D James Reed

A later announcement than I wanted but... It's here! TOWARD OBLIVION is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions #authors #readers #scifi #dystopian #fantasy amzn.to/45EdSVB

@Contagious_Punk I alternate gaming and writing in my (exceedingly scarce) free time. And coach a high school esports team, because there's nothing quite like living vicariously.

Gamers 30+ where are you at? 🫶👀

@freckxi So not just a ten... a ten with well defined hobbies and knows what she wants and likes. Perfect.

she’s a ten but she prefers to stay in, play video games and read books

@otokyo__ Rubber (2010)

I don’t want your “best movie ever.” I want the one that made you sit in silence when the credits rolled. The one where you said, “what… was that?” No spoilers. Just titles. Let’s ruin my week.

@Contagious_Punk Saved up money and bought a PC when I was 11, along with Civilization 2. Spent about 36 hours in game before I finally crashed. The first of many all nighters

Real gamer test: What was the first game you stayed up all night playing as a kid? 🎮 Mine started a lifelong problem with sleep.

@ALadyNamedKatie Well done. I hope you keep that pride in your journey!

I’m sure you guys are sick of seeing these posts but I’m officially 19 months sober and I’m feeling pretty proud of how far I’ve come. ❤️

@JamesTate121 Thank you for your thoughtful approach to all of this. My grandfather, a WW2 vet, would weep if he were still alive. Appreciate your service.

Shared today by Bev Perry in the Expand Dem Values in the House and Senate Facebook group. I need to say something that's been bothering me for a while, and I'm saying it as a Marine Corps veteran who leans center-right. This isn't partisan. This is observation. We've slow-faded into accepting militarized police as normal, and nobody seems to notice or care. Even as a USMC pilot, I went through six months of infantry training as an officer before flight school. I've worn the gear. The helmet, the tactical vest, the whole kit. And I can tell you from experience, it changes you. There's a psychological shift that happens when you strap that stuff on. You feel different. You carry yourself different. You start seeing the environment differently. In the Marine Corps, that shift was appropriate because it's a combat culture and organization. But these are American streets. American citizens. And we've got law enforcement dressed like they're kicking down doors in Fallujah to serve warrants in suburbia. What happend to high standards and real policing tactics? Think Adam-12...Officers Reed and Malloy. Crisp uniforms. A revolver. A baton. High standards and professionalism. They looked like public servants because they were public servants. They de-escalated. They talked to people. They were part of the community. Now? Tactical gear, beards, ball caps, Oakley sunglasses, sleeve tattoos, and a tactical kit that would make special operators jealous. And we've turned it into a fetish. We celebrate it. We assume that because someone looks hard, they must be a professional. They're not. I loved the Marine Corps. But I'll be honest, I was also blinded by it for a while. Mission first. Unit over everything. And that mentality made sense in that context. But law enforcement doesn't get that critical examination. "Back the Blue" has become a shield against accountability. A blanket assumption that a badge plus gun equals hero. That tactical gear equals competence. It doesn't. Most people who join law enforcement aren't special operators. They're average people who desperately want to belong to something bigger than themselves. I understand that impulse deeply, it's why I joined the Marines. But wanting to belong doesn't make you qualified. Looking the part doesn't mean you can perform under pressure. And wrapping yourself in warrior aesthetics doesn't make you a warrior. Old school law enforcement represented something. Standards. Bearing. Discipline. Professionalism that was demonstrated, not costumed. A revolver and a baton meant you had to rely on your training, your words, your judgment, not overwhelming firepower. What I see now in law enforcement is the costume without the culture. The gear without the training. The authority without the accountability. Are there good people in law enforcement? Of course. I know some personally. But this reflexive "law enforcement can do no wrong" mentality is lazy, dangerous, and intellectually dishonest. A woman is dead. And before we sort ourselves into teams and start assigning blame, maybe we should ask harder questions: Why do we accept a militarized police force as normal? Why do we assume tactical gear equals tactical competence? Why have we let "Back the Blue" become a substitute for actual standards? I wore the uniform. I went through the training. I know what that gear does to your head. It shouldn't be normalized on American streets against American citizens. And we shouldn't pretend everyone wearing it is qualified to carry it. The fact that he called her a “fucking bitch” after he shot her three times should be a huge red flag for all of us.

@WealthArigato @krassenstein As an American, everything is not fine.

@krassenstein From outside the US, this doesn’t look like freedom. Why do Americans still insist everything is “fine”?

A message from a Danish friend that really hit home: “Dear Americans, Look Inward I write this as a Dane, from Denmark. From here — and with Greenland very much in mind — it may appear that we fear the direction the United States is heading. And we do. But the truth is that you — as an American — are far more frightened. You live in a country where power turns against its own people. Where the military is used at home. Where democratic institutions are weakened while fear becomes a governing tool. In that reality, silence is not neutral. It is a survival strategy. So, you do things to convince yourself that everything is fine. You scroll. You binge-watch. You drink a little more. You choose sitcoms over news. You post a smiling selfie, add a stronger filter, and write: “Doing great.” You stay quiet because speaking up can cost you your job. Because your employer fears losing contracts. Because schools, boards, and communities prefer calm over courage. So denial becomes routine. Distraction becomes normal. Comfort replaces truth. But fear does not stop there. You begin to police yourselves. You watch each other. You suspect each other. You question motives. You report. You label. You call fellow citizens extremists. You call them terrorists. In the name of security, you learn to mistrust one another. And then think about this: when you dream of a bigger gun, a stronger caliber, more firepower. Ask yourself whether that weapon is protection, or a mirror. Whether the need for a larger gun is not a sign of strength, but a measure of how afraid you have become. Fear has many faces. Fear of those who call themselves patriots but threaten instead of arguing. Fear of your neighbor. Fear of the police. Fear of being open, kind, or publicly disagreeing. From the outside, this does not look like freedom. It looks like a frightening society pretending to function. And then there is the thought you try hardest to suppress: that people willingly choose not to be part of the United States. Not out of hatred. Not out of jealousy. But out of clarity. That must be brutal and deeply disorienting to face — especially because, deep down, you already know why. So, look inward. Not as a nation. As a person. Because democracies do not collapse in one dramatic moment. They fade while people convince themselves that everything is fine. Kind Regards, Jacob @JacobHokland “

@jkayy222 I don't remember where I heard it first, but I adopted the phrase: 'Opinions are like buttholes... everyone has one, but it doesn't need to get shared.'

@Smil3yAngel I weep for my country, and thank you and others abroad for the support.

Hi, if this is your first time seeing me, my name is Jen ❤️ I am a Canadian who is here to support my American friends in their fight for Democracy. I despise the orange turd!! If you are not a bot, and most importantly, not maga, please say hi so I can follow you 🤗❤️

@herotimeszero A twaddle.

A group of dolphins is a pod. A group of bats is a colony. What do you call a group of Trump supporters?

@alfranken It feels like both can and may be true in his case.

Is JD Vance a liar or just woefully ignorant when claiming that Democrats want to give health benefits to undocumented immigrants?

The “catastrophic loss of life” is the entire point‼️ #AlligatorAuschwitz

What has happened to the girls at Camp Mystic is EXACTLY what one of the country's best meteorologists @JohnMoralesTV warned would happen. Learn how Trump's cuts to @NOAA & @NWS have critically impacted storm prediction nationwide.

The Real Deal About The Big Beautiful Bill

@JonathanYMusic Found your music starting with Witch Hunter, found your account through random algorithms, and love it all even more now.

When JD Vance tried to claim Catholic teaching justifies MAGA policies, Pope Francis responded that Vance needs to meditate more on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this exchange, @MattPolProf is very good on Catholicism and MAGA cruelty: newrepublic.com/article/195048…

BREAKING: MAGA world melts down as the Catholic Church elects American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to become Pope Leo XIV — a man who has slammed Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in the past. Republicans wanted a far-right pope and instead they got a continuation of Pope Francis' legacy... In February, then-Cardinal Prevost shared a piece on X entitled "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others" in which the author pushed back on Vance's claim that Christians should love their family first, then their neighbor, then their community, then their fellow citizens, then the rest of the world. Vance was attempting to twist Catholic theology to defend his virulent anti-migrant views by suggesting that Christians don't have to prioritize care for anyone beyond their immediate familial circle. The then-Cardinal also retweeted a message slamming Trump and El Salvadoran Dictator Nayib Bukele for the "illicit" deportation of innocent Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the "suffering" caused by MAGA deportation policy. On top of that, he shared an article from the conservative American Cardinal Timothy Dalton entitled "Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic" which condemned the "nativism" espoused by the MAGA movement. The piece also stated that Christians should see "the immigrant as a gift to our nation" and "welcome the stranger." Pope Leo XIV is expected to carry on his predecessor's legacy of advocating for action on climate action, upholding social justice, and caring for the global poor. In other words, he will stand for everything that MAGA opposes. Trump himself has already reacted to the announcement with a pro forma congratulations message on Truth Social that was likely written by a staffer. "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope," wrote Trump's account. "What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!" Once Trump gets a better sense of Pope Leo XIV's beliefs — namely that Christians are called to love and care for all of the people of the world, not just white conservatives — the president will likely be singing a very different tune. If and when that attack comes, we will proudly stand with Pope Leo's love and kindness against Trump's hatred and cruelty. Please retweet and ❤️ to congratulate Catholics on their new pope — and consider joining the growing exodus to Tribel, a new pro-democracy social network that is exploding in popularity because Twitter and Facebook are trying to stop its growth — which is only making Tribel grow even faster. Please follow us on Tribel to get all of our breaking news alerts sent straight to your phone or computer by clicking the following link: tribel.app.link/okwPIHYCIqb

@esports_ohio @stxinfo

🎮 Southwest Overwatch 🏆 Regional Champion: Fairmont 🥈 Runner-Up: Worthington St. Xavier

@MarkHamill Like!

"like"

@BrunoAmato_1 @johnpavlovitz

Name a doctor you trust more than Doctor Phil.