#Democratic Republic of Con

[brrmian]

something that so many star wars fans somehow fail to realize is that george lucas always intended for the fall of the republic to be a completely unavoidable tragedy. that’s what makes it such brilliant storytelling.

placing the blame on just one party in the galaxy-wide farce that was the clone wars just isn’t interpreting the story the way its writer intended. neither is saying that all players should be held equally accountable. i don’t think the jedi were at fault for the state of the republic, and (despite the fact that he did horrible things) neither was anakin, on a galactic or governmental scale.

the real villain is palpatine, who shaped the government into a corrupt system by his own hand. the blame for turning a democratic republic into an authoritarian dictatorship (which it was long before it became the empire) under the noses of thousands of incredibly corrupt politicians must be placed entirely on him, and him alone.

by the end of the war, the jedi council recognized that they had already lost the ability to hold onto what it truly means to be a jedi. in their prime during the days of the old republic, the jedi knights were “the guardians of peace and justice.” they’re meant to as diplomats, peacekeepers, mediators, and public servants. when the clone wars began, they were essentially forced into being soldiers, generals, and quasi-politicians by palpatine and the senate. all of those things are antithetical to the jedi’s beliefs, but they had no other choice.

placing even the smallest bit of blame on the jedi for anything leading to the republic’s downfall—and their own—is not only unfair, it’s factually incorrect. the jedi order is a monastic organization. they have no say in the senate and no voting power. saying they’re corrupt, when in fact they were just as conned by palpatine as the rest of the galaxy, is victim-blaming and scapegoating.

palpatine shoved the jedi face first into fighting the war, and pretty much threw the clone army into their laps on top of that. the jedi had no say in the matter, and they certainly had no say in the war itself being started, either. because he controlled both sides, palpatine was able to make the CIS and the republic declare war on each other even though its citizens wanted the same outcome: political independence and survival. if not for palpatine’s schemes, the separatists would have been allowed to secede peacefully, the republic would have continued existing, and the war would have been completely avoided. but that was unfortunately not the case.

so in a galaxy thrown into an unavoidable war by its own secret dictator, with an army of sentient slaves suddenly at their command, and the risk of billions of deaths at the hands of the droid army imminently approaching, what do the galaxy’s official peacekeepers have no other choice but to do? be peacekeepers. why wouldn’t the sworn defenders of the galaxy be out on the battlefields trying to end the war? if they sat in the temple and did nothing, they simply wouldn’t be jedi.

the jedi were forced into a lose/lose situation. every religion and organization has faults, but that doesn’t place any blame on them for the catch-22 they were trapped into falling for. when the clone wars started—and the key point here is that it never should have in the first place—the jedi still needed to be jedi. unfortunately for them, that meant having positions of power not meant for them being thrust upon their shoulders. they couldn’t drop the burden, because that meant actively choosing not to save lives—but the other option, becoming soldiers despite the tenet of their beliefs that dictates they shouldn’t, was no better.

see what a cruel trap palpatine set? it’s like a fish being caught in a fisherman’s net. the net is spread out across the ocean floor, and the fish swim above it, not knowing that the trap is waiting to be drawn in around them from below. in the end, when the net starts to tighten, dragging them closer to the surface, they can’t swim fast enough to escape from the middle to the edge—and to safety—before the net is completely tied. it’s the cruelest kind of trap: the kind that gives you just the right amount of time to think you can escape while being sprung just quick enough to make actually escaping impossible.

in the end, the order actively chose to fight the war because they needed to. there was no other way to continue on as who they were. militarizing the order was not the right choice in a vacuum, but this was not that; this was a situation in which every galaxy-changing choice was the wrong one. the jedi knew they were making a decision that drew them farther away from their beliefs, but it was the lesser of an infinite list of evils, and they didn’t see the walls closing in on them until it was too late.

lucas himself has even said that the order was not corrupt or decaying from the inside, nor did they make a series of bad choices that ultimately led to their own destruction. they were always just trying to do the right thing—but unlike literally everything else in fiction, the jedi order’s death was completely unaffected by any of the choices they made. no matter what they did, they were always going to lose. the fall of the republic wasn’t caused by its defenders choosing what they saw as the least bad choice. it didn’t come down to any decisions, political or not, that the jedi council made with the limited tools that they had. it certainly didn’t come down to one emotionally unstable twenty-three-year-old’s slow descent into insanity, either. the republic and the jedi would still have been destroyed with or without anakin’s unhinged nervous breakdown.

anakin, just like the order, the republic, and the separatists, was taken advantage of by palpatine. even if a person’s choices are their own, they don’t exist in a vacuum.

anakin would have made better choices if not for palpatine, but he didn’t. the jedi order would have kept the peace if not for palpatine, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t. the republic, and democracy with it, would not have crumbled if not for palpatine. not the order, not anakin, not the separatists, and not the republic.

in the end, they were all just pawns in a decades-spanning plan, one that none of them saw coming until it was too late—and by then, it was already irreversible.

[phoenixwrites]

I grew up conservative and Republican. I'm talking, serious conservative values, as in, my father considered Fox News "too liberal" a news source. My dad could forgive me leaving Christianity, but me registering Democrat? That was a bridge too far.

I saw a post essentially claiming that Trump is the only conservative choice for the election, the only one who truly cares for the American people. And it riled up my Old Guard Republican feelings (however latent) because no. However Republican and conservative you are (a minority on this website, I know), Trump is not and never has been Republican and conservative. You are deluding yourself.

Why do I say that?

Let's go down the list. (Please be aware, I am not defending conservatism--that ain't my political ideology anymore for the whole "they're trying to take away my loved ones' rights" issue. But for the sake of rhetorical strategy, bear with me.)

The claim that Trump isn't a part of the liberal elite is absurd. Trump has never felt dirt underneath his fingernails. Trump has never struggled to pay bills. Trump has paid for multiple abortions of his many affairs and mistresses. He is a draft dodger who mocked war heroes. He is a failed Hollywood celebrity that is grasping at fame. There is a reason Never Trump was popular among conservatives during the 2016 Republican primary.

My Vietnam veteran father warned me in 2008 that Putin wanted to reclaim the Soviet Union, that he was a dangerous dictator that put out hits on foreign journalists. Now he's posting videos of Putin doing judo on Facebook. It is insane that to me that the Republican party is so obviously doing a 180 after warning us for thirty years about Russia.

Trump only started caring about the pro-life movement when he realized he could manipulate them. His voting record is pro-choice. He has paid for abortions, had multiple affairs, and yes, is a serial rapist. None of this is pro-life.

Trump has insulted veterans, dishonored Arlington, and didn't have the balls to fight in Vietnam himself, ran away from the draft like a scared little boy. Now, sixty years later, he has the gall to attack Vietnam veterans and make claims on who is and isn't a war hero? He expects me to believe he gives two shits about veterans? Nah.

Trump does not care about Christianity or protecting Christian freedom. This is a big one. You are falling for a con. Trump is not and never has been a Christian; he just saw a malleable voting block. He has never asked for forgiveness from Christ the Savior and considers doing so weak. He has no relationship with Jesus. He does not pray. He had to have multiple "lessons" on Christianity with top Evangelical pastors to make him more palatable to Evangelicals.

Evangelical conservative Russell Moore penned multiple op-eds where he expressed bewilderment and betrayal that his community was blindly supporting a serial rapist that was antithetical to traditional Christian values. He isn't the only one. A large chunk of Evangelicals are sick and tired of defending a lying, cheating, coward and deluding themselves that he loved Jesus.

A significant portion of Trump's former cabinet has refused to endorse him. I cannot stress to you how wild that is to me. One thing about Republicans? They always vote for their candidate. No matter how much they dislike the candidate--that was the whole thing in 2016. A huge chunk of conservatives disliked Trump and thought him vile, but voted for him anyway because that's what you do when you're a Republican. The fact that so many are breaking away and calling him a danger to the republic? That's a big screaming deal.

Women are not safe around Trump. That used to be important to conservatives, protecting women from rapists--that was my dad's main reason for teaching me to shoot competitively.

If you support Trump, whatever. That's your insane delusional business.

But don't pretend that man is any kind of conservative or gives two shits about what true conservatives care about.

And if I may quote my Evangelical mama, "That man is going to Hell and I look forward to it."

[pennsyltuckyheathen]

Republicans Betray The United States

Republicans failed the United States miserably when they wiped their nasty asses with their Oaths of Office as they refused to fulfill their Constitutional duties to protect our nation and its citizens.

The Legislative branch of the US government is empowered to enforce the checks and balances against the Executive branch. Republicans refused to hold Trump accountable for anything when they all knew he was an incompetent self-serving corrupt low-life sleaze bag.

They intentionally aided and abetted a con-man who was impeached twice - the first time in American history - and took advantage of the Office of the Presidency to enrich himself, his family and his goon squad of seditious, unqualified sycophants and enablers.

Republicans had the chance early in Trump's time in office to stand up for the United States and its citizens or stand up for Trump and the Republican party. They chose the latter and unleashed a thieving lying monster who instigated an insurrection and won't shut the fuck up and go away.  

Republicans are no longer legitimate participants in our democratic processes and are now the seditious destructive MAGA party. An exclusively white organization based on extreme right-wing deceit, division, bigotry and racist tenets. Their only goal is to destroy our democratic constitutional republic and install a white male christo-fascist authoritarian government.

FUCK MAGA REPUBLICANS and FUCK TRUMP

FUCK YOU IF YOU VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS IN ELECTION 2024

VOTE BLUE VOTE BLUE VOTE BLUE VOTE BLUE

[ultraericthered]

"I have seen generations of humans and elves accept the darkness that lurks in all of us beside the light. There is no black and white, only shades of gray. We must all carry complexity. But please, believe me: that there is beauty in this burden."

Respectfully, Aaravos, I must half-disagree. In terms of people and what's inside their hearts, there's "no black and white" in that no person is entirely without sin and evil in them and no person is entirely devoid of moral virtue and decency in them either. That is, always has been, and always will be the essence of humanity.

But in terms of universal truth, common sense and reason, and spiritual morality? There are shades of gray light enough to be classified as "white" and dark enough to be classified as "black"; light and dark, good and evil. Some things that should be understood to be unambiguously right, and others as unambiguously wrong.

With a vote, electing back into power a seditious insurrectionist scumbag traitor to his country, corrupt businessman, con artist, career criminal, cult leader, domestic terrorist, convicted felon, adjucated rapist, and all around hideously awful, sinful human being with fascistic aspirations to tear down the institutions and system of liberal democracy that make a constitutional republic nation what it is so that he can stay in power and transform the office he'd abused and betrayed the last time he held it into one of an authoritarian autocrat strongman dictator....that is not right, for any reason.

The righteous fury within me that arose on November 6 has only been enhanced with the news of Jimmy Carter's recent passing. Just the idea that had things tilted just a little bit differently, this kind, good man who'd lived to be 100 years old could have passed away in complete peace, content knowing that the capable, responsible and moral candidate he'd voted for, Kamala Harris, would be taking the reigns in the oval office next year, and that all would eventually be right in the country and world he'd be leaving behind....but in the reality we live in, he died a failure, knowing that the side of the true patriots that he was on had been rejected and defeated at the ballot box and that the literal traitor and felon who never under any circumstances should've been given a second chance to run for the office he'd defiled and lead the country he'd betrayed (for real, the US's chances of survival were fucked the moment he wasn't pulled from the White House on Jan. 7 and put through a political guilotine for the crime he'd openly committed) was going to be back in charge next year, free to burn down the federal government and the country along with it. All because of an irredeemably stupid and immoral electorate that values their own banal wants over the greater good.

And wouldn't you know it - Der Felon is still mentally unstable and miserable to his tiny, holllow, vacant core. Elon is fashioning himself as the true emperor, and Vivek is following along. JD has receded from the spotlight, just waiting to seize his next best opportunity. Republican officials are showing willingness to defy their leader when his nominations and policy proposals are so terrible and unpopular that it puts their careers and their power in jeopardy, while others remain sycophantic and fanatically loyal, leading to much in-fighting. And the MAGA cult faithful are spiralling into a cannibalistic civil war of their very own, sweeping Republicans and Far Lefties up in it too! All is total chaos in the dumpster fire world of American politics, all because of the many dumbfucks who just couldn't vote for a woman.

So in the coming year, I hope to see an implosion within Washington DC. I hope to see a revolution by the states and all the dissatisfied citizens who might gravitate back towards the Democratic Party now that the other party is the governing regime that cannot govern and can only make lives even worse. I hope MAGA and the Far Right in this country lose everything in their petty civil warring, have the most spetacularly pathetic meltdown and collapse into powerlessness and irrelevance. And I really hope Der Felon, who we can all plainly see is cognitively broken, demented, unhealthy, incompetent and unable to serve a full term, is dragged kicking and screaming out of the White House well before 2029, thrown back out into the world where all of the legal battles, chartges, and sentences still await him, and he's stuck in an inescapable mental purgatory of 24/7 stress, agony, indignity, humiliation, and suffering at the time he finally dies, leaving the country and the world as better places without him in them, with him being immortalized as a dark, shameful, embarrasing chapter of world history and remembered not as the 47th US President, not even as the 47th and a half US President, but as the weak, feeble, ignorant, mentally deranged and utterly worthless loser puppet of political disrupter/usurper Elon Musk and President JD Vance.

And then, maybe half a decade later or maybe a full decade later, I can only hope the still living dumbfuck deplorables who voted for this can give the most heartfelt, tearful, snivelling, grovelling, broken down and humbled of apologies to Kamala Harris, the President the nation needed who was tragically not the President it deserved.

"I want to make them hurt. Because they struck a wound in me so deep, that it will never heal. To survive such a wound is to suffer forever and I want them to share that suffering. I want them to hurt."

Now THAT, Aaravos, I can fully agree with you on.

[longwindedbore]

2020 was “the most important election of our lives.”

We, the Progressive Voters, gave the Dems the Executive and both Chambers in order to ‘secure Democracy’ against Trumpian demagogues and theocratic-fascists.

What did the Dems do 2021-22?

Either they couldn’t or were too inept or were conning us.

Democracy wasn’t secured.

Candidly, I’m thinking it was a great fairy tale.: ‘checks & balances’, ‘rule of law’, federal republic, universal education developing a knowledgeable electorate.

A house of straw built on sand.

Perhaps we were nothing more than just another oligarchy disguised as a democracy cycling through growth-to-decline.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Wanna bet they're attached to christofascist toysoldier Erik Prince and the Dominionist fucksticks who are trying to literally take over the world with their religiofascist regime...

[deadpresidents]

[January 20th] is the second anniversary of the Biden Presidency. For the most part, up until now, he has been more unlucky than stupid, with his tenure marked by interlocking crises that would sorely test any Chief Executive -- including a lingering pandemic, highest-in-decades inflation, and a radicalized Republican Party that has refused to disavow Trump and his lies about the 2020 election. Democrats, for decades, have feared that conservative Justices on the Supreme Court would strike down Roe v. Wade, and with it the guarantee of women’s reproductive freedom. It finally happened on Biden’s watch. In Europe, Vladimir Putin has long threatened Russia’s neighbor Ukraine, but it was at the start of Biden’s second year in office that Putin unleashed the largest ground war in Europe since the Second World War.

Given such a dreary moment, the perennially upbeat Biden has come out of it not so badly. Even with a fifty-fifty Senate the last couple of years, he managed to pass an array of sweeping legislation boosting spending on infrastructure, health care, and climate-change mitigation. He assembled and held together a bipartisan coalition to send billions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine. He’s held off, for now, the threat of a recession.

If anything, Republican overreach has offered Biden a political path out of the morass, with the 2022 midterm results far less catastrophic than expected, at least in part because of the GOP’s insistence on selecting Trump-backed extremists as nominees in battleground states. Trump himself has long been the most effective argument on Democrats’ behalf, and there is a reason this cartoonish con man became the first incumbent since Herbert Hoover to lost the House, Senate, and White House in just four years.

The past couple of weeks, though, are a reminder that Democrats cannot simply count on Republican excess in the name of Trump to carry them through. A screwup is a screwup, and this one by Biden -- whether or not it matters that much to voters, who often don’t care about the inside-the-Beltway scandals that obsess us Washingtonians -- will go down at a minimum as a self-inflicted bit of political malpractice. The big news at the midway point of his Presidency is that Biden seems determined to run again, no matter how risky it may seem to put the fate of his Party -- and the Republic -- in the hands of a gaffe-prone octogenarian. His opponents are real-life insurrectionists. What if next time his luck really does run out?”

-- Susan Glasser, The New Yorker

[kneedeepincynade]

When the colonizers come, they create nothing but poverty and death. When China comes,it brings prosperity,peace, and development

The post is machine translated

Translation is at the bottom

The collective is on telegram

🥰 合作共赢 | IL PRESIDENTE RUTO LODA LA CINA PER AVER COSTRUITO LA PRIMA LINEA FERROVIARIA MODERNA NELLA STORIA DEL KENYA 😘

🇰🇪 William Ruto - Presidente della Repubblica del Kenya, è stato intervistato da CCTV, e ha elogiato la Cina per aver costruito, nell'ambito della Nuova Via della Seta, la Ferrovia Mombasa - Nairobi, la prima moderna nella Storia del Kenya 💕

🚝 La linea ferroviaria, che collega Mombasa con Nairobi, è il più grande progetto infrastrutturale nella storia del Paese dall'ottenimento dell'Indipendenza dal Regno Unito nel 1963 🥳

📊 Ad oggi, nel 2023, la linea ferroviaria ha trasportato 2,405 milioni di container, 28.609 milioni di tonnellate di merci e 11+ milioni di persone:

💬 «[...] Tra le conversazioni che avremo con altri Paesi, come l'Uganda, la Repubblica Democratica del Congo, [...], parleremo di come collegare l'Oriente all'Occidente» 👏

🇨🇳 Tramite la Cooperazione a Mutuo Vantaggio (合作共赢), ogni Paese può beneficiare dei frutti dello Sviluppo della Cina, i petali rosa della 中国春天 possono diffondersi ovunque 🌸

🔍 Approfondimenti sul Tema Cina - Africa:

一 深情厚谊 - La Cina costruisce il nuovo edificio del Parlamento dello Zimbabwe 🇿🇼

二 Presidente del Burundi: «La Cina promuove Cooperazione e Prosperità Comune» 🇧🇮

三 Funzionario del Kenya: «Ogni volta che la Cina ci visita otteniamo un ospedale. Ogni volta l'UK ci visita, otteniamo una predica» 🇰🇪

四 Le disgustose menzogne anti-Cinesi dell'Occidente sull'Africa 🤮

五 Cooperazione Cina - Africa in 10 anni: 10.000km di ferrovie, 100.000km di autostrade, 80 centrali elettriche, aeroporti, banchine e porti 👏

🌸 Iscriviti 👉 @collettivoshaoshan 😘

🥰 合作共赢 | PRESIDENT RUTO PRAISES CHINA FOR BUILDING THE FIRST MODERN RAILWAY LINE IN THE HISTORY OF KENYA 😘

🇰🇪 William Ruto - President of the Republic of Kenya, was interviewed by CCTV, and praised China for having built, as part of the New Silk Road, the Mombasa - Nairobi Railway, the first modern one in the history of Kenya 💕

🚝 The railway line, which connects Mombasa with Nairobi, is the largest infrastructure project in the country's history since it gained Independence from the United Kingdom in 1963 🥳

📊 To date, in 2023, the rail line has transported 2.405 million containers, 28,609 million tons of cargo and 11+ million people:

💬 «[...] Among the conversations we will have with other countries, such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, [...], we will talk about how to connect the East to the West» 👏

🇨🇳 Through Mutual Benefit Cooperation (合作共赢), every country can benefit from the fruits of China's Development, the pink petals of 中国春天 can spread everywhere 🌸

🔍 Insights on the theme of China - Africa:

一深情厚谊 - China builds new Zimbabwe Parliament building 🇿🇼

二 President of Burundi: «China promotes cooperation and common prosperity» 🇧🇮

三 Kenyan official: «Every time China visits us we get a hospital. Every time the UK visits us, we get a lecture" 🇰🇪

四 The West's disgusting anti-Chinese lies about Africa 🤮

五 China - Africa cooperation in 10 years: 10,000km of railways, 100,000km of highways, 80 power plants, airports, docks and ports 👏

🌸 Subscribe 👉 @collectivoshaoshan 😘

[potted-dandelions]

If we were truly a democracy, we would live in perpetual fear of the day when the majority of voters were stupid or crazy enough to vote against the secret ballot (Murphy's Law, after all). That would not be the end of our democracy but it would be the death of our personal liberty.

To reign in government corruption, those entrusted with power must be held accountable for their actions. Republics accomplish this with public records of all important votes held in the legislature to alert the People when to replace their representatives for legislating poorly. In exchange for granting our representatives the power to legislate and govern where they agree, we reserve the right to vote for them in secret. Nobody wants to answer for their voting habits when, say, applying for a job or a loan, but most would gladly hold others accountable.

In America, our representatives have to answer for their voting records every two years, senators every six. The Electoral College insulates us from electing the President directly, but presidential electors cast public ballots. Our secret ballots are not to be taken for granted. Indeed, it might not be long before some grifter argues against the secret ballot citing nebulous and spurious 'threats to our democracy.' In time, they might whip up enough moral panic to cost you your privacy in the voting booth forever. All for the greater good, of course.

Right away, your ballot would accompany every background check others request for you. In a few years, it would weigh on your credit score. That'll damn sure influence the choices you record on your ballot; you'll side with the majority every time as a simple matter of survival. Your agency will vanish if that happens. No longer able to vote your conscience, you'll resign yourself to letting public opinion surveys choose for you. Even the few brave enough to answer surveys honestly would bow to public pressure come Election Day.

Democracy truly cannot be. Just when you think you've achieved something closer to a true democracy, it ceases to function as intended and rapidly mutates into some form of monarchy, maintaining all the outward trappings of democracy with none of the accountability. It's too easily corruptible to survive.

Perhaps they'll con you out of your privacy with promises of more direct control over the decision making process. Digital direct democracy looks mighty tempting lately. But who's got time for it? We hire representatives to make policy for us because we've got better things to do. Imagine coming home from your 8-hour workday and having to sit for another four hours of Zoom meetings debating public policy after dinner. If it had nothing else going against it, direct democracy would be more than exhausting enough to warrant a republican form of government.

That's why even ancient Athens, the first democratic city-state, left most of the politicking to orators and lawyers. Every head of an household was expected to participate in a number of (secret) votes every month, but few had the means to dedicate their daily lives to politics.

This is the most important part of the social contract that people usually gloss over. There is an ethical burden that goes along with the franchise. It's not a right and neither is it a privilege. Voting is a duty. Not everybody is up to it and that's ok; abstention is a right. But those who do vote bear responsibility for all the government's actions thenceforth (that is, as much as much responsibility as each snowflake bears for the effects of the blizzard). It's a responsibility not to be taken lightly because it affects us all; be glad it's private.

The secret ballot is armor against becoming a true democracy. We hold our representatives responsible for their votes while absolving our neighbors for theirs. As long as that arrangement holds, we remain a republic, which is good news because true republics are less corruptible.

[fleetwood-rendezvous]

The OP was quoting the first two paragraphs of the May 17, 2024 New Republic article by Eric Alterman. The full article is available via the link immediately above.

Here is the next paragraph:

Consider just a few of Trump’s qualities that quite recently would have disqualified him in the eyes of all responsible voices in the discourse. I have no room to do justice to even a fraction, so I’ll have to stick to just keywords: insurrectionist; election denier; pathological liar; corrupt; racist; antisemite; (digital) rapist; serial adulterer; Islamophobe; con man; tax cheat; patsy to dictator; wannabe dictator; isolationist; bully; psychopathically narcissist; sociopath; almost certainly medically demented. We all know I could go on. (I haven’t even mentioned the Democrats’ single best issue: Trump’s proud boast that he was able to “kill Roe v. Wade.”)

“With democracy itself on the line, the 2024 election will almost certainly be the nation’s most consequential since 1860. It will also be the weirdest. There are two fundamental facts about this campaign that do not appear to be making much of an impact on what, at least today, seems to be close to a majority of the electorate. The first and more obvious one is that few people in history have ever been less qualified to hold a position of any responsibility, much less the most powerful position in the world, than Donald Trump. If elected, he will certainly deploy that power to destroy virtually everything Americans have historically held dear about the nation’s democratic traditions. The second, less obvious, but no less objective fact is that Joe Biden has been a remarkably good president. Not everything has worked out, and one can certainly disagree with many of his decisions. His embrace of Bibi Netanyahu has clearly had disastrous consequences for Israel, Gaza, the United States, and likely for his own reelection prospects. But in terms of the way presidents are traditionally measured, Biden has been a smash. The U.S. economy is the envy of the world. Yes, inflation is higher than one would like, but jobs are plentiful, and so are raises for the people in them; wages are rising faster than inflation, as it happens. Violent crime is way down. Infrastructure investments are way up since 2020. Student loans are being forgiven. The labor movement is rebounding. We are leading the world in defending democracy in Ukraine. And yet, the danger of a Trump takeover remains as high as ever.”

— How Can This Country Possibly Be Electing Trump Again?

[makebravemind]

Stephen McCullah: Unveiling the Scams

Stephen McCullah is a hobbyist zoologist from Beaumont, Texas. He is a well-known con artist who runs something akin to a Ponzi scheme. During a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he failed to find and raise a real dinosaur and an arachnid the size of a dog.

He was also charged with embezzlement from a GoFundMe campaign that raised $29,000. This is only the start of a scam. He is once again struck by the Avenger of Crypto Ponzi Schemes.

According to Stephen McCullah, after ten years, he had founded and was the President of the United Allied States (UAS). Out of the three people who cast ballots for the presidency, only two chose him.

Stephen McCullah pledges to create an atmosphere in which many nations can run their businesses and grow their economies. In this setting, a variety of niche media platforms will be accessible, including Facebook, YouTube TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.

The main components of the system will be many social media platforms and gold-guaranteed money. Stephan McCullah is going to run a tourism attraction where guests will be able to see real testing machines, see real stuff explode, and go into real coal mines. The allegations made in the reports including fraud, deceit, fake cryptocurrency schemes, and frequent releases are unfounded. 

Danny De Hek claimed in assertions based on The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger that news reports posted on Meta or Facebook, were viewed by people worldwide. The Meta Verse has let go of around 11,000 employees due to a lack of excitement. It alluded to still more amazing possibilities.

Danny De Hek says he looked into Glod Secured, Apollo Currency, Apollo Fintech, LunaOne, Hyper Technologies, Stratus, Gold Inc., and a lot of other companies involved in Ponzi schemes.

Mr. Hek, the Avenger of Ponzi Schemes, added that starting over to build a data archive will stop Stephen McCullah from making money off of people who don’t finish the required research.

The Lies of Stephen McCullah

Claiming that Apollo barely contains any remaining NXT code, Stephen McCullah has been lying for many years. It has been established by the court action that Apollo wrote up to 75% of the NXT code.

In addition, Stephen McCullah was misled about having a contract with CBZ. In response, the company’s chairman, Marc, issued a statement claiming that no agreement had been reached with Stephen McCullah.

Additionally, Stephen McCullah misrepresented to his investors that Apollo will be listed on the top 20 exchanges in 2019.

The dishonest person Stephen McCullah also made up information regarding Gold Inc. He stated that he and his friend Kyle were contacted by a gaming company asking if they could utilize Apollo’s blockchain for their games. The game organization declared that they would not give them any support after this information became public.

To Take Stephen McCullah’s Videos Down from the Social Media Site

The letter was filed against YouTube Channels by Harman Lawyers. An official letter has been received by Harman Attorneys stating that,

To serve as an official response to the cease-and-desist request in the communication. It contained three crucial elements:

The owners of the YouTube channel state that they have no intention of removing any content that mentions Apollo Inc., LunaOne, or Stephen McCullah.

It has been declared by Danny De Hek that he would not be posting any apologetic comments on his YouTube channel.

It states that they will not pay back the legal bills for Stephen McCullah.

Consequently, YouTube channels declared that they would be willing to remove the videos as long as Stephen McCullah paid back the money he had taken from the victims. 

Names and Amount that has been invested 

Martin 10,000 euro 

Tracy P $18,700

Ann B $5289.50

Susan A $75,000

Vinka C $7500 

John A $921.90

Martin T $17,504

Brian B $5000

Dean S $6000

Rebecca R $1200

Amanda K $4850 and many more. 

The YouTubers claim that because none of the associated financial losses have been made good, they are taking legal action against them. Along with any other people who might have suffered financial loss or obligations, it also includes all investment businesses for refunds, such as Apollo Currency, Apollo Fintech, Gold Secured Currency, LunaOne, and Hyper Technologies.

The letter claims that LunaOne’s owner, Stephen McCullah, promoted early coin sales, enabling many people to purchase the company’s tokens before they were listed on a trading platform. On the specified day, Stephen McCullah did, in fact, barely offer a coin for sale.

According to the preview value, Stephen McCullah would launch several coins at a $0.25 exchange rate as opposed to a $0.05 one. They therefore have some recordings and remarks from those who say they were tricked.

Numerous issues are reportedly up for testimony at the New Zealand High Court in order to file accusations of serious deceit against Stephen McCullah & LunaOne.

Stephen McCullah’s Assessment of Investors

Robert McCullah, Stephen McCullah’s father, received a letter from Martin Kingsbury alerting him of his son’s deceit.

Mr. Marting claimed he had to cheer him up about his son Stephen McCullah, the scammer, who embodies one of the worst lifeforms on Earth. Mr. Martin asserted that he was the innocent victim of blatant lies and deceptions committed by Stephen McCullah Hyper Technologies Inc., trading as LunaOne XLN currency.

I, along with numerous other investors, have invested in Stephen McCullah’s fraudulent activity, and I am pursuing legal action to inquire further. Mr. Martin went on to say that he had repeatedly sent information about the scam to LunaOne but had received no response at all.

Views from Customers Regarding Stephen McCullah Scam Video

A video titled “Stephen McCullah’s Crypto Frauds, Rug Pulls, and Fraudulent Investors” was posted by YouTuber Danny De Hek. Many customers watched the movies and left comments on them.

The investor claims that XLM is a huge hoax, and its early sales screwed him over.

The investor claims that after investing about $35,000 in LunaOne, he was tricked.

In response to the investor’s comments, Danny De Hek sent the group a link to his Telegram account, APLtehTruth, so they could see the scammer’s pitiful attempts to avoid going to court. 

Numerous Investors React to Apollo Currency P&D & Fraud Allegations Made by Stephen McCullah

The investor who put money into Stephen McCullah’s company claimed that many people would learn about the entire scam if the essay titled “Pump and Dump Accusation” was posted online. It is composed of the blockchain, which has tens of millions of tokens that have been moved from banks and can be exchanged for trillions of APL. The price decreased by 78% in a minute.

Steve McCullah addressed the issue in the post, and I would want to bring him up here:

As previously stated and according to Stephen McCullah, there is no reason for anyone connected to the Apollo Foundation to list their shares on any exchange because we frequently receive OTC bids from buyers who purchase amounts that are too large for platforms.

The most noteworthy fact of the moment is when an investor calls Stephen McCullah a liar while omitting any good remarks about him.

Apollo’s founder is a liar!

About Stephen McCullah 

Stephen McCullah is a well-known businessman from Houston, Texas, who has worked in the banking, software, and metals manufacturing industries.

The accusations state that APL is a massive scam that has made Stephen McCullah rich and that he is a con man. CryptoSlate looks into these claims and finds evidence of dishonesty, allegations of sabotage, and an odd trip to the heart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Bottom Line

Con man Stephen McCullah has made a fortune by robbing people of their money and never giving it back. The proof exposed LunaOne’s illicit activities and backed Mr. Stephen’s schemes, according to Danny De Hek’s film.

He also brought up Stephen McCullah’s preorder offering, which encouraged customers to buy LunaOne currencies ahead of time before they were listed on a trading platform.

Accounts indicate that historical details and information on Stephen McCullah are accurate. Numerous cryptocurrency businesses, including as Apollo Currency, Apollo Fintech, Gold Secured Currency, Luna One, Hyper Technologies, Stratus, and Gold Inc., were formed by or connected to Stephen McCullah. McCullah seems to have a significant impact on the technology industry.

Even worse, it was discovered that Stephen McCullah may have used the trading site to purchase coins at a lower cost and then handed them to the first customers who made larger purchases. His deceitful behavior reinforced the accusations of fraud made against him.

[congorx]

CongoRx: Bridging Healthcare Access in the DRC for Diabetes and Other Diseases CongoRx is a telemedicine platform connecting patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with healthcare professionals for both online and in-person consultations. Designed to improve access to quality healthcare, CongoRx offers support for conditions such as diabetes, diarrhea, and other common diseases, particularly in remote or underserved areas. Patients can access virtual consultations, receive medical advice, and book appointments with specialists, helping them manage health issues without the need for long-distance travel. CongoRx bridges the healthcare gap in the CongoDRC, providing timely, accessible care for a range of medical needs.

[uniathena7]

Steps to Becoming a Procurement Specialist

What is a Procurement Specialist?

A Procurement Specialist is someone who plays a vital role in organizations by purchasing products, services, or raw materials to help develop offerings for customers. Their key responsibilities include negotiating purchase agreements, connecting with suppliers, and ensuring that everything they acquire meets the business’s quality standards.

What Does a Procurement Specialist Do?

Often referred to as a Purchasing Manager, a Procurement Specialist is tasked with sourcing products and services, negotiating the best possible deals within a budget, managing procurement contracts, and maintaining strong relationships with suppliers. They ensure that their organization gets the highest quality materials at the best price.

Essential Skills of a Procurement Specialist

To excel in this role, a Procurement Specialist needs a set of important skills, including:

Negotiation: This skill is crucial for securing profitable supplier contracts and obtaining the best deals.

Communication: Clear communication is key to a smooth procurement process. It helps specialists manage various activities and quickly address challenges.

Problem Solving: This skill enables Procurement Specialists to tackle unforeseen challenges, explore possible solutions, and implement them effectively.

Analytical Skills: Strong analytical abilities help them select the right suppliers and products while negotiating favorable terms that protect their business interests.

Decision-Making Skills: Procurement Specialists must weigh the pros and cons of each decision regarding sourcing materials and selecting suppliers, ensuring the best outcomes for all parties involved.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Procurement Specialist

Procurement Specialists act as mediators between their company and suppliers. Their responsibilities include:

Collecting quotations, offers, and terms for purchases

Evaluating and negotiating vendor contracts

Managing approved purchases of products or services

Tracking stock levels and issuing purchase orders as needed

Recommending new goods or services based on market trends

How Much Does a Procurement Specialist Make?

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average salary for a Procurement Specialist can range from $50,000 to $60,000 per year. However, actual compensation can vary based on the organization’s size, location, and the individual’s experience.

Why Businesses Need Procurement Specialists

Supporting Company Growth: Procurement Specialists enable organizations to access essential materials, ensuring timely delivery and helping meet business goals.

In-Depth Knowledge: They manage the entire procurement process, from understanding quality requirements to contacting suppliers and negotiating terms.

Providing Training: With their extensive knowledge, they can train new hires and junior procurement professionals, helping them become more effective in their roles.

How to Get a Procurement Specialist Certificate

If you’re interested in becoming a Procurement Specialist, one of the best ways to start is by enrolling in an online course. Online learning offers flexibility and is often affordable. Programs like UniAthena’s Procurement Management courses provide respected certifications that can enhance your career. These courses are usually self-paced, allowing you to learn without disrupting your current commitments.

Conclusion

Procurement Specialists are crucial in helping companies deliver quality products, satisfy customers, and drive profits. With strong research and communication skills, they source quality materials at competitive prices and streamline the procurement process for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

We hope this blog gives you a clear understanding of what it takes to become a Procurement Specialist. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below! Don’t forget to check out UniAthena’s other free learning opportunities!

[carmenvicinanza]

Katha Pollitt

Eminente editorialista, Katha Pollitt è autrice di saggi e raccolte di poesie.

In Italia è poco conosciuta ma negli Stati Uniti è una delle opinioniste più apprezzate e temute in argomenti di politica interna e estera, welfare, media e diritti umani.

Il suo lavoro viene studiato nelle università.

Ha ricevuto diversi riconoscimenti tra cui spiccano due National Magazine Awards for Essays and Criticism e il National Book Critics Circle Award per la sua prima raccolta di poesie, Antarctic Traveller, del 1982.

Dagli anni Novanta cura la rubrica Subject to Debate, su The Nation, che il Washington Post ha definito “il posto migliore dove andare per un pensiero originale di sinistra“.

Ha scritto saggi e recensioni di libri per The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Harper’s, Ms., Glamour, Mother Jones, il New York Times e la London Review of Books.

I suoi editoriali sono stati raccolti in tre libri: Virginity and Death!: And Other Social and Political Issues of Out Time; Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissensts on Women, Politics, and Culture; Reasonable Creatures: Essays on Women and Feminism, nominato per il National Book Critics Circle Award. Il titolo del libro è un riferimento a un verso del trattato di Mary Wollstonecraft del 1794, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman che citava: “Vorrei vedere le donne né eroine né bruti; ma creature ragionevoli“.

Nata il 14 ottobre 1949 a New York, da padre protestante e madre ebrea, si è laureata in filosofia al Radcliffe College di Harvard nel 1972 e ottenuto un Master in scrittura alla Columbia nel 1975.

Durante gli anni universitari ha militato della Students for a Democratic Society e preso parte agli scioperi studenteschi.

Scrive da sempre di femminismo e di politiche identitarie e, nel 1991 ha coniato la frase “Il principio di Puffetta“, in cui caratterizza il personaggio dei cartoni animati come la femmina solitaria in un gruppo di maschi che è spesso una figura stereotipata.

Nel 2007 è uscito Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories, una raccolta di saggi personali in cui tocca una serie di argomenti, dal webstalking di un fidanzato traditore alla storia della sua famiglia. Il libro, nel 2014 è diventato un film. 

Il suo secondo volume di poesie, The Mind-Body Problem, è stato pubblicato nel 2009.

Nel 2014 è uscito Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights, il cui titolo vuole parafrasare le persone pro-choice. Nominato tra i migliori libri dell’anno per il New York Time, argomenta a favore dell’aborto come diritto morale e bene sociale.

Con argomenti lucidi e sensati, ne riformula il dibattito per dimostrare che riguarda i diritti umani fondamentali riaffermando la priorità della vita e della salute della donna.

Di lei Mary Gordon ha scritto: “La sua intelligenza è sempre implacabile, sempre tonificante, pur mantenendo sempre una meravigliosa leggerezza. È il gin e Campari del movimento femminile”.

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics: Cause Rump is always good for a laugh...

1. Highly misleading!

tRump is rewriting history again - even though the he actually knows nothing about it.

What is true are the collected Hitler speeches which he steals from...

2. Not totally true!

What's missing is that these folk have to be very rich - so they can afford to buy Rump's allegiance...

Though, later on, he always talks badly about them.

He only idolizes the kind of 'strong' men that he wishes to be.

3 & 4. The Democratic "bait & switch" was not only a surprise - it's left the Rapist Con Man still reeling...

Now, he's wasting time (not even campaigning!!) trying to come up with a nickname for VP Harris.

Nothing has stuck so far & he fears this - his family's mental 'curse' might just be striking now!

(See earlier postings.)

5. Suddenly, the crowd sizes that VP Harris is enjoying, have become a sudden mania with the Orange Clown.

As if he measures his popularity with the amount of people that he can put to sleep!

Yes, he's now regularly found waving to empty lots & backyards...

6. "Dumb-Old" is so desperate to get back into the White House, that he's allowed himself to be infected by RFK Junior's earworm!

Buyer beware!!

RFK isn't the most stable of influences out there...

But, maybe, he can teach Don the Grifter a thing or 2 about how to go absolutely bat-shit crazy!

7. And RFK seems to have taken effect much more quickly than estimated!

tRump now finds himself unable to speak coherently - slurring his butt off & being unable to stick to the subject at hand...

Whatever he's on - I don't want any of it!!

8 & 9. Now that the Felon Rapist is facing a real challenge to his ungodly false 'reign', he's suddenly afraid!

And, he's right to be scared - of a powerful prosecutor - who's also a woman...

You're right to fear someone who can easily outsmart you in the 3D chess game of Washington, DC politics!

You're going to be pulled away from your golf course & back to the reality that you've created for yourself.

A place where you'll be found guilty of raping & cheating so many others.

10. But, who really knows?

Political reality is a harsh mistress!

You might end up in a mental facility.

I could see that.

You like the mentally ill, don't you?

Or, you could be publicly executed as a warning to America's enemies - that you don't fool around with True Blue patriots...

Whatever, dude.

Just so long as you're finally gone.

End?

Probably not.

There's still the Rump's enablers to get rid of...

We can vote a enough of them out during the November 5th election.

At least, think about it - then do it any way!!

Vote Blue & get rid of these would-be evil 'kings.'

Who actually needs them?

Not the citizens of a constitutional Republic with Democratic leanings...

(Say that 3 times fast!)

End!

[mesetacadre]

El Gobierno de la República reconoce a los internacionales que tan bravamente han luchado con nosotros, que ya puede decirse que son connaturales nuestros, el derecho a reclamar, una vez terminada la guerra, la ciudadanía española... España será siempre una patria vuestra. Y los españoles vuestros hermanos.

¡Madres! Cuando los años pasen y las heridas de la guerra se vayan restañando; cuando el recuerdo de estos días dolorosos y sangrientos se esfume en un presente de libertad, de paz y bienestar... hablad a vuestros hijos; habladles de estos hombres de las Brigadas Internacionales. Contadles cómo, atravesando mares y montañas... llegaron a vuestra patria, como cruzados de la libertad, a luchar y morir por la libertad y la independencia de España, amenazados por el fascismo alemán e italiano. Lo abandonaron todo: cariños, patria, hogar, fortuna, madre, mujer, hermanos, hijos... y vinieron a nosotros a decirnos: ¡Aquí estamos!; vuestra causa, la causa de España, es nuestra misma causa, es la causa común de toda la humanidad avanzada y progresista... No os olvidaremos; y cuando el olivo de la paz florezca, entrelazado con los laureles de la victoria de la República española, ¡volved!

Despedida a las Brigadas Internacionales, octubre de 1938, Juan Negrín y Dolores Ibárruri, respectivamente

The Government of the Republic recognizes the bravery of the internationals who have fought with us, it can now be said that they are connatural to us, the right to reclaim, once the war is over, the Spanish nationality... Spain will always be a homeland of yours. And the Spanish your siblings.

Mothers! When the years pass and the war wounds stop bleeding; when the memory of these painful and blood-soaked days fades in a present of liberty, peace, and well-being... talk to your children; talk to them about these men of the International Brigades. Tell them how, traveling through seas and mountains... came to your homeland, like crusaders of liberty, to fight and die for Spain's liberty and independence, threatened by German and Italian fascism. They abandoned everything: affections, homeland, home, fortune, mother, wife, siblings, children... and came here to tell us: Here we are!; your cause, Spain's cause, is our own cause, it's the common cause of all advanced and progressive humanity... We will not forget you; and when the olive of peace flowers, interweaving with the laurels of victory of the Spanish Republic, return!

Farewell to the International Brigades, October 1938, Juan Negrín and Dolores Ibárruri, respectively.

The promise made by Juan Negrín would not be fulfilled until 1996, and ratified in 2007 by the historical memory law in its article 18. By 2007, only 15 of those 35,000 Volunteers of Liberty were still alive, and the last died at 100 years old in 2021. The democratic memory law, passed in 2022, allowed in article 33 for the children and grandchildren of the brigadiers to also claim the Spanish nationality, without losing their own. The Association of Friends of the International Brigades, who participated in this law, assured that there were only about a hundred direct descendants of brigadiers, in places like Cuba, Argentina, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, the UK or Russia. The search for these descendants was done primarily thanks to the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, digitized in 2011