#georgia washington doe

[dumdeedummy]

they have a new addition to the family 😇

[catfortress]

SOLDIER AND ZHANNAS KIDS I WANNA SQEEZE THEM LIKE MARSHAMMLOWS I ADORE THEM THEY'RE SO FUCKING CUTE

ough yea as kibbys little guys yardg

This post was meant to reply to this ask but I forgot !😭🙏

Here is the family, though :3c

[snoleopard7]

woagh

[pixie-mask]

TF2 Issue 7 spoilers 2

I'm literally crying from laughing omfg

[shadowlurkerbug]

THIS KID, GUYS. NECK SNAPPED A GUY AT LIKE…. 4?

A family that craps together, stays together!!

SHES SO FUCKING ADORABLE I CANNNTTTTT. SHES SQUARING UP. SHES READY TO KILL ANOTHER MAN. DONT START WITH HER. You can never deny she’s their kid.

I rly wasn’t expecting children but I cried seeing them😭

[scalproie]

ofc one of their kid is named "general"

[tvmusiclife]

Season ain't even started and we already got a new ACL injury. Oh ACL you bitch ass attention whore mfkn ligament. We fkn hate you

[maxbegone]

The election doesn’t start tomorrow, it ends tomorrow.

If you haven’t already, please make sure you are registered to vote and know where your polling place is (vote.org is a great and easy way to get that information). Additionally, please make sure you have a way to get to your polling place. Uber and Lyft often give free or discounted rides to the polls, and this year the car rental company, Hertz, is allowing free one-day rentals to get to the polls. More information on that here.

EDIT: NAACP has a discount code to use for Lyft, valid for two rides up to $20 ($40 total). Use code: NAACPVOTE24

The following states allow same day registration for general elections, ie: the presidential election:

California

Colorado

Washington DC

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Maine

Maryland

Michigan

Minnesota

Montana

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Note: North Dakota does not require formal voter registration, and upon presenting valid identification at a polling place, eligible citizens receive their ballot to vote.

all info here

The following states are required by law to give you time off to vote (between one and three hours):

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Georgia

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Maryland

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

Nevada

New Mexico

New York

Ohio

Oklahoma

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

*Most states requiring employers to permit voting leave also require that this time is paid. Among the above, the following do not: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Dakota. (info here)

Again, it is your right to vote. If you are in line when the polls close, stay in line. It is your legal right to vote.

If you are turned away at the polls, say the following verbatim: “Give me a provisional ballot with a receipt as required by law.”

If you make a mistake on your ballot, you have the right to ask for a new ballot. Don’t cross anything out, simply ask for a new one.

Poll workers are required to make reasonable accommodations for voters who need, including ballots in other languages or translators.

Canvassing is not allowed at polling places, and no one is allowed to threaten or intimidate voters. You have the right to report anything of the like.

All info taken from here

Some tips:

Don’t wear political merch to the polls.

Don’t engage with anyone about your politics at the polls.

Don’t take phone calls inside your polling place — it can wait, please be respectful.

Research who is running locally and see what their policies are. Additionally, research any local propositions that may be on the ballot. The language on ballots is made to be purposefully confusing, so make sure you read everything carefully in addition to your research.

If you’re able to get up early on Election Day, go right when your polling place opens to beat the line.

REMEMBER: IT IS YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!

Here are a list of state-by-state voter protection hotlines, as well as hotlines in various other languages:

Please vote tomorrow if you have not already. It’s so important, and choosing not to vote or voting for a third party is a vote for extremist measures. Vote down the ballot, and do not let anyone bully you into voting one certain way.

What we are seeing throughout this election cycle (and the last two election cycles) is entirely abnormal. The bullying we see from a certain side and its supporters is childish and dangerous. They spew false information, make racist remarks, and sexualize and discriminate fellow candidates. No single presidential candidate is completely and wholly good, so criticize accordingly.

Vote with those you love in mind, vote with your safety in mind, and vote for those who will be affected for decades to come. Vote for someone who speaks coherently, not for someone who is, let’s be honest, not cognitively alright — and that is the bare minimum of the issue.

If you have anything to add to this post, please do. If anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will gladly change it.

Vote. Vote. Vote.

[thoughtportal]

This is a developing news story and may be updated as more information is obtained. If you value such information, please support this Substack.

On Dec. 1, a woman immolated herself with a Palestinian flag outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.

Now, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, the woman — referred to in their report as “Jane Doe” — is alive and “in stable condition” at Grady Memorial Hospital, where she has been since the immolation.

After repeated requests for her name, the department stated to this reporter in an email that it “does not disclose the identities of victims”. Repeated inquiries to Grady, which is a public hospital, went unanswered. The hospital houses the Walter L. Ingram Burn Center.

“Jane Doe” is 27.

When asked if they had made any comment to tell the public that she was still alive this entire time, the official at Atlanta Fire Rescue Department said they “shared the last updated with local media via email on 12/21/23. The release stated: ‘The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. The security guard, who attempted to assist the burn victim, has been released from the hospital.’” Several internet searches on that quote produce no results. This would also indicate that "Jane Doe" went from critical to stable condition without public notice. 

Aaron Bushnell immolated himself at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, explaining “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” and shouting “Free Palestine!” repeatedly as he burned alive. So, his case — unlike many other self-immolations including Gregory Levey, Raymond Moules, Timothy T. Brown, Malachi Ritscher and others — has received some attention. Thus, “Jane Doe” being ignored fits with the usual pattern. Bushnell is the exception — probably because he livestreamed it. See “Ignoring Immolators Lulls the Society to Sleep.”

As Bushnell was burning himself alive, an officer pointed a gun at him, barking orders as if he constituted a threat. A security guard, Michael Harris, sustained injuries working to rescue “Jane Doe” — but there were similarities, where she was actually viewed as a potential threat.

At one point, the police report for “Jane Doe” refers to it as being a case of “arson”.

Much of the media coverage and general discussion of her self-immolation in December focused on if she had done damage. The Atlanta Police Chief said: “We believe this building remains safe, and we do not see any threat here.” The Israeli government released a statement: “It is tragic to see the hate and incitement toward Israel expressed in such a horrific way.”

Police records indicate that they obtained a search warrant and entered an apartment they believed to be associated with “Jane Doe” — initially using a drone:

The drone was able to relay information as to the layout and the belongings inside. After it was deemed "safe" entry was made with bomb technicians. While clearing the apartment no improvised explosive devices were located.

The police report also noted:

During the search a Quran was found in the bedroom along with a [sic] Arabic dictionary and a Hebrew dictionary. The bedroom bookshelf contained books related to fiction and fantasy. A "Drug use for grown ups" book was on the bookshelf as well. Two journals were seized from the bedroom. A thumbdrive was seized from the bedroom as well. A laptop computer was seized from the kitchen counter. A copy of the search warrant was left in the living room of the apartment. The front door [of] the apartment was secured before law enforcement left the premises.

When pressed for more information in compliance with an Open Records Request under Georgia law, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department claimed: “There is an ongoing and active investigation for the incident in question, which is why the only releasable information has been shared via the incident report. Investigative documentation is not available for release until the investigation is closed.”

[dumdeedummy]

"I saw Uncle Herbert kissing Santa Claus" inspired by this post and comments: https://www.tumblr.com/another-delta-lover/770776557877903360/cant-help-but-imagine-scouts-kids-telling-him?source=share this is an incredibly great idea

[catfortress]

General Patton Dough and Georgia Washington Dough ! Such sily names….. xd

[fuckingrecipes]

how does one go about choosing what kind of onion they want to use? i'm at that stage of cooking where i feel comfortable freehanding stuff but i don't have a decision process for white/yellow/red onion beyond what's already in my fridge, lol.

Yellow Onion: Good all-around, general use onion. Good for Caramelizing, and just about any onion need.

Sweet Onions (Vidalia): A particularly mild version of a yellow onion, grown around Vidalia, Georgia. Crunchy and sweet! Walla Walla is another brand of sweet onion, grown in Washington, USA. Can be eaten like an apple tbh. REALLY GOOD for people who are sensitive to the strong flavor of onion.

White Onion: A little sweeter and milder than the yellow onion, but not as sweet as a sweet onion. Good for dicing and serving raw if you don't have red onion. Yellow and White onions are pretty much interchangeable.

Red Onion: Great Raw! Have a bit of spice to them, and make a very interesting savory flavor when cooked. (Red onion skins can be made into a dye!)

Green Onions/Scallions: Immature onions with white bottoms and green tops. Usually diced/sliced and used raw as a garnish or a mild raw onion flavor. Can be used to replace raw onion in bulk for a milder alternative.

Chives: Tinier, punchier alternative to green onions/scallions. While in the same Allium family as the rest of these, they never get bigger than their little grassy figure. Teeeeny tiny! Great for adorable garnishes and just a hint of onion in a salad. Not good for cooking with, they get bitter fast.

Shallots: Garlicky! Kinda a halfway point between 'onion' and 'garlic'. They stay small when fully matured, and have quite a bite when used raw. Cooked, they become mellow and have a less-intense garlic-onion flavor. Often used in sauces where you want a little onion and garlic flavor, but subtly. They're REALLY good roasted.

Leek: Basically like a giant green onion, except they're always like that. Can be used in place of Onion in nearly any recipe that doesn't require caramelization. Fun slice shape! Gentle onion flavor without a lot of bite. Best when cooked, not raw imo.

Kurrat (Egyptian Leek): Like a stronger, punchier version of the leek. Excellent roasted, sauteed, used in soups - very strong flavor and KEEPS its flavor, so its usually used in smaller quantities than other alliums.

[stellisketches]

Imagine you live in a tiny coast town in idk fucking Georgia or something. Everything is fine and dandy but one day King Charles and the Pope publicly declare war on your town because the pope told him your mayor kidnapped Prince William. Then, you remember that one guy Will who showed up like four months ago and is pretty quiet and keeps to himself and doesn't do much besides sit in the fields all day. Everyone starts searching for him to get King Charles off your backs only to realize he has completely disappeared.

This also does absolutely nothing to explain why the Pope is backing King Charles, UNTIL you remember your Mayor's DA is actually the Pope's BROTHER who ran away because he didn't want to marry some random royal person he didn't know. Little do you know, that the rando royal is actually Prince William, who has been kidnapped for real this time- by the pope- but is being held in an underground bunker in the okefenokee swamp.

Anyways, you're trying to figure how the fuck your town of maybe 300-ish people is going to fight the british navy and fucking spanish inquisition. The mayor, handling this remarkably well, makes two phone calls. The first to the Mayor of Washington DC, who is lending you the national guard since your mayor saved him while he was being held captive by an anarchist terrorist group one time. The second is the governor of Louisiana, who agrees to lend some humanitarian aid because your mayor walked his daughter home after she got lost on a chicken farm once. Then, the pope decides to pillage and raze the fuck out of Louisiana, partly because they were offering to lend aid, but mostly because the pope knows the governor's son is your mayor's side piece.

Now, your tiny town is full of the national guard and 20,000 cajuns that are simply itching to terrorize some monarchists. Also that bishop that you were pretty sure was just spying on your town comes in and denounces the pope and offers to fight for your mayor. Lastly, your mayor meets King Charles and the Pope at the town limits, and the mayor, ever wanting peace, offers to marry the pope, who takes a confusingly long time to say no.

Then the battle happens and your army of the national guard and 20,000 cajuns absolutely rock their shit before things start to turn for the worse and just when all seems lost Prince William shows up and absolutely decks King Charles in the face, throwing such a legendary haymaker hard enough to be heard throughout the whole battle, ending the fighting instantly.

The Battle of Phoenix Drop was fucking wild.

[zanmor]

Using Your Vote Strategically

Your vote doesn’t matter (probably). Luckily you can make it do a bit more.

Your vote is one of a few hundred million game pieces. Knowing how best to use it requires you to understand your place on the game board. Let’s take a look at that board.

Current polling has the following ten states (yellow on the above map) as highly competitive in this year’s presidential election: Maine, New Jersey, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. Realistically those first three have only gone to Democrats since at least 2000 so speculation is more focused on the last seven (and even New Hampshire has been solidly Democrat since it voted for Bush in 2000).

If you’re one of the roughly 37.5 million voters who lives in one of those states, congratulations! Your vote will actually help decide who wins the presidency in November. As such you should probably vote for one of the major parties. To the other 82% of the electorate, it’s time to think a little harder about how you’ll utilize your vote in the fall.

Meanwhile there are 35 states that solidly belong to one of the two parties and that ain’t changing. They’re blue and red on the map above.

These states have only given electoral votes to their respective party since at least 2000 and current polling (according to 270towin.com) shows that they will do that again this year, well beyond any margin of error in the polls. California for instance is currently polling heavily in favor of the Democratic candidate and has voted for a Democratic candidate since 2000. Obviously that’s not about to change. That’s the case with these other 34 states as well. Which means if there’s any way to “throw your vote away” then it’s by blindly tossing it in with the millions of others that will not impact the electoral college or party platforms in any way.

The states where your vote matters least are:

California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Alaska, Missouri, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.

If you live in one of these states I have no qualms about advising you to vote third party in the general election. It will not change the electoral college outcome. But it can have important benefits you wouldn’t see by simply tossing another ballot on the mountain. I’ll talk below about those benefits. First, the last part of the game board.

The following six states (green on the above map) are technically polling within the margin of error where they could potentially go either way. I personally think it’s unlikely they’ll flip but you can make your own call on that and vote accordingly. If you live in North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, or Colorado, I think you’re likely to get more use from your vote giving it to a third party candidate based on current polling.

As I said above, I don’t expect that third party voting will impact the electoral college outside of those few truly competitive states.

So what does voting third party do?

If enough people vote third party it can do two helpful things: 1. if a party’s candidate receives over 5% of the popular vote then they can get federal matching funds in the next election, helping spread messages currently relegated to the sidelines, and 2. the major parties are more likely to take note of these votes and try to adjust their platforms to grab these voters in later elections. Voting for one of the two major parties doesn’t send any sort of message. What little utility your vote has in that regard is lost.

Voting for a candidate like Jill Stein of the Green Party can accomplish both of the above goals. Her platform is incredibly progressive. Across the board it’s a lot of things that leftists have been clamoring for. It will show establishment Democrats that there is voting support for those policies.

By supporting a third party candidate (not an independent solo candidate) we could see her get 5% of the popular vote and gain federal matching funds in 2028. It’s not about if she would be a good president or if you like her personally—she is not and never will get elected. It’s about hitting that 5% and showing the establishment that if they cater to the folks who like this platform that they can win votes.

Five percent of the 2020 election would have been just under 8 million votes. Four million Californian voters could have voted Green Party and Biden still would have won the state by over a million votes. We can definitely find 4 million votes in the other 40 states that otherwise are unlikely to impact the election. And we should.

[junkpuppet225]

note: angst, spoilers for stuff that happened years ago on twd. daryl kisses you. darylxf!reader. enjoy!

After he lost his brother he got quiet - no longer the quick to anger smaller version of Merle Dixon - you watch the light fade from Daryl’s eyes with each passing day.

It’s not like he was winning any congeniality awards before Merle’s death but one of the many reasons you fell for him was his drive to survive that he had back at the quarry then his determination to find a little girl he had no obligations too and his need to protect the people he cared about.

An anvil of grief sits on your chest as you watch him beat himself up over not being able to protect his brother or find Sophia in time or save any of the people you’ve lost along the way. Now he’s quiet - just observing life going on around him - staring down the dusty road as you walk beside him idly wondering who will succumb to fatigue and starvation first.

You glance over to Daryl as he taps a nearly empty water bottle against your hip and silently demands you finish it off, searching your eyes for a long moment before you shake your head no. Everyone else has had some except you but you’re not going to finish the water when there’s a fucking baby in Rick’s arms.

“Drink it or I’ll pour it down yer throat myself.” Daryl barks forcing the bottle into your palm as you turn to Rick and Carl with sad eyes. “It’s okay. She’s going to be okay.” Rick assures you quietly as you twist off the cap and take a quick pull before handing it back to Daryl who grunts with disapproval.

“How much longer do you think we have?” Maggie asks from somewhere behind you and you know right away what she’s asking doesn’t have anything to do with the distance to Washington DC. Daryl’s sudden departure from your side brings your attention to the archers broad back - his muscles wound tight with exhaustion as he heads for the tree line putting a significant amount of distance between you.

You watch as Carol assures him she’ll tag along but he barks at her too - insisting he needs to be alone. The thought of Daryl being alone and exhausted out there tightens your throat with grief and you only make it another few feet before you break off from the group as well and sink into the trees.

You don’t even hear Daryl’s careful footsteps ahead of you - a lifetime spent in the seclusion of the Georgia mountains making him a pro at what he does but you aren’t completely helpless, watching from several feet away as he slumps to the ground forcing his back against a tree trunk.

“Daryl.”

You watch his limbs tense at your voice as he brings what’s left of a cigarette to his lips, lighting it quickly and taking a deep needed inhale of stale nicotine. He doesn’t acknowledge you - the only reason you even know he’s aware of you at all is the constant coil of his muscles whenever you’re near him. What you wouldn’t give for him to let you take away some of that tension - to help him forget about the constant bullshit surrounding your group at every turn. What you wouldn’t give for him to see himself the way you, Carol and Rick see him.

The thought brings you a step closer as you watch him stare at the cigarette like it holds the answer to all of life’s meaning before he places the lit end against the side of his hand and holds it to his skin without flinching. The anvil on your chest falls into the pit of your stomach as you close the space and sink to your knees beside him as he drops the cigarette to the ground and brushes the ashes away.

“Daryl.” You try again but he doesn’t look at you - now fascinated with the smoking hole on his hand as tears well in his eyes and he tries to clear his throat roughly, finally letting his head hang. The people that you’ve lost, the burden of this life has gotten too heavy for him to carry on his own. “Let me help you carry it.” You whisper running your fingers into his shaggy hair so you can see his face - forcing him to look up at you with tears in his eyes.

He’s quiet now that he’s lost so much and words fail him as he nods once and looks back to the ground ashamed. Merle was the strong one - the one that took the beatings from their dad with a smile on his face, that did the heavy lifting when shit got bad - not him.

“I can’t lose you too.” His voice breaks with emotion as you let your fingers slip further into the back of his hair.

“I’m not going anywhere. Tougher than woodpecker lips, remember?” You whisper and he actually laughs like he did that first day at the quarry when him and Merle stumbled upon your tiny group of misfits.

Look here little bird. Ya gonna have to get some meat on them bones if yer gonna survive this, ya hear? Merle proceeded to toss a dead squirrel at you like the toddler he was. Y’ain’t gonna get too far out there once this all falls to shit unless ya learn how to kill. The eldest Dixon’s loud mouth was a hazard that kept the dead headed toward the quarry every day and you just managed to sink your knife into one’s skull moments before it bit a chunk from his throat. Hot damn! You see that boy? She ain’t no little bird after all - she’s a god damn woodpecker!

Tougher than woodpecker lips that one is.

Merle headed out to scavenge the city with the others not long after that and Daryl disappeared into the woods finally free of his brother’s constant chatter to hunt in peace.

Now he was dead and Daryl was quiet, swallowing his grief as his eyes lifted to yours watching you pluck the still burning cigarette from the ground as his gaze darts to your lips and you take a deep pull from the smoke, offering it back to him.

His eyes are fixated on your lips, studying them like they hold all of life’s meaning as he leans in closer to you tilting his head slightly as you take in a quick breath and he hesitates, swallowing hard as your name slips desperately from his throat. You know he can hear your heart pounding against your chest because it sounds like thunder in your ears until you realize that’s actual thunder and then the sky opens up and brings a sudden and steady rain down on your heads. You lift your eyes from his just as he leans forward and sinks a hand into your hair, bringing your mouth back quickly as he kisses you - brushing his tongue against your lips for access as you place your palm to his chest to steady yourself, feeling him melt into your touch.

A loud crack of thunder jerks you away from him - eyes wide and staring as Daryl pushes himself to his feet and offers you his hand, pulling you back the way you came to return to the others who are all still standing in the road enjoying the refreshing shower that quickly turns dangerous.

“There’s a barn just past these trees!” Daryl yells to Rick over the noise coming from the sky but all you can focus on is your hand still clutched tightly in his.

[mariacallous]

Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida. From there it carved a path through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, leaving historic wreckage in its path as it flooded the region in 40 trillion gallons of water. The catastrophic damage in mountainous western North Carolina, especially, has garnered some of the most attention. Storms like this aren’t supposed to happen in places like that. Well, at least, they weren’t.

The all-hands-on-deck scramble to survey the extent of the damage, save lives and livelihoods, and restore power, water, and roads understandably still hasn’t been fast enough for those most affected. And just as understandably, the shock and the trauma of the storm have given way to conspiracy theories as a way to make sense of it all. Among those that have circulated either by word of mouth or through social media are the false theories that the government is razing property for lithium mining, that FEMA is bulldozing structures to cover up dead bodies, or that Democratic officials and the federal and state level are purposely ignoring the most Republican areas of the country.

There was also grumbling, especially in the early aftermath of the storm, that the media refused to cover what was happening in western North Carolina, or that the government had no money to help Americans suffering from the storm because it had spent it all on munitions for Ukraine and Israel. Another far-right theory for why the government supposedly hasn’t been devoting resources to disaster relief—which, to be clear, it has—is because it’s spending its budget on housing migrants.

The grandaddy of all the conspiracy theories going around, though, would have to be one most eagerly promoted by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. According to Greene, an undefined “they”—who, if we’re being generous, is meant to be the Democrats, the deep state, or the “establishment”—“can control the weather.” In other words, “they” are actively working to crush communities with historic storms.

Despite backlash from basically every possible corner, she continues, still, to push this idea that the government can enhance and steer hurricanes on a path that does the most destruction to red America, ostensibly to create a mess in swing states that can’t be restored in time for voting. I’ve covered Congress for a while, so I don’t say this lightly: I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a member say something this disassociated with reality. But there are people who will believe it.

Officials at the federal, state, and local levels trying to manage recovery efforts, Democrat and Republican, are at their wits’ end with the overwhelming amount of misinformation that’s impeding their recovery work. They have emphasized that, actually, they’re impressed with the assistance the federal government has offered so far. Unfortunately, that sobriety—from officials actually on the ground—doesn’t extend to certain commanding heights of the Republican Party.

Donald Trump—as of now—hasn’t gone so far as to claim that Democrats control the hurricanes. But he’s given fuel to plenty of other outrageous and dangerous theories. Last week ahead of a visit to North Carolina, he posted on social media that he was getting “reports” about “the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.” At a rally in Michigan this week, Trump said that “Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country,” and that “they stole the FEMA money, just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them this season.” He said there had been “no helicopters” to relieve people, and that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp had been unable to get in touch with President Joe Biden.

All of this is blatantly false. It’s also pretty horrifying with another dangerous hurricane moving through the Gulf of Mexico, poised to wreak even more havoc on the region.

Worse yet is that one of the central pillars of social media is owned by an credulous doofus who’s positioned himself as sometimes consigliere, sometimes rally clown, to the Trump campaign. Elon Musk has used his platform seemingly to spread any rumor that’s come his way. Late last week, he posted a note that said that “FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!”

This has been a recurring theme of his, that FEMA is, effectively, working to worsen the situation. Fortunately, he was able to get in touch with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg eventually, which calmed him down. That would have been a good first step, of course, before posting rumors about how the federal government opposes helping people.

The unfortunate question here, as we barrel toward Election Day, is: Does this pattern sound at all familiar?

Much of the country is in widespread discontent. Along comes Trump to either offer his own stories or inflame those floating around on the fringes, to give people someone to blame. Local and state administrators of both parties insist there’s nothing to these stories, but Trump and his sycophants push them anyway.

In other words, no: The pattern and spread of misinformation that’s emerged following Hurricane Helene does not give me confidence that the aftermath of the 2024 election, in the event of a narrow Kamala Harris victory, will go more smoothly than that of 2020. It almost feels like a dry run ahead of the election to test that the systems of deceit are still operable. They sure seem to be—only this time, Elon Musk owns the social media platform that dictates the pace of “news.”

What’s most disconcerting about the idea that the government can control and direct hurricanes to maximize wreckage, or that FEMA is actively working to block Republican areas from rebuilding, is the assumption of malevolence at the root of it. Most of the fact checks of Greene’s theory focus on how it’s obviously not scientifically possible for “them” to do what she describes. What’s equally important to stress—and it’s a shame it needs stressing—is that “they” wouldn’t want to do that. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party do not want hurricanes to kill, displace, and destroy the lives of American citizens. FEMA does not want Republicans to have trouble getting water. If you’re willing to believe these things, though, you’re more than willing to believe that an election can be stolen—again.