Tom Hawking
@thawking.bsky.social
Writer for many places | Editor for The Australia Institute and others | Former EIC of Flavorwire | Opinions mine, not yours
taking Napoleon syndrome to its most logical conclusion
January 13, 2026 at 1:39 PM
taking Napoleon syndrome to its most logical conclusion
Reposted by Tom Hawking
Fastest way to make someone anti-cop is to have them encounter the cops in practice
January 8, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Fastest way to make someone anti-cop is to have them encounter the cops in practice
dear god this place is so fucked
BUT
for any Australians sitting at home feeling all smug about how this could/would never happen in Aus: it could and it may well do
BUT
for any Australians sitting at home feeling all smug about how this could/would never happen in Aus: it could and it may well do
January 8, 2026 at 4:47 PM
dear god this place is so fucked
BUT
for any Australians sitting at home feeling all smug about how this could/would never happen in Aus: it could and it may well do
BUT
for any Australians sitting at home feeling all smug about how this could/would never happen in Aus: it could and it may well do
Reposted by Tom Hawking
They’re trying to cover up a murder that is playing on a loop on every phone.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says they've been informed by the FBI that US DOJ has said FBI will solely lead the investigation into Renee Nicole Good's killing by a federal officer. State investigators no longer have access to "case materials, scene evidence/investigative interviews"
January 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM
They’re trying to cover up a murder that is playing on a loop on every phone.
Reposted by Tom Hawking
This is literally what they do whenever a Black person is killed by police. No matter how solid the evidence is, they will keep pushing that lie, not just to poison the conversation and make sure the killer walks free, but to reassert the political idea that these people deserve to be killed.
The shooting is shocking enough but the government's response is off the charts when you consider that this incident is forensically documented on video.
January 8, 2026 at 1:41 PM
This is literally what they do whenever a Black person is killed by police. No matter how solid the evidence is, they will keep pushing that lie, not just to poison the conversation and make sure the killer walks free, but to reassert the political idea that these people deserve to be killed.
this is also why Hegseth is going after Kelly so viciously. the last thing this administration wants is for anyone to be reminded of the fact that you don't have to—and, indeed, are morally obliged not to—follow illegal orders
Why does "just following orders" ring such a bell? What distant historical moment am I remembering that from?
January 8, 2026 at 4:45 PM
this is also why Hegseth is going after Kelly so viciously. the last thing this administration wants is for anyone to be reminded of the fact that you don't have to—and, indeed, are morally obliged not to—follow illegal orders
this is maddening, but it also shows how rarely your average person has interacted w police etc. cops do this shit ALL THE TIME
“'The guy, I’m telling him like, "Please step off the school grounds," and this dude comes up and bumps into me and then tells me that I pushed him, and he knocked me down,' an official at Roosevelt High School said. 'They don’t care. They’re just animals. I’ve never seen people behave like this.'"
Minneapolis schools cancel classes after Border Patrol clash disrupts dismissal at Roosevelt
Minneapolis schools closed for the week citing safety concerns after an encounter involving armed Border Patrol agents near Roosevelt High School.
www.mprnews.org
January 8, 2026 at 4:43 PM
this is maddening, but it also shows how rarely your average person has interacted w police etc. cops do this shit ALL THE TIME
Reposted by Tom Hawking
This is also why authoritarians in both parties are so intent on censoring social media.
For decades cops murdered with impunity and the press repeated their lies as fact.
Now everyone can document abuse and instantly share it with millions of people.
That makes those in power scared.
Good.
For decades cops murdered with impunity and the press repeated their lies as fact.
Now everyone can document abuse and instantly share it with millions of people.
That makes those in power scared.
Good.
This irrefutable evidence didn't come from professional journalists, but from citizens who showed up & recorded what our government would prefer remain unseen.
From Gaza to Minneapolis, this is why video documentation is treated as a threat: it makes their lies and cover-ups far harder to sustain.
From Gaza to Minneapolis, this is why video documentation is treated as a threat: it makes their lies and cover-ups far harder to sustain.
Forensic analysis of objective video evidence. This is how you serve readers searching for clarity.
January 8, 2026 at 2:47 PM
This is also why authoritarians in both parties are so intent on censoring social media.
For decades cops murdered with impunity and the press repeated their lies as fact.
Now everyone can document abuse and instantly share it with millions of people.
That makes those in power scared.
Good.
For decades cops murdered with impunity and the press repeated their lies as fact.
Now everyone can document abuse and instantly share it with millions of people.
That makes those in power scared.
Good.
Reposted by Tom Hawking
Would love to know how Ezra Klein-style high-ground liberalism, where you're meant to give your political opponents the benefit of the doubt, is meant to function when your opponents are murderers
January 8, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Would love to know how Ezra Klein-style high-ground liberalism, where you're meant to give your political opponents the benefit of the doubt, is meant to function when your opponents are murderers
@swajones.bsky.social hey just to say that was a really lovely piece on Cecilia Giménez
January 1, 2026 at 11:53 AM
@swajones.bsky.social hey just to say that was a really lovely piece on Cecilia Giménez
Reposted by Tom Hawking
It’s real now. www.youtube.com/live/zj4hZVx...
January 1, 2026 at 5:29 AM
It’s real now. www.youtube.com/live/zj4hZVx...
Reposted by Tom Hawking
"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This
December 31, 2025 at 10:39 PM
"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This
there's something here about how liberals are more interested in remote hypothetical scenarios that COULD be bad than they are in real-life happening-right-now things that ARE bad
December 30, 2025 at 1:33 PM
there's something here about how liberals are more interested in remote hypothetical scenarios that COULD be bad than they are in real-life happening-right-now things that ARE bad
Reposted by Tom Hawking
Barely a blip in the news. 🦗from the New York Times editorial and opinion pages. Compare with days of Hunter Biden Hysteria about unprecedented abuse of the pardon power.
December 27, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Barely a blip in the news. 🦗from the New York Times editorial and opinion pages. Compare with days of Hunter Biden Hysteria about unprecedented abuse of the pardon power.
one thing i will never like about American humor is the general assumption that "louder/more manic/etc" somehow equates to "funnier". stop fkn shouting at one another for the love of god
December 28, 2025 at 10:35 PM
one thing i will never like about American humor is the general assumption that "louder/more manic/etc" somehow equates to "funnier". stop fkn shouting at one another for the love of god
maybe the lost revenue from these two-day Tests will force Cricket Australia to do something about these fkn pitches
December 27, 2025 at 1:15 AM
maybe the lost revenue from these two-day Tests will force Cricket Australia to do something about these fkn pitches
great unanswered questions of our time: how on earth are England sending a kid who's never scored a first class 100 out at #3 on Boxing Day? why is Root not stepping up to bat first drop??
December 26, 2025 at 4:36 AM
great unanswered questions of our time: how on earth are England sending a kid who's never scored a first class 100 out at #3 on Boxing Day? why is Root not stepping up to bat first drop??
genuine shivers watching replays of Warne's 1994 hattrck. these moments stay with us, don't they
December 26, 2025 at 2:54 AM
genuine shivers watching replays of Warne's 1994 hattrck. these moments stay with us, don't they
ugh, Head with the classic late career Mark Taylor dismissal
December 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
ugh, Head with the classic late career Mark Taylor dismissal
it's -7°C outside, there's a snowstorm rolling in and i'm in bed watching the cricket. if 2026 would just continue like this, we'd be best friends
December 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
it's -7°C outside, there's a snowstorm rolling in and i'm in bed watching the cricket. if 2026 would just continue like this, we'd be best friends
definitely not hiding from the people who are in my apartment for a party and watching the cricket instead
December 21, 2025 at 3:34 AM
definitely not hiding from the people who are in my apartment for a party and watching the cricket instead
oof, Weatherald might have just given away his Test career there
December 19, 2025 at 1:22 AM
oof, Weatherald might have just given away his Test career there
ok, that made me do a double-take
December 18, 2025 at 6:40 PM
ok, that made me do a double-take
to the two people who follow me here and care about cricket: as someone who used to bowl middling off-breaks, i can tell you that Lyon's delivery to dismiss Duckett was absolute perfection
December 18, 2025 at 1:14 AM
to the two people who follow me here and care about cricket: as someone who used to bowl middling off-breaks, i can tell you that Lyon's delivery to dismiss Duckett was absolute perfection