James Edward Johnson 🖖

jewish and right wing liberal. pragmatic. he/them/whatever. retweets do not equal endorsements. favorites are bookmarks.

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@markgadala Oh, I think most of us knew exactly what it was doing. It’s one reason why they were able to keep the game fun and serve customers without spammy ads or aggressive bait and switch to collect customers’ cash.

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@TonyT2Thomas FWIW, here’s my screenshot. The photo appears enhanced, but it isn’t misrepresenting what happened.

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@IroncladOak @Native3rd @grok Was the officer in thi video the one who shot her?

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@IroncladOak @Native3rd @grok exactly what is this video and what does it show? What is its source

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@TheJusticeDept When did DOJ stop hiring lawyers? This is IP infringement against @KidsCanPress

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@Heritage_Action I used to have a lot of respect for Heritage. It is sad to see that it has lost all its integrity …

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@RpsAgainstTrump @grok can you create a transcript?

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@davidhogg111 Congratulations. You’re getting Nazi support now.

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

This is what the American cease fire has enabled. https://t.co/Ga9oA9dSb2

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

Mass deportation of productive employees will drain economic growth and make it harder for President Trump to deliver a return to the prosperity of his pre-Covid first term. https://t.co/JkjAl9LSNx

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@JacobRubashkin @whstancil @grok did you check out? What patterns have you been noticing lately?

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@Eliana_Goldin Ugh. I’m so sorry. That’s terrible, and I hope your resilience inspires people.

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@Eliana_Goldin @threadreaderapp unroll

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

@ishapiro Are you being sarcastic? This is a very odd comment after the roles you held at Cato. What happened?

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

“We are currently clean on OPSEC.” - Hegseth sending detailed operational plans on Signal to a group that accidentally included a journalist.

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

100% OPSEC

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

Hegseth: “And if we do, I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC”

[James Edward Johnson 🖖 @jamesej]

This is excellent. It should not go without notice that Davidai is arguing for due process and compassion here.

[Shai Davidai @ShaiDavidai]

A great deal of false, misleading, and exaggerated claims are circulating regarding the potential deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a 31-year-old @Columbia University graduate student, by the Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov).

I would like to make six important points about this.

Yet, while there’s much to discuss, the most important takeaway is this: No matter how sensationalized the conversation becomes on social or traditional media, it is essential that we remain level-headed, embrace complexity, and avoid rushing to judgment until the facts are clear.

#1: Lead with compassion.

This likely won’t surprise anyone who has followed me over the past year and a half. While I am relieved that the federal government is beginning to address anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American activity on university campuses, I do not take pleasure in Khalil’s potential deportation.

As someone who also arrived in the U.S. on a student visa and is now a green card holder, I can only imagine the fear of facing deportation for repeatedly violating its conditions.

While I strongly disagree with Khalil’s actions, I refuse to strip him or his wife of their humanity.

#2: In a properly functioning society, actions must have consequences:

For over a year and a half, Mahmoud Khalil has led @ColumbiaBDS, a student coalition that spreads terrorist propaganda on campus and has been responsible for multiple violent takeovers of university buildings, two of which resulted in public safety personnel being hospitalized.

Khalil has also acted as the primary negotiator between student protesters and the administration, both during a campus encampment that featured spaces honoring U.S.-designated terrorists and the more recent building occupations at @BarnardCollege.

As a married, 31-year-old graduate student who has repeatedly violated the conditions of his green card, Khalil’s potential deportation is the direct consequence of the choices he has made.

#3: The right to a fair trial is essential to the functioning of a democratic society.

No matter what you think—or know—about Mahmoud Khalil and his actions, it is crucial that we all withhold judgment until he has received the fair legal process guaranteed to every U.S. legal resident.

As someone who has both protested for democracy in Israel and volunteered as a graduate student teaching incarcerated men in maximum- and medium-security correctional facilities in upstate New York, I am deeply committed to the principles of due process, fair legal representation, and equal treatment under the law.

Khalil, like anyone else, is entitled to fair and unbiased treatment under the law, whether from individuals, groups, or the government. I trust that the U.S. legal system will ensure his legal proceedings are carried out as intended.

#4: Don’t fall for fake news.

Over the past 48 hours, a smear campaign has spread false claims by Layla Saliba and Maryam Iqbal—two @Columbia student leaders who, alongside Khalil, have fueled anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American activity on campus— accusing me of working with the administration to deport Khalil.

Let me be absolutely clear: I have never had a direct line to the administration. Even if I did, I would never use such influence to target an individual. This is not who I am or what I stand for.

Like many, I’ve called out Khalil’s repeated legal violations and demanded accountability. But as I always remind my students, just because one event follows another doesn’t mean it caused it. Correlation does not imply causation.

#5: This is not about free speech

As I’ve stated many times, I am a strong advocate of free speech. People must have the right to voice their opinions, even when they are deeply offensive, reprehensible, or ignorant. However, it must be emphasized that Khalil was not apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security for exercising his First Amendment rights.

He was apprehended for violating the conditions of his green card, namely for his activities aligned to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

This isn’t about free speech—it’s about respecting and upholding the rule of law.

#6: Khalil is not the story.

The story is not about Mahmoud Khalil. He is neither a hero nor a villain, but rather a foreign national who has been radicalized by his professors and peers on Columbia’s campus.

The real story here is about the fight against anti-democratic U.S.-designated terrorist organizations that have held 59 hostages in underground tunnels for more than 500 days, including Edan Alexander—a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Tenafly, New Jersey.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I strongly encourage you to watch the 1-hour interview with Eli Sharabi, an Israeli citizen who was held hostage for 491 days, only to learn upon his release that his wife and two daughters were murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 Massacre.

Don’t let the moral outrage of social media algorithms distract you from what is at stake.

Bring Them Home.

**

One small ask – If you have read thus far, please help me spread this message.

With all the ‘fake news’ going around, it is important o share the truth.