Vince Polley
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vpolley.bsky.social
Vince Polley
@vpolley.bsky.social
140 followers 160 following 260 posts
Former Internet lawyer and techie. Michigan, frequently.
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Reposted by Vince Polley
portlandken.bsky.social
I have noticed a disturbing number of calls for violence against ICE agents. One word:

DON'T!

Around the world, dictators WANT violence because it provides cover for them to launch massive militarized retaliation. Dictators even stage false-flag operations to provide themselves with an excuse.
January 17, 2026 at 1:04 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
Touche (ht james fallows): open.substack.com/pub/fallows/...
The Rhetoric of Leaders: Meeting the Moment.
'In the life of the human spirit, words are action.' So said a US president during the Iron Curtain era, supporting all who spoke up for human dignity and human rights. Who is speaking up now? A list.
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:42 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
“face the shame”?!?! Trump?
theatlantic.com The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 16h
Donald Trump confronts a fateful choice in Iran: He can risk the unpredictable consequences of military action or face the shame of having given false encouragement to freedom fighters, Karim Sadjadpour argues.
Trump’s Fateful Choice in Iran
Taking military action is risky. Falsely encouraging freedom fighters would be shameful.
bit.ly
January 16, 2026 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Vince Polley
propublica.org
Advance Financial’s Flex Loan charges 279.5% interest, trapping thousands of borrowers in debts that end up in court, where the company has won over $200 million in judgments since 2015.

(Published May 2025 w/ @tennesseelookout.com)
This Lender Said Its Loans Would Help Tennesseans. It Has Sued More Than 110,000 of Them.
The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 9:53 PM
vpolley.bsky.social
wow — and, why?
kylegriffin1.bsky.social Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 4d
Breaking NYT:

The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter.

The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status.

That is a war crime called "perfidy."
U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
cwebbonline.com
They refused to probe a murder. The people with consciences walked out.

🚨 NEW: At least four leaders of the DOJ Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
January 13, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
jfallows.bsky.social
Would be useful for stories like this to point out, among her political ties, that her husband is the *GOP Senator from Pennsylvania.* (Beat Bob Casey by 0.2% in 2024.)

Not even mentioned in CNBC dispatch.
cnbc.com CNBC @cnbc.com · 4d
Meta names former Trump advisor Dina Powell McCormick as president, vice chair
Meta names former Trump advisor Dina Powell McCormick as president, vice chair
cnb.cx
January 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
vpolley.bsky.social
Good for Arnold & Porter
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 4d
BREAKING: Senator Mark Kelly sues Pete Hegseth, DOD, and others over Hegseth's censure of Kelly and effort to reduce his retirement grade, alleging violations of the First Amendment, due process, Speech & Debate Clause, and federal laws.

Kelly is represented by Arnold & Porter.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MARK KELLY, United States Senator representing the State of Arizona, 120 Constitution Ave NE, Suite 516 Washington, D.C. 20002 Plaintiff, V. PETE HEGSETH, in his official capacity as Secretary of Defense, 1600 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, 1600 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301 JOHN PHELAN, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Navy, 1000 Navy Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20350 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY, 1000 Navy Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20350 Defendants. Case No._ COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 9. If permitted to stand, the Secretary's censure and the grade-determination proceedings that he has directed will inflict immediate and irreparable harm. The censure, the grade-reduction process, and its inevitable outcome impose official punishment for protected speech, chill legislative oversight, and threaten reductions in rank and pay. Each of these actions also signals to retired service members and Members of Congress that criticism of the Executive's use of the armed forces may be met with retaliation through military channels. The Constitution does not leave such injuries to be remedied after the fact. Speech or Debate, First Amendment, separation-of-powers, and due-process protections must be vindicated at the outset, before the Senator is forced to submit to an unconstitutional and legally baseless proceeding. Senator Kelly therefore brings this complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief. Defendants' actions violate the First Amendment, the Speech or Debate Clause, the separation of powers, due process, 10 U.S.C. § 1370, and the Administrative Procedure Act. 11. In particular, Senator Kelly respectfully asks this Court to declare the censure letter, reopening determination, retirement grade determination proceedings, and related actions unlawful and unconstitutional; to vacate those actions; to enjoin their enforcement; and to preserve the status of a coequal Congress and an apolitical military. PRAYER FOR RELIEF For these reasons, Plaintiff respectfully requests an order: a) declaring Defendants' actions unlawful; b) enjoining the enforcement of Defendants' actions; c) vacating and setting aside Defendants' actions under 5 U.S.C. § 706; d) staying the effective date of Defendants' actions under 5 U.S.C. § 705; e) preliminarily and permanently enjoining Defendants, their agents, employees, appointees, successors, and anyone acting in concert or participation with Defendants from 45 Case 1:26-cv-00081 Document 1 Filed 01/12/26 Page 46 of 46 implementing, maintaining, or giving effect to Defendants' actions, including the Secretary of Defense's determinations and threats of further criminal or administrative action; f) awarding Plaintiff reasonable costs and attorney's fees in accordance with law, including but not limited to 28 U.S.C. § 2412; and g) issuing any and all other such relief as the Court deems just and proper.
January 12, 2026 at 8:36 PM
vpolley.bsky.social
Not a story by CBS
chadloder.bsky.social Chad Loder @chadloder.bsky.social · 7d
Apropos of absolutely nothing to do with the masked men with no visible agency insignia carrying crates of who knows what out of the shooter's house, but HBO just released an amazing documentary into DHS "shadow units" whose job was to destroy evidence of Border Patrol's crimes
HBO documentary sheds light on Border Patrol’s now-defunct ‘shadow units’
“Anastasio was tragically tortured, beaten, kicked, stomped, and killed by border agents,” said Guerrero. “Unfortunately, that was only the first part of the story, the second par…
www.borderreport.com
January 10, 2026 at 5:48 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
If Bari Weiss pulled it, watch & repost.
warmonitor.net The War Monitor @warmonitor.net · 7d
A career federal agent says that in 25 years, a fleeing vehicle has never justified killing its occupant, and officers should never stand in front of a running car. CBS reportedly pulled the interview, but it posted on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Retired ICE agent breaks down deadly Minneapolis shooting
YouTube video by CBS Evening News
www.youtube.com
January 10, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
orinkerr.bsky.social
One of my least popular periodic tweets: If you're a law professor, you might consider not submitting your articles to your own school's law review. Doing so can be unfair to authors elsewhere, as your home law review may evaluate your scholarship under a more lenient standard.
January 10, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
tvmojoe.bsky.social
Worth noting: ABC World News Tonight offered a full report on the J6 anniversary, including one rioter’s tearful apology to police, a statement from Pence and a note that the WH website today repeated “the lie” that the election was stolen.

NBC Nightly News didn’t cover the anniversary at all
tvmojoe.bsky.social Joe Adalian @tvmojoe.bsky.social · 10d
Tonight on the CBS Evening News, the 5-year anniversary of January 6 got 15 seconds of coverage 25 minutes into the show. The only pictures shown: Pardoned “defendants” marching through DC as Dokoupil said Trump accused Dems of “failing to prevent” J6 while “Jeffries accused Trump of “whitewashing.”
January 7, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
claireparins.bsky.social
January 7, 2026 at 4:52 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
sygent.bsky.social
So very true! Bad sad America!
#TrumpIsATraitorAndCriminal
#TrumptheSexPredator
#TrumpIsANationalDisgrace
#TrumpGlobalJoke
January 4, 2026 at 11:17 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
Not going well so far
January 4, 2026 at 11:19 PM
vpolley.bsky.social
What will SNL do tonight?
January 4, 2026 at 1:11 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 9:14 PM
vpolley.bsky.social
Might merit a try?
orinkerr.bsky.social Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 15d
I tried a version of this—muting the color down about 75%, rather than going entirely black & white— and Julia Angwin is on to something.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...
Opinion | I Killed Color on My Phone. The Result Shocked Me.
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:48 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
shashj.bsky.social
Our cover this week.
April 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
vpolley.bsky.social
I think this is absolutely brilliant, and real. Highly recommend.
January 2, 2026 at 6:37 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
Brilliant (and perfectly said) @alexdecampi.bsky.social
January 2, 2026 at 6:22 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
andyjabbour.bsky.social
When your good intentions result in a DDoS… still, nice work here from the Golden State.
evacide.bsky.social evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 15d
I would like to apologize to the nice web admins at DROP, whose brand-new website I have apparently just DDoSed.
January 2, 2026 at 2:58 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
Me, too
gshans.bsky.social Gautam Hans @gshans.bsky.social · 15d
Looking forward to the NYT's coverage of the Post's already manipulative and misleading stories of the Mamdani administration, which also raise some journalistic ethics questions! www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/n...
New York Magazine Put Mamdani’s Team on Its Cover. One Aide Was Erased.
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Reposted by Vince Polley
hcrichardson.bsky.social
December 31, 2025
December 31, 2025
And so, the sun sets on 2025.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
January 1, 2026 at 5:11 AM
vpolley.bsky.social
Great article (I had an office in Sugarland); terrible details:
polgreen.bsky.social Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 18d
I went to Texas to write about the sudden end of one of America's most successful experiments: the six decades of welcoming India's most educated and ambitious citizens. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Opinion | One of America’s Most Successful Experiments Is Coming to a Shuddering Halt
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:32 PM