#government organizations - us

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

Of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept 11 attacks:

15 were from Saudi Arabia (a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

2 were from the United Arab Emirates (also a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

1 was from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon.

None of the hijackers were from Iraq.

None of the Sept 11 hijackers were Iraqi.

None of the 9/11 hijackers were from Iraq.

[egophiliac]

A guy who just wake up from a coma -> what did i miss?

Pomefiore was the last plot i follow before real life made me forget about our silly boys. How bad has the plot become now for our gang? Also who is that Gojo looking guy?

anon, I am so sorry and I mean this in the best way, but I do think episode 5 is the absolute funniest place to have stopped following Twst because shit starts escalating SO fast after that. episode 6 literally starts with a secret government shadow agency breaking down our doors and kidnapping students. zero to a million instantly.

and like...that's not even the zaniest thing so far? Ortho's hacked into the collective human unconscious. there's time travel (sort of). "Crowley might be Malleus' long-lost father" is a serious theory. if you'd told me any of this back pre-episode 6, I would have asked for the link to this unbelievable but highly intriguing fanfic.

also, episode 7 gave us (and then immediately took away 😔) the best character in the whole story:

[existennialmemes]

Very cool of South Korea to demonstrate how to resist a dictator, so the difference will be stark when our legislative branch doesn't do that.

[tanglepelt]

Dpxdc

Danny reveals phantom to his parents. They immediately jump ships to support Danny. That is their baby. Why would they think he was lying? Clearly they let confirmation bias cloud their heads. They have non bias research to conduct!

Unfortunately for them. The GIW does not like this change. Clearly the fentons have gone crazy. They must be mad scientist! The GIW of course reports them mainly to get them out of the way. Can’t have people spreading propaganda that ghost Ms are sentient. They can’t have that.

Maddie and Jack don’t come in easily. Instead they flee. Not letting thier kids get hurt. Of course they locked down the portal before they left. All they needed to do was get set up in a new city. Keep the kids safe after all.

Gotham was to obvious. Why wouldn’t they flee to ecto rich environment. Danny would be to obsessed with hunting down Superman in metropolis. Ever since the reveal Danny had been letting his ghostly instincts out more and more. The whole alien thing would cause to much obsession.

Besides. Technically they were wanted by the government. Couldn’t draw attention with Danny stalking the supers. Which whatever. Maddie and Jack would fight them if it came down to it.

They ultimately decided on central city.

There is enough that happens there to keep eyes off them. They absolutely totally could stay low to the ground. They couldn’t hide out with any relatives. Plus if it came to it. They were certain they could at least talk to the flash before anything violent occurred.

Maybe he would even listen.

For now. They would just prioritize Danny’s and jazzs safety.

[ovaruling]

on the subject of individual actions, they do matter, which is why men flip out when the measured birth rate stagnates/doesn’t increase or drops. they worry and they get upset and they cry and they scream and they publish articles about how men are in a crisis and it’s all our fault because we are making selfish individual choices that don’t benefit their collective. it adds up. you may not think your individual impact is much, but men as a group, especially men in high places, usually pay a whole lot more attention to the individual choices of women than you might think. and they react. that’s all i’m saying

[methoughtsphantom]

Ghost tech?? Must be the fenton kid

Can be a twin au or not but vigilante friends Tim and Danny that meet up in secret in whoever’s city is the most calm at the moment (via ghost portals) until the day the GIW catches sight of this teenager talking and exchanging tech with Phantom. only the camera lens’ not great and they only see a black haired blue eyed kid.

which—ghost tech?? must be the fenton child

Later that day Danny arrives home, thinking it had been a pretty good day. Tim had just left and his parents were in a trip which meant he got to be a ghost freely around his house. He didn’t expect the Ghost Investigation Ward to be there when he got downstairs.

(To be fair the GIW also didn’t expect Phantom to be in Fentonworks) just picture:

The GIW is now certain Daniel Fenton is aiding and abetting Phantom.

They put up a bench warrant for him.

Tim is super surprised to see Danny not even three hours after he last saw him to ask him if his offer to dismantle the GIW still stands. It does.

[moleshow]

the 2020s political argument for unionization is that the only activity/location that rivals the phone in terms of time spent is the workplace. once they clock out they are lost to phone

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

[infiniteglitterfall]

pretty please, my fellow progressives

Could we please all keep in mind that the concept of "The Jews In General, or A Specific Type Of Jew, Controls Education, Government, Media, and/or Banking", is a longstanding antisemitic trope?

And most of all, that it is false??

No, a marginalized group does not also control education, the government, the media, and/or banking?

No, Jews do not secretly control these things and just pretend to be marginalized? No, Jews have not secretly been accumulating power since the Holocaust, granted by too-generous gentiles, out of pity?

No, it isn't better if you just mean a specific subgroup or kind of Jews. It's still specifically Jews.

It's like when people who hate trans/queer people are fine with rich white cis gay men. So they think it's not bigoted to blame "people with blue hair and pronouns" for the downfall of society.

We all know this means, "I only see some of you as human like me. You have to speak and act a certain way to count. Everyone in your group has to pass a test to get into the Good group."

Doesn't work.

Sure, it gives them plausible deniability to the people who matter to them. But everyone else can see exactly how they feel.

We've all known for years that it's bad to think of a marginalized group as having some "good ones." Rein it the heck in, please.

Because YES, all of those examples are ones I've seen implied, or stated outright, over and over, within the progressive community. This month alone.

[captainjonnitkessler]

I think labor is one area (of many) where if you're involved in the politics, the "there's no difference between the political parties so don't bother voting!" line just absolutely falls apart. Like . . . Democrats aren't super invested in labor, but Republicans are actively trying to dismantle unions at a federal level. Most of the mechanics I know lean heavily conservative, but almost every single labor leader I've met has been staunchly, if reluctantly, Democrat. My local trades newsletter is constantly begging people to vote Democrat. My local union is constantly telling its members that it's not that the union is partisan in who it supports; we just keep happening to support Democrats because they at least nominally support labor whereas Republicans are openly trying to fuck us over on every conceivable level.

I went to a tradewomen convention the other day and like half the speaking time was devoted to reiterating the importance of voting. Every speaker was like "please, it has been SO MUCH fucking easier and we have made SO MANY strides since 2020 and it is almost entirely thanks to the Biden administration. Please, please, please do not fuck this up for labor and organizing in 2024."

And it's not because they're neoliberal shills who don't want progress - it's because they've BEEN out there doing the work and they know first-hand what the difference is between a Republican and a Democratic administration. So if you claim to support unions - well, this is what union leaders are asking you to do.

[i-am-having-an-emotion]

i totally support not catastrophizing but the executive orders DO have an immediate impact in some cases! namely, for federal employees! donald trump is now the uberboss of about 3 million employees who he *can* just boss around and fuck over, and there's very little we can do about it unless we're lucky enough to be unionized.

source: me, at work today, having to work hard last-minute on a project due to one of the EOs issued last night

[hatefulbread]

today's the day... 1/20/25

it's inaugural day. i'm sure many of us are sitting on our phones, anxiously awaiting noon.

yesterday, i tried my best to ignore the articles flooding in about tr*mp's "victory rally", but there were so many that it was unavoidable. there are a million things i can talk about right now, things that disgusted me yesterday, things that disgust me today... but instead i want to chat about something more important.

us.

regardless of where you stand on the political tightrope, this upcoming administration is going to affect you. working class, lqbtqia+, woman, immigrant, bipoc, disabled. veteran, even. we're all going to face hardship unimaginable in our lifetimes. the oligarch is moving inside the white house today. there is no avoiding it when it has it's own office.

this isn't a time to nestle your fear, this is a time to feed your awareness. things are going to happen quickly and swiftly. this isn't the 1930's where people were tracked down solely by tip-off's and good luck. we're all immediately trackable. everything we say and do is coursing through the framework of our phones and laptops, even this blog.

we need to stay focused. study. don't believe everything you hear until you've researched it. conservative media, liberal media, moderate media. it's our job to digest it all and find the truth, because they will all be biased. they will all hide something.

this is one of my favorite books i own, especially this graphic version. it tells us step-by-step what to expect in the uprising of fascism in the government; what we can do to stay safe and present. my favorite chapter is 11.

investigate.

"figure things out for yourself. spend more time with long articles. subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you. learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns (some of which come from abroad). take responsibility for what you communicate with others." pg. 64.

i am so thankful for the environment my parents raised me in. we didn't have much, but they were adamant about teaching their kids to use critical thinking before coming to a conclusion. they taught us to always trust a pattern, even when it looks like a wild card too-good-to-be-true enters the game. be skeptical. ask questions.

i won't drone on any further. but please, please, please- investigate everything you hear for yourself. do not take what you hear as fact until you've seen it peer reviewed, sourced, and/or fact-checked across several trustworthy news outlets. fox and cnn are not news sources i would ever categorize as trustworthy. go forth with that, as you will.

other incredible books that will help us during this time:

"how to be an antiracist" by ibram x. kendi

"gay berlin" by robert beachy

"strongmen: mussolini to the present" by ruth ben-ghiat

"who's afraid of gender?" by judith butler

"it can't happen here" by sinclair lewis

"how fascism works" by jason stanley

"white fragility" by robin diangelo

and many, many more, upon request.

stay safe. organize. be critical, and let your anger be your guide.

[jangillman]

[trump-executive-orders]

Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization

Issued January 20, 2025.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 due to the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states. In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries' assessed payments. China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO.

Sec. 2. Actions. (a) The United States intends to withdraw from the WHO. The Presidential Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed on January 20, 2021, that retracted the United States' July 6, 2020, notification of withdrawal is revoked.

(b) Executive Order 13987 of January 25, 2021 (Organizing and Mobilizing the United States Government to Provide a Unified and Effective Response to Combat COVID-19 and to Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and Security), is revoked.

(c) The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs shall establish directorates and coordinating mechanisms within the National Security Council apparatus as he deems necessary and appropriate to safeguard public health and fortify biosecurity.

(d) The Secretary of State and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall take appropriate measures, with all practicable speed, to:

(i) pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO;

(ii) recall and reassign United States Government personnel or contractors working in any capacity with the WHO; and

(iii) identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.

(e) The Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy shall review, rescind, and replace the 2024 U.S. Global Health Security Strategy as soon as practicable.

Sec. 3. Notification. The Secretary of State shall immediately inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations, any other applicable depositary, and the leadership of the WHO of the withdrawal.

Sec. 4. Global System Negotiations. While withdrawal is in progress, the Secretary of State will cease negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations, and actions taken to effectuate such agreement and amendments will have no binding force on the United States.

Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

[tomorrowusa]

Don't let word salads by J.D. Vance or flip flops by Trump muddy the waters about reproductive freedom.

Donald Trump appointed, and the then GOP Senate confirmed, the three US Supreme Court justices who made the overturning of Roe v. Wade possible.

Donald promised the fundamentalists that he would kill abortion in the US and he actually kept his word on that.

Voting in a voter initiative to protect abortion in your state but then also voting for Republican candidates is truly incomprehensible. Do you really expect Donald Trump or the GOP Florida legislature to enforce laws which protect reproductive freedom?

Trump has bragged about killing Roe v. Wade.

If you really want government out of your bedroom and out of your doctor's office, vote Democratic and urge friends to vote Democratic as well.

BTW, it doesn't matter what Melania has to say about this. She never appointed a SCOTUS justice and she has little to no influence on Donald's politics. They probably haven't even slept together in years.

[bisupergirl]

did you like melissa benoist's interpretation of supergirl?

unfortunately i did not. i answered an ask a while ago where i talk a little bit about why i'm not a fan, but essentially, i think they borrowed far too much from clark's character (christopher reeve's clark specifically) when writing her and that's like, one of the most annoying things you can do to her in my eyes.

it's been a while since i've seen any of it, but i think they did a good job with her whenever they let her feel upset about krypton's destruction or being one of the last of her people, it's just how she was written as "kara danvers" that really irks me.