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typewritingyip · 27 days ago

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The Arcturus Missions

Part Twenty - Missions

Part Nineteen

———

Initially from an outside perspective, one might think that every country was rapidly ready to work together after the initial invasion of Earth. Those early days of 1984 certainly felt like the start of something changing. Dozens of events happened before September 4th that year.

83 people were killed in a mine explosion in Japan, the Los Angeles Raiders won the Super Bowl, Apple launch the Macintosh computer, the first untethered spacewalk happens from the space shuttle, US troops pull out of Beirut, a national drinking age is set in the United States, the Olympic Games open in Los Angeles while the Soviet Union boycotts, multiple booms are set off in multiple airports during the year, and NASA space shuttle Discovery takes its maiden flight.

Even the days after the initial sightings the world still turns; Australia abolishes the death penalty on September 5th, genetic fingerprinting is developed on September 10th, Prince Harry is born September 15th, the US Embassy in Beirut is bombed September 20th, and October 12th has an assassination attempt on British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher.

Just because the world was under attack by an entirely foreign enemy didn’t mean that everyone was ready to work together.

Japan, the United States, the USSR, Ireland, and China were the first five countries to have mech suits ready for deployment and they all were entirely different. Japan had redesigned theirs from the base suit under production to resemble familiar animation from the country's entertainment industry, very colorful and reassuring to their public. The United States initially had very militaristic designs, using majority military contractors to build the suits but painted similarly to war planes of different eras. In the USSR, they also were very militaristic but unlike the US kept coloring to a minimum, they used the citizens of the outer parts of the USSR to build the suits. Ireland wanted to quickly join the game, they quickly started to repurpose the disrepaired oil rigs from the North Sea. Lastly, China effectively was able to contract certain works from other countries to assist them in their manufacturing of suits, mostly from the USSR.

The world kept spinning even while under attack, but for most of the first attacks it was remaining in either country sanctioned waters or off the coasts of major cities. With the Cold War going on, each country was on its own unless it had a major ally with suits.

—

Sunstreaker sat at the window, frowning out at the glowing city, fidgeting with his hands. Breakdown and Sideswipe were asleep but Jazz was pacing nearby, “Do you think the meeting would be this long?” Already shaking his head, Jazz sighed, “Not for Hound and a few others. Command will still be in the meeting but not one Hound could hear.” Sunny’s fist hit the window and he stood, “Then where the hell is he? Do you think he could have crashed already?” Jazz winced and absently rubbed at his implants, “I don’t think the crash would happen this soon, no.”

The Crash (verb): the overtaxing and overuse of a mech suit to the point of biological deterioration.

He looked back out the window, “Then where the hell is he?” Jazz sighed a bit, finally sitting down, “He’s probably talking with other mechs from the meeting. If half the people I know were there then it’s entirely possible the poor man is stuck in a conversation with Tracks.” The look Sunstreaker gave Jazz had the man lifting his hands, “We’d have gotten an alert if anything really bad happened. Sunny, Hound is fine. You don’t have to worry.” Raking his hands through his hair, the curls stand on ends and Sunstreaker shakes his head, “He’s the only one with experience commanding a group like us, I mean Jazz, if something were to happen to him it would either be you leading us or Breakdown and he’s down for two weeks with a concussion.” Nodding slowly, Jazz sighs, “I’m sure he’s just at command asking far to many questions, look, once Prowler gets back we’ll have an idea of what’s going on.” Sunstreaker turned back to the window, lightly scratching at his implants, Jazz scowled, “Don’t mess with your hardware so much, we don’t have a medic out here and it’s a pain to try and salvage.” Jazz’s own tech was older than Sunstreakers’ and betting integrated.

That was one thing about Sunstreaker, his tech matched his brothers exactly but it had taken him longer to integrate it, and the skin around the hardware was always a little red. Even after passing compatibility testing, the body preferred to reject the hardware whenever it could, a person who didn’t have the strongest bond with their tech would deal with a lot more of the compatability side-effects, such as nightmares. If it wasn’t for Sideswipe, Sunstreaker would have never been a pilot and would currently be sitting in a jail cell back on Earth probably still awaiting trial.

Jazz moves over and rests a hand on his shoulder, “Hound wont have crashed if he is just starting to experience overuse symptoms. And even if he did, the mechs here in Iacon wouldn’t have just left him on the street.” The door pinged behind them and Sunstreaker looked over, deflating at the sight of Prowl whose face was staring intently at a data-pad, but another mech came in behind him, staring around in bewilderment, “Wow,” Bluestreak’s hand reached out to touch one of the suits just as Prowl’s hand smacked his, “Don’t touch their suits, the humans are probably asleep.” He glances up and pauses, staring at Jazz and Sunstreaker, “Or not.” Jazz was grinning, but Sunstreaker dove for his helmet, cringing at the smell as he pulled it on and started to adjust settings. Waving an arm, Jazz is able to speak up first, “Hey, welcome home!” Bluestreak was grinning, walking over as Sunstreaker finally gets his helmet to pipe in the translations, sighing as they feed him both audio and captions on the visor.

Mecha are able to cross the room in only a few strides, generally Cybertronians’ are slightly smaller than the average suit but they move just as quickly, next thing Sunstreaker knew was he was back in Bluestreak’s palm stumbling against it, “Damnit!” Sunstreaker desperately grabs at one of Bluestreak’s servos before Prowl moves over just as quickly, “Bluestreak, do not pick up any humans.” Sunstreaker just manages to get the microphone in his helmet on, a small speaker opening up on the side, “Bluestreak, this isn’t funny!” It was as if the room stopped for a moment, Bluestreak was frowning at Sunstreaker and looked to Prowl, “But he is so small and hard to see from far away.” Jazz was struggling not to laugh as Sunstreaker flips him off, “I can understand you now, asshole.” The room shook slightly as Prowl walked over, resting a hand on Bluestreak’s shoulder, “I’d recommend putting the human down before he starts to pull at your plating.” The result was Sunstreaker hitting the window sill surface from a few feet up and groaning, rolling onto his side briefly.

Prowl sighed deeply, “And they are fragile without their armor, like if we were to walk around without our plating, having exposed protoform.” Bluestreak winced and tried to reach out again but stopped, “I, I…” Sunstreaker slowly got back up, rubbing his arm painfully, “I’m alright Blue, but fuck, please be careful.” Jazz had already climbed for the window to Prowl’s open palm, then up his arm to his shoulder, “These guys don’t have the magnets that I do Blue, especially Sunny and Sides, their suits are too new and didn’t need those parts.” He leans back against Prowl, smiling as the mech moves to sit, already pulling out a tablet, “The humans will have to sleep soon, so whatever you wish to talk about I’d recommend doing so now.” They stare a glance before Bluestreak turns to Sunstreaker, offering his hand, “I’ll be careful.” Slowly and carefully, Sunstreaker climbed onto Bluestreak’s palm, sparing a glance towards the window before looking at Blue.

They didn’t go anywhere, Bluestreak just held Sunstreaker a bit closer, “I can hardly see you down there, without your suit.” Sunstreaker rolls his eyes, “That is such bullshit Blue and you know it, you just want to be able to hold an organic.” “Maybe.” They shared a smile, but Bluestreak shook his head, “No, I just, I want to say I was sorry for what happened. I didn’t realize.” Nodding, Sunstreaker fixed his helmet slightly, “That is kind of the point. We know there are some of your kind that don’t particularly like organics like us and even only part organics are seemingly shunned.” He sighed slowly, rubbing at his implants briefly, “Us pilots are very much leaning towards that inbetween.” Bluestreak nodded, keeping his hand still, “Well, I’m glad you’re on our side in this fight, Sunny.” It almost made him feel better, almost.

Looking back out the window, Sunstreaker sighed, “Do you know how the meeting with Hound went?” Bluestreak shrugged and josulted Sunstreaker a bit, “No, not really. I wasn’t in the meeting, why? Has he not come back yet?” Shaking his head, Sunstreaker rubbed at his face, “No and now I’m starting to worry, Hound is the kind of guy to push himself to the limit to protect people, and those people probably would be us.” With a bit of a nod, Bluestreak slowly sets Sunstreaker down, “Why else are you worried?” Glancing back, Sunstreaker stared at Bluestreak, “Cause he’s the only one who can actually lead us, keep us alive, and on mission.” He pauses for a moment, glancing towards the other room, “If he’s not okay and we fail, then I’ll have doomed my own brother to death.” Sideswipe might have made sure Sunstreaker got a place in the pilot program, but Sunstreaker got them on Arcturus One, “Oh.” Blue nodded and crouched to be at eye level with Sunny, “You’ll have to explain that to me at some point, I, I know organics age faster than we do. Sure, we die but not as quickly as organics.” Smiling sadly, Sunny turns back to the window, “I’m a young pilot Blue, I’ve got at least another twenty years in me.” And that made Bluestreak’s spark clench painfully.

—

Everyone was asleep when Hound returned, headache back to a painful degree that even the dimmed visor and diminished audio could no longer help. Mirage had been nice enough to help him back to the building but Hound had insisted on going up himself so as to not disturb the others. The door was even painfully loud when he went in.

The living room was empty, the door to the bedroom shut and the door to their makeshift garden also closed, meaning everyone should be either in bed or at least asleep. Everyone had a preference for where their suit would sit through the night and Hound shuffled as quietly as he could over to his designated space, easing himself to the floor before turning off his assistance suit and visual feed, sighing as he removed the pieces attached to his implants. The areas of his implants throbbed painfully. It took a lot longer than normal to get out of the mobility suit, wincing at every pinched connection, Hound knew this was the signs of overuse but hadn’t expected them yet. Though to be fair with himself, he’d never piloted a mech this long and consistently, ever.

Easing himself out of the piloting chair, he doesn’t even bother with opening the suit, instead shuffling over to the cot he has for missions, pulling off the barrier clothes pilots wear with the assistance suit. It was sticking to his skin both from sweat and blood. It takes another long few minutes to pull on the clothes laid out on the cot before falling onto it face first, trying to relieve the stress on his implants, pressing his face into his pillow Hound moaned painfully. Headaches, body aches, implant irritation; were all the first stage of overuse symptoms and they’d only get worse until the body adapted to the amount of use. Adapt or die.

Hound was laying face first on the cot, hands resting over the implants on the back of his head and sighed slowly, it was dark and comfortably warm. His head was pounding and it felt like his body had been hit by a bus, he was stiff and just wanted to sleep. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get to sleep.

—

Staying asleep however was not in the cards for him, as only a few hours later something was hitting the chest of his suit. Hound groaned and dragged his hands over his head before getting up, moving over to the suit release and opening the front of the suit. Squinting against the flood of light, Hound kept a hand on his head, “Morning,” his voice was gruff with sleep and Sunstreaker was glaring, “What the hell.” Sighing deeply, he comes out of the suit and nearly falls, “God, damnit..” he sighs and looks back to Sunstreaker, “Yes?” “Where were you? What the hell happened at that meeting? Prowl wouldn’t say anything.” Sighing deeply, Hound rubs his face, “There is a bar in Iacon that plays music from earth.” That quickly dropped Sunstreaker’s sour expression, shifting to one of shock, “What?” Nodding, Hound rubs at his implants next, his hands came away with dried blood and he scowled, “There is a bar somewhere in Iacon that picked up on radio signals from Earth, they put them through some sort of mechanism to clear up the audio.” Stepping around Sunstreaker, Hound starts towards the bathroom, rubbing his hands on his pants, “It’s from thirty years ago, but still.” Sunstreaker shakes his head a bit, “So it’s the best hits of the eighties?” Giving a so-so gesture, Hound shrugs, “Sort of.” He goes into the bathroom, the door closing and locking behind him.

Sunstreaker scowled again, “That doesn’t explain what happened at the meeting!” His fist collides with the door before he turns away, heading over to where Sideswipe was setting up breakfast, he glances up as his brother approaches, “That sounded like a fun conversation.” Huffing, Sunstreaker walked over and picked up one of the bowls, scowling down at the fluorescent contents, “What is this?” Sideswipe was heating the fluorescent noodle like substance and shrugs a bit, “Not a clue, but Jazz made it for me before the last mission and it’s pretty decent. Just kinda tastes like potatoes.” Nodding a bit, Sunstreaker sits and starts to eat, shaking his head a bit, “I can’t believe him, the guy looks half dead.” Sideswipe hums, “Let the old men be old men, come on Sunny, just relax about it.” Scowling, he starts to shake his head, “I can’t relax about it cause you don’t give a fuck.” Sideswipe was fast, but Sunstreaker was faster, just dodging the bowl full of hot food.

Hound came back out of the bathroom to chaos, which he didn’t appreciate. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were on the floor, shoving at each others faces, Prowl was standing to the side with Jazz perched on his shoulder like a pirate, Breakdown was frowning down at the twins from the table and Bluestreak had appeared from god knows where. Rubbing his face for a moment, Hound takes a breath, “What the hell are the two of you doing!” Both twins shot up and pointed at each other, “he started it!” They shouted in chorus and Hound started towards them, “I don’t care who the hell started it, it’s over now. Get your helmets on, we aren’t leaving anyone out of this conversation.” His head went back to pounding, the shower having relieved it for hardly a moment. Glancing towards Breakdown, he nodded slightly as he too was giving signs of a headache. It took a moment for them all to get to their suits and get their helmets on, Hound wincing as it connects and Breakdown doing the same.

It was likely that his signs of overuse would be exacerbated with the concussion, Hound hoped silently that he’d follow the two weeks of rest order.

“So, do you all need those helmets to understand us?” Bluestreak bends down towards Sunstreaker, offering a hand carefully even as Sideswipe kicked at his wrist, “Don’t fucking touch him.” “Stop arguing, now!” Hound’s voice was loud but slightly strained, climbing up to the table. Everyone fell silent, Bluestreak helping Sunstreaker to the table, Prowl lowering Jazz to the surface and helping Breakdown up before Sideswipe, stepping back slightly to take a seat. Sighing, Hound rubbed his face a bit, swearing, “Fuck, my head is killing me and your arguing is not helping.” Everyone stayed quiet as he slowly sat down, “Firstly, as I briefly mentioned to Sunstreaker earlier this morning. Yesterday, Mirage saw that I was struggling with a migraine and brought me somewhere quiet and dark to rest for a little while. After that, I found out that the specific bar he took me to clears up intergalactic radio waves for entertainment.” he sighs a bit, smiling some, “They were playing music from Earth.” The reaction all happened at the same time, Jazz shouted, Sunstreaker grins, Sideswipe practically jumped for joy and Breakdown smiled, “From when?” Breakdown’s voice was quiet but distinct, “From about thirty years ago, they were playing a radio station out of Los Angeles.” Sunstreaker paused and nodded slowly, “We really are thirty lightyears from home.” There was a weight that settled over them, Jazz nodded slowly, “But we're alive.”

Hound nodded, adjusting his visor for a second, “We are and were out here for a reason, so that does bring up what was discussed in my meeting with command yesterday.” Jazz shifted a bit, “Hound, are you sure now is the best time to discuss this?” Nodding a bit, he pushes off the ground, “You all deserve to know what plans have been made.” Sunstreaker reaches out and holds his arm a bit, “It can wait till after you’ve eaten and taken something for your headache.” Shaking his head, Hound holds up a hand, “We’ve all got new assignments, separate from each other.” The silence would have been welcoming were it not so compressing, “What?” Sideswipe was slack-jawed, “The hell do you mean?” “I mean, we all are getting new assignments with different commanders for our safety and for the sake of Cybertron.” Sighing slowly, Sunstreaker let go of Hound, “Is this the cause of the overuse or cause of me being caught?” Hound shook his head, “It’s neither, we need to be at our best and the five of us fighting together is not it.” “That’s such bullshit, you’re having us separated because of Sunny.” Sideswipe moves over and shoves Hound, who shoves his back, “This isn’t about that! This is about keeping all of us alive and from killing each other, damnit!” Hound almost tore off his helmet just to throw it.

Instead he kicked one of their empty bowls across the room before turning on Sideswipe, “We aren’t made for following one pilot's orders and I sure as hell wasn’t made to be a commander 24/7, yet that is where we were currently standing.” He spreads his arms wide, “It’s only for three months, to see which works better. Sides, you and Sunny won’t be far from each other, your commanders are deployed together.” He holds up a hand, turning, “Jazz, you will be returning to your previous post under Prowl, it was recommended.” Jazz glanced back to Prowl with a smirk, “I’m sure it was.” Hound’s face almost burned, that look was certainly more than just a friendly one before he turned to Breakdown, “You’re still on rest for two weeks, but once that’s done, you will be under Megatron’s command with me, technically but we won’t be stationed together.” The twins were both glaring and Breakdown nodded a bit, Jazz almost looked lost in thought, “It’s only three months. If this doesn’t work out then we return to what we’ve been doing.” Sideswipe scoffs, “Oh yeah, like that’s been so great. Bluestreak trying to kill Sunny, you suffering from overuse, and Breakdown down and out with a concussion. Face it, you're in over your head.” Hound looked at him, clenching his jaw before looking at Sunstreaker, “You will be working under Ironhide with Bluestreak and a few people from the Primesgaurd. I hope while you’re there you learn to be more intelligent than your brother.” Sunstreaker winced as Sideswipe turned to gawk at Hound and started towards him, “Hound,” “Sideswipe, you’ll be working under Elita-One, it’s about time you came to understand the chain of command cause this shit ain’t cute.” He steps forward, pointing at him, “If this doesn’t cool your head, then you’ll be grounded and your mech will join the Odyssey in storage. Am I clear?” Sides mouth open and closed silent before Hound nodded and turned away, heading for the ladder, “I am going to take the rest of the day off to get rest, I suggest you all do the same, overuse is coming for us all and it’s coming fast.” He slides down the ladder easily.

—

“What the hell did I do to deserve that?” Sideswipe was pouting, scowling towards Hound’s mech which had been closed off for hours now. Jazz had left to go into Iacon with Bluestreak and Prowl, Breakdown had returned to rest as well, leaving the twins sat together on the window sill, staring out at the shining city, “I don’t know Sides, what could you have done to deserve that? Be serious, you shoved and insulted our commander.” Sunstreaker sighed, eating a protein bar and frowning down at it, “Of course he’s not going to put a lot of trust into you now.” Sideswipe scoffed and went back to repainting his assistance suit, “Who asked you?” Sunstreaker gave him a look and leaned back, “I don’t know and honestly, you’re being a bit of a dick right now.” He moves over and starts down the ladder, “I’m going to get some rest, I’d suggest you do the same. It helps with the side effects of overuse.” “I’m not suffering from overuse. I’m not the old man.” Sunstreaker stared at Sideswipe, at his twin, “Sides, we all are showing symptoms, you might want to check your implants, your bleeding again.” His feet hit the floor and he starts walking towards the bedroom, “That and being a bigger asshole than after the Bermuda mission.” “Fuck you.” Shrugging slightly, Sunstreaker went into the bedroom to get some rest.

Sideswipe reached up and touched at his implants, which were sticky with fresh blood and he sighed deeply, heightening irritability and aggression, one of the many stages of overuse. It really was coming for them all and now they’d be spread thin at best, separated from each other. Sideswipe through the sealed paint can across the room. He needed a drink but the first batch wouldn’t be ready for ages. He swore and laid back, staring out at Iacon.

———

A/N

Wow, that took a while for me to actually be able to sit down and write this. I probably won’t post another part till the New Year but we will see.

I want to thank you all for all your support and love, it has meant a lot to me. I can’t believe that we’re 20 parts into this crazy journey and it’s only just starting.

Tags!

@lunarlei68 @whirlywhirlygig @loop-hole-319 @pixillandjester @alek-the-witch @not-a-moose-in-disguise @goddessofwind8water @neurologicalglitch @dersereblogger @pixel-transformers @mrcrayonofdoom @wireplaces @twilightfreefaller @original-blog-name-2 @devilangel657 @robbin-u @childofprimus @miniartistme @starwold @tea-enthusiasm @valeexpris606 @celticdoggo @bird599 @agentsquirrelsgotrobots @aquaioart @dimencreasatlas @thatwandercat @artdagz @seisha974 @starscreamloverfr @halenhusky309 @leethepiper @cat-cassette @blue-wrens @sirassban @astridkolch @cosmique-oddity @garbageenthusiast @osqindaxend @xervias @azulabutterfly @fryseem @spring-mc

And once again thank you to @keferon for this amazing AU! 💜

#transformers #tf mecha universe #mech pilot jazz au #the arcturus missions #maccadam #hound #breakdown #sunstreaker #sideswipe #prowl #jazz #bluestreak

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whencyclopedia · 25 days ago

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Battle of Jemappes

The Battle of Jemappes was a decisive battle in the War of the First Coalition (1792-97), part of the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802). On 6 November 1792, a French army under General Charles-François Dumouriez defeated an Austrian force on the heights of Jemappes in the Austrian Netherlands, leading to the French conquest of Belgium and the expansion of the war.

The battle was the first true test of the armies of the First French Republic (1792-1804), which had been born less than two months earlier. It secured the gains won by the French after the Battle of Valmy and emboldened the French to continue going on the offensive, confident in their 'universal crusade,' which sought to spread the principles of the French Revolution (1789-99).

Victors of Valmy

The Battle of Valmy, fought on 20 September 1792, was a stunning victory for the ragged armies of the French Revolution. Clustered around an old windmill, French artillery held the heights of Valmy against a half-hearted attack by dysentery-afflicted Prussians, advancing through rain and mud. The battle proved decisive, halting the Prussian invasion which had threatened to destroy Paris, and giving renewed energy to the Revolution. On 21 September, the day after Valmy, the National Convention was emboldened enough to abolish the monarchy and declare the French Republic. 22 September was proclaimed the first day of Year I of the Republic, marking the beginning of a new order. France's wartime fortunes were also reversed after Valmy, as reinvigorated French armies swept into both Savoy and the Rhineland.

In the immediate aftermath of the battle, however, it was not yet clear how decisive the day had been. As night fell over the rain-drenched battlefield, the victorious French under General François Christophe Kellermann (1735-1820) silently withdrew from the heights, knowing that they did not have the numbers to withstand a more spirited Prussian assault. They pulled back to the town of Sainte-Menehould, headquarters of the Army of the North, destroying roads and fields along the way to slow the expected Prussian advance. Yet, no such advance would be forthcoming. The Prussian army, ravaged by dysentery and a dwindling food supply, had become demoralized by the unexpected stiffness of French resolve; this would not be the swift and easy conquest promised by their French royalist allies. Prussian commander Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, proclaimed "hier schlagen wir nicht" ("we will not fight here") and decided to negotiate a retreat.

On 22 September, a certain Colonel Manstein was sent to treat with the commander of the French Army of the North, General Charles-François Dumouriez (1739-1823). A career soldier and occasional politician, Dumouriez had briefly served as French foreign minister from March to June 1792, having used that position to drum up support for the war against Austria. But to Dumouriez's mind, the war was against Austria alone, as the Austrian Habsburgs were deemed by many to be the true external threat to French liberty. Prussia's entry into the conflict as Austria's ally had been an unfortunate development, one that Dumouriez had worked hard as foreign minister to avoid. Eager to get back to fighting the Austrians, Dumouriez found that an opportunity had landed in his lap to remove the Prussians from the war altogether.

#History #Austria #Austrian #Austrians #WHE #[#]

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nando161mando · 1 year ago

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January 26 is 'Australia Day', AKA 'Invasion Day' or 'Survival Day'.

There will be protest rallies around the country.

The following text is via 'WAR: Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance':

2024 INVASION DAY RALLY - MELBOURNE — Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Lands

Invasion Day Rally Melbourne

10AM Friday 26 January 2024

Parliament House Victoria.

We continue to call for treaty, truth and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The 26th January, Australia Day is not a day to celebrate. It is an annual reminder of invasion, occupation, genocide and the ongoing impacts of colonisation that continues to destroy our lives, our lands and our waters. As the oldest living culture in the world, it is our right and our responsibility as First Nations people to protect our country, culture and our people. That is why we meet this day with protest and mourning, as one of the longest standing protests in the world.

A Dawn Service will be held at 5am at Kings Domain Resting Place, Linlithgow Avenue. This will be followed by the Invasion Day Rally where we will be meeting at 10am at the Victorian Parliament on Spring St and marching to Flinders St Station.

In recent months, distinct lines have been drawn both nationally and globally, marking those who endorse settler colonialism and those uniting to resist the enduring colonial forces that we strive to counteract. The repercussions of settler colonialism have been starkly illustrated in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israel, supported by all other settler colonial states, including Australia.

In the wake of the unsuccessful 'Voice' campaign, the imperative to ensure the resonance of Indigenous Rights campaigns across the nation has become increasingly apparent. The concluded 'Voice' campaign exposed our community to reprehensible levels of vitriol from racists, sparking discussions about our humanity. This unsettling experience highlighted the perils of misinformation and disinformation during the referendum, aimed at demonising the Indigenous struggle. In response to these challenges, we are taking to the streets to demand treaty, truth, and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

On this Invasion Day, as on every such occasion, we stand united for our families, communities, and all, asserting that all Black Lives Matter.

The Australia colony is a racist nation: there is no other conclusion from the referendum. We know and live this every day. Reconciliation is dead.

We want our land back now!

Join us in our fight to Abolish Australia Day.

We demand:

Treaty/Treaties

Land back and land rights - stop selling land promised to us

End Aboriginal deaths in custody

Climate justice

End the theft of Black children and return all Black children to their families and kin

Abolish police and prisons

Reparations

The Australian government stop arming Israel

We call on everyone to respect our demands and take action with us. We also remind attendees that COVID19 is still impacting our communities and we encourage all attendees to wear a mask, bring hand sanitiser and take all necessary precautions to keep each other safe.

Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance will be available for media interviews in the lead up to the rally. Please email [email protected] for interviews.

@antifainternational @anarchistmemecollective @kropotkindersurprise @left-reminders @radicalgraff

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eraserdude6226 · 7 months ago

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Today is July 4th in the US - our celebration day of declaring our Independence from England in 1776.

For those of you that have never read (or maybe need to read it again), here it is - read it again and again and again if you need to and see if it applies to our current standard!!

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

In Congress, July 4, 1776

THE UNANIMOUS DECLARATION

of the THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.--That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operations till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the State remaining, in the meantime, exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that as free and independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent States may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honour.

JOHN HANCOCK.

New Hampshire,

Josiah Bartlett,

Wm. Whipple,

Matthew Thornton;

Massachusetts Bay,

Saml. Adams,

John Adams,

Robt. Treat Pain,

Elbridge Gerry;

Rhode Island, etc.,

Step. Hopkins

William Ellery;

Delaware,

Caesar Rodney,

Geo. Read,

Tho. M'Kean;

Connecticut,

Roger Sherman,

Saml. Huntington,

Wm. Williams,

Oliver Wolcott;

Maryland,

Samuel Chase,

Wm. Paca,

Thos. Stone,

Charles Carroll,of Carrolton;

New York,

Wm. Floyd,

Phil Livingston,

Frans. Lewis,

Lewis Morris;

Virginia,

George Wythe,

Richard Henry Lee,

Thos. Jefferson,

Benja. Harrison,

Thos. Nelson, jr.,

Francis Lighfoot Lee,

Carter Braxton;

New Jersey,

Richd. Stockton,

Jno. Witherspoon,

Fras. Hopkinson,

John Hart,

Abra. Clark;

North Carolina,

Wm. Hooper,

Joseph Hewes,

John Penn;

Pennsylvania,

Robt. Morris,

Benjamin Rush,

Benja. Franklin,

John Morton,

Geo. Clymer,

Jas. Smith,

Geo. Taylor,

James Wilson,

Geo. Ross;

South Carolina,

Edward Rutledge,

Thos. Heyward, junr.,

Thomas Lynch, junr.,

Arthur Middleton;

Georgia,

Button Gwinnett,

Lyman Hall,

Geo. Walton.

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am-i-soup · 7 months ago

Text

Hot Wheels (a tfp fanfic)

Chapter 1: Uncanny Valley, Nevada

AO3 || Chapter 2

Summary: So, Lena was abducted by aliens. Robot aliens. That's- no, it's not cool! She could die at any moment! So what if the red guy was hilarious to rile up and watched horror movies with her? And his husband was like the fun uncle she never had? Their boss wouldn't hesitate to step on her, and the screechy beanpole had already threatened to stab her, like, five times. She can only bullshit her way into being useful for so long. If she could just find a way to contact Miko... oh, and get help. That, too.

-----

When Lena thought of aliens, she pictured xenomorphs and flesh abominations like that thing from The Thing: vaguely man-ish shapes that make your brain go "Hey, I don't like that" because why does it share the same body plan as a human? Why is it trying to look like us? She was all over that uncanny valley-type shit. Invasion? Get that girl a baseball bat and some vaguely spherical objects and set her loose. Unleeess the aliens had plans to abolish capitalism - because then she'd switch up lickety-split. She was ready to bash in some billionaire brains (what little they had, heheh).

Lena never would've guessed alien cars. She didn't even think 'alien' when the door of the speed demon she giddily tried to get an autograph from opened to reveal no driver at all. The only thought running through her mind when a taser popped out of the dash was, Even the cars are opps, followed by, Jean's gonna be so pissed. Her skateboard clattered to the pavement as her body fell limp into the idling sports car. A melodious beep-beep, beep, beep-beep twittered from the watch around her limp wrist, falling silent after another light zap.

"Ohh, I'm so fragged," said the sports car. "Breakdown, how mad do you think Lord Crazy-eyes will be if I show up with a fleshie?"

Had Lena known she'd get abducted that night, she would've at least packed a sweater. Or, y'know, avoided it altogether. Catching up to the shmancy red racer with those hard-as-hell yellow rims after he dusted everyone else probably wasn't the smartest move, but excitement had won over caution. Her foster parents would be giving her the most baffled reactions if they knew, and then another conversation about impulsive thoughts that should stay thoughts and, "Where is your survival instinct, pastelita? Look: you're already giving me greys."

The day had started good. Correction: decent, considering it was hot as balls and she had a math test. On a Friday. Lena shambled through her morning routine and tied back her side-swept hair to avoid brushing it. Her baseball cap covered the shaved side, proudly displaying the number 04 stitched above the red brim. Wyatt emerged from his bedroom, a similar case of bedhead making his brown curls wilder than usual. His casual formalwear was more put-together than he, and would remain so because brushing was for dumb losers, probably.

Jean, notably not dumb or a loser, had pulled her hair up into a thick bun of dark waves; a colourful bandana laid overtop. Remarkedly more effort, made obvious by the minimal effort of matching with work overalls.

Jean squinted and gestured to Lena's hair. "You're leaving so much out. What's even the point of putting it up?"

"I like it," Lena drowsily defended, flicking her head aside to adjust the free chunk of blonde hair framing one side of her face. "It's cool."

"'Cool' when we were your age meant being able to see your whole field of vision. Eesh, at least clip it back - how do you expect to see the ball like that?" Lena responded with a shrug and Jean exhaled in a huff. "Alright, pastelita, get your 'cool'-lata in the car." Jean carried out her husband's mobility aid and said, "You want your cane, hon?"

"Eh, might as well," Wyatt said whilst fighting a yawn. "My knee doesn't want me dead today."

The three of them piled into the car and Jean pulled onto the road. Lena decided now was a good time.

"I was gonna go to the skate park after practice," she announced.

Jean glanced at her in the mirror. There went the eyebrows. "For how long?"

"Couple'a hours."

"Uh-huh." And the dubious tone...

"Promise I'll be back before dark! And Jaiden and the other skaters are gonna be there. I won't forget again."

Wyatt twisted around to see Lena better. "That's fine. Just set your watch, 'kay? Seven o'clock. I better hear that front door open before seven thirty or I'll sic Jean on you."

"Like a sack of potatoes," Jean said. The car's engine rumbled fiercely as they paused at the stop light, amplifying her threat.

Remembering last time - and the times before that - Lena's face contorted. A set of rapid nods turned her into a great impersonation of a bobblehead. "Yep. Yep. Seven. Understood." She set the alarm on her vibrantly pink watch under Wyatt's scrutiny. It beeped. He smiled, satisfied, and settled properly in his seat.

Lena helped Wyatt extract his walker from the trunk and Jean drove off with a goodbye that was far more cheerful than anyone should be this early in the morning. It was pay day, wasn't it? Lena should ask Wyatt to sneak her some coffee from the break room. He caved easy.

Wyatt went through the side door up the ramp while Lena trudged her way toward the main entrance of the school. He was thrilled for class, which made one of them. Only he could make computers and programming somehow fun. Other students waited on the sparse lawn and parking lot of Jasper Memorial High School, walking in early like punctual weirdos or loitering like her. Lena dropped her backpack and stepped onto her board, rolling around the tiny parking lot. She sourly eyed the spot of the missing bench, removed for exactly the reason one might think. Lena mourned the sick moves she got off that metal bench.

Lena spotted a kid from class studying and groaned. She'd skip, but she didn't want to disappoint her foster parents like that again. She cringed when she recalled the first time she did skip - or, rather, the first time they becameaware she'd skipped - back when she wouldn't bat an eye because what did they care? They just wanted a cheque from the state like every other family that tried to claim they 'Just want what's best for you' and then sent her back when what she wanted didn't fit those rigid little boxes.

The devastated looks on Jean and Wyatt's faces when thirteen-year-old Lena exploded at them was forever burned into her memory. She'd ran afterward, down the driveway and into the night, no destination in mind. And then Jean had found her, curled up on a kiddie slide. Lena faintly remembered the confusion of seeing Jean exit the vehicle, the tentative hope when Jean sat on the slide beside her and just... listened. No adult had ever listened to her before. That was the night Lena knew they were for real. Lena couldn't call them parents - she might never utter the words 'Mom' or 'Dad' - and that was okay. The cool couple that saw a feral pre-teen and said, "That's the one" was good enough for her. They joked about wanting a kid, but not the stress of pregnancy or toddler years. "Pre-baked," Wyatt had once teased.

Lena's hip bleeped. She paused her skating to fish out the hungry Tamagotchi clipped to her cargo pants. She'd made it her mission to care for the digital pet since Mi-

"Leee!" a voice squealed, followed by a pair of arms wrapping around her waist. "Hi!"

Hey, speaking of!

"Hi," Lena greeted with a big smile on her face. "Plans still solid?"

Lena heard Miko's grin. "Oh, yeah. I'm so pumped. Weekend Wreck-fest is in. The. Bag! I got Raf to download basically every slasher and horror onto a USB for me." Miko dangled the USB in Lena's face, and Lena stored it in her pocket.

"Suh-weet! Jean's letting us have the garage. We're gonna move the TV and couch in."

"Uh, don'tcha mean Jean is gonna move them?"

"Hey, I got muscle!" Lena flexed her arms, squishy with stubborn baby fat. Miko poked an unimpressive bicep. "These babies got me top batter."

"Is that even a real title?"

"It totally is."

"Okay, 'batter baby'."

"Batt- what?"

"Nothing, baby, what's the batter with you?"

Lena scoffed out a laugh and spun around to gently bop Miko on her massive forehead. "Dude," Lena said, "that was so bad."

"So bad it's good?"

"No, just bad." Lena playfully pushed Miko away and kicked off on her skateboard. "Where are you getting these, Puns 101 for Dummies? You gotta step up your game, dude."

Miko trailed after Lena, a bubbly bound to her gait. "Hey, I'm always at the top of my game!" A loud-ass horn honked and Miko spun around to wave enthusiastically at the green SUV. "See ya later! Put some dents in those junkheaps for me." Its headlights flashed, then Miko's friend drove off.

Lena was wary of the guy at first, but she'd never seen Miko so ecstatic as the few months she'd known him. Military, Miko had said, and then snickered when Lena mimed gagging herself.

"Not American military," Miko had clarified before going off about something else.

Lena had spoken to the SUV's owner a couple times. He went by the nickname Bulk and seemed genuine enough, nothing sinister on the surface. Friendly and loud - songs Lena recognized often blared from the speakers when he picked Miko up for sci-fi club. A goofball, and the kind of energy that got along with Miko's like a house fire. Lena was just glad Miko was making friends. Small town middle-of-nowhere America was super rough, especially for a foreign kid who couldn't fit in, and who didn't want to. A flash of orange hair caught Lena's eye. She met Vince's bitter gaze and put her finger and her thumb in the shape of an L on her forehead, sticking out her tongue for good measure. He sneered and turned back to his buddies. Lena smirked.

The bell rang. Kids funneled into the building. Lena made it halfway to homeroom before she had to navigate backwards against the sea of teenagers to fetch her forgotten backpack. She collapsed into her chair just as the pledge and national anthem started over the PA system. As per usual, Lena remained in her seat. Also per usual, the teacher glared at her. Lena passive-aggressively adjusted her baseball cap, drawing attention to the pins clustered on it that sported all sorts of slogans such as THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND and LAND ISN'T FREE. Yeah, none of the teachers liked her. But Lena wasn't here to be liked. Supposedly, she was here for an education. In a system that squashed individuality and trained students to sit down, shut up, memorize, and obey.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lena spotted Miko doodling in her sketchbook. Lena texted a sequence of emojis embodying all the joy Lena couldn't contain (unamused, several Z's, sleepy). Miko replied, equally as zealous (sick, skull, ghost).

"Girls! Phones away!" the teacher barked over announcements, tapping a ruler on her desk. "Do I need to take them?"

Lena shot over one more emoji (barf) before tucking her phone away and exchanging it for a textbook to inanely flick through, one knee persistently jiggling as it so frequently did the moment she became idle. She glanced at the clock, which hadn't moved in five minutes. Lena leaned back, suppressing a groan. The day could not be over soon enough.

Soon enough, the day was over. Thank fuck.

School dragged on and on and on, the only reprieve being lunch - when she got to lounge around with Miko at their spot - and gym class, where Lena was able to go batshit during dodgeball and climb on things that were actually meant to be climbed on (trees didn't count, according to faculty). Lena had softball practice after, and boy, was she glad Jean made her carry around a tube of sunscreen. Whoof, that Nevada sun would kill a man. Miko hung around to cheer her on and snap some pics of Lena eating dirt to touch base. Those were going in the scrapbook, for sure. A shower and chugged water bottle later and Lena was off to the skate park. Miko's ride whisked her away, her cries of, "Don't miss me too much!" on the wind. Miko hung out the SUV window, dramatically reaching for Lena like some cheesy romance flick. Lena tried to keep up on her board, and when it was time to split off, blew Miko a kiss that was caught and turned into devil horns.

Jaiden and her gang were chilling on the play structures when Lena rolled up. Jaiden and Kayla were perched atop and hanging upside-down from the spiderweb dome, respectively. Kayla spotted her first and beckoned her over.

"How's it goin', fireball?" said Tami.

"Hello, Padawan. Welcome to my zen zone," Vee said from the ground, flat on their back under a tree and beanie pulled over their eyes. The distinct scent of weed hung around Vee. Lena claimed the free swing next to Tami, who was being pushed by Theo. The group chatted. Theo made the executive decision to skate, and they all migrated over to the cement playground that served as Jasper's skate park. Jaiden, Lena, and Tami joined him while Vee and Kayla spectated, conversation topics leaping to and fro at the whims of neurodivergent teenagers.

"Yo, Lena, you hear about the race later tonight?" Jaiden said.

Suffice it to say, Lena did not stay at the park. The race location was scribbled in her science notebook, which had also coincidentally become a second doodle book for Miko. She rolled till the dirt roads forced her to kick it on foot, board strapped to her backpack.

Honk-honk!

A bright blue muscle car rumbled past. Lena trotted after it. The older teens that she stuck to like a determined burr had no interest in street races, but they kept an ear out for Lena, who absolutely did. She found the small crowd huddled around and the line-up of vehicles raring to go. Lena preferred being early to ogle at the cars and mingle, but she was happy just to be there. She recognized most of the faces. Street races were one of few recreational activities in Jasper, and they happened every other week if you knew the right people. Considering everyone knew everyone, you'd be hard-pressed not to have at least heard about it.

The blue muscle car sat in its spot, driver cool as a cucumber as she leaned on the door and chatted to whomever. Lena eyeballed the woman's cropped leather jacket and unbothered, confident demeanour. She found herself leaning against a rickety wooden fencepost, totally not mimicking the badass in blue (dammit, she totally was). The driver noticed her and smiled. For some reason, Lena's face heated up.

She called Lena over. "Hey, kid! Nice board. You get that custom done?"

"Yup," said Lena. "I love your car." And your jacket.

"Ah, thanks. Ritika's my baby; I built her from the ground up. You like racing?"

"I love racing. The speed and the- augh, the, y'know, the everything. Boom! Wah-cha!" Combined with pantomimed punches, Lena filled in the blanks. "The whole feeling."

"Ha, yeah, I getcha. Hey, you know what? I'm part of a racing league. We're always looking for new players. If you're interested someday- dhhatt. You got a pen, kid?"

"Lena," Lena said, digging a pencil out of her bag.

"Lena? Thanks for comin' out to cheer me on. My name's Sharwa." Sharwa scribbled on a wrinkled scrap of paper and passed it on. "That's our business number. Hit us up if racing for profit - or just for the hell of it - strikes your fancy. Finish school first, though, huh? Get your education. Don't wanna be a dropout like me."

I wish, Lena thought. Someone yelled; they were about to begin. Lena went to join the crowd of onlookers, but the glossy red sports car pulling up to the function stopped her in her tracks. Lena gawked. Purple flame decals embellished its crimson flanks and eye-sore yellow rims distinguished it from the rest of the competition. Sharwa called out to the driver; Lena didn't hear the reply. Sharwa was grinning. Oh, shit, did they have a rivalry going on? Racing drama!?

Lena inched closer.

"Give it your best shot," oozed a roguish masculine voice, punctuated by a rich rev of his engine. "Victory tastes so much sweeter when they try."

Sharwa laughed. "Put your pedal where your mouth is, batuni."

"Oh, I will."

Racing drama. Cool.

Engines growled. Spectators cheered. The starter raised their hat. Lena held her breathe.

The hat dropped. Dust billowed up in thick clouds as cars roared to life. Lena held her cap in place. Her eyes stung, but she couldn't look away from the beasts tearing up the road, becoming shrinking shapes on the impromptu racetrack. The setting sun burned red on the sand, transforming the desert into a sea of rust. Or blood. Lena scampered over to a cluster of boulders and scaled them. She watched, enraptured. The racers completed one lap, and there was a noticeable lead.

The red car seized a strong first. Chasing his tail was Sharwa and third place, the rest of the pack lagging behind. Red slowed down - or Sharwa caught up? - and then the 180 happened.

Red spun around, keeping his speed and maintaining his position backwards. It was the single most peacocky maneuver Lena had seen, and she was living for it. She wasn't big on NASCAR or actual cars: this is what she loved. Being in the moment, feeling the wind on her skin and the excitement in her veins. It was the thrill she chased when she rolled down steep ramps and pulled a risky stunt mid-air. It was the feeling of rejecting limits and just going for it.

The moment red finished first was the same moment the cops showed up.

"Scatter!" someone shouted, but the crowd had already dispersed. Lena dropped from her watchtower and bolted in the same direction as the victor. Cracked pavement replaced packed dirt and Lena jumped onto her board. Distant sirens wailed behind her. Shadows elongated. Lights of Jasper blinked in the low glow of dusk. Lena caught up to the taillights, to her surprise. Possible introductions ran through her head.

"Hey!" The car jolted in response. Did she startle him? "Wait up!" He sped up, and Lena yelled, "You were awesome back there! Nobody even stood a chance!"

He slowed to a crawl. Lena beamed and kicked her board up into her hands. The car's windows were tinted almost black.

"Hmm. Do go on about how awesome I am," he said.

Lena appealed to his ego with genuine compliments. He was receptive, but that changed when Lena asked him to sign her skateboard. If a car could recoil, this one would. Audible disgust dripped from his tone.

"Keep your primitive twig on wheels to yourself," he said. "There's enough filth clinging to my paint already."

Lena wrinkled her nose. "A 'no' would've worked just fine. Jeez, man. You a dick to all your fans?"

"Just the whiny ones."

Lena wasn't about to let that slide. "Alright. Why don't you come out and say that to my face like a grown-ass man?"

Now, Lena... well, she never claimed to be a genius, but picking a fight with a random man on the outskirts of town - illuminated overhead by a sketchy streetlight - would be obvious to anyone as a bad idea. If this was a horror movie, she'd be yelling at the idiot on-screen to get the fuck outta dodge. Lena, however, functioned on two modes: chilling, and throwing herself at the closest douchebag. Her street cred was insane. So when she rapped on the nearly opaque window, she expected some guy to step out and underestimate her because what could a fifteen-year-old do to him? But nobody did. She cupped a hand around her eyes to peer inside.

The wind was knocked out of her when the door flew open. She stumbled, then rounded the door to confront the-

There was no one inside the vehicle.

A taser shot out of the dashboard and delivered a hearty zap! between her eyes. She toppled forward. A seatbelt snaked around her and hauled her awkwardly into the seat.

Lena's watch beeped. 7:00 lit up the digital display.

Getting kidnapped was probably a good reason for missing curfew, right?

AO3 || Chapter 2

#transformers #tfp #transformers prime #soup's on #hot wheels tfp fic #transformers fanfiction #maccadams #maccadam #tfp miko nakadai #tfp knock out #tfp fanfic

15 notes · View notes

politicalprof · 2 years ago

Text

A Declaration

As I do every year, the full text of the Declaration of Independence. Almost no one has read the whole thing. If you haven’t, give it a read. It’s interesting. Flawed, but interesting.

Enjoy the day!

____________

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

--He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

--He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

--He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

--He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

--He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

--He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

--He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

--He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

--He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

--He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

--He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

--He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

--He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

+For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

+For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

+For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

+For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

+For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

+For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

+For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

+For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

+For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

--He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

--He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

--He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

--He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

--He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

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todaysdocument · 2 years ago

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Happy Independence Day!

Record Group 360: Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention

Series: Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Congress

Transcription:

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.____________ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.__ That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shown that mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security. __Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. _________ He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good._______ He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.________ He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only._______ He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. _______He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.______ He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. _____He has endeavored to prevent the Population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. ______He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.________ He has made judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the Amount and Payment of their salaries. ________ He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance. ____He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislature._____ He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power. _______He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:__For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:__For protecting them, by mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:__For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:__For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:__For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:__ For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses:___ For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these Colonies:___ For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Governments:____For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.__ He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us._____He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.____He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.____He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.____He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions, We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends._____

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which the Independent States may of right do. ___ And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Button Gwinnett Wm Hooper John Hancock Rob Morris Wm Floyd Josiah Bartlett

Lyman Hall Joseph Hewes Samuel Chase Benjamin Rush Philip Livingston Wm Whipple

Geo Walton John Penn Wm Paca Benj Franklin Fran Lewis Sam Adams

Tho Stone John Morton Lewis Morris John Adams

Edward Rutledge Charles Carrol of Carrollton Geo Clymer Rob Treat Paine

Ja. Smith Elbridge Gerry

Geo Taylor Step. Hopkins

Tho Heyward Jnr James Wilson Rich Stockton William Ellery

Thomas Lynch Jnr George Wythe Gro. Ross Jn Witherspoon Roger Sherman

Richard Henry Lee

Arthur Middleton Th Jefferson Ceasar Rodney Fra. Hopkinson Sam Huntington

Benj Harrison Geo Read John Hart Wm Williams

Th Nelson jr. Tho M Kean Abra Clark Oliver Wolcott

Francis Lightfoot Lee Matthew Thornton

Carter Braxton

#archivesgov #July 4 #1776 #1700s #Independence Day #Fourth of July #Declaration of Independence #American Revolution

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stephensmithuk · 1 year ago

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The Boer War (1899-1902)

If the 1897 Diamond Jubilee is seen as the zenith of the British Empire, the Boer War is arguably the start of its collapse.

There are two conflicts with the name "Boer War", of which the second is by far the better known.

"Boer" is Afrikaans for farmer. The two wars are known as "the Freedom Wars" in the Afrikaans language and "the South African War" in the country itself.

More specifically, the Boers were Dutch farmers who emigrated from the Dutch and then British-controlled Cape Colony north and east into the Transvaal region that is now north-east South Africa, to get away from what they saw as an oppressive government. As well as the fact that the British abolished slavery, which they wanted to keep. So yeah. They were more specifically known as "Trekboers" or travelling farmers. Trek is of course where we get the term Star Trek from.

The first conflict from 1880-1881 started after a farmer refused to pay an illegally inflated tax, had his wagon seized - and his friends then assaulted the auction.

The Boers, better equipped, better trained and far more experienced at shooting than their British opponents, managed to defeat the latter in three major engagements. Unwilling to become engaged in a major conflict, London negotiated a peace deal that gave the South African Republic effectively full control over internal affairs, although the British retained control of external relations. This was the first time the British had lost a war to rebels since the American War of Independence.

Then gold was found in the region and an influx of immigrants, mostly British, turned up, seeking their fortune. Johannesburg emerged as a major community overnight. This caused a lot of tensions, even more so when the government in Praetoria (the SAR capital) denied the 'uitlanders' civil rights.

In 1896, Cape Colony Prime Minister Cecil Rhodes authorised Leander Starr Jameson to conduct a raid into the territory with the aim of triggering a revolution. The raid was badly botched, failed and caused massive embarrassment to the British government, especially when Kaiser Wilhelm II sent a congratulatory telegram to the SAR government... and telegrams showing Rhodes' involvement were found. Jameson, while lionised in the press, spent 15 months in Holloway for the raid.

Shortly after this, the Second Matabele War saw the British have to deal with an uprising by the Ndebele and Shona peoples in what is now Zimbabwe. They defeated it, but with many losses on both sides.

Tensions between the British and the Boers continued to grow after the Jameson Raid; the uitlanders did not see their rights improve, the Boers mistreated the African population, and a lot of the British establishment thought it would be an easy victory. The generals, for their part, did not.

The SAR had acquired high quality weaponry from Germany and France, including bolt-action Mauser rifles. The British Army for its part was in dire need of reform.

The war broke out in 1899 after an ultimatum from SAR leader Paul Kruger for the British to withdraw their forces from the border. The SAR had allied with the Orange Free State by this point.

The Boers had formed civilian militias called "commandos". They launched an invasion of the Natal and Cape Colony, soon putting British garrisons under siege. One notable such siege was at Mafeking, where the British commander was one Robert Baden-Powell, whose use of scouting, along the deception to make his defences look better than they were allowed his force to hold out for 217 days until relieved. He would later use his experience in scouting to form, well, the Scouting Movement.

After a series of major reverses, it was clear the British were going to need to send major reinforcements, recruiting a lot of volunteers - the biggest overseas force Britain had sent to date. They also removed their local commanders and put new ones in.

The sieges were lifted and Praetoria was captured on 5 June 1900 - at which point the Boers (along with foreign volunteers) moved to guerilla warfare, something that they were very adept at, in stark contrast to the British. However, harassment is not the same as taking and holding ground.

Both forces tried to minimise the involvement of people of colour due to fear of what would happen if they armed Africans, but personnel shortages meant they ended up being involved anyway, usually in supporting roles. Mahatma Gandhi, who was a civil rights activist there, formed a corps of volunteer stretcher bearers from the Indian population.

Realising that they were only controlling the territory that they were physically in, the British changed their tactics.

Firstly, they built fortified blockhouses and armoured trains to control their supply routes.

Secondly, the British adopted a "scorched earth" policy; they rounded up Boer and African civilians, placing them in concentration camps, while also systematically destroying farms, crops etc. that the Boer forces could use to supply themselves.

The Spanish had used concentration camps in Cuba earlier in the 19th century, but this was a much wider use. With little or no soap, along with dirty water, disease swept through the overcrowded camps, with over 46,000 dying in them, including a quarter of the Boers in them - African numbers interned were not properly counted. Emily Hobhouse exposed the horrific conditions, and the matter was taken up by domestic politicians. A government commission led by Millicent Fawcett then recommended major improvements, which were largely implemented and brought down the death rate, but the damage had been done by this point.

The brutal tactics were sadly effective; the Boers were beginning to give up. However, the British themselves were running out of time and money, so gave them a generous settlement in the 1902 Treaty of Vereeniging; while the SAR and Orange Free State would be absorbed into the British Empire, Dutch could be used in schools and courts, there would be a general amnesty and reconstruction aid would be given.

Self-government was also promised and granted; it was decided that the issue of black enfranchisement would not be discussed until then - and full enfranchisement would not come until 1993.

The war was controversial in the UK; it was opposed by the opposition Liberal Party. Lord Salisbury called a snap election in 1900 and won with a slightly reduced majority. The next election in 1906 was a massive defeat for them though.

The conflict also exposed the dire state of British public health - with up to 40% of volunteers for the war being rejected on health grounds. This spurred the creation of the National Insurance system.

Arthur Conan Doyle volunteered for military service in the conflict; but was turned down due to his age. Instead, he served for three months in a field hospital and then wrote two books about the conflict. The second one, defending Britain's involvement in the war, was felt by Doyle to be the work that got him his knighthood in 1902.

The war was also notable for one journalist who after being captured by the South Africans, managed to escape from behind enemy lines, using the publicity to get into Parliament on his second attempt. His name was Winston Churchill.

At 2022 values, the war cost Britain over £19.9 billion.

They had also had 26,092 soldiers killed to the Boers 6,189. As with all wars at this time, disease was the biggest killer.

#letters from watson #sherlock holmes #history #factoids #the boer war #the blanched soldier #blan #acd canon

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its-suanneschafer-author · 6 months ago

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Continuing my review and summarizing of Project 2025, the GOP 2024 platform, and Trump’s Agenda 47.

1) Trump denies knowledge of Project 2025, a radical conservative Christian manifesto, yet many of his present and former advisors wrote the 900 page document which is a blueprint for the new GOP president starting from day one with massive, sweeping actions that will not only paralyze the government but will ensure chaos for years to come. It is the most detailed look at a future Trump presidency. Trump’s name is mentioned 268 times in the document, so it was certainly written with him in mind. Trump instituted 64% of the policy recommendations that were put out in the 2016 conservative mandate, a blueprint for the Trump administration and which was as right-wing and conservative as the current Project 2025.

2) Agenda 47 collects formal policies Trump plans to put into effect, many of which rely on executive orders and significant expansion of his executive powers. In 2023, Trump campaign officials stated that Project 2025 aligns well with Agenda 47.

These policies include:

A) restriction of Chinese ownership of US infrastructure

B) End the “Biden war” on US energy by eliminating every regulation that hampers domestic production, getting out of the Paris Agreement, and giving fast approval to every oil infrastructure project that comes before his administration

C) Baseline tariffs on most foreign goods, revoking Chinese Most Favored Nation trade status

D) Decrease trade deficits

E) Not bailing out failing banks, slashing regulations, and repealing Biden’s tax hikes to reduce inflation

F) The Trump Reciprocal Trade Act will tariff other countries’ imports at the same rate they tariff our exports. NB: The costs of these tariffs will be passed on to consumers and will cause more harm than good

G) Gut Biden’s Green New Deal policies and electric cars initiative, and terminate all emission regulations on cars, fossil fuels, etc

H) Dept of Education

1—Cut federal funding for any school or program teaching critical race theory or gender ideology by removing the radicals who have infiltrated the Dept of Education.

2—Keep men out of women’s sports.

3—Create a new way to certify teachers based on their patriotism and give preferential treatment to schools that abolish teacher tenure, abolish DEI, and adopt direct election of school principals by parents.

4—Pursue federal civil rights cases against schools that engage in “equity” by taxing up to the entire amount of their endowment

5—Restore parental rights to control their child’s education; allow parents to hire and fire principals and teachers.

6—Bring back school prayer NB: This includes reading the Bible but doesn’t include any teachings of other religions

7—Allow teachers to carry concealed weapons at school

8—Immediate expulsion and sentencing to reform school of any student who harms another student or a teacher or use or possession of drugs at school

9—The US government will issue bachelor’s degrees to those who did not finish their degrees by creating a new educational institution aimed at competing with schools already in existence. NB: This is from the man who owes fines from the failure of his own for-profit college.

I) Reinterpret presidential powers so that he has greater control of the government in the White House

(the unitary executive theory).

1—Dismantle the “deep state” and revamp every aspect of the US government. NB: These policies could upset the balance of power between the three branches of the federal government and provoke a constitutional showdown by usurping congressional authority and cutting out any program he doesn’t like or whose proponents have angered him. This is a fascist plan

2—Prevent World War III and end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. NB: The fact that he has buddied up to Putin makes this highly unlikely.

3—Overhaul the entire US defense and intelligence bureaucracies

4—Ask Europe to refund the money we spend to rebuild the stockpiles we sent to Ukraine. NB: Good luck with that

J) Keep Medicare and Social Security intact. NB: Every single congressional Republican—and 43 Senate Republicans—sided with Big Pharma over the American people and blocked an amendment that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 for millions of Americans on private insurance. Thus, Big Pharma and the rich get richer at the cost of the health and lives of the poor. In March 2024, the Republican Study committee which represents 100% of House Republican leadership and 80% of their members proposed yet another budget that would cut the following by $4.5 trillion over 1-0 years: Medicare (transition Medicare to a premium support system that would raise premiums for many seniors), Social Security ($1.5 trillion in cuts) , the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Initiative and increase prescription drugs (removing $35 insulin), energy and housing costs while raising the retirements age plus forcing $5.5. trillion in tax cuts for the very rich.

K) Immigration policy

1—Ban birthright citizenship

2—End welfare for illegal immigants

3—Massive deportation of immigrants

L) Inflation

1—Build “Freedom Cities” on undeveloped federal land to lower cost of buying a home

2—Build vertical takeoff and landing vehicles

M) Shatter the left-wing censorship regime

L) Law enforcement

1—Increase investment in police personnel, stop illegal drugs

2—Death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers

3—Overhaul federal standards on disciplining minors

4—Concealed carry reciprocity

M) DEI

1—Abandon DEI, terminate any offices, staff, and initiatives connected to DEI

2—Focus on anti-white racism rather than discrimination against people of color

N) Transgender and LBGQI+ rights: Terminate all gender affirming care at any age and terminating federal funding for any hospital or healthcare provider that participates in it

#Project2025 #SayNOtoProject2025 #GOP #Republicans #HumanRights #IndividualRights #WomensRights #LGBTQI+Rights #MAGAisNotAllThatGreat #ImmigrantRights #ImmigrantDeportations #DEI #USGovernment #USEducationalSystem #BiGPharma #Medicaid #Medicare #AntiWhiteRacism #ConcealedCarry

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magz · 8 months ago

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Palestine News Summary from LetsTalkPalestine May 16 to May 25, 2024. Related Helpful Links: [LetsTalkPalestine Links (including vetted information sources)] [gazafunds.com] [eSims for Gaza] [UNRWA] [Decolonize Palestine, learning basics and debunking myths] (Remember: In supporting Palestine and Palestinians, you are not alone. The people of the world united and in solidarity. Starting as small as one nudge and reminder, yet as big as the globe. To help one person, to help one family, to help one peoples, to help all who need to be unshackled. All help. From the River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.)

Palestine News Summary Quote, below.

May 16:

Day 223

🔻 Israeli army suffers in invasion of Jabalia (north Gaza) as Palestinian fighters resist. At least 5 IOF soldiers killed + 15 injured in battles in last 24 hours. Palestinian fighters attacked 4 Israeli tanks at command centers, incapacitated army bulldozers & sniped 1 IOF soldier

• 39 Palestinians killed, 64 Palestinians injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours

‼️ Besieged Beit Hanoun receives no food & water for 5th day since Jabalia invasion. WFP suspends operations amid border seizure in Rafah. Limited supplies enter Gaza via Karem Abu Salem crossing

🇱�� Hezbollah launches first-ever drone strike, injuring 3 IOF soldiers in 13 attacks on the IOF Metula base + struck IOF intelligence aircraft

• Israeli attacks on densely populated Jabalia kill 4 incl. pregnant woman

⚖️ ICJ hears South African request for orders for Israeli withdrawal from Rafah; Israel to address court tomorrow

• Israel releases 76 Gazan hostages, forced them to walk across Gaza in dire conditions

May 17.

Day 224

🇪🇸 Spain will refuse all ships carrying weapons to Israel to dock at Spanish ports after denying 1st ship yesterday

• 31 Palestinians killed, 56 Palestinians injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🇱🇧 Israel assassinated Hamas official in airstrike on car in Lebanon, injuring 2. Earlier bombing killed Hezbollah member + 2 kids

• Israeli tanks & jets escalate bombardment & demolition of infrastructure in Jabalia amid invasion, killing 6+ as many still under rubble

🇪🇬 Egypt deploys military convoys at Gaza border amid rising tensions over Rafah invasion & Israeli seizure of Rafah crossing. Egypt warns normalization treaty w/ Israel at risk & considers downgrading relations w/ Israel

🇹🇷 Israel to abolish free trade agreement w/ Turkey & impose 100% tariff on imports in response to Turkey banning exports

• West Bank: Israel bombs Jenin, killing commander of Jenin Brigades (local resistance group), injuring 2 others. IOF killed 1 Palestinian in Tulkarem.

May 18.

Day 225

🔻 Hamas says it killed 5 IOF soldiers in eastern Rafah today + attacked tanks, helicopters. Hamas claims 100 attacks on IOF vehicles in last 10 days

•⁠ ⁠83 Palestinians killed, 105 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ Israeli attack kills ⁠22, injures 30+ near Kamel Adwan Hospital in Gaza

🇨🇦 Canada sanctions 4 Israeli settlers in the West Bank over abuses

•⁠ ⁠Israel escalates bombing, killing 4 in Khan Younis & 4 in central Gaza

❗️ Ex-Mossad deputy chief says Israel losing ”war”

•⁠ ⁠Israeli bombing kills 8+ incl. women & children & injures 10 while fetching water

•⁠ Attack on evacuation center in Jabalia invasion kill 15. IOF advances Rafah invasion, attacking car killing 1, injuring others

🚚 Israel let only 33 aid trucks in Gaza since May 6

🇨🇭 Zurich police fire rubber bullets + pepper spray at students at university Gaza protest

🇦🇹 Austria to resume UNRWA funding, the 9th to resume. US, UK & others still frozen

[No May 19 summary]

(image: map of ICC member and signatories that must abide by new ruling)

‼️ International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli & Hamas officials

ICC Chief Prosecutor applied for warrants for Netanyahu & Defence Minister Gallant + Hamas leaders Sinwar, Haniyeh & AlDeif for several war crimes & crimes against humanity.

If judges approve, they’d be the first-ever ICC arrest warrants for Western leaders — a milestone in ending Western impunity.

It’d obligate all ICC member states (🗺️👆) to arrest them if they entered their territory. This’d make it extremely difficult for Netanyahu & Gallant to visit allies like EU states, Canada & Jordan. But Hamas leaders — already blacklisted by the West — would be practically unaffected.

🇳🇱 Arrested suspects are tried by the ICC in the Netherlands.

The warrants may mark a new stage in Israel’s diplomatic and political isolation, straining Western ties & legitimizing arguments of Israeli criminality which may fuel more divestment & sanctions.

It’s also a clear threat to other Israeli officials & IOF soldiers.

May 20.

Day 227

‼️ Israel bombards north Gaza amid invasion of Jabalia, killing 18 in airstrikes on Jabalia & Beit Lahia. ⁠⁠Only 2 functioning hospitals in north Gaza: Al-Awda Hospital is besieged, out of drinking water & tanks bulldoze its vicinity, blocking patients & staff from leaving. Kamal Adwan Hospital oxygen machine power outage killed 1 child

•⁠ 106 Palestinians killed, 176 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ Recently released 30 y/o hostage & cancer patient Farouk al-Khatib killed after Israeli medical negligence in captivity

⚖️ US, UK, Italy & Germany condemn ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. Hamas condemns being equated with Israel.👆 More info above

•⁠ ⁠40% (900,000) of Gaza population recently displaced including 810,000 who fled Rafah since invasion

•⁠ ⁠Israeli forces executed 2 Palestinians by opening fire on crowd at Israeli-made corridor in central Gaza that restricts Palestinians moving from north to south Gaza.

🚚 Only 69 UN aid trucks enter south Gaza from May 6-19

May 21 (part 1).

🚨 Jenin massacre (instagram news link)

Israeli forces stormed Jenin in the West Bank this morning at 8am (👆🎥), and the ongoing assault has become one of Jenin’s deadliest raids.

Israeli soldiers have shot and killed at least 7 Palestinian civilians, including Dr. Osaid Jabareen, the head of surgery at Jenin Hospital, a teacher walking to work, & 9th grade student. So far 12 people injured mostly by live bullets, incl. 4 kids, a journalist & paramedic

Israeli forces blocked the injured & staff from entering hospitals. An Israeli sniper shot at anyone moving near Khalil Suleiman Hospital, fired at people in vicinity of Jenin Hospital & blocked ambulances

Israeli forces stormed the home of a 50-year-old woman, destroyed the home then abducted her. Meanwhile, bulldozers raze the city, demolishing infrastructure, streets & cars

Ongoing fierce clashes between Jenin Bridages (local resistance group) & IOF as resistance fighters fire explosives at Israeli tanks.

May 21 (part 2).

Day 228

‼️⚖️ Norway the 1st country to say it’ll arrest Netanyahu if ICC warrant issued

•⁠ 85 Palestinians killed, 200 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🔻 Hamas claims it killed 5 IOF soldiers in north Gaza w/ grenade & sniped IOF soldier at Israeli corridor separating north & south Gaza

🇺🇳 UNRWA shuts down 2 health facilities in Rafah due to Israeli evacuation order + suspended aid operations in Rafah as aid running out since seizure of Rafah crossing

•⁠ 4 killed incl. an infant in Israeli attack on home in Gaza City

📺 Israel seized @ apnews camera & broadcasting equipment, cutting its Gaza live feed. Later reversed decision after US & global backlash

🚚 Israeli forces share intel to settlers on locations of aid trucks for Gaza, facilitating settler attacks on trucks

🏥 Israel attacked Kamal Adwan Hospital 4 times (largest functioning hospital in north Gaza) as IOF fired at the gates, hitting ICU, reception area & roof. 20 staff & 13 patients trapped inside

May 22.

Day 229

🇪🇸🇮🇪🇳🇴 Spain, Ireland & Norway to recognize State of Palestine within a week. Recognition limited to West Bank & Gaza

• 62 Palestinians killed, 138 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🏥 Footage shows Israeli forces abducting 100+ Palestinian bodies from Shifa Hospital’s mass graves

• Israeli attacks kill 6 in north Gaza. 17+ killed incl. kids & 20+ injured in central Gaza. No functional health services anymore in north & central Gaza

🔻 Fierce clashes ongoing in Rafah between resistance fighters & IOF soldiers as Israeli tanks advance. Israel admits 3 soldiers killed & 2 injured

• Death toll in ongoing Jenin raid rises to 11 including 4 teenagers. Settler attacks continue in West Bank’s Nablus

🇬🇧⚖️ Legal group (ICJP) submits war crimes complaint to Scotland Yard accusing 5 UK ministers of complicity in Israel’s starvation warfare

🇨🇴 Colombia to open embassy to Palestine in Ramallah (West Bank)

May 23.

Day 230

🏥 Al-Awda Hospital in north Gaza forced to close after 4-day siege. IOF expelled medical staff on foot, forced to abandon their patients. Al-Aqsa Hospital to run out of fuel imminently, putting hundreds of dialysis patients & incubator babies at risk

•⁠ 91 Palestinians killed, 21 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🇳🇴🇪🇸🇮🇪 Israeli foreign minister reprimanded ambassadors of Norway, Spain & Ireland for decision to recognise Palestine

•⁠ ⁠Israeli overnight attack on Gaza City killed 16 incl. 10 kids. 8 killed in attack on Nuseirat camp

🎓 UK police arrest 12 students at Oxford University for Palestine sit-in (@ oxact4pal)

•⁠ Israeli forces invade Beit Hanoon (north) in escalation of Jabalia invasion, Israeli sniper executed Palestinian in the head

🔻 30 Israeli soldiers injured in past 2 days

•⁠ IOF shot 2 kids in the foot & hand near Apartheid Wall (West Bank)

🇱🇧 Hezbollah claims destroyed Israeli tank after Israeli strike killed Hezbollah official & injured 3 kids in school bus

May 24 (part 1).

[Context: original old ICJ post from LetsTalkPalestine]

🚨 ICJ orders Israel to end Rafah invasion

After a new South African request, the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately halt its invasion of Rafah and to withdraw. Here’s what else it said:

1️⃣ Its January orders were inadequate for the current situation which risks irreparable damage to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza

2️⃣ Israeli measures for Rafah evacuation are insufficient, and the humanitarian situation is "disastrous”

3️⃣ Israel must allow investigations into allegations of genocide

4️⃣ The court implied that the offensive may inflict conditions calculated to cause the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza — notably, this phrasing is the legal language used to describe an act of genocide

5️⃣ Demanded the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid

🇺🇸 Though these orders are legally binding, the ICJ has no enforcement power — only the UN Security Council can enforce them, and the US would likely veto

Does this mean the ICJ is useless? 🤔 Not exactly. See the last 3 slides of our post above 👆 from January explaining how we need to use tactical victories to end this genocide and free Palestine. No court can free Palestine. Only a people’s movement can.

May 24.

Day 231

‼️ Al-Aqsa Hospital generators shut down from lack of fuel causing power outages leaving most equipment unusable, putting many at risk incl. 20 newborns as oxygen generators will run out

•⁠ 57 Palestinians killed, 282 injured in last 24 hours

🇪🇬 Egypt to finally open their side of Karem Abu Salem crossing for UN aid. Only 906 aid trucks entered Gaza from May 7-23 as Israel seized Palestinian side of Rafah crossing which Egypt won’t reopen unless legal agreement w/ Israel

🇪🇸 Israel bans Spanish consulate from servicing Palestinians in West Bank after Spain said it’ll recognize the state of Palestine

•⁠ Israel expands Rafah invasion as tanks advance into crowded areas in central & west Rafah + bombing across the city

🔻 Hamas strikes 3 IOF tanks & seriously injured IOF soldier in north Gaza

•⁠ Israeli strikes on homes in north Gaza killed 7. Israel bombed aid storage house in Deir al-Balah killing 12+

•⁠ IOF bulldoze infrastructure & storm homes in raid on Balata (West Bank)

#text post #o post #magz upload #letstalkpalestine #palestine #on palestine #long post

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literary-illuminati · 2 years ago

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Book Review 30 - The Seep by Chana Porter

Okay, the last of my ‘read because they’re short and I had a goal to catch up to’ books. I, honestly, did not care for this one at all, on a few different levels. Didactic to the point of condescension, in service to a message I consider kind of repulsive. Extremely high concept setting with all manner of profound changes and revelations about the human condition that are just ignored or end up being hopelessly muddled and confused. All of it ending up as basically disposable set dressing to a breakup story that, I mean, I’m sure other people it it compelling? But just left me rolling my eyes. And the whole thing just so profoundly soaked through with a sort of woo-ish Californian-as-an-insult sensibility that puts my teeth on edge.

So the book begins with an alien invasion, the ‘Seep’ arriving on and saturating Earth, infesting 90% of humanity as well as everything else. The alien infection brings about a revolution in consciousness, making everyone infected acutely aware of the interconnections between all things and leading to an instantaneous abolition of capitalism, nationalism, and all forms of hierarchy larger than a local Home Owners Association (who can still evict you if you let your lawn get too overgrown, this is portrayed as self-evidently moral and reasonable). The Seep also allows for full bodily autonomy and the altering of one’s body at will, and also seems to have just abolished scarcity – in return, it mostly just wants to hitch along for the ride and feel human emotions, and make people happy. The plot itself is about a Trina, a woman in San Francisco spiralling into complete mental and emotional collapse after her wife decides she wants to try childhood again, and get remade into an infant with her mind wiped to be raised from birth by a couple in France (her wife/our protagonist taking this as something of a betrayal and refusing to be her mother). After falling into depression for a while, she’s told that if she doesn’t get with the yardwork her house is going to get repossessed by the community, and goes on a cross-country soul-searching midlife crisis journey in order to find herself.

Look, I’m almost certainly being way too uncharitable – most of the reviews are very positive! - but this book just did not agree with me at all. Now part of this is just that when a book gets sold as ‘compelling drama in a near-utopian setting’ and then the setting is an incoherent mess that exists mostly as set dressing without any real thought to what any of it means (souls exist, apparently! So does reincarnation!) and the actual plot could have been set in the modern day with almost zero changes, I do feel kind of let down by the book. In fact setting it in the modern day would probably have made me like the book rather more, if only because the lack of absurdist sideshows might have kept the focus on Trina and sharpened up her journey some.

Though honestly, the way the book kind of wavers back and forth between, like, ‘grief and pain are fundamental parts of being human’ and ‘death is natural and good and trying too hard to avoid it and hold on to your life is aberrant and unhealthy, also kids these days have it too easy and it’s good to have to suffer a bit and have your life indelibly shaped by your body and identity” would definitely have left a bad taste in my mouth regardless.

It’s a bit of a shame, really – the book does gesture repeatedly at some fairly meaty issues (in a world without oppression, where you can change your body over the course of a slow afternoon, what do the identities we’ve structured society around mean?) But it just, really doesn’t do anything with that? And if the closest thing you have to a villain is basically Rachel Dolezal, is too much to ask for you to have, like, anything to say about race?

#book review #the seep #chana porter #sff #literature

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world-cinema-research · 9 months ago

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A Hard Day's Night (1964)

(SHORT ESSAY)

By Jensen Boles (THE 112C 01)

Richard Lester, best known for directing such classics as Superman 2 (1980) and The Three Musketeers (1973) has also directed A Hard Day's Night (1964), a black and white comedic musical which has three nominations and has been regarded as a classic. The film was released at the height of Beatlemania as well as the British Invasion in which the popularity of artists from the UK as well as their music, spread to the United States which occurred in the mid-1960's (A Hard Day's Night via Britannica). This film would also mark the film debut of The Beatles themselves as well as the film debut of Phil Collins.

The film's plot consist of a day in the life of John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr aka the Beatles, as they try to catch a train while running away from their adoring and obsessive fans in order to play a live concert on television. There's different plot points throughout the film that also involve slapstick humor such as Ringo Starr going to jail for loitering after getting a sense of liberation, John Lennon playfully criticizing the TV Director because he's worried about the Beatles standing him up, George Harrison being mistaken as an actor auditioning for a TV show, and Paul McCartney taking care of his grandfather who's always getting into trouble. Finally, the film ends with the Beatles finally playing the concert while also running away from their adoring and obsessive fans. I believe the film is significant because of the hilarious plot and slapstick humor that's present. Not to mention the Beatles were still massively popular at the time of the film's release which probably got more fan's attention.

The film was met with mostly positive reviews by fans and critics. Film critic Roger Ebert, stated "Lester did not invent the techniques used in "A Hard Day's Night," but he brought them together into a grammar so persuasive that he influenced many other films" (A Hard Day's Night via Roger Ebert). While this film is regarded as a classic despite it's silliness, according to Roger Ebert. It was also received well by different fans. According to the staff at Variety News published December 31st, 1963, "No attempt has been paid to build the Beatles up as Oliviers; they are at their best when the pic has a misleading air of off-the-cuff spontaneity." When it comes to A Hard Day's Night and their reviews, I agree with both Roger Ebert and the staff at Variety News because A Hard Day's Night has paved the way for other mock-documentaries/comedic musicals, most notably This is Spinal Tap.

(A Hard Day's Night publicity still from 1964)

Another reason this film was deemed successful by critics and fans is because it was nominated for three awards including 2 Oscar nominations for Best Writing and Best Musical score, as well as 1 BAFTA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading for Film Roles (Awards and Festivals: A Hard Day's Night via mubi). The film was also popular amongst the Beatles fans and would also introduce the Beatles to newer audiences across the globe.

As I mentioned above, this film came out in 1964 during the time of Beatlemania, where passionate female fans of the Beatles would surround them due to their popularity in the UK and US. As well as the British Invasion in which the popularity of UK artist's would spread to the USA as well as other parts of the world. This would include the Beatles due to the rise of Beatlemania, as well as other musical artists from the UK, including the Rolling Stones, the Who, and many more. There were other events going on around this time such as President Lyndon B. Johnson abolishing racial segregation by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and famous boxer Cassius Clay would change his name to Muhammad Ali (Historical Events in 1964 via onthisday).

When it comes to the style of A Hard Day's Night, it goes for that cinéma vérité or French New Wave style which gives it that documentary feel as well as British Kitchen Sink realism which depicts the character's in a realistic manner. I think this style tells the story in an interesting manner as it's shot like a documentary at times with the charcater's being depicted in a serious, realistic manner while also being a slapstick comedy starring the Beatles that happens to be shot in black and white.

For the global culture aspect of the film, the world seems global in the film because it depicts the Beatles in England during the 60's which seemed appropriate for this film that came out around the same time as the film takes place.

The film is considered unconventional due to the documentary style of filming as well as being shot in Black and White. However it does feel conventional because it stars the Beatles in their feature film debut.

youtube

(A Hard Day's Night blu-ray Bonus clip: Learning Lines.)

#Youtube

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