Benjamin McKean
@blmckean.bsky.social
associate professor of political science at Ohio State University // global justice, supply chains, populism, climate change, critical theory, etc // all tweets (skeets?) produced accidentally by having my phone in a pants pocket while I walk the dog
Pinned
Benjamin McKean
@blmckean.bsky.social
· Nov 20
OK, with many new followers this week, it's a good time for a thread introducing myself - I'm a political theorist who works on questions of global justice, focusing on supply chains, populism, and (increasingly) climate change. Below I'll link some of my work that's free to read benjaminlmckean.com
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
we live in an era where we are burning the legacy of civilization on the altar of men who don't want to do what their mothers told them when they were 6
November 10, 2025 at 8:28 PM
we live in an era where we are burning the legacy of civilization on the altar of men who don't want to do what their mothers told them when they were 6
"For one engineering professor, the decision to leave the Air Force Academy became clear after he repeatedly was told he could lose his job any day...Johns said people on the faculty now live in fear of retaliation and are afraid to speak out. Academic freedom is gone, he said."
The U.S. Air Force Academy's academic accreditation is under review following a formal complaint that the institution no longer has sufficient Ph.D.-level faculty as the federal government reduces its civilian workforce // Story by @thenoellephillips.bsky.social
Air Force Academy’s accreditation under review after cuts to civilian faculty
Concerned alumni and former faculty told The Denver Post they believe the academy is losing too many civilian Ph.D.-level instructors without the ability to replace them with qualified military mem…
www.denverpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:03 PM
"For one engineering professor, the decision to leave the Air Force Academy became clear after he repeatedly was told he could lose his job any day...Johns said people on the faculty now live in fear of retaliation and are afraid to speak out. Academic freedom is gone, he said."
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
If I had more time I would submit something to this: Max Weber Studies calls for papers on the relationship between bureaucracy and democracy. maxweberstudies.org/source/files...
maxweberstudies.org
November 10, 2025 at 6:37 PM
If I had more time I would submit something to this: Max Weber Studies calls for papers on the relationship between bureaucracy and democracy. maxweberstudies.org/source/files...
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
BREAKING: We won!
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
November 10, 2025 at 5:48 PM
BREAKING: We won!
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
The President pardoned members of his private militia after they failed to overturn an election; they, in turn, pledge their support to him and urge him to use them to police civil society.
New:
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
![STEWART RHODES (FOUNDER, OATH KEEPERS): And one other thing I want to say is that President Trump, as commander in chief, always has absolute authority to call all of us up as the militia because every one of us — in federal statues defining the militia, it's every able-bodied male from age 17-45. And for us veterans, it goes up to age 64 because of our prior training and experience.
Right now, under federal statutes, President Trump can call us up as the militia if he sees it necessary, especially for three purposes: to repel invasions, to suppress insurrections, and to execute the laws of the union. And right now, we see all three of those in play.
...
And the militia is all of us. So the National Guard is part of the militia, which is why it's completely lawful for him to use the National Guard as he has, and he should do more of that, I think, across the country.
...
He could just say given the circumstances of an invasion, insurrection, and resistance against federal law being being enforced, I'm calling up the militia, ordering all the men to come together [in] every county, put the veterans in charge of training and organizing all the other men and just have them stand too and await his orders. He can do that and I think he should do that. And so that's what I'll be advocating for from him. So from the bottom, from down the rank and file, we can let President Trump know that we're ready to serve, encourage him to do that, call us up as a militia, order us all to come together in our counties under his command, which gives you complete legal sanction to do what you're doing.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:af7tqcetuyt352aolf3znlxe/bafkreialm4skuozqobejpd6vx4m6kuwsgtidxmmxvj3ftcff6otiuyohiy@jpeg)
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The President pardoned members of his private militia after they failed to overturn an election; they, in turn, pledge their support to him and urge him to use them to police civil society.
You don’t have to be the parent of an eight-year-old to find this absolutely horrifying but I am and I do
November 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
You don’t have to be the parent of an eight-year-old to find this absolutely horrifying but I am and I do
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
Not a political consultant but I’m not sure “standing up to trump doesn’t work” is the best midterm message, even if if accurately represents senate dems position. Not much point in putting you in power then bsky.app/profile/atru...
November 10, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Not a political consultant but I’m not sure “standing up to trump doesn’t work” is the best midterm message, even if if accurately represents senate dems position. Not much point in putting you in power then bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
Come out to our November chapter meeting this Thursday! RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/aaup-...
We have a ton to talk after the rally on 11/7 & the fight for free speech & academic freedom at all levels. Whether you’re a regular or it’s your first meeting, your voice is what we need to hear.
We have a ton to talk after the rally on 11/7 & the fight for free speech & academic freedom at all levels. Whether you’re a regular or it’s your first meeting, your voice is what we need to hear.
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Come out to our November chapter meeting this Thursday! RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/aaup-...
We have a ton to talk after the rally on 11/7 & the fight for free speech & academic freedom at all levels. Whether you’re a regular or it’s your first meeting, your voice is what we need to hear.
We have a ton to talk after the rally on 11/7 & the fight for free speech & academic freedom at all levels. Whether you’re a regular or it’s your first meeting, your voice is what we need to hear.
TFW it snows in early November
November 10, 2025 at 1:51 PM
TFW it snows in early November
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
🚨🚨 Texas A&M Board of Regents is meeting next week and set to approve a new policy requiring pre-approval of courses on race and gender. This is a blatant violation of academic freedom.
November 8, 2025 at 8:06 PM
🚨🚨 Texas A&M Board of Regents is meeting next week and set to approve a new policy requiring pre-approval of courses on race and gender. This is a blatant violation of academic freedom.
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
Nice reporting from the Sun-Times on the Girl Scout aspect of my experience yesterday
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
Masked ICE agents put damper on Oak Park Girl Scout food drive: ‘It’s heartbreaking as a mom’
Federal immigration agents were confronted in Oak Park on Saturday morning by residents blowing whistles as local Girl Scouts collect food for local pantries, rattling some girls and their parents.
tinyurl.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Nice reporting from the Sun-Times on the Girl Scout aspect of my experience yesterday
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
The truth is not "more nuanced," the truth is that none of these people are narco terrorists.
GÜIRIA, Venezuela (AP) — One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet. And a fourth was a down-on-his-luck bus driver.
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The truth is not "more nuanced," the truth is that none of these people are narco terrorists.
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
This is an excellent thread that largely tracks my own experience from my time at the Club (granted, I left right before Jealous started). There is just no scenario where attempting to reckon with the organization's history and build a more inclusive vision of environmentalism was the problem.
I was at the Sierra Club during the period described in this article and although I have my criticisms, it gets the issues in the Club fundamentally wrong. A 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:50 PM
This is an excellent thread that largely tracks my own experience from my time at the Club (granted, I left right before Jealous started). There is just no scenario where attempting to reckon with the organization's history and build a more inclusive vision of environmentalism was the problem.
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
In the name of "fighting antisemitism," Indiana University appointed a Christian scholar to tell Jewish scholars what they can and cannot say - all while they invited Tucker Carlson to speak on campus. www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...
In Indiana, a vaunted Jewish studies program is upended by red-state politics over Israel and speech - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
A leadership shakeup, a defunded graduate student and political pressure from above have turned a storied program into a flashpoint for Trump-era campus politics.
www.jta.org
November 8, 2025 at 3:22 AM
In the name of "fighting antisemitism," Indiana University appointed a Christian scholar to tell Jewish scholars what they can and cannot say - all while they invited Tucker Carlson to speak on campus. www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...
“Shorter…said students shouldn’t be silenced in the classroom and that classrooms are meant to be laboratories of democracy.”
“If they ban chalk, we’ll write in brighter colors. If they ban microphones, we’ll speak up and sing louder,” Shorter said. “We are not going anywhere.”
“If they ban chalk, we’ll write in brighter colors. If they ban microphones, we’ll speak up and sing louder,” Shorter said. “We are not going anywhere.”
Ohio State students, faculty demand university oppose the Trump college compact
About 125 Ohio State students, employees and community members gathered on campus Friday, Nov. 7, to protest restrictions on student speech.
www.dispatch.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:10 AM
“Shorter…said students shouldn’t be silenced in the classroom and that classrooms are meant to be laboratories of democracy.”
“If they ban chalk, we’ll write in brighter colors. If they ban microphones, we’ll speak up and sing louder,” Shorter said. “We are not going anywhere.”
“If they ban chalk, we’ll write in brighter colors. If they ban microphones, we’ll speak up and sing louder,” Shorter said. “We are not going anywhere.”
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
This is fascinating because this is such a new field and somehow they are going to hire 100 tenure-track faculty in the next 5 years who specialize in it. And yet when asked to fill spots with faculty of color/women/marginalized groups, administrators often cry about how the pipelines don't exist.
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 PM
This is fascinating because this is such a new field and somehow they are going to hire 100 tenure-track faculty in the next 5 years who specialize in it. And yet when asked to fill spots with faculty of color/women/marginalized groups, administrators often cry about how the pipelines don't exist.
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
Adjunct’s Law: there is never money for your raise or health benefits but there is always money for bullshit
November 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Adjunct’s Law: there is never money for your raise or health benefits but there is always money for bullshit
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
The federal government is putting its full weight behind purging Black people from public life and the press and opposition party is silent as it does so.
“The Committee’s unfounded accusations, dependence on clearly compromised sources, and selective presentation of ‘evidence’ represent an unprecedented abuse of congressional power—designed not to find the truth, but to silence leadership that refuses to yield to political pressure.”
— GMU-AAUP
— GMU-AAUP
Congress Accuses GMU President of Lying About DEI Efforts
The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee accused George Mason University's president of lying about DEI practices and likely violating civil rights laws. He has denied the claims.
www.insidehighered.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The federal government is putting its full weight behind purging Black people from public life and the press and opposition party is silent as it does so.
maybe it's optimistic but i really don't think people can put up with this for forever. trillionaires simply shouldn't exist and i bet even people who aren't yet on board with the idea that every billionaire is a policy failure agree
Something deeply fucked up when you can blindly break basic state functions and condemn millions to death and then people make you the richest man in the world instead of a pariah
November 7, 2025 at 12:54 PM
maybe it's optimistic but i really don't think people can put up with this for forever. trillionaires simply shouldn't exist and i bet even people who aren't yet on board with the idea that every billionaire is a policy failure agree
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
As Ketanji Jackson notes, it's risible for the Trump administration to say that it suffers harm from not being able to enforce this immediately. Just a sham of a Supreme Court. www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce passport restrictions targeting transgender people
Trump is seeking to reverse a Biden policy that allowed transgender applicants to choose male, female or "X" as gender markers.
www.nbcnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:34 PM
As Ketanji Jackson notes, it's risible for the Trump administration to say that it suffers harm from not being able to enforce this immediately. Just a sham of a Supreme Court. www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
bro are you fucking kidding me
![quote from the Economist article which says "[study authors] are now looking at whether AI facial analysis can give lenders useful clues about a person’s propensity to repay loans. For people without access to credit, that could be a blessing."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6ofjbklfvptnupad4lxumblw/bafkreia3yctiqd7ejumpd6novxjpiycphtfkc3bdgd573jw37faqdl7o7m@jpeg)
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
bro are you fucking kidding me
Reposted by Benjamin McKean
This is a load bearing skeleton key to understanding the American right across the last 20 years
Arguably the greatest reporting in the history of journalism
Jason Horowitz: The The Smarmies of the Night | Observer share.google/qlP1SVxT8Jay...
Jason Horowitz: The The Smarmies of the Night | Observer share.google/qlP1SVxT8Jay...
The Smarmies of the Night
Guests at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner discuss what makes a party.
share.google
November 6, 2025 at 7:10 PM
This is a load bearing skeleton key to understanding the American right across the last 20 years
I’ve always taken this mural at the Columbus airport for granted but I have decided to appreciate it as one of the visible public uses of a semi-colon I can think of
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I’ve always taken this mural at the Columbus airport for granted but I have decided to appreciate it as one of the visible public uses of a semi-colon I can think of