Xander Lenc
@xlenc.bsky.social
Geographer. Writing about prison history, ecology, labor, and capitalism. Go read @oaklandreviewofbooks.org
There's a huge political disconnect b/t superhero movies & comics right now. The current mainline Batman run is about police violence. The "Absolute" timeline shows Batman as a random working class guy fighting a billionaire Joker. Queer narratives are at the center of some of the biggest titles.
January 17, 2026 at 1:14 AM
There's a huge political disconnect b/t superhero movies & comics right now. The current mainline Batman run is about police violence. The "Absolute" timeline shows Batman as a random working class guy fighting a billionaire Joker. Queer narratives are at the center of some of the biggest titles.
"San Diego dispensary owner convicted of selling counterfeit 5-Hour Energy drinks and defrauding grocery wholesalers" is kind of the platonic ideal of a Trump administration pardon recipient. It's almost too beautiful to be real.
January 17, 2026 at 12:43 AM
"San Diego dispensary owner convicted of selling counterfeit 5-Hour Energy drinks and defrauding grocery wholesalers" is kind of the platonic ideal of a Trump administration pardon recipient. It's almost too beautiful to be real.
What's funny about Trump's ongoing disgruntled relationship with the Nobel Prize Committee is that he's actually right. It WAS bullshit that Obama was awarded the prize in 2009. Trump is demanding the prize because he knows it is a token of prestige and power rather than merit or accomplishment.
January 15, 2026 at 10:49 PM
What's funny about Trump's ongoing disgruntled relationship with the Nobel Prize Committee is that he's actually right. It WAS bullshit that Obama was awarded the prize in 2009. Trump is demanding the prize because he knows it is a token of prestige and power rather than merit or accomplishment.
Reposted by Xander Lenc
I will beat this drum forever:
Mass incarceration intersects with EVERYTHING. If you care about LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, reproductive rights, censorship, public safety--you care about mass incarceration whether or not you know it yet.
Mass incarceration intersects with EVERYTHING. If you care about LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, reproductive rights, censorship, public safety--you care about mass incarceration whether or not you know it yet.
January 15, 2026 at 4:26 PM
I will beat this drum forever:
Mass incarceration intersects with EVERYTHING. If you care about LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, reproductive rights, censorship, public safety--you care about mass incarceration whether or not you know it yet.
Mass incarceration intersects with EVERYTHING. If you care about LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, reproductive rights, censorship, public safety--you care about mass incarceration whether or not you know it yet.
I know we are all struggling with political amnesia right now, but I am still shocked that this article and its discussants all seem to be forgetting that Trump deployed thousands of troops (including the Marines) to Los Angeles to shut down anti-ICE protests in JUNE. This was not long ago!
NEW: Minnesota Is Just the Beginning. California and New York Are ‘Next,' according to a senior White House official.
more from me + @leahfeiger.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/califo...
more from me + @leahfeiger.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/califo...
Minnesota Is Just the Beginning. California and New York Are ‘Next’
The Trump administration appears to be planning to leverage the same playbook used in Minnesota to go after other blue states.
www.wired.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:25 PM
I know we are all struggling with political amnesia right now, but I am still shocked that this article and its discussants all seem to be forgetting that Trump deployed thousands of troops (including the Marines) to Los Angeles to shut down anti-ICE protests in JUNE. This was not long ago!
I have a cold. Does anybody want to hang out with me tomorrow while I work in my garden and do some beekeeping with a mask?
January 15, 2026 at 5:38 AM
I have a cold. Does anybody want to hang out with me tomorrow while I work in my garden and do some beekeeping with a mask?
I am not a liberal, but I don't understand how anyone can earnestly believe in the principles of liberalism and still think that there can be a Republican party at all after this. Its continued existence is inherently incompatible with the fundamental model of liberal democracy on its own terms.
January 15, 2026 at 4:05 AM
I am not a liberal, but I don't understand how anyone can earnestly believe in the principles of liberalism and still think that there can be a Republican party at all after this. Its continued existence is inherently incompatible with the fundamental model of liberal democracy on its own terms.
Recently I've been driving more than I bike, which sucks, but I offset my impact by simply refusing to leave the house at all most days.
January 15, 2026 at 3:55 AM
Recently I've been driving more than I bike, which sucks, but I offset my impact by simply refusing to leave the house at all most days.
Reposted by Xander Lenc
Thinking about how pissed off I'd be if Aaron Sorkin or somebody wrote a scene where the president literally flips off an autoworker
January 15, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Thinking about how pissed off I'd be if Aaron Sorkin or somebody wrote a scene where the president literally flips off an autoworker
Josh Hawley is a pathetic little worm.
January 15, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Josh Hawley is a pathetic little worm.
Wait the Australian men's national soccer team is actually called the Socceroos? Like actually??
January 15, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Wait the Australian men's national soccer team is actually called the Socceroos? Like actually??
I wanted to abandon all immigration enforcement.
January 14, 2026 at 11:28 PM
I wanted to abandon all immigration enforcement.
I do not understand why so much of the discourse about AI speculation is about future demand growth. China will probably invade Taiwan within the next two years, scrambling the overwhelming majority of the world's AI-optimized chip manufacturing capacity. Surely that is an even bigger problem??
January 14, 2026 at 10:39 PM
I do not understand why so much of the discourse about AI speculation is about future demand growth. China will probably invade Taiwan within the next two years, scrambling the overwhelming majority of the world's AI-optimized chip manufacturing capacity. Surely that is an even bigger problem??
Reposted by Xander Lenc
BREAKING: New York AG shuts down pro-Israel extremist group Betar US for biased harassment and threats of violence toward Arabs, Muslims and Jews.
Letitia James said Betar U.S. would be forced to close its New York operations in a settlement announcement.
theintercept.com/2026/01/13/b...
Letitia James said Betar U.S. would be forced to close its New York operations in a settlement announcement.
theintercept.com/2026/01/13/b...
New York Attorney General Shuts Down Pro-Israel Group Betar U.S. for Biased Harassment of Arabs, Muslims
New York AG Letitia James shut down the pro-Israel group Betar U.S. for biased harassment and violence against Arabs, Muslims, and others.
theintercept.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:28 PM
BREAKING: New York AG shuts down pro-Israel extremist group Betar US for biased harassment and threats of violence toward Arabs, Muslims and Jews.
Letitia James said Betar U.S. would be forced to close its New York operations in a settlement announcement.
theintercept.com/2026/01/13/b...
Letitia James said Betar U.S. would be forced to close its New York operations in a settlement announcement.
theintercept.com/2026/01/13/b...
Reposted by Xander Lenc
Two trans women have faced torture, bigotry and horrific conditions since arrested as part of the infamous Prairieland crackdown on anti-ICE protest.
They tell TNN about surviving behind bars, as @thefreeradical.org delves into the absurd attack on "antifa" that's just about criminalizing dissent:
They tell TNN about surviving behind bars, as @thefreeradical.org delves into the absurd attack on "antifa" that's just about criminalizing dissent:
Two U.S. Trans Political Prisoners Recount Torture, Misgendering, Human Rights Violations After Texas ICE Protest Crackdown
Two trans women arrested in an absurd “antifa” crackdown face political prosecution for their beliefs. Experts warn it’s a sign of growing authoritarianism in the U.S.
transnews.network
January 13, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Two trans women have faced torture, bigotry and horrific conditions since arrested as part of the infamous Prairieland crackdown on anti-ICE protest.
They tell TNN about surviving behind bars, as @thefreeradical.org delves into the absurd attack on "antifa" that's just about criminalizing dissent:
They tell TNN about surviving behind bars, as @thefreeradical.org delves into the absurd attack on "antifa" that's just about criminalizing dissent:
I continue to believe that the term "wine mom" has never signified anything more than "white woman over the age of 25 with whichever imagined politics I find convenient for the argument I am currently making," and the past few days have done little to prove me wrong.
January 13, 2026 at 12:54 AM
I continue to believe that the term "wine mom" has never signified anything more than "white woman over the age of 25 with whichever imagined politics I find convenient for the argument I am currently making," and the past few days have done little to prove me wrong.
"A Border Patrol agent familiar with the discussions said the volunteer push reflects real unease in the ranks about the Good shooting in Minneapolis and the related surge. 'We do have personnel but some just don’t want to go,' the agent told me."
Leaked documents about ICE deployment to Minneapolis suggests they're more worried about the backlash to Renee Good's death than they're letting on:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigratio...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigratio...
Immigration Agents Terrified by ICE Backlash
Leaked documents show Border Patrol needs volunteers for Minneapolis surge
www.kenklippenstein.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:49 AM
"A Border Patrol agent familiar with the discussions said the volunteer push reflects real unease in the ranks about the Good shooting in Minneapolis and the related surge. 'We do have personnel but some just don’t want to go,' the agent told me."
Reposted by Xander Lenc
I love this metadiscourse on West Bay as a geographic label for SF!
A little Oakland chauvinism is good for the soul.
A little Oakland chauvinism is good for the soul.
West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Counterprogramming, a vibe report from Makibaka at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (in the west bay), this past weekend:
www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/west-bay-pil...
www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/west-bay-pil...
West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Counterprogramming
Makibaka, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (in the west bay), this past weekend
www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org
January 12, 2026 at 2:39 AM
I love this metadiscourse on West Bay as a geographic label for SF!
A little Oakland chauvinism is good for the soul.
A little Oakland chauvinism is good for the soul.
I have said this before, but imo Ron Howard is a war criminal.
Prosecuting individuals who participated in this regime includes anyone who bought Hillbilly Elegy.
January 9, 2026 at 5:43 AM
I have said this before, but imo Ron Howard is a war criminal.
Ironically, the Burger King is an illusionist and a farcical parody of royalty, which makes him much more of a clown than Ronald.
January 9, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Ironically, the Burger King is an illusionist and a farcical parody of royalty, which makes him much more of a clown than Ronald.
I'm currently doing a deep-dive on the history of clowns and I am fascinated by the original U.S. trademark registration certificate for Ronald McDonald.
January 8, 2026 at 11:35 PM
I'm currently doing a deep-dive on the history of clowns and I am fascinated by the original U.S. trademark registration certificate for Ronald McDonald.
One thing that distinguishes modern fascism is that misogyny has become so central to their worldview that they struggle to even maintain their usual pretense of "defending white women."
There it is in bold print. They fear becoming a minority because of how they treat minorities.
January 8, 2026 at 9:30 PM
One thing that distinguishes modern fascism is that misogyny has become so central to their worldview that they struggle to even maintain their usual pretense of "defending white women."
I think we are overdue for a serious conversation about hosting academic conferences at Hilton facilities. AAG 2026 is at a Hilton in SF, and there is a very good chance that the rooms reserved for attendees with be adjacent to an invading army of ICE agents.
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Hilton cuts ties with Minneapolis hotel over canceled ICE reservation
A Minneapolis hotel canceled reservations made by ICE agents as the Trump administration investigates suspected fraud in Minnesota.
www.usatoday.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:08 PM
I think we are overdue for a serious conversation about hosting academic conferences at Hilton facilities. AAG 2026 is at a Hilton in SF, and there is a very good chance that the rooms reserved for attendees with be adjacent to an invading army of ICE agents.
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
In addition to being full of some incredible music recommendations, this article has some great opening editorial thoughts about the state of criticism that are worth reading even if you don't particularly care about punk.
reviews of my top 10 punk-adjacent records in this year's maximum rocknroll roundup:
www.maximumrocknroll.com/article/2025...
www.maximumrocknroll.com/article/2025...
2025 Year End Top Tens, Part One - MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
Welcome to 2026, and welcome to Maximum Rocknroll‘s 2025 Year-End Top Tens. Once again, we asked MRR reviewers, friends, fellow travelers, and extended family from all over the world about what punk r...
www.maximumrocknroll.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:53 PM
In addition to being full of some incredible music recommendations, this article has some great opening editorial thoughts about the state of criticism that are worth reading even if you don't particularly care about punk.
Went to a vigil last night, and in his prayer the priest admitted that he is genuinely struggling to hold onto the idea that G-d could still love people like the man who murdered Renee Good. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
January 8, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Went to a vigil last night, and in his prayer the priest admitted that he is genuinely struggling to hold onto the idea that G-d could still love people like the man who murdered Renee Good. I don't think I've ever seen that before.