EquallyConfused
@b9n10nt.bsky.social
HS sci teacher in CA Bay Area.
politics, mostly replies,
attempts at humor.
music. On Spotify b9n10nt
politics, mostly replies,
attempts at humor.
music. On Spotify b9n10nt
Pinned
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Not Dem leadership.
Not “the media”.
Not corporate, military, or university leaders.
Not the high-statused and well-resourced.
They will all *follow* if We lead.
Not Dem leadership.
Not “the media”.
Not corporate, military, or university leaders.
Not the high-statused and well-resourced.
They will all *follow* if We lead.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
1. Fact: immigrants are net producers of economic wealth and always have been. That is true for documented and undocumented alike because (a) they all buy things and (b) they skew working age which helps offset an otherwise aging population.
January 28, 2026 at 2:03 PM
1. Fact: immigrants are net producers of economic wealth and always have been. That is true for documented and undocumented alike because (a) they all buy things and (b) they skew working age which helps offset an otherwise aging population.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
The central failure of US immigration policy over my entire adult life is that it has always put xenophobia over facts. This is the result. And if we were talking about facts, this one would be setting off all our alarms. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
U.S. Population Growth Slows Sharply as Immigration Numbers Plunge
www.nytimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM
The central failure of US immigration policy over my entire adult life is that it has always put xenophobia over facts. This is the result. And if we were talking about facts, this one would be setting off all our alarms. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
Reposted by EquallyConfused
The Senate bill is rooted in the idea that we just need to get BP/ICE "back to" only terrorizing people we deem worthy of being terrorized, and not White people. The exact problematic understanding people have been trying to warn against... While a lot of White people insisted that concern was silly
January 27, 2026 at 4:13 PM
The Senate bill is rooted in the idea that we just need to get BP/ICE "back to" only terrorizing people we deem worthy of being terrorized, and not White people. The exact problematic understanding people have been trying to warn against... While a lot of White people insisted that concern was silly
Treating the inconsistent and self-interested public relations of a public figure as valid evidence of a policy change and/or of public interest is ethically corrupt.
The only other option is naïveté and that’s impossible.
The politics bureau remains ethically corrupt.
The only other option is naïveté and that’s impossible.
The politics bureau remains ethically corrupt.
Very little if anything seems to have changed on the ground. ICE is still out there terrorizing neighborhoods and trying to disappear neighbors. None of us on the ground are buying this bullshit. We will keep organizing and fighting.
The intense fallout from the killing of Alex Pretti has forced President Trump to publicly change course in Minneapolis.
Listen to our White House reporters discuss the changes on today's episode of "The Daily."
Listen to our White House reporters discuss the changes on today's episode of "The Daily."
January 28, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Treating the inconsistent and self-interested public relations of a public figure as valid evidence of a policy change and/or of public interest is ethically corrupt.
The only other option is naïveté and that’s impossible.
The politics bureau remains ethically corrupt.
The only other option is naïveté and that’s impossible.
The politics bureau remains ethically corrupt.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
Ian Austin, an Army veteran, was arrested for protesting ICE in Minneapolis. But he’s continued protesting. Senior reporter @julialurie.bsky.social spoke to him.
“When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."
“When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."
January 27, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Ian Austin, an Army veteran, was arrested for protesting ICE in Minneapolis. But he’s continued protesting. Senior reporter @julialurie.bsky.social spoke to him.
“When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."
“When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."
Reposted by EquallyConfused
I have begun to think that Minnesota pushback to ICE was unique and a model because it gave people something to do. It wasn’t about just going out in streets for rallying purposes. People had a mission: videos, whistles, information and communication flow to communities. They had something to do.
January 27, 2026 at 7:00 PM
I have begun to think that Minnesota pushback to ICE was unique and a model because it gave people something to do. It wasn’t about just going out in streets for rallying purposes. People had a mission: videos, whistles, information and communication flow to communities. They had something to do.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
before you take any of the "Trump is pivoting/lamenting/lowering the temperature after the Pretti murder" stories too seriously, absolutely nothing has changed in Minneapolis: "an absolutely brutal day of raids and abductions" says one friend
January 27, 2026 at 9:25 PM
before you take any of the "Trump is pivoting/lamenting/lowering the temperature after the Pretti murder" stories too seriously, absolutely nothing has changed in Minneapolis: "an absolutely brutal day of raids and abductions" says one friend
Reposted by EquallyConfused
There's no ICE accountability without ending qualified immunity.
They're murdering people. There won't be justice for the lives they've stolen, but there must be accountability.
My bill with @markey.senate.gov would ensure families can sue the agents murdering their loved ones.
They're murdering people. There won't be justice for the lives they've stolen, but there must be accountability.
My bill with @markey.senate.gov would ensure families can sue the agents murdering their loved ones.
January 27, 2026 at 9:02 PM
There's no ICE accountability without ending qualified immunity.
They're murdering people. There won't be justice for the lives they've stolen, but there must be accountability.
My bill with @markey.senate.gov would ensure families can sue the agents murdering their loved ones.
They're murdering people. There won't be justice for the lives they've stolen, but there must be accountability.
My bill with @markey.senate.gov would ensure families can sue the agents murdering their loved ones.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
Uh. So ICE just technically tried to invade Ecuador. Cool new international incident dropping.
1/27/2026 - Minneapolis
ICE just attempted an illegal entry into the ECUADORIAN CONSULATE to abduct someone
They did not have a warrant
ICE just attempted an illegal entry into the ECUADORIAN CONSULATE to abduct someone
They did not have a warrant
January 27, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Uh. So ICE just technically tried to invade Ecuador. Cool new international incident dropping.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
Amid growing calls for the abolition of ICE, Rep. Delia Ramirez is calling for the entire DHS to be dismantled. Highlighting how much experience the officers who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti had, Ramirez said, “DHS was built to violate our rights and has been empowered to act with impunity.”
House Democrat Says Abolishing ICE Isn’t Enough — DHS Must Go, Too
“The problem isn’t ‘training.’ DHS was built to violate our rights,” said Rep. Delia C. Ramirez.
truthout.org
January 27, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Amid growing calls for the abolition of ICE, Rep. Delia Ramirez is calling for the entire DHS to be dismantled. Highlighting how much experience the officers who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti had, Ramirez said, “DHS was built to violate our rights and has been empowered to act with impunity.”
Reposted by EquallyConfused
By the way, if anyone in the world should be doing an intellectual victory lap, it's @attackerman.bsky.social. Basically all of contemporary US history is a vindication of Ackerman Thought.
Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump
Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump [Ackerman, Spencer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump
www.amazon.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:34 PM
By the way, if anyone in the world should be doing an intellectual victory lap, it's @attackerman.bsky.social. Basically all of contemporary US history is a vindication of Ackerman Thought.
Alan Colmes voice message to Derek Thompson
“Hi Derek love your work. Listen, gimme a call. I have some thoughts”
“Hi Derek love your work. Listen, gimme a call. I have some thoughts”
The new CBS contributors:
Elliot Ackerman, Peter Attia, Masih Alinejad, Arthur Brooks, Caroline Chambers, Clare de Boer, Niall Ferguson, Roland Fryer Jr., Andrew Huberman, Coleman Hughes, Mark Hyman, Janna Levin, Casey Lewis, HR McMaster, Patrick McGee, Reihan Salam, Lauren Sherman, Derek Thompson
Elliot Ackerman, Peter Attia, Masih Alinejad, Arthur Brooks, Caroline Chambers, Clare de Boer, Niall Ferguson, Roland Fryer Jr., Andrew Huberman, Coleman Hughes, Mark Hyman, Janna Levin, Casey Lewis, HR McMaster, Patrick McGee, Reihan Salam, Lauren Sherman, Derek Thompson
January 27, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Alan Colmes voice message to Derek Thompson
“Hi Derek love your work. Listen, gimme a call. I have some thoughts”
“Hi Derek love your work. Listen, gimme a call. I have some thoughts”
Reposted by EquallyConfused
CNN reporting that a week before Alex Pretti was killed, 5 agents tackled him and he suffered a broken rib. CNN says he stopped his car after he saw ICE agents interacting with a family on foot and began to blow his whistle. Source tells CNN Pretti believed “That day he thought he was going to die”
January 27, 2026 at 5:19 PM
CNN reporting that a week before Alex Pretti was killed, 5 agents tackled him and he suffered a broken rib. CNN says he stopped his car after he saw ICE agents interacting with a family on foot and began to blow his whistle. Source tells CNN Pretti believed “That day he thought he was going to die”
Reposted by EquallyConfused
If you’re looking for the Eyes on ICE training, we far exceeded Zoom limits. You can see livestream here: www.youtube.com/live/zqka9fU...
Eyes on ICE: Document and Record
YouTube video by No Kings
www.youtube.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:16 AM
If you’re looking for the Eyes on ICE training, we far exceeded Zoom limits. You can see livestream here: www.youtube.com/live/zqka9fU...
Reposted by EquallyConfused
we’ve got a ways to go until 2030 so this could change but it’s pretty much an across the board disaster if it doesn’t
building more housing isn’t just good policy, it’s existential politics
building more housing isn’t just good policy, it’s existential politics
#NEW: 2030 Apportionment Forecast based on 2025 Census Bureau Population Estimates (January 27, 2026).
Forecast prepared by Dr. Jonathan Cervas (CMIST) at Carnegie Mellon University
Forecast prepared by Dr. Jonathan Cervas (CMIST) at Carnegie Mellon University
January 27, 2026 at 4:59 PM
we’ve got a ways to go until 2030 so this could change but it’s pretty much an across the board disaster if it doesn’t
building more housing isn’t just good policy, it’s existential politics
building more housing isn’t just good policy, it’s existential politics
What’s infesting to me is the distinction between capitalism as a system where “profit motive leads to reactionary, submissive social norms” and “capitalism provides elites with the *justification* to legitimize reactionary, submissive social norms.”
Weiss is about a year behind The Washington Post, if you're curious where this is headed.
This does not sound good: "Bari Weiss to cut staff, add commentators at CBS News." By @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
January 27, 2026 at 5:42 PM
What’s infesting to me is the distinction between capitalism as a system where “profit motive leads to reactionary, submissive social norms” and “capitalism provides elites with the *justification* to legitimize reactionary, submissive social norms.”
Out of deep respect for the friends and family of Renee Good and Pretti,
Ghandi and King promoted nonviolent confrontation as a means to elicit violence from authorities to delegitimize them.
In the sea change of public opinion and politics following their deaths, we see how nonviolence works.
Ghandi and King promoted nonviolent confrontation as a means to elicit violence from authorities to delegitimize them.
In the sea change of public opinion and politics following their deaths, we see how nonviolence works.
January 27, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Out of deep respect for the friends and family of Renee Good and Pretti,
Ghandi and King promoted nonviolent confrontation as a means to elicit violence from authorities to delegitimize them.
In the sea change of public opinion and politics following their deaths, we see how nonviolence works.
Ghandi and King promoted nonviolent confrontation as a means to elicit violence from authorities to delegitimize them.
In the sea change of public opinion and politics following their deaths, we see how nonviolence works.
For every (valuable, interesting, inevitable) armchair progressive politics post I wanna see direct action discourse.
& I think the main variable in all of this is *us*.
Dems do Dem things. Our job is to participate in, promote, argue about the direction of No Kings, ICE-watch, & other forms of escalating nonviolent-but-disruptive, confrontational citizen engagement.
Dems do Dem things. Our job is to participate in, promote, argue about the direction of No Kings, ICE-watch, & other forms of escalating nonviolent-but-disruptive, confrontational citizen engagement.
January 27, 2026 at 3:58 PM
For every (valuable, interesting, inevitable) armchair progressive politics post I wanna see direct action discourse.
Reposted by EquallyConfused
Yeah they're all Big Politics Geniuses, I'm just some idiot, but how about starting with "Zero out the budget and they all get prosecuted" and work your way down to stuff like this list and "OK we'll only cut their budget in half."
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
January 27, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Yeah they're all Big Politics Geniuses, I'm just some idiot, but how about starting with "Zero out the budget and they all get prosecuted" and work your way down to stuff like this list and "OK we'll only cut their budget in half."
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“Prosecute ICE” is the ask.
We want Senate Dems to put that atop the list of asks and foremost in public discourse
We want Senate Dems to put that atop the list of asks and foremost in public discourse
January 27, 2026 at 3:34 PM
“Prosecute ICE” is the ask.
We want Senate Dems to put that atop the list of asks and foremost in public discourse
We want Senate Dems to put that atop the list of asks and foremost in public discourse
Prosecution of ICE officials directly complicit in violating citizen’s rights
Is there Federal law that can apply here *as criminal sanction*?
Is there Federal law that can apply here *as criminal sanction*?
Reminder that “defunding ICE”—breaking up and/or overhauling DHS—will require Democrats holding both chambers of Congress and the presidency. Good goal, but a possibility that is years away.
How can it be curbed now?
How can it be curbed now?
Dems coalescing around 5 restrictions on ICE, I'm told:
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
January 27, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Prosecution of ICE officials directly complicit in violating citizen’s rights
Is there Federal law that can apply here *as criminal sanction*?
Is there Federal law that can apply here *as criminal sanction*?
Reposted by EquallyConfused
"Non-violent tactics that waste a company’s time or money are really effective. For Enterprise, we’ve made and cancelled car reservations, saying the roads are too icy. At Home Depot... people [lined] up to buy ice scrapers and then getting in line to return them, in a way that clogs the lines."
"We had one hotel publicly refuse to house ICE, which became a big national news story when DHS went after them. That’s a hotel we were targeting, and it was mostly because of our pressure. We had two more hotels temporarily shut down to avoid housing ICE..."
www.laborpolitics.com/p/how-minnea...
www.laborpolitics.com/p/how-minnea...
How to Block ICE In Your City
Minneapolis organizer Aru Shiney-Ajay on effective tactics to disrupt ICE—and the need to target corporate collaborators
www.laborpolitics.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:05 PM
"Non-violent tactics that waste a company’s time or money are really effective. For Enterprise, we’ve made and cancelled car reservations, saying the roads are too icy. At Home Depot... people [lined] up to buy ice scrapers and then getting in line to return them, in a way that clogs the lines."
Reposted by EquallyConfused
What that means is the new ICE post-any-reforms will be a co-creation of the White House & Democrats; an agreed-upon new form for what is our now new secret police.
This means the next time some falls to an ICE bullet, there will be lots of blame to go around, which the @democrats.org will share. 5/
This means the next time some falls to an ICE bullet, there will be lots of blame to go around, which the @democrats.org will share. 5/
January 27, 2026 at 12:47 PM
What that means is the new ICE post-any-reforms will be a co-creation of the White House & Democrats; an agreed-upon new form for what is our now new secret police.
This means the next time some falls to an ICE bullet, there will be lots of blame to go around, which the @democrats.org will share. 5/
This means the next time some falls to an ICE bullet, there will be lots of blame to go around, which the @democrats.org will share. 5/
Not a fan of legislation that purports to make illegal what is already illegal.
It’s easy to see how this is a retreat from the rule of law and democratic constraint on state violence dressed up as its opposite and thus is a particularly broad and dangerous precedent.
It’s easy to see how this is a retreat from the rule of law and democratic constraint on state violence dressed up as its opposite and thus is a particularly broad and dangerous precedent.
these are significant asks that would make a big difference
Dems coalescing around 5 restrictions on ICE, I'm told:
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
January 27, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Not a fan of legislation that purports to make illegal what is already illegal.
It’s easy to see how this is a retreat from the rule of law and democratic constraint on state violence dressed up as its opposite and thus is a particularly broad and dangerous precedent.
It’s easy to see how this is a retreat from the rule of law and democratic constraint on state violence dressed up as its opposite and thus is a particularly broad and dangerous precedent.