An eclectic blog
written & curated
by Kyle Callahan

Latest Curations

Gee, thanks, Washington

March 21, 2025

Vermont’s junior senator, [Senator Peter Welch,] who spent more than a dozen years in the state Senate — including stints as president pro tempore — paid a visit to the Statehouse Thursday to give his take to the Senate Appropriations Committee on, well, everything going on down in Washington, D.C. “There’s going to be a level of uncertainty that [state officials are] just going to have to deal with,” [Sen. Welch] said in response to a question from [a state senator]. “We can give you the information we have as soon as we have it — but it’s not as soon as you need it.”

— “Familiar Face,” VTDigger‘s “Final Reading” newsletter

What If They Only Came For Trans People?

March 17, 2025

A country that has pushed one group out of its political community will eventually push out others. The Trump administration’s barrage of attacks on trans people can seem haphazard, but as elements of a denationalization project, they fall into place…The message, consistent and unrelenting, is that trans people are a threat to the nation. The subtext is that we are not of this nation…The reason you should care about this is not that it could happen to you but that it is already happening to others.

— “The Hidden Motive Behind Trump’s Attack on Trans People,” M. Gessen, The New York Times

This ought to save us

March 12, 2025

The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration. 

Citibank revealed in a court filing Wednesday that it was told to freeze the groups’ bank accounts at the FBI’s request. The reason? The FBI alleges that the groups are involved in “possible criminal violations,” including “conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

— “Trump’s FBI Moves to Criminally Charge Major Climate Groups,” The New Republic

Won’t You Be My Politically Engaged Neighbor?

February 18, 2025

Vermonters…rank 2nd in the U.S. for engaging with neighbors in frequent discussions about political,
social, or local issues. Vermont [also] ranks 2nd in the country for working with neighbors to do something positive for the neighborhood or community [and] 2nd in the county for donations to political organizations.

— 2025 Vermont Civic Health Index, an initiative sponsored by Vermont’s Secretary of State

Less Than A Month to Dismiss the Courts

February 10, 2025

Just as Trump and Musk are refusing to submit their plans to a Congress that their party controls, they are at least toying with the notion of ignoring orders by a court they have shaped. The Supreme Court, which has final word on all constitutional disputes, has a two-to-one majority of Republican appointees. When Vance floated the idea of defying the courts in 2021, he was anticipating his party taking actions so indisputably illegal that not even friendly justices would swallow them. They are prepared to smash a system they control, simply because it won’t move at the frantic pace they demand.

Will Trump actually go as far as he, Vance, and Musk have suggested? The notion that they would so early in their term escalate to the highest level of constitutional crisis short of canceling elections seems difficult to believe. Quite possibly, cooler heads will prevail.

The trouble is that the Republican Party’s cooler heads have been on a losing streak since November.

— “Trump Signals He Might Ignore the Courts,” The Atlantic

Remember the Good Old Days of “Do No Evil”?

February 6, 2025

Google has removed its long-standing prohibition against using AI for weapons and surveillance systems…The change, quietly implemented this week, eliminates key portions of Google’s AI Principles that explicitly banned the company from developing AI for weapons or surveillance. These principles, established in 2018, had served as an industry benchmark for responsible AI development.

— “Google drops AI weapons ban—what it means for the future of artificial intelligence,” VentureBeat

Latest Creations

Dear Neighbor: An Open Response to Raj Bhakta

March 1, 2025

In response to a ‘Dear Neighbor’ letter from a local millionaire, I’m setting the record straight. As we approach our annual town meeting, he is using misinformation to pressure the town into action. My open letter challenges his claims and highlights the truth.

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President Trump's Executive Orders

Executive Orders: A Skeptic’s View of the President’s Actions

February 21, 2025

[Post updated on April 11, 2025] In January, I tried to track Trump’s executive actions, but a handy website beat me to it. But with a new authoritarian at the helm, banal summaries don’t cut it. So now I’ve set up a ChatGPT task to do the heavy lifting: provide a brief analysis of each week’s presidential orders from a radical left perspective. No blind trust, no propaganda—just a bullshit detector for the modern age.

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The Books I Read in 2024

December 27, 2024

My 2024 reading marathon included my favorite genres of fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi, a smattering of religious history, and several audiobooks and graphic novels. This year, I broke the list down into my favorite books of the year, plus the runners up, followed by the whole list with highlights on my recommendations. I hope you find at least a couple that you can add to next year’s list!

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My Ten Favorite Albums of 2024

December 22, 2024

This year, I added 214 albums to my library, spanning nearly a century of music. After much listening, I’ve chosen my ten favorite albums released in 2024. From ambient masterpieces to electrifying jazz, these picks showcase the year’s best. Thank you for following along—here’s to another great year of music!

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Albums Added in November 2024

December 6, 2024

This month’s musical discoveries take us from Leyla McCalla’s Sun Without the Heat, my favorite album of November, to Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical powerhouse GNX, and everything in between. Explore the joy-filled jams of Goose, the haunting melodies of Beth Gibbons, and the Afrobeat grooves of Kokoroko in this eclectic roundup of November’s best music.

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Albums Added in October 2024

November 15, 2024

Discover the soundscape of October, from nostalgic concept albums to international flavors and emotional post-rock. Explore my top picks and hidden gems in this month’s musical adventure.

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You’ve Made a Terrible Mistake

November 11, 2024

I’m disappointed in you, America. You gave Trump a decisive win, prioritizing short-term economic pain over long-term democratic stability. Now, it’s up to the rest of us to fight for our future.

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Trying to Convince Myself The Dems Shouldn’t Cheat

November 2, 2024

Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans argue that Donald Trump’s potential return to the presidency poses a dire threat to American democracy. Some advocate drastic measures to prevent it, but true democracy demands nonviolent persuasion, even in the face of fear and uncertainty.

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The Fascism Is Already Happening

October 31, 2024

“You don’t stop being a fascist because you don’t get everything you want in your first term because you’re surrounded by people who aren’t fascists. They’re right-wing Republicans, they’re craven, but they’re not going along with fascism. You don’t get to do full fascism until you’re surrounded by fascists.”

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