#aca wins

[enidtendo64]

Soccer AU feat. The Nevermore Ravens

[sepdet]

uploading this Kamala Harris clip again because it makes me happy

"Do not be overwhelmed. Do not throw up your hands, but roll up our sleeves & FIGHT!"

Recorded by me on Jan 15, 2017, at union rally in front of UCLA Medical Center, standing up for the ACA which the GOP who had just taken the House, Senate and WH vowed to repeal.

...they chickened out due to mass protests. 💙

(Note "When we fight we WIN" sign)

[violinfantasy]

i finished???? writing my paper??

[ammineniudaykumarnaidu]

Congratulations to Junior Coach Mr . K Devaraj from A1 CHESS ACADEMY for achieving the INTERNATIONAL FIDE RAPID RATING 1033 in Chess published jointly by All India Chess Federation and World Chess Federation ( FIDE). Wishes & Regards A1 CHESS ACADEMY +91 9581250686 #Chess #Success #win #Champion #Best_Training #Atp #ap #India #AICF #FIDE #ACA #AACA #winners https://www.instagram.com/p/CnrB130uPRL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[boreal-sea]

Who is Tim Walz?

Kamala Harris has apparently picked Tim Walz as her running mate. He seems good, based on his record. He's also responsible for the widely spreading "Republicans are weird" meme I've seen quite a lot of.

He has a good record. Just like I did for Kamala Harris in a post that has become quite popular, I will do a simple review of things I like from Tim Walz' political history. Again, as with Harris, this is just from his Wikipedia page. Let's go!

House of Representatives

Opposed increasing troop numbers in Iraq

Co-sponsored a bill to raise Minnesota's minimum wage

Voted for stem cell research

Voted to allow Medicare to negotiate pharmaceutical prices

Voted against the act to Prohibit Federally Funded Abortion Services

Voted to advance the ACA

Has received a 100% rating from many progressive organizations like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU

Was a member of several caucuses, including the LGBT Equality Caucus

Governor of Minnesota

Signed into law police reforms after the murder of George Floyd

Had Minnesota join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, meaning that all of the state's electors will vote for whichever candidate wins the popular vote nation-wide.

Under his governance, Minnesota passed laws for requiring paid leave, banning non-compete agreements, cannabis legalization, abortion rights, universal free school meals,

Political stances

Pro cannabis

Against bailout bills that loan taxpayer money to large banks and auto manufacturers

Was a former teacher for many years, and is very pro-education and supporting public schools. He is against merit pay for teachers (this is a good thing), and supports lowering tuition costs

Used to be pro-gun, but after Parkland he changed his mind, and as Governor he signed a bill mandating universal background checks

Pro-LGBT - has voted for LGBT rights many times, including as Governor, where he signed bills banning conversion therapy and protecting gender-affirming care

Supports veterans rights and support

Supports abortion rights and women's rights

I am going to copy-paste the entire section for his views on the Israel-Hamas war, because I don't want people claiming I am taking anything out of context. Overall, he has views that echo my own in many ways:

Walz condemned Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel and ordered flags to be lowered to half mast in the following days. After the 2024 Minnesota Democratic presidential primary, in which 19% of voters cast "uncommitted" ballots, Walz took a sympathetic view toward those doing so to protest President Biden's handling of the war in Gaza, calling them "civically engaged". Of the protests against U.S. funding of the war in Gaza, Walz said: "This issue is a humanitarian crisis. They have every right to be heard... These folks are asking for a change in course, they're asking for more pressure to be put on… You can hold competing things: that Israel has the right to defend itself, and the atrocities of October 7 are unacceptable, but Palestinian civilians being caught in this… has got to end." Walz also said he supports a ceasefire in Gaza.[100]

[hwasoup]

Tale As Old As Time

Playlist to read along with !!

songs used for inspo: No Matter What (reprise), Wolf Chase, etc...

art credit goes to Marbipa

ooh lord, my back hurts from so much from all the typing I swear once I start writing I don't stop until it's done, any whoop I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!! Try guessing who our new characters are, they'll be introduced soon!!

like always let me know if you’d like to be tagged !

prev | ch.3>>

warnings: enchanted items, fear, slight harassment, slight misogyny

word count: 2.5K

Chapter 2: The Castle

A week after departing from the village….

Mauricio happily hums a tune to himself as he directs Felipe where to go. “Ahh Felipe, can’t you taste it?? First place at the contest, I mean this contraption is very nifty, I’m sure I'll win a prize” He holds onto the reins a bit tighter as he looks around the dark woods. “Well…isn’t this lovely…if only I could recognize which woods I'm in” he says. After a while he reaches a fork in the road. He didn’t know whether to go left or to go right “well…this...is…something” he thinks for a while and looks in both directions “well then Felipe, let's go left, shall we? Let's try to get somewhere before-” Thunder rumbles in the distance..."before the storm hits.” he says while directing the horse to go on the path.

After a while the woods slowly became more spiritless, the trees started looking more shriveled, and the vegetation slowly started disappearing. The wind has picked up a bit and the thunder rumbled louder than before. Mauricio looks around a bit more and says “well where did you take us Felipe? This can’t be right?” he says blaming his decision on the poor horse. Then Howling is heard in the distance. Felipe backed up a bit looking around anxiously as he nickered some more “We should turn back around” Mauricio says.

Suddenly out of the blue he sees a wolf behind him and immediately yells “GO FELIPE GO” The Horse neighs loudly and starts galloping, Rain has started falling and lightning crackles in the sky. Mauricio didn’t even bother to look behind him as he could hear the pattering of feet and snarls behind him. He was being chased by a pack of wolves. The path in the woods slowly started disappearing and the trees became larger and thicker, the rainfall seemingly to become harder and stronger. The roots protruded in the path as the pair ran away. A branch that was in the way makes Felipe trip and fall, the wagon unlatching itself to the horse as it runs. Mauricio fell down and looked at his wagon, all of his supplies scattered, and his dear invention destroyed, but there was no time to think about that. 

He then heard a deep growl behind him and saw the wolf, he got up and ran as fast as his feet could take him and ran to the edge of a small cliff. He looked down and saw the rest of the wolves snarling at him, ready for him to jump so they could pounce at him. He sees Felipe in the distance and yells “FELIPE POR ACA, VENGA!” The horse whinnies and runs towards him, allowing Mauricio to jump and perfectly land on the horse’s back. He looks behind as he sees the pack chase him and his grip tightens on the horse’s reins. He turns back around to see a gate. “TO THE GATE FELIPE” he cries out. The horse runs as fast as its hooves can take him and the gates open allowing the pair to quickly escape and immediately closes as soon as they enter, leaving the hungry pack of wolves barking and snarling outside.

Felipe gallops until it becomes a trot as he could see a stable where he could stay. Mauricio wipes his face in relief and then gets off the horse and brings him to the stable “well let’s get you settled, at least you have some food and water…now, let me go up and uhm…” He looks up at the grandeur castle that is before him. “Greet our host...” he says in awe of the castle. As he walks up the stairs to the entrance, he wonders why can’t seem to remember this place existing or even why there was a castle here in the first place. His thoughts are replaced by the thunder booming as he needs to get inside to stay dry from the storm. 

Mauricio then arrives at the door and looks around, he can see all the lamps lit up, but nobody outside. He knocks on the door and the door creaks and opens. “Thank you, Thank-” he looks next to him and sees nobody by the door. He looks behind him as he sees the door closing on its own. Confused, he slowly walks inside the castle, he sees beside him a fireplace with a lovely chair. “Hello?” He walks a bit more and looks up and sees the intricate designs of the castle “I’m just a traveler…seeking shelter from the storm.” he says, a bit defeated. His words echo in the seemingly empty castle “Perdon por molestar…anyone home?” he says as he takes off his coat and hangs it on the coat rack. The coat rack then discreetly looks behind him and shakes off some of the water off the coat to release some weight. However, in a corner at a small table a clock and candelabra stare at Mauricio. “Damn...he must have gotten lost in the woods…” The clock smacks him quickly “shut up you idiot” she whispers.

Mauricio then turns around confused, making the two stop moving. “Excuse me?”

He then slowly walks towards the table and looks at the clock. “Oh how beautiful…” He then peeks at the candelabra and picks it up “oh how extraordinary.” Music from a piano starts playing, which makes Mauricio turn around and gently place the candelabra back down on the table. Mauricio then fixes himself and walks towards the music.

“Ooh he got some taste.” 

“Relax, he was talking about me.”

Mauricio then approaches the room where the piano was and sees it playing on its own. “Oop-” the piano says as it stops playing. Mauricio looks at the piano in awe and confusion and stutters a bit over his words. He turns back around to where he originally was and goes to approach the chair by the fireplace. “Well now, wherever you are…I’m just going to sit down and warm myself by the fire. 

In the distance there was some clattering which caught Mauricio’s ear. He quickly walks towards the noise as well to find himself in a dining room that had food by a chair. “Oh, muchas gracias…I couldn’t thank you enough.” he immediately sits down and starts eating, savoring the foods and flavors in his mouth. Then as he ate, he saw a cup on a small plate slowly approach him and he looked at it in utter awe, shock, and fear. “Daddy says I wasn’t supposed to move because it's scary…..sorry” says the cup in a little girl’s voice.

Mauricio’s eyes bulged out in shock as he quickly replied “its…it's alright…” 

He then bolted out of his seat, walking as quickly as he could to the entrance “I…uh. Cannot humbly thank you for…for your hospitality” he says while taking his coat and putting it back on. “But uh it seems to me that I…uh well. Bid you...adieu…” he says with a bow while opening the door. “And uhh…good night.” He slams the door walking as fast as he could, not knowing that someone was watching the whole time. Outside, the storm has stopped, and Mauricio quickly goes to Felipe and mounts him. With a quick thwip from the reins, Felipe galloped into the gardens. “No wait, stop, stop, stop.” The horse stops and Mauricio gets off “Roses…I nearly forgot...” He approaches the rose garden and notices that they were all white, “I promised mi niñita a rose...” Mauricio walks into the garden scoping a perfect rose for Y/N unaware of the owner lurking…watching him as he walks in the rose garden. The host quietly moves from one place to another as he sees Mauricio get closer to a rose. The horse starts nickering and whinnying in anxiousness, hoping that his owner would see his warning.

Mauricio then takes a look at one rose and smiles thinking about Y/N and brings his hands up to pluck the rose, but instead pricks his thumb with a thorn. The host growls as he sees Mauricio reach in again trying to pick out the rose. Finally, Mauricio with a smile plucks the rose for Y/N but instead hears a loud thud and a roar to see the figure in front of him. Scaring him nearly half dead and making him fall on his back. He whimpers in shock and tries to back up in utter fear “HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM ME, I GIVE YOU SHELTER AND THIS IS WHAT I GET ?!”

Mauricio pleads to the monster in front of him. “N-no p-please, it was only a g-gift for my d-dau-daughter” he says while staring at him. “WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?” Mauricio stutters some more. “OH, I SEE...WE’VE COME TO STARE AT THE BEAST, HAVE WE?” Mauricio looks at him and stammers some more “n-no I didn't mean to offend. I-” A low emanating growl comes from the beast as he approaches him “CALLATE, YOU’VE DONE PLENTY…NOW YOU’RE COMING WITH ME” He takes Mauricio and drags him back inside the castle. Felipe whinnies and bucks his hind legs as he tries to get the reins off of him, eventually succeeding and running off back to the village.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later…

Ben is looking through a bush where some of the leaves have started goldening and falling off, while staring at y/n’s house. “...y/n is sure to get the shock of her life...” Ben nods at Eddie and looks at himself at the puddle next to him. “Oh yes Eddie, this is definitely her lucky day!” He looks away from the bush and turns around to see everything perfectly set up. He then clears his throat to catch everyone’s attention “I would like to thank all of you for coming to my wedding, your contributions are greatly appreciated…but now I gotta go in there and well” he clears out his throat once more “propose to the girl” he says with a chuckle. The guests chuckle and laugh as well unlike the 3 women in the corner who are weeping.

“Now you Eddie, have the most important job, when I come out the door with y/n...” 

“Yea I know, I’ll strike up the band” he says a bit disinterested. As he looks at the band and makes them quickly rehearse the wedding march. 

Back in y/n’s home however, she’s sitting on a chair happily reading her book until she hears a knock on her door. She approaches it and using her father’s invention to see outside, she notices it's Ben and she groans loudly to herself. “Ok…you can do this” she says to herself in a whisper as she opens the door. “Oh, why Ben... que sorpresa...” she says with a feigned voice of interest. 

“Why isn’t it, I'm always full of surprises,” Ben added. “You know y/n there isn’t a single woman in town who would be aching to be you right now.” Y/N backs up a bit “Oh uh…pero como?” Ben chuckles “Well, this is the day your dreams come true my dear...” he saunters his way more to get closer to her. “What do you know about my dreams, Ben?” He chuckled once more “Oh plenty, now here picture this.” He sits down on a chair and places his muddied shoes on the table. “A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill...roasting on the fire, while my pretty little wife massages my aching feet, while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs” he says while looking at her with a smoldering look. “We’ll have six or seven...”

Y/N grimaces at his words and thinks at how unbelievably daring this man is right now. “Perros?” she asks with a pained smile. “No Y/N, strong boys like me!” Y/N rolls her eyes “you...don't say...” she says now looking for some sort of exit from this situation. “Now Y/N, who do you think that little wife will be?” Y/N’s eyes widen in horror and says “erm... Uhh.. let me think…” Ben interrupts her with a grin “Why, YOU Y/N.” Y/N turns away from him quickly and backs up to the door. “Ay pero, Ben I- I’m speechless..I.. well really don’t know what to say” she says as Ben approaches her with a determined look. 

Then, by using both of his arms, Ben pins her to the door with a winning smirk “say you’ll marry me then” he says as he leans in closer to Y/N. “Perdon Ben pero…I’m uh..I just...” Ben has leaned in close enough to kiss her. In a quick attempt, Y/N uses her hand to find the door handle and opens it, quickly moving out of the way, making Ben surprised and fall into a puddle of mud. 

Eddie on the other hand only hears the door open and signals for the band to start playing. He then directs the band for a bit and then hears something moving. He turns around to see Ben completely covered in mud “soo uh…Imma take that as a no...” Ben, enraged, looks into Eddie’s eyes and mutters to him “I WILL have Y/N as my wife, make no mistake about that” he states, as he begrudgingly walks away in embarrassment from the rejection, he just took in front of his wedding guests. 

After the commotion dies down, Y/N peeks out of her front door and looks around “Is he gone ??” She looks down to confirm that Ben is gone and walks outside to feed her chickens “I can’t believe him, ME? To be the wife of that headstrong, boorish, conceited man.” She grabs the chicken feed and throws it everywhere in annoyance “imagínate, señorita riley, just imagine, his little wife.” She throws the bucket of chicken feed to the ground. “I need some place to scream.” 

A few minutes later she ran on top of a hill and layed in the field of dandelions. “My dreams? What does he know about my dreams… I want adventure, I want it so much that I can’t imagine someone else imagining it.” She quietly lays in the grass for a while longer and plucks a dandelion and blows it, watching the seeds spread in the wind. “I want so much more than this tiny village,” she says to herself. “If only someone could understand...” She sighs and closes her eyes, taking in the air from her surroundings. She inhales once again but then stops as she hears whinnying in the distance. She turns around and gets up as she spots Felipe in the distance. 

“Felipe, I- what's wrong?” She looks around to see that there was no wagon and especially her father. “Dónde está papá ?” she says as she tries to calm down the horse. "Where is he Felipe, what happened?!”. 

She took hold of his reins and frantically responded “Please, we must go find him, Take me to him !!” She takes Felipe back home quickly to grab her cloak and to replace the horse’s broken reins. Once she does, she mounts Felipe and takes control as she rides out to the woods to find her father.

taglist: @cupcakeinat0r , @miguelhugger2099, @mcmiracles, @xxsugarbonesxx,@codenameredkrystalmatrix,@deputy-videogamer,@lxverrings,@miguelzslvtz,@itsameclinicaldepression,,@ricekrisbris,@loser-alert , @thedevax, @uncle-eggy, @corpsebridenightamare, @m4dyy,

[progressivepower]

Huge win #Democrats and a huge win for the people! Decades of work by Democrats. The Republican private sector billionaires have blocked this negotiation for decades (as well as 30 years of the affordable health care act-ACA). https://ow.ly/fGP250SYOi3 http://dlvr.it/TBymY5

[qqueenofhades]

Hi just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully respond to these anon messages. I work in dc w a fairly wonky set and i cant overstate how haunted the DC Professional Thought Havers are by the spectre of the "low propensity voter." I think these ppl (myself included LOL) thought we had everything figured out ahead of the 2016 elections and then never recovered from the way it ended up going......i feel like in all the years that followed.....the liberal bubbles.....the coastal elites.......the hillbilly elegies......the real america....the ohio diners....the pennsylvania diners.......the polls......the 2020 horserace....while part of an earnest attempt to understand What Happened, were primarily self-indulgent, self-flagellation for being "out of touch" bc of a self-diagnosed "elite" status that then turned into ANOTHER myopic view of the world, just opposite, where the "libs" are hapless and everyone else remotely to the left are primarily victims to the unstoppable supernatural forces of the Right. Then in 2020 the narrative flipped AGAIN and once again, instead of taking the opportunity to expand a worldview and having the bravery to confront their own shortcomings, the opinion havers and wonks and beltway pressers have decided to groupthink their way into writing off democracy altogether. Its BEYOND frustrating to see! Like damn volunteer at a soup kitchen or smthn instead of being obsessed w the fact that i vote lol

Yes, and there are several reasons for that. First, despite all the factors that contributed to Trump's shock win in 2016 (anti-Clintonism, white backlash to Obama, general low voter enthusiasm, Russian disinformation, etc) we should never forget that until James Comey decided to announce 10 days before the election that he was reopening the EEEEEEEMAILS case, even though we all knew there was nothing there, she was leading fairly comfortably in the polls. And while we will never know how the 2016 election would have gone without that, which imho was one of the most unforgivable acts of blatant sabotage by a public official in American history, it's also true that we saw her poll averages start sliding almost in real time, as people who hadn't really been keen on voting for her anyway decided firmly not to and Trump was able to scrape out 16,000 votes across PA, MI, and WI to take the Electoral College. Which... we all remember how we felt that night, right? (Or in my case, early morning, since I was overseas?) We don't, we really, really don't want to feel that way again. Just saying.

As such, the media (which had already beat up Clinton nonstop during the BUT HER EEEEEMAILS saga) drastically overcorrected and as you say, began writing endless angsty handwringing pieces about Trump Voters in Rural Ohio Diners and giving endless sympathetic airtime to how "economically left behind" they felt, regardless of the fact that open racism, especially Obama backlash, was and remains the principal animating feature of Republican politics (since their only economic platform is that which makes very rich people even richer and Democratic economic policies are the only ones actually targeted at helping ordinary people). The hangover was so strong that even when Democrats had a massive 2018 midterm result and flipped the House blue for the first time since the post-ACA backlash lost it in 2010, the Conventional Wisdom was now beyond any doubt that Democrats were doomed for a generation or something, and not that Trump had squeaked out a fluky win (while losing the popular vote) due to endless Russian/Comey/third party-etc interference and wasn't actually that powerful. Even in 2020 when Biden was leading fairly steadily and things were going to hell with Covid, etc. etc. TRUMP IS UNSTOPPABLE, TRUMP IS GOING TO WIN.

(And now. Like. I know Trump thinks Trump won in 2020, as do a large majority of his cultists, but that doesn't mean he did.)

Even after that, when Roe went down in 2022, that made no difference to the RED WAVE COMING!!! narrative, and the amount of smug white male pundits insisting that abortion just wasn't very important and people weren't going to base their entire vote on it reached truly disgusting levels. We're now seeing the same thing with the constant "people won't vote for democracy and/or abortion rights" blast, when as you say, this narrative has just been completely made the fuck up by a lot of groupthinking DC media who are determined that this time, Trump really is going to win and then they get to be principled chroniclers in opposition or something. Not to mention, the basic principle of "democracy and abortion rights are good" do in fact win by thumping margins every time they're on the ballot, including in deep red states. But there is literally not a single piece of empirical evidence despite the massive amounts of it supporting the truth (i.e. that Democrats are doing historically well in competitive elections since 2018 and there's not really a major reason to think this will change in 2024) that will get the media to change the "Democrats in disarray and Biden Iz Doomed" horserace BS they so love. They don't like Biden because he's boring and competent and just does the job without being insane, because it's totally a great idea to treat American government like a reality show! (Recall the infamous comment by the CBS CEO who literally said that Trump was bad for America but great for CBS, because he pulled in high ratings and therefore lots of money and visibility for CBS. We live in the worst timeline.)

As such, the mainstream media has a vendetta against Biden, is determined that this time Trump is super definitely going to win and everyone will see how genius they are, and not-so-secretly wants Trump back because a) he's good for money and ratings, and b) because the media conglomerations are owned by oligarchs who have a vested interest in making sure that Democrats and their policies never get too popular. Notice how the once self-proclaimed centrist independent Elon Musk has turned into a rabidly alt-right fanboy ever since the Democrats really got serious about taxing billionaires as a key part of their platform. Likewise, insisting that Biden Iz Doomed makes Democrats nervous (and thus more likely to tune in) and Republicans gleeful (and thus more likely to tune in), so there's literally no incentive for the media to even try to report things accurately. You could create a very different narrative of the 2024 election if you just remotely bothered to write about things that have actually happened as they have actually taken place, rather than bending over backward to insist that Biden being four years older than Trump is a worse crime than 91 felony indictments, 2 impeachments, 1 insurrection, 450 million dollars and counting in punitive jury verdicts, more major criminal trials coming down the pipe, and just demonstrably being the worst human being alive in so many ways. I mean. Wow.

The good news, as I said in my other post, is that when people actually vote, these utter bullshit narratives get routinely blown out of the water, and that's a good thing. Because it turns out that unlike Super Smart Beltway Pundits' Super Smart Predictions, the average American does actually like democracy and freedom for women to make their own personal healthcare decisions, and they vote accordingly. So while yes, it's being made harrowingly much harder than it needs to be because of how much the media simply refuses to report that basic fact, and there is no amount of evidence that will convince them otherwise, at least we're trending in the right direction and, if we all pull our weight, can do it one more time. I realized the other day that I hadn't heard a fucking peep about Ron DeSantis in the last two months, and oh, how glorious it was. I yearn beyond words for the day (God willing, soon) when the same is true of Trump as well.

[belit0]

this is very cliche but- how would the uchihas be if their s/o told them to play the pocky game? 😈

honestamente, adoro como escribes y me encanta como te muestras, haces que escribirte sea tan cómodo TT cuidate mucho <D

gracias bebeee❣️❤️‍🩹 es lo que siempre intento, que la gente se sienta comoda y encuentre un lugarcito seguro aca 💫🛐

sentite libre de hablarme por privado y ser amiguitxs 👀💕

do love me some good cliche, tho i think two of these mf are way too pragmatic to understand

Indra

- He doesn't understand the game, before starting he eats the pocky. When (Y/N) explains it to him, he declines and finishes the whole box by himself.

Madara

- He understands, a little bit. Doesn't get the part about having to chew and actually stands still, surprised when (Y/N) finally kisses him.

Izuna

- Pretends not having enough speed just for (Y/N) to kiss him over and over again, until he finally accepts he can beat her and wins every round.

Obito

- He doesn't like the taste, but does it just to make (Y/N) happy. He plays as many rounds as she wants drinking a lot of water in between, but wins almost all of them.

Shisui

- Competitive from birth, Shisui devastates every pocky they put between their lips, devouring without giving (Y/N) time to react (Shunshin no Shisui, love.)

Itachi

- Gives his best, but is bad at the kind of games that don't require strategy or thinking. Loses almost every time, happy to kiss (Y/N).

[creekfiend]

I am so so on board with Electoral Politics Can't Fix This and trust me I am very frustrated by people shouting THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE! about stuff that is, like, inherent to the evils of capitalism and The State

but I am also tired of pretending like who wins the US presidential election doesn't have any material impact on anybody

the amount I spend thinking about what my life would be like without the ACA: a lot

I would probably have been forced to go bankrupt to get any care. that's just what happened with preexisting conditions before ACA.

I'm also tired of acting like "fantasizing about how much Less Bad stuff might be if Clinton had got to pick the last few supreme court justices" is evil or whatever

like I Hate This System and my well-being and the well-being of millions of other people should not fucking be dependent on it + YES EVERY PRESIDENT WILL BE EVIL AND THEY WILL ALL ENGAGE IN A SET NUMBER OF VERY EVIL ACTIONS NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE DUE TO THE UNITED STATES DOING EVIL THINGS. WE KNOW THIS

but statements like "my life is materially better than it would have been if Obama had not won those elections" aren't like, statements about valuing electoral politics

they're statements about it being fucked up that we live in this reality AND ALSO WE DO LIVE IN THIS REALITY

I just feel like if we can't be like voting is temporary harm reduction and that actually doesn't not matter then we just want stuff to get Worse and Worse as fast as possible and I am aware that that is also a political stance some people have but as a disabled person,

as my good friend Alex once said to some anticiv anarchists,

I really can't get behind a revolution that requires me to be dead!

anyway. I'm so tired of navigating the healthcare system and I want to kill people rn

[captainjonnitkessler]

The thing about RvW being taken down is probably proof that people are pushing an agenda. The argument I keep seeing is "Dems didn't codify it when they had the chance" but when in the last 20 years did they have both the chance and the need to? The only time there was a clear Dem majority in both houses and a Dem president was when Obama was elected, and why would they waste time codifying something that was already de facto law under no real threat when they had other more contentious issues, like the ACA, to push? Why are Dems to blame when the GOP-held Senate refused to vote on a judicial nominee for almost a year, purely to manufacture the setup for cases like this? The Dems have done enough bad shit that we don't need to make up more and do the GOP's campaigning for them.

Yeah it's wild to me that people are somehow blaming Democrats for Roe v Wade being repealed. Even if you think Dems should have done more to protect it - which I do agree they generally haven't had the chance to do - it's insane to blame them over the party that actually did it.

Republicans are VERY open about being straight-up obstructionists. They are very open about voting against their own best interests, or even their own policies, if they think it would give Dems a "win". Their primary goal is to make Democrats look bad. Sort of like how they sabotaged the Post Office and then turned around to be like "look how badly it's doing! We should axe it!"

Focus on holding Dems accountable for the shit they actually did, but also focus on not forgetting all the horrible shit that Republicans did and then immediately blamed on Democrats.

[alrightbuckaroo]

19 for the prompt list <3

19. ‘it made me think of you.’

Did NOT expect this to be a little over 900 words, but I hope you enjoy it all the same <3

--

First Responder's Fair is home to many things; double fried foods, rigged carny games and at the moment, a very confused TK Strand.

"Wait," TK sucks his teeth, to which Nancy grimaces at. "You mean to tell me the sweet tea down here is actually," TK pauses. "Well, sweet?"

Nancy and Tommy share a look across the picnic table while TK takes another hearty sip. Nancy begs the question she didn't think she'd ever have to ask. "What made you think sweet tea wasn't sweet?"

"It never was up north, tasted more like dish water than anything."

Tommy, then, begs the question she didn't think she'd ever have to ask. "TK, why do you know what dish water tastes like?"

"My friend Cash used to work at the Sally's Diner back when we were in high school, bet me ten dollars that I wouldn't drink from the dish sink from the after lunch rush. He thought I couldn't, or more so, wouldn't do it." TK smiles smugly. "Guess who left Sally's that day ten dollars richer."

"And was out sick from school the following three days because he got food poisoning." Owen adds as he sits down, joining them at the table. His hands full with two corndogs and a frozen lemonade. "Had to rush him to the ER because he kept complaining about stomach pains."

"So I guess it wasn't a question of couldn't or wouldn't, but more of a shouldn't." Tommy jokes, breaking off a piece of her funnel cake.

"Nice to know that you taking up residence in the ER isn't just a Texas thing." Nancy rallies and TK feels like he's been attacked by all fronts.

"My newfound stomach of steel would argue it was worth it."

"It wasn't." Owen is quick to interject.

"Anyways," TK goes to change the subject. He points at the corndogs in Owen's hand. "Dad, corndogs, where?"

Owen tells him where the booth is and TK makes it his mission to scout it out. He stands up, and treks his way over. He sees both Isabella and Evie standing in line for cotton candy, alone. His eyebrows furrow when he doesn't see Carlos anywhere.

Last he saw them, Carlos was taking them to the ring toss in hopes of coming home with a new pet goldfish. For the girls, not TK, which Carlos made absolutely clear.

"Hey girls, where's Carlos?"

"Milk bottles." They both say at the same time. TK thanks them, and walks around until he finds the milk bottles. He sees Carlos before Carlos can see him. Even from a distance, he can see Carlos is uncharacteristically sweaty and his curls have started to break free.

As he walks up, he watches Carlos throw a baseball and raise his arms in cheer before he winces and lowers his right arm.

"Babe," TK says as he gets closer. Now that he's closer to Carlos, he can see the beads of sweat dripping down his face and the ring of it around the neckline of his shirt. TK's confused, it's hot out, as expected, it is Texas, after all; but it's not that hot. "What's going on?"

Carlos starts when he realizes TK is next to him. He was so focused on the pyramid of milk bottles in front of him. "Oh no," Carlos responds. "You weren't supposed to see, it was supposed to be a surprise."

"Here you are, sir." A man in a red and white striped shirt hands Carlos a stuffed orange lizard. Carlos goes to reach for it with his right hand but changes to his left hand.

"And this is for you." Carlos holds out the stuffed animal to TK who stares at it, slightly perplexed, slightly in awe and even more slightly in love.

TK reaches for it, and Carlos smiles at him like he's worth every curl unfurled. "Babe," He grabs Carlos' left hand, careful not to irritate the right one. He pulls them aside, out of the walk way and earshot of the carny. "Did you throw out your right arm trying to win me a stuff lizard?"

"It made me think of you," Carlos affirms, wiping at his face on his shirt sleeve. "I couldn't not get it. Who knew it would be level to training day for the academy." He rotates his arm, trying to gauge the pain.

"Well, this just means I get to give a slow, sensual massage later tonight." TK whispers into his ear.

"TK," Carlos smirks. He nods to the ring toss they're standing next to. "Not in front of the gold fish."

TK stares at the stuffed animal in his hands. It's eyes are a little too close together, and it's smile is a little crooked, but he loves it all the same. That said, TK begs the question he never thought he'd have to ask. "Babe, how much did you spend on this little guy?"

Carlos is silent, trying to think of the best answer. The last thing he wants to do is tell TK he spent close to ten dollars worth of quarters on a stuffed toy that probably cause ten cents to make. "Baby, you know my love for you is priceless."

TK rolls his eyes, but his smile really gives him away. "You're so cheesy."

Carlos grabs TK's hand again; he suddenly finds himself having a real hankering for corndogs. "You love it."

TK laughs, "Not really," He pulls Carlos is for a kiss that tastes like sugary sweet tea. "But I love you."

send me a soft fic prompt!

[contemplatingoutlander]

In the New York Magazine article, “The Future of Trumpism: The greatest threat to Donald Trump’s hold on the GOP comes from Ron DeSantis, who may be more MAGA than the MAGA king himself,” Jonathan Chait discusses some of Ron DeSantis’s more disturbing beliefs about the U.S. Constitution and wealth.

Basically, DeSantis seems to believe that the Constitution was designed to protect elite wealth from being redistributed to the working classes. If DeSantis were to be elected president, there’s a good chance he would try to undo every progressive social safety net program we have created since the New Deal, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, SNAP, and TANF.

Below are some excerpts from DeSantis’s 2011 book Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First principles in the age of Obama:

[Benjamin] Franklin and other Founding Fathers believed that respect for individual property rights was the sine qua non of a free society, and regarded the so-called “leveling spirit,” which seeks to equalize property through government action, as a danger that American institutions needed to check…. How to craft a government based on popular consent that did not devolve into popular majorities voting themselves the property of others was one of the main concerns for Madison and his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention. [...] Madison pulled no punches about specifying the particular types of faction that a republican form of government needed to guard against. “A rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project”…. Madison…also viewed these “wicked projects” as inimical to fundamental notions of justice and individual liberty. As a matter of first principle, the republic needed to be constructed to prevent such projects from ever coming into being.

[emphasis added]

--Ron DeSantis (2011, pp. 123, 128-129)

If Ron DeSantis wins the White House in 2024 and has a GOP Congress, and a Federalist Society dominated Supreme Court, he will be able to dismantle the social safety net in the U.S. with impunity. We cannot let that happen.

[edited]

____________________

Ron DeSantis Photo-Illustration: Eddie Guy & Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images (before edits & title caption); Maya Angelou quote image source (before edits & a newer version of Maya Angelou’s signature) 

[politijohn]

US District Judge Reed O'Connor struck down a provision of the ACA that required coverage for preventive care services for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and vision screenings for children. And this person calls themself pro-life.

Source

Imagine thinking HIV prevention goes against your religion and winning the argument in the court. Welcome to the US

[aus-wnt]

After signing a new contract which will keep her at the club until 2026, Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has penned a letter to the old Sam. The Sam who was soon to become a Blue, back in 2019.

Dear Sam,

You're about to be sold something big. Chelsea want to sign you. Yeah, that Chelsea. You'll be promised a lot by Emma Hayes. She has already won so much with this club, but she wants more and she wants to do it with you. She'll promise you success and trophies, but what you’ll find is a family and a home.

You’re going to have to move across the world for it. It’s a lot to take in, I know. But, don’t worry, it’s the right decision. You will fall in love with this club. You’ll love it more than I can even explain to you in this letter, but I am going to try.

You are worried you might not settle here. You'll be wrong. Like, really wrong. And you will realise you’re wrong pretty quickly. Almost straight away, this club will feel like home. The fans, the players and the staff all welcome you with open arms. This will be the longest you stay at one club and it’s because of them.

You'll stay because it feels right. You know that desire we have to win? You'll be in the right place for it. The club wants to be great. So do you. This is not a place where one trophy is enough. You will love that. It’ll be demanding and tough. But this club will push you, year after year, to a new level.

Sam, I’ve got to tell you about the FA Cup! Remember how we used to watch it all the way from Australia as a kid? You're going to play in the final. You’ll stay in the hotel looking on to Wembley before the game and think about that a lot. If only little Sam knew! And guess what, it’s not just one final. Or two. It’s three. You'll win them all. You'll score in all three finals, too. They’re not bad goals either, if I do say so myself!

You'll score a lot of goals on the way to a lot of trophies. Five league titles in a row, three FA Cups, two League Cups and a Community Shield and you'll stay because you're hungry for more. I told you Emma would deliver on the promises of trophies…

You'll stay to net that 100th goal. 99 so far… we’re so close! You’ll score some unbelievable goals. There will be plenty of backflips. You’ll also score goals that might not be flashy or be Puskas Award-worthy (you’ll be nominated for one of those with the Tillies, by the way), but they’ll help the team and that’s what counts. That’s what matters to you the most.

I can’t lie to you, it won't always be easy. There will be doubters and you might start to question yourself at times. People will think you don't have what it takes to compete with the best in Europe after playing in the US. You will prove them wrong. You will prove yourself wrong. You will learn so much about yourself. You're going to grow in confidence. People might think how is that even possible, that you always look super confident on the pitch. We know that is a bit of an alter ego, but you’ll learn to back yourself at Chelsea. Keep backing yourself in the biggest moments. There will be plenty of opportunities to do so in Chelsea blue.

You’re going to experience the toughest period of your career at Chelsea. But, even then there is nowhere else you’d rather be. It’s going to be a knee injury - and a bad one, at that. Everyone gets behind you. I told you already, it’s like a family here. It is going to be really hard, but the team and the fans will help you through it. They make you feel valued, even if you’re not able to impact things on the pitch.

You’re on the road to recovery now. Every single person is just as important as the other here. You are not just the Sam Kerr who scores goals. You are Sam the player, the person, the team-mate, the friend. You will be made to feel like one of their own, as if you came up right through the Academy. A Blue is a Blue, no matter what.

It won’t just be the club that feels like home. It will be the city, too. You are going to fall in love with London. It will be different to Australia and the US, but that is why you are going to love it so much. Embrace it. It will be the Chelsea community. It will be the football culture across the city. Everyone talks about football here. You will be walking down the street and someone will chat to you about football. You will be grabbing a coffee and again… football! I know you have visited London before, but you haven’t even seen the half of it then. It’s an unbelievable place to live. There is so much to do. It is beautiful. Maybe pack some jumpers and raincoats, though…

There is about to be a lot of change at the club. Emma has left now, but Sonia Bompastor is almost here. She's a winner, too. You're going to be so excited to work with her. Sonia's record, the Chelsea way and add a little bit of spice – it is going to be a winning combination, you're sure of it.

You’re here to stay, Sam. You can’t imagine yourself anywhere else.

Now, let’s go and have some more fun!

Sam

[theanticool]

Albert Tumenov vs Lorenz Larkin - UFC 195

Man, imagine if things had shaken out differently. Tumenov and Larkin stayed in the UFC and mixed it up with guys like Wonderboy, Luque, Burns, JDM, Neal, etc. Ton of great match ups.

For those that don't know, Lorenz Larkin was a Strikeforce fighter that had got folded into the UFC when they bought Strikeforce. Had wins over guys like Robbie Lawler and Gian Villante in Strikeforce and had a bit of hype coming into the UFC. He had a rough go at 185lbs before dropping to 170lbs. Once there, he evolved into an incredibly potent kickboxing threat. Knocked out guys like Ponzinibbio, Neil Magny, and Doomsday Howard and took a decision over Jorge Masvidal. He would leave the UFC for Bellator after his contract expired. Lost his debut, which was a fight for the Bellator WW title and has been like 9-2 in the promotion since.

Albert Tumenov was a highly acclaimed prospect heading into the UFC with a deep background in boxing. And it showed. Easily one of the best boxers in the division during his run. He struggled with grapplers though. After starting his UFC career 5-1, he was basically wrestled out the promotion with submission losses to Gunnar Nelson and Leon Edwards. But he is one of the most technical and fiercest strikers in the welterweight division still. He's 6-0 since being cut by the UFC and is the current ACA welterweight champion.

This fight between the 2 from 2016 is some fantastic stuff. Wish we got more of it.