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nakhiphop · 4 years ago

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how john calvin helped me figure out that i have obessive-compulsive disorder

Drowning. Dying alone. Small holes grouped together. We all have a “worst fear.” Mine? Being forsaken by God.

Among the cornerstones of Christian doctrine is the concept of “salvation,” or the state of being pardoned from the consequences of sin- the direst being separation from God. The equation is simple: the saved enjoy Heaven, the unsaved go to Hell. Though the Bible partly alludes to “Hell” as a place, I personally think the essence of Hell is God’s absence. In other words, Hell is where God isn’t (and conversely, Heaven is where God is).

Since the beginning of my faith journey, I’ve always feared that my faith was phony, or I mistakenly equated an emotional spiritual experience as evidence of salvation (it isn’t). Essentially, I was afraid of being unsaved… or worse, forsaken by God due to all my sinning. The sermons I remember most are based on precautionary Bible stories suggesting that God allows the heart to become hardened by habitual and intentional sin (Exod. 7:3, Rom. 1:28)- a habitual and intentional sinning that I believed I was guilty of.

“How could a real believer continue to look at pornography?” “How can a Christian have such cruel intentions?” “How could a regenerate mind still harbor thoughts of unspeakable depravity?” I’ve examined the evidence at every thinkable angle. And the more I assess and reassess the fruits of my living, I notice deeper corruption with every inspection, fortifying my conclusion: despite my many failed attempts at repentance, I’m no Christian. God has forsaken me. I’m damned.

For those of you unfamiliar with the contemporary Christian worship service format, there is often designated periods of time in which the speaker invites the non-believing attendees in the audience to dedicate their lives to Christ. In some churches, the speaker invites the non-believer to physically stand at the foot of the stage, heightening the symbolic impact and solemnity of the moment (there’s a lot of other reasons why we do this, but that’s for later). This “altar call” signifies the moment(s) of transformation. The moment(s) the soul is reborn. The moment(s) of salvation.

A Billy Graham Crusade, Greg Laurie’s Crusades, like two or three different youth summer camps… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone up to the altar to dedicate my life to Christ.

Throughout my journey, I have discussed with every spiritual mentor my persistent fears of being unsaved. Though each of them had their unique style about them, every response was sewn with a common thread: I need to accept God’s grace.

“Grace,” you ask? Christian “grace” is receiving from God any good thing that is undeserved, unearned, and unmerited. For example, the salvation I was speaking of earlier is an act of God’s grace; in other words, being “saved” is a gift of God- no particular action that I can (or cannot) do makes me worthy (or unworthy) of God pardoning my sins (Eph. 2). Through gentle counsel, I gradually discovered that my perception of God might be contorted, and I have adopted illegitimate conditions of salvation contingent upon moral performance (or lack thereof). “Legalism,” they call it. And for Christians, that’s baaaaad.

Though this truth made sense in my head, I still doubted my salvation and continued to reevaluate my life, respond to every altar call, repeat every sinner’s prayer, fast, pray... nothing worked. I often heard that a “peace that surpasses all understanding” is a sign of God’s exploits. I frankly don’t even know what peace means- can’t say I ever felt it. Ever. What’s wrong with me?!

In my mid-20’s, I was introduced to the Reformed Theology of the Protestant Reformation and the writings of John Calvin and his contemporaries. Since sentience, I was inculcated with Christian ideas so though discovering nothing “new” about God through the eyes of the Reformers, I believe I began to see aspects of God more correctly. Aspects such as God’s sovereignty, His elect, His predestination- concepts I previously thought little of. However, in exploring this new perspective, the pivotal realization that God’s absolute sovereignty could mean that God ultimately decides who goes to Heaven or Hell, made me uneasy. I have even heard statements to the effect of: “whoever God saves, He will save, no matter what that man does.” This, in Calvin’s terms, is called “irresistible grace.”

To my devastation, this also implies that whoever God doesn’t choose to save cannot be saved (no matter what he does), like Esau who cried bitterly but was unable to repent (Heb 12:17). I believed that this explained my perpetual feelings of being unsaved: perhaps I was just not destined to be saved. No matter what I did. I can’t be saved. It was God’s plan since the beginning to forsake me.

(Sorry in advance) This skewed interpretation really ****ed me up. My mid and late twenties was the darkest night of my soul, spawning crippling seasons of debilitating paranoia, and brooding creative projects (“I don’t need your help I’ll be okay. You’re too late to save me anyway.”). I pleaded for God while simultaneously believing that His face was turned away. In this perceived absence, I felt I was truly in Hell.

In 2020, I had somewhat of a psychiatric breakdown. The simultaneous resurfacing of past paranoias, the unravelling of new heartbreak, and a looming sentiment of doom created a perfect storm of hopelessness. I began to manifest profound physical symptoms like unilateral weakness, clonus and fasciculations, insomnia, and seemingly progressive loss of muscle function. My knowledge as a nursing instructor abetted catastrophic self-diagnoses and obsessive fixations upon my symptoms, convincing me that I was literally dying in August of 2020. Social media fueled my panic, forcing me to abandon my online networks and isolate from the world. But while I was alone, I did nothing but think and re-think. Examine and re-examine. Assess and re-assess. I didn’t sleep much.

*Takes a deep breath* Let’s skip ahead. Not long ago, I decided to seek therapy. In therapy, I discovered something that would change my life.

I strongly fit the criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

There are different variations (I have specific ones I won’t get into now) but the gist of OCD is the alternation of “obsessions” and “compulsions.” An obsession is a repeated, intrusive thought. A compulsion is performing a certain action in response to the thought. Like many people, when I think of OCD, I think of irrational fears of asymmetry and disorganization, a fear of contamination or uncleanliness, or peculiar habits like checking the stove ten times before leaving the house. Then it hit me…

Wait. That IS me.

But there’s more to it. A compulsion to an obsessive thought doesn’t necessarily mean a physical action. It could be a mental action- in other words, certain thoughts (or “triggers”) invoke certain mental responses. For example, in the “religious” or “moral OCD” subtype, whenever a person commits a morally reprehensible act, their mental response is the crippling fear that they have angered a deity (or questioning their salvation), and their physical response could be persistent, ritualistic behaviors of absolution (like confessing sins to a priest, reciting religious incantations, participating in religious ceremonies [like altar calls]). Then it hit me…

Wait. That IS me.

Suddenly, the agony of being unsaved since a youth, my tireless self-diagnosing and fear of imminent doom, my habit of checking doors, lights, air-conditioners, faucets, and burner controls several times before leaving the house, my meticulous perfectionism and punctuality, my obsession for cleanliness and organization, my strict minimalism, and a slew of other unmentionable problems that causes me to overthink, catastrophize, and agonize… it all makes perfect sense now. I’ve had OCD since I was kid.

With this new discovery, I realize that I am saved. I do believe I am swallowed by God’s grace! But my obsessive-compulsive tendencies have been berating me since the beginning. There’s still a lot I need to figure out. My journey has only begun.

Before I wrap this up, this discovery opens major questions. I would love to hear your opinions:

To what extent (if any) can mental health disorders be categorized as “spiritual warfare?”

Why do some sects of Christianity tend to diminish the plight of mental health disorders?

Why are mental health disorders especially stigmatized among some Asian-American Christians?

Aaaaand that’s how John Calvin exposed my OCD. Now you know the story behind “faith and paranoia.”

nak.

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what-is-your-plan-today · 4 years ago

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Riding On

Ch 16- A Whole Fucking Hand Of Aces

Part 1

Summary: It’s the run up to Christmas now for our favourite family, but it isn’t all happiness and smiles as Greg brings Fliss and Frank some worrying news about their adoption application. When Fliss enrols Bonnie’s help and the two women turn detective they uncover something that leaves Fliss both stunned and shocked. But, after a little contemplation, her and Frank realise that maybe, just maybe, they can work this to their advantage after all.

Warnings: Some VERY Bad Language words (Frank has a potty mouth…) Descriptions of panic attack-please avoid if this triggers.

Pairing: Frank Adler x Fliss Gallagher

A/N: Some nitty, gritty action and angst over this chapter so I hope you’re ready… buckle up! Big thanks to @icanfeelastormbrewing for reading this (sorry Frank had to put a shirt on) and @southerngracela for helping me with a crucial bit here that I have very limited experience on. And to @sweater-daddiesdumbdork for her opinions and also being as in love with dirty boat daddy as I am...

Chapter Song: I’m Gonna Love You Through It by Martina McBride (Ok, so this song makes me damned cry due to the sentiment behind it, and fits Frank and Fliss here so much…)

Series Masterlist // WIYPT Masterlist

When you’re weak, I’ll be strong. When you let go, I’ll hold on. When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes. When you feel lost and scared to death, like you can’t take one more step, just take my hand, together we can do it. I’m gonna love you through it.

December 2019

Fliss set the mug down on the coffee table in front of where Greg sat in the arm chair. Their friend had called earlier that day to say he had finally had a response from an attorney representing Bradley Polland, Mary’s biological father regarding the Adoption.

And it hadn’t been good news. Frank’s worse fear had been realised, the man was contesting. Frank hadn’t received the news particularly well, storming out of work and straight home, blazing in a fit of anger that was very unlike him, and Fliss had taken charge and asked Greg to come over later that night once Mary was in bed so they could discuss it in a calm and hopefully logical manner. As always, he was happy to oblige.

Greg flashed Fliss a smile and thanked her before she sat next to Frank on the sofa, her hand reaching for his. Their fingers laced together and she gave a little squeeze and he looked at her, giving her a tight smile.

“Don’t get too despondent yet.” Greg sighed, “I know it’s shitty but like I said on the phone Frank, we have a damned good chance on winning this in court.”

“I just don’t fucking understand Greg.” Frank shook his head “Why? Why is he contesting? He doesn’t give a shit about her, we know that. He’s never even laid eyes on her in person. Fucking ass hole.” His tone we venomous, his face creased in anger and Fliss gently squeezed his fingers again. He took a deep breath and shook his head “Sorry, I’m just…” “Buddy, I can’t begin to imagine how you feel.” Greg sighed, “And I’m sorry I can’t answer your question because I don’t know what his reasoning is.” The man shrugged as he took a sip of his tea. “Maybe the fact that the adoption would completely remove any rights he has to her has sparked some deep buried paternal instinct...” “Bull shit.” Frank scoffed, leaning back in his chair. Greg looked at Fliss who took a deep breath.

“So, what happens now?” she asked, trying to keep calm. One of them had to have a level head after all.

“Well, there’ll be a little to-ing and fro-ing before court but my first action, which I did as soon as that letter landed this morning, was to get onto Child Welfare. They’ll prep a report on Mary, how settled she is, happy, basically in support of the adoption.” Greg licked his lips “But I want you both to know, that there is absolutely no way that Mary is gonna get taken away from you.” He looked at Frank straight in the eyes as Frank looked back. “Even if Polland petitions for custody, which he won’t…” he held his hand up, cutting Frank off before he could start again “No Court in their right mind is gonna rip her out of her home here and put her with him, not now. You have Legal Guardian Status Frank, that’s not gonna change. At most he will get visitation.”

“What if Mary doesn’t want to see him?” Fliss asked as Frank looked away, his eyes roving over the garden are which was light up by the various solar lights speckled around the decking and lawn, the pool lights turning the whole area to the left of the garden a vivid shade of aqua, desperately trying to keep his cool.

“Then the CWD will reflect that in their report.” Greg nodded. “But this is absolute worst case scenario. You both need to understand that there is a really, really high chance that the court will overrule his objection and allow the Adoption to go through anyway. She’s been with you all her life Frank, whilst he may have a biological link to her, he has nothing else. And the court won’t look favourably on his actions. We saw that in the case versus your mother.” “So this might actually not mean a thing?” Fliss looked at Greg.

“Exactly.” Greg smiled “You’re in a very good position. This…it’s just a little bump in the road.”

“Then why does it feel like a huge fucking road block?” Frank looked at Greg and his best friend sighed.

“Because you’re panicking.” Greg said simply “You’re over thinking it, like you always do. Trust me Frank, this is going to change nothing…” “How can you say that?” Frank looked at him. “Of course it’s gonna change something, that little girl up there thinks we’re gonna be adopting her and now I’m gonna haff to tell her that that might naht be the case…”

His accent grew thicker, the way it always did when he was emotional and Fliss squeezed his hand once more and turned to face him.

“Frank, nothing changes from our home front, that’s what Greg means.” She said, and Greg nodded in agreement. “And as for telling her, then we do what we always do. We be honest, we explain it simply and we reassure her if she gets anxious. That’s all we can do for now. And then, whatever happens we face it together as a family.” Frank sighed and looked down at his feet before he looked at Greg, shaking his head “Sorry man, I didn’t mean to snap.” “Don’t sweat it.” Greg shook his head “But I mean what I say pal, this isn’t like last time when, I’ll be honest, I didn’t think we had a cat in hells chance of keeping her from your mother, despite how much I was behind you, and you know that. This time, well, not only have your entire circumstances changed now in that she has a perfect home, a family, stability…” he took a deep breath, “And you are her legal guardian. No court will strip that from you unless there’s exceptional circumstances. And these are not. The only card Polland has to play is that he still has his Parental Rights, he’s got nothing else. He has never met her, never talked to her, never paid a dime towards her. In contrast, you on the other hand have a whole fucking hand of Aces to play back. There’s no way she’s going anywhere, adoption or not, which is the main thing here. That she stays with you. You two are her parents in everything but name and the court and CWD will see that.”

There was nothing much more that Greg could tell them at that point, other than to walk them through the next steps in a little more detail. He talked them through how the CWD would be in contact and that they’d want to speak to Mary alone, then they’d want to speak to both of them too, and that was as far as he was prepared to go, refusing to even think about anything beyond that. Which in itself was frustrating the hell out of Frank, but Fliss understood exactly why Greg was being so reserved. It was information overload, and Frank being the very analytical and cerebral person he was would end up even more frustrated as Greg would have no answer to the barrage of questions he was likely to have.

It was only when Alex made the familiar noises of hunger that the 3 of them called time on their discussion and Fliss stood up and headed to the bassinet to the side of the sofa.

"He's getting so big." Greg beamed and Alex, momentarily forgetting his hunger, locked his eyes onto his godfather's and gave him a huge smile. "Hey fella!" Greg ran a finger down his cheek and Alex wiggled his arms in response. "He looks like you pal." Greg looked at Frank as he grinned. "Poor little bugger."

“Fuck you.” Frank snorted, and Fliss pouted dramatically.

"I happen to think is daddy is very handsome." She looked at Frank whose lips curled into a smile at one side for what felt like the first time that day before he turned to Greg.

"I'll see you out."

Greg looked at him and then nodded, and with a final goodbye to Fliss, he left the family room with Frank behind him

“Tell me honestly Greg, and no bullshit…” Frank looked ad his friend as they strode towards Greg’s silver benz which was parked behind Fliss’ Cherokee “Am I gonna lose her?”

“Have you just listened to a damned word I said Frank?” Greg looked at him. “Read my lips. Not a chance. Honestly Frank, you have the upper hand here. This is nothing like last time.”

Frank nodded and gave his friend a tight smile.

“Thanks for coming over.” he nodded and Greg smiled.

“Any time, I got your back. You know that.” he promised as he climbed into his car. Frank watched him leave, tossing a hand at the tailgate to the car before he turned and headed back inside, giving a whistle for Thor to follow him, the dog having wandered outside at the same time he had. But despite his friend’s assurances, he just couldn’t shake the worry from the back of his mind that this entire thing was going to rip their family apart.

He paused in the doorway and watched Fliss who was now feeding Alex his bottle, her eyes locked on that of their son and he felt a little lump in his throat. He swallowed and spoke, his voice sounding strangely far away to him.

“Want me to do that?” he asked. Fliss looked at him, immediately recognising his offer for what it actually was, a request. He wanted to do it. And she knew why. It was a way to keep himself grounded, away from the spiralling thoughts in his mind.

“Sure.” She nodded as Frank sat down. She handed Alex over and then kissed Frank’s cheek. “Try not to worry sweetheart, I know it’s a shitty set back but it’ll work out.”

“You’re optimistic.” Frank looked down at Alex as he took his milk before he glanced up at Fliss “I wish I was.”

“You heard Greg.” She gently lay her hand on his neck, her fingers softly stroking at his skin of the nape “This isn’t like last time.”

“I know.” He nodded, before he fixed a smile on his face “Why don’t you go for that bath you were talking about before?”

“You gonna be ok?”

He nodded “Yeah, I’ll be up once he’s finished.”

“Ok.” Fliss nodded, kissing him again before she stood up and left Frank alone with his son.

**** Try as he might Frank couldn’t sleep that night, his mind was whirring at 100 miles an hour, and in the end he gave up before his tossing and turning disturbed either Fliss or Alex. He climbed out of bed, pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before he peered down at Alex who was asleep in his crib. As he headed to the door he reached down and gave Thor’s ears a scratch as the dog looked up from his spot in his basket before he padded silently into the hallway and softly pushed Mary’s bedroom door open. She too was fast asleep, Fred curled up next to her head on the pillow. She looked so peaceful, so content. And Frank knew that’s because she was. She was safe, she was loved, she was wanted- boy was she wanted- and the thought that her life, that their lives might be upturned by that shit head Polland made Frank’s stomach churn.

He knew he was over thinking things. He had always been the same. He retreated into his mind, and no matter how many times Fliss or Greg had told him not to worry that night he just couldn’t help it. He’d almost lost her once, and the thought that he might actually lose her for good this time was unbearable. His mouth suddenly became dry and he needed a drink, so closing the door behind him softly he headed down the stairs and pulled open the fridge, reaching for a bottle of water.

He the cool liquid in one but that did nothing to help the hot and clammy feeling that was now washing over him, causing a light beading of sweat to dust his brow. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and as he did so his belly dropped out from him and a sick feeling spread across his body, almost like he was going to puke. He gripped the edge of the counter, hovering over the sink, eyes closed as the room began to spin and his chest suddenly began to hurt. He found himself unable to catch his breath as his throat tightened and he scrunched his eyes shut as they were burning from the unshed, salty tears. Then, he could hold the feeling of desperation and panic no more and he turned, sliding to the floor in a dishevelled heap, his back banging painfully against the lower kitchen cabinets as he struggled to ground himself. When his chest finally released enough for him to take a huge, shaky, painful breath it was all too much and his anxiety poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears, the deep emotions stirring with no other outlet but his silent crying.

How long he was there he had no idea, locked in his own mind and worries, but then a voice broke through the cloud in his mind and a familiar presence filled his senses.

“Frankie…” Fliss gently placed her hand on Frank’s shoulder as she knelt down next to him. “Oh Baby…”

He mumbled something incoherent, choking on his sobs, his face buried between his arms as they hugged his knees to his chest, and she moved to wrap her arms around him. His own arms moved and he wrapped them around her back, clinging to her with a desperation she’d never seen or felt from him before as he pressed his face into the crook of her shoulder.

“Shhhh, I got you…” she whispered to him, kissing his head. “I got you.”

The two of them sat on the kitchen floor, Fliss soothing him, pressing the odd kiss to his head, running her hand up his spine over his t-shirt with one hand, the fingers of the other fingers brushing the back of his neck, a movement she knew he found comforting. Knowing from her own experiences, there was nothing else to be done other than stay with him and let him cry it out she did just that. Eventually, she felt his broad shoulders begin to relax a little as his sobs turned into smaller cries, which then morphed into small hiccups, until eventually they subsided completely and there was no sound in the room bar his deep, ragged breathing. After a moment or so of relative quiet, he pulled away and Fliss turned her head towards him, taking in his appearance and it broke her heart. His face was red and blotchy, those blue eyes she could drown in were bloodshot and looked at her sadly from beneath puffy eyelids. He moved his arm to wipe at his nose and then took a deep, stuttering breath.

“You with me?” Fliss asked gently and he nodded, taking another shaky breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.” He spoke, his throat felt raw and his voice was gruff and croaky, not sounding like his own. Fliss shook her head.

“Don’t you dare apologise Frank.” She said gently “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and we should be looking forward to Alex’s first Christmas and now…” “Hey, hey…” Fliss cut him off, her hands taking his face gently, pads of her fingers threading into his beard. “Thanksgiving was wonderful, because we were all together. Christmas is gonna be wonderful because we will still all be together.”

“I can’t lose her Liss, I can’t lose any of you, I just…” “And you’re not gonna.” She said, her voice calm and quiet. “Greg told you this before. The worst that can happen is Polland is gonna get visitations.” “But what if she wants to live with him? What if she-“ “Oh Frank.” Fliss sighed “That’s not even a remote possibility. Mary worships the ground you walk on. She adores Alex. She loves her home, her life…if anything, I think she’s going to refuse to even see him. You saw how heartbroken she was that day we had to talk her out of the bathroom during the court-case. She won’t have forgotten that.”

Frank raised his eyes to Fliss’ and she smiled at him softly, her hands still on his face “Baby, she might only be 9 but she’s not stupid. She knows you gave everything you had to make sure she’s had a good life. You kept her safe, loved. I’ll say it over and over till I’m blue in the face Frank, you ARE her father. In everything but biology. And Bill and I are proof here that biology doesn’t mean a fucking thing.”

“She adores you too you know.” Frank said, and Fliss smiled softly pressing her forehead to his

“Good because I adore her right back. And her big, soft, lump of an uncle-slash-father who happens to be a wonderful man with a huge heart, who knows he isn’t perfect but doesn’t try to be.” Her hands slid down from his face, one resting on his shoulder, the other back to stroking the nape of his neck. Frank closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as her touch washed over him. “A man who strives every day to be the best version of himself, but doesn’t really need to because he’s already the best daddy and partner in the world.”

“Liss I’m not-“ “You’re not perfect, yes I know.” She smiled “But that makes you perfect to me.”

Frank took a deep breath and closed his eyes as her fingers continued to gently stroke at his neck, all the time her movements sending gently sparks of warmth down his back. His breathing had settled down now, his tears stopped. He felt calmer.

“I love you.” He said softly and Fliss smiled, pulling back a little

“I know.” She looked at him “I love you too.”

His hand reached up for the one that was resting on his shoulder and his fingers tangled with hers, and he squeezed gently, relishing the feel of her engagement ring as it pressed against his middle and ring finger. And then, almost by magic, a soft gurgle came from the baby monitor on the side in the kitchen.

“See, Bean loves his daddy too.” Fliss smiled and Frank gave a little chuckle. “Wanna come back to bed?”

He nodded.

Fliss stood up and offered Frank her hand, tugging him up beside her. Without a word she led him down the hall and up the stairs. Frank headed straight to Alex who was on his back, his eyes flickering as he was clearly still sleepy, his head turned gently to the right, little hand curling by his cheek. Frank softly ran a finger over his soft skin and the little boy reacted to the touch, his limbs stretching a little before he settled back down, his breathing even, his eyes closing.

“I still don’t know how we made something so special.” Fliss whispered, her arms curling round Frank’s waist from behind.

“He’s part you.” Franks replied softly, and Fliss gave a chuckle.

“Yeah, well, like I said, his daddy’s pretty awesome too.” Frank turned round to face her and dropped a gentle kiss to her mouth, his nose sliding against hers before he gave a little yawn. “Sorry…” he said as Fliss chuckled.

“Come on Sailor, let’s try and get some sleep before he wakes us up.”

Frank moved and slid into the covers, settling down as Fliss led besides him. He turned onto his side to look at her and she brushed her hand through his untidy, fluffy hair and then opened her arms. With the air of a small child he sank into them, his head resting against her chest, arms moving so that they wrapped around her, like a koala bear. Her hand once more resumed its gentle stroking on his neck and it wasn’t long before Fliss felt his tense shoulders relax, his breathing grew even and she glanced down to see those long eyelashes resting against his freckled cheeks as he slept. She pressed a kiss to his head and closed her eyes and finally let her own emotion crash over her as she let out a few silent tears of her own.

***** “I just don’t get it Bonnie.” Fliss said gently, as Bonnie took the coffee she was offering, the two women heading over to the breakfast bar. “Why now? Why after so fucking long is he suddenly interested?”

“I wish I could answer that for you.” Bonnie sighed, as Fliss’ eyes flicked over to Mary who was led on the play-mat by the TV with Alex. He was led on his back and Mary was playing peek-a-boo with him, hiding her face behind his large stuffed Elephant pillow which had been a present from Steve and Sian when they’d taken the kids to the zoo. Alex showing his appreciation by smiling at her and giggling, his arms and leg waving as he shrieked with happiness.

“I just can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to it.” Fliss bit her lip and Bonnie looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” Fliss shifted a little, dropping her voice even more. “When Polland turned up in the Custody case, Frank was always adamant that Evelyn had paid him, even though he denied it and she denied it and we had no evidence. Frank’s still to this day 100% convinced that’s why he came forward. He wasn’t interested in Mary…”

“Has he asked Evelyn since?”

“No.” Fliss shook her head. “They’re in a good place. It’s not perfect but its ok, and they have this unspoken agreement now that they don’t talk about it. They moved on so…”

“Maybe you should ask her.” Bonnie said.

Fliss shrugged “I don’t know if I want to drag it all back up.”

“Yeah, but if you think someone is putting him up to this…”

“I don’t, well, I do, maybe…” Fliss hesitated as she tried to put what she was thinking into words “I don’t know, what I think to be honest, other than there must be something else in it for Pollland. Sorry, I’m not making much sense.” “No, I get it.” Bonnie assured him. The two women sat in silence before Bonnie clicked her fingers as she looked at Fliss “Facebook. Have you checked him out?”

“Already tried, he’s blocked me and Frank…same on Instagram. Not that I’m sure it would help but…”

“Well he won’t have blocked me…” Bonnie shrugged “Might be a dead end but you never know. Worth a good old social media stalk, don’t you think?”

Fliss looked at Mary, then to Bonnie again before she nodded “Ok…do it.”

Bonnie pulled her phone out and scrolled down, tapping open the App. “What’s his name?”

“Polland.” Fliss said gently “Brad…”

Bonnie tapped at the screen and then turned it to Fliss, “That him?”

Fliss nodded. “Yeah…”

“Damned it his profile is locked down…” Bonnie said, her eyes roving over the screen. “Let me try his insta…” She continued to tap at her phone and grinned “Well he hasn’t locked this down…”she started to scroll down the screen and then stopped, frowning a little “Hang on…why do I recognise this woman?”

“Let me see?”

She pushed the phone over the counter and Fliss stared at it for a moment. It was a picture of Polland in a suit, with a team of people she assumed must be work colleagues. “Which one?”

“The one 2 down from him to his right.”

Fliss looked closer and then she felt her heart skip a beat. “I don’t fucking believe it…”

“What?”

“That’s Anna.” She said gently “Richard’s wife.” “Richard as in…” Bonnie trailed off as Fliss swallowed and looked at her.

“My ex brother in law. We saw them in Miami…” The realisation crashed over Fliss in a huge wave as she stared at the photo, the ghosts once again of her past back to haunt her only this time in a way she could never have imagined. This was the link, the Stazikers. She’d bet her life on it.

“Why now?” Bonnie asked gently “I mean this photo is from a few years back, so…” “I wasn’t with Frank when the case went down, not fully anyway.” Fliss said, biting her lip “None of them would have made the connection back then, they didn’t even know where I was. This will be their way of punishing me. John died whilst in prison for an attack on me, Richard did a few months inside too for his part. They’ve always blamed me, even when John pleaded guilty.” She took a deep breath and looked at Bonnie “Ok, can you go through and screen shot ANYTHING you see that links him to the Stazikers, then send it to me.” “What you gonna do?” Bonnie asked “Tell Frank?”

“Not yet.” Fliss said, “I need to speak to Evelyn first.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m gonna ask her once and for all if she paid Polland.” Fliss looked at Bonnie, her eyes blazing “Because if she did, it makes it all the more likely he’s taking a back hander again.” *****

“Fliss?” Evelyn’s voice hit Fliss’ ears as she sat in the study, sitting at the desk.

“HI Evelyn.” Fliss said, taking a deep breath “Have you got a minute?”

“Yes, of course…what’s the matter?”

“I need to ask you something. And I want an honest answer. Bradley Polland…” “What about him?” Evelyn’s voice took a gruff turn.

“Did you pay him?”

“What?”

“When he appeared at Mary’s case. Did you pay him?”

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Because yesterday we had notification he’s actively contesting the Adoption application.” Fliss said, keeping her voice calm “And I’m trying to understand why. I have a theory but…”

“It’s nothing to do with me if that’s what you think…” “No, I don’t.” Fliss appeased as Evelyn’s voice was harsh. “I’m just trying to gather the facts before I go back to Greg. But I need to know honestly Evelyn, did you pay him.”

She sighed “Not exactly, no.” “Well what exactly did you do?”

“Polland works for an accountancy company.” Evelyn hesitated slightly before she continued “He’s in charge of their New Business department. I had a word with my contacts at the University and it ended up in a very lucrative deal for his firm, meaning he got a promotion. I’m not proud of it…but…”

Fliss took a deep breath. There was some satisfaction that her suspicion had been correct but also an underlying sense of frustration at how Evelyn could have ever been so damned sneaky. But, she had to remind herself that this was all in the past now. They had all moved on, and made some pretty monumental steps in that department. But this was now threatening to blow all of this out of the water.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” She replied after a second or two.

“Fliss, you have to understand, I was desperate.” Evelyn said gently. “I’d do anything to take it all back.”

“Look, I’m not interested in dragging this up for an argument.” Fliss shook her head as she spoke “As we all keep saying, what’s done is done. I just needed to know if I was right.” “You think someone is paying him to do this?”

“Yes.” Fliss said bluntly “And I have a good idea who.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Not yet.” Fliss licked her lips. “I need to talk to Frank first.”

“Ok, well if there’s anything I can do please let me know.”

“Of course, I’ll let you know.”

After bidding her mother-in-law goodbye, Fliss hung up and dropped the phone onto the desk before she let out a little groan and stood up, heading back into the living room. Mary looked up at her where she was sat on the sofa, and Fliss smiled as she saw Alex was curled up on-top of his comforter on the play-mat, cuddling to his beloved elephant.

“He fell asleep” Mary said, “I was watching him but you said not to try and lift him without you here so…” “It’s fine babe, he looks comfy enough.” Fliss smiled, “Honestly, you did good. Top babysitter.” She leaned over and gave the girl a hi-five before she took a quick photo and sent it to Frank. Placing her phone on the coffee table she dropped down besides Mary. “What you looking at?” Fliss nodded at the laptop.

“I’m chatting to Rosie.” Mary said, turning the Macbook so Fliss could she see had the instant messenger service from the school network open “We were talking about Christmas and stuff. She asked if I can go and sleep over tomorrow night.”

“You wanna?”

“Yeah.” “Then fine by me.” Fliss said, giving a little yawn “I can’t see Frank having a problem with it. I’m teaching in the afternoon so I can drop you either before or after.”

“Ok, I’ll tell her you said yes.” Mary smiled, “See what time she says I can go over. I can ride Monty in the morning again like I did today.”

“Sounds like plan, kiddo.” Fliss nodded “We can do the trail if you want when I’ve done the classes for the morning.”

“Awesome!” Mary grinned.

“Oh, and I know I said I was gonna make chicken parm for dinner but I seriously cannot be bothered. I’m thinking I might throw some frozen pizzas in and do some dirty fries instead.”

Mary grinned “I love dirty fries.” “So does Frank.” Fliss smiled

“He needs cheering up.” Mary nodded “He looked sad this morning.”

“He just has some stuff going on at work.” Fliss said, batting the question away “He’ll be fine.”

At that point her phone went off, it was a message back from the man in question responding to her photo of Alex.

Lucky little bastard! I’d kill for a nap right now, I’m exhausted. Finishing early so should be home in an hour or so. Love you all xxx

“See.” She showed it to Mary “Just tired.”

“Can we bake some brownies?” Mary asked, her face hopeful “They always cheer him up.”

“Sure.” Fliss smiled, standing up, completely not bothering to point out to Mary that was more hassle than the chicken parm, it was such a thoughtful thing to want to do that Fliss instantly felt her heart melt as she agreed. “Go get the bowls and stuff ready, I’ll put Bean in the crib.” To be fair it only took half an hour to mix the batter and get it in the oven. They then turned their attention to the fries and pizzas, shoving those in too before they returned back to the sofa, Fliss finding “Miracle on 34th Street” on one of the channels so they settled down to watch, the Christmas tree lights twinkling in the corner of the room. And that was how Frank found them when he came in from work about 20 minutes or so later. Both of them sat on the sofa, Mary snuggled into Fliss as they were giggling at the TV in the now dim-light of the room.

“Hey.” He smiled and Fliss looked up at him, taking the kiss he offered before he ruffled Mary’s head “Again?” he nodded to the TV and Mary glared at him.

“It happens to be one of my favourites.” “Don’t I know it.” He rolled his eyes. He then paused, the smell of baking hitting his nostrils, and looked around, before he glanced back at them, grinning “You made brownies?”

“Not just any brownies…” Mary grinned “Salted caramel ones.” Frank groaned “I love you both.”

Mary sniggered “Fliss said you would say that.”

Frank smiled “Imma take a shower ok? Be down in a second.”

“Actually, I need to talk to you.” Fliss said, looking at him significantly.

“Ok.” He frowned.

“You ok here Mary?” Fliss looked at her. “Keep an eye on Alex for me again?”

“What are you going to talk about?”

“Nonya.” Frank looked at her.

“Nonya?” Mary frowned. “Who’s Nonya.”

“Nonya-business.” Frank retorted, straightening up as Mary gave a groan.

“That’s so lame.” she sighed, rolling her eyes. Fliss and Frank headed upstairs into their bedroom, where Fliss took a deep breath. She didn’t even bother telling Frank to stay calm, because she knew it was futile. And, true to her prediction, when she explained what she’d found out he reacted exactly how she had predicted. Angry, upset, frustrated. He grit his teeth, swore and then started stomping around the room.

“I know, I know…” she soothed as he slammed a drawer shut, tossing a pair of joggers onto the bed. “But, this is good Frank.” “Good, how is any of this good Lissy?” he seethed “I…” “Because it gives us an angle.” She said gently “If we tell Greg about this…whilst we may not have any solid proof it provides him with a line of attack. Raises questions. And we have Evelyn too, I’m pretty sure she’ll go on record about what went down last time. It’s a total smear on his character.”

Frank took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. “You know what, I can’t…I can’t process this now, I need to think.”

“Ok.” Fliss said, looking down at the carpet, swallowing a little as she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” “Sorry?” Frank frowned “What are you sorry for?”

“Because this is my fault isn’t it?” she stated, more than asked, and Frank was horrified to see the tears in her eyes. “It’s all down to John, again.” “Stop.” Frank said firmly, shaking his head as he strode round the side of the bed to where she was stood. “Lissy, this isn’t your fault baby. Not at all. I’m not mad at you, I promise.”

“Maybe, but if I wasn’t involved, this wouldn’t be happening and…” she took a deep breath and Frank shook his head once more, wiping her tears away. “He’s fucking dead Frank and still…” “Look.” Frank sighed, “You don’t control what that shit head family do now any more than you did back then, ok? I’m sorry for snapping I just…” “I know.” She nodded, her hands wrapping around his wrists as his calloused fingers caressed her cheeks.

“But please don’t for one second think I blame you for any of this. This is down to him, and if the Stazikers are the only reason he’s doing this then he’s an even bigger shit head than we thought.”

“You know, Steeb says he can make him vanish.” Fliss shrugged “Concrete shoes, bottom of the ocean.”

Frank chuckled and his hands dropped to her hips “Don’t tempt me.”

“So what do you want to do about it?” Fliss asked. Frank bit his lip for a moment as he considered his play and then he looked back at her, determination on his face.

“Once I’ve showered I’ll call Evelyn and check she’s ok, as no doubt she’s pacing the floor at home now, panicking.”

“You not mad at her?”

“Mad? I’m fucking raging but what’s the point of going over it all?” he sighed, “I always knew deep down she’d done something and we worked so hard to put it behind us…”

“And the rest of it?”

“Well after I speak to Mother, I’ll get onto Greg, tell him what we know.” He spoke determinedly “If the fucking cunts want a dirty fight, then they can have one.”

PART 2

#riding on #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #gifted fan fic #gifted #frank adler fan fic

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dascarecrow · 4 years ago

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Space Jam A New Legacy Wishlist

This here’s a list of properties and characters that I want to see in Space Jam A New Legacy and some explanation as to why or how they can even appear. And I am well aware these would just be cameos. That doesn’t bother me.

RWBY (Warner does in fact own RoosterTeeth and RWBY is just about their most well known original work. Plus Warner seems to have some interest in expanding the RWBY brand, what with a Justice League crossover comic and all)

Mortal Kombat (Owned by Warner and if they’re willing to include the Droogs and freaking Pennywise this franchise has no reason not to appear. Plus it is getting a movie and cross promotion never hurt anyone)

Birdman (There are already Hanna-Barbera super heroes appearing and this one is a personal favorite of mine)

Mightor (Again with the Hanna-Barbera superheroes)

Jonny Quest (Hanna-Barbera and honestly has gotten a bit more of a push in recent years than most of that brand has gotten)

Speed Buggy (They got Jabberjaw so why not)

Freakazoid (The only one of Spielberg’s 90′s cartoons that isn’t up for a reboot. Also it got a crossover episode with Teen Titans Go so it clearly isn’t forgotten)

Beetlejuice (I just like Beetlejuice)

Loonatics Unleashed (I actually enjoyed this show. It wasn’t groundbreaking but it was a pretty fun superhero show that tried to put an original spin on the Looney Tunes. I would just like to see an appearance by them that wasn’t a potshot)

Xiaolin Showdown (This was actually a pretty decent show that seems forgotten nowadays. Would be nice to see something to show it isn’t forgotten.)

Teen Titans (The original cartoon. I just want something for Teen Titans that doesn’t remotely involve Go at this point)

Swat Kats (This is definitely a fan favorite that has gotten jack squat done for it for years. Would be nice if this is where they made a return for a quick moment)

Road Rovers (A personal favorite of mine and also Warner Bros. Would be hilarious if they met the Swat Kats)

Ricochet Rabbit (A personal favorite Hanna-Barbera character of mine)

Venture Bros. (Got screwed over big time with it’s cancellation. An appearance could be a good way of saying “No Hard Feelings”. Also makes the most sense for anything from Adult Swim appearing because they aren’t going to do the HB revamp stuff from Coast to Coast or Attorney at Law for that)

TOM from Toonami (Would just make my day if I’m being honest)

Tom and Jerry (We’ve never actually seen those guys with other Hanna-Barbera characters. Would like to see it happen.)

Lego (I would take anything for this one given how much Warner Bros. has done with Lego media. My personal choice would be Bionicle given that it was hands down Lego’s best franchise but I don’t know if they could legally do that. There were plans for Takanuva in The Lego Movie sequel so it may be impossible.)

Captain Planet (Would just be fun. Especially if he met Don Cheadle’s character face to face)

Big Bird (Just want a Sesame Street character and he’s my choice)

Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural got 15 seasons. I think their popularity speaks for itself)

The Banana Splits (This is Hanna-Barbera’s only real stab at live action work. They deserve a spot for that alone)

Godzilla (The Monsterverse is on an upswing after GvK. Plus Kong will appear. Plus it’s Godzilla and we would be there just for him)

Osmosis Jones (If you want a real obscure pick here’s one)

Rick and Morty (The biggest deal on Adult Swim. Need I say more?)

Powerpuff Girls (Due for a live action show. If any Cartoon Cartoons get chosen it would be this one)

Samurai Jack (Still freaking popular with folks. Would drive all of us insane)

Courage the Cowardly Dog (My personal favorite Cartoon Cartoon)

Ed, Edd, n Eddy (Would just be fun)

Johnny Bravo (Very popular Cartoon Cartoon)

Dexter’s Laboratory (Same as above)

Cow and Chicken (Ditto)

I Am Weasel (Michael Dorn would be a good win for the movie)

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (Just think of the jokes this one could be used for)

Codename Kids Next Door (Really just want to see these characters again)

Gremlins (Due for an HBO Max cartoon so why not)

Adventure Time (Started the Renaissance age for Cartoon Network so it deserves a spot for that)

He-Man (If Thundercats have gotten in than he deserves to too)

Steven Universe (A personal favorite and Warner Bros isn’t done with the property yet)

Regular Show (The chance to see Mordecai and Rigby’s “Whoa” is too good to pass up)

Young Justice (Love this show. Greg Weisman is the genius who gave it to us. And Phantoms is still a ways off)

Mucha Lucha (Pretty off-kilter and could be a visual stand out)

Speed Racer (I am pretty sure that Warner Bros. has the rights licensed out like the deal they have with Godzilla. I just think it would be fun and awesome)

#Space Jam A New Legacy #Just some craziness I had to write down

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seelaa26 · 5 years ago

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2. If I Killed Someone For You

“¿Would you love me more if I killed someone for you? ¿Would you hold my hands? They’re the same ones that I used when I killed someone for you”

It had been a few days since I started working and since my first case. It had been a very quiet week. Week I took the opportunity to meet the rest of the team, because we don’t work independently; Captain Jim Brass, homicide detective and the person we turn to when we need anything legally. Our key lab tech Greg Sanders is first-rate, he’s always smiling and making jokes. Doctor Al Robbins, Chief Coroner, is our secret weapon, not only he is sharp he’s also not disturbed by the actions and habits of humanity.

According to statistics, Tuesday and Wednesday are the days of least criminal activity, so that would explain why half the team had the night off. Since that night only Grissom and I would be there, he promised me that he would introduce me more to his specialty, forensic entomology. I left my bag in my locker when I received a message from Grissom saying he was waiting for me outside, we had a 420. I started studying the codes used by CSIs and police officers and I knew what a 420 was; homicide. Grissom drove in silence until we reached the crime scene. Police had already cordoned off the area, but there were a lot of people around, including journalists. Sergeant Ray O’Riley was waiting for us, he was the one who called Grissom.

-Press is going to be all over this one –he warned us- Four dead; mother, father and two teenage boys. Sisters were luckier. Teen girl heard a noise and hid in the closet. Alerted the neighbors. The younger sister, Brenda, is over there.

-¿What’s the matter with your guys? –Grissom asked him when he saw a couple of officers leaving the house to vomit.

-They’ve been inside.

-I want the paramedics that ran this house back here immediately and call dispatch, you tell all my entire graveyard shift that I want them here ASAP; all of them, no exceptions –Grissom ordered the Sergeant- I’m going to do a preliminary walkthrough and you are going to take my notes, Laura.

We put on gloves and entered the house. The lights were off so we were going with the flashlight and being careful where we stepped. Just entering the house, something started to move in my stomach. I had the feeling that the murders had been brutal.

-The air smells like copper; lots of blood. Breathe through your mouth –Grissom indicated as we climbed the stairs and then we found the first body- Male Caucasian, approximately 40 years old, lying in a pool of blood. No drag marks and body does not appear to have been moved. Multiple stab wounds to the back and neck.. looks like a single edge blade. Head faces west, the feet pointing east.

-Grissom, ¿can you take your own notes? –I asked as I was dizzy and retching- I need a minute.

-I got it –Sara appeared from nowhere and took the notebook I was writing on- Go get some fresh air.

I left the house without touching anything focused on not throwing out until getting a barf bag. Luckily, when I breathed fresh air and leaned on the SUV to have a fixed place, I was starting to feel better again. After a few minutes, the other team members began to arrive but Nick was the first to do it. He parked right next to me and when he got out of the car, he saw me.

-Hey, ¿what are you doing out here? –I looked at him and then he knew- ¡Oh! ¿That bad, huh?

-I thought it would never happen to me.. react like this.

-We all think it won’t happen to us and then it does, so don’t give it too much credit and wait to see a decomposing corpse.

-¡Wow! ¿Aren’t you the life of the party? –I said ironically and we both smiled.

Once the whole team was together, Grissom told us how we were going to work and what each one was going to do.

-First rule for the crime scene; do not do any interviews. Second rule; don’t talk to the sheriff either. Killer was here not two hours ago, he left part of himself behind.

-Edmond Locard’s exchange principle –I muttered, according to what Grissom said. In forensic science, Locard’s principle holds that the perpetrator of a crime will leave something behind and take something with them.

-Exactly –Grissom nodded- Catherine, Sara, I need you inside, mapping and blood samples. Nick, Warrick, the perimeter. I wanna know how he got here, how he got in, how he got out and how he left.

-I’ll take the back, ¿Warrick you got the front? –Nick asked.

-You got it.

-Laura, I need you to transport the little girl to Sunrise Hospital for a psych evaluation. Once you’ve done it, come back here.

I nodded and headed to the police car where the little girl was sitting bundled up in a police jacket. She showed no emotion, instead she kept staring at the house. I bent down in front of her and looked at her with a slight smile.

-¡Hi! My name is Laura, ¿is your name Brenda? –suddenly, she looked at me but she didn’t say anything- ¿Do you want to go for a ride with me?

***

After taking Brenda to the hospital and leaving her with the woman from Family Services and the Doctor, I went back to the crime scene, just like Grissom told me. When I arrived, I found him trying to escape the press.

-Grissom, I’m back –I approached him- The doctor will page me when he’s done with the evaluation. ¿Where do you want me meanwhile?

-¿Do you think you can take the interior of the house? –he asked due to my reaction before.

-Yes, I do.

-Grissom –a man in a suit approached us, and then he saw me- ¿Who’s this?

-This is Laura –he kindly stated- She’s the new CSI.

-¿Do you think it’s okay to put a rookie on a high-profile case?

-I know what I’m doing, Sheriff.

-Mayor just called.. ¿so what do you’ve got? –Grissom denied with his head- Just give me something I can run with, I have to talk to the press.

-As soon as I have something, you’ll have something.

In the most elegant way, Grissom excused us and we entered the house again. For a couple of hours, I helped Catherine and Sara collect blood samples from every blood splatter and record each one on the crime scene map. The map was going to help us clarify the situation of how the crime was committed.

-¿What’s your take? –I asked them.

-Whoever did it, killed the mother first, in her sleep quick–Sara began to explain.

-Explains why the blood is confined in the bed and the floor under it.

-Husband woke up, ran to protect his kids –Sara continued- The killer stabbed him and then finished him off down the hall.

-Gave his life for the little girl –I concluded, since he died near Brenda’s door.

My phone rang indicating that I had received a message from the hospital. They had finished the psychological evaluation, so I had to go. I said goodbye to the girls and I went down the stairs. David, the forensic assistant, was walking out the door carrying the body of a family member. Before exiting the house, Nick lifted the sheet that covered the body and covered it again pissed off.

-This kid should be out playing football –he exhaled and then hit the door.

-This is getting under your skin, huh –he just looked at me with a frown so I decided to try to make him laugh to calm him- Don’t give it too much credit and wait to see how it swells.

-¿That’s what I get for helping you before? –he smiled at me knowing that I returned his joke.

-Put some ice on it before the swelling starts –I answered with a smile.

***

Connie, the Family Services person assigned to the case, and I were waiting when the doctor left the office and came to see us with Brenda. We both got up as soon as we saw them arrive.

-Brenda’s fine but I’d like her to have a consult –he looked at his wrist watch- I’ve paged the psychiatric resident, he should be here within the hour.

-Thanks –Connie said placing her hand on Brenda’s back- I’ll take it from here.

-¿What’s the head exam for? –I asked.

-I said we’ll take it from here –she insisted- It’s already going to be tense.

-Look, if there’s any forensic evidence found during this exam, I need to be there –suddenly, Brenda pulled away from Connie and hugged me around the waist- It’s okay Brenda, I’m not leaving you.

***

After a couple of hours in the hospital with Brenda, I got a message from Warrick saying that we were all going to meet in the break room to review the case. When I arrived at the Crime Lab everyone was muttering about a suspect.

-Hey, I heard you have a suspect –I entered the room and went straight to the fridge to get my sandwich, then I sat down.

-We have about four and with the tire prints alone –Warrick answered.

-Let’s talk about what else we have –Grissom put on his glasses- Tina Collins’ pajama top from the murder scene without a drop of blood on it.

-¿How do you explain that? –I asked- If my whole family was murdered, I’d run to them to check to see if they are still alive.

-We are about to go ask her –Catherine answered- Nick, ¿what did you find out about the stuff that you collected at the back of the house?

-¿The bidi? –he bit his sandwich and continued explaining- DNA still processing but Tina said nobody in the family smoked.

-So a non-family member was out there –Sara summarized.

-¿Bidi? ¿Bidi? –Grissom repeated- I thought you found a cigarette and a match behind the house.

-It’s just like a cigarette –he answered trying not to laugh- Kids smoke them they think there’s less carbon monoxide.

-¿What did you find out about the psychic exam on the little girl? –Catherine asked me.

-The shrink says the kid is in a catatonic state from the trauma. I could’ve told you that, but she did respond at the name “Buffalo”. She freaked out.

-¿Where is she? –Grissom asked.

-I left her in the car, the windows are cracked –I answered with a straight face and everyone looked at me with their mouths open- Give me a little credit, she’s at the hospital.

When they realized I was teasing them, they breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed about it. Warrick, Nick and Sara went to question the other three suspects, who shared the scooter, the getaway vehicle. Catherine, Grissom and I went to talk with the teenage daughter, Tina.

-I don’t know why I didn’t get blood on my pajamas, I just didn’t.

-But your statement says that you bent down and hugged your mother, who was bleeding profusely –Catherine stated- Then you ran out, tripping over your father’s body in the upstairs hallway.

-But there was no blood on you –Grissom looked at her.

-I saw my family dead, I was scared.. I ran to the neighbors. That is the truth.

-The evidence is telling us a different story.

-Guys, Nick matched the matches found in the back of the house with the matches from a suspect –Jim Brass entered the room- Kid’s name is Jesse Overton, he time shares the scooter, he admits to having sex with your girl and he’s asking for a lawyer. I want to get a warrant and search his house.

-I want to see my sister –Tina said nervously- You don’t understand, I need to speak with her.

-She won’t speak, the doctor says it’s from trauma. –I said, unable to contain myself anymore- ¿What happened, Tina? ¿Did she catch your boyfriend killing your family?

***

Apparently, Brass found the getaway vehicle dismantled by pieces tossed in the trash at the main suspect’s house, and that wasn’t the only thing, he also found bloodstained jeans. Genius criminal. We got to do a polygraph test even though we already knew it was him, but we wanted to know the truth. This time, the whole team was behind the observation glass and a professional asked the questions, but we wrote them down.

-¿Did Tina Collins approached you at school and asked you to kill her family?

-Yes.

-¿Did you kill her family?

-Yes.

-¿Did Tina let you in the front door the night of the killings?

-Yes.

-¿Did she already have a knife for you?

-No, she let me choose.

-¿Did you use that knife to kill Barbara Collins, Mr. Collins and both sons?

-Yes.

-¿Did Tina Collins tell you she wanted them dead so you could see each other?

-Yes.

After the last question, we all left the room and sat on the benches outside. Brass was in charge of talking to the professional about the test. It didn’t take long for him to come out with the result sheet.

-Well, the sick bastard was on the open up except your last question –he explained- Operator says his respiratory reactions were inconsistent. He’s lying.

-We got them both –Nick said- I don’t much care why they did it.

-I’m with you there –Warrick agreed.

-I care –Grissom mumbled- I don’t like holes. ¿What are they hiding?

***

After Grissom reviewed all the evidence again, he found something that was the reason for me to return to the hospital. He found a silver necklace with an engraved buffalo on it. I followed my boss’s orders, so I took the ultraviolet camera and went to Brenda Collins’ room.

-This is a very special camera because it can see deep into your skin, can see things nobody can see –I explained to her- ¿How about if I take a picture of me first, okay?

I raised my arm and photographed it for her to see that it didn’t hurt. She nodded and smiled slightly, so with her permission, I untied the knot of the medical gown she was wearing and lowered to her shoulders.

-¿Are you ready?

She nodded again with a paralyzing look, and then I took the picture. The most important thing was to reveal the photograph and discover if our theory was correct and if it was, it was a tragedy. Sadly, the photo reveal confirmed it.

***

Despite having both of them, we had to talk to the teenage sister, Tina Collins, one last time to tell her that we knew what happened and why they did it. Grissom and Brass entered the interrogation room and showed Tina her sister’s picture. She put her hand on her mouth and closed her eyes.

-We have forensic evidence that your father sexually abused your sister –Grissom said- We also know that he was in her room the night of the murders.

-¿How can you tell?

-Blood drops –he answered- They fall a certain way depending on the motion of the victim. Something horrible happened in that house, ¿didn’t it Tina?.. Long before the night of the murders.

-That was the last night he was gonna touch her –she said in an angry tone.

-¿But why your mother and why your brothers?

-Because they should have protected me –she changed her tone from anger to sadness- My father.. I was young, I learned to deal but when he went for my daughter..

Dead silence. Desolation and pain filled our silence as we exchanged looks.

-¿Brenda is..? –Grissom couldn’t finish his question- ¿And who is..?

-¿The father? –she finished for him- I was 13 and nobody noticed that my clothes were getting bigger. ¿Nice, huh? Brenda may hate me for what I did but I protected her.

***

After Tina went back to jail and Brenda was taken to Family Services, it was when I allowed myself to collect my things and finish the day. When I got to the locker room, I saw Grissom gathering his things and Nick sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his hand.

-It will be back in normal in 24 hours –Grissom said to him.

-Normal would be nice.

-¿What is normal? –I tossed without thinking, but that question made Grissom stop- Normality is a question of our point of view, our interpretation of reality and it’s also a way to ignore our problems. For that girl, normality was being abused. For me, it became normal to see my uncle drink half a bottle of whisky each day, but in reality, he was becoming an alcoholic.

-You are right–Grissom nodded- Normal is an illusion; what is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.

#csi #csilasvegas #csi las vegas #gil grissom #sara sidle #catherine willows #warrick brown #nick stokes #jim brass #fanfic #to read #csi fic #imagine

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shinneth · 5 years ago

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Gem Ascension Tropes (General: A - B)

Full, Superior Alternative on Google Docs.

So, I’ve been on the fence as to whether or not to publicly share this. In the end, it’s really nothing more than a project of self-indulgence. However, it is 100k+ words of self-indulgence and it does involve a story at least a decent number of my followers have read and liked. I also talk about a lot about Stevidot and all the characters in general for this project. Considering I haven’t written anything since the end of August (and real life interference is finally affecting my ability to reliably produce anything of substance since then), I figured it was only fair to offer something. I do still have the itch to write; I just really don’t feel comfortable doing it if I myself am not in a good state mentally or emotionally.

Why did I make this? Well, I’ve mentioned in the past that my other super-huge, much-more-popular story Travels of the Trifecta! eventually gained enough notoriety to not only make it to the Fanfic Rec list on TV Tropes, but a few readers were even gracious enough to make an actual trope page for the story itself. However, despite great temptations, I never once contributed to the page myself, for fear I’d never get the story done because of how addictive and time-consuming that site is.

I was naively hoping Gem Ascension (or at least Bottled Up, which is easily my most popular story outside the main GA series) might get the same honors. But back then, I was also new to the fanbase and didn’t realize just how badly Stevidot as a ship was wrongfully considered an immoral ship... and still is. So that’ll probably never happen for real.

That said, so long as I completed my initial 3-act series for GA, I considered it fair game to play around with tropes that I could associate with it. And I finished that sucker in record time. So, since the early months of Summer, I’ve slowly compiled a list of tropes for my GA continuity - so far for general coverage and character-specifics only.

They’re similar to my GA Reference Tour posts in that aspect. Like I said, though, the entire document is over 100k in length, so no way is that all going up at once. The general listing is big enough to make me think it won’t fit in one post, either (especially as I continue to waste space rambling here). As the length alone proves, I was right to avoid doing this for Trifecta.

I wouldn’t consider it a complete (or even entirely accurate) listing; the character sections are very lop-sided in terms of content, but that’s a little justified, at least. Anyway, I did make some new art for certain character sections in future posts, so I figured this would at least be a neat way to share them. I’ve linked said tropes and everything. It’s really only worth a read if you’re that interested in getting some more in-depth details to the GAverse that I haven’t really covered here properly yet. But it does technically count as Stevidot content, so there’s the grab.

Beyond the spoiler cut, there are no marked spoilers. I’m not savvy enough to go THAT far with the style... plus, the main series has been complete since early March and it’s now October. Just... if you recently found the story, haven’t finished it, but actually intend to do so, look on at your own risk, I guess.

Well, let’s see how much I can actually fit in here. And whether or not it’ll format properly.

Edit: Turns out, only up to the K Tropes. Loooooovely~. Looks like I’m gonna play it safe and cut this after the Bs.

Edit II: As a bonus, I see the links being retained when I edit this post, but they won’t appear on the post itself. Just. Awesome. I may just put this up on Google Docs as an alternative if anyone cares that much about having the hyperlink access. That link is up. I’ll need to neuter these things something fierce so the hyperlinks will appear again.

GEM ASCENSION CONTINUITY TROPES

GENERAL

A Day in the Limelight: Act II as a whole functions somewhat like this; Hero Protagonist Peridot, save for the short final scene at the end of the act, is completely absent. She is frequently talked about and is featured in prerecorded Video Wills, but the 8 chapters Act II is comprised of are dedicated to the 8 remaining members of the main cast. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Connie, and Steven – characters who had much less time to feature in Act I due to being captured during the first half – all have chapters entirely dedicated to them. Greg, despite being part of GA from the start, also had limited time to feature in Act I past Chapter 3 due to being a Non-Action Guy. His chapter is one of the longest; Greg is also involved in a subplot with Bismuth and Lapis, and as of Chapter 7, he receives a Rank Up and officially becomes a legit member of the Crystal Gems.

A Fate Worse than Death: Pallification. Not only worse than a gem’s shattering, but even corruption. It’s similar to corruption in that a gem is technically still alive, but their consciousnesses are greatly compromised. While a corrupted gem is more akin to a mutated rabid animal until a cure is found, a pallified gem’s body – while usually maintaining the integrity of its physical form – has been rendered soulless. Once White Diamond supplants their conscious minds with her own, she boots them out to parts unknown (she doesn’t even care enough for her own subjects to figure out what exactly she’s doing to their conscious minds) with no way for them to find their way back to their original body. It’s not even made clear whether or not a gem’s consciousness is killed off outright the moment White infects them. So, a pallified gem is basically condemned to eternal purgatory. Naturally, even after the events of GA, there are still millions of gems afflicted with this condition with no known cure to ail them. With White Diamond herself shattered at this point, these victims are little more than vegetables at best.

A Friend in Need: It must be stressed that the objective from the start of Gem Ascension was not to overthrow the Diamond Authority (and certainly not to destroy Homeworld itself): it was to rescue friends who were in trouble. Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Connie were all imprisoned on Homeworld with no means to truly escape, so Steven resorted to sending an SOS to the Crystal Gems on standby on Earth. After taking charge of this mission, Peridot greatly emphasized their objective being a quick in-and-out after rescuing their friends as quietly as possible. Then the mission escalated with much higher stakes, but the objective remained the same. Act I concluded with all of the Crystal Gems safely escaping Homeworld and returning to Earth… save for Peridot. The follow-up mission, consequently, had the same objective: rescue Peridot, then escape. It was later amended to rescue all of Homeworld’s native gems once it was discovered that Homeworld itself was going to fall apart very soon. The revolution that came about with Homeworld’s destruction and the fall of the Diamonds were merely byproducts of the rescue mission. Only Pearl seemed to anticipate this kind of result, but none of the Crystal Gems were prepared to be responsible for keeping Era 3 going on Earth in Homeworld’s absence (as well as the Diamonds’).

Acceptable Targets: In-Universe, the lower you are in the caste system on Homeworld, the more you’re expected to take abuse of any kind from any gem of a higher class. This is Who I Am goes further into depth on this topic; it’s revealed Peridots have no rights when it comes to being mistreated by gems above their class. Even worse, it’s illegal for a Peridot to antagonize a gem of a higher caste for any reason – yet it’s perfectly legal for elite gems, such as quartzes, to do whatever they wish to a Peridot so long as it doesn’t permanently damage them or compromise whatever mission they’re assigned together on. Yes, even if a low-caste gem is raped (like Peridot almost was), it’s legal and the victimized gem is fully expected to suck it up and deal with it.

Adaptation Expansion: Not only does the GA series serve as an alternative to Change Your Mind, but it frequently brings up events from past canon episodes. This isn’t done for nostalgia’s sake, but rather to expand on said scenes and observe them with a different lens. Through this, scenes in the show readers have seen multiple times can yield some new discoveries with the additional details and questions posed within the GA narrative.

Adaptational Alternate Ending: Takes place shortly after Escapism in the show. The first few minutes of Change Your Mind are canon to the fic (mainly Blue Diamond’s Heel-Face Turn), but it’s completely off the rails from there on out. So, it’s basically an alternative ending to Season 5.

After-Action Healing Drama: In Chapter 5 of Act I, after Peridot got caught in a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown with 9FC and sustained severe injuries in the previous chapter, the recently-rescued Steven uses Lion to take himself and Peridot somewhere private so he can heal her many injuries.

All For Nothing: The battle with White Diamond in Chapter 6 of Act III is this, as that wasn’t the real White Diamond to begin with. The Crystal Gems just wasted a load of time and energy on a proxy, and it’s the realization of this trope that causes said battle to abruptly turn in White’s favor, ending in a Curb-Stomp Battle with the Crystal Gems on the losing end.

Due to this aspect of the battle, it means Rainbow Quartz 2.0’s scheme to siphon off some of White Diamond’s essence (to later use for a cure for corruption and pallification when they return to Earth, knowing White’s never going to help willfully) was also a waste, and what Pearl and Steven gained was just the essence of a bunch of dead gems. Pearl has a bit of a minor Heroic BSoD in Chapter 7 over this, but Garnet pulls her out of it and encourages her to not give up on the endeavor.

All Up to You: The premise of Gem Ascension: Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, and Greg step up to rescue their A-Team friends against all odds.

Alternate Continuity: This story takes place shortly after Escapism. Beyond the first few minutes of Change Your Mind, it becomes canon divergent from there.

Anachronic Order: After Gem Ascension’s completion, a set of stories was released throughout the month of May that all took place in Gem Asension’s continuity (save for one, technically, which took place a while before GA starts and has no connections to said continuity outside of being referenced in a few of the other stories) for Stevidot Month. Justified, somewhat, as they were only released out of order due to representing at least one of three prompts assigned for the five weeks of Stevidot Month, and Word of God planned much of this on the fly. A couple of stories were pre-prepared (Plans Change and This is Who I Am’s first chapter), but didn’t fit any prompts other than the ones assigned to the final two weeks. Since May’s conclusion, all stories (in their AO3 incarnations) have been put in a collection and are arranged in chronological order.

Bottled Up is the only story that averts this, as it chronologically occurs before all the others listed here and was also the first one released in May. However, since it does take place a good amount of time before GA’s starting point, it can easily be read as a standalone. The same cannot be said for the stories following it.

My Time is Now, which properly introduces Sphalerite (who only got an unnamed, featureless cameo in Act III and spoke the very last lines of the story), takes place no more than half an hour after Act III’s conclusion, but it was also the last story released in May.

Second-to-last was Plans Change, which took place only a few hours after the aforementioned story.

This is Who I Am chronologically falls roughly half a week after that, but its first chapter was released in the middle of the month.

Peri-dise: The Capitalist Anarchy takes place about 1-2 months after GA Act III, making it currently second-to-last in GA’s overall continuity, but was the third story released overall during May’s second week.

It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is takes place in late August, making it the furthest-removed from GA’s timeline by 3-4 months (until the release of Our Tomorrow – a direct sequel to this story taking place exactly one year later, but won’t be listed here as it was made long after Stevidot Month ended). It was the second story released for Stevidot Month.

Anyone Can Die: The moment White Pearl and Blue Diamond die (relatively close to the same time) by Chapter 6 of Act I makes it apparent no punches will be pulled in this story; especially after it’s made clear how much of a Complete Monster White Diamond is in this continuity. Yellow Diamond falls two chapters later, and at least for a short while it’s presumed Peridot met a similar fate. There’s also the concept of pallification, which renders several hundred gems functionally dead in Act I alone. The majority of the gems left on the planet end up pallified by the time the Crystal Gems return to Homeworld in Act III. By the climax of said act, White Diamond self-destructs. On a smaller scale, almost every original character introduced in GA either dies or is already dead upon introduction. 5XF is the only one so far who averts this.

Astral Projection: An aspect of Steven’s developing powers in Act III. During Chapter 4, an all-pink astral projection of Steven travels into Peridot’s subconscious to find out what White Diamond did to fragment her mind. A bit later in Chapter 8, astral projections of Steven and Peridot are seen superimposed over the corporeal forms of Pink Diamond 2.0 and Chartreuse Diamond to signify both coming to terms with their Alter Egos becoming part of them and becoming whole.

Autodoc: The restoration machines that are abundant and scattered across Homeworld, which the Crystal Gems use to speed up the recovery process for Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl at the end of Chapter 6 of Act I.

Badasses in Distress: All of the imperiled Crystal Gems at the start of the story qualify. After Act I, Peridot takes their place.\

The Big Damn Kiss: Steven gives Peridot a pretty significant one in Act I’s final chapter right in the middle of a large and busy battlefield before they split ways to help their friends. Punctuated with a deliberate Shout-Out to Gem Drill.

Big Damn Reunion: Chapters 6 and 7 of Act I is this, as is Chapter 5 of Act III for the follow-up rescue mission.

Birthday Episode: It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is serves as one for Peridot. It also loosely applies to Steven, as his birthday is less than two weeks before hers and is frequently referenced (the pair’s chronological ages are 14 and 15 respectively by this point). Our Tomorrow is a direct sequel to the aforementioned story taking place exactly a year later, making Peridot 15 and Steven 16.

Bittersweet Ending: GA’s conclusion in a nutshell. The Diamond Authority is no longer a threat to anyone, but Homeworld is destroyed, meaning the Crystal Gems have to directly deal with the fallout of this particular revolution while ensuring Earth’s safety. Now they have thousands, if not millions of gems to help adapt to life on Earth and teach the concept of independence and free thought. Homeworld’s colony planets are doomed to civil disorder and collapse unless the heroes directly help, but that also presents a risk if they don’t play their cards right. Peridot and Steven’s lives are irrevocably shaken in their own right, and they’re the ones who’ll have to be the most involved in helping the Homeworld refugees. And there’s still the matter of curing not only the corrupted gems, but now the pallids as well. While GA ended the best way it possibly could, given the circumstances, there’s still a lot of work ahead for the Crystal Gems… and a lot of it will be unpleasant/awkward at best and outright life-threatening at worst.

Blank White Void: The nature of the Pocket Dimensions featured in Act III, save for the one Steven is initially imprisoned in at the end of Chapter 3.

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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How Many Republicans Are Against The Wall

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-republicans-are-against-the-wall/

How Many Republicans Are Against The Wall

Tony Romm And Seung Min Kim Washington Post

WASHINGTON – The prospects for a bipartisan infrastructure reform deal dimmed even further on Monday, as Senate Republicans alleged the White House had agreed to narrow the scope of its $2.2 trillion plan – only to reverse course days later.

The dispute centers on President Joe Biden’s proposal to package new investments in roads, bridges and pipes with billions of dollars to help children and families. Republicans say that Biden agreed earlier this month to seek what they describe as “social” spending as part of another legislative effort, only to have his top aides take the opposite approach during the latest round of talks on Friday.

“We thought we had an understanding that social infrastructure is off – they didn’t take any of that off,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., the party’s lead negotiator.

Republicans similarly had made clear to Biden that they couldn’t support tax increases to pay for the infrastructure package, Capito added, only to have the White House reaffirm its plan to raise rates on corporations when its submitted its latest counteroffer. Days later, the senator said the move had left her and her colleagues wondering, “Are you not hearing us?”

Asked about the GOP’s characterization of Biden’s position, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the president is not going to “negotiate through the press.”

“We understood he would try to do the rest of it without us if that was the way they needed to do the rest of it,” he added.

– – – –

Partisans Differ Over Whether Shutdown Is A Very Serious Problem

About six-in-ten adults say the government shutdown is a very serious problem for the country today, while 22% view it as a somewhat serious problem; just two-in-ten say that it is not too or not at all serious a problem for the country.

Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to view the shutdown as a very serious problem for the nation: Nearly eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic leaners say this, compared with just 35% of Republicans and Republican leaners.

Only about a quarter of conservative Republicans and GOP-leaning independents see the shutdown as a very serious problem facing the country, compared with 47% of moderate and liberal Republicans. Ideological differences among Democrats are more modest: 85% of liberal Democrats consider the shutdown a very serious problem, while 73% of conservative and moderate Democrats say the same.

Democratic Views On A Border Wall

One of the most outspoken and controversial topics of Donald Trumps election campaign and subsequent time in office has been his stance on border control. Most notably, there was much contention surrounding Trumps goal of constructing a border wall between the US and Mexico. In the past, Democrats supported measures to create a physical barrier between the US and Mexican borders. However, the lines were clearly drawn when Trump made the proposal for his wall. While Democrats support border security, Trumps border wall concept was not the route they were hoping for. Democratic views on a border wall are overall negative, though some Democrats have seen the issue as a point of negotiation for other matters, such as Trumps battle against DACA and the Dreamers.

Here Are The 41 Republicans Who Voted Against Securing The Us Border

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Forty-one House Republicans voted against a bill Friday that would have secured funding for President Donald Trumps border wall, addressed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and included E-verify, among other conservative provisions.

Members voted on an amended version of GOP Reps. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Michael McCaul of Texass bill that provided more border security funding, only granted DACA recipients a temporary protected three-year legal status with no pathway for citizenship which moderate Republicans are fervently asking leadership to provide and included other features.

The bill failed in the House in a 193-231 vote Thursday.

Here the Republican members who voted against the bill:

Paul Gosar of Arizona Frank LoBiando of New Jersey Tom MacArthur of New Jersey Chris Smith of New Jersey Leonard Lance of New Jersey Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey Pete King of New York John Faso of New York Elise Stefanik of New York Tom Reed of New York John Katko of New York Michael Turner of Ohio Kristi Noem of South Dakota Louie Gohmert of Texas Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington David Reichert of Washington

Some of the members who voted against the bill did so because leadership altered the bill before the final vote, adding on amendments and provisions they deemed amnesty.

Medical Malpractice Law Reform

Paul has proposed radical changes in the way medical malpractice claims are handled. Under bills he has introduced multiple times beginning in 2003, a patient planning pregnancy, surgery, or other major medical procedures or medical treatment would be able to buy “negative outcomes” insurance at very low cost. If the patient were to experience a negative outcome in association with the medical procedure or treatment, he or she would then seek compensation through binding arbitration, rather than through a medical malpractice trial before a jury. Paul claims that “using insurance, private contracts, and binding arbitration to resolve medical disputes benefits patients, who receive full compensation in a timelier manner than under the current system,” as well as physicians and hospitals, since their litigation costs, and malpractice insurance premiums, would be markedly reduced.

Many Presidents Have Declared Emergencies But Not Like Trump Has

At stake is nearly $6 billion in federal funds that President Trump redirected in a Feb. 15 emergency declaration. The White House is seeking to take that money from accounts at the Treasury and Defense departments to build physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The president made the order after Congress agreed on a bipartisan basis to provide $1.375 billion in wall funds for this fiscal year, but Trump said it wasn’t enough.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., initially counseled the president against invoking the national emergency out of concerns it would divide Senate Republicans and test the separation of powers, but he voted with the president on Thursday and defended his actions as lawful.

“He has simply operated within existing law, the National Emergencies Act of 1976, to invoke a narrow set of authorities to reprogram a narrow set of funds,” McConnell said. “If Congress has grown uneasy with this new law, as many have, then we should amend it.”

Democrats broadly oppose the wall, but have argued the resolution bends the intent of the law and the constitutional authority of Congress. “We’ve never had a president like this. We’ve had lots of presidents with lots of foibles but none of them seem to equate their own ego with the entire functioning of the government of the United States except this one. We can’t succumb to that,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Republicans Help Democrats Vote Against Trump’s Wall Funding Grab

The House voted Tuesday to revoke the national emergency President Trump declared in order to spend federal money to build a physical barrier on the southern border without congressional approval.

The joint resolution passed 245-182 with the help of 13 Republican votes. It now heads to the Senate, where many lawmakers predict it will pass with the help of at least four Republicans who oppose Trumps emergency declaration.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate would vote on the measure by mid-March.

Trump has vowed to issue the first veto of his presidency if the resolution reaches his desk, and the House vote indicates there are not enough votes to override his veto. Democrats would need to find 290 votes to override Trump, 45 short of the total seen Tuesday.

The 13 Republicans voting with Democrats were Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Gallager of Wisconsin, Jaime Hererra Beutler of Washington, Will Hurd of Texas, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Francis Rooney of Florida, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, Elise Stefanik of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan and Greg Walden of Oregon.

Trump’s emergency declaration announcement came days after Congress appropriated $1.375 billion to erect physical barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. The money fell far short of the $5.7 billion Trump had been requesting.

Constitutional Rights: Limited Government

Term limits, 1970s: Paul was the first member of Congress to propose term limits legislation in the House, one of several bills considered “ahead of their time” by Texas Monthly magazine.

Market Process Restoration Act of 1999. H.R.Â 1789, 1999-05-13. Repeals United States antitrust law , with intent to restore market economy benefits.

To repeal the Military Selective Service Act. H.R.Â 424, 2007-01-11, originally H.R.Â 1597, 2001-04-26, cosponsored since H.R.Â 2421, 1997-09-05. Abolishes the Selective Service System, prohibits reestablishment of the draft, and forbids denial of rights due to failure to register.

See also the limited government and income tax abolition amendment.

Wall: Republicans Can Learn A Valuable Lesson From Democrats Rush To The Far Left

Since Joe Biden was sworn in as president, Democrats have taken advantage of their narrow majority in Congress and their control of the White House to ram through a radical agenda. From passing a $2 trillion socialist stimulus bill under the guise of pandemic relief, to enacting a flurry of job-killing executive orders, President Biden and his leftist allies in the House and Senate have abandoned their talking points urging unity in favor of pushing partisan legislation.

The policies promoted by Democrats in the few months have been extraordinarily destructive. President Biden and his allies have shown themselves to be catastrophically wrong on every important issue, ranging from tax policy to climate change, and Republicans can learn some crucial lessons from how the far left has governed.

Its clear that Democrats are attempting to consolidate as much power in the hands of the federal government as possible a goal antithetical to protecting individual liberty and the Constitution. While some of this change can be undone if Republicans regain their congressional majority, we know all too well that the GOP has failed to make good on promises to promote limited government and preserve freedom while theyve been in charge.

Noah Wall is an executive vice president at FreedomWorks.

Inflation And The Federal Reserve

In the words of the New York Times, Paul is “not a fan” of the Federal Reserve. In his own words, Paul advocates that we should “End the Fed“. Paul’s opposition to the Fed is supported by the Austrian Business Cycle Theory, which holds that instead of containing inflation, the Federal Reserve, in theory and in practice, is responsible for causing inflation. In addition to eroding the value of individual savings, this creation of inflation leads to booms and busts in the economy. Thus Paul argues that government, via a central bank , is the primary cause of economic recessions and depressions. He believes that economic volatility is decreased when the free market determines interest rates and money supply. He has stated in numerous speeches that most of his colleagues in Congress are unwilling to abolish the central bank because it funds many government activities. He says that to compensate for eliminating the “hidden tax” of monetary inflation, Congress and the president would instead have to raise taxes or cut government services, either of which could be politically damaging to their reputations. He states that the “inflation tax” is a tax on the poor, because the Federal Reserve prints more money which subsidizes select industries, while poor people pay higher prices for goods as more money is placed in circulation.

List Of Republicans Who Opposed The Donald Trump 2020 Presidential Campaign

This article is part of a series about

This is a list of Republicans and conservatives who opposed the re-election of incumbent Donald Trump, the 2020 Republican Party nominee for President of the United States. Among them are former Republicans who left the party in 2016 or later due to their opposition to Trump, those who held office as a Republican, Republicans who endorsed a different candidate, and Republican presidential primary election candidates that announced opposition to Trump as the presumptive nominee. Over 70 former senior Republican national security officials and 61 additional senior officials have also signed onto a statement declaring, “We are profoundly concerned about our nation’s security and standing in the world under the leadership of Donald Trump. The President has demonstrated that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term.”

A group of former senior U.S. government officials and conservativesincluding from the Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43, and Trump administrations have formed The Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform to, “focus on a return to principles-based governing in the post-Trump era.”

A third group of Republicans, Republican Voters Against Trump was launched in May 2020 has collected over 500 testimonials opposing Donald Trump.

Proposal To Eliminate Medicare

Paul proposes that all government funding of medical care be eliminated . His Plan to Restore America budget proposal would begin a phase out of Medicare starting in 2013, when workers younger than 25 would be able to opt out of participating in the program. He says that during the transition period, the commitments for coverage under Medicare that have already been made to older workers could be honored by cutting other government spending, such as by closing all US military bases overseas and ceasing to engage in foreign military “adventurism.”

Public Disapproves Of How Shutdown Negotiations Are Being Handled

Most Americans offer negative evaluations of the way that the nations political leaders in both parties Donald Trump, Democratic congressional leaders and Republican congressional leaders are handling negotiations over the shutdown.

Overall, just 36% of the public approves of how Trump is handling negotiations over the government shutdown, including 23% who say they strongly approve. About six-in-ten disapprove of Trumps approach to the negotiations, including 53% who say they strongly disapprove.

Views of how Republican leaders in Congress are handling shutdown negotiations generally parallel evaluations of Trump. Six-in-ten Americans say they disapprove of the way Republican congressional leaders are handling negotiations, while just 36% say they approve. However, fewer Americans characterize their views of GOP leaders handling of negotiations as strong approval or disapproval than say this about the president.

Public views of Democratic leaders handling of the shutdown talks are somewhat more positive than views of Trump or GOP leaders. Still, more disapprove than approve .

The 147 Republicans Who Voted To Overturn Election Results

When a mob of President Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday, they forced an emergency recess in the Congressional proceedings to officially certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The disruption came shortly after some Republican lawmakers made the first of a planned series of highly unusual objections, based on spurious allegations of widespread voter fraud, to states election results. The chambers were separately debating an objection to Arizonas results when proceedings were halted and the Capitol was locked down.

When the Senate reconvened at 8 p.m., and the House of Representatives an hour later, the proceedings including the objection debates continued, although some lawmakers who had previously planned to vote with the objectors stood down following the occupation of the Capitol. Plans to challenge a number of states after Arizona were scrapped, as well but one other objection, to Pennsylvanias results, also advanced to a vote. Here are the eight senators and 139 representatives who voted to sustain one or both objections.

Other Former Federal Government Officials

The Weekly Standard

Charles Fried, United States Solicitor General; Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

David K. Garman, Former Assistant Secretary and Under Secretary of Energy

Steve Baer, former president, United Republican Fund of Illinois

Juan Hernandez, political consultant, co-founder of Hispanic Republicans of Texas

Matt Higgins, former press secretary for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Stuart Stevens, political consultant and strategist

Mac Stipanovich, strategist and lobbyist; former Chief of Staff to Bob Martinez

Rick Wilson, political consultant and former Republican strategist.

How Americans See Illegal Immigration The Border Wall And Political Compromise

A standoff between President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders over how to address unauthorized immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border has led to a partial shutdown of the federal government one that is now the longest on record.

Learn about U.S. immigration through five short lessons delivered to your inbox every other day.Sign up now!

The United States was home to 10.7 million unauthorized immigrants in 2016, a 13% decline from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007, according to the most recent Pew Research Center estimates. This decade-long decline was driven almost entirely by a decrease in unauthorized immigrants from Mexico, even as the numbers from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras increased. Meanwhile, a growing share of unauthorized immigrants were not people who had entered the country illegally, but had arrived legally and then .

More recent data from the federal government show that 2018 saw an uptick in border apprehensions . There were nearly 467,000 apprehensions at the southwest border last year, the most in any calendar year since at least 2012. Still, the number of apprehensions in 2018 remained far below the more than 1 million apprehensions per fiscal year routinely recorded during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Note: This is an update of a post originally published Jan. 11, 2019.

Cabinet Members And Political Appointees

Richard Armitage: NAYArmitage, a former Navy officer who served as deputy secretary of state under George W. Bush and deputy secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan, says he will vote for Hillary Clinton. If Donald Trump is the nominee, I would vote for Hillary Clinton, he told Politico. He doesn’t appear to be a Republican, he doesn’t appear to want to learn about issues. So, Im going to vote for Mrs. Clinton.

Condoleezza Rice: NAY George W. Bushs secretary of state blasted Trump in a Facebook statement and : Enough! Donald Trump should not be President. He should withdraw. As a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth.

Rice previously said she had no plans to get involved in the race or attend the GOP convention, a spokesman told Yahoo News. She also ruled out serving as Trumps running mate.

Brent Scowcroft: NAYThe retired lieutenant general and national security adviser, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, has announced that he is endorsing Hillary Clinton. Scowcroft did not mention Trump in his statement.

Donald Rumsfeld: YEAIts now a known known: The former secretary of defense under George W. Bush is voting Trump. I’m a Republican, and there’s not any doubt in my mind how I’ll vote, he told the Daily Mail, adding that it was not a close call and I don’t believe Hillary Clinton is qualified to be President of the United States.

Republican Views On A Border Wall

It is a fairly well-known fact that the Republican party is in favor of protection, and therefore a Mexican border wall. In fact, 74 percent of Republicans support building a wall on the Mexican border. Promises to build this wall were a large part of President Donald Trumps campaign, and his supporters were front and center hoping that he stuck to this plan. More than just an immigration issue, the wall became Trumps signature promise and rallying cry during his campaign. The wall goes hand in hand with Republican views that border security should be heightened and that anyone crossing the border should be given a thorough background check. Republicans favor a far stricter immigration policy than Democrats, and want to take much stricter preventative measures against illegal immigration than have been taken in the past. Of course, this isnt to say that there arent differences within the party on this issue.

There’s Battle Lines Being Drawn

But what explains that nostalgic impulse in the midst of a revolution? It is the same emotion that animated the MAGA movement which, after all, stood for make America great, again. It is a desire to return to an earlier time that the members of the movement remember as better than today.

“There’s a feeling I sense across society that people want to go back to a simpler time,” LeGate said. “No one likes Covid. People don’t feel the economy is fair. Everything looks better in hindsight.”

And he argues that efforts to regulate trading will feel to Reddit traders more like suppression, and could fuel more anger.

“If someone on Main Street loses half their portfolio in a day, nothing’s going to happen. But if a hedge fund does, they literally stop the trading,” he said. “I myself question whether this is really about protecting the individual investor or protecting the hedge fund.”

Tax Credits For Healthcare Expenses & Children’s Health Insurance Program

Paul voted in 2007 and 2009 against reauthorization and expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program , which is a joint state-federal program to provide health insurance for children and pregnant women in low-income families who do not qualify for Medicaid.

He has been a consistent advocate for offering tax credits for healthcare expenses. In each Congress since 2000 Paul has proposed bills that would provide families with tax credits of up to $500 for the healthcare expenses of each dependent family member, and up to $3000 for the care of each dependent with a disability or serious disease such as cancer.

Since 2003, Paul has several times introduced into Congress proposals to provide tax credits for the cost of health insurance premiums, and to increase the allowable tax deduction for healthcare expenses . He has also advocated expanding the tax benefits of health savings accounts.

Academics Journalists Authors Commentators

Reuel Marc Gerecht, writer

Michael Gerson, columnist and speechwriter for George W. Bush

Peter Mansoor, military historian

Meghan McCain, commentator, daughter of Senator John McCain

Charles Murray, political scientist and commentator

Ana Navarro, strategist and commentator

Tom Nichols, national security affairs scholar

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape; founder of Andreessen Horowitz

Mike Fernandez, founder of MBF Healthcare Partners

James Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International

William Oberndorf, Chairman of Oberndorf Enterprises

Federal Power: We The People Act

We the People Act. H.R.Â 539, 2009-01-14, originally H.R.Â 3893, 2004-03-04. Forbids all federal courts from hearing cases on abortion, same-sex unions, sexual practices, and establishment of religion, unless such a case were a challenge to the Constitutionality of federal law. Makes federal court decisions on those subjects nonbinding as precedent in state courts, and forbids federal courts from spending money to enforce their judgments.

Because it forbids federal courts from adjudicating “any claim involving the laws, regulations, or policies of any State or unit of local government relating to the free exercise or establishment of religion”, secularists have criticized the bill as removing federal remedy for allegations of state violation of religious freedom. As an example of potential for violation, of the Texas Constitution provides the requirement that office-holders “acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being”. The Democratic Underground online community published the holding that the bill would give state sexual-orientation laws special immunity.

Cosponsors include Roscoe Bartlett, Tom Tancredo, Sam Johnson, Walter B. Jones Jr., John A. Sullivan, John Duncan Jr., and Ted Poe.

New Poll: Senator Gardner Losing Colorado Independent Voters As Majority Of Voters Oppose Wall And Blame Shutdown On Republicans

If Elections Were Held Today, Majority of Colorado Voters Would Opt for Senator Gardners Unnamed Democratic Opponent

Washington, DC New polling from Public Policy Polling , commissioned by MoveOn and the Immigration Hub, shows that Colorado voters overwhelmingly oppose President Trump and congressional Republicans government shutdown and calls for the wall. In fact, the shutdown is hurting Senator Cory Gardners 2020 chances among critical Colorado voters.

With over 15,000 federal employees in Colorado are furloughed or working without pay, the majority of Colorado voters polled – including 62% of Independents – want Congress to vote to re-open the government without any funding for the wall. Other topline findings include

You can see the full polling memo here.

The 2018 elections clearly showed that Trumps immigration fear-mongering backfired — Mike Coffmans defeat was proof, said Tyler Moran from the Immigration Hub. Now Trump has backed himself into a corner with a shutdown that polling shows he and Republicans are overwhelmingly blamed for. If Senator Gardner doesnt move his colleagues past the tantrum and against a wall no one wants, 2020 results are going to look a lot like 2018.

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virginiaprelawland · 4 years ago

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Power Companies And Lawsuits: The Legal Aftermath Of The Texas Winter Storms

By Bailey Mullen, Mary Baldwin University Class of 2022

March 9, 2021

Texas is known for a lot of things: delicious barbeque, one of the best state fairs, and being the birthplace of Beyoncé. Not included in this list is knowing how to drive in the snow, but to be fair, it is not a very common occurrence. When the polar vortex hit Texas and brought one of the first statewide winter storm warnings, the state was not prepared. The storm hit the south hard and greatly impacted the citizens, resulting in lawsuits against energy companies across the state.

The storms caused more damage to Texans beyond snow and ice. Despite the freezing temperatures, four million people at one time were without power [1]. All of the energy production in Texas was challenged by the demand, resulting in blackouts in certain areas, some planned and others accidental [2]. Due to the lack of insulation of pipes in many residential homes, water pipes froze and, in some case, burst which limited access to this necessity and caused home damages. Even if the pipes did make it through the storm, boil-water notices were put out across Texas. Thirteen million at one point did not have access to safe water [3]. This resulted in several deaths across the state which in turn lead to lawsuits.

One of the major lawsuits that is occurring as a direct result of the storms is against Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Entergy Texas. The Pineda family lost their eleven-year-old son to what is assumed to be hypothermia, but the cause of death is still under investigations as they are waiting for autopsy results [4]. The lawsuit claims that he died “because grid wasn’t a priority, and the energy provider made decisions based on profits” [5]. ERCOT is confident that lawsuits against them will work in their favor due to sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity is the protection of governmental agencies specifically from lawsuits because it would negatively affect government services due to the cost of legal fees [6]. The Texas Supreme Court is meeting to decide on whether or not ERCOT is even considered a government agency [7]. This will decide whether or not the company is actually under the protection of sovereign immunity.

In another turn of events, Griddy, an electric company that serves the Houston area, is also being sued. It is different from the ERCOT lawsuit because it is a class-action suit meaning that it covers multiple people that use Griddy’s services instead of just one individual family. The claim states that the company is gouging their prices in response to the bad weather, going from fifty dollars per megawatt hour to nine thousand dollars [8]. This caused major increases in bills, up to seventeen thousand dollars, despite many people in this area losing power [9]. The reason why the price increased so much is because the demand increased. Many of Griddy’s customers have the variable-rate plan which means that the bill is based off the demand [10]. It was encouraged to move to a fixed-rate plan, but the company was not allowing for this change during the time of the storms [11]. Griddy has in turn put the blame on ERCOT for allowing prices to increase because of the demand [12]. Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading an investigation into this situation [13]. Governor Greg Abbott is working on a plan for financial aid for those struggling to pay these astronomical bills [14]. President Biden has also granted aid from the federal government by declaring the winter storms a major disaster [15]. Abbott is working with Biden to expand the aid offered from only specific counties to instead the entire state.

This situation has resulted in a lot of dissension amongst the state. Some blame certain power sources for not being effective during cold weather. Many blame the lack of winterization of utilities. Others may blame the fact that Texas is the only state on its own power grid which means that they have limited the regulations and aid that can be given. It is crucial that the government continues to investigate the chain of events that had to take place to cause such a disaster so that we can prevent it from occurring again in the future.

______________________________________________________________

[1] Ramsey, R. (2021 February 19). “Analysis: A Winter storm leaves Texas with a black eye.” Texas Tribune. Retrieved on 24 February 2021, from https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/19/texas-winter-legislature-electricity/.

[2] Stevens, P. (2021 February 17). “How the Texas power grid failed and what could stop it from happening again.” CNBC. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/how-the-texas-power-grid-failed-and-what-could-stop-it-from-happening-again.html.

[3] Ramsey, R.

[4] Hassan, C., Boyette, C., Silverman H., & Vera, A. (2021 February 23). “Lawsuit alleges Texas boy died of hypothermia after power went out in his mobile home.” CNN. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/23/us/texas-cristian-pineda-death-lawsuit/index.html.

[5] Hassan, C., Boyette, C., Silverman H., & Vera, A.

[6] Fox, K. (2021 February 22). “Texas’ grid operator ERCOT has 1 reason that it claims it can’t be sued.” ABC 13. Retrieved on 23 February 2021, from https://abc13.com/ercot-lawsuit-can-i-sue-winter-storm-power-outage-texas-electrical-grid/10362037/.

[7] Fox, K.

[8] Reimann, N. (23 February 2021). “$1 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Texas Electric Company After ‘Catastrophic’ Bills.” Forbes. Retrieved on 23 February, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/02/23/1-billion-class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-texas-electric-company-after-catastrophic-bills/?sh=4233e3361592.

[9] Reimann, N.

[10] Hersher, R. (21 February 2021). “After Days of Mass Outages, Some Texas Residents Now Face Huge Electricity Bills.” Retrieved on 23 February 2021, from https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/21/969912613/after-days-of-mass-outages-some-texas-residents-now-face-huge-electric-bills. [11] Reimann, N.

[12] Hersher, R.

[13] Hersher, R.

[14] Cole, D. & Huynh, A. (2021 February 21). “Texas congressman says emergency aid will help Texans pay high energy bills charged after deep freeze.” CNN. Retrieved on 23 February 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/texas-utility-bills-michael-mccaul-cnntv/index.html.

[15] Cole, D. & Huynh, A.

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meryriana · 4 years ago

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news-sein · 4 years ago

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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How Many Republicans Are Against The Wall

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-republicans-are-against-the-wall/

How Many Republicans Are Against The Wall

Tony Romm And Seung Min Kim Washington Post

“We thought we had an understanding that social infrastructure is off – they didn’t take any of that off,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., the party’s lead negotiator.

Asked about the GOP’s characterization of Biden’s position, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the president is not going to “negotiate through the press.”

“We understood he would try to do the rest of it without us if that was the way they needed to do the rest of it,” he added.

– – – –

Partisans Differ Over Whether Shutdown Is A Very Serious Problem

Democratic Views On A Border Wall

Here Are The 41 Republicans Who Voted Against Securing The Us Border

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The bill failed in the House in a 193-231 vote Thursday.

Here the Republican members who voted against the bill:

Some of the members who voted against the bill did so because leadership altered the bill before the final vote, adding on amendments and provisions they deemed amnesty.

Medical Malpractice Law Reform

Many Presidents Have Declared Emergencies But Not Like Trump Has

Republicans Help Democrats Vote Against Trump’s Wall Funding Grab

The House voted Tuesday to revoke the national emergency President Trump declared in order to spend federal money to build a physical barrier on the southern border without congressional approval.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate would vote on the measure by mid-March.

Constitutional Rights: Limited Government

Term limits, 1970s: Paul was the first member of Congress to propose term limits legislation in the House, one of several bills considered “ahead of their time” by Texas Monthly magazine.

Market Process Restoration Act of 1999. H.R.Â 1789, 1999-05-13. Repeals United States antitrust law , with intent to restore market economy benefits.

See also the limited government and income tax abolition amendment.

Wall: Republicans Can Learn A Valuable Lesson From Democrats Rush To The Far Left

Noah Wall is an executive vice president at FreedomWorks.

Inflation And The Federal Reserve

List Of Republicans Who Opposed The Donald Trump 2020 Presidential Campaign

This article is part of a series about

A third group of Republicans, Republican Voters Against Trump was launched in May 2020 has collected over 500 testimonials opposing Donald Trump.

Proposal To Eliminate Medicare

Public Disapproves Of How Shutdown Negotiations Are Being Handled

Public views of Democratic leaders handling of the shutdown talks are somewhat more positive than views of Trump or GOP leaders. Still, more disapprove than approve .

The 147 Republicans Who Voted To Overturn Election Results

Other Former Federal Government Officials

The Weekly Standard

Charles Fried, United States Solicitor General; Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

David K. Garman, Former Assistant Secretary and Under Secretary of Energy

Steve Baer, former president, United Republican Fund of Illinois

Juan Hernandez, political consultant, co-founder of Hispanic Republicans of Texas

Matt Higgins, former press secretary for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Stuart Stevens, political consultant and strategist

Mac Stipanovich, strategist and lobbyist; former Chief of Staff to Bob Martinez

Rick Wilson, political consultant and former Republican strategist.

How Americans See Illegal Immigration The Border Wall And Political Compromise

Learn about U.S. immigration through five short lessons delivered to your inbox every other day.Sign up now!

Note: This is an update of a post originally published Jan. 11, 2019.

Cabinet Members And Political Appointees

Rice previously said she had no plans to get involved in the race or attend the GOP convention, a spokesman told Yahoo News. She also ruled out serving as Trumps running mate.

Republican Views On A Border Wall

There’s Battle Lines Being Drawn

And he argues that efforts to regulate trading will feel to Reddit traders more like suppression, and could fuel more anger.

Tax Credits For Healthcare Expenses & Children’s Health Insurance Program

Academics Journalists Authors Commentators

Reuel Marc Gerecht, writer

Michael Gerson, columnist and speechwriter for George W. Bush

Peter Mansoor, military historian

Meghan McCain, commentator, daughter of Senator John McCain

Charles Murray, political scientist and commentator

Ana Navarro, strategist and commentator

Tom Nichols, national security affairs scholar

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape; founder of Andreessen Horowitz

Mike Fernandez, founder of MBF Healthcare Partners

James Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International

William Oberndorf, Chairman of Oberndorf Enterprises

Federal Power: We The People Act

Cosponsors include Roscoe Bartlett, Tom Tancredo, Sam Johnson, Walter B. Jones Jr., John A. Sullivan, John Duncan Jr., and Ted Poe.

New Poll: Senator Gardner Losing Colorado Independent Voters As Majority Of Voters Oppose Wall And Blame Shutdown On Republicans

If Elections Were Held Today, Majority of Colorado Voters Would Opt for Senator Gardners Unnamed Democratic Opponent

You can see the full polling memo here.

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