Birch Smith
@birchsmith.bsky.social
Philosophy PhD student and contributing editor at The UnPopulist. I work on the role of social and political epistemology in democratic political theory.
Read my public philosophy here: https://discoursemachine.beehiiv.com/
Read my public philosophy here: https://discoursemachine.beehiiv.com/
Wait hell yeah I'm Canadian for real (and not just a joke at hostels because I don't want to claim being American)
FYI Americans: if you had Canadian grandparents/parents: you may be Canadian
February 10, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Wait hell yeah I'm Canadian for real (and not just a joke at hostels because I don't want to claim being American)
Reading this while I work on a paper involving Judith Shklar's treatment of cruelty and the politics of suspicion is...a bit too pointed
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
February 7, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Reading this while I work on a paper involving Judith Shklar's treatment of cruelty and the politics of suspicion is...a bit too pointed
Reposted by Birch Smith
Judge Patrick Schiltz documented 96 ICE violations of court orders in January alone—more than some agencies in their entire existence.
@birchsmith.bsky.social
@birchsmith.bsky.social
Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
It may have reached a point when its only option for avoiding accountability would be keeping Democrats out of power
www.theunpopulist.net
February 5, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Judge Patrick Schiltz documented 96 ICE violations of court orders in January alone—more than some agencies in their entire existence.
@birchsmith.bsky.social
@birchsmith.bsky.social
Deeply horrifying and not the sort of thing that legitimate governments are supposed to permit, let alone participate in.
Inside a multi-village settler-soldier pogrom in Masafer Yatta
Inside a multi-village settler-soldier pogrom in Masafer Yatta
As settlers set homes ablaze and looted livestock across three villages for over five hours, Israeli soldiers blocked ambulances, arrested victims, and even took part in beatings. This is how it unfolded.
www.972mag.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Deeply horrifying and not the sort of thing that legitimate governments are supposed to permit, let alone participate in.
Reposted by Birch Smith
As the lawlessness of the regime accelerates, the logic of impunity ratchets up the stakes of removal
January 31, 2026 at 2:08 PM
As the lawlessness of the regime accelerates, the logic of impunity ratchets up the stakes of removal
Reposted by Birch Smith
A Bush-appointed judge documented 96 court order violations by ICE in one month—more than some agencies violate "in their entire existence," the judge said.
@birchsmith.bsky.social
@birchsmith.bsky.social
Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
It may have reached a point when its only option for avoiding accountability would be keeping Democrats out of power
www.theunpopulist.net
January 30, 2026 at 7:00 PM
A Bush-appointed judge documented 96 court order violations by ICE in one month—more than some agencies violate "in their entire existence," the judge said.
@birchsmith.bsky.social
@birchsmith.bsky.social
R̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶
̶R̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶t̶i̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶
Religious freedom for the right kind of Christians
̶R̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶t̶i̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶
Religious freedom for the right kind of Christians
US Capitol Police arrest demonstrators, including many clergy members with the group Faith in Action, as they hold a prayer protest against funding for ICE and DHS ahead of a possible government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
📸 Saul Loeb
📸 Saul Loeb
January 30, 2026 at 3:18 AM
R̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶
̶R̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶t̶i̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶
Religious freedom for the right kind of Christians
̶R̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶d̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶t̶i̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶
Religious freedom for the right kind of Christians
Trump sues IRS, Treasury Department for $10 billion over tax return leak | Reuters share.google/rcM4qMLIdiR5...
January 30, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Trump sues IRS, Treasury Department for $10 billion over tax return leak | Reuters share.google/rcM4qMLIdiR5...
When you edit your piece to include the administration's stated response and then your changes become outdated three hours after publication. (At least I was right?) www.theunpopulist.net/p/has-the-tr...
January 30, 2026 at 1:06 AM
When you edit your piece to include the administration's stated response and then your changes become outdated three hours after publication. (At least I was right?) www.theunpopulist.net/p/has-the-tr...
State-level accountability creating perverse incentives for the Trump administration is a big part of my analysis here. www.theunpopulist.net/p/has-the-tr...
January 30, 2026 at 12:11 AM
State-level accountability creating perverse incentives for the Trump administration is a big part of my analysis here. www.theunpopulist.net/p/has-the-tr...
From me: normally, regular transfers of power create incentives to not abuse power or seize power you don't want the other party to wield next. But if you abuse power too much, or accumulate too much power, it creates a perverse incentive to go even further: you can no longer afford to hand it over.
Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
It may have reached a point when its only option for avoiding accountability would be keeping Democrats out of power
www.theunpopulist.net
January 29, 2026 at 11:29 PM
From me: normally, regular transfers of power create incentives to not abuse power or seize power you don't want the other party to wield next. But if you abuse power too much, or accumulate too much power, it creates a perverse incentive to go even further: you can no longer afford to hand it over.
It's good news that the administration is pulling some CBP agents out of Minneapolis. We should celebrate the courage and decency of the people of Minnesota. But we also shouldn't overestimate what has been achieved. Trump can be made to back down from particular confrontations, yes.
January 27, 2026 at 1:54 PM
It's good news that the administration is pulling some CBP agents out of Minneapolis. We should celebrate the courage and decency of the people of Minnesota. But we also shouldn't overestimate what has been achieved. Trump can be made to back down from particular confrontations, yes.
This is extra fun because this week I am putting the finishing touches on a political philosophy paper, in which I argue that a number of the leading accounts of legitimate political authority probably can't apply to representative democracies unless they have a sufficiently independent bureaucracy.
Two supersmart dudes duke it out on whether America's problem is that it doesn't have a functional bureaucracy. At @theunpopulist.net. This was envisioned as a friendly discussion but it turned into a duel :)
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
Does America Need a Deeper State to Save It? A Conversation with Tyler Cowen and Francis Fukuyama
Two of the foremost thinkers of our time debate whether America has enough 'state capacity' for effective governance
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:49 PM
This is extra fun because this week I am putting the finishing touches on a political philosophy paper, in which I argue that a number of the leading accounts of legitimate political authority probably can't apply to representative democracies unless they have a sufficiently independent bureaucracy.
Reposted by Birch Smith
“While agents of the state engage in brazen extrajudicial killings, the highest levels of government lecture us that these are law enforcement agents protecting communities. Such claims are not credible, and Americans should decline to participate in this fantasy.”
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
In Trump's 'Dual State,' Dissenters Face Extrajudicial Executions, Loyalists Enjoy Protections
America's system of justice has fundamentally broken because the regime believes it can justify attacks on citizens via lies rather than in a court of law
open.substack.com
January 25, 2026 at 7:39 PM
“While agents of the state engage in brazen extrajudicial killings, the highest levels of government lecture us that these are law enforcement agents protecting communities. Such claims are not credible, and Americans should decline to participate in this fantasy.”
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
Reposted by Birch Smith
Also, may I say that I don’t agree with people saying ICE and CBP need “more training.” They’re doing exactly what this administration has trained them to—impose a reign of fear in blue cities. They don’t need more training. They need to be ripped up root and branch.
January 24, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Also, may I say that I don’t agree with people saying ICE and CBP need “more training.” They’re doing exactly what this administration has trained them to—impose a reign of fear in blue cities. They don’t need more training. They need to be ripped up root and branch.
I grew up in, and then abandoned, right-wing intellectual circles (BA from Hillsdale College 🙃) precisely because of how often I heard this bullshit excuse-making for what was obvious about the MAGA movement from day one. Every principle abandoned in favor of cruelty and thuggish brutality.
What's making me really livid right now is thinking back to the years of commentary lecturing us that the rise of MAGA was rooted in a sense of righteous victimization by overbearing liberal elites, and sneering at those who insisted that it was fundamentally about domination and sadism all along.
They are telling us in unequivocal terms that if you show solidarity with immigrants who are in the literal crosshairs of Trump/MAGA, you're risking a death sentence.
newrepublic.com/article/2055...
newrepublic.com/article/2055...
January 24, 2026 at 8:46 PM
I grew up in, and then abandoned, right-wing intellectual circles (BA from Hillsdale College 🙃) precisely because of how often I heard this bullshit excuse-making for what was obvious about the MAGA movement from day one. Every principle abandoned in favor of cruelty and thuggish brutality.
Reposted by Birch Smith
Just staggered by the complete moral void of not even *pretending* to wait for more information before pivoting to “the opponent of the state deserved it.” It is so insanely depraved. Soulless.
January 24, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Just staggered by the complete moral void of not even *pretending* to wait for more information before pivoting to “the opponent of the state deserved it.” It is so insanely depraved. Soulless.
The United States now has a government that will murder you for filming them and will immediately lie about the murder without even a pretense of legitimate investigation.
Footage taken moments before a struggle shows that the man was filming, holding a phone in his right hand, backing up. His left hand is up, visible, palm facing out, as he backs away from the area. An agent uses his right hand, on the torso of the victim, pushing him back, while the man complies.
January 24, 2026 at 7:31 PM
The United States now has a government that will murder you for filming them and will immediately lie about the murder without even a pretense of legitimate investigation.
Reposted by Birch Smith
The official policy of the government of the United States of America is that they will murder anyone they want, that they will tell any lie necessary to justify that murder, and that no one who resists them has any rights they are bound to respect.
/1
/1
January 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM
The official policy of the government of the United States of America is that they will murder anyone they want, that they will tell any lie necessary to justify that murder, and that no one who resists them has any rights they are bound to respect.
/1
/1
Reposted by Birch Smith
America got along fine for 227 years without ICE. Now Trump has turned it into a rights-trampling, rogue agency that shoots first and asks questions later. It should never have been created—and now it deserves to be shut down.
@shikhadalmia.bsky.social
@shikhadalmia.bsky.social
Abolish ICE: It Is a Threat to Americans’ Safety and Freedom
The agent who killed Renee Good should face the same accountability as the migrant who killed Laken Riley
www.theunpopulist.net
January 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM
America got along fine for 227 years without ICE. Now Trump has turned it into a rights-trampling, rogue agency that shoots first and asks questions later. It should never have been created—and now it deserves to be shut down.
@shikhadalmia.bsky.social
@shikhadalmia.bsky.social
This is a problem with the tool, of course, and the most immediate policy solutions will have to do with the tool.
But problems with tools usually arise because of problems with people-in this case, particularly problems with men and the way we allow men to be in society-and those too need solving.
But problems with tools usually arise because of problems with people-in this case, particularly problems with men and the way we allow men to be in society-and those too need solving.
Some Grok users, mostly men, began to demand to see bruising on the bodies of the women, and for blood to be added to the images. Requests to show women tied up and gagged were instantly granted.
‘Add blood, forced smile’:
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Add blood, forced smile’:
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Add blood, forced smile’: how Grok’s nudification tool went viral
The ‘put her in a bikini’ trend rapidly evolved into hundreds of thousands of requests to strip clothes from photos of women, horrifying those targeted
www.theguardian.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:32 PM
This is a problem with the tool, of course, and the most immediate policy solutions will have to do with the tool.
But problems with tools usually arise because of problems with people-in this case, particularly problems with men and the way we allow men to be in society-and those too need solving.
But problems with tools usually arise because of problems with people-in this case, particularly problems with men and the way we allow men to be in society-and those too need solving.
Reposted by Birch Smith
Stephen Miller is employing state terror in service of the open goal of shifting the ethnic mix of the country. In numerous ways he's doing this at the expense of public safety.
We spent weeks reporting on Miller's real aims. Here's the result. We hope you'll read:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
We spent weeks reporting on Miller's real aims. Here's the result. We hope you'll read:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
Inside Stephen Miller’s Dark Plot to Build a MAGA Terror State
He is descended from Russian Jews—you know, the kind of people who were once denounced as alien and unassimilable. Today, his project is to unleash government persecution of those he deems alien and u...
newrepublic.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Stephen Miller is employing state terror in service of the open goal of shifting the ethnic mix of the country. In numerous ways he's doing this at the expense of public safety.
We spent weeks reporting on Miller's real aims. Here's the result. We hope you'll read:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
We spent weeks reporting on Miller's real aims. Here's the result. We hope you'll read:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
