Shay O’Reilly
@shaygabriel.bsky.social
“The needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.” NYC ➡️ Berlin. Climate organizer/campaigner. Kita dad. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈✝️
Pinned
Shay O’Reilly
@shaygabriel.bsky.social
· Jan 31
To do list for this moment:
1. Establish a discipline of calling your Congressional reps every day.
2. Join an ongoing organizing effort in your local community.
3. Take on at least one personal habit that expands your capacity for attention, compassion, and commitment.
1. Establish a discipline of calling your Congressional reps every day.
2. Join an ongoing organizing effort in your local community.
3. Take on at least one personal habit that expands your capacity for attention, compassion, and commitment.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
I had this exchange with a friend last week: there are worse things than American liberal empire! Namely American illiberal empire!!
I think the failure to imagine that things can get worse is a really significant problem across the political spectrum (Bevins’s If We Burn makes this point, as well)
I think the failure to imagine that things can get worse is a really significant problem across the political spectrum (Bevins’s If We Burn makes this point, as well)
March 31, 2025 at 12:21 PM
I had this exchange with a friend last week: there are worse things than American liberal empire! Namely American illiberal empire!!
I think the failure to imagine that things can get worse is a really significant problem across the political spectrum (Bevins’s If We Burn makes this point, as well)
I think the failure to imagine that things can get worse is a really significant problem across the political spectrum (Bevins’s If We Burn makes this point, as well)
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Europe’s failure to condemn Trump’s illegal aggression in Venezuela isn’t just wrong – it’s stupid. My piece @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Europe’s failure to condemn Trump’s illegal aggression in Venezuela isn’t just wrong – it’s stupid | Nathalie Tocci
The more European countries act as colonies, unable and unwilling to stand up to Trump, the more they’ll be treated as such, says Guardian Europe columnist Nathalie Tocci
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Europe’s failure to condemn Trump’s illegal aggression in Venezuela isn’t just wrong – it’s stupid. My piece @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
another example of our incredibly weird status quo - this happened, the cops couldn't actually charge her, and she's been confirmed as released
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
January 6, 2026 at 2:13 AM
another example of our incredibly weird status quo - this happened, the cops couldn't actually charge her, and she's been confirmed as released
If you extrapolate this into a broader philosophy you get precisely what is described in the first chapter of Timothy Snyder’s Black Earth, “Hitler’s World.”
Here is the Trump Doctrine, as articulated by Stephen Miller in his truly frightening interview with Jake Tapper this afternoon. It is very much like the doctrine of the dictators we fought and defeated in World War II and of Putin today. It is un-American at its very core.
January 6, 2026 at 6:26 AM
If you extrapolate this into a broader philosophy you get precisely what is described in the first chapter of Timothy Snyder’s Black Earth, “Hitler’s World.”
You can buy sauerkraut juice at the grocery store in Germany and it is the greatest sports drink I’ve ever tried.
they should sell jalapeno flavored brine as a sports drink
This place needs some Innocuous Discourse pronto. Quote this with a take that’s not political or aggressive
January 6, 2026 at 6:19 AM
You can buy sauerkraut juice at the grocery store in Germany and it is the greatest sports drink I’ve ever tried.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Anyway, here’s a fun thought: things 09A show that “communities” based around pure nihilism can form online, this combined with LLMs and chatbot psychosis, mean you could create scalable turnkey antisocial behavior inculcators as a service. I’m certain nation-states are already thinking about this.
I think the mechanism is pretty clear imo: it's trained to be agreeable, and so when someone with mental illness starts inputting their delusions it defaults to affirmation. what's more interesting is why this isn't happening with the other chatbots. just not as much market penetration?
January 5, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Anyway, here’s a fun thought: things 09A show that “communities” based around pure nihilism can form online, this combined with LLMs and chatbot psychosis, mean you could create scalable turnkey antisocial behavior inculcators as a service. I’m certain nation-states are already thinking about this.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
This seems to fit a pattern that we're seeing again and again: media reporting on the political consensus defaults to reflecting the views of a wealthy elite whose interests are increasingly at odds with the interests of most Americans.
As we've been saying for a while: the "backlash" against climate policies has been wildly, absurdly overstated. This new survey shows how UK MPs badly understate support for climate policies
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
January 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM
This seems to fit a pattern that we're seeing again and again: media reporting on the political consensus defaults to reflecting the views of a wealthy elite whose interests are increasingly at odds with the interests of most Americans.
genuinely something I love about the internet are all the spaces where people post pictures of snakes/birds/flowers/mushrooms they see and people help them identify it for no reason other than appreciation for the natural world.
January 5, 2026 at 8:13 PM
genuinely something I love about the internet are all the spaces where people post pictures of snakes/birds/flowers/mushrooms they see and people help them identify it for no reason other than appreciation for the natural world.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Has anyone seen any English-language reporting on the fact that Trump admin now request direct/unlimited access to European police databases if EU wants to stay in ESTA?
USA fordern im Rahmen von Visa-Programm direkten Zugriff auf europäische Polizeidaten
www.derstandard.at/story/300000...
USA fordern im Rahmen von Visa-Programm direkten Zugriff auf europäische Polizeidaten
www.derstandard.at/story/300000...
USA fordern im Rahmen von Visa-Programm direkten Zugriff auf europäische Polizeidaten
Bei einem derartigen, automatisierten Zugriff würde es sich um einen Präzedenzfall handeln. Die EU-Kommission arbeitet nun ein Rahmenabkommen aus
www.derstandard.at
January 5, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Has anyone seen any English-language reporting on the fact that Trump admin now request direct/unlimited access to European police databases if EU wants to stay in ESTA?
USA fordern im Rahmen von Visa-Programm direkten Zugriff auf europäische Polizeidaten
www.derstandard.at/story/300000...
USA fordern im Rahmen von Visa-Programm direkten Zugriff auf europäische Polizeidaten
www.derstandard.at/story/300000...
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
I get when oppressed peoples in the first world have only disdain for bourgeois democracy. I don’t understand how seemingly every bourgeois elite, including and especially those whose entire lives and livelihoods *depend on the system*, across dozens of countries, has abandoned it all at once.
January 4, 2026 at 10:41 PM
I get when oppressed peoples in the first world have only disdain for bourgeois democracy. I don’t understand how seemingly every bourgeois elite, including and especially those whose entire lives and livelihoods *depend on the system*, across dozens of countries, has abandoned it all at once.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Look I know this is going to call into question my socialist bona fides but I do not understand why all of these rich societies with long life expectancies appear to have zero instinct towards self-preservation. Where are liberal democracy’s shooters.
My statement supported by 26 EU Member States on the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela ↓
January 4, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Look I know this is going to call into question my socialist bona fides but I do not understand why all of these rich societies with long life expectancies appear to have zero instinct towards self-preservation. Where are liberal democracy’s shooters.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Really, a remarkable statement from Colombia’s President.
January 5, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Really, a remarkable statement from Colombia’s President.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
The new popularity of Eastern Orthodox Christianity among the far right is a pretty strong contradiction of the liberal seminary notion that bad theology of the cross drives bad political theology.
January 5, 2026 at 6:43 AM
The new popularity of Eastern Orthodox Christianity among the far right is a pretty strong contradiction of the liberal seminary notion that bad theology of the cross drives bad political theology.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Taps sign, again
It makes sense if it's to withdraw from the rest of the world to lock down complete autarchic control of an American imperial order throughout the Western Hemisphere
Trump's brain might be total mush, but among competing factions in his administration there are some who might have a strategy
Trump's brain might be total mush, but among competing factions in his administration there are some who might have a strategy
Gen. James Mattis (as Secretary of Defense): If you cut the State Dept budget, we’ll “need to buy more ammo.”
Retired generals and admirals (who unlike active duty can speak publicly): Without America’s diplomatic corps, our job would be much harder.
Trump administration: Sounds like a plan!
Retired generals and admirals (who unlike active duty can speak publicly): Without America’s diplomatic corps, our job would be much harder.
Trump administration: Sounds like a plan!
January 5, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Taps sign, again
The new popularity of Eastern Orthodox Christianity among the far right is a pretty strong contradiction of the liberal seminary notion that bad theology of the cross drives bad political theology.
January 5, 2026 at 6:43 AM
The new popularity of Eastern Orthodox Christianity among the far right is a pretty strong contradiction of the liberal seminary notion that bad theology of the cross drives bad political theology.
this bad boy can fit so many morbid symptoms in it.
Ironic panic about fraud in daycares when so much of the economy is explicit fraud in crypto, prediction markets, AI moonshots
January 4, 2026 at 10:43 PM
this bad boy can fit so many morbid symptoms in it.
Look I know this is going to call into question my socialist bona fides but I do not understand why all of these rich societies with long life expectancies appear to have zero instinct towards self-preservation. Where are liberal democracy’s shooters.
My statement supported by 26 EU Member States on the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela ↓
January 4, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Look I know this is going to call into question my socialist bona fides but I do not understand why all of these rich societies with long life expectancies appear to have zero instinct towards self-preservation. Where are liberal democracy’s shooters.
Hey… don’t do this www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Berlin power cut: Activist group says it was behind fire that cut electricity supply
The far-left Vulkan Gruppe says in a statement that targeting the fossil fuel economy, not cutting power, was the goal.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 4, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Hey… don’t do this www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Your fact of the day:
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
Fowl Play: How US Chicken Imports will Pollute Britain's Poor
Since joining the EU British food has gone from bog-awful to top-notch, but Otto English reveals how a US Trade deal will unravel 40 years of progress.
bylinetimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Your fact of the day:
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
On the micro level racism is not a simple reaction to economic anxiety or whatever dumb talking point people were using in 2015, but on the societal level it is incredibly clear that anti-immigrant politics prevent a true confrontation with social problems (that include the concentration of wealth.)
Finally read this great piece about how the far-right in Sweden has driven the demonization of immigrants right as it has also corroded Swedish democracy and economic equality.
Sweden Wants To Pay Refugees $37,000 Each To Go Home
The offer reflects the radical transformation in the Scandinavian country’s once open attitude to newcomers
newlinesmag.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:54 AM
On the micro level racism is not a simple reaction to economic anxiety or whatever dumb talking point people were using in 2015, but on the societal level it is incredibly clear that anti-immigrant politics prevent a true confrontation with social problems (that include the concentration of wealth.)
Finally read this great piece about how the far-right in Sweden has driven the demonization of immigrants right as it has also corroded Swedish democracy and economic equality.
Sweden Wants To Pay Refugees $37,000 Each To Go Home
The offer reflects the radical transformation in the Scandinavian country’s once open attitude to newcomers
newlinesmag.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Finally read this great piece about how the far-right in Sweden has driven the demonization of immigrants right as it has also corroded Swedish democracy and economic equality.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Very important signal here. You can say it's abt oil. And part of it is. But the White House is actually being forced to strongarm the oil companies to get involved. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Trump admin sends tough private message to oil companies on Venezuela
The White House has told companies they must rebuild Venezuela's crude-pumping infrastructure if they want compensation for assets seized by Caracas.
www.politico.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Very important signal here. You can say it's abt oil. And part of it is. But the White House is actually being forced to strongarm the oil companies to get involved. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
Okay here’s an actual take: the fascist international is at war with the very concept of legitimacy.
Their messaging is so fucking incoherent. Maduro was an illegitimate leader who lost in 2024, which is why we're replacing him with his VP instead of the person who won in 2024. We did this to stop fentanyl, which is why he's indicted for cocaine.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
January 3, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Okay here’s an actual take: the fascist international is at war with the very concept of legitimacy.
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
The script of vicious anticommunism and American imperial violence in this hemisphere is a politically and ideologically legible script and that’s sort of why it doesn’t all the way fit here. I guarantee you none of these guys have ever even heard of Simon Bolivar and they don’t care
January 4, 2026 at 7:10 AM
The script of vicious anticommunism and American imperial violence in this hemisphere is a politically and ideologically legible script and that’s sort of why it doesn’t all the way fit here. I guarantee you none of these guys have ever even heard of Simon Bolivar and they don’t care
Reposted by Shay O’Reilly
“They want Venezuela’s oil” — I mean, sort of. Not badly enough to plan what they’re doing or seriously try to get it. A huge, humiliating defeat looms. You think these idiots bothered to set up a green zone? If I’m an oil exec I’m thinking that if I fly to Caracas rn I’m coming back in a body bag
January 4, 2026 at 7:09 AM
“They want Venezuela’s oil” — I mean, sort of. Not badly enough to plan what they’re doing or seriously try to get it. A huge, humiliating defeat looms. You think these idiots bothered to set up a green zone? If I’m an oil exec I’m thinking that if I fly to Caracas rn I’m coming back in a body bag