Brendan Ryan
@brendanryan.bsky.social
previous: deval patrick; hubweek; center for public leadership.
now: heat pumps mostly, at Elephant Energy.
Boston-based.
now: heat pumps mostly, at Elephant Energy.
Boston-based.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
america could be such a cool fucking place if we’d just let it be
February 9, 2026 at 1:32 AM
america could be such a cool fucking place if we’d just let it be
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
I’m the only person in this elevator who isn’t afraid to talk about the real issues
February 3, 2026 at 3:19 AM
I’m the only person in this elevator who isn’t afraid to talk about the real issues
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
No drama there, no credit. For the most part, nothing happens at all. No secret agent stuff. Turning in hours at the dullest make-work job of all time, except unpaid. Just vague unending tension. They’re doing it for free, every day, by the thousands, so their neighbors can be SAFE and can be FREE.
February 3, 2026 at 12:49 AM
No drama there, no credit. For the most part, nothing happens at all. No secret agent stuff. Turning in hours at the dullest make-work job of all time, except unpaid. Just vague unending tension. They’re doing it for free, every day, by the thousands, so their neighbors can be SAFE and can be FREE.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
They get mad over on twitter about following federal law, in this case 8 U.S.C. § 1158
February 1, 2026 at 6:21 PM
They get mad over on twitter about following federal law, in this case 8 U.S.C. § 1158
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Sometimes this reminder is helpful on Bluesky:
It’s good to oppose Trumpism. Trumpism is evil. But there are plenty of people who oppose Trumpism who are also petty, shitty, annoying people. Block them or ignore them and go back to opposing Trump.
It’s good to oppose Trumpism. Trumpism is evil. But there are plenty of people who oppose Trumpism who are also petty, shitty, annoying people. Block them or ignore them and go back to opposing Trump.
January 31, 2026 at 2:04 AM
Sometimes this reminder is helpful on Bluesky:
It’s good to oppose Trumpism. Trumpism is evil. But there are plenty of people who oppose Trumpism who are also petty, shitty, annoying people. Block them or ignore them and go back to opposing Trump.
It’s good to oppose Trumpism. Trumpism is evil. But there are plenty of people who oppose Trumpism who are also petty, shitty, annoying people. Block them or ignore them and go back to opposing Trump.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
You walk into this bar and show your ICE mugshot, you don't pay a dime.
Scrolling through the photos of Pam Bondi's "Minnesota rioters," it's just hero after hero. Every photo includes a cowardly DHS agent with their back to the camera.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
January 28, 2026 at 10:34 PM
You walk into this bar and show your ICE mugshot, you don't pay a dime.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
May we all work to live the kind of life that prompts this kind of eulogy.
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM
May we all work to live the kind of life that prompts this kind of eulogy.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
The political press very clearly understands “truth” as a social agreement, a compromise position between everyone important enough to have an opinion. It did not reflect on how this would allow dedicated liars to go all-in on lies again and again and dramatically shift the position.
my emerging theory is that the political press literally does not believe in objective reality in any meaningful sense. there is only what A says and what B says and how that affects the horse race
January 26, 2026 at 1:31 PM
The political press very clearly understands “truth” as a social agreement, a compromise position between everyone important enough to have an opinion. It did not reflect on how this would allow dedicated liars to go all-in on lies again and again and dramatically shift the position.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
looking at reddit.com/r/all right now is wild. 80% of the posts are anti ice from every kind of subreddit like NBA, climbing, nursing, batman, catbongos and music
reddit
Today's top content from hundreds of thousands of Reddit communities.
reddit.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:15 AM
looking at reddit.com/r/all right now is wild. 80% of the posts are anti ice from every kind of subreddit like NBA, climbing, nursing, batman, catbongos and music
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
I keep thinking about this fact that his last words were are you okay and hers were I'm not mad at you and it feels like a weird coincidence but it's just a reflection of the fact that the people who are coming out to take care of their neighbors are good and the people who are after them are bad
His dying words were asking about the safety of someone next to him
Hero
Hero
By Saturday afternoon, some Trump admin. personnel had already begun scouring the internet and other resources trying to find information on Alex Pretti, including social media posts, that could tie him to what Team Trump call “extremists,” two sources familiar with the matter tell @zeteo.com …
January 25, 2026 at 2:22 PM
I keep thinking about this fact that his last words were are you okay and hers were I'm not mad at you and it feels like a weird coincidence but it's just a reflection of the fact that the people who are coming out to take care of their neighbors are good and the people who are after them are bad
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
the nba postponed a game because the united states government is killing its citizens
January 24, 2026 at 7:51 PM
the nba postponed a game because the united states government is killing its citizens
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
I know Will wasn’t the first to say it, but I cant stop thinking about “we will never have as many guns as they have/they will never have as many people as we have” and how easy that makes it to pick a strategy
Do you honestly think people in the civil rights movement and other nonviolent movements faced no violence themselves? They practiced nonviolence because it works, because the oppressor wants a shooting war, which is the war it will win
How's your non-violent working Mr Gandhi stancil? They will kill each and everyone of you right if they had the chance and you will still be writing Kumbaya.
January 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM
I know Will wasn’t the first to say it, but I cant stop thinking about “we will never have as many guns as they have/they will never have as many people as we have” and how easy that makes it to pick a strategy
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
If you steal my neighbors in the night, I do not care if they have all their documentation in order
January 24, 2026 at 1:35 PM
If you steal my neighbors in the night, I do not care if they have all their documentation in order
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Every single one of them is risking their lives against death squads to prove that the fascist vision of America, a country where we hate everyone different than ourselves, is a fucking lie
I am trying not to post on these events in this state of mind but: I hope people understand what the observers are doing is brave and dangerous.
January 24, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Every single one of them is risking their lives against death squads to prove that the fascist vision of America, a country where we hate everyone different than ourselves, is a fucking lie
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Wise words from WEB DuBois to gird us today: "It would be shame and cowardice to surrender this glorious land and its opportunities for civilization and humanity to the thugs and lynchers, the mobs and profiteers, the monopolists & gamblers who today choke its soul and steal its resources."
January 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Wise words from WEB DuBois to gird us today: "It would be shame and cowardice to surrender this glorious land and its opportunities for civilization and humanity to the thugs and lynchers, the mobs and profiteers, the monopolists & gamblers who today choke its soul and steal its resources."
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
genuinely stunning image
January 24, 2026 at 1:37 AM
genuinely stunning image
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
I never understand why people who tout their moderate and centrist credentials aren't directly asked about this.
January 19, 2026 at 5:23 PM
I never understand why people who tout their moderate and centrist credentials aren't directly asked about this.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Claudette Colvin, whose refusal to move seats on a segregated bus helped spark the civil rights movement, dies at 86.
January 13, 2026 at 9:49 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Claudette Colvin, whose refusal to move seats on a segregated bus helped spark the civil rights movement, dies at 86.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Democrats need to understand that they can just say “It’s insane to threaten Greenland” and “I don’t think ICE should murder Americans in the street” and you don’t need to pretend to link it to the affordability crisis.
Say bad things are bad.
Say bad things are bad.
January 7, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Democrats need to understand that they can just say “It’s insane to threaten Greenland” and “I don’t think ICE should murder Americans in the street” and you don’t need to pretend to link it to the affordability crisis.
Say bad things are bad.
Say bad things are bad.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Sonny Rollins getting ready to go onstage at the Apollo Theatre in New York City, 1961.
Photograph by Steve Schapiro.
Photograph by Steve Schapiro.
December 25, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Sonny Rollins getting ready to go onstage at the Apollo Theatre in New York City, 1961.
Photograph by Steve Schapiro.
Photograph by Steve Schapiro.
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Life is short, you should like some stuff
Honestly, following your journey into WH40K and other assorted nerdom has been really freeing. I, too, love the football AND weird nerd shit.
December 23, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Life is short, you should like some stuff
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
It’s really strange the vice president of the United States is a white supremacist, who says white supremacist slogans, who publicly praises and follows the work of white supremacists, and it’s simply not mentioned or discussed in political media
December 22, 2025 at 2:24 PM
It’s really strange the vice president of the United States is a white supremacist, who says white supremacist slogans, who publicly praises and follows the work of white supremacists, and it’s simply not mentioned or discussed in political media
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
December 15, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
related to this a lot of people in the pundit class need to learn how to just be annoyed by someone or something without turning it into What’s Wrong With America
i am fascinated by how nate silver turns everything he doesn’t like into a bespoke ideology. it’s not that he is annoyed by HCR, it is that she is a dreaded “ism” responsible for everything he doesn’t like about the democratic party. same with bluesky.
what the fuck are you talking about man
December 13, 2025 at 11:38 PM
related to this a lot of people in the pundit class need to learn how to just be annoyed by someone or something without turning it into What’s Wrong With America
Reposted by Brendan Ryan
And I'd go further: I think the ability to laugh at and mock people in power *is* powerful and important, it erodes the aura of inevitability that they rely so much on
December 14, 2025 at 2:33 PM
And I'd go further: I think the ability to laugh at and mock people in power *is* powerful and important, it erodes the aura of inevitability that they rely so much on