benjamin
@benofficial.bsky.social
gay, fat, & tired. anglo-catholic socialist. nyc. he/they.
Reposted by benjamin
One way to identify right-wing dominance of the US media environment: This is much more direct, egregious government censorship than the biggest claims of the “Twitter Files”—including ones they made up that had no evidence behind them—and will get a small fraction of the attention and outrage.
Stephen Colbert blasted Brendan Carr after FCC scrutiny led CBS to pull an interview with Texas State Rep James Talarico. Instead, 'The Late Show' posted it to YouTube.
Colbert Says CBS Pulled Guest Over FCC Scrutiny; Posts Interview to YouTube Instead
Stephen Colbert blasted Brendan Carr after FCC scrutiny led CBS to pull an interview with Texas State Rep James Talarico. Instead, 'The Late Show' posted it to YouTube.
dlvr.it
February 17, 2026 at 1:18 PM
One way to identify right-wing dominance of the US media environment: This is much more direct, egregious government censorship than the biggest claims of the “Twitter Files”—including ones they made up that had no evidence behind them—and will get a small fraction of the attention and outrage.
Reposted by benjamin
The regime is now dictating what political views are acceptable to air on television and paramount/cbs are collaborating in that censorship bsky.app/profile/ditz...
Stephen Colbert said that the FCC and CBS - which is in no way a compromised or complicit organization - wouldn’t allow him to broadcast an interview with Democratic State Rep James Talarico. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/a...
Colbert Doesn’t Give an FCC About Calling Out CBS
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:09 PM
The regime is now dictating what political views are acceptable to air on television and paramount/cbs are collaborating in that censorship bsky.app/profile/ditz...
Reposted by benjamin
In the Viktor Orban method of democratic backsliding, the state forced over 90% of media into the control of political allies. Opposition parties exist, but few hear them.
Orban was a featured speaker at CPAC, including one where Americans went to Budapest, and is often praised by Trump officials.
Orban was a featured speaker at CPAC, including one where Americans went to Budapest, and is often praised by Trump officials.
February 17, 2026 at 1:54 PM
In the Viktor Orban method of democratic backsliding, the state forced over 90% of media into the control of political allies. Opposition parties exist, but few hear them.
Orban was a featured speaker at CPAC, including one where Americans went to Budapest, and is often praised by Trump officials.
Orban was a featured speaker at CPAC, including one where Americans went to Budapest, and is often praised by Trump officials.
Reposted by benjamin
I know this makes me an extremist but I think our baby concentration camps should be abolished.
‘His life is in danger,’ U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said about newborn Juan Nicolás. The child fell ill after spending almost a month — or half his life — in a San Antonio-area family detention facility.
Two-month-old baby 'choking on his own vomit' while detained in Dilley
'His life is in danger,' U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said about newborn Juan Nicolás. The child fell ill after spending almost a month — or half his life — in a San Antonio-area family detention facility...
www.sacurrent.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:11 AM
I know this makes me an extremist but I think our baby concentration camps should be abolished.
Reposted by benjamin
My three main issues:
- Neither man has heard of the Fourth Amendment.
- Sanchez did not explain that administrative warrants do not involve a judge.
- Sanchez did not explain and Alford ignored that this was a change secretly implemented by DHS in this administration.
- Neither man has heard of the Fourth Amendment.
- Sanchez did not explain that administrative warrants do not involve a judge.
- Sanchez did not explain and Alford ignored that this was a change secretly implemented by DHS in this administration.
Rep. Mark Alford: "If you tie a judicial warrant to what ICE is doing, it will never happen"
February 16, 2026 at 8:18 PM
My three main issues:
- Neither man has heard of the Fourth Amendment.
- Sanchez did not explain that administrative warrants do not involve a judge.
- Sanchez did not explain and Alford ignored that this was a change secretly implemented by DHS in this administration.
- Neither man has heard of the Fourth Amendment.
- Sanchez did not explain that administrative warrants do not involve a judge.
- Sanchez did not explain and Alford ignored that this was a change secretly implemented by DHS in this administration.
Reposted by benjamin
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Ofelia Torres, teen who fought to have her father released from ICE custody, dies from rare cancer
Ofelia Torres, 16, died on Friday from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, her father's lawyer confirmed.
www.cbsnews.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:20 PM
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Reposted by benjamin
From Frederick Douglass's 1867 "Composite Nation" speech, a defense of Chinese migration to the United States at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment was intensifying.
teachingamericanhistory.org/document/our...
teachingamericanhistory.org/document/our...
November 28, 2025 at 7:01 PM
From Frederick Douglass's 1867 "Composite Nation" speech, a defense of Chinese migration to the United States at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment was intensifying.
teachingamericanhistory.org/document/our...
teachingamericanhistory.org/document/our...
Reposted by benjamin
I think about how when they sang La Marseillaise they were still in the midst of a war they did not know they were going to win.
You ever stop and think about CASABLANCA? You ever stop and think about "Welcome back to the fight, this time, I know our side will win?" You ever think about a bar full of people defiantly singing La Marseillaise, played by a soundstage full of Jewish refugees? You ever think about CASABLANCA??????
February 15, 2026 at 3:17 AM
I think about how when they sang La Marseillaise they were still in the midst of a war they did not know they were going to win.
Reposted by benjamin
Sort of gives away the lie that they're arresting hardened criminals who are drags on society when they're setting up traps to lure in Good Samaritans
CCTV footage appears to show DHS agents posing as people having car trouble in order to lure a target out of his house before arresting them. The target comes out and starts helping them before 3 vehicles surround the scene. The car "experiencing" trouble then drives off with them.
February 15, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Sort of gives away the lie that they're arresting hardened criminals who are drags on society when they're setting up traps to lure in Good Samaritans
Reposted by benjamin
I am heartbroken to learn that Ofelia, my 16-year-old constituent with cancer whose father was taken from her at a Home Depot, passed away.
Even as Ofelia fought cancer, she also fought to bring her father home and ensured that he would no longer have to live in fear in the shadows. 1/2
Even as Ofelia fought cancer, she also fought to bring her father home and ensured that he would no longer have to live in fear in the shadows. 1/2
February 15, 2026 at 3:21 PM
I am heartbroken to learn that Ofelia, my 16-year-old constituent with cancer whose father was taken from her at a Home Depot, passed away.
Even as Ofelia fought cancer, she also fought to bring her father home and ensured that he would no longer have to live in fear in the shadows. 1/2
Even as Ofelia fought cancer, she also fought to bring her father home and ensured that he would no longer have to live in fear in the shadows. 1/2
Reposted by benjamin
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
February 15, 2026 at 1:49 AM
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
Reposted by benjamin
interesting to think that revolutionary era americans understood themselves as making a break with the “old world” and establishing a new civilization. and crucially, this new civilization rested on republican self-government, not “sovereignty.”
The Rubio speech really is appalling, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 1:17 AM
interesting to think that revolutionary era americans understood themselves as making a break with the “old world” and establishing a new civilization. and crucially, this new civilization rested on republican self-government, not “sovereignty.”
Reposted by benjamin
as another round of "Israelis steal organs" goes around, I am again trying to find a succinct way to say "do you realize you can think the Israeli government is full of criminal freaks, something I believe too, and that doesn't mean you have to believe outrageous antisemitic conspiracies, right?"
February 13, 2026 at 10:47 PM
as another round of "Israelis steal organs" goes around, I am again trying to find a succinct way to say "do you realize you can think the Israeli government is full of criminal freaks, something I believe too, and that doesn't mean you have to believe outrageous antisemitic conspiracies, right?"
Reposted by benjamin
I refuse to talk about Gavin Newsom getting the presidential nomination until there is actually a chance of that happening, the primaries for the midterms aren't even over yet
February 13, 2026 at 2:47 PM
I refuse to talk about Gavin Newsom getting the presidential nomination until there is actually a chance of that happening, the primaries for the midterms aren't even over yet
Reposted by benjamin
Not only did they murder hundreds of thousands of people. They also stole the money.
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Not only did they murder hundreds of thousands of people. They also stole the money.
Reposted by benjamin
A young man at our town hall asked if I was pushing class warfare.
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
February 12, 2026 at 1:27 AM
A young man at our town hall asked if I was pushing class warfare.
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
Reposted by benjamin
I thought about why I’ve been pushing back on stolen midterm fears. What’s the harm of worry, even if it doesn’t materialize?
It’s this. The regime has less capacity than it’d like, and tries to make up the difference with bluster. If people act as if it’s true, that grants the regime more power.
It’s this. The regime has less capacity than it’d like, and tries to make up the difference with bluster. If people act as if it’s true, that grants the regime more power.
don't carry maga's water for them. don't try to work out how there's some secret loophole in the constitution that magically ends democracy. there isn't. that's the whole fucking point you fucking dopes
February 10, 2026 at 12:57 AM
I thought about why I’ve been pushing back on stolen midterm fears. What’s the harm of worry, even if it doesn’t materialize?
It’s this. The regime has less capacity than it’d like, and tries to make up the difference with bluster. If people act as if it’s true, that grants the regime more power.
It’s this. The regime has less capacity than it’d like, and tries to make up the difference with bluster. If people act as if it’s true, that grants the regime more power.
Reposted by benjamin
This is gender.
Living in this country, it’s just a reality that the left and liberals are expected to do more and uphold more. I don’t know how you can come away with any other conclusion than that when you flip the script on the above premise.
February 9, 2026 at 7:59 PM
This is gender.
Reposted by benjamin
going to start referring to all this no-caffeine, omni-spectrum sobriety, celibacy, 996, workout and diet focus stuff as "mormonism with silicon valley characteristics" because it's more polite than calling it "homeschool mindset"
February 9, 2026 at 5:23 PM
going to start referring to all this no-caffeine, omni-spectrum sobriety, celibacy, 996, workout and diet focus stuff as "mormonism with silicon valley characteristics" because it's more polite than calling it "homeschool mindset"
Reposted by benjamin
Amongst other things, this again highlights the core point about due process. It’s bad enough to be in a “show me your papers” situation, but your precious citizen/non-citizen, “legal”/“illegal” distinctions are meaningless when you can’t prove anything to authorities because they don’t give a shit.
And here is my story: ‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
Seamus Culleton has been in a detention facility in Texas for nearly five months despite having no criminal record
www.irishtimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Amongst other things, this again highlights the core point about due process. It’s bad enough to be in a “show me your papers” situation, but your precious citizen/non-citizen, “legal”/“illegal” distinctions are meaningless when you can’t prove anything to authorities because they don’t give a shit.
Reposted by benjamin
Anne Frank died from a typhus epidemic that spread through the concentration camp where she was imprisoned.
Two active cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19 have been identified at a massive immigration detention center in El Paso, according to the local Democratic member of Congress.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/07/i...
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/07/i...
Two tuberculosis cases detected at Camp East Montana ICE facility
Eighteen cases of COVID-19 were also identified. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar on Friday visited the 5,000-bed tent facility on the Fort Bliss Army base and said she saw many "chronic issues."
www.texastribune.org
February 7, 2026 at 11:35 PM
Anne Frank died from a typhus epidemic that spread through the concentration camp where she was imprisoned.
Reposted by benjamin
who is brave enough to become the bonaparte of los angeles
February 8, 2026 at 1:21 AM
who is brave enough to become the bonaparte of los angeles
Reposted by benjamin
imo a core function of a post-DHS org for federal immigration, customs, and border stuff needs to be "clerks not cops"
yeah there is actually a mess of things you have to solve with like actual border control, customs, immigration services, and then a bunch of miscellaneous law enforcement and fusion functions... in theory this is an opportunity for some broader IC/FLE reorg but lol lmao at that
I think there is a pretty clear-cut argument that DHS as named has to go
But people are gonna need to quickly do some reckoning with the realities of what that will actually look like and what entities from DHS will still be around if you don't want "abolish ICE" to be the next "defund the police"
But people are gonna need to quickly do some reckoning with the realities of what that will actually look like and what entities from DHS will still be around if you don't want "abolish ICE" to be the next "defund the police"
February 7, 2026 at 8:24 PM
imo a core function of a post-DHS org for federal immigration, customs, and border stuff needs to be "clerks not cops"
Reposted by benjamin
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
February 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
Reposted by benjamin
genuinely unbelievable to me that Shapiro — a genuinely malign figure who has used his large platform to spread hate and misinformation — gets treated as a Respectable Commentator.
February 6, 2026 at 9:39 PM
genuinely unbelievable to me that Shapiro — a genuinely malign figure who has used his large platform to spread hate and misinformation — gets treated as a Respectable Commentator.