Andrew H. Sowards
@andrewhsowards.bsky.social
Former criminal defense investigator, retired (disability not old) FPD CHU. Picture taker, sawdust maker, occasional writer of words.
Pinned
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends...
ADX should be shut down, filled with concrete, and forever be a lesson in how not to do "justice."
absolutely harrowing description of adx supermax in colorado boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
November 27, 2025 at 3:18 PM
ADX should be shut down, filled with concrete, and forever be a lesson in how not to do "justice."
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
absolutely harrowing description of adx supermax in colorado boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
November 27, 2025 at 9:30 AM
absolutely harrowing description of adx supermax in colorado boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
The House will have been in session for fewer than 30 days between July 1-December 31 and just had a 53-day recess. He makes $223K/year plus benefits including 75% of all health expenses for his entire family. Affordable Care Act subsidies expire Dec 31st for everyone else’s healthcare coverage.
Speaker 'barely holding it together' and 'crushed by his workload': NYT
Speaker 'barely holding it together' and 'crushed by his workload': NYT
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made several revealing admissions about the stressful and chaotic nature of his job, according to a recent New York Times report.The Times' Annie Karni wrote in a Wednesday article that Johnson turned what was meant to be an easy interview with a friendly podcast h...
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 3:34 AM
The House will have been in session for fewer than 30 days between July 1-December 31 and just had a 53-day recess. He makes $223K/year plus benefits including 75% of all health expenses for his entire family. Affordable Care Act subsidies expire Dec 31st for everyone else’s healthcare coverage.
Awesome.
Speaker 'barely holding it together' and 'crushed by his workload': NYT
Speaker 'barely holding it together' and 'crushed by his workload': NYT
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made several revealing admissions about the stressful and chaotic nature of his job, according to a recent New York Times report.The Times' Annie Karni wrote in a Wednesday article that Johnson turned what was meant to be an easy interview with a friendly podcast h...
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Awesome.
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
Huge news today, if you missed it; Chris Duncan was released from Louisiana prison after being wrongfully convicted for nearly three decades.
@psfrench.bsky.social wrote this devastating but important read this spring on Louisiana’s rush to kill Jim despite junk science.
@psfrench.bsky.social wrote this devastating but important read this spring on Louisiana’s rush to kill Jim despite junk science.
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions - Bolts
Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.
boltsmag.org
November 27, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Huge news today, if you missed it; Chris Duncan was released from Louisiana prison after being wrongfully convicted for nearly three decades.
@psfrench.bsky.social wrote this devastating but important read this spring on Louisiana’s rush to kill Jim despite junk science.
@psfrench.bsky.social wrote this devastating but important read this spring on Louisiana’s rush to kill Jim despite junk science.
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
⚠️ After posting that the National Guard members had both died, the governor of West Virginia now says they’re “receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members”:
November 26, 2025 at 9:12 PM
⚠️ After posting that the National Guard members had both died, the governor of West Virginia now says they’re “receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members”:
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
National Guard soldiers didn't sign up to be deployed as local police indefinitely as part of someone else's political stunt.
They're not set up to be local police, they never should have been deployed.
They're not set up to be local police, they never should have been deployed.
November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
National Guard soldiers didn't sign up to be deployed as local police indefinitely as part of someone else's political stunt.
They're not set up to be local police, they never should have been deployed.
They're not set up to be local police, they never should have been deployed.
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
Almost certainly a targeted attack at two people who had basically nothing to do with the moment and would have preferred to be home with their families. Compounded tragedy.
NEW: The governor of West Virginia says that two members of the state National Guard shot today in DC have died.
November 26, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Almost certainly a targeted attack at two people who had basically nothing to do with the moment and would have preferred to be home with their families. Compounded tragedy.
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
TAPS SCREEN
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 7:49 PM
TAPS SCREEN
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
Never have seen anything like this in 25+ years of doing criminal justice stuff. I can't even conceive of a valid reason for the request. Utter bullshit.
NEW: The Colorado Department of Corrections says it won’t grant the Trump administration’s request to transfer Tina Peters to the federal prison system, characterizing it as not fitting with the “standard practice” for moving inmates.
Colorado officials reject Tina Peters prison transfer request by Trump administration
The Colorado Department of Corrections says it won’t grant the Trump administration’s request to transfer Tina Peters to the federal prison system.
trib.al
November 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Never have seen anything like this in 25+ years of doing criminal justice stuff. I can't even conceive of a valid reason for the request. Utter bullshit.
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Note that the BBC openly admits in an email to me that the removal of this claim about Trump's world-historical corruption was done "on legal advice."
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Please just let one of them be Juan Ciscomani.
Jeffries: These reports that Republicans are going to follow Marjorie Taylor Greene to the exit, these are all consistent with some of the things that we’re hearing in the House of Representatives when we’re on the floor.
November 26, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Please just let one of them be Juan Ciscomani.
And not just about superficial stuff like appearance or music taste, but this extends to every, single, aspect of their lives, including how they deal (or more often don't deal) with trauma, pain, depression, etc. Therapy and self care when I can rub dirt on it and walk it off? Pfft.
So many men go through life like that. You can play poker because it's right-coded, you can't enjoy fruity alcoholic drinks because they're women-coded, you can't lick an ice cream cone because it's gay-coded. All day, every day, choosing and judging things based on coding for narrow norms.
November 26, 2025 at 5:10 PM
And not just about superficial stuff like appearance or music taste, but this extends to every, single, aspect of their lives, including how they deal (or more often don't deal) with trauma, pain, depression, etc. Therapy and self care when I can rub dirt on it and walk it off? Pfft.
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 25, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
ICE agents involved in another vehicle collision, this time in Mesa azmirror.com/briefs/ice-a...
ICE agents involved in another vehicle collision, this time in Mesa | Arizona Mirror
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents collided with a car driven by a person they were attempting to apprehend in a Mesa neighborhood.
azmirror.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
ICE agents involved in another vehicle collision, this time in Mesa azmirror.com/briefs/ice-a...
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
It’s the rot at the heart of the criminal legal system; it does not care about punishing harm. It just punishes people we (big we, not like you and I) don’t like.
November 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
It’s the rot at the heart of the criminal legal system; it does not care about punishing harm. It just punishes people we (big we, not like you and I) don’t like.
"I'd like your talent and thousands of hours of effort and work for free or you suck" is an objectively ridiculous idea. Write your own shit if you're not willing to cough up $10 for what is probably thousands of hours of someone's life.
November 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
"I'd like your talent and thousands of hours of effort and work for free or you suck" is an objectively ridiculous idea. Write your own shit if you're not willing to cough up $10 for what is probably thousands of hours of someone's life.
All of the "dangerous people" in this country combined won't kill one percent of the people Trump and his friends have and will, so frankly I don't think I care much if they all had criminal records, the methods and reasons are enough to hate their efforts.
This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.
November 26, 2025 at 3:53 PM
All of the "dangerous people" in this country combined won't kill one percent of the people Trump and his friends have and will, so frankly I don't think I care much if they all had criminal records, the methods and reasons are enough to hate their efforts.
Personally, I think they should go with Trumpedoklan.
November 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Personally, I think they should go with Trumpedoklan.
They sent cops and US Marshals to a whole other town to arrest a woman for a Facebook meme. This is an investigative phone call level matter turned into a ridiculous unconstitutional shit show because a bunch of overpaid bullies with guns need to justify themselves.
tucson.com/news/local/s...
tucson.com/news/local/s...
Tim Steller's column: Overkill in Tucsonan's arrest by Tempe PD for 'threat'
For Star subscribers: It made sense for Tempe police to investigate whether a post by Tucsonan Kathleen Tierney was a threat. Now, though, they appear to be turning critics' free
tucson.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
They sent cops and US Marshals to a whole other town to arrest a woman for a Facebook meme. This is an investigative phone call level matter turned into a ridiculous unconstitutional shit show because a bunch of overpaid bullies with guns need to justify themselves.
tucson.com/news/local/s...
tucson.com/news/local/s...
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
'Overkill': Tempe PD's arrest of Tucson woman in alleged threat to City Council raises issue of local government cracking down on critics' free speech, per columnist Tim Steller of AZ Daily Star. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell weighing felony charge. tucson.com/news/local/s...
Tim Steller's column: Overkill in Tucsonan's arrest by Tempe PD for 'threat'
For Star subscribers: It made sense for Tempe police to investigate whether a post by Tucsonan Kathleen Tierney was a threat. Now, though, they appear to be turning critics' free
tucson.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:19 PM
'Overkill': Tempe PD's arrest of Tucson woman in alleged threat to City Council raises issue of local government cracking down on critics' free speech, per columnist Tim Steller of AZ Daily Star. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell weighing felony charge. tucson.com/news/local/s...
Reposted by Andrew H. Sowards
NEW data I've received: Just 5% of people detained by ICE since October 1 have had violent criminal convictions, 3/4 had no criminal convictions at all. Most "criminals" had immigration, traffic, and vice offenses. Not the "worst of the worst"...
November 24, 2025 at 11:33 PM
NEW data I've received: Just 5% of people detained by ICE since October 1 have had violent criminal convictions, 3/4 had no criminal convictions at all. Most "criminals" had immigration, traffic, and vice offenses. Not the "worst of the worst"...
Grandma?
the Doug Mills video embedded in the NYT Trump aging story is pretty amazing
November 26, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Grandma?
There should be several counts in a future indictment related to this video, but the cringe is felonious on its own and we may have to make up new laws so history fully grasps how stupid all of this was.
this extremely fashy Trump cult of personality ad featuring Kristi Noem ran this morning on Fox & Friends
November 26, 2025 at 2:18 PM
There should be several counts in a future indictment related to this video, but the cringe is felonious on its own and we may have to make up new laws so history fully grasps how stupid all of this was.