Martin Pánek
@mmister.com
Open borders & social justice.
Lukewarm coffee and lukewarm takes at @inlist.cz.
Lukewarm coffee and lukewarm takes at @inlist.cz.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
January 22, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Recall that a district court wrote a lengthy and closely reasoned opinion blocking DOGE's access to sensitive SSA data after extensive briefing. The Fourth Circuit agreed. Then SCOTUS threw that out with no explanation in a two-page emergency order.
"Two members of Elon Musk’s DOGE team working at the Social Security Administration were secretly in touch with an advocacy group seeking to “overturn election results in certain states,” and one signed an agreement that may have involved using Social Security data to match state voter rolls..."
If anyone has any information on the identity of the "advocacy group tyring to overturn election results in certain states” and who were secretly in contact with DOGE, my Signal is DavidGilbert.01
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 22, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Recall that a district court wrote a lengthy and closely reasoned opinion blocking DOGE's access to sensitive SSA data after extensive briefing. The Fourth Circuit agreed. Then SCOTUS threw that out with no explanation in a two-page emergency order.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Had to bring this over for "rinses his ass" 🤌
January 22, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Had to bring this over for "rinses his ass" 🤌
Reposted by Martin Pánek
I think any straightforward reading of the foreign emoluments clause forbids the president from personally taking a lifetime office and title like this without Congress’s consent fwiw.
I think the Board of Peace is one of those things that’s not unconstitutional, but anti-constitutional.
It is not clear to me this org obligates the United States to do anything like a treaty. But, entering a multi-national working group where Trump is chairman for life violates enduring values.
It is not clear to me this org obligates the United States to do anything like a treaty. But, entering a multi-national working group where Trump is chairman for life violates enduring values.
US law requires 2/3 Senate approval for international treaties
January 22, 2026 at 1:14 PM
I think any straightforward reading of the foreign emoluments clause forbids the president from personally taking a lifetime office and title like this without Congress’s consent fwiw.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Each of those things were *also* un-American.
Not because they weren't done by Americans, and by America, but because they were always contradictory to what America creedally claimed to be: the land where all men were created equal and endowed with inalienable rights
Not because they weren't done by Americans, and by America, but because they were always contradictory to what America creedally claimed to be: the land where all men were created equal and endowed with inalienable rights
I fear my tipping point into madness is "Thus is un-American" posts in response to ICE terrorizing immigrants. I beg you to open Wikipedia (I would say a book but let's start small) and read up on The Trail of Tears, Fugitive Slave Catchers, Japanese internment, Indian Boarding schools & Jim Crow
January 22, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Each of those things were *also* un-American.
Not because they weren't done by Americans, and by America, but because they were always contradictory to what America creedally claimed to be: the land where all men were created equal and endowed with inalienable rights
Not because they weren't done by Americans, and by America, but because they were always contradictory to what America creedally claimed to be: the land where all men were created equal and endowed with inalienable rights
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Should we scrap elections and pick legislators at random? Some philosophers say yes. In my latest paper, I argue there are strong reasons to doubt that ordinary citizens are smart enough for the job.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sortition and cognitive ability - Brian Kogelmann, 2026
There is a growing sense that representative democracy is in crisis, leading to renewed interest in alternative institutional designs. One popular proposal—what...
journals.sagepub.com
January 21, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Should we scrap elections and pick legislators at random? Some philosophers say yes. In my latest paper, I argue there are strong reasons to doubt that ordinary citizens are smart enough for the job.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Pastors working for ICE
Sex workers running mutual aid for immigrants
Which one looks more like Jesus???
Sex workers running mutual aid for immigrants
Which one looks more like Jesus???
January 21, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Pastors working for ICE
Sex workers running mutual aid for immigrants
Which one looks more like Jesus???
Sex workers running mutual aid for immigrants
Which one looks more like Jesus???
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Since a lot of people in replies seem not to know this: Trump is unfortunately not hallucinating the "daddy" thing. It says obvious things about him how much he loves it and keeps talking about it, but all the more reason why Rutte shouldn't have said it.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/nat...
abcnews.go.com/Politics/nat...
NATO secretary-general calls Trump 'Daddy'
Rutte piled praise on Trump when asked about his use of the term.
abcnews.go.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Since a lot of people in replies seem not to know this: Trump is unfortunately not hallucinating the "daddy" thing. It says obvious things about him how much he loves it and keeps talking about it, but all the more reason why Rutte shouldn't have said it.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/nat...
abcnews.go.com/Politics/nat...
Reposted by Martin Pánek
In Trump's telling, the US are the equivalent of the Nazis
Trump: "No nation is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the US. We're a great power. Much greater than people even understand. I think they found that out 2 weeks ago in Venezuela. We saw this in World War 2 when Denmark fell to Germany after just 6 hours of fighting."
January 21, 2026 at 2:10 PM
In Trump's telling, the US are the equivalent of the Nazis
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Mark Carney's speech is now only the second most acute analysis of where the world is at right now:
January 21, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Mark Carney's speech is now only the second most acute analysis of where the world is at right now:
Reposted by Martin Pánek
I'm still surprised by anyone who defends Trump's tariff policy.
January 21, 2026 at 2:50 PM
I'm still surprised by anyone who defends Trump's tariff policy.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
I remember whenwe used to be regularly assured the pivot to presidentiality was imminent.
January 21, 2026 at 3:20 PM
I remember whenwe used to be regularly assured the pivot to presidentiality was imminent.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
I cannot tell you how absolutely infuriatingly this stuff comes across to Europeans.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
Newsom: "It was remarkably boring. It was remarkably insignificant. He was never going invade Greenland. It was never real."
January 21, 2026 at 4:22 PM
I cannot tell you how absolutely infuriatingly this stuff comes across to Europeans.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
The justices keep returning to the hypo of a Fed governor posting pro-Nazi videos to ask whether that would meet the bar for for-cause removal. The idea that this kind of content would obviously cross the line seems a bit farcical given some of the material that DHS regularly posts on social media
January 21, 2026 at 4:29 PM
The justices keep returning to the hypo of a Fed governor posting pro-Nazi videos to ask whether that would meet the bar for for-cause removal. The idea that this kind of content would obviously cross the line seems a bit farcical given some of the material that DHS regularly posts on social media
Reposted by Martin Pánek
This is some wild shit but, will probably save the Fed. Because the Fed is the only independent agency the Republican Justices care about
Oh man, Kav quotes his confirmation hearing, says if they side with Trump here, "what goes around comes around" and the next Dem President will go ahead and fire the whole board.
Kav doesn't care about that for any other agency. But he clearly cares about the Fed's independence.
Kav doesn't care about that for any other agency. But he clearly cares about the Fed's independence.
January 21, 2026 at 4:10 PM
This is some wild shit but, will probably save the Fed. Because the Fed is the only independent agency the Republican Justices care about
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Trump: "There are windmills all over Europe. There are windmills all over the place. And they are losers. One thing I've noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses, and the worse that country is doing. I haven't been able to find any wind farms in China."
January 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Trump: "There are windmills all over Europe. There are windmills all over the place. And they are losers. One thing I've noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses, and the worse that country is doing. I haven't been able to find any wind farms in China."
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Trump is now confusing Greenland and Iceland: "They're not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you. Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland has already cost us a lot of money."
January 21, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Trump is now confusing Greenland and Iceland: "They're not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you. Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland has already cost us a lot of money."
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Saat Kaman, India (December 2025) #cycling #cyclingempire
January 21, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Saat Kaman, India (December 2025) #cycling #cyclingempire
Reposted by Martin Pánek
I was a single-issue voter, and that issue was water coming out of the sink. I do not regret my vote.
Q: What goals do you have for '26 in Congress for your agenda?
TRUMP: I have great executive orders. Like, water coming out of a sink. The water wouldn't come out. They had all sorts of restrictions. I took them off. Straws. They don't have to be paper anymore. I'd like to have all that confirmed.
TRUMP: I have great executive orders. Like, water coming out of a sink. The water wouldn't come out. They had all sorts of restrictions. I took them off. Straws. They don't have to be paper anymore. I'd like to have all that confirmed.
January 21, 2026 at 3:51 AM
I was a single-issue voter, and that issue was water coming out of the sink. I do not regret my vote.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Reposted by Martin Pánek
Geraardsbergen, Belgium (January 2026)
January 20, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Geraardsbergen, Belgium (January 2026)
Reposted by Martin Pánek
A tweet from exactly 1yr ago that remains, even after everything Trump has done this past yr, 💯 spot on & true.👇
January 20, 2026 at 3:50 PM
A tweet from exactly 1yr ago that remains, even after everything Trump has done this past yr, 💯 spot on & true.👇
Reposted by Martin Pánek
It's so exhausting to to be constantly told by American leaders that the defining policy of the 80 odd years during which the US became the most wealthy and powerful country in the history of the world was a grossly unfair failure for them.
US trade secretary Howard Lutnick really not mincing his words here at Davos: "We are here to make a v clear point: globalisation has failed the West and the USA. It's a failed policy. It's what the WEF has stood for, which is, export, offshore, find the cheapest labour in the world."
January 20, 2026 at 3:47 PM
It's so exhausting to to be constantly told by American leaders that the defining policy of the 80 odd years during which the US became the most wealthy and powerful country in the history of the world was a grossly unfair failure for them.
Reposted by Martin Pánek
1) Is it possible for a voice to be punchable? Because Gorka may have the world's most punchable voice.
2) It is not entirely surprising that Dr. Seb Gorka Ph.D. (sic) doesn't really understand that when you're using the Nazis in an analogy you're supposed to want to be *on the other side.*
2) It is not entirely surprising that Dr. Seb Gorka Ph.D. (sic) doesn't really understand that when you're using the Nazis in an analogy you're supposed to want to be *on the other side.*
Gorka: "Read a little bit of history. What happened when another nation tried to encroach on Greenland and in fact invaded Denmark? The Third Reich"
January 20, 2026 at 5:48 PM
1) Is it possible for a voice to be punchable? Because Gorka may have the world's most punchable voice.
2) It is not entirely surprising that Dr. Seb Gorka Ph.D. (sic) doesn't really understand that when you're using the Nazis in an analogy you're supposed to want to be *on the other side.*
2) It is not entirely surprising that Dr. Seb Gorka Ph.D. (sic) doesn't really understand that when you're using the Nazis in an analogy you're supposed to want to be *on the other side.*