Brian Cook
@2ndadminstate.bsky.social
Tinkering with the Constitution has failed. The American commercial republic must be reconstructed.
Professor Emeritus, Public Administration & Policy, Virginia Tech.
"Democracy is for friends and citizens, not masters and slaves"
Wilson Carey McWilliams
Professor Emeritus, Public Administration & Policy, Virginia Tech.
"Democracy is for friends and citizens, not masters and slaves"
Wilson Carey McWilliams
Pinned
Brian Cook
@2ndadminstate.bsky.social
· Feb 25
Here is the essence of the American republic’s dilemma. Those with considerable wealth and control over productive assets do not necessarily need a regime of self-government to sustain their lifestyle and wealth-generating pursuits. But the republic needed them if was to prosper over time.
Wondering whether @pressley.house.gov, @edmarkey.bsky.social, and @warren.senate.gov are paying attention.
It would take a two-word amendment to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to subject ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers to the same liability for constitutional violations that local and state officers currently face.
If Congress actually cared about what it's seeing, it could pass that overnight.
If Congress actually cared about what it's seeing, it could pass that overnight.
January 13, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Wondering whether @pressley.house.gov, @edmarkey.bsky.social, and @warren.senate.gov are paying attention.
250 years on, it’s our time to “act the part which the great Law of Nature points out."
Jan. 12, 1776: Reacting with anger to King George III's belligerent speech of last October, Massachusetts delegate to Congress Samuel Adams comes out for American independence in a letter to Gen. John Sullivan. "It breathes the most malevolent Spirit... 1/2
January 12, 2026 at 7:09 PM
250 years on, it’s our time to “act the part which the great Law of Nature points out."
I keep thinking about Boston in this regard. ICE and CBP are certainly here and doing their relatively lower profile thing. But either they realize a big show of force here would be disastrous, or they’re going to come in at some point and it could be their final undoing.
What ICE/BP is doing to Minneapolis is awful.
And it's taking everything they have. By population, Minneapolis is America's 45th largest city.
Keep both in mind at once: the regime's desire for authoritarian domination is bottomless, and they'll act on it, but their capacity to do so is limited.
And it's taking everything they have. By population, Minneapolis is America's 45th largest city.
Keep both in mind at once: the regime's desire for authoritarian domination is bottomless, and they'll act on it, but their capacity to do so is limited.
January 12, 2026 at 5:53 PM
I keep thinking about Boston in this regard. ICE and CBP are certainly here and doing their relatively lower profile thing. But either they realize a big show of force here would be disastrous, or they’re going to come in at some point and it could be their final undoing.
I have a different perspective on this. The markets, except maybe bond traders, don’t care about guardrails or disciplining the public sector. What traders and finance bros do care about and believe in unwaveringly is their ability to price any risk. I bet they are already doing it re Powell.
The markets: "Meh, no need to react. The guardrails will keep this from happening."
The guardrails: "Huh, I guess if this news doesn't spook the markets, then we should probably let Trump go ahead and do what he wants"
The guardrails: "Huh, I guess if this news doesn't spook the markets, then we should probably let Trump go ahead and do what he wants"
January 12, 2026 at 5:41 PM
I have a different perspective on this. The markets, except maybe bond traders, don’t care about guardrails or disciplining the public sector. What traders and finance bros do care about and believe in unwaveringly is their ability to price any risk. I bet they are already doing it re Powell.
Good morning, Mr. Justice Kavanaugh! How are you feeling about the Fourth Amendment today?
A video of ICE agents conducting door-to-door searches today in Minneapolis
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
January 12, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Good morning, Mr. Justice Kavanaugh! How are you feeling about the Fourth Amendment today?
On the other hand, why would that nice Greenland envoy ruin their appetite with such spoilage? www.borowitzreport.com/p/envoy-from...
Envoy From Greenland Offers to Meet Stephen Miller
“He’d like to meet Mrs. Miller as well," a Greenlandic government spokesman said.
www.borowitzreport.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:30 PM
On the other hand, why would that nice Greenland envoy ruin their appetite with such spoilage? www.borowitzreport.com/p/envoy-from...
Reposted by Brian Cook
If you want a preview of what will happen to the US economy if Trump goes down this path take a look at Turkey over the last decade.
Powell said the investigation is a result of the Federal Reserve refusing to adhere to the President’s preferences on sharply slashing interest rates.
DOJ Opens Criminal Investigation Into Fed Chair Powell—He Vows To Stand Firm In ‘Face Of Threats’
Powell said the investigation is a result of the Federal Reserve refusing to adhere to the President’s preferences on sharply slashing interest rates.
www.forbes.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:40 AM
If you want a preview of what will happen to the US economy if Trump goes down this path take a look at Turkey over the last decade.
This ‘explainer’ is full of European magical thinking on how to respond to Trump’s Greenland 🇬🇱 belligerence. If the EU is not ready to pay the price to fend off American fascism, it will pay an even heavier penalty as a collective vassal of the mad mob king.
January 12, 2026 at 11:52 AM
This ‘explainer’ is full of European magical thinking on how to respond to Trump’s Greenland 🇬🇱 belligerence. If the EU is not ready to pay the price to fend off American fascism, it will pay an even heavier penalty as a collective vassal of the mad mob king.
Reposted by Brian Cook
I hope Brett Kavanaugh is having a nice weekend.
This is what Minneapolis is like right now: City staff in city uniforms are being harassed by fed immigration enforcement for being not white.
January 11, 2026 at 11:04 PM
I hope Brett Kavanaugh is having a nice weekend.
Reposted by Brian Cook
I am begging Democratic leadership to recognize that funding and legitimizing your authoritarian opponent’s secret police is a bad idea.
This should not be a difficult concept.
This should not be a difficult concept.
Top Democrats decline to say if they would rein in ICE after Minnesota shooting
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denounce the killing but offer no concrete pledges
www.independent.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 2:24 AM
I am begging Democratic leadership to recognize that funding and legitimizing your authoritarian opponent’s secret police is a bad idea.
This should not be a difficult concept.
This should not be a difficult concept.
If you haven’t caught on yet, the politics of a constitutional republic collapsing into fascism is friend-enemy politics, as @kjephd.bsky.social tells us. Although there will be occasional moments of cooperation, elected officials still insisting on normal politics are deluded or out of their depth.
By creating the in-group/out-group dynamic, the administration is signaling who gets to be violent, and who is protected from violence.
January 11, 2026 at 9:15 PM
If you haven’t caught on yet, the politics of a constitutional republic collapsing into fascism is friend-enemy politics, as @kjephd.bsky.social tells us. Although there will be occasional moments of cooperation, elected officials still insisting on normal politics are deluded or out of their depth.
Reposted by Brian Cook
The sign on Kristi Noem's podium reads "One of ours, all of yours." The reader will recall that this was a fascist rallying cry in the Spanish Civil War. What it means is that one of "our" people is worth all of "your" people.
January 11, 2026 at 5:43 PM
The sign on Kristi Noem's podium reads "One of ours, all of yours." The reader will recall that this was a fascist rallying cry in the Spanish Civil War. What it means is that one of "our" people is worth all of "your" people.
Reposted by Brian Cook
“Police mendacity acts as critical accelerant for the carceral state, greasing its wheels by generating arrests, justifying police violence, and shielding officers from accountability. The impact of a single lie can reverberate across generations, destroying countless lives and communities.”
Blue Lies Matter
We need to reckon with police lies not only as a form of individual misconduct but as a matter of political speech.
www.bostonreview.net
January 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM
“Police mendacity acts as critical accelerant for the carceral state, greasing its wheels by generating arrests, justifying police violence, and shielding officers from accountability. The impact of a single lie can reverberate across generations, destroying countless lives and communities.”
Reposted by Brian Cook
The federal government Friday agreed to pay $125,000 after a judge found a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent liable for civil assault for pointing a gun at a hotel maintenance man who came to the agent’s room to unclog a toilet.
Feds pay $125K after Border Patrol agent pointed gun at Portland hotel worker
The payout amount was finalized during a settlement conference Friday after a judge found the officer civilly liable for assault.
www.oregonlive.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:00 AM
The federal government Friday agreed to pay $125,000 after a judge found a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent liable for civil assault for pointing a gun at a hotel maintenance man who came to the agent’s room to unclog a toilet.
Reposted by Brian Cook
I believe in the power of nonviolent protest. That's why I often cite writers and activists in that tradition. It's also why I have no patience for moderates who sit back and scold activists to stay nonviolent. They draw on no other element of the tradition, take no other action. They are weasels.
January 10, 2026 at 9:08 PM
I believe in the power of nonviolent protest. That's why I often cite writers and activists in that tradition. It's also why I have no patience for moderates who sit back and scold activists to stay nonviolent. They draw on no other element of the tradition, take no other action. They are weasels.
Reposted by Brian Cook
For ppl saying state and local police forces won’t protect the public: All the MORE impt for govt officials to directly order them to. If they refuse, their perfidy is unquestionable, & emergency measures justified.
Refusing to expose their allegiances protects their prestige, not people’s safety.
Refusing to expose their allegiances protects their prestige, not people’s safety.
Militarizing police and allowing them to build power unchecked by civil authority is and has been a catastrophic mistake. But *directly ordering* them uphold the law is a needed next step. If they refuse, our plight is plain & Govs can fall back on Nat’l Guard.
www.foxnews.com/us/national-...
www.foxnews.com/us/national-...
National police union calls Chicago's refusal to help ICE agents 'shocking' violation of duty
Police union leaders called Chicago's alleged directive to not assist ICE agents surrounded by protesters a violation of law enforcement's duty to protect fellow officers.
www.foxnews.com
January 10, 2026 at 9:15 PM
For ppl saying state and local police forces won’t protect the public: All the MORE impt for govt officials to directly order them to. If they refuse, their perfidy is unquestionable, & emergency measures justified.
Refusing to expose their allegiances protects their prestige, not people’s safety.
Refusing to expose their allegiances protects their prestige, not people’s safety.
Reposted by Brian Cook
“Police perjury is a core function of policing, critical to both the viability of the institution and maintaining control over the public’s understanding of who should be feared and who should be protected.”
January 10, 2026 at 9:21 PM
“Police perjury is a core function of policing, critical to both the viability of the institution and maintaining control over the public’s understanding of who should be feared and who should be protected.”
Reposted by Brian Cook
Not sure what he thinks he can do. The US is currently carrying out airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria, according to Reuters.
It would be on brand for Trump to whip up the Iranians out on the street, then do nothing and leave them to face the guns.
It would be on brand for Trump to whip up the Iranians out on the street, then do nothing and leave them to face the guns.
January 10, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Not sure what he thinks he can do. The US is currently carrying out airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria, according to Reuters.
It would be on brand for Trump to whip up the Iranians out on the street, then do nothing and leave them to face the guns.
It would be on brand for Trump to whip up the Iranians out on the street, then do nothing and leave them to face the guns.
Reposted by Brian Cook
A paramilitary force is being used by the Trump administration to terrorize Americans.
They are levying war on the American people. It is treason, and they must be impeached for it.
They are levying war on the American people. It is treason, and they must be impeached for it.
The decision has been made to break an American city. It is an experiment. We must do all we can (legally) to help Minneapolis hold on.
if you want to know what it is like in minneapolis, I don’t even have to scroll on facebook to find a horror story. it’s basically my whole feed.
everyone i know in minneapolis is seeing ICE take people—at gas stations, taquerias, bus stops, schools. just snatching random people.
everyone i know in minneapolis is seeing ICE take people—at gas stations, taquerias, bus stops, schools. just snatching random people.
January 10, 2026 at 7:25 PM
A paramilitary force is being used by the Trump administration to terrorize Americans.
They are levying war on the American people. It is treason, and they must be impeached for it.
They are levying war on the American people. It is treason, and they must be impeached for it.
Reposted by Brian Cook
Mr. Plug is right - this is why I've argued Americans should *boycott* these sports events (not just arrogantly tell other countries to boycott our events) - we need to smash that facade of normality and reject business as usual under fascism
Not just true in the context of a university, true in the broader society.
NFL, NBA, College sports, Olympics, FIFA coming, all these sports keep going and don't disappear just because the U.S. government has built a tyrannical force that is invading cities.
It's so discordant it's painful.
NFL, NBA, College sports, Olympics, FIFA coming, all these sports keep going and don't disappear just because the U.S. government has built a tyrannical force that is invading cities.
It's so discordant it's painful.
January 10, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Mr. Plug is right - this is why I've argued Americans should *boycott* these sports events (not just arrogantly tell other countries to boycott our events) - we need to smash that facade of normality and reject business as usual under fascism
Read this entire thread. It includes a revealing exchange. And the last comment reveals something I have been saying, that the @housedemocrats.bsky.social seem to exhibit learned disempowerment. They simply do not know how to use power, which is especially critical when in the minority.
Except this is literally not true. Where is her impeachment articles?
“I understand that VP Vance believes shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not. That is a fundamental difference between VP Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.”
January 10, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Read this entire thread. It includes a revealing exchange. And the last comment reveals something I have been saying, that the @housedemocrats.bsky.social seem to exhibit learned disempowerment. They simply do not know how to use power, which is especially critical when in the minority.
Reposted by Brian Cook
BREAKING: In overnight 6-3 "shadow docket" decision, Supreme Court rules Nobel Prize Committee unconstitutional intrusion on unitary executive.
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
January 10, 2026 at 2:46 PM
BREAKING: In overnight 6-3 "shadow docket" decision, Supreme Court rules Nobel Prize Committee unconstitutional intrusion on unitary executive.
Hoping @jfallows.bsky.social will weigh in on this as soon as possible…
13/ The FAA said that it “limits the number of aircraft exposed to the hazards, making the likelihood of a catastrophic event extremely improbable,” and that it has required SpaceX to “implement numerous corrective actions”:
January 10, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Hoping @jfallows.bsky.social will weigh in on this as soon as possible…
"These shootings will not stop. The administration has given their blessing for open-season violence on anyone, for any reason, and large-scale state oppression is around the corner."
www.firewalledmedia.com/p/the-law-of...
www.firewalledmedia.com/p/the-law-of...
The Law of the Gun
Minneapolis, Portland, and The Things That Come Next
www.firewalledmedia.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:42 PM
"These shootings will not stop. The administration has given their blessing for open-season violence on anyone, for any reason, and large-scale state oppression is around the corner."
www.firewalledmedia.com/p/the-law-of...
www.firewalledmedia.com/p/the-law-of...
Reposted by Brian Cook
This is not just a feeling. Trump told US generals: his campaign in U.S. cities is a war. He’s levying war on the United States.
It’s treason.
It’s treason.
Not an exaggeration at all to say that the feeling in Minneapolis is that the entire metro area is being treated as occupied territory by federal agents. Impossible to overstate how overwhelmingly people here do not like it. This does not feel sustainable.
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM
This is not just a feeling. Trump told US generals: his campaign in U.S. cities is a war. He’s levying war on the United States.
It’s treason.
It’s treason.