Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard's Avatar

Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard

@tomh4.bsky.social

Trying to stay focused on higher ed, but someone always seems to be wrong on the internet.

1,461 Followers  |  1,156 Following  |  1,282 Posts  |  Joined: 27.09.2023  |  1.917

Latest posts by tomh4.bsky.social on Bluesky

You mean the kids online safety act? The bill to “protect our children” that Chuck Schumer also supports? It is an absolute monstrosity of a bill… but also popular among a majority of democratic senators. That’s the real problem w/politicos like Blumenthal: they’re gullible rubes.

14.02.2026 15:58 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

It’s a particularly weird comment coming from Blumenthal, who is generally not considered a sellout.

14.02.2026 04:30 — 👍 6    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I think I’m one of a fairly large group that doesn’t agree with every position you take but values your iconoclastic integrity. So keep the faith brother. 👊

14.02.2026 04:05 — 👍 10    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
New York Could Lose Seats in Congress Because It Won’t Build Housing As housing construction booms in red states, blue states are falling behind. That will likely boost Republicans in federal politics.

NEW: The next US Census likely won’t be good for New York. The state is projected to lose two congressional seats, and with them, two electoral votes for president.

One reason why blue states are losing ground: The red states build far more housing than they do.

12.02.2026 13:07 — 👍 128    🔁 66    💬 8    📌 8

💯%. Don’t know how he keeps it up!

12.02.2026 13:19 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

What changed due to Bezos’ review? Completely fine with paywalls, but there should be some useful info in front of the paywall. This just sounds like gossip.

11.02.2026 16:59 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Haha, Foresta finally got around to blocking me.

11.02.2026 13:00 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Also, I’d forgotten that Foresta actually quote-forwarded my thread with his characteristic wit and razor-sharp logic. bsky.app/profile/math...

11.02.2026 00:05 — 👍 8    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Thought I recognized that name. bsky.app/profile/tomh...

10.02.2026 23:05 — 👍 29    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Great catch. Also, who is "the frog"?

10.02.2026 14:17 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Let me guess: The pot boiled over. That’s what always happens to me, because years of western coffee intake has lulled me into expecting the cezve to magically turn off. But no, I have to watch and turn off the burner myself as the foam rises.

10.02.2026 13:53 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 1

I’m not saying @analilia-mejia.bsky.social came in first because her ballot line said “unbought, unbossed“ or that Brendan Gill came in fourth because his ballot line said “endorsed by Essex County Democratic Committee“ but I don’t think it’s irrelevant either.

09.02.2026 14:42 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

There’s a whole literature about this link between isolation and vulnerability to conspiracy theories and violent radicalization. It’s not especially hopeful, on the whole, because of macro social trends toward declining connectivity. But it does point the way for countervailing activism.

08.02.2026 17:37 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Banality of Evil meets Bowling Alone.

08.02.2026 17:13 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

To be clear, I have no evidence on the impact of the AIPAC ad campaign one way or the other. Just saying we should pull back on our human tendency to form narratives based on what we personally find most satisfying.

07.02.2026 15:30 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

He's actually waiting for a manic pixie dream girl of his own to pepper spray and harass.

06.02.2026 18:36 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Wait a minute, I thought the Essex County Democrats were the kingmakers! Gill‘s endorsements were supposed to sweep away all obstacles. Post-line, they don’t seem to carry much weight.

06.02.2026 11:51 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

It would be a delightful irony given Mejia’s pro-Palestinian sympathies, but the ad campaign got so much press coverage that it may actually have boosted Malinowski.

06.02.2026 03:46 — 👍 12    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
Preview
Sourcerer Sourcerers are individuals with the innate ability to wield Source energy. Predominantly they have been considered a danger by society, however there have been exceptions throughout the ages, includin...

You think the goal of recording the arrests is gathering evidence for criminal RICO prosecutions? That’s a take, I guess. But not one I’ve heard of from MN activists.

Divinity Original Sin is a popular video game. Nvm! divinity.fandom.com/wiki/Sourcer...

06.02.2026 00:26 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

It’s an organizational judgement question. Stancil argues that certain activists set boundaries that are so strict they endanger the press coverage the MN resistance needs. It’s hard to know as an outsider, but seems plausible.

Also, Divinity Original Sin callout?

06.02.2026 00:08 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Note clause 32, where Kelley's client was forced to sign papers promising not to be a part of any "groups," which violates the judge's order for unconditional release. Quite possible that delays in release stemmed from unlawful conditions & pressure tactics.

05.02.2026 22:53 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 1

That may be what you think, but you really can’t speak for other folks on Bluesky. As an immigration enforcement activist in South Jersey, the question of how to balance opsec with the need for national media coverage is important to me.

05.02.2026 18:49 — 👍 6    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

We're all here replying to Ryan Grim's post. Evidently lots of people care, so blaming this on Stancil's ego is disingenuous. If Minneapolis activists are becoming paranoid about journalists, that's alarming and important to know. It could happen in my community too.

05.02.2026 18:30 — 👍 8    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

That’s not why. Anyone can get on social media to contradict Stancil’s account. God bless our medium, it’s as local as anyone wants it to be. The fact that no one has suggests that there’s no argument over what happened, only whether it was justified.

05.02.2026 18:07 — 👍 9    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0

I don’t think anyone has disputed Stancil’s account of the expulsion, which genuinely seems pretty absurd. On-the-ground press coverage of the Minnesota occupation has thrown the Trump administration‘s messaging into complete disarray. Freaking out about reporters’ ride-alongs is self-destructive.

05.02.2026 17:09 — 👍 136    🔁 0    💬 4    📌 0

I am intrigued by “you should only suffer a terrible death,” which sounds directly translated from Yiddish.

05.02.2026 13:52 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Bannon always has an agenda. bsky.app/profile/jame...

05.02.2026 07:43 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Not sure a lead within the margin of error can be described as “reliably winning a general election matchup. “

05.02.2026 03:16 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I'm gonna say no. It is definitely not that time.

04.02.2026 20:41 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Yes, we should fight back. But one reason not to flip out over the swaggering Masters of the Universe talk from the likes of Bannon & Miller is that we're not going to dismantle or defund ICE by Nov 6. We should prepare to protest and pressure, but otherwise stay focused on our agenda.

04.02.2026 20:34 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

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