#Vance’s March for Life

[rejectingrepublicans]

😡

These Nazi f—kers attended the Trump/Vance March for Life in DC and the press didn’t even care.

Never normalize this. They need the Inglorious Bastards treatment to cure their delusions.

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

F—king Patriot Front neo-Nazis. You notice I had to go to the Times of India for this. US news outlets covered the March for life but glossed over or omitted altogether that Patriot Front was there.

This was all over Twitter yesterday with people filming scores of those masked cowards getting off the subway. In the US press it was virtually non-existent.

Meanwhile Elonia Musk is attending a meeting of Germany’s far-right neo-Nazi party the AFD. Why would an American support that unless they were working for Putin who wants to destabilize the West.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jessica Valenti at Abortion, Every Day:

Picture this: violent anti-abortion protesters swarming every clinic in every state. They’re no longer required to stay a hundred feet from the entrance, and nothing stops them from blocking patients trying to get inside. The screaming and terrorizing we’ve witnessed for years now happens inches from patients’ faces. When protesters are arrested, they file First Amendment lawsuits—and they win. Right now, America is on the brink of a new era of extreme anti-abortion violence, one where radicals can terrorize women and doctors unchecked. This kind of dangerous free reign is right around the corner—not just in states with bans, but everywhere. And it’s been gift-wrapped by men who campaigned as abortion ‘moderates.’

On Thursday, Donald Trump pardoned nearly two dozen extremists convicted of attacking abortion clinics across the country. The activists, who our felon president called “peaceful” and “elderly,” forced their way into clinics, terrorized patients, and blocked them from entering the building for care. In Michigan, that included a woman whose pregnancy had just been diagnosed with a fatal abnormality and whose health was at risk. In DC, a patient was forced to climb through a window to access the building, while ‘pro-life’ activists refused to let another woman see a doctor even after she collapsed in pain. And the protesters that Republicans depict as praying grannies? One told a Manhattan clinic “we’re gonna terrorize you so good,” and crushed a staff member’s hand in a door. Another was found with a half a dozen fetuses hidden in her home. What Trump offered last week weren’t just pardons, they were permission.

In fact, both Trump and JD Vance promised at the March for Life that anyone who harasses patients or attacks clinics will “never have the government go after them ever again.” Vance told the crowd, “We stand with you.” That’s not a symbolic gesture or empty promise: Abortion, Every Day has discovered that on the very same morning of the march, more than thirty Republican legislators held a private meeting with anti-abortion activists where they pledged to repeal the FACE Act—the federal law that prohibits blocking or doing violence to a reproductive health clinic. At that event, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs made their intent chillingly clear: “God demands justice,” he said. Meanwhile, as Republicans advance legislation to undo the FACE Act, the Department of Justice announced that they won’t enforce it anyway. Not unless there are “extraordinary circumstances...such as death.” In other words, anti-abortion activists can do anything they want short of murder.

It’s not a coincidence that this is all happening Trump’s first week in office. With the anti-abortion movement eager to roll out a slate of deeply unpopular restrictions, giving extremists the green light to attack patients and providers without fear of arrest is, at least in part, a way to buy the administration time and goodwill. But let’s be real: Trump has always loved emboldening bullies and inciting violence. This is the same man still pushing ‘post-birth’ abortion lie, fully aware it puts providers’ lives at risk. He thrives on this shit.

[...] If SCOTUS decides to take up one of these cases, the national implications would be massive. Because remember, since Roe was overturned, threats and violence against clinics and providers have skyrocketed. Stalking and burglaries are up more than 200%, arson has doubled, and providers are regularly doxxed and threatened with death. In just the last three years, we’ve seen clinics burned to the ground and maniacs drive cars into them. That’s to say nothing of the trauma inflicted on patients simply trying to access care.

[...] What comes next is worrying. Without clinic protections, there will be an unprecedented emboldening of extremist protesters. It’s also likely that we’ll see an influx of even more extremists in pro-choice states: With abortion fully banned in ultra-conservative areas, those who have the ability to take their sideshow on the road will do just that. If and when the Trump administration does roll back access to abortion medication—whether through the Comstock Act, or FDA rules—more patients will be forced to seek care at clinics. And wherever patients go, more protesters will follow. That means clinic escorts and defenders will need our support more than ever, along with providers and abortion funds. But we’ll need to do more than the logistical work of ensuring people can get care—we have to make it clear, again and again, that everyone has the right to seek an abortion without fear, shame, or harassment from assholes.

Jessica Valenti has a harrowing must-read report in Abortion, Every Day that the GOP is coddling people who attack abortion clinics with their dangerous proposal to repeal the FACE Act.

[patron-saint-of-lesbeans]

About your tags on my death penalty post, idk about Trump but I just saw on Twitter that apparently Vance is going to be a speaker now despite his support for the death penalty as well as abortion and IVF 🙄 they're just letting anyone represent the movement now I guess

[ffcrazy15]

So apparently J.D. Vance will be speaking at the March for Life today. Y'know. The guy who willfully spread lies about Haitian immigrants eating pets to gain political power.

So yeah. Just really backing up what I said in another post about why I don't go to the March anymore. I hate abortion with every bone in my body, but I will not stand under the flags of those men.

[internetskiff]

Something about Gordon Freeman that's extremely fascinating is how he was basically forced into the "Messiah" role by complete accident. Dude was on his way to work, caught in an extremely awful lab accident, and he was just fighting for his life so brutally that he ended up taking down an entire army, making the other less capable or equipped scientists assign him as the one that would go in and take down the Nihilanth - I mean, they basically didn't have many other options, or at least not many better options at their disposal. The whole time he basically doesn't have much of a say in any of it, which means he was practically railroaded into becoming the G-Man's employee by pure circumstance.

Doesn't get any better in Half Life 2 either - the surviving Black Mesa staff have turned this man they potentially sent to die into a legend amongst the resistance movement. The Vortigaunts chant his name as they draw murals on the canal walls. The Lambda - a symbol of both the Lambda Labs but most notably the symbol on the HEV suit - now symbolizes liberation. Therefore, of course, the man who bears this symbol is the liberator. By the ending chapters of Half Life 2, Freeman commands entire squads of rebels, appointed the leader regardless of how good a tactician he actually is - if they die, they died for him, not because of him. As long as he gets to the Citadel and breaches it's wall, all those deaths would be worth it - once again, others send him into a near-inhospitable environment to take down a near-invincible threat.

I think that despite us being in control of Freeman for most of the series, the real protagonists of the story are the Vance family. Eli, too, was right at ground zero when the Resonance Cascade occurred. He is the leader of the Resistance. It's very possible that he's the one who spread word of Freeman throughout City 17. The fall of Nova Prospekt AND the Citadel occurred as a result of Eli's capture. In the Combine's eyes, the Vances are a threat equal to, if not greater than Freeman himself. That, and the Vances have something Freeman doesn't - agency. They're beyond the G-Man's control. They're beyond the Combine's control. Their actions are completely their own, with no third party to control every single step they take. Over the course of the Episodes, it feels as though the dynamic shifts, with Alyx becoming a much more vital figure. The Combine are specifically after her now, because she carries the code capable of disrupting the portal through which the Combine could send reinforcements and finally consume Earth. In both the Epistle 3 script and in Half Life Alyx it ends with her basically taking Freeman's position under the G-Man's employ. She quite literally takes the role of the Main Character away from Gordon. This, of course, is nothing to envy, because it's been repeatedly shown that any character assuming this role in the series ends up being reduced to nothing but a pawn for those who control them. It's an extremely fascinating spin on the linear nature of the games, canonically acknowledging you're doing nothing but marching along a path someone else made for you. Despite being the one free man, you're not offered much of a choice.

[prolifeproliberty]

My guess is he’ll make it official tomorrow morning so it can be announced at the March for Life rally. Possibly by JD Vance since he’s one of the speakers.

So excited - especially for my friend Lauren who is one of the prisoners!

[lucyloserdoll]

My Story

Like everyone else, I've been following this case since day one. We've all laughed at the jokes and felt abject sympathy for those negatively impacted by UHC or other such companies. I thought now it was time to share my own small anecdote on the American Healthcare system.

I'm from Tennessee, and up until May I had a Mamaw (my great-grandmother) which is a word you've no doubt heard from JD Vance recently, or really through the entirety of his campaign. My Mamaw died in May, and she had UHC. Thankfully, UHC deemed her worthy of having full coverage. There were no copays for her family to worry about. And I'm grateful for that, but my Mamaw is only 1 success out of 10,000 failures. However, as just some general information on the American healthcare system, here are the total prices from her two hospital stays:

March 15th,2024 to March 22nd, 2024- $30,988

May 4th,2024 to May 6th,2024 to May 9th, 2024 (including her hospice care price from May 6th to her date of death, May 9th)- $15,600

Now my Mamaw died a rough death. She had COPD, CHF, and massive fluid retention. Up until her death, my mother dedicated her whole life to giving my Mamaw 24/7 care. She was unemployed at the time because of that fact. My mother even held my Mamaw in her arms as she died, fighting for every breathe. My mother now has PTSD from my Mamaw's traumatic death. My mom is employed now, has insurance, and has been pulled out of the depressive episode she fell into after our Mamaw's death, but that wasn't always the case.

My mother had TennCare, the healthcare given to most people in Tennessee. My mother was stripped of her insurance the week after she held my dying Mamaw in her arms. She was already in a severe depressive episode due to her experiences and previous history with MDD. After her insurance was taken from her, she didn't have access to her mental health medications or access to the medications for her many chronic illnesses. So she slept constantly. And it was left to me, newly 19 years old and grieving, to keep everything afloat. I bought everything to keep our home running, I bought her medications so she could move her body freely without pain, and most importantly, I bought her mental health medications. I nursed my mother out of her depressive episode while also working my hands to the bone to keep us alive. My mother almost wasn't here right now. The only reason my mom is alive is because I made sure she had the medications and mental health services she needed. My mother is alive because of ME. Not because of a healthcare CEO, not because of the American government, but because of ME. She is alive because I saved her when the American government and healthcare system failed her.

Not everyone has been as lucky as my mother. Not everyone has had someone to care for them and their health. In fact, most people don't have a support system like my mom had.

We see the stories on the news, the "wholesome" stories of kids selling their toys to pay for a friend or family member's chemotherapy, or the downright despicable stories of the elderly being refused care because they couldn't afford life-saving treatment. We see these stories,and it's easy to become desensitized to this dystopian reality. I want to leave you with a story about someone I personally knew, a neighbor of mine in fact.

Let's call this neighbor Trevor. Trevor was a 32 year old man, and he worked at a textile factory. Trevor didn't have insurance. One night he felt incredibly sick, and fell to his knees in pain. He was crying, and his fiance thought he was a goner for sure, so she called an ambulance. Trevor begged her not to call because he knew he couldn't afford the $5,000 charge. When the EMTs got to his home, they found Trevor lying in the floor, clutching his side. The paramedics told him he needed a hospital immediately, as he would have to have emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder. If he couldn't afford an ambulance, he couldn't afford the hospital stay and surgery charges either. So he didn't go to the hospital. He didn't get in the ambulance. He didn't get the help he needed.

Trevor died in a pool of his own blood, pus, and urine. His gallbladder entirely ruptured, and his body was found by his family. Trevor didn't die because of his inability to pay his medical bills, Trevor didn't die because he refused to get into the ambulance, and he didn't die because his fiance stepped outside for two minutes after he assured her the pain was subsiding. Trevor died because of the American healthcare system, and their consistent, systemic failures of the American people. At the time this happened, in 2019, I only heard blame on his part for not getting into the ambulance. Many times I heard, "Why didn't he just make a payment plan like everyone else?"That sentiment has very quickly changed since Brian Thompson was adjusted. In the days since December 4th, I have heard only sympathy and understanding for Trevor's story, and for the thousands of stories just like Trevor's. I can't convince you to care about those thousands of people without names or faces, but hopefully I can convince you to care about Trevor.

December 4th changed something in the American people. Keep changing, and keep fighting. Stop letting stories like my Mother and Trevor dominate our airwaves. Embrace true patriotism and acknowledge the deep-rooted fascism that America was founded on. Embrace true patriotism and care for your neighbor, care for the stranger living halfway across the country who sits at their kitchen table crying at night over piles of medical debt. I implore you to have empathy for your American people, not for the vile CEOs that have already committed massive acts of legally defined domestic terrorism.

[the-fiction-witch]

The Blue Bride And Groom

Media - House Of The Dragon Character - Oscar Tully (Age Up) Couple - Oscar X Reader Reader - Y/n Arryn (Betrothal) Rating - 12 Word Count - 1682

It had been a whirlwind of time for Oscar, having lost his grandfather and suddenly become lord of house Tully and lord paramount of all riverhouses and the riverlands! He had even gone to war behind a Targaryen queen. Knighted on the battlefield and marched home to uphold peace in his lands. Such a tale would be some man's whole lifetime of accomplishments but Oscar had gathered them all within three mere years. He had spent a good few months in Riverrun his family's ancestral home ruling as its lord, and lord of the Riverlands. Following the advice of those older and wiser but still keeping the confidence he gained from his time at war. But today was different. The castle was busy with prep work and arrangements for a grand event.

Oscar. Was getting married.

He didn't think this would be so soon… but his grandfather had arranged a match before he died, of course, postponed because of the war but now it was happening. Oscar had thought to turn down the match but his advisors recommended that keeping the marriage which of course came with a curtial political alliance would be the best for all involved. And Oscar supposed… his beloved grandfather wouldn't have just picked a political advantage, he'd have put some thought into it… He hoped.

Oscar stood in his chambers, as maids went about fixing things to prepare the chambers for the later wedding night and bedding. While also helping him into some more… lordly clothes in Tully colours while they waited for word of their readiness. He wore, thick brown boots trimmed with silver thread, Leather britches dyed a deep blue, a blue shift laced up tightly, a mud red doublet embroidered with scales, with long sleeves, tight from his wrist to his elbows and spanned slash sleeves from his elbows to his shoulders allowing the deep blue to poke through. His house sigil on a chain around his neck, the chain once belonging to his own grandsire. A deep blue sapphire ring on one hand once belonging to his mother, a gift from his father. And the other hand bare ready and prepared for the ring he would now have to wear. His hair was adjusted and fixed a hundred times to ensure each of his curls sat just right. His house cloak over his shoulders, deep blues and reds sewn intricately with silver threat fishes seemingly in a dance around the triangle towers of Riverun, the cloak secured with a Tully fish broch.

Oscar was silent, he seemed a little lost in thought but tried as best he could to be cooperative with the maids and seamstresses, despite being distracted. He took deep breaths and exhaled as he tried to keep himself calm. He couldn't help the nervous energy which filled him as he thought about later, and the night, and all that came with it. But Oscar did his best to keep his face neutral and show no fear,

"Ahh! You look the vision of your father my lord!" Lord Vance smiled as he arrived, a trusted advisor to his grandfather and now Oscar too,

Oscar turned to the older man and a thin smile appeared on his face, hearing the man who he'd known most of his life say those words made him feel at least a little like his father… or at least he hoped he did, though Oscar doubted he'd ever fully live up to his father. "I do?" Oscar asked as he studied himself a bit, taking in the image of himself in the mirror, turning and looking side to side,

"Yes my lord, I do recall your father's wedding day. It was a grand affair half the Riverlands came to feast." he joked,

Oscar chuckled at the man's joke, recalling the tale he'd heard of his parent's wedding day. it was one of his favourites, everyone in the Riverlands came to join in the celebrations, and even some from beyond. His parents looked so happy and… well it didn't matter now. His own wedding would not be to a woman he was in love with but a political ally. "I hope our feasts can outdo my fathers." he smiled as he turned and faced the lord directly,

"I am sure it shall. we have heard reports from town that there are lords and ladies from across the land. From Runestone to Lannisport we have visitors."

A smile slowly appeared on Oscar's face as he heard lord Vance's words, though some of that was the nerves and uncertainty he still felt about today, the smile grew with pride at the knowledge so many came to see his union, "I should hope we do not disappoint them then." he nodded,

"They have been arriving all week my lord. Inns are overflowing and many guests have already taken seats in the sept and godswoods for a hope of a glimpse at the blushing bride,"

"I…" he started, before pausing a moment, taking in the news again before he spoke again. "Perhaps I should head outside, and see our guests. I should greet them."

"You're vassals and council are handling such matters." he reassured, "The groom needs not to be doing such trivial matters. You need only prepare to meet your lady wife. The guests will understand your busyness."

Oscar sighed slightly and in a way felt embarrassed by what the Vance lord was saying. He probably was right, he was right, the groom should let others handle the trivial matter, but a part of Oscar wished he was amongst his people, but of course, he knew this was not that day. "Right… of course. I am merely… excited and I suppose I wanted to meet some of our guests," he commented with a chuckle,

"The feast will be for gifts and guest greetings. And of course tomorrow the grand ball. That is the time for courtesy my lord Tully. Today is for you and your bride alone."

"Quite right," he said with a soft exhale as he ran a hand through his hair, and nodded. Then he paused before he spoke again, he had a question to ask, a small thing which was on his mind, "My lord, I have a question… if I may ask it of you so close to the ceremony."

"Of course my lord Tully,”

he took a deep breath, a small amount of nervous energy filled him. His question was not very lordly or lord paramount… no it was more the question of a young boy than a lord. But regardless he spoke, "The girl, the woman, that I am marrying… what is she like?"

"Tales say… she is very womanly, very beautiful, graceful and poised."

Oscar's eyebrows raised, and a small smile appeared on his face as he heard the descriptor of the woman he was to marry. It sounded quite promising, his expectations had been set low, and he'd worried this woman would be… less than he hoped for, but he heard otherwise. Still, he had one more question. "And is she, is she nice? Kind perhaps?"

"I have heard tales that she makes sure guards of the bloody gate gather up any wounded birds that fall in the castle keep. Bring them to her room so she may nurse them to health and release them once more."

At that, at the words of a woman who would heal small birds, even going against the advice of the maester on how those birds brought bad luck, a smile appeared on Oscar's face. A genuine smile, it was the first time that had occurred since the news of his marriage had reached him, "That's…. that's lovely…" he said quietly, his voice softer than it had been so far, Then he let out a soft breath and a chuckle "I suppose she is more than just pretty then…"

"I am sure she is." lord Vance nodded "I will prepare things, if you give me the leave my lord?"

Oscar smiled and nodded to lord Vance "Yes, Yes of course go on. I hope I have not taken too much time from you, my lord."

lord Vance smiled and nodded heading to the door, he stopped short before leaving and spoke up to the older man seeming choked up a little as he spoke, "… such is a joyful day for us all. All of us who have called Riverrun our home these many years. I know… your father and mother, would have so loved to see you on this day Oscar."

Such words made Oscar's smile widen and even in his nervousness, he felt a happiness within. Then the men's words fully sank in, and the mention of his parents made Oscar's eyes go a bit watery, it had been so many years since he lost them. Even still, today, he felt their absence strongly, "Yes… yes they would have. And… I…" he paused, taking a breath and he tried not to let any tears run, "I would have loved for them to see it…"

“And of course, your grandsire, having arranged this match for you.”

“I know he would be thrilled,”

"forgive me-"

Oscar stepped forward, and gently placed a hand on the older man's shoulder "It is alright, do not apologise my lord. We both had them on our minds. But I would like to think, if they were here, they would be happy for me on this day…"

"I know they would be."

Oscar smiled at that, before he nodded and gave the older man's shoulder a soft squeeze "I should let you go now, no doubt there are many things to be done,"

Lord Vance nodded and left the chamber,

With the man gone Oscar exhaled once more, his mind now on his family. He missed them, it had been so long and yet the pain of losing them was still so prevalent in him. But today was not a day for such sadness.

Instead, his mind went to this future lady wife. The girl had an air of mystery about her, even the knowledge that she was kind and gentle did not give him that much of an idea of what she was like. And he could not wait to meet her.

[offender42085]

Post 1307

Robert Vance Dingman, New Hampshire inmate 70966, born 1979, incarceration intake in May 1997 at age 18, sentenced to life with possibility of parole, parole eligible June 2034

Murder

In May 2018, a Superior Court judge ruled that the state’s new recommended sentence for convicted teen murderer Robert Dingman doesn’t constitute a de facto life sentence.

Dingman was serving life without the possibility of parole for shooting his parents, Vance and Eve, to death in their Rochester home in 1996.

Dingman, who was 17 at the time of the crimes, was seeking a new sentence following a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled it unconstitutional for juvenile offenders to be given such sentences.

The state was requesting of the Court that Dingman be resentenced to two consecutive, 25-year sentences — one each for the murders of his parents. The defense has argued such a sentence would constitute a de facto life sentence due to Dingman’s age.

In a ruling, the state's Chief Justice determined the state’s recommendation isn’t the equivalent of a life sentence.

An aggregate 50-year sentence would give Dingman the possibility of release at age 67, which is less than a Centers for Disease Control analysis that found the average inmate’s life expectancy to be 76.

Robert and younger brother Jeffrey Dingman shot their parents as they arrived home from work in February 1996. The brothers wrapped the bodies in garbage bags and hid them in the attic and basement. They then played and partied over the weekend, returned to school Monday and were arrested after their parents’ coworkers called police.

Testifying at his brother’s trial, Jeffrey said he shot his parents first but said Robert instigated the killings and taunted each before firing the fatal shots. Prosecutors said Robert chafed under his parents’ rules and curfews, and in the months leading up to the killings the boys considered several outlandish plots, including poisoning their parents or pushing them onto thin ice.

Jeffrey, who was 14 at the time of the murders, received 30 years to life in a plea deal in exchange for confessing to police and testifying against Robert. Jeffrey was paroled in March 2014.

4l

[cheerfullycatholic]

If I didn't know what he supported I would say that Vance's speech was great but I do know what he supports and it's hypocritical. "The truth is that unborn life is worthy of protection." Yeah that is the truth, and yet he???? Doesn't act like it??????? "Now the task of our movement is to protect innocent life." Just not all of them, apparently. Not the ones in abortion states or ivf clinics according to him. It also bugs the hell out of me that he says "our movement". Anyone who supports abortion or ivf isn't pro life, they're not in the movement. It's all just such a joke

[follow-up-news]

President Donald Trump signed an executive order pardoning 23 anti-abortion-rights activists Thursday, one day before he is expected to address thousands of anti-abortion-rights demonstrators at their annual march in Washington. “Twenty-three people were prosecuted, they should not have been prosecuted,” Trump said at the Oval Office signing ceremony Thursday, noting that “many of them” are elderly. “This is a great honor to sign. They will be very happy.” Some are in jail, White House staff secretary Will Scharf told Trump as he stood next to him. None of their names were immediately released. Conservatives have charged the Biden administration with using a 1994 law protecting abortion clinics, providers and patients to target peaceful protesters. Congress enacted the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act in response to an increase in violence against abortion providers and their patients, with the aim of allowing people to safely access such services. It also protects First Amendment religious rights. Property damage can be prosecuted under the statute. Several of the people prosecuted under the law were involved in a 2021 blockade of a Washington, D.C., reproductive health care clinic. Advocates for clemency argue that the Biden administration used the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act to prosecute anti-abortion-rights protesters unjustly. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, re-introduced legislation this week to repeal the measure. The annual March for Life along the National Mall is Friday, the third time the demonstration has been held since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. Trump is expected to address the crowd virtually, while Vice President JD Vance will speak in person.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

On July 25, former President Donald Trump named Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate. Vance has only been a U.S. Senator since 2023, and his rapid ascension to the Republican Vice Presidential nominee has prompted renewed scrutiny of his record, particularly his views on women and children.  Notoriously, Vance described Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, as a "childless cat lady" in a July 29, 2021 appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show. Because Harris does not have children, Vance said, she "doesn't really have a stake" in the country. Vance went on to say that people with kids are "happier," "healthier," and "better prepared to actually lead this country." In an October 21, 2021 appearance on the Breitbart News Daily, Vance said that Democrats "next generation of leaders," including "the Kamala Harrises," "don't have kids." As a result, Harris and others "want to take our kids and brainwash them so that their ideas continue to exist in the next generation." 

In a July 24, 2021, speech to the Future of American Political Economy Conference, Vance said Harris and other Democratic leaders where members of the "childless left" who have "no physical commitment to the future of this country." Vance suggested that anyone without children should be excluded from leadership positions. “Why is this just a normal fact of …  life, for the leaders of our country to be people who don’t have a personal and direct stake in it via their own offspring?” Vance asked.  Vance's description of Harris is inaccurate. She has two step children that she has helped raise since they were teens. Their biological mother, Kerstin Emhoff described Harris as a "co-parent" who is "loving, nurturing, fiercely protective and always present."  But Vance's comments do appear to accurately reflect his views of Americans who do not have kids.  In a little-noticed March 21, 2021 tweet, Vance said that the decision not to have children has made many Americans "insane" and turned them into "sociopaths." 

Appearing on the Moment of Truth podcast on September 20, 2021, Vance described journalists as "a group of people who are dealing with their own…psychotic breaks." Journalists, Vance claimed, were told "it's very easy to start a family when you're 45," but, "God says otherwise." Now, journalists in their "late thirties or early forties" have "reached this point where I think they recognize that their lives are miserable and unhappy, but they all feel like they've reached the point of no return." Vance made a similar point in his speech to the Future of American Political Economy Conference, saying many journalists were "unhappy," "miserable," and "angry" because they were "childless adults."  Trump's campaign claims that Vance's remarks are being "taken out of context." Appearing on a podcast on Friday with conservative pundit Megyn Kelly, Vance implausibly claimed that he was not criticizing "people who don't have children." Vance did not apologize for his description of Harris as a "childless cat lady," saying only that it was a "sarcastic comment" and clarifying that he had "nothing against cats." Vance, however, insisted that the substance of his criticism of Harris is "true."    

[...]

Vance says parents should get extra votes

In his speech at the Future of American Political Economy Conference, Vance said parents "should have more of an ability to speak your voice in our democratic republic than people who don’t have kids." Vance said Americans without kids "don’t have as much of an investment in the future of this country" and therefore "shouldn’t get nearly the same voice" as parents. His solution is to "give votes to all children in this country" but "give control over those votes to the parents of those children."

[...]

Vance bashes efforts to make daycare more affordable

Despite his purported support for families, Vance has harshly criticized efforts to make daycare more affordable. He called the concept of universal daycare "class war against normal people." Vance said that "normal Americans" do not want to "shunt their kids into crap daycare so they can enjoy more 'freedom' in the paid labor force." He suggested that parents who send their children to daycare value their jobs more than their children. 

[...]

Vance wants law enforcement to have access to women's medical records to enforce abortion bans

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a new rule that would prevent state law enforcement from using medical records to enforce abortion bans. The rule "prohibits the disclosure of a patient’s health information as it relates to reproductive health care" to state and local investigators. 

J.D. Vance = natalist sociopathic weirdo unfit to be Vice-President.

[musicalhell]

Sending a fic to ask about: Persephone's Gambit

Favorite scene: It depends. Right now I'm in the middle of writing a chapter set on Christmas Eve including (spoiler alert) first time E/C, which is a combination of indulging my fondness for the busy holiday scenes in Christmas Carol and La Boheme with some fun sexytimes.

Favorite chapter: of the ones published so far it would have to be the visit to Belletours, because I love Eunice and also Raoul's cool/fun uncle potential is underrated.

Hardest scene to write: The reveal of what happened with Saed hasn't been easy, not so much because I didn't know what happened but because I needed to find the right way to work it into the narrative.

Favorite character to write: Honestly asking which of the POV characters I like best is like asking for my favorite child. I love Raoul because he's so blunt and the closest thing this story has to a straight man (for certain values of the term), Christine because she's coming into her own and discovering her strength and I love that for her, and Erik because he has ALL THE FEELINGS to the point that his inner dialogue starts edging into Gollum/Smeagol territory and he's always good for personal drama.

Favorite dynamic: Again, kind of in favorite child territory, but Erik/Raoul scenes are always fun to write because they have absolutely no filter when it comes to one another and the way their personalities bounce off each other is entertaining.

Why I chose the title: The "Persephone" part is kind of obvious. A gambit is a type of strategy in chess and life where one makes an initial sacrifice in order to set up a future advantage--something all three main characters do near the outset of the story.

Fun fact about the fic: In the spirit of authors using their writing to air petty (and not-so-petty) personal grievances, most of the antagonists have elements of someone I have a beef with. Marcelin Robert's and Julian de la Marche's appearances are based on Matt Walsh and JD Vance respectively. M. Simon was inspired by a rather difficult choir director I worked with, and M. Vincent owes more than a little to an old college theatre prof who was horrid in several ways (including some that got him sent to jail for a few years).

[bearmythology]

Mmm, the great Muskian tradition of forgiving racism--as long as it’s coming from someone in his inner circle. Marco Elez, one of the literal infiltrators of the U.S. Treasury, gets a redemption arc because Musk asked the most biased group on X for validation. And shocker--they gave it to him.

They erased Elez’s racist tweets, but the internet never forgets. They want you to think his biggest crime was “edgy posts.” No, his biggest crime was colluding with Musk’s DOGE project to illegally access the financial data of millions of Americans. But sure, let’s frame this as a ‘cancel culture’ moment instead of what it actually is--powerful men protecting their own.

And now Trump, Musk, and JD Vance are all holding hands, singing kumbaya for Elez. The same people who want life-ruining consequences for immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and anyone who challenges them, suddenly believe in second chances--for racists.

Fascism doesn’t march in wearing jackboots anymore. It hires young tech bros, launders their crimes through meme polls, and calls it forgiveness.

[ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly]

A bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown was on life support on Wednesday after President-elect Donald J. Trump condemned it, leaving lawmakers without a strategy to fund the government past a Friday night deadline.

Mr. Trump issued a scathing statement ordering Republicans not to support the sprawling bill, piling on to a barrage of criticism from Elon Musk, who spent Wednesday trashing the measure on social media and threatening any Republican who supported it with political ruin.

It was not yet clear how Speaker Mike Johnson planned to proceed as the package, which was stuffed full of unrelated policy measures as well as tens of billions of dollars in disaster and agricultural aid, appeared to be hemorrhaging support. Some Republicans suggested he was mulling stripping the bill of everything but the spending extension and putting it to a vote, but the fate of such a measure was also very much in doubt.

The blowback from Republicans to the agreement underscored the complications top G.O.P. leaders will have to manage next year when they control all of Congress and face a president with a penchant for blowing up political compromises. It also showed the power of a circle of influential outside players in Mr. Trump’s orbit who appeared willing to punish Republicans if they failed to accede to his wishes.

Even before Mr. Musk began making noise, a swell of Republican lawmakers — both ultraconservatives and some mainstream members — had been furious about the funding measure, which was rolled out on Tuesday night. It began as a simple spending bill to keep government funds flowing past a midnight deadline and into mid-March, but it emerged from bipartisan negotiations laden with $100 billion in disaster aid and dozens of other unrelated policies.

The G.O.P. resistance meant that in order to pass the bill, Mr. Johnson was going to have to rely, yet again, on Democratic votes to pass it, using a special procedure that requires the support of two-thirds of those voting. But by Wednesday afternoon, the backlash to the legislation had spread so far and wide in G.O.P. ranks that it was unclear whether he would even be able to muster a bare minimum of Republicans to partner with Democrats and push it across the finish line.

The bill appeared doomed when Mr. Trump weighed in late Wednesday afternoon, saying lawmakers needed to pass a “temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS,” and said it should be combined with an increase in the debt ceiling, the cap on how much money the United States is authorized to borrow to meet its financial obligations.

“We should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want,” Mr. Trump wrote in a lengthy statement on social media that he issued jointly with Senator JD Vance, the vice president-elect.

They spoke up after Mr. Musk, who Mr. Trump has tapped to scale back the scope of federal government, had gone on a daylong rampage against the bill, posting nearly nonstop on his social media platform X about how lawmakers needed to kill it. He was joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, another billionaire who is partnering with Mr. Musk on the effort to streamline the government and slash spending.

Republicans gauging support for the legislation said they were bleeding votes as a result of Mr. Musk’s barrage.

“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Mr. Musk wrote in one post.

Mr. Johnson appeared on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday morning to make a case for the bill, and said he had spoken to Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy earlier in the day.

“They said, ‘It’s not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending,’” Mr. Johnson recounted. “I said, ‘Guess what, fellas, I don’t either. We’ve got to get this done because here’s the key: By doing this, we are clearing the decks, and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back with the America First agenda.’”

Even before Mr. Trump got involved, typically reliable Republican votes for stopgap funding measures had begun to balk. Senator John Cornyn of Texas called the bill a “monstrosity.”

And anti-spending conservatives were livid.

“The American people wanted change,” said Representative Ralph Norman, Republican of South Carolina. “They didn’t say go out and spend more money, put us more into debt. It’s the opposite of what the American people voted for.”

But just as conservative Republicans and Mr. Musk were railing against the bipartisan deal for adding too much spending to the national debt, Mr. Trump called for raising the debt ceiling, insisting that Republicans must increase it as part of the spending package so the borrowing limit would go up while President Biden was still in the White House.

It reflected a recognition by the president-elect that his party would have a difficult time raising the limit next year when they have full control of Congress, and that he would not want to sign such a measure. Many Republicans refuse to back debt ceiling increases, viewing them as politically toxic.

The borrowing limit is expected to be reached sometime in January, and a failure to increase it would cause a default on the nation’s debt. Mr. Trump acknowledged that he did not want to shoulder the responsibility for doing so.

“Increasing the debt ceiling is not great,” Mr. Trump said in his statement, “but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch.”

Later, in a separate social media post, he said that any Republican who ��would be so stupid” as to vote for a funding extension without raising the debt ceiling “should and will” face a primary challenge.

Democrats, for their part, appeared in no mood to start any new negotiations.

“House Republicans have now unilaterally decided to break a bipartisan agreement that they made,” Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, said on Wednesday evening. “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt every day Americans all across this country. House Republicans will now own any harm that is visited upon the American people that results from a government shutdown.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/18/us/trump-news