Joe Robertson
@joro.bsky.social
Stay free, defend humanity. #StandWithMinnesota. Uphold the Bill of Rights (https://the-ctzn.org/bill). Violence is failure. Kindness is freedom. RescueRights.org
Pinned
Rescue Rights & Freedoms, by using them
The Faithful Citizen started as a way to retell the story of executive overreach, by reminding readers that there are founding laws and principles and universal duties for all who serve in public o…
the-ctzn.org
We need a Rescue Party, a movement of ordinary people & aligned public servants, from across the political spectrum, who will work together to restore sanity & decency to our civic space & defend the humanity of all. Not a new party, just free, honest people being kind. the-ctzn.org/rescue-right...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
NEW: Judge Xinis continues her order preventing the government from re-detaining Killmar Abrego Garcia, finding "no 'good reason to believe' removal is likely in the reasonably foreseeable future." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 17, 2026 at 5:15 PM
NEW: Judge Xinis continues her order preventing the government from re-detaining Killmar Abrego Garcia, finding "no 'good reason to believe' removal is likely in the reasonably foreseeable future." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
A lot of people who support Trump think he defends their own fundamental freedoms. The First Amendment protects everyone's rights. When it is breached, everyone's rights are breached. Government action to void these rights is explicitly illegal. the-ctzn.org/2025/08/14/t...
The First Amendment gives real power to every American
The Bill of Rights was established not only to protect the vulnerable against abusive uses of public authority. It was established to ensure governing authorities understood, and would be bound by,…
the-ctzn.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:49 PM
A lot of people who support Trump think he defends their own fundamental freedoms. The First Amendment protects everyone's rights. When it is breached, everyone's rights are breached. Government action to void these rights is explicitly illegal. the-ctzn.org/2025/08/14/t...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
New: Stephen Colbert accused his network, CBS, of refusing to broadcast his interview with Texas Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, during Monday night’s airing of “The Late Show” for fear of running afoul of the Trump administration.
Stephen Colbert blasts CBS for nixing James Talarico interview
The late-night host said the network feared running afoul of new FCC guidance directing shows to give equal airtime to political candidates.
www.texastribune.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:11 PM
New: Stephen Colbert accused his network, CBS, of refusing to broadcast his interview with Texas Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, during Monday night’s airing of “The Late Show” for fear of running afoul of the Trump administration.
The Constitution requires the US government to operate strictly within the law, treat every human being as having unalienable rights & never stray from the most ethical use of office. Every time the admin breaches that standard, it violates EVERYONE's rights. the-ctzn.org/2025/05/15/t...
The American people have a right to be served by the most ethical & service-oriented leaders
Nearly all cultures and religions recognize some version of the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do to you. Fairness is the foundation of legitimate interrelationship between peop…
the-ctzn.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:28 PM
The Constitution requires the US government to operate strictly within the law, treat every human being as having unalienable rights & never stray from the most ethical use of office. Every time the admin breaches that standard, it violates EVERYONE's rights. the-ctzn.org/2025/05/15/t...
In 2007, the Supreme Court required the EPA to issue a fact-based finding on dangers posed by climate pollution. The Endangerment Finding is a legally required statement of scientific fact. 41 Senators are supporting an investigation into the effort to erase it. www.epw.senate.gov/public/index...
Whitehouse, Senate Democrats Investigate EPA’s “Fait Accompli” Repeal of Bedrock Climate Safeguard
“Presidential policy preferences do not give EPA carte blanche to bypass statutory mandates to engage in good faith with sound science and public input in favor of predetermined outcomes,”...
https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2026/2/whitehouse-senate-democrats-investigate-epa-s-fait-accompli-repeal-of-bedrock-climate-safeguard#:~:text=Washington%2C%20D.C.—U.S.%20Senators%20Sheldon,2009%20endangerment%20finding%2C%20the%20bedrock
February 17, 2026 at 3:26 PM
In 2007, the Supreme Court required the EPA to issue a fact-based finding on dangers posed by climate pollution. The Endangerment Finding is a legally required statement of scientific fact. 41 Senators are supporting an investigation into the effort to erase it. www.epw.senate.gov/public/index...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
Hutchins TX mayor, on news that a local warehouse won't be sold to ICE for a Trump prison camp:
"Your concerns did not go unnoticed, and your professional decorum shown during our city council meetings, as well as the protest here at City Hall, is much appreciated..."
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
"Your concerns did not go unnoticed, and your professional decorum shown during our city council meetings, as well as the protest here at City Hall, is much appreciated..."
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
February 16, 2026 at 10:50 PM
Hutchins TX mayor, on news that a local warehouse won't be sold to ICE for a Trump prison camp:
"Your concerns did not go unnoticed, and your professional decorum shown during our city council meetings, as well as the protest here at City Hall, is much appreciated..."
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
"Your concerns did not go unnoticed, and your professional decorum shown during our city council meetings, as well as the protest here at City Hall, is much appreciated..."
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
senate democrats investigate epa “fait accompli” repeal of bedrock climate safeguard Endangerment Finding
www.epw.senate.gov/public/index...
www.epw.senate.gov/public/index...
Whitehouse, Senate Democrats Investigate EPA’s “Fait Accompli” Repeal of Bedrock Climate Safeguard
“Presidential policy preferences do not give EPA carte blanche to bypass statutory mandates to engage in good faith with sound science and public input in favor of predetermined outcomes,”...
www.epw.senate.gov
February 17, 2026 at 1:32 PM
senate democrats investigate epa “fait accompli” repeal of bedrock climate safeguard Endangerment Finding
www.epw.senate.gov/public/index...
www.epw.senate.gov/public/index...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
February 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
Reposted by Joe Robertson
Probably the most straightforward example of government censorship of the broadcast news in my lifetime?
They must really be scared of Talarico talking about genuine Christianity
www.usatoday.com/story/entert...
They must really be scared of Talarico talking about genuine Christianity
www.usatoday.com/story/entert...
Colbert slams CBS for canning interview with Trump critic
Stephen Colbert, whose "Late Show" is ending this year, wasted no time laying into CBS over a canned James Talarico interview: "FCC you."
www.usatoday.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Probably the most straightforward example of government censorship of the broadcast news in my lifetime?
They must really be scared of Talarico talking about genuine Christianity
www.usatoday.com/story/entert...
They must really be scared of Talarico talking about genuine Christianity
www.usatoday.com/story/entert...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
More evidence of soft censorship by the Trump Administration (tho it only works when the media outlet—CBS—acquiesces to such threats)👇
This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see.
His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert.
Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.
His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert.
Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.
February 17, 2026 at 1:12 PM
More evidence of soft censorship by the Trump Administration (tho it only works when the media outlet—CBS—acquiesces to such threats)👇
Reposted by Joe Robertson
bsky.app/profile/nash... We must remain outraged at the inhumanity of this Regime. THIS is our defining moment as a Nation. We choose the legacy we leave for our Children.
February 17, 2026 at 12:21 PM
bsky.app/profile/nash... We must remain outraged at the inhumanity of this Regime. THIS is our defining moment as a Nation. We choose the legacy we leave for our Children.
Reposted by Joe Robertson
This should simply encourage more people to criticize ICE on social media.
DHS sent hundreds of subpoenas to Google, Meta, and Reddit demanding names of people who criticize ICE boingboing.net/2026/02/16/d...
DHS sent hundreds of subpoenas to Google, Meta, and Reddit demanding names of people who criticize ICE
DHS sent hundreds of subpoenas to Google, Meta, Reddit, and Discord demanding names of accounts that criticize ICE.
boingboing.net
February 17, 2026 at 1:37 PM
This should simply encourage more people to criticize ICE on social media.
Only Congress is allowed by the Constitution to decide how federal money is used. Without that safeguard, democracy is an illusion. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/o...
Opinion | Trump Is Raising Billions in Federal Funds. That’s Not a Good Thing.
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Only Congress is allowed by the Constitution to decide how federal money is used. Without that safeguard, democracy is an illusion. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/o...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
“An AI agent… autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into accepting its changes into a mainstream python library.”
Blackmail is a known behavior of chatbots.
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Blackmail is a known behavior of chatbots.
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me
Summary: An AI agent of unknown ownership autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into acceptin…
theshamblog.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:20 PM
“An AI agent… autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into accepting its changes into a mainstream python library.”
Blackmail is a known behavior of chatbots.
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Blackmail is a known behavior of chatbots.
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
I've been writing about surveillance for years, and what we're seeing from the Trump administration is what we've long been worried about.
The latest for my newsletter:
The latest for my newsletter:
The growing surveillance state
The Trump administration is expanding the surveillance state—and facing pushback.
madness.ghost.io
February 16, 2026 at 2:40 PM
I've been writing about surveillance for years, and what we're seeing from the Trump administration is what we've long been worried about.
The latest for my newsletter:
The latest for my newsletter:
Reposted by Joe Robertson
There is no constitutional right of law enforcement to detain me, throw me to the ground, and then put five bullets in my back while masked and unidentified.
There is a right to vote.
There is a right to vote.
Emmer: "Another reform they claim they want is they want ICE agents to identify themselves, to show identification. But they don't want identification for voters in elections. I mean, this stuff is just intellectually inconsistent."
February 16, 2026 at 9:28 PM
There is no constitutional right of law enforcement to detain me, throw me to the ground, and then put five bullets in my back while masked and unidentified.
There is a right to vote.
There is a right to vote.
Reposted by Joe Robertson
I worry that so many people have replaced factual information with movies & propaganda. Even those who are ardently anti-fascist.
Think respected* book, not popular movie. The latter is about the false idea that ‘perception is more important than reality’.
Here’s what everyone needs to read now.
Think respected* book, not popular movie. The latter is about the false idea that ‘perception is more important than reality’.
Here’s what everyone needs to read now.
February 16, 2026 at 9:26 PM
I worry that so many people have replaced factual information with movies & propaganda. Even those who are ardently anti-fascist.
Think respected* book, not popular movie. The latter is about the false idea that ‘perception is more important than reality’.
Here’s what everyone needs to read now.
Think respected* book, not popular movie. The latter is about the false idea that ‘perception is more important than reality’.
Here’s what everyone needs to read now.
I know we all know the answer but if the Trump admin is trying to spread conservative speech on mainstream platforms, why would it not go after FOX News for aggressively suppressing all hit extremist right wing views? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
F.T.C. Chair Warns Apple Against Bias in Apple News
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2026 at 9:33 PM
I know we all know the answer but if the Trump admin is trying to spread conservative speech on mainstream platforms, why would it not go after FOX News for aggressively suppressing all hit extremist right wing views? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
The American Academy of Actuaries warns that dismantling NCAR would degrade the catastrophe models insurers depend on to price climate risk—driving up premiums and threatening coverage availability nationwide.
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...
Trump's Climate Supercomputer Plans Threaten US Insurance Market: Actuaries
A new letter from the American Academy of Actuaries draws a direct line between the planned dismantling of NCAR and higher homeowners insurance costs for US consumers.
www.riskmarketnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:49 PM
The American Academy of Actuaries warns that dismantling NCAR would degrade the catastrophe models insurers depend on to price climate risk—driving up premiums and threatening coverage availability nationwide.
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
Health boss RFK Jr.'s 1-year anniversary week was packed with new disasters and reminders of old ones. But even those who should care most are MIA. GOP senators Bill Cassidy (a doctor) and Mitch McConnell (a polio survivor) top my list. My latest at @thebulwark.com open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
The Disastrous First Year of RFK Jr.
The damage the HHS secretary has done to science and public health is appalling—and it could have been avoided.
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Health boss RFK Jr.'s 1-year anniversary week was packed with new disasters and reminders of old ones. But even those who should care most are MIA. GOP senators Bill Cassidy (a doctor) and Mitch McConnell (a polio survivor) top my list. My latest at @thebulwark.com open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
The new batch of Epstein files make me retch. They reveal the rot of abuse & corruption at the highest levels of government, finance & tech.
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Jeffrey Epstein cover-up is an affront to US democracy | Rebecca Solnit
Democracy means a society and system in which everyone’s rights matter. Rapists count on this being untrue – and Trump is proving them right
www.theguardian.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
The new batch of Epstein files make me retch. They reveal the rot of abuse & corruption at the highest levels of government, finance & tech.
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Absolutely shameful & inexcusable that the DOJ continues to obstruct the State of Minnesota’s criminal investigations into shootings by federal agents, including the murders of Renee Good & Alex Pretti. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
FBI will not provide the BCA access to evidence gathered from Pretti shooting, BCA says
Minnesota criminal investigators have again been denied access to evidence and other materials collected by federal authorities after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, state officials said Monday.
www.mprnews.org
February 16, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Absolutely shameful & inexcusable that the DOJ continues to obstruct the State of Minnesota’s criminal investigations into shootings by federal agents, including the murders of Renee Good & Alex Pretti. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Joe Robertson
ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes, Filings Say www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/u...
ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes, Filings Say
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 5:20 PM
ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes, Filings Say www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/u...
‘Unalienable’ means a human being cannot be separated from their humanity, or from their human rights. That includes the right against arbitrary detention, warrantless search, self-incrimination, or denial of due process. If any person can be ‘illegal’, no one is free. the-poet.com/2026/02/10/i...
If people can be ‘illegal’, no one is free
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit …
the-poet.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:40 PM
‘Unalienable’ means a human being cannot be separated from their humanity, or from their human rights. That includes the right against arbitrary detention, warrantless search, self-incrimination, or denial of due process. If any person can be ‘illegal’, no one is free. the-poet.com/2026/02/10/i...
In every instance we know of, DHS has lied about violence & rights violations, even when there is video. Judges need to deny ICE & CBP authority to hold anyone in camps. Let legal immigration play out. Uphold the Bill of Rights. No mass detention or disappearances. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...
ICE Tried to Justify a Minneapolis Shooting. Its Story Unraveled.
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:03 PM
In every instance we know of, DHS has lied about violence & rights violations, even when there is video. Judges need to deny ICE & CBP authority to hold anyone in camps. Let legal immigration play out. Uphold the Bill of Rights. No mass detention or disappearances. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...