Leigh Beadon

I wonder if we still have the results of this poll somewhere

makes sense, the liquid metal has strong early-2000s Photoshop-driven Web Design vibes

Old Techdirt Logo Men's T-Shirt | Techdirt Gear Old Techdirt Logo on Men's T-Shirt – All proceeds support Techdirt's ongoing reporting on technology and innovation.

A few years ago we discussed doing throwback merch with that logo and decided.... nah :)

though we did do this one (which is from even earlier? or later? I can't remember)
techdirt.threadless.com/designs/old-...

hah good idea - it's there now :)

Techdirt Gear | Featuring custom t-shirts, prints, and more Techdirt Gear

don't forget our merch store on Threadless, which does have some more physical merch options! (and we hope to launch some more soon...)
techdirt.threadless.com

Hi Benjamin - I've send the invite link to your email! Sorry about that.

they'll give ICE more money and say anyone calling for prosecutions is being divisive

I love the claim that the poll "struck" him, like he hadn't thought of this angle until now or something, hasn't been making variants of this argument for years and wasn't planning on continuing to do so until he saw this one poll. The only thing it struck him with was a jolt of renewed smugness.

(of course, that will be the story even if they *don't* hold anyone accountable at all, so 🤷‍♂️)

On the one hand yeah. On the other hand I really don't want them to be able to claim "we've cleaned up this operation and now it's good" while it continues to do immeasurable evil, which it will. The new line from Dem hardliners will be "ICE is great now"

I'd like to believe it re: ICE but if the Democrats are ever allowed to regain power, I don't think I'd put much money on them cutting a single dollar from the ICE budget, closing a single ICE detention center, or firing a single ICE agent

A photo of two crows perched at the very top of a tree

Incredible Halloween omen in the distance outside my back door

Not the same survey or identical question, but I have a feeling Canada is *even worse* on this.

you are literally just endorsing and spreading racist right-wing propaganda

then there's the fact that this wave of snooty and undeserved Canadian national pride is aligning with our own conservatives and their anti-immigration, nationalist attitudes - while we build up our border security apparatus (in part because Trump bullied us into it!) and immigration police forces

It also separates us from "Crazy" in the ways we don't want to be separated - plenty of Canadians have friends and family in the US, events we want to go to, cities we want to visit, etc. full of great people. But we now have to ask "do I want to cross that border into ICE's jurisdiction?"

why would you bother posting this while saying, in advance, "not going to engage with your political perspective"

this is an incredible detail

The funny part is I suspect that line was born because he himself wasn't totally clear on what a pronoun is recently, until someone explained it to him amidst the discourse

Ok so apparently it's NOT fine if I tune into the game 10 minutes after it starts

ICE has now sent at least 72 people to prisons in African countries where they have no ties.

Via two ICE flights to Rwanda, two to Eswatini, three to Ghana and one to S. Sudan.

Some had US convictions but had finished their sentences. None have convictions in the places where they're now jailed.

And yet what's funny is that people making these triangulation arguments are themselves trying to avoid just saying "you know what fuck it, throw immigrants under the bus" because even they aren't comfortable having that as an explicit stance. Because they know it's bad!

What's frustrating is that people who say this will also say the pro-immigration voters are being immature and naive for being alienated - no, it's their duty to still vote for the person giving anti-immigration speeches. It all boils down to: "everyone should just give up and be anti-immigration"

I wonder if you'd feel the same way if it was about something that impacts you directly, criminalizes you, and takes away your rights

So... American democracy is simply incompatible with doing the right thing?

and those are the kinds of people you want to lead on immigration law?

I find anyone who *is* willing to do that deeply suspicious.

Would you be willing to get up on a stage and talk about how border crossings are scary and must be criminalized to a crowd of people? Personally I don't know anyone who would do that - it'd make them sick to their stomachs to spread that kind of hate.

where does the fact that decriminalizing border crossings is good and a moral imperative for any decent person enter into this calculus?