The reality distortion field is growing... Trump says he will send troops to Portland to deal with 'domestic terrorists' www.npr.org/2025/09/27/n...

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Bo. Chilling out.

"CHASE ME!"

I also recall making a similar point about women in terrorism: women's motivation tended to be classified as based on personal grievances and experiences, while men's motivation tended to be described in purely political terms.

Very interesting observation here, and the terrorism nerd in me wonders if this specific pattern is reflected in how people talk about these 'hard to classify' cases (which is something we're all struggling with, admittedly).

Another thread on the CSIS study (and more), from @jessmarindavis.bsky.social

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Another thread, this time from @mikeajensen.bsky.social on the CSIS study

Thanks all for the various replies. Agree? Disagree? Here's the study so you can make your own mind up: www.csis.org/analysis/lef...

I certainly don't ascribe any intent on the part of the authors. I just have a different interpretation of what's happening.

1/n A few days ago, an article appeared in The Atlantic with a bold headline “Left-wing terrorism is on the rise.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Whether you want to admit it or not, we no longer have rule of law. We don’t have checks and balances. He has weaponized the Department of Justice. Pure retribution and nobody willing to stop him.

The consequences of this will be far-reaching, and for many, completely devastating. And I wonder how many people out there tonight even realize it's happening.

I will reserve my judgment of this article until I get a chance to view the full study and data. Byman is a seasoned scholar and has produced exceptional work over the years. With that said, in my view, the insistence that “far-right” always equals “pro-Trump” is a mistake. 1/

“You have to face the fact that a good number of Americans are simply comfortable with his (Trump’s) politics of power and dominance,” says Bruce Springsteen time.com/7319963/bruc...

“He was never really into politics, especially not politicians,” said another friend, who had known Jahn since age 8. “He was into politics only in the 4chan sense — contrarian, provocative, boundary-pushing for laughs, not conviction.”

“…Mangione’s attorneys cited several recent public statements by members of Trump’s administration they said “baselessly” connected him to “left-wing extremist groups” in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.” gothamist.com/news/doj-sta...

This is easily one of the biggest long-term tragedies of the Trump administration. The politicization of federal agencies and the steady erosion of institutional trust won't all just magically be fixed with the next election cycle.

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Aaaand that's enough social media for today.

"Ideological" is also misspelled.

A reminder that two things can be true: incidents of left-wing terrorism by non-state actors can be on the rise relative to right-wing terrorist non-state actors (for a particular period), and yet still be completely and utterly dwarfed by the scale and impact of this administration's actions.

Eager to read the forthcoming CSIS study behind this.

Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The designation of ANTIFA as a terrorist organization focuses on financing: there's a broad array of civil society organizations that could be targeted because of their anti-fascist work. This includes both donors and funders for various groups. www.npr.org/2025/09/19/n...

"Ryan Routh has been found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in September last year." www.bbc.com/news/article...

Left-Wing Terrorism Is on the Rise, by Daniel Byman and Riley McCabe www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Extremists used Discord to recruit American youth, officials warned this year www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...

"...you can imagine that they will be throwing investigative resources at this and that they will be targeting very broadly anybody who might potentially be considered to be anti-fascist," she said. www.npr.org/2025/09/19/n...

Apple TV+ has indefinitely delayed the release of their new TV show ‘THE SAVANT’, starring Jessica Chastain. The series follows an undercover investigator who infiltrates hate groups online to detect & prevent domestic extremists before they act. (Source: Deadline)

A federal jury found Ryan Routh guilty on all 5 charges for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024. After the verdict, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen but was restrained. Sentencing set for December 18.

Wrote a piece this week on the late David Rapoport's impact on me as a terrorism researcher and teacher. Will push out when released.

Did...did Antifa stop the escalator? Is Antifa in the room with us right now?

ICE agents held a 5-year-old autistic girl outside her Massachusetts home to pressure her father to surrender to authorities last week, according to the girl's family

What's grim is that educators see this as a problem that cannot be solved. *We* are the educators, so let's work with our students to solve the problem together. We can prohibit any AI usage in our courses if that's what we want to do. There are also are many ways to assess student competencies.

……..

Limu Emu and Doug did it better.

Born to hike

While professors getting fired for reposting news headlines.

“Controversial” For re-posting media headlines.

Good morning!

Good night. 🫡

So, a university president fired a professor because they taught a course that discussed there being more than two genders, and now the university president is being fired for not having fired the professor quickly enough, is where we're at. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/u...

When my local running group turns a corner only to find the local cycling group

Molly enjoying the change in weather.

The entire special issue on terrorist motivation has just been published, with several pieces #openaccess. Check it out. www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftpv20/3...

All thanks to you @ginavale.bsky.social for your *phenomenal* contribution with Hannah Rose on the framings of child terrorism offenders. This essential paper is available #OpenAccess www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

NEW: Revisiting Terrorist Motivation - A Critical Appraisal and New Directions for Research Our special issue launches shortly. Here's the primer: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....