Silja JA Talvi
@sjat.bsky.social
Forced exile from U.S.; survived severe human rights abuses. Veteran investigative journalist, lecturer & author: “Women Behind Bars.” Multi-minority. Emphases: Prisons, racism, misogyny, refugees. Documentary: https://youtu.be/lbBMriSDEwg?feature=shared
Pinned
Silja JA Talvi
@sjat.bsky.social
· Oct 26
Documentary link is corrected in bio. After staying relatively hidden for over a decade, I broke my silence. The doc explains why I was forced to flee the U.S. despite a flourishing career as investigative/immersive journo. It all came down to what I stumbled across.
A horrifyingly predictable legal shield memo. The real intent is to protect higher-ups, as was the case w/ John Yoo’s infamous torture memos during the #GeorgeWBush #AbuGhraib & #BlackSite era (not that Black Sites are gone). Trump’s ppl admire Yoo: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
November 12, 2025 at 7:27 PM
A horrifyingly predictable legal shield memo. The real intent is to protect higher-ups, as was the case w/ John Yoo’s infamous torture memos during the #GeorgeWBush #AbuGhraib & #BlackSite era (not that Black Sites are gone). Trump’s ppl admire Yoo: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
The need to blame everything from homelessness to police/prison/ICE brutality on victimized individuals is usually a reflection of one’s class & ethnic privilege and/or level of denial about the ubiquitous nature of societal oppression. It is a subconscious, knee-jerk reaction for FAR too many.
November 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
The need to blame everything from homelessness to police/prison/ICE brutality on victimized individuals is usually a reflection of one’s class & ethnic privilege and/or level of denial about the ubiquitous nature of societal oppression. It is a subconscious, knee-jerk reaction for FAR too many.
Why do I bother sharing info about the collapse of the “social welfare” (hyvinvointivaltio) #Finnish nation? Because all the hallmarks of this governance are in a state of free-fall owing to continued mimicry of capitalist methods. Our society is crumbling. And we need alternatives to #capitalism.
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Why do I bother sharing info about the collapse of the “social welfare” (hyvinvointivaltio) #Finnish nation? Because all the hallmarks of this governance are in a state of free-fall owing to continued mimicry of capitalist methods. Our society is crumbling. And we need alternatives to #capitalism.
Jos luette viimeiset postaukset, tiedätte että minun äskettäinen käynti t-keskuksessa oli järkyttävä. Minun ultraharvinainen (ääri versio) neurologinen/iho/verenkierto taudista on nyt NIIN pahassa kunnossa etten enää pärjää. Tarvitsen taloudellista apua päästä yksityis neurologiseen vastaanottoon.
November 11, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Jos luette viimeiset postaukset, tiedätte että minun äskettäinen käynti t-keskuksessa oli järkyttävä. Minun ultraharvinainen (ääri versio) neurologinen/iho/verenkierto taudista on nyt NIIN pahassa kunnossa etten enää pärjää. Tarvitsen taloudellista apua päästä yksityis neurologiseen vastaanottoon.
I am now doing something that I have NEVER done in #Finland: calling out for financial help. I am below poverty level BECAUSE I am so sick. Before, I worked 80-hr weeks & earned a living as a writer. Hear me please: I MUST get to a private neurologist bc the public sector won’t even refer me.
November 11, 2025 at 12:24 PM
I am now doing something that I have NEVER done in #Finland: calling out for financial help. I am below poverty level BECAUSE I am so sick. Before, I worked 80-hr weeks & earned a living as a writer. Hear me please: I MUST get to a private neurologist bc the public sector won’t even refer me.
I just returned from a deeply traumatizing visit to a Russian doc at my local public health clinic here in #Finland. Complete dismissal of my chronic severe neurological/skun/circulatory disorder, #erythromelalgia, which I have in the extreme in addition to other illnesses & disabilities … cont …
November 11, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I just returned from a deeply traumatizing visit to a Russian doc at my local public health clinic here in #Finland. Complete dismissal of my chronic severe neurological/skun/circulatory disorder, #erythromelalgia, which I have in the extreme in addition to other illnesses & disabilities … cont …
My peoples, like so many others, sing and dance because our tears have dried up.
November 11, 2025 at 8:48 AM
My peoples, like so many others, sing and dance because our tears have dried up.
Trump kills several dozen ppl on the water with drone strikes and ppl are calling it outrageous. And IT IS. But far too many didn’t even shrug when the U.S. went “shock and awe” in #Iraq & #Afghanistan for DECADES. KILLING MILLIONS. See the pattern. The U.S. empire=murder. Whenever & wherever.
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Trump kills several dozen ppl on the water with drone strikes and ppl are calling it outrageous. And IT IS. But far too many didn’t even shrug when the U.S. went “shock and awe” in #Iraq & #Afghanistan for DECADES. KILLING MILLIONS. See the pattern. The U.S. empire=murder. Whenever & wherever.
Just in case you were wondering why you’re surrounded by sociopaths …
November 10, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Just in case you were wondering why you’re surrounded by sociopaths …
In the aftermath of #trauma, the most important thing we can do is to find others who have experienced such suffering EVEN if the environment or circumstances are completely different. I identify w/ other refugees as well as military #vets bc of the commonality of #PTSD & societal abandonment.
November 9, 2025 at 10:13 PM
There is no other country in the world as obsessed with maintaining #eugenics as status quo than the U.S. The very concept of “races of people” has been completely scientifically debunked. Yet nearly every application, arrest/prison record, & the U.S. census clings 2 idea that these “races” exist.
November 9, 2025 at 9:54 PM
There is no other country in the world as obsessed with maintaining #eugenics as status quo than the U.S. The very concept of “races of people” has been completely scientifically debunked. Yet nearly every application, arrest/prison record, & the U.S. census clings 2 idea that these “races” exist.
I’d like every self-declared leftist or radical to explain how they justify continuing to use X, owned & dominated by a zieg heiling far-right fascist & pro-eugenics zealot. Really. I wanna hear it. Because somewhere in your mind you justify it despite it being contemptible. #ElonMusk #Fascist
November 9, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Talking about how much money one has used to be thought of as gauche (esp by ”old money” ppl) or utterly obnoxious (by the rest of us). Late-stage hypercapitalism changed all that. It’s now completely normal to brag about being (or wanting to be) filthy rich. And I’m still disgusted by it. 🤑🤮
November 9, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Talking about how much money one has used to be thought of as gauche (esp by ”old money” ppl) or utterly obnoxious (by the rest of us). Late-stage hypercapitalism changed all that. It’s now completely normal to brag about being (or wanting to be) filthy rich. And I’m still disgusted by it. 🤑🤮
Consider that this mind-blowing budgetary increase ALONE would’ve previously been enough to raise the most serious of protests. But Trump’s administration has implemented a rapid fire self-coup* that has thrown even the most organized opposition completely off balance. It’s a fascist tidal wave.
November 8, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Consider that this mind-blowing budgetary increase ALONE would’ve previously been enough to raise the most serious of protests. But Trump’s administration has implemented a rapid fire self-coup* that has thrown even the most organized opposition completely off balance. It’s a fascist tidal wave.
The slave master has achieved his ultimate goal when he convinces slaves that they somehow deserve their plight. Once they begin to fight one another for scraps off his table, the slave master’s work is essentially done. Oppression of the mind is the most powerful weapon in the world.
November 8, 2025 at 9:35 PM
The slave master has achieved his ultimate goal when he convinces slaves that they somehow deserve their plight. Once they begin to fight one another for scraps off his table, the slave master’s work is essentially done. Oppression of the mind is the most powerful weapon in the world.
A common tactic of fascist & authoritarian govts is to use the cover of chaos to silently & smoothly implement oppressive changes while ppl are distracted & distressed. It’s the political equivalent of a magician’s sleight of hand while making sure you’re looking elsewhere.
November 5, 2025 at 1:28 PM
A common tactic of fascist & authoritarian govts is to use the cover of chaos to silently & smoothly implement oppressive changes while ppl are distracted & distressed. It’s the political equivalent of a magician’s sleight of hand while making sure you’re looking elsewhere.
The #Moomin (Muumi) phenom is no longer limited to #Finland. Kids here grow up w/ the extended #Muumi family, lovingly conceptualized by the multitalented (lesbian) artist Tove Jansson. New collectibles emerge regularly 4 adults & their (inner) children. www.finnishdesignshop.fi/fi-fi/tuote/...
Moomin Arabia Muumi lautanen, Juhlan Aika
Moomin Arabian Muumi-astiasarjan Juhlan Aika -lautasen kuvituksessa Muumilaakson asukkaat ovat kokoontuneet juhlimaan yhteenkuuluvuutta ja ystävyyttä ilotulitusten välkkeessä. Suur...
www.finnishdesignshop.fi
November 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The #Moomin (Muumi) phenom is no longer limited to #Finland. Kids here grow up w/ the extended #Muumi family, lovingly conceptualized by the multitalented (lesbian) artist Tove Jansson. New collectibles emerge regularly 4 adults & their (inner) children. www.finnishdesignshop.fi/fi-fi/tuote/...
Reposted by Silja JA Talvi
Visiting #solitary units in U.S. jails & prisons changed my life. The levels of desperation, fear, torment, self-destruction, overmedication (to force submission) are pure #torture. Try to imagine years, even DECADES of this. Solitary is designed to break you. solitarywatch.org/wp-content/u...
October 29, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Visiting #solitary units in U.S. jails & prisons changed my life. The levels of desperation, fear, torment, self-destruction, overmedication (to force submission) are pure #torture. Try to imagine years, even DECADES of this. Solitary is designed to break you. solitarywatch.org/wp-content/u...
I’m alarmed to see an overall lack of concern on the part of publications & readers alike for the CONSTANTLY worsening conditions of U.S. #jails & #prisons. #ICE facilities are designed to inspire the same terror & helplessness as these carceral institutions, but for years, decades & lifetimes.
November 4, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Silja JA Talvi
Crim justice activists & those w/ loved ones inside federal prisons (#BOP) should know that #prisoner correspondence is now regularly & unapologetically being censored & silenced. #Prisons are cutting off ph calls, deleting entire emails & “losing,” delaying & illegally opening legal mail … cont.
November 3, 2025 at 10:53 PM
I never thought I’d feel nostalgic for any aspect of my survival driven & struggle-filled life. As it now turns out, I do. That nostalgia is now reserved for cathartic, sociopolitically-informed hardcore #punk gigs where girls & women were free to be, look & sound as wild & free as we wanted …
November 4, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I never thought I’d feel nostalgic for any aspect of my survival driven & struggle-filled life. As it now turns out, I do. That nostalgia is now reserved for cathartic, sociopolitically-informed hardcore #punk gigs where girls & women were free to be, look & sound as wild & free as we wanted …
When I wrote “Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the US Prison System,” I strove for an in-depth, immersive & investigative examination of a then largely unspoken facet of #massincarceration. Let me assure you: That reality has nothing in common w/ the televised “Orange is the New Black.”
November 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
When I wrote “Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the US Prison System,” I strove for an in-depth, immersive & investigative examination of a then largely unspoken facet of #massincarceration. Let me assure you: That reality has nothing in common w/ the televised “Orange is the New Black.”
Good night and good luck.
Edward R. Murrow takes on the terrifying era of McCarthyism and the paranoia and persecution that followed, impacting the greatest minds & talents of the time (inc. my maternal musician family in Hollywood).
A must see.
www.justwatch.com/us/movie/goo...
Edward R. Murrow takes on the terrifying era of McCarthyism and the paranoia and persecution that followed, impacting the greatest minds & talents of the time (inc. my maternal musician family in Hollywood).
A must see.
www.justwatch.com/us/movie/goo...
Good Night, and Good Luck. streaming: watch online
How and where to watch "Good Night, and Good Luck." online on Netflix and Prime Video – including free options.
www.justwatch.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Good night and good luck.
Edward R. Murrow takes on the terrifying era of McCarthyism and the paranoia and persecution that followed, impacting the greatest minds & talents of the time (inc. my maternal musician family in Hollywood).
A must see.
www.justwatch.com/us/movie/goo...
Edward R. Murrow takes on the terrifying era of McCarthyism and the paranoia and persecution that followed, impacting the greatest minds & talents of the time (inc. my maternal musician family in Hollywood).
A must see.
www.justwatch.com/us/movie/goo...
Crim justice activists & those w/ loved ones inside federal prisons (#BOP) should know that #prisoner correspondence is now regularly & unapologetically being censored & silenced. #Prisons are cutting off ph calls, deleting entire emails & “losing,” delaying & illegally opening legal mail … cont.
November 3, 2025 at 10:53 PM
“Growing concerns?”
“Growing concerns” is what you say when your pumpkins aren’t growing the way they used to. Or when your neighbor is using pesticides to kill snails. Or when your cappuccino costs 5€.
Not when America is in the middle of an overtly fascist, militarized self-coup*.
“Growing concerns” is what you say when your pumpkins aren’t growing the way they used to. Or when your neighbor is using pesticides to kill snails. Or when your cappuccino costs 5€.
Not when America is in the middle of an overtly fascist, militarized self-coup*.
NEWS: Federal agents crashed with woman’s car, pointed guns at her, dragged her out by legs, tossed her in a minivan, held her and (eventually) let her go without charges. This as Chicagoans say the immigration blitz is out of control. (DHS blames her.)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability
The arrest of Dayanne Figueroa highlights growing concerns about the use of force against U.S. citizens and due process. She was released after a few hours without charges.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:45 PM
“Growing concerns?”
“Growing concerns” is what you say when your pumpkins aren’t growing the way they used to. Or when your neighbor is using pesticides to kill snails. Or when your cappuccino costs 5€.
Not when America is in the middle of an overtly fascist, militarized self-coup*.
“Growing concerns” is what you say when your pumpkins aren’t growing the way they used to. Or when your neighbor is using pesticides to kill snails. Or when your cappuccino costs 5€.
Not when America is in the middle of an overtly fascist, militarized self-coup*.