Andrew Owen
@owenam.bsky.social
Cities are amazing, transportation is magical, history is present’s stage, and the future is more familiar than you wish.
SATX -> MPLS
SATX -> MPLS
Pinned
First Minnesota, by Andrew Owen
track by Andrew Owen
andrewowen.bandcamp.com
I’ve been fascinated by the story of the 1st Minnesota since I first heard it. I wrote this to connect some dots that feel like they point in the same direction, even if they start 160 years apart.
andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
Reposted by Andrew Owen
If you cannot do it with people watching, what you're doing is not "law enforcement," obviously.
It is legal to observe ICE, and the people committing "obstruction of justice" here are not the observers. This should be 100000000% obvious.
It is legal to observe ICE, and the people committing "obstruction of justice" here are not the observers. This should be 100000000% obvious.
In one 30-minute stretch, three legal observers were arrested — as Trump’s Border czar Tom Homan calls on locals to “end the resistance.”
“Uptick In Abductions”: ICE Ramps Up Targeting of Minneapolis Legal Observers
In one 30-minute stretch, three Minneapolis legal observers were arrested as ICE ramped up its targeting of community volunteers.
interc.pt
February 9, 2026 at 7:01 PM
If you cannot do it with people watching, what you're doing is not "law enforcement," obviously.
It is legal to observe ICE, and the people committing "obstruction of justice" here are not the observers. This should be 100000000% obvious.
It is legal to observe ICE, and the people committing "obstruction of justice" here are not the observers. This should be 100000000% obvious.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Never thought this piece from 2017 would apply to the Super Bowl halftime show but here is some FURTHER READING
The Racist Supreme Court Cases That Cemented Puerto Rico’s Second-Class Status
The devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria has reawakened many Americans to the existence of Puerto Rico as well as the archaic laws and...
slate.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Never thought this piece from 2017 would apply to the Super Bowl halftime show but here is some FURTHER READING
Reposted by Andrew Owen
a few FASCINATING TIDBITS from my research into the history of seven-layer dip
1. This appears to be the first published use of the term "super bowl" to as a pun referencing a bowl of football snacks. Dec. 31, 1971.
1. This appears to be the first published use of the term "super bowl" to as a pun referencing a bowl of football snacks. Dec. 31, 1971.
February 8, 2026 at 10:10 PM
a few FASCINATING TIDBITS from my research into the history of seven-layer dip
1. This appears to be the first published use of the term "super bowl" to as a pun referencing a bowl of football snacks. Dec. 31, 1971.
1. This appears to be the first published use of the term "super bowl" to as a pun referencing a bowl of football snacks. Dec. 31, 1971.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
SHAKESPEARE IS ALWAYS RELEVANT ABD NECESSARY.
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 3:13 PM
SHAKESPEARE IS ALWAYS RELEVANT ABD NECESSARY.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
I love this guy, very calming using historical analogy reading his city council for filth.
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
February 4, 2026 at 3:56 PM
I love this guy, very calming using historical analogy reading his city council for filth.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Aren’t we paying them to do… something… too?
Service contracts work the other way - governments PROCURING the service. This would be a revenue contract - governments getting paid to do a thing. Also, this is a stupid fucking idea either way.
February 4, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Aren’t we paying them to do… something… too?
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Reposted by Andrew Owen
It's S-curves all the way down
Streetcar and Interurban Deployment in the United States: 1894-1926
Streetcar and Interurban Deployment in the United States: 1894-1926
Recently published: We compile operating track lengths for US streetcar and interurban systems from the McGraw American Street Railway Investments Directories for 1894–1926, aggregated by state and by metro area, with a national total. The United States network reaches an observed maximum of 80{,}660 km (50,120 miles) in 1918, with a logistic asymptote of 84,208 […]
dlvr.it
February 3, 2026 at 7:22 PM
It's S-curves all the way down
Reposted by Andrew Owen
It is not illegal to watch, record, follow, or track immigration officers. It *is* illegal to threaten, punish, or point a gun at them when they've done nothing illegal. If all these people were doing is observing, this is a crime. As are all the similar videos.
We can't let this become normal.
We can't let this become normal.
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 4:47 PM
It is not illegal to watch, record, follow, or track immigration officers. It *is* illegal to threaten, punish, or point a gun at them when they've done nothing illegal. If all these people were doing is observing, this is a crime. As are all the similar videos.
We can't let this become normal.
We can't let this become normal.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
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 4:19 PM
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.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Evergreen and for the whole country.
If this ends before they get to your town, you’ll have some meals prepped and you will have made some friends. You cannot lose.
If this ends before they get to your town, you’ll have some meals prepped and you will have made some friends. You cannot lose.
If your town is relatively free of them for now, seize the opportunity to put some meals in the freezer and build your networks.
February 3, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Evergreen and for the whole country.
If this ends before they get to your town, you’ll have some meals prepped and you will have made some friends. You cannot lose.
If this ends before they get to your town, you’ll have some meals prepped and you will have made some friends. You cannot lose.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
A retiree wrote this email to a DHS attorney. Within five hours, DHS demanded Google turn over records for his account.
A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech.
New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech.
New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
February 3, 2026 at 3:15 PM
A retiree wrote this email to a DHS attorney. Within five hours, DHS demanded Google turn over records for his account.
A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech.
New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech.
New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
This attitude underlies so much of the chaos of the past year — change the rules *while people are in the process of following the rules* and then punish them for following the "old" rules. It undermines the very *idea* that security or stability can be found anywhere other than blind loyalty.
Text of lawsuit by Gateway project vs. US government for failure to fund the cross-Hudson tunnel.
The key issue: The US government suspended funding for this vital infrastructure project because that project used DBE contracting, but the DBE contracting was *required* by the US DOT's own rules!
The key issue: The US government suspended funding for this vital infrastructure project because that project used DBE contracting, but the DBE contracting was *required* by the US DOT's own rules!
www.gatewayprogram.org
February 3, 2026 at 3:21 PM
This attitude underlies so much of the chaos of the past year — change the rules *while people are in the process of following the rules* and then punish them for following the "old" rules. It undermines the very *idea* that security or stability can be found anywhere other than blind loyalty.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Text of lawsuit by Gateway project vs. US government for failure to fund the cross-Hudson tunnel.
The key issue: The US government suspended funding for this vital infrastructure project because that project used DBE contracting, but the DBE contracting was *required* by the US DOT's own rules!
The key issue: The US government suspended funding for this vital infrastructure project because that project used DBE contracting, but the DBE contracting was *required* by the US DOT's own rules!
www.gatewayprogram.org
February 3, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Text of lawsuit by Gateway project vs. US government for failure to fund the cross-Hudson tunnel.
The key issue: The US government suspended funding for this vital infrastructure project because that project used DBE contracting, but the DBE contracting was *required* by the US DOT's own rules!
The key issue: The US government suspended funding for this vital infrastructure project because that project used DBE contracting, but the DBE contracting was *required* by the US DOT's own rules!
Reposted by Andrew Owen
This makes the Jan 23, 2026 action the largest strike in Minnesota History, and depending on which number you use, 3rd in American History after the massive national strikes of 1919, or the Great Railroad Strike of 1922. I note with extreme interest that mainstream media didn't report these facts.
February 3, 2026 at 12:16 AM
This makes the Jan 23, 2026 action the largest strike in Minnesota History, and depending on which number you use, 3rd in American History after the massive national strikes of 1919, or the Great Railroad Strike of 1922. I note with extreme interest that mainstream media didn't report these facts.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
A new poll finds that 1 in 4 Minnesota voters took part in the Jan 23 shutdown against ICE, or have a loved one who did. Of those, 38% DID NOT WORK, either because they made the choice to stay out, or their workplaces closed. By me, @thomasbirm.bsky.social, @bloomekatz.bsky.social
Poll Shows Massive Participation in Minnesota Shutdown Against ICE
1 in four Minnesota voters took part in January 23 day of action, or had a loved one who did.
inthesetimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:31 PM
A new poll finds that 1 in 4 Minnesota voters took part in the Jan 23 shutdown against ICE, or have a loved one who did. Of those, 38% DID NOT WORK, either because they made the choice to stay out, or their workplaces closed. By me, @thomasbirm.bsky.social, @bloomekatz.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Deportation is a transportation issue
The words deportation and transportation share a common ancestor in the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Their prefixes define their intent: trans-port is to carry across; de-port is to carry away or off. Both relate to the porta—the gate or threshold. In…
The words deportation and transportation share a common ancestor in the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Their prefixes define their intent: trans-port is to carry across; de-port is to carry away or off. Both relate to the porta—the gate or threshold. In…
Deportation is a transportation issue
The words deportation and transportation share a common ancestor in the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Their prefixes define their intent: trans-port is to carry across; de-port is to carry away or off. Both relate to the porta—the gate or threshold. In the context of the state, transportation is the crossing of the threshold to enter or circulate; deportation is the forced movement back across it.
transportist.org
February 2, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Deportation is a transportation issue
The words deportation and transportation share a common ancestor in the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Their prefixes define their intent: trans-port is to carry across; de-port is to carry away or off. Both relate to the porta—the gate or threshold. In…
The words deportation and transportation share a common ancestor in the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Their prefixes define their intent: trans-port is to carry across; de-port is to carry away or off. Both relate to the porta—the gate or threshold. In…
I’ve been fascinated by the story of the 1st Minnesota since I first heard it. I wrote this to connect some dots that feel like they point in the same direction, even if they start 160 years apart.
andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
First Minnesota, by Andrew Owen
track by Andrew Owen
andrewowen.bandcamp.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:51 AM
I’ve been fascinated by the story of the 1st Minnesota since I first heard it. I wrote this to connect some dots that feel like they point in the same direction, even if they start 160 years apart.
andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
Handmade roundabout sign is great
February 1, 2026 at 11:25 PM
Handmade roundabout sign is great
Reposted by Andrew Owen
In 2025, just 560K tons of grain moved through the Duluth port — the lowest level since 1890.
1890!
In the StarTribune, weather is specifically blamed, but tariffs aren’t even mentioned.
Here’s a better report on the DLH shipping disaster from Wisconsin Public Radio.
www.wpr.org/news/trumps-...
1890!
In the StarTribune, weather is specifically blamed, but tariffs aren’t even mentioned.
Here’s a better report on the DLH shipping disaster from Wisconsin Public Radio.
www.wpr.org/news/trumps-...
Trump's trade war took a toll on shipments in the Twin Ports last year
Cargo shipments at the Port of Duluth-Superior slumped last year due to headwinds driven by unfavorable market trends, shifting trade lanes and President Donald Trump’s trade war.
www.wpr.org
February 1, 2026 at 8:08 PM
In 2025, just 560K tons of grain moved through the Duluth port — the lowest level since 1890.
1890!
In the StarTribune, weather is specifically blamed, but tariffs aren’t even mentioned.
Here’s a better report on the DLH shipping disaster from Wisconsin Public Radio.
www.wpr.org/news/trumps-...
1890!
In the StarTribune, weather is specifically blamed, but tariffs aren’t even mentioned.
Here’s a better report on the DLH shipping disaster from Wisconsin Public Radio.
www.wpr.org/news/trumps-...
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Violating hospitality is one of the oldest proscriptions across so many cultures.
Thinking about whoever said that by accepting a meal from people and then arresting them ICE agents broke a cultural taboo that was invented by, like, the first humans to set up a tent
February 1, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Violating hospitality is one of the oldest proscriptions across so many cultures.
Reposted by Andrew Owen
Some jawdropping CBP crime statistics here...
February 1, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Some jawdropping CBP crime statistics here...
First Minnesota
Inspired by the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment and... *gestures widely*
It's CC-SA; I'd be honored if you listened, performed, or improved it!
Inspired by the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment and... *gestures widely*
It's CC-SA; I'd be honored if you listened, performed, or improved it!
February 1, 2026 at 5:57 PM
First Minnesota
Inspired by the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment and... *gestures widely*
It's CC-SA; I'd be honored if you listened, performed, or improved it!
Inspired by the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment and... *gestures widely*
It's CC-SA; I'd be honored if you listened, performed, or improved it!