Social Scientist (Mostly) in Exile
@exiledsocscientist.bsky.social
Exiled Political Economist, Silicon Valley's Public Finance Attorney, Lecturer in Political Economy, Comic Book Character, Corporate and Private Equity Lawyer, Startup Attorney, Advisor, Dad, Husband, Teacher, Former Europeanist.
Opponent of Fascism.
Opponent of Fascism.
Pete Hegseth orders that no survivors be left after his illegal strikes in the Caribbean.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 30, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Pete Hegseth orders that no survivors be left after his illegal strikes in the Caribbean.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
I certainly hope for prosecutions and will demand that any candidate I vote for push for them.
But what in any aspect of the law or politics of the United States since 2001 would possibly lead any rational observer to "expect prosecutions?"
Democrats have never done this.
bsky.app/profile/jose...
But what in any aspect of the law or politics of the United States since 2001 would possibly lead any rational observer to "expect prosecutions?"
Democrats have never done this.
bsky.app/profile/jose...
Here are US military lawyers stating clearly that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's "kill everybody" orders are either (1) war crimes or (2) murder.
Either way, expect prosecutions in the future.
www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/u...
Either way, expect prosecutions in the future.
www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/u...
November 30, 2025 at 6:43 AM
I certainly hope for prosecutions and will demand that any candidate I vote for push for them.
But what in any aspect of the law or politics of the United States since 2001 would possibly lead any rational observer to "expect prosecutions?"
Democrats have never done this.
bsky.app/profile/jose...
But what in any aspect of the law or politics of the United States since 2001 would possibly lead any rational observer to "expect prosecutions?"
Democrats have never done this.
bsky.app/profile/jose...
I'm a liberal now because I … {checks notes} … oppose cold-blooded murder
www.mrctv.org/videos/after...
www.mrctv.org/videos/after...
November 30, 2025 at 4:21 AM
It certainly would not appear so to the relatives and friends of those disappeared by ICE in each of those cities, but in terms of public perception (which is Trump's game) the score after LA, Portland, Chicago, and NYC is starting to look like Tocqueville/American communities 4, ICE/state terror 0.
November 30, 2025 at 3:48 AM
It certainly would not appear so to the relatives and friends of those disappeared by ICE in each of those cities, but in terms of public perception (which is Trump's game) the score after LA, Portland, Chicago, and NYC is starting to look like Tocqueville/American communities 4, ICE/state terror 0.
Unfortunately, this is literally correct. It is neutral and perfectly proper to report that a certain person said something. To judge whether that statement is true or false is to analyze rather than report. And, our fascists nihilistically argue, all analysis is bias.
bsky.app/profile/gild...
bsky.app/profile/gild...
Unfortunately, in US journalism it is considered neutral to spread a lie, but it is considered "biased" to call out a lie. So, there is a structural asymmetry that rewards colorful lies with virality.
November 30, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Unfortunately, this is literally correct. It is neutral and perfectly proper to report that a certain person said something. To judge whether that statement is true or false is to analyze rather than report. And, our fascists nihilistically argue, all analysis is bias.
bsky.app/profile/gild...
bsky.app/profile/gild...
"When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master."
"Only a master of normalizing evil, Sulzberger."
bsky.app/profile/mike...
November 30, 2025 at 2:38 AM
"When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master."
"Only a master of normalizing evil, Sulzberger."
bsky.app/profile/mike...
It is almost certainly true that these financial instruments were intended only as vehicles to facilitate bribing Trump at the inflated issuance price - it was never "worth" that price. Sad that some people did not understand this and purchased them as investments.
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
Since inauguration:
—Shares in the company that operates Truth Social: ⬇️ 75%
— Meme coin named for Trump: ⬇️ 86%.
— Meme coin named for Melania: ⬇️ 99%.
“When do I give up on this and move on?” asked one investor, whose chat name is SimpleMindHatter.
www.wsj.com/finance/stoc...
—Shares in the company that operates Truth Social: ⬇️ 75%
— Meme coin named for Trump: ⬇️ 86%.
— Meme coin named for Melania: ⬇️ 99%.
“When do I give up on this and move on?” asked one investor, whose chat name is SimpleMindHatter.
www.wsj.com/finance/stoc...
Since Trump’s Return, Bets on His Brand Have Soured
Stocks and cryptocurrencies tied to the president and his family have tumbled amid a broader rout of riskier assets.
www.wsj.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:06 AM
It is almost certainly true that these financial instruments were intended only as vehicles to facilitate bribing Trump at the inflated issuance price - it was never "worth" that price. Sad that some people did not understand this and purchased them as investments.
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
After WWII, Germans claimed, with more or less plausibility, that they didn't know about Nazi atrocities.
If you are an American reading this, that refuge from your responsibility for what Trump's gov't is doing is no longer available to you.
You know. What will you do?
bsky.app/profile/rgoo...
If you are an American reading this, that refuge from your responsibility for what Trump's gov't is doing is no longer available to you.
You know. What will you do?
bsky.app/profile/rgoo...
Former US military lawyers speak out:
"The Former JAGs Working Group unanimously considers both the giving and the execution of these orders, if true, to constitute war crimes, murder, or both."
Statement on Media Reports of Pentagon “No Quarter” Orders in Caribbean Boat Strikes
1/2
"The Former JAGs Working Group unanimously considers both the giving and the execution of these orders, if true, to constitute war crimes, murder, or both."
Statement on Media Reports of Pentagon “No Quarter” Orders in Caribbean Boat Strikes
1/2
November 29, 2025 at 9:12 PM
After WWII, Germans claimed, with more or less plausibility, that they didn't know about Nazi atrocities.
If you are an American reading this, that refuge from your responsibility for what Trump's gov't is doing is no longer available to you.
You know. What will you do?
bsky.app/profile/rgoo...
If you are an American reading this, that refuge from your responsibility for what Trump's gov't is doing is no longer available to you.
You know. What will you do?
bsky.app/profile/rgoo...
Information and price theory suggests that this will be very bad for financial market stability.
www.newsweek.com/trump-cancel...
www.newsweek.com/trump-cancel...
Trump canceling GDP report comes under scrutiny
The canceled release of the third-quarter GDP advance estimate has fueled speculation about the state of the economy.
www.newsweek.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Information and price theory suggests that this will be very bad for financial market stability.
www.newsweek.com/trump-cancel...
www.newsweek.com/trump-cancel...
Ukraine reboots guerre de course for the 21st century, disrupting traditional commerce raiding doctrine.
I hate having to say intensely stupid things to accurately describe contemporary reality.
bsky.app/profile/maks...
I hate having to say intensely stupid things to accurately describe contemporary reality.
bsky.app/profile/maks...
🔥 The explosion of two tankers of the Russian "shadow fleet" is a special operation of SBU
Sea Baby naval drones hit two sanctioned tankers KAIRO and VIRAT, belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet", in the Black Sea.
Sea Baby naval drones hit two sanctioned tankers KAIRO and VIRAT, belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet", in the Black Sea.
November 29, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Ukraine reboots guerre de course for the 21st century, disrupting traditional commerce raiding doctrine.
I hate having to say intensely stupid things to accurately describe contemporary reality.
bsky.app/profile/maks...
I hate having to say intensely stupid things to accurately describe contemporary reality.
bsky.app/profile/maks...
Living in Silicon Valley:
"I had to migrate from Nubby to Blowfish, but Blowfish didn't have a pip function."
"Oh, try Narwhal! They have a pip that's much better then Nubby."
"But it's proprietary, so they lock in your data. Corvée is better, and it has a backup fliv."
I just smile and nod.
"I had to migrate from Nubby to Blowfish, but Blowfish didn't have a pip function."
"Oh, try Narwhal! They have a pip that's much better then Nubby."
"But it's proprietary, so they lock in your data. Corvée is better, and it has a backup fliv."
I just smile and nod.
November 29, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Living in Silicon Valley:
"I had to migrate from Nubby to Blowfish, but Blowfish didn't have a pip function."
"Oh, try Narwhal! They have a pip that's much better then Nubby."
"But it's proprietary, so they lock in your data. Corvée is better, and it has a backup fliv."
I just smile and nod.
"I had to migrate from Nubby to Blowfish, but Blowfish didn't have a pip function."
"Oh, try Narwhal! They have a pip that's much better then Nubby."
"But it's proprietary, so they lock in your data. Corvée is better, and it has a backup fliv."
I just smile and nod.
Reposted by Social Scientist (Mostly) in Exile
One of the most devastating facts about fiscal policy in rich countries is that it doesn’t change much except in response to business cycles. You can make social policy more punitive, anger voters, and ruin your infrastructure and save no money at all.
Is welfare spending ''out of control''?
It's estimated to be 10.8 per cent of GDP this financial year.
That's just 0.8 per cent of GDP higher than in 2007-08, and total welfare spending has actually fallen fallen by 1.2 per cent of GDP since 2012-13⤵️ buff.ly/s5mz97u
It's estimated to be 10.8 per cent of GDP this financial year.
That's just 0.8 per cent of GDP higher than in 2007-08, and total welfare spending has actually fallen fallen by 1.2 per cent of GDP since 2012-13⤵️ buff.ly/s5mz97u
November 29, 2025 at 6:27 AM
One of the most devastating facts about fiscal policy in rich countries is that it doesn’t change much except in response to business cycles. You can make social policy more punitive, anger voters, and ruin your infrastructure and save no money at all.
On October 17-20, 1945, the British tried the officers of the only German U-boat to have verifiably murdered the survivors of a ship sunk in war. The U-852 sank the Greek steamship Peleus and its captain subsequently ordered that survivors clinging to rafts be shot.
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
The Peleus War Crimes Trial
After sinking the Greek steamer Peleus in 1944, the captain ordered his crew to attack the survivors, three sailors survived and faced their attackers in a war crime trial.
www.usni.org
November 29, 2025 at 6:32 AM
On October 17-20, 1945, the British tried the officers of the only German U-boat to have verifiably murdered the survivors of a ship sunk in war. The U-852 sank the Greek steamship Peleus and its captain subsequently ordered that survivors clinging to rafts be shot.
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
We have no idea who the victims of these attacks were, and we absolutely cannot trust the Trump administration to tell us.
I also have no idea what a "Narco-Terrorist" is, but whatever it might be, there is no lawful justification for murdering them without trial.
bsky.app/profile/gtco...
I also have no idea what a "Narco-Terrorist" is, but whatever it might be, there is no lawful justification for murdering them without trial.
bsky.app/profile/gtco...
November 29, 2025 at 6:12 AM
We have no idea who the victims of these attacks were, and we absolutely cannot trust the Trump administration to tell us.
I also have no idea what a "Narco-Terrorist" is, but whatever it might be, there is no lawful justification for murdering them without trial.
bsky.app/profile/gtco...
I also have no idea what a "Narco-Terrorist" is, but whatever it might be, there is no lawful justification for murdering them without trial.
bsky.app/profile/gtco...
If you had asked me in, say, 1985 which of Isaac Asimov's robot stories would be first reflected in reality with actuall technology, "Liar" wouldn't have even been in my top 10.
Susan Calvin never would have put up with ChatGPT's bullshit.
bsky.app/profile/carn...
Susan Calvin never would have put up with ChatGPT's bullshit.
bsky.app/profile/carn...
Not wanting to disappoint you so much that it lies is the last quality I want in a computer.
November 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM
If you had asked me in, say, 1985 which of Isaac Asimov's robot stories would be first reflected in reality with actuall technology, "Liar" wouldn't have even been in my top 10.
Susan Calvin never would have put up with ChatGPT's bullshit.
bsky.app/profile/carn...
Susan Calvin never would have put up with ChatGPT's bullshit.
bsky.app/profile/carn...
Instead of taking this racial primordialism seriously, you can just point out that the people who made identical arguments about Irish, Italians, Polish, and Chinese immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries look really stupid.
People are people and cultures change.
bsky.app/profile/publ...
People are people and cultures change.
bsky.app/profile/publ...
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Instead of taking this racial primordialism seriously, you can just point out that the people who made identical arguments about Irish, Italians, Polish, and Chinese immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries look really stupid.
People are people and cultures change.
bsky.app/profile/publ...
People are people and cultures change.
bsky.app/profile/publ...
This is perhaps the most un-American statement made by an American President in the last century.
Immigrants are the life and the definition of America. I can rightly say as an American that we are the world, and embracing that is the only path forward for this country.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Immigrants are the life and the definition of America. I can rightly say as an American that we are the world, and embracing that is the only path forward for this country.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Trump: “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries … denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.“
November 28, 2025 at 7:17 AM
This is perhaps the most un-American statement made by an American President in the last century.
Immigrants are the life and the definition of America. I can rightly say as an American that we are the world, and embracing that is the only path forward for this country.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Immigrants are the life and the definition of America. I can rightly say as an American that we are the world, and embracing that is the only path forward for this country.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Somehow it has a different cultural valence than it did as a niche program on Comedy Central in the cable TV Before Times when the internet was just something that universities and DARPA researchers used.
bsky.app/profile/goli...
bsky.app/profile/goli...
i had no idea that MST3K was still going with a whole new crew, this is a thanksgiving eve miracle
November 27, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Somehow it has a different cultural valence than it did as a niche program on Comedy Central in the cable TV Before Times when the internet was just something that universities and DARPA researchers used.
bsky.app/profile/goli...
bsky.app/profile/goli...
How am I supposed to stand in front of a room full of undergraduates and teach the political economy of finance in this timeline?
gizmodo.com/trump-crypto...
gizmodo.com/trump-crypto...
Trump-Backed Crypto Company Promotes 'Sh*t P*ss Skin Can'
gizmodo.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:36 AM
How am I supposed to stand in front of a room full of undergraduates and teach the political economy of finance in this timeline?
gizmodo.com/trump-crypto...
gizmodo.com/trump-crypto...
Hot take: it is bullshit to attack a black woman in a local office in Georgia for failing to accomplish what dozens of vastly more powerful white men were too damn cowardly to even try.
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
Fani Willis was the only one to seriously go after Trump over Jan 6 — and she blew it
Willis had her eye on the ball early, but a stunning error of judgement ‘stabbed the case right in the heart’, John Bowden writes.
www.the-independent.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Hot take: it is bullshit to attack a black woman in a local office in Georgia for failing to accomplish what dozens of vastly more powerful white men were too damn cowardly to even try.
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
"The company said Tether’s overcollateralization margin has narrowed as exposure to Bitcoin has increased."
I can't help it - I love oblique writing about risk in the finance industry.
It's like, I must scream but have a mouth that will only form bland buzzwords.
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
I can't help it - I love oblique writing about risk in the finance industry.
It's like, I must scream but have a mouth that will only form bland buzzwords.
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
MSN
www.msn.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:34 PM
"The company said Tether’s overcollateralization margin has narrowed as exposure to Bitcoin has increased."
I can't help it - I love oblique writing about risk in the finance industry.
It's like, I must scream but have a mouth that will only form bland buzzwords.
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
I can't help it - I love oblique writing about risk in the finance industry.
It's like, I must scream but have a mouth that will only form bland buzzwords.
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
The idea that Trump might have planned to help Bolsonaro escape to the US embassy and flee the country is just insane.
Except for the part that it was laughably underplanned, failed miserably, & was revealed by Trump in an interview. That's totally believable.
www.signorile.com/p/was-trump-...
Except for the part that it was laughably underplanned, failed miserably, & was revealed by Trump in an interview. That's totally believable.
www.signorile.com/p/was-trump-...
Was Trump plotting to help Bolsonaro escape and give him asylum in the U.S?
Sounds crazy but Trump boasted to reporters about seeing Bolsonaro “in the very near future” before learning the convicted former Brazilian leader had just been arrested after escape plot was foiled.
www.signorile.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:54 AM
The idea that Trump might have planned to help Bolsonaro escape to the US embassy and flee the country is just insane.
Except for the part that it was laughably underplanned, failed miserably, & was revealed by Trump in an interview. That's totally believable.
www.signorile.com/p/was-trump-...
Except for the part that it was laughably underplanned, failed miserably, & was revealed by Trump in an interview. That's totally believable.
www.signorile.com/p/was-trump-...
Is it embarrassing to me that Brazil defends its democracy more effectively than we do? Why, yes. Yes it is.
So now we ask what we can learn from Brazil, South Korea, and Poland that might help us prevent authoritarian consolidation and restore democracy here?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
So now we ask what we can learn from Brazil, South Korea, and Poland that might help us prevent authoritarian consolidation and restore democracy here?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Jair Bolsonaro ordered to start 27-year prison term for plotting Brazil coup
Ex-president to start serving term in 12 sq metre bedroom in police base in Brasília after time for appeals elapses
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Is it embarrassing to me that Brazil defends its democracy more effectively than we do? Why, yes. Yes it is.
So now we ask what we can learn from Brazil, South Korea, and Poland that might help us prevent authoritarian consolidation and restore democracy here?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
So now we ask what we can learn from Brazil, South Korea, and Poland that might help us prevent authoritarian consolidation and restore democracy here?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Social Scientist (Mostly) in Exile
Sometimes I think it’s going to be the librarians who will save us all.
November 25, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Sometimes I think it’s going to be the librarians who will save us all.