batboyblog

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I will never capture his essence more accurately.

Happy Birthday, Enthusiastic Guy With A Sword™️

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#just a little guy

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I debated if I wanted to post this touching but hard to watch video, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton isn't a house hold name, she's not famous or well known. In 2018 she beat a long time Republican to become a member of Congress, she outlined in this speech many of the things she did in Congress, she was the first member of Congress to hang a trans flag outside her office, back in 2019.

in early 2023 she was diagnosed with Parkinson's, in September 2023 she got a new much worse diagnosis, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) which she describes as Parkinson's on steroids. PSP quickly made walking difficult, and hardest of all robbed her of her ability to speak. Since May of 2024 Congresswoman Wexton has used text to speak on a tablet to ask questions at committee hearings and make speeches like this one. There is no cure and it will only get worse from here.

Why am I sharing this? Two reasons, she didn't quit. So often we talk about politicians as cynical and evil. She was handed a death sentence, this illness will kill her, no one could have blamed her for resigning and leaving. But through many struggles she showed up to work, every day for the people who put their trust in her to represent them, voting, doing committee work, even as her voice failed her, even as she needed a wheelchair to get around the halls of Congress. Thats the other thing, there are good people working every day, all kinds of people, there is a member of Congress who needs an aid to speak. She talks about seeing Obama give a speech in a Park and deciding "yeah I can do that" And I hope whoever you are you remember there are people who want to make you proud in your government, yes there are bad people of course but when you believe there are no good guys? thats when the bad guys have truly won. And you, whoever you are, whatever you have going against you, you can be one of those people, at whatever level, government isn't done by some other group of people, its done by every day people who decide to go for it.

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Here's my 2 and a half cents here.

a few years ago I saw a former Soviet Jew talk about how Putin is able to wage his disastrous war against Ukraine. Basically he was pointing out that the war was bad for Russia and Russians and many people in Russia feel the economic pinch but and yet Putin faces no real domestic opposition.

But also why is he using mercenary groups (and now North Koreans) rather than Russians if there's support for the war in Russia? well in reality this guy said there's not really support, there's apathy.

He said that in Russia there was maybe 15-20% of the public who are hardcore Russian nationalist ultras. People posting Z videos and screaming about destroying Ukraine and war with NATO etc etc. And there was like 5-10% liberals, opposition people, who he said were mostly educated Moscow and St. Petersburg elites and they were really disheartened and disorganized rn

but 70% of the country? they didn't see politics, any kind of politics, as "for them" that if you asked Russians on the streets about political questions they'd say "I'm not political" "thats political, its not for someone like me" etc. Even local protests about cleaning up the environment, speakers were asked "not to be political" on a political issue. It's like that Thanksgiving rule about "don't talk politics at the table" but national and always. It's not polite, and much like in America (or anywhere) you'll hear Russians declaring that all politicians are corrupt, some believe Putin the strong man keeps them more honest then they'd be otherwise, but by and large they see all politics very cynically and as something thats not for the likes of them.

maybe this sounds familiar? does this sound like people you know? in America? or else where?

dictatorships live and die not on the wild support of the majority, no they only need a very small core of devoted popular support, what they really need is apathy from the vast majority of people, for people to unplug themselves and declare that the running of their country is for some other class of people, not for them.

Bill Clinton grew up in a house without a flush toilet, Barack Obama was the son of a teenage single mom who left him with her parents when he was 14, Joe Biden's father couldn't get a steady job through most of his childhood and they kept having to move in with his grandparents. I tell you these things because there's a myth in America that there's a political class, but there isn't, people who grew up poor and came from broken homes have risen to the highest heights.

Are there shits in politics? yes, there are also power mad shitty little assholes currently spending their time as the assistant manager of McDonald's. I promise you there are good people working to change the world for the better. And when they steal your belief that a better world is possible that people are really trying to make it happen, they take that from you, is when they've won.

"I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it life is not worth living"

Really been mulling this over a lot lately.

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old young royals wip that i will unfortunately probably never finish because i would rather die than render all of that water

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Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): "How many athletes are there in the U.S. in NCAA schools?" NCAA President Charlie Baker: "510,000" Durbin: "How many transgender athletes are you aware of?" Baker: "Less than 10."

so glad we've laser focused our national conversation on this burning issue of... less than 10 people....

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just normal stuff, Trump at 3:30am talking about annexing Canada, haven't you missed the late night insane tweets? (I guess they're "Truths" now?)

and no I don't think he's "trolling" and even if he was why troll Canada one of our closest friends and allies?

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man without the power of flight somehow best flier in the world

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hello, i’m back ✨ and today I brought you nico di angelo in the titan’s curse!!!!  when my gay baby was actually a baby.

hope you love it as much as I did while doing it! (I might have cried a little bit too)

x x

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Have some show-design Donna and Kori friendships ye

psst here nir

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During Trump's first term, my main go-to was calling my representatives because I lived in an area represented by 100% Republican elected officials. Now I live in a different area represented by 100% Democrats. Is it still a good idea to call those officials with opinions I know they already agree with, or is it a waste of their time and mine?

well it certainly can't hurt.

however, if you already know your Rep and Senator are a lock on whatever bill is a problem of the moment, there are Orgs like MoveOn and the like that have a list of Congresspeople and Senators you can call on issues. It can be very effective to call early and target bills when they're just working their way through committee and call the members of the committee to help kill something before its a big national fight

and like while members of Congress care more of course about calls from voters in their own district/state most of them care at least some if a lot of people are calling them, also.... you know... you can just tell a little white lie about where you live.

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SOMETIMES ALL I THINK ABOUT IS YOU

LATE NIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE OF JUNE

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It's hard as this administration draws to a close not to reflect on all that will be lost, I spent a lot of time putting together what the Biden-Harris Administration was doing each week, and I was struck over and over and over again how often they took time to target money toward tribes and native communities, almost every time there was something big nationally they made sure there was something in there for Native Americans. Something we're unlikely to see again.

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1hr robin

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Link

link

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Link

idk seems bad folks.