#Senate House Library

[sound-art-text]

A new audio experience that probes the connection between the environment, language, sound and silence, marking a unique collaboration between Artangel and Senate House Library.

A Thousand Words for Weather takes place across three floors of London’s most iconic library as a sonic installation born out of a collaboration between writer Jessica J. Lee and seven other London-based poets of different mother-tongues.

Each poet chose and defined ten words for the weather in Arabic, Bengali, English, German, French, Mandarin, Polish, Spanish, Turkish, or Urdu. They then went on to translate one another's chosen weather words or phrases, contributing to a unique multilingual weather ‘dictionary’ that seeks to generate a shared language describing our collective experience of climate and the changing environment while exploring the nuance of meaning in translating and describing our multilingual realities.  

These words form a sound piece created by sound artist Claudia Molitor and integrated with a bespoke playback system designed by software architect Peter Chilvers that inputs data from the Met Office, enabling the sound to be altered depending on the weather outside.

Visitors will be able to interact with a series of listening posts installed throughout the library, with all admissions taking place during term-time opening hours. You can book a day pass in advance which covers the cost of entry into the library.

[exquisitevision]

蒸蒸日上

[deadpresidents]

With that lbj photo from the lbj library, how do you get help from them for things like that?

It might sound too easy to be true, but with that particular photo from the LBJ Library that I posted, I just asked! I had searched through the online photo archives (which they were in the process of updating at the time) and couldn't find the photo, so I reached out to the LBJ Library with a broad description of what I was looking for an archivist found a high-quality file of the image that they e-mailed a link to and a bunch of information about it. As I mentioned, that's something that they've done numerous times for me over the years and I'm so grateful. About ten years ago, I was looking for a photo of LBJ at the LBJ Ranch that I had seen on display during a visit to the LBJ Library. I don't know why but it was immediately one of my favorite photos that I'd seen as LBJ, but I couldn't find it anywhere and couldn't even describe it very well because it's just a photo of LBJ walking by himself:

Despite the fact that I couldn't really describe the photo in much detail and couldn't even remember which part of the museum it was displayed in, the archivists and volunteers at the LBJ Library went to work hunting for it, found it, and sent it to me. It's in a frame on a bookshelf next to a framed photo of me and some volunteers with Barack Obama from a 2007 campaign rally in Oakland.

Over the years, I've also received some help confirming certain facts or getting information about specific sources I was searching for from the awesome archivists who work for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate Historical Office has been particularly helpful over the years and the Senate and House websites are fantastic resources for Congressional history. The House even has a standalone website dedicated to history and the incredible art collection at the Capitol that one can easily spend hours exploring. And the best part about all of this is that they didn't do these things for me personally because I'm cool and they are fans of my blog (although I'm sure ALL of those things are true because obviously I am cool and my blog is legendary and I'm also maybe even a hero). These are true public servants and these resources are available to all Americans interested in the nation's history. In many cases, it's as easy as sending an e-mail to the archivists or historians from the respective organizations.

[tomorrowusa]

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03) has it in for teens.

Congressman Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin is a MAGA Republican who has a habit of disrespecting teens.

‘Jackasses,’ ‘little s‑‑‑‑’: GOP congressman curses out teenage Senate pages 

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) is in hot water after he cursed out a group of teenage Senate pages in the Capitol rotunda early Thursday morning.

According to a transcript written by a page minutes after the incident and obtained by The Hill, Van Orden called the pages “jackasses” and “pieces of s‑‑‑,” and told them he didn’t “give a f‑‑‑ who you are.”

The pages are a group of 16- and 17-year-olds who assist Senate operations, and when the Senate works late — as it did Wednesday night on National Defense Authorization Act amendments — pages generally rest nearby in the rotunda.

“Wake the f‑‑‑ up you little s‑‑‑‑. … What the f‑‑‑ are you all doing? Get the f‑‑‑ out of here. You are defiling the space you [pieces of s‑‑‑],” Van Orden said, according to the account provided by the page.

“Who the f‑‑‑ are you?” Van Orden asked, to which one person said they were Senate pages. “I don’t give a f‑‑‑ who you are, get out.”

“You jackasses, get out,” he added.

The incident, which occurred just after midnight, outraged members of the upper chamber, with one calling the string of remarks “horrible.”

[ ... ]

Van Orden did not dispute the exchange and defended his actions when asked by The Hill.

“The history of the United States Capitol Rotunda, that during the Civil War it was used as a field hospital and countless Union soldiers died on that floor, and they died because they were fighting the Civil War to end slavery. And I think that place should be treated with a tremendous amount of respect for the dead,” he said.

Van Ordrn’s defense was pathetic and hypocritical when you look into the company he keeps.

GOP Candidate Bankrolled Jan. 6 Riot Trip With Campaign Cash

Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL and small-time actor, has previously acknowledged attending the Jan. 6 rally, but has repeatedly claimed he never entered the Capitol grounds. However, social media posts from the riot suggest that isn’t true.

A Facebook image from Jan. 6 shows Van Orden standing on a wall on the Capitol grounds that was inside a restricted area. (The Daily Beast recreated the photo on Friday and confirmed that Van Orden would have had to cross police barricades to reach that area.)

Yep, Van Orden was one of the terrorists who assaulted the US Capitol on 06 January 2021. He yelled at teen Senate pages for taking pictures of the rotunda while lying down – apparently a tradition for pages. But did Van Orden yell at his terrorist buddies who smeared their own shit on the Capitol?

MAGA mob rioters smeared their own feces throughout the Capitol and 'tracked brown footprints' in several hallways during violent siege

But wait, there’s more!

Back in his home district, Van Orden yelled at a teen library assistant for a Pride Month display at the public library.

Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden confronted teen library staffer over Gay Pride display

A staffer at a southwestern Wisconsin library says a Republican congressional candidate threatened her over a gay pride display. 

Kerrigan Trautsch, a page at the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library, told the La Crosse Tribune that Derrick Van Orden came into the library on June 17 and complained loudly about a display of fiction and nonfiction books about homosexuality in the children’s section. The display was part of the library’s efforts to recognize Pride Month. 

Trautsch, who was 17 at the time, describes herself as an advocate for the LGBTQ community. She said Van Orden was angry, and that he said the books offended him and that taxpayers shouldn’t have to see them.

[ ... ]

“He was full-on shouting at this point and he kept aggressively shoving the books around,” she said.

Van Orden ended up checking out every book from the display except one a library patron was already reading, she said. She went home and told her parents that she didn’t feel safe at work anymore.

He’s obviously a homophobe in addition to being a pal of poop smearing insurrectionists.

Van Orden is a first-class asshole. He fits in well in a GOP caucus which includes Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, George Santos, and Lauren Boebert.

Many high profile House GOP assholes like MJT come from super safe districts. But that isn’t the case with Van Orden.

In 2022 Democratic Gov. Tony Evers carried Van Orden’s WI-03. And Van Orden himself won by only 3.8% of the vote last year.

The right sort of Democrat with a good campaign could send Van Orden back to MAGAland where he can smear the walls with poop like his friends on January 6th.

Here’s WI-03.

Though it’s gerrymandered, WI-03 does contain four branches of the University of Wisconsin system. So Florida students trying to escape Ron DeSantis’s takeover of that state’s universities can find refuge at a U of W campus in Wi-03 while helping to make House Republicans a minority again.

And keep WI-03 in mind next year if you like to make individual contributions to congressional candidates.

[mx-pastelwriting]

Saving My Fanfiction Work

First. Side note: This post was only intended to give resources to fanfiction writers and enjoyers. My talk on recent political events was a context/reasoning on why I made this post. Also I’ve had to add more information to this post over time due to people’s confusion in my comments. Explaining it was to make sure that this post didn’t come off as out of the blue for my followers and this community. Which is fanfiction.

Also, why I made this post was from people asking if they could download my fanfiction because of the recent political events in America hence why I named it “saving my fanfiction work” and added my context. So this was also a post to tell people that liked my fanfiction they could download it as long as it was for their personal collection. I merely just wanted to list resources to people who wanted to download fanfiction and don’t know where to start or don’t have the immediate resources. I’m not here to fear-monger. I am just giving resources and the reasoning on why I’m giving them along with urging people to look into those information/recent events as staying aware is important. I respect everybody who’s given their opinion and yes, some of my grammar in this post is not adequate as this post was merely made for giving/stating resources.

Lastly, I will no longer update this post with comments as I’ve said my peace, nor will I pay attention to the notifications as they are muted. As my page is for fanfiction not politics. Thank you for the people in this community who share this post for the resources see you around the tags! Stay safe friends!!✨ Remember I love you! And you are loved!💛

-

Due to the recent events in the United States. To clarify the recent events being Trump becoming president of the United States, Project 2025 more than likely going to be integrated. If you are not familiar with Project 2025 I urge you to look it up.

Along with the KOSA bill that has many problems and it has passed the senate now needing the finally vote in the house, which both are majority red. Go here to learn more on why it needs to be stopped and how you can. This is another component that will harm our communities. Go to: stopkosa.com

With all of its harmful plans some of the plans are to take down/restrict internet sites that have LGBTQ+ communities that means communities like the fan-fiction communities/sites in the United States.

I am only giving resources to those inside and out of the US in case they banned sites that hold fan-fiction. Better safe than sorry.

Being that I live in the US the possibly of mine and many others Fanfiction has the possibly of being in danger. Therefore I'm giving you recourses. (I'm not leaving or stopping my writing, I'm here for the fight!)

For those wanting to save my fanfiction, I give you permission to download them off of AO3 and to be used for your personal collection. Meaning, your eyes only. To clarify I’m saying this as others have asked if they could download my fanfic so for those who would like to you can.

If you do not know how to download them many others on online have tutorials on how to download them and add them to our phone libraries.

Here are some links to tutorials:

Downloading Fanfic

Adding to Iphone & Android Library

Adding to Kindle Library - Video on How (On TikTok)

Adding Book Covers (At the bottom) - Good EPUB Cover Changer (I use this)

Types of Files and What they mean

Please stay safe out there! Remember to follow the rules below.

DO NOT share the downloaded file anywhere online.

DO NOT repost the downloaded file under your name.

Fanfiction is protected under copyright law when plagiarism is involved. If you plagiarize my work, either a piece or whole in any language, I will take legal action. Inspiration or the same idea does NOT apply to this, only word-for-word plagiarism in any language.

♥ mx-pastelwriting does not consent to their fanfiction being copied, copied & credited, translated, used in videos and/or audios, screenshotted, used in AI, or reposted on any other platform without permission.

♥ mx-pastelwriting does give consent to "reblog," sharing links to direct work, and being in recommend lists.

Please stay safe out there friends! I love you so much! Know that there will always people that love you and in for the fight to make sure you are loved!

And here are some resources in case you don’t feel okay! Resources here

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON — Adam Schiff, the freshman Democratic senator from California, is being sworn into office on a 1490 edition of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, one of the most revered and prominent codes of Jewish law.

Schiff, in a statement ahead of his swearing in on Monday, said the edition, published in the duchy of Milan, now in northern Italy, was “a monumental legal code and one of the most organized, comprehensive, and influential works of Jewish law.”

The edition was published by Gershom ben Mosheh ish Sontsino, a scion of a pioneering Jewish printing family known as Soncino. A publishing house in the family’s name is still active.

A spokeswoman for Schiff, until this week a U.S. Representative and a former federal prosecutor, said he chose the volume, held by the Library of Congress, in part because of his concerns about the state of the rule of law as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.

Schiff led one of Trump’s impeachments in the president’s first term and co-chaired the congressional investigation into the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, which was spurred by Trump’s false claims he won that election. Trump, who has promised “retribution” against his perceived enemies, said this week Schiff should be jailed.

The spokeswoman said that Schiff was also attracted to the volume because of his intellectual curiosity. “It’s simply his nerdy interest in how old this volume is and how comprehensive it is,” she said.

Maimonides, also known as Rambam and considered one of history’s preeminent Jewish scholars, wrote the Mishnah Torah in the 12th century as an all-inclusive guide to the system of Jewish law. Written in Hebrew and divided into 14 volumes, it is a fixture of Jewish houses of study and other educational institutions.

Schiff is not the only Jewish elected official who in recent years chose to be sworn into office on volumes that reflect why they got into politics. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, in 2023 was sworn in on a stack of three Hebrew Bibles, including the one that was on the bimah when a gunman massacred 11 Jewish worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, in 2021 was sworn in on a book of Hebrew scripture once owned by an Atlanta rabbi whose synagogue building was bombed by white supremacists in 1958.

[always-coffee]

WV Libraries Are Under Attack: How to Help

News came out yesterday that West Virginia House passed House Bill 4654. This would remove “bona fide schools, public libraries, and museums from the list of exemptions from criminal liability relating to distribution and display to a minor of obscene matter. …”

Potentially criminalizing librarians is bad, and it’s straight out of the fascist playbook. “Opponents of the bill said that while the bill does not ban books, the bill would have unintended consequences for public and school libraries, resulting in increases in challenges to even classic books and attempts to criminally charge librarians over books not pornographic in nature, but books that include descriptions of sex. They also said it could result in improper criminal charges against library staff,” Steven Allen Adams writes.

So, the question is: now what? What do we do? Where do we go from here?

If you live in West Virginia, call you state senate reps. You can find them listed here.

It’s okay to keep your message short:

“Hi, I’m [full name] calling from [ZIP code], and I’m a constituent of [Senator Name]. I am calling to voice my opposition to Bill 4654, because this is a dangerous step toward book banning. It could potentially harm librarians and libraries, which is incredibly wrong. Do not back this dangerous bill.

You can also ask how many people have called to voice their opposition to this bill. This may annoy the person on the phone, but they technically have to answer you. They may be evasive anyway. But you can either give them your contact information and tell them you’d like a call back or you can call back again later and ask for the tally.

The thing is, people rarely call in. A handful of calls is considered a lot, and the best thing you can do right now is make yourself a nuisance. Good trouble, etc.

Only call if you live in West Virginia, because they do not count calls from those outside their constituency. I am obviously not an expert, but if you have additional questions, ask them and I’ll try to help. I learned way more about how politics work during the last presidency than I thought humanly possible.

Additional resources:

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Calming the Emperor God

Geta x wife! reader

warning : hurt/comfort, kissing, cuddling, mention of murder and sickness

Summary : Rome seemed to turn on their rulers, what Caracalla compensated with more Colosseum fighting Geta had to face reality as much as he thought he was divine, he alone couldn't control everything. The demand of his head was only the beginning as the emperor sought advice and care in the arms of his wife.

info : A work for Geta I just wanted to give him a long hug, enjoy reading ;)

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marriage, when you were a ruler of a empire, it was important to have a wife after your appointment, someone you loved or not, someone who could give you an heir.

He had even less regard for his father than his brother, a man driven by empathy and kindness as well as hope, a weak man whose only great deed was to father him and Caracalla with his mother, nothing else. That was the only reason for his damned father's last acts, a marriage.

A marriage three years ago, on his twentieth name day, he took her as his wife, a young lady of his own age from a noble house of the united kingdoms under Rome.

He hadn't thought much of her then, but when he looked at the sitautioon now, she was more than just his love, she was his shield, the judgement of the people and a light that all kinds of people looked up to so that the people wouldn't rise up in revolt.

She was a pillar at his side who could lead Rome, advise Caracalla and be there for him at the same time…the only thing that had not been created in all this time was an heir.

An inheritance that in theory the two emperors had in each other, but with each passing day Geta saw how bad things were for Caracalla, ,,The Holy Roman Empire will belong to the world, but three deaths would mean its end" he had said shortly after their wedding, at first still indifferent to her, even disgusted by her failure to conceive and paranoid that she would betray him.

But none of this mattered when he saw how gentle she was with his brother, how good she was at managing the senate and how understanding she was towards him every day.

,,My doubts were never about you, my husband, a marriage of the dead is beyond our influence and your circumstance worries me more than my own" she had admitted when she realised how bad things were for the emperors.

Who ruled a world empire, how easy she had had it, several siblings, no illnesses, her parents a long life and security, everything Geta and his brother didn't have.

Both had hardly received any training in warfare, politically she hardly knew what to do and they had no connection to the people.

From the moment they were born, they had already come too close to the sun and would never raise their wings again. She was a woman, a princess, aware of her role as a mother, but if she couldn't even be that, she would do anything to support her husband.

Taking her eyes from the marble floor that lay cold beneath her sandals, she looked back at her husband Geta presenting new proposals for the military, improvements and enhancements to a Senate that seemed barely interested.

They were strategies and proposals for which Geta had spent hours and nights in the library with her, he was trying so hard for his people, or at least for the world for now, the dream of a Rome that covered the world, it wasn't fair that the senate consisted only of fake snakes, but you couldn't kill them either.

No one is interested but us she thought and sat down again on Geta's throne when she heard a giggle next to her.

Caracalla was once again more than just bored by all this and began to play with his fingers, seeing that Geta gave her a quick glance and an unsaid ‘thank you darling’ seemed to come from his eyes, she rose to take care of Caracalla.

As much as the presence of both emperors was required, Caracalla was disturbed by the introduction of the laws the blond was probably about to rise herself, she put her hand on his shoulder, ,,We should leave Geta alone, how about a game?" she asked in a whisper and saw the grin widen. Already sending Caracalla forward.

She bowed to Geta who had paused in his speech, allowing everyone a brief moment to think, ,,I'm already longing for your liberating kiss of my sorrows" he murmured to her before placing a kiss on her cheek, a face with a ‘divine’ countenance looking back at her before she withdrew from the senate.

Once again, her god had to try to cope on his own, an event that occurred weekly and took its toll on him, for what was an emperor without preparation since childhood?

He was nothing.

Footsteps followed Caracalla, who was already pulling out his favourite figurines from a wicker basket, ,,The conquest of Rome with the crucifixions of the Christians!" he announced and she clapped as he told her everything in meticulous detail.

Not a game in the sense, but something amusing for him, especially when he could stab the little figures and she had to make the death noises that he always found extremely sweet, ,,Your memories are unfathomable and fascinating," she said and tapped him on the forehead.

He could hardly remember what was served for dinner yesterday, but he seemed to know such a battle going back hundreds of years completely by heart, it was the madness you couldn't control.

But that didn't matter because, apart from the battle, they played together with Dundus and in the afternoon she had to sing Caracalla a lullaby because otherwise he wouldn't go to bed, otherwise he would only cause more ‘problems’ like a small child.

One thing that hardly bothered her anymore she knew it would give Geta less to worry about and she had a few more hours of peace and quiet in which to organise her own things, ,,Sleep well little king" she whispered as she closed the door to his room and with a sigh made her way back to her own room.

Knowing that the meeting in the senate would take a long time she returned to her art of the gods, knowing that only they could help her and her family Appolo I pray to you for healing and beauty over my brother-in-law Caracalla and husband Geta she heard her own praying voice in front of her altar to Appolon the model for Geta.

In all the golden clothes he wore, even the make-up was dedicated to the god, but the gods seemed to have abandoned the brothers since the birth and not given her a blessing.

She spent the next few hours embroidering, writing and reading books, hoping to get advice from former emperors on how to cultivate fields to increase yields, which were getting lower and lower.

This was bad for the population of Rome, the army and the imperial family itself, who had to cope with all this without falling into the madness that Caracalla was making worse and worse.

The goblet of water next to her was refilled every now and then and the lamps and torches in her room were turned on by the servants when the sun had long since reached the horizon, she knew that the discussion in the Senate had to come to an end.

She was about to roll back the parchment and place it on the table when someone knocked on her door.

,,Yes?” she said, but instead of her beloved she only found a servant who bowed and replied, ,,Emperor Geta wishes to see you, he insists that you dine with him. His brother Emperor Caracalla has already been taken care of” the message read.

She sent the servant away with a wave of her hand and rose herself more hastily than she had intended and immediately headed for his chamber, which was only a corridor away.

So Caracalla is sleeping well it flashed through her mind casually as she realized that he had probably taken care of him as well. Geta was once again doing a lot more than he was supposed to, another reason why she loved him so much.

Stopping in front of the large double wooden door, the guards bowed before they opened the door for her and she was finally back with him, ,,Geta dearest I see you again,” she said happily and automatically went to the table where she had expected him to be for dinner but he wasn't there.

Turning around as she heard a sniffle she saw a golden curly head standing on the balcony, he was overlooking the city but ewa san his posture made her falter ,,Geta? Is everything alright?” she asked as she stepped out into the cool night and stood behind him, her fingers carefully resting against his back.

He was tense, trembling slightly but whether it was from the cold or the excitement she couldn't tell, ,,No one...none of these philistines listened, it led to nothing,” he finally said slowly as he turned to face her, the moon shining above him, the cold god watching over God's representation on earth.

The make-up on his face smudged, the golden light clothes wrinkled and not smooth and his blond hair completely disheveled. He did not have the madness of his brother, but as the sole ruler of an empire, such a burden lay heavily on him alone. ,,My husband, you know I couldn't be prouder, don't you?” she asked the superfluous question but knew he needed it.

The next moment he turned to her with a sigh and grasped her hands, she could see the watery eyes even in the faint moonlight, ,,The feelings are the same...but an emperor without his senate only with enemies and no support as it seems...is neither god nor man he is nothing” he finally spoke the truth and embraced her a little more strongly, slightly painfully and yet seeking help.

She understood him, understood him from the bottom of her heart, a pain, a helplessness she knew only too well.

Putting her hand on his cheek and looking at him for a moment, he entangled her in a kiss, she felt his hand at her side running over her hip, ,,Love you” she heard the murmured words as they broke away, as this wonderful fallen god looked at her so full of grace and love.

Her heart was bound with his as the brass rings made a soft muffled sound as their hands met again, the small smile on the god's lips as he looked at his love.

,,You are the most important thing to me and to Caracalla and I as your beloved swear to you that this will not be the end,” she assured him and saw the love that showed in the darkly painted eyes.

She saw him look away at Rome, the city behind him, his home and the empire that belonged to him, saw the nod, heard the intake of breath as he pulled her into another kiss. he may be destitute but he would never lose his family, his love, Geta knew that.

,,We'll show them together," he promised and led her next to him, leaving his hand linked with hers and seeming to promise her not only Rome, but the whole world, because together the imperial family of Rome would be able to do anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@potatoesenpaii , @thatnerdliv , @scorpiongirlsthings , @pxnx-kk

@the-a-word-2214 , @peakygirl1919 , @k-yurieee

[mostlysignssomeportents]

What the fuck is a PBM?

TOMORROW (Sept 24), I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Terminal-stage capitalism owes its long senescence to its many defensive mechanisms, and it's only by defeating these that we can put it out of its misery. "The Shield of Boringness" is one of the necrocapitalist's most effective defenses, so it behooves us to attack it head-on.

The Shield of Boringness is Dana Claire's extremely useful term for anything so dull that you simply can't hold any conception of it in your mind for any length of time. In the finance sector, they call this "MEGO," which stands for "My Eyes Glaze Over," a term of art for financial arrangements made so performatively complex that only the most exquisitely melted brain-geniuses can hope to unravel their spaghetti logic. The rest of us are meant to simply heft those thick, dense prospectuses in two hands, shrug, and assume, "a pile of shit this big must have a pony under it."

MEGO and its Shield of Boringness are key to all of terminal-stage capitalism's stupidest scams. Cloaking obvious swindles in a lot of complex language and Byzantine payment schemes can make them seem respectable just long enough for the scammers to relieve you of all your inconvenient cash and assets, though, eventually, you're bound to notice that something is missing.

If you spent the years leading up to the Great Financial Crisis baffled by "CDOs," "synthetic CDOs," "ARMs" and other swindler nonsense, you experienced the Shield of Boringness. If you bet your house and/or your retirement savings on these things, you experienced MEGO. If, after the bubble popped, you finally came to understand that these "exotic financial instruments" were just scams, you experienced Stein's Law ("anything that can't go forever eventually stops"). If today you no longer remember what a CDO is, you are once again experiencing the Shield of Boringness.

As bad as 2008 was, it wasn't even close to the end of terminal stage capitalism. The market has soldiered on, with complex swindles like carbon offset trading, metaverse, cryptocurrency, financialized solar installation, and (of course) AI. In addition to these new swindles, we're still playing the hits, finding new ways to make the worst scams of the 2000s even worse.

That brings me to the American health industry, and the absurdly complex, ridiculously corrupt Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), a pathology that has only metastasized since 2008.

On at least 20 separate occasions, I have taken it upon myself to figure out how the PBM swindle works, and nevertheless, every time they come up, I have to go back and figure it out again, because PBMs have the most powerful Shield of Boringness out of the whole Monster Manual of terminal-stage capitalism's trash mobs.

PBMs are back in the news because the FTC is now suing the largest of these for their role in ripping off diabetics with sky-high insulin prices. This has kicked off a fresh round of "what the fuck is a PBM, anyway?" explainers of extremely variable quality. Unsurprisingly, the best of these comes from Matt Stoller:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-lina-khan-pharma

Stoller starts by pointing out that Americans have a proud tradition of getting phucked by pharma companies. As far back as the 1950s, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver was holding hearings on the scams that pharma companies were using to ensure that Americans paid more for their pills than virtually anyone else in the world.

But since the 2010s, Americans have found themselves paying eye-popping, sky-high, ridiculous drug prices. Eli Lilly's Humolog insulin sold for $21 in 1999; by 2017, the price was $274 – a 1,200% increase! This isn't your grampa's price gouging!

Where do these absurd prices come from? The story starts in the 2000s, when the GW Bush administration encouraged health insurers to create "high deductible" plans, where patients were expected to pay out of pocket for receiving care, until they hit a multi-thousand-dollar threshold, and then their insurance would kick in. Along with "co-pays" and other junk fees, these deductibles were called "cost sharing," and they were sold as a way to prevent the "abuse" of the health care system.

The economists who crafted terminal-stage capitalism's intellectual rationalizations claimed the reason Americans paid so much more for health care than their socialized-medicine using cousins in the rest of the world had nothing to do with the fact that America treats health as a source of profits, while the rest of the world treats health as a human right.

No, the actual root of America's health industry's problems was the moral defects of Americans. Because insured Americans could just go see the doctor whenever they felt like it, they had no incentive to minimize their use of the system. Any time one of these unhinged hypochondriacs got a little sniffle, they could treat themselves to a doctor's visit, enjoying those waiting-room magazines and the pleasure of arranging a sick day with HR, without bearing any of the true costs:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/27/the-doctrine-of-moral-hazard/

"Cost sharing" was supposed to create "skin in the game" for every insured American, creating a little pain-point that stung you every time you thought about treating yourself to a luxurious doctor's visit. Now, these payments bit hardest on the poorest workers, because if you're making minimum wage, at $10 co-pay hurts a lot more than it does if you're making six figures. What's more, VPs and the C-suite were offered "gold-plated" plans with low/no deductibles or co-pays, because executives understand the value of a dollar in the way that mere working slobs can't ever hope to comprehend. They can be trusted to only use the doctor when it's truly warranted.

So now you have these high-deductible plans creeping into every workplace. Then along comes Obama and the Affordable Care Act, a compromise that maintains health care as a for-profit enterprise (still not a human right!) but seeks to create universal coverage by requiring every American to buy a plan, requiring insurers to offer plans to every American, and uses public money to subsidize the for-profit health industry to glue it together.

Predictably, the cheapest insurance offered on the Obamacare exchanges – and ultimately, by employers – had sky-high deductibles and co-pays. That way, insurers could pocket a fat public subsidy, offer an "insurance" plan that was cheap enough for even the most marginally employed people to afford, but still offer no coverage until their customers had spent thousands of dollars out-of-pocket in a given year.

That's the background: GWB created high-deductible plans, Obama supercharged them. Keep that in your mind as we go through the MEGO procedures of the PBM sector.

Your insurer has a list of drugs they'll cover, called the "formulary." The formulary also specifies how much the insurance company is willing to pay your pharmacist for these drugs. Creating the formulary and paying pharmacies for dispensing drugs is a lot of tedious work, and insurance outsources this to third parties, called – wait for it – Pharmacy Benefits Managers.

The prices in the formulary the PBM prepares for your insurance company are called the "list prices." These are meant to represent the "sticker price" of the drug, what a pharmacist would charge you if you wandered in off the street with no insurance, but somehow in possession of a valid prescription.

But, as Stoller writes, these "list prices" aren't actually ever charged to anyone. The list price is like the "full price" on the pricetags at a discount furniture place where everything is always "on sale" at 50% off – and whose semi-disposable sofas and balsa-wood dining room chairs are never actually sold at full price.

One theoretical advantage of a PBM is that it can get lower prices because it bargains for all the people in a given insurer's plan. If you're the pharma giant Sanofi and you want your Lantus insulin to be available to any of the people who must use OptumRX's formulary, you have to convince OptumRX to include you in that formulary.

OptumRX – like all PBMs – demands "rebates" from pharma companies if they want to be included in the formulary. On its face, this is similar to the practices of, say, NICE – the UK agency that bargains for medicine on behalf of the NHS, which also bargains with pharma companies for access to everyone in the UK and gets very good deals as a result.

But OptumRX doesn't bargain for a lower list price. They bargain for a bigger rebate. That means that the "price" is still very high, but OptumRX ends up paying a tiny fraction of it, thanks to that rebate. In the OptumRX formulary, Lantus insulin lists for $403. But Sanofi, who make Lantus, rebate $339 of that to OptumRX, leaving just $64 for Lantus.

Here's where the scam hits. Your insurer charges you a deductible based on the list price – $404 – not on the $64 that OptumRX actually pays for your insulin. If you're in a high-deductible plan and you haven't met your cap yet, you're going to pay $404 for your insulin, even though the actual price for it is $64.

Now, you'd think that your insurer would put a stop to this. They chose the PBM, the PBM is ripping off their customers, so it's their job to smack the PBM around and make it cut this shit out. So why would the insurers tolerate this nonsense?

Here's why: the PBMs are divisions of the big health insurance companies. Unitedhealth owns OptumRx; Aetna owns Caremark, and Cigna owns Expressscripts. So it's not the PBM that's ripping you off, it's your own insurance company. They're not just making you pay for drugs that you're supposedly covered for – they're pocketing the deductible you pay for those drugs.

Now, there's one more entity with power over the PBM that you'd hope would step in on your behalf: your boss. After all, your employer is the entity that actually chooses the insurer and negotiates with them on your behalf. Your boss is in the driver's seat; you're just along for the ride.

It would be pretty funny if the answer to this was that the health insurance company bought your employer, too, and so your boss, the PBM and the insurer were all the same guy, busily swapping hats, paying for a call center full of tormented drones who each have three phones on their desks: one labeled "insurer"; the second, "PBM" and the final one "HR."

But no, the insurers haven't bought out the company you work for (yet). Rather, they've bought off your boss – they're sharing kickbacks with your employer for all the deductibles and co-pays you're being suckered into paying. There's so much money (your money) sloshing around in the PBM scamoverse that anytime someone might get in the way of you being ripped off, they just get cut in for a share of the loot.

That is how the PBM scam works: they're fronts for health insurers who exploit the existence of high-deductible plans in order to get huge kickbacks from pharma makers, and massive fees from you. They split the loot with your boss, whose payout goes up when you get screwed harder.

But wait, there's more! After all, Big Pharma isn't some kind of easily pushed-around weakling. They're big. Why don't they push back against these massive rebates? Because they can afford to pay bribes and smaller companies making cheaper drugs can't. Whether it's a little biotech upstart with a cheaper molecule, or a generics maker who's producing drugs at a fraction of the list price, they just don't have the giant cash reserves it takes to buy their way into the PBMs' formularies. Doubtless, the Big Pharma companies would prefer to pay smaller kickbacks, but from Big Pharma's perspective, the optimum amount of bribes extracted by a PBM isn't zero – far from it. For Big Pharma, the optimal number is one cent higher than "the maximum amount of bribes that a smaller company can afford."

The purpose of a system is what it does. The PBM system makes sure that Americans only have access to the most expensive drugs, and that they pay the highest possible prices for them, and this enriches both insurance companies and employers, while protecting the Big Pharma cartel from upstarts.

Which is why the FTC is suing the PBMs for price-fixing. As Stoller points out, they're using their powers under Section 5 of the FTC Act here, which allows them to shut down "unfair methods of competition":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

The case will be adjudicated by an administrative law judge, in a process that's much faster than a federal court case. Once the FTC proves that the PBM scam is illegal when applied to insulin, they'll have a much easier time attacking the scam when it comes to every other drug (the insulin scam has just about run its course, with federally mandated $35 insulin coming online, just as a generation of post-insulin diabetes treatments hit the market).

Obviously the PBMs aren't taking this lying down. Cigna/Expressscripts has actually sued the FTC for libel over the market study it conducted, in which the agency described in pitiless, factual detail how Cigna was ripping us all off. The case is being fought by a low-level Reagan-era monster named Rick Rule, whom Stoller characterizes as a guy who "hangs around in bars and picks up lonely multi-national corporations" (!!).

The libel claim is a nonstarter, but it's still wild. It's like one of those movies where they want to show you how bad the cockroaches are, so there's a bit where the exterminator shows up and the roaches form a chorus line and do a kind of Busby Berkeley number:

https://www.46brooklyn.com/news/2024-09-20-the-carlton-report

So here we are: the FTC has set out to euthanize some rentiers, ridding the world of a layer of useless economic middlemen whose sole reason for existing is to make pharmaceuticals as expensive as possible, by colluding with the pharma cartel, the insurance cartel and your boss. This conspiracy exists in plain sight, hidden by the Shield of Boringness. If I've done my job, you now understand how this MEGO scam works – and if you forget all that ten minutes later (as is likely, given the nature of MEGO), that's OK: just remember that this thing is a giant fucking scam, and if you ever need to refresh yourself on the details, you can always re-read this post.

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/23/shield-of-boringness/#some-men-rob-you-with-a-fountain-pen

Image: Flying Logos (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Over_$1,000,000_dollars_in_USD_$100_bill_stacks.png

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[ashprince-of-bel-air]

Little Dove: Part 5

I'm trying to work up properly to some smut because we all know secretly that's where this story is going. I just want to have some fun writing first haha

Part Four , Part Six

The current gossip amongst the Roman population was of a young middle class woman with whom the Emperor had become so infatuated with, so much so that he broke societal protacall to protect her, her beauty so great he insulted one of the highest ranking families in the senate.

The days that followed that particular banquet were a blur to you, only truly remembering that night, ever so clearly in your mind. After Caracalla threw Marcus to he floor and claimed you as his you were not allowed to leave his side, his hand never left your waist, feeling the soft strokes of his thumb on your hip through your sheer gown. The senators stared but in intrigue, you were indeed beautiful but why would the Emperor claim you publicly and not just make you a concubine? Your father was furious at first, watching you struggle against Marcus, thinking that his entire life's work would be erased due to a disobedient daughter. That was until he saw you with the emperor, he knew he could use this to gain favour and climb higher than he had ever dare dreamed before.

Your father's villa had become your prison these past few days, word having spread of who you were. The first time you went into the market you were joined by men and women alike, trying to grant you gifts to gain your favour. After that visit your father put a stop to your wandering, he wanted you where he could see you, to make sure you remained untouched and unspoilt for the emperor as he made his secret preparations to ship you off to the palace.

The villa's garden and pool is where you now spent your time, tending to the flowers and swirling petals in the cool sunken pool, day dreaming the days away now that you could not leave the house. It was a shock when the palace guards came for you, ushering you away from the villa and into the royal carriage once again. You tried to call out to your father and understand what was happening, only briefly did he approach you, to kiss your forehead and utter a single sentence. "Make the Emperor happy." His smile was sinister and calculated as you were pulled away, watching him fade into the distance.

After being placed into the carriage you were treat comfortably, offered fine wine and food. It did not take long for you to figure out what was happening, your father was shipping you away to the Emperor, at who's request you were unsure, your father was not a man to pass up an opportunity when he saw one, and you had become a prize opportunity for him to scale the ladder of the senate. Senators were now taking notice of the father of the girl whom the Emperor had claimed for his own, and he would take advantage of this.

The palace was quiet when you finally arrived, the opulence of the banquets you had attended were no longer present, yet it did not make it looks any less regal. You witnessed as servants carried trunks full of your belongings to what would become your new home, a room that rivaled even the size of your father's villa. It was stocked with finery and a library of tomes you could not wait to devour, you had never imagined to experience such luxury in your life.

As you settled into your new home, taking in the giant bed, silk sheets and plush duck feather pillows you were overwhelmed, this was more than you could imagine. Caracalla stood at the doorway watching you, entranced by your beauty and the wonder you displayed in the room he chose for you, happy that you seemed so enraptured with everything in it. He walked over to you with a smirk as your back was towards him, looking through all the old tomes you could now read to yourself.

A small surprised yelp escaped your mouth as you felt his hands on your hips and his lips against your neck, pulling you towards his body once again, another blush forming on your cheeks as you felt his body press against yours once more. Caracalla's words were like silk upon your neck, his lips gently tracing over your skin as he spoke. "I trust everything is to your liking Little Dove, I had the room specially made for you" His lips found their way up your neck slowly, you arched your neck involuntarily so that you could feel more of his affection.

"You honour me, My Emperor" Your voice was barely a whisper, breathless by Caracalla's actions, yet you persisted, not wanting to be rude to your new provider. You felt him chuckle against your skin, kissing your neck and smiling once more before saying a phrase you would forever commit to memory, one that almost brought you to your knees.

"Although I may be Emperor, you will be my Goddess, and I aim to revere you as such." That phrase took your breath away, the silent moan that reverberated in your chest made Caracalla chuckle once again, his hands squeezing your hips affectionately now.

Caracalla's hands nudged your waist, encouraging you to turn and face him now, wanting to speak to you and look deep into your eyes. He lifted your chin so you could face him properly once again, he found it ever so endearing that you were this shy in front of him, yet so bold Infront of the old senators, loving how you could be so feisty yet so demure at the same time, such a mystery. "Not tonight though my Dove, I want you to be settled. You are to become mine and I want you to be happy here first" His lips were soft upon your own this time, not like at the banquet, this time your heart fluttered, eager to know more of him and learn more of his body.

Caracalla bid you goodbye for now, allowing you to acquaint yourself with your new home, taking in all the opulence before you. As you saw him leave it made your heart sink, you knew he had official business to attend to but you wanted him with you, day dreaming once again about your next encounter.

[mckitterick]

Christofascist Republican calls LGBTQ people "filth" during public forum

The culture of hate among Christofascists recently led to the violent beating and subsequent death of Choctaw two-spirit teenager Nex Benedict in Oklahoma.

When questioned about how 50+ anti-LGBTQ bills might have affected this case, State Senator Tom Woods said,

“We are a Republican state - supermajority - in the House and Senate. I represent a constituency that doesn’t want that filth in Oklahoma.”

Several audience members clapped at his statement, while others appeared shocked.

“We are a religious state and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state - we are a moral state,” Woods said. “We want to ... let people be able to go to the faith they choose. We are a Republican state and I’m going to vote my district, and I’m going to vote my values, and we don’t want that in the state of Oklahoma.”

State Representative David Hardin added, “How you live your life personally, that’s between you and God... but what goes through our public schools - I will fall back on my faith. I want to make sure that at least the children in our public schools have that faith... what I want to make sure of is that our young children have the right to grow up with that faith."

After the forum, Woods reiterated his stance on the matter: "I support my constituency, and like I said, we’re a Christian state, and we are tired of having that shoved down our throat at every turn... I stand behind my statement, and I stand behind the Republican Party values."

When asked what he thought of Woods’ characterization of LGBTQ people as “filth,” State Senator Dewayne Pemberton said, “No comment.”

Again and again, today's christofascist Republicans (any other sort doesn't get elected these days) reveal that they want to indoctrinate public school kids into their own bigoted hatred, forcing children to hate anyone who doesn't subscribe to their narrow interpretation of their religious texts. Christofascists seek to impose their personal, misguided religious biases on the general public, including creating laws codifying hate and authoritarian control over the lives and bodies of everyone, not just others in their own religion.

Make no mistake, Nex Benedict's death was caused by christofascist indoctrination of the three girls who brutally beat Nex in that school bathroom. Nex Benedict's death was caused by the school failing to take their injuries seriously, by hate codified in Oklahoma state laws designed to harass LGBTQ folks and normalize bigotry against them, by Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters appointing hate-speech villain Chaya Raichik (responsible for "Libs of TikTok") to the Oklahoma Department of Education's Library Media Advisory Committee even though she doesn't live in the state (but he likes that she used Benedict's school and teacher for targeted hate). And on and on - it's a systematic attack on personal freedom and human rights - and the lives of queer folks.

Nex Benedict's death is exactly what christofascists seek through indoctrinating children into their hate that perpetuates bigotry into the future and forcing their religious fanaticism into the public sphere through unconstitutional laws built on hate and control.

Do you want to live in a theocracy dictated by those who narrowly interpret their personal religious texts to promote hate? Because as long as citizens fail to speak out against these harbingers of civilizational collapse, they'll only feel more and more emboldened to turn hate crimes into victories.

We must not let another of our people become victim of systemic bigotry. To protect children and end generational indoctrination, we must fire all public officials who subscribe to christofascist hatred and, when appropriate, prosecute them for the violence they incite.

If we fail to end the careers of hateful christofascists, we fail our children.

[mqrrstarr]

PART TWO OF THIS REQUEST!!

Christmas with the Emperor (2/2)

Emperor Geta x GN! Reader

how Geta would celebrate the holidays (Saturnalia / Christmas) with you!

go read the caracalla one

Warnings: edited lightly, Saturnalia then Christmas mentioned, half story half headcanons

A/N: @babey-fruit-bat here’s part two for Geta!!

Summary: how Geta spends Saturnalia and Christmas with his SO!

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

Geta worked almost all the time. His stressed rarely reduced, unless healed by a night with you. Yet when the month of December came around, he was eager to celebrate the good god Saturn. He saw this as a time to celebrate, and to ease off the Senate’s heavy workload he was given.

“Sweetheart, are you ready to leave? I have to recite my speech to the people. I’m a tad bit nervous, but it is my duty.”

He looked a bit sad, but it was true. Unlike Caracalla, Geta had to be the one to present a speech to the Roman citizens. Saturnalia presented an opportunity for people to go around and get goodies and jewels from merchants. The annual ceremony was always lead by an Emperor though.

Caracalla had gone to the sacrificing ceremony, so Geta recited his speech. With your support, all had gone well and you were able to stroll in the markets after. You noticed a specific necklace you liked, and Geta noticed.

“You like that necklace? It’ll suit your neck well. Not as good as my hands of course, but it’ll do.”

He bought the necklace and placed it around you.

“Jewelry fit for a true ruler of Rome.”

He kissed your cheek and you were able to stay late and watch the moon rise above your heads.

“The moon cannot compare to your face, and it lights up your soul. I hope to end my life next to you, and cannot await to be with you forever.”

He said this as you were walking back to the palace, and the both of you fell asleep next to the fireplace in his room.

When it came to Christmas, Geta never really knew what you wanted. Caracalla was already nagging him with the things he got for his S/O, and he was left without ideas. Geta didn’t want to copy Caracalla, so he didn’t really know what to give you.

He decided to ask the Gods for inspiration, and it led to an extremely lavish gift. Something big, like a statue of the both of you, or just one of yourself, a library, an estate. Something big like that’s unexpected.

On Christmas Day, you’d wake up to Geta sitting at a table newly placed in his room, filled with food and your favorite treats. You’d eat, and he’d take you to whatever gift.

(For the sake of writing, I’ll say it’s a new vacation estate.)

“Sweetheart, I would never capture your worth in clothes or luxury. Instead, I see yourself in us. Our life. As the rulers of a grand empire, and hopefully, we can create an heir. Our legacy shall live on, and I cannot wait to grow old as a pair. I love you.”

9 months later, you had an heir and yet another vacation house with a statue of your newly made family.

the end. yippie!!

[deadpresidents]

Do you have any fave history sites you can recommend?

There aren't a ton of history website that I spend much time on, but there are two places that immediately come to mind that might be a surprising source of fascinating history content: the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate websites! The House has a blog of sorts called "Whereas: Stories from the People's House" that has published seemingly endless pieces about really interesting Congressional history. They are usually pretty short, but I have often just got lost digging through all the little stories and following related links. It's really cool. The Senate has a similar site, called Historical Highlights, and, again, there are some really interesting stories about people, events, the artwork or architectural details of the Capitol, and much more.

Both the House and Senate also have links to information about specific traditions or symbols that are really educational and informative. And there are scores of resources that you can download from both institutions -- entire books, along with historic reports and oral histories.

Another thing that you might not know is that you can contact Senate or House historians through the websites of the respective chambers of Congress if you have questions about something and they'll actually respond. A few years back, I was working on something regarding the Vice Presidency and had a really obscure question that I just could not find an answer on. I e-mailed the Senate historian, and a few days later, they responded with a detailed answer, directions to further sources, and an offer to help if I needed any further assistance! I'm not kidding when I say that it was legitimately the most impressed I've ever been with anything connected to the United States Congress.

[modernism-in-metroland]

Staircase, Senate House and Library, Bloomsbury

1936

Charles Holden

Image from RIBApix

[tanoraqui]

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Confirm your voter registration

Find your polling place

Know what ID to bring

Heck, just check out this website for a variety of official answers to voting-related questions, state by state. Or this one.

Did you know that in many states, you're required to get time off to vote?

And don’t forget your local elections! That’s where your single vote is most likely to make a difference, that’s where most of the decisions will affect your daily life and your neighbors’, and that’s where novice politicians whom you really like gain experience to rise to higher office!

- It's currently a dead heat for which party controls the House of Representatives (propose most laws, oversees the presidential election process which Trump WILL try to fuck with), so vote for that!

- 538's poll aggregates currently predict that only in 1 out of 11 timelines do Democrats win the Senate (approve Supreme Court nominees and basically every other appointment in the government) so vote like HELL for that!

- School Board members determine if books should be banned. Your Mayor and City Council members decide how much money goes to your local library, park, schools, and how much goes to the police. Do you want your local Parks Board or Transit Board or Superspecial Tiddlywinks Board to be run by someone who believes that public services should be privatized, or that they should serve the public? VOTE FOR THAT SHIT!!

- Also, in between, Governors and State Assembly and however you state or local municipality does measures, propositions and taxes... (I only know California, where our state constitution has been fighting for its life against direct democracy since 1911, and losing the whole time.) And sheriffs and district attorneys to run your local prosecution of criminals, and State Secretary of State to oversee your elections…

CANDI THE CAT IN HER STYLISH AUTUMN VEST WANTS YOU TO VOTE!

[longwindedbore]

What do you propose we do?

The 82 million citizens who DGAF-Enuff-2-vote weren’t moved by the Biden/Harris record (infrastructure bill, Medicare price cuts, CHIPS) or by Harris/Walz proposals or by the growing Red States dystopian policies.

+50% of North Carolinians voted for Trump even though his post hurricane emergency aid at $6 million was 1% of what NC requested. Biden/Harris have already sent $400 million to NC and are asking more from Congress. Florida re-elected representatives and Senators who voted AGAINST Hurricane aid.

Dolt 45 previously tried tariffs against Chinese, European, etc manufacturing resulting in retaliatory tariffs against U.S. agriculture exports (20% of what farmers produce is exported). US farm foreclosures skyrocketed under Trump’s tariffs even with the Dem House/GOP Senate $20 billion subsidies for farmers. Foreclosures dropped to less than half under Biden. Yet 78% of farm communities voted for Trump and Tariffs part deux.

2016, 2020, 2024 should have been blue tsunamis. Clearly they weren’t.

Clearly a majority of citizens in the US don’t give a flying rat’s ass for Egalitarianism or Social Justice, or General Prosperity. Hell, they firmly reject feeding the hungry, housing the dispossessed, providing healthcare, dealing with climate catastrophe, masking during a plague, public education, libraries, Head Start, Affirmative Action,

So what do you propose we do?

Protest? This is the USA: non-violent unarmed protestors will be shot by trafficked out-of-State under-18 teenagers who will then be acquitted! Get real!

What we have done is we’ve provided a common enemy to unite Trump’s loose coalition of billionaire predators, desperate small business owners, libertarians, evangelical dominionists, conservative Catholics, working poor, clueless Asian & Hispanics.

Maybe if we just observe for a year or so we’ll see them tear themselves apart without a unifying ‘threat’. Maybe panic the indifferent citizenry into giving a fuck?

Maybe not. But what we’ve done over the last eight years hasn’t worked either.