Sam G. Howard
@samghoward.riliberator.com
Rhode Islander, education union data organizer and Democratic ward committee member. Recovering comms pro, RI's leading vexillologist (probably). Occasionally blogs at riliberator.com
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Not just the encampments. People like Kristof admire the protests that happen ELSEWHERE. They critique those that happen where they live. This is a feature not a bug.
I’m old enough to remember the anti-genocide encampments y’all defamed.
January 11, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Not just the encampments. People like Kristof admire the protests that happen ELSEWHERE. They critique those that happen where they live. This is a feature not a bug.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Hard to get more racist than “I miss rhodesia“
January 11, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Hard to get more racist than “I miss rhodesia“
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
blue sanctuary states gotta make room and build more homes
New research confirms what many of us see: there's a large internal migration of LGBTQ people in the US, especially trans people, to friendlier states & cities.
Since 11/2024, 9% of all trans people have moved to another state, 43% have considered moving.
www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-su...
Since 11/2024, 9% of all trans people have moved to another state, 43% have considered moving.
www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-su...
January 10, 2026 at 7:18 PM
blue sanctuary states gotta make room and build more homes
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
New research confirms what many of us see: there's a large internal migration of LGBTQ people in the US, especially trans people, to friendlier states & cities.
Since 11/2024, 9% of all trans people have moved to another state, 43% have considered moving.
www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-su...
Since 11/2024, 9% of all trans people have moved to another state, 43% have considered moving.
www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-su...
January 10, 2026 at 7:17 PM
New research confirms what many of us see: there's a large internal migration of LGBTQ people in the US, especially trans people, to friendlier states & cities.
Since 11/2024, 9% of all trans people have moved to another state, 43% have considered moving.
www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-su...
Since 11/2024, 9% of all trans people have moved to another state, 43% have considered moving.
www.mapresearch.org/2025-norc-su...
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
The reactionary centrist logic is simple: if the left does something bad it’s the left’s fault, and if the right does something bad, it’s also the left’s fault for making them do it. It’s a simple formula and once you see it every one of their arguments is the same
January 10, 2026 at 11:24 PM
The reactionary centrist logic is simple: if the left does something bad it’s the left’s fault, and if the right does something bad, it’s also the left’s fault for making them do it. It’s a simple formula and once you see it every one of their arguments is the same
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Emily Oster sanewashing RFK Jr. -- Now That's What I Call Overdetermined! www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2026/01/grad...
Grading RFK Jr. on the Harvard College curve - Lawyers, Guns & Money
Andrew Gelman highlights the very many absurdities in this Emily Oster NYT op-ed, praising RFK Jr. for not advocating that Americans sprinkle plutonium on their cornflakes: If you actually read the li...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
January 10, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Emily Oster sanewashing RFK Jr. -- Now That's What I Call Overdetermined! www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2026/01/grad...
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
A lot of the media really struggle to cover the 4chan edgelord meme stuff because it seems so unserious. And it is. But it's also serious.
It’s beyond insane that our overarching internal security agency has spent months tweeting barely-coded messages of support for neo-Nazi groups and the entire media apparatus looks at it and says “That’s odd but certainly not part a major story that is relevant to current events, I’m sure”
January 10, 2026 at 5:34 PM
A lot of the media really struggle to cover the 4chan edgelord meme stuff because it seems so unserious. And it is. But it's also serious.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
if only there had been a movement and momentum several years ago to downsize police budgets, clear out the white supremacists and de-militarize local law enforcement
The elephant in the room is that mayors and governors across the country have very good reason to question the loyalty and allegiances of the state and local police forces and that’s one of the impediments to doing anything about the current occupations
January 10, 2026 at 1:40 PM
if only there had been a movement and momentum several years ago to downsize police budgets, clear out the white supremacists and de-militarize local law enforcement
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
I can't describe how bad Minneapolis feels right now. My neighbors are pulling kids out of school. The public schools are offering remote learning until 2/12. We are having conversations in our alleys about how to protect ourselves. It feels like a military occupation with a blockade.
The US Department of Agriculture suspends all federal funding to Minnesota, effective immediately.
January 10, 2026 at 4:29 PM
I can't describe how bad Minneapolis feels right now. My neighbors are pulling kids out of school. The public schools are offering remote learning until 2/12. We are having conversations in our alleys about how to protect ourselves. It feels like a military occupation with a blockade.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
i'm not saying this as anyone who knows anything about health; i'm saying it as someone who is an alleged expert in interest group politics: the American beef industry is all over MAHA, wellness, and podcast spaces.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
New federal dietary guidelines give federal approval to beef tallow, a fat that both cardiologists and the U.S. government told Americans to avoid for nearly half a century.
Beef Tallow Rises to the Top of the U.S. Food Pyramid
The new dietary guidelines give federal approval to a fat that has slowly caught on with consumers, even as doctors have warned against it.
nyti.ms
January 10, 2026 at 4:04 PM
i'm not saying this as anyone who knows anything about health; i'm saying it as someone who is an alleged expert in interest group politics: the American beef industry is all over MAHA, wellness, and podcast spaces.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
In which the English editors that Jeff Bezos hired from Rupert Murdoch to run WaPo demonstrate (1) that they don't understand the First Amendment and how it works and (2) that they're also basically illiterate.
January 10, 2026 at 4:02 PM
In which the English editors that Jeff Bezos hired from Rupert Murdoch to run WaPo demonstrate (1) that they don't understand the First Amendment and how it works and (2) that they're also basically illiterate.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
The thing about the Boston Massacre— the fruits of arbitrary power— was not that the colonists were universally in the right. Things were thrown at the soldiers. But, the presence of a standing army escalated conditions. The use of force that night was not proportional. Citizens died needlessly.
January 10, 2026 at 3:42 PM
The thing about the Boston Massacre— the fruits of arbitrary power— was not that the colonists were universally in the right. Things were thrown at the soldiers. But, the presence of a standing army escalated conditions. The use of force that night was not proportional. Citizens died needlessly.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
whats missing from all the coverage is that the president is using the military to harass, brutalize and punish areas of the country that didnt vote for him
January 10, 2026 at 2:37 PM
whats missing from all the coverage is that the president is using the military to harass, brutalize and punish areas of the country that didnt vote for him
The headline is bad, but don’t be fooled. The arguments presented in the article are also very bad.
If women quit X because of Grok’s deepfake nudes, the predators win – so I’m staying
If women quit X because of Grok’s deepfake nudes, the predators win – so I’m staying
If women quit X because of Grok’s deepfake nudes, the predators win – so I’m staying
www.independent.co.uk
January 10, 2026 at 3:01 PM
The headline is bad, but don’t be fooled. The arguments presented in the article are also very bad.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
For a literal decade the official CBP policy has been “don’t stand in front of or behind vehicles” because the decade before that their internally commissioned studies found that agents were putting themselves in front of vehicles so as to shoot the occupants
Because he put himself in front of the car to have an excuse to shoot!
January 10, 2026 at 12:01 AM
For a literal decade the official CBP policy has been “don’t stand in front of or behind vehicles” because the decade before that their internally commissioned studies found that agents were putting themselves in front of vehicles so as to shoot the occupants
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
No pic has deserved captioning more than this one.
January 10, 2026 at 12:26 AM
No pic has deserved captioning more than this one.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Some important new government policy that Native Americans might be interested in:
Trump talks about Denmark and Greenland just now: "The fact that they landed a boat there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land."
January 9, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Some important new government policy that Native Americans might be interested in:
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Newly-released footage reveals Renee Nicole Good’s last words.
January 9, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Newly-released footage reveals Renee Nicole Good’s last words.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
they've got Raffi calling for regime change. something has shifted.
January 9, 2026 at 6:07 PM
they've got Raffi calling for regime change. something has shifted.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
The media is not equipped to deal with anything happening right now.
In case you've seen the story about “grok now only generates images for paid users”, it's untrue. Apparently everyone just reported it because… it was what grok told them 🤦🏼
www.theverge.com/news/859309/...
www.theverge.com/news/859309/...
No, Grok hasn’t paywalled its deepfake image feature
X’s sexual deepfake machine is still running, despite Grok saying otherwise.
www.theverge.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:53 PM
The media is not equipped to deal with anything happening right now.
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
People don't realize how much corporations are collaborating with—and making possible—ICE's deportation machine
January 9, 2026 at 6:15 PM
People don't realize how much corporations are collaborating with—and making possible—ICE's deportation machine
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
More from the party of federalism: "the states are merely an agent for the federal government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the federal government, as represented by the president of the United States, tells them, for the good of the country, to do."
January 9, 2026 at 4:54 PM
More from the party of federalism: "the states are merely an agent for the federal government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the federal government, as represented by the president of the United States, tells them, for the good of the country, to do."
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Republicans screamed bloody murder that Democrats trying to ban gerrymandering and set minimum standards for voting access nationwide was infringing on state sovereignty despite the constitution explicitly giving Congress the power to regulate elections.
The president has none. This is lawlessness
The president has none. This is lawlessness
More from the party of federalism: "the states are merely an agent for the federal government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the federal government, as represented by the president of the United States, tells them, for the good of the country, to do."
January 9, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Republicans screamed bloody murder that Democrats trying to ban gerrymandering and set minimum standards for voting access nationwide was infringing on state sovereignty despite the constitution explicitly giving Congress the power to regulate elections.
The president has none. This is lawlessness
The president has none. This is lawlessness
Reposted by Sam G. Howard
Likely more important than training or moral character is incentives. If agents believe they will lose their jobs or face criminal prosecution for harming civilians, they'll be cautious in the use of force. If they believe they are above the law their morality or training won't matter much.
As PBS and mainstream pundits and Democrats call for more money to ICE for "training," here's what's happening in the real world:
January 9, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Likely more important than training or moral character is incentives. If agents believe they will lose their jobs or face criminal prosecution for harming civilians, they'll be cautious in the use of force. If they believe they are above the law their morality or training won't matter much.