The systematization you're describing is built on infrastructure — and that infrastructure has names.
Palantir's FALCON system lets ICE agents draw shapes on a map and target everyone inside. They've received over $300 million in ICE contracts. Their co-founder Joe Lonsdale is actively fanning the flames while his company provides the targeting architecture.
The $1.2 billion Fort Bliss detention center — built on military land to limit oversight — had 60 federal detention standard violations in its first 50 days. One death there was ruled homicide by asphyxiation. ICE is trying to deport the witnesses.
Stephen Miller screamed "TORTURE!" at DHS officials in 2019 and demanded "quantity over quality." This is the system working as designed.
You're right that the lines have been drawn. But Minneapolis is showing something important: the architecture of authoritarianism depends on controlling information, and that's exactly what they can't do there. Legal observer networks built after 2020 released footage within hours. The lies collapsed before the press conferences ended.
The same tech that enables targeting can enable documentation. The question for Silicon Valley isn't just complicity — it's which infrastructure they're building.
I've been documenting both sides: the pipeline that built this, and the resistance infrastructure that's exposing it.
I think naming names is so important. It's harder to hold the giant faceless machine that is "the government" accountable than it is specific individuals.
Once again, I really wish you and Carole Cadwalladr could talk. You're doing the same work, just on different continents. She's on Substack now, too (How to Stop the Broligarchy) and has an independent outlet called The Nerve with other Guardian alumni.
Another incredibly powerful piece thank you for your moral clarity. Reading this after just finishing Karen Hao's 'Empire of AI' and the silence from the CEO's isn't the least bit surprising. They've sold their souls, what little souls they may have ever had. But there are a lot of tech workers who've made a lot of money at these companies and their silences are morally repugnant. Shame on all of them!
No, this should not be considered normal. We have already seen a country where such an escalation led to a regime. I suggest reading Lussu, an Italian writer who wrote about the Italian escalation during Mussolini’s rise to power.
"Silicon Valley must decide which side it's on": I'm pretty sure many of them decided long ago they're on the side of "I got mine, screw you." If keeping the money flowing requires saluting Der Führer, then "Sieg Heil!" it is for them.
I spent the first half of 2011 in Silicon Valley. (I rented a room in Atherton, the most blandly affluent place I've ever seen.) I was considering moving there, because I was considering starting a "start-up". (I got over it.) I concluded that even if it would benefit my company - big if - I couldn't stand the culture.* For all the talk about "changing the world", what really seemed to impress most of the people I met there was piles of cash.
Of course, the people at the top - sociopaths like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Keith Rabois - aren't just greedy pigs; they're considerably worse.
*Also, the place itself is remarkably unattractive:
"As disappointed visitors and new employees discover, Silicon Valley is a dull and ugly landscape of low-rise stucco office parks and immense traffic-clogged boulevards ... There is nothing to do, nowhere to go."
It’s another Kent State moment - the murders of Renee Good, who with the words “we don’t hate you” stuck a flower in the barrel of Jonathon Ross’ gun, and Alex Pretti, whose last words were “are you ok?” to the woman he was attempting to protect. Both of them were innocent of any wrongdoing, and the ICE agents involved, whether they pulled the trigger or just stood there, all are guilty of murder. And let’s not forget Keith Porter! And Wael Tarabishi! Keep adding names to the list!
Speaking of which: Shouldn’t there be a warrant out for the arrest of Jonathon Ross based upon his own cell phone evidence? And warrants for every other ICE agent present as accomplices? And warrants for all ICE in the vicinity of the murder of Alex Pretti? And how about the others ICE has murdered? Not to mention all those who have been brutally assaulted and detained? Can culpability be assigned clear up to the White House?
THE COMMON GOOD MANIFESTO
A society built for people, not predators.
We are at our best when we invest in each other.
We are at our worst when we abandon the vulnerable.
This manifesto is how we return to the common good.
I. DIGNITY AND JUSTICE
1. Release the Epstein files — full transparency, no exceptions.
2. Impeach, convict, and imprison Donald Trump and every handler who enabled his corruption.
3. No federal office for any convicted felon.
4. End the weaponization of the justice system against the poor, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and marginalized communities.
II. DEMOCRACY THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
1. Abolish the Electoral College — one person, one vote.
2. Abolish ICE — replace it with humane immigration policy that honors human rights.
3. Ban gerrymandering with a standardized national apportionment method.
4. Two-term limits for every elected office.
5. Mandatory retirement at 70 for all elected officials.
6. Paper ballots only — end the era of hackable voting machines.
III. AN ECONOMY THAT SERVES PEOPLE
1. Restore 1950s-style progressive tax rates — when America was prosperous and fair.
2. Overturn Citizens United — corporations are not people.
3. Eliminate the Social Security payroll cap and tax capital gains for Social Security contributions.
4. $25 minimum wage indexed to inflation.
5. Medicare for All, one unified system — no A/B/C/D maze.
6. Congress receives Medicare, not boutique private insurance.
IV. WORKERS, CREATIVES, AND PUBLIC SERVANTS
1. Big pay raises for social workers, teachers, librarians, artists, and cultural workers — the people who actually hold society together.
2. Universal childcare — because families are the foundation of the nation.
3. Free public university education.
4. Full forgiveness of all student debt.
V. CLEAN GOVERNMENT
1. Root out corruption at every level, starting at the top.
2. Full financial transparency for every elected official, appointee, and senior bureaucrat.
3. Ban lobbying for former officeholders for life.
VI. THE FUTURE WE CHOOSE
We choose a country that values:
• Compassion over cruelty
• Community over greed
• Truth over propaganda
• Shared prosperity over billionaire hoarding
• Democracy over minority rule
• Human dignity over corporate profit
We choose a nation where the common good is not a slogan, but the organizing principle of public life.
And we refuse to apologize for demanding better.
I invite you to adopt this manifesto, add to it, improve it, and share it widely with your friends and elected officials, including school boards, city councils, churches, civic groups, anywhere you can get people to listen. Post it on Substack, send it by email, hell, print it on paper and post it on light poles and bulletin boards. Let’s show the world that we envision a better world that serves people rather than just the oligarchy.
We have the power to change the world. Let’s do it!
>After the Pretti killing, Rabois said that "no law enforcement has shot an innocent person. illegals are committing violent crimes everyday.”<
That statement takes wilful blindness, not to mention there is no logic binding the 2 sentences.
The regime has now demanded voter rolls in exchange for ICE's withdrawal, demonstrating that their presence was just an excuse to terrorize the city and part of the plan to disrupt the elections. Bondi, Miller, Bongino, et al, need to be reminded that they do not have immunity from criminal and civil liability for their actions and cannot get pardons if found guilty in state courts.
I think that the goal in Minnesota was to goad the people until they got that one little thing those stingy Minnesotans just refused to give them--one dead ICE agent. Just one, and Trump could have declared martial law. Or they could, alternatively, have stayed home like frightened rabbits and let the invading thugs rampage at will dragging away their neighbors, setting an example. But no. Those stubborn Minnesotans insisted on doing everything possible to protect their community, blowing whistles and car horns, following ICE vehicles, holding vigils at the murder scenes and holding a massive rally in subzero temps during a general strike--another is called for this Friday, nationwide. We who live in places not under assault can make noise on behalf of the heroic citizens of the Twin Cities, who are holding the line against fascism; we can call our senators and demand a no vote on ICE funding--but if possible, please donate to the people taking time off work for vigils and ICE watch duty and bringing groceries to people afraid to leave their homes--they should not have to pay for this out of their own pockets! There is some sign the tide is turning, particularly with Pretti's killing--when they say "he was carrying a gun" that alienates much of their own base, along with the reality that he was a VA ICE nurse, and all the thugs-in-chief spinning obvious lies to justify the murder while videos easily available prove them false.
I don't see the broligarchy changing their ways in the face of this. I think people who exist at that level lose their ability to comprehend what it's like for average people. They are insulated and like celebrities, they are surrounded by hype men and start to believe their own B.S. as a result. I think the threat of financial loss is the only morality they will hold to.
The systematization you're describing is built on infrastructure — and that infrastructure has names.
Palantir's FALCON system lets ICE agents draw shapes on a map and target everyone inside. They've received over $300 million in ICE contracts. Their co-founder Joe Lonsdale is actively fanning the flames while his company provides the targeting architecture.
The $1.2 billion Fort Bliss detention center — built on military land to limit oversight — had 60 federal detention standard violations in its first 50 days. One death there was ruled homicide by asphyxiation. ICE is trying to deport the witnesses.
Stephen Miller screamed "TORTURE!" at DHS officials in 2019 and demanded "quantity over quality." This is the system working as designed.
You're right that the lines have been drawn. But Minneapolis is showing something important: the architecture of authoritarianism depends on controlling information, and that's exactly what they can't do there. Legal observer networks built after 2020 released footage within hours. The lies collapsed before the press conferences ended.
The same tech that enables targeting can enable documentation. The question for Silicon Valley isn't just complicity — it's which infrastructure they're building.
I've been documenting both sides: the pipeline that built this, and the resistance infrastructure that's exposing it.
The targeting: https://theramm.substack.com/p/ice-agents-drew-shapes-on-a-map-to
The resistance: https://theramm.substack.com/p/minneapolis-banned-chokeholds-after
I think naming names is so important. It's harder to hold the giant faceless machine that is "the government" accountable than it is specific individuals.
Once again, I really wish you and Carole Cadwalladr could talk. You're doing the same work, just on different continents. She's on Substack now, too (How to Stop the Broligarchy) and has an independent outlet called The Nerve with other Guardian alumni.
Brian, I initially followed your blog for your informed skepticism about AI and big tech.
More and more, though, I am here for your moral clarity.
I am sickened and furious! Time to storm the Bastille!
Another incredibly powerful piece thank you for your moral clarity. Reading this after just finishing Karen Hao's 'Empire of AI' and the silence from the CEO's isn't the least bit surprising. They've sold their souls, what little souls they may have ever had. But there are a lot of tech workers who've made a lot of money at these companies and their silences are morally repugnant. Shame on all of them!
Anyone wanna ask me why so many Canadians will never again visit “The Land of the Free”?
American tech has gone from “Don’t Be Evil” to evil as business model.
No, this should not be considered normal. We have already seen a country where such an escalation led to a regime. I suggest reading Lussu, an Italian writer who wrote about the Italian escalation during Mussolini’s rise to power.
Beautifully said. Thank you for writing this, Brian.
"Silicon Valley must decide which side it's on": I'm pretty sure many of them decided long ago they're on the side of "I got mine, screw you." If keeping the money flowing requires saluting Der Führer, then "Sieg Heil!" it is for them.
I spent the first half of 2011 in Silicon Valley. (I rented a room in Atherton, the most blandly affluent place I've ever seen.) I was considering moving there, because I was considering starting a "start-up". (I got over it.) I concluded that even if it would benefit my company - big if - I couldn't stand the culture.* For all the talk about "changing the world", what really seemed to impress most of the people I met there was piles of cash.
Of course, the people at the top - sociopaths like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Keith Rabois - aren't just greedy pigs; they're considerably worse.
*Also, the place itself is remarkably unattractive:
"As disappointed visitors and new employees discover, Silicon Valley is a dull and ugly landscape of low-rise stucco office parks and immense traffic-clogged boulevards ... There is nothing to do, nowhere to go."
(https://www.theawl.com/2013/01/is-san-francisco-the-brooklyn-to-silicon-valleys-unbuilt-manhattan)
It’s another Kent State moment - the murders of Renee Good, who with the words “we don’t hate you” stuck a flower in the barrel of Jonathon Ross’ gun, and Alex Pretti, whose last words were “are you ok?” to the woman he was attempting to protect. Both of them were innocent of any wrongdoing, and the ICE agents involved, whether they pulled the trigger or just stood there, all are guilty of murder. And let’s not forget Keith Porter! And Wael Tarabishi! Keep adding names to the list!
Speaking of which: Shouldn’t there be a warrant out for the arrest of Jonathon Ross based upon his own cell phone evidence? And warrants for every other ICE agent present as accomplices? And warrants for all ICE in the vicinity of the murder of Alex Pretti? And how about the others ICE has murdered? Not to mention all those who have been brutally assaulted and detained? Can culpability be assigned clear up to the White House?
THE COMMON GOOD MANIFESTO
A society built for people, not predators.
We are at our best when we invest in each other.
We are at our worst when we abandon the vulnerable.
This manifesto is how we return to the common good.
I. DIGNITY AND JUSTICE
1. Release the Epstein files — full transparency, no exceptions.
2. Impeach, convict, and imprison Donald Trump and every handler who enabled his corruption.
3. No federal office for any convicted felon.
4. End the weaponization of the justice system against the poor, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and marginalized communities.
II. DEMOCRACY THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
1. Abolish the Electoral College — one person, one vote.
2. Abolish ICE — replace it with humane immigration policy that honors human rights.
3. Ban gerrymandering with a standardized national apportionment method.
4. Two-term limits for every elected office.
5. Mandatory retirement at 70 for all elected officials.
6. Paper ballots only — end the era of hackable voting machines.
III. AN ECONOMY THAT SERVES PEOPLE
1. Restore 1950s-style progressive tax rates — when America was prosperous and fair.
2. Overturn Citizens United — corporations are not people.
3. Eliminate the Social Security payroll cap and tax capital gains for Social Security contributions.
4. $25 minimum wage indexed to inflation.
5. Medicare for All, one unified system — no A/B/C/D maze.
6. Congress receives Medicare, not boutique private insurance.
IV. WORKERS, CREATIVES, AND PUBLIC SERVANTS
1. Big pay raises for social workers, teachers, librarians, artists, and cultural workers — the people who actually hold society together.
2. Universal childcare — because families are the foundation of the nation.
3. Free public university education.
4. Full forgiveness of all student debt.
V. CLEAN GOVERNMENT
1. Root out corruption at every level, starting at the top.
2. Full financial transparency for every elected official, appointee, and senior bureaucrat.
3. Ban lobbying for former officeholders for life.
VI. THE FUTURE WE CHOOSE
We choose a country that values:
• Compassion over cruelty
• Community over greed
• Truth over propaganda
• Shared prosperity over billionaire hoarding
• Democracy over minority rule
• Human dignity over corporate profit
We choose a nation where the common good is not a slogan, but the organizing principle of public life.
And we refuse to apologize for demanding better.
I invite you to adopt this manifesto, add to it, improve it, and share it widely with your friends and elected officials, including school boards, city councils, churches, civic groups, anywhere you can get people to listen. Post it on Substack, send it by email, hell, print it on paper and post it on light poles and bulletin boards. Let’s show the world that we envision a better world that serves people rather than just the oligarchy.
We have the power to change the world. Let’s do it!
>After the Pretti killing, Rabois said that "no law enforcement has shot an innocent person. illegals are committing violent crimes everyday.”<
That statement takes wilful blindness, not to mention there is no logic binding the 2 sentences.
The regime has now demanded voter rolls in exchange for ICE's withdrawal, demonstrating that their presence was just an excuse to terrorize the city and part of the plan to disrupt the elections. Bondi, Miller, Bongino, et al, need to be reminded that they do not have immunity from criminal and civil liability for their actions and cannot get pardons if found guilty in state courts.
I think that the goal in Minnesota was to goad the people until they got that one little thing those stingy Minnesotans just refused to give them--one dead ICE agent. Just one, and Trump could have declared martial law. Or they could, alternatively, have stayed home like frightened rabbits and let the invading thugs rampage at will dragging away their neighbors, setting an example. But no. Those stubborn Minnesotans insisted on doing everything possible to protect their community, blowing whistles and car horns, following ICE vehicles, holding vigils at the murder scenes and holding a massive rally in subzero temps during a general strike--another is called for this Friday, nationwide. We who live in places not under assault can make noise on behalf of the heroic citizens of the Twin Cities, who are holding the line against fascism; we can call our senators and demand a no vote on ICE funding--but if possible, please donate to the people taking time off work for vigils and ICE watch duty and bringing groceries to people afraid to leave their homes--they should not have to pay for this out of their own pockets! There is some sign the tide is turning, particularly with Pretti's killing--when they say "he was carrying a gun" that alienates much of their own base, along with the reality that he was a VA ICE nurse, and all the thugs-in-chief spinning obvious lies to justify the murder while videos easily available prove them false.
I don't see the broligarchy changing their ways in the face of this. I think people who exist at that level lose their ability to comprehend what it's like for average people. They are insulated and like celebrities, they are surrounded by hype men and start to believe their own B.S. as a result. I think the threat of financial loss is the only morality they will hold to.
You’ve captured and articulated the moment. Thank you.
Thanks for the recommendation of Hamilton Nolan. Great reporting indeed. Subscribed.