lee rowland

Rabble-rouser,civil libertarian,Tetris addict. I run the National Coalition Against Censorship. Formerly speech @ACLU, policy @NYCLU; this soapbox is all mine.

[Acyn @Acyn]

Campos: While I want to thank CBS news for funding this generous gift towards my education, I want to acknowledge how the recent direction of the outlet stains the legacy of Mike Wallace, the namesake of this scholarship.

If at any time you hesitate to utter the word genocide or remain silent in the face of blatant lies, remember to ask yourself: who is this for?

[Jon Lovett @jonlovett]

In a surprise twist, the Epstein files released the attorney general.

[National Coalition Against Censorship @ncacensorship]

The @92ndStreetY is at it again–cancelling an invited speaker (this time, @ishapiro) after someone found an old “bad tweet” they disagreed with and tattled on to 92Y. This isn’t the 92Y’s first time caving to hecklers; 92Y cancelled author Viet Thanh Nguyen from a 2023 panel for opposing genocide. Unfortunately, the institution is sending a strong message (and the wrong message!) to opponents of its cultural programming: complain loudly enough and we’ll give you a veto.

[Student Press Law Center @SPLC]

One year ago today, masked agents surrounded Tufts int'l student Rümeysa Öztürk on a Massachusetts street, whisked her away and kept her locked up for 45 days. Her only offense? Co-authoring an op-ed in the student paper that the government disliked.

The chilling effects on student speech were immediate and long-lasting.

[Legal Mindset @TheLegalMindset]

Verdict is in: Afroman FULL victory, with no claims going to any of the Adams County Sheriff plaintiffs, total courtroom W for @ogafroman

Solid news for First Amendment protections of free speech, parody, artistic creation and fans of Lemon Pound Cake.

[Chris Murphy 🟧 @ChrisMurphyCT]

The is the federal government telling news stations to provide favorable coverage of the war or their licenses will be pulled.

A truly extraordinary moment.

We aren't on the verge of a totalitarian takeover. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

Act like it.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

In the dramatic circumstances of war, information must guard against the risk of turning into propaganda. It is every journalist's duty to verify the news, so as not to become a megaphone for power. They must show the suffering that war always brings to populations, which entails showing the face of war and recounting it through the eyes of victims.

[rabbitholebot @rabbitholebot]

What are the 3 branches of government again?

I know its pedophiles and corporations but whats the third one?

[Covie @covie_93]

Good thing Congress isn't alive to see this.

[Jake Offenhartz @jangelooff]

Re: investigations into unruly mobs, its now been 10 months since a group of men were caught on video kicking, pushing and sexually threatening a woman they believed to be a pro-Palestinian protester.

The NYPD today confirms no arrests have been made
https://t.co/WQ0RcGEm0k

[FIRE @TheFIREorg]

In an alarming development, 40 state Attorneys General are urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act.

KOSA would give the federal government broad control over how online speech platforms can be designed and operated, in a way that would never be tolerated for any other kind of media.

FIRE urges Congress to reject this unconstitutional bill.

[Libertarian Party of Texas @LPTexas]

The Newsweek article reports that an ICE agent fatally shot 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez, a U.S. citizen, in South Padre Island, Texas, in March 2025, but internal records show this detail was not publicly disclosed at the time. Local news initially covered Martinez’s death without clarifying that a federal immigration agent fired the fatal shots. According to ICE’s internal narrative, Martinez allegedly drove toward agents, injuring one, and an agent then fired through the driver-side window. Given past outright lies by the agency involving justification of force, we do not believe their account. This narrative also sounds familiar — ICE has used similar justifications before, and in multiple prior case camera footage later contradicted official statements, yet misleading claims were still made. Based on that history, we believe they will continue to lie when it protects the institution. The article highlights concerns about transparency in reporting federal law-enforcement shootings.

Available data indicate that, in 2025 alone, at least 32 people died while in ICE custody, the highest total in roughly two decades, and independent trackers document that at least 8 people have been killed in shootings involving ICE or related immigration agents since 2025. These figures represent known and documented deaths linked to ICE enforcement; however, ICE does not publish a centralized breakdown of deaths by citizenship status, and its publicly reported detainee death reports are widely considered incomplete — meaning the actual number of non-citizen deaths related to ICE actions is likely higher than the numbers available in public records.

Given these patterns, we believe ICE should be abolished outright and replaced with nothing. We reject the premise that a federal immigration enforcement body exercising this level of force and operating with limited transparency is necessary. We believe any ICE agents who have illegally used deadly force — regardless of whether the victim was a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen — should face independent investigation and, where warranted, criminal indictment. In our view, true accountability requires dismantling the institution entirely rather than reforming or restructuring it.

[amandla @tjAmandla]

So, @Google handed ICE my credit card and bank account numbers as they attempted to track and detain me. I fled to Switzerland before they could.

Now my lawyer at @EFF has written to @Google, @Meta, and other tech companies urging them to resist fulfilling subpoenas.

[Brian Schatz @brianschatz]

I would like to hear from every single free speech warrior now. This is really nutty stuff. They are trying to to imprison Senators because they don’t like the content of their speech.

[Jackie Maynard @jmaynard_21]

A reminder before you sign up for @ring’s state-sponsored surveillance marketed under the guise of “looking for a lost dog”.

Please, please, please don’t sign up for that service!

[Lizzie Johnson @lizziejohnsonnn]

I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated.

[Will Creeley @WillatFIRE]

Outrageous.

[bipedal chordate 🧘🏻‍♂️🪷 @biped_chordate]

@sppeoples "Purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall" is a phrase from a totalitarian state security forces report

[Andrew Weinstein @Weinsteinlaw]

We’re in a dark chapter of American history when the government targets those who document injustice instead of those who commit it.

[Will Creeley @WillatFIRE]

(1) Don't trust the government.

(2) Prosecutors do not receive the benefit of the doubt.

(3) Don't trust the government.