Firsk.bsky.social
@firsk.bsky.social
Sailor, entrepreneur (electronic instrumentation), designer, woodworker, boat builder, potter.
Pacific Northwest resident, outdoorsy, classical liberal.
Parent of an adult trans child.
Date from the final days of the Truman administration.
Pacific Northwest resident, outdoorsy, classical liberal.
Parent of an adult trans child.
Date from the final days of the Truman administration.
These three posts sum it up.
Trump has always groveled before the world's worst dictators.
He is dragging the USA down to his level.
Trump has always groveled before the world's worst dictators.
He is dragging the USA down to his level.
After 3 years working under Putin’s missiles and drones as our Ambassador to Ukraine, I resigned when Trump kept appeasing Putin.
The America I proudly served for 28 years does not bow to dictators. It’s not who we are.
But the Trump Admin keeps doing exactly that.
1/3
The America I proudly served for 28 years does not bow to dictators. It’s not who we are.
But the Trump Admin keeps doing exactly that.
1/3
January 28, 2026 at 7:19 PM
These three posts sum it up.
Trump has always groveled before the world's worst dictators.
He is dragging the USA down to his level.
Trump has always groveled before the world's worst dictators.
He is dragging the USA down to his level.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
This needs to happen at the very least
January 28, 2026 at 4:56 PM
This needs to happen at the very least
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Warnock: "You can't ask me to be an accomplice to the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. It's to make a butchery of my conscience."
January 28, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Warnock: "You can't ask me to be an accomplice to the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. It's to make a butchery of my conscience."
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
'Hageman then gathered her folders, waved goodbye to the audience and exited the stage through a side door while people booed and one man shouted “coward” and “chickenshit.”'
GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman - of WYOMING - was booed out of her town hall last night.
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman - of WYOMING - was booed out of her town hall last night.
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
Hageman cuts short Casper town hall after contentious exchanges over ICE killings - WyoFile
The congresswoman faced questions about the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, saying she'd have to see a completed investigation, drawing shouts and insults.
wyofile.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:17 PM
'Hageman then gathered her folders, waved goodbye to the audience and exited the stage through a side door while people booed and one man shouted “coward” and “chickenshit.”'
GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman - of WYOMING - was booed out of her town hall last night.
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman - of WYOMING - was booed out of her town hall last night.
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
The Episcopal Church has put together a very impressive toolkit for protesting, including tips for clergy in particular. Truly inspiring. This is how Christians ought to be engaging the moment.
www.episcopalchurch.org/protesting-f...
www.episcopalchurch.org/protesting-f...
January 28, 2026 at 3:59 PM
The Episcopal Church has put together a very impressive toolkit for protesting, including tips for clergy in particular. Truly inspiring. This is how Christians ought to be engaging the moment.
www.episcopalchurch.org/protesting-f...
www.episcopalchurch.org/protesting-f...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
While talking about Alex Pretti, Trump suggests he feels even worse about Renee Good because her parents were Trump fans.
January 27, 2026 at 9:34 PM
While talking about Alex Pretti, Trump suggests he feels even worse about Renee Good because her parents were Trump fans.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Please this needs to be SHARED. Let’s do our part. Watch & Share.
January 25, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Please this needs to be SHARED. Let’s do our part. Watch & Share.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Bank robbers investigating bank robbery.
This morning, MSNOW reported that the Alex Pretti homicide is being investigated by “Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility”…
Or, former Border Patrol agents from the agency’s secret, illegal *coverup* teams
jennbudd.substack.com/p/former-bor...
Or, former Border Patrol agents from the agency’s secret, illegal *coverup* teams
jennbudd.substack.com/p/former-bor...
Former Border Patrol chief known for illegal coverups leads Pretti homicide investigation.
Pretti’s investigation is being done by illegal and corrupt investigators.
jennbudd.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Bank robbers investigating bank robbery.
If they had an ounce of decency they would not be in their jobs.
Anderson Cooper played side-by-side video of Noem and Bovino smearing the victim of Saturday's shooting, then said, "If either of these public officials had an ounce of decency, they would call up Alex Pretti's parents and apologize."
January 28, 2026 at 6:01 AM
If they had an ounce of decency they would not be in their jobs.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Something important to understand about ICE thugs in the Twin Cities is that they're harassing innocent kids and parents at bus stops and schools every single day. Even after the Pretti shooting. It's terrorism.
January 27, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Something important to understand about ICE thugs in the Twin Cities is that they're harassing innocent kids and parents at bus stops and schools every single day. Even after the Pretti shooting. It's terrorism.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Exactly right, and therefore important not to give credit for an investigation of an obvious atrocity. Appropriate responses are apologies, resignations, firings, impeachments. The individuals who killed people should be tried before a judge and jury.
Okay, so this is an authoritarian playbook trick, once the evidence is overwhelming say everyone needs to wait for the official investigation then either fix it or attack it when its completed. Same shit Russian pulled with MH17 and chemical attacks in Syria, very predictable.
Reporter: Will Stephen Miller be apologizing to the family of Alex Pretti for calling him an assassin?
Leavitt: This incident remains under investigation.
Leavitt: This incident remains under investigation.
January 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Exactly right, and therefore important not to give credit for an investigation of an obvious atrocity. Appropriate responses are apologies, resignations, firings, impeachments. The individuals who killed people should be tried before a judge and jury.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
2. ICE is buying your private location data from sleazy data brokers through a legal loophole. I've had a bill to stop this since 2021. I'm renewing my push to get it passed into black letter law as soon as possible.
Wyden, Paul and Bipartisan Senators Reintroduce the Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act | U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon
The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon
www.wyden.senate.gov
January 27, 2026 at 9:28 PM
2. ICE is buying your private location data from sleazy data brokers through a legal loophole. I've had a bill to stop this since 2021. I'm renewing my push to get it passed into black letter law as soon as possible.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
It would be better to investigate actual crimes, such as public executions. Also: whenever these characters use the term “law enforcement” it is a tipoff that they are talking about an act that is questionable or downright illegal.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
FBI is investigating Minnesota Signal groups tracking ICE, Patel says
FBI Director Kash Patel made the statement after right-wing media figures said they joined the chats and claimed participants were obstructing law enforcement.
www.nbcnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:30 PM
It would be better to investigate actual crimes, such as public executions. Also: whenever these characters use the term “law enforcement” it is a tipoff that they are talking about an act that is questionable or downright illegal.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Here's what ICE is up to in Northeast Minneapolis today. Absolutely heartbreaking.
Warning: video is hard to watch
Warning: video is hard to watch
January 27, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Here's what ICE is up to in Northeast Minneapolis today. Absolutely heartbreaking.
Warning: video is hard to watch
Warning: video is hard to watch
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Imagine if grocery stores only operated one day a month for 12 hours, election expert David Becker said. “It is a recipe for disaster.”
That’s exactly what anti-voting activists are championing through precinct strategy — a push to restrict polling locations, times and overall ballot access.
That’s exactly what anti-voting activists are championing through precinct strategy — a push to restrict polling locations, times and overall ballot access.
Vote centers have made it easier to vote. Cleta Mitchell is coming for them
The battle over vote centers is currently playing out in Arizona, where Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) last year vetoed a GOP bill to abolish the use of them.
www.democracydocket.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Imagine if grocery stores only operated one day a month for 12 hours, election expert David Becker said. “It is a recipe for disaster.”
That’s exactly what anti-voting activists are championing through precinct strategy — a push to restrict polling locations, times and overall ballot access.
That’s exactly what anti-voting activists are championing through precinct strategy — a push to restrict polling locations, times and overall ballot access.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Thread for thoughts
Interesting moment in the post-Trump succession struggle. 1/
January 27, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Thread for thoughts
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Tadeusz Borowski was an extraordinary, formative writer, whose main subject was Auschwitz. I am very proud of this forward to Yale UP’s excellent collection, translated by Madeline Levine.
www.nybooks.com/online/2021/...
www.nybooks.com/online/2021/...
The World of Tadeusz Borowski’s Auschwitz | Timothy Snyder
“Crematorium Esperanto.” When I first read that phrase, decades ago, I put my thumb on the page, let the book close on my hand, lay down in the grass, and
www.nybooks.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Tadeusz Borowski was an extraordinary, formative writer, whose main subject was Auschwitz. I am very proud of this forward to Yale UP’s excellent collection, translated by Madeline Levine.
www.nybooks.com/online/2021/...
www.nybooks.com/online/2021/...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Stephen Miller wasn't in the meeting, but the comms team was. This tells you this isn't a policy shift, it was just a meeting to figure out how to sell the bullshit better. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/noem-trump-meeting-minneapolis-ice.html
Trump Holds 2-Hour Meeting With Noem Amid Backlash to Minneapolis Shooting
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Stephen Miller wasn't in the meeting, but the comms team was. This tells you this isn't a policy shift, it was just a meeting to figure out how to sell the bullshit better. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/noem-trump-meeting-minneapolis-ice.html
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Here's Senator Chris Murphy's extended discussion of this group of restrictions on ICE:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
January 27, 2026 at 11:35 AM
Here's Senator Chris Murphy's extended discussion of this group of restrictions on ICE:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
Dems coalescing around 5 restrictions on ICE, I'm told:
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
A Dem Senator’s Harsh Takedown of Trump Hits Home: “Breaking Point”
As Trump scrambles to contain the damage from the latest ICE horrors, Senator Chris Murphy offers a sharp indictment of Trump-ICE lawlessness—and explains how Dems can meet the urgency of the moment.
newrepublic.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:24 AM
Dems coalescing around 5 restrictions on ICE, I'm told:
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
DHS required to cooperate with state probes (big)
CBP stays at border
warrants for arrests
IDs, bodycams
ICE out of churches, schools
"That package unites a lot of Dems," Sen Chris Murphy tells me on the pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
I don’t think we should make concessions to the Masked Murderers Guild of America. I don’t think we should compromise so the Masked Murderers Guild of America stops using kidnapped kids from schools as bait. I thought this was already illegal. The Masked Murderers Guild of America should not exist.
January 27, 2026 at 3:06 PM
I don’t think we should make concessions to the Masked Murderers Guild of America. I don’t think we should compromise so the Masked Murderers Guild of America stops using kidnapped kids from schools as bait. I thought this was already illegal. The Masked Murderers Guild of America should not exist.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
"The court's patience is at an end," U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz wrote.
"…ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step. But the extent of ICE's violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."
"…ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step. But the extent of ICE's violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."
BREAKING:
Minnesota's chief federal judge has demanded the acting head of ICE personally appear in court Friday to explain what the judge described as repeated failures to comply with dozens of court orders amid its enforcement efforts in the state.
Minnesota's chief federal judge has demanded the acting head of ICE personally appear in court Friday to explain what the judge described as repeated failures to comply with dozens of court orders amid its enforcement efforts in the state.
January 27, 2026 at 1:55 PM
"The court's patience is at an end," U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz wrote.
"…ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step. But the extent of ICE's violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."
"…ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step. But the extent of ICE's violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."
The last two sentences hit on the truth.
One thing I found deeply moving about resistance in the Twin Cities was the universalism of loving your neighbor, the philosophy driving the opposition to the ICE/BP invasion. I couldn't help but notice the contrast with the blood and soil-ism of Miller and Vance. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
January 27, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The last two sentences hit on the truth.
Reposted by Firsk.bsky.social
No ICE agents have been placed under suspension or modified duty for the murders of Renee Nicole Good or Alex Pretti in Minneapolis but a police officer kills a raccoon in New York City and he has to surrender his weapon and gets desk duty.
We’re in serious trouble in this country.
We’re in serious trouble in this country.
Officer placed on modified duty after fatally shooting raccoon at a NYC beach
Officials say a New York police officer who fatally shot a raccoon at a New York City beach has been placed on modified duty while the matter is reviewed.
apnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:50 AM
No ICE agents have been placed under suspension or modified duty for the murders of Renee Nicole Good or Alex Pretti in Minneapolis but a police officer kills a raccoon in New York City and he has to surrender his weapon and gets desk duty.
We’re in serious trouble in this country.
We’re in serious trouble in this country.