#and the us benefits from the taliban

[stars-and-soda]

I'm a little late but the Taliban in Afghanistan is enforcing new moral laws including women must cover their faces, women cannot read outloud or sing in public, they cannot leave their home without a "male guardian" and more. Wishing safety, peace and freedom to all Afghans

[jazzyolivervo]

Gonna keep disputing stuff this dumb hate blog says every day until it's gone forever cuz I love my friends~

The idea that Justin fuckin' Chapman OF ALL PEOPLE is a clout chaser who only sees representation as a selfish benefit is laughable to anyone who's even met them once. Considering they're my friend, I can confidently say that this interpretation of Justin is wholly incorrect.

I've talked with Justin regarding representation in the show before and I can tell you with confidence that it is something they care about. Stuff like Painty coming out, the Bot storyline and everything with PayJay was all sincere. As an LGBTQ+ individual themselves, this shit means a lot to them. Quite frankly, I think Justin is one of the most sincere individuals I have ever met.

As for the "ableism apologist" comment, I can safely say I have NO idea what they're on about. But you gotta remember this blog specializes in saying things about people without even the smallest scrap of evidence to back it up.

I WILL say however, it is absolutely hilarious to call people who make and/or enjoy a fun little show about objects problematic or "posies" (this still gets a laugh out of me), while also apparently being pro-taliban if the other posts I've gleamed are anything to go by.

Anyway, I've reported a few posts from this user that very clearly threaten harm onto my friends and I hope Tumblr will see it fit to nuke it. But until then, I'm gonna use it as an opportunity to speak highly about my friends cuz they're cool people who are worth talking highly of <3

[maaarine]

Dreams of jewellery, phones and makeup: how young Iraqi girls are lured into marriage (Zainab al-Mashat and Maria Talal and Hala Abdullah, The Guardian, Nov 22 2024)

"Although Iraq has outlawed marriage under the age of 18 since the 1950s, with those wishing to marry from the age of 15 needing judicial approval, a UN survey found that 28% of girls in the country were married before they turned 18.

Many leave school to marry, either forcibly or voluntarily.

Instead of tightening laws against underage marriage and helping girls from poorer backgrounds complete their education, a new law awaiting a final vote in the Iraqi parliament would allow the marriage of girls as young as nine.

Proposed amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law, which passed its second reading in the Iraqi parliament in September, would give religious authorities the power to decide on family affairs, including marriage, divorce and the care of children.

If they go through, they will be tantamount to “legalising child rape”, say activists and MPs opposing the new law, and likely to lead to even more underage girls being married.

While marriage is presented to some underage girls as a chance to escape poverty, many of the marriages end in failure, bringing lifelong consequences for young women, including shame and a lack of opportunities because of unfinished schooling. (…)

Activists say the move to legalise child marriage is as a deliberate attack on women’s rights and freedoms, after large numbers of young women took part in anti-government protests in Iraq in 2019.

“Iraq is heading towards becoming a version of the Taliban and Afghanistan,” says Ali Aziz, a human rights activist and journalist from al-Diwaniyah governorate.

“Islamist parties are mobilising public opinion and creating a kind of collective frenzy against freedoms.

They are passing ideologies such as enslaving women, taking away their rights, tightening patriarchal guardianship over them, allowing underage marriage and so on.”

Aziz says many girls in Iraq are either coerced or enticed into marriage with promises of riches.

“In our community, some fathers just want to get rid of their daughter, because she is an extra financial burden for him, and there is no economic benefit from her. He prefers to marry her off.

“[The child is told] you will have a mobile phone, you will wear makeup, you will have a man that will take you out and will buy you gold. So she drops out of school and gets married.”

For another girl, Athar*, from the province of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, marriage at 15 only lasted two days.

She was beaten by her in-laws after failing to provide her new husband’s family with evidence of her virginity.

The proof is demanded from some brides on their wedding night in the form of a cloth stained with blood resulting from the ripping of her hymen.

In Anthar’s case, it hadn’t been possible as she discovered her husband had erectile dysfunction.

“I told them, ‘your son can’t do anything, it’s not my fault’, but they kept beating me,” says Athar, who returned to her parents’ home.

Athar, who left school age 10 because of the costs of stationery and travel to school, says marriage had been her hope of escaping poverty.

“Hunger and poverty were destroying us. I wanted to get married, build a successful life and get rid of my poverty, but I failed.”"

[literatureloverx]

Hello dear Snow, ‎♡‧₊˚

I’m sending you warm vibes and good thoughts—I hope you’re hydrating and eating well! Actually, what’s the best dish you’ve had this week? ^^

I’ve been reflecting on something we talked about a few days ago, and it brought me back to this quote I’d love to hear your thoughts on:

"The way women are treated is a direct reflection of a country’s overall social and political health.”

I tend to overanalyze and dive deeply into surface-level things as well, which sometimes makes people look at me funny. So, I’ve learned to be more vague about what’s going on in my head. But when you mentioned overthinking, it struck me—it’s not your thoughts that are the problem, but how they’re received. Society often makes us feel small for having deeper, more abstract thoughts, and that’s something I truly loathe.

In real life, the pool of people who want to sit down and think deeply about things like this is small. That’s why I love the internet—it lets us connect with people who want to engage with the ideas (and nonsense) we share.

I rambled a bit—oopsy! But here’s my (somewhat concise) take on that quote:

Women exist at the intersection of economic, political, familial, and cultural structures—when these systems rely on oppression or control, they expose a nation’s fragility and injustice, and this isn’t just a gender issue; it’s about authority, ethics, and human dignity. A country oppressing women tends to oppress other marginalized minorities as well, thus exposing a deep flaw in moral behavior.

We see that history offers clear evidence of this connection: The Taliban's prohibition on the education of women and fundamental rights caused Afghanistan's economy to weaken, coupled with the nation suffering from severe worldwide isolation. Empowerment of educated women is central to economic growth, while their suppression caused massive poverty. Likewise, Iran's Islamic Revolution severely restricted women's rights, which caused a massive exodus of professional experts, economic stagnation, and massive social unrest. In both instances, gender oppression reflected wider national unrest.

In opposition, we see countries that prioritize gender equality—such as Sweden, Norway, and Finland—illustrate the benefits of inclusion. Their policies of paid parental leave, equal pay for equal work laws, and increased political representation for women have been instrumental in achieving some of the world's highest standards of living. These governments understand that women's success is inextricably linked with society's collective progress.

Withholding education, autonomy, and decision-making from women doesn't harm just them—it holds back the progress of a nation. The true strength of a nation isn't in its wealth or weaponry but in how it treats the most vulnerable in its midst. Women are the "canaries in the coal mine," and they show whether a nation is built on justice and progress or on domination and decay.

I’d love to hear your thoughts dear Snow, however much or little you feel like sharing.

Wishing you a lovely day! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Cheshka, my love.♥️ I am so sorry it took me so long to respond to this.😭

Thank you for the warm vibes and thoughts, my dear. I am truly in desperate need of them. I swear, I have never been this occupied and stressed in my entire life before—these past two weeks were hellish. I cannot wait for this week to pass so I can finally relax again. I may or may not be planning to draw myself a bubble bath once I am done with everything, haha.♥️

As for the best dish I have had… when I first read your message, my answer was quite literally none. But guess what? That has changed now. I am not sure if you are familiar with Borek, though I assume you might be because of your heritage? I cannot say for sure, but anyway… I tried making it from scratch about a year ago, and no matter what I did, the dough never turned out the way I wanted it to. I had two mental breakdowns over it (at least it still tasted good, haha). But recently, I found a simple recipe that uses lasagne sheets as a “fake dough,” and it made the entire process a hundred times easier. I made it, and I was in literal heaven.🫠

You must know, I am someone who eats very little and has no big appetite in general. I can skip meals and not even feel hungry afterwards. But that Borek? I stuffed myself full with it, haha. (Of course, I still looked very ladylike while doing so—do not even think otherwise—). Anyway, that was an unnecessary ramble about the best dish I had this week. It was Borek. What about you, my dear?♥️

Before I get to the main point of your ask, let me indulge in a little more rambling, haha. I simply need to catch up, and I feel like this cute encounter I had is at least distantly related to the topic (or not at all, haha).

So, I had another doctor’s appointment (yes, again… they make me want to cast myself off a cliff at this point. I am so done with them). While waiting, there was a cute little family in the room with me—a girl, maybe 13 or 14 years old, with her mother and father. She was very bubbly, and I already found her adorable; she seemed quite intelligent as well.

I was reading something on my phone while waiting, and she was chatting in my mother tongue. I do not think they realised I could understand them. Then suddenly, there was a pause in their conversation. I looked up, and the girl was staring at me. I smiled without thinking much of it, and then she said—“This girl is so beautiful.”

When I tell you this sent my ego to unbelievable heights… Being perceived as beautiful when I was corpse-like, makeup-free, and utterly exhausted? Haha. Both her parents smiled at me very sweetly too, which is why I did not acknowledge her compliment—I did not want her to feel embarrassed about it. But is that not just the cutest thing? I want to bite her cheeks.😭

*coughs* Now, I am ready to discuss the more important topic.

I can relate to the funny looks you get. It used to happen to me often as well, until I started strategising before expressing myself—deciding whether a topic was even worth discussing with certain people. Not everyone is interested in everything, and I think that is fine. I am not particularly judgemental about it (or about anything), but I do agree that it would be better if people cared more about such matters. And you are absolutely right—people tend to disregard anything they do not understand.

That said, I do not find it as frustrating anymore as I did a few years ago. I suppose I have learned to accept it as it is. If someone does not understand, I simply share my thoughts with “my people” and no one else.

I also agree with your take on the internet. I am just glad I have my little circle of children to share my nonsense with, haha.♥️ I do not mind your rambling—I have, without a doubt, rambled four times more than you.🥹

Regarding your explanation about the treatment of women—I absolutely agree. I might have worded it slightly differently, but the core idea remains the same, so there is not much to add.

Societies that oppress women are, by their very nature, obscurantist societies—ones that resist progress, suppress knowledge, and reject critical thought. Obscurantism is characterised by a deliberate effort to keep people, particularly certain groups, in ignorance and subjugation, preventing them from questioning authority or seeking advancement.

A society that limits women’s freedoms, education, and opportunities is ultimately restricting half of its population from contributing to its intellectual, economic, and cultural development. This is not merely a moral or ethical failure; it is a structural weakness. Obscurantist societies operate on dogma rather than reason, and dogma does not foster innovation, resilience, or long-term stability.

Because obscurantists lack critical thinking and insight, they are incapable of constructing truly strong and enduring structures—whether political, economic, or social. Any progress they make is either built on weak foundations or is unsustainable, as it is based on suppression rather than organic growth and adaptation. Over time, the weight of their own stagnation causes their systems to crumble. Civilisations that fail to embrace knowledge, inclusion, and progress inevitably fall behind those that do, often collapsing under the pressure of their own inefficiency, corruption, and inability to adapt to changing times.

Thus, the oppression of women is not just a symptom of obscurantism but a fundamental cause of societal decline. A society that refuses to empower all of its members, regardless of gender, is a society doomed to weaken and eventually collapse.

Of course, there are many other factors at play, but if we were to focus solely on the role of women’s empowerment, this would be my perspective. As you can see, our views are nearly identical, Cheshka.♥️

I wish you a lovely day as well, my dear! ♥️

[thebeat-of-myheart]

I can't find the post, but years ago there was an interview on @humansofny that started out something like this:

"I get affected really badly by politics. When Trump was elected in 2016, I found myself so depressed, I couldn't get out of bed. All I did was drink wine and cry." (This is off memory- no idea how accurate I am)

I think about that guy all the time. I thought about him first thing when I woke up this morning and over and over again throughout the day. I also thought about the millions of people who woke up in the same boat. I thought about my American friend and her daughter all day.

I can think about that guy from HONY all I want, but the good thing about that guy is he will never die from giving birth after being r*ped.

I tried to avoid social media today but got stuck in a doom scroll and now I feel like I need to face the facts of what happened.

Millions of people went to the polls and voted to take away the rights and freedoms of their loved ones. Millions of people voted for a removal of healthcare, for higher taxes for the working class, for higher tariffs, purely for the benefit of wealthy men.

Canada and every country will be affected- today's not about us, but it will be. If PP gets in we are heading in the same direction.

Canada and the USA are both so focused on freedom- so why are we so obsessed with destroying our freedom? Why are women and children not deserving of rights? Why do we want to follow in the footsteps of the Taliban or Nazi regime?

Unfortunately millions of people did what they THINK is best for the economy. Millions of people need a better education before they cast their vote. The future of said education, will now be changed to fit the agenda of project 2025. The American people are putty in the Republican party's hands.

I am angry on behalf of every American who did the right thing. I am angry on behalf of American children who won't see a proper education, aren't free to explore their identity, all while being forced to wear a clear backpack to school.

Mostly, I am heartbroken. For women across the world. For Afghani women that can't speak in public. For American women that can't access life-saving healthcare. I am heartbroken for every woman who almost, for a second, thought we would have some representation.

We took an EXTREMELY well- qualified candidate, with the proper background, education and work experience needed for the job, and tossed her to the side, for someone convicted of sexual assault, for someone who was impeached, for someone who uses language like "grab her by the p*ssy". For someone with public ties to Epstein and Diddy. For someone who regrets nothing he's done.

I am so. Heartbroken. Thinking about the loss today for women. Thinking about the misguided voters who didn't do their research, or were pressured by the men in their lives. We have failed. We have failed our wives, our daughters, our neighbours. We have proven that no matter how qualified a woman is, it'll always. Be. A man.

WHY DO WE ONLY CARE ABOUT OUR DAUGHTERS WHEN THEY ARE HOT ENOUGH TO DATE?

Canadians- as the next federal election looms closer, I BEG of you to do your research. Do not vote the way your family taught you to, or your partner, or the way you decided you would when you were 14. Policies, parties, leaders and relations are always changing. As we struggle in an ongoing cost of living crisis, take a look into federal vs provincial policies. Learn who does what. Learn what you care about. Think about the people in your life. Think about how hard women have struggled to get THIS far. Think about your child just wanting to be happy in their own body. Think about the ice caps and inflation (reminder: tariffs exist!!). Think about the people that were here first. Think about the rights and freedoms we have fought so hard for.

Remember, without feminism, we wouldn't be able to vote at all.

Please don't send us back in time.

[alphaman99]

Harley Butcher

Glenn Glazier posted:

Liberals: "Show us proof that Biden is corrupt and is destroying the country."

Conservatives: "We have lowest Consumer Confidence Index in 40 years, the highest suicide rate since 1941, and our food and gas prices have doubled in the last 3 years."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "Our border is wide open, and there are 8 MILLION unvetted illegals here now that weren't here 3 years ago, many from Hamas, Iran, China, and Russia, many of them with sworn allegiance to our destruction."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "In addition to the MILLIONS of unknowns in our country, our open border is allowing for the import of Fentanyl, which kills MORE Americans per every 6 months than all U.S. soldiers killed during the entire 10 years of the Vietnam War."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "Crime is rampant in our cities, stores are closing down due to Blue State & city D.A.'s no longer prosecuting theft, and citizens can no longer protect themselves."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The World is at war –– Russia invaded Ukraine; Hamas committed the greatest slaughter of Jews since Nazi Germany; ISIS & the Taliban are back in Afghanistan, and they took control of $Billions in U.S. military hardware that Biden left behind during his haste withdrawal; and China is stealing our technology unchecked."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "China released a manmade virus that killed Millions worldwide, potentially injured Billions, destroyed the World's economies, and the U.S. allowed China to get away with it."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "Biden is allowing China to buy up massive swaths of farmland in the U.S., some of which is adjacent to U.S. Military bases."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Administration FORCED people to take a jab which was KNOWN to be ineffective & toxic, and simultaneously and purposely suppressed information about safe & effective treatments for Covid . . . they even FALSELY stated that the shot would prevent Covid, even though the Pharma companies never even tested for blockage of viral transmission."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Family has been proven to launder money that was given to them as they sold influence of U.S. policies that benefit our sworn enemies."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Administration is continuing the policy of the 0bama Administration of allowing members of Congress to illegally 'Insider Trade'."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "There was massive voter fraud in the 2020 & 2022 elections. We have video documentation of this, voter distribution anamolies that are statistically impossible, and hundreds of sworn affidavits from Election Officials declaring that they witnessed outright fraud . . . . and worse yet, Biden has weaponized the DOJ to prosecute anyone challenging the election results, even though in 2020 Trump won 2 out of every 3 walk-in ballots whilst Biden 'won' 3 out of every 4 mail-in ballots; Trump won 18 of the 19 bellwether counties that have determined EVERY election since 1952; and 20% of people who mailed in ballots now admit to (illegally) submitting falsified ballots."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Administration is forcing us to adopt Green Energy policies, like the Electric Vehicle, which (A) actually does far greater damage to the environment than our gas-engine cars do, and (B) they are forcing Americans in the near future to purchase cars that can be remotely shut OFF at any time by some Bureaucrat in D.C., and (C) this is all to chase a HOAX called 'Climate Change' . . . and the only reason it's now called 'Climate Change' is because Climatologists couldn't get the Global Warming and Global Cooling models to agree with each other."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Administration wants to bail out student loan debt, thinking that college-age kids weren't old enough or wise enough to recognize that their useless degrees won't yield them jobs that can pay off their loans, but at the same time the Biden Administration IS declaring that 12-year old kids ARE old enough and wise enough to know if they're the wrong gender; hence, Team Biden is promoting hormone blockers and genital surgeries for kids, and some Blue States are threatening to remove kids from homes if the parents protest."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Administration is pushing for digital currency, where Gov't not only monitors every penny of every transaction that every American makes, but has also the ability to deny you access to your own money should you not, in their eyes, be spending YOUR money wisely."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "If an adult has child porn on their computer, that adult goes to prison . . . but if a Teacher shows porn to elementary school children, then that Teacher is exalted."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "Even though Governors, the CDC, the FDA, WHO, Fauci, and Biden were wrong about ...E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G... related to Covid and the vax-jab, NY State just granted the Governor legal authority to remove, arrest, and detain anyone the Governor and/or her cronies determines is 'a health risk to the public,' with the person being quarantined INDEFINITELY without Legal Counsel, without Medical representation, and without even undergoing medical testing."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Supreme Court of Colorado has just removed Trump's name from the ballots for the 2024 Presidential Election, even though Trump has NOT been convicted of any crime, thereby dismissing what has been the basis of our entire legal system since the birth of our nation, namely, the presumption of innocence –– you're 'innocent until proven guilty'! In other words, Blue State Judges are telling Americans, 'No, you don't get to decide who becomes President; WE do!' "

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "The Biden Administration & its DOJ suppressed all video evidence of Jan. 6th protestors being escorted into the Capitol by Capitol Police."

Liberals: "Other than that, show us some REAL proof."

Conservatives: "While the Biden Administration & its DOJ are violating the 1st Amendement by prosecuting those who are challenging the 2020 Presidential election, they are NOT prosecuting the Hamas Supporters on college campuses and in big cities who are calling for the mass slaughter of Jews."

Liberals: "Okay, yes, we grant you that all of that is true, but . . . but . . . but Trump said the word 'pussy'!! There is no way this nation can possibly survive another 4 years of Donald Trump."

****************

And THAT is the "dialogue" that we have with the Left at this sad point in U.S. history.

[prawnbie]

I know I rarely come on here and post stuff, but this is something serious that I think needs to start being boosted onto this platform if it hasn’t already. It’s everywhere on TikTok but that is not enough, so hopefully I can start a wave of awareness that is just as strong here as it is on TikTok.

In the rare instance that you don’t know, I will explain now;

Today I wish to bring light to the Genocide that is going on in Gaza, as well as many other Genocides that, only now, are being brought to light.

As of right now of writing this (November 14th, 2023), there has been an ongoing Genocide in Palestine that is being lead by Israel and started on October 7th of this year when a conflict occurred between Israel and Hamas/led Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip. Palestine has been under attack from Israel for longer though, since 1947 and, from 2006, there were a total of five wars between Hamas and Israel.

This year it has continued to worsen, now reaching large media coverage from journalists - many of which have been killed in the bombings as well as its citizens. In total a number of 11,100 and counting have been killed since October 7th, a large majority of the deaths being women and children, children including babies who have ranged from two years old to just being born, their lives ended before they can even walk.

People around the world, including those in Palestine themselves have demanded a ceasefire and for help from governments across the globe. Yet no help has been given to them, why? Because they side with Israel, these governments include and are not limited to the ones listed in this video:

Incase you can’t watch it for whatever reason at the moment, I will list here the major countries that, as of writing this, are pro-Israel;

- U.S.A/United States America

- Germany

- Guatemala

- India

- Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Croatia(Within Europe)

- France(Though they voted against Israel in the Humanitarian Truce Vote, they are still worthy of adding into this list)

And now for those who are AGAINST Israe/Pro-Palestinel:

- Iran/The Taliban

-Syria

- Chilli

- Columbia

- Bolivia

- Turkey

- Qatar

Please do keep in mind that things like this are possible to change, only time will tell but regardless it is important to keep note of who is supporting who.

Now this may be the part where I ask you to please go and support Palestine and do what you can. But that’s not it, not yet, for Palestine is not the only country under threat of Genocide. Unfortunately, there are more.

Congo and Haiti are also under going silent Genocides, both countries being extorted for their mineral resources to benefit western countries: Congo for example, their people being forced into slave labour to mine sources - one such resource being the ones to make iPhones and laptops, probably what you’re using right now to read this. The resource are called Tatalum and Coltan, and they are stained with the blood those forced to mine them.

Haiti is under a constantly corrupted and unstable government management with a rise of gang activities to go with it. No help has been given to them.

And western countries have done absolutely JACK SHIT to help.

That has to change. We cannot simply just demand for only Palestine, Congo or Haiti be freed and helped, but instead we demand ALL countries be helped. It’s obvious by now that our governments could care less about the people, they care about historical affiliations and keeping good connections for the sake of financial and resourceful of benefits.

Hope is not entirely lost, though, as many have taken to protest against and raise awareness to the inhumane cruelty that had been put into the light. I strongly encourage you to do the same. I am not asking that you go and fight the wars and fox the economies by yourself, I am asking that you merely acknowledge and SPREAD THE WORD.

Ignorance is a privilege we shall not let anyone have when it comes to atrocities like these.

What can you do to help?

Again, you just spread the word; repost, post, talk to friends or family about it, do whatever you can to so read awareness. Donate to charities(Be sure to do your research before doing so as, unfortunately, they are many who would take advantage of tragedies such as these for financial gain. Please be sure to research who or whatever you are donating money to so you know for sure where your money will be going.)

We are right now in the midst of a historical event, history is repeating and we are doomed if we stay quiet and do nothing. Hope is not lost.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. So will Congo and Haiti.

[chaiaurchaandni]

on mass deportations of afghan refugees in pakistan

pls watch this video, its not exhaustive and ur encouraged to reserach more but this is a v good intro to the afghan refugee crisis in pakistan right now.

not many people are talking about this but this is a gross human rights violation. according to pakistan's citizenship laws, people born on pakistani soil are automatically eligible for citizenship and parents/spouses of pakistani citizens are also eligible for citizenship. however, these laws have not been extended to afghan refugees. now these refugees are being deported to afghanistan, even tho many of them have never been to aghanistan. theyre literally being sent to camps on the pak-afghan border and forced to take classes on how to evade landmines. the police is also targeting and brutalizing documented afghan refugees. any success and wealth that afghan refugees accumulated has been in spite of the bigotry of most of the pakistani population and in spite of the shitty pakistani government. these civilians are in no way a strain on pakistan's economy, neither do they pose a security threat. theyre just being used by the pakistani establishment as a political pawn to get back at the taliban govt in afghanistan and to appease the pakistani population in the wake of intense economic and political instability. the conditons in afghanistan are already horrible and the vid touched upon that. afg has suffered some major earthqakes that have killed thousands of people, in addition to the sanctions + ofc the fact that the country is trying to rebuild after almost half a centruy of violent conflict

also want to point out how sick this is considering that pakistan benefitted a lot from the wars in afghanistan (against the soviets and against the taliban as well) bec of US aid and then bec of aid that was given to pakistan to cater to afghan refugees (ofc this aid almost never made it to the people who needed it - pakistan has p much no welfare programmes for the refugees) and pakistanis are often discriminatory/racist against afghan refugees. the afghan people have suffered a lot due to pakistan's greed and now theyre suffering once again. pakistanis are literally using similar rhetoric thats used against pakistani immgrants abroad (that theyre illegal aliens, that theyre illiterate regressive extremists, that theyre rapists and criminals)

[druware]

Over the last couple of years, I have made a concerted effort to avoid overtly political, or religious posts ( however, comments upon others posts have remained fair game ).

It has been a struggle, because the politics at both ends of the spectrum are a mess, and quite frankly, terrifying.

The left has completely and utterly lost their ever loving ( and I mean that literally ) minds. Love is truly love, and I fully support gay marriage and gay partner rights. I fully support gender identity choices in how a person lives their lives. Their pronouns are theirs, and there should be no issue with this. However, tansgender athletics is nonsense, because a year of hormone therapy, and a current hormone number that meets ‘gender normal’ does not overcome or offset a decade or more of body adaptations with cross gender normal numbers. Meaning, a birth gender male, once choosing to adopt a female gender identity, should not qualify to compete against birth gendered females. Of course, there are other things, climate change, COVID vaccines, and of course, abortion as a contraceptive ( yeah, I know all of the arguments, I am pro-choice, or more specifically, that as a male, I have ZERO say in the matter ).

The right however, has gone every bit as overboard, and borderline religious extremist, as in ‘they will not admit it, but they are pushing ‘Taliban’ levels of religious based intolerance’. The level of fear mongering and hateful rhetoric coming from the right is terrifying, and DEEPLY anti-democracy, anti-religious freedoms, anti-free speech, all while actively trying to protect their own rights and civil liberties. So much is being made about corporations choosing to embrace inclusivity that the right is raging against, and yet, this inclusivity should be both a priority ( if they in fact believe in the Christian teachings of love and inclusivity ) and a financial obligation ( as a deeply pro-business party line ), and yet, because of some bizarre perspective on the immorality of a version of love they choose not to embrace, while that version of love has NO DIRECT IMPACT upon them, the instead cling to the ideas that those ‘others’ are ‘grooming’ their children. ( For what it is worth, if you want to talk about ‘grooming’ can we discuss the impacts of toy guns, toy cars, toy trucks, GI Joe, HALO, and Gran Tourismo along with the driving and lifestyle choices including drug use, alcohol abuse, adultery, pornography, physical abuse, emotional abuse and divorce that are all rampant throughout both spectrums, particularly at the fringes? )

None of this even begins to address the elephant in the room that is the “Boomer” generation and it’s political disingenuous behaviors where they vote to protect their own lifestyles in full knowledge and awareness that those choices are almost certainly resulting in enormous liabilities for the children that should have benefited from the generational wealth they should leave, as their own parents did for them, and yet due to these protectionist choices will bear an undue burden.

I will be honest, this post is going to cost me some long term connections. Many of whom I respect, and truly like. It will also trigger some argumentative positions that will want to defend their views. It is for these reasons that I have avoided these topics. I have too many dear friends, whom I respect deeply, that have in many ways sublimated the extreme right or left into their personal identities ( much as my gender dysphoria friends have with their own gender identities ). Many of these friends will take offense, either on political or religious grounds ( several of whom, I have offended in the past with my own deeply anti organized religion, ‘Church’, comments in the past, because while I believe that faith and belief have a purpose and place in a moral society, Churches too often twist those things into little more than power and manipulation of a community ).

So, at the end of the day, I post this because I have grown incredibly tired of the bullshit ‘silent majority’.

The ‘silent majority’ is the centrist population that is fed up with the Republicans and the Democrats. Fed up with the IRS, Fox News, and CNN. Fed up with the lies, misinformation and the outright deceit practiced by the media, advertisers and political lobbyists. We want good candidates, people that are not outright crooks like the Clintons or Trump ( and if you ask me, the Clintons have a more crooked history than Trump, which is saying something... ). The problem is, when we get ‘moderate’ candidates on the table, it is the literal definition of ‘good because not awful’ that is the Biden result.

At some point, right, left, center, straight, gay, other, religious or atheist, it falls on us, each and everyone of us, to reject the extremes, reject hate, and divisiveness, and demand love, honor, respect, and competence in ourselves, our elected officials and our churches.

Until then, we get to keep the train wreck that has given us Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden ( along with a ‘Moral Majority’ that takes it’s cues from the likes of Jerry Falwell, Lyndsey Graham, Majorie Taylor Greene, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Bernie Sanders etc ). 

The problem is not the politicians and church leaders. The problem is the people that keep enabling these idiots.

[frazzledrazzled]

Pope Francis visited Lampedusa after the tragedy off its shores that killed hundreds of refugees.

He gave about a dozen refugees the opportunity to come back to Italy with him (iirc).

He held services and masses for refugees who were injured or killed while fleeing danger.

He encouraged every parish around the world to take in at least 1 refugee (iirc).

He actively disagreed with Italian politicians who were anti-refugee and Islamophobic.

He expressed great concern for people in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control, even though most of them are Muslim.

While he disagreed with the concept of changing your gender, he supported trans individuals.

He invited several trans women for lunch at the Vatican (iirc).

He used correct pronouns for trans individuals and encouraged other people to do the same.

Pope Francis had so much respect for people who's beliefs didn't line up with his own. He understood that to be Christian means to love everyone, not just those who think and act like him.

Rest in peace, Pope Francis. Thankyou for your unwavering compassion.

I leave you with some quotes from Pope Francis:

"To reject a struggling migrant [...] out of fear of diluting a 'Christian' culture is grotesquely misrepresenting both Christianity and culture" (Let us Dream, Austen Ivereigh, 2020)

"Migration is not a threat to Christianity except in the minds of those who benefit from claiming it is" (Let us Dream, Austen Ivereigh, 2020)

"Our shared response [to the refugee crisis] may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate,” (104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 2018)

"I don't like travelling" "the tragedy of Lampedusa made me feel the duty to travel" (Travelling, Andrea Tornielli, 2017)

i do want to say, the pope dying is not Good. like haha on easter, we hate the churches and religion, but pope francis made real change within the church. he cared. he was willing to listen.

the next pope will hopefully be better, but there is a very real, very imminent chance that the next pope will turn back everything pope francis stood for. the next pope could very very well be a an extreme right leaning pope.

[ahmedmistrettaalyvezw]

USAID must die

The first move Trump made after taking office was to assign Musk to kill USAID.

A brother's move reduced the federal fiscal burden by more than $50 billion, with remarkable results.

If there are 19 more such projects, Musk's task will be basically completed.

When the Government Efficiency Department was established, although Musk said that he would save $2 trillion for the country, he believed that this was only the best result, "If we strive for $2 trillion, we will have a good chance of achieving $1 trillion."

It seems that Musk understands that learning from the best will get the best results.

This move made the world happy.

First of all, most ordinary Americans are happy.

No normal person would like such an institution that sucks taxpayers' blood.

Don't listen to some opinions that say this move is very controversial.

Most people who hold this view have taken money that they shouldn't have taken.

As a normal American, would you be willing to pay to help the Taliban change their sex?

Let me ask you, as a normal American, would you be willing to spend $19.5 million to buy the Associated Press's press release? Let me ask you, as a normal American, would you be willing to spend $20 million to hire a celebrity to promote Ukraine?

Any American who has not benefited from it would not want to see such an organization exist.

Secondly, the people of most countries in the world are happy.

In recent years, many countries in the world have been harmed by USAID, and their countries have been destroyed and their families have been ruined.

USAID is the general funder of all "color revolutions". In addition to injecting heavy funds into news media in European and American countries, it has also supported 6,200 journalists, 707 news organizations and 279 civil society organizations in the media industry in 30 countries.

These media, organizations and individuals are the dogs raised by USAID.

With the cooperation of these dogs, USAID instructed a group of non-governmental organizations to attack the legitimate governments of more than 50 countries.

Among them, Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Serbia, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Belarus and other countries are the hardest hit areas.

USAID spent only $98 million on Guaido, which directly caused Venezuela to lose hundreds of billions of dollars, and the country's development was delayed due to sanctions.

When Trump announced that USAID would be killed, the whole world was sincerely happy.

Just look at our own network and you will know that this move has dealt a heavy blow to the dog things raised by the United States.

How much Fang Zhouzi, who fled to the United States, hates, you will know how heavy Musk's blow is.

When USAID is closed, we must be calm and sober, and never express the wrong feelings or misunderstand.

Trump is very determined to be anti-China, and the closure of USAID has nothing to do with China and the suffering countries in the world.

After USAID is closed, the United States will definitely use more vicious means to deal with China. Just look at the composition of the senior officials of this US government and you will know that they are all extreme and explicit anti-China hawks.

Although Trump's forced closure of USAID will certainly lead to fierce party infighting in the United States, and the agency may not be abolished immediately, from the perspective of history and reality, this agency must die. There are three reasons:

The first is political liquidation.

The original intention of the United States to establish USAID was to mess up other countries, but unfortunately it has changed a bit now.

One of the important reasons why Trump is so determined to shut down USAID is revenge and liquidation.

In the struggle between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, USAID clearly stands on the side of the Democratic Party.

In the struggle between Trump and the establishment, USAID clearly stands on the side of the establishment.

It is obviously a taboo for an external agency to participate in internal fighting. If Trump, who has a strong sense of revenge, does not get rid of it when he comes to power, will he keep it for the New Year?

In this way, even if the agency involved in the internal fighting is restored by the Democratic Party in the future, it will not be able to sever its relationship with domestic politics.

As long as it is tossed a few times, this agency will be declared brain dead because it cannot play a role.

The second is inefficiency.

The United States established USAID to do big things with little money.

Former US President Eisenhower said that spending $1 on propaganda is equivalent to spending $5 on defense.

Former US Secretary of State Kissinger once said that the power of a free radio station is equal to 20 divisions.

In the struggle to overthrow the Soviet Union, USAID has indeed made great contributions.

Media and radio stations such as Voice of America and Voice of Free Europe have played a role in fueling the process.

Many times, a speech by the US President can quickly generate strong reactions in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Now USAID, you can't say that it has done nothing. It has overthrown so many countries and governments over the years, greatly increasing the fear of the United States by countries around the world.

Although it has caused major losses to other countries, has the United States gained anything from it?

In general, it is more than it earns.

The main strategic opponents of the United States are China and Russia. At best, USAID has only disgusted these two countries over the years.

Even the small actions of USAID have greatly increased the immunity of the two countries to the "color revolution", and there are signs of anti-killing the United States.

The recent Xiaohongshu reconciliation shows that it is not the United States that influences China, but China that influences the United States.

If it cannot harm the main strategic opponent, what is the point of a small country making more messes?

On the contrary, this institution is becoming more and more bureaucratic, and the waste is getting bigger and bigger, and it has finally become a burden and cancer on the US finances.

Such an institution will sooner or later be cleared out as excess capacity, and it is better to clear it out earlier than later.

Third, public opinion is resurgent.

With the decline of the United States' strength, more and more Americans are returning to traditional isolationism.

Many people do not understand isolationism, which is to say that "if you are poor, you should take care of yourself."

The landlords have little surplus food, and the American people are unwilling to take more international responsibilities.

As soon as Trump came to power, he announced his withdrawal from more than 30 international organizations and agreements. Some people think he is old and confused.

Obviously, this underestimated Trump, and his actions were just catering to American public opinion.

Before this election, most public opinion predicted that Harris would win, but Trump won a landslide victory.

Doesn't this show that Trump's policies are more in line with American public opinion?

Annexing Canada and Greenland and taking back the Panama Canal are not so much Trump's nonsense as he is preparing to return to isolationism.

All of his initiatives are in line with mainstream public opinion.

Closing USAID also represents mainstream American public opinion.

For all these reasons, USAID must die, and it is a matter of time.

The old USAID will die, but the new USAID will definitely come back, and the dog food that should be distributed will still be distributed, but it will definitely not be spent as much as it is now.

What tools will the United States use to play games with China? I personally think that it is likely to rely on AI technology.

Musk rushed into the Ministry of Finance to check the accounts and finished the work that could only be done in the past four years in just two days. This is the power of AI technology.

Let's take a look at our online public opinion field. The enemy's AI network army is already at the gates of the city, and the situation is not optimistic.

Sincerely calling for the emergence of geniuses like Liang Wenfeng on the public opinion front to build a new Great Wall of the Republic on the Internet.

[mightyflamethrower]

To find an impossible peace between Ukraine and Russia we must understand the recent history of the war and the European and American roles in it. So, Americans should revisit some fundamental realities and questions from which to remember before going forward:

Why Did Putin Invade Ukraine in 2022?

Putin did start the war. Trump’s trolling aside, he knows that because he correctly pointed out that Putin invaded his neighbors in three of the last four administrations—but not his own, given Trump’s deterrence.

The most obvious answer why Putin did is that he thought he easily could. But why in 2022—as he had in 2008 and 2014?

Putin has nonending opportunistic desires to recombobulate what he thinks properly is and will always be Russian—whether territories to be formally absorbed or as coerced satellite states. But he moves on them only whenever he thinks the benefits outweigh the costs.

And by February 2022, he certainly felt they did.

The U.S. and NATO had lost all appearances of deterrence vis-à-vis Russia. Joe Biden had been part of the Obama-Biden administration that had naively appeased Putin for some eight years. Remember their 2009 reset by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that was based on numerous flawed and disastrous assumptions:

The prior Bush sanctions against Putin for invading Georgia and grabbing parts of South Ossetia were overly harsh, reflective of his supposed cowboyism evident in Iraq.

The Obama mystique, coupled with criticism of the prior Bush administration, would win over Putin. Remember Obama’s 2012 hot mic appeasement in Seoul, when Obama promised Putin “flexibility” (i.e., cancellation of Eastern European defense, if Putin gave Obama “space” for his “last election” (i.e., please don’t invade and embarrass Obama until after he was reelected in 2012).

The U.S. thought it could act unilaterally in Libya and Syria, talk of expanding NATO in Europe, and expect a humiliated Russia to keep silent and distant.

Once rebuffed by Putin, who took Obama’s measure, an angry and rejected U.S. would cajole, beg, and finally try to force European Union democratic values onto the Putin regime—by sanctions, by aiding Russian dissident groups, and by claiming Putin was America’s archenemy.

The flawed working theory was that an either compliant or defiant Putin could acquiesce and begin liberalizing Russia, in emulation of EU and US democracy.

All these assumptions were manifested by both Obama and Biden in a number of ways:

By ignoring Putin’s 2014 absorption of the Donbas and Crimea;

By ignoring Putin’s continual cheating on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty;

By contextualizing his hacking and cyber warfare that were targeting U.S. institutions and corporations (“Cut it out!” said Obama to Putin; “Certain critical infrastructure should not be attacked,” piped up Biden);

By suspending offensive weapons shipments to Ukraine;

By Biden’s announced hesitation to react to Russia’s “minor incursions” in Ukraine;

By coupling such appeasement with a near decade of tough talk (Putin as a “killer”) and Putin-bogeyman hysterias like “Russian collusion” and “Russian disinformation.”

And finally, and most importantly, by fleeing from Kabul after abandoning to the terrorist Taliban a $1 billion embassy, a $300 million airbase, and billions of dollars in military equipment.

Weakness and appeasement when coupled with loud false charges are a disastrous combination.

What Was the Biden/NATO Strategy to Deter Putin?

The most obvious answer is there was none.

After the failure of Obama covertly promoting the pro-Russian Ukrainian government in 2014 and trying to select replacement candidates that would supposedly cement the transformation of Ukraine into an EU, NATO-member, Westernized garrison state on Russia’s border, there was only an embarrassed acceptance that the Obama-Biden group had played into the hands of the aggressive Russian bear. But it soon proved it had no desire for any ensuing effort to put him back into his cave.

So, what followed with Biden after February 24, 2022, was ad hoc, on-the-fly measures that, as best we could tell, were guided by naivete:

Gradually and silently slide Ukraine into NATO;

Convince the Europeans to step up and arm Ukraine;

Increase weapons shipments and provide economic and intelligence aid to Ukraine to levels sufficient not to lose the war, but not to excess to win it and provoke nuclear Russia;

Keep feeding the war endlessly in efforts to bleed out the Russian military, weaken Putin, and perhaps provoke a “democratic revolution” in Russia;

Transform Ukraine and Zelensky into modern heroes by:

Overlooking entirely that Zelensky had all but canceled habeas corpus, most opposition parties and media, and postponed scheduled elections. In other words, was our once rock star becoming a “benevolent” wartime autocrat amid the apparent corruption of US and NATO aid?

Keeping mostly silent about the horrendous costs to Ukraine, where a quarter of the population has fled the country, 500,000 have been killed, wounded, missing, or captured, while the economy and infrastructure have been all but destroyed—with no end in sight.

What Were and Are America’s Strategic Interests?

We have many interests and, in no particular order, would like to work to see the following occur:

Stay out of a theater-wide, European war with a nuclear power.

End the horrific killing.

Seek a sustainable peace that keeps Putin inside his own borders.

Convince Europe to rearm, defend its own interests, and deter Russia.

Free up some US military investment in Europe to pivot to Asia and deter China.

Disrupt the Russia-China alliance.

What Should Trump Now Do?

Talk softer while carrying a bigger stick.

Leverage, if possible, a return of Putin to his February 23, 2022, borders.

Accept that none of the last three presidents believed Ukraine could militarily regain Donbas and Crimea and neither will be recaptured.

Keep Ukraine out of NATO.

Help NATO to ensure Ukraine is well-armed and capable of thwarting any Russian violation of the peace—in other words, a hyper-NATO ability without being in NATO.

Insist that all NATO countries must meet their 2 percent contributions and over the next three years up it to 5 percent.

Allow U.S. interests to do business in Ukraine for a variety of economic and strategic advantages.

For all of Putin’s bluster, he has paid a terrible price for marginal gains. And he would not like to repeat the invasion of an even better-armed Ukraine. Despite his braggadocio, Putin seeks an end to the war.

Russia has lost respect worldwide, especially in its military. And great powers in its neighborhood, like India and China, no longer fear Russian arms. Even without a NATO Ukraine, it is likely that both Ukraine and Europe will be better armed in the years ahead.

China may be more restive and opportunistic vis-à-vis Russia. Bottom line: Putin has lots of reasons to see the war end, especially if he understands that he cannot win it, or at least cannot win it without further political instability at home.

Trump also wants an end to the war and for lots of reasons. He knows that the U.S. is divided or rather, its parties have flipped. Conservatives want to end the war and see our military redirected to deterring China. They believe our presence abroad should not be enlarged, given the massive efforts at home needed to solve the debt, border, and cultural crises. The MAGA, don’t-tread-on-me creed is to avoid wars and entanglements unless belligerents either attack us or attack our close friends to hurt us.

In weird contrast, peacenik liberals quietly want the war to go on. They quite unrealistically believe that greater U.S. and European aid, along with Ukrainian and NATO partnership, will eventually “crack” Russia, lead to Putin’s removal, and the installation of a glorious Western, EU-Russian political and cultural democracy.

Trump must negotiate with, but not necessarily believe, Putin and proceed in Reagan’s trust-but-verify fashion. For the immediate term, he can neither politically afford to expand the war to gain negotiating leverage nor simply, in a Kabul-fashion, pull out and be blamed when Ukraine is overrun or continue the no-end-in-sight current Biden killing-field policy.

So, to avoid all three unpalatable choices, Trump wishes to move quickly and decisively to cut a deal no one will like now—but may be appreciated once the slaughter ends.

As for Ukraine, Trump has enormous leverage over it for two obvious reasons: 1) Zelensky’s resistance to Russia will collapse if U.S. military aid is even modestly cut back; 2) Zelensky is no longer the pop star of 2022 who saved Kyiv in what was naively then thought to be a short, quick victory for Ukraine.

Trump can persuade Zelensky to give up his NATO hopes and his dream of regaining lost pre-2022 territories. Instead, he can tell him to seek to reopen a free society—with or without his leadership—and to rebuild a new, somewhat smaller, more secure, and even better-armed Ukraine.

The model—unfortunately—is not a gloriously defiant and courageous Finland of winter 1939. Instead, it is—realistically—an exhausted, proud, and realistic Finland of March 1940, when it finally accepted the reality of a Russian impending victory, negotiated, surrendered disputed territory, was often criticized but still preserved its autonomy, balanced East and West, finally gained international respect, armed to the teeth, and deterred Russia from entering the Finnish quagmire again.

Trump can make the argument that Russian détente with the U.S. and Europe is in Russia’s interests. The West does not have any territorial ambitions in Russia—unlike Moscow’s current partner of convenience, China, which most surely does. That is Beijing’s attitude toward any territorially large, naturally rich neighbor (like Australia) that is underpopulated. Putin will likely stay in power if the war ends now; he will see real threats to his regime if it continues for another three years.

Trump can let Europe decide whether it wants a beefed-up NATO, under strong U.S. leadership and engagement, in which all the parties invest 2 percent of their GDP in defense now and 5 percent in three years.

Or he can let Europe prefer to keep conning and lollygagging—sorta, kinda arming, sorta, kinda not arming. And thus, Europe will ensure that the U.S. becomes a nominal 2-percent member but forgoes leading an alliance of what Obama once called deadbeat “free riders.” Their choice, not ours.

In sum, Trump can end the war to no one’s satisfaction, or let Europe and Zelensky negotiate and see the war continue endlessly to no one’s satisfaction. Given geographical realities, the U.S. can live without a settlement, but eventually, all the other parties cannot.

For all the media screaming and left-wing accusations, Trump’s recent antics have at least accomplished the following: the NATO nations, Ukraine, and Russia are all confused about what Trump is saying, and so now all the more want him to stop the war.

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[seohyun0306]

As always, filthy and braindead cum eaters talk a lot about wars from the comfort of their homes. While others die, you scum are always very brave on social media. Useless and worthless whore. Where are the Taliban when you need them? They would have so much fun with filthy vermin like you. Instead of innocent children and women suffering, you worms should take their place and be useful for once in your life. You try to act tough, but you are nothing more than a cowardly whore who has done nothing in life except benefit and live off the work of others. Your parents' only crime was not selling you the moment your worm was born.

Get off anon then pussy. Hiding behind anonymity to spit words I’d bet my life you don’t even know the meaning of. Such tall tales from a dickless little boy who doesn’t even have the balls to properly confront “a filthy, braindead cum eater”, come off anon and confront me properly. I know you won’t, or more accurately that you can’t because you’re so much of a castrated rooster that you can’t even hurl insults at a stupid armchair warrior tumblrina using your proper username. Fucking Zionist pussy.

[femsolid]

Rowling has donated the proceeds from the sale of her Potter spin-off, The Tales of Beedle the Bard — approximately $30 million — to Lumos, a charity she established in 2005 to help children in Central and Eastern Europe who are poor, disabled, or from an ethnic minority. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rowling offered to personally match up to £1 million in donations to Lumos for Ukraine.

JK Rowling secretly donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to save women lawyers as the Taliban swept back to power. Some 500 people were evacuated, all of whom, with their children and husbands, were on Taliban kill lists.

She donated $33 million to set up a world-leading research and treatment centre for multiple sclerosis in Scotland.

In 2022, she co-founded Beira’s Place, a sexual violence support service for women in Edinburgh.

Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust in 2000 to address social deprivation in at-risk women, children and youth.

To support COVID-19 relief, she donated six-figure sums to both Khalsa Aid and the British Asian Trust from royalties for The Ickabog.

Profits from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages, both published in 2001, went to Comic Relief.

Rowling and 12 other writers composed short pieces in 2008 to be sold to benefit Dyslexia Action and English PEN.

When the revelation that Rowling wrote The Cuckoo's Calling led to an increase in sales, she donated the royalties to ABF The Soldiers' Charity (formerly the Army Benevolent Fund).

I seriously doubt she'll die alone, nor that the people she saved will forget about her, nor that her cultural heritage will ever disappear, nor that people won't remember her quite fondly despite her occasional mistakes and despite your whining about men not being able to use the women's restroom which is, apparently, the most important civil right issue of our century.

JK Rowling will die alone in that castle of hers, surrounded by no one. sure, she'll get a few days of attention and Harry Potter will be popular for a bit, but by the end of the month everyone will have moved on. she won't be remembered as a visionary who wrote a popular book series 20 years ago, she'll be remembered as a bigot who put down trans women and other cis women for the sake of some "agenda". She isn't a feminist. She's a bigot grafting the skin of an actually helpful political movement onto herself to pretend she cares about women.

Trans people, keep going. We'll outlive her. this law will get overturned. we have to keep moving forward

[curtwilde]

So do you think the whole US created ISIS/ Al-Quada a internet conspiracy or is there truth to it?

Internet conspiracy. Some online liberals will go to any lengths to downplay the danger of fundamentalism.

That said, the US and by association the entire global white-supremacist right wing benefits from the existence of Taliban/Al-Qaeda. The existence of a tangible and seemingly dangerous enemy makes the barbarity of their policies easier to justify to the general public.

[chrisabraham]

Key errors in White House document on USAID

“$70,000 for production of a ‘DEI musical’ in Ireland.” This was a State Department grant, not USAID.

“$32,000 for a ‘transgender comic book’ in Peru.” USAID did not fund this, and it was not specifically transgender.

“$2 million for sex changes and ‘LGBT activism’ in Guatemala.” A former USAID official said the money was not used for surgeries, hormone replacement therapies or any other medical interventions.

“$6 million to fund tourism in Egypt." This initiative was launched in the first Trump administration to “increase educational opportunities and strengthen the livelihoods of the people of North Sinai.”

“Hundreds of millions of dollars to fund ‘irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan,’ benefiting the Taliban.” USAID never intended to support opium poppy cultivation or the Taliban, and in fact the U.S. sought to stem it. The White House is citing a George W. Bush administration effort from 2005-2008.

You can read the full fact check by clicking the link below.

Read the full fact check