"Sing a song for sweet Justice, with a fire in her eyes..." - John Denver, "Stonehaven Sunset," 1990 Seventh-day Adventist. MSU Law student. Andrews University alum. Historian. Progressive reenactor (American Civil War). Proud Michigander. 🇺🇲 🇵🇪 🇺🇦
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Most other Republican policy positions aren't super popular. One of the few things keeping them from splintering and fading into obscurity is guns, and more specifically the Democratic Party's stubborn insistence on trying to make popular ones illegal to buy and own.
"See these things you enjoy owning? Dems want to ban them. They have banned them in other states where we didn't have the votes to stop them. They tried to pass a ban in this state but we stopped them. But they will try again next year and if we lose our majority they'll probably succeed."
The fact is gun control gets Republicans out to vote, because it's one of the few Republican policy positions they see a tangible benefit from:
New school year, new me!
First day of #lawschool!
No one in the future is going to look back and agree that we went too far when it came to protecting the environment.
Hey, no hate on the Army Corps of Engineers. They have done and continue to do some incredible work on public infrastructure. Keep your shots directed at the man-child who made them waste their valuable time and expertise just so he and his family could have a fun rec day/photo op.
The most common reason gun owners--especially new, urban, and less affluent gun owners--give for owning guns is self-defense; but the rules at DNR-run public ranges in Michigan make it next to impossible for the people who benefit most from them to practice practical defensive shooting skills.
Anti-monarchist Anti-fascist Anti-communist (market/eco-socialism is cool though 😉)
I'm sorry, nine HUNDRED former DOJ lawyers all signed this letter opposing Emil Bove's nomination to be an appellate federal judge? 900?!
Who knew Pamela Jo had an ethics adviser to begin with?! 🤷🏻♀️
In July 1863, Camp William Penn opened in Cheltenham Township, PA, as the first & largest federal training camp for Black soldiers in the Civil War. Over 11,000 formerly enslaved and free Black men trained to fight for freedom. 41 days til Slavery Remembrance Day. #CountdownToSRD
A lot of them started wearing balaclavas and neck gaiters because these met many department requirements for face coverings during COVID. Because heaven forbid they just wear medical masks lest they even look like they care about health instead of cosplaying as the counter-terrorists from CS:GO.
Every official government account sounds like the north Korean propaganda lady these days.
But this is what I've been reminding myself: rebellion against tyranny is worth celebrating. Ideals of democracy, liberty and justice for all are worth celebrating, and America's wholesale rejection of these values which it has never in its history truly lived up to does nothing to change that.
I've been struggling with this one a lot as well. It doesn't help that this is my first Independence Day not being in the US (or maybe it does, weirdly). My wife (an immigrant and recently naturalized citizen) loves the song "God Bless the USA" but I legit found it hard to listen to this year.
And if we want to keep celebrating, we may soon have need to remember and reapply this lesson.
Calling this circus an "administration" is laughable as they are properly administering nothing.
People who wouldn't have jobs if they weren't angry white men accusing anyone with more melanin than them of being "diversity hires" is my least favorite current trend.
"Fully acknowledging the risk of being deported or assassinated for my actions, I dissent."
Breaking: SCOTUS rules that judges can no longer judge. They'll decide next whether the Constitution is best used as kindling or tinder
I drive a Tacoma with a mild lift and off-road tires that could give off slightly obnoxious vet-bro vibes, so this is how I make sure anyone who sees it parked doesn't get the wrong idea.
NO KINGS!
Happy 250th birthday to the United States Army! May you always be the first to fight for the right!
To me the word "inherently" implies that the violence is central to the ideology; there is no imaginable way for that ideology to be expressed non-violently. For example, Nazism requires violence against those deemed "inferior." Without violence, it wouldn't be Nazism; the violence is inherent.
Fun fact: because sheriffs are elected officials, they can't be fired. They can be recalled, but it isn't easy to do. While some may argue that electing sheriffs is good for police accountability, in truth few people pay attention to who their sheriff even is, and most sheriffs run unopposed.
I'm considerably more worried about what I think is the far more present threat of right-wing paramilitaries, likely to include a good number of law enforcement agencies. In my experience, police tend to align much more consistently with the far right than the military.
More importantly, state National Guard components control a significant amount of equipment and infrastructure, and it is very likely that at least some states will refuse to hand over that equipment and infrastructure to the federal government. If that happens, we're talking full-blown civil war.
I think the assumption that regardless of how many troops refuse to obey unlawful orders, the government will retain all of the equipment ignores a couple things. First, defecting soldiers are very likely to bring at least some of their equipment with them.
I don't know if you heard about the group in Ohio that mobilized in response to armed neo-Nazis protesting in their neighborhood, but in cases like that a show of force can be very effective in deterring right-wing violence.
I don't think they have as much of the military as they or you think, and frankly it will be the military that makes the biggest impact; but that doesn't mean armed, socially conscious civilians can't make or aren't already making a difference.
I don't hunt. Don't believe in it. I do, however, believe in armed individual and organized community self-defense.
With all due respect, if you think one shot will ever be reliably sufficient in a self defense or combat scenario, you don't know what you're talking about. I want to be at least as well armed as my anticipated threat, which is MAGA, and you know they have plenty of AR-15s.
Personally I don't see the point of owning a firearm if it won't be effective.
Also, while many states do permit private sales between individuals which are not subject to background checks as only dealers have access to NICS, every purchase from a licensed dealer is subject to a check; and ANYONE who knowingly sells a firearm to a prohibited person commits a federal offense.
And the AR-15 is not "military grade" as it is not capable of fully automatic fire. Moreover, it is inarguably in common use for lawful purposes so under current jurisprudence it is indeed unlikely that AWBs will hold up to scrutiny should SCOTUS ever choose to grant cert to a case challenging one.
Snope v. Brown was a case challenging an assault weapons ban, which affects firearms like the AR-15. SCOTUS appears to be waiting for a split in lower court decisions before stepping in to resolve the issue.
"There is no such thing as a mentally healthy person anymore, just someone who doesn't have good enough health insurance to get a diagnosis." - John Oliver
They don't want to be identified as some of the same folks who demonstrated outside their state capitol with rifles and body armor threatening to murder politicians if they were "forced" to wear masks in public.
Elect a convicted felon, expect a crime spree.
ICE agents going to secure courthouses to arrest “dangerous” immigrants are as brave as the Uvalde cops.
In case you weren't aware, Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" which passed the House contains a provision which would make it effectively impossible for courts to enforce contempt citations by prohibiting them from using appropriated funds to do so. Call your senators today and tell them to vote NO!
The Secretary of Defense is using the Pentagon auditorium, on government-billed hours, to hold Christian-only prayer services with a minister who doesn’t think women deserve to serve and promoted the idea that Trump is a divinely appointed leader. MORE: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/u...
No lies detected. I stand with Pete.
Here’s an idea: Stop acting like the Gestapo.
So he agrees that multi-billion-dollar corporations raking in record profits can afford to pay more taxes?
It’s plain for all to see.
IOWA: “It is a complete pleasure to hear somebody speak in complete sentences.” *Pete Buttigieg gets a rousing Ovation at the #VoteVetsTownHall* 👏🏽
Marjorie, I know the truth confuses you and facts ain’t your strong suit—so let me break it down real slow: George Floyd didn’t die from drugs. He died because Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 minutes. That’s called murder.
Trump's Department of Justice serves three purposes: Declare that whatever Trump wants to do is legal. Dispense favors on Trump's political allies. Investigate and punish Trump's political opponents. It is a dangerous three tiered system of justice that is leading our country down a dark road.
“You can’t make this up.” - Marsha, making it up
My latest post on my Law and Disorder Substack katiephang.substack.com/p/refugee-fo...
So let me get this straight: masks are bad and un-American if worn to fight a pandemic, but good if worn by people claiming to be government agents when they kidnap people off the street
This will NEVER get old‼️🤣🤣🤣
ICE is the Gestapo. Full stop.
I've seen a lot of people saying it was faked, but you're right, you didn't. I apologize if I misunderstood.
No it doesn't, and it's very likely they exaggerated the damage done. That doesn't mean the whole thing was faked, and given the fact that we know real bullets were flying in his general direction, I find the suggestion that it was faked highly unlikely.
Why are their faces covered?
Why on earth would we expect him to say anything about the people who died? He's a narcissist who doesn't care about anyone but himself. He did exactly what we all expected him to do: turned the whole thing into political capital.
Ears do have lots of small blood vessels so they bleed a lot; but as for the permanent wound it could look like anything from a small hole (if it passed completely through) to hardly anything at all if it barely nicked it.
I question the credentials of whoever said that, because the truth is it is perfectly plausible that a bullet grazing an ear does very little permanent damage. Ears just don't have enough mass to get the round to effectively dump its energy; it's like punching a hole in paper.
TANK vs TESLA "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again" - WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank
High school English teachers can be the worst. Context matters too. I would criticize the overall tone of this letter as unprofessional and inappropriate for government correspondence, but the sentences identified as "run-on" by the proofreader aren't abnormally long for legal writing.
You know what? That's valid.
Nope, that's a legitimate error that I made. I'm not defending the letter; it's terrible. But I do think we should limit criticism to actual mistakes (however nitpicky) rather than personal style preference. Nobody likes losing points on a paper just because the professor subjectively dislikes it.
But I guess to be embarrassed they would have to care what anyone else thinks. They are complaining about transparently manufactured grievances. This letter isn't intended to convince anyone who hasn't already drunk the right-wing Cool-Aid; it's a declaration of war.
Eh, a lot of the corrections are nitpicky and more reflect the individual's stylistic preferences than actual mistakes. There are some glaring errors which a proofreader should have caught; most notably, the whole "the '[t]he'" thing. Definitely embarrassing considering the purpose of the letter.
I'm sick of people who have literally never in their life had to ask the price telling me that the reason I struggle to make ends meet is because I spend too much on things I don't need.
“Religion flourishes in greater purity, without than with the aid of Government,” James Madison wrote, in 1822. Two centuries later, the incredible shrinking establishment clause would have worried him. It should trouble us as well.” www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
“They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have 5.”
You can't simplify World War II to "the Soviets did all the real work" or "the US propped up everyone else." We were the Allies for a reason.
And if the US hadn't recognized that we needed the Soviets just as much as they needed us we never would have given them aid. Yes, Lend-Lease was vital to the Soviet war effort, but keeping the Eastern Front open was likewise vital to the success of the western Allies.
If as President you answer “I don’t know” when asked if you’ll follow the Constitution, you have violated your oath of office and should be removed.
Legitimate presidents don’t dither about whether or not they should follow the Constitution.
"The Vet-Bro SecDef" is the most perfect description I have heard of this man.
#TrumpTariffs
I was just told that I have to remove “climate” from the title of an ongoing grant if I want to keep it. And publications from that grant cannot include “climate” and other forbidden words. I can’t believe I’m writing this from the United States of America. #AcademicSky
Not only do we have them, we also have the good sense and training to know not to get into the habit of holding them by the gas block, which gets very very hot very very quickly.
No "mandate from the people" can empower any president to do anything which the Constitution forbids, no matter how popular that thing may be with voters; if this were so, the limits on presidential power would be meaningless as every president, by virtue of being elected, has the same "mandate." 🧵
🧵 Americans voted for Trump to be president (and it was a plurality, not a majority and certainly not "overwhelmingly"). The powers they voted to give him are those of the President of the United States, which are constitutionally limited, and the courts are responsible for parsing those limits.
The reality of the USA trumps the most ridiculous satire attempts - I shared a meme a week ago, and look - Lindsey Graham posts the "same" yesterday... this can't be real, right? Then I checked the voting record of American Catholics... 🤷🤦🏼. More in comments.
How come “shrinking government” always involves taking away school lunches and building 3,000 more prisons.
Despite seeing several people I totally trust say this was real I still felt I had to verify it with my own eyes. And having done so I still can't believe it's real.
There it is, in a nutshell.
ICE Agents Wait At Edge Of Delivery Table To Deport Newborn
Given the literal definition of deportation is removing a foreigner or noncitizen from the country, we - journalists, media orgs - should probably all stop referring to the ‘deportation’ of a 2 year old US citizen. It’s NOT a deportation. I’m not sure what it is. A kidnapping?
Israel has blocked food and water from entering Gaza for 50 days now. That compounds the genocide Israelis have perpetrated for a year prior. American foreign policy has not been this favorable to genocide since Indonesia in 1975, with the military aid that allowed their invasion of East Timor
A headline from Hell. @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04...
This is the population growth of humanity and it should be impossible to interpret this as a decline but here we are
NEW: A federal judge raised alarm Friday that the Trump administration appeared to have deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras with "no meaningful process" — even as her father was fighting to keep her in the country. Details w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/04...
(1/4) It was America and Britain that guaranteed the sovereignty of Ukraine and its borders in return for persuading them to give up their nuclear weapons.
This has always been true. Behind the Hugo Boss-designed uniforms, the imposing banners and the aesthetics of power, the Nazis were little more than moronic conspiracy theorists. Hitler was a global laughing stock--until the day the world realized his agenda was no laughing matter.