Cvandijk
@cvandijk1.bsky.social
Firefighter, dad, union activist with a masters of public policy from UC Denver’s School of Public Affairs. Holding the fort in Commerce City (the ex-urbs of Denver).
It’s frustrating to see the 24hr news media obsessed with the manhunt for the killer of one of the worst bigots since Father Charles Coughlin while at the same time a school shooting was committed by one of the very people he and his organization radicalized.
September 12, 2025 at 3:36 PM
It’s frustrating to see the 24hr news media obsessed with the manhunt for the killer of one of the worst bigots since Father Charles Coughlin while at the same time a school shooting was committed by one of the very people he and his organization radicalized.
"Kirk insisted the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. He founded Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist to purge professors and teachers with what he called “radical leftist” agendas.
The idea that he championed free speech and liberty is absurd. He was an enemy of both."
The idea that he championed free speech and liberty is absurd. He was an enemy of both."
The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk
Martyrs are used by messianic movements to sanctify violence. To show any mercy or understanding toward the enemy is to betray the martyr and the cause the martyr died defending.
open.substack.com
September 12, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"Kirk insisted the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. He founded Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist to purge professors and teachers with what he called “radical leftist” agendas.
The idea that he championed free speech and liberty is absurd. He was an enemy of both."
The idea that he championed free speech and liberty is absurd. He was an enemy of both."
Reposted by Cvandijk
A new era of government censorship has begun.
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | A new era of government censorship has dawned
Donald Trump fancies himself a champion of free speech. Oh, really?
www.washingtonpost.com
January 31, 2025 at 1:47 PM
A new era of government censorship has begun.
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Cvandijk
So that all can read, I am gifting today’s NYT piece on the lawless presidency of the 45th President of the United States.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...
Opinion | A Road Map of Trump’s Lawless Presidency (Gift Article)
A diverse group of legal scholars flashes red warning lights about the future of America.
www.nytimes.com
April 28, 2025 at 5:52 PM
So that all can read, I am gifting today’s NYT piece on the lawless presidency of the 45th President of the United States.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...
“Competitive Authoritarianism”
"A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism." www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism
Most — but not all — political scientists are deeply troubled by the president's attempts to expand executive power, according to a national survey.
www.npr.org
April 23, 2025 at 3:12 AM
“Competitive Authoritarianism”
Called it.
At his rally in Wisconsin, South African billionaire Elon Musk says he will put an end to the Federal Reserve Bank and the US Dollar so that he, Peter Thiel and David Sacks (the South African broligarchs) can introduce a new cryptocurrency based financial system.
March 31, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Called it.
Reposted by Cvandijk
“Under the current policy, the Trump administration only needs to accuse someone of being a member of Tren de Aragua to make the case for their immediate removal, no need to prove that the accusation is true.”
great piece on Trump's immigrant gang hoax theintercept.com/2025/03/27/t...
How a Landlord and a Florida PR Firm Helped Trump Kick Off the Tren de Aragua Gang Panic
Trump’s “Operation Aurora” swept up only one suspected Tren de Aragua gang member — but set the stage for a radical expansion of government power.
theintercept.com
March 31, 2025 at 1:11 AM
“Under the current policy, the Trump administration only needs to accuse someone of being a member of Tren de Aragua to make the case for their immediate removal, no need to prove that the accusation is true.”
Reposted by Cvandijk
When scholars of authoritarianism and fascism leave U.S. universities because of the deteriorating political situation here, we should really worry.
March 26, 2025 at 12:50 AM
When scholars of authoritarianism and fascism leave U.S. universities because of the deteriorating political situation here, we should really worry.
Reposted by Cvandijk
It's critical for everyone to remember what an Executive Order is. It is the President communicating orders to members of the executive branch. Policies to pursue, actions to take, etc. They are not laws. They are not close to being laws. They are formalized memos to employees. That's all.
March 25, 2025 at 11:53 PM
It's critical for everyone to remember what an Executive Order is. It is the President communicating orders to members of the executive branch. Policies to pursue, actions to take, etc. They are not laws. They are not close to being laws. They are formalized memos to employees. That's all.
Reposted by Cvandijk
This seems like a good time to remind folks of what Hannah Arendt once wrote:
March 25, 2025 at 1:32 AM
This seems like a good time to remind folks of what Hannah Arendt once wrote:
Reposted by Cvandijk
“The official said that the decision to cut funding was made because Penn ‘infamously permitted a male to compete on its women’s swimming team.’”
Trump administration freezes $175 million in federal funding to Penn
According to a White House tweet, Wednesday's decision is a result of Penn's
www.thedp.com
March 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
“The official said that the decision to cut funding was made because Penn ‘infamously permitted a male to compete on its women’s swimming team.’”
Reposted by Cvandijk
Talked with @andersoncooper360.bsky.social about what is, and what IS NOT, DEI. And what Trump & his confederates are trying to accomplish with erasing the accomplishments of non-white people, women and LGBTQ people.
March 19, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Talked with @andersoncooper360.bsky.social about what is, and what IS NOT, DEI. And what Trump & his confederates are trying to accomplish with erasing the accomplishments of non-white people, women and LGBTQ people.
Reposted by Cvandijk
Folks are gonna dunk on the Trump voter and I get that but don’t sleep on the more disturbing part of the story:
March 16, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Folks are gonna dunk on the Trump voter and I get that but don’t sleep on the more disturbing part of the story:
Reposted by Cvandijk
ICE tortured a German green card holder living in New Hampshire to get him to give up his green card. He had no active issues in court. This is not the first person from a democracy to have disappeared. @ec.europa.eu, you need to issue a travel warning, and you need to do it now.
March 16, 2025 at 3:27 AM
ICE tortured a German green card holder living in New Hampshire to get him to give up his green card. He had no active issues in court. This is not the first person from a democracy to have disappeared. @ec.europa.eu, you need to issue a travel warning, and you need to do it now.
Reposted by Cvandijk
The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration.
FBI ordered Citibank to freeze the group bank's accounts.
newrepublic.com/post/192660/...
FBI ordered Citibank to freeze the group bank's accounts.
newrepublic.com/post/192660/...
Trump’s FBI Moves to Criminally Charge Major Climate Groups
The Trump administration is targeting climate organizations that received a Biden-era grant.
newrepublic.com
March 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM
The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration.
FBI ordered Citibank to freeze the group bank's accounts.
newrepublic.com/post/192660/...
FBI ordered Citibank to freeze the group bank's accounts.
newrepublic.com/post/192660/...
Reposted by Cvandijk
"Over the weekend, agents of the government entered a legal resident’s home without a warrant and arrested him, and then flew him a thousand miles away without notifying his family or lawyers about his whereabouts for a day. If you read about it in any other country, you would know what to call it."
The Disappearances Have Begun
Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.
www.splinter.com
March 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM
"Over the weekend, agents of the government entered a legal resident’s home without a warrant and arrested him, and then flew him a thousand miles away without notifying his family or lawyers about his whereabouts for a day. If you read about it in any other country, you would know what to call it."
This is how you do it.
Some "Russian Warship" vibes here from a tiny fed'l agency.
via Brett Murphy:
The African Development Foundation (budget ~$40 million) is putting up a fight and denying DOGE + Pete Marocco — the State Dept official dismantling USAID — access to their building:
via Brett Murphy:
The African Development Foundation (budget ~$40 million) is putting up a fight and denying DOGE + Pete Marocco — the State Dept official dismantling USAID — access to their building:
March 5, 2025 at 6:56 PM
This is how you do it.
“would-be authoritarians-from Franco, Hitler, and Mussolini in interwar Europe to Marcos, Castro, and Pinochet during the Cold War to Putin, Chávez, and Erdogan most recently-have justified their consolidation of power by labeling their opponents as an existential threat.” -How Democracies Die
March 5, 2025 at 3:04 PM
“would-be authoritarians-from Franco, Hitler, and Mussolini in interwar Europe to Marcos, Castro, and Pinochet during the Cold War to Putin, Chávez, and Erdogan most recently-have justified their consolidation of power by labeling their opponents as an existential threat.” -How Democracies Die