Joy Brennan
@joybrennan.bsky.social
Reading and writing Buddhist philosophy, esp Yogacara & Zen. Teaching religion and philosophy at Kenyon College, leading Kokosing Zen Center (https://www.kokosingzencenter.org/), raising my daughter, learning the native trees & plants of central Ohio
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Temporary protected status remains in effect for Haitians living in the United States for now, but this is not the time to celebrate, Ohio lawmakers and advocates said.
‘This fight is far from over.’ Ohioans react to federal judge blocking TPS ending for Haitians • Ohio Capital Journal
Temporary protected status remains in effect for Haitians living in the United States for now, but this is not the time to celebrate, Ohio lawmakers and advocates said.
ohiocapitaljournal.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Temporary protected status remains in effect for Haitians living in the United States for now, but this is not the time to celebrate, Ohio lawmakers and advocates said.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Beauty is in the eye of the treeholder
February 4, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Beauty is in the eye of the treeholder
My late & beloved philosophy teacher Dominic Balestra (Doc B as we called him) of Fordham once said "philosophy is about making distinctions." That short phrase has helped me be a clearer thinker ever since.
"When in doubt, draw a distinction."
Not sure where he got it, but in grad school one of my teachers taught me that.
This (long) thread is about the key distinctions I rely on as a critic. There's a Twitter version from 2021. This one builds on that one.
I will post them one at a time. Ready?
Not sure where he got it, but in grad school one of my teachers taught me that.
This (long) thread is about the key distinctions I rely on as a critic. There's a Twitter version from 2021. This one builds on that one.
I will post them one at a time. Ready?
February 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
My late & beloved philosophy teacher Dominic Balestra (Doc B as we called him) of Fordham once said "philosophy is about making distinctions." That short phrase has helped me be a clearer thinker ever since.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Today on #HoPWaG, we look at the variety of presentations (and names) of Confucius in the "Zhuangzi." What do these portrayal's tell us about Daoist attitudes towards Confucianism?
www.historyofphilosophy.net/zhuangzi-con...
#podcast #philosophy #philsky #confucisus #daoism #zhuangzi
www.historyofphilosophy.net/zhuangzi-con...
#podcast #philosophy #philsky #confucisus #daoism #zhuangzi
February 1, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Today on #HoPWaG, we look at the variety of presentations (and names) of Confucius in the "Zhuangzi." What do these portrayal's tell us about Daoist attitudes towards Confucianism?
www.historyofphilosophy.net/zhuangzi-con...
#podcast #philosophy #philsky #confucisus #daoism #zhuangzi
www.historyofphilosophy.net/zhuangzi-con...
#podcast #philosophy #philsky #confucisus #daoism #zhuangzi
The ICE agent said to the woman: "I'm not getting in to the legality of everything."
"MPR News has learned that the police chief in the small southern Minnesota city of St. Peter intervened Thursday afternoon to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting a local resident" who had been observing federal agents. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
St. Peter police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting resident
The police chief of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal agents from taking a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions into custody. It is believed to the first time local police in...
www.mprnews.org
February 1, 2026 at 10:14 AM
The ICE agent said to the woman: "I'm not getting in to the legality of everything."
Reposted by Joy Brennan
If you want to help the Haitian community in Springfield, consider donating to the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. They are a local non-profit that helps Haitians in their city with education, economic security, legal services, and more.
haitiansupportcenter.org
haitiansupportcenter.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:18 PM
If you want to help the Haitian community in Springfield, consider donating to the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. They are a local non-profit that helps Haitians in their city with education, economic security, legal services, and more.
haitiansupportcenter.org
haitiansupportcenter.org
Reposted by Joy Brennan
We're going to win because their side has no good art and they know it.
January 28, 2026 at 5:48 PM
We're going to win because their side has no good art and they know it.
I hadn't known till I bought my kid a Calvin & Hobbes collection that my version from the hometown paper had cut out the opening frame, which makes it clear that mom is cleaning up in the kitchen while dad is back on his bs with the kid out front. Nice framing with gender dynamics.
I cut this out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a kid in the 90s and now it lives in my 8 Year olds bedroom.
January 28, 2026 at 3:19 PM
I hadn't known till I bought my kid a Calvin & Hobbes collection that my version from the hometown paper had cut out the opening frame, which makes it clear that mom is cleaning up in the kitchen while dad is back on his bs with the kid out front. Nice framing with gender dynamics.
I interpret this to mean that Trump had himself shot in the ear last year...
Trump continues to lie and incite violence against Rep. Ilhan Omar: "I think she's a fraud ... she probably had herself sprayed, knowing her."
January 28, 2026 at 2:33 PM
I interpret this to mean that Trump had himself shot in the ear last year...
I cut this out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a kid in the 90s and now it lives in my 8 Year olds bedroom.
January 28, 2026 at 12:18 PM
I cut this out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a kid in the 90s and now it lives in my 8 Year olds bedroom.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
An ICE surge is expected soon in #Columbus and #Springfield in #Ohio, now that Trump is ending protections for tens of thousands of LEGAL Haitian immigrants
religionnews.com/2026/01/26/a...
"Just do it the right way" was always a lie
religionnews.com/2026/01/26/a...
"Just do it the right way" was always a lie
January 28, 2026 at 3:23 AM
An ICE surge is expected soon in #Columbus and #Springfield in #Ohio, now that Trump is ending protections for tens of thousands of LEGAL Haitian immigrants
religionnews.com/2026/01/26/a...
"Just do it the right way" was always a lie
religionnews.com/2026/01/26/a...
"Just do it the right way" was always a lie
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Commentary: Ohio’s SNAP error rate was 9% in 2024 and if Ohio’s rate is that high in 2026, the state will be on the hook for $318 million in SNAP payments due to the Trump-Republican 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' This will destroy the program ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/26/t...
The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' may mean the end of food assistance in Ohio • Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio’s SNAP error rate was 9% in 2024 and if Ohio’s rate is that high in 2026, the state will be on the hook for $318 million in SNAP payments that it previously did not have to pay, due to the…
ohiocapitaljournal.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Commentary: Ohio’s SNAP error rate was 9% in 2024 and if Ohio’s rate is that high in 2026, the state will be on the hook for $318 million in SNAP payments due to the Trump-Republican 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' This will destroy the program ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/26/t...
Reposted by Joy Brennan
The new law enacted new requirements on states, requiring them to reduce benefit provision error rates or be required to pick up larger parts of the tab for SNAP.
The problem with this requirement is that Congress set the required error rate so low that only 7 states would have achieved it in 2024.”
The problem with this requirement is that Congress set the required error rate so low that only 7 states would have achieved it in 2024.”
Commentary: Ohio’s SNAP error rate was 9% in 2024 and if Ohio’s rate is that high in 2026, the state will be on the hook for $318 million in SNAP payments due to the Trump-Republican 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' This will destroy the program. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/26/t...
The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' may mean the end of food assistance in Ohio • Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio’s SNAP error rate was 9% in 2024 and if Ohio’s rate is that high in 2026, the state will be on the hook for $318 million in SNAP payments that it previously did not have to pay, due to the…
ohiocapitaljournal.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:31 PM
The new law enacted new requirements on states, requiring them to reduce benefit provision error rates or be required to pick up larger parts of the tab for SNAP.
The problem with this requirement is that Congress set the required error rate so low that only 7 states would have achieved it in 2024.”
The problem with this requirement is that Congress set the required error rate so low that only 7 states would have achieved it in 2024.”
Reposted by Joy Brennan
my deepest conviction is that this is a correct intuition and expresses an ultimate truth.
I can’t say it in the language of Religious Studies scholarship because authoritarian and liberatory manifestations of religions are all equally real and have to be treated as such.
But it’s what I believe
I can’t say it in the language of Religious Studies scholarship because authoritarian and liberatory manifestations of religions are all equally real and have to be treated as such.
But it’s what I believe
i left the church and have nothing to do with it anymore but something happens when i see priests and pastors and rabbis and imams and sikhs at protests going so hard in mega harsh conditions i get choked up. this is how all of that is supposed to be. that's what all of that is supposed to be for.
January 23, 2026 at 6:20 PM
my deepest conviction is that this is a correct intuition and expresses an ultimate truth.
I can’t say it in the language of Religious Studies scholarship because authoritarian and liberatory manifestations of religions are all equally real and have to be treated as such.
But it’s what I believe
I can’t say it in the language of Religious Studies scholarship because authoritarian and liberatory manifestations of religions are all equally real and have to be treated as such.
But it’s what I believe
Reposted by Joy Brennan
MINNESOTA VERSION OF COME OUT YE BLACK AND TANS
January 23, 2026 at 5:33 PM
MINNESOTA VERSION OF COME OUT YE BLACK AND TANS
Reposted by Joy Brennan
1/Its easy to write off Trump as a mad king on Greenland. But it is as much about Court politics -- Trump and his insiders -- than simply a tantrum. Like any King, it is about makeup (hint: Estee Lauder).
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
How a billionaire with interests in Greenland encouraged Trump to acquire the territory
US president’s friend Ronald Lauder – who first proposed Arctic expansion – is now making deals in the island
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:24 PM
1/Its easy to write off Trump as a mad king on Greenland. But it is as much about Court politics -- Trump and his insiders -- than simply a tantrum. Like any King, it is about makeup (hint: Estee Lauder).
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Ohio’s U.S. congressional races in 2026 are beginning to take shape, and with a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House, and a traditionally unfavorable cycle for the party in power, each competitive race this year could make a big difference. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/21/i...
Important U.S. congressional district races shaping up in Ohio • Ohio Capital Journal
Republicans hold the U.S. House of Representatives by a thread. Several House races in Ohio could change that.
ohiocapitaljournal.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Ohio’s U.S. congressional races in 2026 are beginning to take shape, and with a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House, and a traditionally unfavorable cycle for the party in power, each competitive race this year could make a big difference. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/21/i...
Reposted by Joy Brennan
If you haven’t seen Rebecca Solnit's Meditations in an Emergency, you might want to! www.meditationsinanemergency.com
Meditations in an Emergency
Essays and analyses by Rebecca Solnit
www.meditationsinanemergency.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:27 PM
If you haven’t seen Rebecca Solnit's Meditations in an Emergency, you might want to! www.meditationsinanemergency.com
Reposted by Joy Brennan
It changed my entire understanding of peace activists.
You can't unilaterally "make peace" with someone who hates you. But you can refuse to make war on them. That's all that you can do. The humility and solid truth of her statement has always stayed with me.
You can't unilaterally "make peace" with someone who hates you. But you can refuse to make war on them. That's all that you can do. The humility and solid truth of her statement has always stayed with me.
January 15, 2026 at 4:18 PM
It changed my entire understanding of peace activists.
You can't unilaterally "make peace" with someone who hates you. But you can refuse to make war on them. That's all that you can do. The humility and solid truth of her statement has always stayed with me.
You can't unilaterally "make peace" with someone who hates you. But you can refuse to make war on them. That's all that you can do. The humility and solid truth of her statement has always stayed with me.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
A competent opposition political party would cut together the footage of what ICE had been doing in the twin cities with Mike Johnson saying "ICE is doing what ICE is designed to do" and have it in ads all across the country
Mike Johnson comes out against additional guardrails on ICE as Democrats call for it.
“I think there's a lot of Democrats playing games right now with national security and with law enforcement. And I think it's dangerous. Ice is doing what ice is designed to do by its very name.”
“I think there's a lot of Democrats playing games right now with national security and with law enforcement. And I think it's dangerous. Ice is doing what ice is designed to do by its very name.”
January 14, 2026 at 11:58 PM
A competent opposition political party would cut together the footage of what ICE had been doing in the twin cities with Mike Johnson saying "ICE is doing what ICE is designed to do" and have it in ads all across the country
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Non-protesting dad just trying to hustle his kids, as young as 6mo, out of the neighborhood. ICE threw a flash-bang INTO HIS car, all 6 kids in the hospital now.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
That is what was relayed
January 15, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Non-protesting dad just trying to hustle his kids, as young as 6mo, out of the neighborhood. ICE threw a flash-bang INTO HIS car, all 6 kids in the hospital now.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Another quarter means another list of forthcoming critical tech books!
Plus, I also discuss my own reading habits in 2025 and some of the books I most enjoyed out of the 21 I read this past year.
Plus, I also discuss my own reading habits in 2025 and some of the books I most enjoyed out of the 21 I read this past year.
A critical tech reading list for winter 2026
11 books to keep you thinking through the winter
disconnect.blog
January 14, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Another quarter means another list of forthcoming critical tech books!
Plus, I also discuss my own reading habits in 2025 and some of the books I most enjoyed out of the 21 I read this past year.
Plus, I also discuss my own reading habits in 2025 and some of the books I most enjoyed out of the 21 I read this past year.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Have your 2026 health insurance premiums doubled or even tripled from last year?
Jon Husted – who voted against lowering the cost of health insurance 9 times – is to blame.
Jon Husted – who voted against lowering the cost of health insurance 9 times – is to blame.
January 14, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Have your 2026 health insurance premiums doubled or even tripled from last year?
Jon Husted – who voted against lowering the cost of health insurance 9 times – is to blame.
Jon Husted – who voted against lowering the cost of health insurance 9 times – is to blame.
Reposted by Joy Brennan
Someone bought the domain Nazis.us and pointed it to the DHS website. #GoodTrouble
Home | Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security: With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.
Nazis.us
January 14, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Someone bought the domain Nazis.us and pointed it to the DHS website. #GoodTrouble