Michael Johnson
@michaeljohnsonumf.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Look man: That was a GREAT show. You don't have to know Spanish to get up and dance your azz off. Lady and Ricky were the chef's kiss.
February 9, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Look man: That was a GREAT show. You don't have to know Spanish to get up and dance your azz off. Lady and Ricky were the chef's kiss.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
You know you were all talking about it and it’s still so much worse than I thought it would be.
February 9, 2026 at 1:08 AM
You know you were all talking about it and it’s still so much worse than I thought it would be.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Breaking MS NOW:
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
Judge denies DHS bid to rush removal of Liam Ramos and his family
Kristen Stenvik, superintendent of the district where Liam goes to school, said the ruling provides both “additional time” and “continued uncertainty.”
www.ms.now
February 7, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Breaking MS NOW:
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
Reposted by Michael Johnson
More spoilers: and I’m another.
Ok, spoiler alert: I’m one of the editors of this cheeky bit of scholarship.
The editors (@saralspurgeon1.bsky.social) of WEIRD WESTERNS and HELL-BENT FOR LEATHER join the blog to discuss their experiences building a course around the "Weird Western."
February 5, 2026 at 2:32 AM
More spoilers: and I’m another.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Ok, spoiler alert: I’m one of the editors of this cheeky bit of scholarship.
The editors (@saralspurgeon1.bsky.social) of WEIRD WESTERNS and HELL-BENT FOR LEATHER join the blog to discuss their experiences building a course around the "Weird Western."
Teaching Weird Westerns
Kerry Fine is an instructor in the Department of English at Arizona State University. Michael K. Johnson is professor of American literature at the University of Maine-Farmington. Rebecca M. Lush is a professor in the Literature and Writing Studies Department and is the Faculty Center director at California State University San Marcos. Sara L. Spurgeon is professor of English and directs the Literature, Social Justice, and Environment Program at Texas Tech University.
unpblog.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Ok, spoiler alert: I’m one of the editors of this cheeky bit of scholarship.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Well, my fellow Maine voters. Here is Susan Collins today paying tribute to her boss while holding her MAGA hat.
February 4, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Well, my fellow Maine voters. Here is Susan Collins today paying tribute to her boss while holding her MAGA hat.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Bad Bunny received a standing ovation for his poignant speech taking aim at ICE as he accepted the Grammy award for best música urbana album.
Follow our live updates here:
https://wapo.st/49VPFQ4
Follow our live updates here:
https://wapo.st/49VPFQ4
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Bad Bunny received a standing ovation for his poignant speech taking aim at ICE as he accepted the Grammy award for best música urbana album.
Follow our live updates here:
https://wapo.st/49VPFQ4
Follow our live updates here:
https://wapo.st/49VPFQ4
Reposted by Michael Johnson
🚨TONIGHT’S PROTEST IN MINNEAPOLIS IS INSANE:
CNN is STUNNED. Share this widely!
“I've covered many protests… I've not seen a crowd like this before.” It’s 8 degrees. “It is freezing, but nothing, nothing is stopping these people.”
This isn’t a rally. It’s a movement. @calltoactivism.bsky.social
CNN is STUNNED. Share this widely!
“I've covered many protests… I've not seen a crowd like this before.” It’s 8 degrees. “It is freezing, but nothing, nothing is stopping these people.”
This isn’t a rally. It’s a movement. @calltoactivism.bsky.social
January 31, 2026 at 12:59 AM
🚨TONIGHT’S PROTEST IN MINNEAPOLIS IS INSANE:
CNN is STUNNED. Share this widely!
“I've covered many protests… I've not seen a crowd like this before.” It’s 8 degrees. “It is freezing, but nothing, nothing is stopping these people.”
This isn’t a rally. It’s a movement. @calltoactivism.bsky.social
CNN is STUNNED. Share this widely!
“I've covered many protests… I've not seen a crowd like this before.” It’s 8 degrees. “It is freezing, but nothing, nothing is stopping these people.”
This isn’t a rally. It’s a movement. @calltoactivism.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Johnson
January 31, 2026 at 12:17 AM
Reposted by Michael Johnson
“Warriors. You guys are the big dudes, huh?”
January 29, 2026 at 8:27 PM
“Warriors. You guys are the big dudes, huh?”
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Report from a user calling the Augusta office of Senator Susan Collins...
If you're a Mainer calling Collins, maybe add that her staff shouldn't be arguing with a constituent. Or calling them a fucking bitch.
If you're a Mainer calling Collins, maybe add that her staff shouldn't be arguing with a constituent. Or calling them a fucking bitch.
January 27, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Report from a user calling the Augusta office of Senator Susan Collins...
If you're a Mainer calling Collins, maybe add that her staff shouldn't be arguing with a constituent. Or calling them a fucking bitch.
If you're a Mainer calling Collins, maybe add that her staff shouldn't be arguing with a constituent. Or calling them a fucking bitch.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
my expectation of democratic senators is that they find 1/10th of the bravery of your average 70 year old lutheran lady following ICE around mpls in her subaru crosstrek
January 27, 2026 at 2:47 PM
my expectation of democratic senators is that they find 1/10th of the bravery of your average 70 year old lutheran lady following ICE around mpls in her subaru crosstrek
Reposted by Michael Johnson
The people of Minnesota have executed one of the most impressive civil resistance campaigns I can remember:
- Organized a city wide general strike
- Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence
- Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE
- Flipped public opinion against ICE
- Organized a city wide general strike
- Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence
- Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE
- Flipped public opinion against ICE
January 26, 2026 at 4:17 PM
The people of Minnesota have executed one of the most impressive civil resistance campaigns I can remember:
- Organized a city wide general strike
- Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence
- Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE
- Flipped public opinion against ICE
- Organized a city wide general strike
- Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence
- Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE
- Flipped public opinion against ICE
Reposted by Michael Johnson
I mean this sincerely, I like that they set up all the Trump administration's lawlessness in MPLS -- arresting toddlers, claiming they can enter homes, using pepper spray sadistically, etc. -- and then they close out the front page with Smith challenging Trump's lawlessness. Well done.
Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026
January 22, 2026 at 11:55 PM
I mean this sincerely, I like that they set up all the Trump administration's lawlessness in MPLS -- arresting toddlers, claiming they can enter homes, using pepper spray sadistically, etc. -- and then they close out the front page with Smith challenging Trump's lawlessness. Well done.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Red baseball caps, a take on President Trump’s MAGA hats, have become a symbol of defiance against Trump’s threat to seize Greenland.
"Nu det Nuuk!" swaps the Danish word "nok," which means enough, with "Nuuk," the capital of Greenland, creating a pun for "now it's enough." https://wapo.st/4a9ApxV
"Nu det Nuuk!" swaps the Danish word "nok," which means enough, with "Nuuk," the capital of Greenland, creating a pun for "now it's enough." https://wapo.st/4a9ApxV
January 21, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Red baseball caps, a take on President Trump’s MAGA hats, have become a symbol of defiance against Trump’s threat to seize Greenland.
"Nu det Nuuk!" swaps the Danish word "nok," which means enough, with "Nuuk," the capital of Greenland, creating a pun for "now it's enough." https://wapo.st/4a9ApxV
"Nu det Nuuk!" swaps the Danish word "nok," which means enough, with "Nuuk," the capital of Greenland, creating a pun for "now it's enough." https://wapo.st/4a9ApxV
Reposted by Michael Johnson
"Voters have rejected him. Courage is contagious. There are clear signs of the regime cracking and Trump weakening that are right in front of us. I’m encouraged by it, and I think Democrats have to learn that we need to act with greater ambition, because when we challenge Trump, we keep winning."
Simon Rosenberg on Trump’s no good, very bad year
"It’s grotesque. He’s become a grotesque figure."
www.publicnotice.co
January 16, 2026 at 10:07 PM
"Voters have rejected him. Courage is contagious. There are clear signs of the regime cracking and Trump weakening that are right in front of us. I’m encouraged by it, and I think Democrats have to learn that we need to act with greater ambition, because when we challenge Trump, we keep winning."
Reposted by Michael Johnson
If, like me, you spent the 2010s putting up boring non-fiction/literary fiction-only folks dismissing GoT because it was about “dragons and fantasy shit,” tell them to check out A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS and pretend it’s alt-history.
www.npr.org/2026/01/16/n...
www.npr.org/2026/01/16/n...
'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' is 'Game of Thrones' for the haters
There are no dragons, no maps and no internecine family trees in this Game of Thrones prequel about an underdog knight and his would-be squire.
www.npr.org
January 16, 2026 at 2:17 PM
If, like me, you spent the 2010s putting up boring non-fiction/literary fiction-only folks dismissing GoT because it was about “dragons and fantasy shit,” tell them to check out A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS and pretend it’s alt-history.
www.npr.org/2026/01/16/n...
www.npr.org/2026/01/16/n...
Reposted by Michael Johnson
This isn't just a casual observation. Fascism scholars have long made this point. It's why calling them "weird" was a more effective strategy than talking about the prices of eggs. Fascism is an aesthetic political movement - you need to make people feel embarassed and horrified by it.
one of the most effective weapons we have against fascism is mockery, especially when its really funny
It occurs to me all the yelling at ICE in MPLS isn't merely funny. Getting made fun of like this is awful for morale. ICE is losing field officers faster than it can wave them through training, and a big part of it is how little of this these little weasels can take.
January 12, 2026 at 5:54 PM
This isn't just a casual observation. Fascism scholars have long made this point. It's why calling them "weird" was a more effective strategy than talking about the prices of eggs. Fascism is an aesthetic political movement - you need to make people feel embarassed and horrified by it.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
just so we're clear on how stupid and unnecessary this is:
the entire state of Maine is w/in 100 miles of an international border, meaning CPB already has jurisdiction to do whatever the fuck it wants anytime it wants
this is just about fucking w/ a tiny blue city & a gov who protected trans kids
the entire state of Maine is w/in 100 miles of an international border, meaning CPB already has jurisdiction to do whatever the fuck it wants anytime it wants
this is just about fucking w/ a tiny blue city & a gov who protected trans kids
Woke up to more texts that ICE is in Portland, Maine. According to a message I received, they are expected to be here for a week.
Stay safe, local friends.
Stay safe, local friends.
January 13, 2026 at 1:12 AM
just so we're clear on how stupid and unnecessary this is:
the entire state of Maine is w/in 100 miles of an international border, meaning CPB already has jurisdiction to do whatever the fuck it wants anytime it wants
this is just about fucking w/ a tiny blue city & a gov who protected trans kids
the entire state of Maine is w/in 100 miles of an international border, meaning CPB already has jurisdiction to do whatever the fuck it wants anytime it wants
this is just about fucking w/ a tiny blue city & a gov who protected trans kids
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Should've never stopped calling those freaks "weird."
January 10, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Should've never stopped calling those freaks "weird."
Reposted by Michael Johnson
It's incredibly demoralizing to constantly see the highest institutions of government and academia and the most important and widely seen news outlets knuckle under one after another, but then to see the gulf between that and the bravery of communities and neighbors and teachers - that's something
January 10, 2026 at 12:33 AM
It's incredibly demoralizing to constantly see the highest institutions of government and academia and the most important and widely seen news outlets knuckle under one after another, but then to see the gulf between that and the bravery of communities and neighbors and teachers - that's something
Reposted by Michael Johnson
kind of darkly funny that "gender studies" is the stereotypical "useless degree" because gender studies will help you understand a large and important chunk of the current psychosis in american life
January 6, 2026 at 2:00 AM
kind of darkly funny that "gender studies" is the stereotypical "useless degree" because gender studies will help you understand a large and important chunk of the current psychosis in american life
Reposted by Michael Johnson
In celebration of Mamdani's first day in office, the map from our 2016 NYC atlas celebrating Queens as the most linguistically diverse place on earth. (800 languages spoken in NYC, according to NY's Endangered Language Institute, which collaborated with us on this map.
January 3, 2026 at 3:21 AM
In celebration of Mamdani's first day in office, the map from our 2016 NYC atlas celebrating Queens as the most linguistically diverse place on earth. (800 languages spoken in NYC, according to NY's Endangered Language Institute, which collaborated with us on this map.
Reposted by Michael Johnson
Imagine watching Sinatra, son of Dolly & Antonini born in Genoa & Sicily, respectively, and Martin, son of Gaetano & Angela, born in Montesilvano, Italy & Ohio respectively, (Angela to parents born in Monasterolo, Italy), and crusading against the value of children of immigrants to the U.S.
December 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Imagine watching Sinatra, son of Dolly & Antonini born in Genoa & Sicily, respectively, and Martin, son of Gaetano & Angela, born in Montesilvano, Italy & Ohio respectively, (Angela to parents born in Monasterolo, Italy), and crusading against the value of children of immigrants to the U.S.