#and for that reason ALSO the Bible should be in public schools

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

to alienate students from Christianity is to alienate them from their own national history/heritage

[beardedmrbean]

So I recently heard about a law in Oklahoma being passed that required the Bible being taught in school? And that it had to have the US constitution in it to be acceptable at schools. And the only bibles out there that fit the requirement is Bible's Trump is selling. Is there any truth to that?

This is the first I'm hearing of it so I had to poke round and find something that didn't look biased, which is not easy when it comes to something like this.

This one is from July so nothing about the Bibles in there, other than can it be taught, which yes it can under certain circumstances.

I don't know this publication but they've linked everything for their fact check to other sources and it's not all the same one, they seem to be pretty even handed on everything.

TL:DR; is it's complicated, but the one bit I'm going to post from the check is going to be the thing that most other outlets will likely leave out.

We researched state and federal laws and court rulings to fact-check claims Walters has made about what state law allows him to do and who has the legal authority to make decisions on classroom curriculum. 

Claim: The Oklahoma state superintendent has the authority to require specific content be taught in public schools.  Source: Walters told NBC News he has the legal authority to require the Bible in classroom instruction and that teachers who don’t comply could lose their teaching licenses.  Fact check: Mostly false

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office has said that Walters has no legal authority to require certain content be taught by sending a memo to school districts. 

State law gives local school districts the exclusive power to determine “the instruction, curriculum, reading lists and instructional materials and textbooks.” 

The Oklahoma Board of Education, which Walters chairs, is responsible for adopting academic standards. The standards set a basic framework for what students should know by the end of each school year, according to state law. The Board of Education also has the power to revoke teaching certifications for willful violations of state or federal rules.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education did not respond to The Frontier’s questions about the legal grounds for Walters’ authority to require schools to include the Bible in classroom lessons. -Brianna Bailey ____________________

State Superintendent can't force compliance, school districts get to make that choice.

I would like to point out this is a good thing and one more reason why the federal department of education needs to be shut down, they shouldn't be determining curriculum either, keep that local.

I hope this answers your questions though

[justinspoliticalcorner]

John Pavlovitz at The Beautiful Mess:

So, what is actually happening here?

In the wake of the first presidential debate, I’ve watched members of the media, high profile talking heads, and millions of voters frantically pushing the panic button, calling for Joe Biden to step down and encouraging sky-is-falling histrionics. Now, I expect this from a cultic Republican Party prostrate before a traitorous sociopath and a myopic media intoxicated on the circus of sewage he daily generates, but seeing it from supposedly rational people who claim to be awake and paying attention to the issues is disheartening. Yes, Joe Biden is old. He was old when he won four years ago. He’s also an intelligent, compassionate, reasonable human being who has served this nation faithfully and is currently serving it at an extremely high level.

He is a proven leader who understands the diplomacy, nuance, and compromise required to get things accomplished. He deftly led this nation following an insurrection, through COVID, and out of an inflation that much of the world is still in the throes of. He has continued to combat price gouging, student loan debt, gas prices, and a myriad of attacks on human rights, while contending with the most openly corrupt, brazenly traitorous, and violently predatory cadre of Republicans in Congress in our history. And the most shortsighted (and frankly ignorant move) for any Americans of voting age not swept up in the MAGA cult, is making this about Joe Biden alone to begin with. This is about the team of qualified and responsible adults he has surrounded himself with and the agenda of his party as a whole—which when contrasted with the alternative shouldn’t require a second thought.

Joe Biden is old. Republicans stacked the Supreme Court with lawless monsters. Joe Biden is old. Republicans joyously overturned Roe V Wade and are targeting IVF and birth control. Joe Biden is old. Republicans are putting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Joe Biden is old. Republicans are coming for marriage rights, voting rights, Social Security, and Medicare. Joe Biden is old. Republicans are legislating the Bible. Joe Biden is old. Republicans are banning books and outlawing gender-affirming care. Joe Biden is old. Republicans are protecting guns instead of school children. Joe Biden is old. Republicans are planning Project 2025 to immediately establish theocracy. Joe Biden is old. Donald Trump is a court-established rapist and fraud who paid off off a porn star he was sleeping with in order to manipulate an election, and he is likely guilty of high crimes against this nation and is being shielded by judges who are beholden to him.

[...] If the Dems lose in November, America loses. And if the Dems lose, it won't be Joe Biden or the DNC who will be to blame. It will be Left-leaning voters who allowed the media and the Right to manipulate them into fueling the firestorm of meaningless distractions of age and public speaking prowess—when they should have focused on the human, civil, and environmental protections they will be pissing away with a Republican victory. The sole reason Biden ran in 2020 was that he saw the urgency of the moment, realized Trump would likely win, and wanted to spare America a second disastrous second term—and he did. It seems far too many people want to toss this fact aside as prisoners of the momentary news cycle. If President Biden decides to step out of the race then we should passionately embrace whoever replaces him but until that moment comes or if it does not, he and his Administration and party are all that stands between America and its demise.

President Joe Biden (D) has my support as long as he is our party's nominee. If he decides to step down or quit the race, then VP Kamala Harris or whoever Biden and the DNC pick to be the nominee has full support, as defeating Donald Trump and his plans for lawless tyranny is imperative to keep America free.

[geekgirles]

Disclaimer: I am well aware of the content of the Bible Leaks. However, I will not be addressing them. If you are reading this and have read the leaks as well, please, refrain from pointing out any spoilers from them out of respect to fellow fans that chose not to spoil themselves.

With that out of the way...

Um...could we please take a moment to talk about what just happened, whatever the fuck that is, please?

If you've known me enough, then you must surely know I despise Lila Rossi. As a character, as a villain, if she were a real person I might literally bite her head off... I wholeheartedly believe she is the source of about 75% of the salt in this fandom, given most salt takes on other characters are a direct result of their actions whenever she's around.

Just her mere presence in an episode is enough to sour somewhat my viewing experience.

And even I think her character deserved better than the bullshit they're trying to pull.

Can we please agree that the whole Three Mothers and Three Identities thing is some major ass-pull????

Where the fuck does that even come from?!?!

It makes no sense, it comes completely out of the blue, and it all just comes off as some poorly woven plot to make a literal 14-year-old look worse than a grown ass abusive father terrorising a city and its inhabitants.

And you might say, "Well, Geeks. It doesn't come exactly out of the blue... There was the whole Other Mum from Risk and Different Room in Perfection thing. That's gotta count as foreshadowing."

And though I admire your efforts, I'm afraid I must insist that if that is supposed to be foreshadowing, then it's bad foreshadowing.

This doesn't feel like foreshadowing, but like some hastily added details they had to include like, "Oh, damn! That's right; we're supposed to be trying to go somewhere with this girl! I know, let's just give her a different mum and room in different episodes. That'll do it."

By the way, this also contradicts some key aspects which ultimately undermines the whole thing. Such as the fact that Lila Rossi is part of the Agreste Brand, so it makes absolutely no sense as to why someone who is clearly not Mrs. Rossi would take her to the train station. Because as evidenced by the Illusion father-teacher conference, Mrs. Rossi is indeed the woman that appeared in Heroes’ Day.

(Also, Lila was introduced as Gabriel's muse in Ladybug by Alec, though now I'm not sure if she's ever been addressed as Lila Rossi on public appearances such as Risk, but it still feels contradictory) (I don't know, maybe I'm being too nitpicky with this, but it' just feels so contradicting. I swear, I have a point and I will elaborate on it in the future)

But in the end, the reason why this fails to be proper foreshadowing is that Lila is too much of an absent character for it to properly work. Seeing as, out of 4 seasons before the current point in time, she's only really been in the spotlight/relevant in, what, 6 episodes????

It doesn't feel like a twist we should have seen coming, but as a rushed, groundless subplot that has nothing to do with her previous appearances nor does it tie itself with any of her previously shown traits other than her being a liar.

Which instead of expanding on her character, ultimately reduces it to one-dimensional levels.

I discussed this in a different post forever ago, but in my honest opinion, proper foreshadowing or, at least, character placement, would have been if Lila had shown signs of knowing Alya is Rena Rouge. Why? You may ask. 

Simple.

Because Lila has been shown in two different episodes, in different seasons, to have been paying attention closely and jealously to the things going on around her home. Namely, Ms Bustier’s class doing things together at the park which is right below her window while she was stuck at home because, for some reason, she refused to go back to school. 

As we all know, Alya first transformed into Rena Rouge in the park. It would have been the perfect explanation as to why Lila never once tried taking glory for Rena’s actions under the guise of being Ladybug’s best friend—because of course she would entrust her best friend with a miraculous! Just like it would have been the perfect chance for her to try to get closer to Adrien once more by claiming something along the lines of, “Though Ladybug overreacted, she has a tendency of doing that because we can’t forget the backhanded comments, we agreed to change my superhero identity into one that would be safer from Hawk Moth!”

Instead, by having Lila somehow pull off the triple identity con without a single warning in six years, what they are doing is robbing her of a believable reason for the way she acts!

Let’s take Chloé, for instance. 

Chloé’s actions are not excusable. Regardless of how terrible Audrey is, or how badly she neglected her before hopping on to the Enabling Train alongside André, that is never reason enough to be a bully and a total brat to absolutely everyone around you. 

However, Chloé’s reason for the way she acts makes perfect sense within context. She is not just your typical rich spoiled brat. She is a rich spoiled brat whose father is in a position of power and whom she has completely under her thumb, which results in André’s power over Paris becoming Chloé’s. And thus, whenever someone confronts her on her terrible behaviour, as long as they are not in equal footing with her (like Adrien or Kagami), she can just have her dad take care of the situation and potentially have that person or their parents/relatives’ lives ruined. 

Essentially, Chloé’s character amounts to a spoiled brat in a position of power who’s constantly throwing temper tantrums. And yet, this aspect of her personality has gradually been explored over the seasons. 

What’s scary about this is that this is a real-life issue. There are people all over the world getting away with their actions (regardless of how severe they are) because their families have money, power, connections...

Lila, par contrast, gets her character simplified each passing episode she’s featured in. 

We’ve gone from all the possibilities we were offered back in Volpina—Lila indeed just being a new girl trying to make friends but being afraid of rejection, her hating Ladybug while liking Marinette, a possible redemption, her becoming a legitimate villain in her own right rather than the narrative bending over backwards to try convince us she is not a threat even though she is barely featured at all...— to a character whose entire schtick is “Oh, look at me! I’m evil and a liar!”

As I said earlier, one-dimensional levels of character depth. 

The funny thing, though, is that Lila actually had a believable reason for the way she acted, and they are choosing to completely negate that and refuse to give their character any depth in favour of making her as malevolent as possible!

As I said with Chloé, please remember that reason does not mean excuse.

With that out of the way, let's remember how early seasons and especially Oni-Chan went out of their way to establish, or at the very least, hint at Lila being someone who most likely started lying to make herself feel special and make up for the lack of attention she was receiving at home. 

Unfortunately, as time went by, her desire to be the centre of attention and liked, never mind if she never actually put the effort to deserve any of that, far outweighed any original good will and desire for friendship and genuine connections. While the implications that her mother giving her everything she wanted in hopes of making up for her absence further soured her personality until she became the lying, petty, attention-seeking spoiled brat we know today. 

This, coupled with her desperation to be seemed and, more important, feel more special than she actually is gave us a legitimate reason as to why some petty liar would go as far as to ally herself with a terrorist.

Is it troubling behaviour? Undoubtedly. But Lila's never been shown to be a very stable individual. If the early running gag of her throwing things around when angered is any indication.

...

Um...

...esto...

...what exactly is she missing if she’s suddenly been conning three different, completely unrelated women into thinking she’s their daughter? A good psychiatrist?!?!

(I apologise for talking about a minor’s state of sanity, but you’ll have to agree with me that the writers are the first ones portraying kids as literal monsters here). 

And you might say, “You might be overthinking this, Geeks. After all, it’s a superhero show; you can’t expect it to be realistic.”

And once again you would raise a very valid point. Hell, God knows I wouldn’t watch half the things I do if they were realistic. However, it is imperative that we make a distinction: 

Fiction doesn’t have to be realistic, but it must be convincing.

And there is nothing convincing about a 14-year-old having three different identities because of how good a liar and manipulator she supposedly is. 

Marinette pulls off impressive, crazy feats every single day? That is convincing because we see repeatedly how Marinette has both a complexity addiction due to a need to control things to calm her anxiety, and the fact that what ultimately saves the day is her natural quick-thinking and creativity, not to mention the fact that she has superpowers.

Chloé gets to expel people just by threatening to call her dad, the Mayor? Again, it is convincing, and probably even realistic, because she is in a position of power and, unlike Lila, her actions are appropriate in the sense that they are outlandishly cartoonish.

Lila...she doesn’t have that. 

Maybe it's just me, but I just can't seem to buy the excuse that any responsible mother would be okay with their underaged daughter "going to Africa to deal with poachers" all by herself, especially in the middle of the school year. Just like I have the feeling many parents would at least be apprehensive at the idea of their teenage daughter becoming such a public figure as both a model and the face of the Alliance rings.

But hey, maybe those are just signs of me having the potential to become an overprotective mother in the future. Instead of, you know, one of the most atrocious cases of the Adults Are Useless trope I've ever seen.

Nevertheless, as of right now Lila doesn’t even have much depth. And I’m not saying she needs some sob story that will make us feel sorry for her, no. You don’t need to make a villain sympathetic for them to be a good villain. After all, Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame has no sympathetic traits nor does he have a sad backstory whatsoever and he is still one of the best Disney villlains ever. 

So what am I supposed to do with Lila? What, do I have to wait until season 6 comes around and retrospectively reveals she’s not a teenage girl at all but some sort of ancient witch who lures people in with her syren song and feeds off of their adoration for her?

At this point it just feels like the writers are so desperate for adding shock value, that they forget to add anything of value.

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

This kind of stuff bothers me greatly because it's narrative bullshit from democrats. So let me go over a bit of stuff from this post and why I think Dems should be put in jail for election interference. And before some moron Says, "Oh so you think we should jail political opponents then? Wow what a fascist". Except I'm not. Not even remotely. What I mean is that actually lying about political rivals, as in objective lying, should result in legal repercussions. You have a responsibility as a public servant to represent the people.

There's a point of interest in this. Once upon a time it was illegal to propagandize the the american people. Obama and his administration decided to repeal this.

This is actually important for a number of reasons. Biggest of which is the fact that the Media is a mouthpiece of the Uniparty. Primarily of which is controlled by the Democrats.

Next of which, was the supposed rape. Trump actually was only found liable for sexual misconduct. But this was tainted by several other problems. One of which is the fact that it was a NY city Jury. NY has been gunning for Trump for a while now and is MOSTLY all Dem leaning. I've discussed this in another post, however, when it comes to the radical left there is not such thing as a fair trial. Only threats. What I will say to further this point is that they had no evidence of anything in regards to this case. What's more the Jury did not find him liable of rape at all. So this is just factually incorrect.

As to the OK think with bibles. I agree with separation of church and state. However I don't think it's "Indoctrination" to teach faith in schools. Hell if anything our country needs more freaking faith. Mind you mandating it in schools I'm not ok with. So at least in this regard, I agree with that part of the post. As to the "Trump" themed bibles, I don't care that much. I'm a prior christian myself and while I think it's a dumb gimmick and a bit self centered but considering how many things have his family name on it, I'm not remotely shocked. Then again, the bit about "Misinformation" annoys the shit out of me because that's a point of perspective when it comes to the bible and faith. I'm not here to make arguments for or against the bible. But to call it "Misinformation" is a bit of an arrogant take.

As to the "Affiliate of Epstein. We know very little about this. We have seen pictures of the two together. However what we don't have proof of is Trump taking trips to Epstein's island. However we do have a world tour list of Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and many many others. Several Dems and Hollywood elites, specifically all on the same side.

Then let's talk about the racism claims. These are just false. More than anything, The democrats are far more racist than Trump has probably ever been in his life. The Democrats have a LONG history of racism. Trump has long history of being very verbally abrasive. Racism though? Not really. Especially not when you consider a lot of his past helping one of the first bids for a black president long before Obama was THOUGHT to the Bush family. A racist, AN ACTUAL RACIST doesn't do that. The man is crass. He's not a racist.

As to the abortion stuff. I've discussed this into oblivion but abortion is not a health RIGHT. It's the termination of a viable child in the womb. IT IS a life regardless of if you think it is or not. And I continue to say this as someone that is not strictly pro life. It's not "Healthcare". I've explained this before but stillbirth removal isn't an abortion. Saving the mother's life while trying to save the child is also not an abortion. A miscarriage isn't an abortion. And moreover, the lie that has persisted that Trump is going to ban abortion is a lie. The idea that he's going to ban IVF is a lie. Harris has consistently lied about this over and over.

Another thing that drives me up the wall with this post is the fact that there are no "Hundreds of court documents proving trump to be a racist, sexist, rapist- etc" Trump got the Kavanagh treatment of, "it happened years ago, I don't remember when, or how, and even the prosecutor doesn't believe it",

I'm honestly just frustrated with all of this. Between the lies of Mainstream Media and the lies of the Democrats, it's about time we start actually enforcing the law. Illegals on the voter roles, the pro hamas losers burning ballots, and the DOJ preventing the removal of actual illegals on the voter roles. The amount of crap that has managed to seep into discourse and the sheer lies is reaching levels I'd never have thought. Democrats, the NeoCons and the Media is tearing this country apart just to retain power so that it can rule over the ashes.

Finally let me say this. If you vote democrat, and we end up in another war, specifically pushed by the clearly pro war party that Dick Cheney has endorsed as well as a NUMBER of generals and DOJ officials, You should be the first to be put on the front lines. No jail for not going. You should have a choice. Go get deployed to the warzones you voted for. Because I sure as hell refuse.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for August 5, 2024 Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living Devotional Scripture: Proverbs 22:5-6 (KJV): 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. 6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:5-6 (AMP): 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate and willful; he who guards himself will be far from them. 6 Train up a child in the way he should go (and in keeping with his individual gift or bent), and when he is old he will not depart from it. Thought for the Day Verse 5 - The forward (rebellious) person will end up on a path that is hedged in with thorns and snares. Many young people reject or ignore the advice of their parents and elders to their own hurt, learning everything the hard way. That way of living is like walking at night down a path full of holes that is overgrown with thorny bushes, and without a guiding light. Young people who love the Lord and have respect for authorities will "keep" or "guard" their souls. Those who are chaste and keep their virginity escape the ravages of sexually transmitted diseases and scarred emotions. When they meet their mates, their paths can begin together without the snares of pain and guilt because they have no past sexual sins to mar their relationship. Verse 6 - We are told in this verse to "train" our children in the Lord. Many parents grieve over children who have gone astray from Christian teachings. They wonder why they do not walk in what they were taught. One possible reason is that they were not trained to walk in God's ways, but only "told" about the things of God. There is a big difference between teaching and training. Parents must help their children find the right path through teaching (giving information); and then help them stay on the right path through training (integrating the teaching into the lifestyle); third, pray and ask the Lord to help them recognize their children's God-given gifts and direct them into the callings He has for them. Training involves enforcing and reinforcing what is taught and requires discipline, diligence, and commitment from parents. When parents abdicate the position of a mentor, their children derive their values from the world; from humanistic teachers in public schools, from babysitters, secular movies, videos, CDs, games, books, magazines, and last but not least, their own peers. The Bible commands children to obey their parents in all things if they want to please the Lord. (Of course, this means in all moral and right things. Some corrupt parents would ask their children to do evil things, and a child should not obey those things.) Parents are also told not to provoke their children to anger, and thereby discourage them. Parents are to be kind and good to their children, since the Lord is kind and good to us, His spiritual children. "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged" (Colossians 3:20-21). If we call on Him, He will give us the wisdom, love, and patience to raise our children properly even in a wicked world, so that when they are grown, they will not depart from God's ways. Prayer Devotional for the Day Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for all You have done for our children and grandchildren. Lord, we are grateful that they all know You. It was Your love and grace that made that possible. Lord, we do pray that You keep each of them in Your Hand and keep them from the evil influences in this world. Help us to continue to be that mentor and model for all of them and most of all, help us to always show love to each of them. Lord, lead each of them into the ministry that You have ordained for them. May they find the right mate, so they can walk together in their life's calling. Protect them all. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Did you hear about the person in Utah who got the Bible banned in school for sexual and gross content? What are your thoughts on this?

Yes, I posted about it previously. It's funny because atheists have been saying for years that the bible is inappropriate for children.

Xians worry about the magical themes in fictional fantasy like Harry Potter, while their own completely "true" moral guide to life and the universe has demons, witches, magic spells, god making bets with the devil, talking animals, genocide, sex-slaves, dragons, incest, violence, and two bears murdering 42 children.

That said, I don't support banning it. Or any books.

However, there's a difference between "banning" a book and schools not including a book in their libraries. Schools are public in the sense that they're operated for the people, but not in the sense that anyone can just waltz in and expect access and services. They're protected spaces for children. So it's not unreasonable to classify books and other materials according to age-appropriateness. Just like we already do for films and TV shows. (Of course, private schools, such as Catholic schools, operate to their own criteria.)

If a book is deemed suitable for say, only 15 and older, then it doesn't need to be in elementary/primary schools. Especially when it talks about "vagina slime" and masturbating with a sock. Or casually endorses medicalized child sterility with "that's cool." That's not "banning" it, it's saving it for when it's actually appropriate. Although, when a book like that is ever appropriate, I have no idea.

It's also true that schools, especially elementary/primary and secondary often do not have the space or resources to carry every damn book. It's not unreasonable for any books being introduced to be justified in terms of budget and educational value. If the school doesn't carry it, go get it from a bookstore or public community library instead.

None of these could or should be considered "banning," if whatever criteria or rules are made transparent and applied consistently.

It should also be mentioned that elementary/primary and secondary school teachers do not enjoy "academic freedom," nor freedom of expression or speech in their capacity as teachers. They're government employees, and don't have the right to teach whatever they want however they want any more than Kim Davis had the freedom of religion to deny same-sex couples marriage licenses according to her personal beliefs. Teachers, like Davis, are agents of the government, and they are to do what they are told. As public servants, they're answerable to the parents and taxpayers, not some higher being or agenda.

Teachers who teach their own religious, political or ideological beliefs either as curriculum, or embedded into it, or exhibit a compulsion to make their faith, beliefs, personality, identity or politics central to the classroom are unfit and should be removed. They're an authoritarian narcissist getting their rocks off to a vulnerable captive audience. Which in many cases seems to be the point.

"Not until gentle Jesus, meek and mild, are you told if you don’t make the right propitiations you can depart into everlasting fire. One of the most wicked ideas ever preached and one that has ruined the lives and peace of mind of many, many children…preached to them by vicious, child-hating old men and women in the name of this ghasty cult."

-- Christopher Hitchens

The nun gleefully beating children with her strap, and the TikTok teacher boasting of confusing children with her imaginary pronouns are both enemies of children and education.

If they want academic freedom, they can go to the tertiary sector. But there they'll run into people who can and will argue back, which seems to explain certain categories of teacher.

For the same reason, the expectation that every preferred book must be accommodated in a school library and made available to children is completely unreasonable. Schools are spaces which must cater to the kids, not to the sensibilities, superstitions and egos of the teachers.

[proxylynn]

Hi Lynn, I'm sorry for the mistakes (I'm using a translator). But can I get canon info about Don and Roy from you?

[No worries. The only issue is, Fuboo tends to rewrite her lore a lot. Like, A LOT a lot. So when it comes to knowing what is and isn't canon is entirely a guessing game till she discloses her "YB Lore Bible". So I will share some Don and Roy stuff, but I have no clue how much is still true. So I'm going to pick some stuff that I believe she's kept intact.]

Karen was raised spoiled, was the popular girl in high school, and faked being pregnant twice to make sure Don didn't date anyone else. The first time was in high school and the time was when Roy was 5. She even tried again when Don started divorce proceedings but he snapped back "We haven't had sex in 2 years! So either the kid isn't mine, or you're full of shit. I know how a uterus works!".

Don also didn't fight for custody of Roy and never visited.

The main reason is that he didn't want to see his ex since she would make things more difficult.

His ex is literally the reason why they don't have a good relationship.

Karen's parents disowned her after she spend half a million in Vegas back in high school, and she never talked to them since. Roy visits them once a week when he found them. And Don only met them once because of well…Karen.

Roy is not a fan of his mom. She helicopter parented him so hardcore when he hit 13, humiliated him intentionally in public in hopes to "shame him in his place", and even removed his bedroom door because he started locking himself in his room.

Narcissistic and manipulative are two deadly combos that should never go into one being. Despite all of Karen's flaws, she does have some positive qualities. She might be a bitch to others, but when it comes to the physically or mentally disabled, she's a total sweetheart. She works at a school where she teaches and helps special needs students.

Don's height is Don 6'4" to 6'6", Roy's height is somewhere at 5'11" to 6'0" (Fuboo being Fuboo with heights), and Karen is 5'4".

If they were animals, Don would be a bear and Roy's animal is a coyote, but we don't know what Karen is. (my guess is a leech or some other annoying parasite)

Roy's means of self-defense is a taser and Don's is a crowbar.

What's sad is Don fell hard after the divorce. Beer became his friend and it took a while to pull himself out of needing it. He also feels like Roy is 100% done with him for how things went, but it's not the case. Roy actually wants to be in his dad's life and reconcile. They just need to be put in a room and be allowed to talk.

A really sweet thing is that Don has a single tie. Roy got it for him on Father's day, saying that "You always look sad, so I hope this makes you happy." Don kept it ever since. The tie has smiling suns on it.

Don is not a fan of kissing but likes to receive them. Roy is a shy kisser, afraid he'll do it wrong.

Don's mother was Hispanic.

In looking for a partner, Roy would like someone more free-ranged and open. Someone who actually trusts him and gives him his space. As for Don, he'd like someone who can take care of themselves and not rant all the time…someone humble too. Basically, they both want someone the opposite of Karen.

Don secretly heads out to the back alley of the building and feeds stray cats.

Don had a pet cow when he was a kid working on his uncle's farm.

Don's favorite game is Checkers and Roy's is Sorry.

[duskys-dreams]

We were battling our way through the forest, trying to obtain a specific suit of armour and also avoid someone who was chasing us.

We had a teleporter that looked like a book that would randomize our location, and it put us here. Rarity was the one who kept a hold of it. We were trying to make the most of it while we were here.

There was this one girl that kept following us as we travelled. She was called the Neutralizer, or the Equalizer, depending on who you asked, but she didn’t have any abilities that pertained to that name. All she had were elemental powers, and her favourite move was to create lava under her feet and run around, jumping on enemies.

There was a strange cliff that had a giant inanimate skeleton wearing a suit of armour stuck on the wall, and it looked intimidating. The rest of us decided to take five minutes to set up camp just past the cliff, in a small and perfectly circular area that was only a couple metres in diameter.

After resting and talking for a few minutes, we packed up against and went back outside to face the Neutralizer. We started attacking her, and she was doing very well for a young child. She dragged away each person into the fog until only I was left.

I knew I couldn’t win against her. So, I tried something different.

When the Neutralizer came close, I complemented her and told her that she was a very powerful fighter. She was taken aback by this and awkwardly thanked me.

I told her that I didn’t want to fight her. It turns out that she doesn’t like fighting either, but she does it because it’s all she’s known. I told her it was okay, and that I forgave her. As a show of peace, I offered to show her our campsite. She followed me down the short path, explains that we had already packed up but this was our campsite.

We found Reuben the tiny creeper-ping hiding behind a rock, and the Neutralizer was instantly in love. I let her carry him around, and I gathered up my team again and said we should move on.

Rarity started fiddling with the teleporter. It offered to take us to Mexico, a random forest, even to Bible. We weren’t sure what that meant, so we did not go to Bible.

I looked over at the huge and creepy skeleton wearing suit of armour still stuck to the wall, and asked the Neutralizer if she knew anything about it. She shrugged, and I was hit by a realization. “WAIT… WAIT OH MY GOD IS IT-“

Luna and Noah grinned at each other and shrugged cheerfully. This was the creepy warrior rabbit I was hearing about.

We decided not to use the teleporter just yet and walked back into camp. The suit of armour stood up and followed us, but it seemed harmless.

The Neutralizer petted Reuben and said that one of our teacher at school planned to attack us with Gigas in the hallway. Not even during class, just in the public hallway with other students wandering around.

We wouldn’t stand for this. So, Rarity teleported us all to the school and explained this to Gabriel. Gabriel then went to Dumbledor to explain the situation, and he gathered up a bunch of students that would’ve been in the line of fire, including our group. He explained that we were going to be tested on our brake prowess, and we were all teleported to the place we were before. Everyone was excited to show off their abilities, and we all went down the path toward the battle area.

Gabriel and Dumbledor sat down together, and Gabriel asked if this plan was actually a good one. Dumbledor started to explain his reasoning, but stopped as he noticed the girl at the end of the group carrying Reuben. He frantically pointed her out to Gabriel. “That girl…! That’s the Equalizer, and she has Reuben!”

They joined the group, and gave everyone some silent instructions. Then, the stone giant appeared, and everyone was ready to fight.

The Neutralizer ran to one side and launched an attack at the giant, but all the students near her casted spells that hit her or came very close to it. She ran back to the other side, and the same thing happened.

She came over to me and said that everyone was targeting her, and I suggested that it might’ve just been an accident. But she said that one spell was an accident. This was not.

Dumbledor came over and explained that it was because the Equalizer was very powerful, and therefore very dangerous. He took Reuben from her, and I argued that her magic was hardly different than anyone else’s, and he was being unfair. But Dumbledor disagreed: the Equalizer had untapped power that she didn’t know about, and it would be devastating to us all if she unlocked it.

@morningdewflop came over and dropped an Ultimate sketch page, saying that if we coloured over it with her, it would fix everything. So, we started doing that.

As we started going over the sketch lines with purple marker, the landscape changed. Beyond the hill that we were fighting on, a huge dark city spread across the horizon. The black national anthem played over it, which seemed like a strange choice for battle music but I sang along anyway.

[ppgxrrblove]

Warning From Paul Washer...Years Ago.

This is from an old, old video that was recorded of when brother paul - pastor to be more, was having a serious discussion with the christians in the place that he was at - believe it was a church or somewhere, can't tell because the video is just old. just the matter that he warned about this topic years ago....really displays of how great the lords wisdom is, and that everything is going to according to gods plan. ..so if you aren't a christian yet want to read what paul has to state go ahead =o, and for those who are and yet to have this be told to you..here you go; i do want to also add on to this that..everything he has stated so far has been progressively becoming real..if you notice that people choose lies, deception over the truth it just leaks everywhere, it even goes as far as to physically attacking people - man..wake up. The church in America is going to suffer so terribly. And we laugh now But they will come after us. And they will come after her children. They will close the net around us while we are playing soccer mom and soccer dad.

While we're arguing over so many things and mesmerized by so many trinkets, the net is even now closing around you, and your children, and your grandchildren, and it does not cause you to fear.

You will be isolated from society as is already happened.

Anyone who tries to run for office who actually believes the Bible will be considered a lunatic until finally we are silenced.

We will be called things that we are not and persecuted, not for being followers of Christ, but for being radical fundamentalists who do not know the true way of Christ which of course is "love and tolerance."

You'll go down as bigots and the greatest haters of mankind in history.

They've already come after your children, and for most of you they got them. They got them through the public schools and indoctrination, and the universities and indoctrination. And then you wonder why your children come out not serving the Lord. It's because you fed them right into the Devil's mouth.

So little by little the net is closing around, and then it's not little by little. Look how fast things are going downhill just in a matter of weeks; a matter of weeks!

But at the same time know this: persecution is always meant for evil, but God always means it for good. And is it not better to suffer in this life to have and extra weight of glory in heaven?

You must settle this in your mind! This is the one thing I want to say over and over: Do not believe... down through history you have a wrong idea of martyrdom and persecution. You think that these men were persecuted and martyred for their sincere faith in Jesus Christ. That was the real reason, but no one heard that publicly. They were martyred and they were persecuted as enemies of the state. As child molesters. As bigots. As narrow-minded stupid people who had fallen for a ruse and can contribute nothing to society. Your suffering will not be noble.

So your mind must be filled with the Word of God when all people persecute you and turn on you. And then Spirit of God and common grace pulls back and you see even your children and your grandchildren tossing in the lot that you should die. This is no game.

You want revival and awakening but know this: for the most part great awakenings have come preceding great national catastrophes or the persecution of the church. I believe God is bringing a great awaking. But I believe that He is raising up young men who are strong in trust in the providence of God to be able to wade through the hell that is going to break loose on us. And it will be on us before we even recognize it. Unless -- unless! -- in God's providence He is not done.

Now note that this is not silly talk. Apart from a great awakening these things are going to come up on you. Be ready to lose you homes, your cars, and everything"

[gxlden-angels]

Shiny Happy People Thoughts: Episode 4

TW: The Duggar Family and their crimes

- All gang here we go again

- To recap, we left off on the discovery of Josh Duggar's business hard drive with CSAM on it and the affects of anti-sex and strict enforcement of hierarchies

- The episode starts with the phone call about the investigation and the discovery of CSAM linked to Josh Duggar's business IP address

- This episode is known for being the hardest to get through so be warned if you decide to also watch

- They use the term "child pornography" but I will be using the terms CSAM or child sexual abuse material

- Jen of Fundie Fridays described the Snark community's look into the investigation

- Fucking Covenant Eyes

- I think I talked about it before, but it's an anti-pornography and accountability software program where your porn use is sent to a trusted program partner

- There's a lot of talk about having to be happy at all times, which was also enforced in my households. My dad never enforce it, but other family members would insist on me smiling or they'd make me smile (meant as a threat)

- Theres also clips of Josh and Anna's courtship and how they weren't even allowed to kiss before marriage

- Bobye, Jill, and all of the other victims are incredibly brave for speaking up both during the trial and now in this docuseries

- Jim Bob ran for senate in Arkansas during said trial, which is fucking wild. I knew he did, but I didn't realize it was during the trial. They genuinely believe the issue is Josh was caught and arrested rather than the fact that Josh did these horrible crimes

- There's a firm belief in individualism and handling issues at home so they don't have to acknowledge the greater patterns of abuse in these circles else they make their christianity look bad

- It explains the "Culture War" and what's essentially meant to be a new version of the crusade. Even in my small town black churches we sang song after song about being soldiers in the army of Christ and being willing to die for him

- The greater "Culture War" is for white, cishet evangelicals. My family might follow the exact same principles, but they would never be accepted by these groups in the same way because we're black

- A lot of black people hold the fear though that if they stop following these groups/mindsets, their children will be the next victims, rather than the black kid that got overlooked. There's no positive outcome, just a fear of the worst negative

- This is why there's been an attack on education as a whole, especially in places like Florida. They started with homeschooling, grew up and graduated, then became politicians and leaders and lawyers that could make public school just like their homeschooling or gut it so much that anyone not in these groups or people that can't homeschool their kids lose significant power and educational opportunities

- I was never homeschooled, but I was told by my churches that school will teach us things like evolution that we should ignore. The pastor and his wife at one church homeschooled their kids and advocated for it

- They are specifically referring to white, homeschooled, IBLP-trained evangelicals but this shit influenced the entire christian culture of the bible belt in the US

- There's a reason these people are gun-carrying, anti-choice conservatives and why they're making up lies and attacking schools for being "leftist indoctrination camps"

- Its all a fear tactic. I even got this talk when I was in high school and planning for college. We were told to keep close contact with the church and to not even join other christian groups your parents don't know in case they teach the "corrupted" versions of christianity

- Its Madison Cawthorn. It's Matt Walsh. It's the current Supreme Court. It's Donald Trump. It's all of these people that plan to take away autonomy from people so they can enforce this christian hierarchy throughout the world

- I'm at the Paul and Morgan part of the docuseries. Their interview was about their marriage and the role of the wife. They say it's a choice to submit to their husbands, though they feel like christian women always should

- The editing was incredible in this part. It goes from them talking about the role of the wife and being a light in the world to the jump cut of Morgan screaming about how it's impossible to "be a they/them"

- This part is what is making Paul and Morgan pitch a fit because they feel like it made christianity look bad, but all they did was edit in their own words from their YouTube channel

- "This is the Joshua Generation" gave me chills

- Its Girl Defined and the Rodrigues family and tiktok influencers and so on and so forth and all of them are white evangelicals who are trying to enforce this strict hierarchy and claiming it's the only way to save people

- Its why people say be careful when looking into cottagecore and tradcore and the "soft life" movement because a lot of it is ran by evangelicals trying to make strict hierarchies look trendy

- Its incredible to be a stay at home mom and traditional housewife, but only if it's your choice. All of the insistence that feminism is "destroying motherhood" and whatnot is all a ploy to take more women's autonomy. It's why feminism advocates for things like maternal leave, universal basic income with benefits for parents and children, universal daycare, universal healthcare especially for birthing parents. All of it should be a choice you can make for yourself

- The insistence on a family of a Working Father, a Housewife, and 2 or 20 kids was spread by a cult leader who never even had a wife or kids. Gothard sexually abused multiple minors during his time as an IBLP leader

- Josh Duggar was of course found guilty.

- It hurts knowing that his victims were expected to forgive him and let him back into their lives

- A lot of the family and friends are completely shut out of the picture now for advocating for Josh's arrest

- Amy Duggar reading from IBLP hurt, especially with the cut to Anna Duggar, Josh's wife

- They talk about why she still advocates for him and stays with him. She doesn't have a way to leave since this is all she was raised for. Find a nice, godly man and have his babies. No proper education. No source of stable income for herself. No privacy

- That goes double for her as the wife of a well-known person. She will never get privacy because she only sees herself as property of god, Josh, and the TV contracts Josh signed for her and unless she gets serious therapy and a safe, long term environment where someone takes care of her, thats all she'll ever see herself as

- My therapist pointed out to me today that whenever I burp, I completely change as a person for a split second. Despite all the work I've done and my transition as a transmasculine person, I still attempt to hide my burps, cover my mouth, completely straighten up, say excuse me very articulately, and even raise the pitch of my voice

- I know that seems like a weird tangent but it's an example of how even the smallest of things gets trained into you. Burping wasn't feminine so I got called a pig and a man in an insulting way when I burped loudly enough to be heard. I still burp in that polite way that makes me nauseous so I won't be heard unless I'm completely alone

- You can't just leave these cults. It comes with you. It stays with you even in these little habits and I was lucky enough to get the chillest parent of the family. Anna cannot and will not leave unless she is forced, and even then she will still be stuck. She won't suddenly have 12-13 years of education. She won't have the skills to get a good paying job in the current economic landscape. She won't have people to save her. This is what cults do. This is what they want. They want her to be helpless because it's a message: Next time, don't let him get caught

- "My only hope was to cling to my faith."

- That's all she has. It's all that belonged to her. Everything else was her father's or her husband's

- Tia Levings describing the situation of getting her kids and leaving the husband that was going to get his gun was honestly the hardest story to hear

- I never experienced abuse like that, but I remember hearing over and over "well why wasn't she under her father/husband's watch" "why didn't she just leave?" "Why didn't she just trust in god?" and have this fear set in me of what if I never left? Is this where I would've been?

- Around my teen years I got very uncomfortable around most couples in my family. The husband would joke about wives submitting and the wives would snap back about how it's a choice they could take away. The husband retorts with a bible verse about how they shouldn't. They laugh it off and the tension sits in the air. They seem to hate each other, but they made a promise to god.....

- The lawsuit against IBLP and Bill Gothard and it being dropped because of the statute of limitations leaves such a helpless feeling, but I hope this documentary helps at least a bit

- "His eyes were open"

- "It was just a man the whole time."

- Brook and Emily's stories really hit. There's a sudden realization that these people are not gods. They are people that wanted power and they got it. They abused and crushed people, not because they are powerful gods of knowledge, but because they wanted to abuse

- WAS

- "I ended up in jail anyways."

- That's how it goes. I felt the need to lash out when I first got out. I didn't do well with my therapist at the time. She was a practicing christian recommend by my doctor who used to go to our church and also treated all of my family with insurance she took. She thought my family was a lil strict but couldn't quite believe me when I said it was so much more than that

- I did lash out, mostly towards myself. I'm not going to talk about my self harm in detail here. Lara talks about lashing out via shoplifting. I will say this is normal. If you feel like you need to do a 180, I won't say do anything and everything, but you might have to. I am a firm believer in harm reduction over flat out denial at all times. Sometimes it all just needs to get out. Sometimes you need to regain a sense of control

- I didn't realize until I started seeing my current therapist that I realized what I was raised in. I made jokes about my family being a cult before then, but it never actually hit until I said "Oh. I never had a childhood, did I?" and teared up for the first time in his office

- I honestly couldn't say the stuff about deconstruction better myself. It's exhausting but so so freeing. A lot of the people in the docuseries used instagram and tiktok. I use tumblr as my platform of choice.

- I honestly have to thank the religious trauma tumblr tag for getting me to where I am today. If you look at my main blog, you can even see that my first few posts are scattered with bible verses if I didn't already delete them. I hope my blog helps someone else the same way that tag helped me

- I get a lil personal here sometimes and probably should save more of it for my therapist, but I think it's helpful sometimes. I think he'd agree. My therapist knows about this blog and thinks it's good

- I've heard about Jinger's book but never read it so I can't say anything about it. I also haven't seen any of the casts' tiktok pages so I can't say anything about them either. I might look later but this episode was a lot so Ill leave it for now

- I figured Bill Gothard would decline further comments. He denied everything and will most likely never see a single punishment. It's how these things are built

- I think the final statement from Jim Bob and Michelle help really seal just how terrible both of them are. They rather side with their child who abused than the victims that spoke out because it makes them look bad that all of this got out

- Final thoughts? Great series. Very therapeutic. Very validating.

- Its the small stuff that gets you. Hair needs to frame your face and honor your father. Be a soldier for Christ. Be fruitful and multiply. I still have awkward pictures of my permed hair and scratchy easter dresses

- I also told my therapist about this show and my recaps here and he thinks it's great. I'm glad I did it. It's really motivated me and helped me see just how far I've progressed

- I'm glad I also learned Nope is on Prime cause I rarely use prime video lol I mostly use it for twitch and prime delivery on cat supplies in bulk

- Good luck all you blasphemers, apostates, heretics, and sinners out there! Be good people, commit to the bit, and love without remorse!

[beardedmrbean]

“Another may have to do with the volumes of information we have and have had for a long time about the various countries and regions in Europe where as Africa was mostly split up between the desert and not the desert, learned some German history in High School but did you learn about Chad or Kenya. That's a thing that's getting better too. “

Yeah that the thing (thanks social Darwinism) for decades we had bare minimum information about Africa in the Americas which cause a identity crisis among

Now for claiming Africa, well for centuries black Americans were told that Africa was only a shithole by white supremacists and the only “African” empire that was known was Egypt

Though an extremely fetishized as AC Origins discovery tour pointed it Egyptmongy was very different to what it is now.

Actually tangent, Dave from here posted a video of black teens selling cornstarch on tik tok. I pointed it out that that been happening in my family for generations

Then he found an article saying a lot of central Africas eat mud.

…Also did my research and learn black Americans especially in the north eat corn starch because we couldn’t make the same conditions for eating mud.

Well at least I know it genetic!

Now after women king came out, I think you posted a screenshot where dna ancestry can show us what tribes black Americans with slave ancestry came from….tbh I should have realize that because Assassins Creed is based off pseudo science inspired by dna ancestry

But I notice in general that black Americans are taught a 60’s pan Africa style of African history (almost like our education system is shit) which is why a lot of native Africans complain about the look of Wakanda and why Americans think their living in 600 bc

Because…that how we were taught in public school systems. Only vauge references to African kingdoms beyond Egypt

Do you really think we would have lionized the Dahomey if the fact they are reasons my people were slaves much like Jews know about their dispora cause by Hadrian?

Are there any African tribes that worked with the French to stop the Dahomey? I got a idea

Now for claiming Africa, well for centuries black Americans were told that Africa was only a shithole by white supremacists and the only “African” empire that was known was Egypt.

Ethiopia gets a mention here and there too, been around a long time but they're just a stones throw away of the Arabian peninsula they didn't get too far south cuz malaria and such though, even Egypt didn't go too far south.

We don't get a lot about the history of SubSaharan Africa because nobody knows what it is.

MENA, most of Asia, and Europe we have written records for, stuff we can cross check with other written records if people want to start in on 'oral history' stuff which there's no concrete way to prove.

That dirt thing was new to me, if it works though why not.

But I notice in general that black Americans are taught a 60’s pan Africa style of African history (almost like our education system is shit) which is why a lot of native Africans complain about the look of Wakanda and why Americans think their living in 600 bc

I know we covered the Zulu's when I was in school, but again they're easy since not only are they kind of recent, as kingdoms go, they also were interacting with the European powers, and getting their asses handed to them at Rorkes Drift, one reason the whole we'd have had wakanda if not for colonialism dies really fast, one of the main things Europeans traded to Africans was guns and other bits of technology that they didn't have.

The Americas were still basically in the stone age portion of the global technology tree, not a lot of metalworking going on.

Iron swords and armor were a superweapon at the crossover point of the bronze and iron ages and we showed up on the continents with steel.

On the information front it would be interesting to get the oral histories collected, not that it could be taken as factual information, Bible is fairly accurate but has its issues as well, mostly embellishing the size of armies and such, but getting stories from there would be nice I think get that tossed into the world history courses.

Do you really think we would have lionized the Dahomey if the fact they are reasons my people were slaves much like Jews know about their dispora cause by Hadrian?

might have had a tougher time selling it, but remember it was a white woman that put that film together so it may well have still happened.

If they want something good with a group that actually fought for freedom against those who were enslaving them, you have to step out of Africa and into Mexico but the Yaqui Indians, the federal government of Mexico was scoping them up and selling them for $1 or less to sugar plantations that would literally work them to death.

This is after kicking France out mind you, and they were doing this up into the 20th century, because the Yaqui refused to submit to Mexican rule at least that's one reason they were sold to farmers. ___________________

That's another thing they don't teach in school for you.

Many Yaqui were sold at 60 pesos a head to the owners of sugar cane plantations in Oaxaca and the tobacco planters of the Valle Nacional, while thousands more were sold to the henequen plantation owners of the Yucatán.

By 1908, at least 5,000 Yaqui had been sold into slavery. At Valle Nacional, the enslaved Yaquis were worked until they died. While there were occasional escapes, the escapees were far from home and, without support or assistance, most died of hunger while begging for food on the road out of the valley toward Córdoba.

At Guaymas, thousands more Yaquis were put on boats and shipped to San Blas, where they were forced to walk more than 200 miles to San Marcos and its train station. Many women and children could not withstand the three-week journey over the mountains, and their bodies were left by the side of the road.The Mexican government established large concentration camps at San Marcos, where the remaining Yaqui families were broken up and segregated. Individuals were then sold into slavery inside the station and packed into train cars which took them to Veracruz, where they were embarked yet again for the port town of Progreso in the Yucatán. There they were transported to their final destination, the nearby henequen plantations. ____________________

There's more of them in the US than Mexico, in a twist of irony they came to the US to escape slavery and ethnic cleansing.

Are there any African tribes that worked with the French to stop the Dahomey? I got a idea

Ya whichever ones the Dahomey were using for slaves likely linked up with the French on that one, much like with Mexico it was Cortez and 300 Spaniards as well as 30,000 pissed off locals who were tired of having their children hauled off to be human sacrifices.

Enemy of my enemy

[hottakehoulihan]

How to Raise Your IQ by Eating Gifted Children. By Lewis Frumkes

tl;dr: Nope. Dropped.

You know those one-page "funny" essays you get in magazines, newspapers, or budget publications? In The New Yorker it's the "Shouts and Murmurs" and there are some good ones, by good authors.

This is not one of those authors. A glance at the credits shows Lewis mostly got published in the New York Times (maybe they were good once; I have reasons to have contempt for and anger at them now both for quality and for journalistic ethics reasons)

He also got a few things into Punch, and one thing into The Atlantic.

Huh; maybe I'll go ahead and read that Atlantic one (Page 148) since it looks like his attempt at a sort of Devil's Dictionary. That could be good. Ah no; alas it's just made-up SNL-style "sniglets" but with a much smaller team doing writing and QC.

Anyway.

I recall holding an ancient crumbling collection of science-fiction stories, as a pre-teen riding the bus to my unpleasantly rural, impoverished, Bible-Belt school, and some ancient Sci-Fi great was chattering about how there are some flatworms which you could teach a simple maze to and then mince and feed to other flatworms and those other flatworms would know the maze.

And this book was mentioned. I've been carrying this title in my head for years and finally got around to it. It sounded so cool!

Nope.

There's a scene in The Simpsons where Homer pounds on the TV and says "Be More Funny" because Garrison Keillor is doing an understated casual comedy bit for PBS.

I actually think Garrison Keillor's comedy was cute, and have background-listened to some Prairie Home Companion on Youtube and have read his book about Jesse Ventura. (I lived on discard books and used books, mostly. I'm not eclectic by choice and there is no honor here.)

A lot of people seem to like this book. To me, it is styrofoam filler. But maybe when I'm old I'll feel differently? Seems unlikely.

I was just talking about self-indulgent "ain't I cute!" writing in the context of fanfic. ...and if the audience is having fun too, I think it's harmless and great.

But I'm not that audience. This is just the author gurning and preening, smirking and strutting, and I'm thinking that this is one of those times where it's the audience providing the service and they're the ones who should get paid.

Maybe it's just a case of

except for humor?

I doubt it.

Probably, it's just that I had this book all puffed up to have substance or at least casual references to substance, and it's not only that, it's not even a particularly tasty confection. For those who actually wanted dollar-bin generic shelf-stable pastries this might be top tier.

Well, I've wasted enough of your time on this. And I've sure as hell wasted enough of mine.

I'll drop this in a Little Free Library. Maybe preteen me would have liked it or at least used it to study allistic neurotypical adult humor.

[thepitofjob]

Job 16: 1-5. "The Worms."

According to Jon, the attraction between the soul and the Self, like truth to groundedness, effort and Shabbos, one man and another man is called "like a magnet to a nail."

This is not controversial, but few know how to experience the chemical reaction that creates the result, what is called Ha Shem by the Torah. There is a stage between Shabbos and Ha Shem called Paddan Aram "the ultimate substitution" we need to talk about now.

Paddan Aram is the ransom we pay for the chance to be happy. It takes around twenty five years to educate a human being, citizen them and launch them successfully from home into an independent life with a partner.

It not an effortless or inexpensive process, a great deal of sacrifice is required by all of society to make one individual successful. We have deemed this worth it and invest heavily in public schools, universities, medical schools, law school, the armed forces, etc.

The etymology says all this work and cost is a "basin of exchange for freedom and liberty":

"The verb פדה (pada) describes a letting go of an old standard (say, phonetic spelling) and assuming a new one (standardized spelling). The new standard may appear more restrictive at a personal level but it allows a much greater precision and thus basin of exchange and thus liberty at the collective level.

This verb speaks of an individual price paid for collective freedom and is as such often translated as to ransom or redeem. In the stories of the Bible, the old standard often appears as captor or abductor or slave-driving task master.

Nouns פדוים (peduyim), פדות (pedut), פדיום (pidyom), פדיון (pidyon) and פדין (pidyon) all mean ransom or price of redemption.

The verb רום (rum) means to be high or high up in either a physical, social or even attitudinal sense, and may also refer to the apex in a natural process: the being ripe and ready-for-harvest of fruits. Subsequently, our verb may imply a state beyond ripe (higher than ripe, overripe), which thus refers to rotting and being maggot riddled. This means that to the ancients, higher did not simply mean better, and an arrogant political status that was higher than it should be equaled rot and worms (Acts 12:23).

Derived nouns, such as רום (rum) and related forms such as רמה (rama), describe height or pride. Noun רמות (ramut) describes some high thing. The noun ארמון ('armon) refers to a society's apex: a citadel or palace. The noun ראם (re'em) describes the wild ox, which was named possibly for the same reason why we moderns call a rising market a "bull" market. The similar verb ראם (ra'am) means to rise.

The important noun רמון (rimmon) means pomegranate and the pomegranate became the symbol for harvest-ready fruit (see our full dictionary article for more on this). Overripe items might suffer the noun רמה (rimma), worm or maggot, or the verb רמם (ramam), to be wormy."

Lately, we have not been as enthusiastic about educating or the benefits of civilization. Things are getting kind of wormy all around the world. Something derailed us, around three years ago, when Donald Trump and the Mormons attacked the US Capitol. Then came the war in Ukraine, then came October 7, when Donald Trump and the Mormons attacked Israel, the entire planet is embattled with the weather, and criminal idiots without deep concern for the conditions prevalent on the planet are being allowed to seek public office once again. Political worms are crawling out of their hiding places leaving rotten fruits in their trail.

An election is not going to fix things, the worms will just crawl away and they will try harder next time. These things are making me shake my head.

The next section of the Book of Job explains forbearance through times that are wormy rather than fruitful. Notwithstanding, the government must do its duty, but unless the human race is willing to sacrifice, war and oppression are all we shall ever have:

16 Then Job replied:

2 “I have heard many things like these;     you are miserable comforters, all of you! 3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?     What ails you that you keep on arguing? 4 I also could speak like you,     if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you     and shake my head at you. 5 But my mouth would encourage you;     comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 1-3: You are miserable comforters with long-winded speeches. The Number is 12060, יב‎ אֶפֶסס Twelve Ephesus. The Numbers in Hebrew build to a value of 12 before they reset:

10:אאֶפֶס‎= "equate to zero." "the responsible person in the disaster area."

11: אא‎ ‎= "A1 Qualities."

12:א‎ב‎= "The alphabet."

13: אג‎= Ag, "lead oneself."

"The verb αγω (ago) means to guide or lead and thus to bring, carry, conduct, fetch and so on. It's is cognate with the Latin verb agere (to set in motion), the Sanskrit ajati (to drive) and shares its Proto-Indo-European root "heg-", to drive, with English words like "agile" and even the verb "to act." It's somewhat on a par with the verb φερω (phero), although the latter seems to be more calculated and commercial while the former somewhat more natural.

Our verb αγω (ago) essentially describes the artificial directing of something's natural energy — like water along the banks of a channel, or groups of people along directives and instructions — which comes down to a partial restriction of free movement.

In the subjunctive mood (which expresses a wish) and applied to oneself or oneselves, our verb translates as something like "that we might lead ourselves" or rather simply "let's go" (Matthew 26:46, Mark 1:38, John 11:7). In 2 Timothy 3:6 this verb implies a "leading by the nose" or a "leading up the garden path"; to deceive or hoodwink. In Matthew 14:6 our verb is used to describe how the matter of Herod's birthday was "guided": organized or celebrated."

The public does not want to hear student council election promises that end up with replacement astroturf for the football stadium so the kweer cheer line doesn't bruise its corns during practice games.

It wants to know the basics are still a guarantee, such as a very good public education, reasonable tuition to college and employment and housing are going to possible long-term. A viable solution to climate change has not been discussed. The atmosphere needs to be scrubbed of greenhouse gases, this should be Kamala Harris's first priority, her future nation is being microwaved to death. We will not survive a month or two of temperatures over one hundred twenty degrees hovering above our grain belt.

But she can't tell the world she's already put a bullet in Donald Trump's head for his role in January 6 or October 7 or all the deaths he caused by championing an abortion ban. We are not walking down a garden path. We are not sacrificing the right things in the right way and will not reset because of it. There simply is no root driver for such a recast of the fabric of the political realities in America.

For the individual Jew, one must recognize the importance of being the sane one in a distaster area and insist on the practices of government and law, conscientiously employed at all times, this is the essence of the Torah.

We will not transubstantiate a post October 7 world for the world to come so long as the evil that created it is still institutionalized and protected all around us.

v. 4: I shake my head at you. The Number is 6444, ודדד‎, "and dadd."

Da= understanding

Dd=of the beloved one.

"The derivatives of the verb דוד (dwd) are: The masculine noun דוד (dod), meaning beloved or loved one (Song of Solomon 1:13, Isaiah 5:1). This word also typically describes an uncle (Leviticus 10:4, Numbers 36:11). Sporadically, this word is spelled דד (dd), also pronounced as dod (Leviticus 10:4, Esther 2:15)."

We are stressed out because we are not feeling the love of God, the one we laude all the time during worship. A world at war is incapable of worshiping. The contradiction makes religion seem rueful, insipid, useless.

The planet is not being steered in the wrong direction by special interest groups, it is being incorrectly handled by its politicians and they are absolutely fucking things up because of religion. Every problem we have right at the moment is because of incorrect practices in the church, the temple, and the mosque.

None of what is happening to us is allowed in any of the holy books. How is it everything that could be going awry is happening then? Can you people read?

v. 5: But my lips encourage you. The Number is 6516, והא‎‎ו‎, "thou."

One must be fiercely willing to live life according to the words in the scriptures or they do nothing for us.

The verb θυω (thuo) means to sacrifice in the ritualistic sense, or to kill in a violent (or simply practical) sense when an animal was killed for food. The act of offering was in the Greek world strongly associated with inquiring of deities or oracles, as well as with felicitous homages that implied congress between the offerer and the deity.

When in the old world a man sacrificed an animal from his herd, or one purchased with his money, he did so in the expectation that, through whatever mechanism, his social, mental or intellectual life would be enriched, usually through congress with either the deity or else with his guests or family.

Note that the sacrifices proscribed in the Old Testament were like the scaffolding in which a mature mind could be built but which was designed to be discarded in time. Hence the Lord says "I delight in loyalty (or compassion) rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13). And a mature mind is one that communicates freely with man and God, without the aid of mechanisms. This verb is used 14 times; see full concordance, and from it derive:

Together with the noun ειδωλον (eidolon), object of visualization (our English word "idol"): the adjective ειδωλοθυτον (eidolothuton), which describes an item (mostly food) that was dedicated to an idol. In the first century everything was dedicated, and it was impossible to avoid such items, which is why the New Testament discusses dealing with these idol-offered things at length. This adjective occurs 10 times see full concordance

The adjective θυινος (thuinos), that is thyine wood, an aromatic wood from an odorous African cedar called θυια (thuia), used for incense and pleasantly smelling statuettes and bowls (Revelation 18:12 only).

The verb θυμιαω (thumiao) means to make what a sacrifice makes: smoke (and ashes). In the classics this verb could describe the production of any kind of smoke of fumes but was also used to specifically describe the burning of incense. In the New Testament this verb occurs in Luke 1:9 only, and from it derive:

The noun θυμιαμα (thumiama), meaning incense. In the classics this noun also frequently appears as θυμια (thumia), which explains the parent verb. This noun is used 6 times; see full concordance. In the Bible, pleasing smoke is often equated with prayers (Psalm 141:2, Luke 1:10, Revelation 8:3; also see 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 4:18).

The noun θυμιαστηριον (thumiasterion), which literally describes an incense item: either a censer of the smaller incense altar (Hebrews 9:4 only).

The noun θυσια (thusia), which primarily denotes the act of sacrificing (Luke 2:24) or its institution (Matthew 9:13), and which may subsequently refer to a thing sacrificed (Mark 9:49). This noun is used 29 times, see full concordance, and from it in turn derives:

The noun θυσιαστηριον (thusiasterion), which describes a thing that lets you make a sacrifice, and which actually stems from the intermediate verb θυσιαζω (thusiazo), to make a sacrifice (not merely the slaughtering but the whole ritual, bells and whistles and all). Our noun θυσιαστηριον (thusiasterion) appears to be a Jewish invention, as it appears nearly solely in the Bible and Josephus, as the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word מזבח (mizbeah), altar, from the verb זבח (zabah), to slaughter. Our noun θυσιαστηριον (thusiasterion) appears 23 times in the New Testament; see full concordance.

The second verb θυω (thuo) means to rage or seethe, which in Greek literature is used for both the sea and people (and horses and even snakes). It's not used in the New Testament but from it derive:

The noun θυελλα (theulla), meaning storm, squall, hurricane, tempest (Hebrews 12:18 only).

The noun θυμοσ (thumos), which describes intense mental agitation for whatever reason, but commonly with aggressive effect and accompanied by a strong will. Although the familiar term "the wrath of God" uses this word (Revelation 16:1, 19:15), the mental state that this word describes is commonly characteristic of an undisciplined mind, and in the New Testament (as well as by the Stoics) categorically condemned. This is significant because the requirement of sacrifice too is considered a form of mental adolescence, to be transcended by maturity. Still, it is a quality of young minds (children and immature adults), and must be guided, not extinguished (see αθυμεω, athumeo, directly below). Our noun is used 18 times; see full concordance, and from it derive:

Together with the particle of negation α (a), meaning not or without: the verb αθυμεω (athumeo), meaning to discourage, dispassion or dispirit (Colossians 3:21 only).

Together with the particle εν (en), meaning in or at: the verb ενθυμεομαι (enthumeomai), to have one's mind agitated by the ingress of a specific concern. This verb occurs in Matthew 1:20, 9:4 and Acts 10:19 only, and from it derives:

The noun ενθυμησις (ethumesis), a thought within an agitated mind, an agitation. This noun is used 4 times; see full concordance.

Together with the preposition επι (epi), meaning on or upon: the verb επιθυμεω (epithumeo), to direct one's strong will upon something, to obsess or think with agitation toward a certain objective. This verb is commonly translated with to lust or desire. It is used 16 times; see full concordance, and from it derive:

The noun επιθυμητης (epithumetes), which describes one who does the verb: one who obsesses, lusts or desires (1 Corinthians 10:6 only).

The noun επιθυμια (epithumia), meaning a strong will, desire, lust or obsession. This important noun occurs 38 times; see full concordance.

Together with the adverb ευ (eu), meaning good: the adjective ευθυμος (euthumos), meaning of good agitation, righteously stirred or eager to tackle a challenge and act accordingly (Acts 24:10 and 27:36 only). From this word comes:

The verb ευθυμεω (euthumeo), meaning to be properly agitated or righteously angered (Acts 27:22, 27:25 and James 5:13 only).

Together with the verb μαχομαι (machomai), meaning to fight or quarrel with: the verb θυμομαχεω (thumomacheo), meaning to fight angrily with, to engage someone out of great offense (Acts 12:20 only).

The verb θυμοω (thumoo), to agitate, to cause to flare up one's will, to provoke to anger, to be violently upset (Matthew 2:16 only).

Together with the familiar adjective ομος (homos), meaning same or of the same kind: the adverb ομοθυμαδον (homothumadon), meaning like-mindedly in the sense of same-temperedly. This adverb occurs 12 times; see full concordance.

Together with the preposition προ (pro), meaning before or in front of: the verb προθυμος (prothumos), meaning to be fiercely willing, tended toward agitation, easily or readily stirred (Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38 and Romans 1:15 only). From this verb come:

The noun προθυμια (prothumia), meaning a fierce will, or an eagerness to be agitated into action. This noun occurs 5 times; see full concordance.

The adverb προθυμος (prothumos), meaning with fierce will; eagerly, readily, angrily (1 Peter 5:2 only)."

We are not as the etymology says "readily stirred." The US Government knew Donald Trump, the Family Research Council, Heritage Foundation, the RNC, and the Mormons were up to no good. They knew it. January 6 was a huge wakeup call. As soon as the summer of 2022, they knew every last participant in a well orchestrated attack involved 100% members of the Mormon faith, and they knew they were involved in kiddie porn, extortion, and mafia style extortion of the enemies of the Republican Party.

They are still fooling around with the idea of doing something about the Party and our own home grown massive and effective terrorist complex. There must a press release, a speech given by President Biden in the next fifteen minutes why Donald Trump has been allowed to live and when we can expect to see him dead, that the Republican Party will no longer be a threat to the climate, individual personificiation, to basic services, diplomacy efforts, to our wombs, rear ends, front ends, to any aspect of our safety or identities.

Nothing on earth will change until this is done. The memory of this fury must be spoken of in the Shule till the end of time, of just how difficult it was to make the world into the kind of place God instructed us.

[tallmantall]

James Donaldson on Mental Health - The Suicide Epidemic Deserves Our Attention

By ERIK RAYMOND Over the last several years, I’ve been burdened to write something on my blog about suicide. But I’ve also been hesitant. The seriousness and sensitivity of the topic fuels both my reluctance and sense of obligation. I’m hesitant because I’m afraid that someone who has lost someone to suicide might find it insensitive. To those who might feel this way, I want to assure you that this is not my aim. I, too, have had family and friends take their own life. I’m rattled every time I hear of another case, whether in the public eye or in the context of the people I know. Suicide is devastating and destabilizing. This is why I am compelled to write something for those who might come across my blog. I’m burdened for those who might be suffering. Suicide rates are skyrocketing, and the church is not immune. According to the CDC, in the U.S., suicide is “the second leading cause of death in people aged 10–34 and the fifth in people aged 35–54.” This is staggering. In 2023, the U.S. surgeon general called mental health “the defining health crisis of our time.” That same year, more than 50,000 Americans committed suicide, “more than any year on record. It’s difficult to argue with the Harvard Medical School, “Suicide is an epidemic.” I realize there are a variety of reasons why someone might consider taking their own life. I will not pretend to oversimplify this with some silver bullet approach. However, I think that one of the dangerous realities of the suicide epidemic is that people who are contemplating it are often not talking about it with anyone. They feel alone, defeated, and hopeless. This brief interaction is intended to provide a framework, or at least some railings for a conversation. Or, if you are thinking about this right now, may it be a conversation partner with you. I pray it’s helpful and received with the spirit intended. What is suicide? In recent years, you may have noticed some of the language around suicide has changed. In the past, we’d read of someone who “committed suicide.” Now, we read of people who “died of suicide.” Why the change? Formerly, the language placed responsibility on the one who took their own life. Whereas today, it’s standard to employ the term “died by suicide” because “it removes culpability from the person who has lost their life and allows a discussion about the disease or disorder from which they were suffering.” The motive seems intended to help those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. This is an important consideration. Hopefully, it will provide some of the intended aid to those suffering. At the same time, and without minimizing suffering or the complexity of mental health, it’s clear that this shift establishes some daylight between a biblical understanding of suicide and what is often discussed in wider media. Christians should rejoice in the significant progress in understanding and treating mental health. We also have to ensure we are not blurring the lines of biblical morality in our conclusions. We need to be clear that suicide is a sin because suicide is murder. And murder is a sin. When we commit suicide, we are taking our life. We are killing ourselves. Not every case of mental health results in suicide, and not every suicide is a case of mental illness. But every act of suicide is murder. Various factors are at play, but removing the moral category is neither biblically accurate nor does it seem helpful. From the perspective of the Bible, we know that sin darkens our minds and our hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:22ff). When discussing this serious topic, Christians should stay true to the Bibllical framework while acknowledging the various complexities present. It might just be the clarifying light needed to disuade a sensitive and crushed spirit from making the wrong choice. It’s true that suicide is not the unpardonable sin. At the same time, the Bible does not teach that suicide is the way of salvation from our suffering. There is another way. God provides the better way. The dignity of humanity and the sovereignty of God require us to agree that killing ourselves is never the right solution. But neither is it outside the category of sins that God will pardon for those in Christ. Seeing suicide in the category of self-murder, while out of step with many in society, is consistent with the Biblical perspective. There are many other cases where the precepts of the Lord restrain us from sinning. Perhaps more clarity on what suicide is and the effects on others might bring illumination. For those suffering in despair and considering suicide, moral clarity on what suicide is may be more helpful for them than hurtful. Why are you alive? People can often wilt under the dark clouds of depression, thinking about reasons why they want to die. Sadly, once someone begins to entertain these thoughts, it’s often quite challenging to reason soundly or to get out from under its shadow. Dr. Rebecca Bernert, a suicidologist and the director/founder of the suicide prevention research laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine, observes, “There’s a gross underestimation of the psychological impact of what a suicide will be, even to loved ones, and an irrational sense that will help people, even those they love the most. It’s likely more helpful to think about why we should go on and who we should go on for. Viktor Frankl, a survivor of WWII concentration camps, writes about this in his recounting of times with those suffering and in deep despair. I remember two cases of would-be suicide, which bore a striking similarity to each other. Both men had talked of their intentions to commit suicide. Both used the typical argument that they had nothing more to expect from life. In both cases it was a question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them; something in the future was expected of them. We found, in fact, that for the one it was his child whom he adored and who was waiting for him in a foreign country. For the other it was a thing, not a person. This man was a scientist and had written a series of books which still needed to be finished. His work could not be done by anyone else, any more than another person could ever take the place of the father in his child’s affections.” Man’s Search for Meaning, (p.79) “A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the “why” for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any “how.” (p.80) Frankl’s words are forceful. With a subtle shift in perspective, he shows the power of highlighting personal obligation. Instead of looking within and feeling despair or drawing in the sea of guilt, Frankl lifts his friends up to consider their responsibilities, the people who depend on them, and the opportunities before them. These are powerful words from anyone, but especially spoken by those in a Nazi concentration camp. Similarly, Christians would be well-served to point our friends toward our responsibilities and opportunities toward God, our family, our friends, our church, and society. We are no longer living under the shadow of guilt. Christ has paid for our sins (Col. 2:13–14), the guilty have been declared righteous (2 Cor. 5:21), the enemies have been reconciled (Rom. 5:10–11), and the stranger has been adopted (Col. 1:21, Rom. 8:15–16). We don’t need to live on the cul-de-sac of guilt and shame; we have our ticket punched for Immanuel’s Land! As a result, there’s more for us to give, do, and experience. Life expects more from us, even if we don’t realize it. God has more for us! A good friend can point these things out when others cannot see it. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleFind out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundationwebsite www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com Link for 40 Habits Signupbit.ly/40HabitsofMentalHealth If you'd like to follow and receive my daily blog in to your inbox, just click on it with Follow It. Here's the link https://follow.it/james-donaldson-s-standing-above-the-crowd-s-blog-a-view-from-above-on-things-that-make-the-world-go-round?action=followPub Who can help you? We aren’t meant to be alone. We can’t bear the burdens of this life by ourselves. Christians, in particular, know that we need one another. If you feel like the clouds of despair are settling and staying upon you, reach out to others for help. Call a friend or family member. Open up. Talk about it. Ask for prayer. Ask for help—request check-ins. Don’t stay in the isolation of your mind where the stale air of despair is suffocating and disorientating. Call a friend for help. Sadly, we know that many people don’t reach out. This is why friends, family, and fellow church members should push through the false notions of being nosing or intruding and check in with others. Have real conversations. Ask how they are doing. But really ask how they are doing. Express concern. Volunteer to follow up. Do it in a way that does not condemn them but commends yourself to them. One group of people that often get overlooked is pastors. People who regularly look after others and bear various burdens can easily feel isolated and without a friend to call. After all, they are supposed to have the answers. Pastors need friends. They need brothers to call and talk things through. They need people to check in on them. They need prayer. Identifying people to talk to both for help and to help is crucial. If this is the defining health crisis of our time, then believers need to be concerned for others and eager to speak with words of encouragement. We need to speak with moral clarity and gospel hope. May the God of all comfort help us to help others and be helped ourselves until we reach the shore of the Celestial City. Read the full article

[swiggly]

We live in an older suburb in a really small town right between two major cities. The houses are very cookie cutter but at least we have trees and trails, a kid park and a doggy park and there’s a creek that runs down at the end of our cul-de-sac. And sidewalks. The newer developments all look exactly like this photo (or it’s 300 townhomes crammed together) and it is creepy.

The houses here were around 275k in 2016 - now the same house is at least 400k+.

You do need a car. Most of the people here work in the surrounding cities and commute back home. The traffic blows and infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the rapid population increase, but as someone who grew up in DC it’s not *as* bad in comparison.

But if you don’t drive and don’t mind staying local it’s somewhat workable. It’s a 20 minute walk to the strip mall with a grocery store, a bar, a couple fast food places and gas stations and I just realized how depressing that sounds, oh my god.

If you walk another ten minutes that way there’s a little shopping center with coffee shops, a couple second-hand stores, a really good bakery and typical businesses (dry cleaners, post office etc); 10 minutes the other way you hit the big main park and more trails. Our kids’ school is also a 20 minute walk but only because our neighborhood is directly behind it.

There’s no public transportation here. The transit in the cities is limited to a couple of bus routes.

(I should also mention that we live in the front of our neighborhood so that’s the only reason there’s at least some walkability; the wealthier homes are built in the back so there’s no walking to anything, you HAVE to have a car.)

There is a neighborhood HOA and yes they are annoying and stupid, we get at least 2-4 notices a year about power washing the house or repainting the mailbox; but we rent so the rental company takes care of it. I have no interest in being close to our neighbors (not because they’re bad, I’m just not comfortable with people I live around knowing my business) but we do have friends close by. Our kids have friends a few streets away that they can walk or ride their bikes to.

Most everyone here in a 2-parent household has the husband working outside the home and the wife is a SAHM (including myself, childcare is very expensive and it was cheaper for me to stay home). There’s a community pool in every neighborhood but JUST for that neighborhood unless you’re a guest of the resident, or if you pay dues to use those facilities (bc racism. And segregation. And classism).

There IS a lot of diversity here but we’re a blue dot in an increasingly red state. Most of the people here are transplants from up north (my husband and I are too, it’s very rare to meet someone who grew up here) so the county as a whole is pretty left-to-centrist leaning. It’s the south so there are Bible Thumpers and MAGAts but for the most part everyone is pretty okay, until you drive into the random pockets of rural areas but my Black ass stays away from those anyway.

It’s a 10-20 minute drive to downtown where there’s a lot of museums and cultural events and restaurants and bars; but again, you need to have a car to get there.

I honestly would have loved to live in the city if it was just me and my husband, but we have young kids and the public schools in the suburbs are better funded and higher rated - unless you can afford to live in the city and put your kids into private school (bc racism. And segregation. And classism) and we’re nowhere near that tax bracket. And we DEFINITELY can’t afford to buy a house atm so in our little suburb we stay.