Victor Raymond
@badger2305
Writer, game designer, social scientist, activist. More than the sum of the parts I've played. Bisexual/Two Spirit, Multi-racial Native American. Pronouns: he/him/his or they/them/theirs
What we do to escape our dire circumstances depends on whether or not we want a republic or a principality. With that, I am going back to re-read Machiavelli's The Discourses on Titus Livy's First Ten Books on the History of Rome. www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10827
Assuming Google Translate works: Nagyszerű nap ez Orbán és a Fideszt kidobni!
Early morning thoughts: the U.S. military is in danger of getting blindsided in this new era of asymmetrical warfare. AWACS E-3s getting damaged in Saudi Arabia, the Straits of Hormuz being closed, and now this: drone surveillance of military bases happening in the U.S. We should all be worried.
Early morning thoughts: Earlier, I highlighted how Iran apparently used commercially available data to target US personnel in the Middle East. Well, here's one way that data gets collected: customer loyalty programs. Don't forget, corporations don't care about us. We're the target AND the product.
Late night thoughts: as long as I can remember, Republicans have campaigned as "the party of small government & states' rights, and championing personal freedom and liberty. And, as long as I can remember, there's been a big asterisk next to these positions: "only for the things we approve of."
Mid-morning thoughts: when "official government channels" use language that isn't truthful, including gaslighting, lies by omission, false narratives, and more, asking people to "just trust us" becomes less credible and more questionable. It creates uncertainty about who to believe; this is bad.
Late night thoughts: Remember this guy? General John Kelly, one of the "adults in the room" during the 45 administration? It was surreal that we were relying on Kelly to keep the wheels on the baby stroller of Trump's first term, as if we had no other way to keep Trump from doing something awful.
Mid-morning thoughts: the U.S. immigration system is completely screwed up, which is just wrong for a country built on immigration. We cannot fix the "illegal immigration" problem without recognizing this fundamental fact.
Senator Tammy Baldwin and outgoing WisDems Chair Ben Winkler in dialogue at the WisDems State Convention tonight. So inspiring to see people coming together to be the resistance to the Trump regime.
So this is another ad on FB, which as far as I can tell is more right-wing propaganda, dressed up to look "respectable."
Four of four this evening - please sign up! Send faxes and share with others. Text SIGN PEZVKT to 50409: Save Head Start, Don’t Sell Out Our Kids for Billionaires
Three of four this evening - please sign up! Send faxes and share with others. Text SIGN PVJDVQ to 50409: Investigate DOGE cybersecurity violations, data breach at NLRB.
Two of four this evening - please sign up! Send faxes and share with others. Text SIGN PZJFOT to 50409: Release Mohsen Mahdawi and others like him! Due process is for ALL.
One of four this evening - please sign up! Send faxes and share with others. Text SIGN PAZNSY to 50409: Congress must force Trump to comply with Scotus. DO YOUR JOB. Get Abrego back.
I am taking it easy today because I have a cold. Not my favorite situation, but there it is. Amber is keeping me company.
Attended the monthly meeting of Indivisible Madison East. About forty people there, with Los of energy to build a stronger movement.
I made 40 signs, and 400 postcards with the table of contents and selected quotes from On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. This cost about $100. We gave away all 40 signs within 15 minutes of arriving at the top of State Street. The flyers were given away within a half-hour after that at today's protest.
Went and voted this morning in the State Superintendent of Education primary, between Wright, Udderly, and Kinzer! April 1st is the main election!
The Madison Wisconsin 50501 protest, Noon, Presidents Day, 2025! About four hundred or so showed up, with several spontaneous speakers, LOTS of handmade signs and posters, with the temperature around 5 degrees F. We marched around the capital, and then my feet were getting really COLD. Good times!
Just got back from Capricon 45! Had a great time with friends, recharged my batteries, and had a reunion with my Carl Brandon Society co-founders Mary Anne Mohanraj and Cecilia Tan!
Late night thoughts: recall when I said you need to avoid "us vs. them" thinking? More than a third of all eligible voters didn't vote. That doesn't mean they are "moderates" - it means they were not engaged enough to vote. Somebody needs to talk to them - you probably know some of them already!
It's one thing to get into an accident, but another thing when the other driver kicks in your side panel in rage and frustration.
I have now rolled a d20 that has spent three months on the International Space Station, and is owned by someone who has had an asteroid named after her. I am entirely mind-blown.
It has arrived! I now have my own contributor copy! #FiftyYearsOfDnD
Had a great lunch and then went for a hike in the Lodi Marsh nature preserve - we had an invigorating time on a sunny day. Would definitely recommend doing again.