Nathan Goodman
@nathanpgoodman.bsky.social
Economist who studies institutions, political economy, polycentricity, defense & peace economics, and border militarization.
https://gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1Ue5NBMAAAAJ&hl=en
https://gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1Ue5NBMAAAAJ&hl=en
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Guns, Guards, and Governance
To preserve self-governance, challenge militarization.
open.substack.com
I just launched my Substack. It's called "Guns, Guards, and Governance."
In my first post, I discuss the core theme I hope to cover: Border militarization undermines self-governance & threatens liberty for all, including citizens.
open.substack.com/pub/gunsguar...
In my first post, I discuss the core theme I hope to cover: Border militarization undermines self-governance & threatens liberty for all, including citizens.
open.substack.com/pub/gunsguar...
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
"Seeing a summons for grand jury duty in your mailbox may seem like an unwelcome time-suck, but participation in the system has perhaps never been more important. It’s an opportunity to stand for justice as other protections against autocracy erode"
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Hero of 2025: Principled grand juries
The Trump administration tried to send people to prison for eight years over Subway sandwiches and a scraped hand.
www.motherjones.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:59 AM
"Seeing a summons for grand jury duty in your mailbox may seem like an unwelcome time-suck, but participation in the system has perhaps never been more important. It’s an opportunity to stand for justice as other protections against autocracy erode"
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
this is an utterly fantastic review of the last decade
More than a few people have been talking about wanting to "go back" to 2015, before the Trump era. So I wrote a highly self-indulgent thing about what 2015 was like and how the last decade happened.
humaniterations.net/2025/12/30/2...
humaniterations.net/2025/12/30/2...
2015 In Review: A Memoir On The Fascist Resurgence
It’s 2015 and I’m sitting on a couch with my roommate, gazing down on another Fuck The Police riot turned street party. The day has been long, the bars have ...
humaniterations.net
January 2, 2026 at 2:24 AM
this is an utterly fantastic review of the last decade
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Houston illustrates how federal enforcement priorities flow through local systems regardless of official policy. When one metro area becomes the national leader in arrests, the question isn't just what ICE is doing but how local institutions are facilitating it.
January 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Houston illustrates how federal enforcement priorities flow through local systems regardless of official policy. When one metro area becomes the national leader in arrests, the question isn't just what ICE is doing but how local institutions are facilitating it.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Houston leads all U.S. cities in ICE arrests in 2025: ~5,200 community arrests and ~9,300 jail-based detentions from Jan 20 to Oct 15. That's more than NYC, LA, or Chicago in both categories. 🧵
January 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Houston leads all U.S. cities in ICE arrests in 2025: ~5,200 community arrests and ~9,300 jail-based detentions from Jan 20 to Oct 15. That's more than NYC, LA, or Chicago in both categories. 🧵
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Cover reveal. It's about how & why colonies/states controlled international & domestic migration until 1888, why in the late 19th c the feds took over, & what it was like for politically disfavored groups to live under that arrangement of power. You can't understand voluntary migration history 1/
January 2, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Cover reveal. It's about how & why colonies/states controlled international & domestic migration until 1888, why in the late 19th c the feds took over, & what it was like for politically disfavored groups to live under that arrangement of power. You can't understand voluntary migration history 1/
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
An administration of posters and livestreamers naturally view power through that literal lens: who controls the cameras supposedly controls everything.
But the legal foundations of this shit go back to the SHAC-7, where filming animal abusers was ruled "terrorism."
reason.com/2025/12/26/j...
But the legal foundations of this shit go back to the SHAC-7, where filming animal abusers was ruled "terrorism."
reason.com/2025/12/26/j...
Justice Department says filming immigration raids is 'domestic terrorism'
A leaked Justice Department memo directs federal prosecutors to press “domestic terrorism” charges against individuals who record immigration operations.
reason.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:51 AM
An administration of posters and livestreamers naturally view power through that literal lens: who controls the cameras supposedly controls everything.
But the legal foundations of this shit go back to the SHAC-7, where filming animal abusers was ruled "terrorism."
reason.com/2025/12/26/j...
But the legal foundations of this shit go back to the SHAC-7, where filming animal abusers was ruled "terrorism."
reason.com/2025/12/26/j...
DHS wants to make biometrics submissions mandatory for everyone involved in a USCIS benefit requests.
That's a bad idea.
gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com/p/mandatory-...
That's a bad idea.
gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com/p/mandatory-...
December 28, 2025 at 4:41 AM
DHS wants to make biometrics submissions mandatory for everyone involved in a USCIS benefit requests.
That's a bad idea.
gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com/p/mandatory-...
That's a bad idea.
gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com/p/mandatory-...
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
When Stephen Miller is angry, the world sings.
December 23, 2025 at 1:27 AM
When Stephen Miller is angry, the world sings.
Tomorrow morning at "Guns, Guards, and Governance" I'll publish a post elaborating on this public interest comment.
Subscribe if you want that in your inbox: gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com
Subscribe if you want that in your inbox: gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Tomorrow morning at "Guns, Guards, and Governance" I'll publish a post elaborating on this public interest comment.
Subscribe if you want that in your inbox: gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com
Subscribe if you want that in your inbox: gunsguardsandgovernance.substack.com
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
The wave of unanimous acquittals this administration has faced prove precisely that shared values in a community can be an effective bulwark against state power. Miller's complaint boils down to personal outrage that most jurors do not agree with the laws he is trying to impose.
December 23, 2025 at 12:02 AM
The wave of unanimous acquittals this administration has faced prove precisely that shared values in a community can be an effective bulwark against state power. Miller's complaint boils down to personal outrage that most jurors do not agree with the laws he is trying to impose.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
legitimately upsetting that this definition of "the multitude" never took off (graeber, Direct Action)
December 23, 2025 at 12:48 AM
legitimately upsetting that this definition of "the multitude" never took off (graeber, Direct Action)
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Authoritarians promise order by silencing dissent. Liberals build order by protecting dissent. Only one of those approaches keeps a society free.
December 23, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Authoritarians promise order by silencing dissent. Liberals build order by protecting dissent. Only one of those approaches keeps a society free.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Assuming we avoid armed civil conflict between now & 2029, creating a better post-Trump American government that reduces & constrains presidential power must be our top priority. Some things can be done via legislation, but the most important require constitutional amendment. My blueprint, out now.
Restoring the Republic: A Legislative and Constitutional Roadmap
Whether the governmental system that comes after Trump is gone is better or worse than what came before him is up to us.
www.therepublicsentinel.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Assuming we avoid armed civil conflict between now & 2029, creating a better post-Trump American government that reduces & constrains presidential power must be our top priority. Some things can be done via legislation, but the most important require constitutional amendment. My blueprint, out now.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
This has always been marketed as "the season of hope." But hope is not a plan, which is why I drafted this one. I have no illusions about 2026 & expect it to be an even more brutal test than 2025. But as the public at large turns more & more against Trumpism, the opportunity for change becomes real.
Assuming we avoid armed civil conflict between now & 2029, creating a better post-Trump American government that reduces & constrains presidential power must be our top priority. Some things can be done via legislation, but the most important require constitutional amendment. My blueprint, out now.
Restoring the Republic: A Legislative and Constitutional Roadmap
Whether the governmental system that comes after Trump is gone is better or worse than what came before him is up to us.
www.therepublicsentinel.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This has always been marketed as "the season of hope." But hope is not a plan, which is why I drafted this one. I have no illusions about 2026 & expect it to be an even more brutal test than 2025. But as the public at large turns more & more against Trumpism, the opportunity for change becomes real.
An underrated cost of immigration restrictions is they prevent people from leaving abusers. If your abuser is the only potential source for a legal right to stay in the country, that puts you in an awful position.
VAWA & T visas help a bit, but barriers can still keep people with abusers.
VAWA & T visas help a bit, but barriers can still keep people with abusers.
Moreover, consider the rigid requirements around biometrics appointments again. What if a survivor misses an appointment & is denied her self-petitioning option as a result? What if she stays with her abuser as a result, and suffers further abuse?
![There are good reasons to think that, for some self-petitioners, biometrics appointments may be perceived as prohibitively costly to attend. Recent high-profile stories of ICE agents detaining people at USCIS appointments may make showing up at biometric appointments far more intimidating than submitting paperwork and letters.[23]
Even if the biometrics appointments do not deter self-petitioners, the stringent proposed rule about missing an appointment may lead to their benefit requests being denied. This may result in VAWA applicants staying with their abusers and being subjected to further abuse. DHS does not consider the costs of this abuse in its analysis. The agency should revise its analysis to incorporate assessments of the social cost of domestic abuse that its stringent rules are likely to perpetuate.[24]
To reduce these costs, DHS should consider the following rule changes:
1. Allow more flexibility in biometrics appointments and interviews so that self-petitioners can reschedule when necessary.
2. Allow the use of biometric data as an option for demonstrating good moral character, rather than making it mandatory for all self-petitioners.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tqivecfrk4zssha3jlutw4ae/bafkreiflehb3ntwzwqpjrntaptno2mqu3dhovsg2ph5imp3rcczvcuefke@jpeg)
December 19, 2025 at 4:55 PM
An underrated cost of immigration restrictions is they prevent people from leaving abusers. If your abuser is the only potential source for a legal right to stay in the country, that puts you in an awful position.
VAWA & T visas help a bit, but barriers can still keep people with abusers.
VAWA & T visas help a bit, but barriers can still keep people with abusers.
I just launched my Substack. It's called "Guns, Guards, and Governance."
In my first post, I discuss the core theme I hope to cover: Border militarization undermines self-governance & threatens liberty for all, including citizens.
open.substack.com/pub/gunsguar...
In my first post, I discuss the core theme I hope to cover: Border militarization undermines self-governance & threatens liberty for all, including citizens.
open.substack.com/pub/gunsguar...
Guns, Guards, and Governance
To preserve self-governance, challenge militarization.
open.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I just launched my Substack. It's called "Guns, Guards, and Governance."
In my first post, I discuss the core theme I hope to cover: Border militarization undermines self-governance & threatens liberty for all, including citizens.
open.substack.com/pub/gunsguar...
In my first post, I discuss the core theme I hope to cover: Border militarization undermines self-governance & threatens liberty for all, including citizens.
open.substack.com/pub/gunsguar...
DHS wants to make biometric data collection mandatory for everyone associated with any immigration benefits request.
This includes US citizens involved in the application.
I just submitted a Public Interest Comment criticizing this proposal. www.mercatus.org/research/pub...
This includes US citizens involved in the application.
I just submitted a Public Interest Comment criticizing this proposal. www.mercatus.org/research/pub...
Re: Collection and Use of Biometrics by US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Collection and Use of Biometrics by US Citizenship and Immigration ServicesAgency: Department of Homeland SecurityComment Period Opens: November 03, 2025Comment Period Closes: January 02, 2026Comment ...
www.mercatus.org
December 19, 2025 at 2:53 PM
DHS wants to make biometric data collection mandatory for everyone associated with any immigration benefits request.
This includes US citizens involved in the application.
I just submitted a Public Interest Comment criticizing this proposal. www.mercatus.org/research/pub...
This includes US citizens involved in the application.
I just submitted a Public Interest Comment criticizing this proposal. www.mercatus.org/research/pub...
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Now this is an abstract.
December 18, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Now this is an abstract.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Support The UnPopulist, where I am, as this article puts it, a "brilliant and zen Contributing Podcast Host." The UnPopulist does good and vital work.
December 18, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Support The UnPopulist, where I am, as this article puts it, a "brilliant and zen Contributing Podcast Host." The UnPopulist does good and vital work.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Spouses and children of US citizens, coming to visit their *American* loved one.
Described as “foreign invaders”.
Described as “foreign invaders”.
Here is the Department of Homeland Security touting this new ban by describing the (among others) spouses and children of U.S. citizens coming on visas as "foreign invaders."
It has never been about legal versus illegal. They hate legal immigration. They want to stop it. That's the story.
It has never been about legal versus illegal. They hate legal immigration. They want to stop it. That's the story.
December 17, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Spouses and children of US citizens, coming to visit their *American* loved one.
Described as “foreign invaders”.
Described as “foreign invaders”.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
"Governments engage in war so frequently that people forget to be puzzled at the phenomenon." - Roderick Long
c4ss.org/content/12570
c4ss.org/content/12570
The Real Meaning of 9/11
On this latest anniversary I want to talk about how the state breeds war – both in the sense of provoking attacks like 9/11, and in the sense of generating its own misguided responses, like the Iraq w...
c4ss.org
December 17, 2025 at 3:38 AM
"Governments engage in war so frequently that people forget to be puzzled at the phenomenon." - Roderick Long
c4ss.org/content/12570
c4ss.org/content/12570
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
The US Administration has banned Americans from *adopting babies* from much of the African continent.
Adopting.
Babies.
What trait do those babies have that, when they grow up as fully American adults, would make them a threat to our country in any form?
Adopting.
Babies.
What trait do those babies have that, when they grow up as fully American adults, would make them a threat to our country in any form?
On that last post: I genuinely cannot think of any good-faith reason to bar international adoptions from those 39 countries. Under this new ban, consulates will refuse adoption visas for any baby from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nigeria, or any of the 39 other countries.
December 17, 2025 at 3:04 AM
The US Administration has banned Americans from *adopting babies* from much of the African continent.
Adopting.
Babies.
What trait do those babies have that, when they grow up as fully American adults, would make them a threat to our country in any form?
Adopting.
Babies.
What trait do those babies have that, when they grow up as fully American adults, would make them a threat to our country in any form?
The type of discretionary power that CBP agents have been given creates opportunities for this type of despicable abuse, and it attracts people who want to abuse people.
State violence & sexual violence are intertwined, mutually reinforcing forms of unjust domination.
State violence & sexual violence are intertwined, mutually reinforcing forms of unjust domination.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer accused of using his gun and badge to rape multiple women will be held in federal custody while awaiting trial, a judge ruled Monday.
Border Protection officer to be held in custody while awaiting trial on sexual assault claims
chicago.suntimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The type of discretionary power that CBP agents have been given creates opportunities for this type of despicable abuse, and it attracts people who want to abuse people.
State violence & sexual violence are intertwined, mutually reinforcing forms of unjust domination.
State violence & sexual violence are intertwined, mutually reinforcing forms of unjust domination.
Reposted by Nathan Goodman
Oh you’re telling me that people who take a job for which the description means “dehumanizing sadist” and now they’re turning out to be dehumanizing sadists? Wow. Who would have guessed.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer accused of using his gun and badge to rape multiple women will be held in federal custody while awaiting trial, a judge ruled Monday.
Border Protection officer to be held in custody while awaiting trial on sexual assault claims
chicago.suntimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Oh you’re telling me that people who take a job for which the description means “dehumanizing sadist” and now they’re turning out to be dehumanizing sadists? Wow. Who would have guessed.