Notices by JA Westenberg (daojoan@mastodon.social)

Veterans fought in combat zones.

Now they're fighting their own government for basic healthcare while Trump (who dodged the draft) and Musk (who has never served anyone but himself) dismantle the VA.

It's a disgrace that will go down in infamy.

https://www.theindex.media/elon-musk-and-donald-trump-have-declared-war-on-veterans/

civilization reaching new levels of fucked previously thought impossible by science. historians (nerds) will call this era "that time everything went to shit simultaneously"

if you're still writing about the morning routines of billionaires actively destroying democracy, freedom and the planet itself you're either a useful idiot, a fucking idiot, or a grifter.

NATO was never as strong as it seemed—because it was always built on a fragile assumption: American commitment.

Trump’s second term just exposed that weakness.

New episode of The Index—how NATO unravels when the U.S. steps back.

Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts:
https://share.transistor.fm/s/faa21616

If you find yourself saying "that won't work" more than "we should try" you are not helping.

When the temperature hit zero, they marched anyway.

When the wind cut like a blade, they shouted louder.

When democracy falters, the only cure is resistance.

https://www.theindex.media/presidents-day-protestors-face-down-trump-at-high-noon/

some people have no originality

Missing when writers could look like this instead of having to be Instagram-ready influencers who also write (I am a trash goblin)

I write this as someone who spent years engaging in online debates.

I have the screenshots of "victories" to prove it. I can craft the perfect quote tweet, deploy the devastating counterexample, and unleash the clever analogy that leaves opponents speechless.

And I'm dumber for all of it.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/you-will-never-win-an-argument-on-the-internet-heres-why/

How to make money as a writer:

The world is burning whether you watch it, read about it, spiral over it - or not.

But in your circle of control, you can build something that matters.

Something real.

Something that helps.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/your-world-is-burning-heres-what-you-can-actually-do-about-it/

How to fix democracy (according to my cat)

This year, I founded an indie publication doing long-form Op-eds.

It's 100% free and 100% reader funded. No venture capital, no ads, no bullshit.

And it is unapologetically opposed to Nazi fuckery.

Read / subscribe and support!
https://www.theindex.media

The problem with "let them get what they deserve" is that a whole lot of vulnerable people, Black people, trans people and disabled people *who tried to warn everyone about this fuckery* are gonna get what the Trump voters deserve.

Mastery isn’t adding layers. It’s peeling them away until only the essential remains.

Life can be simple. We choose to make it complex. The art is knowing what to keep.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/complexity-is-a-trap/

Mastery isn’t adding layers. It’s peeling them away until only the essential remains.

Life can be simple. We choose to make it complex. The art is knowing what to keep.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/complexity-is-a-trap/

Welcome to the Age of the Coward—where billion-dollar corporations crumble faster than a wet paper bag, and craven CEOs like Bob Iger and Tim Cook prove their “values” were just expensive PR stunts with an expiration date.
https://www.theindex.media/this-is-the-age-of-the-coward-2/

Today in 'recursive irony': Watching people who oppose equity demand equal consideration for their ignorance

Trump loves fossil fuels because everyone in his government is into minors

@kay I'm still using an iPod classic with wired headphones, that's where I'm at