Dick Cheney's funeral. Donald Trump's deranged rant.
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Sitting in the pews, the service felt like an iconic American moment, suffused with grandeur, dignity, deep faith, and a kind of patriotism — a celebration of American values and sacrifice — that, in itself, seemed an act of defiance.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
What does a middle-aged Quaker guy in the Driftless do on a Saturday night in November?
November 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
What does a middle-aged Quaker guy in the Driftless do on a Saturday night in November?
Won't you be ... my neighbor? #realestate #waterfrontproperty #driftless #wisconsin www.realtor.com/realestatean...
www.realtor.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Won't you be ... my neighbor? #realestate #waterfrontproperty #driftless #wisconsin www.realtor.com/realestatean...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
I predict Trump will pardon Maxwell as a way to lash out and because it will be the ultimate loyalty test for the GOP (and his base)
November 12, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I predict Trump will pardon Maxwell as a way to lash out and because it will be the ultimate loyalty test for the GOP (and his base)
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Kinzinger & Sykes: "The Last Republican"
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Kinzinger & Sykes: "The Last Republican"
The man, the movie, the podcast.
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Kinzinger & Sykes: "The Last Republican"
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
Pardons are now available for anyone who can pay for them. This is the most corrupt President in history.
November 9, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Pardons are now available for anyone who can pay for them. This is the most corrupt President in history.
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
I have tonight taught my tween how to make mac and cheese from scratch, thereby launching her into adulthood. 😏
November 9, 2025 at 12:04 AM
I have tonight taught my tween how to make mac and cheese from scratch, thereby launching her into adulthood. 😏
Reposted by Charles Rathmann
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
November 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion