#atti uses dictation

[atticollateral]

why is it called a slurpee. it sounds so dirty. why don't they just call it a fucking slushie. what the fuck do you mean, slurpee. it has pee in it. why would. why would you. why the fuck would you call it slurpee

[conkniving]

salvage + atti

SALVAGE :  for one muse to retrieve the other’s belongings from a thief. + @pcisxnivys

the late time of night stamped into their retinas from the bright phone screen held by the wealthier of the two figures as they huddled on the corner of the block. the bass of the club rolled like persistent thunder under their soles, only the faintest glow of eerie crimson reaching them from the pull of scaredy cat. they should have been safe — posed under a streetlamp, plenty of drunkards and ravers stumbling about when the rest of the sensible city slept, warded even by the temporary marring of the convict mug that should have deterred most ( as much as it had been since fallon attempted steps back out into the world when the swelling had all but ceased ). but the bold and the brave were still abound. perusing through a playlist atticus had procured once again, to fallon's delight and a common thread they shared seeing as they could both be high-brow about their tastes in comparison to the rest of mainstream, neither were prepared from one blink to the next when a hooded thief came and went. the only indication namely the jostle of their bodies together from the brief collision meant to set them off-kilter, and the way atticus blustered at his empty hands. it couldn't have been fallon's beat up, dying cellphone, could it? it wasn't until the bastard had taken off in pursuit that she ascribed to "thinking before acting." the weight of the ankle monitor thumped uncomfortably as she wondered just how far she could book it down the damp sidewalk after the fleeing silhouette before she crossed the boundary dictated by her parole. and hadn't she already sought the aperture of her broiling emotions in one battle already? the one that mottled her complexion, that she could feel ache as she glowered. it didn't appear to matter. she could taste the thrill of it like sour candy. and she reveled in the shedding of her skin that pretended everything was fine these days, in the moment that her hands found purchase on the sweatshirt. rather than halting their movements, she simply redirected them, and smiled wickedly when she succeeded in swerving them into the brick of a nearby building. before they could retaliate, perhaps even crumple, she took the cowl of the article with her left hand to draw it back in order for her right hand to seize a fistful of sweaty hair and thrust the unknown visage of the perpetrator once more into the wall with a crunch. something clattered at her boot. with both hands, the biker used their concerted momentum to toss her opponent away, gleeful in spectating of their stumble and subsequent fall. surely they would be alright, it was hardly much of a fight and they didn't seem to be interested in more than that. retrieving atticus's phone from the ground, she grumbled to herself upon noting the small spiderweb crack to the corner, and ignored the way the thief skittered away in favour of returning to her friend. "here you go," was blithely announced as she dropped the device into the villanelle's numbed hands. "that's just the start of repaying my debt."

[nityarawal]

Sent to America 1st Legal & Friends:

Aloha! I just want to give you an update on my personal life regarding rental. Daniel finally told me professionally in writing on 17th that he wants to give me 30 days notice. I told him we'd prefer to not discuss it daily or ever see his pedo daddy pimp again but he carted Obese Martin back to discuss it. Is he jealous of me? They're saying they sold my dressing trailer and they want out of our contract on 1st but haven't offered payment for work I did on improvements etc caretaking his ranch while they were hooking/gambling all winter. Daniel had a mental breakdown after Melody left him. Who will take care of 50+ pets? I said I will take Mikey's if he turns it around so entrance forces north but he wants $150-250 more a month and I'm on a state stipend until Melody and Daniel send in their testimonies for court about the sex slavery in their families and the bribes from big pharma/County that dictates the bribes, gays, pigs they traffic tenants to. Melody says she witnessed over 20 moms violently hurt off ranch. We need reperations for that. I will take Mikey's for same price. Can you have it clean and painted by 17th for my move? I worked for a month to get this place livable and your step dad stalks me- unhinged my garden- and was generally inhospitable to my friends.

It's inconvenient to move in the middle of a court/health crisis and we'd rather not have Martin and his Sheriff gay militia Oath keeper officer fuck buddies Trolling us. Understood? If Daniel ever says one nasty word about me or any mommy sisters in his crude smear campaign you have our full permission to roast his ass with his Dr who has raped & murdered so many sisters. RIP. Peace.

Please confirm you all sent testimonies into America First Legal and Alex Spiro - Elon's personal atty today. I cc them on everything so they're very aware of this insurance/fraud/political/fed/bank con/scam you're involved in. Whistle-blower will be rewarded in new system. We know what old system would do to slimeballs that mollest kids & slum moms. You're lucky I'm nice under circumstances but we did alert global community of slumming scam here at Anza ranch and post office Feds know it's connected to election. I voted. Relax! Lol Did you? How much do you get paid for every voter you terrorise for Trumps secret Service pigs at dmv.org ? Jai Ma! @elonmuskfanslounge @mariannewilliamsongroupie @elonmuskparody @mariannewilliamson4prez @elonmuskdaily @mariannewilliams-blog @elon-daddy

"Higher Ground" -"Sherie Davis" on Guitar with "Nitya" singing at Idyllwild Song Writers Festival- Inspired by #Marianne Williamson's book, "The Healing of America." 7/16/22

https://youtu.be/Dr0AZKWORKk

#JaiMa #Marianne2024 #President #Cybermoms #Irany #NoHarems #Reminders #Daily

[andremae]

Former VP Robredo: The Last Man Standing is a Woman

In her candidacy as vice president of the Philippines, Robredo stood against male candidates who had previously held positions in the national government. In one memorable debate, she said: “I am a mother who will always look after her children. I will always look after our country. To the six of us, may the best woman win.” She was elected Vice President of the Philippines in 2016 and ended her term last 2022.

Robredo was propelled to the national political scene after the tragic death of her husband in a plane crash in August 2012. She was urged her to run for Congress, and she won a seat representing Camarines Sur province. And by surprise, in 2016, she was asked to be the vice presidential candidate to the Liberal government’s frontrunner Mar Roxas.

Robredo won by a margin of 200,000 votes ahead of Marcos Jr. the son of the late dictator President Marcos. Leaving him unsatisfied with the results, Marcos filed an election protest in the Supreme Court. She soon found herself out of the cabinet formed by the current populist (that time) President Duterte.

Robredo has spoken out against President Duterte’s brutal drug war, which saw the killings of suspected drug dealers in the slums of Manila. She is effectively the leader of the opposition although she prefers to roam the countryside for her “Angat Buhay” (Lifting Life) social campaign for the underprivileged.

Angat Buhay seeks to empower the marginalized sector, including women, in partnership with the private sector and civil society partners.

Part of this endeavor is putting an end to domestic abuse and empowering women toward financial independence.

In one interview, she said “Karamihan sa nasalubong namin na mga problema, kahit inaabuso na, parang they would choose to go back to the abusive environment dahil ang pakiramdam niya, hindi niya kayang buhayin iyong sarili niya at saka mga anak.”

(Most of the problems that we’ve encountered involved women who chose to remain in an abusive environment. This is because a woman feels like she can't provide for herself and her children.)

She then tries to address this by equipping women with skills that would help them start a business and become entrepreneurs. Robredo explains that “academic studies have shown that in order to close the gender gap, at least four things should happen: first, make it safe and fair for women to do trade-related businesses; second, bring more women into the workforce and achieve gender parity in the workplace; third, make spaces for female-led enterprises; and fourth, facilitate equal access to technology.”

Atty. Leni G. Robredo has taken up the torch to keep the dying flames of democracy alive. The space that she creates for women empowerment sparks the flame.

[attllhak]

Masterpost

Hey, I’ve finally found the need for a masterpost of all my stuff.

So, I’m Attllhak, but you can feel free to call me Atta. I’ve also gotten the nicknames Att and Atty as well, and both of those are fine too. Sometimes I write things, and this is where they go. My main is @iamyourchair and you can feel free to bother me there too if you want, though that blog is almost entirely reblogs of stuff I find cool. My AO3 account is Attllhak as well if you want to find me on there.

For navigation tags, I use ‘#atta answers’ for asks and ‘#atta responds’ for reblogs. If I ever post something that’s just me talking into the void I’ll tag it ‘#atta babbles’. The tags I use for when I’m talking about worldbuilding for my stuff or I’m talking about my headcanons are ‘#i talk worldbuilding’ and ‘#my many headcanons’ respectively. Everything that’s part of the same AU or part of a series will have a tag connecting them. Fanart I get for anything I make will go under the appropriate connected tag when applicable, and also the tag ‘#fanart for my fic’, but I won’t be linking to it on this post. I try my best to tag for triggers and warnings, but you can always ask me to add a tag I missed to something.

Feel free to pop into my inbox and ask me about any of my stuff, though I would like to ask that you keep it mostly to questions and potentially suggestions, as I am not comfortable with statements that feel like they are simply asserting things about my AUs or works to me, and anything that feels like it’s dictating my stuff to me will be ignored/deleted. Also, while I am an adult I would prefer to avoid anything NSFW, since while I am a biology/xenobiology nerd I am also aspec and don’t like discussing that sort of stuff, and certainly not publicly.

I’m putting all of the links to my stuff under a cut so it’ll update as I add things to it reliably.

LU Fics

Wild Returns

Swimming

That Fast Food AU Fic I Wrote For Tortilla

My Part Of The Meet The Chain Fic/The Door Fic

Sequel To The Crack-Fic Where Mario Is Malon’s Step-Father

MAJOR FICS AND AUS

Adoption AU (Done In Chronological Order For The Timeline, NOT Order Of Posting)

Lullaby Reacts To Time’s Batman Level Adoption Bullshit Ao3

Sky and Time: The Story Of The Family’s Most Unlikely Arrest

Adoption AU: Midna

Time is Outnumbered By His Sons And His Wife Isn’t Helping; The Floor Is Lava Edition

Warriors and Wild: The Epic Quest For Taco Bell At 3AM

The Kidnapping

Finding Twilight

WORLDBUILDING:

How Old Are The Boys?

What’s Up With Saria/Kokiri?

What Are Rusl And Uli Doing?

Rusl And Uli And Twilight’s Kidnapping

Wild’s Backstory

Tag: #adoption au

A Change In Fate

AO3

OTHER DETAILS I COULDN’T ELABORATE ON IN THE FIC:

What’s Up With Hyrule And The Furnaces + The Time Hyrule Sat On Twilight

Astor Looking Into Sky’s Visions

Symbolism In Sky’s Vision

Sky’s Theory

DLC?

The Look Warriors Gave Wild

The Instance Where Warriors Saw Twilight Go A Bit Nuts

Has Daruk Met Warriors?

Why I Wrote This Fic At All

Tag: #a change in fate

merAU

Sky Receives His Mission

What Happened To Warriors?

What Happened To Wild?

Wild’s Memories And The Trident

WORLDBUILDING:

General Worldbuilding

Is There A Map?

CHARACTER DESIGNS

Warriors, As Done By My Very Talented Best Friend

Tag: #mer au

WingAU (In Order Written)

Flora’s Musings

Wild’s Journey

Sky’s Flight

The Flying Pirate Rulers Of The Great Sea

Hyrule’s Reprieve

Legend’s Attempts At Retirement

Ravio And The Worst Flight Teacher Ever

Tag: #wing au

The Things I Did For The Gerudo Twilight AU

Twilight And Dusk Talk

Urbosa’s Story

Tags: #gerudo twilight, #gerudo twilight au

Warriors Swan Lake AU

Soldiers - Legend

Soldiers - Twilight

Enter Wild

Tag: #swan lake au

General Zelda Stuff

Ancient Sea Guardian (Originally posted to my main, link leads there)

Children Of The Woods

Termina’s Mythology (AKA the thing about the gods)

That Crack Fic Where Mario Is Malon’s Step-Father

Shopping Day

MAJOR FICS AND AUS

Surface Too Soon

AO3

Chapter 1: The Push And Fall

Chapter 2: Chasing Fi

Chapter 3: On The Surface

Chapter 4: Leap Of Faith

Chapter 5: Skyview Temple

Chapter 6: A Place To Rest

Chapter 7: Return To Eldin

Chapter 8: Earth Temple

Chapter 9: A Night In The Sky

Chapter 10: Revelations

Chapter 11: To Lanayru

Chapter 12: Into The Mines

Chapter 13: Lanayru Mining Facility

Chapter 14: A Brief Reunion

Chapter 15: THE GROOSE IS LOOSE

Chapter 16: The Hidden Village

Chapter 17: Dreams of a Goddess

Chapter 18: Recreation

Chapter 19: New Things

Chapter 20: Making Plans

Chapter 21: Studies And Things To Learn

Chapter 22: Near Misses

Chapter 23: Reflection

Chapter 24: The Night Before

Chapter 25: Reunion

Chapter 26: The Imprisoned

Chapter 27: Return To The Sky

Chapter 28: Roles To Fill

Chapter 29: Scrapper

Chapter 30: Isle of Songs

Chapter 31: The Silent Realm

Chapter 32: TBA

Tag: #surface too soon

Headcanons And Other Things That Don’t Fit Elsewhere

Twilight’s Eyes

Colour Meanings In LoZ

That Theory That Accidentally Explains Why the Egg Guardian In AoC Can Time Travel

Thoughts On The Master Sword

I Learned A Lot About Japanese Swords And Daggers For A Fic. Here’s That Trivia

How Does My Fairy Brand System Work?

Where Does Every Warrior Have Their Mark?

Do The Regular Captains Have Fairy Brands? And How Do They Pass Messages?

Elaborating On Warriors’ Connection To Proxi

Twili-Ordon-Zonai Connection And The Divine Beast Epithet

The Weirdest Thing Warriors Has Seen Fierce Deity Do

[opedguy]

GOP’S WEAPONIZATION COMMITTEE

LOS ANGELE (OnlineColumnist.com), Jan. 10, 2023.--Democrats already groaned over a new subcommittee chaired by new Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), 58, AKA “Weaponization Committee” to look into political abuses by federal government agencies.  Democrats and the media want no part of an investigation into abuses under Democrat leadership of federal agencies for political purposes.  Democrats and the press spent inordinate time investigating 76-year-old former President Donald Trump for alleged ties to the Kremlin, something alleged by 75-year-old former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 2016 campaign an through Trump’s presidency.  Liberal papers like the New York Times and Washington Post actually received Pulitzer Prizes from reporting on Trump’s alleged ties to the Kremlin.  Not one of the stories has ever been vetted or validated for factual accuracy.

Democrats and the press didn’t like when 72-year-old former Atty. Gen. Bill Barr appointed 72-year-old former U.S. Atty. John Durham (R-Conn.) as Special Counsel to investigate improper federal investigations into Trump and his 2016 campaign.  Jordan hopes his “weaponization” subcommittee can uses its subpoena power to interview old names like 62-year-old former FBI Director James Comey, former 68-year-old former CIA Director John Brennan and other past Democrat officials.  Jordan and other Republicans want to know the extent of a government conspiracy in the Justice Department, FBI and CIA to prevent Trump in 2016 from becoming president, but, more importantly, how the federal agencies sabotaged Trump’s foreign policy during his presidency, including important relations with Russia, China and North Korea.  Democrats vowed to push back or Jordan’s committee.

Democrats and the press don’t want the public to know that the DOJ, FBI and CIA were used to investigate Trump for purely political purposes. Democrats complain that the GOP’s Benghazi oversight committee implicated Hillary in poor oversight that resulted in the Sept. 11, 2012 deaths of 52-year-old Libyan Amb. Chris Stevens and three other U.S. citizens.  Hillary once said under oath “what difference does than make,” regarding the lack of security at the Benghazi U.S. consulate at a time of anarchy in Libya.  To Democrats, investigating Hillary’s role in Benghazi was dirty political trick.  Democrats think that it’s OK for the White House, CIA, FBI National Security Agency [NSI], etc., to use whatever mean available to persecute political opponents.  No oversight is necessary as long as Democrats are in power to use federal agencies to advance political agendas.

Jordan laid out the case for the Judiciary Committee oversight of Dmocrats abuse of federal agencies for political purposes.  “We have a duty to get into these agencies and look at how they have been weaponized to go against he the very people they’re supposed to represent, how they have infringed on First Amendment liberties of the American people.  And we’re going to do that,” Jordan told Fox News Sunday.   “We are going to do it in a way that’s consistent with the Constitution.   But we’re going to do it vigorously.  We’re going to do aggressively.  Because that’s out job,” Jordan said.  Jordan knows that Durham had the authority but could not use subpoena power get former Obama administration officials under oath to answer questions about the Russian hoax that went on for years, even after 78-year-old Special Counsel Robert Mueller finished his final report March 23, 2019.

Democrats want to label Jordan’s “Weaponization Committee” another conspiracy theory or “the MAGA Grievance Committee,” doing everything to discredit the process.  But with some much published evidence that Democrats abused federal agencies for political purposes, Jordan wants to know that extent of a “Deep State” conspiracy to damage Trump 2016, but, more importantly, his presidency.  How many times did Democrats and the press accuse Trump of inappropriate ties to dictators like 70-year-old President Vladimir Putin, 69-year-old Chinese President Xi Jinping or North Korean President Kim Jong-un?  Democrats and the press don’t question how Biden wrecked U.S.-Russian and U.S.-Chnese relations, leaving U.S. national security in shambles.  Democrats and the press have no problem with Biden pushing the U.S. closer into WW III.

Democrats and the press already refer to Jordan’s “Weaponization Committee” as the “hard right” or “MAGA” investigations, doing everything possible to discredit the investigation before it starts.  Democrats and the press want to bury for posterity what happened during Trump’s 2016 campaign and presidency.  Jordan wants to expose for all to see how federal agencies were used for political purposes.  Former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey knew the case against Trump was built of Hillary’s paid opposition research AKA the Steele dossier, all fabricated rubbish designed to discredit Trump’s 2016 campaign.  Using fake probable cause to initiate an FBI counterintelligence investigation was outrageous but never questioned, especially by Democrats and the press.  Jordan wants to prevent federal agencies from abuse by covert political operatives.

About the Author    

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news  He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.              

[vanicayra]

It's not Hisomachi related but I have to vent this out. Last May 9, my country, the Philippines, had commenced the election for the national and local elections, particularly the highest governmental post, the President of the Republic of the Philippines. The unofficial result from the COMELEC or the Commission on Election showed that Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr is leading the election. He is the son of the ousted dictator of the Republic of the Philippines for his corruption and abuses such as killing during Martial Law under his regime. His opponent, from the opposition, is the sitting Vice President of the country, which is Leni Robredo. She is an economist, a lawyer, and a great public servant without any tint of corruption in her track record. She has expertise in public service. During the pandemic, despite the limited budget of her office, she helped a lot of affected sectors in my country. To be honest, I hoped so much that she will win. She is the most qualified among the candidates. But, in a democracy, the majority will always win. The disappointing part is that there were a lot of problems during the election. Some vote-counting machines seemed to have a problem. There were issues of vote-buying and even before the election, fake news was spread against the Vice President which benefits the other camp, Marcos.

I just want to say that, I love my country and I hoped for the best for us however, if it is Marcos who will win, I will be disheartened. I'll accept the result but will be painful for me, for us who choose to vote for that lone woman among the presidential can'tdate. We had the chance to vote for a leader who listens to the people. A chance to have a president who does not have any tint of corruption but my countrymen failed to see this and were blinded by their fanaticism.

I love my country but this is painful and disappointing. It was as if I was robbed of the future that I deserved. I just want good governance. I want to experience a government that sees the people, hears the people, listens to the people, for the people, and most especially, a government that loves its people.

Know in my heart and to the Filipino people that ATTY. MARIA LEONOR 'LENI' GERONA-ROBREDO is the best President that the country never had. AND I AM PROUD THAT I STOOD FOR HER, BELIEVED IN HER, AND VOTED HER.

[ratatticus]

𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐈’𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 🍓🥛

☁️ 001. My name is Atticus but you can call me Atti! I am a transgender boy who is closeted for the most part — but I prefer he/him pronouns nonetheless. I am enrolled in biomedical courses, and certified nursing assistant (CNA) training and work as a cashier in my grandparent’s vegetable stand which is seasonal.

☁️ 002. Although I seem busy, I have a lot of time on my hands! I’m a frequent and enthusiastic roleplayer who makes sure to reply as quickly as possible given the time to make sure that the reply is higher quality! I’m very flexible seeing as I understand we have lives, and I don’t let careers or education dictate whether I’ll roleplay with someone. Although I love a good and fast reply, real life comes first!

☁️ 003. When it comes to lengths in replies, I love detail. I tend to write over 4K character responses per reply — but this does not mean I expect a novella reply back! I just prefer you write in paragraph forms, third person (being past, present, or mixed tense) and give me something to work with! I don’t want to know just the physical things! I want to know the character’s inter-workings, I want to know exactly what they’re feeling or thinking in that moment!

☁️ 004. I really only roleplay gay romances! Your character can be a cis male, trans male, non-binary masc presenting, etc.! I have some trans male characters as well as cis males, we don’t discriminate! If your character is male and loves dresses and makeup, that’s okay! No discrimination. Is your character female to male without top or bottom surgery? Perhaps maybe not even out yet or visibly masc presenting? That’s perfectly fine.

☁️ 005. NSFW content is plenty fine with me! Adult dialogue always adds depth and I don’t mind! Violence, angst, traumatic experiences, sexual scenes, etc. are perfectly fine as long as we discuss prior! Let’s try to communicate!

☁️ 006. I enjoy various subjects however most of which are very modern and present day, including drama, angst, and conflict. I enjoy playing characters ages mid twenties to mid-to-late thirties! You can, of course, play a younger character (no minors) as long as we agree to which their age difference makes us both comfortable! Non-binary masc presenting characters, trans males including closeted trans males, and genderfluid amab characters are very welcome!

☁️ 007. Omegaverse is a fun topic and I like when we create our own verse with headcanons and pick and choose from other headcanons to build it! I enjoy things like shifters, werewolves, witches and warlocks, and other whimsical characters! I just prefer our characters aren’t things along the lines of faes/fairies, trolls, ogres, etc.! Some elves, nymphs, and other things of course are allowed including merms, fauns, etc. **we can do modern fantasy or more medieval fantasy

☁️ 008. I love crime and drama! Subjects like mafia/gang leaders, assassins, royal drama (medieval or modern), criminals on the run, or even more casual things — CEOs and sexworkers, models and streamers, youtubers and actors, music artists. These things are so fun to me. I enjoy medieval and modern, as long as the roleplay has depth, good characters, and romance! I prefer slow burn with flirting, mind you.

☁️ 009. IMPORTANT — I am an enthusiastic and “extra” roleplayer. I use Discord as my only platform and I pre-make servers for 1x1 organization. They are detailed with places for us to store reference links and images, headcanons and imagines. It’s also important that you know I love having a “canon” roleplay — which is in all cases our first roleplay with our two characters. After that, I like to branch off with AUs, or Alternate Universes. We can have as many AUs at once as we’re comfortable, but it’s important to remember we reuse the same ocs, however the settings and their identities may be different! For example, perhaps our characters in canon are a professor and a sexworker. Yes their personalities are the same, but their occupation, species, and even in some cases gender, may differ. It’s also important you know that I do not expect you to have a wiki from amino or a google doc of your character, nor do I expect a face claim, but I do have them. I also make Spotify playlists in some cases and Pinterest boards for our characters.

How to contact me: bubs#7777 on discord! but message me here first!

[maknaesdancersrappers]

it's such a shame that the filipinos were given a chance to have a clean government, a president who was crowned as a dream candidate by first world countries yet the didnt. because in our country, apparently, the dream candidate is "lutang" or "lugaw" which is fucking annoying from the very start. i feel bad for the people who participated on the EDSA people's power revolution, manila film center victims, and martial law victims (+ EJK victims). it's so sad to see that the citizens never learned. "Never Again" but they did it again. it begs the question, "were the filipinos really worth dying for?" and at this point im kind of convinced that they are not. pinaglaban mo pero ayaw parin nila. look at our country now, hindi pa nga siya nahalal (officially) nagkanda letche letche na. "bagong pilipinas, bagong mukha" my ass pero inallow ang political dynasty.

I can't believe I'm actually embarrassed to be Filipino. The whole world was watching the presidential elections unfold especially since it's a dictator's son that's running for office. And not only that, he's going against a candidate that has practically the best track record of a presidential candidate could have YET the Filipinos voted for the former that has no proven college degree, tax evasion cases, corruption, 4 counts of disqualification to run (that's clearly been dismissed) and so much more. I cannot comprehend how brainwashed these people are into thinking that the time of a dictator's regime was the best time for the country when people lived in fear, could not speak up against the government, were tortured and killed for opposing. Literally the entire world did not forget, how could we?

A former protestor of the late dictator is now supporting that very dictator's son because she "learned" from "social media influencers" that what she was fighting for before was """wrong"""

The utter hypocrisy of these trolls and fanatics is actually funny. Their own presidential bet couldn't admit defeat when he lost to VPL 6 years ago and had to issue 3 manual recounts of votes yet when we cry foul for this year's election, they tell us to keep quiet and admit defeat? They ridicule and mock us for supporting someone who is "lutang" or "lugaw" but when we ask for their stance for supporting their candidate, they merely respond with "respect my opinion"? They keep pointing out VPL's "negative campaigning" when in truth, she's merely blunt with facts about their candidate -- facts that said candidate will erase from school books and history.

It's how Filipinos would rather vote for a familiar name rather than someone who isn't popular; someone "more handsome" over someone with a distinct facial trademark. (I will never shut up or forgive anyone who voted for Robin Padilla, an action star ((who also has his own crimes)), over a lawyer, educator, and human rights advocate, Atty. Chel Diokno ((I will also cry about his loss in this elections)))

I distinctly remember when VPL first announced that she was going to run for president; I was overwhelmed with so much joy and hope that I couldn't help but ugly cry -- I had to repeat the video multiple times to make sure it was true. There was a movement; people were working together, supporting one another, backing VPL up once campaigning began. I don't think there was such a huge support from the masses for a presidential campaign in our entire history. Celebrities were showing their support; joining common folk in house to house campaigning and wearing the presidential candidate's colors. I vividly remember one rally where a supporter was assumed to hand a bundle of monetary support for the campaign??? (meanwhile the other camps are vote buying and paying trolls to disseminate fake news) The numbers of rally goers and online supporters was overwhelming -- we had this in the bag. But we should have known the devil works harder when threatened.

Everyday, since the night of the elections, I cry every time I open Twitter or FaceBook. The updates were disheartening, disappointing, angering, but not surprising. This is the reality of how elections in the Philippines work. Money runs everything. No matter how old, dirty, or bloody it is; people will choose money. Whistleblowers will come out to expose the truth, but whoever has the power to do something about it, dismisses it.

There is still that tiny sliver of hope, though. They are still in the process of tallying the results. People are gearing up to take to the streets if the blatant cheating is ignored. It's dangerous and if the police were brought out with arms pointed at peaceful protestors the day after elections, what more when we protest the supposed final results?

I'm sorry if this post turned into a messy rant. I don't like getting political but this is the last straw. Just know if I stop posting here, I was fighting for my country's future.

[themildestofwriters-ocs]

Hymn to the Queen of the Stars

The Hymn to the Queen of the Stars is a liturgical poem written in 5813 EA by forerunner of the Imperial Cult, High Priestess Ishkhar-ramat. Originally, it was written in Zīzlishani, but has since been translated into countless other languages. It is one of the earliest surviving documents proclaiming the divinity of Empress Elishewa rikhut Bit-Kinakhn, and was compiled within the cult's holy text, the Book of Quiet Mercy.

As of 6021 EA, the original text, along with the 26 other poems written by the High Priestess, resides within her tomb beneath the Temple of Martyrs, Esha.

Description

The poem is etched on a single titanium plate, 6.25 ubanu (13 centimeters) wide, 6.73 ubanu (14 centimeters) high, 0.19 ubanu (0.4 centimeters) thick, but has been alchemically preserved. Three holes, 0.24 ubanu (0.5 centimeter) in diameter, are been drilled along the left margin of the tablet at equal distance, 0.36 ubanu (0.75 centimeters) away from the edge.

The Text

It is comprised of 12 lines, 4 stanzas and a 2-line colophony.

The first stanza (1-3) introduces the subject of the hymn, Empress Elishewa, by her common title "Queen of the Stars," describing the figure, her mythologised ancestry, along with her titles.

The second stanza (4-5) continues to extol her virtues and her place above the previous pantheon of gods, the Sleeping Gods, who are relegated to servants of her will according to the Imperial Cult.

The third stanza (6-8) expands on this, describing her place within the Imperial Cult as well as dictating several regional names attributed to her, each a representation of her divine aspects.

The final stanza (9-10) ends the poem with an invocation of peace and wellness.

Zizlishani Transliteration

i (1) šarrat-kakkabī azammar anāku azammar mārat bīt-maḫrîlī u awīlūtī kāšid bīt-ekleti bēlet erṣetī ša atti ina bīrīni ittalakki

ii (4) atti elī kala ṣalīl-ilānū dannat šarratu ḫībti kitta nēmeqa hasīsa eršēt

iii (6) ilatni ummani mušēzibatni šamašni tašīlīni nīnu kattu šumātu ana dārū u dārū nitallal ūripaēssa zāmira aḇala aya neḫṭet

vi (9) šarrat kakkabī dāriat bēlet išḫar dāriš ūmī qīšīniāšim šalama u napišta

colophony tuppi išḫar-rāmat mārat kakki riḫ��t awīlūtī enat išḫar

English Translation

i (1) I sing to the queen of the stars, I sing! Daughter of the House of the First Gods, Conqueror of the House of Darkness, Lady of [all] the Earths, who walked among us.

ii (4) You are mightier than the sleeping-gods. My beloved queen, you are wise in justice, knowledge, and understanding.

iii (6) Our Goddess, our mother, our saviour, our sun, our glory. For generations and generations we will exult your names: Euryphaessa, Zamira, Avala, Aya, Nekhtet.

vi (9) Immortal Queen of the Stars, Lady Ishkhar. For all days grant us peace and good health.

colophony Tablet of Ishkhar-ramat, daughter of Kakki. Descendant of [all] Humanity, Priestess of the Queen of the Stars.

References

Abdusch, Tzvi. “Essays on Babylonian and Biblical Literature and Religion.” Harvard Semitic Studies, vol. 65, no. 1. 2020.

Chiera, Edward. List of Personal Names from the Temple School of Nippur. The University Museum. 9116.

Cousin, Laura; Watai, Yoko. “Onomastics of Women in Babylonia in the First Millennium BC.” Orient, vol. 51, no. 1, 2016, 3-27.

Gelb, Ignace J., et al. The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. 2010.

Huehnergard, John. A Grammar of Akkadian. 3rd edition. Winona Lake, Ind., 2011.

Lauffenburger, Oliver. Hittite Grammar. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2014.

Sahala, Aleksi. Akkadian verb list. University of Helsinki. 5772.

Slightly Alive Translations. “‘Hymn to Ishtar’ (RA 22, 170-171).” Tumblr, <mostlydeadlanguages.tumblr.com/post/139566565563/hymn-to-ishtar-ra-22-170-171>. 2016.

Wikipedia contributors. “Dialogue between a Man and His God.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2021.

Further Reading

Hennessey, Michael; Van Boekel, Advena. Queen of the Stars: The Imperial Blood Cult. Discord. 2021.

Van Boekel, Advena. Divine Intervention or: What Comes After Immortality. [REDACTED]

Author's Notes

Elishewa is the Zizlishani transcription of Babette's Hebrew name, Elisheva, which she used in various official forms for personal reasons. The name falls out of use post-Dark Age in lieu of her title, Queen of the Stars. She strongly disapproves of her deification, has repeatedly refuted her supposed divinity, but the religion(s) persist.

Zizlishani is the common language of the Empire since before its founding, and trade language of the wider galactic community post-Dark Age. It originated as a creole of Akkadian, Mycenaean, Hittite, Egyptian, and various Canaanite languages. For simplicity, I just use Akkadian to represent the language instead of creating a conlang.

I have reasonable authority that line 7 is a bit wack, but not why it's wack. So I'm leaving it until someone can correct me on my Akkadian.

The names attributed to Babette each have their own origins and meaning reflecting here worshipers understanding of her.

"išḫar" Hittite origin, meaning "blood." Not referencing her war aspect but rather the spilt blood of the trillions who died during and those who sacrificed their lives in order to end the Dark Age.

"aya" is the name of the wife of the Babylonian sun god, serving as a point of synchronization between Empress Elišēwa and the wider Mesopotamian mythology.

"neḫṭet" Egyptian for "Victory" (?), referencing her place as a war goddess within the pantheon. Also due to her being the representation of victory against the Ancient Enemy who came from the House of Darkness, the Abyss.

"ūripaēssa" my attempt at an Akkadian transcription of the Greek "Euryphaessa." Not linking Babette to Theia, rather the use of this name focuses on its meaning, "Wide-Shining," to reflect Babette's melammu (aura) which is often described as Big™ and Bright™.

"aḇala" Aramaic for "to grieve," used in conjunction with "išḫar" to reference Babette's widely known grief at those who died in her name and those who sacrificed their lives for a brighter future.

"zāmira" unsourced Akkadian. "To Sing" (zamāru) in singular participle genitive. I have no idea what gender, but it doesn't matter. Canonically, Babette's worshipers have a fluid understanding of her gender as she becomes more of an icon than a person. The name references her music which has been a major aspect of her character.

Had great help from a good bloke by the name of Michael Hennessy in writing this. He was basically my guy looking at the abominable sentences I hobbled together and told me "no," while giving me good resources (and direct help) to polish this off.

Tag list: @starr-lights, @kijilinn, @yuelias-prince, @unwriter-sc, @egglordthypen, @cttrajan1206, @randomestfandoms-ocs, @ocappreciationtag - want to be added to my tag list for fics and/or content? shoot me an ask!

[lunarese]

I want my VP to be P

I believe we need another woman who can lead with a motherly touch. I'm not quite sure of what Cory Aquino did back then to our country but I know she's the first woman who became a female president in the whole world. As time goes by, I think we deserve another female president that will lead a country who needs and crying for help especially during this time. I'm not very professional on selecting candidates for the presidency but all I know I don't want a male president who is sensitive enough and feel threatened on an intellectual female energy. On a personal note, I have endless debate towards my choices of president versus my family especially my dad. My Grandfather ATTY. Roa and former mayor on Tolosa Leyte, which the place where the former first lady or the wife of the dictator president Ferdinand Marcos, is the place that Imelda Marcos used to live.

During the that time, my grandfather was the mayor that's why he is a former comrade and I've heard horror stories which is a victory story for our family, but I find it unfair, and it still exists until now. Sadly, I admit that I'm a part of a family who strongly supported the Marcoses and even support the current president now because somehow, we are quite related to him which I’m not proud of.

Because of the virtual setting, we exchange our support through virtual platforms such as social media especially Facebook and because of this we create feuds from our family and friends that divides us. I believe the lack of business due to the pandemic and we are still not allowed to go to work or go to school, we are consumed on a virtual setting that some creators make an information that catches clueless minds like our parents or other adults that are not really techie or quite familiar on what is fake news or an actual news which leads them to believe on a false information.

One of the major things that I’ve noticed, the only presidential candidate that always mention about fake news is VP Leni Robredo. And some constituents of her party always fact check about the spread of the fake news and make sure that it will be corrected. One of the perfect examples how they mislead a math competition of VP Leni which they cut down into pieces to make her look stupid which is actually a sabotage from the supporter of other candidates because they cut the video and make her look that she doesn't know what she's saying because of that it persuades people to believe she is stupid.

There is a large number of Filipino people that are misogynist and believe that a woman cannot handle the weight to run or a lead a country, even though the women are raising our Philippine flag that represent our country through Olympics, leadership, community service, and so much more. This goes to show that Pinays are far beyond a Maria Clara Image because women especially Pinays are not limited. We are in a modern world, and I believe she's a perfect candidate and very fit for the job of being a president because she listened not only for the voice the general masses but also for the youth as well. She's not only thinking by her age, but she also minds the thought of young people for another perspective which is very important. Our world is evolving and a fresh perspective from a youth can also help to contribute through change and we need a person ready to listen and take action afterwards.

As she said on her PILIPINAS DEBATES 2016 “May the best woman wins”which I believe she will, (I really hope so).

[sgtbluebacon]

What Does Gold Fringe on a Flag Mean?

Does the Gold Fringe around an American flag give it a different meaning? That’s a great question! Keep reading and I’ll tell you all about it, starting with a history lesson.

Gold fringe on flags is nothing new; it has been used on flags dating back to the Roman Empire. However, it didn’t begin to become popular within the United States until 1835, when it started appearing on flags used by the United States Army, which officially adopted fringe in 1895. This has led some people (Sovereign Citizens) to believe that Gold Fringe on a flag makes it a Military Flag, indicating that the area it is flown in is under Martial Law. There are some claims that it also indicates that a secret second Constitution is being used as a source of law (Strawman/Corporation theory), or that it represents Maritime Jurisdiction (Law of the Flag/Maritime theory). Spoiler alert, it doesn’t, but keep reading to find out why. 

https://books.google.com/books?id=XNoiBIH1KxsC&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=%221895%22+army+flag+regulation&source=bl&ots=nrcAthYEnF&sig=ACfU3U0ehyPO-1VwdDI_ho-dYKvQyjnMsw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj07bGt8aLlAhUioFsKHZC-BTI4ChDoATABegQICRAB#v=onepage&q&f=false

If you click that link, then you’ll be looking at the 1895 Army regulations regarding flags. You might notice some strange things about this description of the flag from this text, particularly the part that describes text on the flag. At the time, text on the flag wasn’t terribly uncommon. In fact, Abraham Lincoln used flags with words sewn on to campaign for presidency. Flags also often had the names of battles they were flown in sewn on. Flag regulations weren’t established until 1923, so people sort of did what they wanted with the flag before then. I assume that around this time someone started asking questions about whether or not fringe, which wasn’t mentioned in the rules that were being established, was ok, because in 1924 the Adjutant General of the Army stated “[t]he War Department ... knows of no law which either requires or prohibits the placing of a fringe on the flag of the United States. No Act of Congress or Executive order has been found bearing on the question. In flag manufacture a fringe is not considered to be a part of the flag, and it is without heraldic significance.” 1925, the Attorney General agreed, releasing an opinion which stated (34 Op. Atty. Gen 483): “the fringe does not appear to be regarded as an integral part of the Flag, and its presence cannot be said to constitute an unauthorized addition to the design prescribed by statute. An external fringe is to be distinguished from letters, words, or emblematic designs printed or superimposed upon the body of the flag itself. Under law, such additions might be open to objection as unauthorized; but the same is not necessarily true of the fringe.”

So in 1925, it was evident that the fringe changed nothing, but Sovereign Citizens point to a few things that happened after that opinion was written to try to prove their argument. One claim is that the flag code prohibits fringe. It doesn’t. 

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/4/chapter-1

Check the text of the code if you don’t believe me. None of it contains any additional information on the fringe. But Sovereign Citizens aren’t known for actually reading the information they cite. Just like they don’t read Executive Order 10834, which they claim supposedly establishes that fringe on a flag gives it a military designation.  

So what is Executive Order 10834? It was an order put out by the president in 1959, which defined various standards for the flag. Why was this order created? Oh I don’t know, maybe because Hawaii had become a state and a star had to be added to the flag in accordance with 4 USC 2, which they would know if they had read the flag code. What’s strange is that fringe. is. Never, at any point referenced, which is strange, because Sovereign Citizens love to state that this executive order contains the following quote: “A military flag is a flag that resembles the regular flag of the United States, except that it has a yellow fringe border on three sides.” Fun fact, that quote is a fabrication, and does not exist within executive order 10834. Military colors are mentioned though, so let's take a look at that.

The army regulation on the display of flags is AR 840-10, and oh boy, there are a lot of references to fringe. Check it out here: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN17950_R840_10_ADMIN_FINAL.pdf

Here’s the thing, the flags with fringes are for indoor use, ceremonies, or parades. Its just to make them fancy. Let me put it to you this way: the army has a regulation (AR 670-1) that dictates among other things the rules for hair styles that soldiers can have. But does this mean anyone with a military haircut is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. But that’s what it sounds like when you argue that flags with fringes are military flags because there is a military regulation that establishes when flag fringe is appropriate for military ceremonies.

In conclusion, the theory that fringe on a flag means it isn’t the United States flag is ridiculous and without merit. But please, try to convince me I’m wrong. 

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Tough-Talking Atty. Kofi Woods Blocked from Speaking on Int’l Labor Day

MONROVIA – The Liberia Labour Congress was constrained to rescind its decision to make Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods keynote speaker of this year’s May Day (Labour Day) celebration after a confrontation from the Ministry of Labour, FrontPage Africa has gathered.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, bettie.mbayo@frontpageafricaonline.com

Atty. Woods, a human rights lawyer and activist, is renowned for being vocal in speaking against ills in society and bad governance.

On March 29, 2019, the Liberia Labour Congress extended an invitation to Atty. Woods requesting him to serve as keynote speaker of the May Day Celebration in recognition of immense sacrifices made by workers in both the public and private sectors.

“In consideration of your interest and contributions to the workers of Liberia, we wish to inform you of our selection of to serve as keynote speaker for the occasion. The day will be observed under the theme: “Unity, Strength and Solidarity for Economic Empowerment for Improved Standard of Living for Workers in Liberia.”

However, a summersaulting move, the Labour Congress on April 30, again wrote Atty. Woods: “We are constrained to inform you that the Liberia Labour Congress has decided to withdraw the invitation extended to you to serve as Keynote Speaker on the 2019 International Labour Day Program due to some circumstances.”

The letter which was signed the Chairman of the Labour Congress, Hannah M. Karbo, did not give reasons for the reconsideration of their decision.

The ‘Real Reason’

FrontPageAfrica has obtained a chain of leaked emails exchange revealing the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) decision not to fund the Labour Congress’ preparation for the May Day Celebration, instead referring them to the Ministry of Labour which would coordinate the day’s programs.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour, headed by former Lofa County Representative Moses Kollie, is exerting lots of influence as to who becomes the keynote speaker of the day.

FrontPageAfrica reliably gathered from sources within the Ministry and from lines within the email exchange that the Ministry cannot tolerate having Atty. Woods serving as keynote speaker as it would not mean well for the image of the government.

The Liberia Labour Congress was reportedly coerced by Ministry of Labour to recall its invitation extended to the Atty. Woods as a bargain for getting financial aid for the celebration of Labour Day.

“The fear is that Kofi Woods being who he is is most likely to say some things would not mean good for the image of the government. So, the Minister is not comfortable with him being given such a platform,” a Labour Ministry source said.

However, James Kwabo, head of communication at the Ministry of Labour said the allegation is far from the truth. He added that the ministry did not communicate on such issue.

“We don’t tell you what do, we only work with them as a party and we do not censor, we don’t do that, anyone who says that will be saying that out of their minds,” he said.

According to Kwabo the LLC can invite anyone to serve as a guest speaker.

“It is not true, they can invite anyone, the minister is a liberal minister and the ministry will not dictate to them who to bring,” he emphasized.

Last Year’s Celebration Went Unannounced

The Weah-led administration failed to make a proclamation on last year’s May Day.

The Ministry of Labour rejected several invitations to attend program commemorating the day.

But Davide D. Sackoh, secretary general of LLC, said at the time that the action of the government to stay away from this 2018 year’s celebration came at the time when the country was facing grave issues with concession companies regarding the rights of workers.

He called on workers to condemn the action of the Liberian government, saying the failure of the Minister of Labour to inform the Foreign Ministry about International Labour Day was a move to undermine the interest of Liberian workers.

Sackoh said the George Weah-led government’s pro-poor agenda should be in the interest of the workers union, stressing that any attempt by the government to down play the interest of the workers will be strongly resisted by the Labour Congress.

“We want to use this event to condemn, in the strongest possible term the decision of the Labour Minister to boycott the Labour Day celebration in Liberia,” he said.  

“For his (Minister Kollie) own blunder and failure to inform the foreign ministry and the office of the President of the Republic of Liberia on the significance of the International Labour Day in order for the proclamation to be declared today as a working holiday.”

He termed the government’s action as a contradiction to its pro-poor agenda, adding that “any attempt to tamper with workers right under this administration it will be resisted strongly by the Liberia Labour Congress.”  

[opedguy]

Bill Barr Takes Out Knife for Trump

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Sept. 11, 2022.--Since leaving the Justice Department Dec. 23, 2020, 72-year-old former Atty. Gen. Bill Bar has been a favorite on the liberal media, slamming former President Donald Trump at every occasion.  Barr and Trump had their falling out Dec. 1, 2020 when Barr went public saying he see didn’t see any significant election fraud, infuriating Trump, leading to the current feud.  Trump’s former associates usually take out the knives after many falling outs with former president, who, doesn’t hesitate to slam his former colleagues.  Barr, of all former Trump officials, gets a lot of attention from the press, seeking his opinions, especially about the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, fake elector slates and the FBI Mar-a-Lago documents raid. On all issues, Barr thinks Trump has a good chance of getting indicted by 70-year-old Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland.  Democrats and press like when former officials betray Trump.

Trump finds himself on thin ice with legal problems piling up, with Democrats and the press pushing for his indictment to stop him for running in 2014.  If Trump would just announce he’s no longer running, he find many of his legal problems going away.  So many of Trump’s legal issues are based on Democrats and the press preventing him from running in 2024.  When it comes to pending possible charges, Garland has the best shot charging Trump for removing classified documents and storing them in Mar-a-Lago’s locked basement.  “Bill Barr has been a real law and order kind of guy and has been strongly proactive of national security interests and Department of Justice interests,” said George Washington Univ. Prof. Alan Morrison.  Morrison doesn’t know the extent of Barr’s vendetta against Trump, having nothing to do with Barr’s interests in law and order or anything else.

Barr tried but failed to investigate the Russian hoax perpetrated against Trump for five years, starting with 62-year-old former FBI Director, James Comey.  Barr appointed Dec. 1, 2020 Special Counsel John Durham (R-Conn.) to get to the bottom of Comey’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation against Trump.  Barr knew full well that Comey used former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s paid opposition research AKA the Steele dossier, as probable cause to go to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA] court to wiretap Trump campaign officials.  Yet all of Trump’s critics, many of whom participated in the Russian hoax, say nothing about all the fake news stories in the New York Times and Washington Post about Trump’s alleged ties to the Kremlin.  Barr had sympathy for Trump then, but after he told Trump that he saw no significant evidence of election fraud things changed.

Trump’s been barking up the wrong tree trying to uncover election fraud when the outcome of the Nov. 3, 2020 election was clear.  Democrats and the press had demonized Trump for blowing the Covid-19 crisis, white supremacy and racism after George Floyd’s May 25, 2020 death and many lies about his ties to dictators around the planet.  Trump did everything possible to gain control of the worst global pandemic since the 1918 H1Ni1 Spanish flu.  Trump pushed hard for vaccines makers like Pfizer and Modern to produce live-saving vaccines.  President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, while running for president, said they would never take a vaccine developed under Trump.  Both said the vaccines would not be ready anytime soon, yet the vaccines’ release was timed cleverly to one week after the Nov. 3, 2020 election.  But perceptions matter to voters, not reality.

Was Trump really responsible for George Floyd’s death?  Democrats and the press treated Trump like he was responsible for the reprehensible Minneapolis police killing.  Because Trump complained about rioting, looting and arson that went on for months, Democrats and the press associated Trump with racism and white supremacy.  So, by the time the election rolled around, Trump was the personification of evil for Democrats and the press.  With Democrats enjoying a 20% registration advantage to Republicans, universal mail-in ballots did in Trump’s bid for a second term.  Trump’s fixation on voter fraud stems from the fact that he couldn’t fathom the idea of  losing to “Sleep Joe” Biden.  But when the post-election analysis was complete, it was clear that a sizable majority of voters found Trump an onerous candidate.  Republicans did a poor job of countering Democrats and the press.

When it came to Barr, he knew that things changed after the election, especially telling Trump Dec. 1, 2020 that he found no significant evidence of election fraud. Barr knew that the Obama Justice Department, under Loretta Lynch, took liberties with the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency [NSA] to go after Trump to help Hillary get elected.  When all those efforts failed and Trump won the 2016 election, the same Obama officials did everything possible to make Trump’s presidency intolerable.  Comey ordered disgraced, discredited and fired FBI agents Peter Strzok and Joe Peintka to entrap former National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn at the White House only days after the inauguration.  So, Barr watched all the Obama White House abuse of the Justice Department for pure politics, to prevent Trump from becoming president, get Hillary elected president.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

[ayittey1]

Bloated Hippos Throttle Africa’s Development

In many African countries, government has now become a scourge –its institutions hijacked by the ruling vampire elites to enrich and serve their interests, not the poor. The public sector, the largest employer, is packed with cronies, relatives and party supporters ensconced in parallel institutions, useless government agencies and ministries with overlapping functions. Ghana. for example, has Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Roads and Highways, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Road and Transport, Ministry of Ports and Railways. Why not just one Ministry of Transportation? Never mind Asked in 2004 to reduce state hegemony in the economy and play more reliance on the private sector, Ghana set up the “Ministry of Private Sector Development." To cut government spending, Mali established a “Ministry of Less Government Spending.” Tanzania of course has the “Ministry of Good Governance" and Uganda, the “Ministry for the Pacification of Northern Uganda” whatever that means.

In 2013, Ghana’s huge government workforce consumed 70 percent of the budget; 80% in Zimbabwe.. The size of the government has grown so rapidly that it is suffocating many African economies. For example, in 1997, Ghana with a population of 19 million. had 88 cabinet and regional ministers plus their deputies. By 2004, the number reached 92 but shot up to 97 in 2013 and now 110. In 2009, Kenya had 94 and Zimbabwe 82 Angola checks in with 88 ministers and deputies

 In addition, there are ministers of state at the presidency, presidential staffers and advisors. At each ministry, there are a principal secretaries, deputy principal secretaries, assistant deputy principal secretaries, etc. The next batch comprise governors or regional ministers and their deputies Then there is the legislature – Senators and MPs, all feeding off the government trough.

 In Ghana, each Minister must have a government bungalow (house), a Pajero (SUV),, a saloon car for Madam, a garden boy, a cook, a day watchman, a night watchman, a security guard, to accompany the official. Then each senior government officer is entitled to a house loan, furniture loan, fridge loan, and even education loan for the children. Nigerian legislators are highest paid in the world Its Senators enjoy an obscene smorgasbord of perks and allowance that take their salaries to a cool $2 million each when 60% of the population earn less than $2 a day An outrageous one is "hardship" allowance. Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria dismissed its National Assembly as "an assembly of thieves and looters."

Most of the perks enjoyed by African government officials were created during the colonial period to entice Europeans - say Englishmen - to serve in the colonies and clearly made no sense to retain them after independence. If the 20th century taught us anything, it is that large-scale centralized government does not work. It does not work at the national level, and it is less likely to work at the global level.” said Kofi Annan, former U.N Secretary-General.

 The extra-large public sector in many African countries is riddled with overspending, wasteful practices, willful extravagance with public funds, financial irregularities and willful profligacy. Too many ministries and government agencies mean soaring government expenditures Ghost workers abound in Ghana – over 6,000 -- on government payrolls and their salaries collected by living workers. Judges are on the take, some caught on camera demanding bribes  In Nigeria, 62,893 ghost workers were nabbed and hopefully reburied In Kenya, one ghost worker was caught with his salary collected by a living professor  

 Government, not the private sector, has now become the vehicle for self-enrichment. The richest persons in Africa are heads of state and ministers, who make their money by raking it off the backs of their suffering people. Quite often, the chief bandit is the head of state himself. Being the president of an African country is an extremely lucrative occupation, which partly explains why they would never give up power and must be removed by force destroying the country.

 The family fortune of Moammar Gaddafi of Libya was $200 billion ; Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was $70 billion; Omar al-Bashir of Sudan is $9 billion; General Sani Abacha, former military dictator of Nigeria, was $5 billion; Charles Taylor of Liberia was $5 billion; Isabel dos Santos, daughter of Angola's President, is $3.4 billion  "Every military regime is a fraud," once said General Ibrahim Babangida, former military dictator of Nigeria. He should know; he amassed a personal fortune of $12 billion For a perspective, the total or combined net worth of all 43 US presidents  -- from Washington to Obama -- is only $2.7 billion

 Sure, Africa is furiously fighting corruption. In February 2014 when Lamidu Sanusi, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. reported that some $20 billion in in oil revenue was missing, it was he, the governor, who was immediately sacked  Pres. Goodluck Jonathan for financial recklessness and misconduct! Lord Save Us!

 A similar case occurred in Ghana in 2013. Martin Amidu, the former Atty. Gen. of Ghana, was sacked when he  refused to authorize payment he considered fraudulent. In Zimbabwe, the anti-corruption czar, Ngonidzashe Gumbo, was himself a bandit, jailed for 10 years for defrauding the commission of $435,000. O Merciful Allah! Elsewhere, the bodies set up to fight corruption in Kenya and Tanzania are themselves also corrupt

 Africa may be a tough nut to crack. Recall that former President Clinton fumbled on Africa. Back in April 1998 on his historic trip to Africa, Clinton hailed the rebel leaders of Congo DR, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda as "the new leaders of Africa taking charge of their own backyards." Sadly, they turned out to be reform acrobats and crackpot democrats. For example, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who declared in 1986 that no African leader should be in power for more than 10 years, is still president of Uganda, 31 years later.

Perhaps it is time for African solutions. To solve Congo DR’s economic crisis back in 1991, Amina Ramadou, a peasant housewife suggested "We send three sacks of angry bees to the governor and the president. And some ants which really bite. Maybe they eat the government and solve our problems.” Indeed, that was precisely what some ethnic groups such as the Igbo, the Somali, the Gikuyu and the Kru among others, did. They got rid of their leaders and are called stateless societies. Even they understood that the state is necessarily evil and the more power the state has, the less free its citizens.

u____________________

 The author is a native of Ghana and president of the Free Africa Foundation in Washington DC. His new book, Applied Economics for Africa, will be published in the summer by the Atlas Foundation in Washington DC.

      tps://dev.vis���T��

[phgq]

Probe judges dismissing cases vs. Reds instead, Parlade to SC

#PHnews: Probe judges dismissing cases vs. Reds instead, Parlade to SC

MANILA – Rather than looking into the actions of a Quezon City Regional Trial Court judge who issued a search warrants for the offices and homes of activists in Bacolod and Escalante cities, a ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) to instead investigate judges who have been dismissing cases against communist terrorists.

This, according to Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., in response to militant Bayan Muna's call to review the action of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert who issued seven warrants to allow police to conduct searches on the offices of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Kilusang Mayo Uno, Anakpawis, Gabriela, and National Federation of Sugar Workers, and the house of Kadamay members in Manila last week.

"These communist front groups have been harassing and threatening not only judges of the courts but also fiscals and state prosecutors in the past. These Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc uses their armed goons, the NPA (New People's Army) to threaten the families of fiscals and judges with death if only to force them to decide in favor of arrested CTGs (communist terrorist groups). This is why they are called terrorists for terrorizing people who stand in their way,” he said in a statement to the Philippine News Agency Sunday. “They label these uncooperative magistrates as 'counter-revolutionary'."

Parlade, however, said these bullying and intimidation tactics of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is now a thing of the past as the government is using "the rule of law" to neutralize the perpetrators of such tactics.

"That bullying strategy is over. The rule of law is here to catch with you. So Bayan Muna should start respecting the decisions of the magistrate. Their bullying will not work this time when people already understand their duplicitous and deceptive nature. Let us refresh these hypocrites and liars of what their own NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippine)-Panay spokesperson (Concha Araneta) said on their 46th NDFP Anniversary last 24 April 2019," said Parlade, who is also Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations.

She herself admitted that all these organizations under the NDF umbrella are all one and the same with the CPP-NPA in the armed revolution, he added.

"Araneta proudly proclaimed the 46 years of NDFP's contributions as they 'celebrate with heads high the indispensable role in advancing the Philippine revolution' including 'inflicting casualties of not less than 50 enemies' in Panay. Indeed, she said ‘"the NDFP have continually filled the ranks of the NPA-CPP' through the years’," he said.

He said Araneta also claimed that members of the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), Makibaka, PKM (Pambansang Kaisahan ng Magbubukid), Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions, and other allied organizations of the NDF immersed themselves with the masses in the countryside and cities while others perform underground work in urban areas.

Equipped with guns, explosives

"This is exactly what these personalities were doing in the urban areas (White Area) when they were legally arrested. How will the Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc explain this to the courts? By the nature of their work as terrorists, they have to equip themselves with arms and explosives. There is no need for the government to plant these pieces of evidence contrary to their complaints," he said.

Parlade said some NDF-allied organizations include Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Anakbayan, Migrante, Gabriela, Karapatan, Kadamay, National Union of Peoples Lawyers and the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) – the group Anne Villasica Krueger is affiliated with.

Krueger, he earlier said, is also known as "Em-Em" and Deputy Secretary for "Cultural Propaganda" of the "Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor" aside from being a former political instructor of the NPA "Sandatahang Yunit sa Platun" (SYP) Southern Luzon Regional Political Committee.

"The National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) is another group identified by Concha. In fact, the other terrorist captured in Bacolod last week was Danny Tabora alias 'Dino', the Regional Chair of NFSW. Progressive? No, he is another dangerous personality the leftists claim as activist. He was a former political instructor, Sentro de Grabidad (SDG) of Central Negros Party Committee CPP-NPA,” he said.

Also arrested was alias 'Rabo', a medical officer of the CPP-NPA, whose job is the same as the Morong 43 'health workers', released by (then Justice) Secretary (Leila) De Lima in 2012. Many of those released ended up dead in encounters with government forces after they returned to their NPA units.

Parlade recalled that the last known casualties of the "Morong 43" were: Lilibeth Donasco alias "Mok" -- medical officer of the CPP-NPA's Platoon Guerilla, SRMA 4D, who was killed in an encounter in Bulalacao, Mindoro last March 2017: and Edwin Dematera alias "Dupax", Deputy Secretary of "Larangan 2, Kumite Probinsya 3" operating in Sorsogon.

Dematera was killed after he resisted security forces who were supposed to arrest him for murder and frustrated murder last June 12 in  Barangay Incariyan, Magallanes, Sorsogon.

Duplicity

"So are they simple progressive critiques of the government? Are they merely invoking their constitutional right for redress from their 'fascist' PRRD government? Then maybe (Bayan Muna representative) Atty. Carlos Zarate, (NUPL President) Atty. Neri Colmenares, and Atty. Edre Olalia (NUPL Secretary) can explain to the people this duplicity of their cohorts? They can start by reconciling their perceived grievances, their anti-fascist, anti-dictator, and pro-people stand with what they all swore-in in the CPP Constitution to "adhere to the principles of proletarian dictatorship" (Article 3 Section 7 CPP Constitution and Programs May 2016),” he said, adding that they took their oath in a ritual with the CPP sickle and hammer, along with an M-16 bullet, to signify that they fully embrace the armed and violent struggle.

The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

“You are all lawyers, the best human rights defenders that you claim to be. Maybe you can simplify what you are asking the magistrates to do, like going 'slow with you to protect your rights' and never mind that of others," he said.

To debunk communist rebels claims that AFP personnel are human rights violators, Parlade cited the case of a wounded NPA fighter who was aided by government troops after being down by gunfire during an encounter in Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan Del Norte in the morning of November 2.

"By the way, the human right violators in the AFP again saved the young wounded NPA combatant during an encounter that transpired in Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan del Norte around 10 a.m. of November 2, 2019. The wounded NPA youth was identified as alias 'Kent', who is a member of the NPA organization for around two years,” he said.

He said alias Kent, who was only 17 years old when he was tricked to join the senseless armed struggle of NPA terrorists, was immediately provided first aid by the operating troops of 29th Infantry Battalion and sent to the nearest hospital later for further medication to save his life.

"Explain that to the judges too. Why soldiers take care of your wounded NPAs, while you slit the necks of policemen in Negros and elsewhere," Parlade said. (PNA)

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References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Probe judges dismissing cases vs. Reds instead, Parlade to SC." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1084930 (accessed November 04, 2019 at 08:19PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Probe judges dismissing cases vs. Reds instead, Parlade to SC." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1084930 (archived).