#Partisan Purge

[shinelikethunder]

With less than a week to go, SCOTUS' partisan wing sends the message loud and clear that their attitude towards rubber-stamping outrageously illegal election-interference bullshit is "try and stop us, you jumped-up little shits."

However, in this particular case, you can still vote if Virginia has wrongfully purged you from the voter rolls. As of 2022, VA offers same-day registration and provisional ballots (where you follow up with documention after the fact), as long as you vote in the correct precinct.

Official Virginia page to look up the polling place for your address

Official Virginia same-day registration info

Official Virginia page to check your registration status

Ballotpedia state-by-state info on same-day registration

Ballotpedia state-by-state info on provisional ballots and what happens to ones cast in the wrong precinct

ACLU Know Your Rights voting fact sheet

Multilingual voter protection hotlines (English: 866-OUR-VOTE)

For anyone who became a citizen since their last DMV visit, or who suspects they made an error filing out their paperwork that would have booted them from voter lists, there are still ways to cast a ballot in next month’s elections. Registrars and election workers won’t turn eligible voters away from polls if they wish to utilize same-day registration or a provisional ballot, according to Henrico County Registrar Mark Coakley. [...] With a provisional ballot, voters will still need to follow up with their local registrar office to provide additional documents that can help verify their identity or other facts, like if they are residents of Virginia and the city or county they voted in, and whether they are U.S. citizens or have had their voting rights restored after a previous felony conviction. [...] Coakley said that when using a provisional ballot, voters are also given instructions to help with the follow-up procedures. “They’ll get a letter attached to their provisional ballot, giving them all the information of ‘This is the reason why (you may have this ballot)’ and ‘Here’s the ways to get hold of us to present evidence if you choose to do so,’” he said. Chesterfield County Registrar Missy Vera stressed that same-day registration can happen at any early voting location as well as on Election Day, which is Nov. 5.

[contemplatingoutlander]

The Supreme Court began another term this week. Most court watchers and other analysts have been reluctant to accept the truth of something I’ve long argued: that the Roberts Court is as agenda-driven as the House or Senate Republican caucuses. They have already put their thumbs on the scale in this election and are poised to intervene again if the results don’t suit them. 

We are at least a decade past the point when we should be convinced of what Abraham Lincoln stated in his first inaugural address: 

"The candid citizen must confess that if the policy of the Government upon the vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by the decisions of the Supreme Court . . . the people will have ceased to be their own rulers.1 " [emphasis added]

[...] The interests behind the Federalist Society (FedSoc) – in particular the Kochs, Leonard Leo, and other plutocrats and theocrats – are the same interests who have spent the 21st century funding and organizing the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party. I’ve coined the portmanteau “plutotheocratic” as a compact way of describing this coalition of interests. (See the Appendix for a brief overview of the history and major players in the plutotheocratic coalition.)  The six FedSoc justices are properly understood not as “umpires” scrupulously “calling balls and strikes,” but as politicians in robes. However, it’s important to recognize what kinds of politicians we are dealing with. The FedSoc Six are first and foremost Federalist Society operatives. That means that they usually act in the interests of the Republican Party – except when the partisan agenda of the day conflicts with the long-term plutotheocratic agenda.  [...]

Creating a Death Spiral for Democracy 

For about 40 years, we saw a fairly predictable ebb and flow in the federal commitment to advancing greater freedom and equality and to constraining corporate threats to consumers, working people, and the environment. Under Republicans, this commitment would ebb; under Democrats, it would flow. But beginning in 2010 with the Citizens United decision, if not a bit earlier, Roberts’s agenda-driven majority turned that ebb and flow into a death spiral for American democracy. 

Decision after decision shifted more and more electoral power to the FedSoc Six’s plutotheocratic sponsors – who in turn used that power to take greater control of Red state governments and purge Republican congressional caucuses of RINOs – which in turn was used to place more and more Federalist Society true believers on the Federal bench, and eventually the Supreme Court. 

[See more excerpts below the cut.]

[...] The Supreme Court has, of course, made many rulings that overturned previous major precedents or led to significant social change. But consider:

Brown v. Board of Education - Earl Warren and the other eight justices joining him did not owe their positions to a cabal of civil rights activists who had contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns.

Roe v. Wade - Harry Blackmun and the six justices joining him on Roe v. Wade did not owe their positions to a cabal of pro-choice activists who had contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns. 

Gideon v. Wainwright - Hugo Black and the eight other justices joining him did not owe their positions to a cabal of indigent prison inmates who had contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns.  

But the members of the Roberts majority do owe their positions to a cabal of plutocrats, who directly benefited from rulings like Citizens United and Loper Bright, and theocrats, who have a fierce ideological commitment to outcomes like Dobbs and Hobby Lobby, who together have contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns. Again, per Lincoln, we have ceased to be our own rulers.

The Federalist Society literally planned and executed an unprecedented transfer of unchecked political power to their own loyalists.5 They brag about this in unguarded moments and in their “safe spaces.”

[beemovieerotica]

Trump has openly said he would be a dictator on Day One, reimplementing a Muslim ban, purging the bureaucracy of professional civil servants and replacing them with loyalists, invoking the Insurrection Act to quash protests and take on opponents while replacing military leaders who would resist turning the military into a presidential militia with pliant generals. He would begin immediately to put the 12 million undocumented people in America into detention camps before moving to deport them all. His Republican convention policy director, Russell Vought, has laid out many of these plans as have his closest advisers, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and Michael Flynn, among others. Free elections would be a thing of the past, with more radical partisan judges turning a blind eye to attempts to protect elections and voting rights. He has openly flirted with the idea that he would ignore the 22nd Amendment and stay beyond his term of office.

The Biggest Lie Trump–Biden 2024 Rematch Voters Are Telling Themselves

Americans have a normalcy bias. It leads them to believe anyone who tells them that everything is awesome and that a system is “holding”—even as that system is hanging together by way of dental floss...And many journalists have a normalcy bias so acute they wouldn’t know how to cover an authoritarian takeover if it meant that one of the two presidential candidates threatened jail for his political opponents—even as he continues to refer to these journalists as “the enemy of the people.” It also means that they tend to cover “Trump convicted on 34 felony counts” in terms of “how much would this story make us deviate from covering a normal election?” It turns out that we’re normalizing the abnormal, covering the election as a horse race between democracy and illiberalism without mentioning illiberalism or considering the stakes and the consequences, and repeatedly applying a false equivalence to Trump and Biden. We are worried about this baseline assumption that everything is fine until someone alerts us that nothing is fine, that of course our system will hold because it always has. We worry that we are exceptionally good at telling ourselves that shocking things won’t happen, and then when they do happen, we don’t know what to do...The signals are flashing red that our fundamental system is in danger.

[wilwheaton]

Two of the nonpartisan pollsters have Harris up by 5 points, while the two pollsters that have a partisan sponsor show her up by 3 points. Keep an eye on polls by partisan pollsters or done for partisan sponsors. In 2022, they consistently proved more favorable than nonpartisan ones to Republicans, as Republicans tried hard to maintain the “red wave” narrative. Same thing is happening this year, as Republicans will invest significant resources to game the polling aggregates. I wouldn’t sweat it beyond being aware of it. There are some who think that progressives will relax if they think Harris has it in the bag. Is having Harris +3 less motivating than +5? I don’t buy it. I think people love a winning team, and the bigger the lead, the more motivated we’ll be to finish strong. But ultimately, it is what it is. Harris is doing great. Let’s win big.

The first post-debate polls look good for Harris

New challenge: every Friday between now and your state’s registration deadline, go to vote.gov and double check that you haven’t been purged by republican fuckery.

[eugenedebs1920]

“We are witnessing a slow moving coup.”, Have been words Bill Maher has been saying since 2016. Witnessing a slow moving coup.

If you think back, those of us who are old enough to remember anyway, it was in 2016, when chants of “Lock her up, lock her up, lock her up” were ringing through the unpaid venues Trump would ramble at. He also claimed, many times, “the only way we’re going to lose is if they cheat.”, “the Democrats are rigging the election, they’re Cheaters! They cheat!”, and even through Tweets writing, “the election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary- also at many polling places -SAD”

Before a single vote would be cast in 2016 he was claiming, here’s the most important part, if he didn’t win, it was because the election was rigged, or that somehow his opponent, the Democrats, had cheated. He also said this about not winning an Emmy for the show, The Apprentice.

It’s not clear if Trump understood/understands the ramifications to this claim. The reason this democracy works is because we believe that when we cast our vote, it means something. The only thing holding this republic together is the idea that when the majority votes for a candidate, that candidate who won the higher number of votes wins.

It sounds simple in theory, but when doubt is sewn into the fabric of the integrity of the elections, it creates the thought that our voice is being taken from us, that we are being cheated out of being heard, and that rattles the very foundation of a representative democracy.

Not only was Trump’s baseless claims, in any election, 2016, 2020, 2024, damaging to the very essence this nation was founded upon, it gave a permission structure for others to follow suit. To the point where when one doesn’t like the outcome of the election, or they can’t take admitting they lost, they can say, it’s rigged, there was cheating.

Just like with building, it takes a certain amount of ego to go into a house, look at a clients kitchen, and say, I can make this so much better. I don’t know what it’s like to run for public office but I know what it’s like to have a potential client want to remodel their bathroom or kitchen, go check it out, not only convey the confidence that you can make it so much better, but to believe you can. It takes a certain amount of vanity, cockiness, to be so certain.

With being able to relate in this basic way, I can see the personalities that are narcissistic in nature, egotistical, full of themselves, being drawn to positions of power. If you have to have a strong sense of self confidence to remodel a kitchen, it has to be 10X that to go into a powerful seat of government.

It sucks losing. It truly does. It can hurt, hit at your very core, linger around like a cloud of smoke. Part of confidence is being able to accept that, dust yourself off and move on to the next endeavor.

It shows a true weakness to not concede. It shows an even more pathetic attribute to claim, without any proof, that someone cheated you. Can you imagine if that’s how sports worked?! Ref: “Out of bounds!” Player: “Nope! Ball goes here. I was cheated.” Now fortunately with sports theirs instant replay, and many professionals watching with utter vigilance.

The same is true with our elections. Each state has its own sovereignty and has their own way of doing elections that are slightly different but all and all there has been no real problem that has arisen in the last 250 years. People spend their careers focused on election integrity and the running of elections.

Voter suppression, intimidation, poll purges, disengagement, partisan gerrymandering, stacking the courts, these are tactics of bypassing free and fair elections prior to votes being cast, but the count itself has never come into question. Until 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Look at North Carolina. They vote in their state Supreme Court justices there. North Carolina, much like this nation, is damn near 50/50 split Democratic-Republican. There are HIGHLY gerrymandered districts in NC, giving way to uneven representation in the House, but the actual numbers are damn near an even break.

The Republican candidate for state Supreme Court lost by just over 750 votes. He was entitled to a recount. That’s fair. When it’s that close it doesn’t hurt to take another look. The recount came back almost exactly the same as the first count. There’s a law that you can ask for a district to get a hand count after the recount. That occurred and the numbers were almost identical to the original numbers. Now the Republican candidate is saying that there’s 60,000 votes that should be thrown out, two of which, unbeknownst to him, just happen to be the mother and father of his opponent. That’s strange. Seeing how her father was an Army veteran and they were both born in the United States, and of course, her parents.

Nonetheless he wants 60,000 votes tossed out. Why? Because he lost. Because some of these votes, like the Democrats parents, were cast using a military ID, which of course isn’t linked to a state drivers license number. He wants to throw out the votes of our men and women who fought, and are fighting for their country, his country, our country, because it could be his way to come out ahead.

If you have to cheat to win, is that a win at all? What gratification does one get from that? How do you wake up in the morning and justify continuing the false narrative you created?

Winning at all cost, even disenfranchising legal voters, isn’t just unethical, it’s unamerican. That is in no way shape or form patriotic, American, loyal, or respectful to this country, our country. It is, play to win, selfish, narcissistic behavior. Giving no regard to the system, the people, the nation. Either trying to mend a bruised ego, not being able to accept the outcome, or thinking one is above the rules.

Look at Kari Lake, (honestly I’d prefer not to) she REFUSED to concede that she lost her gubernatorial campaign in 2022, after being one of the biggest proponents on Trump’s big lie of 2020. She was given the permission structure to attempt to discredit the core of representative democracy, votes.

Whether this is done with intentional malice, unmanaged narcissistic disorder, or egotistical entitlement, the results are the same. Undermining the integrity and faith of the American experiment.

If America comes out the back end of this upcoming administration with its institutions, granted liberties, and rule of law even somewhat intact, we can look forward. A changing of the guard, unless slaughtered in its infancy, is at hand.

My level of hope was much higher a little over a month ago, but has not been extinguished. Trump 2.0 did not win a mandate. In fact, he didn’t even hit over 50% of the popular vote. There was immense Russian meddling in the 2024 election. Bomb threats called into polling places in key areas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Phoenix.

I’m not quite headed to storm the capital yet, but there’s also a foul stench of mendacity to the 2024 election. With the world’s richest man as a financial backer to Trump, even before the introduction that the Skylink satellites were used in tabulations, leaves much to be desired.

Timothy Snider says, “do not obey in advance”, this means we should question how that shitshow of a campaign, with that deteriorating, hate filled, failure of a former president won all 7 swing states and the popular vote.

There are a lot of ignorant racists, under and uneducated people, uninformed or anarchy driven, war on woke folks who voted Trump. But not quite 50%, with over 80 million who chose not to vote, and a protest vote for Palestine which was a futile effort of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.

This will be a long 4 years. The Constitution, the rule of law, norms and democratic processes will be tested to their limits. We must resist.

The resistance will be vital for the continuation of this nation. We must go out on the streets and make our voices heard, make a scene, a scene so large, not just the Trump administration has to take notice, but the world as well.

We must not obey in advance. We must not roll over and let 250 years of sacrifice be wasted. We must do what so many before us did. Fight for the cause of freedom. Fight for our rights. Fight on the side of good, for the sake of good.

[urialnathanonwright]

Trump’s Late-Night Purge of Inspectors General: An Attack on Accountability and Democracy

Donald Trump’s decision to fire 17 inspectors general in a clandestine, late-night move is an assault on government transparency, accountability, and the rule of law. The firings also leave a critical void in federal oversight at a time when accountability is more important than ever. Inspectors general play a vital role in ensuring that public funds are used wisely and that government agencies adhere to the law. By removing these watchdogs, Trump has effectively weakened the safeguards that protect Americans from corruption and waste. Who will step into these roles now, knowing that independence and integrity could cost them their jobs? By removing these independent overseers without due process, Trump has not only violated federal law but also signaled his disdain for checks and balances in government.

The law is crystal clear: any president must provide Congress with a 30-day notice, accompanied by detailed reasoning, before firing an inspector general. Yet Trump bypassed this legal requirement, dismissing these officials via email is a legally insufficient act that reeks of authoritarianism. This brazen disregard for procedure raises serious questions about what Trump is trying to hide.

Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican who has championed the role of inspectors general, emphasized that their independence is critical to holding government agencies accountable. Trump’s mass firings are an insult to this principle and a direct attack on the bipartisan values that protect our democracy from corruption and abuse of power.

Even members of Trump’s own party, including Senator Susan Collins, who played a key role in strengthening the law protecting inspectors general, have expressed frustration with his actions. Collins pointed out that removing individuals tasked with exposing waste and corruption serves no logical purpose unless the intent is to enable wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders such as Senator Chuck Schumer have accurately described these firings as a clear indication that Trump is terrified of accountability and transparency.

It is deeply troubling that some Republican senators, like Tommy Tuberville, have cheered on this unprecedented purge, claiming it is necessary to “clean house.” Such rhetoric reveals a dangerous willingness to discard the principles of oversight and impartial governance in favor of blind loyalty to Trump. This threatens the foundation of our democracy by normalizing the politicization of government institutions.

This is not a partisan issue; it is an American issue. The rule of law, government transparency, and accountability should transcend party politics. Trump’s actions are a direct challenge to these values, and it is incumbent upon Congress, regardless of political affiliation, to take swift and decisive action. Anything less is an endorsement of corruption, authoritarianism, and the erosion of our democratic institutions.

[athena5898]

(Al-Akhbar English) Red Scare Reborn: US Anti-Communist Push and Global Consequences

Ali Awwad

Between 1917 and 1920, the United States grappled with intense fear stemming from the Russian Revolution, which ignited anxieties about the spread of communism and anarchism. This fear led to widespread repression against leftists, unionists, and immigrants, culminating in arrests, investigations, and a climate of suspicion. A similar wave of paranoia resurfaced in the 1950s during the Cold War, known as the “Second Red Scare.” Senator Joseph McCarthy spearheaded this period with his aggressive campaign against alleged communists, expanding the witch hunt beyond politicians to include intellectuals, artists, and civil rights leaders. These events were justified under the guise of national security but were ultimately aimed at enforcing ideological conformity and silencing progressive voices.

Now, with the election of Donald Trump as the 47th US President, echoes of this Cold War legacy resurface. Trump’s administration is pushing the “Decisive Education on Communism” bill (H.R. 5349), designed to implement an anti-communist curriculum in schools. While ostensibly focused on educating students about communism’s “crimes,” this bill mirrors past repressive efforts, using education as a tool for cultural censorship and ideological control. The bill, spearheaded by Representative Maria Salazar, has faced opposition to amendments that would include education on fascism and other oppressive ideologies, highlighting its partisan agenda.

This bill comes amid growing support for leftist movements among young Americans, particularly in solidarity with Palestinians. The rise of these movements has sparked anger from the American right, which is increasingly challenged by shifting public opinions on US foreign policy. Opinion polls reveal that younger generations are more critical of authority and increasingly open to socialist principles. This shift in political consciousness is seen as a direct threat to established power structures, prompting fears of a new “Red Scare” targeting left-wing movements.

Parallel to these developments, conservative think tanks like the Heritage Institute have launched initiatives such as the Esther Project, which seeks to criminalize political activism against Israel and label Palestinian solidarity as part of a broader anti-capitalist agenda. These efforts aim to dismantle these movements through legal and political means, employing tactics reminiscent of McCarthyism. Trump's supporters plan to expand this repression to education and media, purging institutions that oppose right-wing ideology, and even considering military intervention against protesters, as seen in the 2020 George Floyd protests.

While the bill's focus remains on combating communism, its broader aim is to prevent China from challenging US global hegemony. The "communist threat" narrative is being used to justify escalating tensions with China, through economic sanctions and military alliances in the Indo-Pacific. This strategy not only aims to curb China’s rise but also seeks to compel other nations to align politically with the US These actions could lead to a new global conflict, marked by competition for influence, resources, and technology. As tensions rise, nations will be pressured to take sides, increasing international polarization. However, in the midst of this global upheaval, there may also be opportunities for change, as history has often shown.

Full article in Arabic: https://al-akhbar.com/culture/816676

[skeyde]

Projet "Mimbulus Mimbletonia" FORUM HP SUR L'ACADEMIE D'ILVERMORNY

Après des mois de préparation, de réflexions intenses (et un soupçon de fumée cérébrale magique), j’ai le plaisir de vous présenter un projet RPG qui me tient particulièrement à cœur : un forum inspiré de l’univers d’Harry Potter, plongé au cœur de l’académie magique d’Ilvermorny.

Au menu : 🔮 Système de Dragots : Chaque RP posté vous rapportera des Dragots, notre monnaie magique. Dépensez-les pour débloquer des avantages, des comptes supplémentaires ou d’autres surprises pour enrichir votre expérience de jeu.

🔮 Un univers inédit : Ici, pas de Harry, Ron ou Hermione ! Les personnages originaux ne sont pas jouables, et certains éléments ont été réinventés pour offrir une vision fraîche et immersive de l’univers magique.

🔮 Bienvenue en Amérique : Oubliez Poudlard, direction l'école d’Ilvermorny et son ambiance unique. Explorez les couloirs enchantés de l’académie, le MACUSA, l’Hôpital Magique, et bien d’autres lieux imaginés pour vous plonger dans ce monde ensorcelant.

Le forum est presque prêt à ouvrir ses portes, et j’ai hâte de partager cette aventure avec vous. Mais avant de sortir vos plumes et vos balais (oui, c’est une expression bancale mais pardonnez-moi 🤭), vos avis, suggestions et idées seraient d’une grande aide pour peaufiner cette expérience magique.

Envie d’être informé dès l’ouverture ? Laissez un hibou (ou un mot magique) en réponse à ce message, et je vous tiendrai au courant dès que les inscriptions seront ouvertes.

La magie d’Ilvermorny n’attend plus que vous ! 🕯 Une peu de contexte :

✨ I. L'Exode des Mangemorts : Après la guerre qui opposa le monde magique à Voldemort et ses disciples, une véritable chasse aux traîtres fut lancée. Tous ceux qui avaient soutenu, de près ou de loin, le Seigneur des Ténèbres furent pourchassés, qu’ils l’aient fait par conviction ou simplement pour survivre. Ce climat de panique donna naissance à ce que les livres d’histoire appellent désormais « la Grande Purge », une tâche indélébile marquant le plus grand fiasco de l’histoire de la magie.

Les procès arbitraires et les arrestations injustifiées devinrent monnaie courante, divisant profondément la communauté magique. Certaines grandes familles furent anéanties, tandis que d’autres, plus chanceuses, réussirent à fuir vers des contrées offrant un asile, comme les États-Unis. Le ministre de la magie américain de l’époque, opportuniste, y vit une occasion de recruter des sorciers de sang pur pour servir ses intérêts politiques et personnels.

De nombreuses familles s’établirent ainsi définitivement en Amérique, trouvant refuge sur ce vaste continent. Aujourd’hui, il n’est pas rare de croiser d’anciens partisans de Vous-Savez-Qui en territoire nord-américain. Bien qu’ils soient fichés par les autorités magiques, leur liberté de mouvement reste préoccupante. Leurs enfants, élevés dans ces préceptes sombres, pourraient un jour faire renaître une nouvelle menace.

✨ II - La Naissance des "Veilleurs" : Le choix du Président américain d'accueillir les anciens disciples des ténèbres ne fit pas l’unanimité. Nombreuses furent les voix qui s’élevèrent contre cette décision, invoquant les dangers potentiels pour la communauté magique. Le président, cependant, défendit son choix en se cachant derrière le principe de la présomption d’innocence.

Face à cette situation, des groupes de défense spontanés émergèrent à travers le pays, tentant de protéger le quotidien des sorciers. Toutefois, ces milices disparurent progressivement, la menace tant redoutée ne se matérialisant jamais. Au fil des années, le calme revint, et l’idée que les Mangemorts, privés de Voldemort, n’étaient plus une réelle menace, s’imposa.

Cependant, un petit groupe de sorciers, convaincu que le danger subsiste, continua à agir dans l’ombre. Se faisant appeler les Veilleurs, ils scrutent les moindres faits et gestes de leurs ennemis, persuadés qu’un nouveau complot se trame. Leur organisation, secrète et bien implantée, cherche à influencer des postes clés du monde magique pour garder un contrôle discret mais efficace. Mais une question persiste : le mal provient-il uniquement des Mangemorts ? Et si une autre menace se profilait à l’horizon ?

✨ III - Selena Hawthorne, "la Dame d’Ilvermorny," : Selena Hawthorne, connue comme "la Dame d’Ilvermorny," dirige l’académie avec une autorité et une élégance qui forcent le respect. Mariée à Alarick Hawthorne, un homme politiqueinfluent, le couple incarne aux yeux du monde magique l’image du mariage parfait. Pourtant, derrière les portes closes, leur relation est loin d’être idyllique. Selena et Alarick se livrent une guerre ouverte, chacun utilisant l’autre pour atteindre ses propres objectifs. Malgré tout, ils partagent un point commun : leur opposition à l’idéologie des Mangemorts.

Cependant, leurs visions divergent profondément. Selena prône l’égalité entre sorciers et sorcières, croyant en une société où les talents individuels et les valeurs priment sur les privilèges de naissance. Alarick, en revanche, rêve d’un monde dominé par les sorciers dotés de dons spéciaux, sans considération pour la pureté du sang. Pour lui, la supériorité réside dans les capacités, et non dans les lignées.

Cette dualité alimente les tensions au sein de l’académie. Alors que Selena s’efforce d’instaurer un environnement équilibré pour ses élèves, les ambitions d’Alarick menacent de semer la discorde, même indirectement. Si Selena semble détenir un avantage stratégique grâce à son poste de directrice, les forces en jeu, tant au sein de l’école que dans le monde extérieur, risquent de compliquer sa mission.

Ilvermorny devient ainsi un champ de bataille idéologique. Les Veilleurs, qui soutiennent Selena, tentent de contrer toute influence des Mangemorts, mais l’école elle-même n’est pas à l’abri des idées funestes qui circulent. Selena réussira-t-elle à préserver l’avenir des jeunes sorciers sous sa responsabilité, ou l’école est-elle déjà gangrenée par des forces qu’elle ne peut contrôler ?

[gwydionmisha]

Cabinet Committee Hearings 1/21/24

Please contact your senators and ask them to reject dangerous and unqualified cabinet picks. I don't have a lot of hope at this point, but better to fight than roll belly up. If nothing else ask them to resist Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, RFK Jr., Russel Vought, Tulsi Gabbard, and Kash Patel.

Usually they just log for or against. If they want a reason, I've listed some below. Use reason for Democrats. For Republicans: Stress military readiness, national security, and the integrity and morale of the military, law and order, etc..

All of these are terrible. Complain about whatever you have energy for (most important bolded):

TUESDAY:

Doug Collins, Veterans Affairs - Very conservative Trump Loyalist. Could be far worse.

Elise Stefanik, U.N. ambassador, entirely self agendaed with zero principles. Could be far worse and gets her out of congress. Will likely sail through like shit through a goose as she has some democratic support. Don't waste your energy.

WEDNESDAY:

Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget, is a Project 2025 person with absolutely disastrous plans. He plans to purge the civil service on political grounds and replace honest non-partisan people with right wing extremists as part of implementing autocracy. he also plans to overthrow Congress' power to allocate funds by illegally preventing the disbursement of Medicare, Social Security, EBT, Housing, Education, etc. funds in order to destroy the social safety net. He will likely get away with it as the SCOTUS are so in the bag for kleptocratic fascist autocracy that they've been declaring black letter parts of the constitution un constitutional and thrown out ideas like precedent and rule of law. This guy is terrifying and he's barely getting any coverage or notice.

"Russ Vought wants to make Congress obsolete:" https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-cabinet-russ-vought-project-2025-rcna187838

THURSDAY:

"What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for agriculture secretary:" https://www.wnct.com/news/politics/ap-what-to-know-about-brooke-rollins-trumps-pick-for-agriculture-secretary/

Have something you want to tell your Congress Critters? If you can't safely contact them in person, here are some other options:

Five Calls to your critters: https://5calls.org/

Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resist.bot/

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Don Moynihan at Can We Still Govern?:

The failed effort by the President of Korea to impose martial law can be viewed as a victory for democracy. The opposition immediately pushed back, and he faces investigations and possible imprisonment. But it could easily have gone the other way. Military leaders were not briefed on the plan, and delays in moving troops to the parliament gave vital time for legislators, their staffers, and crowds to organize and create barricades. The commanding officer on the site said that he did not authorize the arrest of members of parliament, the use of live rounds, and urged no violence against civilians. What if he had?

At the end of the day, democracy often depends upon whether the military will open fire on their own people. Will they blindly follow orders by an authoritarian, or will they respect democratic norms? Before we go any further, you might be asking yourself, can Trump do this? The short answer is yes. As Commander-in-Chief, Presidents have considerable discretion in how they can shape military personnel. The fact that they have not used it in the past is a testament to the bipartisan respect that the military holds. Previous presidents did not see any need or advantage to politicize its ranks, and would have been pilloried for doing so. But Trump, in this way as in so many others, is different. Who might be targeted? An organization funded by the Heritage Foundation, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), released a list of names of senior officers to be removed, using the criteria that Trump and his DOD nominee Pete Hegseth offered. 

[...]

Propaganda for Purges

AAF has already created enemies lists of civilian employees, relying on the type of opposition research normally reserved for politicians. They do this because there is an audience for it not just in the Trump administration, but in Trump-aligned media. Reporters get a press release from AAF, and then repost the accusations with zero effort to assess the credibility of the claims, or the broader consequences. Fox News and the New York Post also posted the pictures of those accused of wrongdoing.

[...]

Purged for Doing Their Job

There is no accusation that the military officers violated any rules. The DOD limits political expression, but does allow officials to express opinions on political issues as long as they are not clearly partisan. So it is very difficult to assume that some non-partisan expression of support for diversity violates any rules. In fact, it is closer to the truth to suggest that these officials are being attacked for following organizational policies. The US military committed to, and struggled with, issues related to inclusion since the integration of the armed forces after World War II. This is not a new challenge for them, even if the terminology has changed. The DOD, as an organization, has an office and budget that supports DEI. It is clearly an approved organizational strategy for strengthening the military. Many of the comments cited above tie diversity to effectiveness, because a more diverse workforce includes more talent. This claim is supported by research. And so, even if you disagree with the statements above, you might still find it deeply unfair to purge officials who simply embraced organizational practice. In many cases, these officials were acting in their capacity as public officials. They were invited to talk as a representative of the DOD about DEI issues, or asked to serve on a DOD official working group. For public events where they are wearing their uniform, it is a pretty safe bet that their comments were reviewed and approved by his Public Affairs Office. Now they are being punished for that.

A Purge Without Precedent

Those wanting to clothe the coming purges with some measure of respectability will try to make the claim that there is precedent for this. Don’t believe them. While there are certainly cases where the Commander-in-Chief disagreed with and removed Generals (for example, Obama removing Stanley McChrystal) these related to battlefield issues, not loyalty tests.

[...]

In the short run, we should be very worried about what Trump will do with a military repurposed to serve him, and not the constitution. In the long run, the politicization of the American military will undermine its capacity. What happens if every new President distrusts the generals in place because they were selected via a politicized process? They then choose their own, adding to the instability in leadership. Under such circumstances, expect a Putinification of the military, where officers are afraid to tell the President the truth. It will be harder to retain military officers moving up the ladder when the career structure becomes less tied to merit, and more tied to political connections. Once they hit their 20 years and can retire, why stick around when you can get canned by the next administration for doing a good job for the last one?

The proposed military purge under a Trump 2nd term will ruin military readiness, as the military will become a politicized tool to make its members loyal to Trump above the US Constitution.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

For quite a while, the section “The Bishop in the Presence of an Unknown Light,” was my favourite bit of Les Misérables, and this was my favourite line of that section:

“A cloud had been forming for fifteen hundred years; at the end of fifteen centuries it burst. You condemn the thunderbolt.” [1500 from at little before 1800 gives you somewhere around 300 A.D.; this is far too long to be referring to the Bourbon monarchy - thanks to a friend for the idea that it probably refers to the creation of a state church under Constantine in the A.D. 300s.]

N.K. Jemisin has a line communicating what is, I think, a very similar idea in her Broken Earth trilogy, in a world that is beset by great earthquakes:

When a comm [community] builds atop a fault line, do you blame its walls when they inevitably crush the people inside? No; you blame whoever was stupid enough to think they could defy the laws of nature forever. Well, some worlds are build on a fault line of pain, held up by nightmares. Don’t lament when those worlds fall. Rage that they were built doomed in the first place.

And this us not, in some respects, all that different from what Bishop Myriel himself said in an earlier chapter:

“The faults of women, children, and servants, of the feeble, the indigent, and the ignorant, are the faults of their husbands, fathers, and masters, of the strong, the rich, and the wise…If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.”

As I’ve learned more detail about the French Revolution, I have become unconvinced of the conventionary’s assertion that it “loosened all the secret bonds of society, made the waves of civilization flow over the earth, is the consecrecration of humanity.” If it destroyed the old tyranny and oppression, it replaced it with a new tyranny and oppression (actual several new ones, from the partisan purge to the ‘managed democracy’ to the military dictatorship); if it removed the old religious intolerance, it replaced it with a new religious intolerance. It was more willing to kill people for following their consciences than the regime of Louis XVI that preceded it, and it encouraged ordinary people to kill not rich oppressors but ordinary neighbours (ref: Murder in Aubagne by D.G.M. Sutherland, a case study on the cycles of violence that came from it becoming socially normal to kill your neighbours for being associated with a different form of republicanism than yourself, and then normal to even kill anyone who agreed with you politically but objected to the murdering).

You condemn the thunderbolt, is, I think, the more convincing assertion - if pressure builds up to a certain point, it will break, like a dam, and the primary blame lies with those who allowed it build up to that point. The argument is not that the dam breaking is the ideal, but that under certain circumstances it is inevitable. Oppression should be fought; reform should be made, firstly for its own sake became it is good and necessary and just and compassionate, and secondly to avert the damage the thunderbolt would do to the innocent; and if that reform is not happening fast enough, the answer is not to say to the suffering, “Be patient!” but to say to the powerful, “Move faster!”

[nibeul]

care to tell us more about your newest star wars oc? she’s so pretty your designs are always so awesome!/gen

thank you!! her name's muneeba nafti and she's a Jedi Master who survived the purge (though part of her right hand was shot off). I honestly have so much lore on her I'm not sure what to share exactly, but a brief overview: she had a padawan prior to the Clone Wars and ended up fighting in the Outer Rim during the conflict. she was close friends with another oc of mine, a senator from Troithe, and became disillusioned with the republic when he was assassinated, then bitter after the Purge where she lost her former master and padawan. she's a captain in the intelligence branch of the rebellion and she works closely with independent cells such as saw gerrera's partisans. at some point, she kills an inquisitor on abrion major

(she also has a thing with the queen of shurrupak that's kinda on and off)

[dertaglichedan]

Costco Shareholders Reject Anti-DEI Proposal, Spark Backlash

The retail giant's chairman spoke out in favor of DEI at the company

Despite several major companies like Walmart rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Costco shareholders have overwhelmingly opted to keep theirs in place. Per Axios, more than 98% of the company’s shareholders shot down a proposed anti-DEI initiative. 

The anti-DEI proposal was filed by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), which describes itself as “a non-partisan, free-market, independent, conservative think tank.” The block didn’t come as a huge surprise as the retail giant’s chairman and other board members had already encouraged members not to support it.

Costco chairman Hamilton “Tony” James said of their DEI initiatives, “We owe our success to the more than 300,000 employees who serve our members every day. It is important that they all feel included and appreciated and that they transmit these values to our customers.” 

Meanwhile, Ethan Peck from the NCPPR argued in a prerecorded message that DEI is “illegal, immoral and detrimental to shareholder value ” and poses litigation risks for the company, according to USA Today.

“By not hiring and promoting completely irrespective of race and sex ‒ in other words, by merit alone ‒ the company is not always hiring or promoting the best person for the job, and anything short of that is selling the success in the future of the company short, and therefore selling shareholders short,” Peck said in the message.

This vote was decided just days after newly inaugurated President Donald Trump issued executive orders targeting DEI practices in government agencies. One EO purged DEI from the Department of the Interior, one of the wokest agencies in the federal government, as The Daily Wire previously reported.

All DEI offices within the federal government closed down, and employees were put on leave this week as the first step toward mass layoffs.

This puts Costco in opposition to what’s happening in the government and other private companies. Social media users were quick to call out their continued embrace of DEI.

“Costco is refusing to end DEI practices. It’s time to Bud Light Costco!” one X user said, referring to the successful boycott of the beer brand in 2023.

“It’s immoral and illegal for any employer—including Costco—to discriminate on the basis of race,” another user observed.

[gobblinhours]

helping me through this is thinking about how many people who voted for trump are going to have to deal with the consequences of their decisions. they're gonna be kneecapped and complaining about how it came out of nowhere but deep down they know that they caused this.

but i even more want the people who were smart enough to vote for the common good to live in a world where america hasn't rapidly been getting worse and worse since 2016. i want to live in a world where laws that protect the environment and minorities and low earners and our rights can be passed without having to claw and scratch for it the entire way, and to be spared from what we have allowed in.

i want to live in a world where the system has been purged of partisan politics where elected officials vote along party lines rather than what would be best. I want to live in a world where voting third-party is valid because there's not a looming threat on the horizon. i want to live in a world where people can say that they're voting for someone else because that someone else has a chance. i want to live in a world where instead of slinging mud at eachother electoral candidates treat their opponents with respect. I want to live in a world where the government doesn't let billionaires and the bible tell them what to do and only does things that would be for the good of the people, not what would line pockets or be in line with a 2000-year old book. i want to live in a world where the government cracks down on fascist rhetoric and bigots in positions of power. i want to live in a world where people can go to bed and not be worried about tomorrow. i want to live in a world where we can help and protect what we love. i want to live in a world where hope drives instead of hate. i want to live in a world where people can be who they want. i want to live in a world of international and cultural union. i want to live in a world where the earth can heal. i want to live in a world where billionaires pay their fair share. i want to live in a world where no one has to live in a state of poverty. i want to live in a world where everyone has access to an education and housing and healthcare and anything they might need. i want to live in the world republicans said they would bring before they went full mask-off. i want to live in the world the democrats are telling us they will bring. i want to live in a world where the international community has a backbone and shuts down attacks on others. i want to live in a world where genocide is a grim warning from the past and not something people have to live through. i want to live in a world where everyone has a chance to do what they want and what they love. i want to live in a world where if someone tries to undermine and corrupt the system they are stopped before anything happens. i want to live in a world where money is taken out of politics and the people choose, not corporations. i want to live in a world with clear water and fresh air and snow every winter. i want us to unite across the globe and into the stars. i want a world where those with different skin or different sexes or different bodies or different brains are accommodated because there's 8 billion of us on this planet and we're far past the point where homophobia has any possible minute semblance of logic to it, much less racism sexism and transphobia. i want to live in a world where life of all kinds can thrive in all ways. i want to live in a world where people want to work for the common good and the only differences are in how they want to go about it. i want to live in a world people don't want power for power's sake and don't punch down at every opportunity. i want a world where we can trust our elected officials to do what is right and not have to hope that it won't be blocked at any point. i want to live in a world where everyone has a voice. i want to live in a world where compromises can be made. i want to live in a world where i can't keep thinking of wants. i want to live in a world where people can love who they want. i want to live in a world where all those morally righteous people put their money where their mouths are and actually work to make the world better instead of making perfect the enemy of good. i want to live in a world where people can do the jobs they enjoy. i want to live in a world where people can do what they love. i want to live in a world where transparency and honesty are how we are spoken to and how we speak to others. i want to live in a world where we can grow and evolve and heal and help and advance and love. i want elections to be as stressful as a typical sports game, where everyone hopes that their candidate wins but takes comfort in knowing that their opponent's hands are safe.

i want to live in a world where laws are passed to protect and aid, not to harm and bind. i want to live in a world where war is a thing of the past. i want to live in a world where we can come to a peaceful agreement. i want to live in a world where terrorism is a thing of the past because the world is so good that we don't need to change our path. i want to live in a world where everyone is educated and thinking about their decisions and how they would impact themselves and others. i want to live in a world where everyone is educated and happy and free. i want to live in a world where everyone is free from all. i want to live in a world where people can do what they want, and if they can't, then it's not forever. i want the 12-year nightmare to end and just be a story on how things could be worse and we need to all do our part, to all help everyone we share this planet with, to ensure that it won't happen again. that empathy and compassion won't be undermined and torn apart by bigotry and hate. i want to live in a world where we're as far away from this as we are from WWII, far in the background, but still close enough that we know. that we know that it happened. that we know that it hurt. that we know that we have to do better, that we can never go back to that.

i want all of these things and more.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Democracy Docket

Marc Elias

Thursday, January 30

New York court revives state’s Voting Rights Act

An appeals court restored the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA) today, which expands voter protections, overturning a lower court's decision to strike it down. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said the decision "only reaffirms the protections intended in the NYVRA."

Hundreds of civil rights groups oppose Pam Bondi’s AG nomination

Over 300 civil rights groups sent a letter this week to U.S. senators urging them to vote against Pam Bondi’s confirmation to attorney general, citing her extensive anti-voting record and opposition to civil rights.

Bondi is not yet in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), but 10 days into President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration is already remaking the nation's top law enforcement agency from top to bottom. In a new YouTube video, Marc breaks down the detrimental actions taken so far and the ones to come.

Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI director pick, refuses to say who won 2020 election

Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director, refused to say who won the 2020 election during his Senate confirmation hearing today. Bondi also refused to say Trump lost in 2020 during one of her hearings.

House Republicans introduce bill to repeal crucial voting rights law

Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Scott Perry (R-Pa.) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to repeal the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), a crucial law expanding access to voting.

The NVRA, often known as the Motor Voter Act, requires a driver’s license application to simultaneously serve as a voter registration application. It also requires programs offering public assistance to provide voter registration services, mandates that states use a federal mail-in voting registration form and more.

National Sheriffs Association reveals fealty to Trump, not the law

The National Sheriffs Association and its members want to curry favor with the Trump administration and are poised to assist in the most illegal and inhumane promises, including “mass deportation" and silencing dissent, Democracy Docket contributor Jessica Pishko argues in a new piece.

Hearings coming up tomorrow

A Virginia court will hold a hearing in a lawsuit challenging Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) voter purge program. Pro-voting groups assert the program wrongfully removed eligible voters shortly before the elections. The Justice Department — now under Trump — dropped its lawsuit challenging the program.

A Utah court will hear a challenge to the state's congressional map. Voters argue that the map is a partisan gerrymander that favors Republicans, violating the state constitution.

THE OPPOSITION

Holding Trump Accountable

The latest on Democratic officials’ lawsuit challenging Trump’s funding freeze

Democratic officials in 22 states and Washington, D.C. sued the Trump administration Tuesday challenging the federal funding freeze, asking the judge for a temporary restraining order, which would pause the freeze while litigation is ongoing.

Yesterday, the administration rescinded the memo that announced the freeze of federal programs and grants. Shortly after, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a contradictory statement on X, explaining that the funding freeze had not been rescinded, only the memo itself had been.

A federal judge in Rhode Island asked the Democratic officials to submit a proposed order for the specific relief they sought in the wake of the rescinded memo. He gave the DOJ 24 hours to respond to the proposed order, which was submitted at 6:15 p.m. last night. As of 5 p.m. today, the Justice Department hasn’t responded.

Eighth lawsuit filed against Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order

Santa Clara County, California officials sued the Trump administration today challenging his executive order purporting to end birthright citizenship. This marks the eighth lawsuit filed against this order.

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