#You can take my country and my dignity and freedom | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sepdet · 8 months ago

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Try to imagine Trump going to campaign HQ to reassure those working to get him elected with a speech like this after one of his unwelcome surprises.

Of course, that's impossible. This classy speech is all about "we" — the team, and the American people — although of course it's got a few "I's" in there to contrast herself with Trump and sketch out goals.

youtube

First five minutes: Squaring the circle of saluting Biden graciously, thanking and reassuring his election team, and moving forward

05:40 - rundown of major accomplishments of President Biden's administration

8:45 Harris lays out how she sees this election and I'm actually gonna transcribe it despite my arthritis because YES YES YES. (It's not very long.)

"It is my great honor to go out and EARN this nomination, and to win.

"So in the days and weeks ahead, I together with you will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.

"You know, as many of you know, before I was elected as Vice President, before I was elected as United States Senator, I was the elected Attorney General of California, and before that I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. [chuckles start around the room, she smiles.] Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump's type.

"And in this campaign I will proudly — I will proudly put my record against his. As a young prosecutor, when I was in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse. As Attorney General of California I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges and put it out of business. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college, Trump University, that was forced to pay $25 million to the students it scammed. As District Attorney, to go after polluters, I created one of the first environmental justice units in our nation. Donald Trump stood in Mar-o-lago and told Big Oil lobbyists he would do their bidding for a $1 billion campaign contribution. During the foreclosure crisis, I took on the big Wall Street banks and won $20 billion for California families, holding those banks accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of 34 counts of fraud.

"But make no mistake — all that being said, this campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. There is more to this campaign than that. Our campaign has always been about two different versions of what we see as the future of our country, two different visions for the future of our country. One focused on the future, the other focused on the past.

"Donald Trump wants to take our country backward, to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights.

"But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. [Calls of "That's right!"] We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every person can buy a home, start a family and build wealth, and where every person has access to paid family leave and affordable child care. That's the future we see! [Applause.] Together we fight to build a nation where every person has affordable healthcare, where every worker is paid fairly, and where every senior can retire with dignity.

"All of this is to say that building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. Because we here know that when our middle class is strong, America is strong. And we know that's not the future Donald Trump is fighting for. He and his extreme Project 2025 will weaken the middle class and bring us backward — please do note that — back to the failed trickle-down policies that gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and made working families pay the cost, back to policies that put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block, back to policies that treat healthcare as only a privilege for the wealthy, instead of what we all know it should be, which is a right for every American.

"America has tried these economic policies before. They do not lead to prosperity. They lead to inequity and economic injustice. And we are NOT GOING BACK. We are not going back. (You're not taking us back.)

"Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedom. Generations of Americans before us have led the fight for freedom from our founders to our framers, to the abolitionists and the suffragettes, to the Freedom Riders and farm workers. And now I say, team, the baton is in our hands. We, who believe in the sacred freedom to vote. We, who are committed to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We, who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence, and that's why we will work to pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. We, who will fight for reproductive freedom, knowing if Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every. single. state—but we are not going to let that happen.

"It is this team here that is going to help in this November to elect a majority of members of the United States Congress who agreethe government should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States I will sign it into law! [cheers, someone shouts "we the people!"] "Indeed, we the people.

"So ultimately, to all the friends here I say: in this election we know we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, ["Yes!"] or a country of chaos, fear, and hate? [Boos] You all are here because you as leaders know we each — including our neighbors and our friends and our family — we each as Americans have the power to answer that question. That's the beauty of it, the power of the people. We each have the ability to answer that question.

"So in the next 106 days—" looks around the room smiling at various people, "We have work to do. We have doors to knock on, we have people to talk to, we have phone calls to make, and we have an election to win. …" [a few final crowd -whipping-up platitudes like "Do we believe in freedom"]

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Note: Yes, I know, she spoke about rights for all Americans without getting into any specifics besides reproductive and voting rights, because those two are core values of the Democratic party and the ones most Americans agree with. Unifying a party and coalition building starts by finding common ground. The approach Harris is taking will pull away some old-school moderate Republicans who are reluctant to leave their party even as it changes beyond recognition, but who really don't like Trump. Many of them have been poisoned more or less by Fox News, so they need to see she's not a crazy crazy liberal.

#us politics #kamala harris #Youtube

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sissa-arrows · 8 months ago

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Thoughts on the dumb pro-colonial argument that the Algerian War of independence was not worth it because post-independence Algeria is poor, dangerous, fell into civil war, was ruled by dictators, and not so prosperous? Or any similar BS (like people describing South Africa was more prosperous under apartheid compared to the corruption and instability of the present).

1: Algeria is not poor.

2: Algeria is not dangerous. The borders with some countries can be dangerous areas but that’s because the west destabilize these countries.

3: The civil war was supported by outsider BECAUSE Algeria was recovering from 132 years of colonialism and the West didn’t want us to recover they wanted to control us so they encouraged other SWANA countries (Morocco and Saudi Arabia for example) to arm the terrorists and to send terrorists. The civil war was horrible it’s actually the reason why I was born in France cause my grandma was scared to lose a son to the civil war like she had to the war of liberation so she asked my dad to leave. But despite how horrible it is Algeria came out stronger because we are the only country who actually got rid of terrorists and we had to do that while keeping the US and Europe far away cause they kept insisting on sending troops but we didn’t want them to cause we knew they wouldn’t leave afterward.

4: Algerians fight when they are not okay with who is ruling them. If they aren’t okay with one of the so called dictators no worry the people will protest and kick him out.

5: You don’t recover from 132 years of colonialism just overnight and certainly not when you have a decade of civil war in the middle. Algerians born in 2002 are the first generation of Algerians since 1830 who were not born during a war or didn’t live through a war in their lives. Taking that into account Algeria could be doing so much worst. Things are getting better so while the country is not as prosperous as I think it can be it’s still doing good and will keep on doing better Incha’Allah.

Lastly and more importantly. Anyone saying that “liberation wasn’t worth it because the country was more rich/better under colonialism” is a huge piece of shit and a racist. Because it was better only for the colonizers. For the indigenous people it was not better. People saying liberation is not worth it also have no clue what colonialism actually is. Colonialism is what’s happening in Gaza and all over Palestine right now.

What I know is that no matter what people think of the situation in Algeria right now, indigenous people are not dying of hunger, they are able to go to school, they don’t have to fear white supremacists militia, they can work on their own land without fear, they can vote, they are seen as humans, they can travel freely in their own country, they don’t get killed for going to the beach… all these things were not possible under colonialism. I will add that people who think fighting for freedom and liberation is not worth it also don’t know what dignity is. Ask my paternal grandpa who lives in Algeria and lived through colonialism and he will tell you “I would rather spend the rest of my life sharing bread and water with my people than have the French come back” ask any Algerian who lived through colonialism to tell you and they will tell you the same thing. And it applies to so many people not just Algerians. Go tell a black man who lived through apartheid in South Africa that it was better before and you’ll see their reaction.

P.S: I am NOT throwing shade at anyone but I also invite people to look at a map of Africa in terms of hunger, wealth, education, life expectancy… People LOVE to target Algeria and South Africa more than other African countries saying they were doing better under colonialism/apartheid meanwhile they are always among the countries doing best in Africa. It’s no accident if they are also among the countries who fought the hardest and who actually kicked out the colonizers. It’s no accident if the countries who are doing so much worst in the continent because the colonizers never truly left are not mentioned as much as Algeria or South Africa are.

#algeria #South Africa #Africa #colonialism #fuck colonialism #liberation for all #ask

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casper-ry · 9 months ago

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As a transitioner, you are more afraid of AfD than muslim migration? Seems to me a terribly short-sighted view...

Ummm, I'm genuinely confused by that. Why?? Why should I be more afraid of Muslim migration than of the AfD? Like??

OK either you have no idea who the AfD is and just want to be racist, or you do know and want to be racist or you are German and siding with the AfD here.

In the last case, I'm just gonna say: Was ist eigentlich dein beschissenes Problem?

Ok but generally, I'm just gonna assume you are referring to the idea/assumption that Muslim people "hate lgbtq+ people" and so on. Which is a huge piece of bullshit.

Here's the thing: Have you ever been to a German Pride? I have, and there were many Muslim people. All of my Muslim friends are fully supporting me, are queer themselves or are amazing allies. I have never met a homophobic Muslim. Never.

But I have met racist and homophobic and Islamophobic assholes. I have met people who told me I'd go to hell and they'd laugh about that. I have met people who have disrespected personal boundaries to humiliate me, to take away my dignity. All of these were white people, Germans, to be exact.

Because most of the countries that treat Lgbtq+ as a crime are majorly Muslim, you assume that the religion is the problem. That is not the case. It is the government that has a problem with queer people, and the people who support that government. And that includes Muslims and non-Muslims.

But the people who come here either run from these governments or try to find a better life here. They do not go here because they support this and now want to hate on people.

Sure, conservative Muslims believe homosexuality is a sin. But so does the catholic church. Yet you would never tell me "Why are you more afraid of the catholic church than of the AfD?"

You are telling me I should be more afraid of people who go or even flee here and simply want to live here, bringing a beautiful diversity to our country, than of people who want to kick those people out because "eww other cultures", "eww they must be terrorists", who want to take a way the freedom of speech, who are openly faschists, who support Russias invasion, who want to destroy German Democracy, who want to take away my human rights???

I'm sorry if I don't follow but to me this is obvious.

I think the Muslim faith is beautiful. Religious faith and devotion generally is very beautiful. Different cultures are beautiful. And homophobia and transphobia are learned/taught behaviors, that can be unlearned with enough patience and kindness.

Muslims do not strive to govern our country and tell us how to live our lives. I let them be, they let me be, all fine. ( I know there are extremists who fall out of that statement but they are a different case all along) The AfD wants to actively forbid medical treatment for people like me, wants to take our rights and make out lives unnecessarily harder.

Tell me now: of who should I be more afraid?

#ask answered #german stuff #german politics #afd #fck afd #muslim #islam #lgbtq #lgbtqia #homophobia #islamophobia #politics #afdnee #honestly idk anymore #like why #why

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alabastermask · 2 months ago

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Trump, I don't really like travelling to the US, it's a bit boring, but I confess that there are some commendable things. I like going to the black neighborhoods of Washington, where I saw an entire fight in the US capital between blacks and Latinos with barricades, which seemed like nonsense to me, because they should join together. I confess that I like Walt Whitman and Paul Simon and Noam Chomsky and Miller I confess that Sacco and Vanzetti, who have my blood, are memorable in the history of the USA and I follow them. They were murdered by labor leaders with the electric chair, the fascists who are within the USA as well as within my country. I don't like your oil, Trump. You're going to wipe out the human species because of greed. Maybe one day, over a glass of whiskey, which I accept, despite my gastritis, we can talk frankly about this, but it's difficult because you consider me an inferior race and I'm not, nor is any Colombian. So if you know someone who is stubborn, that's me, period. You can try to carry out a coup with your economic strength and your arrogance, like they did with Allende. But I will die in my law, I resisted torture and I resist you. I don't want slavers next to Colombia, we already had many and we freed ourselves. What I want next to Colombia are lovers of freedom. If you can't accompany me, I'll go elsewhere. Colombia is the heart of the world and you didn't understand that, this is the land of the yellow butterflies, of the beauty of Remedios, but also of the colonels Aureliano Buendía, of which I am one, perhaps the last. You will kill me, but I will survive in my people, which is before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea and of freedom. You don't like our freedom, okay. I don't shake hands with white slavers. I shake hands with the white libertarian heirs of Lincoln and the black and white farm boys of the USA, at whose graves I cried and prayed on a battlefield, which I reached after walking the mountains of Italian Tuscany and after being saved from Covid. They are the United States and before them I kneel, before no one else. Overthrow me, President, and the Americas and humanity will respond. Colombia now stops looking north, looks at the world, our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Cordoba, the civilization of that time, of the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic, democracy in Athens; our blood has the black resistance fighters turned into slaves by you. In Colombia is the first free territory of America, before Washington, of all America, there I take refuge in its African songs. My land is made up of goldsmiths who worked in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete. You will never rule us. The warrior who rode our lands, shouting freedom, who is called Bolívar, opposes us. Our people are somewhat fearful, somewhat timid, they are naive and kind, loving, but they will know how to win the Panama Canal, which you took from us with violence. Two hundred heroes from all of Latin America lie in Bocas del Toro, today's Panama, formerly Colombia, which you murdered. I raise a flag and as Gaitán said, even if it remains alone, it will continue to be raised with the Latin American dignity that is the dignity of America, which your great-grandfather did not know, and mine did, Mr. President, an immigrant in the USA. Your blockade does not scare me, because Colombia, besides being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world. I know that you love beauty as I do, do not disrespect it and you will give it your sweetness. FROM TODAY ON, COLOMBIA IS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE WORLD, WITH OPEN ARMS, WE ARE BUILDERS OF FREEDOM, LIFE AND HUMANITY. I am informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the United States, and I do the same. Let our people plant corn that was discovered in Colombia and feed the world.

#you fucking tell him Mr. President #not that that clown will listen

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saltsicklover · 1 year ago

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To Love, To Die, and Everything In Between

This was a requested work, you can find the request HERE Find my Master List HERE Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader Word Count: 3k+ Rating: R Should I put an old school Wattpad excuse as to why I've been gone so long? Also, I really hope my tag list is right!

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of war and fighting, mentions of death, regular cannon violence (probably less), No use of y/n, the term Sweetheart, Tons and Tons web weaving, credit at the end. This is so fucking angsty.

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They say it's about the journey, the destination itself nothing more than an ending, all the importance found in the steps it takes to get there. But really, it's the destination itself that holds the meaning. After all, if that wasn't the case, the destination wouldn't come with a soul crushing grip, fingers digging into the folds of my lungs just to starve out the capacity for air.

The journey's memories would not be left with inky smears of fingerprints, the clarity nothing more than the orange tinted, overexposed film and the whirring of a projector still clicking though no more film is passing through. Nothing left but the flickering light of the present, the whirring akin to blood rushing over ear drums.

Destination means death to me. If I could figure out a way to remain forever in transition, in the disconnected and unfamiliar, I could remain in a state of perpetual freedom.

And this in and of itself is death. Squinting through the glaring light that is now I can see the curve of his lips, the way they give frame to perfect teeth and a tongue that has done nothing but speak promises that his hands have kept. And his hands are gentle. They are clean. They have guided me, unseeing, through the journey of the last year.

It's been months through screens. Fingers hovering over buttons. The decision of to call or not to call. Messages collecting in inboxes and photos of moments I never had the hope of being a part of. It's better than our mother's had, or their mother's before them. Crackling phone lines and tear soaked stationary from wars past. Though the story has been the same, it has always been the same. And the story is this: man fights for his country, for his love, for his honor, for the women behind them and the men standing at his shoulders. They fight for dignity, out of duty, out of order and for a future they have no hope of seeing. That is not to say that they won't make it out alive, that they won't come home. No, it is to say that they are leaving a legacy, moving pieces of a chest board from which the game was erected at the turn of the first war and shall be played until the end of the last.

Legacy. What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.

And what are we? The women who stand behind them. The women, the families, the love that stands behind them as they fight for dignity, out of duty and out of order as they search for their honor. Tear drops on stationary, kisses pressed to closed envelopes spritzed with perfume. We are crackling voices through barely connected telephone lines. We are the viewers of the photographs and the "likes" on social media, the wish you were here comments and the well wishes from worlds away. We are the same as every woman that has come before us. In love with a Soldier, an Airman, a Seaman, a Marine who's gaze is forward.

You have a row of dominoes set up; you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is that it will go over very quickly.

From NAS Pensacola, to just east at NAS Jacksonville. Jacksonville turned to NAS Yorktown which gave way to Miramar in the way the coast gives way to the waves. The letters came in sparser than the phone calls ever did, but maybe that's what did me in. That last letter, an acknowledgement of life in the wake of something horrible having been prevented that now sinks below the horizon, down, down, down.

It's always my own breathing, my own heartbeat. After all, I am still alone, even if he is alive and well. He stands an ocean and a world away. It's always my breathing.

She runs, trips and pitches down the stairs, holding her letter.

She follows the letter down, down...

Blackout. A clatter. Strange sounds—xylophones, brass bands, sounds of falling, sounds of vertigo.

Sounds of breathing.

The Hard Deck on a sunny evening is all rich wood and the stark smell of the ocean, the windows pushed open to invite the fleeting warmth into the bar. I haven't made it further than the front stair case; Jake Seresin's smiles, an invite and a warning all at once though it isn't directed towards me. He doesn't even know I'm here, and I could keep it that way. I could run now, I could leave, deal with everything over the phone and through ink strokes of dying fountain pens in the same way we have been dealing with everything for months.

I can at least be neat. Walk out and be seen as clean.

The thing is this, Jake is home. Here at the Hard Deck, on the beach in Miramar, California surrounded by his squad, his newly minted and now permanent squad. The Daggers, the name fitting the feeling that the news pushes into the space between my ribs. An ache lives there now, unrelenting and dangerous. A reminder that the journey, our journey, has found the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's a train heading straight for us. We stood no chance, not with out feet planted firmly on the tracks.

The shame of being seen consumes me.

I know the look that will streak across his eyes before that smile lands full and glistening on his lips. I know that look of happiness, the one that is unburdened and surviving though it shouldn't. A smile that knows nothing of the pain looming around the corner, the dagger still stuck in my side and the way that I have been tracking blood behind me, droplets splattering crimson sick on the pavement as I limp out from hiding. He's not going to notice the way my skin is still slick with blood or the way the proverbial handle still hangs from it's new sheath between my ribs. It's red ink under his rose colored glasses.

I think I've already lost you. I think you're already gone.

Though it wasn't a choice he made, at least, it hasn't been since he agreed to this job in the first place. The moment that ink dried on his contact, royal blue and officially binding, it hasn't been his choice. Not really. And maybe somewhere along the line I got tangled up in it all. In the kindness of his words that snuck out from his cocky grin and the way his eyes raked over the unbroken skin of my body and claimed it as land to tend. Maybe my heart has always been in my hands; why he has shielded me from the horrors of the world with his own body, even before he had a chance to see them with his own eyes. Maybe he knew my skin was supposed to stay unbroken.

Maybe it wasn't.

But either way, I still bleed now. And Jake still wears the rose colored glasses that come along with survival like this. A second chance at life, he declared proudly over the phone no less than a week ago, a chuckle laced in his voice in a shallow attempt to hide his utter bafflement. He wasn't supposed to make it back from this one, no matter the promises his Captain made. Jake's tone worn thin over the phone like he knew it was the end. He wasn't supposed to make it back. Our story was supposed to end there, my own body on the other side of the railroad crossing while Jake fell gallantly from the sky; a blaze of glory and red hot heat.

But now he's home. Home, home, home.

That's the whistle of the oncoming freight train, a warning call.

It’s not enough nearly to survive. One needs to flourish.

I push into the bar, squaring my shoulders with my chin held high. There is no white flag here, no surrender. If one of us must fall from the sky, all burning red heat and glory, I guess it's going to be me.

To love means to radiate with inexhaustible light.

I know the look that's coming, the look that will dash across his eyes and the smile that will bloom. Worse yet, I know the look that will succeed his smile. That look where he will square his jaw and narrow his eyes, batting down the hatches to make sure no sense of hurt will make it through.

The hurt will make it though his eyes anyway. The cracks in his facade akin to the humanity he wishes he could keep from display. Hangman: a persona to keep emotions at an arms length though they already has a noose securely around his neck. I can see it in the pinprick tears collecting in the corners of his eyes even as he lifts his chin up; a Tarantino tilt of the head.

He spots me, eyes going wide as his smile. "Oh my god, Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" The sight of him in all his blond hair, blue eyed glory gives me pause. God, he is beautiful. He is beautiful, with kind hands that have guided me through these last few months and now, this moment will be the last time I truly get to appreciate it.

Those kind hands are working their way around my frame as he pulls me into his chest. He bleeds warmth, and for a moment I wonder if he can feel how much blood I've already lost, if it's wet against his palm as he grazed over my ribs. I wonder if he can feel it, and if it would still be warm. Warm with the feeling of me, and the love that I have for him. God, I love him so.

There can be no friendship with someone I am not ready to betray.

It's in this moment that I know, with his hands wrapped around me and my cheek pressed against the heat of his chest as his heart beats thickly in my ear, Jake Seresin is my best friend. He is my best friend and he doesn't know I'm bleeding out.

The train is getting impossibly closer, now. It's horn blaring in my ears so loud it's giving me vertigo. I sway a bit in Jake's arms; he grips me impossibly tighter- I begin to hemorrhage.

"Oh, Sweetheart, I am so glad you're here. If I would've known you were coming, I would've picked you up! I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming! Jeez, I can't believe you are here, Sweetheart, really. God, you feel good," Jake's words come uninterrupted, punctuated with another squeeze of his arms.

"Yeah... I'm," The words come out muffled against his chest, though it sounds like my own voice is a million miles away, "I'm here."

A moment more passes gently, stuck in the confines of his embrace before he pulls back. His eyes meet mine for a moment, stark blue in the way the the flag is, embedded with stars and glory and a weight I can not even imagine- before they are flicking back up to his squad.

And it's in this moment where I realize that Jake Seresin may love me, and I may love him, but there is no blood left in me. I have nothing left to bleed, only words to bare. There is only desperation on my tongue to beg the man before me to love me more than he loves his own glory, his own noble sacrifice, and his country.

Let me be very clear: every version of the story ends with you being slaughtered.

I will be slaughtered too, whether it be from the knife still stuck in my side or the incoming train, I will be flayed open under the hot California sun for the world to see.

I fear I will be ripped open and found unsightly.

And yet, it will be okay, because I will be seen. Jake Seresin will see me, unclean and unkempt, void of blood and tears, the only thing left over will be the ghost of us and all the love that I still have left to give. Atoms cannot cease to be- I think my love for him is one in the same.

I hope death is like being carried to your bedroom when you were a child and fell asleep on the couch during a family party. I hope you can hear the laughter from the next room.

"Can we step outside?" I peer up at him, my chin pressed to his sternum. Truth be told, I look past him, over the prominence of his brow bone and up to the planks of the ceiling. It's easier to take a hostage when you don't have to look them in the eye. For a moment I wonder if I should have feared getting blood on him to begin with, but knowing he himself could not feel it even as it coated his own palms helps me guide him from the audience of his friends. His wrist held loosely in my grasp until we've made it to the sand. For a moment I almost forget to let go.

Of course love is still there. Still, still, still.

There is a sort of sticky sweetness in the cavern of my chest now as I stand next to him. Maybe it's been there this whole time, encasing my heart and thickness of it's beating. Jake wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side with gentle hands. He hums with contentment, fingers brushing over my arm.

"I can't believe you're here," Jake still looks at the sky, the horizon line drawing his eye. "What are you doing here, sweetheart?"

My heart stutters in my chest. What am I doing here? My eyes catch the horizon too, as I pull the proverbial blade from it's place between my ribs. It too is sticky sweet with blood and smeared fingerprints.

I write my own deliverance.

The words are written on my tongue in bile. My hands shake. I shove them into my pockets, eyeline still stuck on the orange of the setting sun. It's warmth accompanies Jake's, sinking into my hollow corpse. Again I threaten to sway under the momentum of the moment. This is it. The ending.

"I came to say goodbye," They are not the correct words, the letters all jumbled up and ill-fitting in my mouth. "I came to wish you well." He turns his chin down to me, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Goodbye?" The word rakes itself out of his throat, all gravel and uncertainty. His hold tightens on my shoulders, just a little, pulling me tighter into his side. Heat continues to roll off his frame. My hands form fists in the confines of my pockets, an attempt at clutching this moment before it slips past.

"Yeah, I mean..." There's a pause. Breathing room. A forcing of air in and out of my lungs. Jake doesn't seem to breathe at all. "This is it, isn't it?"

"What could you possibly mean by that?" His gaze meets mine for the first time, steady and unyielding. Suddenly I am aware of just how much blue surrounds me now. From my cheap cardigan, littered with holes that still manages to fight off the chill of the breeze to the royal of the ocean waves. The sky is azure too, melting into orange and pink hues that will give way to the vast deep navy of the night. But there is nothing more royal that of Jake's irises. Still weighty with stars and glory, but reflecting my own strangled feelings back at me. The destination grips my lungs just a little bit harder, the train wheels squealing against the tracks, but it's too late now.

Everything is blue. Everything is blue. Everything is blue. Everything is blue.

I squeeze my eyes shut, too tight, and everything my eyes see is blue then, too. "I came to say goodbye, so you could continue your life, you know,?" I shrug vaguely, hoping he will get the idea, "Like really continue your life here, settle down. This is your home base now, and your family is in there. I'm not really sure what else you'd be expecting to happen right now."

The words pour out of me, not crossing my brain before they leave my tongue. A strangled sound of confusion leave Jake's lips as his arm slips from it's place around my shoulders. The chill gets in after that, right down to my bones.

"I-" The words catch. I hold my breath waiting for a moment, then another, then another. Jake breathes deeply now, forcefully. Taking each beath deep into his lungs like it's painful. I continue to hold my breath.

The spot between my ribs, now void of proverbial blade still aches, but now with more loneliness and finality than strikes of pain. A fact dawns on me in that moment, as my lungs burn for air, watching Jake's jaw stutter with upspoken words. Maybe this wasn't supposed to be an ending. Not like this, maybe not at all.

You are a burning house that I want to live in.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" With Jake's unsure words, I manage an uneasy breathe. My lungs feel aflame with new oxygen. My eyes meet the sand, my dirty sneakers looking out of place next to Jake's nice leather boots. I can't help the almost chuckle that escapes my lips, it comes out as more of a grimace.

It occurs to me that maybe Jake has no idea about just how much I'm falling apart. Just like my mother, and her mother before her. Loving men from afar as they fight- Soldiers, Airman, Seaman, and Marines. The shock of it all ricochets through me; a generational pain that is now mine to hold.

The splendid thing about falling apart silently... is that you can start over as many times as you like.

"If you're saying what I think you're implying here, I need you to say it out loud," Jake breaks through the fog of it all, his voice stern and commanding. It sends a shiver down my spine. I have never seen him like this, burning so fiercely with love and it makes the sticky sweetness of my insides warm. "If you're saying what I think you're saying, I need you to say it. I need you to say the words out loud for both of us to hear, because I need to hear that goodbye if you're going to walk away from me. Oh God, Sweetheart, please don't walk away now,"

"When you were on that ship," I kick some sand with the toe of my shoe, a neat little pile of it forming in front of me, "When you called, I didn't think you were coming back, and now that you're here, you're alive... God, you're alive... I just thought that I'd be holding you back. I mean, if we kept this going, there would always be something dragging you backwards, and I don't want to drag you back, Jake. But, I also can't do it like this anymore. Our relationship has been spent through phone calls and letters and I don't think we've spent more than three days consecutive together, ever,"

"I am so fucking glad that you are alive," I can't help but laugh, the pressure a little less crushing, "But we are both worth more than this,"

When I finally gather the courage to look up, Jake's eyes are already on me, running over my features so slow like he's working on memorizing them. I have so much more to say, so many words that wouldn't fit on the collage ruled paper or in the textbox of a message. All of these words just begging to escape from behind my tongue.

"I love you," I blurt out, eyes linked with his blues, unhindered and unbashful. "God, I fucking love you, and I can't believe I'm saying it for the first time now, not over the goddamn phone, and we are on the periphery of a fucking ending,"

"It's only an ending if you call it as such," Jake reaches for my hand. I extract them from the their denim confines and let them slip into his. "Because I am not fucking walking away. Do you think that I would?"

What a question. What a loaded fucking question.

"No," I answer honestly, "Not on purpose, but I know the fight is always in front of you, and that leaves me in the rearview, and I am not going to ask you to give up that, to give up all of this, for me. You have a family here, now, even if you don't want to use that word. Those folks in there, the people you almost fucking died with, those are your people forever, now. They are who you have to fight with, and fight for."

"Yes, they are my family, but that doesn't mean that you aren't anymore," Jake squeezes my hands, pulling me just a little closer.

"Anymore?" I barely hear my own voice, but I do feel the tears welling up in my eyes. "Have I been your family before now? Before this moment, before you almost died?"

"Of course you have," Jake chokes down a chuckle. "You are my person, my home, and I want you here, here with me,"

"But what about everything that comes next. The next time you have to go somewhere in the middle of the ocean to fight an unknown battle, with enemies who are just trying to do the same thing. Everyone is just fighting to stay alive, to get home, what then?"

"Who do you think I was fighting so hard to get back to?" Tears fall from my eyes at his words, his hands coming up to cup my cheeks. "Who do you think I will continue to fight to get back to? Sweetheart, I will dogfight my way out of anything if that means making it back to you," Thumbs swipe at my tears as he leans in, pressing his lips over mine. A welcome home and a goodbye all in one, but not a goodbye from one another, but from the people we used to be.

Death frees us from the torment of parting.

And so the train passes, I remain un-flayed to the world and Jake didn't go out in a blaze of glory and red hot heat. I may have bled out, but that dagger was never mine to carry- even if we were both fighting to get back to each other. And maybe a part of us died there, on that beach, our lips pressed together as Jake breathed life back into me. It's a death, but not one of finality, because If you're lucky, you die many times before you ever really do.

----

QUOTE CREDIT

Destination means death to me. If I could figure out a way to remain forever in transition, in the disconnected and unfamiliar, I could remain in a state of perpetual freedom. - David Wojnarowicz

I can at least be neat. Walk out and be seen as clean. - A burning Hill - Mitski

"She runs, trips and pitches down the stairs, holding her letter.

She follows the letter down, down...

Blackout. A clatter. Strange sounds—xylophones, brass bands, sounds of falling, sounds of vertigo.

Sounds of breathing."

― Sarah Ruhl,

Legacy. What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. - Hamilton

"You have a row of dominoes set up; you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is that it will go over very quickly." - President Eisenhower in April 1954

The shame of being seen consumes me. - Cynthia Cruz from diagnosis, The Glimmering Room

I think I've already lost you. I think you're already gone. - Matchbox 20

There can be no friendship with someone I am not ready to betray. -slavoj zizek

Let me be very clear: every version of the story ends with you being slaughtered. - anecdote of the pig, tory adkisson

I hope death is like being carried to you bedroom when you were a child and fell asleep on the couch during a family party. I hope you can hear the laughter from the next room. - lilies abounded

It’s not enough nearly to survive. One needs to flourish. - Jack Tanner, The Source of Dreams, When Human Imagination Died

To love means to radiate with inexhaustible light - rainer maria rilke

I fear I will be ripped open and found unsightly. - Anne Sexton, A self portrait in letters.

Of course love is still there. Still, still, still. - unknown, tumblr

Everything is blue. Everything is blue. Everything is blue. Everything is blue. - Halsey

You are a burning house that I want to live in. - unknown, tumblr

“The splendid thing about falling apart silently... is that you can start over as many times as you like.” ― Sanober Khan,

If you're lucky, you die many times before you ever really do. - Jake Weasley Rogers.

Death frees us from the torment of parting. lighthousekeeping, jeanette winterson

TAG LIST @its-the-pilot @t4medicroe @inkandarsenic @kmc1989 @inky-sun @harperdoodle @possiblyexisting @eloquentdreamer @ravenwtfbro @jessicab1991 @muddwheelz123

#saltsicklover #top gun maverick fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x y/n #jake hangman seresin x you #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x y/n #hangman x you #hangman x reader #hangman x y/n #hangman angst #jake hangman seresin angst #jake seresin angst #jake seresin fanfic #jake hangman seresin fanfic #hangman fanfic #saltsickwriting #saltsickrequests

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jowi8597 · 7 months ago

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Hi Jo, a question that always boggles my mind is, why does Yibo let the bjyx rumors grow this much. Why can't he or his team make an official statement that they don't have anything to do with XZ and his team. It will end all this nonsense once and for all

My dear Anon,

Thank you very much for your question and I apologize for the late reply. By the way, to all those who send me questions, I apologize in advance for the delay in responding and ask for your patience.

Returning to the question, I must admit that I have pondered this matter myself on numerous occasions, and I have a few theories I'd like to share. However, the most honest response I can offer is simply, "I don't know." The reality is that, as outsiders, we lack genuine insight into the complexities of what transpires behind the scenes. The world of celebrities is largely unfamiliar to most of us, and even though we might speculate about the unspoken rules that govern it, we will never truly understand all the nuances at play. What we observe may merely be a façade, a carefully crafted performance, and the motivations driving those actions will likely remain a mystery.

That said, I would like to share my perspective on this topic. I want to emphasize that this opinion is inherently subjective, yet it is grounded in information that is publicly accessible and easily verifiable.

1. Contract with Yuehua Entertainment

It’s important to keep in mind that Yibo has been tied to a contract with the parent company, Yuehua, for many years. The specific details of this contract remain unclear, particularly regarding how it governs aspects of his personal life and public image. However, it's evident that Yibo seldom discusses his personal life publicly; instead, those matters are typically addressed by the agency through official statements. This approach applies not only to defamation cases but also to dating rumors that circulate about him.

If this is indeed the case, such contractual clauses may grant the agency significant control over how Yibo presents his personal life, potentially shielding both him and the company from issues that may arise. While it appears that Yibo enjoys considerable freedom in selecting his projects, there seems to be an underlying tension between him and his boss, Du Hua. This friction was noticeably apparent during the recent Yuehua event. The roots of this conflict remain a matter of speculation. It may not stem from being forced into particular work, but rather revolve around personal matters, fan interactions, or perhaps other unspecified issues.

2. Publicity

What Yibo and Yuehua likely want to avoid is any official publicity regarding bjyx. Publicly addressing these rumors would inadvertently confirm their validity as dating rumors, which, in reality, they are not. Such acknowledgment would open the floodgates for public commentary and almost certainly propel the topic to trending status. While it's one thing to recognize bjyx as a fictional concept created by a small group of fans and simply ignore it, it's quite another to lend it credibility through official statements. No Chinese entertainment agency publicly addresses the existence of "ships," as doing so would be seen as trivial and unprofessional. Denying one rumor would necessitate denying others, which would be both absurd and inconsistent with the dignity of the artist and the agency.

It's also crucial to consider Yibo's strong reputation in China. He is viewed as a positive figure and actively participates in numerous promotional efforts for his country, including sports and tourism. Publicly acknowledging "ships," particularly those with homosexual connotations, could severely damage Yibo's reputation and image, jeopardizing his future ambassadorial roles and marketing contracts. It's unlikely that he and his agency would be willing to take such a risk.

3. The futility of opposition

The belief that an official statement opposing bjyx can "end it all" is overly optimistic. The behavior of so-called "tinhats," obsessive fans with conspiracy theories, suggests that even debunking a "ship" by the artists or their representatives won’t shake their convictions. Even the official relationships and children of the "shipped" artists did not deter the "tinhats" from fanatical actions related to their beliefs.

I often draw parallels between bjyx and the Larries (fans who obsessively ship two former One Direction members). Anyone familiar with the Larries knows that despite the artists' firm opposition, these fans persist, even going so far as to claim that one artist's partner and child are fake. It’s hard to imagine anything more disturbing.

A brief investigation reveals that Larries and bjyx operate under similar patterns; the modus operandi of these groups remains consistent.

In conclusion, even strong opposition to a ship might lead to no change at all, and if anything, it could worsen the situation.

4. The hate campaign

While it's true that some shippers might choose to depart from the fandom in response to outright opposition, it is equally likely that an even larger group will perceive this opposition as an affront to their beliefs and identity. Unfortunately, this isn't just idle speculation; we’ve seen similar attacks arise from the bjyx in the past. These incidents range from bjyx's hate comments during the dating rumors and the 88 incident in 2019 to aggressive actions against Yibo’s brands that openly rejected bjyx, culminating when Yibo removing "cql" (untamed) from his bio. This latter action sparked an avalanche of insults and threats directed towards him, including extreme threats to his personal safety. Because Yibo (diplomatically) opposes bjyx, he has become a target for vicious online and offline harassment.

Now, let’s consider the potential fallout if his opposition were to become completely open, official, and public. Such a stance would directly challenge the identity of the bjyx fandom, exposing an amount of deception and, for some, jeopardizing their financial interests. Many would feel betrayed, but rather than channeling their frustration towards the individuals responsible for the deception (namely, influential bjyx accounts and people connected to cql) they would likely redirect their anger towards Yibo himself.

Does Yibo need more haters? Absolutely not. Given that he has weathered previous attacks and is diligently working to bolster his career, he certainly doesn’t require another hate campaign arising from something so trivial.

In conclusion, if remaining silent can achieve the same or even a more favorable and safer outcome than outright denial, then choosing to ignore is certainly the wiser path.

5. Yibo denied bjyx in 2019

In this discussion, we find ourselves questioning why Yibo has not expressed clear opposition to bjyx at the moment. The underlying issue seems to be why he would need to reiterate this opposition once again. After all, during and after the broadcast of cql (untamed) in 2019, Yibo and his agency already addressed bjyx and rejected it.

In an interview promoting the show, when asked about the possibility of the on-screen couple being together in real life, Yibo firmly stated, "Impossible, impossible, really impossible." The impact of his words was heightened by the presence of his co-actor, who also denied the cp.

Shortly thereafter, Yuehua released an official statement confirming that "Wang Yibo is single," which should have put an end to any circulating rumors and speculations.

However, it did not happen. This brings us back to my earlier point about the futility of opposition. No amount of rejection, be it official, unofficial, explicit, or subtle, will sway those who are deeply invested in their beliefs. Thus, if a clear rejection now could jeopardize Yibo’s reputation and career, it might be wiser to maintain the current status quo.

I hope this lengthy explanation has comprehensively addressed your question, dear Anon. If not, please don't hesitate to reach out again.

#wang yibo #wangyibo #bjyx is fake #bjyx are tinhats #tinhats #jo answers

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dandelionh3art · 5 months ago

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The Will of Yahya Sinwar:

I am Yahya, the son of the refugee who turned exile into a temporary homeland, and turned the dream into an eternal battle.

As I write these words, I recall every moment that has passed in my life: from my childhood in the alleys, to the long years of imprisonment, to every drop of blood that was shed on the soil of this land.

I was born in Khan Yunis camp in 1962, at a time when Palestine was a torn memory and forgotten maps on the tables of politicians.

I am the man who wove his life between fire and ashes, and realized early on that life under occupation means nothing but permanent imprisonment.

I knew from a young age that life in this land is not ordinary, and that whoever is born here must carry in his heart an unbreakable weapon, and realize that the road to freedom is long.

My will to you begins here, from that child who threw the first stone at the occupier, and who learned that stones are the first words we utter in the face of the world that stands silently in front of our wound.

I learned in the streets of Gaza that a person is not measured by the years of his life, but by what he gives to his country. And that was my life: prisons and battles, pain and hope.

I entered prison for the first time in 1988, and I was sentenced to life imprisonment, but I did not know the way to fear.

In those dark cells, I saw in every wall a window to the distant horizon, and in every bar a light illuminating the path to freedom.

In prison, I learned that patience is not just a virtue, but a weapon.. a bitter weapon, like someone who drinks the sea drop by drop.

My advice to you: Do not fear prisons, for they are only part of our long path to freedom.

Prison taught me that freedom is not just a stolen right, but an idea born from pain and refined by patience. When I was released in the ��Wafa al-Ahrar” deal in 2011, I did not leave as I was; I left stronger and my faith increased that what we are doing is not just a passing struggle, but rather our destiny that we carry until the last drop of our blood.

My advice is that you remain committed to the gun, to the dignity that is not compromised, and to the dream that never dies. The enemy wants us to abandon the resistance, to turn our cause into an endless negotiation.

But I tell you: Do not negotiate what is rightfully yours. They fear your steadfastness more than they fear your weapons. Resistance is not just a weapon that we carry, but rather it is our love for Palestine in every breath we take, it is our will to remain, despite the siege and aggression.

My advice is that you remain loyal to the blood of the martyrs, to those who departed and left us this path full of thorns. They are the ones who paved the path of freedom for us with their blood, so do not waste those sacrifices in the calculations of politicians and the games of diplomacy.

We are here to complete what the first ones started, and we will not deviate from this path no matter what it costs us. Gaza was and will remain the capital of steadfastness, and the heart of Palestine that never stops beating, even if the earth becomes too narrow for us.

When I took over the leadership of Hamas in Gaza in 2017, it was not just a transfer of power, but rather a continuation of a resistance that began with stones and continued with guns. Every day, I felt the pain of my people under siege, and I knew that every step we took toward freedom came at a price. But I tell you: the price of surrender is much greater. Therefore, hold on to the land as a root holds on to the soil, for no wind can uproot a people who have decided to live.

In the Battle of the Flood of Al-Aqsa, I was not the leader of a group or movement, but rather the voice of every Palestinian who dreams of liberation. I was led by my belief that resistance is not just a choice, but a duty. I wanted this battle to be a new page in the book of Palestinian struggle, where the factions would unite and everyone would stand in one trench against an enemy that had never differentiated between a child and an old man, or between a stone and a tree.

The Flood of Al-Aqsa was a battle of souls before bodies, and of will before weapons. What I left behind is not a personal legacy, but a collective legacy, for every Palestinian who dreamed of freedom, for every mother who carried her son on her shoulder as a martyr, for every father who cried bitterly over his daughter who was assassinated by a treacherous bullet.

My last will and testament is that you always remember that resistance is not in vain, and it is not just a bullet fired, but rather a life that we live with honor and dignity. Prison and siege taught me that the battle is long, and that the road is difficult, but I also learned that peoples who refuse to surrender create their own miracles with their own hands.

Do not expect the world to do you justice, for I have lived and witnessed how the world remains silent in the face of our pain. Do not expect justice, but be justice. Carry the dream of Palestine in your hearts, and make every wound a weapon, and every tear a source of hope.

This is my will and testament: Do not surrender your weapons, do not throw stones, do not forget your martyrs, and do not compromise on a dream that is your right.

We are here to stay, in our land, in our hearts, and in the future of our children.

I entrust you with Palestine, the land I loved to death, and the dream I carried on my shoulders like an unbending mountain.

If I fall, do not fall with me, but carry for me a banner that has never fallen, and make my blood a bridge for a generation to cross that is born from our ashes stronger.

Do not forget that the homeland is not a story to be told, but rather a reality to be lived, and in every martyr a thousand resistance fighters are born from the womb of this land.

If the flood returns and I am not among you, know that I was the first drop in the waves of freedom, and that I lived to see you complete the journey.

Be a thorn in their throat, a flood that knows no retreat, and will not calm down until the world acknowledges that we are the owners of the right, and that we are not numbers in the news bulletins.

#yahya sinwar #educate yourself #wake up #free palestine

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bobcatmoran · 7 months ago

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As was probably inevitable, Hillary Clinton is speaking next. The crowd goes wild as she comes out, and it's quite some time until she can start talking. I think if I took a drink every time she said, "Thank you, thank you so much," and that just made them cheer louder, I'd be quite hammered by now.

She acknowledges that this excitement is just off the charts, in here and across the country. "First though, let's salute President Biden." He showed what it was to be a true patriot. And wow, this speech really does feel like a send-off for him.

Hillary acknowledges how today is the 104th anniversary of women getting the right to vote. Her own mother remembered getting the right to vote.

And since then, women have been carrying the torch forward. Shirley Chisolm in 1972 ran for president, letting other women dream bigger.

In 1984 Geraldine Ferraro was the first major party woman nominee for VP.

And, of course, in 2016, Hillary's nomination as president. Nearly 66 million voted for her, and "we kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is HERE!"

Their mothers, though, would say, "Keep going!" (the audience starts chanting "Keep going! Keep going!") (I am getting the feeling that this audience will chant anything and everything, and it's pretty delightful)

But, progress is not guaranteed. Going forward together or splitting into us vs them. Harris can lead people forward, together.

Hillary draws a parallel between herself and Harris' beginnings as young lawyers and references how Harris worked in Family Court to try and help children. "And yes, she will restore abortion rights nationwide."

Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial and woke up to 37 convictions. (the crowd starts chanting "Lock him up") Meanwhile, Kamala sat in the situation room and looked out for the country's safety.

Hillary mentions that Kamala won't disrespect Medal of Honor honorees (which Trump just did yesterday) or send love letters to dictators. The President's job is to take care that the laws are faithfully executed.

Kamala cares for the people. Trump only cares about himself. But now he's on the run. But we can't let up now. We have to fight for the truth, and fight for Kamala as she would fight for us.

And omg, it's a "takes a village" reference. What a blast from the past.

"Together we've put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling." And through those cracks, Hillary sees freedom. Freedom to made decisions about our lives, our loves, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper. To worship as we choose or not. To speak our minds freely and honestly. Freedom from chaos and corruption.

(I take back what I said about Hochul's speaking. Hillary is way better)

Don't get distracted or complacent. Be proud champions for the truth and for the country.

"The future is here! It's within our grasp! Let's win it!" she concludes, being played off by Katy Perry's "Fight Song," which was her anthem back in 2016.

#us politics #dem convention

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vaportea · 11 months ago

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for real, fuck charles xavier, magneto was right, and this shit ain't changed since x-men's conception, periodt

for those who have watched the latest episode of X-Men '97 i feel Some Type of Way about what's about to happen and i gotta rant

oh my god this is SO predictable, the timing is too impeccable, maybe it's because i have always valued Erik and his perspective on mutantkind but i thoroughly believe that it is Erik with the mutants' best interests in mind. Has it been a little selfish? Perhaps, I'll even let you say it is sometimes heavyhanded, but it was always in the protection of mutants, he even said it himself, he acts hostile only as a retaliation, not instigation.

And so Charles is "dead' and Erik inherits the X-Men, right, okay. And now Erik "declares war" and who should appear but fuckin Charles Xavier--and you KNOW what's going to happen, he's going to immediately throw himself on the pyre of pacifism for the greater good, he's gonna BEG Erik to reconsider warning that going too far will destroy all the trust that mutants have built up to this point (which for the record has always been WAVERING at best), and Erik is going to look bad and extremist when his reaction to the current world events is completely valid as is his anger! Genosha is in ashes, a country of his people died, Erik has been through this before, you SAW the number on his arm, yall KNOW what that means!

Charles is gonna be so naive to it all, but the fact is Bastion has thrown down the gauntlet, that man is very 'get them before they get us' and hasn't been the only one to do that to mutants, the Mutant Replacement Theory (which...i can't help but look at that and shake my head, like, X-Men has always been meta but god DAMN, y'know?) rhetoric is rampant in this series. The LAST thing we need is Charles spouting the fragility of human-mutant relations and expecting mutantkind, specifically the X-Men, to take some sort of moral high ground when the villains we're dealing with in this series in particular have already shown that it will not work.

I guess it's easy to place myself in the narrative as someone represented by marginalized groups, it's easy to get...angry at this, because you see your own world in it with all it's flaws. But our world has taught us time and time again that no tyrant or oppressor will be convinced of our validity by a handshake, at so many points in history we have had to fight for liberty, dignity, and the freedom to just exist. I just don't want to see the rest of the series devolve into 'oooooo no stop you can fight that hard it'll make us look bad ooooooooo' because like..what would you have them do otherwise, y'know?

#x-men #x men '97 #magneto #professor x

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saintgeniushero · 26 days ago

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The American immigration process ruined my life and my marriage:

-It turned me hikikomori for 2 years (because I was legally not allowed to make an income, couldn't leave the country without rescinding my application, didn't have money to take the train to be able to go out, and didn't want to go out due to fear that ICE was going to catch me even though I did nothing wrong, but technically they could deport me if they wanted to).

-It gave my marriage a power imbalance (since you first get a conditional green card, the American spouse can threaten to divorce at any time if they don't get their way in the relationship, and you would not be able to renew your conditional into a permanent, meaning you would have to leave the country).

I was caged in a home for 2 years, and enslaved into a marriage for 3 years. Imagine you are a teenager who is homeschooled and whose parents don't allow you to step out of the house, oh, and also, you have a mean boyfriend/girlfriend but you can't break up with them. You only see them at night and on weekends, and they don't want to talk to you except to tell you what you are doing wrong. And you have to sleep in the same bed and share your financials. This is pretty much my predicament. There's nothing I can do. All I can do is survive. Survive, until the laws of this country give me back some agency. Given that Trump is back in power, that's going to take another 18-20 months on top of the 5 years I already suffered (I already submitted my 'Removal of Conditions'). I do remain delusional in being able to fix this relationship, because it's the only option towards happiness that I have, rather than be bitter, but my husband needs to want it too, and he doesn't seem to want to. I feel like money and physical space (bigger than a 525 sq mi studio) would solve our problems. I wish we didn't need those things, but he does. He needs the money and the space. I'm from a third world country. I can live under a rock. And I have lived in pretty restrictive circumstances. The first 7 months I was here in the US, we shared a bed and he slept in the middle (he is like ~320 lbs), while I had a wedge of about 1 ft against the wall to sleep sideways on my shoulder. I wasn't paying rent, and I was living there secretly without his 2 roommates' knowledge, so I couldn't ask for much even as his bf. I couldn't move all day because the wooden floors were creaky, so they would know someone was living there while my gf was out at work. When we got into fights, I would spend time outside in the cold in the nearby park for a couple hours, texting him (in the spots of the park that had wifi), until I was allowed back in (he wanted me gone, but I had nowhere to go, besides it was him who pursued me romantically when I had no interest im him, so I wasn't gonna give up. He wanted me to give the relationship a try, so I did, and now he needed to do the same every time he felt like dumping me on a whim, which he often regretted anyways).

It's unfair how vulnerable I was/am. It's unfair that I wasn't allowed to work back then, to be able to stand as equals with him. It's unfair that he has more power in our marriage, so that if things don't go his way then I have to leave the country after everything I've worked for. I didn't even care to immigrate to this country! I followed education, then work, then love. Now I'm stuck in this system where, if I walk away, I lose everything: The love, the work, the social life I've built, the connection to the community, my personal history. The only thing I don't lose is my education: That's why I originally traveled so far for it. I need to remember the sacrifices I've made, and keep on making them. I need to keep sacrificing my rights (as a human being), my dignity, my personal freedom, ... because it's the only means of survival that makes everything I've worked for count. It also gives me a shot at a better future for me, my family, and my community back home. I just wish I didn't have to give up so much. If you have to give an arm and a leg to get there, is it even worth it to arrive at your destination amputated?

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meramyst18 · 2 months ago

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“You have to calm down” says the white man, “you are over reacting over nothing, your people have to do it the right way”. He claims as I look at him, his eyes are empty just as his empathy.

I can't really blame him, you can't really feel bad for others when you haven't lived the same life.

But this is not simply about different lifestyles, this is about a totally different world. This man that stands in front of me lives on planet Hollywood while I live on planet Earth.

His life is about important businesses and the wife and the kids. After his very well paid job, he goes to the supermarket and buys the food, the fruits, the drinks and stuff that my people “the illegals” make it possible for him to buy.

When he gets home, he says a very dry “hello” to the kids and the wife, and then he sits on the couch, turns on the TV to see the news about some criminals stealing, raping and destroying his so beloved country.

“They don't belong here” says the politician on the TV, “they steal our jobs, they are tearing this country apart.”

And the white man, in shock and awe, sees the brown man as a thief of dignity, the answer of all the things that are wrong in his life.

Here in planet Hollywood, there's no way that people from planet Earth come to take over and colonize their perfect world of commercial wealthy life.

So, while he stands in front of me, how can I blame him? For him, I am an alien, one that should've never existed in the first place. He’s so merged in his own world that he will never know.

You. Will. Never. Know.

You will never know how it feels to see your planet fall apart, and in a desperate attempt to save yourself and your loved ones, you go to planet Hollywood, where hope and freedom are supposedly so abundant.

You will never know what is like to say goodbye to everything you know, even your own language.

You will never know the amount of courage you have to gather to make a decision to leave your comfort zone.

You will never know what it's like to start from zero, to socialize with others not knowing if they see you as an equal or as an invader.

You will never know what it's like to be seen as a criminal, as an alien, as a plague that pollutes everything that touches.

You will never know what it's like to work endlessly to have at least five from the ten opportunities you have.

You will never know what it's like to build something so the ungrateful people can break and break, and then be blamed for the cracks.

You will never know what it's like to take the risk because you are way too comfortable thinking your country is the whole damned continent.

You will never know what it's like to scrap when you only know the little struggles.

You will never understand because you, the white man, will never walk in my shoes for a day. And if we're being frank here, I don't think you will last that whole day.

You think you are the greatness? You think you are the head of your so called “empire”? Well, let me tell you that my people, the illegals, the aliens, the criminals and the misfits are the neck of that empire, we are the ones who make it work, we are the backbone that vertebrae by vertebrae sustain the whole machine.

But go ahead, complain and blame because at the end of the day, you will never know.

#usa #inmigrantes #donald trump #eat the fucking rich #fuck donald trump #united states #poems #activism #inmigration #injustice

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stardustpinkart · 9 months ago

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If there is one thing I've learned from life it's that even if the most Horrendous person was in Trump's spot and almost Assassinated some people still would have defended them even if it was the devil himself people would still defend him it sad but true and I know wishing on people downfall is bad but let's be honest for all we know Trump already has blood on his hands he a rich politician for crying out loud

We don't need his old ass in office I swear I fear for my younger cousin in school I'm still in school but I know right from wrong and trust someone may have failed this time but as we all know the history book on the shelf always repeats itself and I say he going to be alive in the next 2 years i know a dead man walking when I see one and I'll be surprised if he actually makes it to see 2027

Yes, we do. We do know some of the things hes already done. His misogynistic views such as "Grab em" by the you know whats. Trying to build a wall around Mexico, poor children torn from there families stuck in dentention centres. Cots and those weird foil blankets right? No toys no books no one really taking care of them, being treated like criminals if I remmeber right? And I think the Capitol riots? 5 people were killed, and hes still not been punished for his part in that! Yknow I wouldent even be suprised if this was staged? By him himself, hes crazy enough! He only got shot in the ear, other people died. Again, he doesent care who gets hurt, and his followers will do anything he says, but he just sees them as MEATSHIELDS. HECK, if he was arrested and could not do ANYTHING anymore, lose his money, any power, be banned from being able to run from any position of power, I think we'd all sleep safer. BUT politicians and rich men often seem to slip out of it. I dont feel hes really paid at all for his crimes.

A lot of things I support, friends I know, family, these are things that could befall them easily. Even as simple as a womans basic rights that we had to fight for, there trying to drag the world back into the past? And the said thing is it can happen ANYWHERE any country. Thats why we havta stay vigilante when they try to take away our dignity, rights, freedoms and humanity. Its exhuasting, but we havta fight, we havta be brave, we havta stand up when we KNOW something is wrong

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archiveofkloss · 1 year ago

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st. louis public radio: “Fashion icon Karlie Kloss emphasizes Missouri's role in national abortion rights fight” by Jason Rosenbaum

Webster Groves native Karlie Kloss took the modeling world by storm in the 2010s before launching a highly successful effort to connect young women with computer coding and, more recently, helping relaunch Life magazine.

On Monday, Kloss discussed another passion: her advocacy for abortion rights in Missouri and around the Midwest.

“I'm one of four daughters. I grew up here in the Midwest. My father is a physician. The idea of reproductive care was never political in my house,” Kloss said. “It's devastating to me the reality of what is happening and how it has become so politicized. Because to me, this is a conversation that belongs between an individual and their physician and an individual and their loved ones. To me, politicians should not be involved.”

Kloss helped gather signatures in Creve Coeur for the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom initiative, a measure that would legalize the procedure up to what’s known as fetal viability. That’s defined in the initiative as when medical professionals determine that a fetus could survive outside of the womb without extraordinary medical intervention.

Before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Kloss started the Gateway Coalition, which provides financial and logistical assistance to small clinics that provide abortions throughout the Midwest. She said those facilities, particularly the ones in Illinois, have become havens for people in states like Missouri where most abortions are prohibited.

“What I really realized, especially once Roe fell, was about the fragmentation of care across this country, but specifically in the Midwest,” Kloss said. “I wanted to do whatever I could, and initially focused on Illinois of just the infrastructure that exists — the independent clinics, the clinics across Illinois who are really holding up the front line.”

She called the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom initiative “an opportunity to take it to the ballot box and actually have Missourians reinstall protections in our home state.”

“So you don't have to leave Missouri to receive just the vital care that I believe every woman deserves,” Kloss said.

Since rolling out the initiative at the beginning of the year, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom has raised more than $4.5 million in contributions of more than $5,000. That includes a $50,000 donation from Kloss.

She said that the initiative can find support with a wide range of voters — pointing specificallyto polling from SLU/YouGov that showed more than 20% of Republican respondents backed the initiative.

“They see this as a human issue,” Kloss said. “And also, the fact is that the trigger ban that went into effect had no exceptions, which to me is just unacceptable.”

Kloss was referring to how Missouri’s abortion ban that went into effect in June 2022 contained no exceptions for anyone who became pregnant due to rape or incest.

If organizers get roughly 171,000 signatures all over the state, the amendment legalizing abortion could go before voters in either August or November. It’s part of a trend in other states, including Arizona and Florida, of trying to use the initiative petition process to enshrine abortion rights.

Backers have until May 5 to turn in signatures.

Kloss said there’s a reason for people everywhere to care about what’s happening in Missouri and other states with strict abortion bans.

“To me this issue is about dignity,” Kloss said. “It's about respect and an individual's bodily autonomy to decide what is right for them in their life at whatever time they need to be making that choice. And so this ban, I believe, we have a chance to overturn.”

While in town Monday, Kloss participated in a ceremony officially naming a portion of Washington Avenue after her.

#karlie kloss #04012024 #st louis missouri #stlpr interview #interview #article #reproductive rights

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therosielord · 5 months ago

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If you are planning on fleeing a red state, here is my pitch for moving to Chicago

I am a lesbian and a lifelong Chicagoan and I fuckin love it here. I grew up here, went to college here, and now live here as an adult, and I have no plans to leave. Despite being the 3rd biggest city in America, Chicago gets weirdly overlooked a lot and many people have never even been here.

If you are fleeing a red state because you're LGBTQ+, a woman, or an immigrant, here are the reasons I think you should move to Chicago:

We're a super queer-friendly city with several historically queer neighborhoods (that are actually affordable enough to live in).

Illinois has literally never voted red in my entire lifetime. That's the entire 21st century so far, btw.

We have a looooong history of fighting for abortion rights, even helping women get care before it was legal (google the Jane Collective).

Although there are red counties in the more rural part of the states, the blue influence of Chicago spreads far beyond the city's official borders. Chicago has such a large network of sprawling towns around it that still feel like a part of the city that we have a name for it: Chicagoland! So even if you're not a city person, you can find lots of more rural spaces within Chicagoland.

If you can't stand the idea of living too far from nature, never fear: there are tons of gorgeous nature preserves around Chicago! I grew up in a suburb where both the city border AND a forest preserve were a bike ride away.

Illinois has a great governor, J. B. Pritzker, whose response after the recent election was "To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom, opportunity, and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior. You come for my people – you come through me."

We're a very diverse city with a large immigrant population. (Fun fact: the only city with a larger population of Polish people is Warsaw.) We have many localized ethnic neighborhoods all over the city. Which ties into my next point...

We have amazing food! Seriously, Chicago is super overlooked as one of the best eating cities in the country. I can find literally any cuisine from any country somewhere in Chicagoland, and we have everything from 3 Michelin star restaurants to hidden gem counter service spots with the best tacos al pastor you've ever had.

We have very strict gun control laws. Unfortunately, people get around these laws by going to Indiana to buy guns (thanks a LOT, Indiana), but the extra hassle means that there are actually fewer guns here than in red states and no one can open carry.

Chicago has a $15 citywide minimum wage and has plans to phase out tipping in restaurants (replaced with higher salaries).

We have really amazing museums like the Art Institute of Chicago (widely considered to be one of the best museums IN THE WORLD), the Field Museum (home to the most complete T-Rex ever, our beautiful mascot Sue), as well as a great aquarium, modern art museum, planetarium, and so many more I can't list them all. And they all have free days for Illinois residents!

We have great public transit. I don't own a car, most of my friends don't own a car, and we can get around just fine.

We never have hurricanes because we're a LAKE city, baby. We do have tornados but they rarely hit the actual city, they tend to stay out where there's more open space.

Cost of living is lower than other major blue cities like San Francisco and NYC

We have two baseball teams so that's double the baseball

Broadway shows frequently do a premier in Chicago before they open in NYC so we get a lot of huge musicals here. I've gotten free tickets to shows that later went on to tour the country.

Unlike SOME other large blue cities I could mention, we know how to put our trash in DUMPSTERS instead of IN THE STREET.

Giant bean

Your life will change after you've had a juicy Italian beef sandwich with hot giardiniera.

And finally, to address all the stories about Chicago being a crime-ridden warzone, here's the deal: they are simply not true. Where do those stories come from? It's simple: Chicago has a historically large black population and we're a liberal city. Racist republicans have convinced themselves that this means we must be a haven for crime. We have the same amount of crime as any large city, which is to say: far less crime per capita than in rural red areas. Seriously, look it up.

Not only is Chicago not the most dangerous city in America, we don't even make the list of the top 25.

But the thing is, those lies about Chicago actually kind of work in our favor, because it means that Republicans are too scared to come here. My own grandparents haven't visited in 10 years because they're convinced that if they do they'll get shot or something.

Anyway, move to Chicago, it's great here. And it'll probably be one of the safest strongholds for whatever comes in the next 4 years. If you're also from Chicago and have any other points I missed, please add them!

#lgbtq #lgbtqia #chicago #election 2024 #community aid #blah blah blah #abortion rights #abortion

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