Andrew Wetzel
@circlereader.bsky.social
Human first, then: curious, Christian, parent.
Other Evangelical.
#YouCannotServeGodAndMammon
#TheKingdomOfGodIsNotAPoliceState
He/him.
🔗🌳/CircleReader
Other Evangelical.
#YouCannotServeGodAndMammon
#TheKingdomOfGodIsNotAPoliceState
He/him.
🔗🌳/CircleReader
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
They should do MyChart Wrapped
December 3, 2025 at 10:13 PM
They should do MyChart Wrapped
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Online age verification is a tempting idea. I'm a dad, I get it, but what's being proposed isn't just an ID check, it's a list of your kid's faces and data. A list in the hands of increasingly totalitarian governments, tech companies, and dysfunctional AI.
It's not protection, it's surveillance.
It's not protection, it's surveillance.
🚨 EVERYONE PLEASE RESKEET THIS FOR VISIBILITY!!! 🚨
A big coalition of LGBTQ+, abortion access, and human rights groups led by @fightforthefuture.org are organizing a WEEK OF ACTION this week against online ID checks, aka "age verification" laws.
Join us: www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop...
A big coalition of LGBTQ+, abortion access, and human rights groups led by @fightforthefuture.org are organizing a WEEK OF ACTION this week against online ID checks, aka "age verification" laws.
Join us: www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop...
December 3, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Online age verification is a tempting idea. I'm a dad, I get it, but what's being proposed isn't just an ID check, it's a list of your kid's faces and data. A list in the hands of increasingly totalitarian governments, tech companies, and dysfunctional AI.
It's not protection, it's surveillance.
It's not protection, it's surveillance.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
December 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Never believe the fuckers who say "why bother, they already won"
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
December 3, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Never believe the fuckers who say "why bother, they already won"
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
I don’t want to be pollyannish about the past, but it was basically inconceivable twenty years ago that a president would say this publicly
Trump: "It’s a hellhole right now. And those Somalians should be out of here. They've destroyed our country. And all they do is complain, complain, complain. You have her. She’s always talking about the Constitution provides me with – go back to your own country and figure out your constitution."
December 3, 2025 at 11:01 PM
I don’t want to be pollyannish about the past, but it was basically inconceivable twenty years ago that a president would say this publicly
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
It’s true. We shouldn’t pretend that. Trumpist culture is not the same as American culture and not equal. Trumpist culture is proudly ignorant, defiantly against America’s founding values and subsequently developed values, venomously bigoted, and generally despicable.
Fox News' Will Cain: "I’m sure there are very honorable law-abiding upstanding citizens and contributors from the Somali community here in the United States, BUT..."
He goes on to say "we aren’t going to pretend here that all cultures are of equal value or the same."
He goes on to say "we aren’t going to pretend here that all cultures are of equal value or the same."
December 3, 2025 at 10:31 PM
It’s true. We shouldn’t pretend that. Trumpist culture is not the same as American culture and not equal. Trumpist culture is proudly ignorant, defiantly against America’s founding values and subsequently developed values, venomously bigoted, and generally despicable.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
i'd go even further and say there is a reason even nixon kept this kind of stuff to himself. you would have to go back quite a bit to find a point at which is acceptable for a president to say anything like this *in public*, to say nothing of in the oval office.
I don’t want to be pollyannish about the past, but it was basically inconceivable twenty years ago that a president would say this publicly
Trump: "It’s a hellhole right now. And those Somalians should be out of here. They've destroyed our country. And all they do is complain, complain, complain. You have her. She’s always talking about the Constitution provides me with – go back to your own country and figure out your constitution."
December 3, 2025 at 11:04 PM
i'd go even further and say there is a reason even nixon kept this kind of stuff to himself. you would have to go back quite a bit to find a point at which is acceptable for a president to say anything like this *in public*, to say nothing of in the oval office.
"Righteously smashing whoever & whatever offends or inconveniences you is…the essential reactionary fantasy; the great work of the conservative movement…is creating circumstances & structures that make it possible for the right type of smasher to get away with that."
defector.com/the-conserva...
defector.com/the-conserva...
The Conservative Grievance Business Is Always Hiring | Defector
Given his age when he first came to the world’s attention and assuming continued good health in the intervening decade and change, Marine Todd would be in his late 30s today. That would be if he was a...
defector.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:15 PM
"Righteously smashing whoever & whatever offends or inconveniences you is…the essential reactionary fantasy; the great work of the conservative movement…is creating circumstances & structures that make it possible for the right type of smasher to get away with that."
defector.com/the-conserva...
defector.com/the-conserva...
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
ICE Arrested and Separated Chinese Father From 6-Year-Old Son, Advocates Say
The father and son were detained at an ICE check-in on Nov. 26, advocates say. The son’s location is currently unknown, while the father is being held at an upstate ICE facility.
www.thecity.nyc
December 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Trump has been trying to go full dictator this entire time, if he could just do it he already would have. His public support plummeting isn’t going to make the task easier
Reality Time:
If Trump truly intends to go full dictator, it'll happen in the next 11 months. The way he's destroying the country, there is a full on GOP bloodbath coming next Nov, and when that happens and Dems take ALL of Congress, he knows he's going to be impeached, removed, and jailed.
If Trump truly intends to go full dictator, it'll happen in the next 11 months. The way he's destroying the country, there is a full on GOP bloodbath coming next Nov, and when that happens and Dems take ALL of Congress, he knows he's going to be impeached, removed, and jailed.
December 3, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Trump has been trying to go full dictator this entire time, if he could just do it he already would have. His public support plummeting isn’t going to make the task easier
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “Strong floor, no ceiling”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro: “A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro: “A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy.”
December 3, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “Strong floor, no ceiling”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro: “A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro: “A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy.”
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
I liked Dunkelman's book but this op-ed is based on the same fallacy that leads some people to think fascist Italy and Germany were models of efficient administration.
There is such a thirst in some progressive centrist circles that they will look at the Trump administration as a model to get things done. I think its worth addressing the argument. This is from Mark Dunkelman, author of the widely praised "Why Nothing Works."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/o...
Opinion | What the Left Could Learn From Trump’s Brutal Efficiency
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I liked Dunkelman's book but this op-ed is based on the same fallacy that leads some people to think fascist Italy and Germany were models of efficient administration.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Again (and realizing this should really be a blog) I'm sympathetic and consider myself part of Dunkleman's project of making democratic governments responsive and functional. But you can't hand wave the accountability stuff. The argument can't be a "unitary exec theory - but for good!"
December 3, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Again (and realizing this should really be a blog) I'm sympathetic and consider myself part of Dunkleman's project of making democratic governments responsive and functional. But you can't hand wave the accountability stuff. The argument can't be a "unitary exec theory - but for good!"
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
One of the core debates in public administration theory was about Woodrow Wilson's claim that you can borrow the practices of non-democratic states (or private sector) to improve democratic govts. The claim holds for narrow tools, but fails when you talk about the fundamental structures of power.
December 3, 2025 at 2:13 PM
One of the core debates in public administration theory was about Woodrow Wilson's claim that you can borrow the practices of non-democratic states (or private sector) to improve democratic govts. The claim holds for narrow tools, but fails when you talk about the fundamental structures of power.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
The response to my objections from the Dunkelman worldview is that I'm stuck with the outdated idea that more rules & procedures equate accountability. Thats not the case. Its a more fundamental concern consistent with the founders aversion of centralized power, and watching democratic backsliding.
December 3, 2025 at 2:09 PM
The response to my objections from the Dunkelman worldview is that I'm stuck with the outdated idea that more rules & procedures equate accountability. Thats not the case. Its a more fundamental concern consistent with the founders aversion of centralized power, and watching democratic backsliding.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
I'm sympathetic to the idea that progressives need to rethink procedural barriers to getting things done, and that this a crucial moment for American government. But we are witnessing a shift to authoritarianism right now. American needs not just a theory of power but also theory of accountability.
December 3, 2025 at 2:06 PM
I'm sympathetic to the idea that progressives need to rethink procedural barriers to getting things done, and that this a crucial moment for American government. But we are witnessing a shift to authoritarianism right now. American needs not just a theory of power but also theory of accountability.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Lesson 6: If you have a theory of the Supreme Court that does not include political ideology, its going to be wrong. During the Biden administration it was all major questions because they did not like his policies, and during Trump it is mostly unitary executive, because they do.
December 3, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Lesson 6: If you have a theory of the Supreme Court that does not include political ideology, its going to be wrong. During the Biden administration it was all major questions because they did not like his policies, and during Trump it is mostly unitary executive, because they do.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Lesson 4: If you are peddling the "trust in govt" has dropped because of proceduralism, you either don't understand the study of trust or don't care. It has dropped in all countries and all institutions over the same time period. It is mostly driven by perception of politics not govt services.
December 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Lesson 4: If you are peddling the "trust in govt" has dropped because of proceduralism, you either don't understand the study of trust or don't care. It has dropped in all countries and all institutions over the same time period. It is mostly driven by perception of politics not govt services.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Lesson 3: The shy Trumpists think that Trump is showing us how power should be used, minus the authoritarianism of course *even though* they also critique imperious centrist figures who used power without accountability. So what does accountability mean in this context?
December 3, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Lesson 3: The shy Trumpists think that Trump is showing us how power should be used, minus the authoritarianism of course *even though* they also critique imperious centrist figures who used power without accountability. So what does accountability mean in this context?
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Lesson one: Yes, you can do a lot of things if you break the law.
Lesson two: Doing something is not the same as doing a good thing - it is harder to build than it is to destroy.
Trump has built nothing like the TVA. His lawbreaking is not "freeing the stuck wheels of bureaucracy."
Lesson two: Doing something is not the same as doing a good thing - it is harder to build than it is to destroy.
Trump has built nothing like the TVA. His lawbreaking is not "freeing the stuck wheels of bureaucracy."
December 3, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Lesson one: Yes, you can do a lot of things if you break the law.
Lesson two: Doing something is not the same as doing a good thing - it is harder to build than it is to destroy.
Trump has built nothing like the TVA. His lawbreaking is not "freeing the stuck wheels of bureaucracy."
Lesson two: Doing something is not the same as doing a good thing - it is harder to build than it is to destroy.
Trump has built nothing like the TVA. His lawbreaking is not "freeing the stuck wheels of bureaucracy."
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
very funny that hours after this was published trump issued another corrupt pardon
wrote about the problem of the pardon power (gift link)
Opinion | Guess Which Presidential Power Trump Likes the Most
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:01 PM
very funny that hours after this was published trump issued another corrupt pardon
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
I recommend this piece on Riley Gaines by @msjpauly.bsky.social . Come for the comparison to Regina George, stay to hear about the issue of sexual harassment of college women swimmers.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
www.motherjones.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:49 PM
I recommend this piece on Riley Gaines by @msjpauly.bsky.social . Come for the comparison to Regina George, stay to hear about the issue of sexual harassment of college women swimmers.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
Some angry QTs on this on the assumption that I'm trashing Harris. Not at all. There was a silly "Harris may be nationalizing the race" narrative when she made stops in district, but big GOP money - which I pay more attention to as a campaign reporter - was flowing in right before Harris got there.
Kamala will take some blame if Behn loses - which is what everyone would have expected three weeks ago.
But to be fair, the day she got there, the Club for Growth was already spending panic money on ads for Republican voters.
But to be fair, the day she got there, the Club for Growth was already spending panic money on ads for Republican voters.
December 3, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Some angry QTs on this on the assumption that I'm trashing Harris. Not at all. There was a silly "Harris may be nationalizing the race" narrative when she made stops in district, but big GOP money - which I pay more attention to as a campaign reporter - was flowing in right before Harris got there.
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
250 years later and we're still tapping the sign
December 3, 2025 at 1:01 AM
250 years later and we're still tapping the sign
Reposted by Andrew Wetzel
A note of caution about the new GOP vow of oversight on the murder of the two men clinging to the boat. It's good to see, but it could become a backdoor way for Rs to defuse pressure for broader scrutiny.
The entire operation is illegal. It all needs oversight. 1/
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
The entire operation is illegal. It all needs oversight. 1/
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
December 2, 2025 at 5:36 PM
A note of caution about the new GOP vow of oversight on the murder of the two men clinging to the boat. It's good to see, but it could become a backdoor way for Rs to defuse pressure for broader scrutiny.
The entire operation is illegal. It all needs oversight. 1/
newrepublic.com/article/2037...
The entire operation is illegal. It all needs oversight. 1/
newrepublic.com/article/2037...