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justinspoliticalcorner · 4 months

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Jonathan Cohn at HuffPost:

“Folks, he’s coming for your health care, and we’re not going to let that happen.” Those are the closing words of a new 30-second ad from the Biden campaign, focusing on the Affordable Care Act and the possibility of repeal if Donald Trump becomes president again. The ad buy is significant: $14 million to run the spot in a half dozen swing states, as my colleague S.V. Dáte reported. And it’s not difficult to understand why.

Trump’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017 was highly unpopular. The backlash was almost certainly a big reason Republicans managed to lose both houses of Congress and the presidency over the next two elections. Reminding voters of this history can only help Biden and the Democrats, especially amid polls that show the 2010 health care law to be more popular than ever. And the threat to the law is real. Trump spent his entire presidency trying to tear down the program; when legislation failed, he tried to undermine the law by ― among other things ― taking away funds for advertising and promotion. Last fall, he returned to the subject in a Truth Social post, declaring, “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives.”

Trump followed up with what was supposed to be a clarification, stating, “I don’t want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare Sucks!!!” But of course, that was just another version of the promises he made before taking office last time ― you may remember vows like “I’m going to take care of everybody” or “We’re going to have insurance for everybody.” He then proceeded to push bills that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would have added more than 20 million Americans to the ranks of the uninsured.

[...] Democratic leaders vowed to address that issue by increasing the subsidies, effectively realizing their original vision for the law. And they did precisely that in 2021. The American Rescue Plan, which Democrats passed and Biden signed, boosted the Affordable Care Act’s financial assistance so that nobody has to pay more than 8.5% of household income on a standard plan.

It was a temporary measure tied to the pandemic, but in 2022, they extended the subsidies through 2025. The impact has been substantial. Roughly 15 million Americans are saving an average of about $800 a year on their insurance, according to calculations by the Department of Health and Human Services. And like all averages, that covers a range of people. The savings amount to only a pittance for some, but it’s literally thousands of dollars a year for others. The enhanced subsidies have also had more subtle effects. Some insurers still sell “non-compliant” plans that resemble the old policies. These plans can be sold more cheaply because they have big coverage gaps that can leave beneficiaries exposed to punishing, catastrophic medical bills. (Loopholes in the law allow this.) However, fewer people are now buying those policies, opting for the more comprehensive plans available than the Affordable Care Act, according to a study from the non-partisan health research organization KFF. That’s because, with the extra subsidies, the more comprehensive plans don’t cost as much as they did before.

[...]

A Familiar Debate, An Uncertain Political Future

The new Biden ad says he wants to make the assistance permanent, consistent with a proposal in his latest budget. That wouldn’t be cheap. CBO pegged the cost at about $25 million a year back in 2022. It’d probably require more money more now. The inability to find enough offsetting cuts or revenue to cover that cost is one reason Biden and the Democrats didn’t make the bigger subsidies permanent last time. That could happen again. But it’s safe to assume that, at the very least, Biden and the Democrats would approve another temporary extension if they are in office and have enough leverage in Congress after 2024. If Democrats don’t have that kind of power come next year, the fate of these increased subsidies will be in the hands of Trump and the Republicans. And while they haven’t had much to say about the issue, it’s hard to imagine they’d be enthusiastic about extending the subsidies given their traditional hostility to government spending on social welfare, to say nothing of their animus towards Obamacare. Conservative intellectuals are already laying the groundwork. Brian Blase, the former Trump administration official now president of the conservative-leaning Paragon Health Institute, has assailed the extra subsidies as regressive because they have made higher-income Americans eligible for assistance.

If Donald Trump wins in 2024, then there could be big consequences for Obamacare… and it won’t be pretty.

#Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act #Obamacare #PPACA #Health Care #American Rescue Plan

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soliloqueeer · 1 year

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13 Questions Every Harry Potter Fan Should Be Able To Answer

Question 1: Which house do you belong to?

Ravenclaw. I'm curious, creative and introverted. But I would also be happy in Hufflepuff since I am, at the end of the day, baby.

Question 2: Which Deathly Hallow would you choose?

If I'm being honest with myself probably the stone, to have one final conversation with my mother who recently, and very suddenly, passed away.

If that hadn't happened then I would've chosen the invisibility cloak because I love the idea of not being perceived.

Question 3: Which Character do you have a (not so) secret crush on?

Interesting question. I had to pick someone compliant with their characterization in the books then I'd probably say I'm most attracted to Tonks or Sirius, or the Weasley twins. But if you saw my AO3 history you'd think Tom Riddle.

Question 4: What are your Indepth and controversial thoughts on Severus Snape?

I think that Severus is a very tragic character. He came from poverty, was abused and neglected by his parents. The only person to ever show him kindness was Lily. He was canonically ugly, weird, and had bad hygiene. He was bullied by two classist Gryffindors and craved power and vengence which led him down a dark path. He died a hero who was courageous and self-sacrificing but I don't think she-who-shall-not-be-named wrote a convincing enough redemption story, especially not one in which the hero would give one of his son's Severus's name. He was still a wholly miserable person who was stuck in the past and verbally abused the child of his former nemesis for six years.

My controversial thoughts surrounding Snape was that he was first and foremost a genius - a potions prodigy who literally crafted his own spells as a teenager.

There was an unequal power dynamic between Severus and the Marauders. He was a dirt poor half-blood and they were rich purebloods. There was never any equal footing between them and as much as he participated in the feud, it was always in retaliation to their cruelty. (I can say this without bashing Sirius and James as all people contain multitudes).

I also don't believe Severus was a bigot. I think there's a good chance he hated muggles, as a result of the abuse from his father, but I he was too smart to buy into the idea of blood supremacy when he, a half-blood, was smarter than most of his pureblood peers. And when Lily, a muggleborn, was at the top of their class.

One of the more controversial headcanons I have is that Severus was recruited into becoming a Deatheater, not because he believed in their agenda but because he was allured by the promise of power, influence and vengeance. I believe he probably moved up high in the ranks after graduating Hogwarts because he was cunning, ambitious, and committed to proving himself and gaining Voldemort's respect. I also believe during his time as a Deatheater he most likely had to commit horrible acts of violence and cruelty, and that while Severus does have a sadistic streak (one that gives him the allusion of power), he does not wish suffering upon innocent people. He probably dealt with these peforming these acts by compartmentalizing his responsibiltiies as a Deatheater and using occlumancy.

One final thing I want to add is that I don't think Severus was obsessed with Lily in a 4Chan, incel sort of way (in fact, he kind of gives off ace vibes). In my opinion, Lily was the only person to ever give him love, kindness and compassion, and while he was in love with her, he was above all else, completely wracked with guilt over being responsible for telling Voldemort about the prophecy. He agrees to protect Harry because he feels indebted to her until the day he dies.

Question 5: Who, In your Opinion, Is more evil: Voldemort or Dolores Umbridge.

What a funny question. The first thing that comes to mind for me is Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and the discourse in 2015-17 about which politician was worse. Voldemort (like Trump) is honest about who is is and what he stands for (self-interest and accumulating power). Alternatively Umbridge (like Clinton) tries to create the perception that she is good and righteous.

Umbridge represents the banaltiy of evil. She's sadistic and abusive, even towards children -all while wearing a polite smile on her face. She has the same vibe as a Catholic nun who abuses people in the name of god, and for Umbridge it was about the rule of law.

However, Voldemort's evil can't even be measured on the same scale. He's a meglomaniac eugenicst willing to purge the world of things he deems inferior to him. He was inspired by dictators like Hitler and Stalin.

It's far easier to hate Umbridge because she's not honest about who she is, and we've met a figure of authority who's exactly like her. Voldemort by all accounts and purposes, was far more powerful, influential and destructive, but too grandiose to relate to.

Question 6: Which death in the series is the most heartbreaking?

Sirius, Fred, Remus, but especially Fred. It was cruel to take him away from George. I think it would've been more satisfying if Percy, as a way to redeem himself to his family, sacrificed himself to save his brother during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Question 7: What Quidditch position would you play?

I wouldn't. I'd probably be in the stands or take advantage of the school being empty and fuck around in the empty castle all day.

Question 8: What Wizarding Career would you pursue?

Probably a teacher or academic/Unspeakable as I love research. That or someone who paints the magical portraits.

Question 9: Which book in the series is you favourite?

PoA was always my favourite as a kid because I really loved Lupin's character, and hearing about the Marauders. The time-turner plot gives me an eyeroll now but the climax is still one of the most thrilling to me. We also got a taste of Powerful Harry, which actually never came to fruition, but I really loved the idea that Harry was a very exceptional wizard who was coming into his powers and not just an every-man character.

Question 10: Who should have ended up together? Hermione/Ron or Hermione/Harry?

Hermione/Harry if it was developed earlier on. The author explained that Ron/Hermione was something she pigeonholed herself into in the first two books but later regretted it. I think canonically, Harry and Hermione are like siblings, but if their relationship was developed after PoA then it would've been really satisfying to see.

Question 11: Have you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?

No. Never will.

Question 12: Was Dumbledore a Hero or a Villain?

A hero. His plan worked in the end, as convoluted it may have been. I don't see Dumbledore as an all-good Santa-Claus-Grandpa character like his die-hard fans do, but I also don't see him as a chess-player villian twirling his moustache from the shadows.

I used to really hate Dumbledore because of how secretive he was. It was absolutely insane for him to have put Harry on that wild goose chase with such little information and it was a miracle they won the war at all.

At the end of the day, I think he was a man that feared having too much power due to the mistakes he made in his youth when he was hungry for it. He influenced things from the sidelines because he knew he was imperfect. He made mistakes all the time, and owned up to them, and if he was all-powerful those mistakes would have much graver consequences.

He loved Harry, in the end, and did not want to see him in that mess, but had the pressure of saving the world on his shoulders.

Question 13: Who is the real Hero of the Story? Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom?

Seems like a redundant question to me, but perhaps there's discourse around it I'm not aware of.

Harry is. But he doesn't carry that tile alone.

#harry potter questions #hp headcanons #severus snape headcanons #dumbledore headcanons #harry potter characters #hp fandom #harry potter canon #character analysis #ravenclaw #snape was a tragic character #not bashing #dumbledore wasn't a villian #but he also wasn't perfect either #that was the point of his character

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bopinion · 11 days

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2024 / 36 - Abridged vacation edition

Aperçu of the week

“Human dignity is inviolable.”

(Article 1 of the Basic Law, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany)

Bad News of the Week

It is well known that life in Afghanistan is not exactly a paradise. The Taliban rule with an absolute power that interferes so deeply in people's everyday lives that it can safely be described as invasive. Now a new law of the guardians of morality is coming into force, which - of course - further restricts the lives of women.

Men are not allowed to wear shorts or to practice martial arts. And must grow a beard if working in public service. But that is nothing compared to the restrictions for women. They are only allowed to attend school up to the 6th grade, are virtually excluded from working life, must always be fully veiled and are not even allowed to leave the house without a male escort. Now even singing or speaking out loud is forbidden - with the threat of a prison sentence. Why? Because the female voice is seductive and men should not be tempted.

Ravina Shamdasani from the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva puts her horror at this development into words: “The newly passed law cements a policy that completely erases women in public life, silences them and takes away their independence by trying to turn them into faceless, mute shadows. That is intolerable!”

The fact that the German government wants to negotiate with the Taliban right now about the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers is at least as intolerable. This is, of course, a reaction to the completely exaggerated cries of the extreme parties that the allegedly excessive migration is the root of all evil. And, in my opinion, it calls into question the principle of asylum. Because the definition of “imminent threat to life” should also include the absence of fundamental human rights: a life that is not worth living is just an existence.

Good News of the Week

German democracy is celebrating its 75th anniversary. After the darkest chapter in its history, the Germans have created the foundations of a liberal, egalitarian society with a democratic basic order. With a classic division of powers in the legislative, executive and judicial branches, unshakeable principles of human rights, freedom and social participation as well as balanced federalism.

The Bundestag (parliament) and Bundesrat (representation of the federal states) are therefore celebrating their birthday. They look back on the past with satisfaction, but express concerns about the future. Liberal democracy is under pressure from authoritarian forces worldwide, says former Federal Minister of the Interior Gerhart Baum in a speech. At 91, he is also a contemporary witness and knows what he is talking about. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas commented: “We can overcome crises - despite tough controversies. Our democracy is strong and resilient against all those who want to harm it." If she is right, Germany can look to the future with confidence.

Personal happy moment of the week

My own children finally got to meet my sisters' children (from my youthful stay abroad in Canada 37 years ago). And it was as if they had known each other forever. I would be very happy if that would last - even across the Atlantic and across time.

I couldn't care less...

...that the US Republican campaign team feels disadvantaged that the film “The Apprentice” about the dubious rise of Donald Trump is now being released in US cinemas before the elections. The guy is already getting away with his delaying tactics in so many (even court!) proceedings that I'm pleased about every confrontation that actually takes place. And that confronts him with his infinite body of lies.

It's fine with me...

...that an international comparative study has now also confirmed the positive effect of a cell phone ban in schools. Researchers at the Chair of School Education at the University of Augsburg came to this conclusion and published their findings in the journal Education Sciences: a smartphone ban has measurably positive effects on the social well-being of pupils and on their learning performance. Our school has been doing this since the first iPhone. And is obviously right to do so.

As I write this...

...the - voted out - democrats in the eastern German states are trying to form majorities without the radical right-wing AfD (Alternative für Deutschland / Alternative for Germany). This party owes it above all to the very young and the very old voters to have become the second strongest (in Saxony) or even the strongest (in Thuringia) party in the state elections. Sometimes democracy has to act against the declared will of the voters in order to protect itself.

Post Scriptum

The summer of 2024 was warmer than ever before since complete records began in 1940. According to the EU climate service Copernicus, the current year as a whole is also heading for a record high. In the past, people would have been happy about “the nice weather”. Today, people are afraid of the next forest fire and water sources drying up. And we are still not prepared to do what is necessary.

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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A feud over spending cuts between hardline and centrist Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives raises the risk that the federal government will suffer its fourth shutdown in a decade this fall.

Members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus are pushing to cut spending to a fiscal 2022 level of $1.47 trillion, $120 billion less than President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to in their May debt ceiling compromise.

With Republicans also seeking higher spending on defense, veterans benefits and border security, analysts say the hardline target would mean cuts of up to 25% in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, science, commerce, water and energy, and healthcare.

Centrists, who call themselves "governing" Republicans, say their hardline colleagues are ignoring the fact that their priorities are rejected by Democrats who control the Senate and White House, and that spending will wind up near the level agreed by McCarthy and Biden anyway.

The result is a major headache for centrist Republicans from swing districts that Biden won in 2020 and others with constituents in the firing line of hardline spending targets.

"The reductions are so deep," said Representative Don Bacon, a centrist Republican from Nebraska. "They want to make everything a root canal."

Hardliners view the 2024 fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1 as a test of Republican resolve to reduce the federal debt and move on to reform social programs including Medicare and Social Security.

"I don't fault any individual member for raising concerns and wanting to make sure that the bill is right for them and for their district," said Representative Ben Cline, who belongs to the Freedom Caucus, the conservative Republican Study Committee and the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

"What there has to be is an understanding that for there to be 218 Republican votes, the spending needs to be in line with pre-COVID levels rather than the debt-limit agreement."

One significant source of frustration is hardline demands for cuts to bills that have already been vetted by the 61-member House Appropriations Committee.

"We're not, willy-nilly, just trying to give money away. We're trying to focus and prioritize," said Representative David Joyce, a member of the appropriations committee who heads the 42-member centrist Republican Governance Group.

With Democrats opposed to hardline proposals, McCarthy can afford to lose no more than four Republican votes if he hopes to pass all 12 appropriations bills before funding expires on Sept. 30.

"I do not know how they get themselves out of this jam," said William Hoagland, a former Senate Republican budget director now at the Bipartisan Policy Center think tank.

TRICKY PATH

When the House returns from summer recess on Sept. 12, lawmakers will have 12 days to complete their bills and hammer out compromise legislation with the Senate or risk a partial government shutdown.

McCarthy acknowledged last week they may have to resort to a stopgap funding bill, known as a "continuing resolution," or CR, to keep federal agencies open.

That option could be complicated by hardline demands that it include some of former President Donald Trump's border policies, which Democrats reject.

Some House Republicans say the challenges are similar to disagreements McCarthy has overcome on other major legislation, including an April Republican debt ceiling bill that cemented his negotiating position in talks with Biden.

"The more appropriations bills we can get across the finish line, the more we'll have the leverage we need to negotiate a good deal with the Senate," said Representative Dusty Johnson, who chairs the Main Street Caucus, whose members describe themselves as "pragmatic conservatives".

Failure would mean another costly government shutdown starting in October, which would be the fourth in a decade.

SHUTDOWN RISK

House Freedom Caucus members say a shutdown could be necessary to achieve their objectives.

"It's not something that the members of the Freedom Caucus generally wish for," said Representative Scott Perry, who chairs the group of roughly three dozen conservatives.

"But we also understand that very little happens in Washington that's difficult, without someone or something forcing it to happen," he told Reuters.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in Congress, said last week that Republicans will be to blame for any new shutdown "if the House decides to go in a partisan direction."

Disputes over funding and policy have shut down the federal government three times in the past decade: once in 2013 over healthcare spending and twice in 2018 over immigration. A 35-day shutdown that began in December 2018 and ran into January 2019 cost the economy 0.02% of GDP, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

This time, the slim 222-212 House Republican majority could pay a political price. A shutdown would disrupt the lives of Americans barely a year before the 2024 election, when Republicans must defend 18 House seats in districts that Biden won in 2020.

McCarthy could face the prospect of having to resort to a CR that requires bipartisan support to pass, neutralizing the hardliners, analysts said.

That could endanger McCarthy's speakership under a deal he struck allowing a single lawmaker to move for his dismissal.

Would the House Freedom Caucus end McCarthy's reign over a CR?

"I wouldn't go that far," Perry said. "That's a final option. We want to work with the leadership. We want to work with Kevin, and we think that we can."

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steelbluehome · 4 months

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"The film mostly succeeds in this monstrous true story due to the transformative and utterly compelling performances of Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Stan’s gradual transformation is entirely believable, avoiding SNL-levels of parody through his eerily uncanny, surprisingly restrained, and frightening portrayal of a total and complete narcissist. He absolutely nails Trump’s body language, speech patterns, and facial expressions, and he does this more progressively throughout the film while never once overplaying it. By the time you reach the end of the film, his version of Trump is completely unrecognizable from the person we met at the beginning of the film, not just in mind and body (courtesy of some convincing makeup work), but also in spirit."

The Next Best Picture

"THE APPRENTICE” (click for article)

May 20, 2024

By Matt Neglia

THE STORY – A dive into the underbelly of the American empire, the film charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.

THE CAST – Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan & Joe Pingue

THE TEAM – Ali Abbasi (Director), Jennifer Stahl & Gabriel Sherman (Writers)

THE RUNNING TIME – 120 Minutes

Making a film about former President of the United States, Donald Trump, was always going to be a hot-button topic amongst cinephiles. Such a controversial figure who is still, to this day, a very real presence in our lives and has no intentions of fading away, one would think any form of a biopic about him would want to wait a number of years, perhaps after his passing, to tell any story about him so not to garner intense reactions out of people. But perhaps that’s the goal all along. No matter what the response to filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s (“Holy Spider“) latest film is, it’s going at least get some sort of a reaction out of people. And in a way, such a reckless and blatant approach to making and releasing this film now, while both his supporters and haters are out in full force during an election year where he will be the Republican nominee once again (barring an indictment of any kind) feels right in line with the kind of person Donald Trump is and has always been, well at least after he met Roy Cohn, which is what Abbasi’s film depicts. It’s not concerned with his Presidential years in the Oval Office, but rather the early days in his real estate career, when barely anyone knew who he was and through a mentor/protege friendship, it gave birth to this Frankenstein’s monster who not only became rich and famous, but infamous.

Before he made his billions, Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) was a young, upstart real estate mogul looking to secure a deal with the city of New York under his wealthy father, Fred Trump’s (Martin Donovan) nose, who owned The Trump Organization. After venturing into a bar one night visited by some of the most powerful, corrupt, and wealthiest individuals in the city, Trump meets hotshot American lawyer and prosecutor Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), a blowhard, vulgar, and offensive individual who doesn’t care about anything other than winning. Trump elicits Cohn’s help to get the feds to back off his family’s business so he can move forward with building a luxury hotel in the middle of Grand Central Station, and Cohn eventually agrees. He likes the kid and seizes the moment to take him under his wing and teach him his three key principles to winning: Rule 1: Attack. Attack. Attack. Rule 2: Admit nothing. Deny everything. And Rule 3: Claim victory and never admit defeat. This mental attitude would go on to become the blueprint for how Donald Trump would eventually grow his family’s real estate empire through the 1970s and 80s, leading to the unbreakable mindset that would one day lead him to the Presidency.

Naturally, there’s quite a bit of fear and hesitation about how Sebastian Stan would portray Trump in “The Apprentice” (the title of the film applying to Trump’s role under Cohn’s tutelage and a play off of his famous television show of the same name). Is this meant to be a comedy? A drama? Perhaps even a horror film? Abbasi’s film, surprisingly, plays everything mostly straight, giving the film “Succession” levels of Shakespearean drama (backed by some brass-heavy pieces of score which will also remind viewers of the hit HBO show) as the relationship between Trump and Cohn touches upon themes of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The two start off the film in totally different places, and, by the end, they swap as one eventually becomes humbled by life, and the other displays a total disregard for it and its rules based on the teachings he inherited from the other. By telling such a story, “The Apprentice” does not shy away from showing audiences what a driven but naive young Donald Trump once was but also the notorious scumbag he would grow to become.

The film mostly succeeds in this monstrous true story due to the transformative and utterly compelling performances of Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Stan’s gradual transformation is entirely believable, avoiding SNL-levels of parody through his eerily uncanny, surprisingly restrained, and frightening portrayal of a total and complete narcissist. He absolutely nails Trump’s body language, speech patterns, and facial expressions, and he does this more progressively throughout the film while never once overplaying it. By the time you reach the end of the film, his version of Trump is completely unrecognizable from the person we met at the beginning of the film, not just in mind and body (courtesy of some convincing makeup work), but also in spirit. The same goes for Strong as Cohn, who captures Cohn’s voice, slight head bob while speaking, and, more importantly, his viciousness, ruthlessness, and cruelty. The latter human qualities are particularly noteworthy for how Strong manages to pry even the slightest degree of pity for Cohn from the audience by the end after watching what a despicable human being he was earlier in his life is nothing short of fantastic acting from the Emmy Award-winning actor. Watching those almost inhuman powers transfer from one actor to the other seamlessly over the course of the two-hour runtime is the film’s best asset, as Abbasi never asks us to sympathize with Trump but instead seeks to give us a better understanding of how anyone could ever think and behave the way he does. By the time you’re done watching Abbasi’s cautionary character study, it starts to make a bit more sense.

Some will feel that none of this is new information and the film’s very act of existence is objectionable, given how much of a prevalent force Trump remains in our daily lives. While Stan and Strong’s exceptional work makes the film worth checking out, there are still numerous flaws to be found within its storytelling. The decision to shoot utilizing different video formats, such as celluloid filmstock and camcorder footage, provides a clear distinction between the time periods, accentuated by the film’s soundtrack comprising various hits from the time. Some of these needle drops feel appropriate, while one in particular during a physical assault by Trump on his former wife Ivana Trump (a sadly underused Maria Bakalova) feels completely out of place and cuts the horrifically violent act’s knees right from underneath it. Abbasi wisely avoids showcasing any and all contemporary scenes during Trump’s presidential run and eventual Presidency, but that doesn’t stop screenwriters Jennifer Stahl & Gabriel Sherman from constantly eluding to it in some heavy-handed ways. Whether it’s played for laughs or for a cheap wink at the camera to tell audiences unnecessary indicators such as, “See! That’s how he got his campaign slogan!” it never hits as hard as the drama conjured by Stan and Strong, nor the queasy feelings it produces in your stomach knowing what this power-hungry, nonsensical fraud of a businessman would later go on to do.

While Trump constantly fabricates the truth to create a scenario where he comes out ahead, Abbasi’s film is about getting as close to the truth as possible to paint a picture of a figure where he comes out not as low as possible but across as honestly as possible. That honesty is rotten to the core, and Stan’s immersive portrayal never breaks away from that truth. There is no breaking of the fourth wall to over-explain details to the audience, nor is there a sharp divide between the film’s drama and comedy, causing us to question whether we should take the film seriously or not. It’s as serious a film for our tumultuous times as any other. Although it might not be perfect, and some will rightfully question whether the timing of “The Apprentice” is justified, Stan and Strong provide awards-worthy work that will get people talking and hopefully convince them to see Trump for who he is and has always been.

#the apprentice #the apprentice movie #the apprentice review #sebastian stan #donald trump #jeremy strong #roy cohn #maria bakalova #ivana trump #ali abbasi

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khawthorneofficial · 5 days

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Ethics of the Military- an essay

Final essay for Writing 122. Fair warning, this was an argumentative assignment, not informative, so it has a lot of my own beliefs in it.

"When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one." ~Tombstone of gay Vietnam veteran Leonard Matlovich (1943-1988)

You walk out of the mall with your friends on a sunny day, laughing and joking. You have drinks and snacks, and shopping bags full of your scores in your arms. As you walk down the sidewalk, you spot an elderly man sitting on the curb. He looks like he hasn't bathed in a while, and he's accompanied by a yellow lab in a service dog vest. Upon looking closer, you see he has a prosthetic leg. He holds a flimsy cardboard sign in his hands. Written on it in thick black sharpie are the words Homeless Disabled Veteran- Anything helps. As you pass, he holds out his grimy ballcap. Feeling pity for him, you fish a ten-dollar bill out of your wallet and drop it into the hat. He smiles at you with yellowing teeth and says, "God bless." As you walk away, though, you feel a guilty sensation in the pit of your stomach. You wish you could have done more.

We all know that the United States has a major homelessness problem, but did you know that out of a homeless population of over 630,000, 1 in 10 are military veterans? The institution of the military doesn't always pay people back by setting them up to thrive after their service is done. Militaries as we know them have been around for centuries, and certain forms of similar institutions date as far back as history itself goes, and many people see a military as a necessary institution. But is it? The institution of the military has many ethical problems that cause both physical and mental harm to both members, and the people caught in the crossfire of their wars. Veterans are abandoned by the system as soon as they are no longer able to serve, certain people are never given the chance, and war takes a tremendous toll on both soldiers and victims.

The first military as we know it was the Order of St. George, founded in Hungary in 1326, but armies for the sake of fighting wars can be traced as far back as ancient Mesopotamia, which is also the earliest recorded civilization, going back as far as 5,000-8,000 BCE, though the exact number varies depending on the source. For as long as humankind has had civilized society, we've been fighting wars. From the black blood-stained fields of Homer's Iliad, a fictionalized account of the probably-historical Trojan War, to the desolate trenches of World War 1, to the conflict taking place between Russia and Ukraine right now, war seems to be an inescapable human experience. As such, countries have naturally developed forces to fight them for us. But, contrary to what some people believe, it's far from a perfect system, and if you look into it enough, you begin to see that the good outweighs the bad. Most people currently and formerly enlisted in militaries are genuinely good people, but that's just what makes the institution itself so heinous and despicable.

It's no secret that our society has always been very patriarchal. Ergo, for centuries, social institutions like armies and militaries only permitted men to be members. Nowadays, most militaries allow women to join, but the standards are still different. For instance, women are not required to sign up for the draft when they turn 18 like men are. But women aren't the only group militaries have historically discriminated against. Prior to Abraham Lincoln's emancipation proclamation in 1863, African American men were not allowed to serve in the US military. However, in case anyone thinks discrimination in the military is a thing of the past, remember that only 6 years ago in 2017, then-president Donald Trump passed a law that would bar transgender individuals from serving in the military. However, fortunately, in 2021, current president Joe Biden lifted said ban, allowing trans people to serve again. There have also been multiple harsh policies about gay people's involvement in the military. The quote at the beginning of this essay is engraved on the tombstone of Leonard Matlovich, a man who fought in the Vietnam War as a member of the US Air Force. During his time in the military, he earned high honors in the form of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, but was ultimately discharged from the Air Force after 12 years of dedicated service simply for disclosing that he was gay. He would go on to become a champion of the gay rights movement, but ultimately died in 1988 due to complications related to AIDS.

Discrimination is not the only problem with the military. Service, especially in active war zones, can take an enormous physical and mental toll on survivors. In a study conducted in 2022, a whopping 76% of surveyed US veterans stated that they suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is a disturbing amount compared to the just 5% of normal Americans who struggle with the disorder as of 2023. PTSD is a relatively new term. Around the time of World War I, conditions that would surely lend themselves to a PTSD diagnosis were known colloquially as "shell shock" and "war neruroses", as at the time they were solely associated with war veterans. This thinking continued to World War II, albeit with "shell shock" being replaced by the term "Combat Stress Reaction" or CSR for short. The condition was not dubbed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder until 1980 in the DSM-III, after research revealed that the psychological disorder could affect those who had suffered non-battle forms of trauma, such as sexual assault and traumatic accidents.

One place in which you can always look to for an idea of the horrors of wartime are accounts written during or about the first World War by those who fought on either side. While there are many poems, songs, and books attempting to glorify and romanticize the war, there are also many that employ the true horror. Such pieces include British poet Wilfred Owen's works, such as Anthem for Doomed Youth and Dulce et Decorum est and the book All Quiet on the Western Front, a fictionalized, semi-autobiographical account written after the end of the war by German veteran Erich Maria Remarque. The latter has been turned into several movies, with versions released in 1930, 1979, and 2022. (I watched part of the 1979 version as part of my study for this essay.) Anthem for Doomed Youth is a tragic meditation on all of the innocent young lives lost to a war they thought would bring them glory and fame, while Dulce et Decorum est is a harrowing and haunting account of what it was like to live through a gas attack, written about a real one that Owen himself was caught in, and aptly describing the brutal memories and flashbacks that followed. All Quiet on the Western Front, however, tells the story of a class of schoolboys who were convinced by their teacher to join the army and are brutally killed one by one. Depressingly enough, the plot of the book was largely inspired by Remarque's own experience in the military during the great war. In the video Modern Classics Summarized: All Quiet on the Western Front by YouTube Channel Overly Sarcastic Productions, narrator Red employs a "War is Hell" counter in one corner of the screen while she talks about the book and footage from the 1979 movie plays. Tellingly enough, by the end of the review, it has reached 54.

Another similar poem from the same era is Glory of Women by Siegfried Sassoon. While the overall concept of the poem is more than a little misogynistic, implying that women shallowly romanticize and glorify war, while men suffer the consequences, it does happen to have some excellent anti-war lines. "O German mother dreaming by the fire, While you are knitting socks to send your son, His face is trodden deeper in the mud." (Sassoon, Glory of Women. 13-15.) If you take this line at face value, there is something almost comforting about it. Sassoon was an Englishman, and thus in writing this part, he shows some sympathy for this other side- while the tone of the rest of the poem make it clear that he is mocking the oblivious mother for thinking her son would live, he is portraying the son's death as a negative.

As recent as the concept of PTSD is, trauma from war has been known for a long time, so long that what we might now diagnose as this disorder appears as far back as the plays and epics of the Trojan Cycle, some of the oldest literature in existence. Particularly in Homer's Odyssey, we see Odysseus, Menelaus, and other veterans of the Trojan War are still grappling with the reality of what happened in Troy even ten years later. At one point it is even mentioned that Helen, wife of Menelaus, has to drug her husband to prevent him from being overwhelmed by brutal flashbacks of the war. This is a testament to the adverse mental effects the decade-long Trojan War has on those who fought in it. Also in the Odyssey, we see Odysseus in disguise break down when a song about the Trojan War is played in the hall he is dining in. This incident is ultimately what causes him to reveal his true identity to his hosts, so it's safe to say that even this cunning hero has been shaken by the horrors of war. Even back then, people knew war wasn't always something to romanticize.

There is also the matter of POWs, or prisoners of war. Many military veterans who were held captive during wars such as the Vietnam war or Korean war still hold a lot of trauma from those situations. Rather recently, news channel CNN interviewed two former POWs who had been captured in Vietnam. One of the men, Staff Seargent Ken Wallingford was crammed into a 5-by-six "tiger cage". (The particular article makes it unclear whether it was a cage actually designed to house tigers or if it was just called that, but a quick Google search reveals the latter). No actual tigers were kept inside with Wallingford, although that didn't make the experience any more pleasant. Wallingford reportedly spent ten months inside the cramped cage. At 5 feet 11 inches tall, he was unable to even stand up in the tiny space. His comrade, Mark Smith, was captured at the same base and endured even worse conditions. Smith was forced to stay inside a hole in the ground, with any protection from the elements he was allowed rotting around him. He ended up contracting two different types of malaria from the mosquitoes he was left at the mercy of, and was lucky to make it back to the US alive.

Most people who enlist in the military or go off to war have genuinely good intentions. They're brave, selfless people who want to give their life to protecting their country and people. They aren't the problem. The institution of the military, however, is. It's perfectly fine to have National Guard officers out in the community, giving people their Covid shots, but when it comes to wartime, the military as an institution has no problem throwing these young people's lives away, and coming back to the statistics of homeless veterans in the US, leaving them by the wayside when they can no longer serve the cause. We are taught that it's a form of glory, the ultimate perhaps, to sacrifice ourselves for our countries and the nebulous concept of patriotism. "My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori." (Owen, Dulce et Decorum est. 25-28). The Latin phrase at the end of this particular Wilfred Owen poem, from which the title is taken, translates to "it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country." This very ideology is part of why the military as an institution is highly unethical in its expectations of members.

One counterargument that might be brought up in response to these statements is the fact that if military institutions were done away with, we would have no one to fight for us when wars break out. However, perhaps without militaries, there wouldn't be as many wars to fight. There are 15 total countries without official militaries, including Lichtenstein and the Marshall Islands, and several more with unofficial institutions but no proper armed forces, including Mauritius. Many of these countries still do have treaties with others in the case that they do require assistance in a wartime situation, but the system seems to have worked, with these countries staying out of those kinds of conflicts.

Ultimately, while having a military can be useful in some cases, the system is very flawed, and in a better world we wouldn't have to put up with those problems- and maybe we don't in this one either. Militaries pretend to care about their members, but throw their lives away nonchalantly and cast them by the wayside when they decide that they've served their purpose. Is it really worth it?

Works Cited:

Leonardmatlovich.Com, www.leonardmatlovich.com/. Accessed 30 May 2023.

Elflein, John. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder during Service after 9/11 among Veterans U.S. 2022." Statista, 19 Apr. 2023, www.statista.com/statistics/1202701/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-during-service-after-911-by-problem-veterans/.

"How Common Is PTSD in Adults?" Va.Gov: Veterans Affairs, 13 Sept. 2018, www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp#:~:text=About%205%20out%20of%20every,some%20point%20in%20their%20life.

Starger, Martin, et al. All Quiet on the Western Front. CBS, 1979.

Overly Sarcastic Productions, Modern Classics Summarized, all quiet on the Western Front

"History of PTSD in Veterans: Civil War to DSM-5." Va.Gov: Veterans Affairs, 17 Aug. 2018, www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/history_ptsd.asp#:~:text=In%20World%20War%20II%2C%20the,became%20battle%20weary%20and%20exhausted.

Homer, The Odyssey

Homer, The Iliad

Owen, Wilfred. Anthem for Doomed Youth

Owen, Wilfred. Dulce et Decorum Est

Sassoon, Siegfried. Glory of Women

Lendon, Brad. "One of These Vietnam War Pows Spent 10 Months in a 'tiger Cage.' What Happened to the Other Was Even Worse." CNN, 29 May 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/05/29/asia/vietnam-cambodia-pow-50-years-reunion-intl-hnk-ml/index.html.

"List of Countries without Armed Forces." Wikipedia, 7 May 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_armed_forces.

#essay #writing

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pashterlengkap · 27 days

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DNC criticized for featuring no trans speakers while shying away from trans issues

For the first time in over a decade, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) did not feature a single trans speaker. Additionally, the event has been called out for failing to feature discussions of trans people. This came to light when Harvard CyberLaw Clinic instructor and trans activist Alejandra Caraballo posted on X: “This was the first DNC since 2012 to not feature a trans person speaking. ‘We’re not going back’ doesn’t apply to the trans community.” Related From the DNC floor, Kamala Harris is ready to stand up against bullies. Here’s how. In an LGBTQ Nation exclusive, senior spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign Kevin Munoz offers perspective on what to expect from the Democratic ticket. This was the first DNC since 2012 to not feature a trans person speaking. "We're not going back" doesn't apply to the trans community.— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) August 23, 2024 Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The two prior DNC events were held in 2016 and 2020. In 2016, Sarah McBride, who at the time was national press secretary with the Human Rights Campaign and not yet a state lawmaker, spoke at the convention. In 2020, then-Virginia state Delegate Danica Roem (D) spoke. McBride was the first out trans primary speaker at a DNC event, and both DNCs had talked in detail about trans issues. However, almost none of the speakers at the DNC this year discussed transgender rights issues. There were only two direct mentions of trans people at a main speaking event: Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ) both mentioned trans issues in passing. However, the DNC this year featured the largest number of LGBTQ+ delegates ever. Delegates are the individuals selected to represent their state or territory in order to officially nominate the presidential candidate. Over 800 delegates out of the total 4,700 were members of the LGBTQ+ community. Of that number, only around 50 were trans, according to the Harris-Walz National LGBTQ+ Engagement Director Sam Alleman. This was reportedly the largest number of trans delegates in history, in spite of making up just 1% of total delegates. Among those delegates were Congressional candidate Sarah McBride, Maine LGBTQ+ advocate Gia Drew, drag queen John Hellman (also known as Belle Pepper), and Dr. Joeigh Perella, a New Jersey county official. Another update: more than 50 trans and non-binary delegates were elected to nominate Kamala Harris — the most ever sent to a DNCC!— Sam Alleman (he/him) (@SamAlleman) August 19, 2024 Perella also had a brief speaking role during the New Jersey delegate roll call, however this was not a main speaking role and her speech lasted less than a minute. She spoke about making New Jersey and America as a whole a safe place for LGBTQ+ individuals. The Democratic platform this year states the party’s commitment to transgender rights and desire to oppose restrictions on transgender healthcare. The Republican National Convention (RNC), on the other hand, openly attacked trans people in multiple speeches, including those by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Additionally, Eric Trump made remarks disparaging trans people, and former President Donald Trump (R) made an offhand attack on trans people. Republicans have pushed transgender-related culture wars in the country, resulting in an influx of anti-trans bills introduced across the United States. Many of these bills have been targeting gender-affirming care for minors, with some states instituting bans on the practice. This has led thousands of trans people to flee their home states for other states that present themselves as trans-friendly. A representative from the DNC sent LGBTQ Nation a statement via email: The 2024 Democratic National Convention has been one of the… http://dlvr.it/TCM4sB

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cksmart-world · 1 month

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SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

August 6, 2024

GOP TO SAVE EMBRYOS — GOD TO SAVE GREAT SALT LAKE

Our wonderful Republican lawmakers here in the Beehive State want to save zygotes. Bless their hearts. They don't care that the Utah Supreme Court ruled that their legislation calling for a total ban on abortion flies in the face of the state Constitution. Nah, they're just gonna work around that, 'cause saving embryos is God's work. So, they'll pass another bill with different language and hope to get a different ruling, which, as we know, is the definition of wisdom. Can't let a little thing like the Constitution get in the way. You know Wilson, it's amazing how our blessed GOP brethren spring into action when it comes to abortion, DEI, critical race theory or trans access to public restrooms. But for some reason when it comes to the desiccation of the Great Salt Lake and air pollution... well it's just another matter. As the lake dries up poisons from the exposed lakebed blow right into Salt Lake County, adding PM 10 particles to the smaller PM 2.5 respiratory challenges that make our air some of the worst in the nation. But what's the hurry. Maybe it'll snow a lot in coming years adding lots of runoff to the Bear River so that all the water sucked up by alfalfa farmers won't affect lake level. Our GOP lawmakers will save the embryos and God will save the lake. Yeah, that's it. Good plan.

TOP 10 THINGS AMERICANS FEAR

We live in fear. So says a nine-year study from Chapman University. Americans on the left fear MAGA will get even meaner. Folks on the right fear that Hollywood and progressives will take away their liberties. We've been terrorizing each other since Sen. Joseph McCarthy went on communist witch hunts in the '50s with his committee on UnAmerican Activities. For 2024, the staff here at Smart Bomb has updated Americans Top 10 fears:

10 – That Bitcoin might be a mirage

9 – Real Housewives will get cancelled

8 – Kid Rock will perform at Super Bowl halftime

7 – Inflation could push up beer prices

6 – Victoria's Secret will go out of business

5 – J.D. Vance is a bot

4 – Mountain Dew is fascist soda

3 – Elon Musk will buy Disneyland

2 – American Idol gets axed

1 – And the #1 fear Americans have is that Donald Trump will never go away

MOUNTAIN DEW IS RACIST — WHO KNEW

Hey Wilson, did you know that Mountain Dew is racist? J.D. Vance, the weird dude running with Donald Trump, told a campaign rally that white people are always being accused of racism. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today, and I’m sure they’re going to call that racist, too.” And you thought Mountain Dew was just caffein-loaded soda. That brings us to DEI that used to stand for diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI programs in colleges, corporations and government agencies sought to help make room for minorities in a white majority society. But now we find that it makes white men feel bad and is actually racist against them. DEI is the right's new four-letter word. You might have heard, Wilson, that Kamala Harris is a DEI hire — roughly translated: she was only selected to be vice president because she is a woman and a minority. You might also have heard that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is actually an African. You may have heard that the husband of Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who is black, is a “thug.” And you may have heard that Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas is a “reptile with no balls.” As we now know from Chief Justice John Roberts, racism is no longer a problem in this country — so for goodness sakes hide the Mountain Dew.

Post script — That's going to do it for another enchanted week here in Zion where the state motto is, “Don't Worry Be Happy.” The Republican-dominated Utah Legislature came up with the new slogan for more insurance that GOP lawmakers won't have to pay a political price for their white male Mormon views on everything from open government to women's healthcare. The journey from the priesthood to the legislature is a short one — but you can always count on a free lunch. The priesthood makes its decisions behind closed doors for good reason. What the people don't know can't hurt them. The runner-up for the new state motto was, “Ignorance Is Bliss.” Nice. Speaking of mottos, the Trump campaign has apparently adopted a new one, too: “Don't Worry Be Angry.” Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are tearing it up on the campaign trail. Man, are they pissed off — and you should be, too. Kamala Harris is not only a “bitch,” according to Trump, but she uses AI (artificial intelligence) to make her campaign rally crowds look big. It's bologna because no one has bigger crowds than Trump — not Martin Luther King, Jr., not Gandhi, not even Jesus. That's what Trump said and he almost never lies... Well, OK, only when he has to.

So Wilson, it wasn't too long ago that folks were describing Kamala Harris as the invisible vice president. But now she's like the Phoenix risen from the ashes of the Biden campaign. She's on fire, kindling hope wherever she goes. Truth is, she was always there waiting for her time. You and the guys in the band know the theme song, Wilson, so hit it:

You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try, try and try You'll succeed at last Persecution you must fear Win or lose you got to get your share You've got your mind set on a dream You can get it though hard it may seem now You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try, try and try You'll succeed at last Rome was not built in a day Opposition will come your way But the hotter the battle you see Is the sweeter the victory now You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try, try and try You'll succeed at last

(You Can Get It If You Really Want — Jimmy Cliff)

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almaqead · 5 months

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"The Jihad." Introduction to Surah At Tawbah.

At-Tawbah (Arabic: ٱلتوبة, lit. 'the Repentance') is the ninth chapter (sura) of the Quran. It contains 129 verses (ayat) and is one of the last Medinan surahs. This Surah is known by two names, At-Taubah and Al-Bara'at.

It is believed by Muslims to have been revealed at the time of the Expedition of Tabuk in Medina in the 9th year of the Hijrah. The Sanaa manuscript preserves some verses, on parchment radiocarbon dated to between 578/44 bh and 669/49 ah.

I ended Surah Al Anfal with a call for Jihad against the United States of America for failing to deal with grandest threat to world peace and order in history, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and its assmeat puppets the Repubican Party who in spite of the obviousness of the requirements, committed the greatest sin a man, woman or government can commit: in spite of the accumulation of great wealth, all they have done is been stingy. They refused the people of Ukraine when they came to them for military and financial assistance and now millions are going to die.

When Zakah cannot be observed because of corruption, then there must be Jihad.

Further, the White House has failed to end oppression against women, LGBTQ persons, and has not addressed the Capitol Coup on January 6, the election fraud of 2016 and has allowed organized crime and the trafficking of minors to persist within a stone's throw from its front lawn, all perpetrated by Donald Trump, whom it jeers at during election campaigns rather than dousing him with gasoline and putting him to death for his crimes.

All of the above negligence resulted in the terror attacks by the Mormons and Hamas on the innocent people of Israel on October 7, 2023. There has been no honesty about this and everyone is blaming Israel for the defense of itself. Attacks on Israel or its people, the birthplace of the Religion are forbidden, they are utter blasphemy.

This means America is also violating Hudud, Iman, and Sadaq- rule of law, belief in the Sacred, and the Truth. The end result is a dire threat to the hopes and dreams of believers for Masjid, the creation of an international Sacred Precinct that envelopes the entire earth.

All Muslims are required therefore to do what is needed to peacefully curtail the ability of the US Governmnet to continue to promote the existence of Donald Trump, the Republican Party or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Upon public acknowledgement by Joe Biden of the demise of Donald Trump et al for the grave harm they have done to this world by what they have been done and left undone and release of their plans for remediation, AKA their Repentance, the Jihad will end.

Thus begins the Surah.

9: 1-15:

˹This is˺ a discharge from all obligations,1 by Allah and His Messenger, to the polytheists you ˹believers˺ have entered into treaties with:

“You ˹polytheists˺ may travel freely through the land for four months, but know that you will have no escape from Allah, and that Allah will disgrace the disbelievers.”1

A declaration from Allah and His Messenger ˹is made˺ to all people on the day of the greater pilgrimage1 that Allah and His Messenger are free of the polytheists. So if you ˹pagans˺ repent, it will be better for you. But if you turn away, then know that you will have no escape from Allah. And give good news ˹O Prophet˺ to the disbelievers of a painful punishment.

As for the polytheists who have honoured every term of their treaty with you and have not supported an enemy against you, honour your treaty with them until the end of its term. Surely Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺.

But once the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists ˹who violated their treaties˺ wherever you find them,1 capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way. But if they repent, perform prayers, and pay alms-tax, then set them free. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And if anyone from the polytheists asks for your protection ˹O Prophet˺, grant it to them so they may hear the Word of Allah, then escort them to a place of safety, for they are a people who have no knowledge.

How can such polytheists have a treaty with Allah and His Messenger, except those you have made a treaty with at the Sacred Mosque?1 So, as long as they are true to you, be true to them. Indeed Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺.

How ˹can they have a treaty˺? If they were to have the upper hand over you, they would have no respect for kinship or treaty. They only flatter you with their tongues, but their hearts are in denial, and most of them are rebellious.

They chose a fleeting gain over Allah’s revelations, hindering ˹others˺ from His Way. Evil indeed is what they have done!

They do not honour the bonds of kinship or treaties with the believers. It is they who are the transgressors.

But if they repent, perform prayer, and pay alms-tax, then they are your brothers in faith. This is how We make the revelations clear for people of knowledge.

But if they break their oaths after making a pledge and attack your faith, then fight the champions of disbelief—who never honour their oaths—so perhaps they will desist.

So˺ fight them and Allah will punish them at your hands, put them to shame, help you overcome them, and soothe the hearts of the believers—

removing rage from their hearts. And Allah pardons whoever He wills. For Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Commentary:

Rage against Jerusalem is forbidden. Deviations from the Law and the laws are forbidden. We are all bound by treaties and agreements and Constitutions that compel us to behave in certain lawful and righteous ways.

Why is this not happening then? There must be a repentance so there can be a pardon and peace and unity can prevail. The White House must lead this effort, of this there is no doubt. Then the world must follow, unify Jerusalem and Israel, establish government and citizenship for the world's suffering, and put all non-believers and usurpers into the fire.

This world cannot be left to wander into the darkness.

Thus begins the Jihad.

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jangillman · 2 months

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Here's a long list of President Trump's achievements whilst in office. You Koolaid drinking democrats better get yourself another cup, because this is going to take some time:-

What has Donald Trump done while he was in office (as at July, 2017)!!!

1.Supreme Court Judge Gorsuch

2.59 missiles dropped in Syria.

3.He took us out of TPP

4.Illegal immigration is now down 70%( the lowest in 17 years)

5.Consumer confidence highest since 2000 at index125.6

6.Mortgage applications for new homes rise to a 7 year high.

7.Arranged 20% Tariff on soft lumber from Canada.

8.Bids for border wall are well underway.

9.Pulled out of the lopsided Paris accord.

10.Keystone pipeline approved.

11.NATO allies boost spending by 4.3%

12.Allowing VA to terminate bad employees.

13.Allowing private healthcare choices for veterans.

14.More than 600,000. Jobs created

15. Median household income at a 7 year high.

16. The Stock Market is at the highest ever In its history.

17. China agreed to American import of beef.

18. $89 Billion saved in regulation rollbacks.

19. Rollback of A Regulation to boost coal mining.

20. MOAB for ISIS

21. Travel ban reinstated.

22. Executive order for religious freedom.

23. Jump started NASA

24. $600 million cut from UN peacekeeping budget.

25. Targeting of MS13 gangs

26. Deporting violent illegal immigrants.

27. Signed 41 bills to date

28. Created a commission on child trafficking

29. Created a commission on voter fraud

30. Created a commission for opioids addiction.

31. Giving power to states to drug test unemployment recipients.

32. Unemployment lowest since may 2007.

33. Historic Black College University initiative

34. Women In Entrepreneurship Act

35. Created an office or illegal immigrant crime victims.

36. Reversed Dodd-Frank

37. Repealed DOT ruling which would have taken power away from local governments for infrastructure planning

38. Order to stop crime against law enforcement.

39. End of DAPA program.

40. Stopped companies from moving out of America.

41. Promoted businesses to create American Jobs.

42. Encouraged country to once again

43. 'Buy American and hire American

44. Cutting regulations 2 for every one created.

45. Review of all trade agreements to make sure they are America first.

46. Apprentice program

47. Highest manufacturing surge in 3 years.

48. $78 Billion promised reinvestment from major businesses like Exxon, Bayer, Apple, SoftBank, Toyota...

49. Denied FBI a new building.

50. $700 million saved with F-35 renegotiation.

51. Saves $22 million by reducing white house payroll.

52. Dept of treasury reports a $182 billion surplus for April 2017 (2nd largest in history).

53. Negotiated the release of 6 US humanitarian workers held captive in egypt.

54. Gas prices lowest in more than 12 years.

55. Signed An Executive Order To Promote Energy Independence And Economic Growth

56. Has already accomplished more to stop government interference into people's lives than any President in the history of America.

57. President Trump has worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any President since Truman.

58. Has given head executive of each branches 6 month time Frame dated march 15 2017, to trim the fat. restructure and improve efficacy of their branch.

Observe the pushback the leaks the lies as entrenched POWER refuses to go silently into that good night!

I hope each and every one of you copy and paste this everywhere, every time you hear some dim wit say Trump hadn't done a thing!

THANK YOU!!!

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pscottm · 6 months

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Election Deniers Are Taking Over Election Boards Around the Country

Workers strained their eyes to decipher ballot designations that voting machines had already tabulated as the hand count dragged on. Some officials on the Spalding County Board of Elections and Registration in Georgia didn’t trust the machines, so they’d initiated automatic hand recounts of all elections, and at the end of the third day of counting, Nov. 14, 2023, the workers had found what was to be expected: The counts by machine were the same as counts made by hand. The hand count was completely unnecessary, but the results had added up just fine, so everyone should have been happy. Except everyone wasn’t.

As the final results came in and two members of the board prepared to vote to officially certify results from the Nov. 7 municipal elections, Republican election board member Roy McClain walked out of the room. Then he walked out of the building and into his truck in the parking lot, and began to drive away. County election supervisor Kim Slaughter, a Donald Trump-supporting Republican with a librarian’s glasses, called McClain and coaxed him to come back. Without McClain, the board wouldn’t have a quorum, and the three members of the five-person board there that day wouldn’t have been able to certify election results.

Eventually, McClain came back into the room. But he was no more convinced than when he had left. Despite the results of the hand recount being exactly the same as the results tabulated by voting machines, McClain refused to certify the election.

“He said, ‘I can’t do this,’” Jim O’Brien, a Democratic member of the election board, recalls. “We were in shock. Our mouths were hanging down to the floor.”

The motion to certify results passed 2-1, with McClain voting no in protest.

That day, McClain joined what has become a startling number of Republicans who have refused to certify election results in recent years, despite their legal obligations to do so. In at least 15 instances since November 2020, local Republican officials in eight states have refused to certify election results, a typically routine matter that has become anything but in the wake of Trump’s lies about his loss in the 2020 election, Rolling Stone has found.

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bookoformon · 7 months

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Mormon Chapter 3, Part 1. "The Anum."

Mormon cries repentance unto the Nephites—They gain a great victory and glory in their own strength—Mormon refuses to lead them, and his prayers for them are without faith—The Book of Mormon invites the twelve tribes of Israel to believe the gospel. About A.D. 360–62. = 358, "United in Perfection."

The entire purpose of the Book of Mormon is called Midrash, "an investigation" as to whether or not the Gospels and Jesus Christ are a viable part of social system that promotes slavery, oppression, bigotry, weapons, war, corruption, and mass murder.

The answer is these things and religion are incompatible. The Book of Mormon says so long as a society harbors Secret Combinations of these things in its hearts, government, and the execution of its cultural directives, there cannot be a Christ.

Only persons who follow the Narrow Passage, the Prime Commandment, deemed sacrosanct by both Judaism and Christianity can hope to unite with God in perfection; and these must prove they are doing so by cementing the Ten Decrees over the course of Ten Anums, or ten lifetimes free of violations of the Ten Commandments.

No you all know Donald Trump cheated in that 2016 Election. He coveted, he lied, he's an adulteress, a killer, a creep, and a hypocrite. There is no possible way a nation that is thundering its support for Donald Trump is intent on completing such an anum during a Donald Trump Presidency. And did see how smug Elise Stefanik was when she made the announcement Trump was running for office again, even though she knows very well Donald Trump is a pedophile and has connections to a man who kills for him to protect his pedophilia?

And what of the rest of the government and the SCOTUS and the Congress, how can we possibly hope to perform a government while Donald Trump does this Texas Two Step all over the place all the time with utter impunity?

SO the Book of Mormon says YES the Law remains a part of our lives and we embrace the Gospels and this fabulous Book which is the greatest American artifact after the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and we welcome every bit of Grace and knowledge of God the Christ all of them have to offer, and we mend our ways and become great American saints. It says any war or final fight we have to wage to start new anum to this effect is worth the effort:

1 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did not come to battle again until ten years more had passed away. And behold, I had employed my people, the Nephites, in preparing their lands and their arms against the time of battle.

2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared.

3 And I did cry unto this people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God.

4 And it came to pass that after this tenth year had passed away, making, in the whole, three hundred and sixty years from the coming of Christ, the king of the Lamanites sent an epistle unto me, which gave unto me to know that they were preparing to come again to battle against us.

5 And it came to pass that I did cause my people that they should gather themselves together at the land Desolation, to a city which was in the borders, by the narrow pass which led into the land southward.

6 And there we did place our armies, that we might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might not get possession of any of our lands; therefore we did fortify against them with all our force.

7 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and first year the Lamanites did come down to the city of Desolation to battle against us; and it came to pass that in that year we did beat them, insomuch that they did return to their own lands again.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 1: And it came to pass that the Lamanites did not come to battle again until ten years more had passed away. The Value in Gematria is 7747, ז‎זדז, zadz, "Step into the Seventh," AKA Shabbat.

v. 2: Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church. The Value in Gematria is 7830, זחג‎‎‎אֶפֶס, zero zero, "Ephesus", from Revelation 2: 1-2: "To the Faithful, I will give the right to eat of the Forbidden Fruit."

To the Church in Ephesus, of the Future: 2 “To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans [oppressors, like a pride of lions], which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

v. 3: And I did cry unto the people but it was in vain. The Value in Gematria is 9473, טדזג‎, "time to get up."

v. 4: And it came to pass after the Tenth Year. The Value in Gematria is 10123, י‎אבג‎, "the object of desire yeavg", "the ivy," aka the Tefillin. The Tefillin are the Devarim found in the Book of Deuteronomy. Jews like to wrap themselves in leather belts which are referred as vines of the ivy here and meditate upon these words, which were spoken by God after the Israelites finally crossed the Jordan.

v. 5: And it came to pass that I did cause my people that they should gather themselves together at the land Desolation. The Value in Gematria is 12743, ג‎יבזד‎ ‎ ‎gibzad, "the incidental footfall." "A temporary setback."

v. 6: And there we did place our armies. The Value in Gematria is 10785, יזח‎ה, yazha, "God will recognize."

v. 7: And it came to pass that in that year we did beat them, insomuch that they did return to their own lands again. The Value in Gematria is 1802, אחאֶפֶסב,‎ ‎ ‎ahafesb, "I love it."

There are no reasons the women, LGBTQ, African American, Muslim, Jewish and expatriate populations in this country should tolerate the existence of the Republican Party which has dared to put a man who has openly stated he had his son man-raped by a psychopath.

So long as we agree to be oppressed by such a man and his ilk, our lives will be one giant misstep. Someone tell President Biden to stop playing headgames with us, use the laws that are at his convenience and put them all under their headstones.

The mixing of religion and politics can seem like a lot of guesswork until one arrives at the most noble combination. Until that time, there are always the police.

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kfh-fiction · 1 year

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The Fan - Chapter 1

November 8, 2016 - Lea

I turned on the TV in my bedroom, feeling cautiously optimistic about what was to come. It was Election Night of 2016 and I’d spent the past year working for Hilary Rodman, a candidate who I’d really liked from her time as First Lady, then as a Senator and finally as Secretary of State. She fought for things I believed in, like abortion rights, better education, affordable health care, strong international relations, marriage equality, gun control and building more jobs. So I was thrilled when she decided to run for president and got involved in her campaign right away.

My wall was decked out with a Hilary for president sign and a “Love Trumps Hate” sign, along with posters from other campaigns I’d been involved with. The newest addition to my wall, though not political, was from last week, when my favorite baseball team, the Brooklyn Chargers, won the World Series. Hopefully, I’d soon have Hilary Rodman victory posters to put on the wall.

Before Barack Obana was elected president eight years ago, the country was in the midst of two wars and the worst economic crisis in a century. Over the past eight years, unemployment had dropped, the Affordable Care Act had passed and marriage equality had become a reality. But there was still more to be done and I was sure Hilary Rodman would continue that progress. The warmer-than-usual-for-November weather felt like a good omen for things to come.

As an individual, my life had been full of ups and downs over the past eight years. The first campaign I’d really been actively involved with was Obana’s, when I was a high school senior, too young to vote by one year. So I spent my weekends at the Obana office making phone calls, stuffing envelopes and entering data. I did this again for his re-election campaign four years ago.

Then college started. It was a disaster. My whole life, I’d struggled with anxiety and depression, and the large college campus with lots of people and lots of noise didn’t mesh well with my anxiety. I’d never done well on exams, and since exams were such a big part of college, my grades were consistently low. At least in high school, even though I hadn’t been close to very many people, there were a lot of people who I liked who I also thought liked me. I struggled to make friends and I’d struggled with exams my whole life. After three and a half years, I decided to take a break and got a retail job. After two and a half years at the retail job, I’d gone back to college. While I was doing better this time around, it was hard balancing school and work and the exams were still giving me trouble. I was doing homework on the bus between school and work so that I had more free time during my limited time at home. I didn’t even get to do as much volunteering for Hilary’s campaign as I would have liked.

There had been one bright spot during my first college stint: I started watching the TV show Glee as a freshman, and as a sophomore, I began writing fanfiction about the Finn/Rachel pairing, or Finchel, as it was known. I’d made friends online through my fanfiction writing and gotten all sorts of positive comments. Finchel had gotten me through my early college struggles, my trouble with finding a job before I got the retail job I had now, through anxiety and depression spells... then the actor who played Finn died, and the writers killed Finn rather than hiring a new actor or giving Finchel an offscreen happy ending. That had been devastating for me, but the Hilary Rodman campaign and the Chargers World Series win helped me feel better about the loss of Finchel. I looked at my wall, where I still had a Finchel poster, right next to the Chargers World Series Champions poster.

The first thing I saw when I turned on the TV was the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Drumpf. Just the sight of the obese man, with the overdone spray tan and the blonde hair that looked fake, made me cringe. Drumpf was a bully, narcissistic, immature, ignorant, racist, homophobic, sexist, anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant and anti-disabled. He constantly threatened and mocked people. He had no experience.

I remembered the day I’d been at the gym and seen Drumpf mock a disabled reporter and asked the person on the bike next to mine how anyone could support someone like that. I remembered watching TV the day after the Democratic National Convention and Drumpf had attacked a Gold Star Family who’d spoken on Hilary’s behalf. I remembered leaving class one day and a classmate told me that a recording had surfaced of Drumpf talking about how he could just “grab (women) by the pussy.”

Yet, the horrible things Drumpf said were garnering more and more attention, and no matter how horrible the thing he said was, it couldn’t lose him supporters.

But Hilary was up in the polls. She did better in the debates. She had more endorsements. Even a few Republicans were backing her, or at least refusing to back their own nominee. And although I was worried, all the prediction markets were predicting that she would win.

I scrolled through my social media feeds. Most of the people I followed were posting pro-Hilary statuses. One thing stood out - a post from my favorite player on the Chargers, Colton Krenshaw, encouraging people to get out and vote. I felt a connection to all the Chargers because they made up the team I loved watching, but he was definitely my favorite. He was one of the best players in the league, a great catcher and a great hitter, yet he was very humble. He did a lot of great work in the community. I’d wanted the World Series title for all of them, but especially for him. I’d met him a few times and he’d always made me feel special and so appreciated.

My thoughts were interrupted when CNN announced their first calls. They were calling Indiana and Kentucky for Drumpf and Vermont for Hilary. Drumpf had 19 electoral votes and Hilary had 3. Oh well, the states Hilary was expected to do well in weren’t closing until later. She would win this election, right? After all, in 2008 and 2012, Obana was behind at first because of the states that closed early and won by a huge margin.

My computer beeped. I had a new email. Another failed exam. I’d never been very good at school. I wasn’t sure what it was, but no matter how hard I tried, I never managed to pass exams. Every time I took an exam, it went the same way. I’d go into the test-taking room in Iowa University’s disability service office with those stupid sight blockers surrounding the desk. My mind would go blank when I was handed the exam, and no matter how hard I studied, all the information would be forgotten when it was handed to me. The time seemed to pass slowly, but in reality, it would go by quickly. I wasn’t even sure how I’d gotten into IU, which was supposed to be the best university in the state, after three and a half years of doing poorly at another state school. Maybe because of my essay about my history with anxiety and depression and how I was able to live with them.

The 8 p.m. polls closed. Hilary won New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and Maryland and had 44 electoral votes now. She was up by 10 points in Ohio, up by 7 in North Carolina, up by 7 in New Hampshire and up by 1 in Florida. This was amazing! Maybe all those panic attacks and sleepless nights had been for nothing. Hilary was winning. Drumpf had picked up West Virginia and Oklahoma, but Hilary wouldn’t have won those states anyway.

The deep south polls were starting to close. Now Drumpf had picked up Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina. He had 66 electoral votes to Hilary’s 48, as she’d only just picked up Rhode Island. But she was still up in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and New Hampshire... couldn’t the networks just call these states for her? My heart was starting to beat fast.

I remembered when I went to go see Hilary speak about a month ago. I’d barely slept the night before because I was so excited and went pacing around my apartment in hopes of wearing myself out to get some sleep, but that didn’t work. I got to the rally’s location, IU’s football stadium, early so I could get a good place in line. It had been a long wait. There had been lots of people and they’d played loud music. I didn’t like crowds, noise or music at all, so that hadn’t been pleasant. I wanted to go to a quiet place to wait, but I knew if I did, I’d lose my place in line and not get a good glimpse of Hilary.

More than once, I found myself wondering if it would be worth it. What if I couldn’t even see her from where I was standing, and if people were standing too close to me, and the music got too loud?

Once Hilary came out, it was all worth it. I had an amazing seat in the 100,000-seat stadium and didn’t need to look at the projector to see her at the podium. She was even more impressive in person than she was on television and online. I didn’t think it was possible for someone in such a stressful position to have so much energy and be so happy, but there Hilary was, in her signature pantsuits, talking about all her ideas for the country. It made all the difficult times I had gone through worth it.

Wait. What was happening now? Why were Hilary’s leads in the swing states shrinking? Now Drumpf was up in Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio - and Iowa. Iowa. My home state. The state I’d done so much work in. Yes, Hilary had just won a few states and had 104 electoral votes now. She’d picked up Illinois and Connecticut, and to my surprise, she had won New York, Trump’s home state. But he had 129 thanks to Arkansas, Texas, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas and was halfway to 270. That didn’t even take into account all the swing states he was up in. This was bad.

I was strongly reminded of Election Night 2004. I’d been a thirteen-year-old at my parents’ house. My family was optimistic that John Carey would become president and my parents had a party snack tray for me and my brother, who was six at the time. My parents had also gotten us each a map to color in as the states were called - blue for the Democratic states, red for the Republican ones. There were times when John Carey had a lead, like Hilary Rodman had less than an hour ago. But the clock ticked on that night, and I’d colored more states in red than in blue.

Eventually, I felt like I could fall asleep on the couch in the living room, but I’d wanted to stay up so I could be there when the news anchors announced my idol had been elected president. At around midnight, my parents sent me to bed. I had school in the morning. That morning, it was revealed that the incumbent president had won the election. I couldn’t remember that morning well, but I did remember breaking down crying at school and losing motivation to do anything. I remembered stabbing myself with my mother’s knitting needles with plans to kill myself because I didn’t want to continue to live in a world with George Walker as president. I remembered the trip to the ER after I’d been caught and being lectured by a psychiatrist about how self-harming and suicide weren’t the answer, that he wouldn’t be president forever and that things would get better.

The night before that election, I had gone to see John Carey speak, and it had been absolutely incredible. Back in 2004, my struggles with school were beginning and I basically had no friends, had just been diagnosed with anxiety and was even having trouble with figure skating. But one thing made me smile - the Carey campaign. I’d gone to his website every day to watch videos of his campaign events and his ads and had been convinced he’d defeat the incumbent president and put a stop to the Iraq war that I thought was pointless.

That hadn’t happened. But certainly the United States had learned something, right? They wouldn’t elect someone even worse than George Walker, would they?

My phone went off. It was a text from my dad. “This is bad.”

My parents had a feeling this wasn’t good either. They’d reassured me a lot when I talked to them about my fears about the election. If they thought it was bad, it must be bad. I replied to the text. “I’m scared.”

My dad texted back. “Germany survived Hitler. Russia survived Stalin.”

I didn’t even know how to respond to that. Millions of Jews died under Hitler. The people who survived were the people who didn’t have to be afraid in the first place. I knew I probably wouldn’t be alive without my antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, which were covered by Obana’s healthcare plan. If Drumpf won, he’d certainly repeal that plan, and my anxiety and depression would probably kill me.

I felt like I was going to throw up. I ran to the bathroom and tried to throw up, but nothing came out. I wanted to cry. It wasn’t over yet. But these leads weren’t going away. Drumpf had picked up Montana, Wyoming and Louisiana and was more than halfway there now at 140, and had added leads in Georgia and Nevada. Hilary had leads in Minnesota, Colorado and New Mexico, but that wouldn’t be enough.

My phone went off with another text from my dad. “We have each other. That’s what matters most.”

I considered calling my parents, but often they got annoyed when I had one of my freakouts. I hated my freakouts, too. I always hated them. But I needed support during them. Still, it wasn’t fair to burden my parents. I was an adult now. I couldn’t force myself on them. I started crying now, not even bothering trying to stop myself.

My roommate had gone to a bar with friends to watch the results, so I was at the apartment alone and didn’t have to worry about my roommate hearing me. I was sure there were green boogers on my face. My stomach hurt and I could barely see clearly. This was one of the extreme ones, ones that regularly happened after the 2004 election and the loss of Finchel, ones I didn’t even bother trying to stop because they came anyway. This was a mixture of the physical and emotional extremes, not just the extreme thoughts, fast heartbeats, soreness, chest pain, saying bizarre things, and inability to stay still that usually led to pacing around wherever I was at the time when I had my more mild freakouts. All I could do now was hope that things got better - and cry. I was lucky the people in the apartment upstairs didn’t hear me. It was dark and rainy outside, as if that was an omen for bad things to come. My phone went off with a text from my mom. “Do you want to come home for a few days?”

My parents seemed to think this was over. Whenever I talked to them about my fears about the election, they talked about how they were sure Hilary would win. Did they really believe that? I replied to the text. “I can’t put my life on hold.”

I logged on to her computer again. The people I followed were getting nervous, too. There were lots of “I’m nervous” and “why is this happening” type posts rather than the earlier posts of anticipation and optimism.

These posts made things even more confusing. Practically everyone I knew was voting for Hilary. From the town I’d grown up in, to college, to my various jobs, I’d spent most of my life in liberal settings. But posts didn’t get people elected, signs didn’t get people elected, endorsements didn’t get people elected. All that mattered was who got out to vote. Drumpf’s supporters called themselves the “silent majority.” Maybe that was what they really were. They didn’t talk about it or put up signs or put posts on social media, but they did go to the ballot box and vote. I’d done whatever work I could fit into my busy schedule, as had so many people in other swing states, but that hadn’t been enough, clearly. I wished I could have done more.

Now I got another text, from my brother, Johnny. “Love you!”

Iowa was called for Trump. I collapsed to the floor, feeling like I was having a heart attack now and sure I’d have a carpet burn soon. Iowa, the state I’d worked so hard in for the past three presidential elections. I got out my phone and texted my parents and brother: “I’m just so sad.” What else was there to say? I was more than sad. I was terrified. I was angry. I was hurt. I was sick.

The 11 p.m. polls closed, and Hilary added Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii to her column. But this all likely wouldn’t be enough. The leads in the swing states weren’t going away, and the red Iowa stood out like a blister. Why? Why was this happening? How had all those polls been so off?

I saw that I had new text messages from my parents and brother. I wasn’t going to burden them right now. If I talked to anyone, I’d likely start hyperventilating and crying. I couldn’t believe I was watching someone I looked up to being beaten by who I thought was the worst person I’d even seen.

In a way, I could believe this was happening. The people and things I was a fan of ALWAYS went up in smoke. The one exception was the Chargers winning the World Series last week. Of course there was what happened with John Carey twelve years ago. Three years ago, Finchel had been destroyed. After both the 2004 election and the loss of Finchel, I had been furious and depressed, not wanting to do much of anything and spending much of my time crying in my room. My family and friends hadn’t understood why I was so upset. I was attached to the people and things I was a fan of because I had so much trouble forming close relationships, but people didn’t get that. It only made sense that Hilary Rodman would meet the same fate as other things I loved.

Florida was called for Drumpf. Colorado and Nevada were called for Hilary, but Drumpf was still up in electoral votes. Even worse, the gaps in the swing states were shrinking. Now Georgia and Ohio were called for Trump. Would any of the swing states come through? Hilary was up in New Hampshire, but that was only four electoral votes.

Time passed. The news anchors were supposed to be bipartisan, but I could tell they were confused too, and scared. The country was at risk. My feeds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were full of posts of panic, posts about how Hilary didn’t deserve this and how it was unfair that all of Obana’s progress would be undone.

Then Pennsylvania was called for Drumpf. He had 264 electoral votes now. Only six more were needed. This was over. He would definitely win Alaska, which was three, meaning Hilary had to win all the states that hadn’t been called yet, and Drumpf had leads in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin.

It was clear to me now. The universe didn’t want me to be happy. Every time I was happy, a huge blow came and destroyed it. Sure, there were periods of my life where I’d managed myself well enough, but I was tired of this. I was tired of anxiety. I was tired of depression. I was tired of Colton being with Helen. I was tired of the things I liked getting ruined. I was tired of failed exam after failed exam. I was tired of being on my feet all day at my retail job and still being criticized there for every little thing. I was tired of Drumpf.

But I wouldn’t be getting rid of Drumpf. Alaska was called for him and so was Arizona. He’d won.

The internet was appalled - well, the people I followed on the internet were appalled. But clearly, there were people out there who weren’t appalled. People thought all the horrible things he said and did were okay. Hilary wasn’t perfect, but who was? This was so disgusting, so sickening, so upsetting. I didn’t want to deal with it. It hadn’t even happened yet and I was tired of it. I was tired of Drumpf.

And maybe it would all be better if it was just all over. I was going to die if Drumpf repealed Obana’s health care act, which he certainly would. Maybe I should just get it over with and not have to suffer through the Drumpf presidency. I scribbled a note to leave on my dresser that I couldn’t live in a world where Drumpf was president. I headed to my car. The night felt endless. I wanted to drive and didn't care where I ended up, only for there to be an end.

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mariacallous · 1 year

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A new deal struck on the U.S. debt ceiling stands to curb defense spending and cap important diplomatic initiatives aimed at countering China’s growing geopolitical influence, setting the stage for more political showdowns between Washington’s budget hawks and its China hawks.

The deal, brokered between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, lifts the United States’ $31.4 trillion debt ceiling limit until the first quarter of 2025—after the next presidential election cycle—and caps nondefense spending in 2024 to 2023 levels. There aren’t budget caps after 2025, but there are nonenforceable spending level targets of just 1 percent increases in federal spending.

The agreement was struck after weeks of heated negotiations and political infighting within the Republican Party, where a wing of sudden budget hawks had been pushing for steeper federal spending cuts to begin cutting away at the ballooning federal debt, nearly one-quarter of which was accrued on former President Donald Trump’s watch. It passed the House on Wednesday night, and lawmakers expect it to pass through the Senate, with possible amendments, by the weekend.

While most Democrats and most Republicans in the House voted for the deal, it also stands to cut back key foreign aid and diplomatic initiatives and squeeze the massive defense budget at a time when prominent national security experts are urging greater spending on the military to counter China and continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. Indeed, some Republican lawmakers have come out criticizing the deal, not because federal spending is too high, but rather because the Biden administration’s defense budget proposal is too low.

Some lawmakers and experts say the alternative of no deal to spend past the debt limit—meaning the United States defaulting on its obligations—could send massive shockwaves through the global economy and undermine U.S. standing abroad.

“The U.S. derives a lot of our power from being the world’s currency,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs, a Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Defaulting “could have huge implications for partners around the world, and also for how people view us and whether they really believe we are credible partners.”

The agreement also spares defense spending from the spending cap, dealing a blow to efforts by Democratic lawmakers to begin curbing what they see as a lopsided focus on defense spending and instead boost funding for diplomacy and development.

While the debt ceiling agreement outlines the broad contours of how much the federal government can spend, it will ultimately be up to Congress to dictate the details of what money is spent where, all within that cap, in the coming months. That will be hashed out in congressional appropriations committees. Twelve subcommittees oversee discretionary spending on different aspects of the federal budget, including one for Homeland Security, one for the State Department and foreign operations, one for agriculture and rural development, and more.

But a look at what Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024 was before this agreement was reached, compared to current fiscal 2023 levels, shows what programs likely won’t be getting the spending increases they had hoped for. The budget plan that Biden unveiled in March, which congressional Republicans derided as “dead on arrival,” included $400 million for a fund to counter China’s global activities, $2 billion for infrastructure projects around the world, and another $2 billion to boost Western investment in Indo-Pacific economies with an aim of countering Chinese coercion.

While that funding might be in jeopardy, China doesn’t face the same constraints. “If anything, they’re putting their foot on the gas,” said Bonnie Glick, a former deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development during the Trump administration. “So that puts us in a complicated position.”

Glick added that lawmakers are in a tough position trying to pay for counter-China programs while trying to rein in U.S. debt, which stands near $32 trillion. China owns more than $980 billion of that.

Other planned foreign policy spending initiatives that will likely be put on hold under the current debt ceiling deal from Biden’s fiscal 2024 request, compared to spending in prior years, include: A planned 77 percent increase, coming to a total of $1.7 billion, in support for European and Eurasian economies, with a focus on Ukraine and Moldova to counter Russia; a 69 percent increase in spending on global climate change and environmental protection initiatives, coming to $4.3 billion; a 20 percent increase on food security programs, coming to $1.2 billion, and an 11 percent increase on global health security, coming to $10.9 billion.

“I do have some concerns around what the cut to nondefense discretionary spending would mean for our foreign assistance,” said Jacobs. “But overall, the fact that we were able to reach a deal is really important for our national security.”

The U.S. military was spared from the largest cuts. The deal will lock in Biden’s request of $886 billion for defense that’s set to take effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year in October, a 3.3 percent increase, and a further 1 percent increase for 2025 that will bring the Pentagon’s budget to almost $900 billion.

But with inflation growing at a nearly 5 percent clip, defense hawks worry that the spending hike won’t be enough.

“There are going to be a couple of lost years, I think,” said Thomas Spoehr, a retired three-star Army general and the director of the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. “Everybody talks about how the Navy is too small. The Air Force is also too small in terms of fighters and how many aircraft they’re buying. 2024 and 2025 promise not to be able to make up any of that lost ground.”

Some defense experts likened the limited growth in defense spending to Obama-era sequestration that capped defense spending, something defense hawks say set back efforts to modernize U.S. military capabilities by years. While the Pentagon will have more time to plan for these spending limits than it did for sequestration, “the severe fiscal constraints will be apparent,” said Mark Cancian, an expert on defense issues with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. “And that will change what the [Department of Defense] can do, the programs it can support, and the strategy.”

Notably, the debt ceiling deal ensured that spending to build up Ukraine and Taiwan’s militaries would come out of separate requests outside of the Pentagon’s base budget. This means that Congress could authorize increased spending for these two cases separately from the spending cap in emergency supplemental packages. But that also sets up new political battles over whether those supplemental funding provisions could be passed by budget hawks increasingly frustrated with McCarthy’s deal with Biden and what they see as unchecked government spending.

“Once you start opening the door and proposing a Ukraine supplemental, everyone in Congress will see that as a way to evade the caps,” said Spoehr.

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keywestlou · 2 years

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MALE LEGISLATORS COULD END UP WEARING SKIRTS AND PANTY HOSE

MALE LEGISLATORS COULD END UP WEARING SKIRTS AND PANTY HOSE - https://keywestlou.com/male-legislators-could-end-up-wearing-skirts-and-panty-hose/Male legislators could end up wearing skirts and panty hose. With the skirts required to be 3 inches above the knee. I kid you not. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. The Missouri House has tightened the dress code for its female members. They are henceforth required to wear clothing covering their arms. The full requirement: Female lawmakers must cover their arms and wear blazers while in the State Capitol. The same old story in operation again. Men controlling what should be a right solely within the judgment of a woman. It is the abortion story all over again. Men have this inherent need to dominate the other sex. I suspect because they feel the male gender is weakening and women are taking over. Women are taking over in many respects. They are a growing power politically. Even to the level of state legislatures. They can perform two tasks at one time whereas men are lucky to do one and do it properly. How many women work full time, take care of a family, and perform a multitude of other tasks? Again, I believe men fear women. Especially the women of today. The strange thing about Missouri was a Republican female legislator, Ann Kelley, proposed the law as an amendment to a House dress code which was passed in 2021 which required women to wear a "dress or skirt or slacks worn with a blazer or sweater and appropriate dress shoes or boots." Kelley's position is that is is "essential to always maintain a formal and professional atmosphere." Democrats, especially the women, called it "ridiculous." Kelley amended her proposal to include "cardigans" in lieu of jackets, but still required a woman's arms to be covered. So was born the new dress code for the female House members. Beware Missouri male legislators. Ladies are tough. They have memories like elephants. They continue to grow in numbers and will be in the majority in the Missouri House and in many other states within a decade or two. Then the retribution. They won't bother with male arms. Your lower extremities will be of concern. Short skirts and panty hose! Deserving retaliation! It might not bother some. There must be one, two or more male members who enjoy cross dressing. Laugh not. Did you ever think abortion would be where it is at today? Did you think in the slightest that a legislature would vote for its female members to wear clothing covering their arms today? What has happened in Missouri is a reflection of increasing male insecurity. A shark was in the waters of Fort Zachary Taylor beach January 8. Near the Naval Air Station property. It "appeared to be a large shark." Its victim received puncture wounds to his thigh, knee and calf area. We are into another cold spell. Eight in the morning and 62 degrees. The high today will only be 64 degrees. Tonight 57. Tomorrow the high 61 and low 57. Projected to warm up monday. Slowly, however. The high 70, low 66. If you are a resident, anything 74 degrees and lower is cold. The debt ceiling problem has its beginnings this friday. Will be an increasing problem till June. If not dealt with, disaster will befall the U.S. economically. Simple. The Republicans played the debt ceiling card twice in the past 15 years. Failed for them each time. As it will fail again. Many in the U.S. will be hurt during the process. Social Security recipients at some point will stop receiving their checks. That is when the real disaster will hit on a practical basis. Many live on the meager amounts in those checks. Love Bess Levin! A comment by her re George Santos: "George Santos, one week away from claiming to be Ronald Reagan's biological son." A falsehood, of course. A recent Bess Levin article concerned Donald Trump and North Korea. It appears in Vanity Fair 1/13 and is titled: "Donald Trump wanted To Nuke North Korea." The substance of the article to the effect that Trump desired to nuke North Korea and blame it on another country. Levin claims recent information reveals Trump spent much of 2017 suggesting such action "behind closed doors in the Oval Office." I enjoyed a long and cheerful dinner with Dan and Lisa Riordon thursday night at Antonia's. Our last time together was a year ago when they were visiting. It was the first time in years I have dined at Antonia's. Never changes. Always the best atmosphere and food. TK was bartending. Donna and Terri enjoying dinner at the bar. it was good to see them. Terri is singing at Kate Miano's Gardens sunday. Syracuse/Notre Dame tonight at 7. My fingers are crossed. Enjoy your day!

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