Benjamin Balthaser
@blbalthaser.bsky.social
Assoc prof of multiethnic US lit; au of Dedication (2011), Anti-Imperialist Modernism (2016), Citizens of the Whole World: Anti-Zionism & the Cultures of the US Jewish Left (2025). He/him. 🕎🌹😷🇵🇸Chicago 🐢
https://iusb.academia.edu/BenjaminBalthaser
https://iusb.academia.edu/BenjaminBalthaser
As I thought when I saw it 2 decades ago in the theater, Eli Roth’s *Hostel* was a documentary
February 10, 2026 at 5:07 PM
As I thought when I saw it 2 decades ago in the theater, Eli Roth’s *Hostel* was a documentary
unions are the most important first amendment organizations for working ppl
February 10, 2026 at 5:11 AM
unions are the most important first amendment organizations for working ppl
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
An immigration court dropped its case against Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a little less than a year after federal agents arrested her on a street near Tufts University
Immigration Court Drops Case Against Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk
The Turkish national had been arrested by plainclothes federal officers outside her apartment.
on.wsj.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
An immigration court dropped its case against Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a little less than a year after federal agents arrested her on a street near Tufts University
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
Concentration camps:
“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh. We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick."
“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh. We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick."
Exclusive: Detention Center Captives Are Throwing Lotion Bottles Wrapped With Notes to Organizers Outside Otay Mesa Facility ~ L.A. TACO
“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh," an Otay Mesa captive communicated through handwritten note. "We are all in one big room with no doors...
lataco.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:24 AM
Concentration camps:
“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh. We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick."
“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh. We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick."
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
Ben Freeman discusses the intersection of interests that drive America’s military spending, including the private contractors who receive half of the US military budget and the universities, Hollywood movies, and media funded by the Pentagon or its arms manufacturers.
kpfa.org/episode/agai...
kpfa.org/episode/agai...
The Trillion Dollar War Machine | KPFA
The United States spends over a $100 billion dollars more a year on the military than it did at the height of the Cold War. What does it get year upon year for that money? Since 2001, America’s overse...
kpfa.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Ben Freeman discusses the intersection of interests that drive America’s military spending, including the private contractors who receive half of the US military budget and the universities, Hollywood movies, and media funded by the Pentagon or its arms manufacturers.
kpfa.org/episode/agai...
kpfa.org/episode/agai...
I heard on NPR google alone is spending 185 bn on new data centers just this year. Coincidentally this is well over twice what it would cost to pay for free college for every American who wants it and to restore tenure to all full-time faculty, according to the Sanders/Jayapal legislation
February 6, 2026 at 9:17 PM
I heard on NPR google alone is spending 185 bn on new data centers just this year. Coincidentally this is well over twice what it would cost to pay for free college for every American who wants it and to restore tenure to all full-time faculty, according to the Sanders/Jayapal legislation
NYT overview of what is happening at US universities
“We’ve never seen this much surveillance,” said John White, a University of Florida education professor who was asked to remove words such as “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “culture” from his syllabus….
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...
“We’ve never seen this much surveillance,” said John White, a University of Florida education professor who was asked to remove words such as “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “culture” from his syllabus….
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...
February 5, 2026 at 4:34 AM
NYT overview of what is happening at US universities
“We’ve never seen this much surveillance,” said John White, a University of Florida education professor who was asked to remove words such as “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “culture” from his syllabus….
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...
“We’ve never seen this much surveillance,” said John White, a University of Florida education professor who was asked to remove words such as “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “culture” from his syllabus….
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...
I am somehow not surprised The Onion has better research/writing guidelines regarding generative AI than my university system
Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
February 5, 2026 at 4:03 AM
I am somehow not surprised The Onion has better research/writing guidelines regarding generative AI than my university system
It’s almost like the unchecked spread of covid in prisons wasn’t a warning but an example DHS wants to follow
Elizabeth, a 10-year-old Minnesota girl, spent a month detained at the ICE facility in Dilley, TX before her release last night w/ her mom.
Dilley now has a measles outbreak and hundreds of other kids remain detained. Elizabeth has flu-like symptoms and her mom has hives, a school official told me
Dilley now has a measles outbreak and hundreds of other kids remain detained. Elizabeth has flu-like symptoms and her mom has hives, a school official told me
Minnesota girl, 10, released from ICE custody after a month in detention
Elizabeth Zuna Caisaguano and her mother released from Texas facility to head back to Minnesota to reunite with her father
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:59 AM
It’s almost like the unchecked spread of covid in prisons wasn’t a warning but an example DHS wants to follow
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
December 17, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
It should inspire serious reflection among liberals and institutionally liberal institutions in the US that this woman was (is still?) considered a standard-bearer on the issue of what constitutes bigotry.
February 4, 2026 at 3:30 AM
It should inspire serious reflection among liberals and institutionally liberal institutions in the US that this woman was (is still?) considered a standard-bearer on the issue of what constitutes bigotry.
Ace of spades cards have historically been used by white nationalist gangs and anti-communist death squads to mark “kills” and issue threats
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
February 4, 2026 at 4:45 AM
Ace of spades cards have historically been used by white nationalist gangs and anti-communist death squads to mark “kills” and issue threats
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
contradictions of the anti-state state
February 4, 2026 at 1:55 AM
contradictions of the anti-state state
If it steps like goose…
February 1, 2026 at 6:22 AM
If it steps like goose…
The history of communism - and uprisings against economic and political authority more generally - is in many ways the other side to the history of race-making
Chris Rufo is so upset about the Minneapolis protests that he is resorting to anti-Nordic racism christopherrufo.com/p/the-curse-...
February 1, 2026 at 12:54 AM
The history of communism - and uprisings against economic and political authority more generally - is in many ways the other side to the history of race-making
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
Moshe "Bogi" Ya'alon, former Defense Minister of the State of Israel and former Chief of Staff of the IDF, posted on X last night (in Hebrew) that "Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz was right and I was wrong" and compared the Israeli government's ideology of Jewish supremacy to Nazi racial theory.
January 30, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Moshe "Bogi" Ya'alon, former Defense Minister of the State of Israel and former Chief of Staff of the IDF, posted on X last night (in Hebrew) that "Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz was right and I was wrong" and compared the Israeli government's ideology of Jewish supremacy to Nazi racial theory.
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
Full rights and citizenship actually means they’re not a “foreign labor class.” And that’s what he’s angry about. He’s mad citizenship is universal rather than restricted to white people like before the civil war bsky.app/profile/gbbr...
Translated "it's fine if they're slaves or indentured servants"
January 31, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Full rights and citizenship actually means they’re not a “foreign labor class.” And that’s what he’s angry about. He’s mad citizenship is universal rather than restricted to white people like before the civil war bsky.app/profile/gbbr...
Many analogies made btw resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act & popular resistance to ICE. One analogy not often made is that it literally took the creation of a new political party to get the “opposition” to stop compromising w the slavocracy
January 31, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Many analogies made btw resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act & popular resistance to ICE. One analogy not often made is that it literally took the creation of a new political party to get the “opposition” to stop compromising w the slavocracy
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
Interesting admission by Biden administration official and Kamala Harris NSC advisor earlier today
January 31, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Interesting admission by Biden administration official and Kamala Harris NSC advisor earlier today
Reposted by Benjamin Balthaser
“Rishi used to call our family almost every day and then one day he disappeared, and we never heard from him again.”
The Trump administration must be held accountable for the illegal boat strike that killed Rishi Samaroo and Chad Joseph.
The Trump administration must be held accountable for the illegal boat strike that killed Rishi Samaroo and Chad Joseph.
They Were Killed in Caribbean Boat Strikes. Now Bereaved Families Are Suing the U.S. Government
Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo were killed by U.S. military airstrikes off the coast of Trinidad in October.
people.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:13 PM
“Rishi used to call our family almost every day and then one day he disappeared, and we never heard from him again.”
The Trump administration must be held accountable for the illegal boat strike that killed Rishi Samaroo and Chad Joseph.
The Trump administration must be held accountable for the illegal boat strike that killed Rishi Samaroo and Chad Joseph.
What is shocking abt Cixin Liu’s 3 BP for a US reader is that, while abt the end of humanity, it is a given in the novels that a future can be imagined & acted upon by the state, w the interests of all people in mind. This - and not aliens - is what is strange uncanny & other-worldly abt the texts
January 30, 2026 at 7:42 PM
What is shocking abt Cixin Liu’s 3 BP for a US reader is that, while abt the end of humanity, it is a given in the novels that a future can be imagined & acted upon by the state, w the interests of all people in mind. This - and not aliens - is what is strange uncanny & other-worldly abt the texts
Ironically these laws never seem to apply to police or ICE
Sadly, the push for anti-mask laws is back. The Alabama House has passed a bill that would criminalize protesting in a mask without a doctor’s note.
House passes bill that would criminalize protesting in a mask without a doctor's note
Anti-masking laws have never been taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court and have had mixed results in lower courts.
www.alreporter.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:14 AM
Ironically these laws never seem to apply to police or ICE
Nobody
Nobody at all
Friedman: how do we make opposing ICE raids sound racist?
Nobody at all
Friedman: how do we make opposing ICE raids sound racist?
January 29, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Nobody
Nobody at all
Friedman: how do we make opposing ICE raids sound racist?
Nobody at all
Friedman: how do we make opposing ICE raids sound racist?
Ilhan Omar may be the only politician I’ve ever seen assaulted in public to try to take a swing at her attacker — like she totally charged into the fascist. Damn Twin Cities is showing us how to fight back x.com/deviiette/st...
x.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Ilhan Omar may be the only politician I’ve ever seen assaulted in public to try to take a swing at her attacker — like she totally charged into the fascist. Damn Twin Cities is showing us how to fight back x.com/deviiette/st...