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Reposted by Marten Kok

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 10h

Disabled people are not the enemy

Immigrants are not the enemy

LGBTQ+ people are not the enemy

Minorities & people of colour are not the enemy

These division tactics only work because there’s one group who needs to feel superior to the rest of us

They will “other” anyone to advance their agenda

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 11h

Britain’s PM Keir Starmer is definately out of reality.

Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 11h

You can lock up as many people as you want for chanting or protesting against genocide.

You will never scrub away the truth about that genocide - or your own complicity in it.

You are just ensuring that you will be damned all the more for what you have done.

Government could crack down on pro-Palestinian protest chants, PM says

The government needs to

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 11h

This is the President not only purporting to arrogate unto himself the ability to “take away free speech rights,” but also to do so for speech because it “aggravates and irritates.”

The bottom line is these people running our country are literally foreigners to the concept of democracy.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 11h

Definition of a Stochastic Terrorist. Trump checks
all the boxes.

steve3797.bsky.social @steve3797.bsky.social · 11h

... # 1 Terrorist .. this is the start and the main reason for all this mess ...

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Reposted by Marten Kok

steve3797.bsky.social @steve3797.bsky.social · 11h

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIs2...

All the Times Trump Has Called for Violence at His Rallies

YouTube video by Mashable Deals

www.youtube.com

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 11h

Trump: “We took the freedom of speech away…”

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 11h

go.bsky.app/3USCC7s
Who should be on my Starter Pack “Potentials for Presidency POTUS #48 2029 ?

Send me your list in a reply!

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Anti-Fascist Collective… @wtafc.bsky.social · 11h

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 13h

The tension between wanting to keep him as my governor forever and ever and ever, and also to share him with the whole country, is significant.

It’s wild— the gap between the low expectations so many of us had for him when he started, and his excellent performance.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13h

Pritzker: "I think it's important to recognize that the Trump administration does not seem to respect any laws in the United States. They just do what they want to do and they'll keep doing it unless someone stops them. Here in Illinois we're stopping them."

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. @repdexteror.bsky.social · 1d

Kristi Noem is in Portland today. She should see the real Portland—a city that’s peaceful and filled with people who care for one another. Instead of feeding Trump’s political theater, she needs to rein in the federal agents brutalizing peaceful protesters.

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Senator Amy Klobuchar @klobuchar.senate.gov · 1d

27 million pounds of chicken

2 million gallons of milk

67 million eggs

That’s how much food grown by American farmers never made it to hungry families because of the administration’s decision to cancel deliveries to food banks.

projects.propublica.org/trump-food-c...

Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.

ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...

projects.propublica.org

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Social Security Works @socialsecurityworks.org · 1d

Let’s call a spade a spade. Republicans own this shutdown.

A post from Robert Reich. The text says, "Just an FYI: We’re not facing a “government shutdown.” This is a Trump-MAGA Republican shutdown. Call it what it is."

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 1d

Time for @gavinnewsom.bsky.social @governor.ca.gov to stand up and take action to protect those who need it most. Let this not stand in the way of a Run for 2028.

Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

Gavin Newsom fucking sucks, part MCXVII

he still has until the end of the week for the rest of the bills so unfortunately it’s time to suck it up, call his office, and politely ask this living hairpiece to do the bare minimum to protect the most vulnerable among us

LGBTQ Nation @lgbtqnation.com · 1d

Gavin Newsom vetoes gender education bill, declines to sign other trans protections - buff.ly/MTUAV85

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 1d

Chicago voted Best Big City in the U.S. for an astounding ninth year in a row

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 1d

BEST BIG CITY IN THE US 9 YEARS IN A ROW.

While critics try to paint Chicago as something to fear, the rest of the world knows the truth — this is the best big city in America.

Best Big City: Chicago Wins Award 9th Year in a Row

Learn why Chicago was voted the Best Big City for the 9th consecutive year by exploring our vibrant culture, welcoming inclusion, and so much more.

www.choosechicago.com

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Reposted by Marten Kok

CNBC @cnbc.com · 3d

To shut down rude behavior instantly, try a simple yet powerful five-word response.

Use this 5-word phrase when someone is rude to you—it's like 'holding up a mirror,' says public speaking expert

When we encounter a rude person, our first instinct might be to fire back with a snarky comment. But that's not the right move, says public speaking expert John Bowe. Here's the perfect response to instantly shut down rude behavior.

cnb.cx

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 3d

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that . . risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power—to the detriment of this nation.” — Trump-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut (Oct. 4, 2025).

Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 3d

www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of Oregon National Guard for Portland Deployment

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Governor JB Pritzker tells ICE to GET OUT OF CHICAGO.

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 3d

My message to Kristi Noem is clear: Get out of Chicago.

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Reposted by Marten Kok

Anders Östlund @andersostlund.bsky.social · 3d

Russia interferes with GPS navigation for Swedish ambulances now. Might be time to keep better track of lives lost in the EU because of Russia's war against Europe.

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Focaccia, Harira soup, and Cypriot Keftedes😅

Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Must read thread 7

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 3d

7/7 History warns us: when a leader builds a personal police force, democracy is in peril.

ICE under Trump mirrors the tactics of infamous secret police.

The question isn’t whether it’s “as bad.” The question is how far Americans are willing to let Trump go

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Must read thread 6

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 3d

6/7 If Democrats did half of what Trump is doing, Republicans would call it tyranny and demand accountability.

But when Trump does it, they stay silent.

The hypocrisy is dangerous.

Authoritarianism doesn’t arrive with tanks. It creeps in through unchecked power

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Must read thread 5

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 3d

5/7 Transparency is absent.

Victims disappear into detention centers. Legal processes are bypassed. Families are torn apart.

These agencies become tools of intimidation, not justice. And crucially: they answer only to the leader, not to courts, Congress, or citizens

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Must read thread 4

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 3d

4/7 All three are/were used to instill fear.

Their targets are/were often chosen not for crimes, but for identity or ideology.

The goal is/was to purge the nation of those deemed undesirable by the regime.

This isn’t law enforcement, it’s political cleansing

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Must read thread 3

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 3d

3/7 Like Hitler’s Gestapo and Stalin’s NKVD, ICE under Trump functions with minimal oversight.

Agents conduct raids without warrants, wear masks, and detain people extrajudicially.

These are hallmarks of a force loyal to a leader, not to the law or the public

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Marten Kok @martenkok.bsky.social · 3d

Must read thread 2

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 3d

2/7 Authoritarian leaders rely on secretive, unaccountable enforcement agencies to consolidate power.

These forces operate outside the law, targeting political opponents, minorities, and dissenters.

In the US, Trump’s ICE shows troubling signs of this pattern

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