Erik Wallenius
@erikwallenius.bsky.social
Eagle Scout, Army vet, @BarackObama ‘08 alum. Interests include data/tech, board games, feminism. Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ he/him
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
Our country’s increasing obsession with gambling is not unrelated to our country’s poor understanding of disease transmission. We are simply not great at risk/benefit analyses.
February 5, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Our country’s increasing obsession with gambling is not unrelated to our country’s poor understanding of disease transmission. We are simply not great at risk/benefit analyses.
“This is not theoretical. This is the old system knocking at the door.”
February 5, 2026 at 3:18 PM
“This is not theoretical. This is the old system knocking at the door.”
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
The city is suing for millions in damages after the woman dubbed Chicago’s "worst landowner" had her property auction fail. blockclubchi.co/4rvPoJo
February 5, 2026 at 2:00 AM
The city is suing for millions in damages after the woman dubbed Chicago’s "worst landowner" had her property auction fail. blockclubchi.co/4rvPoJo
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
READ THIS THREAD. Simon lays out what is at stake with AI bullshit images and our political clusterf*ck. @audacityofdespair.bsky.social
Thread:
So on this day when one of the oligarchs of our digitized and dystopic world is emptying one of America's greatest newsrooms of trained and committed journalists, I thought I would regale you all with a wonderful little anecdote about our world to come. It involves two of the finest...
So on this day when one of the oligarchs of our digitized and dystopic world is emptying one of America's greatest newsrooms of trained and committed journalists, I thought I would regale you all with a wonderful little anecdote about our world to come. It involves two of the finest...
February 5, 2026 at 5:46 AM
READ THIS THREAD. Simon lays out what is at stake with AI bullshit images and our political clusterf*ck. @audacityofdespair.bsky.social
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
I will say - and yes, to be blunt this one of the few things in life I really feel I can get on my high horse about! - that I've cut a *lot* of men out of my life over the years after hearing stories about their misbehaviour, and watched every single time as those men just kept most of their friends
A lot of people are rightfully outraged that famous, important people continued to hang out with Jeff Epstein after he was convicted of serious sex crimes. I would posit, though, that 'maintaining social and business relationships with sex criminals' is extremely common behavior, regardless of class
February 5, 2026 at 12:35 PM
I will say - and yes, to be blunt this one of the few things in life I really feel I can get on my high horse about! - that I've cut a *lot* of men out of my life over the years after hearing stories about their misbehaviour, and watched every single time as those men just kept most of their friends
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway
Reporter: Do you plan to apologize to the family of Alex Pretti?
Vance: For what?
Vance: For what?
February 4, 2026 at 4:41 PM
this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
this literally looks like a scene from THE FIRST PURGE
Fucking surreal that people dressed like this and carrying assault rifles are permitted to kidnap people off our streets
February 4, 2026 at 2:53 AM
this literally looks like a scene from THE FIRST PURGE
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
A lot of people I know are doing everything they can to push back on the horrific actions of ICE.
Many more of them grieved the killing of Alex Pretti.
Pat Hynes, who is running for Cook County Assessor, accepted 25k from the people who celebrated the fact that ICE killed him.
Many more of them grieved the killing of Alex Pretti.
Pat Hynes, who is running for Cook County Assessor, accepted 25k from the people who celebrated the fact that ICE killed him.
My opponent, Pat Hynes, took $25,000 from a MAGA Trump donor whose family cheered when ICE killed Alex Pretti.
The Loquercios has given $372,000+ to Trump, McConnell, Graham, and others.
Democrats shouldn't take money from MAGA donors or people who celebrate murder. Return it.
The Loquercios has given $372,000+ to Trump, McConnell, Graham, and others.
Democrats shouldn't take money from MAGA donors or people who celebrate murder. Return it.
February 3, 2026 at 11:17 PM
A lot of people I know are doing everything they can to push back on the horrific actions of ICE.
Many more of them grieved the killing of Alex Pretti.
Pat Hynes, who is running for Cook County Assessor, accepted 25k from the people who celebrated the fact that ICE killed him.
Many more of them grieved the killing of Alex Pretti.
Pat Hynes, who is running for Cook County Assessor, accepted 25k from the people who celebrated the fact that ICE killed him.
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
My opponent, Pat Hynes, took $25,000 from a MAGA Trump donor whose family cheered when ICE killed Alex Pretti.
The Loquercios has given $372,000+ to Trump, McConnell, Graham, and others.
Democrats shouldn't take money from MAGA donors or people who celebrate murder. Return it.
The Loquercios has given $372,000+ to Trump, McConnell, Graham, and others.
Democrats shouldn't take money from MAGA donors or people who celebrate murder. Return it.
February 3, 2026 at 9:21 PM
My opponent, Pat Hynes, took $25,000 from a MAGA Trump donor whose family cheered when ICE killed Alex Pretti.
The Loquercios has given $372,000+ to Trump, McConnell, Graham, and others.
Democrats shouldn't take money from MAGA donors or people who celebrate murder. Return it.
The Loquercios has given $372,000+ to Trump, McConnell, Graham, and others.
Democrats shouldn't take money from MAGA donors or people who celebrate murder. Return it.
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
Three rules in FBI firearm training:
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.
February 3, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Three rules in FBI firearm training:
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
February 3, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
"This guy is clearly a monster, but he's a well-connected and well-resourced monster so I'm going to let it slide" is the universal lapse in judgement here among elites, and it's a huge issue that seems to be getting missed even though it's so damning of the culture around them.
February 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
"This guy is clearly a monster, but he's a well-connected and well-resourced monster so I'm going to let it slide" is the universal lapse in judgement here among elites, and it's a huge issue that seems to be getting missed even though it's so damning of the culture around them.
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
You can look at the Epstein files and conclude that only bad people have billions of dollars, but I think it’s also possible that having billions of dollars cauterizes your humanity
February 3, 2026 at 6:56 PM
You can look at the Epstein files and conclude that only bad people have billions of dollars, but I think it’s also possible that having billions of dollars cauterizes your humanity
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
'Lethal' and 'magical' Palantir tech is in demand by Pentagon, China, Middle East, CEO says
'Lethal' and 'magical' Palantir tech is in demand by Pentagon, China, Middle East, CEO says
Less popular in Canada and Northern Europe
Palantir is shaping the "under-the-hood" practices of the US Defense Department as demand for its software grows across warfighting, shipbuilding, and weapons procurement, CEO Alex Karp said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Monday.…
dlvr.it
February 3, 2026 at 7:44 PM
'Lethal' and 'magical' Palantir tech is in demand by Pentagon, China, Middle East, CEO says
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle reflects on her journey from the South Side to Broadway and beyond.
Explore her conversation with E'mon Lauren, Chicago’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
https://southsideweekly.com/the-roots-of-poetry/
Explore her conversation with E'mon Lauren, Chicago’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
https://southsideweekly.com/the-roots-of-poetry/
February 3, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle reflects on her journey from the South Side to Broadway and beyond.
Explore her conversation with E'mon Lauren, Chicago’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
https://southsideweekly.com/the-roots-of-poetry/
Explore her conversation with E'mon Lauren, Chicago’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
https://southsideweekly.com/the-roots-of-poetry/
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
this is a remarkable answer because Melinda French Gates uses this opportunity to spotlight what happened to others who are less privileged than her and calls for justice and accountability for ~them~
In an interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates confirmed that she ended her marriage with Bill Gates because of allegations contained in the Epstein files.
February 3, 2026 at 7:17 PM
this is a remarkable answer because Melinda French Gates uses this opportunity to spotlight what happened to others who are less privileged than her and calls for justice and accountability for ~them~
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
Deeply disturbing: Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon. In October, a retiree emailed a DHS attorney to urge mercy for an asylum seeker. Then DHS subpoenaed his Google account and sent investigators to his home www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Deeply disturbing: Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon. In October, a retiree emailed a DHS attorney to urge mercy for an asylum seeker. Then DHS subpoenaed his Google account and sent investigators to his home www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
very excited to have my response included in the latest Boston Review forum against Democratic moderation! here it is, my best argument for why Dems shouldn't "moderate" on transgender rights & LGBTQ issues more generally (as they are inextricably linked): www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
Trans rights aren’t tanking the Democrats.
Julia Serano responds in a forum on “How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism.”
www.bostonreview.net
February 3, 2026 at 4:12 PM
very excited to have my response included in the latest Boston Review forum against Democratic moderation! here it is, my best argument for why Dems shouldn't "moderate" on transgender rights & LGBTQ issues more generally (as they are inextricably linked): www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
If you have an iPhone and menacing people are approaching, click your power button rapidly five times. It will turn off biometrics and require a passcode to unlock your phone.
The federal search warrant for the home of the Washington Post reporter including permission for the FBI to force her face or fingers to unlock the phone. More on my Substack. Join me here: substack.com/@thefrankfig...
February 3, 2026 at 5:21 PM
If you have an iPhone and menacing people are approaching, click your power button rapidly five times. It will turn off biometrics and require a passcode to unlock your phone.
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
oh god we're doing it again aren't we
February 3, 2026 at 6:34 PM
oh god we're doing it again aren't we
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
I try to keep that in mind in online spaces, especially when discussing org dynamics and local dynamics that I'm not in the middle of. People who dominate the conversation online are often not really well positioned to tell you what's up. They're broadcasters, but that doesn't make them messengers.
February 3, 2026 at 5:04 AM
I try to keep that in mind in online spaces, especially when discussing org dynamics and local dynamics that I'm not in the middle of. People who dominate the conversation online are often not really well positioned to tell you what's up. They're broadcasters, but that doesn't make them messengers.
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
i am almost grateful for hanania for revealing how dumb a lot of our thinkfluencers are. he is not someone with interesting ideas, he is not challenging, he is someone you would fake a call to get away from at a party
I think Hanania must just be an idiot? The climax of American Beauty is Lester realizing how bad it would be to act out his fantasies about his daughter's best friend. The movie is not about how cool it is for dads to bag high school girls. Also Kevin Spacey is a personally notorious kid toucher
![Richard Hanania
@RichardHanania • Feb 1
By obsessing over Epstein, they're attacking healthy heterosexuality. [screengrab of Mena Suvari in the tub with Kevin Spacey leaning over her from American Beauty. The caption is "The Real Target of Pedophile Hysteria Is Age Gap Relationships," the title of a blog post by Hanania]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qjzrpzlcmir3bkss4b5nh6ox/bafkreiduwzv3jqpsa7vwjwukvvonszcumubiuzkd6ujv2dq62zcwgg2ec4@jpeg)
February 3, 2026 at 5:19 PM
i am almost grateful for hanania for revealing how dumb a lot of our thinkfluencers are. he is not someone with interesting ideas, he is not challenging, he is someone you would fake a call to get away from at a party
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
Bob Loquercio is a major local donor.
Significant amounts to
Eileen Burke
Pat Hynes
Alexi Giannoulias
Alderman Hopkins
James Mendrick
Greg Hart
Andre Vasquez
Mark Curren
Paul Vallas
No Silverstein tho
Significant amounts to
Eileen Burke
Pat Hynes
Alexi Giannoulias
Alderman Hopkins
James Mendrick
Greg Hart
Andre Vasquez
Mark Curren
Paul Vallas
No Silverstein tho
@bebopott.bsky.social any idea if this POS has donated money to Deb Silverstein/anyone else in the City Council chud caucus?
January 26, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Bob Loquercio is a major local donor.
Significant amounts to
Eileen Burke
Pat Hynes
Alexi Giannoulias
Alderman Hopkins
James Mendrick
Greg Hart
Andre Vasquez
Mark Curren
Paul Vallas
No Silverstein tho
Significant amounts to
Eileen Burke
Pat Hynes
Alexi Giannoulias
Alderman Hopkins
James Mendrick
Greg Hart
Andre Vasquez
Mark Curren
Paul Vallas
No Silverstein tho
Reposted by Erik Wallenius
“‘Mr. Lyons said he was in charge, and I corrected him saying I report to Corey Lewandowski,’ Bovino said in the email.“
Bovino told U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, under oath, that he reported to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Bovino told U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, under oath, that he reported to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
February 3, 2026 at 1:28 AM
“‘Mr. Lyons said he was in charge, and I corrected him saying I report to Corey Lewandowski,’ Bovino said in the email.“
Bovino told U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, under oath, that he reported to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Bovino told U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, under oath, that he reported to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.