Prof @Dartmouth. Director, FieldLab. Carnegie Fellow. Diversity and military effectiveness, war, humanitarian aid, USAID, sci fi. Author, DIVIDED ARMIES (2020, http://amzn.to/2Y80f25). 🇨🇦 #FirstGen #VermontZen Website: www.jasonlyall.com
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Well, I'm no JAG, but yes, I think illegal, for following reasons: 1. Civilian vessel 2. Not self-defense 3. No attempt at interdiction (i.e. disable engines) 4. Int'l waters 5. No PID on folks in boat (could be civilians) 6. No declared state of war or hostilities so unclear authorization
I'd add the air campaign against Yemen into the mix as well (lots of civilian targets struck, for example). I'm very worried about Chicago. Lots of potential for events on the ground to go sideways.
Well, I'm no JAG, but yes, I think illegal, for following reasons: 1. Civilian vessel 2. Not self-defense 3. No attempt at interdiction (i.e. disable engines) 4. Int'l waters 5. No PID on folks in boat (could be civilians) 6. No declared state of war or hostilities so unclear authorization
It’s not just that the President of the United States posted a video of eleven people being murdered in international waters it’s that the President of the United States ordered the murder of eleven people in international waters so he could post a video of it.
Operation Idiot Sicario is very dangerous because once you’ve decided to missile random boats rather than interdict them you’ve ignored the advice of every good person in your organization and ensured your kill chain is exclusively staffed by the most evil, malicious, or lazy bastards alive
America: Judge, jury, executioner
man. if Eric Schmitt's speech to NatCon isn't a sign of the times, i don't know what is
America: Judge, jury, executioner
Taliban call for international aid as Afghan earthquake toll tops 1,400 This amid a backdrop of drastically slashed US aid (which was 40% of all aid), huge unfilled aid needs, and Western reluctance to be seen supporting Taliban regime
Don't forget about the DRM-free Humble Bundle from Tor (with Murderbot, Witch King, and more), benefiting World Center Kitchen. The donation is now at over 58,000. It would be awesome to get it up to $100,000. www.humblebundle.com/books/martha...
👇🎯 Attempts at being clever & contrarian are breaking folks' brains. A bigger problem that 15-25% of every R1 university's budget illegally being turned off almost immediately? A bigger problem than the abuse of state power to turn federal government-university relations into a protection racket?
This is just an impression, but it feels like the norm prohibiting the assassination of political leaders (and military officers) has really broken down over the past few years
Under pressure from the government and each other, some of Mexico’s most powerful criminal groups are amassing homemade mortars, land mines, rocket-propelled grenades and bomber drones.
This is just an impression, but it feels like the norm prohibiting the assassination of political leaders (and military officers) has really broken down over the past few years
“The whole airport area GPS went dark,” said one of the officials. After circling the airport for an hour, the plane’s pilot took the decision to land the plane manually using analogue maps, they added. “It was undeniable interference.”
As a friend recently put it: the venn diagram of people who assured us the gun violence was worth it because we need the guns to protect ourselves against a tyrannical federal government and the people cheering on Trump as he deploys the military to take over American cities is a circle
👇🎯 University presidents, take note & start getting in front of microphones, en masse, now:
average Dem strategist: we must focus on bipartisan policies that undercut Republican attacks average Dem voter: having studied the denazification of Germany, we must raze the RNC and leave JD Vance clutching a single wool blanket in a cell after we strip him of everything
This. www.thebulwark.com/p/honoring-a...
"legally untested"
"legally untested"
President Donald Trump asked Congress to claw back nearly $5 billion in already-approved foreign aid spending
The illegal dismantling of USAID is a crime against humanity that will hurt millions
This painting is classic Lost Cause revisionism; it was commissioned after Truman ordered desegregation of the military. Army Secretary Gordon Gray was a nepobaby (daddy was chair of RJ Reynolds) who led the dubious "Gray Board" that yanked Oppenheimer's clearance. Real piece of work all around.
Inside Pete Hegseth’s Civilian Purge at West Point
Weimar "illustrates the dangerous logic of abdication: the belief that, faced with a rising threat to democracy, surrender is strategy, cooperating with an autocrat is survival, and sparing oneself or one’s party from immediate punishment is worth opening the door to long-term authoritarian rule"
Weimar "illustrates the dangerous logic of abdication: the belief that, faced with a rising threat to democracy, surrender is strategy, cooperating with an autocrat is survival, and sparing oneself or one’s party from immediate punishment is worth opening the door to long-term authoritarian rule"
As a personal aside, I would never have been able to do my PhD in the US if this rule was in place. I don't know a single person, foreign or otherwise, who has finished their diss in 4 years.
Absolutely disgraceful. This is a crime against humanity. I hope Musk, Rubio, Lewin, and the rest of the doge boys are held responsible
This is absolutely catastrophic for U.S. higher education, and for U.S. global leadership. Just the latest in a series of senseless acts of self-sabotage by a malevolent administration bent on making the United States weak and poor.
Inside Pete Hegseth’s Civilian Purge at West Point
I actually think the story here isn’t so much about Hegseth and co. as much as it is about military officials in and around the academies using it as cover/an excuse to push out civilian professors altogether
imagine being so maniacally racist that you side with the fire over the firefighter
cc: everyone in a position of power and responsibility
Absolutely disgraceful. This is a crime against humanity. I hope Musk, Rubio, Lewin, and the rest of the doge boys are held responsible
In a functional government, this would be a five alarm fire where Congress calls in Kennedy and asks him what the fuck is going on
I wonder why so many Americans believe crime is a "major problem" in large cities when crime rates are at or near historic lows [insert hotdog man gif here]
Next they'll be helping with the potato harvest
The most lethal military machine in human history
Frey: And don't just say, this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.
Next they'll be helping with the potato harvest
I wonder why so many Americans believe crime is a "major problem" in large cities when crime rates are at or near historic lows [insert hotdog man gif here]
Congrats! I'm looking forward to reading it
I just received my first copy of the book!
This is not surprising, but so appalling. About 180 FEMA staff members knew they would be risking their jobs to communicate the degradation of emergency response under Trump tells you how bad things are. We can't say we were not warned, but the people who warned us are being punished for doing so.
too lazy to check my bio huh?
The most lethal military machine in human history
Pritzker: To the members of the press who are assembled here today and listening across the country, I am asking for your courage to tell it like it is. This is not a time to pretend here that there are two sides to this story.
Corrupt appointment and if he's still in office on 20 Jan 29 he needs to be unceremoniously dismissed with the reason made explicit
It’s hard to overstate how big a deal this is - for the economy (ours and globally), for the rule of law, and for the proper and efficient function of government. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08...
FUCK ME DO NOT DESCRIBE TRUMP'S PLANS IN THE HEADLINES WITHOUT NOTING THEY ARE ILLEGAL.
Big sky country, Vermont edition #VermontZen
Bad: Using the National Guard in DC to "fight crime" Really bad: Threatening to use them in other (blue) cities Really really bad: Sending units from red states only Superbad: Specialized units within the National Guard to deal with "public order issues" (All within the last 2 weeks, too)
"The precise moment when and where in recent weeks America crossed that invisible line from democracy into authoritarianism can and will be debated by future historians, but it’s clear that the line itself has been crossed."
Bad: Using the National Guard in DC to "fight crime" Really bad: Threatening to use them in other (blue) cities Really really bad: Sending units from red states only Superbad: Specialized units within the National Guard to deal with "public order issues" (All within the last 2 weeks, too)
Over a third of people say they’re going days without eating in Gaza. For now, the confirmed famine is centered in the governorate of Gaza, one of five in the strip. Our maps show where it’s expected to spread by the end of September www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
"Revision of US capitalism" is a euphemism for the ages
"Revision of US capitalism" is a euphemism for the ages
First they came for the immigrants, and I did not speak out (because the message test performed at a low percentile rank compared to other messages in our testing bank for non college men who opt into online surveys through various consumer reward programs)
then perhaps you should run for mayor of NYC and help folks [taps earpiece] wait i'm getting an update...
Yup!
>national guard are carrying guns now >Trump is planning on deploying the military to even more cities >the FBI is going after domestic political enemies >the administration is manufacturing cases against members of the FED >we’re staging Naval assets near Venezuela >ICE is rapidly expanding
Vance isn’t just wrong about WW2, he’s wrong about how wars end in the contemporary world. Since WW2, almost every war has ended with a ceasefire, not a peace treaty that resolves the underlying issues. This was documented by @tanishafazal.bsky.social 1/4 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
“Get lost in Vermont,” they said…
“Get lost in Vermont,” they said…
This isn't about crime or policing, of course --- there are far more violent cities. This is about intimidating blue cities and their leaders, about making people think twice about protesting, and about provoking violence to justify further crackdowns. We're in a tough spot.
"Practicing science in the United States has become more politically fraught in the past seven months than it has ever been in this country’s history." I'd add that social scientists are in a similar bind, facing politically motivated cuts to grants, chill around certain topics, and even book bans
The thing that blows my mind is there were dudes resigning over not having enough troops to invade Iraq and a entire “revolt of the generals” over the bush administrations handling of Iraq but when it comes to yet another deployment of active duty troops…radio silence
I keep saying this but it remains true: Dems have not learned the central lesson of Reconstruction, that multiracial democracy cannot survive when those working to overthrow the rule of law & fair elections are allowed to operate with impunity.
This is just straight up trolling
This isn't about crime or policing, of course --- there are far more violent cities. This is about intimidating blue cities and their leaders, about making people think twice about protesting, and about provoking violence to justify further crackdowns. We're in a tough spot.
The Pentagon has *for weeks* been planning a military deployment to Chicago that could begin as early as September
The purge continues taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-fi...
"Practicing science in the United States has become more politically fraught in the past seven months than it has ever been in this country’s history." I'd add that social scientists are in a similar bind, facing politically motivated cuts to grants, chill around certain topics, and even book bans
No matter what you think about Mr. Abrego Garcia, if you believe in due process you should be infuriated by this. The Trump admin is threatening to dump him in Africa as punishment for not pleading guilty to criminal charges they brought to avoid complying with a court order.
Extraordinary new detail about the FBI purge. *Senior officials were asked to fire lower level officials tagged by online right wingers as being anti-Trump. *When they asked for a reason - required by law - they were not given any. They refused. Then they were fired. www.cbsnews.com/news/politic...
It's like a nesting doll of civil-military crises. Just today: 1. Head of DIA fired 2. Trump threatens to deploy Army to Chicago + NYC 3. Blurring of police + military in DC 4. Use of FBI in political attack on Bolton 5. Goons in DC curtailing basic civil rights
Yes, or in my case, two kids. (Love your Wide Awake gear - I have the pin)
Not a bad plan! One of the first things we did when my 🇺🇸-born kids came along was apply for their 🇨🇦 citizenship, just in case we needed to head back to the old country. Sucks that we even have to be thinking this way...
Even WaPo is calling this a "purge" so you know it's bad
It's like a nesting doll of civil-military crises. Just today: 1. Head of DIA fired 2. Trump threatens to deploy Army to Chicago + NYC 3. Blurring of police + military in DC 4. Use of FBI in political attack on Bolton 5. Goons in DC curtailing basic civil rights
Even WaPo is calling this a "purge" so you know it's bad
Hegseth fires head of Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, for "loss of confidence" (though really because DIA assessments of airstrikes on Iran contradicted the party line)
Oh oh looks like another bold departure from political norms
i'll say it again, my loud and vigorous support for any democrat who calls for televised hearings and criminal charges for everyone involved in DOGE. this guy should never be able to live in peace again.
You can tell yourself we are not living under a personalist authoritarian regime or you can listen to the spokesperson for that regime
On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout. On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar. This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media. Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵
The worst Chief Justice in American history, hands down "Prominent jurists have held Roberts responsible for emboldening Trump’s drive towards an authoritarian presidency." "The chief justice is presiding over the end of the rule of law in America," Luttig told the Guardian
BREAKING NEWS: Federal judge in Miami orders Alligator Alcatraz, the concentration camp in the middle of the Everglades, to be dismantled within 60 days and blocks any new detainees from being brought into the facility. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Come join us at Dartmouth!
The worst Chief Justice in American history, hands down "Prominent jurists have held Roberts responsible for emboldening Trump’s drive towards an authoritarian presidency." "The chief justice is presiding over the end of the rule of law in America," Luttig told the Guardian
He Was the Face and Voice of Gaza. Israel Assassinated Him.
Israeli army database suggests at least 83% of Gaza dead were civilians Classified intelligence from May reveals Israel believed it had killed ~8,900 militants in Gaza, indicating a proportion of civilian slaughter with few parallels in modern warfare. www.972mag.com/israeli-inte...
NYT photographer Joao Silva returns to the village in Kandahar’s Arghandab valley where he lost his legs while embedded with US troops during the Afghanistan surge in 2010. Joao took me to Sadr City for the first time, and I’d visit him at Walter Reed. I never imagined he’d return to the Arghandab.
He Was the Face and Voice of Gaza. Israel Assassinated Him.
Is “diversity taboo” or is this a segregationist regime that hopes to reinstate open white supremacy. It is absolutely wild (and fundamentally dishonest) that media is still reaching for euphemism instead of simply calling this racism.