#and probably got called ms. president in debate which. i mean i am both of those things still so maybe thats why i like it sm.

[loverofallthingssmart]

realizing i get VERY heady with power is not surprising tbh. just one more thing to add that makes me perfect for media consumption .

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

11. You Used to Love It

This chapter is the last good one for a while. I mean, there’s some pain here, I suppose, but nothing like what’s about to happen in the next few chapters. And, I’d like to dedicate this particular one to the apex of the Mall Rats shippers @scipunk63 and of course, my Infinity Train fandom ace boon koon @i-am-a-passenger 3668 Words

Previous

Even the idea of going back to school after the awesome summer that she had SUCKED. She halfway had the mind to tell her parents that she’d like to go back to personal professors, but she knew that ship had sailed. With her father being up in arms about her academic career and the fact that she hadn’t yet started looking for colleges… She didn’t NEED college, and if ever she did, she’d have enough to go then, so there was no need for her to lose her mind over it like he was.

“Grace!” Ah, finally. Some good fucking company. 

Simon rushed to her and grabbed her from the ground to squeeze her into a tight hug. He immediately began talking to her about school. She sighed. They had one more weekend before school began, so she straight up just cupped her hand over his mouth and shook her head. Then, she removed her hand and eyed him suspiciously.

“What’s happened to your face?” she asked.

“What’s… happened… to it?” He repeated, confused.

“Did you do something?”

“Is this like that time you thought my eye color changed?”

“No! This is real… WAIT. Did you do your eyebrows? AND shave off your peach fuzz??” She was on the verge of laughter.

“I think it makes me look more presidential,” he said, straightening the collar of his hoodie.

She laughed, “Sir, you are the junior class president…”

“Also debate captain, academic decathlon, I have a position in journalism,” he grumbled, ‘Two actually,” and completed his list, “As well as STILL the top of our class. People won’t take me seriously if I don’t take myself seriously. That’s one thing that my dad taught me.”

“He should’ve added that they won’t take you seriously if you take yourself too seriously, because I definitely do not.”

“Rude. I shouldn't give you your welcome home present… But, I already spent money on it.”

“You… spent money on me? Simon! You KNOW that you don’t have to do that!”

“Yeah, but I wanted to, and I rarely ever do. Besides, it’s a special occasion. The Apex is back together.” He pulled a gift basket out of his bag and presented it to her. 

“This is from that fancy custom basket place near the mall!” she said. That was WAY out of Simon’s budget, but also, not returnable. “Simon!” She fussed.

“Please, just tell me that you love it.”

“I do!” She accepted it with damp eyes and a trembling lip. There was a boxed honeycomb, a bottle of honeysuckle nectar extract, and a honey bun shaped like a bear. “This is really cute, Simon. I really love it. It’s one of the best gifts you’ve ever given me.” She reached out to hug him and he went in for a kiss. She gasped and he startled, then she rested her head against his chest and he rested his face on her hair… both confused as to why the other acted that way.

.

Honey had become one of Grace’s things, because of the products she represented and her natural branding, over the summer, she’d been being called, The Internet’s Honey, and so she ran with it. Apex members were putting the little honeypot emojis in her comments, brands started sending her their honey - which she loved because she could use it for SO many health and beauty purposes, but also, she was reckless and sometimes, just wanted to eat it. Her favorite way was to eat the honeycomb, with a fancy soft cheese and some fruit - generally honeydew melon, just because there sort of was a flow of collaboration. 

Simon had commented on a post she made while she was on the road that she should do one of those ASMR eating honeycomb videos… More people liked that comment than she expected. She wasn’t planning on doing ASMR anything and thought it was such a weird thing for Simon, of all people to comment on a post of hers! But, even though she wasn’t going to do one of those at this point in time - she just felt weird about all of her followers watching her eat, even if it was trendy - she still ate around Simon, and on their calls he kept asking her to do the honeycomb thing.

“What is with you, Dude?”

He blushed a lot and shook his head, “I just like it. There’s something soothing about watching you eat and it’s something you love, and I really like the sound, too.” 

She gave him a look but reached for her snacking sack and looked through it. “I’ve got mostly fruit snacks in this thing. Ummm… some dried mango, banana, pineapple… a jar of country peach preserves…”

“Are the preserves chunky?”

She examined the jar, “There are pretty big peach pieces in here, actually.” She looked at the anticipation on his face and wondered, “What, you expect me to just eat this with my hands? I definitely don’t have a spoon in here,” she glanced around the hotel she was staying in.

“What’s wrong with eating with your fingers?” he wondered.

“It’s messy! Then, I’ll have to suck my fingers, and this is already weird enough, Simon. What… is this gonna do for you?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know,  it’s relaxing, and you’re just usually the person who helps me relax the most.”

“The anticipation of school got you riled up?”

“The anticipation of things with your dad.” he sighed. 

She nodded, “He stresses me out too.” She laughed at herself, shook her head and said, “Fine, fine. I guess… here I am eating peach preserves out of a jar, with my fingers, for my best friend.”

“It’s a show of love,” he said, as he began recording her on their video call.

Presently, she asked him, “Are you gonna wanna watch me eat the contents of this gift?”

“Very intently.” She laughed. She didn’t get it, but also… It did seem to help him out the times she’d done so on his calls, and it didn’t seem sexual or anything.

Over the weekend, he was with her at the house. Her parents were away, and most likely wouldn’t be back until the week after school began. That meant that Simon would be spending every night that they weren’t there with her. She didn’t want to stay in the house, either. Especially if they were going to be milking the boyfriend/girlfriend thing. She wanted to be out and about with him, maybe cause some trouble, do some secret destroying. 

He was perfectly content to just stay inside, just the two of them, because they hadn’t been able to be that way for a while. Of course, her desires won out. They went to the mall that evening. It was only open for a few more hours, but they loved the mall. They used to frequent it and were actually banned from a few stores, but they hadn’t been in a while and she wanted a corn dog from the Corn Dog Express. 

She generally didn’t have any pockets, and Simon generally had several large ones (some with buttons), so he always carried her wallet and whenever they (she) bought something, he usually handed over the card. She thought about carrying a fanny pack, because it latched on to you, but she just couldn’t rectify the thought with the fact that those things were hideous. Maybe if she were trapped in uncivilized society...

So, whenever they got to the Corn Dog Express and ordered, she turned to look at him when they were given the total. “I… don’t have it..” Simon told her. She furrowed her eyebrows and patted herself down. Did she… forget her wallet? And her cell phone?? The clerk looked annoyed while Grace looked worried. She could have sworn that she picked them up on their way out of the door..

“Did you two really order all of this without any money?”

“Chill out. She may have forgotten her wallet. It happens.” Simon said, annoyed at the guy’s tone.  He went to the back and Simon heard him say that there was “some Black girl out there trying to scam” them. He immediately was not pleased with that, and he saw from Grace’s face that she’d heard it too. 

“Let’s just go,” she said, softly. “I should’ve been more attentive.”

“Mmhmm,” Simon said, but he didn’t budge, save to pull out his phone. 

She made a sad face. She really wanted the dogs. “Simon? Did you hear me? I left my wallet at home, not to mention my cell phone. No need for me to further embarrass myself. I don’t even think we’ll have time to go get it and come back before the mall closes.” 

But whenever the clerk came back with the manager with him, Simon began announcing, “This null who works at the Corn Dog Express just described Grace Monroe, of the Monroe Square Monroes, as ‘this Black chick trying to scam them.’ Scam them. At the Corn Dog Express. In the mall. That’s it. That’s the entire post.” 

Grace covered her mouth and said, “Umm… Simon…” She was actually even more embarrassed, because obviously, these people didn’t know her. They weren’t her target audience, probably had only seen her family name on the plaques of buildings, and she really just wanted to go.

“You are fucking lucky that I don’t make you bob for corn dogs in that hot grease, you…” Grace pulled Simon’s arm and called his name. “You fucking short sighted, beast faced, insignificant little prick. She could buy this entire mall, never touch it again and STILL be above you. Who do you think you are?” The clerk was grateful that they had a plastic display between him and Simon. He looked terrified and the manager was confused but trying to speak on behalf of the company that they didn’t intend to upset Ms. Monroe... 

“Simon! Can we PLEASE. Just. Go?” He looked over and she had her fists clenched and she was shaking. He didn’t know if she was mad or sad… or what. It was unclear, but she was asking for them to go. That was clear.

“Are you sure?” he asked her, an eyebrow raised. He had been two seconds away from hopping the counter after this guy.

“I’m positive,” she said, through her teeth, tugging him by the sleeve to come with her. He knocked over everything on the counter, with purpose, looking right into the eyes of his target of anger as they passed it. “Sorry,” she told the workers. She would make sure that they were compensated for that entire scene.

Simon was casually on his phone as she dragged him outside of the mall and whenever they got to the parking lot, he said, “Posted it! We’ll let the Apex at him, now.” She groaned and released him with a shove of the hand she had been clutching his sleeve with.

“What?” He asked.

“Simon… I left my wallet at home. That experience was because of MY mistake, and you just attacked that guy like he was some kind of enemy combatant.”

“He was very rude to you and I didn’t like his tone when he spoke about you. I was defending you. How is that a problem?”

“Because, I have a reputation, Simon! I have a brand. An image! I can’t just go around slapping things off of counters whenever I can’t pay the man at the counter! People SAW us! Some looked like they were recording!” She was highly upset. “You… are gonna go to college, get a degree, build a career. You have several talents and intelligence and pathways. I’ve got THIS, Simon. MY future is nested inside of my personality, and the world can’t think that I’m this person that goes off on people like a rotten brat. I can’t believe that you would put me in something like this!”

“I thought we were in this together. The Apex sticks together.”

“I wish you would’ve stuck with me when I was asking you to leave!” 

He ran his hands through his hanging strands of hair and shook his head, “I thought you’d be happy. You used to love when I defended you.”

“We’re not kids anymore, Simon! You can’t DO THAT to people!” she snapped and walked off, hugging herself. “You can’t do that to people,” she said softly and sniffled. Where the hell was she going? He followed her, silently. He had already apologized. Why wasn’t she… doing something to make him feel better about her being upset with him?

“Okay. I’ll follow your lead, Grace. I won’t react next time unless you tell me to.” 

She looked at him. She seemed like she wanted to say more to him, but she just gave him a small smile and collected him by his hoodie string. “Let’s just go home and order in. We can watch one of your fantasy movies, or something.” he still looked nervous, like he was worried that she was still mad. She… didn’t ever get mad at him and she was realizing this as she watched him process how she’d just yelled at him in this public space. “That okay with you, Eyebrows?” he chuckled and wrapped an arm around her with a single nod. 

Still… They both felt it. Something just wasn’t right between them.

.

It blew up. Of course it did. What started with Simon’s post generating a massive amount of hate at the Corn Dog Express and the employees there, spiraled into Apex stans making death threats, doxxing these people, and harassing their family members. Grace went live several times to remind them not to do this and to explain that it was indeed her fault that she couldn’t pay because she left her wallet, and assuring fans that she paid after the fact and held no hostility for the staff there. 

“I am demanding that the real Apex stand down this time. I’m human. I made a mistake. Yes, the clerk could have been nicer, but I don’t know what kind of day he had or what’s happened to him before. I didn’t take it personally. Simon is a little bit more sensitive about these things happening to me and he got upset and tried to defend me. We’ve talked about it. We’re on the same page. Please leave that guy alone, Apex. Come on. Listen to your Honey.” 

With the incident going viral, in those comments appeared a very aggressive woman who wanted to draw people’s attention to her post from a few years prior. It was a post where she cried on camera, showed off bruises and described two kids that beat her up on the train. 

Grace gasped whenever she noticed her. Apex members were cussing her out and accusing her of lying, but she was claiming that she even tore out a handful of the girl’s hair and that she was POSITIVE that it was the girl in this video, and she knew that Simon was the same boy, because he looked exactly the same, but longer. She meant taller, and Grace hadn’t thought about that woman in almost as much time since her hair grew back.But, she definitely recognized her whenever she went to her profile.

Then Shana’s little bitch ass comes in to comment, “Actually, I very clearly remember her showing up in society with a shaved head around that time, so I believe you. They call her the Internet’s Honey, but she’s actually a violent, destructive sociopath and I hope that you get your justice.”

Grace’s head was spinning. She didn’t know what to do with bad publicity and this felt like it was a lot. Should she call her mom? Her mom would kill her! 

She saw Simon arguing with Shana in the comments, “Do you realize that whenever Grace went natural we were 12? You’re going to believe this stranger when she says that unprovoked Grace and I just beat her up for no reason? I know you’re a jerk, but I thought you were smart.”

The woman fussed, “You put me in a choke hold and crushed my esophagus while she punched me in the ribs and stomach!”

“Prove it, null,” Simon almost instantly typed.

“I still have her hair!”

“And what? You think that your lawyers are going to be able to demand that she release a sample to check it against the hair that your nasty ass has been carrying around for god knows how long? FOH. You deserved to be thrown to the wheels of the train and you got off easy, Jealous Null. You’re jealous of her. Every hater is jealous. Shana certainly is. She’d say anything to try to look better, since the hair weave and makeup doesn’t help.”

“If it doesn’t help, how come you think I’m almost as pretty as her?”

Grace waited for Simon to respond, but instead, she watched as both Shana’s and the woman’s comments vanished… Simon had obviously signed into her account and blocked them. She was both relieved and upset. 

This was EXACTLY the kind of thing that she wanted him to not do on her behalf. She started crying. Moments later, he was calling. “Hey… I spoke with your dad. They’re gonna take care of it, okay?”

“What? What did you say?”

“I said that a woman who attacked you a few years ago on the train is claiming that we beat her up, when we actually defended you against her and I gave him the time and date and train, in case they need to go back and check out the surveillance. If it still exists.”

“What?? My parents can’t know that I got into a fight on the train, Simon!”

“You defended yourself on the train. We were 12. That was a grown ass woman and she hit you first.” There was silence. “Grace, please don’t tell me that you’re mad at me again for fixing the problem for you?”

“No,” but she was frustrated about all of this. “I just… My dad… how did he sound?”

“He said he was pleased that I thought to call him.”

“I just don’t want them to be disappointed in me. I don’t want to hurt them like that, and I don’t want them to hurt me.”

“They won’t.” He heard her sniffling on the other end of the calling as she read the comments. “I’m coming over.”

“We’ve got school in the morning.”

“Yeah, which we would’ve rode together to anyway.”

“Simon…”

“You don’t need me?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then, I’m on my way.

Grace cried a lot, curled up in a ball in Simon’s lap. It wasn’t their usual. She didn’t generally come to him with things. She cried on her own, but since he had insisted on being there and insisted on holding her, that’s where she landed and she had to admit that it wasn’t bad, at all. He had told her father that he was going to keep her company and make sure she was safe and sound all night and her father had advised them both to go to school the following day and if anyone asked anything about that woman and her accusations to tell them that they are not at liberty to speak about it.

Grace just hoped that this weekend was not some indication of what type of school year that they might have. She woke up to see Simon climbing out of her bed, shirtless? When did he take off his shirt? Probably in the middle of the night, because he was always hot and always in long sleeves. She had never seen his physique before, that she could remember. Even when they went swimming, he generally wore a wetsuit that was tight fitting, but still covered up everything. He heard her gasp and he jumped and looked at her. “Simon, what happened to your arm?” She asked, climbing out of bed to rush to him. “… Did your mom do this to you?” She wondered, touching his faded tally marks. 

He quickly grabbed his undershirt and said, “I won’t like to talk about this.” She bit her lip and wished that she could help him somehow. He smiled softly and kissed her on the forehead, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. Just… If you need me today, say the word.”

“What should I even say?”

He thought for a while, “Say, charge.”

She laughed, “Are you gonna charge?”

“If you say charge, somebody is getting messed up.” She laughed lightly. She needed his sense of humor.

“I’m not saying charge, Dude. The way that the Internet has reacted to me telling you NOT to do something? I say charge and they’ll crucify me. My mom’s gonna wind up taking over my social media again.” She rolled her eyes and went for her uniform.

“A signal, then. I need to know when you need me to attack.”

“Simon,” she laughed. “I don’t ever need you to attack. Remember that you’ve got college courses starting this year and college is like super important to you?”

“You’re super important to me too,” he confessed, casually.

Soon, they were dressed, out the door, and heading for the campus. More kids were around outside than typically and Simon knew that it was because they were all waiting for them to arrive. He met Grace at her door and helped her out of the car. They checked each other out, gave a nod to each other that both were good to go, and turned at the same time to walk into the school. 

Simon was confident. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Grace had gotten upset over the weekend, but he had done nothing wrong and she was clearly just stressed out, because last night, she’d let him comfort her and be her support system. She had let him hold her and wipe her tears and lift her up. She had let him back in. He was confident that the Apex was going to become stronger than ever before, and keep growing. They stopped at the stop of the stairs and she leaned on his shoulder. A couple of the boys that Grace had kissed on the cheek the previous year rushed to grab the doors for them and the other present Apex kids gathered behind them, following them inside when they went into the building.

Next

[ofendlesswonder]

omg can you do “We could get arrested for this.” for supercat pls? and thank you very much! hope you stay safe and have an awesome day! xo

11. “We could get arrested for this.”

Kara crashes through the ceiling of the abandoned warehouse with an almighty crash, landing in a crouch on the ground so hard that she makes a dent in the concrete.

It sends the men within scattering, and it’s reallyeasier than it ought to be, to dispatch the lot of them, fighting with a fury that she doesn’t even know she’s capable of, her laser vision leaving burnt streaks on the walls.

In the centre of the warehouse, a woman is tied to achair, blindfolded, and as Kara approaches, she begins to tremble, doesn’t stop even when Kara pulls the blindfold from her head, kneeling in-front of her and carefully releasing her from the ropes that tie her hands to the back of the chair.

“Ms Grant?” Kara asks, gently rubbing the red weltsaround Cat’s wrists from where she’d struggled against her restraints. “Ms Grant, are you okay?” As she waits for an answer, Kara gives Cat a cursory once-over with her x-ray vision to check that there are no broken bones.

“I’m much better now.” Cat’s voice is quiet, shaky, and her face is streaked with dirt, her eyes a little dazed as they focus on Kara’s face. “Tell me, does Supergirl usually lower herself to search and rescuemissions?”

“She does when it’s someone she cares about.”

Cat had been kidnapped whilst on her way to apolitical rally in National City, and Kara has no idea what the motive of the attack had been beside a high ransom demand, but she knows she won’t rest untilshe finds out.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Kara murmurs, keeping her voice low because Cat still looks very shaken, and Kara hates that it had been three days before she’d found out Cat was missing, because if she’d knownsooner, she wouldn’t have spent so long fearing for her life. “Do you trust me?”

“It’s very hard not to trust the person who just savedyour life,” Cat replies, allowing Kara to help her up and guide Cat’s arms around her neck.

Pressed against her front, Cat is warm, but she’sstill shaking, and Kara can both feel and hear her heart, hammering against her ribcage. She feels so fragile, as Kara scoops her up, making sure to hold onto her tight as she pushes them off the floor, and Cat flinches as below them, the warehouse door crashes open as police file in to arrest the perpetrators that Kara has helpfully left scattered across the floor.

She leaves the clean-up in the NCPD’s capable hands, shooting back through the hole she’d made in the roof, and taking Cat straight to another pair of capable hands, landing them on the balcony of the DEO that she favours whenever she flies into the building.

She doesn’t let go on Cat’s hand until she’s got herinto a treatment room, Alex already waiting for them, and Kara is tense the whole time Alex is checking her over, sagging with relief when her sister assures her that there is no lasting damage.

“Does Carter know I’m safe?” Cat asks, jumping out of the bed as soon as Alex gives her the all-clear, and gratefully shrugging into the DEO hoodie that Kara hands her, noticing she’s still shivering.

“Yes, he’s been staying with his father while you were… gone,” Kara answers, “but I called him when we found you, and he should be here in a couple of hours.”

“Good.” Cat’s face floods with relief. “Can you… canyou get me out of here, please?” She asks, turning on Kara with pleading eyes. “I hate hospital rooms.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere,” Cat answers, stepping close to Kara andwrapping her arms around her neck without being prompted, her breathing still shaky, her mouth pressing against Kara’s collarbone, breath hot against her skin. “As long as you stay with me.” She says that quietly, but Kara still hears it, her breath catching as she holds Cat close, and if she makes Cat feels safer, then she won’t ever let her go.

She flies out of the window and hovers high in the sky for a moment, debating where to go, and, deciding that Cat would probably prefer to go somewhere secluded, drops somewhere where she knows no-one will bother them.

“You can open your eyes, now,” Kara murmurs, knowing that Cat hates heights – probably even more so since Kara had launched her offher balcony.

“Are we standing on what I think we’re standing on?”Cat asks, dropping her arms from Kara’s neck but not stepping away as she takes in her new surroundings. “Kara, we could get arrested for this.”

Kara doesn’t acknowledge Cat’s slip, and instead flops down so that she’s seated, her legs swinging over the side of one of the Hollywood sign’s O’s.

“If anyone comes, I can fly us away,” Kara assuresher, patting the space beside her.

“Everyone would still know it was you,” Cat pointsout, but she folds herself down beside Kara all the same, huddling into her side. “Your cape isn’t exactly subtle.”

“Pretty sure no-one would try to arrest me,” Karareplies, enjoying the view that this vantage point offers them. “Are you okay, Ms Grant?”

“No.” Cat turns towards her, eyes more than a littlehaunted. “But I will be – nothing that a bottle of scotch or sleeping pills won’t fix.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”

“You don’t need to be sorry, Kara.” Cat reaches out tosqueeze the back of Kara’s hand, and Kara can’t help but grab it before Cat can move away, tangling their fingers together. “You did find me, and that’s all that matters. Although I do wish we weremeeting again under better circumstances.” Cat manages to crack a smile, and Kara matches it with one of her own.

“Me too.” It’s been years since Cat left forWashington, and they haven’t spoken since, but when she’d seen the footage of Cat being taken, Kara had seen red, and it had felt like no time had passed at all. “I’d ask how you’ve been, but…”

“Wonderful, until two days ago,” Cat quips, alreadysounding more like her old self. “Who’d have thought that working for the President would have put a target on my back?”

“Maybe you should think about another career change,” Kara suggests, gently nudging Cat’s shoulder with her own. “Come back to CatCo.”

“CatCo is thriving without me,” Cat replies, “as are you, Pulitzer prize winning journalist.” Cat meets Kara’s eyes, her smile fond. “I never reached out to congratulate you, and I should have done, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Kara shrugs, more touched than Cat will ever know to realise that she’s kept up with her career even though she’s long gone. “But thank you.”

“I always knew you had it in you.” Cat runs her thumbalong the bumps of Kara’s knuckles, and Kara tries very hard to remember how to breathe – if she’d thought for one moment that any of those feelings she’d had for Cat all those years ago had ever faded, she’s finding that she’s sorely mistaken, now that Cat is back by her side.

“Always?” Kara asks, raising a sceptical eyebrow. “What about when you were waxing poetic about millennials the day I walked into your office? Or yelling at me for not getting your lunch order right, or your latte being too cold, or - ”

“Watch it,” Cat grumbles, though there’s a sparkle inher eye, “you’re starting to make me sound like a terrible boss.”

“You weren’t,” Kara assures her, and Cat shoots her alook that suggests she thinks that Kara is lying. “You weren’t! Sure, you were a hardass, sometimes,” she grins as Cat’s eyes narrow into a glare, “but you were a lot of other things, too. Kind and compassionate and always trying to push me to better myself. I learned a lot from you. I never would have won that Pulitzer without you shaping me into thejournalist I am today.”

“Thank you, Kara.” Cat looks touched, and Kara doesn’t know if she should acknowledge the casual way that they’re talking about working together whilst Kara is wearing her cape – she’s known that Cat’s known for a long time, but they’ve never acknowledged it, had always let it be the elephant in the room, until today.

Not that she’s complaining – it feels freeing, to nolonger have to hide a part of herself from Cat.

“For being kind to me, and for saving me. I can’t tellyou how relieved I was to have you be my saviour, and not one of those insufferable secret service agents – you are much nicer to look at.”

“It was really no problem, Ms Grant.” She’s blushing,which only seems to amuse Cat further, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Surely we’re past such formalities at this point, hm?” Cat’s eyes are still on her face, her gaze so intense that Kara struggles to remember how to breathe. “If you’re letting me call you Kara without any protest, I think it’s only fair that you call me Cat.”

“Okay,” Kara nods, “Cat.” Kara feels her phone buzz in her pocket, and she sees a text from Alex on her screen when she glances at it. “Carter’s just arrived at the DEO,” Kara reads. “Are you ready to go back yet?”

“Only for my son,” Cat decides, climbing to her feetwith Kara’s help. “Thank you for keeping me company.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Kara replies. “It’s beennice to see you again – even if I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Yes, it has,” Cat agrees, her hand still claspingKara’s tightly, and Kara never wants her to let go. “I’ll probably be staying in the city for a few days, recuperating – feel free to fly by and check I haven’t been kidnapped again?”

“No-one will get close to you on my watch, Cat,” Karapromises, and she’ll station a DEO agent at every entrance and exit to Cat’s hotel of choice if it will make her sleep better at night.

“Oh yeah?” Cat’s voice, unless Kara is very muchmistaken, has turned flirtatious, and it leaves her shaken. “And how are you going to make sure of that, hm?” She lets go of Kara’s hand to slide them towards her neck, dragging her palms over Kara’s collarbones and up and over her shoulders, touch deliberate enough to make Kara’s knees weak. “By staying the night?”

“I-if that would make you feel safe,” Kara says,amazed that she can speak at all with Cat so close. “Then yes.”

“Do you mean to tell me that if I wanted to getSupergirl into my bed, I merely had to ask?” Cat asks, and she’s arching a playful eyebrow but there’s a vulnerability in her eyes, and Kara’s hands are gentle as they slide down to rest on Cat’s hips.  

“Did you hit your head when you were held captive?”Kara queries, her voice so soft it’s almost carried away by the wind. “Do we need to get you a brain scan? Because the Cat I used to know definitely didn’t want little old me.”

“Oh, but she did,” Cat says, and Kara’s heart nearlystops. “I wanted you very much, but there was a very long list of reasons why it would be a terrible idea.”

“So what changed?”

“I thought I was going to die,” Cat murmurs, and Kara’s jaw clenches at the mere thought. “And all I could think about, stuck in that damn chair, was all the mistakes I’ve made in my long, long life, and through it all, my biggest regret has been letting you slip away, even though I’d convinced myself that leaving CatCo was the best thing for the both of us.”

“I… I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I never wanted you to know,” Cat replies, “but now, I… I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try, and if you don’t feel the same way, then that’s fine, because it’s been years and I’m twice your age, and - ”

Kara cuts her off with a kiss, soft and chaste,because she doesn’t want to hear another second of Cat putting herself down. Cat gasps against her lips before she’s kissing her back, and Kara sighs as shepulls her closer, because as far as first kisses go, it’s pretty damn perfect.

“Come over tonight?” Cat asks when they part, the both of them hyper-aware of the fact that time isn’t on their side, with Carter waiting for them back in National City. “And we can talk about everything?”

“Just let me know when and where.”

Cat kisses her again before they take off,open-mouthed and messy, and Kara’s head is spinning so much that it’s a miracle that she doesn’t crash into any buildings on their way back to the DEO.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

I too am in a TWW rewatch, because well I enjoy torturing myself by watching competent articulate political types. (That and the great tv) I'm really struggling with Will. He seems like such an creep the further it goes on yet all the female characters seem to like him. I feel like I'm missing something. Do you have any views on him?

I have views on everything!! :D Seriously though, nobody’s ever asked me about Will so what a great chance for an essay. (This got REALLY long, fair warning.)

First, a disclaimer. I’ve never been very active on Twitter, but when I started using it, I mostly followed TWW actors. I occasionally tweeted at them, and I never expected responses, because they were amazing actors from this show I revered, and I was a random fangirl on social media. But two of them did, and were SO nice, and it shocked me so much back in the day to realize how kind and down-to-earth TWW cast is, when I had just seen the series and hadn’t yet found tumblr or watched interviews. It really made an impression on me. Richard Schiff called me ‘very sweet’ and won my heart forever, and Joshua Malina was also totally friendly and nice, so much so that I felt bad for never really liking his character much.

That’s right, I too used to think Will was obnoxious. But once I realized the actor was kinda awesome, I reconsidered his character and gave him a chance. So I’m glad you asked me, as I’ve been on both sides with Will and really love him now.

IMO, Will Bailey came in not just as a replacement for Sam, but also as a character with very different values, who was meant to contrast with our heroes at a crucial time.

Mid-S4, when Will is first introduced, we meet him as a skilled, idealistic writer who’s also got strong organizational and leadership skills. That’s different from any of our faves, since both Sam and Toby are talented wordsmiths, and both are idealistic in their own ways, but they’re also both oriented towards behind-the-scenes work. Toby is very team-focused and loyal but he would like it if everyone would leave him alone and let him do what he’s good at–messaging and writing and trying to nudge the people around him onto the path he thinks is best. When CJ is promoted above him to become COS, he cares even less about the professional snub than Josh does, because it’s not something he wanted.

And while Sam has political aspirations, he never really shows leadership qualities. He’s an excellent second to Toby and even for Josh when needed, but he’s also shown to be the least canny and experienced of them all, and you could argue that being in front of the camera as a candidate for office doesn’t always equal being a leader, if your staff is really running the show for you, which is what Sam’s campaign looks like. Everyone around him coordinates the details and runs things to leave him space to just be The Guy. But Will Bailey is both the guy running the show behind the scenes AND the guy who can get on camera and speak about the politics and ideals of his campaign because his family and professional background made him much more well-rounded. Heck, he’s even in the armed forces on top of all that! He’s portrayed as good at all the things he does.

Now, what’s interesting to me is that Will, as he’s first introduced, is much more confident and idealistic than he is later on. Early Will goes through a serious transformation, from Toby’s new second to an independent operator who lacks the loyalty the others have to a man more than to a party. To some extent, Will’s rebellious, ‘you need me more than I need you’ attitude was there from the moment Sam showed up to his winning campaign, but I think that who Aaron Sorkin (who had worked with the actor a lot before) conceived him as changed after Sorkin left. The showrunners for S5-7 saw an opportunity in his character’s feisty campaign background and turned him into someone with even less personal loyalty and more detached pragmatism.

The fact is, that’s not what Sorkin-era TWW is about. One of the reasons the later seasons are so different is their clear-eyed look at campaign chaos and shifting loyalties and all the small on-the-ground work that we didn’t see with President Bartlet. The earlier seasons are very much about our found family of staffers and the First Family and watching them fight the status quo that constrains them because they won. They always want to do better, and be better, and as much as they acknowledge the reality that you have to win in order to change the world, the show still promises us that it’s the change that actually matters, and it isn’t worth winning if you have to sell your soul to do it.

So if there’s a spectrum along which everyone falls, based on how much they’re willing to ‘go along to get along’ versus making trouble for the sake of their beliefs, Will Bailey is on the exact opposite end from say, Amy Gardner, with our core characters in the middle. I’ve rambled about Amy before, about how her values and priorities are so different from our heroes that she’s an antagonist even as she works with them a lot of the time. Will has the same complicated relationship with the people we’ve been rooting for for years, but for drastically different reasons. Amy is at odds with the West Wing because she’ll do whatever it takes to win the argument and get what she wants, pulling the Democrats to the left whenever possible.

Will, though–especially in S5 and beyond–is at odds with the West Wing even when he’s in the West Wing, because for all his ideals, he has no problem with compromise. He sees nothing wrong with moving to the middle if it helps you win, if it gets you more power. He’s willing to look like an idiot for the White House, he’s willing to go in front of the press core and be beaten up for days if it will help the cause, he doesn’t hesitate to jump to a new campaign that he thinks could win, because winning is how you get the things you want. Probably, being a diplomat’s son has something to do with how accommodating he is, and how able Will is to justify any position, any choice. We’re told he’s very good with words, but he was probably also good at Debate in school, because he can clearly turn any situation around as needed.

Which means that while Will’s instinct is to adjust and Amy’s is to dig her heels in, they share the one quality that makes any TWW character harder to like: they answer only to themselves. Above all else, their ‘constituency of one’ is themselves rather than a specific politician or even the party. Will is a Democrat, but he’ll happily buck the party wisdom in favor of what he thinks will win. And that puts him up against Toby, the President, Josh, etc, at different times because he bases his choices on his own ideals and they’re just different from those of the Bartlet Administration, which spends 8 years fighting to stay progressive and deciding it’s better to go down fighting than do or say things they don’t believe in.

Will is also an interesting foil for Donna after she leaves the White House, and not just because they become coworkers and good friends. Along with the fact that she left Josh and struck out on her own, most of her post-Sorkin conflict with Josh is actually based on WHO she went to work for and how differently she and Josh see that decision/what it says about her and her time working under Josh. By going to work for Russell, Donna shows that she’s less concerned with finding the perfect underdog candidate and more interested in a future that keeps up Democratic progress after President Bartlet leaves office. She is never dedicated to Russell as a man, and over time becomes visibly concerned with his flaws as a man and a candidate. But tellingly, Will isn’t any more personally loyal to Russell than Donna is–and he’s the one running the man’s whole campaign!

It says a lot about Will that for all the moments when Russell shows himself to be less than honorable, Will clearly disagrees with his actions…but he stays. Because Russell was never why he left the Bartlet Administration, or why he took on the new campaign. He took it on because he’s good at winning campaigns, and in Russell he saw someone who could win, and he may have even admired the antagonistic streak that came out once Russell became VP. Russell also had no interest in the ‘cult of Bartlet’ and quickly proved that he wouldn’t even have the level of respect that Hoynes had for Josiah Bartlet as a man. Most of the characters on TWW consider that strike one against Russell and a major character flaw, but Will doesn’t. He respects the President and the office but he didn’t know Jed before the MS reveal, he sees him from more of a removed distance, and his White House job is a JOB to him more than a calling.

Again, some of this was less true during the Sorkin era. The Will Bailey who lost the ability to speak when he was officially offered Sam’s position is much more in awe of the gravity of it all, and it’s hard to see that guy jumping ship to support a moderate candidate that nobody in the White House even likes. But the hints of who he ends up as were there from the beginning, the way he tells off Sam and Toby even before he works with them–he’s always an outsider.

So the outsider factor, that makes it harder to like Will or any TWW character that doesn’t automatically get along with the others. Ainsley Hayes may be ‘the enemy’ as a Republican, but she is amiable and smoothly tries to change minds–and when she isn’t able to, she opts to live and let live. Will is harsher, more combative at times, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but that makes me feel defensive and protective towards the staffers he’s arguing with. After all, I adore them and I barely know him, how dare he?

But of course, his actions and his beliefs make perfect sense from HIS perspective. He’s had a successful career, and being a part of the Administration was never a goal of his, so he doesn’t need to go out of his way to defer to their judgement or stay quiet in the face of their superior wisdom. He was raised to know how to work people and get his way, but he was also raised with incredible privilege and confidence and if he was banished from TWW inner circle it wouldn’t be much of a loss for him. Being an outsider isn’t a problem for him, he spent his life that way as a diplomat’s son, so he never feels the need to conform the way he would have to in order to really become a part of the gang.

Honestly, the only reason he ever gels as a part of the group is because Josh leaves and Toby is fired and they need Will to speak for the White House–finally he’s the ultimate insider, he’s the Bartlet mouthpiece, and the only original senior staffer left is CJ, so once Will and Kate bond they’re the center of the staff that’s left, and he has somebody on his side. (And once he’s off the campaign trail, the show goes back to highlighting his neurotic and geeky side, because he can’t be the ‘win at all costs’ guy anymore and needed a new focus.)

So here’s why I think it can be hard to like Will: he often seems like an entitled, immune-to-criticism, antagonistic opportunist. At his worst he seems to think the means justify the ends, despite his progressive beliefs in general, and that means he’s the guy who could get almost anybody elected–which is great when it’s S3 and Bruno Gianelli is on Bartlet’s side, but less so when Russell seems like not much of an improvement on Hoynes in terms of decency and intelligence and Will has the skills to actually make that guy President.

BUT, (and I can’t guarantee this will help you but I think it’s important because Will does exist as a complex, multidimensional character, and that’s a good thing even though it means he has flaws) at his best he is an adorable dork who wants to make the world better, will take jobs because he believes they need doing even if they’re not his own personal dream, is willing to put himself in danger to save and protect others, and is not just talented but also very knowledgeable about the same kind of geeky Constitutional and political history that Jed Bartlet is.

What I’m trying to say is that Will, as much as anyone on TWW, is the product of his good and bad qualities, and both sides of that equation come from his core traits. His ability to ignore others’ criticism because he’s secure in who he is can be annoying when it’s Toby or Josh trying to talk sense into him, but it also means he survives hazing with friendly ease and stands up for the White House’s positions like a pro. He cares more about winning than fighting the narrowest version of the good fight, but he’s not wrong that winning is better for progressive goals than losing for the sake of ideological purity (hi 2016, I have not missed you). He isn’t loyal to the Bartlet Adminstration above all else–but if everyone were, then the President would be a dictator. Intra-party fighting can weaken a party but it also allows for diversity rather than a cult mentality.

So, here’s what it comes down to. Will isn’t Sam, and that means Toby could never really like or trust him, even if he had become more loyal. Will is a political relativist, which means Josh was never going to agree with his choices, as Josh has always put people first and hates having to compromise. Will is a privileged white guy (played by a Jewish actor, but never canonically established as Jewish) so CJ tolerates him but doesn’t genuinely like him for some time, because that’s just how she rolls. Leo leaves Will under Toby’s purview, and Jed has even less direct interaction with him. He spends a lot of his time battling a group of young female interns we never see again (tbh I can’t stand those scenes and if that’s where you get your creep factor, I get it). Given how disconnected he often is from the central cast, is it any wonder he’s mostly underappreciated and ignored by fans as well?

As for why the female characters on the show don’t seem bothered by him, even when you are, I think there’s a couple of possible explanations. First of all, TWW is a show that doesn’t show us that much–we have to assume that all of these characters, who practically live at work, spend a TON of time together offscreen, just by the nature of their jobs. If most of that time is similar to Will’s comedic scenes, where he’s a giant nerd with bikes in his office whose response to stress is the fetal position, then presumably his coworkers see his flawed human side, in an endearing rather than annoying way.

And secondly, we as viewers don’t have that perspective. We don’t even have the benefit of being these characters living in the early ‘00s, when it was a given that the government would be full of overconfident oblivious men and that’s just what women were expected to handle with poise and sweetness. Clearly things haven’t changed much over the years when it comes to White House staff and a backdrop of misogyny at work, but for a lot of us as viewers the world has progressed.

So Donna gets along with Will as her boss who can be kind of dense or morally ambivalent sometimes, but she’s also spent almost a decade dealing with the most powerful men in America. As an assistant, for most of that time. To her, even Will’s worst moments are barely a blip in the grand scheme of things. And CJ is totally unimpressed by Will’s smarts and talent because she works with the smartest and most talented men she’s ever known, but he serves a purpose and doesn’t get in her way, so she has no problem with him. Kate rose to power through the ranks of military men and has definitely seen, and probably injured, worse guys than Will Bailey. All the women of TWW have spent their careers dealing with men of varying character. I mean, even compared to some of Sam’s comments, Will must seem downright harmless.

TL;DR Can Will Bailey be a patronizing know-it-all who puts his own interests before party and found family? Absolutely. Is he a bad guy? Not at all. He’s just a different kind of good guy than those The West Wing conditioned us to admire and root for.

[mass-and-volume]

EPISODE 24 | THE WORK (with Joycelyn Wilson)

The summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I went to a summer program called the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP). Basically, if you were particularly good at a subject (ranging from traditional subjects like Language Arts and Science to offerings like French, Fine Art, an instrument, or Dance), you lived on campus at Valdosta State University for 6 months with 600 other highly-passionate nerds. I was there for Math (probably the least passionate and most nerdy sub-group), but nearly all of my memories that summer come from some place other than the 6-8 hours each day I spent learning about new kinds of mathematics. Most of what I remember is from the two guys I spent the most time with on my hall: my roommate, Dallas, and my best friend that summer, Colby. Each had a lasting impression on me in a distinctly different way.  And every single thing we did that summer was soundtracked to hip-hop.

 When I walked into my room for the very first time, Dallas was blasting Biggie. Life After Death had just come out, and Dallas was all about it. I was more of a lighthearted listener of hip-hop - OutKast was my group, I knew all the words to “Regulate,” and I had some favorites off E. 1999 Eternal, but I had no  real exposure to and New York or LA rap. Dallas made sure to learn me. He played a steady dose of Biggie and Tupac, explaining to me the history of both coasts, the sampling techniques, the rivalries. While we were at Nerd Camp, No Way Out and The Art of War both released, and I’d later go home and buy them for myself. Dallas’ biggest contribution to my life - one that still lives on today - is introducing me to “Mo Money Mo Problems” (sidenote, what a glorious video. So weird, though, that Puffy’s caddy didn’t pull the pin for him), one of the top songs of my life and the one that will always make me break conversation and beeline to the dancefloor.

Colby’s sensibilities were drastically different. He was also a Math major, but the type of kid who scared me: loud, brash, inappropriate, and disrespectful to authority. At the time, I didn’t know how those qualities could co-exist with an affinity for mathematics. I’m not sure why he paid me any attention, but we found ourselves in conversation on the first night of GHP and were close to inseparable for the rest of the summer. One of us mentioned OutKast at some point - it’s difficult to believe there was a pre-Aquemini world, but this was… somehow pre-Aquemini. And even though we were in Georgia and it would have been weirder for someone to not know OutKast than to love them, this connection was the keystone for our friendship. It opened up the world for our summer in Valdosta: sitting in hallways, cafeterias, or laundry rooms, playing Spades as ATLiens blasted, front-to-back, from the AIWA boombox I’d brought. Colby turning me onto Pete Rock and CL Smooth while we worked on a math project. Debating whether or not the next album should be Goodie Mob or The Roots.

That summer changed my life in a lot of ways, but the one thing I’ll never forget is how it sounded. And how it bounced. And because I was taking in so many new experiences (first or new definitions of independence and romance and connection), the values I underscored for each were shaped by the stories I heard day and night. Hip-hop became one of the primary lenses through which I see the world, and it remains the form of art or media that excites me most to consume, absorb, investigate, and understand.

After that summer, my path traveled through Bad Boy and Bone Thugs, 2Pac's Greatest Hits, and The Roots' catalog in between OutKast releases every 2 years. After Stankonia, I drifted more into the crossover and/or R&B side of rap (thank you, TRL): Nelly and Murder Inc. and Aftermath and Snoop and basically anything Neptunes-produced along with a lot of stuff from the South: Cash Money, Ludacris, T.I., Jeezy, and others. Around the time I moved to LA, it was all Kanye and The Black Album all the time. And then Drake. So much Drake. Still here for all the Drake.

And it's with this backdrop that I now see the dilemma.

It's an easy listening path from Nostalgia, Ultra to Kaleidoscope Dream to House of Balloons to Late Nights to I Am Not A Human Being to anything-DJ-Mustard-produced... and in what is a very natural sonic progression, the messaging of romance goes from "here are the ways I want to love you, if only I could" to "I'm going to do x with y and you’re gonna z," the variables substituted for words that make most folks (but not the President) very uncomfortable. For pretty much my entire life, I had no interest in finding that line of demarcation.

The song I reference in the podcast is 6LACK's PRBLMS. It occurred to me that I can't stand up the way I want to stand up in the world while fully embracing certain messaging in music, film, television, or otherwise. And while lyrics and storytelling are open to interpretation and speak to that artist's experience, language, or expression, I have to draw my lines. As Dr. Joyce said, that's the work. But I see now that the art of storytellin’ that drew me in and built so much of my world led, years later, to a collection of music I enjoy but doesn’t present the art nor the storytelling I want to present to the world.

As part of an experiment, I thought I'd share a handful of some (previously) favorite tracks by some of my favorite artists. These are artists (or songs) I listen to weekly, if not daily, and have appeared on many a playlist I've made and shared. Some of them have issues because of the year in which they were written, others because of the genre they fall in, others because of the writing itself. But, regardless:

HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC SONGS I USED TO LOVE

Ray Charles - “I Got A Woman”

She's there to love me both day and night

Never grumbles or fusses, always treats me right

Never runnin' in the streets, and leavin' me alone

She knows a woman's place is right there now in her home

Yikes, Ray. And yet debatably less problematic than the anthem it inspired.

Dean Martin - “I’ll Buy That Dream”

Imagine you in a gown white and flowery

And me thanking Dad for your dowry

[Later]

Imagine me on our first anniversary

With someone like you in the nursery

Sounds like Dean’s got all the roles scoped.

 OutKast - “Jazzy Belle”

In this dog-eat-dog world

Kitty cats be scratching on my furry coat to curl

Up with me and my bowl of kibbles and bits

I want to earl cause most of the girls that we was liking in high school

Now they dyking…

This one breaks my heart, as this was my first favorite Kast track. I guess for every Sasha Thumper there’s a Suzy Skrew, for every Ms. Jackson, there’s a Hootie Hoo.

 Drake - “Shot for Me”

I'm the man, yeah I said it

Bitch, I'm the man, don't you forget it

The way you walk, that's me

The way you talk, that's me

The way you've got your hair up, did you forget that's me?

And the voice in your speaker right now that's me

That's me, and the voice in your ear

That's me, can't you see

That I made it? Yeah, I made it

First I made you who you are and then I made it

Another one that cuts deep. This was a longtime favorite for several choice lines in the 2nd verse.

 Jay-Z - “Bitches and Sisters”

Sisters get respect, bitches get what they deserve

Sisters work hard, bitches work your nerves

Sisters hold you down, bitches hold you up

Sisters help you progress, bitches will slow you up

Sisters cook up a meal, play their role with the kids

Bitches in street with their nose in your biz

I mean, the entire conceit of the song is trouble. But in the second verse, after a sample says, “Say Jay-Z, why you gotta go and disrespect the women for, huh?” this is how he defends his point.

In the words of Dr. Joyce on the podcast, “Who wants a sexist social activist?” That’s the work.

 -Scotty

Subscribe to Mass + Volume on iTunes. Check out our new website and visit our Patreon page if you feel so inclined.

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Show notes:

Dr. Joyce (website | twitter | instagram)

Four-Four Beat Project / Hip-Hop 2020 (website)

Bring The Noize by Dr. Joycelyn Wilson (Bitter Southerner)

In this episode, we referenced:

Big Gipp Details Future's Dungeon Family Background; Rapper Was Known As Meathead (HipHopDX)

Future Describes Dungeon Family Ties And Purposely "Dumbing Down" His Music (HipHopDX)

The Art of Organized Noize documentary (Trailer on YouTube | Watch on Netflix)

Blues People: Negro Music in White America by Leroi Jones (Amazon)

The Making of OutKast's Aquemini (Creative Loafing)

Bad and Boujee Civil War lesson (AJC | youtube)

Migos Rapped A Children's Book. It's Funny, But It Makes Perfect Sense (NPR)

Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Amazon)

Why Is My Life So Hard (Freakonomics podcast)

Music

“SpottieOttieDopalicious” by OutKast (YouTube)

“Synthesizer” - OutKast (YouTube)

“It’s Okay” - Slimm Calhoun feat. Andre 3000 (YouTube)

“She Lives In My Lap” - Andre 3000 (YouTube)

“Coldest Winter” - Kanye West (YouTube)

“Street Lights” - Kanye West (YouTube)

“Made of Glass” - Lil Yachty (YouTube)

“Pretty” - Lil Yachty (YouTube)

“Belly of the Beast” - Da Connect (YouTube)

“March Madness” on Saturday Night Live - Future (YouTube)

“Mask Off” Remix - Future feat. Kendrick Lamar (YouTube)

Soul Music - Tr380 the Future (SoundCloud)

“I’m The One” - DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil Wayne (YouTube)

[currentbdnews]

https://ift.tt/2ny3Ujh target immigration law after arrest in Mollie Tibbetts’ murderhttps://ift.tt/eA8V8J Politicians target immigration law after arrest in Mollie Tibbetts’ murder For update news visit All Bd Newspaper

MONTEZUMA, Iowa — The disappearance of a well-liked college student from America’s heartland had touched many people since she vanished one month ago while out for a run. But the stunning news that a Mexican man living in the U.S. illegally has allegedly confessed to kidnapping and murdering her thrust the case into the middle of the contentious immigration debate and midterm elections.

President Donald Trump seized on the man’s arrest in the death of Mollie Tibbetts on Tuesday to call the nation’s immigration laws “a disgrace” that will only be fixed by electing more Republicans. Iowa’s Republican governor, facing a tough re-election challenge in November, blasted an immigration system that “allowed a predator like this to live in our community.” And Iowa’s two GOP U.S. senators called the death a tragedy that “could have been prevented.”

I am sorry to have to reiterate that there are serious and unpleasant consequences to crossing the Border into the United States ILLEGALLY! If there were no serious consequences, our country would be overrun with people trying to get in, and our system could not handle it!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2018

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of the 20-year-old Tibbetts, whose July 18 disappearance set off a massive search involving state and federal authorities.

Rivera led investigators early Tuesday to a body believed to be Tibbetts in a cornfield about 12 miles (19 kilometres) southeast of Brooklyn, Iowa, where Tibbetts was last seen going for a routine evening run, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Rick Rahn said.

“I can’t speak about the motive. I can just tell you that it seemed that he followed her, seemed to be drawn to her on that particular day, for whatever reason he chose to abduct her,” Rahn told reporters at a news conference outside the sheriff’s office in Montezuma, where Rivera was jailed on $1 million cash-only bond.

Within hours, Trump noted the arrest at a rally in West Virginia on a day when his former personal lawyer and ex-campaign chairman both faced major legal problems.

“You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman,” Trump told the crowd in Charleston. “Should’ve never happened. Illegally in our country. We’ve had a huge impact, but the laws are so bad. The immigration laws are such a disgrace, we’re getting them changed, but we have to get more Republicans. We have to get ’em.”

//

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said residents were heartbroken and angry. U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst vowed: “We cannot allow these tragedies to continue.”

Trump has made further crackdown on illegal immigration a core policy of his administration. He often has claimed widespread crime by people living in the country illegally, citing among other things the indictments of 11 suspected MS-13 gang members from El Salvador charged in connection with the slayings of two Virginia teens. Trump also has held events at the White House with members of “angel families,” whose relatives were killed by immigrants.

Although Trump claims legal U.S. residents are less likely to commit crime, several studies from social scientists and the libertarian think-tank Cato Institute find that isn’t accurate and that states with a higher share of people living in the country illegally have lower violent crime rates.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it lodged a federal immigration detainer for Rivera after he was arrested on the murder charge. That move means the agency has probable cause to believe he is subject to deportation.

Investigators said they believed Rivera had lived in the area from four to seven years.

In a statement late Tuesday, Yarrabee Farms said Rivera had worked at its farms for the last four years and was an employee in good standing. The Brooklyn-based company said it was shocked to hear that Rivera was charged in Tibbetts’ death. Yarrabee Farms is owned by the family of Craig Lang, a prominent Republican who previously served as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau.

A search of Iowa court records revealed no prior criminal history, and it’s unclear whether he had ever been subject to prior deportation proceedings.

Rivera’s Facebook page described him as being from Guayabillo, a community of less than 500 people in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It’s about a three-hour drive from the resort city of Acapulco.

Investigators said they zeroed in on Rivera after obtaining footage from surveillance cameras in Brooklyn. The footage showed a Chevy Malibu connected to Rivera that was driving back and forth as Tibbetts was running in the area, Rahn said.

//

An affidavit attached to the criminal complaint against Rivera alleged that he admitted to investigators he got out of his car and started running alongside Tibbetts.

Tibbetts grabbed her phone and said she was going to call the police. The affidavit said Rivera panicked and then said he blacked out. Rivera next remembers seeing her earphones on his lap, and taking her bloody body out of the trunk of his car, it said.

“The defendant further described during the interview that he dragged Tibbetts on foot from his vehicle to a secluded location in a cornfield,” the affidavit said.

Investigators said they had earlier searched the area for Tibbetts but didn’t find her, noting the body was covered by corn stalks when recovered early Tuesday.

Rahn said Rivera was co-operating with investigators and speaking with the help of a translator. He said an autopsy would be performed on the body Wednesday by the state medical examiner’s office, which would assist investigators in understanding whether Tibbetts had been assaulted or tried to fight him off.

Rivera’s initial court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday in Montezuma.

A conviction on first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole in Iowa, which doesn’t have the death penalty.

Tibbetts’ disappearance set off a massive search involving dozens of officers from the FBI, as well as state and local agencies. They focused much of their efforts in and around Brooklyn, searching farm fields, ponds and homes. Investigators asked anyone who was around five locations, including a car wash, a truck stop and a farm south of town, to report if they saw anything suspicious on July 18.

Last week, Vice-President Mike Pence met privately with the Tibbetts family during a visit to Iowa and told them that “you’re on the hearts of every American.”

At Brooklyn City Hall, city clerk Sheri Sharer said Tuesday was a sad day for the town.

“It never crossed our mind that she wouldn’t come home safe,” she said.

The University of Iowa mourned the loss of Tibbetts, a psychology major who would have started her junior year this week.

“We are deeply saddened that we’ve lost a member of the University of Iowa community,” said university official Melissa Shivers, who urged students to seek counselling and other support services as needed.

Rahn said he met with the parents and other relatives of Tibbetts to inform them of the arrest Tuesday. He told them that the investigation revealed that they had “raised a great daughter.”

“We got to know Mollie,” he said. “She was a phenomenal individual.”

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[democratsunited-blog]

Cortez and Waters: The New Faces of the Ignorant and Intolerant Democratic Party

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=7420

Cortez and Waters: The New Faces of the Ignorant and Intolerant Democratic Party

Bernie Sanders was just the start. Recent events have shown the American public how ignorance, intolerance, and hatred now dominate the former party of FDR & JFK. No one exemplifies this “new” Democratic party better than Maxine Waters and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. For a clear example of intolerance and hate look no further than Maxine Waters. Back in January of 2018, Maxine Waters appeared on MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” to comment on the allegation that President Trump called some Third World nations “s***hole countries.”

As is typical of the “new” Democratic party, Maxine Waters had no interest in a spirited debate or discussion of the facts. Instead, she went on a hate-filled tirade, with Trump-loathing guest-host Joy Reid watching and agreeing. Honestly, this is not the first or last time she has made a fool out of herself. More on that in a minute.

Here is just a small excerpt of Waters’ tirade: “I have called him what I know him to be for a long time. Remember when I called him a scumbag. I’ve called him a racist, deplorable, despicable, adding to what others are calling him—a moron, ignorant, on and on and on,” she said.

“The United States of America is being represented by the most despicable human being that could possibly ever walk the earth,” she continued.

I ask you this: Can you imagine a world in which any Republican could have made those comments against Barack Obama, and lived?

Wait, it gets better. In June of 2018, Waters followed up her performance with even more hate and intolerance. As reported by Real Clear Politics: “If you think we’re rallying now, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” Waters said. “Already, you have members of your Cabinet that are being booed out of restaurants…who have protesters taking up at their house, who say, ‘No peace, no sleep! No peace, no sleep!’”

Waters drones on: “Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up and if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”

Folks, this should scare the hell out of you. Consider that her extreme, unethical, and potentially illegal comments (incitement to riot) come less than a year after a deranged Bernie Sanders supporter tried to murder several Republican lawmakers during a congressional baseball practice. The gunman shot Republican Rep. Steve Scalise several times during the attack, nearly killing him.

Democrats should be toning down the rhetoric and vitriol, not calling for incitements to riot. Who is the party of hate now?

Further, an August 2, 2018 story titled “Maxine Waters Slammed with FEC Complaint After Reportedly Funneling $750,000 to Daughter” broke, placing Congresswoman Waters under the Federal Election Commission lens. Writing for LifeZette, Fred Lucas reported, “Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, one of the most outspoken members of the anti-Trump resistance in Congress, is facing fresh questions about a long-standing controversy regarding how her campaign raises money and how those funds have flowed to her daughter,” Karen Waters, “or her public relations firm Progressive Connections, for help producing them.” I look forward to the FEC connecting the dots and following the money, and seeing how it all shakes out.

Then there is avowed Socialist Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the true face of the ignorant. Ronald Reagan said it best: “It isn’t so much that liberals are ignorant. It’s just that they know so many things that aren’t so.” Just take a look at her excruciating-to-watch interview on PBS‘s “Firing Line,” for portrayed proof of that statement.

(Credit: Facebook/Larry Schweikart)

During the interview, Ocasio-Cortez was asked to explain and expand on a comment she had made referencing Israel as an “occupation” force in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After taking a moment to gather her “thoughts,” she said the following: “I am not the expert at geopolitics on this issue,” she said with a laugh. “I am a firm believer in finding a two-state solution on this issue, and I’m happy to sit down with leaders on both of these, for me, I just look at things through a human-rights lens, and I may not use the right words. I know this is a very intense issue.”

Now I am sure I am not the only one that is confused. Why? An op-ed piece by the Washington Examiner titled, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Talks About the ‘Occupation of Palestine’ but She Doesn’t Know What That Means” explains it well. The Examiner article began, “Even with her degree in international relations, the lack of knowledge beyond buzz-words should not be surprising.”

On August 3, 2018, FrontPageMag.com reporter Daniel Greenfield wrote, “Don’t make too much of teenagers and their political views. That’s usually solid advice. Because at that age they change a lot. And these days the twenties are often the new teens. So it’s not too surprising that the left’s new socialist role model had a bunch of different views. And probably still will. Because as her interviews make clear, she doesn’t really know anything. And just has the millennial skill to position her brand, but there’s nothing underneath.” Not mincing words at all.

Greenfield expounded on Ocasio-Cortez’s seeming philosophies ebbing and flowing like the tides of the moment, saying: “I suspect that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez largely parrots whatever views are on her radar. In college, she drifted into a more sensible academic niche and echoed those views. Then she drifted into activism and parroted their views. As her “Firing Line” interview made very clear, she doesn’t know anything, can’t explain her views and is just an overgrown teen who got elected to the House.”

On a side note, this is a screaming wake-up call about the current status of our education system and what exactly our kids are “learning” in college. I wrote an article about this months ago, on how our institutions of higher learning have been hijacked by the left and are in fact “indoctrination” centers. It is the corruption of our youth through political ideology indoctrination, not education…and Ocasio-Cortez is the poster child.

The article continues, “Ocasio-Cortez also touched on comments she made in May when she called the Israeli military action confronting protesters trying to breach the Israel-Gaza Strip a ‘massacre’ and that ‘no state or entity is absolved of mass shootings of protesters.’”

She continued, “There is no justification. Palestinian people deserve basic human dignity, as anyone else,” adding, “The lens through which I saw this incident [at the Israel–Gaza border], as an activist, as an organizer, I just look at that incident…just as an incident, and to me, it would just be completely unacceptable if that happened on our shores.”

While her words might evoke an emotional reaction (the objective), one must ask the question: Exactly what kind of “lens” are you looking through? Not once during her interview did she mention the almost daily rocket attacks being fired on Israeli communities where women, children, and the elderly reside. Where is your outrage, Ms. Cortez? What about the waves of hostile Palestinians who constantly attempt to breach security fences along the border, or the incessant terrorist attacks by the Palestinians? Again, I ask: Where is your moral outrage now, Ms. Cortez?

It would seem to me that her lens has a filter on it; it is a filter I hope most Americans vote against. While she may be ignorant she is certainly not stupid. After all, she was able to beat a 10-term incumbent by 15 points, whose funds were, by some estimates, 15 times greater than hers. Here is how she did it.

She lied.

Did she or did she not claim that she was raised in the Bronx and came from “humble” roots? According to a scathing report by the Daily Mail, you grew up in a very wealthy suburb north of New York City where homes routinely sell for $900,000 or more.

And as reported by Inquisitr, “…even though Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed to be a daughter of a ‘small businessman,’ and a mother who ‘cleaned houses,’ her father, Sergio Ocasio-Roman, was born in New York City and was a prominent architect, having founded the firm Kirschenbaum & Ocasio-Roman Architects, PC. According to its Manta listing, the company boasted an annual revenue of $500,000 per year.”

But it goes further than that. The district she “elected” to represent was not her own. Why did she choose New York’s 14th Congressional District? Because it was a “sure thing.”

You see, New York’s 14th district is an area with a “minority majority” and that majority is Hispanic; she played them like a fiddle with her lies.

New York’s 14th district is unique and not at all representative of most congressional districts around the country. According to the Census Bureau, it breaks down demographically as 22 percent white, 50 percent Hispanic, 9 percent black and 16 percent Asian. In addition, 45.8 percent in this district are foreign-born, and 67.8 percent report that they speak a language other than English at home.

So, she makes the rounds, speaking in their native language, appealing to the Hispanics who control, by some estimates, 50 percent of the vote. It’s not rocket science. She hustled everybody.

So there you have it folks, the “new” Democratic party. A party of intolerant haters and the woefully ignorant. I don’t know which one scares me more.

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[myupdatesystems-blog]

Reality Revised - The Way to Change the Past

New Post has been published on https://myupdatesystems.com/2017/04/14/reality-revised-the-way-to-change-the-past/

Reality Revised - The Way to Change the Past

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” – George Orwell

Ministry of Truth employee Winston Smith, in Orwell’s prophetic 1984, spends his time altering reality. His job is to change or eliminate all documented evidence about certain people and events – to the extent that all memory about them is completely erased. The truth, for all practical purposes, never existed. The past is thereby controlled, as is the future.

Orwell created an imaginary, nightmare world of fascinating fiction. Couldn’t happen here, of course. Or could it? Newsflash: It could indeed!

Our so-called “Free” press, the current Ministry of Truth, does an exceptional job of manipulating reality. The real news is hidden, manipulated or ignored completely. Scant coverage is given to anything resembling actual truth, and your attention is directed elsewhere.

Twenty million illegal aliens? No problem. Fifty million Americans without health insurance? Who cares? Another hundred killed or maimed today in our proxy war in the Mideast? Look, over here! We’ve got a missing cheerleader! And how about the latest loser on American Idol? You say you just lost your job and your house and your kid can’t read his high school diploma? Bummer. As they say in New York, Fuhgeddaboudit! The Ministry of Truth will decide what’s important and what’s not.

And mentioning American Idol., I realize I am in the minority but, for some unknown reason, I’ve never enjoyed the spectacle of watching unqualified (to be generous) people who consider making fools of themselves on TV to be the highlight of their lives. Idol, of course, is broadcast on the Fox Network. Fox News is known out here in sheeple and as the Satire Channel, or the War Channel. To any perceptive viewer, it is obviously the 100% Government Controlled Channel.

Getting back to the subject of Reality Control (which we never left), consider the case of Randall Tobias, former Deputy Secretary of State and Administrator of the US Agency for International Development, the Bush global AID program. Tobias suddenly resigned on April 27 after being exposed as a client of DC madam Deborah Jean Palfrey. Deputy Tobias claimed, of course, that he only availed himself, on occasion, of the good madam’s innocent massage services. Sure.

So far, nothing unusual. Politicians have been screwing their constituencies forever. When they pay for the indulgence, they sometimes get caught. In this case, the enterprising Ms. Palfrey goes on to lucrative TV and book deals, and Mr. Tobias finds himself consigned to oblivion.

But something about this little incident is quite remarkable and not generally known. Washington Post columnist Al Kamen reports receiving an incredible email from senior AID official Steve Tupper. The email advises State Department and AID employees of the necessity of erasing all documented evidence of Randall Tobias – such evidence to include all pictures and statements contained in any and all printed publications, websites, reception room walls, newsletters, brochures, etc., etc., etc. All ongoing projects to be stopped, reviewed and resubmitted for publication approval after all mention of the offending Mr. Tobias has been dutifully erased.

Shades of 1984! There it is. Documented evidence that people are being erased from memory. I wonder how thorough they’ll be. Will they try to white-out all school records? Threaten or bribe all family members and casual acquaintances? Convince his mother she had one less son? Remove all evidence of former Boy Scout merit badges?

I wonder how many other hapless victims have been erased. Maybe they’re all in the Witness Protection Program. Maybe they’re working alongside you right this moment, pretending to be someone else. Ever irritate the government? You could be on a list. Scheduled to disappear. All memories of you wiped out forever. Nice knowing you…whoever you were.

The Ministry of…I mean the Media, has an easier method of controlling reality, by simply not reporting something at all, or just changing the facts to suit their own nefarious purposes. Consider the recent so-called debate held on the Fox so-called News channel between Republican presidential candidates on May 15.

At one point, candidate Ron Paul, arguably the only honest candidate actually representing the interests of the American people, said that our Middle East problems were the result of blowback, or unintended consequences, stemming from our own hegemonic actions.

Needless to say, no other candidate agreed. Rudy Giuliani demanded a retraction. Mitt Romney advocated doubling the size of our Guantanamo concentration camp. They both advocated torture, calling it “enhanced interrogation” which elicited a comment from Ron Paul about the term sounding very much like Newspeak, George Orwell’s definition of misleading doubletalk. He was, of course, right on the mark.

Candidate Duncan Hunter agreed with the necessity of torture, as did Tom Tancredo, who expressed a desire for “24” torture expert Jack Bauer to handle the gory details. The crowd greeted each advocacy for torture with cheers, laughter, and thunderous applause. John McCain, who might be presumed to know a little about the practice, protested against it. Which met with absolute silence. The bloodthirsty crowd, these Republicans. Which might explain more than a little about our newfound standing in the world.

The most interesting aspect about all this is that in every legitimate poll taken after the debate, there was one unqualified winner – though you’d never know it if your only source of information was the controlled mainstream media. Ron Paul won the debate hands down. The next candidates weren’t even close.

The media’s assessment? Ron Paul barely registered in the polls! The winners? Your choice of Romney or Giuliani. And if either wins the race for President, I guess we can expect a building boom of more Guantanamo and maybe a new reality TV show based on water-boarding and other forms of “enhanced interrogation”. At least until the American people lose their indifference and regain their sanity.

Speaking of polls, by the way, be wary of accepting the results of any poll. I would tend to believe the polls mentioned above regarding Ron Paul. They were taken from numerous sources, many not subject to absolute media control, and they all confirmed each other’s results. The polls taken exclusively by the controlled media can, for the most part, be considered their usual exercises in influencing public opinion in a predetermined direction.

Most of the time, it works, and you can’t completely blame those who answer such polls for their answers. Not when their sole sources of information do little but provide manufactured news. Polls become irrelevant when based entirely on tainted information. The media has learned this quite well.

Disinformation has become the media’s stock in trade. You may think the media’s obligation is to report the truth and keep you informed. Sorry, Charlie. You’ve been taken again. The media’s primary purpose is to make a profit. That’s right. Advertising profits drive the media. Nothing else. They have no obligation to tell you the truth about anything. Remember Don Imus? His employers were loyal for a good ten seconds. When advertisers pulled their ads, he was gone.

Getting back to the media’s news manipulation, consider the Iraq war – the most censored war in history. American TV viewers see pictures of smoke and hear bombs going off in the distance. They see pictures of American soldiers kicking doors in. In fact, they see so many doors being kicked in that prospective recruits are led to believe that their military careers will consist entirely of kicking doors in.

But the Arab world sees a different picture. They see the closeups of what the American bombs have done. The total destruction of their homes and way of life. The horrible effects of our depleted uranium weapons (perhaps the biggest unreported war crime ever) and the innocent men, women, and children are blown to bits and left to die.

Show a few of those pictures in the American media, and the war might come to a halt. But Americans aren’t allowed to know such things. They’re not even allowed to see the remains of their servicemen killed in action. Nobody bags. No caskets. Might upset someone. Speaking of which, they’re not even allowed to know how many have given their lives!

As of today, the official count of American war dead in Iraq is 3444. According to the controlled media. Do you believe that number? Or do you count yourself among those who believe that our government routinely lies about almost everything?

The 3444 number might be considered correct, as long as you didn’t count any number of additional categories. That number does not include an exceptionally high number of deaths by accidents and suicides. It doesn’t include the deaths of private contractors, journalists, deaths in foreign hospitals and other non-combat related deaths. I understand that if a wounded serviceman is transported to our base in Germany for treatment, and he happens to die seconds or minutes after the plane leaves the ground, his death is not counted either. You can’t imagine the number of deaths that would fall into that category alone.

Many deaths aren’t reported, and I’ve seen a recent report indicating that only about 10% of military deaths are reported at all. Which would mean that our proxy war in Iraq may have cost some 34,000 lives, not the 3400 we are told. We’ll probably never know the truth, but the larger number seems more credible. Perhaps an investigation could be made – over here, not in Iraq – of County Clerk’s offices in every county in the country, or where ever such records are kept, of all bodies returned from Iraq. And Afghanistan. And wherever the next war breaks out.

One more example of how the controlled media controls events. You may remember an incident in 2004 where 4 American contractors were killed in Iraq, their bodies mutilated and dragged through the streets. Just as an aside, what do you think of when you hear the word contractor? A roofing contractor? Electrical contractors? We have another fine example of Orwell’s Newspeak. I remember reading at the time that these 4 “contractors” – in this case meaning very well paid, heavily armed mercenaries – were sent by American occupation chief Paul Bremer to kill the mayor of Fallujah. Word of the plot got out and the contractors paid the price.

Incidentally, some contractors are security personnel and other actual contractors. They’re not all mercenaries. Thanks to the Media, it’s hard to tell anymore who is who. At any rate, the latest government figures show at least 917 contractors killed in Iraq and more than 12,000 wounded in battle. Latest reports indicate 146 contract workers killed in the first 3 months of 2007. Funny, I don’t recall reading or hearing about that in our “free” media.

I can’t attest to the validity of the Bremer/contractor connection, but their deaths resulted in the destruction of Fallujah, home to some 300,000 Iraqis. Three-quarters of all buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged by the US assault in November 2004. Hospitals were targeted first, then mosques, schools, electrical and water treatment facilities. Reports of the US military using chemical and napalm-like weapons were widespread.

Charred and half-eaten corpses littered the streets. At least 6,000 Iraqis were killed. The US military claimed “at least” 600. (There’s that 10% figure again. Our beloved government, of course, has more than a little experience in manipulating numbers). But 600 or 6,000, the collective punishment inflicted upon Fallujah by the Bush administration was one of the greatest war crimes of all times. It will never be forgotten. Or forgiven. Too bad you didn’t hear about it.

As to the media reports of this atrocity, you may have seen some American soldiers kicking down a few doors. Nothing more. Sometimes when you have little better to do, check out some of the stories about Fallujah from people who were there. They’re unbelievable and they’re true. Thanks to our “free” press, it was something minor that never happened. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss. This time, however, it may come with a price.

Our actions in Fallujah led to another incident. You may recall the attempted assassination by our military of Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena in March 2005. (“unfortunate incident” or “mistaken identity” as misinformed by our “Free” press). Held for a month by Iraqi insurgents, she was being driven to freedom when the attempt occurred, wounding Sgrena and killing Italian Secret Service agent Nicola Calipari, who gave his life trying to protect her. We denied the assassination charge, of course. Don’t we always? But the outraged citizens of Italy where agent Calipari was quite popular, had a different opinion.

Giuliana Sgrena was reportedly writing a story about Fallujah – what really happened there. As such, she found herself on the endangered species list of journalists who risk their lives in pursuit of the truth. 92 journalists have been killed in Iraq since March 2003. In 2006, about 11 percent died in combat incidents. Worldwide, the leading cause of journalists deaths was murder.

Thanks to the reality revising functions of our press, most Americans haven’t a clue as to what really happened in Fallujah. I’ve only just barely touched on some of the details above. Perhaps the truth will come out in the forthcoming war crimes trials many are hoping for.

In the meantime – as another little example of media manipulation, consider the periodic Bin Laden videos which magically appear whenever the government needs a compelling diversion. Since Bin Laden apparently died of kidney failure in December 2001, his latest videotaped Fatwa can be disregarded. Bad news for John McCain who still plans to chase Bin Laden down, even to the gates of Hell. Sorry, John. You’ll have to find another boogeyman.

I keep looking for a little sign saying CIA Productions on those videos. Haven’t seen it yet. Incidentally, did you know that our government has no documented evidence tying Bin Laden to 9/11? Not a shred. Not a single sheet of paper. What we do know, is that his name was given as the perpetrator, even as the World Trade Center burned. Which means we should double the salary of everybody in the FBI for doing some fantastic instant investigative work. Or that Mr. Bin Laden was selected as the designated villain some time in advance of the actual incident.

But enough about 9/11. There’s a ton of information out there about it. Some of it quite good. At this point, the only thing absolutely certain is that the government’s version of events is little more than an exercise in creative fiction. Maybe the truth will come out in the above-mentioned war crimes trials.

Examples of Reality Revision abound in every area of everyday life. Forget phony wars on phantom terrorists. There are terrorists of another kind, motivated by greed and power and the desire to manipulate and control every aspect of your lives. Examples are endless, but let’s consider just one or two more.

Consider how the media presents questionable evidence as fact. The weekly health scare, for example. You’re constantly bombarded with dire warnings about the deadly dangers of – believe it or not – Vitamins. Do you take vitamin C? Quick, throw it away. Maybe your hair will fall out. Vitamin E? What’s the matter with you? Don’t you know that Vitamin E causes high blood pressure? And acne? And ingrown toenails? How about Echinacea? Doesn’t work. Throwing your money away. Get rid of it. Now.

Whenever I hear the latest health warning, I wonder which pharmaceutical company sponsored it. What usually happens is that a few weeks later, the “warning” is downplayed or dismissed – unreported, of course. You never hear about how the test was conducted on only a handful of people – who had tried everything else with no success. People who might be real basket cases, given minute, guaranteed unworkable amounts of something – for the express purpose of “proving” very questionable results.

Many people hearing about the scare will discard the supplements in question – give up whatever protection they afforded, possibly acquire a resulting illness, visit their accommodating doctor, and start taking a prescription drug. And then another prescription drug, for the side-effects of the first one. And maybe a third drug after that. Maybe forever.

Mission accomplished! A little reality revision and you have a new, lucrative prospect perfectly programmed to contribute to a drug company’s obscene bottom line.

Of course, the FDA will protect you, won’t they? The drugs they push have to be beneficial, don’t they? Think again. The function of the FDA is to protect the interests of the drug companies, not the misguided consumer. Peer-reviewed published studies reveal that FDA-approved prescription drugs kill some 100,000 Americans every year, and injure over 2 million more. Other realistic estimates put the death rate at over 200,000. Every year.

I think I’ll take my chances with a few vitamin supplements. You have the freedom – so far – of doing the same. Just ask your doctor for nutrition and supplement recommendations. When he or she stops laughing, you’ll be advised that vitamins don’t work. That all evidence that they do is merely anecdotal. And that, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll take this prescription drug today. In fact, you had better head down to your friendly drug store post haste.

I was once employed as a real estate broker – so long ago, that women had yet to take over the industry. Yes, there really was such a time. I remember how I used to feel just after selling a property, to be advised by my buyer that he just had to have his attorney review the contract before he could sign it.

I would mentally start the search for another buyer because chances were the attorney would kill the deal. Why? What if you recommended something, and your advice led to problems? What if you bought a house and the roof leaked or the plumbing had to be replaced, or any number of other potential disasters? What if something went wrong? Who would you blame? Your lawyer!

My point: consider the source of any advice you get. Especially any nutritional advice you get or don’t get from your doctor, who received a grand total of one-hour instruction in the subject in all his years of training. Consider the fact that he actually can’t recommend any natural supplements unless he is a naturopathic doctor. What if he recommended a specific vitamin instead of the prescribed drug for your condition? What if your condition worsened? What if you died? Who would your family sue? Your doctor, that’s who!

Try to ask advice only from those qualified to give it, and don’t take anything at face value.Take every bit of advice, no matter what it is, with a grain of salt. Several grains. In fact, so many grains that it could cause high blood pressure – another myth that I plan to demolish in another article.

One more example of reality manipulation – an extremely important one – and then I’ll leave you to pondering what kind of future you can realistically expect. What do you know about the forthcoming North American Union? Probably very little, since it has been all but completely ignored in the mainstream press.

When the North American Union goes into effect you will wake up one day to find that you are no longer an American citizen, because America will have ceased to exist. The plan is to completely eliminate the borders of Canada and Mexico and to surrender individual national sovereignty. The Constitution (what’s left of it now) would no longer exist. The Supreme Court would be subservient to a new Court of Justice. The dollar would be worthless, to be replaced by something called the amero.

Sound far fetched? This treasonous travesty has been in the works since March 23, 2005. It is spelled out in the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, and it’s being created by a governmental regulation process that effectively bypasses Congressional approval or the necessity for any kind of referendum or popular vote.

This is perhaps the greatest betrayal of the American people of all time – and a subject hardly worthy of mention by our obedient controlled press. Thank God for the internet, where you can still find a modicum of truth. Check out stopthenorthamericanunion.com one of the better sites giving quite a bit of good information about the impending disaster. Or just Google North American Union for about 92 million references to this freedom-grabbing monstrosity. Interesting, isn’t it? How Google can turn up 92 million references when your TV talking heads and local news rags refuse to mention it at all.

Can’t see writing a hundred-page warning of what to expect, so I won’t go into any greater detail here. I’m afraid we’ll all find out soon enough, sometime within the next 3 years, when it is due to go completely into effect. Unless, by some miracle, we can find a way to stop it. If you discover a way, let me know. I’ll pass it on.