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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 6h

Posobiec isn't a nazi in some generic rhetorical sense of having fascistic impulses or simply being far-right. He is a full-blown Hitler-loving Jew-hating mask-off literal capital-N Nazi, with a longstanding public record to match.

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 6h

"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa

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Dr. Chance Bonar @chancebonar.bsky.social · 4h

*youth pastor voice*: You know who else was labeled an insurrectionist even though he was innocent

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blackmask/nyc @blkmsk.com · 5h

The antifascist members of the Lincoln Battalion, who volunteered to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War, were labeled as subversives by the FBI in 1939. They were blacklisted by the US military during WWII; denied promotions & commendations, and were not allowed to serve as officers.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 4h

Unfortunately, I 100% know people who:
-think the US antifa is a centralized group that operates like a terrorist cell
-will now believe that they are the same organization that was active during the Weimar Republic
-will not realize why an antifascist group would have been active during that time

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 6h

"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 5h

The conclusion? Much of what is called gang violence is now due to hypermasculinity culture rather than organized crime.

And the destruction of projects and reorganization of the public school system.

So really, the question here is - what is the FBI doing to fight toxic masculinity? 🤨

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 5h

In particular, it notes that Chicago gangs are much more horizontally organized now and that "gang violence" is often just people that have personal vendettas and occurs when a verbal altercation rapidly escalates - not organized, calculated hits ordered by leadership.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 5h

In reading more about Chicago gangs, I stumbled onto this document, which seems to be based in reality and suggests things that might actually be useful: greatcities.uic.edu/wp-content/u...

greatcities.uic.edu

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 5h

Also, you have now triggered some kind of serious FBI investigation into the up-and-coming Short Kings Gang.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 5h

If it is sociological, you could potentially go with self-identification. But I am not a social scientist!

It would be more useful to look at "serious crime" (e.g., someone physically harmed, high dollar theft, drug/gun smuggling) - have 5% of Chicagoans participated in that kind of crime?

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 6h

I assume there have been some studies done by academics in the social sciences or non-profits that try to assess gang membership in less biased/more accurate ways because their work would benefit from knowing the real number, but maybe that is just overly niave and hopeful.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 6h

Yeah, I would want some other source, especially not one whose annual budget goes up if the reported stat goes up.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 6h

...they'd be doing KKK stuff.

Oh, yeah, I don't want to watch that, especially as part of something I am doing for entertainment in my free time to relax.

Now it does not sound awesome.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 6h

This is where my brain went also:

Fighting the KKK sounds like an awesome game!

I'd be wandering around looking for the KKK to stop them.

So, how do they narratively show that in a game?

Well, I'd bump into them and it would become clear who they were because...

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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 7h

I know I know but good god imagine what the GOP would do with a Biden or Obama "we took the freedom of speech away" sound bite

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

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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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 6h

Is there good data on the actual number somewhere? It's always...interesting?...to compare the rhetoric to reality.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

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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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 2d

Plaintitff attys concede this language will cause hesitancy in the govt and among federal agents, but say this is a good thing.

"We would like them to hesitate before shooting priests and journalists," plaintiff atty says.

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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 2d

Govt. attorney wants language added to the TRO giving feds the ability to disperse an entire crowd, incl. journalists.

He cites people possibly "impersonating" journalists to cause chaos.

Plaintiff attys claim this could threaten journalistic purpose, i.e., to act as "the eyes" of a community.

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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 2d

Def. atty continues his argument, says "violent terrorist organizations" are trying to doxx agents.

This prompts open laughter in the courtroom.

"Well, I think we have a different idea of what's going on in Chicago," Ellis tells the def. atty, who is appearing remotely.

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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 2d

Ellia further breaches that feds have turned chemical weapons on unarmed press and protestors, says "we have to live in reality."

"They're responding to being attacked," defense attorney says of the federal agents in response.

Sighs in the courtroom.

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ghost malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social · 11h

a fortunate quirk is that doing food and medical support for impoverished children, foreign and domestic, *also* is about the biggest bang it is possible to get for our buck.

so you can analyze aid on a moral basis or a realpolitik basis and you get the same answer: we should do it

Julia Azari @juliaazari.bsky.social · 11h

Here's the thing. I am a lucky person and pay a fair bit in taxes. I can think of no better use for my tax dollars than feeding children, because I think all people are equally deserving of basic humanity.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 12h

The elimination of USAID is a moral atrocity and all involved made a choice to enable, and then lie about, ending the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 12h

In a very real and practical sense, the elimination of USAID occurred because a) civil servants who followed the law were pushed out, b) unaccountable amoral people were given power, and c) SCOTUS let it all happen.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...

In addition to mass firing of public servants, Musk's team executed a takeover of the Treasury payment system. David Lebryk, the civil servant who was acting Treasury Secretary, pushed back against the Musk official, Tom Krause, who demanded control over the payment system and specifically to pause USAID payments. Lebryk informed Krause that Treasury could not legally stop payments, and recommended to work through USAID instead. Krause then threatened Lebryk: “I would also recommend you consider an equal alternative liability.” By the next week Lebryk announced his retirement, and Musk announced he was shutting down the agency.

It was later revealed that the other DOGE official who had sought to take control of Treasury spending, Marko Elez, was a self-avowed racist with a record of making disparaging remarks about foreigners, including “I would not mind at all if Gaza and Israel were both wiped off the face of the Earth.” After he resigned, Musk led a successful campaign to bring Elez back into government, even as he pushed out those doing actual life-saving work.

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Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal @jayapal.house.gov · 11h

A reminder on the 8th day of this Republican shutdown: Speaker Johnson could call Members back to negotiate to re-open the government any time he wants. He's choosing not to.

Republicans would rather raise costs and kick millions of Americans off their health care.

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 10h

But prey animals? They fight as if the consequences are life and death, every time. Because they are.

Make a prey animal weigh an actual ton and give it giant stabby head tools and smaller stompy tools on the feet and then give it an extra twitchy personality and then! 🫎

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Rebecca @phytoseiid.bsky.social · 10h

People don't fathom "prey animals" that will absolutely mess you up. But it makes perfect sense.

Apex predators want to avoid conflict. Their killing tools are their money makers - injuries mean no hunting and they starve.

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