#Political Controversies

[michigantopnews]

Honor A Past President or Please A New One - Senator Runestad Wants Whitmer To Raise Flag On Inauguration Day

Runestad demands Whitmer raise Michigan flags for Trump’s swearing-in, challenging Biden’s Carter tribute. Will the governor comply or clash?

Sen. Jim Runestad asks Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to honor Trump’s inauguration with full-staff flags, calling for respect amid conflicting tributes. LANSING, Mich. — In a display of partisan fervor, Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, is urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to raise Michigan flags to full-staff on Jan. 20 in celebration of Donald J. Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United…

[townpostin]

Jharkhand Cabinet Set for Full Expansion; BJP Hits Out at Irfan Ansari

Champai Government to Fill All 12 Ministerial Berths The impending cabinet expansion in Jharkhand is poised to address long-standing vacancies, stirring political debates and speculations about potential appointees. RANCHI – Jharkhand’s Champai Soren-led government is on the verge of a significant cabinet expansion, aiming to fill all ministerial positions for the first time in years. The…

[pressrealz]

Physicians, Elected Officials, and Upcoming Candidates Want to Pull COVID-19 Vaccines Off Market

Mary Talley Bowden MD at JOY MD On December 29, 2023, Mary Talley Bowden MD, a Houston ear, nose, and throat specialist, shared a social media post celebrating the growing number of candidates and elected officials who publicly demand the removal of COVID-19 shots from the market. According to her post, 45 candidates and 27 elected officials from 18 states are now part of this…

[lady-raziel]

Not to talk about the watcher thing again as I’ve already kind of said my piece, but one of the most batshit insane parts of this whole unbelievable situation is that for some reason they decided that for some fucking reason the BEST time to announce this highly controversial decision was literally DAYS before they would be going on an international tour and having to face irate fans IN PERSON. Guys. What the hell. At least have the sensibility to announce a move that you HAD to have known would make people upset AFTER one of the few times you actually interact in person with your fanbase.

I hope you’re ready to investigate the Tower of London for ghosts, because I have a feeling the Londoners will be more than happy to acquaint you with the building later this week.

Insane move after insane move. Truly.

[alwaysbewoke]

[political-us]

[theonion]

Touting the coin as the first in American history to feature an assassin, the United States Mint introduced a controversial new John Wilkes Booth penny Friday. “With this one-cent coin, we honor John Wilkes Booth, a man who, while not perfect, altered the course of our nation in indelible ways,” said the mint’s director, Ventris Gibson, who added that one side of the new penny would include a relief portrait of the 19th-century actor-turned-gunman while the other would feature the Latin inscription “Sic semper tyrannis.” Full Story

[doomdoomofdoom]

If you've been boycotting Eurovision, you may have missed out on how bad it truly was, so here are a few events in no particular order:

The opening act of the semi-finals was Eric Saade, a swedish-palestinian singer who participated in Eurovision 2011. He wore a keffiyeh, a palestinian headdress, around his arm like a wristband.

Despite not making any political statements or drawing attention to his accessory, he was reprimanded by the EBU for "compromising the non-political nature of the event".

During their semi-final performance, the Irish contestant had the word "ceasefire" in old irish runes painted on their face. They were ordered to change it for the final, as it was deemed too political.

The contestant from Israel was not allowed to mingle with the other contestants, due to supposed security risks.

During an Interview, she was asked if she felt any concerns over her participation potentially endangering the event and the people present. The host told her she did not have to answer this question. Dutch contestant 'Joost' asked "why not?"

Joost, while not openly antagonizing the Israeli contestant, has made covert critical remarks about the EBUs decision to allow Israel to participate.

On Friday, the day before the Finale, Joost was investigated by the swedish police for a supposed incident where he threatened an EBU crew member. Thursday, a female camera operator had followed him off-stage to continue filming, even though there was an agreement not to film him off-stage. After she ignored his requests to stop, he threatened her with some sort of gesture.

Joost was disqualified mere hours before the finale. He was slotted to perform just before Israel and considered a favorite and potential winner.

The show itself did not address his disqualification. The dutch entry was simply skipped with no further comment.

Israeli broadcaster KAN was confirmed to have broken EBU rules during their coverage of the Irish act in the Semifinal. The commentator spoke negatively about their act, condemning the very scary goth aesthetic, and noting their willingness to criticize Israel's actions.

Despite Irish contestant Bambie Thug lodging a complaint with the EBU, there was no penalty or other repercussion.

If you were hoping that the event itself would turn into some sort of protest, I have to disappoint you:

Despite rumors of other contestants dropping out over Joost's disqualification, all of them performed.

There was audible booing every time Israel was on-screen, including their performance, announcement of points, and every time they received points. There was equally audible cheering.

No contestant or spokesperson directly addressed the ""controversy"" (read: ongoing genocide being artwashed), although very few made covert remarks about peace, love, dignity, and equality.

The most explicit it got was the Austrian spokesperson, saying something along the lines of "It's hard to find only positive words in a time where heartlessness prevails. But we hope everyone can unite through music and show that everyone deserves to be treated equally"

No one stormed on stage or held up a palestinian flag or anything, if you were hoping for that. I certainly was.

Israel gave its 12 points (both Jury and public) to Luxembourg. The singer is half-israeli and born in Jerusalem.

Jury votes mostly ignored Israel, netting them a total of 52 points through jury votes, which put them somewhere in the middle of the scoreboard. Norway, Cyprus, and Germany awarded them 8 points each, making them the main contributors.

In contrast, Israel received 323 points from the public voting. They were second only to Croatia with 337. 15 public votings, including "rest of the world" awarded Israel their 12 points, more than any other country would receive. The only countries not to award any points to Israel in the public vote were Croatia and Ukraine.

Israel thereby placed 5th out of 25.

But hey, at least the winner (Switzerland) was nonbinary, diversity win amirite. Notably, they had to smuggle in their pride flag, since EBU guidelines only allow flags of participating countries and the rainbow flag. (This is also why palestinian flags were not allowed. It's not a new rule, but they certainly weren't going to start bending it now.)

If there's one thing to take away from this: Do not ever think the rest of the world is on your side, just because your social media is. The rest of the world has shown their allegiance, and it lies with Israel and Genocide.

Do not stop fighting for what is right.

[itsblosseybitch]

The GOP appeals to the white working class not through class issues, but through racism. Because the white working class in the United States is, by and large, racist.

There's definitely a Horseshoe Effect when it comes to the racial politics between wealthy white Republicans and white working class Republicans. It's arguably their biggest common ground.

It's not that the white working class doesn't care about being underpaid and exploited for their labor. It's not that they're unaware of how much bosses and the capitalist system screw them over. On the contrary, they're quite cognizant of those issues. It's just that they are much more fearful of competing with immigrants over jobs or minorities fighting for racial equality, and they vote accordingly.

Some anecdotal evidence on my part: I'm a white woman born and raised in the South where my mom, dad, and stepdad's sides are all economically diverse but solidly Republican. I've heard pretty much every racist talking point across this large class gamut that doesn't include overt, KKK racism. A very close family member, a woman who grew up working class (and became middle class by marriage), cited the aforementioned fear of immigrants and minorities on why she voted for Trump, more than any other issue. The white working class kids I went to school with were also solidly Republican, and you bet your ass they had racist views!

There's a popular narrative that the white working class started voting Republican because the Democratic Party abandoned class issues. That narrative implies that the Republican Party has made class issues a large part of their platform, but that couldn't be further from the truth, as their embrace of Trickle Down Economics proves. Instead, the Democratic Party started emphasizing racial equality, which turned off the white working class by and large.

There's another popular but just as inaccurate narrative that the white working class are voting against their interests. From a class perspective, that's true. But once again, the white working class greatly prioritizes their racial politics over their class politics, so in reality, they actually are voting for their interests. Maintaining white supremacy - whether they want to admit it or not - interests them more than addressing wealth inequality.

As long as all of these factors hold true, the Republican Party will continue to court the white working class vote with Race Panic ad infinitum.

[unbfacts]

In 2000, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe won the top prize in a national lottery run by a government-owned bank.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The City of Montreal has officially taken down a welcome sign that stirred controversy last fall because it depicted a woman wearing an Islamic headscarf. The sign in the lobby of the newly renovated city hall, which showed a woman wearing a hijab, drew criticism online, prompting Mayor Valérie Plante to commit to taking it down in the name of secularism. In the image, which is in the style of a pencil sketch, the woman is standing between two men — one who seems younger and is wearing a baseball cap and overcoat, and an older man with his hands crossed in front of him.

Continue reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[pressrealz]

Judge Chutkan Denies Trump's Attempt to Subpoena Jan 6 Committee Records

Getty Images Art made in Canva In the ongoing legal battle surrounding the events of January 6th, federal judge Tanya Chutkan has made a significant decision by blocking former President Donald Trump’s legal team’s attempts to subpoena what they claim are “missing” records from the Jan 6 Committee. Chutkan, who hails from Jamaica, is overseeing Trump’s prosecution related to the January 6th…

[mur-art]

Hi, I’m over here on Day 2 of @wttt-week; spreading my Horse Girl Nevada propaganda.

If you spend time in Nevada anywhere outside of Vegas or Reno you’re almost definitely going to see herds of wild horses. Nevada is home to a significant population of wild and feral horses, descendants of horses brought to the state by settlers and miners. Many people in Nevada LOVE these damn horses, but there also people who hate them and think they’re a nuisance. The Wild and Free Roaming Horses Act of 1971 declared that Nevada’s wild horses are “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and protects them from unauthorized removal, harassment, or hunting.

My headcanon for Nevada is that he volunteers at a refuge for sick and injured horses and has a somewhat psychic connection with the animals.

This drawing was inspired heavily by this song:

Stolen from the desert

In the lost part of the state

Just a half-broke horse

He waits by the gate

No bridled horse can stand him

Or any of his kind

Their hidden laws condemn him

They're so rigid and refined

He watches on the edge

Dirty coat, shaggy mane

Too wild for this world,

Too tame for mustangs

[mikehasfleas]

Life hack for people with short attention spans:

WATCH DUMB VIDEO ESSAYS!!

I am so goddamn serious. If you have a short attention span, the best thing I've found to help with that is video essays. Please bear with me on this post, or read the tldr:

My attention span was, and still is, totally fucked from my years on the internet and my adhd. I would spend hours on tiktok, instagram reels, yotube shorts, etc, and could barely sit through a TV show episode without opening pintrest to get even more mental stimulation.

But fast-forward to mid-fall last year, where I got really into video essays. Started out with 5 minute "storytime stickmen" videos, then 10 minute explanations of game lore bits, then 15 minute videos on punk subculture stuff, etc, and even though I was still using pintrest and reels relentlessly outside of that, after a little while, I realized that I had stopped pulling out my phone mid-video. The videos were actually grabbing and KEEPING my attention, even if I had little to no prior interest in the subject.

And by now, I've finished multiple 2.5 hour long videos on totally random stuff like the characterization of king candy, the making of a now lost-media tinkerbell movie, weird random stuff in fnaf security breach, etc. Now I actually SEEK OUT these longer videos, and even find myself getting involuntarily disappointed when a video essay I'm watching cuts out at 20 minutes! I actually enjoy sitting through long videos now!

And sure, I don't always watch them in one sitting, but if anything that's even better! I can come back to a video I was in the middle of and STILL keep my attention on it!

This is all to say, you can't just cold-turkey your way out of the instant-dopamine-rush of shortform content. It's just not gonna work. But if you do it gradually, you will likely find yourself getting actually INTERESTED in just the act of watching a longer video. And maybe by extension, you'll find yourself being more engaged in things like your classes because you're already GOOD at being engaged with lectures on random stuff, which will likely make you want to find MORE of that class content (the coursework) because you're used to the information being given for even longer periods of time than the classes are.

Now, this won't work for every type of content, and it obviously won't completely fix your attention span. Hell, I'm still addicted to plenty of online shortform content. But it is undeniably helpful to have even just one facet of your attention span be over an hour.

TLDR (since this IS a post directed at people with short attention spans); I used to have a detrimentally short-as-fuck attention span, but I basically exposure-therapy'd myself into enjoying long videos, and it did WONDERS for my attention span. I want to help you do the same.

So please, for the good of your brain,

WATCH DUMB VIDEO ESSAYS!!!

[thecomfywriter]

hi hello. high political fantasy writers—please media-train your politicians/royals.