randy r. potts
@thephatic.bsky.social
journo + editor; Hromadske, TVPWorld, New Yorker, Baffler, et al 🏳️🌈🌹
Tulsa / Baltimore / Warszawa
https://url-shortener.me/809V
Signal: thephatic.39
Tulsa / Baltimore / Warszawa
https://url-shortener.me/809V
Signal: thephatic.39
surely Tim Walz can declare some kind of formal emergency and put the Natl Guard in the streets to protect Minnesotans
January 24, 2026 at 5:17 PM
surely Tim Walz can declare some kind of formal emergency and put the Natl Guard in the streets to protect Minnesotans
Reposted by randy r. potts
To repeat: It is highly improbable that I would agree with Bill Kristol.
I agree with him 100%. ICE has become the gestapo. They need to go.
Just saw a Minneapolis protestor yelling at ICE, near shooting site, "We will not forgive you." Correct.
I agree with him 100%. ICE has become the gestapo. They need to go.
Just saw a Minneapolis protestor yelling at ICE, near shooting site, "We will not forgive you." Correct.
To repeat: Abolish ICE.
January 24, 2026 at 4:28 PM
To repeat: It is highly improbable that I would agree with Bill Kristol.
I agree with him 100%. ICE has become the gestapo. They need to go.
Just saw a Minneapolis protestor yelling at ICE, near shooting site, "We will not forgive you." Correct.
I agree with him 100%. ICE has become the gestapo. They need to go.
Just saw a Minneapolis protestor yelling at ICE, near shooting site, "We will not forgive you." Correct.
Reposted by randy r. potts
i don't have much faith in the MPD but the fact that they made it clear that they are still on scene and refused to handover to federal police is noteworthy
January 24, 2026 at 4:43 PM
i don't have much faith in the MPD but the fact that they made it clear that they are still on scene and refused to handover to federal police is noteworthy
Reposted by randy r. potts
it does feel fundamentally dysfunctional, right, to beg lawmakers to use the law to force law enforcement to obey the law
January 22, 2026 at 2:19 PM
it does feel fundamentally dysfunctional, right, to beg lawmakers to use the law to force law enforcement to obey the law
Reposted by randy r. potts
The wheels have come off folks. Public executions to frighten the populace.
January 24, 2026 at 4:27 PM
The wheels have come off folks. Public executions to frighten the populace.
unless you're a journalist or need to confirm the person shot wasn't your loved on, please don't watch that video
January 24, 2026 at 4:47 PM
unless you're a journalist or need to confirm the person shot wasn't your loved on, please don't watch that video
had to call my brother just now to make sure he's alive; the man they shot was just a few blocks from his house; I could hear helicopters overhead while we talked; just filed a tv news story about Ukraine a few minutes ago; spent the day watching Ukrainians being pulled from their houses
January 24, 2026 at 4:43 PM
had to call my brother just now to make sure he's alive; the man they shot was just a few blocks from his house; I could hear helicopters overhead while we talked; just filed a tv news story about Ukraine a few minutes ago; spent the day watching Ukrainians being pulled from their houses
language learning is so hard - I've been self-studying Polish for over 2 years, I have some background in Russian, and I've been in Poland now for 6 months and ... I still struggle to form the most basic sentences or understand much of what I hear ...
I'm so tired of some tech-funded influencer trying to sell me a way to learn a language in a week
I've learned a Category IV language to Advanced-Mid level and am currently trying to learn a Category III language and the fact is it just takes years of time, immersion, and fucking up
I've learned a Category IV language to Advanced-Mid level and am currently trying to learn a Category III language and the fact is it just takes years of time, immersion, and fucking up
January 24, 2026 at 4:10 PM
language learning is so hard - I've been self-studying Polish for over 2 years, I have some background in Russian, and I've been in Poland now for 6 months and ... I still struggle to form the most basic sentences or understand much of what I hear ...
this is either trafficking across state lines or ICE is above the Constitutional order
ICE detained a 2-year-old girl in Minneapolis and put the child on a flight to a detention center in Texas, despite a court ordering her release: www.startribune.com/agents-detai...
January 24, 2026 at 3:50 PM
this is either trafficking across state lines or ICE is above the Constitutional order
Reposted by randy r. potts
zu den @fragdenstaat.de Veröffentlichungen zu Fördergate wird heute in der SZ ausführlich berichtet archive.ph/2026.01.22-1...
January 23, 2026 at 2:41 PM
zu den @fragdenstaat.de Veröffentlichungen zu Fördergate wird heute in der SZ ausführlich berichtet archive.ph/2026.01.22-1...
Reposted by randy r. potts
Guys, ICE is attacking and harassing ANYONE WHO IS NOT WHITE, HAS A FOREIGN-SOUNDING NAME, OR HAS AN ACCENT. When they jump out and grab you, and carry you off screaming, it doesn’t matter if you’re a citizen or not! They’re not asking! I’ve seen it happen multiple times with my own eyes.
Does that mean these schools were upwards of 70% composed of undocumented families?
January 24, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Guys, ICE is attacking and harassing ANYONE WHO IS NOT WHITE, HAS A FOREIGN-SOUNDING NAME, OR HAS AN ACCENT. When they jump out and grab you, and carry you off screaming, it doesn’t matter if you’re a citizen or not! They’re not asking! I’ve seen it happen multiple times with my own eyes.
along those lines it seems more and more likely that Miller sees ICE's sojourn in Minnesota as testing for other cities - seeing how far he can push ICE agents to kick in doors without warrants, shoot protesters, etc
January 24, 2026 at 2:15 PM
along those lines it seems more and more likely that Miller sees ICE's sojourn in Minnesota as testing for other cities - seeing how far he can push ICE agents to kick in doors without warrants, shoot protesters, etc
reminiscent of DOGE which went inside every US fedl govt agency with the pretense of saving money but was more likely there to steal data; similarly, ICE says it is in MN to conduct immigration enforcement but it's more likely there to kick off Stephen Miller's personal terror campaign
One thing that might get a little overlooked here is how important it is that DHS is massively exaggerating arrest totals (10k??). What people on the ground know is that immigration enforcement is barely occurring, and ICE/DHS are really conducting a terror campaign in the guise of enforcement.
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 24, 2026
January 24, 2026 at 2:11 PM
reminiscent of DOGE which went inside every US fedl govt agency with the pretense of saving money but was more likely there to steal data; similarly, ICE says it is in MN to conduct immigration enforcement but it's more likely there to kick off Stephen Miller's personal terror campaign
Reposted by randy r. potts
Two women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed.
www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
Detained by ICE, two women became first responders during agent’s seizure
The women say they guided agents through the emergency, later raising concerns about medical protocols, weapons safety and accountability.
www.startribune.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Two women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed.
www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
definitely inspired now to risk my life for CBS
— Israel kills 3 journalists, including CBS contributor
— AFP, the other impacted outlet, condemns killing & calls for investigation
— CBS doesn't, instead peddles Israel's claim that they were targeting a group with "a drone affilliated with Hamas"
Inside the Bari Weiss-led CBS response:
— AFP, the other impacted outlet, condemns killing & calls for investigation
— CBS doesn't, instead peddles Israel's claim that they were targeting a group with "a drone affilliated with Hamas"
Inside the Bari Weiss-led CBS response:
Bari Weiss’s CBS News Won’t Even Condemn Israel for Killing a CBS Contributor
Instead, the network’s new top anchor Tony Dokoupil peddles Israel’s talking points about it killing a Palestinian journalist. A CBS source calls it a ‘disgrace.’
zeteo.com
January 24, 2026 at 1:50 PM
definitely inspired now to risk my life for CBS
Reposted by randy r. potts
ICE separated a family in Midtown Tulsa; here's Tulsa County makes it possible.
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
ICE Separated A Family In Midtown Tulsa - The Pickup
Immigration detentions in Oklahoma are on the rise. One case shows how ICE’s cooperation with Tulsa County makes it possible.
thepickup.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:35 PM
ICE separated a family in Midtown Tulsa; here's Tulsa County makes it possible.
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
really curious: did even one leader from the opposition party show up?
A mass protest on a *weekday* is remarkable. Strike power and general strikes are the most important collective tools we have, especially when the formal political systems fail.
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
January 24, 2026 at 10:11 AM
really curious: did even one leader from the opposition party show up?
Reposted by randy r. potts
Entirely appropriate that anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis are singing a song from the anti-slavery movement in the 1840s.
MSP airport. Clergy risking risking arrest and a huge gathering of protesters. The song is, “Down to the River to Pray.”
January 23, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Entirely appropriate that anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis are singing a song from the anti-slavery movement in the 1840s.
a thread on what Eco called the medieval vs. the modern
Verification (establishing truth), Deliberation (arguing about it), and Accountability (binding power to it). When these work, you have substance. When they break, you slide into performance, and eventually, simulation, and people recognise this, even if they don't use a shared terminology.
January 24, 2026 at 8:53 AM
a thread on what Eco called the medieval vs. the modern
Reposted by randy r. potts
ICE just crashed a car at my intersection (due to their own shitty driving) and immediately got out and tear gassed observers.
January 23, 2026 at 7:38 PM
ICE just crashed a car at my intersection (due to their own shitty driving) and immediately got out and tear gassed observers.
Reposted by randy r. potts
a thing I really like with little kids is when they decide they want to give you a present and it'll be, like, a leaf, or a small toy, or the remote control. they're like crows!
January 23, 2026 at 8:35 PM
a thing I really like with little kids is when they decide they want to give you a present and it'll be, like, a leaf, or a small toy, or the remote control. they're like crows!
Reposted by randy r. potts
It’s hard to accurately describe what is happening in Minneapolis without sounding crazy.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
January 22, 2026 at 2:12 PM
It’s hard to accurately describe what is happening in Minneapolis without sounding crazy.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
Reposted by randy r. potts
When the US government has met with seperatists, this isn't just rhetoric.
January 23, 2026 at 5:10 PM
When the US government has met with seperatists, this isn't just rhetoric.
Reposted by randy r. potts
This essay on my odd relationship to my mother tongue is still one of my favourites -- probably because I first wrote it in Romanian, basically the only essay I've ever done that for.
therumpus.net/2021/10/12/t...
therumpus.net/2021/10/12/t...
Tongue Stuck - The Rumpus
It was a kind of madness to speak a language to my son that I hadn’t used in almost a decade.
therumpus.net
January 23, 2026 at 8:24 AM
This essay on my odd relationship to my mother tongue is still one of my favourites -- probably because I first wrote it in Romanian, basically the only essay I've ever done that for.
therumpus.net/2021/10/12/t...
therumpus.net/2021/10/12/t...
"When I try to write in Romanian, my tongue does not feel injured."
This essay on my odd relationship to my mother tongue is still one of my favourites -- probably because I first wrote it in Romanian, basically the only essay I've ever done that for.
therumpus.net/2021/10/12/t...
therumpus.net/2021/10/12/t...
Tongue Stuck - The Rumpus
It was a kind of madness to speak a language to my son that I hadn’t used in almost a decade.
therumpus.net
January 23, 2026 at 6:20 PM
"When I try to write in Romanian, my tongue does not feel injured."