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quoteablebooks · 1 year

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Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Rating: 4 out of 5

Trigger Warning: Death, Murder

Summary:

A killer who targets lonely women on cruise ships is at the center of Mary Higgins Clark's newest thriller "You Belong to Me," a masterful combination of page-turning suspense and classic mystery. When Dr. Susan Chandler decides to use her daily radio talk show to explore the phenomenon of women who disappear and are later found to have become victims of killers who prey on the lonely and insecure, she has no idea that she is exposing herself -- and those closest to her -- to the very terror that she hopes to warn others against. Susan sets out to determine who is responsible for an attempt on the life of a woman who called in to the show offering information on the mysterious disappearance from a cruise ship, years before, of Regina Clausen, a wealthy investment advisor. Soon Susan finds herself in a race against time, for not only does the killer stalk these lonely women, but he seems intent on eliminating anyone who can possibly further Susan's investigation. As her search intensifies, Susan finds herself confronted with the realization that one of the men who have become important figures in her life might actually be the killer. And as she gets closer to uncovering his identity, she realizes almost too late that the hunter has become the hunted, and that she herself is marked for murder. In its review of her previous novel "Pretend You Don't See Her," the "Detroit News" said of Mary Higgins Clark, "What's amazing...is how expertly [she] manages to keep us hooked time after time, and even better, create new plots, each as fresh as a mountain stream." "You Belong to Me" is Mary Higgins Clark at her thrilling best.

*Opinions*

There is something comforting about a mass-market paperback mystery. I first read Mary Higgins Clark novel in middle school as the library had a couple on the shelves. Since then, I pick them up whenever I want a fast-paced novel that focuses on the characters as well as the mystery. This is my second time reading You Belong to Me and while I remembered the important parts, like who the killer was, I still enjoyed my time with Dr. Susan Chandler as she unraveled new and old mysteries and deaths.

This novel is told from multiple perspectives, and Clark is the queen of the red herring. Throughout the novel, the reader is given hints and clues that each of the male perspectives might be the killer, along with sections from the killer. Again, it was less stressful for me this time around as I remembered who the killer was, but I remember the first time reading it I had no idea who the killer was until the end. This is something that I feel is characteristic of Clark novels, or at least the ones I have read.

I will say that this novel is slightly dated, which is fair given that it was published in 1998. However, the fact that Dr. Chandler had done three radio programs about missing and vanished women, started to realize that a few of the deaths might be related and still allowed two separate men to pick her up on first dates and walk her to the front door of her apartment. Not the front door of the apartment building, her actual apartment. Like, red flags left, right, and center, but probably not in 1998. Also, everyone in this novel has five or more room apartments in New York City. They are all professionals, but still. Five-room apartment in THIS economy? Impossible. It was small things like that, and having to wire transfer to get cruise pictures, make it obvious that this novel is from a certain time and place.

One thing I really enjoy in Clark mysteries is that there is usually a B-plot that is interesting in its own right. While I can understand how Dr. Chandler’s mother, father, and stepmother were acting, I really did not like her sister Dee. I am not saying she is poorly written, I’m saying she is self-absorbed and doesn’t care how much it hurts the people around her. There were times when she was in possible danger and I kind of didn’t care whether she lived or died. It is a testament to Clark’s writing that I felt so negatively toward her, but even though Dr. Chandler had sympathy for her sister, I did not. Then again, characters in novels don’t have to be likable.

Overall, this gives exactly what you want it to from a mystery thriller. This isn’t groundbreaking or thought-provoking, but it is a fun time. I am going to keep the original 4-star rating. I am sure as I read my mysteries my feelings might change, but there isn’t anything I disliked about this novel enough to drop the star rating. I have maybe 5 more on my shelves to read so that might change my opinion as well. Only time will tell.

#mary higgins clark #You Belong to Me #book review #booklr #4 out of 5 Stars

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lucy-sky · 3 years

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The Break of Dawn (Leo Barnes x f!Reader)

You work in a small diner not far from the bus station and try to get over a tragic event that happened to you three years ago. Leo Barnes is one of the steady customers, and at some point you realize there's mutual attraction between the two of you. There's no time for romance though - only one night left before the annual Purge, and Leo has an important job to keep Senator Roan safe as it's the only chance to finally put an end to the Purge.

Words: 3 656

Warnings: Sexual content (not super detailed, I would rate this story as Mature rather than Explicit, but still they f*ck), a bit of angst (trigger warning: loss), but Leo is a caring and protective guy who’s ready to hold you

A/N: My first time writing Leo Barnes or any Frank Grillo character, so please don't be mean :))

Taglist: @sweetfictionalworld, @skvatnavle, @lunamoon-87

“There he is.”

Stella pokes you with her elbow.

“What?”

“Your tough guy. He’s here,” she nods to the corner of the diner and you don’t even need to follow her gesture to know that Leo Barnes is sitting there, his usual spot. He’s a bit early today, and it’s understandable - you too find it harder to sleep well as the Purge is getting closer.

“He’s not my tough guy, Stells,” you roll your eyes.

“Oh yeah? Tell it to someone else,” she snorts. “So far I’m just wondering how long you’re gonna keep ignoring that sexual tension…”

“Stella, please.”

“What? Honestly, I don’t know why he’s being such a gentleman… But just FYI, y/n… You know it’s not the 19th century and you actually can make the first move?”

“Even if I wanted to, it’s not the right time,” you shrug. “You know he’s doing an important job. He’s got plenty of stuff to think about and it’s definitely not romance.”

“Who’s talking about romance, sis?” Stella laughs. “You’re both so goddamn tense, you need to blow off some steam. No, seriously. You need to get laid. He needs to get laid. It’s just way too obvious!”

“Oh dear god, just please shut up…” you groan.

“Fine,” she gives you a wicked smirk. “If you don’t want him, then I’m bringing his order.”

You chuckle at this.

“Don’t you dare.”

To be completely honest, you can’t deny that Stella is partly right. There is something between you and this grumpy silent man in the corner. But what exactly? You can’t really put it into words, it’s not just the attraction, or sexual tension as Stella says. You do find him handsome though, you admit that. A couple of times when he was wearing a t-shirt, you caught yourself staring at his muscular arms. Yes, guilty. And still… There’s more than that. You’d call it some sort of mutual understanding.

Leo Barnes works for Senator Roan. In the past, he used to be a cop, now he is the head of security for her. You learnt that one night when he was here, having his usual late dinner. The TV was on, evening news, something about the election of course. And suddenly you noticed him there, standing behind Roan’s back with another guy in a formal dark suit. You blinked, stared at the screen, then looked back at him. He caught your glance.

“Is that… you?” you blurted, realizing too late that you said it out loud. But he smiled, and in his smile there was no anger or annoyance.

“Apparently so,” he replied with a soft chuckle and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “How do I look?”

You started talking ever since then. Barnes usually came to the diner twice - in the morning he just had a mug of black coffee, and in the evening he ordered something to eat. Mornings were often crowded as many people passed the diner before heading to work in the city, so you were busy. But the evenings were mostly quiet.

You often stayed at work late, covering Stella who had to run to her kids or another date. You didn’t mind that since work was always your way to escape. Nobody was waiting for you at home anyways. Somehow, Leo Barnes started to keep you company. He wasn’t much of a talker and you were never into heartfelt conversations with the clients here, but something just clicked. Especially after you learnt about his job and it became clear that your views on the Purge are the same.

Many people hate The Purge, as well as many people support it. Some people hate it because they’re scared for their loved ones, their business (small shop owners who don’t have enough money to afford the Purge insurance often suffer), or they hate it just because they’re against violence in general. And the others… They have more personal reasons. You’re one of them. And somehow, even if you don’t know for sure, you just feel like Leo Barnes has personal reasons as well. He never really told you, and you don’t dare to ask because you know well enough how the memories can hurt. You didn’t tell him either. But still, you don’t know how exactly it worked, you just looked at each other and saw it. It’s like an unspoken secret between the two of you. The details don’t matter anyway. Your stories are in the past and you can’t change it, but what you can change is the future. If Senator Charlene Roan wins the election - the Purge will finally end. You can help with your vote, and Leo… Leo is determined to do anything to help her survive this year. Just this year, and hopefully no one would ever have to survive this nightmare again. You both want it more than anything else.

“Hey.”

You smile at Leo as you place a mug of coffee and a plate on the table in front of him.

“Hey…” he looks confused when he sees the food. Nothing really special: eggs, bacon, some beans and a toast. “What’s that? I... only asked for the usual…”

“Just thought you might need some extra fuel,” you shug. “Only one night left before the Purge, so… you must have a lot of work to do.”

“Yeah, you’re right… I actually do,” he gives you a tired smile. “Thank you.”

“Welcome,” you nod and turn to leave, but Leo suddenly touches your arm and you freeze.

“Y/n?”

“Yeah?” you face him again.

“Do you work tomorrow?”

“Yes… Why are you asking?..” you give him a puzzled look.

“Well uh… To be honest I’d be happier if you took a day off… You know, just to make sure you’re safe…”

You feel the heat on your cheeks. Does… does he worry about you?.. The realization makes your heart shrink for a second. Apparently he’s not just someone who understands, he’s someone who cares. You already forgot what it feels like when someone really cares. Well, of course there are your parents, but they’re far away… And Leo, he’s right here.

“It’s okay,” you say, trying not to look too baffled. “Tomorrow we’re closing the diner earlier, right after lunchtime, so I’ll be home long before the Purge begins. There’s no need to worry, really.”

“Good,” Barnes nods. “I just… don’t think I’ll be able to come over and check on you tomorrow, so I just…” he stutters as if trying to figure out something to say.

“I just want you to be careful, okay?” he finally utters, and to your surprise his hand reaches yours, squeezing it lightly. “Just be careful, yeah?”

“Yeah, I... Of course I will,” you try to smile reassuringly. “I promise.”

There’s about five minutes left before closing hour when Leo appears. As usual, you’re still here, helping Mary, the chief and the owner’s wife with all the cleaning up after the working day. While she’s in the kitchen, you wipe the tables, TV-set is murmuring something in the corner. The election, the purge… Always the same.

“You’re closed?” he asks, meeting your gaze. “Sorry, I… Didn’t realize it’s that late already…”

“We’re about to close, but it’s fine, come in!” you assure smiling at him maybe a bit more brightly than you wanted to show. “We’ll get you something to eat, right, Mary?”

“Sure thing,” she replies from the kitchen door. You weren’t the only one who saw Barnes on TV. Since then, he became an always welcome guest as the diner owners supported Roan as well. Otherwise, to be honest you don’t think you could possibly be able to work for them.

You put a plate with food in front Leo as he takes a seat at the counter. While he’s eating silently, you wipe the coffee mugs and place them carefully on the shelf. The TV keeps talking. Something about the bloomimg economy and international murder tourists who keep coming to the US to take part in the annual Purge. You glance at the screen, see their gut-wrenchingly excited faces.

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter under your breath and shake your head. “Fucking insane.”

“True,” you nearly jump at his words, as you didn’t realize Leo heard you. “I knew people who killed someone on Purge night for… different reasons. But those who kill just because they enjoy it, for fun or sport or whatever you call it - those are the most dangerous.”

“They’re just psychopaths. People like that should be kept in mental hospitals or something. But they just walk around as if nothing’s wrong with them. And the new founding fathers keep telling them how proud they are of them…”

“Roan’s gonna make it stop,” Mary joins the conversation. “This lady’s got some balls, am I right, sir?”

“Yes ma’am,” Barnes chuckles. “She absolutely got them.”

You leave the diner together with Leo. Mary chose to stay inside, waiting for her husband to come pick her up in a few minutes. The night is a bit chilly; you’re shivering, not sure if it’s the cold or the fact that you’re alone with him for the first time.

“Where’s your car?” he asks.

“Oh um… It’s in the service actually. So I’m going to the bus station right over there,” you point. Barnes frowns.

“What about tomorrow?”

“Stella promised to give me a ride home. Leo… I’ll be okay. It’s not the first Purge night in my life, you know.”

“Right,” he clears his throat. “Anyway, since I’m here I can drive you home.”

“You… sure it’s okay?” your voice betrays you a little. “I mean you must be tired…”

“I’m okay,” he assures, then nods at his car. “Come on. I insist.”

“Okay,” you hear yourself saying.

You’re mostly silent on the way. You feel a bit tense, but also kinda… weirdly excited to be in this car, next to him. Damn. Is Stella right, and you’re actually into him? Definitely so. But after all these years you almost completely forgot how it feels - to be into someone or how the relationships work. As if you’re a teenager again. Leo Barnes is the first man who actually made you think of something close to romantic longing since… That night.

“It’s here?” he asks as you reach your house. You nod, and he pulls over. You wait for him to say something, to tell you goodnight maybe, but he doesn’t. Without the sound of the car engine, the silence between you becomes even more awkward. You open your mouth to say goodbye to him, but instead different words suddenly come out.

“Leo, I…”

He looks at you intently. You stare down at your knees.

“Yeah?”

“I just… The fact that you worry about me - it’s very nice of you, really. And… I just wanted you to know that I worry about you too. I worry about you a lot actually…”

“Y/n…” his voice is quiet as he brings his hand to your face, gently urging you to look up at him. His eyes look darker than usual in the dim light of the street lamp nearby. You think if it’s possible to drown in someone’s eyes you’d already be gone.

“I’ll be fine, okay?” he says softly. “It’s gonna be a tough night for sure, but I’ll be fine, I have to be fine. You gotta trust me on this. You trust me?”

“Yes,” you barely whisper, unable to take your eyes from his, and when the tension becomes almost unbearable, his lips finally crush on yours.

You both expected and didn’t expect it, didn’t dare to admit even to yourself how much you really wanted it. Your breath hitches somewhere in your throat as you kiss him back eagerly, forgetting about everything and everyone for this moment that lasts so long and so painfully short at once. You’re both panting as your lips part, foreheads pressed together.

“I… I think I should go,” you mumble as a rush of panic suddenly overwhelms you.

“Yeah… Yeah…” he nods. “You should get some rest.”

“You too.”

You squeeze his hand for a second. Gosh, you didn’t even realize your hand was on his all this time.

“Good night,” you finally murmur, bracing yourself to get out of the car. You feel like something else needs to be said, but can’t really figure out what.

You enter the house and just lean against the door, heart hammering wildly inside your chest. You close your eyes and try to catch your breath. What the hell just happened? And why are you reacting like that? There’s nothing wrong about this kiss. You’re two single adults… Well, probably single. Leo doesn’t wear a ring, so… Damn it, you really got out of practice when it comes to relationships.

A knock on the door made your eyes snap open. As if in a daze, you slowly turn and reach the door handle, already knowing who you’re going to see.

Leo doesn’t say anything. And you can’t read the expression in his eyes, or you simply don’t have time for it, because the next moment he steps inside, his hands cup your cheeks and he kisses you with such longing and desperation it nearly kicks the breath out of your lungs. You don’t know what you’re doing any more, but your fingers are already in his dark hair, scratching the nape of his neck while his lips and tongue keep attacking your mouth. It feels like shockwaves running through your body, and for the first time in years you feel just so alive. All this time your feelings, passions and emotions were asleep, everything around you seemed pale and lifeless as if someone turned down the contrast, but something changed. Not right now, not in the snap of a finger, of course; it happened gradually. Something kept changing deep within you since the very first time your eyes met, and now - you’re finally ready to feel something. To let him in.

You don't think about it though. Or about anything else, to be honest. All you can focus on is what his lips are doing to you, how hot his breath is and how weirdly nice his stubble feels against your skin. Leo’s coat falls on the floor. His big hands seize your waist as he lifts you up, causing you to grip onto his broad shoulders. Pressing you against the nearest wall, he nuzzles into the crook of your neck, the kisses are sloppy, open-mouthed, and you can't suppress a soft moan. He's big and strong, you feel small underneath him, but you like it.

You can’t even remember clearly how you finally reached the bedroom, frantically helping each other to get rid of the clothes. When you tumble down and he hovers over you, the skin to skin contact is overwhelming. He brushes your hair away from your flushed face, kisses you with sudden tenderness. The look in his hazel eyes is warm yet still full of passion as you cup his cheek and he presses his lips to your palm. An affectionate gesture that makes your heart skip a beat, but you both are too impatient to be soft right now. So he leans in, kissing you harder this time, grunting against your mouth when you pull him closer, craving as much of him as possible. You can feel him twitching against your lower belly as you wrap your legs around him, eager to get more pressure. He’s not even inside you yet, but it already feels so good you can’t help bucking your hips, earning a low groan from him at the friction. His lips trail along your jawline, down to the side of your neck, where he kisses and nibbles, and you just know there’s gonna be marks tomorrow, but damn, you can’t care less.

When he finally enters you and starts moving, you’re almost delirious. Clinging to him, you gasp and whisper his name into his skin, feel the muscles on his back tense as he thrusts deeper. The wave of bliss hits you so hard your vision turns blurry and for a few seconds it feels like you’re not there.

Reality comes back to you slowly, with all the dark and troubled thoughts you can’t escape. Leo is lying next to you with his eyes closed, breathing evenly, so you think he must be asleep. Good for him. Carefully, you slip out of the bed to get a glass of water. It doesn’t help you to get rid of the lump in your throat though. Back to the bedroom, you sit on the edge of the bed and let out a deep sigh, trying to fight back tears. Too many emotions for one night.

“Y/n.”

Leo’s voice doesn’t even seem sleepy. You can feel him shifting in bed to reach you, the warmth of his calloused hand stroking your back soothingly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, uh…” You shake your head, bringing your hand to rub your eyes. “I’m good. It’s just… It’s been a while since I… You know…”

“I know. It’s been a while for me as well.”

“I lost my boyfriend three years ago,” you blurt out, surprising yourself that you said it out loud. “During the Purge night. He um… He was a medical student. We lived in an apartment building and we heard someone crying for help. I wanted to stop him but he just couldn’t ignore someone who needed help, you know. He got shot accidentally, right into his head. There was no chance to save him.”

Leo’s hand gently squeezes your shoulder.

“Sorry, I… Don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I’ve never talked about him since the funeral…”

“It’s okay,” he moves closer, pressing a kiss against your shoulder blade.

“I was so angry at first, you know,” now that you start talking you seemingly cannot stop. “I wished I could find and kill them. But then I thought he wouldn’t want me to become a murderer...”

He presses his forehead against the back of your head for a moment. “I know how you feel, y/n.”

You finally turn to meet his gaze.

“I lost my son. I know what this anger feels like. Two years ago all I was thinking about on the Purge night was revenge. I was determined, almost obsessed.”

“Did… you do it?”

“No. I was close to it. Very close. But… One wise person made me realize that it wouldn’t help. Violence only brings more violence.”

“It has to be stopped,” you whisper.

“Yes,” he nods. “That’s why I left the police. Cops have to stay away from the Purge. I couldn’t any more. At least now I know I'm doing the right thing.”

“Right… Just… I’m just scared of losing you too,” you say very quietly, but he hears you anyway. His strong arms wrap around your body, pulling you closer, enclosing into his warmth. Making you feel safe.

“Hey, hey...” He whispers into your hair as he nuzzles into the top of your head. “It’s not gonna happen, you hear me? Everything’s gonna be alright. I promise.”

You have no doubt your colleagues noticed who drove you to work this morning. But today no one is in the mood for comments, not even Stella. Even though the work goes on as usual, there’s still this tension in the air before the Purge night.

Through the window you can see a bunch of guys gathered around the car with an open trunk full of baseball bats and other stuff you can’t discern. The owner proudly shows off his stuff, other guys laugh, they look pretty chill and relaxed, and your stomach nearly twists at the sight.

All night you could barely sleep a wink. A knock on the door drags you out of troubled slumber. At first you’re not even sure if you really heard it or it was in your dream. But the sounds repeat and you jump off the bed and without even caring to slip something over the huge t-shirt you sleep in. Barefoot, you rush to the door, open it with shaky hands.

He looks so exhausted it seems like he can barely stand. The collar of his shirt that used to be white is now stained with blood. And yet… He’s smiling.

“Leo!..” you gasp, stepping towards him and bringing your hand to his stubbly cheek. “Oh my god, are you… Everything okay?..”

“I’m great,” he breathes out huskily, and his smile slowly turns into a wide grin. “We did it, baby.”

You don’t even try to hold back tears as you fall into his arms, bury your face into his chest. He smells a bit like sweat and blood, but you absolutely don’t care. “I’m so glad you’re here,” you mumble into his ruined shirt. “I’m here,” he whispers back, stroking your hair. Then you realize the two of you are still standing at the porch.

“Alright,” you say, drawing back a little. “Let’s get you in, you need some rest… And you’re probably hungry too… And you definitely need a shower…”

“Wait, y/n. Let’s just… Stay here for a bit? I think we both need to catch a breath,” he chuckles crookedly, reaching out to wipe a tear from your cheek. You smile back.

“Okay.”

Sitting on the porch with your head on Leo’s shoulder, his arm wrapped around your frame, you watch the sky becoming lighter and lighter as the dawn breaks. You can hear the sounds of sirens in the distance. The city’s slowly getting back to life, waking up after another nightmare.

You both know it’s not the end, the war isn’t won yet, but at least you won this very important battle. And for the first time in what seems like ages you have a good feeling about the future.

Thanks for reading!

Hugs, Lucy

#the purge #leo barnes x reader #frank grillo #fanfiction #the purge fanfiction #the purge anarchy #the purge election year #lucy tries to write

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literaryfic · 3 years

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Chapters: 1/?  Fandom: 빈센조 | Vincenzo (TV)  Rating: Explicit  Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Vincenzo Cassano | Park Joo Hyeong/Hong Cha Young Characters: Hong Cha Young, Vincenzo Cassano | Park Joo Hyeong Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Italian Mafia, (i know nothing about the mafia so this will be very inaccurate!!!), basically vincenzo & cha-young being mafia bosses in italy

 Summary: When Vincenzo Cassano came back to Italy, no one expected to see someone by his side. Or how Cha-young and Vincenzo became the head of the Cassano family. a mafia couple au inspired by a discussion with @ourgalaxybangtan @ghostrights & @whovie-reloaded

Vincenzo had been handling most of the family business since their adoptive father’s health had started to decline. As the consigliere of the Cassano family, he was Fabio’s most trusted man, his advisor, his lawyer but also his second-in-command.

It hadn’t been easy, all these years, to climb the ladder. He wasn’t a native, he wasn’t blood, and so not many people had welcomed him at first. That’s why he had to become ruthless, so that no one could deny his authority or even dare to try. He had killed and tortured many men, broken their minds and their bones, burned their flesh and cut off their limbs, ashes and screams trailing behind him. If he wasn’t proud of the blood on his hands, he was at least proud of his work. All the hours he’d spent training, fighting, preparing, scheming, studying, all his efforts to erase Park Joo-hyung from the face of earth had paid off. The scared, weak little kid was gone, buried with all his other victims. ‘An eye for an eye, and then some’, Vincenzo lived by that, and he would stop at nothing except killing the innocent. There was no doubt he was the best at what he did and anyone who did not respect him feared him enough to not threaten him. His success was the Cassano family’s success, yet he knew that members of his own clan would not hesitate to have him killed if they could. Two clear factions had formed in the past five years, those who supported Vincenzo as the next head of the family, and those who supported Paolo, his brother. Paolo and Vincenzo had never gotten along, and Paolo’s inferiority complex and jealousy grew deeper every time his older brother had to clean up after one of his rushed job. Paolo had a particular taste for violence. Whereas Vincenzo killed and tortured because he had to, Paolo got a kick out of hurting others, be it children, women or elders. He loved to assert his dominance, to feel almighty. Vincenzo didn’t think himself much better than him, (regardless of the reasons behind his murders, he’d probably killed way more than him), but he wanted Paolo to be punished for his sins. It was only a matter of time before some influential family members whispered plans of assassination and of ‘restoring the rightful heir’ into his ear. Paolo was an angry, frustrated man who wasn’t particularly good at his job, an easy puppet to control. He’d been watching them carefully but he knew that as long as his father was alive, no one would dare to touch him. Back then he had thought he would take care of them when it came to it, become the head of his family, and continue to rule the underworld. Then, the incident happened and everything changed. He hadn’t been able to sleep for weeks, his victims’ screams haunting his dreams. He started avoiding mirrors, his reflection taunting him. He barely ate anymore, and Fabio had reminded him to get a grip. So he had done just that. He drank himself to sleep or took sleeping pills, and he went on. He knew, however, that he could not go on like this much longer. He had to get out before he buried himself next to Park Joo-hyung and all the others whose lives he’d taken. He’d started to plan his escape secretly. He would wait until his father died, staying loyal to him as long as he was alive. When the time came, he knew Paolo would try to kill him. The power struggle between them would start as soon as the head of the family would die, but instead of destroying his opponents, Vincenzo would seize the opportunity to leave. He would go back to South Korea, get the gold and leave to an island, where he would spend the rest of his days. The death of his previous Chinese client was perfect timing. As expected, Fabio, his boss and adoptive father, had named him the next head of the family in his will. It came to no surprise to most members, but murmurs spread quickly, “Can you imagine? A foreigner, as the head of our family? What has the world become?”. After wrapping things up in Italy, Vincenzo promised himself to never return, throwing away the key to the graveyard of his sins. …. There’s no going back from this, he thinks. Vincenzo is still holding Cha-young’s face, unable to look away from her lips, still wet from the kiss. Her pink cheeks, her smeared lipstick, the freckles under her fondation. Her. Hong Cha-young. His heart is soaring in his chest, all the emotions he had desperately tried to silence erupting all at once. There was no point in denying it, he had fallen in love with her. All he could do now was break his own heart, hoping it would heal. …. He realises he can’t live without her after she gets injured. They’re trying to get more information on Jang Han-seok’s paper company, and this time they’re trying to prove that some of the transactions made to European bank accounts were bribes. They’re breaking into none other than the Minister of Economy and Finance, Cha Do-won’s house. Miri had made sure to deactivate the security system and cameras, and Vincenzo was in charge of securing the place while Cha-young searched for the secret ledger the Minister kept hidden in his office. Cha Do-won was making a speech right now, and they had assumed most of his personal security would be with him. Vincenzo had quickly incapacitated the few men around the house and Cha-young looked for the ledger. After a few minutes, she found a hidden drawer in his desk. There it was, a thick documents labelled 'Accounts’. Subtlety wasn’t one of his strong points, apparently. They were about to leave when suddenly, a dozen men started to raid the place. Vincenzo fought them off as best as he could, and he was grateful that Mr. Lee barged in to help. They thought they had them all beat, and so Vincenzo made a mistake. He turned his back to the door to look for Cha-young, who he thought was behind him. “Vincenzo!”, he heard her shout his name. He sees her across the room, about to get struck by a man. He rushes to her and knocks him out quick enough. “Oh my God”, she says, “Did you see that? I almost died! He had a knife as well, and I dodged it, and then I ran—”. She keeps rambling while they get out of the house and into their car, clearly in shock. She’s getting paler as time passes, and he only notices the blood that pooled on the seat when she tries to get out of the car. She was stabbed, but the shock and adrenaline had prevented her from feeling any pain. “Oh”, she says, looking down at her wound. Vincenzo jumps out of his seat and rips the bottom half of the T-Shirt he’s wearing. “I don’t think now’s the time for that, Darling.” Even in a life-threatening situation, Cha-young is joking around. Vincenzo’s mind stops, he feels paralysed by fear, the fear of losing her, of her dying in his car, because of him. He pushes those thoughts away as he holds the fabric to her wound. “Hold this, as hard as you can.” The rest of the car ride to the hospital is a blur of running red lights, speeding in between traffic and repeating “Hong Cha-young, stay with me.” Vincenzo had faced death everyday for the last 20 years. He had killed, had seen people kill and had almost died countless of time. “There’s no limit to fear”, he’d once said to Jang Han-seok’s informant. Only now, waiting for Cha-young’s surgery to be over, does he understand what those words truly mean. During 6 hours, Vincenzo pleads and begs God, the devil, anyone willing to listen (Don’t take her. Everyone but her). He makes empty promises (I’ll do anything. I’ll stop hurting others, I’ll disappear from her life) and meaningless threats (Don’t you dare take her. I’ll kill you, too). In the end he doesn’t know who answers his prayers, and what promises seals the deal, but Cha-young wakes up and he doesn’t care. He holds her hand, stays by her side, and vows to never leave her. He starts to plan for an escape route shortly after that. In case they can’t stay in South Korea and need to take off. First, he thinks of Malta, or another island. But they would need to go somewhere they have allies, somewhere with an easy access to emergency money and resources. Italy. He contacts Luca and sets everything up, a two bed-room apartment, two bank accounts, and everything they could ever need like cash, some guns, and a car. “Consigliere, will there be another person with you?”, Luca asks. “Hopefully it won’t come to that”, he avoids the question. He knows he promised not to come back, but some promises need to be broken out of necessity. He needed to make Cha-young was safe, at all cost. His brother’s betrayal had made it easier. He’d been caught in the crossfire of their fight against Babel, killed by Choi Myung-hee in order to frame Vincenzo. But they had proved his innocence, and sent back his corpse in Milan. After Fabio’s death, Paolo hadn’t been the best replacement, and after he was killed in South Korea, they’d put in charge one of their cousins who had neither Fabio’s experience, nor Vincenzo’s mastermind. The family was in a crisis, which didn’t go unnoticed by their rivals. Soon, business started to slow down, their clients stolen by the competition and their allies started to switch teams. Money ran low. For that reason, Vincenzo didn’t run into much opposition when he came back. Most members and people in their business thought he had killed Paolo after he’d unreasonably followed him to South Korea and tried to finish him. Paolo only left disappointment and resentment behind him, and so no one missed him much. What they had not expected, however, was for Vincenzo Cassano to come back with someone.

#vincenzo #vincenzo fic #chayenzo #chayenzo fic

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sleepysera · 2 years

Text

6.16.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Syria: US-led coalition capture senior IS leader (BBC)

“US-led coalition forces say they captured a senior leader of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in an overnight raid in northern Syria. The man was "an experienced bomb maker and operational facilitator", a coalition statement said. Officials told US media that he was named Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi.”

Brazil: Amazon fisherman confesses to killing missing men (AP)

“A fisherman confessed to killing a British journalist and an Indigenous expert in Brazil’s remote Amazon region and took police to a site where human remains were recovered, a federal investigator said after a grim 10-day search for the missing pair. Authorities said Wednesday that they expected to make more arrests in the case of freelance reporter Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira of Brazil, who disappeared June 5. None had been made as of Thursday morning, but police said searches for the boat the two had used were about to restart.”

Yemen: Child soldiering continues despite Houthi promise (AP)

“Despite an agreement with the U.N. in April to halt the practice, the Houthis continue to recruit children into the military ranks to fight in the country’s grinding civil war, Houthi officials, aid workers and residents told the AP. Two Houthi officials said the rebels recruited several hundred children including as young as 10 over the past two months.”

US NEWS

Economy: Wall Street gets back to tumbling after 1 day reprieve (AP)

“Such moves and expectations for plenty more around the world have sent all kinds of investments tumbling this year, from bonds to bitcoin. Higher interest rates slow the economy by design, in hopes of stamping out inflation. But they’re a blunt tool that can choke off the economy if used too aggressively.”

Buffalo Shooting: Supermarket gunman in court on hate crime counts (AP)

“Gendron has been held without bail since his arrest shortly after the May 14 attack at a Tops Friendly Supermarket, which also left three people wounded. He appeared in U.S. District Court on a criminal complaint charging him with 10 counts each of hate crime resulting in death and using a firearm to commit murder. The complaint also includes three counts each of hate crime involving bodily injury and attempt to kill, and using a firearm in a violent crime.”

Climate Crisis: Floodwaters from Yellowstone surge through eastern Montana (AP)

“The unprecedented and sudden flooding earlier this week drove all but a dozen of the more than 10,000 visitors out of the nation’s oldest park. Remarkably no one was reported hurt or killed by raging waters that pulled homes off their foundations and pushed a river off course — possibly permanently — and may require damaged roads to be rebuilt a safer distance away.”

#current events #news #syria #brazil #yemen #united states #economy #buffalo shooting #gun violence #hate crime #climate crisis #climate change #global warming

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fanatic-author · 4 years

Text

Murder Is Not On The Agenda

Rating: T (swearing) Warnings: swearing Category: Gen Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia Relationships: Dabi & Shigaraki & Toga Language: English Words: 2,162 Chapters: 1/1

Summary: Three villains go on an ice cream run in the middle of the night and absolutely nothing goes wrong. Yeah, right.

Read it here on AO3!

“Tomura, I think I’m dying.” Toga moaned where she lay spread out on the couch.

“Shut the fuck up.” he replied, not even bothering to look at her. He had the electric fan, and everyone else could suck it.

“Tomura.” Dabi whined from his spot on the floor.

“What.”

“I think I’m dying.”

“Sucks.”

The fact of the matter was, it was nearly 30 degrees and almost 11 o clock at night, which meant it was hot with no sign of cooling off anytime soon. And with 7 people sharing a space, it was getting unbearable.

“Shiggy, give me the fan. Kurogiri tell Shiggy it’s my turn with the fan!”

“Eat my ass, bitch.”

Compress was fanning himself with his mask; trench coat, top hat, and even balaclava removed in the intense heat. Spinner was no better, elaborate stain costume stashed somewhere not on his body in favor of as little clothing as possible. When questioned about why a reptile which was typically cold blooded had to cool off , they were met with double fingers and a grumbled “I’m human underneath the scales.”

The one probably faring the worst of all of them was Twice. He refused to take off his mask, and as such was gently being prodded by Kurogiri to periodically suck on ice cubes. The heat didn’t seem to have much an effect on the warper. Perks of being a living cloud, one supposed.

“Shiggy do somethiiiiiiiiing.” Toga continued whining, one hand fanning herself and the other laying listlessly off the couch.

“Do something? You want me to do something!? I don’t control the weather Toga! I don’t control the thermostat, or the pressure systems, or the tilt of the earth this time of the year!” he shouted.

“But you can control the tilt the rest of the year?” Dabi quipped, still lying vulnerable on the floor.

This vulnerability was immediately exploited by Tomura who launched himself across the room to body slam Dabi, a surprised and breathless “OOF” leaving him. The two of them began rolling around the floor, slapping and pinching the other, but they quickly fell apart in the overwhelming heat.

“I think I would give my left nut for that Todoroki kid’s ice quirk right about now.” Spinner said from his spot near the window, raising many questions regarding reptiles and nuts no one wanted to ask.

Dabi twitched but it was Toga who said “Man, I bet he can make ice cream whenever he wants!”

“That sounds like a hassle.” replied Spinner.

“What?”

“Making ice cream. Way easier to go buy some.”

“How?”

Dabi, Tomura, and Spinner all simultaneously replied “Money can be exchanged for goods and services.” Compress pinched his nose. Twice groaned in overheating agony.

“Maybe you should participate in our stimulating economy” Kurogiri said “and fetch the rest of us some ice cream.”

“You don’t even feel the heat.” retorted Tomura, but Toga and Dabi had already gotten to their feet, and compress was rifling through his wallet for what bills he had on hand.

“Get me an ice cream, none of that popsicle crap.” He said, giving Tomura the cash.

“Screw you.”

In the end it was only Tomura, Dabi, and Toga going because Twice was still too hot, Spinner argued he’d attract too much attention, and Compress was paying. Kurogiri made them walk because he was an ass, according to Tomura.

“We would attract so much attention if we warped to the 7-11 in the middle of the night.” Dabi pointed out “Like, they would call All Might out of retirement just to beat our ass.”

“I’d take him.” Tomura deadpanned.

“If you saw All Might’s emaciated form, you’d piss your pants running.”

It had been like this for the last fifteen minutes they’d spent walking in the muggy heat to nearest 24-hour convenience store, which when you were hiding from any and all levels of law enforcement, was not anywhere near where they lived. Whenever the conversation seemed to slow down, Toga interjected with just enough barb to get the argument rolling again.

“Fuck, marry, kill: All Might, Endeavor, Hawks”

“Kill all 3.” Tomura replied.

Toga stuck out her tongue at him “You’re no fun. Dabi?”

“Kill Endeavor, fuck Hawks, marry All Might. He’d treat me right.”

Toga swooned “Oh he would, wouldn’t he? Always coughing up blood...”

Tomura murmured “freak” under his breath, with only a teaspoon of malice. The three of them entered 7-11, identities hidden from the cameras (and prone to panicking cashiers) under face masks.

“Cuz this isn’t suspicious as all hell” Dabi muttered under his breath “Spinner should have had to come.”

The argument had been made that either spinner should have to come or Dabi should be allowed to stay, but Kurogiri insisted on adult supervision for the other 2, no matter Tomura was probably the oldest of the three of them, but he didn’t count because he was Tomura. Dabi had that kind of face that one would assume is older than it actually was, probably because of the horrific scar tissue.

The three of them gathered around the cooler, bills in hand, staring down the various cool treats.

“This is all gonna be melted by the time we get back anyway.” Toga pointed out.

Tomura said “Well the rest of them should have thought of that before giving us their money. Just grab whatever you want.” He proceeded to do so, plucking ice cream cones and popsicles from their icy shelves. Dabi wandered over to the slushy machine.

Toga grabbed a misshapen SpongeBob popsicle for herself, Tomura despite knowing it was a waste had grabbed three ice creams and one popsicle (for compress), Dabi was currently filling an extra-large slushy. None of the 3 paid particularly close attention to the overhead door bell jingling.

They did however, begin paying attention at the obnoxious voices that had made their way inside.

“Alright! Uraraka you are on candy duty, Kirishima! Retrieve the slushies! Midoriya, here is the ice cream list, and I shall get chips! Does everyone else have their lists? Reconvene here once you have gotten everything, or close alternatives if the first option is not available!”

There were various sounds of assent and agreement, which were largely missed by the two villains, too busy shitting their pants.

“What? How?” Toga whispered, already dropped to a crouch behind the cooler.

“I don’t know! Shut up!” Tomura hissed back, crouched behind Toga., the various treats shoved in his pockets. He had no qualms using her as a meat shield if spotted.

“Where’s Dabi?”

“He went to the slushy machine.”

They both peered around the cooler to look where Dabi had gone. Where’d he’d standing instead sat a lone, spilt, extra-large slushy.

“Oh my god they killed Dabi.” Toga whispered.

Tomura nodded in agreement “Well, let’s cut our losses and get out of here.”

“Man, fuck you guys.”

Both Tomura and Toga shrieked as Dabi came up behind them, and then immediately shushed the other. Unfortunately for the three villains hiding behind an ice cream cooler in a 7-11 in the middle of the night, stealth was not their forte. Quite frankly, not much was.

A nearby voice, rapidly getting louder, asked “Did you guys hear that?”

Neither of the three villains waited for their nemesis, one Midoriya Izuku aka the second coming of All Might himself to find them. Toga dashed to hide behind the shelves of snacks in the center of the store. Tomura and Dabi weighed their options, but the prospect of getting blown through a wall at Mach 3 had them quickly following.

Toga stood crouched in the beef jerky aisle, with the sound of The Uglier Sonic only one aisle over.

“We. Need. To. Get. Out. Of. Here.” Tomura bit, out as quietly as possible.

“I vote we use Toga as bait.”

“ Hey!”

Tomura shushed them both, all three of them listening to see if their conversation had attracted any unwanted attention.

“... and 3 bags of sour cream and onion, one of ketchup, and one of... Excuse me, Midoriya? Do you happen to know of the flavor “Chungus?” Kaminari requested a big bag of... why are you laughing?”

Dabi looked like he was going to have a stroke trying to contain his laughter.

“I love those stupid kids.” he said.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re trying to kill them.” Toga agreed.

Dabi looked to Tomura “So what’s the plan, boss? Light, and run?”

He shook his head “No, no way. I’m not dealing with these snot-nosed brats today. I just want to go home, and bitch about the heat some more. Murder was not, and is still not, on the agenda.”

Dabi carefully extinguished the blue flame in his hand “Ok, but we still need a way out.”

“Alright, boy wonder is at the ice cream cooler, Dwayne Johnson is at the slushy machine, Glinda is grabbing candy 3 aisles over, and we’re less than 2 feet from a speeding bullet. Anything in our way between us and the door?”

“No.” Dabi answered, right as Toga said “Yes.”

“What?”

Wordlessly she pointed, and there standing just outside the door was the worst one yet. Their homeroom teacher. Of course the kids couldn’t just go anywhere they liked off campus in the middle of the night, they had to be accompanied. He was probably making sure no one got in the store to hurt them.

“If this was an assassination attempt, we’d be killing it right now.” Dabi said.

Toga said “Ha. Pun.”

Tomura wanted to pull his hair out “We’re never this successful when we’re actually trying, what gives?”

The three of them put their heads together.

“Think they’ll give me a nicer cell if I sell you two out?” Dabi had a hand on his chin in contemplation.

Tomura hit him.

“I think stabbing is a viable solution.”

“I think one or more heroes is going to be scraping you off their knuckles if you try.”

“What if we got you to a wall? Make us a hole, then make a run for it?”

Tomura nodded “I could do it.”

The three of them began creeping towards the far end of the aisle, closest to an outer wall, when a large yelp, and a crashing sound made the three of them jump. Toga actually startled so hard she hit the shelf behind her, making a frankly impressive amount of noise considering. Thankfully it was drowned out by the sounds of alarm coming from the other occupants of the store.

“Ow...”

“Kirishima! are you alright?”

“Yeah, I slipped in some...”

“I’m coming!”

Then there was the familiar sound of engines revving, and then a very impressive crashing sound, followed by two pained cries this time.

“Dude, why?” one groaned.

“I apologize, I did not see the slushy on the ground.” The other moaned.

The front door bell chimed rather aggressively as the front door slammed open, a very menacing aura entering that had each person in that store reconsidering every decision that brought them there in that moment.

“What. Is. Going. On. Here?” A gruff voice asked, belonging none other than to one pissed off Eraserhead, a voice every villain in the league was familiar with by this point. It usually precluded getting your ass kicked.

All the students gathered around their fallen friends and began clamoring to explain themselves at once, voices shouting and pointing out facts and telling wildly outlandish tales of sabotage slushies on the ground. The volume of the group rose and rose as each member tried to talk over the other.

“Well that was easy. See ya, suckers.” Dabi said, dashing from his point of cover and out the door.

Toga quickly followed, and Tomura hesitated but as the group remained quite thoroughly distracted, he soon followed as well. No one inside noticed the three villains taking off in to the night.

“Holy shit!” Toga laughed outrageously, now several blocks from the convenience store, and lavishing in her nearly lost freedom. She jumped off the sidewalk, running around with her arms spread in malicious joy.

“Just so you guys know, I wouldn’t have actually sold you out for a better cell. Just so we’re clear.”

“Shut up while you’re ahead, Dabi”

Toga howled in joy “and I didn’t even have to pay for my ice cream!” She pulled out her SpongeBob popsicle, ripping the wrapper off to expose the misshapen face that was supposedly a cartoon character. She plopped it in her mouth with a satisfied hum.

“Oh my god.” Tomura stuck his own hands in his pockets, pulling out the treats he’d shoved in there when this all began.

“Oh, hell yeah!” Dabi plucked one of the packaged ice cream cones from his hand. Tomura didn’t even fight him for it, ripping open his own ice cream treat and digging in.

He couldn’t help chuckling “Those heroes helped us rob a convenience store.”

Dabi nodded “This is the best day of my life.”

#mha #bnha #lov found family #bnha fanfic #Dabi #shigaraki tomura #himiko toga #other lov characters make brief appearances #league of villains #heatwave #prompt: Someone goes to get icecream on a day they could cook a five course meal on the pavement.

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arcticdementor · 3 years

Link

Other possible Holocausts: why pro-lifers are lying to us, and why thats a good thing

…

Ive had a running argument over the past few years that the raw lack of anti-abortion terrorist action proves no one really thinks abortion is murder, ie. intentional 1st degree murder of a life equal to yours or mine.

Ive always gotten pushback to quote WillyWang:

The "revealed preference" of those that oppose abortion but don't firebomb clinics and kill doctors? It won't help, you'll be made an example of in the negative sense, and civilized norms are more important than a useless symbolic point. One clinic destroyed won't end abortion, after all.

From which this Effort-post got its Genesis:

Would you say the same about those who participated in the french resistance or Warsaw Ghetto rising to Nazi Germany?

Everyone of those claims applies there: they were likely to be made examples of, they were damaging civilized norms, and any given action had relatively little to no impact.

Yet the same people who insist abortion is murder, and thus that America is committing a holocaust, yet denounce any of the people who employed violence against abortion doctors or clinics, and can’t distance themselves fast enough from any call for violence... none of those people apply the same logic to the first holocaust. None of them say the frenchmen who bombed german police stations where dangerous terrorists who deserved their executions, none of them denounce the Warsaw ghetto rising as an attack on civilization.

…

If anti-abortion advocated genuinely believed a fetus was a equivalent human life to yours or mine or the little kids they see walk to school, and that this was an ongoing holocaust of American Children at a scale possibly 10x or more what was done to the jews... they wouldn’t need to come up with ad hoc reasons why they don’t resort to violence, their mind would be screaming at them to take bloody vengeance 24/7 in righteous outrage, demanding that oceans of blood and fire be unleashed that it might wash clean the horror, that nuclear fire would be be an acceptable emergency shut off to end such wanton and cruel slaughter... and if thinking through all the logic they concluded that no violence wouldn’t help and they must pursue some peaceful negotiation to stop the slaughter, then their minds recoil and call themselves cowards and the moment of coming to that conclusion would be an ongoing trauma they’d carry with them for the rest of their life, even if they knew they were 100% right. They would meet the “pro-choice” and barely be able to conceal their desire to see them dead or imprisoned... they would meet women who had had abortions and scream bloody murder at them and tell them they deserve the death penalty, the way many of the same people react when presented with women who’d murdered their children, but after their children had left the womb.

The people who were jailed for assassinating abortionists, or fire-bombing clinics would be folk heroes lionized in songs and crowd funded hagiographic documentaries and folk traditions, like John Brown, or John Wilkes Booth, or Louis Reil, or Saco and Vancety, or Huey Newton, or Malcolm X, or David Koresh, or Levoy Finecolm... or hell even just Jesse James, or Killdozer.

Americans abort on average 1 million plus babies a year... that means if abortion is murder and those are human lives, then the 50 years since Roe vs.Wade has been a worse crime than the holocaust, slavery, or the crimes of Stalin, and we’d have to consult a historian to see if they were worse than Mao (on a per capita basis, certainly)...

This would be the worse crime ever commited, the greatest mass slaughter ever perpetrated in human history, and 50 years later our society would remain committed to repeating it in the next 50 years.

If that does not demand violence, then nothing in human history ever has, no even defensive war has ever been justified, and only Jainists and Jehovah’s witnesses are morally acceptable actors. An extreme unexceedable pascifism we know the vast majority of anti-abortion advocates do not endorse, since they overwhelming supported or at-least did not conspicuously oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (over a mere 3000 Americans dead, and a less than a years abortions worth of Iraqis killed by Saddam) and continue to conspicuously “Support our troops” troops that exist to carry out violence, despite their moral commitments saying they can apparently never in human history be justified.

When i say this proves “Pro-lifers” clearly do not believe a fetus is an equal human life, thats me being incredibly charitable. That is me extending a overwhelming large olive branch, that is me expressing a stupendous care and concern and sympathy and brotherly love to rival the best 19th century dinner host, the dearest of friends, a benevolent older sibling, a lover, a parent, a mother who on hearing the taped confession of her son to serial murder, doesn’t hesitate once before screaming “you monsters you’ve drugged and tortured him! What threats have you made to my grandchild! He would only say such things to save his daughter’s life!”

My claiming they are full of shit and lying to themselves, to you, and to me, is an expression of love and faith in my fellow man which until now I did not realized I possessed nor was capable of...

Because if I merely took them at their word? If I believed that they believed what they say they believe? They would be monsters.

Lets play a game called “Other Possible Holocausts”. Approximately 800,000 babies where aborted this year.

Lets imagine the US government has just announced that crime has gotten to cumbersome and that over the next 3 years it plans to execute every single one of the 2.4 million people in US prisons jails and Jeuvenile detention centres.

Lets imagine that to reform education, the US resolves to kill the bottom 1% of all 80 million students in the country based on an age adjusted standardized test every year.

Lets imagine hatred of the obese takes off, and a policy is passed to resolve America’s 30% obesity rate by the mass instituting of bounties on hunting and killing the obese... that every year 800,000 to 1.5 million tags will be issued for a fee to allow the hunting of the obese in return for monetary rewards on successful hunts and getting to keep the carcasses for meat base animal foods and the manufacture of fuel, or fat based household products. These bounty hunters become known a “whalers”.

Lets imagine the US announces its done with African Americans... if the problem hasn’t been solved since 1619, its not going to be... and so they’re going to genocide all 40 million African Americans at a rate of 2% a year, for the next 50 years.

Lets imagine opposing extremists get in charge and decide the racists rednecks have to go, and so they’ll be forming death squads to roam the South, Appalachia, and the rust belt, with the objective of killing 800,000 poor whites a year, “until the problem is solved”... with many happily stating 50 years of this would be acceptable, while others state it’d be perfectly fine to renew it another 50 years after that.

…

These are all American lives, and according to pro-lifers of equal moral value to the babies aborted every day, no better, no worse.

By saying this and by saying violence is not and cannot be justified to resist it, they are saying that their reactions to any one of the above eventualities would be to continue to live their lives as they have lived the past 50 years.

I do not know how to respond to that. Even if Abortion is truly murder of an ensouled equal human life... The Pro-choicers committing the murders don’t think it is... hell the Nazis murdered 6 million jews and a further 5 million undesirables, but they didn’t think of them as human, they thought they were monstrous and “life unworthy of life”, like a burning man begging you to shoot him so he doesn’t suffer or hurt his fellows... a mercy in a way.

Pro-lifers on the other hand claim these are equal viable human lives of equal status to yours or mine or perhaps even greater.... They’re Children.

And their reaction to the greatest mass slaughter in human history, the reaction of almost half the electorate, who regularly talk about the need to resist tyrrany and defend the weak (as both left and right in the US do, in their way), their reaction is to vote every 4 years, and have it perhaps not even be the #1 issue if the economy seems bad, they have the opportunity to vote for the first black president, or the Orangeman says something crude about Mexicans... they won’t be single issue voters even when it comes to the greatest crime ever committed in human history?

I refuse to believe it. Even I, cynical as I am, have to believe we are not that far gone, and the age of men has not come crashing down... i would believe the US capable of such a crime, but to believe that a double digit percentage of Americans could look at that, recognize the victims as their fellow humans,recognize their state and society as committing mass murder of their neighbours, future friends, and relatives...to recognize that they have a moral imperative to act on this... and then just go “welp them’s the breaks, gotta be civilized” because 9 people in black robes said it wasn’t murder?

Holy fuck. No that is not how people work, that is not how humans behave, I cannot accept that, and leftists who spent the summer rioting in response to fewer than a thousand police killings of black men a year, who remember the civil rights and anti-war movements, who kinda vaguely recall that they’re supposed to remember Huey Newton, or Saco and Vanseti, or those Rossen...something people... who like to imagine they’d have been abolitionists in the 19th century. They’re right to call bullshit.

They’re right to call the pro-lifers liars who don’t believe their own messaging, and instead just want to control women’s bodies, after a lie like that to their face, they’re right to treat them with scorn.

…

Pro-life is rescuable as a sentiment and an activist movement...

But not while it claims a Holocaust is going on and somehow magically no violence could ever be justified to resist it, thus lining up all the arguments that will allow the next holocaust to be committed without resistance.

There have been a double digit, perhaps even a triple digit number of mass murders and genocides in the hundreds of thousands or millions of people, since the 20th century. America is enabling its ally Saudi Arabia to commit one against the Yemenis right fucking now.

We need to be very fucking clear about what it is justified to do to members of a regime that commits such a crime, and what it is definitely justified to do to the immediate perpetrators of the murder. And That we will back violent resistance to such a horrible crime by the state even if it serves only to make the resister a martyr we’ll praise, or it degrades “civilization” (what civilization could remain in such a regime?), or it ultimately has no effect (it is on the survivor to try harder)... The major members of the House of Saud deserve the Gallows under international law for what they’re doing in Yemen , as do their American attaches and core enablers... and if that comes from a Judge in the Hauge or from a convoy of irregulars in pickup trucks, or from lone assassins who manage to get through to them, It is justice, and i will praise it.

What we cannot do is pretend that genocides and mass slaughter on unconscionable scales are occurring and then come up with excuses for why we should do nothing and anyone who does resist is a criminal. Or else those excuses will be the ones that allow the next real genocide in the west or on US soil to actually happen.

If there is a genocide or democide or whatever you want to call mass slaughter. You must recognize the justice the violent resistance to it, even if you personally do not participate, or you must admit you were lying about there being such a crime... to say otherwise, to say a state can commit such a crime and still retain its right to your loyalty, to say a people up to and including its victims must obey such a thing, a creature made of bureaucracy that has set its sights on massacring humans by the thousands if not millions... it is to side against the human race in a war of extermination.

And as someone whose pro-choice as they come, I’d much rather, if the pro-lifers really believe its murder, I’d much rather they start a bloody civil war, than for it to become the norm that that is ethically acceptable.

#kulakrevolt #reddit #the motte #food for thought

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thelastyetfabolousmidwestmadman · 4 years

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Dark Side Of The Rising Sun Part 1

Yo what’s up!

After the success of my previous post, I’ve decided to bring a follow up where I talk about the many dysfunctions and issues facing Japan that I’ve learned in my research. Detective Conan often shows the criminal justice system of Japan in a positive light while in reality it has many issues due to the culture.

Now let me make this clear: Japan has many great things about itself that should never be ignored. However, these are real flaws that have or need to be addressed with many Japanese also recognizing them as problems.

Now I had to split this into parts as this is rather ungainly to put it all at once. If you have any questions please ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Suicide

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with about 15.2 deaths per 100,000 people.

This is due to many factors such as Suicide not being considered a sin as well as historical connotations of it being a honorable way to go.

It is also considered a act of revenge, apology, and protest.

It is mostly caused today by factors such as unemployment, alienation and intense social pressure.

Japanese society is overall tolerant of Suicide but this is changing in recent times.

Another factor is the need for acceptance over individuality.

People with mental illness are often discriminated against, stopping potential help.

Internet Suicide Clubs where anonymous people make/plan suicide pacts and commit group suicide are a major issue.

If you kill yourself via Shinkansen, your family will be fined heavily. It is also the cause of half of the train delays and referred to as a human incident.

Tall buildings have mandatory suicide fences to prevent people from jumping off. When they succeed, they take off their shoes before hand.

It is common for suicidal people to take insurance policies and wait a year or two to go through with it so their families would be okay.

Ikka Shinju or family suicides are when the entire family kills themselves together due to Asian views of the family. When the parents kill their children before themselves, this is called Muri-Shinju or murder suicides.

Oyaku Shinju or parent-child suicide are where a single parent kill their children along with themselves.

Drownings, overdoses, hangings, and jumping off places are the most common form of suicide.

Judiciary

Traditionally, the judge is hated more then the lawyer is in the west as the Judge is often viewed as a symbol of the Japanese nobility judging the common man.

If you are sent to trial, you are certain to be convicted regardless of innocence due to the countries 99% conviction rate. (Really makes Eri’s work more awesome and badass doesn’t it?)

The Japanese supreme court is one of the most conservative in the world, rarely ruling against issues that are blatantly unconstitutional and anti human rights. As a result, one of the more positive proposals for amendments of the Constitution is the creation of a separate Constitutional Court.

If you are sent to death row, you will never be told in advance when you are going to die.

Culturally, once arrested the person is automatically considered guilty.

Police are often reluctant to overturn convictions as they insist that only guilty are arrested and convicted.

The law when a child is considered criminally responsible is 14.

Judges are often pressured into making convictions as their careers are negatively affected by a not guilty verdict.

Prosecutors are given the choice not to pursue a case regardless of sufficient evidence.

Prisoners in Japan, while somewhat treated better then much of the world due to it’s focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, have to follow strict military style regulations from minor things such as being forced to fold the bed, or to wash your face to more draconian measures such being beaten if you don’t march or sit the wrong way.

In turn, many have inadequate access to medical care as they don’t have many options for their healthcare.

It can take months or years before you are tried, meaning that a right to a speedy trial is completely nonexistent.

“Periods of reflection” where inmates are forced to be handcuffed, gagged and placed in solitary, are often not recorded by the warden.

Foreigners are forced to speak and write in Japanese.

Drug Use

It is considered vastly socially unacceptable to do narcotics in Japan.

Most drug addicts are even considered to be not human.

If a celebrity is caught doing drugs, his career is automatically fucked and he is blacklisted from the industry, as well as erased from current projects.

The most commonly sold drug is methamphetamine. This started after World War II due to Meth being legal for soldiers to consume in order to stay up late on petrol as well as from occupying Americans. After the was, it became a huge epidemic for 12 years.

Marijuana use has risen among youth. Despite it having little danger as well as medicinal uses, it is widely considered evil, with the law having no tolerance.

Overall, Japan has little drug use compared to the rest of the world due to the cultural taboo and strict laws. However, there are signs that it is being vastly under counted,

Most illicit drugs are imported from Taiwan and South Korea due to it being near impossible to grow it natively but it is becoming increasingly hard to do so.

Drugs overdoses are criminally under diagnosed.

Epidemics often occur due to low periods of economic growth and recessions. (Examples include the postwar period, the 70′s, and the Lost Decade after the Bubble Economy burst in 1989)

It is common for your family or doctor to call the police once you admit there is a problem. Then you are forced to take a urine sample and if it tests positive you are immediately arrested.

A lot of doctors open pharmacies to add to their income. As a result, many oversubscribe prescription drugs.

Hypocritically, Alcoholism is completely tolerated and not treated as a addiction due to alcohol being considering purifying in Shinto, a cure, and Japan having a intense drinking culture.

Child Abuse

For the most part, physical child abuse is considered a private issue and often ignored. While things are slowly getting better, Japan still has a long way to go. (Imagine if Kogoro did what he did to Conan in the west. Child services would be on him like a fly swatter.)

Child services often return the children to their parents even if they say their abusing them as the counseling centers need the parents to admit to their abuse.

It is a complete myth that Japan’s age of consent is 13. That is only the lowest one could set it. Most prefectures are set at 16 or higher. In turn, child molestation of those under 12 is heavily punished. However while vaginal rape of children is illegal, basically just about everything else as long as it’s statutory is basically alright.

Enjo Kosai or compensated dating is the practice of Teenage Girls to go on dates with older men in exchange for money and gifts. While not necessarily always leading to prostitution is treated as such and the girls are often blamed if they are hurt in the process.

Child sex trafficking of migrants is a serious issue and they are often treated as criminals and sent home without counseling.

Adoption of children is rare and frowned upon so many of them have to gro up in centers.

Children of unmarried couples are discriminated against due to the violation of the traditional Ie system and do not have the same protections or privileges of married couples because of its Koseki system.

Men are not obligated to pay child support and it’s near impossible to get them to legally as they can simply hide their finances by not telling them. Plus only one person can be named on the custody sheet.

Child Pornography was effectively decriminalized until 2014. No seriously.

Sexual Harassment/Assault

Domestic violence victims are disabused from coming forward due to the idea of bringing shame to their family.

Stalking cases are rarely taken seriously by the police

OH THERE”S WAY MORE BUT THIS LIST IS DARK ENOUGH SO LET”S SAVE THIS FOR A LATER DATE.

Working Conditions

Idols are heavily exploited and forced to follow strict rules such as having no social life, banned from having a boyfriend, etc. This is because they are supposed to sell a image of innocence and be there exclusively for their fans.

Anime creators are often forced to work long hours with little pay. This has resulted in a slump in the industry with very few new hires so they are forced to rely on the older animators whose health may fail sooner rather then later.

Funds are rarely given to films with artistic intent or that are political in nature, resulting the film industry suffering compared to the more internationally regarded South Korea.

Police Corruption

Until recently, Japanese police would work with organized crime to lower crime. The only reason they stopped was not out of concern for the everyday citizen but because they were embarrassed by the Yakuza when they began to show up more publically.

The media is often laughably compliant to the police, with they rarely offering a critical lens.

Police have undue influence on the Pachiko industry, with many retired officers being hired as muscle and for advice.

It is quite common for officers to embezzle from their slush funds.

In a effort to cover up crime, police often refuse to investigate mysterious or suspicious deaths, preferring to label them as accidents or suicide.

Police are often anti migrant and sexist to a fault.

It is neigh impossible to get a wiretap going due to rigid privacy laws.

Even the police can’t fire weapons as you need approval to even loose your gun so many officers have never fired a bullet.

Government Incompetence/Corruption

Voter Apathy is super high, with many elections having hilariously low turnout.

Many politicians have Yakuza connections, with the gang members serving as bodyguards and canvassing for votes.

Votes in the countryside are worth two compared to urban ones.

A lot of politicians are completely out of touch and constantly have to resign for gaffes (racism, sexism, historical revisionism, etc.)

Political acts are based on group consensus so it can take a long time to get meaningful reform done.

Criticism and debate is ironically frowned upon, with open criticism within a party being effectively banned.

Cronyism is common. While for the most part Japanese politics is based on expertise, many politicians are awarded ministries based on their support for the leader.

The NHK (Japanese version of the BBC) is largely neutral and free but the current Japanese government can dictate what it is to focus on temporarily.

Press Clubs are often given exclusive access to interviews and information from the government, so they get biased preferential treatment.

Okay I guess the point of this list is to bring attention to these issues and expand the opportunities of where to go when it comes to dark DC fanfiction. Don’t worry, here’s a cute Conan to make you smile!

#detective conan #shinran #ran mouri #Sato Miwako #Takagi Wataru #Mouri Kogoro #Eri Kisaki #drug mention #alcohlism #police corruption #political corruption #child abuse #suicidal #midnight thoughts #japan #conan edogawa

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dk-thrive · 3 years

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Thank God for the poets who teach our blinkered eyes to see these gifts the world has given us, and what we owe it in return.

When the poet Amanda Gorman stepped to the lectern at President Biden’s inauguration, she faced a much-diminished crowd of masked people on the National Mall, but she was speaking directly to the heart of a bruised nation:

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew, That even as we hurt, we hoped, That even as we tired, we tried.

Ms. Gorman’s poem — addressed to “Americans, and the World” — was timeless in that way of the most necessary poems, but it was more than just timeless. After a year of losses both literal and figurative, she offered a salve that soothed, however briefly, our broken hearts and our broken age.

Poets have always given voice to our losses at times of national calamity. Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” is an elegy for Abraham Lincoln. Langston Hughes’s “Mississippi — 1955” came in direct response to the murder of Emmett Till. Denise Levertov wrote one poem after another after another to protest the war in Vietnam. In 2002, Billy Collins delivered a memorial poem for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks before a special joint meeting of Congress.

The poems inspired by Black Lives Matter are almost too numerous to count, and their ranks continue to grow, in spite of the personal cost of “chasing words / like arrows inside the knotted meat between my / shoulder blades,” as Tiana Clark writes in “Nashville.”

Many Americans, probably a vast majority of Americans, feel they can get along just fine without poetry. But tragedy — a breakup, a cancer diagnosis, a sudden death — can change their minds about that, if only because the struggle to find words for something so huge and so devastating can be overwhelming. “Again and again, this constant forsaking,” Natasha Trethewey calls it in her poem “Myth.” [...]

Then I remembered Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts,” a poem she taught us late in her last year, when her voice was already growing fainter, quavering until she swallowed again:

About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood Its human position: how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along

About suffering Auden was also not wrong, and through many seasons of grief in all the years since I was 18, I have remembered that poem.

Nevertheless, as the poets remind us, too, suffering is not our only birthright. Life is also our birthright. Life and love and beauty. “When despair for the world” is all we can feel, as Wendell Berry puts it in “The Peace of Wild Things,” the world itself — with its wood drakes and its blue herons “who do not tax their lives with forethought / of grief” — may be our greatest solace.

The poets are forever telling us to look for this kind of peace, to stuff ourselves with sweetness, to fill ourselves up with loveliness. They remind us that “there are, on this planet alone, something like two million naturally occurring sweet things, / some with names so generous as to kick / the steel from my knees,” as Ross Gay notes in “Sorrow Is Not My Name.”

We are a species in love with beauty. In springtime you can drive down any rural road in this part of country — probably in any part of the country — and you will find a row of daffodils blooming next to the shabbiest homesteads and the rustiest trailers. Often they are blooming next to no structure at all, ghostly circles around long-vanished mailboxes, a bright line denoting a fence row where no fence now stands. The daffodils tell us that though we might be poor, we are never too poor for beauty, to find a way to name it while we are still alive to call the gorgeous world by its many generous names.

For isn’t our own impermanence the undisputed truth that lurks beneath all our fears and all our sorrows and even all our pleasures? “Life is short, though I keep this from my children,” writes Maggie Smith in “Good Bones.” “Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine / in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways.”

Carpe diem is the song the poets have ever sung, and it is our song, too. “I think this is / the prettiest world — so long as you don’t mind / a little dying,” Mary Oliver writes in “The Kingfisher.”

This April is the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Month, and it arrives in the midst of a hard year. Last April brought lockdowns and rising infections, but we didn’t know last April just how much harder the year was about to become. We know now. And despite the helpful treatments that have emerged, despite the rising vaccination rates, despite the new political stability and the desperately needed help for a struggling economy, it is hard to trust that the terrors are truly receding.

We know now how vulnerable we are. We understand now that new terrors — and old terrors wearing new guises — will always rise up and come for us.

Thank God for our poets, here in the mildness of April and in the winter storms alike, who help us find the words our own tongues feel too swollen to speak. Thank God for the poets who teach our blinkered eyes to see these gifts the world has given us, and what we owe it in return.

—Margaret Renkl, from “Thank God for the Poets” in New York Times, April 5, 2021

#poem #poetry #Margaret Renkl #amanda gorman #spring #Ross Gay #Mary Oliver #Wendell Berry #Natasha Trethewey #Tiana Clark #William Auden #gratitude

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Friday, November 20, 2020

Global debt (Financial Times) Global debt rose at an unprecedented pace in the first nine months of the year as governments and companies embarked on a “debt tsunami” in the face of the coronavirus crisis, according to new research. The pace of debt accumulation will leave the global economy struggling to reduce borrowing in the future without “significant adverse implications for economic activity”, the Institute of International Finance warned on Wednesday. The total level of global indebtedness has increased by $15 trillion this year, leaving it on track to exceed $277 trillion in 2020, said the IIF, which represents financial institutions. It expects total debt to reach 365 per cent of global gross domestic product by the end of the year, surging from 320 per cent at the end of 2019.

Biden approaches 80 million votes (AP) President-elect Joe Biden’s winning tally is approaching a record 80 million votes as Democratic bastions continue to count ballots and the 2020 election cracks turnout records. Biden has already set a record for the highest number of votes for a winning presidential candidate, and President Donald Trump has also notched a high-water mark of the most votes for a losing candidate. With more than 155 million votes counted and California and New York still counting, turnout stands at 65% of all eligible voters, the highest since 1908, according to data from The Associated Press and the U.S. Elections Project.

New York City to Close Public Schools Again as Virus Cases Rise (NYT) New York City’s entire public school system will shut on Thursday, signaling that a second wave of the coronavirus has arrived as the city is still struggling to revive from its devastating spring, when it was a global epicenter of the pandemic. The shutdown was prompted by the city’s reaching a 3 percent test positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average, the most conservative threshold of any big school district in the country. Schools in the nation’s largest system, with 1.1 million students and 1,800 schools, have been open for in-person instruction for just under eight weeks. Moving to all-remote instruction will disrupt the education of many of the roughly 300,000 children who have been attending in-person classes and create child care problems for parents who count on their children being at school for at least part of the week.

Mexico, Outraged at Arrest of Ex-Official, Threatened to Toss U.S. Agents (NYT) From the moment U.S. federal agents arrested a former Mexican defense minister last month on drug trafficking charges, the highest levels of the Mexican government were outraged at being kept in the dark about the case, seeing it as an egregious breach of trust between allies. Those emotions reached a peak in recent days, as Mexico City issued an unheard-of warning to its counterparts in Washington: If the United States did not rethink its pursuit of Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, Mexico would consider expelling American federal drug agents from the country, jeopardizing a decades-long partnership that has helped bring several top drug lords to justice, according to three people in the United States who are familiar with the case. That threat appeared to work. On Wednesday, at the request of Attorney General William P. Barr himself, a federal judge in Brooklyn said she would formally dismiss the charges against Mr. Cienfuegos, a former army general. In the past, U.S. authorities worked with their Mexican counterparts in capturing major drug trafficking suspects, who are often arrested in Mexico, by Mexican forces. But in this case the Justice Department quietly indicted Mr. Cienfuegos last year, did not alert Mexican officials, and waited until he visited the United States to take him into custody. It is not clear what led the department to forgo Mexican cooperation, angering an important ally and leading to the embarrassing setback of dropping the case.

The sniper rifles flowing to Mexican cartels show a decade of U.S. failure (Washington Post) North of the border, the .50-caliber sniper rifle is the stuff of YouTube celebrity, shown blasting through engine blocks and concrete walls. Deployed with U.S. troops to foreign wars, it is among the most destructive weapons legally available in the United States. But every week, those rifles are trafficked across the border to Mexico, where increasingly militarized drug cartels now command arsenals that rival the weaponry of the country’s security forces. In many cases, criminals outgun police. After years of failed U.S. and Mexican efforts to curb arms trafficking, groups such as the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels are showcasing the military-grade weapons in slick propaganda videos and using them to defeat security forces in battle. In a country with just a single legal gun shop, on a military base in the capital, roughly 2.5 million illicit American guns have poured across the border in the past decade, according to a new Mexican government study. That flood has been a key accelerant in the security crisis now confronting the country. The cartels are using assault rifles to kill record numbers of police officers—464 in the first nine months of 2020 alone—and smaller armed groups are fueling historically high homicide rates. Mexican officials, in rare public criticism, are now venting their frustration at what they say is the U.S. failure to stop the flow of .50-caliber rifles. At a time when the United States is pushing Mexico to target cartels more aggressively, U.S. laws that make .50-calibers and other destructive weapons easy to buy, along with a lack of enforcement at the border, are enabling those groups to expand their influence and activities in the country.

Iota’s devastation comes into focus in storm-weary Nicaragua (AP) The devastation caused by Hurricane Iota became clearer Wednesday as images emerged showing piles of wind-tossed lumber that used to be homes and concrete walls that were pounded into pieces by the second Category 4 storm to blast Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast in two weeks. Nicaragua Vice President and first lady Rosario Murillo on Wednesday raised the nation’s death toll to 16. The victims were spread across the country, swept away by swollen rivers or buried in landslides. Iota arrived Monday evening with winds of 155 mph (250 kph), hitting nearly the same location as Hurricane Eta two weeks earlier. By early Wednesday, Iota had dissipated over El Salvador, but the storm’s torrential rains remained a threat. Parts of neighboring Honduras were still under water from Eta.

UK to bolster defense spending by ‘most since Cold War’ (AP) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given his backing to what is being touted as the biggest investment program in the country’s armed forces since the end of the Cold War three decades ago. Johnson is set to lay out the details of a four-year financial deal for the Ministry of Defense later Thursday that he said will “transform” the military, pivoting it towards potential future threats. “The international situation is more perilous and more intensely competitive than at any time since the Cold War and Britain must be true to our history and stand alongside our allies,” he said. (Foreign Policy) According to figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the extra expenditure should see the United Kingdom leapfrog NATO allies France and Germany to become the sixth-highest military spender worldwide, one place behind Saudi Arabia.

Thai PM threatens to use all laws against protesters (Reuters) Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha threatened on Thursday to use all laws possible against protesters, as demonstrations escalate for his removal and for reforms to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The protests since July have become the greatest challenge to Thailand’s establishment in years and have broken a longstanding taboo by criticising the monarchy, which can carry a jail term of up to 15 years. Prayuth’s announcement came a day after thousands of protesters threw paint at the headquarters of the police in what they said was a response to the use of water cannon and teargas that hurt dozens on Tuesday, the most violent day of protests since July. Some protesters also sprayed anti-monarchy graffiti.

Vietnam’s success (Nikkei Asian Review) Vietnam is shaping up as Southeast Asia’s single economic success story in the coronavirus era, maintaining steady positive growth as other economies struggle to recover. Vietnam’s real gross domestic product expanded 2.6% on the year in the third quarter, marking a second straight quarter of growth amid the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund sees the country rising to fourth in nominal GDP in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, passing Singapore and Malaysia and gaining on the Philippines. In contrast to other ASEAN economies, Vietnam has succeeded in keeping the virus under control. Rising exports have also helped to drive growth, as companies relocate production from China.

Australia publishes war crimes report (Foreign Policy) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has publicly apologized to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani following the publication of a damning report into murders of civilians committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. The government-sanctioned report found that 39 Afghans were unlawfully killed in 23 incidents that all meet the criteria of murder. Among other shocking revelations, the report reveals that Special Air Service (SAS) non-commissioned officers “allegedly demanded junior soldiers “blood” themselves by shooting unarmed prisoners, and then planted weapons to cover up these crimes, while falsifying reports about what happened,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The SAS 2nd Squadron will be disbanded and up to 19 soldiers could face prosecution.

Ethiopia’s multiple crises: War, COVID-19, even locusts (AP) Ethiopia could hardly bear another emergency, even before a deadly conflict exploded in its northern Tigray region this month. Now, tens of thousands of refugees are fleeing into Sudan, and food and fuel are running desperately low in the sealed-off Tigray region, along with medical supplies and even resources to combat a major locust outbreak. The United Nations warns of a “full-scale humanitarian crisis.” Food can’t get into the Tigray region of some 6 million people because of transport restrictions imposed after the fighting began. Humanitarian officials say long lines have appeared outside bread shops, prices have soared, and banks dispense only small amounts of cash. “At this stage there is simply very little left, even if you have money,” according to the internal assessment by one humanitarian group seen by The Associated Press.

Uganda Police Arrest Opposition Figure, Setting Off Deadly Protests (NYT) The police in Uganda said three people died and 38 were injured in protests that broke out on Wednesday in Uganda’s capital after officers arrested Bobi Wine, a musician and opposition politician seeking the presidency in next year’s election. A police spokesman, Fred Enanga, said Mr. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was arrested for violating Covid-19 guidelines that require presidential candidates to meet or address fewer than 200 people. Mr. Wine, who has been arrested numerous times in recent years, has captured the imagination of many Ugandans with his persistent calls for President Yoweri Museveni to retire after 36 years in power.

#headlines #news

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stafford-va-near · 5 years

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Economy

Stafford, Virginia has an unemployment rate of 3.0% compared to the US average of 3.9%. The city has seen the job market increase by 1.8% over the last year with predicted future job growth of 40.3% over the next ten years. This is higher compared to the US average of 33.5%. The sales tax rate for Stafford County is 5.3% compared to the US average of 7.3% while the income tax rate is 5.8% compared to the US average of 4.6%. The average income of a Stafford County resident is $37,237 a year compared to the US average of $28,555 a year while the median household income is $98,721 a year compared to the US average of $53,482 a year.

Every homeowner should learn to take care of their pipes and drains to prevent any unnecessary pipe repair and replacement. Haynes Plumbing Services is a plumbing company in Stafford, VA that suggests you clean every drain in your home every month. It is also very important not to flush any solids into the toilet. Pouring grease down your kitchen drain also asks for trouble so you should avoid this too. They also suggest that you use your garbage disposal sparingly, keep roots away from your sewer line, and set your water pressure no higher than 80 psi. In addition, you should have your sewer line professionally inspected and cleaned at least every three years, keep your pipes from freezing, and replace old pipes.

West Virginia man charged with murder after overdose victim found dumped in ditch

STAFFORD, Va. (AP) — A West Virginia man accused of dumping the body of an overdose victim has been indicted on charges he supplied the woman with drugs. A Stafford County grand jury indicted Dontae Marcellus Sanders, 28, on a felony murder charge Monday, The Free Lance-Star reported. The Weirton, West Virginia, man was also charged with distributing illegal drugs and concealment of a dead body, the newspaper said. Read more here.

Drugs are meant to help cure diseases and ease ailments but when they land in the wrong hands and taken in ways other than they were intended for, people can get hurt, and much worse, pass away. Dontae Marcellus Sanders, 28, a resident of Weirton, West Virginia was charged by a Stafford County grand jury with a felony on murder. He was also charged with illegal drug distribution and concealment of a dead body. Sanders' victim, Ashley Nicole Childs, 28, was discovered by a passerby in a ditch in October and was reported to have died of drug overdose. Sanders could carry a sentence of between five and 40 years in prison. His next appearance in court is not disclosed

Government Island in Stafford, VA

Government Island is a 17-acre historic scenic nature preserve and archaeological site located at 191 Coal Landing Road Stafford, VA. This 18th- and 19th-century quarry site is where the Aquia sandstone for the construction of the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and other historic buildings in Washington, D.C. came from. Visitors can enter the park for free and engage in bird-watching and observe aquatic and native plants and other wildlife on the boardwalk. It also has a 5-mile trail with interpretive signs that help depict its rich, nationally significant history. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

If you are having problems with your clogged sewer line and are looking for a plumbing contractor in Stafford, Virginia, call Haynes Plumbing. A buildup of grease and gunk inside a pipe is the main cause of a clogged sewer line. Greasy and fatty foods that you knowingly and unknowingly send down your drain cause a sticky buildup and eventually block your drain, sending wastewater back up to your home. Sometimes, the blockage may be caused by the growth of roots from nearby trees into the sewer line. Whatever the problem may be, the professional plumbers from Haynes Plumbing will definitely solve it!

Link to Map

Government Island 191 Coal Landing Rd, Stafford, VA 22554

Take Aquia Dr to State Rte 610 W in Aquia 12 min (4.7 mi)

Follow State Rte 610 W to Shenandoah Ln in Griffis-Widewater 6 min (2.2 mi)

Turn left onto Shenandoah Ln Destination will be on the right 12 s (138 ft)

Haynes Plumbing Services 101 Shenandoah Ln, Stafford, VA 22554

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alatismeni-theitsa · 5 years

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(part 1) Could go describe the greece thoughts on the war reparations that are asked of germany? I am stuck in a debate with my grandpa because of it. You see my town in germany is broke to the point where they have to cut public transport in order to have the money to repair and build other public transport that is more sustainable ( we have 3 types, only 1 that is cut is working ) and you can see a big hit to our economy coming as the biggest part of our tax payers are older people who want to

(part 2) go into early retirement, meaning cuts in the state retirement fonds and way higher taxes for the rest of us. (that is also why the elder genderation kinda looks down on south europe “they go so early in retirement, they don’t work as long as we do so ofc their economy is bad” ) that with the mentality of saving up for everything and the idea that we worked hard for our economic wonder after the war makes him think that greece is asking out of entitlement ? While in my age group it’s more like we want to help , one of my teachers even phrased it as helping out euopean neighbours helps us too , but at the same time have enough money left over so that the towns still can operate normally ( the city where the grandparents of my bff live didn’t have enough money immediantly to change faulty water pipes in a neighborhood ) and maybe it’s because we’re still in school so the number in the reparation seems really big. //

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Hello! :) To sum my big response up, I believe

reparations must be paid and that this is the most suitable situation for this

to happen. Germany has enough money to support its citizens and Greece. I believe with this is the majority opinion of Greeks on the matter. If any Greek wants to add soemthing, feel free to reblog and comment. For now, let’s analyze that a bit more.

To put a disclaimer here, I am not saying that Greece is the perfect state or that it handled its financial matters in the best way. Not all the blame falls on Germans. Greeks are to blame too, of course. We did some poor choices and we can be scumbugs from time to time. But enough blame falls on Germany (as well), enough to not give them the right to accuse Greece this way. At the same time I don’t support the “all Germans are bad” notion.

Point 1

As I said, reparations must be paid no matter what. And they should be paid especially in this situation because the German Nazi regime harmed Greece A LOT. (I am not implying that all Germans were Nazis, I am not implying that Germany wasn’t hurt by the regime and I am not implying you don’t know your own history. I will do the mention for the reason I just want to lay some numbers.)

The Great Famine was a period of mass forced starvation during the Axis occupation of Greece, during World War II (1941–44). Deaths estimated to 300,000 just from this. People who have survived this are our grandparents and their traumatic experiences bleed into our families. Also, imagine how many more died of sudden mass executions in villages and by opposing the regime. Let’s not mention the Greek Romani, Greek Jewish, Greek people with disabilities and Greek lgbt+ people were led to death camps. At least 80% of the country’s Jewish population, were murdered (that is tens of thousands). Bulgaria had taken the North with German blessings and there was more destruction on their part. So, what sort of “entitlement” is to get money after war crimes being commited onto your country?

Point 2

At the same time I recognize that simple people had to work very hard to bring Germany back to its feet after WW2. I am not denying that your grandfather and his generation are worthy of good pensions and rest. And, with the current economic state of Germany, I am sure they will take that money. See, Germany has become one of the most influential and powerful states in the EU, even the most powerful someone say. So much that countries like France and the UK are overshadowed and worried about “a German hegemony”. So we know that the government, at least, has the money. (I will elaborate more on that on Point 4).

Point 3

Now contrast this to Greece. Germans say Greeks are lazy. I say that Greeks have worked very hard to overcome the poverty their nation had. While Germanic kingdoms were thriving, Greece was under Ottoman occupation (which lasted for 200-500 years depending on the area). After 1825 Greeks slowly started getting freed and they had to gather money from level zero to build their new government and offices. Less than 100 years later the nation also suffered from a refugee crisis, as our Greek brothers in the Pontus region were going through a literal genocide so they run to Greece for safety. WW1 before that had brought nation to its knees. And then came WW1. And not to mention the Greek civil war afterwards. More poverty, more hunger for everyone. All we hear from our grandparents is poverty and hunger (unless you are descended from an old rich family, which, for the most of us its unlikely).

So, Greeks always worked to overcome this. We are not lazy but we had one “lazy” generation. It was in the early days of the Euro in the country when the government had money and chose to spend it immoderately on its citizens. The people who were in their prime in the in 80’s-00’s worked normal hours with an extravagant pay. And since they were paid well and the retirement funds were good, they went into retirement early. Other than that, Greeks never worked less, especially less than Germans. Even today, Greeks work the longest hours in Europe, while Germans clock the least hours, according to data by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveal. (article from 2018: https://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/01/24/greeks-work-longest-hours-in-europe/)

Greeks still work hard to overcome the crisis. Many households are bleeding and striving to keep the basic goods coming into the house. Most of our elderly don’t have enough to take basic medicine because of the extreme cuts in their pensions. And more cuts are on the way (https://www.politico.eu/pro/greek-mps-pass-further-austerity-measures-amidst-violent-protests/). People will retire after their sixties because if they go on retirement they won’t have enough money to even maintain a household. That is because the EU, with Germany as a leading force, put extreme meters of austerity for us and great taxes which grow every year even ten years after the crisis. To top that, Greece almost doesn’t have an industry at all because the EU has make us dependent on other countries (because of our debt). It’s not that we have a great amount of dept. There are countries with great industry that have a huge dept, see USA with its 20 trillion debt. It must be noted that the European countries were quick to put Greece into their debt since our revolution in the 19th century. Of course, I don’t expect anyone to just give Greece money. The problem is that we were put in debt for very small help. Sometimes it was almost like a scam.

Point 4

Moreover, Germany knows the situation in Greece and it’s profiting from it. For example, Fraport, which is majority-owned by state and local governments in Germany, bought 14 Greek airports in 2017. The European commission asked Greece to sell 40% of our state electrical production units. As you will see in this 2015 article, more sales were done. (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/germans-begin-the-looting-of-greece-2015-08-21). “the country must sequester 50 billion euros worth of public assets to sell off at distressed prices to mostly foreign bidders — with German companies first in line.” and “Other assets to be sold will include the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki and valuable waterfront properties for hotel and casino development. State-owned electricity and train operations are also targeted for privatization.”

Germany made billions from the crisis, as stated in this article. (https://www.thelocal.de/20180621/germany-made-billions-on-greeces-debt-crisis-berlin-confirms) Plus, the German newspaper “Handelsblatt” confirmed that Germany gained 368 billion euros, which is 10% of its Gross Domestic Product - GDP. And how could it not, since it’s buying everything Greece has and on top of it gives us loans with a very high interest rate. It’s obvious that Germany’s government is not here to see us thrive but to gain from our misfortune. If it wanted to see us thrive it would support Greece with investments, not robbery of its state assets. And I say robbery because, due to the crisis, they find the excuse to buy everything very cheap, as we depend on them.

Greeks feel like they are colonized by the Germans, since they just want to milk us and at the same time they treat the country as their vacation resort because our prices have gone down due to the bigger crisis they put us in. I am not ungrateful for tourism but you can see the messy social implications of that. See the 2017 article “Why Greece is Germany’s ‘de facto colony’” (https://www.politico.eu/article/why-greece-is-germanys-de-facto-colony/)

And I should comment on the irony of the situation, since, even with the way Germany treats Greece, Greece’s youth mainly migrates to Germany to work, as there are no jobs here. That means we give the country our knowledge and our labor and we work to advance the country for the benefit of all - while at the same time we are looked down upon because we are supposedly lazy. While having jobs in Germany. There is a chance I go to the country for work, and while with my degree I can help advance the technological companies of Germany, a lot of people will just name me “a lazy Greek” or they will name my parents “lazy Greeks” - my parents who almost pass out of exhaustion working multiple jobs to support the family. Or my grandparents, who opened four different shops (with great debt) because each one was failing and were always struggling to get by.

Seeing all the profit Germany made and will

make, it’s hard for me to believe that the country lacks money. It must be the

government officials that don’t want to give this money to the people. It seems so ridiculous that the state won’t give enough money to your grandparents’ community to do basic things. It’s exactly like the situation in Greece, but our government indeed doesn’t have the money :P In some places our buses are so ancient they barely hold themselves together and you can hear the sounds their metals do as it goes on the road. (And you can feel them, it’s like a Luna Park ride :P) Roads are not fixed, our state buildings (and university buildings among them) are literally collapsing… Like… not such a good situation.

Point 5

For the fake credentials fiasco: I don’t know how true is this but if it is indeed true, our politicians are scumbags. People who were not government officials at the time didn’t know about this and they didn’t support it. It was a previous government that did all this. Moreover, if Greece gave fake credentials, it was the job of EU officials to check them. It seems they didn’t do their job either, since they let us enter the EU. Or maybe they were as corrupt as our government at the time? And now they want to say they have the moral high ground? As I said, I am not well informed in this case but if it happened both parties are to blame, even in an unequal rate.

===================================================

Oook that’s it! If you want to add something, or ask me further my ask box is open! And thank you for supporting the Greek case! I think we should find a middle ground so neither German nor Greek citizens are harmed by political decisions.

#Greek politics #eu #germany #german politics #greece and germany #European Union #greek crisis #economical crisis

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allabout-gaming · 2 years

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Of the seriously fascinating unofficial laws is the one that makes betting in Korean club authoritatively beyond reach to Koreans. While there are two public lotteries Lotto and Toto, pony, engine and cycle dashing, making good elsewhere is totally forbidden. 카지노사이트

Of Korea's 17 legitimately worked club, just Gangwon Land, situated in a remote mining area of Gangwon region, permits those with a Korean visa to enter. Curiously, not exclusively are everything except one of the country's club shut to local people, however so are those in the remainder of the world, with current regulation making it a wrongdoing for Korean residents to bet abroad €”though it is regulation seldom upheld.

These severe betting guidelines could be in every way changing soon as expanded tension builds from financial backers hoping to capitalize on the world's fifteenth biggest economy and the public authority searches for ways of expanding the travel industry.

Recently, during a discussion supported by the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) in Seoul, Sheldon Adelson, director of the Las Vegas Sands, pushed the Korean government to revamp current regulation so monster betting combinations, for example, his can settle in here.

Adelson is sure that putting resources into club her will be a triumph.

"In Singapore, for example, we contributed $3 billion from 2005 to open the Marina Bay Sands resort in 2010. We can make significantly more of an interest in Korea."

KTO President Lee Charm has advocated the thought.

"The hotels in Las Vegas in the United States, alone, can oblige 5 million sightseers, contrasted with 250,000 in Korea. Other than commodities of autos and IT items, Korea currently needs to zero in on the development of enormous scope (traveler) foundation," he said.

Freeing the country up to betting isn't without analysis. The reverend Kim Kyu-ho is only one of the enthusiastic voices against permitting Koreans to bet on the landmass.

"Since there is no security net to forestall betting enslavement, we shouldn't permit the development of the betting business," says Kim.

Kim refers to details showing that even with restricted admittance to betting, Koreans actually keep a high enslavement level to shots in the dark.

"Korea's pace of betting enslavement is 6.1 percent of the entire populace, around 3,000,000, individuals. This rate depends on triple that of cutting edge nations like the US, Australia, and Canada."

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Kim added: "The development of betting enterprises might advance the travel industry, increment charge incomes, assist with jobbing creation and rejuvenate nearby economies, yet we should think about the hurtful impacts of the extension of the club business, for example, losing the genuine significance of work, annihilation of families, and murders and theft to fund-raise to bet with."

Singapore additionally confronted a similar issue as Korea. The public authority there was at first gone against to permitting local people to bet, however with the overflow of abundance, residents would, similar as Koreans, essentially bet in different nations instead of at home.

"We truly thought about prohibiting Singaporeans by and large from betting, however ruled against it. This is on the grounds that there is not an obvious explanation to prohibit local people who can stand to bet and would somehow go somewhere else," an administration report expressed.

The 2018 Winter Olympics gave a welcome lift to South Korea's economy, as fans, competitors and columnists from everywhere the world set-up brief home in the country. Alpensia in Pyeongchang was the clamoring operational hub of the games — and the South Korean market embraced them with great affection.

The betting business got in on the activity, as well. Specked around Alpensia were gigantic signs publicizing the closest gambling club offering its administrations to outsiders. Furthermore, the large distinction here is that the club were promoted only to outsiders — no Koreans permitted.

It returned the discussion around South Korea's betting regulations — an exceptional duality where vacationers can bet yet local people can't. We should investigate why the nation has such a firm stance position on betting, and whether it's passing up financial advantages thus.

Alpensia Ski Resort is a gigantic attract to unfamiliar vacationers and there is even a club there, however it's simply open to non-Koreans

Lotteries, horse racing, boat dashing, and cycling are authoritative documents of betting in South Korea. Notwithstanding, club betting is totally restricted — with local people confronting a three-year jail sentence assuming that they're found having a ripple at a traveler club. Additionally, any resident found to have enjoyed the demonstration abroad can confront indictment on their re-visitation of the country. These charges are not consistently brought however and are many times utilized pair with different charges to get long haul convictions.

Of the 23 land-based club in the country, just the Kangwon Casino permits Koreans to bet. No occurrence it's quite hard to arrive — somewhat situated far north of the significant urban areas, at the foot of a ski resort.

As per a concentrate by the Korean Center on Gambling Problems, the typical Korean is a few times bound to experience the ill effects of betting compulsion than some other ethnicity. While this administration association's discoveries have been addressed time and again, they really do will more often than not reflect public negative perspectives towards betting — cultivated and implanted over numerous ages.

Shouldn't something be said about web based betting?

Internet betting is totally unlawful in South Korea, with the public authority playing a functioning job in policing it. South Korea's National Intelligence Service as of late detailed that North Korea had started to work internet betting locales focusing on South Korean players — as well as punters in China and Malaysia — to procure income to control the North Korean system.

There are likewise various global organizations that offer club games to South Koreans as they are not expose to South Korean regulation. This incorporates connecting with gambling club games and opening games that are themed across an assortment of specialties — from music to films and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Be that as it may, enlisting and playing with these organizations is many times precarious as the public authority has either hindered these destinations or deliberately eased back associations with their servers. As such numerous South Koreans bet online by utilizing VPNs to change their area.

There is an underside of unlawful South Korean betting suppliers that offer their administrations on the web. Be that as it may, very much like their clients, they are obligated to indictment from the state and there are a few high-profile instances of government crackdowns on both betting administrators and players.

This implies that the most superior, trustworthy administrators avoid the market, as they can be arraigned for going into it.

How could South Korea sanction betting for its residents?

Betting is a rewarding business and the incomes of the world's greatest administrators are frequently impossible to the regular person. In the UK, for instance, the yearly gross betting yield has quite recently penetrated £15 billion, with 33% of this figure coming from the distant area.

The business represents around 10,000 positions in the UK and the assessment incomes help to finance the nation's economy. Further to this, the British Government has forced a 'obligation charge' on the betting area.

Each betting organization working in the UK is compelled by a sense of honor by regulation to give a specific measure of their pay to perceived betting foundations. As such associations, for example, Be Gamble Aware are perceived overall for their great work and backing locally.

The long-held conviction that Koreans are bound to foster a betting issue than different ethnicities could be to a limited extent down to the country's severe betting regulations. In the UK, a few driving specialists have contended that expanded openness to betting through publicizing and accessibility have prompted a more adult betting crowd. In an authorized system like the Uk's, kin are more mindful of the perils related with betting - and more ready to find support.

In the US, the circumstance is marginally unique. Beyond the betting mecca of Vegas, betting is genuinely limited — yet it's beginning to change. After the PASPA administering was revoked in May 2018, numerous web-based administrators are trusting the market will open up — as it has in a small bunch of states up to this point, including New Jersey and Delaware.

Players have such a lot of decision with regards to web based betting, with live club the apex of what's on offer. With the capacity to interface players with genuine croupiers continuously, live club is obscuring the line among on the web and actual betting, bringing a true encounter into players' family rooms. It's easy to track down a web-based club, as there's such a lot of rivalry in the business today.

Notwithstanding, one club that especially grabbed our attention was this retro-style Vegas-themed administrator which offers probably the best live club games with genuine flesh vendors.

The consuming inquiry: should South Korea loosen up its betting regulations?

There is a component of affectation to the betting guideline in South Korea. Nationals are limited to betting at only one club yet they are allowed to bet on horse racing, boat hustling and public lotteries.

Outsiders are straightforwardly urged to benefit of the 23 club that South Korea brings to the table yet their own residents are disallowed from visiting abroad foundations. The circumstance is ambiguously comparative over in the US, which has a similarly incongruous structure wherein the central government is against internet betting notwithstanding pulling in gigantic measures of income from sightseers in Vegas.

Without uncertainty, South Korea would receive the financial benefits of betting if it somehow managed to release its regulations. The gaming market is one of the world's couple of monetary examples of overcoming adversity at this moment — worth an amazing $525 billion and developing, when numerous worldwide ventures are deteriorating.

In any case, opening its industry up totally to its residents may be out of line and too soon. Given the nation's negative perspectives to betting, which has been cultivated by its administration, it very well may be an instance of making child strides until further notice. All things considered, any move by lawmakers to slacken the club betting regulations would be welcomed with antagonism by the overall population. Opening up South Korea's 22 outsider just club to nationals would be a surefire vote washout and hence looks far-fetched to happen any time soon. 카지노사이트

In any case, given the squeezing monetary contentions in support of its — and the way that speculators would be more safeguarded and mindful of the risks — should have a few government officials talking about its benefits.

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newsforyouonly · 3 years

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Why Are Republicans So Scared Of Trump

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-are-republicans-so-scared-of-trump/

Why Are Republicans So Scared Of Trump

Why Are Republicans So Afraid Of Voters

Why Are Republicans Still So Afraid Of Trump? | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

There is no both sides do it when it comes to intentionally keeping Americans away from the polls.

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstandingvalues. It is separate from the newsroom.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 93 million Americans had cast a ballot in the November elections. Thats about two-thirds of the total number of people who voted in 2016, and there are still two days until Election Day.

This is excellent news. In the middle of a global pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly a quarter of a million Americans, upended the national economy and thrown state election procedures into turmoil, there were reasonable concerns that many people would not vote at all. The numbers to date suggest that 2020 could see record turnout.

While celebrating this renewed citizen involvement in Americas political process, dont lose sight of the bigger, and darker, picture. For decades, Americans have voted at depressingly low rates for a modern democracy. Even in a good year, more than one-third of all eligible voters dont cast a ballot. In a bad year, that number can approach two-thirds.

Why are so many Americans consistently missing in action on Election Day?

For many, its a choice. They are disillusioned with government, or they feel their vote doesnt matter because politicians dont listen to them anyway.

Democratic Congressman Suggests Kevin Mccarthy Is ‘afraid Of Donald Trump’

Congressman Jim McGovern said House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy may be a coward who is afraid of former President Donald Trump after he voted against plans to create an independent commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot.

In an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday, Rep. McGovern said McCarthy had got “basically everything he wanted” in the proposals for the independent commission, noting that its members would be made up evenly of Republicans and Democrats.

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Speaking to All In With Chris Hayes, McGovern said: “Kevin McCarthy got basically everything he wanted. He sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi talking about his demands, including an equal representation of Democrats and Republicans on the commission. He got it, he got everything.

“And yet he walked away. So he’s either a worse negotiator than Donald Trump, getting everything he wants and then walking away, or he’s a coward. He’s afraid of Donald Trump. Donald Trump does not want the truth to be known, and does not want this commission to move forward.”

Full List of 35 Republicans Who Voted for January 6 Commission

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Our nations preeminent bipartisanship fetishistsJoe Manchin, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowskiare deeply disappointed that they cant get Republicans to back an investigation into the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. Indeed, they seem outright baffled that their efforts at compromise have fallen short on plans for a bipartisan panel. There is no excuse for any Republican to vote against this commission since Democrats have agreed to everything they asked for, Manchin said in an angry statement on Twitter. It would be so much better if we had an independent outside commission, Collins, a moderate Republican, told reporters Thursday. Is that really what this is about, one election cycle after another? added Murkowski, blasting Mitch McConnells anticipated filibuster. Or are we going to acknowledge that as a country that is based on these principles of democracy that we hold so dear, and one of those is that we have free and fair elections.

I kind of want that to endure beyond just one election cycle, the Alaska moderate Republican told reporters.

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