Find me here as I begin a transition off trash company apps and products. Also, fill this out to stay connected in cooler ways, as I shift to more analog living (postcards, zines, bulletins, etc) 😎: forms.gle/xjoGKzjLwcWMbhw46 bsky.app/profile/joshuacroke…

✌️ Catch me somewhere else (bye, El*n) bsky.app/profile/joshuacroke…

Today, women in Florida have fewer freedoms than their mothers and grandmothers as an extreme abortion ban goes into effect. Massachusetts won’t go back. Not now, not ever.

Incredibly devastating ruling out of the Supreme Court for transgender people. The Supreme Court has allowed Idaho’s gender affirming care ban to go back into effect for everyone but the plaintiffs. No sugar coating this one, it’s devastating for trans youth nationwide.

A British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read: “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief. Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege. And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down. So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that: • Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are. • You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man. This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump. And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.” -Nate White

Let me be clear: No human being is illegal.

Holy cow. Seth Meyers spent 90 seconds on his show last night reminding his viewers everything that Donald Trump has said I done & it is absolutely perfect. This is how it’s done & we need so much more of it. Watch & share this.

Watching @POTUS Biden look the GOP in the eye and commit to protecting the right to an abortion for every woman across America is so powerful. I’m right behind him in this fight. Democrats will continue fighting against Republican attempts to ban abortion nationwide! #SOTU2024

Aaaand we've got an "I've got your back" to trans people. Which might have sounded good 4 years ago, but right now, for a lot of trans people, it rings rather hollow.

Not going to lie, Biden sounds pretty strong tonight at the State of the Union. It's a fiery speech in defense of Democracy, strong pushes for IVF and reproductive freedom. More importantly, I think it is going to quell some of the rumors that he's too old/not lucid.

🚌 BIG NEWS: @WorcesterPublic Schools will get $5.8 million in federal funding for 15 new ELECTRIC school buses. Every dollar will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law led by @POTUS & @HouseDemocrats. We're giving students the clean & reliable transportation they deserve!

Those were the days!

Snailed it.

Always down to talk @TweetWorcester if you’re interested, @SamZTurken! Especially; now that Worcester is more hyped, are the artists, BIPOC, immigrant, & queer folks who made it special benefiting from its growth? I have thoughts.. 🙃 wgbh.org/people/sam-turken

Wow. Here we go folks. Interested in truly progressive advocacy in Worcester? Message me.

VOTE TUESDAY 11/07: @SueMailman is a clear choice for At Large School Committee in Worcester. Sue's experience and passion make her the right candidate. Let's unite and vote for a brighter future! 🌟 #WorcPoli #Worcester2023

VOTE TUESDAY 11/07: We need leaders who understand our community's needs, including the data. @TracyNovick is one of them. Vote Tracy for At Large School Committee! 🌟 #CommunityFirst #WorcPoli

District elections are where your voice has serious impact. Your vote shapes your neighborhood's future. The District E School Committee race is crucial. We need Nelly Medina. Her opponent would be devastating. 🗳️ #LocalPower #DistrictElections #WorcPoli

In district elections, your vote isn't just a number; it's a force for positive transformation in your neighborhood. Let's elect @Jermoh4WPS for School Committee District C! 🌟 #WorcPoli #DistrictPower

Make your voice heard for stronger neighborhoods in Worcester. There are critical District seats we need to secure! @Etel_Haxhiaj in District 5 Rob Bilotta in District 2 @Jenny4D1 in District 1 #worcpoli