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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 years ago

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 7, 2023

Heather Cox Richardson

And then there was President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address.

This is the annual event in our politics that gets the most viewers. Last year, 38.2 million people watched it on television and streaming services.

What viewers saw tonight was a president repeatedly offering to work across the aisle as he outlined a moderate plan for the nation with a wide range of popular programs. He sounded calm, reasonable, and upbeat, while Republicans refused to clap for his successes—800,000 new manufacturing jobs, 20,000 new infrastructure projects, lower drug prices—or his call to strengthen the middle class.

And then, when he began to talk about future areas of potential cooperation, Republicans went feral. They heckled, catcalled, and booed, ignoring House speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) attempts to shush them. At the State of the Union, in the U.S. Capitol, our lawmakers repeatedly interrupted the president with insults, yelling “liar” and “bullsh*t.” And cameras caught it all.

Extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), her hands cupping her wide open mouth to scream at the president, became the face of the Republican Party.

Biden began with gracious remarks toward a number of Republicans as well as Democrats, then emphasized how Republicans and Democrats came together over the past two years to pass consequential legislation. Speaker McCarthy had asked him to take this tone, and he urged Republicans to continue to work along bipartisan lines, noting that the American people have made it clear they disapprove of “fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict.”

For the next hour the president laid out a promise to continue to rebuild the middle class, hollowed out by 40 years of policies based on the idea that cutting taxes and concentrating wealth among the “job creators” would feed the economy and create widespread prosperity. He listed the accomplishments of his administration so far: unemployment at a 50-year low, 800,000 good manufacturing jobs, lower inflation, 10 million new small businesses, the return of the chip industry to the United States, more than $300 billion in private investment in manufacturing, more than 20,000 new infrastructure projects, lower health care costs, Medicare negotiations over drug prices, investment in new technologies to combat climate change. He promised to continue to invest in the places and people who have been forgotten.

Biden described a national vision that includes everyone. It is a modernized version of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, and he very clearly invited non-MAGA Republicans to embrace it. He thanked those Republicans who voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, then tweaked those who had voted against it but claimed credit for funding. He told them not to worry: “I promised to be the president for all Americans. We’ll fund your projects. And I’ll see you at the ground-breaking.”

But then he hit the key point for Republicans: taxes. To pay for this investment in the future, Biden called for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. He noted that “in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion in profits and paid zero in federal income taxes.” “That’s simply not fair,” he said. He signed into law the requirement that billion-dollar companies have to pay a minimum of 15%—less than a nurse pays, he pointed out—and he called for a billionaire minimum tax. While he reiterated his promise that no one making less than $400,000 a year would pay additional taxes, he said “no billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter.” He also called for quadrupling the tax on corporate stock buybacks.

Republicans consider these proposals nonstarters because their whole vision is based on the idea of cutting taxes to free up capital. By committing to higher taxes on the wealthy, Biden was laying out a vision that is very much like that from the time before Reagan. It is a rejection of his policies and instead a full-throated defense of the idea that the government should work for ordinary Americans, rather than the rich.

And then he got into the specifics of legislation going forward, and Republicans lost it. The minority party has occasionally been vocal about its dislike of the State of the Union since Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted “You lie!” at President Obama in 2009 (Obama was telling the truth); a Democrat yelled “That’s not true” at Trump in 2018 as he, in fact, lied about immigration policy. But tonight was a whole new kind of performance.

Biden noted that he has cut the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion (in part because pandemic programs are expiring) and that Trump increased the deficit every year of his presidency, even before the pandemic hit. And yet, Congress responded to the rising debt under Trump by raising the debt limit, cleanly, three times.

Biden asked Congress to “commit here tonight that the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never, ever be questioned.” This, of course, is an issue that has bitterly divided Republicans, many of whom want to hold the country hostage until they get what they want. But they can’t agree on what they want, so they are now trying to insist that Biden is refusing to negotiate the budget when, in fact, he has simply said he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling. Budget negotiations are a normal part of legislating, and he has said he welcomes such talks. Tonight, once again, he asked the Republicans to tell the American people what, exactly, they propose.

And then Biden did something astonishing. He tricked the Republicans into a public declaration of support for protecting Social Security and Medicare. He noted that a number of Republicans have called for cutting, or even getting rid of, Social Security and Medicare. This is simply a fact—it is in Senator Rick Scott’s (R-FL) pre-election plan; the Republican Study Committee’s budget; statements by Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ron Johnson (R-WI); and so on—but Republicans booed Biden and called him a liar for suggesting they would make those cuts, and they did so in public.

Seeming to enjoy himself, Biden jumped on their assertion, forcing them to agree that there would be no cuts to Social Security or Medicare. It was budget negotiation in real time, and it left Biden holding all the cards.

From then on, Republican heckling got worse, especially as Biden talked about banning assault weapons. Biden led the fight to get them banned in 1994, but when Republicans refused to reauthorize that law, it expired and mass shootings tripled. Gun safety is popular in the U.S., and Republicans, many of whom have been wearing AR-15 pins on their lapels, booed him. When he talked about more work to stop fentanyl production, one of the Republican lawmakers yelled, “It’s your fault.”

In the midst of the heckling, Biden praised Republican president George W. Bush’s bipartisan $100 billion investment in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

And then, in this atmosphere, Biden talked about protecting democracy. “For the last few years our democracy has been threatened, attacked, and put at risk,” he said. “Put to the test here, in this very room, on January 6th.”

With lawmakers demonstrating the dangerous behavior he was warning against, he said: “We must all speak out. There is no place for political violence in America. In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right. We honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We must uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy. And we must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor.”

“Democracy must not be a partisan issue. It must be an American issue.”

With Republicans scoffing at him, he ended with a vision of the nation as one of possibility, hope, and goodness. “We must be the nation we have always been at our best. Optimistic. Hopeful. Forward-looking. A nation that embraces light over darkness, hope over fear, unity over division. Stability over chaos.”

“We must see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. We are a good people.”

Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave the Republican rebuttal. Full of references to the culture wars and scathing of Biden, she reinforced the Republican stance during the speech. “The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left,” she said. “The choice is between normal or crazy.”

She is probably not the only one who is thinking along those lines after tonight’s events, but many are likely drawing a different conclusion than she intended.

—

Notes:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/republican-response-sarah-huckabee-sanders-biden-sotu/index.html

https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-offers-bipartisan-olive-branch-during-state-of-the-union-republicans-slap-it-away

https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-boo-trump-on-immigration-state-of-the-union-2018-1

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[from comments]

MaryOMary

"The photo of that one woman, her mouth stretched open in a howl of hate; it brought to mind the faces we saw so long ago gathered behind Black schoolchildren as they headed toward newly desegregated classrooms. It was shocking then, seeing those neatly dressed but anonymous hurling pure howling hatred to innocent kids. It’s different but no less shocking seeing that very expression from elected officials directed at our President of the United States. It’s insane. And it’s forever frozen in time, that moment of unhinged lunacy. Shame, shame, shame."

#Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From An American #SOTU #clown show #the whole world is watching #SOTU 2023 #US House of Representatives #Social Security #politics #The Taliban 20

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coochiequeens · 2 years ago

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The co-director of MADP, Elyse Max, told local news outlet KRCG: “We just implore the Governor to find mercy in his heart. Amber is a gentle human. Everyone who knows her knows that Amber is not of future harm.” WTF Elyse? Sott raped a girl back in 1992 and raped a murdered a woman in 2003.

Government officials and “prison reform” activists in the United States are backing an effort to block the execution of a convicted child sex offender and murderer who began identifying as transgender while on death row.

Missouri Democrat Representatives Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver have issued a letter to the state’s governor requesting clemency for Amber McLaughlin, a man who is set to become the first transgender inmate executed by the state for his crimes on January 3, 2023.

Formerly known as “Scott,” McLaughlin began transitioning while on death row for the horrific rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, Beverly Guenther, in 2003.

According to court records, Guenther and McLaughlin met in 2002 and began living with each other shortly into the relationship. But the cohabitation was marred by break-ups that were often so serious that Guenther sometimes had to obtain restraining orders to keep McLaughlin away from her.

In the spring of 2003, Guenther and McLaughlin formally ended their relationship, but McLaughlin continued to pursue the woman, exhibiting stalking behaviors by frequently visiting her place of work and calling her.

On October 27, 2003, McLaughlin was arrested after burglarizing Guenther’s home. He told arresting officers he was trying to reclaim possessions he left behind at the home while living with Guenther, and was arraigned in November. Guenther had filed for a protective order just two days before McLaughlin murdered her.

On the night of November 20, while the protective order was in effect, McLaughlin drove to Guenther’s workplace and waited for her in the parking lot of the office building. He ambushed her as she walked towards her truck, pulled her to the ground, and sexually assaulted her.

After violating the woman, McLaughlin stabbed her to death and shoved her corpse in his hatchback. He drove Guenther’s body to a nearby river, and disposed of it in the underbrush. McLaughlin was arrested the next day at the hospital while attempting to obtain medication for his mental illness.

McLaughlin was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and forcible rape. A trial jury was unable to decide whether to impose a sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole, and the presiding judge made the final decision to issue the death penalty.

McLaughlin has unsuccessfully appealed his sentence multiple times over since it was handed down.

In 2016, McLaughlin was granted a stay of execution, but it was re-instated by a Federal Appeals Court in 2021. On September 29, after years of delays, the state of Missouri announced a date of January 3, 2023, had been set for McLaughlin’s execution.

In addition to the 2003 murder of Beverley Guenther, McLaughlin also had a historical sex offender registrationdue to a 1992 conviction for raping a 14-year-old girl.

On December 12, McLaughlin’s legal counsel filed a clemency petition urging Missouri Governor Mike Parson to intervene and prevent the execution. In the 27-page document, McLaughlin’s lawyers portrayed their client sympathetically, stating that he was “failed by the institutions… that should have protected [him].”

Included in the petition were descriptions of childhood physical and sexual abuse, periods of time spent in foster care, brain damage from fetal alcohol exposure, and mental illness that manifested as depression.

Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (MADP) took up McLaughlin’s cause and rallied at the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday, December 27, to request that Governor Mike Parson grant clemency to McLaughlin. The organization delivered a petition with over 6,000 signatures to Parson’s office.

The plea was supported by seven former Missouri judges, according to MADP, and two Democratic state representatives of Congress.

A joint letter signed and issued by both Rep. Bush (D-MO) and Rep. Cleaver (D-MO), delivered alongside MADP’s petition, requested that Governor Parson halt the scheduled execution and commute McLaughlin’s sentence to life in prison, citing “gender dysphoria” and “mental health issues” as mitigating circumstances.

The letter, dated December 27, argues that jurors deliberating McLaughlin’s sentence were deprived of “crucial mental health evidence,” including information regarding his “gender dysphoria,” as his defense lawyers “failed to present it.”

Using feminine pronouns for McLaughlin, the politicians wrote: “Ms. McLaughlin faced a traumatic childhood and mental health issues throughout her life. She experienced horrific abuse and neglect at the hands of various caregivers; court records indicate her adoptive father would frequently strike her with paddles and a night stick, and even tase her. Alongside this horrendous abuse, she was also silently struggling with her identity, grappling with what we now understand is gender dysphoria. The abuse, coupled with the persistent mental turmoil surrounding her identity, led to mild neurological brain damage and multiple suicide attempts both as a child and as an adult.”

The two representatives concluded their appeal by describing McLaughlin as a “woman” and referencing discrimination against “LGBTQ+” people.

“Ms. McLaughlin’s cruel execution would mark the state’s first use of the death penalty on a woman since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, and even worse it would not solve any of the systemic problems facing Missourians and people all across America, including antiLGBTQ+ hate and violence, and cycles of violence that target and harm women.”

A spokesperson for Gov. Parson told NBC News that the governor is reviewing the clemency request.

Earlier this month, Oregon Governor Kate Brown commuted the death sentences of 17 men convicted of violent murders, including one male inmate who had begun identifying as a woman while on death row.

According to court documents, in 1994 Karl Anthony Terry killed Jeffrey and Dale Brown with a samurai sword while they slept. The three men belonged to an organization that Terry called the “Order of the Black Dove.” The creed of the Order of the Black Dove, as stated in Terry’s journal entries, “celebrated violence and other anti-social behavior.”

While incarcerated and awaiting the death sentence, Terry began identifying as transgender and adopted the name Tara Ellyssia Zyst. Terry has used nearly a dozen other aliases in addition to Tara Ellyssia, such as Miazni Theidra, Deluria Dinnae, Uujohne Aejetta, and Ula Mitsata. He is being held at Snake River Correctional Facility in Ontario, Oregon, a medium-security mixed custody prison, and is now listed as “female” in prison records.

By Genevieve Gluck Genevieve is the Co-Founder of Reduxx, and the outlet's Chief Investigative Journalist with a focused interest in pornography, sexual predators, and fetish subcultures. She is the creator of the podcast Women's Voices, which features news commentary and interviews regarding women's rights.

#Mississippi #Amber McLaughlin is Scott McLaughlin #Rest In Peace Beverly Guenther #Doesn’t Cori Bush have better people and causes to devote her attention to?#doesn’t Emanuel Cleaver have better people and causes to devote his attention to?#Not a woman #NotOurCrimes

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newstfionline · 15 days ago

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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Biden shrinks from view ahead of Trump’s return to Washington (Politico) Biden only has 42 more days left in office, but within the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill—and even within his own administration—it feels like he left the Oval Office weeks ago, Politico reports. “Biden has effectively disappeared from the radar in the wake of Democrats’ bruising electoral loss. Since Nov. 5, he’s largely stuck to prepared remarks, avoided unscripted public appearances or press questions and opted to sit out the raging debate over Donald Trump’s victory, policy conversations in Congress and the Democratic Party’s future.” And the president’s low profile “has contributed to the sense of rudderlessness that’s taken hold across swaths of Washington, as lawmakers, aides and party officials brace for Trump’s return to power and seek a new direction and vision ahead of the midterms and 2028.”

2024 will be the hottest year on record, EU scientists say (Reuters) This year will be the world's warmest since records began, with extraordinarily high temperatures expected to persist into at least the first few months of 2025, European Union scientists said on Monday. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said data from January to November had confirmed 2024 is now certain to be the hottest year on record, and the first in which average global temperatures exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period. The previous hottest year on record was 2023. Extreme weather has swept around the world in 2024, with severe drought hitting Italy and South America, fatal floods in Nepal, Sudan and Europe, heatwaves in Mexico, Mali and Saudi Arabia that killed thousands, and disastrous cyclones in the U.S. and the Philippines.

Massacre in Haiti’s Capital Leaves Nearly 200 Dead, U.N. Says (NYT) More than 180 people were killed in a massacre over the weekend in one of the poorest neighborhood’s of Haiti’s capital, the United Nation’s human rights chief said on Monday. A leading Haitian human rights group described the killings as the personal vendetta of a gang boss who had been told that witchcraft caused his son’s fatal illness. Older people who practiced Voodoo appeared to have been targeted, according to the group. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told reporters in Geneva that at least 184 people had been killed. The latest killings bring the country’s total death toll to 5,000 people this year, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said on Monday. More than 700,000 people have fled Haiti due to the violence, and almost half of the country’s 11.7 million people face hunger.

Protests in Georgia (Foreign Policy) For the past week, hundreds of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in cities across the country, and the situation is escalating by the day. In the capital, Tbilisi, the demonstrators have been met with an increasingly forceful government response, with the use of tear gas and water cannons now routine. Social media is flooded with videos and photos that document police brutality targeting journalists, political activists, and ordinary citizens. Opposition politicians have been arrested from their homes. Despite the heavy-handed crackdown, the protests show no signs of abating. Given the intensity of anger on the streets, the country appears to be in a “pre-revolutionary state.”

Ukraine death toll (Washington Post) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing increased pressure to deploy more younger people to the front lines. With future aid from Washington uncertain, U.S. officials have warned that Ukraine’s personnel shortage is perhaps more critical right now than its arms deficit, and comes as Russia has continued gaining ground on the battlefield with high-attrition-style combat. Meanwhile, Zelensky said Sunday that around 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since Russia invaded in 2022. The comments were in apparent response to President-elect Donald Trump’s claim hours earlier that Kyiv had “lost” some 400,000 soldiers in battle “and many more civilians.”

South Korea President Yoon banned from foreign travel as leadership crisis deepens (Reuters) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been banned from leaving the country over a failed attempt at imposing martial law, a justice ministry official said on Monday, amid growing calls for him to step down and a deepening leadership crisis. Yoon has apologised for the botched attempt and said he was leaving his political and legal fate to his ruling People Power Party (PPP) but has not resigned. On Monday, the defence ministry said Yoon was still legally commander in chief, but growing dissent among senior military officers against the president has thrown into question his grip on power.

Taiwan raises alert as China deploys 90 ships in likely drills (Reuters) China has reportedly deployed 90 warships, coast guard ships near Taiwanese waters, as well as around the southern Japanese islands and East and South China Seas. According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND), Beijing has also set up seven "temporary reserved areas" of airspace to the east of its eastern Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. In response to these latest moves, Taipei declared the launch of combat readiness drills.

Rent’s too high down under (Guardian) According to a new report, homelessness is a massively growing problem in Australia. The report, published by the University of New South Wales and the non-government organization Homelessness Australia, found that homeless shelters were helping an extra 10,000 homeless people per month, a significant increase to the roughly 95,000 they help in an average month. “We’ve seen an extraordinary period of rent inflation, which has run over the last four years,” said one researcher. With inflation included, he said, renters were facing a “29% real increase over four years,” pushing “a lot of people into a riskier situation, or into homelessness.” “Rent is increasing significantly and people are unable to afford it. So they’ll come in for help because they’re in rent arrears or for help finding a new property because they have been trying, and there’s just nothing that’s affordable for them any more,” said another leader at a homeless aid center.

Fall of Assad puts Russia’s large military footprint in Syria at risk (Washington Post) Russia’s military bases in Syria were a major asset for Moscow before the Assad regime’s stunning collapse over the weekend. Now, they could be a major liability. The Russian military sites in Syria include a naval port on the Mediterranean Sea to berth submarines and an airfield to project power across the Middle East and Africa. But after rebels ousted Kremlin-backed President Bashar al-Assad, the future of these installations is uncertain. Russia backed Assad in Syria’s 13-year civil war, hitting rebels with airstrikes from 2015 on and prolonging his reign. Other nations also maintain military facilities in Syria. The U.S. base at Tanf, on the Syrian border with Jordan, has housed Special Operations forces; Turkey has bases in Idlib and elsewhere in the north. But Russia’s holdings are far larger in scale, strategic significance and vulnerability.

Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria’s Assad? (AP) Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. As he entered Damascus behind his victorious fighters Sunday, he even dropped his nom de guerre and referred to himself with his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test. Insurgents control Damascus, Assad has fled into hiding, and for the first time after 50 years of his family’s iron hand, it is an open question how Syria will be governed. Syria is home to multiple ethnic and religious communities, often pitted against each other by Assad’s state and years of war. Many of them fear the possibility that Sunni Islamist extremists will take over. The country is also fragmented among disparate armed factions, and foreign powers from Russia and Iran to the United States, Turkey and Israel all have their hands in the mix. “Syria deserves a governing system that is institutional, no one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions,” he said in an interview with CNN last week. “Don’t judge by words, but by actions,” he said.

Israeli Ground Forces Cross into Syria, Officials Say (NYT) Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border over the weekend, when they took control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed essential for stabilizing control of the area. Israel has been covertly operating in Syria for many years amid its current conflict with Hezbollah. More recently, the Israeli military has been more explicit about striking sites and people there, saying it was targeting Hezbollah’s supply lines. But the deployment of ground troops beyond the demilitarized zone in Syria marks a significant shift in policy as the first overt entry of Israeli military forces into Syrian territory since the 1974 cease-fire agreement that officially ended the last war between Israel and Syria.

Netanyahu is set to take the witness stand for the first time in his corruption trial in Israel (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as the leader wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges. At home, Netanyahu is on trial for accusations of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate affairs. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, but his appearance on the witness stand will be a low point in his decades-long political career, standing in contrast to the image of a sophisticated, respected leader he has tried to cultivate. It will be the first time an Israeli prime minister has taken the stand as a criminal defendant, and Netanyahu has repeatedly sought to delay the proceedings.

‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year (AP) The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world—or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is “polarization”? “Polarization means division, but it’s a very specific kind of division,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s announcement. “Polarization means that we are tending toward the extremes rather than toward the center.” The election was so divisive, many American voters went to the polls with a feeling that the opposing candidate was an existential threat to the nation. According to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, about 8 in 10 Kamala Harris voters were very or somewhat concerned that Donald Trump’s views—but not Harris’—were too extreme, while about 7 in 10 Trump voters felt the same way about Harris—but not Trump. Last year’s pick was “authentic.” This year’s comes as large swaths of the U.S. struggle to reach consensus on what is real.

Queen Elizabeth II Did Bath Time in Her Crown, Charles Reveals (Newsweek) King Charles III has revealed in the new documentary Coronation Girls that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, once wore her crown while giving her children a bath to “get used to how heavy” it was ahead of her 1953 coronation. St. Edward’s Crown weighs nearly 5 pounds; it consists of a 22-karat solid gold frame decorated with 444 gemstones. Ah, the royals. They’re just like us.

#headlines #news

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onenakedfarmer · 1 year ago

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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN Speech Given January 5, 2023

Today, the topic of my speech today is deadly serious and I think it needs to be made at the outset of this campaign.

In the winter of 1777, it was harsh and cold as the Continental Army marched to Valley Forge. General George Washington knew he faced the most daunting of tasks, to fight and win a war against the most powerful empire in existence in the world at the time. His mission was clear: liberty, not conquest. Freedom. Not domination. National independence. Not individual glory.

America made a vow: Never again would we bow down to a king.

Months ahead would be incredibly difficult. But General Washington knew something in his bones. Something about the spirit of the troops he was leading. Something, something about the soul of the nation he was struggling to be born. In his general order, he predicted, and I quote, with one heart and one mind, with fortitude and with patience, they would overcome every difficulty, the troops he was leading. And they did. They did.

This army that lacked blankets and food, clothes and shoes. This army, whose march left bloody bare footprints in the snow. This ragtag army made up of ordinary people.

Their mission, George Washington declared, was nothing less than a sacred cause. That was the phrase he used. A sacred cause. Freedom, Liberty. Democracy. American democracy.

I just visited the grounds of Valley Forge. I’ve been there a number of times since the time I was a Boy Scout years ago.

You know, it’s the very site that I think every American should visit, because it tells the story of the pain and the suffering and the true patriotism it took to make America.

Today, we gather in a new year, some 246 years later, just one day before January 6, a day forever seared in our memory because it was on that day that we nearly lost America, lost it all.

Today, we’re here to answer the most important of questions. Is democracy still America’s sacred cause? I mean it.

This is not rhetorical, academic or hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time.

And it’s what the 2024 election is all about.

The choice is clear.

Donald Trump’s campaign is about him, not America, not you.

Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power.

Our campaign is different. For me and Kamala, our campaign is about America. It’s about you. It’s about every age and background that occupy this country.

It’s about the future we’re going to continue to build together. And our campaign is about preserving and strengthening our American democracy.

Three years ago tomorrow, we saw with our own eyes the violent mob stormed the United States Capitol. It was almost in disbelief as you first turned on the television.

For the first time in our history, insurrectionists had come to stop the peaceful transfer, transfer of power in America. First time.

Smashing windows, shattering doors, attacking the police.

Outside, gallows were erected as the MAGA crowd chanted, “Hang Mike Pence.”

Inside, they hunted for Speaker Pelosi. The House was chanting as they marched through and smashed windows, “Where’s Nancy?”

Over 140 police officers were injured.

Jill and I attended the funeral of police officers who died as a result of the events of that day.

Because Donald, because of Donald Trump’s lies, they died because these lies brought a mob to Washington.

He promised it would be wild. And it was.

He told the crowd to “fight like hell” and all hell was unleashed.

He promised he would write them, write them, everything they did. He would be side by side with them.

Then, as usual, he left the dirty work to others.

He retreated to the White House.

As America was attacked from within, Donald Trump watched on TV in a private, small dining room off my oval, off the Oval Office.

The entire nation watched in horror.

The whole world watched in disbelief.

And Trump did nothing.

Members of his staff, members of his family. Republican leaders who were under attack at that very moment pled with him.

Act. Call off the mob. Imagine had he gone out and said, “Stop.”

Still, Trump did nothing.

It was among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history.

An attempt to overturn a free and fair election by force and violence. A record 81 million people voted for my candidacy and to end his presidency.

Trump lost the popular vote by 7 million.

Trump’s claims about the 2020 election never could stand up in court. Trump lost 60 court cases. Sixty.

Trump lost the Republican-controlled states. Trump lost before a Trump-appointed judge, and then judges, and Trump lost before the United States Supreme Court.

All of it. He lost.

Trump lost recount after recount after recount and state after state.

But in desperation and weakness, Trump and his MAGA followers went after election officials who ensured your power as a citizen would be heard.

These public servants had their lives forever upended by attacks and death threats for simply doing their jobs.

In Atlanta, Georgia, a brave Black mother and her daughter, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, were doing their jobs as election workers until Donald Trump and his MAGA followers targeted and threatened them, forcing them from their homes, unleashing racist vitriol on them.

Trump’s personal lawyer. Rudy Giuliani, was just hit with a 148 million-dollar judgment for cruelty and defamation that he inflicted against them.

Other state and local elected officials across the country faced similar personal attacks. In addition, Fox News agreed to pay a record eight, 787 million dollars for the lies they told about voter fraud.

Let’s be clear about the 2020 election.

Trump exhausted every legal avenue available to him to overturn the election. Every one, but the legal path just took Trump back to the truth, that I’d won the election and he was a loser.

Well, so knowing how his mind works now, he had one, he had one act left.

One desperate act available to him, the violence of January the sixth.

Since that day, more than 1,200 people have been charged with assault in the Capitol. Nearly 900 of them have been convicted or pled guilty. Collectively to date, they have been sentenced to more than 840 years in prison.

What’s Trump done?

Instead of calling them criminals, he’s called these insurrectionists patriots. They’re patriots. And he promised to pardon them if he returns to office. Trump said that there was a lot of love on January the sixth.

The rest of the nation, including law enforcement, saw a lot of hate and violence.

One Capitol Police officer called it a medieval battle.

That same officer called vile, was called vile, racist names.

He said he was more afraid in the Capitol of the United States of America, in the chambers, than when he was fighting as a soldier in the war in Iraq. He said he was more afraid inside the halls of Congress than fighting in war in Iraq.

In trying to rewrite the facts of January sixth, Trump was trying to steal history, the same way he tried to steal the election.

But he, we knew the truth, because we saw it with our own eyes. So it wasn’t like something, a story being told. It was on television repeatedly. We saw it with our own eyes.

Trump’s mob wasn’t a peaceful protest. It was a violent assault.

They were insurrectionists, not patriots.

They weren’t there to uphold the Constitution. They were there to destroy the Constitution.

Trump won’t do what an American president must do.

He refuses to denounce political violence.

So hear me clearly.

I’ll say what Donald Trump won’t. Political violence is never, ever acceptable in the United States political system. Never, never, never.

It has no place in a democracy. None.

You can’t be pro-insurrectionist and pro-American.

You know, Trump and his MAGA supporters not only embrace political violence, but they laugh about it.

At his rally, he jokes about an intruder, whipped by the big Trump lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi’s skull, and echoing the very same words used on January 6th. “Where’s Nancy?”

And he thinks that’s funny. He laughed about it. What a sick …

My God.

I, I think it’s despicable. Seriously. Not just for a president, for any person to say that.

But to say it to the whole world listening. When I was overseas, anyway …

Trump’s assault on democracy isn’t just part of his past. It’s what he’s promising for the future. He’s been straightforward.

He’s not hiding the ball.

His first rally for the 2024 campaign opened with a choir of January sixth insurrectionists singing from prison on a cellphone while images of the January sixth riot played on the big screen behind him at his rally.

Can you believe that?

This is like something out of a fairy tale, a bad fairy tale.

Trump began his 2024 campaign by glorifying the failed violent insurrectionist, insurrection at our, on our Capitol.

The guy who claims law and order sows lawlessness and disorder.

Trump’s not concerned about your future. I promise you.

Trump is now promising a full-scale campaign of revenge and retribution, his words, for some years to come.

They were his words, not mine. He went on to say he’d be a dictator on day one.

I mean, if I were writing a book of fiction, and I said an American president said that, and not in jest.

He called and I quote, the termination, quote, this is a quote, the termination of all the rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the U.S. Constitution should be terminated if it fits his will.

It’s really kind of hard to believe.

Even found in the Constitution, he could terminate.

He’s threatened the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the death penalty.

He says he should be put to death because the chairman put his oath to the Constitution ahead of his personal loyalty to Trump.

This coming from a president who called, when he visited his cemetery, called dead soldiers “suckers and losers.” Remember that?

How dare he?

Who in God’s name does he think he is?

With former aides, Trump plans to invoke the Insurrectionist Act, Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy, he’s not allowed to do it in ordinary circumstances, allow him to deploy U.S. military forces on the streets of America.

He said it.

He calls those who oppose him vermin.

He talks about the blood of America’s is being poisoned, echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany.

He proudly posts on social media the words that best describe his 2024 campaign. Quote, revenge, quote, power, and quote, dictatorship.

There’s no confusion about who Trump is, what he intends do.

I placed my hand on our family Bible, and I swore an oath on the very same steps of the Capitol just 14 days after the attack on January the sixth.

As I looked out over the capital city, whose streets were lined with National Guard to prevent another attack, I saw an American that had been pushed to the brink, an America that had been pushed to the brink.

But I felt enormous pride, not in winning. I felt enormous pride in America, because American democracy had been tested.

American democracy had held together.

And when Trump had seen weakness in our democracy and continued to talk about it, I saw strength.

Your strength, it’s not hyperbole.

Your strength, your integrity, American strength and integrity.

Ordinary citizens, state election officials, the American judicial system, had put the Constitution first, and sometimes at their peril, at their peril.

Because of them.

Because of you.

The will of the people prevailed.

Not the anger of the mob or the appetites of one man.

When the attack on January sixth happened, there was no doubt about the truth.

At the time, even Republican members of Congress and Fox News commentators publicly and privately condemned the attack.

As one Republican senator said, Trump’s behavior was embarrassing and humiliating for the country. But now that same senator and those same people have changed their tune.

As time has gone on, gone on, politics, fear, money, all have intervened.

And now these MAGA voices, who know the truth about Trump on January sixth, have abandoned the truth and abandoned the democracy.

They made their choice.

Now, the rest of us, Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans, we have to make our choice.

I know mine, and I believe I know America’s.

We’ll defend the truth, not give in to the big lie.

We’ll embrace the Constitution of the Declaration, not abandon it.

We’ll honor the sacred cause of democracy, not walk away from it.

Today, I make this sacred pledge to you: The defense, protection and preservation of American democracy will remain, as it has been, the central cause of my presidency.

America, as we begin this election year, we must be clear: Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot.

Yes, we’ll be voting on many issues: on the freedom to vote, and have your vote counted. On the freedom of choice.

The freedom to have a fair shot.

The freedom from fear.

And we’ll debate and disagree.

Without democracy, no progress is impossible. Think about it.

The alternative to democracy is dictatorship. The rule of one, not the rule of we, the people.

That’s what the soldiers of Valley Forge understood.

We have to understand it as well.

We’ve been blessed so long with a strong, stable democracy, it’s easy to forget why so many before us risked their lives and strengthened democracy.

What our lives would be without it.

Democracy means having the freedom to speak your mind, to be who you are, to be who you want to be.

Democracy is about being able to bring about peaceful change.

Democracy. Democracy is how we open the doors of opportunity wider and wider with each successive generation, not notwithstanding our mistakes.

But if democracy falls, we’ll lose that freedom, we’ll lose the power of we, the people, to shape our destiny.

If you doubt me, look around the world.

Travel with me as I meet with other heads of state throughout the world.

Look at the authoritarian leaders and dictators Trump says he admires. He out loud says he admires.

I won’t go through them all. It would take too long.

Look, remember how he first, how he refers to what he calls love letter exchanges between he and the dictator of North Korea?

Those women and men out there in the audience who’s ever fought for an American military. Did you ever believe you’d hear a president say something like that?

His admiration for Putin?

I could go on.

And look at what these autocrats are doing to limit freedom in their countries.

They’re limiting freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to assemble, women’s rights, LGBQ rights, people are going to jail. So much more.

It’s true. The push and pull of American history is not a fairy tale.

Every stride forward in America is met with ferocious backlash, many times, from those who fear progress and those who exploit that fear for their own personal gain.

From those who traffic in lies, told for power and profit. For those who are driven by grievance and grift, consumed by conspiracy and victimhood.

From those who seek to bury history and ban books.

Did you ever think you’d be at a political event and talk about book banning, for a presidential and a presidential election?

The choice in contest between those forces, those competing forces, between solidarity and division, is perennial. But this time it’s so different.

You can’t have a contest, you can’t have a contest, if you see politics as an all-out war instead of a peaceful way to resolve our differences.

All-out war is what Trump wants.

That’s why he doesn’t understand the most fundamental truth about this country.

Unlike other nations on Earth, America is not built on ethnicity, religion, geography.

We’re the only nation in the history of the world built on an idea, not hyperbole, built on an idea.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal.

It’s an idea, declared in the Declaration, created in a way that we’ve viewed everybody as equal and should be treated equal throughout their lives.

We’ve never fully lived up to that. We have a long way to go, but we’ve never walked away from the idea.

We’ve never walked away from it.

And I promise you, I will not let Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans force us to walk away now.

We’re living in an era where a determined minority is doing everything in its power to try to destroy our democracy for their own agenda.

The American people know it, and they’re standing bravely in the breach.

Remember, after 2020, January 6th insurrection to undo the election in which more Americans had voted than any other in American history.

America saw the threat posed to the country and they voted them out in 2022. Historic midterm election. In state after state, election after election, the election deniers were defeated.

Now, in 2024, Trump is running as the denier-in-chief, the election denier-in-chief.

Once again, he’s saying he won’t honor the results of the election if he loses.

Trump says he doesn’t understand, or he still doesn’t understand the basic truth. That is, you can’t love your country only when you win.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

I’ll keep my commitment to be president for all of America. Whether you voted for me or not, I’ve done it for the last three years and I’ll continue to do it.

Together, we can keep proving that America is still a country that believes in decency, dignity, honesty, honor, truth.

We still believe that no one, not even the president, is above the law.

We still believe the vast majority of us still believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at making.

We’re still a nation that gives hate no safe harbor.

I tell you from my experience working with leaders around the world, and I mean this sincerely, not a joke, that America is still viewed as a beacon of democracy for the world.

I can’t tell you how many, how many world leaders, and I know all of them, virtually all of them, grab my arm in private and say, “He can’t win. Tell me. No, my country will be at risk.”

Think of how many countries, Tommy, you know that are on the edge.

Imagine.

We still believe in we the people, and that includes all of us. Not some of us.

Let me close with this.

In the cold winter of 1777, George Washington and his American troops to Valley Forge waged a battle on behalf of a revolutionary idea, that everyday people like where I come from, and the vast majority of you, not a king or a dictator, that everyday people can govern themselves without a king or a dictator.

In fact, in the rotunda of the Capitol, there’s a giant painting of General George Washington, not President Washington.

And he is resigning his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

A European king at the time said after he won the revolution, now’s the time for him to declare his kingship.

But instead, the mob that attacked the Capitol, waving Trump flags and Confederate flags, stormed right past that portrait.

That image of George Washington gave them no pause, but it should have.

The artist who painted that portrait memorialized that moment because he said it was, quote, one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world, end of quote.

George Washington was the height of his power, having just defeated the most powerful empire on Earth.

Could have held on to power as long as he wanted.

He could have made himself not a future president, but a future monarch, in effect.

And by the way, when he got elected president, he could have stayed for two, three, four or five terms till he died.

But that wasn’t the America he and the American troops at Valley Forge had fought for.

In America, genuine leaders, democratic leaders with a small D don’t hold on to power relentlessly.

Our leaders return power to the people and they do it willingly because that’s the deal.

You do your duty.

You serve your country.

And ours is a country worthy of service as many Republican presidents and Democratic presidents have shown over the years.

We’re not perfect, but at our best, we face on, we face head on the good, the bad, the truth of who we are.

We look in the mirror and ultimately never pretend we’re something we’re not.

That’s what great nations do.

And we’re a great nation. We’re the greatest nation on the face of the earth. We really are.

That’s the America I see in our future.

We get up. We carry on.

We never bow. We never bend.

We speak of possibilities, not carnage. We’re not weighed down by grievances.

We don’t foster fear. We don’t walk around as victims.

We take charge of our destiny. We get our job done with the help of the people we find in America, who find their place in a changing world and dream and build a future that not only they but all people deserve a shot at.

We don’t believe, none of you believe America is failing.

We know America is winning.

That’s American patriotism.

It’s not winning because of Joe Biden. It’s winning.

This is the first national election since January sixth insurrection placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy. Since that moment.

We all know who Donald Trump is. The question we have to answer is who are we?

That’s what’s at stake. Who are we?

In the year ahead, as you talk to your family and friends, cast your ballots, the power is in your hands.

After all we’ve been through in our history, from independence to civil war to two world wars to a pandemic to insurrection, I refuse to believe that in 2024 we Americans will choose to walk away from what’s made us the greatest nation in the history of the world.

Freedom, liberty. Democracy is still a sacred cause, and there’s no country in the world better positioned to lead the world than America.

That’s why, I’ve said it many times, that’s why I’ve never been more optimistic about our future, and I’ve been doing this a hell of a long time.

Just to remember who we are.

With patience and fortitude, with one heart, we are the United States of America, for God’s sake. I mean it.

There’s nothing. I believe with every fiber there’s nothing beyond our capacity if we act together and decently with one another.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

I mean it. We’re the only nation in the world that’s come out of every crisis stronger than we went into that crisis. And that was true yesterday.

It is true today. And I guarantee you will be true tomorrow.

God Bless you all. And may God protect our troops.

#quotes #speeches #President Biden #Donald Trump #GOP #MAGA #MAGAts #traitors #terrorists #J6 terrorist attack #J6 terrorists #cop killers #election 2024 #democracy

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newmusicradionetwork · 1 year ago

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Creed Fisher Honors The Service & Sacrifice Of America’s Military Veterans & Their Families In New “Stars and Stripes” Music Video & 2024 Tour

American outlaw country singer-songwriter and recording artist Creed Fisher honors the service and sacrifice of America’s military veterans and their families in a new music video for his self-written tearjerker song “Stars and Stripes.” This Friday Fisher’s official “Stars and Stripes 2024” Tour tickets go on sale at CreedFisher.com at 10am ET and the new music video goes live on Creed’s YouTube at 12pm ET. “I’d like to give a special thank you to all the servicemen and women who played a special part in the creation of this video,” Fisher said. “Having true veterans be a part of this gave it a real genuine aspect that I’ll forever value. I’ll always proudly honor our great country with pride and respect, never undervaluing the sacrifices that our brave service men and women give for our privilege to live in the land of the free. The Stars and Stripes Tour begins in 2024 and I encourage all members who have and/or are serving our country to come out and enjoy a show. I’d personally love to shake each one of your hands in appreciation for your service to our country. May God bless our families and freedoms, May God protect those who serve both domestically and abroad, and May God always bless the United States of America!” “Stars and Stripes” plays on Creed’s newly released 12 song studio album, This Ain’t The Hamptons and is available for streaming everywhere digitally. Music videos/visualizers released: “One of ‘Em” | “Famous White Line” | “This Ain’t The Hamptons” | “Lowdown & Lonesome” | “Hank Williams” | “Cold Lonely Bed” | “You Ain’t From The South” Stars & Stripes 2024 Tour: JAN 25 – Iron City / Birmingham, Ala. JAN 26 – Druid City Music Hall / Tuscaloosa, Ala. FEB 02 – Capitol Theatre Macon / Macon, Ga. FEB 03 – District Live / Savannah, Ga. FEB 10 – Texas Club / Baton Rouge, La. FEB 18 – Thunder by the Bay / Sarasota, Fla. FEB 22 – Tally Ho Theatre / Leesburg, Va. FEB 23 – The Senate / Columbia, S.C. FEB 29 – Doc’s Tavern / Greenville, S.C. MAR 08 – Hop Springs Beer Park / Murfreesboro, Tenn. MAR 09 – Hub City Brewing / Jackson, Tenn. MAR 10 – Tuck’s Bar / Minor Hill, Tenn. MAR 14 – Jergel’s / Warrendale, Pa. MAR 15 – The King of Clubs / Columbus, Ohio MAR 16 – Dusty Armadillo / Rootstown , Ohio MAR 21 – The Machine Shop / Flint, Mich. MAR 22 – 8 Seconds Saloon / Indianapolis, Ind. MAR 23 – Crusens / Peoria, Ill. APR 05 – Ground Zero Music Festival / Bandera, Texas APR 07 – Cosmic Cowboy Music Festival / Hillsboro, Texas APR 12 – Wildwoods / Iowa City, Iowa APR 13 – Wooly’s / Des Moines, Iowa APR 14 – The Waiting Room / Omaha, Neb. APR 25 – Mercury Ballroom / Louisville, Ky. APR 26 – Lori’s Roadhouse Live / West Chester, Ohio APR 27 – Renfro Valley Entertainment Center / Mount Vernon, Ky. MAY 02 – TempleLive / Wichita, Kan. MAY 03 – TempleLive / Fort Smith, Ark. MAY 04 – 2920 Roadhouse / Hockley, Texas **For Creed’s complete 2023 tour schedule follow on BandsInTown or visit creedfisher.com/tour About Creed Fisher: Country music’s rising Outlaw star Creed Fisher reminds fans to never lose sight of who you are, where you’re from, and never be afraid of working hard to earn an honest living. On his latest musical manifesto This Ain’t the Hamptons, his 13th studio album celebrates blue collar sensibilities, patriotism and fun-loving simple pleasures that are staples of Fisher’s music, this record comes at a time where country music consumers’ interests in bringing back the foundational roots of traditional country music are at an all time high. Timing is everything, and Fisher declares “This was the perfect album for true country music fans that miss that less modernized sound of old country music. If I’d said it three or four albums ago – they wouldn’t have heard it.” He’s conﬁdent the music and messages on This Ain’t the Hamptons will connect with the majority of Americans, but especially those who love country music and live the lifestyle. “They’re gonna love to hear this one.” Read the full article

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bikerlovertexas · 2 years ago

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#WDC #DC #Washington DC #FOP 42nd Annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service 2023 #42nd National Peace Officers Memorial Day 2023 #National Peace Officers Memorial Service #US Capitol Grounds #US Capitol Grounds 2023 #United States Capitol Grounds #United States Capitol Grounds 2023 #May 2023 #15 May 2023 #Monday #15 May 2023 Trip to / from Washington DC #15 May 2023 Washington DC #Gathering Before 42nd National Peace Officers Memorial 2023 #flickr

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lovelyspells · 2 years ago

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A Look At How Cherry Blossom Trees Became A Symbol Of Spring—And Friendship—In The Capital

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Cherry blossoms bloom on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on March 27, ... [+] 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Few things herald the coming of spring in the United States like the blooming of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

Although the National Park Service has deemed March 23, 2023, as "peak bloom" for the blossoms, March 27 is a bit more significant: It was on this day in 1912 that Helen Taft, wife of President William Taft, and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial. The event was meant to celebrate what we become an iconic gift from the Japanese government of 3,020 cherry trees to the U.S. government.

D.C. Cherry Blossom Tree History

This wasn't the first significant appearance of Japanese cherry trees in D.C. In January 1910, 2,000 trees arrived from Japan, but they were infested with insects and nematodes, and were diseased. As a result, they had to be destroyed.

The mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, and others suggested a second donation, and those were shipped out in 1912. Of the 3,020 trees, more than half were Yoshino cherry trees. Two were planted along the Tidal Basin in a formal ceremony, while the rest were homed along the basin, in East Potomac Park, and on the White House grounds.

The trees proved to be very popular with visitors, who flocked to see the pink and white blossoms. In 1935, D.C. celebrated its first “Cherry Blossom Festival” which eventually became an annual event.

Miss America 1964, Donna Axum, waves from a convertible in the National Cherry Blossom Festival ... [+] 'Parade of Princesses,' Washington DC, April 11, 1965. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

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After World War II, the famed cherry tree grove along the Arakawa River near Tokyo—the parent stock for Washington D.C.'s first trees—had fallen into disrepair. The National Park Service shipped budwood from descendants of those same trees back to Tokyo to help restore the original grove.

More than a decade later, in 1965, Japan would return the favor by gifting 3,800 Yoshino trees. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Ryuji Takeuchi, wife of Japan's Ambassador, reenacted the famous planting ceremony of 1912. Many of these trees were planted on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

Today, the cherry blossom trees are a symbol of continued friendship between the two countries.

Caring For The Trees

To ensure the health of the trees, the National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA) Division of the National Park Service employees a small team. They work to care not only for the nearly 4,000 cherry blossom trees, but also the more than 20,000+ trees on the 1,100 acres making up National Mall and Memorial Parks.

National Park Service

The National Park Service was created by the Organic Act of 1916 “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

The NPS covers over 85 million acres, including 136 historical parks or sites, 84 national monuments, 63 national parks, 31 national memorials, 25 battlefields or military parks, and 84 otherwise designated national park units. In 2021, 297 million visitors stopped by an NPS site. Before Covid, park visitation routinely exceeded 300 million.

Funding

The NPS is primarily funded by Congress—in 2023, the budget request was for $3 .1 billion for operations of the national park system. The agency also receives funding through park entrance, user fees, and private philanthropy.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Actress Bellamy Young speaks at the Trust for the National Mall's Ninth ... [+] Annual Benefit Luncheon in West Potomac Park on April 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

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One of those philanthropic sources is the Trust for the National Mall, the non-profit partner of the National Park Service on the National Mall. According to Julie Moore, Vice President of Communications for Trust for the National Mall, their mission is to help restore, preserve, and enrich the National Mall. Preserving and protecting the 3,700 cherry trees on the National Mall is an essential part of that work and mission.

The Trust is currently raising money through its Adopt-A-Cherry Tree program. The program is the primary source of private funding for the care and maintenance of the cherry trees. According to Moore, it costs approximately $1,000 to endow a tree throughout its lifetime, including acquiring and planting a young sapling, pruning, feeding, and watering.

Today, the famed cherry blossom trees are facing challenges, including a changing climate and advanced age—remember, they're more than 100 years old. And with more than 1.5 million visitors breezing by the trees each year, celebrating the springtime blooms has become a tradition in the nation's capital.

(Can't make it to D.C.? You can keep tabs on the trees via the Bloomcam. Full disclosure: It's addictive.)

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES - MARCH 26: Cherry blossoms are in bloom around the Tidal Basin ... [+] during 'National Cherry Blossom Festival ' at National Mall on March 26, 2023 in Washington, DC, United States. (Photo by Rabia Iclal Turan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The Trust has set a goal of raising $3.7 million to protect the cherry trees on the National Mall. So far, they've raised nearly $500,000 to plant new saplings and care for the trees. The aim, says Moore, is to make sure the iconic cherry trees bloom for generations to come.

Read more here https://fx7.s3-web.au-syd.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud/us-taxation/US-Tax/International-Taxation-for-US-Expats-How-to-Deal-With-Capital-Gains-Tax.html

#tax expert #accountants

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perspicassidy · 2 years ago

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A Look At How Cherry Blossom Trees Became A Symbol Of Spring—And Friendship—In The Capital

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Cherry blossoms bloom on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on March 27, ... [+] 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Few things herald the coming of spring in the United States like the blooming of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

D.C. Cherry Blossom Tree History

Miss America 1964, Donna Axum, waves from a convertible in the National Cherry Blossom Festival ... [+] 'Parade of Princesses,' Washington DC, April 11, 1965. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

Getty Images

MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR

Today, the cherry blossom trees are a symbol of continued friendship between the two countries.

Caring For The Trees

National Park Service

Funding

Getty Images

(Can't make it to D.C.? You can keep tabs on the trees via the Bloomcam. Full disclosure: It's addictive.)

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Read more here https://fx7.s3-web.au-syd.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud/us-taxation/US-Tax/International-Taxation-for-US-Expats-How-to-Deal-With-Capital-Gains-Tax.html

#tax consultant #accountants #us tax

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unclewhisky · 2 years ago

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A Look At How Cherry Blossom Trees Became A Symbol Of Spring—And Friendship—In The Capital

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Cherry blossoms bloom on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on March 27, ... [+] 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Few things herald the coming of spring in the United States like the blooming of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

D.C. Cherry Blossom Tree History

Miss America 1964, Donna Axum, waves from a convertible in the National Cherry Blossom Festival ... [+] 'Parade of Princesses,' Washington DC, April 11, 1965. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

Getty Images

MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR

Today, the cherry blossom trees are a symbol of continued friendship between the two countries.

Caring For The Trees

National Park Service

Funding

Getty Images

(Can't make it to D.C.? You can keep tabs on the trees via the Bloomcam. Full disclosure: It's addictive.)

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Read more here https://fx7.s3-web.au-syd.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud/us-taxation/US-Tax/International-Taxation-for-US-Expats-How-to-Deal-With-Capital-Gains-Tax.html

#international tax #tax expert

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newstfionline · 1 year ago

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Tuesday, November 7, 2023

The Pandemic Is Over But Our Pandemic Stress Isn’t (Bloomberg) Survey after survey tells us that Americans are struggling. The latest, the American Psychological Association’s annual gauge of stress in the US, reveals that people continue to feel worse than before the pandemic. And it’s no wonder that people are so stressed out: Humans have finite mental resources, and they’ve been decidedly depleted by years of dealing with Covid and its fallout, plus economic woes and worries about geopolitical upheaval. In the APA survey, which was conducted in August, nearly a quarter of adults reported operating at the highest levels of stress, rating it at least an 8 out of 10. Among parents, self-reported stress was so extreme that nearly half said it was “completely overwhelming” on most days, and 41% reported that it impedes their function. The APA’s survey of adults shows stress levels are highest among those age 18–45, who reported the biggest increases since pre-pandemic times. That group also saw a marked increase in chronic health and mental health diagnoses compared to before the pandemic.

In Israeli-Palestinian battle to sway Congress, only one side wins (Washington Post) As the United States has rushed to aid its closest Middle East ally in the aftermath of last month’s horrifying cross-border attack by Hamas, many American lawmakers have been swept up in a rhetorical feud over the violence. But in Congress, only one side holds majority sway among those who control the funding of American foreign policy. That Israel is winning on Capitol Hill—even as a few dozen progressive Democrats in the House and Senate have grown more vocal in their calls for humanitarian relief for Palestinian civilians—is a reflection, to Israel’s staunchest proponents, of the Jewish state’s moral high ground. Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs and foreign policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, said that while the Israel lobby has been active and influential for decades, there is “nothing comparable” on the other side. Pro-Israel lobbyist groups and individuals contributed nearly $31 million to American congressional candidates during last year’s election cycle according to Open Secrets, a Washington nonprofit that tracks campaign finance and lobbying data. AIPAC’s website says that 98 percent of candidates it backed won their elections, and that it “helped defeat” 13 candidates “who would have undermined the U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Hold the olive oil! Prices of some basic European foodstuffs keep skyrocketing (AP) Olive oil, a daily staple of Mediterranean cuisine and the life of many a salad throughout Europe, is experiencing a staggering rise in price. It’s a prime example of how food still outruns overall inflation in the European Union. Olive oil has increased by about 75% since January 2021, dwarfing overall annual inflation that has already been considered unusually high over the past few years and even stood at 11.5% in October last year. Apart from olive oil, “potato prices were also on a staggering rise,” according to EU statistical agency Eurostat. “Since January 2021, prices for potatoes increased by 53% in September 2023. And if high- and middle-income families can shrug off such increases relatively easily, it becomes an ever increasing burden for poorer families. “Wages are still failing to keep up with the cost of the most basic food stuffs, including for workers in the agriculture sector itself, forcing more and more working people to rely on foodbanks,” said Esther Lynch of the European Trade Union Confederation.

A Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in Crimea damages a Russian ship (AP) The Russian military said a Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in annexed Crimea had damaged a Russian ship. The Russian Defense Ministry said late Saturday that Ukrainian forces fired 15 cruise missiles at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, a city in the east of the Crimean Peninsula. Air defenses shot down 13 missiles but others hit the shipyard and damaged a vessel, a statement from the ministry said. Ukraine has increasingly targeted naval facilities in Crimea in recent months. In September, a Ukrainian missile strike on a strategic shipyard in the port city of Sevastopol damaged two Russian ships and wounded 24 people. Later that same month, a missile strike blasted the Crimean headquarters of Russia’s navy in Sevastopol.

India-Canada diplomatic thaw remains remote despite visa easing (Reuters) Mending frayed diplomatic relations between India and Canada will be a long process after each side adopted maximalist positions, despite New Delhi’s surprise move to ease some visa curbs on Canadians, officials and experts say. While India’s relaxation on visas may have raised some expectations of improved relations, it was not a breakthrough, as neither side has much incentive to hasten a return to normalcy, officials and experts in both countries said. “The relationship is in deep crisis, perhaps its worst ever,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington. “Each side may have a strong interest in the crisis not getting completely out of control, but that doesn’t mean there are strong incentives to resolve the crisis.” The visa curbs are expected to hinder the movement of tens of thousands of Indians and people of Indian origin who live in Canada or plan to study there.

Aid trickles in to Nepal villages struck by earthquake as survivors salvage belongings from rubble (AP) Aid trickled in to villages Monday in Nepal’s northwest mountains flattened by a strong earthquake over the weekend as villagers searched through the rubble of their collapsed homes to salvage what was left of their belongings. The magnitude 5.6 temblor struck just minutes before midnight Friday, killing 157 people, injuring scores and leaving thousands homeless. Authorities on Monday pressed on with efforts to bring food and other supplies, tents and medicines to the remote villages, many only reachable by foot. Roads were also blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake.

Northeast China sees first major blizzard this season and forecasters warn of record snowfall (AP) Heavy snow blanketed swaths of China’s northeastern region, shutting schools and halting transportation in the first major snowstorm of the season. Major highways in the northeastern city of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, were closed and flights canceled, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said. Elementary and middle schools also canceled classes for Monday. The National Meteorological Center said Monday that snowfall is likely to “breakthrough the historical records” for the same period.

Israel minister suspended after calling nuking Gaza an option (Politico) Israel’s Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu was suspended indefinitely after he said in an interview that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was “one of the possibilities,” the government announced on Sunday. “Eliyahu’s statements are not based in reality,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on X. Israel and its military “are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents,” the prime minister added. A member of the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, Eliyahu earlier on Sunday claimed in a radio interview that since there were “no non-combatants in Gaza,” using an atomic weapon on the Palestinian enclave was “one of the possibilities.”

As Gaza death toll soars, secrecy shrouds Israel’s targeting process (Washington Post) The Israeli airstrikes that hit the Jabalya refugee camp on Oct. 31 sent buildings tumbling down on families displaced from across the besieged enclave. More than 110 people were killed, many of them women and children crushed beneath the rubble, doctors said. The Israeli military said the operation achieved its aim. “We were focused on our target,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said Monday, referring to Ibrahim Biari, a high-ranking Hamas commander. “We know that he was killed.” Since the conflict began, nearly 10,000 Palestinians have already been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, as the IDF presses for the destruction of the Hamas militant group that rules the enclave. Although Israeli officials insist that each strike is subject to legal approval, experts say the rules of engagement, which are classified, appear to include a higher threshold for civilian casualties than in previous rounds of fighting. The consequences of those calculations are spread across the floors of Gaza’s hospitals and morgues. Entire families have been killed; infants are buried with their parents in mass graves. Strikes have hit water towers and bakeries, schools and ambulances. Human rights groups have flagged a growing number of strikes as potential war crimes and urged an international investigation.

If We Can’t See Gaza’s Dead Children’s Eyes, Can We See Children at All? (Haaretz/Israel) Is there a difference between children and children? Are the photos of children killed in Jabalya supposed to shock us less than those of children killed in Be’eri? Are photos of dead children in Jabalya even supposed to shock us, and is it legitimate to be shocked by them? Our own children are dearer to our heart than anything in the world, and the heart of every Israeli is more shocked by Israeli children who have been killed than by any other dead child. That’s human and understandable. But we cannot refrain from leaving room for shock at the mass slaughter of children in Gaza, only because our children were also killed. The killing in Gaza should weigh particularly heavily if we recall who these children are and who brought their disaster upon them? (answer: Israel and Hamas.) What did their lives and deaths look like? (Answer: Children who lived in poverty, misery, under siege, seeking refuge with no present and no future, overwhelmingly due to Israel.) They are Gazan children, and in Israel they are un-children, just like their parents are un-human. When we look at the eyes of the dead children of Gaza, we don’t see our own children. It is doubtful whether we see children at all.

Israel Quietly Pushed for Egypt to Admit Large Numbers of Gazans (NYT) Israel has quietly tried to build international support in recent weeks for the transfer of several hundred thousand civilians from Gaza to Egypt for the duration of its war in the territory, according to six senior foreign diplomats. Israeli leaders and diplomats have privately proposed the idea to several foreign governments, framing it as a humanitarian initiative that would allow civilians to temporarily escape the perils of Gaza for refugee camps in the Sinai Desert, just across the border in neighboring Egypt. The suggestion was dismissed by most of Israel’s interlocutors—who include the United States and Britain—because of the risk that such a mass displacement could become permanent. These countries fear that such a development might destabilize Egypt and lock significant numbers of Palestinians out of their homeland. The idea has also been firmly rejected by Palestinians, who fear that Israel is using the war to permanently displace the more than two million people living in Gaza. More than 700,000 Palestinians either fled or were expelled from their homes in what is now Israel during the war surrounding the creation of the state in 1948. Many of their descendants are now warning that the current war will end with a similar “nakba,” or catastrophe, as the 1948 migration is known in Arabic.

Minors and social media (Pew Research Center) 81% of U.S. adults—versus 46% of teens—favor parental consent for minors to use social media. Many social media companies do not allow those under 13 to use their sites. Still, there’s a growing movement to develop stricter age verification measures, such as requiring users to provide government-issued identification. Legislators have pushed for mandatory parental consent and time restrictions for those under 18, arguing this will help parents better monitor what their children do on social media.

#headlines #news

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coghive · 2 years ago

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[Album] I’ve Witnessed It - Passion

sixstepsrecords / Capitol CMG’s Passion releases their newest offering, I’ve Witnessed It, recorded live at Passion 2023. Passion has continued to unite a generation in worship, prayer, and justice ignited by the fame and renown of Jesus for the last two decades. Click here to listen to the 14-track album that showcases powerful worship moments captured at the annual Passion conference, which was held in two locations with more than 30,000 students in attendance across the two events over the New Year holiday. The first gathering in Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX at Dickies Arena, followed by Passion’s home base in Atlanta, GA at State Farm Arena. The new project includes standout moments led by sixstepsrecords’ artists Kristian Stanfill, Brett Younker, Melodie Malone, Sean Curran, Crowder and features new voices from the Passion Movement. I’ve Witnessed It also includes familiar songs like “Gratitude” and “Same God” led by special guests Brandon Lake, Elevation Worship, Cody Carnes, and Kari Jobe.

“Every Passion record is special for different reasons, but this one, in particular, has some real grit and fire in it,” explains Kristian Stanfill. “Every song is like a stake in the ground, and every lyric is being lived out in real-time. It’s moment-by-moment surrender. Add to that the sound of the students singing and standing in the gap for their generation…it’s overwhelming! We are praying this project gives fresh wind and faith to everyone who hears these songs.” The title track immediately connected with the attendees and continues to impact globally since it was released last month. Celebrating today’s release, the video premiere for “Here It Is (I Worship You)” will be premiering today on YouTube following more video content in the coming weeks. Click below to watch the performance. Ushering in the writing, recording, and leading of some of the most recognizable and unforgettable worship anthems of this generation, Passion has three RIAA Gold Certified Singles (“Even So Come” “One Thing Remains” and newly certified “Glorious Day”) and more than 3.2 billion global streams. I’ve Witnessed It - Passion https://open.spotify.com/album/5MHD9eXPUItlxVK2tbfTEp?si=suYvtZRXRXq7TcyQsc1ikw Read the full article

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latestinbollywood · 2 years ago

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Who is J. Brett Blanton? Why Joe Biden Fires Him? Click Here To Know More

United States - James Brett Blanton, better known as J. Brett Blanton, is an American professional engineer who served as Chief Architect of the Capitol (AOC) from January 2020 to 13 February 2023, overseeing the Office of the Architect of the Capitol and its more than 2,400 employees. A White House official said - Blanton was removed from his position after an inspector general's report found "administrative, ethical and policy violations" by Blanton, including allegations that he misused his official vehicle and disguised himself as a law enforcement officer. Architect of the Capitol J Brett Blanton was fired by President Joe Biden on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not physically present on the Capitol grounds during the 6 January 2021 attack. Joe Biden "terminated" Blanton amid bipartisan calls for his dismissal or resignation earlier Monday According to CNN, a White House official said, "After doing our due diligence, the Architect of the Capitol was terminated at the direction of the president." House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for Blanton's dismissal on Monday. “The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, can no longer be trusted to hold his job. He must resign or President Biden must fire him immediately,” McCarthy tweeted. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately. — Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 13, 2023 Read Also - Who Are Stevan Ridley Parents? Read the full article

#WhoisJ.BrettBlanton?#WhyJoeBidenFiresHim?

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leutjaneausten · 2 years ago

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Open in app or online

February 7, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

FEB 8

SAVE

▷ LISTEN

And then there was President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address.

This is the annual event in our politics that gets the most viewers. Last year, 38.2 million people watched it on television and streaming services.

Extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), her hands cupping her wide open mouth to scream at the president, became the face of the Republican Party.

In the midst of the heckling, Biden praised Republican president George W. Bush’s bipartisan $100 billion investment in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

“Democracy must not be a partisan issue. It must be an American issue.”

“We must see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. We are a good people.”

She is probably not the only one who is thinking along those lines after tonight’s events, but many are likely drawing a different conclusion than she intended.

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detectivemarvelingcomics · 4 years ago

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Not Your Classic Vigilante [OC Guide]

Alternate Dimensions AU

TW: Mentions of Death, Language

Genre: Action, Light Comedy, Angst

[DC Masterlist] | [Not Your Classic Vigilante Masterlist]

Word Count: 1.7K

Notes: Something Kay didn’t do for her series, but I figured for clarification’s sake it would fit to properly make an OC Guide! She sent me her notes for each of the characters so I can properly make this, so this most likely should be a must read prior to the series, hehe.

Disclaimer: I, obviously, only own the OCs mentioned in this story (in this case co-own due to them being originally created by Kay); however, I do not claim ownership over the characters associated with DC.

Last Updated: 10 August 2023

Some World-Building Because Why Not

Let’s call Batfamily’s dimension Earth-617 and let’s call (Y/N)’s new dimension Earth-1123 to put it in context of the multiverse

Earth-1123 was a typical alternate Earth when some force dragged people from all across the dimensions to this new one, typically these people were on the verge of death or dying.

In Earth-1123 (Y/N) lives in the continent known as Caelum, which is around the North-Eastern area of the United States in comparison to a normal world map, said continent is ruled by an Absolute ruling family which (Y/N) and the rest of the Brigade works for.

The military is set apart by their uniforms. Black uniforms signify ground forces, if the uniforms have copper accents then they are trained in physical combat, if they have silver accents then they are trained in combative magic. White uniforms signify support forces, similarly to the black uniforms, copper accents mean they are trained in ranged combat and silver accents mean they are trained in support magic.

The Brigade is a team handpicked by the Captain of the Royal Guard and is at the command of the Royal Family directly.

Haven City is the capitol of Caelum and where most of the story takes place, it is a technological marvel save for the Royal Family’s mansion, which is kept traditional at request of the technology-fearing Queen.

The Brigade

Tasked with protecting the Royal Family, the Royal Guard are known throughout the continent of Caelum as the best. The Brigade are among those "Best" and recognized for their efforts and loyalty to the Reinhart Lineage. To join the Guard is no easy task and to stay in it is even harder, but one would not find a stronger camaraderie outside of it. Though there may be strength in numbers, there is immortality in forged bonds that are impervious to breaking.

(Y/N) Wayne

Original Earth: Earth-617

Occupation: Captain of the Royal Guard

Ability: Confidential

General Description: [Earth-617] Daughter of Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne, she grew up primarily with her father and was known to the public eye as a kind soul who excelled in many fields. In the eyes of her family she was rather close to her adoptive siblings, but due to her choice to not partake in the family business she was often disregarded by her father. She was later found dead in Crime Alley. [Earth-1123] The Captain is often characterized by her general indifference but is often cited to be rather sensitive to what others need and can often be found doing favors for others. She is the Captain for a reason, let it be known, and to many she is also referred to as the Royal Family’s Lapdog, a name she is not in any way fond of.

Alexander Wright

Original Earth: Earth-617

Occupation: Lieutenant of the Royal Guard

Ability: Marionette - Temporary but complete control over a subject

General Description: [Earth-617] Student studying in law in the University of Cambridge, he was often known as a rather lazy student who never showed up to lectures due to another commitment he had but his intellect isn’t one to be challenged, as proved by his high marks and high class ranks. He was (Y/N) Wayne’s penpal for quite some time since primary school, hence how the two know each other. [Earth-1123] Trusted partner to the Captain, he is often the strategist of the team and hasn’t failed the Brigade thus far. He and (Y/N) share a strange bond that cannot be described in a short summary, but, despite their close relationship, it would suffice to say that this bond is more of a curse than it is a blessing.

Carter Adara

Original Earth: Earth-534

Occupation: Second Lieutenant of the Royal Guard

Ability: Pyromaniac - The creation and manipulation of fire

General Description: Equally hot-headed as he is trigger-happy Carter is the kind to take action without thinking of the consequences, Alex could clean it up later, after all. The only reason why he keeps doing it is as simple as the fact that this reckless behavior has saved more people than it has killed. He is often the soldier that accompanies (Y/N) and Alexander on missions.

Evangeline Chandler

Original Earth: Earth-78

Occupation: Medic and Sorceress

Ability: Warp - As long as she can clearly see the destination, a temporary tear in space can allow for instantaneous travel.

General Description: Most believe she is in the wrong profession, but one would have to trust the Brigade when they say that Evangeline is right where she belongs, however they often refuse to elaborate on that statement as soon as the woman looks over. Looks can be deceiving, but only an idiot wouldn’t recognize that she is one of the most powerful magic users in a century.

Nixon Jones

Original Earth: Earth-616

Occupation: Knoght

Ability: Sonic Melody - The manipulation of sound waves to become offensive or defensive

General Description: His ego will be the death of him, confident to a fault, Nixon tends to try to butt his head into places he shouldn’t and it leads to one of the Brigade members having to bail him out of anything. The trade off to this is a fierce loyalty that no one can combat. Though it should be noted that he’s not a favorite of the Royal Family.

The Royal Guard

The resident Knighthood of this continent, their loyalty is sworn to the Crown as an institution rather than to individuals. Though their ranks are open to all those who apply, only the best stay and advance forward.

Aldryn Grant

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Knight

Ability: Robust Analysis - A quick glance reveals intentions and abilities

General Description: A greenhorn to the Knight’s Order, he’s quick to impress and quicker to be helpful in any way possible. He ascended the Knight’s Academy quickly, but is often delegated to acting as the Captain’s secretary in her stead. Although he is one to stay in the Captain’s good graces, that doesn’t stop the frequent headaches.

Marion Catalán

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Biologist

Ability: Metamorphosis - Can temporarily change into a target of interest after consuming any biological substance from said target. Depending on amount consumed, may stay in an altered form for an hour to a full day.

General Description: Loyal to a fault, although it is questionable if this loyalty is to the royal family or to the Captain who saved her life. Although she is young, she’s bright, easily picking up on her training enough to keep up with even the most well trained of knights. She is currently under the training of Alistair Greave, the previous Captain of the Royal Guard who’s currently in retirement.

Inigo Catalán

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Biochemist

Ability: Psychokinesis - The inherent ability to move objects with his mind. The larger or more sentient the object, the more concentration it requires.

The Royal Family

The Reinhart dynasty is a tyrannical structure. But it is through this terror that their strength became known and their prowess feared. None dare go against the Royal Decree, or at least, none live to succeed. But, behind the mask of ruthless actions, perhaps there lies a shred of humanity amongst the hell they've raised.

Calvin Reinhart

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Crown Prince

Ability: True Shot - As long as a target is in sight, an attack never misses

General Description: Not much is known of the history of the Crown Prince aside from that his family is not one to be trifled with. He was the primary supporter of the Brigade project and is often under surveillance of (Y/N), who is tasked with keeping him in particular safe. Although the Prince is easy to get along with, an educated person would realize that there’s more to him than he shows.

Elvira Reinhart

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: The Queen

Ability: True Clarity - At any given moment, she can tell if a person speaks the truth or is lying.

General Description: Not much is known of the history of the Queen aside from that her family is not one to be trifled with. She’s as cold and ruthless as her husband, something that, according to rumors, was not always true. Stories tell of a kindhearted woman who melted the ice-covered heart of the king. Such are just tales, though.

Ajax Reinhart

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: The King

Ability: True Power - Enhanced strength, enhanced vitality, and enhanced accuracy.

General Description: Not much is known of the history of the King aside from that his family is not one to be trifled with. He united the continent under blood and war and has since held the country stable with an iron fist. He’s cruel where need be and kind in the other times. His true intentions, always, are kept unknown even to his family, who had to mold to his standard to avoid his wrath.

The 28th Class

The newest incoming class of recruits into the Royal Guard. The exams, though rigorous, are only the start of a long journey for these rookies.

Niers Ilyich

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Rookie Knight

Ability: Not yet given

General Description: A young boy with a shrouded past that conflicts his bright personality. He strived to join the Royal Guard after witnessing the victory at the Battle of Kosakomel, where Captain Wayne famously saved an entire town unscathed from a dragon.

Retta Fowler

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Rookie Knight

Ability: Not yet given

General Description: A young girl who’s wanted to be a knight since she read of their chivalry in her books. She dreams of a day she too can save the damsel in distress and she eagerly awaits the day she is referred to as Dame Retta.

Lowen Grant

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Rookie Knight

Ability: Not yet given

General Description: A lonely boy who grew up quite introverted. Though his aspirations for joining the Knighthood are unknown, what is known is how much he adores his older brother, Sir Aldryn.

Luciana Catalán

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Rookie Knight

Ability: Not yet given

General Description: Unlike her older siblings, the sciences never came easy to her. She was always more of a physical girl, being much sportier than her siblings. She knew the Knighthood was right for her the day she picked up a wooden sword.

Hugo Gardner

Original Earth: Native

Occupation: Rookie Knight

Ability: Not yet given

General Description: Years of failure have hidden away the once kind heart he had, but that does little to erase the noble intentions of joining the Knighthood. After he and his family were helped in the Knighthood’s refuge encampment, he knew what his calling was.

#nycv #my writings #no tags and mentions since it's just an informational post lol #but yes this is here

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