fanfoolishness

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Listening is their love language

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There are people – some in my own Party – who think that if you just give Donald Trump everything he wants, he’ll make an exception and spare you some of the harm. I’ll ignore the moral abdication of that position for just a second to say — almost none of those people have the experience with this President that I do. I once swallowed my pride to offer him what he values most — public praise on the Sunday news shows — in return for ventilators and N95 masks during the worst of the pandemic. We made a deal. And it turns out his promises were as broken as the BIPAP machines he sent us instead of ventilators. Going along to get along does not work – just ask the Trump-fearing red state Governors who are dealing with the same cuts that we are. I won’t be fooled twice.

I’ve been reflecting, these past four weeks, on two important parts of my life: my work helping to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the two times I’ve had the privilege of reciting the oath of office for Illinois Governor.

As some of you know, Skokie, Illinois once had one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors anywhere in the world. In 1978, Nazis decided they wanted to march there.

The leaders of that march knew that the images of Swastika clad young men goose stepping down a peaceful suburban street would terrorize the local Jewish population – so many of whom had never recovered from their time in German concentration camps.

The prospect of that march sparked a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It was a Jewish lawyer from the ACLU who argued the case for the Nazis – contending that even the most hateful of speech was protected under the first amendment.

As an American and a Jew, I find it difficult to resolve my feelings around that Supreme Court case – but I am grateful that the prospect of Nazis marching in their streets spurred the survivors and other Skokie residents to act. They joined together to form the Holocaust Memorial Foundation and built the first Illinois Holocaust Museum in a storefront in 1981 – a small but important forerunner to the one I helped build thirty years later.

I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame.

The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame.

I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. A president who watches a plane go down in the Potomac – and suggests — without facts or findings — that a diversity hire is responsible for the crash. Or the Missouri Attorney General who just sued Starbucks – arguing that consumers pay higher prices for their coffee because the baristas are too “female” and “nonwhite.” The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.

I just have one question: What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next.

All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.

I swore the following oath on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible: “I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Governor .... according to the best of my ability.

My oath is to the Constitution of our state and of our country. We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions — but in deference to my obligations.

If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:

It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.

Those Illinois Nazis did end up holding their march in 1978 – just not in Skokie. After all the blowback from the case, they decided to march in Chicago instead. Only twenty of them showed up. But 2000 people came to counter protest. The Chicago Tribune reported that day that the “rally sputtered to an unspectacular end after ten minutes.” It was Illinoisans who smothered those embers before they could burn into a flame.

Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.

Sources:

• NBC Chicago & J.B. Pritzker, Democratic governor of Illinois, State of the State address 2025: Watch speech here | Full text

• Betches News on Instagram (screencaps)

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helena left that conversation thinking she totally nailed it

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what if you had SEX with your COWORKER but it was actually her evil TWIN and then you had SEX with your real COWORKER and then FORGOT and then you FLIRTED with your coworker’s evil TWIN and then you went HOME and had a VISION of yourself having SEX with your COWORKER. this happened to my good friend mark scout

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I’m very proud of Chris Kluwe. I know that library — I’ve seen a Great Horned Owl in the trees behind it and huddled under its eaves for shelter while birding at Huntington Beach Central Park. The plaque is disgusting and I don’t know if I’ll ever go back there now, but this protest was excellent.

The post about “Nazis are taking over my government and not even Nazis we elected.” Is literally what happened in 30’s Germany. Hitler wasn’t elected the chancellor appointed him. It’s so scary seeing that EXACT SHIT play out AGAIN and just like then half the country wants to play pretend like it’s not happening. I just wanted you to know that the anger you feel is justified and there have been people before you feeling that exact way

Well, slight correction, the president appointed him chancellor, but yes. Your point completely stands. And we are all going through it. Not just USAmericans, either--especially after Vance's speech the other day in Germany, I know my German friends are furious and afraid. Countries who received help from USAID are obviously impacted. The US falling to fascism would be a huge blow to the world, and it sure as hell would be to me.

But it's not the same. Not only do we have the lessons of history, we have different circumstances in some key ways. The current USA is and has been a bad place to live for many, economically, but it's no Weimar Republic. And we have the incredible organizational and information disseminating tool you and I are both currently using to face the problem, as well--the internet.

We'll make them fight for every inch. That might look like Bishop Mariann Budde's sermon on Inauguration Day, or Kendrick Lamar's halftime show. It might look like getting together with friends to hold each other accountable for bombarding your Republican representatives with phone calls. It might look like planting as much food as you can this year. It might look like figuring out who you need to connect with to get to protests. It might look like donating to the ACLU or Southern Poverty Law Center or the Trevor Project. It might look like finally starting to take those mental health walks and eating better, so that you have the personal strength to act when the chance comes.

Here. I leave you with a link to this beautiful bit of protest by former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe.

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I'm not a professional so I don't have adequate lighting setups to take pictures of my finished products, but with that said, here is the finished Lucanis plushie(Amigurumi).

I tried my best.

For those of you who are here for the crochet and have never heard of or seen the Game/Lucanis before here are pictures for reference.

Edit: It has come to my attention that the cut placement is a crime, so I'm fixing this! 😅😂 A small glimpse of Plushie!Lucanis, the rest under the cut.

I spent 6 hours layering and feathering the hair and beard to try and replicate his ingame model as much as possible.

My plushies also don't have ears, unless they are elves or have non-human ears(or even ear piercings).

I used silver polymer clay for the Crow Skulls.

It's my first time using clay in my plushie making.

The outfit also includes his belt, and you can see the buckle from the front of his waistcoat. And the rest of it peeking out from the sides.

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Being in the united states right now and having done everything in my personal power as an individual, an elected person, a constitutional scholar, to prevent what is happening from happening feels like being in a car and everybody is refusing to wear their seatbelts, but you are. But that’s not going to save you because the person driving the car is driving the car off a cliff. On purpose.

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coping by drawing them being fun and awesome and normal and silly

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Omg do not hide this beautiful little man behind a cut! He deserves to be front and center!!! This is just stunning work and I love him so much 💜💜💜💜💜

I'm not a professional so I don't have adequate lighting setups to take pictures of my finished products, but with that said, here is the finished Lucanis plushie(Amigurumi).

I tried my best.

For those of you who are here for the crochet and have never heard of or seen the Game/Lucanis before here are pictures for reference.

The rest under the cut because otherwise it would be a long post.

I spent 6 hours layering and feathering the hair and beard to try and replicate his ingame model as much as possible.

My plushies also don't have ears, unless they are elves or have non-human ears(or even ear piercings).

I used silver polymer clay for the Crow Skulls.

It's my first time using clay in my plushie making.

The outfit also includes his belt, and you can see the buckle from the front of his waistcoat. And the rest of it peeking out from the sides.

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Huge thank you to @piescrossstitch, who did this first and told me where to find the pattern for it. I just added beads to the mix because why not. It glows when you add a tea light inside, too!

EDIT: Pattern is from the September 2021 "Cross Stitcher Magazine", issue 374. I found a scan of it here.

[fanfoolishness]

I will kill any god you ask

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USA people! Buy NOTHING Feb 28 2025. Not anything. 24 hours. No spending. Buy the day before or after but nothing. NOTHING. February 28 2025. Not gas. Not milk. Not something on a gaming app. Not a penny spent. (Only option in a crisis is local small mom and pop. Nothing. Else.) Promise me. Commit. 1 day. 1 day to scare the shit out of them that they don't get to follow the bullshit executive orders. They don't get to be cowards. If they do, it costs. It costs.

Then, if you can join me for Phase 2. March 7 2025 thtough March 14 2025? No Amazon. None. 1 week. No orders. Not a single item. Not one ebook. Nothing. 1 week. Just 1.

If you live outside the USA boycott US products on February 28 2025 and stand in solidarity with us and also join us for the week of no Amazon.

Are you with me?

Spread the word.

[fanfoolishness]

Another vote for Spite is aroace or the demon equivalent but loves both Lucanis and Rook in his own unique secret way, and they love him like weird family

the character limit on these polls is brutal. by "in love w/" i also mean "and they fuck if your rook is into that"

EDIT: i didn't word the last choice well bc of character limits. "not part of the relationship" means romantically/sexually, obviously he'd be a part of it platonically no matter what

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the one perk he can't earn

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Yep! It’s how I’ve always done it. They’re always sort of stretchy material, it works fine! Give it a try and never fumble with the hooks again 😂

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It’s never occurred to y’all to hook it first, then put it over your head already hooked? Sure it might slightly stretch the bra over time but it’s never been a problem for me. So I picked the last one because none of the other options fit.