Carl Beijer
@carlbeijer.bsky.social
Socialist writer. Read me at The People's Line at http://www.peoplesline.org. Other links at https://linktr.ee/carlbeijer
Pinned
Carl Beijer
@carlbeijer.bsky.social
· Nov 5
The SNAP Freeze Shows Charity Is No Substitute for Welfare
The Trump administration suspended funding for food stamps this weekend, and local food banks are already overwhelmed by hungry Americans — belying conservative arguments that private charities can fi...
jacobin.com
ICYMI: My latest in Jacobin.
Conservatives want to use the SNAP freeze to replace the entire program with private charity. But they're already failing.
jacobin.com/2025/11/snap...
Conservatives want to use the SNAP freeze to replace the entire program with private charity. But they're already failing.
jacobin.com/2025/11/snap...
Chase nerdjpg off this site and I will only become even more annoying
January 6, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Chase nerdjpg off this site and I will only become even more annoying
A lot of libs cleaning up their timelines rn
January 6, 2026 at 2:15 AM
A lot of libs cleaning up their timelines rn
Still seeing "tankie" associated with defenses of Maduro and it's just bonkers. The tankie position would be that Maduro was insufficiently committed to spreading communism outside of Venezuela
January 6, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Still seeing "tankie" associated with defenses of Maduro and it's just bonkers. The tankie position would be that Maduro was insufficiently committed to spreading communism outside of Venezuela
During my time in SDS during the Bush era I put a lot of effort into educating activists about their civil rights, talking to them about how to stay within the law to avoid arrests, etcetera.
These days I would probably focus on telling people when to run.
These days I would probably focus on telling people when to run.
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
January 5, 2026 at 5:18 PM
During my time in SDS during the Bush era I put a lot of effort into educating activists about their civil rights, talking to them about how to stay within the law to avoid arrests, etcetera.
These days I would probably focus on telling people when to run.
These days I would probably focus on telling people when to run.
Reposted by Carl Beijer
“nerdjpg, cait, thembo, some of the other ringleaders all blocked me recently-“ you wake up. The captain has just yelled for all hands on deck. it is the 21st of October, 1805. You are on the HMS Victory and Napoleon is invading England. The Battle of Trafalgar is about to begin.
January 4, 2026 at 10:48 PM
“nerdjpg, cait, thembo, some of the other ringleaders all blocked me recently-“ you wake up. The captain has just yelled for all hands on deck. it is the 21st of October, 1805. You are on the HMS Victory and Napoleon is invading England. The Battle of Trafalgar is about to begin.
I hate when people target me for harassment by blocking me
January 4, 2026 at 10:41 PM
I hate when people target me for harassment by blocking me
Gross, but also a straightforward application of liberal ideas about consumer activism. If you believe that individuals can always be expected to bend the market to their will then they always bear direct responsibility for everything the market does.
January 4, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Gross, but also a straightforward application of liberal ideas about consumer activism. If you believe that individuals can always be expected to bend the market to their will then they always bear direct responsibility for everything the market does.
A few years ago I argued that the problem with media was capital ownership, not its "corporate" structure, and Glenn directly rejected this and maintained that decentralization would solve it.
January 4, 2026 at 9:33 PM
A few years ago I argued that the problem with media was capital ownership, not its "corporate" structure, and Glenn directly rejected this and maintained that decentralization would solve it.
If you're worried about a Trump invasion of Greenland despite NATO, you probably shouldn't take for granted that admitting Ukraine into NATO will solve the Russia problem
January 4, 2026 at 9:23 PM
If you're worried about a Trump invasion of Greenland despite NATO, you probably shouldn't take for granted that admitting Ukraine into NATO will solve the Russia problem
True posters know this is exactly backwards. The historical norm has always been that if someone takes a shot at you, you get to respond.
It's only been in the last decade or so that wormy posters have tried to come up with cheap etiquette rules to prevent people from responding
It's only been in the last decade or so that wormy posters have tried to come up with cheap etiquette rules to prevent people from responding
January 4, 2026 at 8:48 PM
True posters know this is exactly backwards. The historical norm has always been that if someone takes a shot at you, you get to respond.
It's only been in the last decade or so that wormy posters have tried to come up with cheap etiquette rules to prevent people from responding
It's only been in the last decade or so that wormy posters have tried to come up with cheap etiquette rules to prevent people from responding
The funniest thing about horseshoe theory is that the metaphor does not actually work. You cannot actually get to the right end of a horseshoe by moving to the left. You have to move towards the center
January 4, 2026 at 8:29 PM
The funniest thing about horseshoe theory is that the metaphor does not actually work. You cannot actually get to the right end of a horseshoe by moving to the left. You have to move towards the center
I cannot think of a single socialist who said that Trump would not launch any foreign wars, but it's comically easy to find liberals who are either triangulating on Venezeula or outright cheering it on
January 4, 2026 at 8:12 PM
I cannot think of a single socialist who said that Trump would not launch any foreign wars, but it's comically easy to find liberals who are either triangulating on Venezeula or outright cheering it on
Genuinely the least informed, least intellectually curious, least insightful, least observant, least rigorous, least wise, least self-conscious, least thorough, and least psychologically stable blogger of our time. I don't think it's really even close
January 4, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Genuinely the least informed, least intellectually curious, least insightful, least observant, least rigorous, least wise, least self-conscious, least thorough, and least psychologically stable blogger of our time. I don't think it's really even close
The number of overnight Venezuela experts is pretty funny but nothing will ever beat when the Nord Stream pipeline blew up and everyone suddenly became experts in deep water detonation physics
January 4, 2026 at 6:50 PM
The number of overnight Venezuela experts is pretty funny but nothing will ever beat when the Nord Stream pipeline blew up and everyone suddenly became experts in deep water detonation physics
It's going to take a few generations at least for the public to build real antibodies of skepticism against this stuff, and even longer to build the kind of systems of verification that can replace it.
Until then the left needs to strap-in for post-rational politics. That's over.
Until then the left needs to strap-in for post-rational politics. That's over.
January 4, 2026 at 5:57 PM
It's going to take a few generations at least for the public to build real antibodies of skepticism against this stuff, and even longer to build the kind of systems of verification that can replace it.
Until then the left needs to strap-in for post-rational politics. That's over.
Until then the left needs to strap-in for post-rational politics. That's over.
I love when Americans do this kind of performative self-effacement and then proceed not to do anything, proving that the sentiment they are making fun of is actually correct
January 4, 2026 at 5:45 PM
I love when Americans do this kind of performative self-effacement and then proceed not to do anything, proving that the sentiment they are making fun of is actually correct
Just remember: when you're at an anti-Trump rally at the Venezuelan embassy and you get surrounded by counterprotesters, never stop posting
January 3, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Just remember: when you're at an anti-Trump rally at the Venezuelan embassy and you get surrounded by counterprotesters, never stop posting
It seems like once every few weeks Ukrainian officials and their NGO orbiters get together and ask: "What's the most damaging thing we could possibly say to completely undercut our support around the world?"
January 3, 2026 at 11:35 PM
It seems like once every few weeks Ukrainian officials and their NGO orbiters get together and ask: "What's the most damaging thing we could possibly say to completely undercut our support around the world?"
I wonder if Max still thinks that critics of militarism are "useless"
January 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
I wonder if Max still thinks that critics of militarism are "useless"
NEW: The war on Venezuela has exposed a serious problem for the antiwar left: we need to be more disciplined.
www.peoplesline.org/p/discipline...
www.peoplesline.org/p/discipline...
Discipline and the antiwar left
Trump's war on Venezuela has exposed some of our worst unforced errors.
www.peoplesline.org
January 3, 2026 at 7:15 PM
NEW: The war on Venezuela has exposed a serious problem for the antiwar left: we need to be more disciplined.
www.peoplesline.org/p/discipline...
www.peoplesline.org/p/discipline...
Code Pink withdrew its endorsement of the Rage Against the War Machine rally precisely because of its apologetics for Russia.
People were harping on this, primarily with the inclusion of Code Pink, who (imo) were disingenuous re: Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lots of harping on PSL as well.
Either way, this site rn smells of a lot of finger wagging at those darn leftists and Dearborn, MI for being mean to Dems
Either way, this site rn smells of a lot of finger wagging at those darn leftists and Dearborn, MI for being mean to Dems
January 3, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Code Pink withdrew its endorsement of the Rage Against the War Machine rally precisely because of its apologetics for Russia.
I faced a lot of direct criticism back in 2023 for insisting that the antiwar left should not promote opportunists like Tulsi Gabbard. I wonder if Sam Husseini would still stand behind this today
January 3, 2026 at 3:32 PM
I faced a lot of direct criticism back in 2023 for insisting that the antiwar left should not promote opportunists like Tulsi Gabbard. I wonder if Sam Husseini would still stand behind this today
Hmm I wonder who set the precedent for this
January 3, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Hmm I wonder who set the precedent for this