John Banks
@johnlbanks.bsky.social
Essayist and activist on foreign policy, authoritarianism, tech, and security issues. Elder Gen Z, Big L Liberal. Writing a lot more about Canada-US relations. Words in Liberal Currents.
Pinned
Martin Sellner Should Not Be Allowed In Canada. This Is Why.
A German neo-Nazi activist with strong connections to Russian intelligence assets is the Carney government’s most recent test of its commitments to combatting antisemitism and Islamophobia
johnbankscan.substack.com
My first article on Glorious and Free, about why Martin Sellner should be denied entry to Canada
"Sellner’s longstanding and ongoing affiliation with Russian influence agents... poses a new threat vector beyond that posed by his virulent hate."
johnbankscan.substack.com/p/martin-sel...
"Sellner’s longstanding and ongoing affiliation with Russian influence agents... poses a new threat vector beyond that posed by his virulent hate."
johnbankscan.substack.com/p/martin-sel...
Absolutely none of these arguments matter, simply pointing out Trump is unpopular is the exact same feckless nonsense Israeli libs say to excuse their failures to act on Netanyahu's crime spree. We don't care about your country's buyers' remorse, you will only be forgiven if you eradicate the GOP.
bsky.app/profile/10-5...
The peak of his popularity was the slimmest possible margin he could’ve won with and he’s only lost support since
The peak of his popularity was the slimmest possible margin he could’ve won with and he’s only lost support since
“Even bigger mandate”
First “mandate” = losing the popular vote
Second “mandate” = squeaking out a single percentage point
First “mandate” = losing the popular vote
Second “mandate” = squeaking out a single percentage point
September 18, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Absolutely none of these arguments matter, simply pointing out Trump is unpopular is the exact same feckless nonsense Israeli libs say to excuse their failures to act on Netanyahu's crime spree. We don't care about your country's buyers' remorse, you will only be forgiven if you eradicate the GOP.
Reposted by John Banks
Yes. It's both cruel and stupid. Cruel because it dehumanizes us. Stupid because it implies enough of us agree on anything for there to be a "transgender ideology" beyond the acknowledgement of our existence.
September 18, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Yes. It's both cruel and stupid. Cruel because it dehumanizes us. Stupid because it implies enough of us agree on anything for there to be a "transgender ideology" beyond the acknowledgement of our existence.
Reposted by John Banks
This is bad and should be called out. I push back against accusing everyone that breathes for wanting to throw us under the bus, so it is credible when we call it out when it unambiguously occurs. This is an unambiguous occurrence.
Marcy Kaptur is the incumbent with a 5 point polling lead so I must assume she put out this ad because this is what she believes.
September 17, 2026 at 7:48 PM
This is bad and should be called out. I push back against accusing everyone that breathes for wanting to throw us under the bus, so it is credible when we call it out when it unambiguously occurs. This is an unambiguous occurrence.
I don't care how icky the introspection makes you feel, America's currently got an attempted autocracy filled to the brim with neo-Nazi staffers that are responsible for over 750,000 deaths so far, 15 million by 2030. Libbed out Americans need to start accepting they are now the Evil Empire.
September 18, 2026 at 2:56 AM
I don't care how icky the introspection makes you feel, America's currently got an attempted autocracy filled to the brim with neo-Nazi staffers that are responsible for over 750,000 deaths so far, 15 million by 2030. Libbed out Americans need to start accepting they are now the Evil Empire.
He's not going to stop, there's an underlying dogma that the right is convinced if they follow it, will bring them a competitive export sector.
genuinely craterbrain shit
Well, that took longer than I thought, but he hath spoken:
September 17, 2026 at 11:22 AM
He's not going to stop, there's an underlying dogma that the right is convinced if they follow it, will bring them a competitive export sector.
Reposted by John Banks
Over six months, we tracked the appearance of child sexual abuse material on X. We found images from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's database, which is considered one of the most highly vetted and which many tech companies block on upload. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/t...
Elon Musk Has Pledged to Rid His Platform, X, of Child Sexual Abuse, but It Persists
Reviews by the Canadian Center for Child Protection and The New York Times found that explicit images of children remain on the social media site owned by Elon Musk.
www.nytimes.com
September 11, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Over six months, we tracked the appearance of child sexual abuse material on X. We found images from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's database, which is considered one of the most highly vetted and which many tech companies block on upload. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/t...
Reposted by John Banks
one extremely funny thing is watching the same people rotate through different excuses for not engaging with politics in a meaningful way cycle after cycle
You sound delusional. If they share the same beliefs about trans people (which they clearly do) then they will kill equal numbers of trans people. The question is simple do you believe in the liberal conception of universal rights or do you not?
September 12, 2026 at 9:38 PM
one extremely funny thing is watching the same people rotate through different excuses for not engaging with politics in a meaningful way cycle after cycle
This is a stupid argument against supporting trans rights by someone who supports trans rights, which makes this even stupider and more depressing. The idea everyone else's rights don't matter and should be held hostage is the most delusional, losingest argument of all time.
I don’t think anyone should be abstaining or voting Republican and I resent the binary, but you are also not wrestling with the key problem here: if Democrats defend us but lose a few seats, we can come back and win them later. If they turn on us now, we are fucked. Permanently. There is no rematch.
September 13, 2026 at 5:57 AM
This is a stupid argument against supporting trans rights by someone who supports trans rights, which makes this even stupider and more depressing. The idea everyone else's rights don't matter and should be held hostage is the most delusional, losingest argument of all time.
No, it's not journalistic malpractice, it's propaganda. They are actively supporting the Trump admin.
Jon Husted’s staffer took part in “Nazi military exercises” & had a “Tales from Rhodesia” Spotify playlist.
The fact that significant swathes of the media ignore the multiple major Republican campaign staffers outed as Neo-Nazis (to focus on Hasan Piker instead) is journalistic malpractice.
The fact that significant swathes of the media ignore the multiple major Republican campaign staffers outed as Neo-Nazis (to focus on Hasan Piker instead) is journalistic malpractice.
September 13, 2026 at 5:51 AM
No, it's not journalistic malpractice, it's propaganda. They are actively supporting the Trump admin.
It's not journalistic malpractice, it's prop
Jon Husted’s staffer took part in “Nazi military exercises” & had a “Tales from Rhodesia” Spotify playlist.
The fact that significant swathes of the media ignore the multiple major Republican campaign staffers outed as Neo-Nazis (to focus on Hasan Piker instead) is journalistic malpractice.
The fact that significant swathes of the media ignore the multiple major Republican campaign staffers outed as Neo-Nazis (to focus on Hasan Piker instead) is journalistic malpractice.
September 13, 2026 at 5:50 AM
It's not journalistic malpractice, it's prop
Reposted by John Banks
Wreckers and infighters are over-represented on this website. Elsewhere, the vast majority are meeting the moment by doing Popular Front. A good example is Stevens endorsing El Sayed in MI and Hong endorsing Crowley in WI.
September 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Wreckers and infighters are over-represented on this website. Elsewhere, the vast majority are meeting the moment by doing Popular Front. A good example is Stevens endorsing El Sayed in MI and Hong endorsing Crowley in WI.
Criticising Seven Havens as Orientalist? Avatar was always subverting Orientalist tropes but it's still reproducing elements of Orientalism in doing so. The series' issue is that today's issues aren't something that come up in an early medieval setting.
September 12, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Criticising Seven Havens as Orientalist? Avatar was always subverting Orientalist tropes but it's still reproducing elements of Orientalism in doing so. The series' issue is that today's issues aren't something that come up in an early medieval setting.
Reposted by John Banks
HELLO, BASED DEPARTMENT?
Kallas says an Occupied Territories trade ban would be a "principled stance" and crucially doesn't even need unanimity. Yet no EU proposal exists.
September 12, 2026 at 7:04 AM
HELLO, BASED DEPARTMENT?
Reposted by John Banks
it’s important to hammer home that Biden is not and was not senile. The idea was a right wing conspiracy theory elevated to a truism by certain sections of the commentariat

A blatant lie about the Democratic president was alchemized into common knowledge

A blatant lie about the Democratic president was alchemized into common knowledge
Biden was applauded as he entered St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the 9/11 Memorial Mass.
Trump and Vance were invited.
They didn’t show.
Joe Biden did.
Trump and Vance were invited.
They didn’t show.
Joe Biden did.
September 11, 2026 at 6:20 PM
it’s important to hammer home that Biden is not and was not senile. The idea was a right wing conspiracy theory elevated to a truism by certain sections of the commentariat

A blatant lie about the Democratic president was alchemized into common knowledge

A blatant lie about the Democratic president was alchemized into common knowledge
Reposted by John Banks
The lion is growingly increasingly concerned about the centrifugal forces pulling apart international security frameworks
September 8, 2026 at 12:16 PM
The lion is growingly increasingly concerned about the centrifugal forces pulling apart international security frameworks
Sorry but I think one of our present issues is this understanding of liberals "winning" against anything. The liberal victory against totalitarianism didn't really happen, it just saw a detente with China while the USSR collapsed. Even then, that wasn't really a victory either.
liberal democracy is not a luxury. liberal democracy is the magic beast that ran the table on fascism and communism and totalitarianism. we did not do this by giving up on liberal democracy and embracing evil. we did this by sticking to our most dear principles.
September 9, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Sorry but I think one of our present issues is this understanding of liberals "winning" against anything. The liberal victory against totalitarianism didn't really happen, it just saw a detente with China while the USSR collapsed. Even then, that wasn't really a victory either.
What's even worse about it is that all of this behaviour is entirely because of its inability to locate revenue streams. It's like these claims of "AGI," it's shameless and suggests desperation to find a ladder out of OpenAI's debt hole.
OpenAI likely commited the most shameless theft today and there is nothing indicating the exposure wil stop them. We are all lab hamsters for them training data, and they will soon cordon off things they have stolen and demand massive subscription to get behind the wall.
September 9, 2026 at 1:54 AM
What's even worse about it is that all of this behaviour is entirely because of its inability to locate revenue streams. It's like these claims of "AGI," it's shameless and suggests desperation to find a ladder out of OpenAI's debt hole.
Reposted by John Banks
The lion is starting to believe that these might not be very bright guys and things are getting out of hand
September 8, 2026 at 10:09 PM
The lion is starting to believe that these might not be very bright guys and things are getting out of hand
The prophecy failing doesn't break cults, it radicalizes them into instigating the prophecy themselves, by any means necessary.
One of the more pernicious legacies of Woke I is that there has to be a good left reason why someone would go off the rails. And I fully agree that doctors can be complete assholes! But you're not going to defang or detour MAHA by acknowledging it, the prophecy has to fail like with QAnon.
September 7, 2026 at 9:26 AM
The prophecy failing doesn't break cults, it radicalizes them into instigating the prophecy themselves, by any means necessary.
Also these women are not victims lol, most parents that turn to the stuff RFK sells are abusers looking for plausible deniability in harming their children. There is no one except people with intellectual disabilities who think feedng bleach to their child constitutes care.
September 7, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Also these women are not victims lol, most parents that turn to the stuff RFK sells are abusers looking for plausible deniability in harming their children. There is no one except people with intellectual disabilities who think feedng bleach to their child constitutes care.
Reposted by John Banks
80 year-olds with pro-Palestine signs: arrested as terrorists.
Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years.
Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests.
The real two-tier policing.
Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years.
Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests.
The real two-tier policing.
September 7, 2026 at 5:59 AM
80 year-olds with pro-Palestine signs: arrested as terrorists.
Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years.
Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests.
The real two-tier policing.
Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years.
Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests.
The real two-tier policing.
There needs to be a discussion of how these SGEs and aspirants in Hegseth's troll army are very specifically focusing on trashing Canada and perceptions of the country's armed forces, and this cannot be separated from the fact DoD and State are targeting Canadians critical of the Trumpist project.
September 7, 2026 at 5:32 AM
There needs to be a discussion of how these SGEs and aspirants in Hegseth's troll army are very specifically focusing on trashing Canada and perceptions of the country's armed forces, and this cannot be separated from the fact DoD and State are targeting Canadians critical of the Trumpist project.
Core to civilisationism is irredentism and the desire to construct new hegemons out of imagined regional or cultural consensus. The Falklands was never controlled by Argentina, but that does not stop Milei from claiming them simply based on proximity.
noticiaslainsuperable.com.ar/2026/01/21/m...
noticiaslainsuperable.com.ar/2026/01/21/m...
September 7, 2026 at 5:26 AM
Core to civilisationism is irredentism and the desire to construct new hegemons out of imagined regional or cultural consensus. The Falklands was never controlled by Argentina, but that does not stop Milei from claiming them simply based on proximity.
noticiaslainsuperable.com.ar/2026/01/21/m...
noticiaslainsuperable.com.ar/2026/01/21/m...
Crazy that no one has anything to say about Trump posting AI slop of himself literally nuking the world, amid more DarkMAGA slop about terrorizing his enemies. If a Democrat posted this, it would be three weeks of coverage on CNN.
September 7, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Crazy that no one has anything to say about Trump posting AI slop of himself literally nuking the world, amid more DarkMAGA slop about terrorizing his enemies. If a Democrat posted this, it would be three weeks of coverage on CNN.
They are MAHA because they are racist and their entire world is shaped wholly by the disinformation they are served by tech companies. They aren't being "left behind," they are largely upper middle class suburbanites. Nor are they being "talked down to" by doctors.
September 7, 2026 at 5:04 AM
They are MAHA because they are racist and their entire world is shaped wholly by the disinformation they are served by tech companies. They aren't being "left behind," they are largely upper middle class suburbanites. Nor are they being "talked down to" by doctors.