DiogenesInExile

Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail for posting a meme on Facebook. I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, and I can honestly say this is the worst First Amendment case I’ve ever seen. Not because Larry threatened anyone. He didn’t. Not because he committed violence. He didn’t. Not because this was a close call. It wasn’t. He posted a political meme — the kind of thing millions of Americans do every day — and local officials decided to treat it like a crime. And because they had badges, prosecutors, jail cells, and the terrifying machinery of the state behind them, they got away with it for 37 days. Larry is a retired police officer and National Guard veteran. The meme he shared quoted Donald Trump’s “we have to get over it” comment after a 2024 Iowa school shooting. Whatever you think of Trump, the meme was plainly political commentary. Perry County officials knew what it referred to. They knew it wasn’t a threat against a Tennessee school. They arrested him anyway. In the middle of the night. They set his bond at $2 million. He lost his job. He missed family milestones. He sat in jail for more than a month before the charges finally collapsed — because, of course, there was no crime here. Today, @theFIREorg secured a measure of justice: Perry County agreed to pay Larry Bushart $835,000 for violating his constitutional rights. This case should scare the hell out of people across the political spectrum. Because if the government can jail you for a meme by pretending not to understand obvious political commentary, your rights are only as secure as the good faith of the most authoritarian official in your town. That is exactly why we have the First Amendment. Not for speech everyone likes. Not for opinions that flatter the powerful. Not for the bland, safe, committee-approved stuff. It exists for moments when fear, outrage, politics, and authority all line up and say: “Surely this is the exception.” No. It isn’t. I’m incredibly proud of @theFIREorg’s legal team. And I’m even prouder of Larry Bushart for refusing to let the government get away with treating his constitutional rights like a suggestion. But despite the correct verdict, I'll probably always get angry every time I think of this case. Let’s make this the last time anyone in America is arrested — let alone thrown in jail — for a meme. Celebrate your independence. Defend your First Amendment. fire.org/news/victory-t…

Too Buddhist, not self-hating enough to be a therapist? An inside look at the masochistic hazing rituals of counseling graduate programs that emphasize narrow social justice narratives about "identity" at the expense of clinical skills and human dignity, with @DiogenesInExile

You can't make good decisions if you only see one side. I'm glad @NASorg @MindingCampus and @J_Gould_ are giving a voice to the center/conservative minority in academia.

I just got a full review of local, state, and federal governmental thanks to @CitizenPortalAi I'm loving this service, and they are _not_ paying me to say so. If you'd like to keep tabs on what folks in power are doing, check them out. 👇

@SwipeWright @ACSEngSafety Interesting tease. I've been studying the policy barriers to building new things and preventing old ones from getting fixed, like licensing, accreditation etc. If you'd like to comapre notes sometime, I'm here for it.

@ACSEngSafety I am working to create the mechanisms in the scientific process to help protect it from ideological capture. It's a difficult project, but there are some potential solutions I am exploring. Big announcement soon.

I am once again reminding you that woke is not dead. It has only more deeply entrenched itself during the 2020 moral panic over "systemic racism." The racial equity initiatives resulted in a massive hiring spree of far-left DEI hires. They're all going up for tenure now.

@SwipeWright Thanks for that data. I'll use it. DEI is also deeply woven into policy, licensing, accreditation standards, professional codes of ethics, textbooks (especially ethics) and CORE curriculum. True believers won't quit.

@SwipeWright This is a big step in the right direction, and a very painful reality that such a thing is needed. My heart goes out to those walking that path.

The creation of the first detransitioner clinic at Texas Children's Hospital is a massive win and a big step toward exposing the lie that “gender-affirming care” is evidence based and medically necessary. Gender doctors and activists have to be FORCED to acknowledge detransitioners because their existence shines a bright light on the pseudoscientific lie that everyone is born with an innate and immutable gender identity we all sense from toddlerhood, that it can be misaligned from our bodies, and that this mismatch can be corrected with puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries. This is all complete nonsense. I am glad to have been able to discuss this with @PrishaMosley recently on @NTDNews.

Unfortunately, I still haven't found a way to make these subjects sexy. You're very wry. Got any tips?

You asked what psychotherapy needs to do to improve public trust @DoctorPerin I've been writing about that. I'd start with new Codes of Ethics and getting ideologues out of power. Or we could also build a new profession. 👇

@JDHaltigan Lord have mercy. Is it still hockey if it's all about not risking a few bruised egos... and ...uh bruised everything else? May the heart of Canada rest in peace.

Lmfao. Canada is utterly a lost country. Look at this absolute slop from an NHL team. Remarkable we are still seeing this insanity.

@SwipeWright Idk the story of that house, but as someone from TN, sometimes they build them that way. Old look outside, modern interior. Folks like modern comforts. Also, Welcome to TN! Do stay for a spell.

It saddens me seeing old, beautiful rustic homes whose interiors have been fully renovated in a way that strips away all their uniqueness and makes them look like every other standard new home. This is a good example I found recently in the Nashville area.

Big Thanks to @sometherapist She's a great host, and we talked about corrupt counseling higher ed, how that is mandated by accreditation, and how we can move forward in a way that helps clients. Link below 👇

@DoctorPerin It needs to start with a new Code of Ethics, that strips out ideology and a public disavowing using therapy to try to improve society rather than help the client in front of them.

What can be done to restore public trust in psychotherapy?

Should we be worried that so many of our scientists are ending up missing or dead? 👇 @MindingCampus @J_Gould_

My latest @FDRLST While the country breezes past the question of whether states can compact away the Electoral College, the same loophole is being used to build compacts arguably more invasive.