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nataliesnews · 4 years ago

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Riots, demonstration in Kikar Zion, siren 12.5.2021

Netanyahu is no fool….he is very very clever and many of us had a suspicion of what he was leading up to. I would not be surprised if he calls a state of emergency and continues with his vicious policy of not caring for the county but doing his best to keep himself, his mentally ill wife and son out of jail. Sara Netanyahu once said she did not care if the country burned…and they have succeeded in bringing us to that pass. The first picture is a quote of hers from 2002…… “We will go overseas and the country can burn” and the second a cartoon saying “I said we would leave for overseas and then the country can burn….NOT BEFORE”

This is a horrible morning. I am trying to put my thoughts into place. The whole country is burning. Tel Aviv. Suddenly after all the years of the south suffering and as they say, they were invisible it has become serious. I doubt that in Jerusalem there will be many more rockets. Maybe because of the holy places, Christian and Moslem, maybe because of the large Palestinian community. I feel guilty as I sit here quietly writing.

Netanyahu has done a good job of seeing the Israel on fire. Closing the steps at the Damascus gate …so obvious it would lead to troubles. He knew that he only had to give a small push and with his friend the minister of police everything would develop as it suited him. The news media has also been given its instructions and except for Ha’aretz no other paper mentions what is happening on the other side. Today a comment was passed which many people probably did not hear or take in. That the army would target high rise buildings……in which many families live. The army gave messages for people to evacuate……where were they supposed to go and how many of them actually got the message as we have taken care to destroy much of their communication.

Sunday I did not feel well and it was a furnace outside. Since the episode where I had memory loss and then straight after that had a cold ….many people here dafke in summer are also sick with colds….I feel a lack of desire to do anything. So I only went to the shiva for Cecelia in the evening. My Spanish teacher. I doubt I will go on trying to learn Spanish. I feel as if something has gone out of me. I had a special relationship with her and she was also my friend. I cannot imagine another teacher or a group. And at the shiva it seems that many of her other students felt the same. And every day I hear from someone else who had studied with her.

Monday I went out with Tag Maier to distribute flowers in the Old City to Palestinians. It was a difficult today because seldom do Ramadan and Jerusalem Day coincide.

But this is no united city. So divided, Right and left, Palestians, Jews, Hareidi Jews, …united? And yesterday the schism was even clearer. The religious youth took over the city and their arrogance was unbearable. Some of our members gave flowers to them and when I asked one why she had done so, she said she had many interesting exchanges with some of them who did not even know what we were doing or why. But I saw some of them throwing the flowers into the rubbish bins. No Palestinian refused us and accepted with a smile.

In the evening I went to my Arabic lesson. I get a lift with Gershon and Edna Baskin and we had just sat down when we heard a siren. It was faint at first and we looked at one another in bewilderment. Then we heard three loud bangs and realized it was serious. I wondered what was happening in Nofim. I wondered how all these people here, many of whom are less mobile and quick than I am even on the sticks would get down to a shelter. Later I saw the post that one should look for a safe place in your flat as there is very little time between the siren and the fall. So that question is where. My bedroom ….the glass door is next to the bed. The lounge….the windows again. The bathroom….the mirror and the tiles. The corridor is maybe the safest but there are all the painting and photographs in glass. I think the best place for me is next to my door and to put a blanket over myself. I am just sorry for the really old and incapacitated with their carers. We spent the lesson learning all the words necessary for such an occasion. We came home to a quiet night and then all hell broke through. Later: My cleaning lady said I should go and sit on the steps between one floor and another.

Coming back there was an amusing incident. As I got out of the car I saw two girls putting coke tins next to the rubbish and I told them to give them to me. I explained to them what it was for and then the one girl said to me, “Are you from Balfour? Were you at Sheik Jarrar.” And again I know you have all been writing to me to stay home but when two teenagers tell me that they look up to me and for them it is important to see me at these places what can I say? Truly I don’t think I am in any danger. I keep to the sides or anything going on and I doubt that even our violent police would attack an old woman. But whom I am scared of is groups like Lahava or those yesterday on the march of the religious. I feel the hatred around us as I did last night with people calling us haters of Israel and traitors and bitches who fuck Arabs.

Yesterday I went to the doctor as the time has come to deal with a hearing problem I have and then to the DCO which was very quiet. There is a young soldier there who has been very sympathetic towards us and is now being transferred. He brought his replacement out and this I do not put in my report. Nadav says that when he leave the army he will join Breaking the Silence. He said that his replacement is a good fellow so we are hoping that we will have the same relationship with him.

I came home and then went to a play. “The Comedians.” It was very funny but I laughed looking at the audience as it was so appropriate for many of us. From a play by Neil Simon about two once famous comedians who are now uber bottled. When I went out I asked three people to tell the organizer of the transport that I would not be joining them. Later she phoned in anger to ask why I was not on the bus!!! It was so appropriate. I had sat down to phone a friend and when I got up to leave the theatre which was by then pretty deserted I saw a really old lady with her carer sitting outside looking desperate. It turned out that the theatre had ordered a taxi for them and another couple had jumped in and taken it. Being the celebration of Id Il Fitir there were few Arab taxis and they are a large part of the taxis in Jerusalem. In the end I stayed with them until I managed to stop a taxi and put them on the way home. I gave them the number of Gett taxi which is more reliable.

I walked down to the city and stopped at Balfour where some of the stalwarts were sitting. The demonstration at Kikar Zion started off with few people but soon grew. There was no talk of a march but then people did start walking down the main street and also on the tracks of the light train. I did not think that that was a good idea and walked along with them but on the pavement. The police arrived but did nothing. Then we came to Kikar Zion, to the square, where we gathered and in no way were we disturbing pedestrians, the train or anything else. Then the police decided to attack. I think because where we were walking before there were passers by and wanted it to be where they had us to themselves. First of all they started pushing people back but then we saw that they had brought in the dogs and what dogs. Their trainers could hardly control them and the dogs also started fighting amongst themselves. You can understand how dangerous they were. They were real killers. I have no photographs as everything was very volatile there and I did not want to put my sticks down. They also tried to sic them on to some people. Then they came with the horses….enormous . You have no idea. My question is why when we were obstructing traffic did they do nothing but attack us when we were not bothering anyone else.

In the meantime Lahava and the other young fascists had started screaming at us…the police kept us separated but when the police managed to drive us off they left them celebrating in the square.

I always stand to the back at such times but Eitemar who has stood with us at our demonstrations at Nofim refused to leave me and when one of the policemen seemed to be heading straight for us called to him and said that he was standing with me. He is one of those who is very watchful for me but I tell them to go and do their own thing as I do not want to be a drag on anyone. Last night I yelled at them and said that for 81 years I had been looking out for myself and I could still do so. But when the shunk came we were all away.

Natalie

#Riots demonstration in Kikar Zion siren 12.5.2021

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shiaat · 5 years ago

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Abdullah ibn Bukhair al Arjani narrates:

“I accompanied Aba Abdullah Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) from Medina to Mecca. We stopped in an area called Usfaan (a village between Medina & Mecca). Then we passed by a mountain on the left side of the road which was black and formidable.

I said to Imam (as), “O’ Son of RasoolAllah (saw)! How formidable this mountain is! I have never seen anything like this.”

Imam (as) asked, “O’ ibn Bukhair! Do you know which mountain this is?”

I replied, “No.”

Imam (as) said, “This mountain is called Kamad. It overlooks one of the valleys in Hell where the killers of My Father Hussain (as) are. The melted materials of Hell flow under the killers of My Father Hussain (as) in this valley. These materials include GHISLEEN (“filth” Quran 69:36), SADEED (“festering water” Quran 14:16), HAMEEM (“boiling water” Quran 40:72), that material which emerges from the Putrid Well, that material which oozes from the sins (blood and pus) in FALAQ (the lowest valley in Hell), that material which oozes out from the clay of KHABAL (pus), that material which oozes from Jahannum, that material which oozes from the blazing fires, that which oozes out from HUTAMAH (“that which crushes into pieces Quran 104:4), that which oozes out from SAQAR (“burning hellfire” Quran 74:26), that which oozes out from HAWIYAH (“abyss” Quran 101:9), and that which oozes out from SA’IR (“burning fire” Quran4:55).

Every time I pass by this mountain, I stop and see those Two (ابو بكر وعمر) seeking refuge with Me, and I look upon the killers of My Father (as) and I say to them:

“You established the foundation for what the killers of Hussain (as) did. You showed Us no mercy during the time of Your rule. You slaughtered Us, denied and usurped Our rights. You oppressed Our affairs by dismissing Us. May Allah have no mercy on those who have mercy on the Two of you. Now taste the results of the evil that you (the two) brought forth. For Allah is not unjust with any of His servants.”

Sometimes I climb the mountain of Kamad, where those Two are located. I stand there in order to soothe some of that which is in My heart. The second of the two begs and gives in to despair more deeply.”

I asked, “May I be sacrificed upon You! What do You hear when You climb this mountain?”

Imam (as) replied, “I hear the voices of those Two. They cry out, “Come towards us so we may speak with You for we wish to repent.” And then I hear the mountains cry out, “Be ye driven into it with disgrace; speak not unto Me” (Quran 23:108). ”

I asked, “May I be sacrificed upon You! Who else is with them?”

Imam (asws) replied, “Every tyrant whose actions have been mentioned by Allah in Quran and everyone who taught kufr to the servants of Allah.”

I asked, “And who are they?”

Imam (as) replied: “Bulis who taught the Jews “…the Hand of Allah is tied up” (Quran 5:64), Nastoor who taught the Christians that Isa (as) was “The Messiah is the son of Allah” (Quran 9:30) and that they are three Firoan of Musa (as) who said, “I am your lord, the most high” (Quran 79:24) Numrood who said, “I have overpowered all within the earth and killed those in the heavens” and the killer of Ameerul Momineen (as), the killer of Syeda Fatima (sa) & Mohsin (as), the killers of Hasan (as) & Hussain (as), as well as Muawiyah (la) and Amr ibn As (la), each has no hope of salvation and anyone who incited hatred against Us, who helped Our enemies against Us either with his tongue, wealth or hand will also be with them.”...

[Kamil Al Ziyarat, ch 107, h 2]

اللهم لعن عمر و ابو بكر.

#ahlulbayt #prophetmuhammad #wilayat #imamali #karbala #fatimazahra #tabbara #muharram #imam hussain #thepromisedsaviour #aliunwaliullah

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The 25 Best SNL Holiday Sketches

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The holidays are a special time around 30 Rock. While tourists flock to see the towering Christmas tree, the Saturday Night Live writers room is busy thinking of holiday sketches you’ll reminisce about as you put up the stockings for years to come. Some of SNL’s all-time great sketches illustrate the best of the holiday spirit or lack thereof as show’s biggest stars often shined the brightest just before the New Year.

From unlikely Santas to unorthodox gift-giving, we’re looking at 25 of our favorite Saturday Night Live holiday sketches. We’ll be going in chronological order here. There is a big dose of modern stuff in there, but what can I say? The show might be more miss than hit these days, but they really hit it out of the park year after year with the Christmas sketches.

Santi-Wrap (1976)

Very early in the show’s run, we get this classic where an adult woman (Laraine Newman) is all about sitting on Santa’s lap like when she was a little kid. The initial laugh is that before sitting down, she puts pieces of toilet paper on Santa’s leg for protection, like one would do in a public bathroom. Dan Aykroyd, her companion on this trip, seems shocked by this. Not that she’s trying to protect herself from germs, but because she’s not going far enough!

Suddenly, it turns out to be a commercial for Santi-Wrap, a festive and plasticky take on toilet seat covers. Not only do those two sell the product concept so well, but John Belushi as the mall Santa pushes it further by coming off as a complete disaster of a man who is probably riddled with disease.

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One of the show’s all-time best line deliveries is Belushi’s drunken, “Ho ho ho…” which has both defiant gusto and the sense that he’s seconds away from vomiting all over himself.

Mr. Robinson’s Christmas (1984)

Saturday Night Live has been a stepping stone to superstardom ever since Chevy Chase became a household name during its first season. In the 80s, Eddie Murphy’s recurring roles on SNL helped raise his profile as he eventually became one of, if not the biggest star of the decade. It was around Christmas time when Murphy’s spin on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood became one of the sketches that came to define his tenure at Studio 8H.

Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood isn’t quite as nice as Mister Rogers’ but at Christmas time you have to make the best with what you have. Mr. Robinson was able to do that with a chunk of lettuce and a headless doll and Murphy was able to make the most of every opportunity he had on SNL.

It’s a Wonderful Life: The Lost Ending (1986)

If you’ve seen the 1946 American Christmas classic It’s A Wonderful Life, odds are you’ve been inspired by its heart-warming ending. Thanks to SNL and host William Shatner, we now have footage of the “fabled” lost ending to Frank Capra’s Christmas epic and it’s anything but heartwarming. Rather than end the film with everyone coming to George Bailey’s aid in his time of need and celebrating his lifetime of selflessness and kindness, it decides to give Mr. Potter a fate more explicit than being doomed to failure and loneliness. Phil Hartman pops in as Uncle Billy and not only remembers what happened to the missing money, but knows exactly who has it!

Dana Carvey makes the sketch as a George Bailey hell-bent on revenge. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without seeing him give Mr. Potter a beat down alongside his bloodthirsty loved ones.

Master Thespian Plays Santa Claus (1987)

Jon Lovitz’s characters were usually very hammy by design. Whether he was a pathological liar or the Devil himself, he always went to 11. One of his better recurring characters was Master Thespian, a scene-chewing Shakespearean actor who takes himself and his roles far too seriously.

In this installment, he would be playing the role of a mall Santa Claus.

Thespian doesn’t seem to have heard of Santa, but he’s down for the part. Finding out that there’s no actual script, he improvises and figures out the character via making mistakes and getting scolded by the Macy’s manager (played by Phil Hartman, choosing to base his performance on Frank Nelson because why not). To his surprise, Santa Claus actually LIKES children! These are notes a performer needs to know, man!

Seeing him play off the kids and Hartman is a blast. Speaking of which, one of the better gags is a fart joke that somehow proves how great an actor Master Thespian truly is. THANK YOUUUUUU!

Hanukkah Harry (1989)

Santa Claus (Phil Hartman) is violently ill with the flu, so it seems Christmas might be cancelled. Luckily, there is one man capable of fulfilling his obligations through the same kind of holiday magic. Hanukkah Harry (Jon Lovitz), Santa’s Jewish counterpart, is called in to help.

At its core, it’s a lengthy sketch about Jewish jokes and how lame Hanukkah is outside of it lasting eight days. Springing off of that, it actually makes for a really good, if a little touching, holiday story. There are definite laughs in there, but what was created to be a parody hits a little too close and becomes a genuine gem celebrating both holidays and the spirit of togetherness.

“On Moishe! On Herschel! On Schlomo!”

Motivational Santa (1993)

What started as a pep talk for troubled teens turned into Chris Farley’s iconic recurring character. Matt Foley, the thrice-divorced, sweaty, overweight man who lived in a van down by the river, crashed into our living rooms in 1993 and remained a fixture on SNL until Farley was fired from the show in 1995.

Sometimes a sketch is so successful that the writers are almost forced to bring one or more of its characters around again and Matt Foley was no exception. In one of the funnier times Matt Foley returned, he was hired to spread Christmas cheer as a motivational mall Santa, offering up this gem:

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the van Your ol’ buddy Matt fell asleep on the can. His children were nestled two time zones away, With his first wife and her husband, in sunny L.A. Matt woke up and realized with a chill and a quiver That he was living in a van down by the river!“

Though many of the same jokes and physical gags are recycled, Farley’s effort, from the painfully high pitch of his voice to crashing down the chimney, earns the Motivational Santa a place in SNL Christmas lore.

Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song (1994)

Yes, we’ve heard Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song” a million times over, but we shouldn’t let that cloud our judgement. It’s one of the first clips that pops into your head when you think “SNL Holiday Sketches” and it will go down as a landmark moment when the history of “Weekend Update” is written 200 years from now. Sandler didn’t use his time to evoke images of being a Jew at Christmas, rather he chose to praise the Festival of Lights and name-drop all the famous people who celebrate it. Since debuting the song in 1994, Sandler’s updated it for his comedy albums and standup routine and given Jewish kids something other than “The Dreidel Song” to belt during during the holidays. Sandler’s clever, original moment is about as influential as it gets for any not-ready-for-prime time player.

It did lead to the movie Eight Crazy Nights, so it isn’t free from sin.

TV Funhouse: Fun with Real Audio (1997)

It’s rare for SNL to get poignant, but here’s a fantastic example. In this animated short, Jesus Christ returns to Earth and spends the first opening minutes being ignored and shoved into the background for disagreeing with televangelists who use his name to line their pockets with donations or to justify their hatred of homosexuals. These bits are, of course, animated over actual audio of said real life sociopaths. Jesus is able to give them their just desserts with his divine magic, but it bums him out.

Walking the city streets, unnoticed by the public at large, Jesus watches Christmas-themed TV through a store window and is disappointed with what he sees. That is, until he comes across Linus’ speech at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas and we get a final moment that’s adorable, uplifting, and pretty hilarious.

NPR’S Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls (1998)

The dry, NPR-host banter between Ana Gasteyer’s Margaret Jo McCullen — who cheerfully admits that she leaves tap water and rice out for Santa because “Christmas foods really wreak havoc on the ol’ digestive system” — and Molly Shannon’s Teri Rialto as they discuss delectable Yuletide “balls” with Alec Baldwin’s Pete Schweddy is a can’t-miss skit. The trio makes monotone an art form, while remaining dedicated to the naivety of the characters involved. (In response to Alec Baldwin’s, “But the thing I most like to bring out this time of year are my balls,” their faces barely twitch.) It’s double entendre at its finest, and never fails to leave me in stitches.

Pete Schweddy returned in another episode where he introduced the women to his hotdogs, but having them show so much interest in putting his wiener in their mouths was a little too easy a joke to pull off.

I Wish It Was Christmas Today (2000-the heat death of the universe)

On one December episode, there was a short segment of Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan playing a catchy, albeit incredibly stupid song about Christmas being on the way. Sanz played a skinny guitar while singing, Fallon occasionally pressed an elephant noise button on the keyboard, Kattan held the keyboard while shaking his head, and Morgan danced with a look on his face like he got dragged on stage against his will. It was silly and would have probably been forgotten soon after.

Instead, they returned a week later and insisted on playing it again despite being explicitly told not to. Soon they would start playing it during non-December months to show Christmas’ superiority over other holidays. After Simon Cowell insulted the group, he sheepishly agreed that he wanted to join them and broke out some maracas. One year, when Sanz was the only one left in the cast, he replaced his buddies with Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Animal while Kermit the Frog danced in a way that you have to wonder if a Muppet is capable of snorting coke.

The song still gets brought out now and then, usually on Fallon’s show. It’s even been covered by Julian Casablancas and Cheap Trick of all people!

They did sing a completely different Christmas song one time, but nobody cared.

Glengarry Glen Elf: Christmas Motivation (2005)

Alec Baldwin seems to be the go-to host for classic Christmas sketches. Playing on his iconic Glengarry Glen Ross character Blake, Baldwin (in a way) reprises the role as 615-year-old “elf from the home office” sent to straighten out the subpar work of Santa’s elves. There couldn’t have been a more perfect break in character than when Baldwin says “Always Be Closing” instead of “Always Be Cobbling” as scripted. It’s a slip-up that makes for a perfect holiday sketch, full of deep-bellied laughs.

TV Funhouse: Christmastime for the Jews (2005)

Not only is the witty “Christmas for the Jews” written by comedy legend Robert Smigel, but it’s sung by David Letterman’s Christmas angel Darlene Love. In “Christmas for the Jews,” the characters see “Fiddler on the Roof,” grab an early dinner, and enjoy dreamland Daily Show reruns. It’s an intriguing and catchy look at the other side of the Christmas season, complete with a very Rankin-Bass animation style.

Digital Short: Dick in a Box (2006)

Justin Timberlake is one of the most entertaining, versatile hosts that SNL has been gifted. A member of their prestigious Five-Timers Club, “Dick in a Box” is Timberlake’s most memorable sketch, filled with skeevy, disgusting come-ons from Andy Samberg and Timberlake, which has been viewed just millions and millions of times. In 2006, Timberlake had already impressed critics and viewers alike with his acting range in Alpha Dog, but his comedic turns on SNL solidified him as an actor. Timberlake has done a lot of impressive things in his time as an entertainer, but there are few more enjoyable (or laughable) than “Dick in a Box.”

These two R&B weirdos would return later on to sleep with each other’s moms as reciprocated Mother’s Day presents and later swear that being in a two-guy/one-girl three-way isn’t considered gay.

John Malkovich Reads ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (2008)

As quipped by the man himself, no one emits Christmas spirit quite like John Malkovich. This admission yields the self-reflexive irony of Malkovich reading “The Night Before Christmas” to the children of SNL’s staff. Malkovich, pausing during his reading of the holiday classic, asks the children about the suicide rate rising during the holidays, talking about how shooting a home invader in California is “perfectly legal,” musing about how the tonnage of Santa’s sleigh and reindeer would (scientifically speaking) burst into flames, how in Portugal their version of Saint Nicholas steals children’s toes, as well as reciting the gem: “You know what they say about hopes; they’re what we cling to when reality has left us nothing else.” If you’re in a lighthearted Christmas mood, Malkovich’s monologue is certainly one to enjoy.

Stefon on Holiday Travel (2010)

Bill Hader was highly respected for his versatility and range during his time at SNL, but it was his improvisational skills that turned a Weekend Update bit into a must-see recurring segment. Stefon, likely the defining character for SNL during the 2010s thus far, informed New Yorkers and tourists alike of the city’s hottest nightclubs – with Hader almost always breaking down in laughter as his cue cards were frequently changed from the rehearsal to throw him off.

Stefon knew how to get weird and you can imagine he’d save some fun things for the a “classic New York holiday.” Make sure to check out the Lower, Lower East Side dump hosted by Tranderson Cooper or find a club with the right amount of Puerto Rican Screeches or Gay Aladdins. Just don’t run over the Human Parking Cones.

Stefon would return with more Christmastime insight three years later, where he’d discuss a club called [loud Tauntaun noises], founded by Jewish cartoon character Menorah the Explorer.

Under-Underground Crunkmas Karnival (2010)

Good God, I wish there were more Under-Underground Records sketches. As a parody of the Gathering of the Juggalos, we’d regularly see DJ Supersoak (Jason Sudeikis) and Lil Blaster (Nasim Pedrad) excitedly talk up huge concert events that are needlessly violent and inexplicable in their randomness. For instance, there’s the Crunkmas Karnival, which features such musical acts as Dump, Boys II Dicks, Scrotum Fire, and…Third Eye Blind for some reason.

It’s just a bunch of loud humor that goes back and forth between being stupidly hardcore and being meekly out of left field. Yes, you can go check out a “dong tug-of-war,” but you can also see a special 2D screening of the Owls of Ga’hoole or meet Spaceballs star Pizza the Hut. Not to mention the return of their most fondly remembered running gag, the endless undying and dying of Ass Dan.

This Christmas-based event will take place in February. Sounds about right.

Ornaments (2011)

Every now and then, SNL will do a sketch towards the end of the show where the guest will talk about whichever holiday is coming up and awkwardly go into one of the aspects of it, such as Easter eggs or Halloween candy. In this instance, it’s Steve Buscemi unloading a box of Christmas ornaments and commenting on each one. All the while, Kristen Wiig plays Sheila, his girlfriend who appears to be more than a little off and doesn’t quite grasp tree decorating.

Buscemi’s descriptions range from delightful non-humor to outlandish and disturbing. He might make an intentionally lame joke about one ornament before holding up another and matter-of-factly letting you know that, “I put this one up my butt.”

And somehow he’s still the straight man in this bit.

You’re a Rat Bastard Charlie Brown (2012)

This sketch is centered on Bill Hader playing Al Pacino, playing Charlie Brown. The rest of the cast turns out bang-up impressions as well: Jason Sudeikis playing Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Pigpen, Kate McKinnon as Edie Falco playing Lucy (as Charlie Brown’s drug peddling therapist, causing a holiday-blues Charlie to say, “Oh yeah…I want something to take me sky high!”), Martin Short playing Larry David playing Linus, Taran Killam doing Michael Keaton as Schroeder, and Cecily Strong as Fran Drescher as Charlie Brown’s mother, all performed in front of a baffled childhood audience.

For anyone who grew up watching Charlie Brown and Co., watching Bill Hader/Al Pacino/Charlie Brown unleash the expletive-laden “You’re gonna hold that f***ing football?!” towards Kate McKinnion/Edie Falco/Lucy, and saying, “Ow, you bitch!” after she pulls it away is absolutely to die for.

Jebidiah Atkinson on Holiday Movies (2013)

For a time, Taran Killam played Jebidiah Atkinson, a Weekend Update character based on how an old newspaper editorial was discovered that panned Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Atkinson, somehow still alive, would appear and read review snippets about other big speeches he hated.

One of his return appearances had him discuss holiday specials and movies. Every single one of them he hates. Every single one of them gets roasted. His vicious energy is so over-the-top that the good jokes land and the bad jokes still get a laugh from the misplaced confidence. Over these several minutes, he screams about how much of a depressing bore A Charlie Brown Christmas is, how the Grinch stole a half hour of his life, and how every time they play It’s a Wonderful Life, an angel blows its brains out.

This one is admittedly a bit dated with its biggest joke, where his distaste for Snoopy is so great that he wishes Family Guy killed him off instead of Brian. The horror from the audience still makes it worth it.

St. Joseph’s Christmas Mass Spectacular (2014)

Ah, Christmas Mass. The drum solo for every childhood during Christmas time. It’s uncomfortable and especially boring. Ergo, liven it up by framing it as a big, in-your-face event via what amounts to a monster truck rally commercial!

It’s a brilliant use of contrast. Take an event that is so mundane with so many familiar and shared experiences and treat it like it’s some extreme thing. The familiarity of the pastor making corny jokes that get the most minor of laughs is treated like a once-in-a-lifetime event. It shines a light on the weird tics of the prominent people you see at church and feels amazingly universal.

The SNL cast is fantastic here, but the MVP is Cecily Strong as the middle-age woman who is way into doing a reading in the loudest, most overly articulate speaking voice possible.

Sump’N Claus (2014)

Getting gifts from Santa Claus is great and all, but when you grow up, you realize how hard it truly is to be nice all year round. Luckily, there’s an alternative. Introduced via an extremely catchy song, we meet Sump’n Claus (Keenan Thompson), a pimp-like offshoot of Santa who not only used to work for St. Nick, but also appears to have some dirt on him.

Sump’n Claus sings several verses about people who have had breakdowns and would be thrown onto the naughty list. Sump’n Claus doesn’t care about that. You be you. Every December, he’ll still be there to hand you an envelope full of twenties and fifties. He’s the holiday mascot for adults, basically.

One of the highlights is how he mentions that Santa is not your friend as friends don’t watch you while you’re sleeping.

The Christmas Candle (2016)

Christmas has been saved by many different things: ghosts who see through time, an angel trying to earn his wings, a reindeer’s glowing nose, New Yorkers singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and so on. Then again, sometimes you need a savior for something with lower stakes.

In the form of a mid-1990s all ladies group that gives me kind of a Celine Dion vibe, we’re given a wonderful song that starts with the tale of a woman who had to get a coworker a gift for Secret Santa. She found an old peach candle in her closet and just gave her that. The second verse is a similar situation where not only is a peach candle given as a throwaway gift to an acquaintance, but it’s THE SAME candle. Yes, somehow this one peach candle is re-gifted across the globe through latter December by women and gay men who couldn’t be bothered to put thought into their presents.

Truly a miracle.

First Impression (2018)

Beck Bennett plays a guy about to finally meet his girlfriend’s (Melissa Villaseñor) parents and he’s nervous as hell. She assures him that he’ll be fine, but he really wants to impress them. Sure enough, he tries to impress them in the weirdest way by hiding somewhere in the house and speaking in a high-pitched voice in order to dare them to find him. Her parents (Jason Momoa and Heidi Gardner) are notably confused, as is she.

It’s already a strange and silly bit, but Jason Momoa shifts it into gear by suddenly being COMPLETELY into it. Removing his jacket with purpose, Momoa excitedly starts searching the house for this guy. The fact that Momoa is playing an overweight 60-year-old man is enough of a novelty, but he brings this oddball zest to the role as he starts to literally tear the home to pieces in order to get a look at his daughter’s elusive boyfriend.

The boyfriend’s plans here are both overly complicated and half-baked, culminating in an ending that’s as happy as it’s inexplicable and off-putting.

North Pole News Report (2019)

When Eddie Murphy returned to SNL, there was much fanfare. A completely solid episode, it admittedly spent too much of its runtime revisiting his old recurring classics like Mr. Robinson, Gumby, and Velvet Jones. The final sketch of the night goes full blast with his manic energy as he plays an elf eyewitness on the elf news, screaming bloody murder about a horrible tragedy. Mikey Day is reporter Donny Chestnut, looking at the destruction of a toy factory. As he tries to make heads or tails of what’s going on, Murphy bursts onto the scene, screaming about a polar bear attacking the elves and eating them like Skittles. And just screaming in general.

The best line comes from the elf (who keeps declaring, “IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT MY NAME IS!”) bringing over one of the survivors, and noting that, “This white, teenage elf girl ran out here, straight up to me – a black elf in sweatpants – and asked me to keep her safe. That’s how bad it is!” Despite this elf being right about the situation, Donny Chestnut keeps trying to sideline him for being increasingly erratic about Santa’s potential role in the slaughter and what it means for Christmas. Even as he trips over some of his lines, Eddie Murphy is so damn precious here.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!

December to Remember Car Commercial (2020)

It might be in bad form to include a sketch from this very year, but man, this joke is not only long overdue, but the acting is top notch. Heidi Gardner’s barely repressed rage is something special.

You’ve seen the commercial a million times. It’s Christmas morning and someone reveals a brand new car to a loved one. As part of Lexus’ December to Remember, Beck Bennett reveals a brand new Lexus with a giant bow to his wife (Gardner) and their son (Timothée Chalamet). What initially appears as shock turns out to be fury and confusion over what is a selfish and short-sighted decision. Buying a car is a huge deal and isn’t something you don’t tell your significant other. More than that, Bennett’s character hasn’t been employed for about a year and a half and has no way of affording such a thing. The thread is pulled away, unraveling both how much of an idiot he is and how doomed their family life happens to be.

Then neighbor Mikey Day shows up and it hits another level. Beck Bennett is the expert at playing guys with misplaced confidence who haven’t come close to thinking things through.

The post The 25 Best SNL Holiday Sketches appeared first on Den of Geek.

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sergeant-donny-donowitz · 5 years ago

Text

Hell-Bent (DonnyxReader)

Continuation of The Traitor and the Bear Jew & Home for the Holidays

Requested by @svonschroeder

@inglourious-imagines @war-obsessed @owba-chan

Let me know if you wanna be tagged in these! :)

Donny was straightening out his bow-tie, lost in his own repetitive scenarios and worries. He was scared. It wasn't the prospect of walking into the theater and never coming back out that scared him. It was that something much worse would happen to you. "But what if this Landa guy recognizes you?!" "He won't." You had enough of this war. You once wanted to start a new life, with Donny, far away from the ruins of your home. Then you got Operation Kino. In no scenario was Donny making it out of the war alive...and you decided to go with him. Donny groaned in frustration, "They ran your face in the papers all over the place when they found out you weren't dead. How is he not going to recognize you?!" Hugo peered from the bed of the makeshift infirmiry. He and Wicki had survived...but barely. Hicox wasn’t so lucky... Hugo managed to mutter, “Donny hat recht. Bleib hier.” "Donny's right. Stay here." You shook your head, “Nein, ich gehe.” “No. I’m going.” You looked to Bridget for help. She was pulling on her heels, and looked at the boys. "I need at least one other person there who can actually speak Italian."

Aldo sighed...He was originally going to put either Hirschberg or Smitty in your place, but he knew one thing for sure. Everyone carrying out a part of Operation Kino inside the cinema was never coming back home. Donny was the first to volunteer for it. He wanted to be the one to kill Hitler. That was a given... But Aldo knew something else: You couldn't live without Donny, and Donny wouldn't be at peace knowng you were miserable without him. Besides, Bridget was right. They needed you to make their act more convincing. Then you would be 'Catia Barbarino,' stylist to Bridget von Hammersmark. A final card from the Basterds, and once again, a traitor to the nazis.

You looked into the mirror, and swiped on a copper-red lipstick, and wore a long, emerald green dress, covering the sticks of dynamite around your ankles. Bridget lent you a ring to make it more convincing. Everyone was in the next room, having one last drink. Donny came up behind you. "Are you sure you want to do this, doll?" "Are you?" He sighed and looked down. "I'm not going home until Hitler's dead. I'm gonna do it myself." "Then I'm going with you." His head tilted a little, and his eyes grew soft when he saw that your love for him matched his hatred for the enemy.

"Donny, I can't live without you. Don’t ask me to stay here again." "Don't do this...Don't go. I-" "You’re not the only one with a vendetta. Remember that." He smirked a little as you wrapped your arms around his neck, and kissed him. He nodded in surrender, and sighed as he looked down at you. “You look beautiful, doll.” He pretended he was ok with everything, but...he was still worried you'd be recognized. Still, there was no one else he wanted by his side when he took down the nazi regime. A few hours later, his world seemed to collapse when Landa approached them. Still, somehow it all seemed alright. "MARGHERITIIIII!!!!!"

Landa looked at you, and for the first time in a long time, you couldn't read someone. He asked for your name. "E il tuo nome?" "Catia Barbarino." He nodded. Landa gave the impression that he believed you. In reality, he was just impressed you'd made it this far. He also enjoyed tracking your fake names through the years. All six of you stopped talking for a tense moment, wondering what the next few hours would entail. Not everyone was going to make it out alive, everyone had that clear. Bridget quickly broke the silence, fearing that any more contact with Landa would cost them all dearly. "Lei è la sua fidanzata." She told Landa you were Donny's fiancee. It was not true...But Donny did make a certain face, Omar did smirk, and Aldo did smile a little.

Bridget had noticed Landa looking at the ring around your gloved left ring-finger. It was really Bridget’s ring. And given that you were her ‘stylist’ a bit too grand for someone of your occupation. Bridget heard Hugo tell Wicki in German that Donny wanted to propose to you, until the basterds were assigned to Operation Kino...there would be no point then... It sort of slipped. Bridget panicked, trying to keep Landa from asking too many questions. Landa congratulated you and Donny. Then, realizing Donny and Omar were choking on their Italian, Bridget managed to get Landa to allow you, Donny, and Omar to take your seats in the cinema.

0023 0024 0025... You sat in seat 0025, beside Donny. Your hands were entwined, much like your fates had been for two years. His hands were steady. His heart was set on Operation Kino. His eyes were set on you, one last time... You would have gladly sat there until it all ended, but you couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. You looked at the two emty seats following yours. Aldo and Bridget should have been there by then... Donny followed your gaze. You turned to him, and whispered softly, "Donny?" He sighed, looking back at the seats again, then at your eyes. He nodded with certainty, and you smiled broken-heartedly. Something told you that things would never be the same again. You rested your hands on his cheeks, as your eyes became teary and he smiled at you, one last time. He kissed you. And you were gone... As you passed Omar, you saw he was smiling widely, as he repeated under his breath "sua fidanzata"

You chuckled a little, though your heart felt heavy. You looked through the lobby, it was mostly empty, save for Aldo standing in the middle, with a glass of champagne in his hand. You were halfway up the stairs then, and Aldo turned around, hearing the click of high heels, thinking it might be Bridget. He was confused when he saw you, but then he glanced at the room where Landa had taken Bridget, and nodded at you. You nodded once to your lieutenant, and made your way to the door. Your excuse for retrieving her would be to touch up her makeup for the cameras... You stood at the door, and heard Landa give an order, "The guy in the white smoking jacket." He opened the door unexpectedly, and found you as you looked back to see a group of nazis attack Aldo and take his weapons from him. "ALDO!"

In the middle of his insults, he glanced up at you, with another reasuring nod, then resumed his shouting as the nazis dragged him away. You were reaching for your purse, where you'd hidden a gun. Landa reached for your wrist, "Now, now, Private L/N, don't be rash." You clenched your jaw. So he did recognize you... He was right. A gunshot would alert all the guards... You’d end Operation Kino before it even began. He pulled you into the room. You saw her shoes on the ground...your could hear your heart beat in your ears as you braved a glance across the room. There, you found Bridget von Hammersmark, lifeless. She was lost in the hands of an unforgiving fate. Landa’s hands, to be precise.

Not unlike you. You whispered, "Bridget..." She was not supposed to die... Not like that. Not that night.

Landa was cool and collected as he paced in front of you.."Well, well, well. If it isn't the traitorous Y/n L/n." "Villains really need to get a better spiel, you know." He looked shocked, as if he were truly offended by your words. "I am most certainly not a villain, liebling. I resent that!"

"You are the Jew-Hunter, aren't you?" "I'm a detective. I do my job. And I do it right." He gestured to the corpse, and a wave of rage ran a chill down your spine, and boiled your blood as he looked at you, "We're very much alike, you and I, liebling." "Don't call me that. We are nothing alike." "No? You're German. I'm German. You're a killer. I'm a killer. We both look at the possible outcomes of our decisions: Yours was to be a traitor, and mine was to stay loyal to the third reich. And here we are, looking at the possible outcomes of killing each other...and in your case and of your friends: yourselves." "I kill nazis. You kill people." He chuckled, "Jews are no more than rod-" You took a step forward. Your fists were clenched. You didn't need a gun. You were a basterd. "Watch your words, Landa." He countered like a child on a playground, and sneered, "Watch yours, private!" There was a knock at the door, and as you were face to face, he remarked, "Ah... we find ourselves in a compromising position. I advise you to stay quiet, and still. No tricks."

You clenched your teeth and nodded. You heard him utter 'clever' outside, and come back in with Aldo's knife, his explosives, and jacket. "Scheisse..." Your mind raced with all the possible horrible things that could be happening to Aldo at that moment. You were a traitor. You once had eyes on the inside...you knew the extent of the enemy’s inhumanity. Your rage was hardly contained at that point, "You're a coward, Landa." He smirked a little as he poured himself a glass of champagne, "Why do you say that?" You glared at him, "You killed her. She was a good woman. A fucking civilian. She's not a soldier, she's not a-" "She was a spy and a traitor, much like yourself, Private L/n." He took a menacing step forward, Aldo's knife in hand, as you stared at each other, hell-bent on getting revenge. He laughed a little, like a madman "Is it such a sin?" "She was innocent." Landa slammed his fist on the table, "A liar and traitor just like you!" he turned back around, and you were both aiming guns at each other. He smiled again. "Kill me, they'll look for a gunman. They know about Aldo, they saw you with him. They saw your fiance a...Oh he's not really your fiance is he? Shame...Thought you made a handsom pair and all...Disgraceful as it is, for a German like you and a Jew, well I must admit young Mr. Donowitz is a fine looking young man, good match for you...Shame, really, all this." You had your gun aimed between Landa’s eyes. You didn’t move, you didn’t speak. "They find him and your friend Omar. Your mission is kaput. And their fate is much worse than what you planned." "So you want us to stand like this until it’s all over?" “It's a possibility..." He sighed “not a practical one, mind you.” He lowered his gun...and you did too. "My disappearance and yours will raise suspicions. You know that, colonel." He paced around, thumb at his chin, as if in deep thought, "I have a better idea, private..." he turned, disarmed you, and stabbed you with Aldo's knife before you could even take a breath.

You were stunned for a moment. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. You were supposed to die alongside Omar and Donny, destroying the third reich, and avenging millions. There you stood, so close to them, yet so far from your destiny. The searing pain, the uncertainty of the mission... The tides had turned for the blade used against so many nazis before... You couldn't say a word... Blood pooled through your dress. You grew cold and numb. Your knees buckled, and Landa crouched by you as you kneeled weakly. He leaned in and murmured, "Do me a favor, liebling. Don't die now. You may just be useful to me just yet..." He pulled the knife out slowly, and left you there. He took your gun and Aldo's things, and left the room. You were sprawled out on the ground, the opposite side of the room as Bridget. Your eyes burned with agony and rage as you looked up. "So endet es also ..." 'So this is how it ends...' **** The theater was full, the movie had started, and neither the lieutenant, the spy, or the traitor came back. Donny and Omar were in the bathroom, about to carry on with their mission. Donny was pushing for some hope, "You sure you didn't see her in the theater? Maybe she forgot where we were sitting." Omar shook his head slowly, "She didn't forget...She didn't come back."

Donny nodded. That could only mean one of two things: You were either dead or once again, a traitor. He knew you wouldn't betray the basterds.

And his heart shattered knowing what that meant, He nodded slowly, numb, but with a mission. "Mission goes on, Omar..." Orders from high command were that they were to carry out Operation Kino at all costs. Omar shook his head. "No. No, Aldo and the woman didn't come back either. Something's going on." Donny turned his back on Omar, and leaned onto the sink, looking down. "Operation Kino goes on. It's what they would have wanted." Omar caught a glimpse of Donny's eyes in the mirror. They were filled with rage and sorrow. The rage wanted vengeance for everything and everyone the nazis had taken from the world. The sorrow was the realization it didn’t matter if you weren’t there with him... The sorrow was the realization that as of now, you were one of the millions lost at the nazis’ hands. Donny was now more than willing to die in that cinema for his lieutenant, for Hicox, for the spy, and most of all, for you... Omar rested his hand on Donny's shoulder, "We said we'd die together, or we don't die at all. Something happened to them, but we don't know that they're dead. I'm not dying unless I know what really happened to them."

Donny stayed silent, still looking down at the sink. "Donny....I know you want to see her one last time." If Donny had you by his side when it all happened, there would be no hesitation... And even if the only logical explanation was that you were captured and killed, somehow he felt you were still close. "I owe it to her, kid. Hugo and Wicki almost died last night. England lost a good soldier there." His voice was low, but vengeful. You were the closest thing Hugo had to family, and Donny knew that. "We need to get this right. For Y/n.... For everyone. We have to do this, Omar, means we have to die too... We have our orders." Omar’s voice was soft, "Donny?" Donny sighed, "Yeah, kid?" "You love her. I know you don't wanna do this without her." "This is our mission. It always has been." Donny shook his head, trying to block out Omar’s logic. "But-" "Ulmer." Donny took on the tone of a sergeant. It was a warning to Omar.

Omar wasn't scared anymore. Not when they were so close to ending it all. "With all due respect, sarge-" "We have orders, Ulmer. If someone falls behind tonight they...they stay behind." Those orders came directly from the brass, Omar knew that. Orders are orders... "Then fuck the rules." "Ulmer-" "You can't follow orders if you needa follow your heart...Just this once... Donny, you love her. You got a heart, sarge. That's what sets you apart from those nazis in there." Donny was silent again. "Look. We kill Hitler, and the high command in there, throw the dynamite, then find the others. There's a chance, Donny..." Donny nodded slowly and sighed. He looked through the doorway then back at Omar. He took off his jacket. "When I kill that guy, you got thirty seconds to kill that guard. Can you do it?" Omar smirked a little, but they were back in busines... And business was a'boomin'. "I have to."

****** Aldo and Smitty were thrown in the back of a truck. "Utivich?" "Is that you lieutenant?" Smitty was audibly afraid. He was supposed to keep watch on the roof of the tavern across the street from the cinema. He saw the nazis drag Aldo out of the cinema. By the time he turned around, he was cornered and outnumbered himself. "Yeah." "Do you know what happened to Donny? Omar? The woman? Y/n?" Aldo had his theories, but Utivich's voice already sounded unsteady. He just said, "No I do not." The truck came to a sudden stop. They heard nazis struggling against someone, and then the sound of a body being flung into the truck. "Boys? Y/n?" Utivich was trying not to cry. He was so certain that they would end the war that night... He was holding out for some hope. As long as the nazis didn't have you or the boys, the basterds still had a slight chance. "Miss von Hammersmark?" There was a half-second delay. "It's me..." Your voice shattered them. They'd never heard you sound like that. So broken, so lost...so weak.... Aldo had almost lost you once. And that was the closest he ever your heard sound like that. "Y/n? Y/n, they hurt you?!" He started to stand up, but a guard pulled his down. Aldo struggled against him, but got nowhere. "Come on, kid. Speak to me." You coughed a little. You wiped away the blood that dribbled from the corner of your mouth. "He got von Hammersmarck." You were thankful Aldo and Uti couldn’t see you then. "He what?" You took a breath. "He killed her." The world around you spun, and seemed to burn with the embers of what could have been... Maybe Donny was right. Maybe you shouldn’t have gone... Maybe then, Landa wouldn’t have caught on. Everything would have gone according to plan... Smitty asked, "You....Y/n, what about you? Wh-why do you sound like that?" "Don't...Don’t worry about me, Smitty." They noticed you were forcing your voice to sound more put together, and a bit louder. Aldo wanted to know how bad it was, without having to force it out of you. "They put a hood on you and cuff you too?" "No, sir." That answered his question. They didn't even bother to handcuff you because they knew you weren't going to make it very far anyway. After losing your wits, your blood, and Donny, you didn’t realize Aldo was able to deduce that from your answer. "Don't worry about me, Aldo..." "Don't tell me not to wory about my goddamn boys. I'm gon' worry bout em kids till we're gone.” Aldo took a breath... the way it looked, they’d all be gone sooner than he thought. “What the fuck they do to you, soldier? How do you feel?" "He got me Aldo, he got me good. Use-used y-your knife..." You started to shiver, and struggled to keep your eyes open. Smitty leaned his head against the side of the truck, clenching his jaw, and the knot in his throat. There was nothing he or Aldo could do...not even hold your hand. Aldo's mind raced with the image of his knife, digging into countless scalps. That knife, paired with a merciless nazi meant no hope for you. "I'm sorry, Y/n... I shoulda known Operation Kino was too risky..." Your eyes rested on the roof of the truck. One arm across the wound, drenched in your own blood. The other arm at your side, cold and numb. You shook your head, eyes never abandoning the ceiling. "We're soldiers, sir. We follow orders." You were all silent for some time. Roughly five minutes. But with the hoods, and your impending last breath, Aldo got worried. It was too quiet. "Y/n? How're you holdin' up, kid?" "Cold..." Was all you could manage to mumble... Aldo and Smitty could barely hear you at that point. Smitty's voice was broken as he uttered, "Fuck..." Hopeless, forgotten tears streamed down his hooded face. Aldo struggled against his handcuffs in vain, trying to get to you, and offer you any comfort he could. Operation Kino was a failure, and most, if not all, the basterds would be killed before sunrise. The war would go on. It all would have been for nothing... The truck slowed down and stopped, and the nazis started pulling Aldo and Smitty down. Both of them struggled against the enemy for years... It seemed so cruel for it to end like this. You were most likely going to die cold, alone, and in a pool of your own blood in that truck. Something Aldo and Smitty couldn't abide by... They managed to drag Aldo away, though he looked back one last time, "Y/n?! Listen to me, listen to me, kid! Everything’s gon ' be ok! Ya hear?!” He looked down at the blod, then turned away as his voice lowered in heartbreak, “Y-ya hear..." Even he didn't believe himself... Smitty managed to kneel by your side for a moment, "Y/n? I'm sorry...I'm sorry we have to go..." You nodded, even if he couldn't see. You felt his warm knee at your forearm. Your cold, shaking hands reached out to his shoulder... The blood on your hands soaked his shirt, though you couldn't feel it anymore. "Y/n..." "It's ok, Smitty...We tried." "I c...I can't leave you alone..." You shook your head. "There are worse ways to die, love..." You thought of Omar and Donny. They were probably going to be tortured and then shot against a wall. If they weren't already being tortured... You watched as the nazis dragged Aldo and Smitty away... You tried to get up, you wanted more than anything to fight them and get freedom for your boys, and a fighting chance for Donny and Omar... But you could barely keep your eyes open at that point. A tear streamed down your cheek, thinking perhaps it was all your fault... ******* Aldo eyed the glass of wine in front of him...which he couldn't reach. In no scenario would Donny and Omar survive: They'd either carry out the mission, and die as planned. Or die in the hands of nazis... Aldo looked at a clock, and sighed. You barely had any time left, if you weren't already dead. It wouldn't be long before the nazis zeroed in on Hirschberg. It wouldn't be to hard for them to find Wicki and Hugo, and finish the job. He and Smitty would most likely be killed by Hans Landa himself. Still, Aldo, much like you, couldn't quite read Landa. "But I digress...where were we? Ja. Make a deal." He gestured behind Aldo and Smitty, "Over there is a very capable two-way radio. And sitting behind it is a more than capable radio operator named...Herman..." He looked as if he had uncovered the secrets of the universe, "Get me someone on the other end of that radio to authorize my...let's call terms of my conditional surrender." Aldo was silent. "Get me someone on the other end of that radio I spare Hugo, Wilhelm, Gerold, Smithson, and yourself, and I'll call for someone to save your friend. That traitor....I suppose my ally now, if all goes well.” Utivich turned to look at Aldo. The last thing any soldier would want is to die alone... Both of them knew that. Utivich looked to Aldo, eyes pleading.

*******

Donny and Omar were covered in drops of blood, but their hands and consciences were clean. Hitler, Bormann, Goerring, and Goebbels were dead.

The war was over. They threw the dynamite down when they still had time, and ran through the cinema, searching for a sign from you, Aldo, or Bridget. They searched every supply closet, every opera box. "Donny!" Doonny turned around, smiling, holding out for a some hope. Instead, he saw the grave expression on Omar's face. He peered into the room. There, they saw Bridget von Hammersmarck, dead in a corner. On the other side, they saw the glint of your gun on the ground, and the ring Bridget convinced Landa was your engagement ring. It was stained in red. A dark pool of blood streamed through the floor boards, extending in every direction of the room. Donny knelt by the blood, picked up your gun, and glanced up at Bridget. It wasn’t hers, she didn’t have any wounds or blood on her. It had to be yours... His eyes widened at that realization. He shakily rose to his feet, and dropped your gun. ”Donny...Look...” Omar pointed at the red smears, like masses of rose petals strewn violently by the wind. Donny nodded... You’d been dragged out. "They have to be here somewhere." Donny ran out of the room, and started frantically racing around the cinema, his mind blank, his heart racing, sweating from the heat and the fear. "Y/N?! ALDO! Y/N?! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!" But Donny and Omar were out of time. Omar grabbed onto Donny, "DONNY, LET'S GO, THEY'RE NOT HERE." "I HAVE TO FIND THEM." "THEY'RE NOT HERE. THEY DRAGGED HER OUT, THEY WOULDN’T STAY HERE. COME ON!" Donny looked intently at the young private. Omar was right... Omar managed to pull Donny outside. Donny was fuming as they stood outside the cinema. He was deciding whether or not to go back into the cinema. “Someone hurt her, Omar. Someone fucking killed Bridget, and hurt her, and probably Aldo too. What if they’re still in there?!”

Omar shook his head. he was a bit more clear headed than his sergeant at the moment, "They're not here. They must've been taken away. They had to, if they were going to interrogate them." "Why didn't they get us too?!" Omar shook his head, lost for words, and without an answer...."I don't know..." At that moment, Donny entertained the idea that maybe you were killed...maybe they took you out of that room, and didn’t have time to get Bridget out.

He looked at the cinema. His eyes were bound to the cinema as they once were to you. His voice was steady, and low. “I should’ve stayed in there...” Omar shook his head, “There’s still a chance-” “What? That they’re torturing her and they’ll kill her before we even figure out where she is? I know...” Omar knew Donny was right this time. Still he said, “I was gonna say alive...” Donny shook his head, “No...not after this.” His eyes were set on the theater. If he lost you, he’d never feel alive again... They watched the cinema implode, fire burst through the shattering glass and splintering pillars devoured by hellfire. The cinema was destroyed, dragged down to depths of hell, and the nazis’ power went along with it.

Donny fell to his knees... "Where is she...Omar? Where is she?" Donny’s voice trembling with the tears and rage that came with the irony: He won the war but he lost you. Omar put his hand on Donny’s shoulder...glanced up at the rooftop across the street, searching for an answer... He realized that was where Smitty should have been posted for something like this. He was gone... "Donny...Smitty's gone." Donny turned around, and saw the empty roof. He and Omar looked at each other... If Smitty was gone, then there really was a chance he was with you and Aldo, outside of the theater. Omar held out his hand, and pulled Donny up. They marveled at their work. The vengeful inferno that ended the war by their hands, and avenged millions. "For Y/n..." Donny picked a flower and tossed it into the fire, uncertain what to believe anymore. ********** Aldo and Smitty were put in the back of the same truck they came in. Aldo and Smitty eyed the blood stains on the ground, sloppily and carelessly wiped away, leaving red footprints on the ground. It looked like the inside of a slaughterhouse... It was no wonder the nazis didn't bother to cover your eyes and tie you like them... "I'm not leavin' without my man, Landa. You know the deal."

Landa sighed, "It appears you are correct, Lieutenant Raine." He looked back at the guards and barked out an order in German. Someone, presumably a medic, appeared in a few moment, and helped you up. You were handcuffed. And you were set between Aldo and Smitty. There words seemed distant, you could hardly hold your own, and they knew it. "What about the cinema..." Smitty shook his head, misunderstanding the brokenness in your eyes. You didn't know about the deal. "No...they did it. Hitler, Goerring, everyone of them is gone. It's over, we won!" Aldo knew the real reason you were like that. "They're gone, kid...I'm sorry." "I should've been there with them." Aldo understood. He nodded slowly, "I'm sorry kid. For everything." You bit the inside of your lip, not wanting to let the nazis see you cry. The war may have been over, but that didn't change who they were to you, "Thats...that's war." War... War was what brought you together. It was what brought the world to its knees. It was what drove you away from your home. War made you a traitor. It made you a basterd. War gave you Donny. It was what taught you what love was. It brought you the basterds, and taught you what family was. War gave Hugo back to you, and showed you what redemption was. And war was what took it all away again. You were ready to die with Donny and Omar in that cinema. But you would never be ready to live without them... Now all that was left of them was probably their dog tags... A part of you condemned Aldo and Smitty for making your salvation a part of their deal with the devil called Hans Landa. As soon as you crossed back in allied lines in the forest, you were all freed from handcuffs. Aldo and Smitty pulled your arms around their shoulders and kept you standing tall. Aldo eyed the bloody truck once more, then looked to you, “How you doin', kid?" You glanced at Landa, then to Aldo. Your voice was hoarse, and hopeless. "He's gonna get away with it, Aldo..." Aldo sighed, and nodded, " ‘Fraid so..." Aldo said something about you needing to be in the infirmiry with Hugo and Wicki, you weren't listening. The truth was, even thought the war was over, he wasn't done worrying about you. You and Donny were hell-bent on taking down the third reich and dying together. The war may have ended, but without Donny, yours was just beginning. Now that the basterds were going home, Aldo was afraid for you. Hugo said something about moving to America once... He hoped you'd tag along, then there wouldn't be much to worry about. Hugo would never let a thing happen to you. Smitty held on to you as Landa and Aldo carried out the deal. Landa held out his tiny blade, "I'm officially surrendering myself over to you, Lieutenant Raine. We're your prisoners." Aldo forced a smile, "How 'bout my knife?" Landa chuckled as he pulled out the machete and handed it over. "Thank you very much, colonel." Aldo eyed the blade that was used against you. The blood still drying... Aldo took your arm, then said, "Utivich, cuff the colonel's arms behind his back." "Oh is that really necessary?" Aldo's ears burned with your words, 'He's gonna get away with it, Aldo...' He glanced at his knife, safely around his waist, then back at you. You were neither dead, or alive. You were victorious, but heart broken. He couldn't abide by that. Not one damn bit. Aldo smirked a little, and admitted something every basterd knew him to be guilty of: "I'm a slave to appearances." He shot Herman. He gave Landa's knife to Utivich. "Scalp Herman." Landa used Aldo's knife against you, he was using Landa's knife against his man. Utivich smirked as he took the knife, and gently set you down against a tree. "ARE YOU MAD? I MADE A DEAL WITH YOU FOR THAT MAN'S LIFE!" As he and Aldo went back and forth about the deal, you saw something in the distance. For a moment, you thought you were dead. You thought it was the spirits of those you left behind. Donny and Omar. Donny and Omar. Donny and Omar. Their names repeated in your mind. Their voices seemed to get closer and closer... Closer, and closer, and closer... Your eyes widened..."Donny and Omar?!" Smitty thought you'd snapped. He glanced up, expecting to see nothing. Instead, he saw everything his heart could ever desire. His two brothers running out of the woods, towards them, just as Aldo declared this final marking his masterpiece. His eyes followed Utivich's and he saw it too. Donny ran past them, directly to you. He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around you, and kissed you. He was covered in soot, and smelled like ash and victory, covered in the blood of his enemy. You were covered in your own blood. He held you gently, his hand resting at the side of your face. "Are you ok? Tell me you're ok, Y/n. Tell me you're fine." His voice was desparate. A man faced with glory and fire. Love and death. You and oblivion, only hours before. You touched his hand and nodded, "I'm ok..." He took a breath, seemingly for the first time in a long time and he smiled. "Hugo woulda killed me if you weren't..." You giggled as much as your wound would allow, and he kissed you again... You whispered, “I’m sorry...I’m sorry, Donny, I-” He shook his head, “Sh, it’s ok, doll! Everything’s ok! Just...save your breath, I need you to get better, ok doll? I need you around.” He smiled as he looked at you, and you smiled back. You just couldn’t believe it. Seething through his pain, Landa taunted "Oh, private L/n and sergeant Donowitz, so it's true! How sweet...a traitor and the Bear Jew." Donny saw you clenching your side. He glanced at the smirk in Landa's eyes. He knew who hurt you. Landa went on, "Nantucket Island isn't too far from Boston, is it sergeant?" Donny shook his head. His voice was low. For a moment, you realized that if Landa went free, he'd only be a few miles form you and Donny... Donny knew that too. "No. No it isn't, colonel." He raised his gun, aimed it at Landa and smirked, "But hell is."

One last bullet.

Then, the war really was over, for all of you. The general was definitely going to chew everyone out for it, but that was ok. It was more than ok. Donny laughed a little as he remarked, "Told you he'd recognize you, doll." Covered in ash, a steady heart, and loving eyes, Donny looked back at you. After that night, after everything you'd ever been through together, you were everything to him. The war may be over, the basterds may be splitting up, but he couldn't imagine his life without you, and you knew that. He slipped his hand around yours, just like he did in the theater. He was willing to die with you hours before. Now he was willing to live for you, and spend the rest of his life with you. Your eyes wandered east. The Germany you once knew was gone. There was nothing to go back to. You and Hugo knew that. He made you swear once, that you were truly happy with Donny, and that you loved him. When you admitted it, Hugo smiled and said he'd move to America, only if you promised to visit him. You agreed. And so your eyes wandered west, beyond France, beyond the Atlatntic, was America. And on the coast was a place named Boston. A place you never knew. A place you'd never seen, not even in pictures. Only stories. What's more, they were Donny's stories. That was where your home was. Donny looked west, beyond the horizon, toward his home. He looked back at his life, at you. It all would have been nothing without you. He thought about the night before for a moment... "Lei è la sua fidanzata."

He didn't have a ring on him, but he had his heart. And his dog tag...

"Y/n... will you-" It was then that another truck passed by....recklessly... honking like there was no tomorrow. Hirschberg was driving, of course. Wicki and Hugo trying to get him to drive without getting them killed. Aldo turned around, "KILL THE ENGINE." "What?!" "KILL THE ENGINE." Hugo swiped the keys from Hirschberg, the engine shut off, and the three arrivals peered out the windows. Aldo shushed them, "KEEP YOUR FUCKEN MOUTHS SHUT!" He stood with Omar and Smitty as Hirschebrg, Wicki and Hugo wandered to them, watching. You and Donny laughed a little as he collected himself. He cleared his throat, and tried again, "Y/n..." He held out his dog tag. "Will you marry me?" You smiled, "Yes!." He kissed you, and held on to you, the only reason he was still alive. He put his dog tag around your neck, as the basterds cheered and joked with both of you. One last time. For the first time in a long time, everything was fine. You, Hugo, and Wicki may have been knocking on death's door hours earlier, but there was no answer. And that was fine. For the first time in years, you and Hugo had a place to call home, and a family. For the first tim in years, there was peace. And for the first time in his life, Donny was satisfied. He paid off his debt to Aldo the Apache. He avenged every name on his bat. He killed Hitler. He ended the war. He looked at you...his “fidanzata” and smiled. Now that there was a world worth living in, Donny had the girl he loved to share it all with.

#Inglourious Basterds #Donny Donowitz #donny donowitz x reader #the bear jew #aldo the apache #aldo raine #smithson utivich #hugo stiglitz #Wilhelm Wicki #gerold hirschberg #Omar Ulmer #Quentin Tarantino #bridget von hammersmarck

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basicsofislam · 5 years ago

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ISLAM 101: Muslim Beliefs: Knowledge of God Almighty: Following God’s Messengers_

A man came running from the farthest end of the city and said: ‘O my people! Follow those who have been sent (to you as Messengers). (Yā-Sīn 36:20)

The first point of attention in here concerns the phrase, “Ashāba’l Qaryah” (People of the township), which is used in the 13th verse of the same sūrah. Therefore, we understand that the Messengers to whom “the man came running from the farthest end of the city” in order to protect them came to a “civilized” land in order to convey God’s Religion, not to a desert or uncivi-lized place.

When the people of this land rejected the first two Messengers who came to them, God Almighty sent a third one to confirm them. Nevertheless, those people were so obstinate in not accepting the truth that they went so far as to kill their fellow townsman—“the man who came running from the farthest end of the city.”

This man mentioned in the verse under discussion was from among the people to whom the Messengers were sent. At a critical point, he emerged in order to confirm and protect the Messengers. The verse relates that he came running from “the farthest end of the city.” The interpreters of the Qur’ān have generally interpreted the expression of “the farthest end of the city” in the following three ways:

1. This expression means the other side or part of the city. That is, that man resided in the farthest end in one of its suburbs.

2. The word “aqsā,” which is used in this expression and is translated as “the farthest,” also means the highest, the most important, or valuable. For example, in a supplication called the Salātu’l-Munjiya (the call for blessings and peace upon our Prophet recited in praying to God for salvation), this same word is used in this meaning as a modifier in the phrase of “aqsā’l-qhāyāt,” which means “the farthest (highest) of goals.” Therefore, according to this usage, the expression, “the farthest end of the city” denotes the elite or the highest class of people (who are very much like the people of today’s high society that live in secluded mansions in a very luxurious residential area at “the farthest end of the city” without mixing much with the public and the ordinary life). So the man who came running to support the Messengers belonged to the highest class of people of the city.

3. The expression, “rajulun min aqsā’l-madīnati” (a man from the farthest end of the city), describes a meritorious, virtuous person whose mindset and way of life was far from that of his community. In fact, his call to his people, “Follow those who ask of you no wage (for their service) and are themselves rightly guided” (Yā-Sīn 36:21), demonstrates his different way of thought and belief. According to the last two viewpoints, we can describe that person as a sincere, virtuous, and trustworthy man who had a lifestyle and mentality different from those of his people and whom people had recourse to when they were in a dilemma or had difficulties. As the Qur’anic commentator Hamdi Yazir states, when his people attempted to kill or killed him, God relates that he said: “I wish my people knew that my Lord has forgiven me and made me one of those honored (with particular favors)!” (Yā-Sīn 36:26–27). We understand from this that he always desired the best for his people and never had the feelings of hatred nor a grudge against them. Conversely, he showed mercy even for his enemies and wished everyone the same happiness he had.

In fact, this voice has always been the voice of those who sacrifice themselves for the happiness of others. Here is Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings: he did not curse his enemies even when his tooth was broken and his face was in blood during the battle of Uhud. On the contrary, he prayed for those who inflicted that brutality on him, saying: “O my Lord! Guide my people, because they do not know.”[1]

By the way, I should point out that Prophet Noah’s prayer for his obstinate, disbelieving, and tyrannical people, “My Lord! Do not leave on the earth any from among the unbelievers dwelling therein” (Nūh 71:26), may at first sight be seen as contrary to what I have just said. Actually, it is not so. According to the principle of “drawing the conclusion based on what has happened,” Prophet Noah, who knew his community very well during the long years he served as Prophet, must have prayed so after he knew the Divine will or judgment about his people. When we take the way and practice of the Prophets into consideration, we will come to this clear conclusion.

In addition, there are some who claim that the stories in the Qur’ān are symbolic stories which the Qur’ān narrates to teach lessons. This is absolutely wrong, for they are historic events which took place as the Qur’ān relates.

By narrating these events, God shows us the tips of some universal truths or laws which will be valid until the end of time. In other words, these kinds of events began with Adam and will continue to happen until no human beings remain on the earth. In fact, if we view their contents, we realize that the Qur’ān does not relate them to any specific time or place. This must be what is expected from a Universal Book. Furthermore, in order to benefit from the Qur’ān sufficiently, we should never miss this important point. We should view the verses in which such events are narrated in connection with the lessons they intend to give. Another point is that whether a verse was revealed concerning a specific occasion or a specific event or a specific group of people, such as the Jews or Christians or unbelievers or hypocrites, everyone who reads the Qur’ān should assume that the Qur’ān addresses him or herself directly. Besides, readers of the Qur’ān should try to make the connection between the time, place, conditions, and the figures mentioned in the verses and their own time and place and the very conditions surrounding them.

The Qur’ān is not a book addressing only a specific time and place and specific conditions; rather, it addresses everyone regardless of time, place, and conditions. Therefore, a reader should think: “With the exception of the fact that I am not a Prophet, the Qur’ān addresses me directly,” and if one views the Qur’ān and reads it from this perspective, one will see that the Qur’ān addresses him or her. How can God and the truths about Him be restricted to a specific time and place? Therefore, having issued from the All-Eternal God’s Attribute of Speech, the Qur’ān addresses everybody regardless of time and space; at the same time it addresses God’s Messenger and his Companions. Despite this fundamental reality, if we view the narratives in the Qur’ān as certain stories about certain bygone peoples, our benefit from it will be little.

Back to the verse under discussion once again, the incident mentioned in it will continue in a similar form, if not the exact same form, until the end of time. As for the heroes of such incidents, one may count many similar heroes ever ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the Ultimate Truth, from the believer of the clan of the Pharaoh who emerged at a most critical point to support Prophet Moses to the hero mentioned in this verse, from Abū Bakr to many similar others who have exhibited the same heroism throughout history. The contemporary hero, who came from one of the farthest corners of Anatolia to Istanbul to present solutions to the contemporary problems of Muslims without expecting anything in return such as wealth, position, and fame, and who declared, “If I see the faith of my nation secured, I agree to burn in the flames of Hell, for while my body is burning, my soul will feel itself in a rose garden,” is one of them.

As referred to above, the Qur’ān mentions another of these heroes. He belonged to the clan of the Pharaoh and emerged at a most critical point to support Moses and prevent the attempts to kill him, saying: “Would you kill a man only because he declares, ‘My Lord is God!’” (Al-Mu’min 40:28). If someone from the lower classes of the society had done the same, he would not have been able to avert the plans to kill Moses.

The same heroism was exhibited by Abū Bakr in Makkah. At a time when Muslims were severely persecuted to the extent that they would nearly be killed, Abū Bakr, who belonged to the Makkan aristocracy, came out with the same exclamation: “Would you kill a man only because he declares, ‘My Lord is God!”[2] All this means that the events narrated in the Qur’ān are the foundational building-blocks of human history. They are repeated in all times and in all places.

[1] Bukhārī, Anbiyā’, 54; Istitāba, 5; Muslim, Jihād, 104; Ibn Mājah, Fitan, 23.

[2] Bukhārī, Fadā’ilu’s-Sahābah, 5; Manāqibu’l-Ansār, 29; Tafsīru Sūrah 40:1; Musnad Ahmad, 2/204.

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dog-day-morning · 3 years ago

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WHAT THE HELL YOU SAY?? If you ascribe to the Lord's precept upon the precept's way of interpreting scripture livelihood you can conquer that 3 headed demon. 1 John 2:16 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Not too many of us have overcome these stalagmite sized thorn's so it gives reason to say that no one has truly overcome the world except those who've made it to the Kingdome. You gotta die in order to live. That's what they've been telling us since they enslaved us while they lived off of the fat of the lamb right here on Earth. It doesn't pain me to witness learned men of the Bible speak improbable things that aren't in accordance with the calling to be entrusted as a shepherd. Esau has found it upon himself to place his doctrine before God’s word. When your spiritual leaders become lovers of money it doesn't bode well for the parishioners of your Church that looks more like a cult whom Reverend No Good is playing with their financial contributions like it was 3 card monte every Sunday. I've not been corrupted with wealth by way of Mammon which has corrupted many in the Black clergy that in due time will make some believe they're God. That's cray cray. The Evangelical Rights vision of an all white Christian, Denomination Nation is being subjected to the scrutiny of every Black man who historically followed the teachings of their overseers. The people who have misled, and hated us no longer have a cover for their miscalculated deception to fall back on. In the eyes of God it was good for men to be revealed for their love of things that are temporal which have no worth, or meaningful value in the order of things. If the Kingdome has streets paved with gold, and we walk on them with our feet, what meaning taken from this premise that God has spelled out for Israel, and the gentile can you determine? 1 John 4:1-6 4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. The Spirit of Truth isn't what or who you believe it to be. God uses men to speak to His lost people yea though this Prophet’s in need of psychotherapy. I bear the burden of Israel's hatred, and frustration towards the God of Israel assuredly. But you as well as I must stand before the Lord God on the Day of Judgment to see if heaven will become our new address? This Nation has hated God's people much longer than the date of my birth, way before the mystery of God was revealed 3-4 generations ago in this day and time. The people of Edom have been trying to eliminate God's people off the Earth for the past 3 thousand years without actually thinking to themselves how can they maintain this planet without God behind this for we are not His people? Does the colloquial term biting off your nose to spite your face mean anything to you? If so, apply it right here. They’ve tried to destroy God's people, and they’re not wholly convinced that a man of questionable intelligence who's a case for Milledgeville; “Beyond the Tuskegee Experiment,” is the one chosen for such a hefty task? Have you seen pix of 45 walking through the white House with feces dripping from his Depends as though that crap was normal? I rest my case. I've questioned everything under the sun. The answer always goes

back to the Father. Esau, and his children have destroyed more Civilizations than they've built PERIOD!!! The Egyptians, and the Sumerians gave you astronomy, math, and languages, you still can't figure out how the Egyptians constructed the Pyramids of Giza. My God's people (Indigenous Blacks) invented the cotton gin which was a blessing to us in building, and establishing this global economy for your people. We invented the automobile, the telephone, the major component for the illuminating light bulb, the modern computer, including the internet. We invented the first Central Air and Heating unit. You stole everything from us, and after these brilliant men, and women passed, you kept all rights, and patents to their ingenuity, even if some of them were slaves this should've stayed in their family as generational wealth, and you refuse to even make us an offer of reparations which would be a slap in our face. trump did succeed in his greatest accomplishment. The destruction of Western Civilization as we all know it. I pity you not. Jeremiah 14:14 14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. You had Evangelical pastors losing it over the presidential election of 2020 who went out on a limb for a man whose broken all ten of the Ten Commandments including murder. Whattup Jeffrey Epstein?!! They openly supported an orange hobbit who brought down the house of Esau with their support. Paula white beat her hands so hard that night calling on the god of aboo daboo to bring the fallen angels from Africa on Mount Hermon to fight the battle to prolong WS; WTF?!! I saw a bevy of false prophets ministering in the name of white Jesus who lied saying God spoke to them in a dream Himself personally, declaring that trump would serve a 2nd term, and sit in the oval office again with his cronies while Rome finished burning to the ground. Biden who's just as racist as Bull Connor, but for the sake of political correctness we’ll call him a left wing, conservative moderate. Add it all up, and these people are gonna hate us forever. Yeshua is coming back for Israel; let us get that point across. You will have some of those who will cleave unto the house of Judah that's Israel who will enter New Jerusalem. But, this doesn't bode well for the majority of Edom or Israel. Only a remnant of the remnant shall enter into His glory that is Israel. All of those people who look like us, you know, they're our skinfolk, but they wouldn't accept an invitation to a family reunion unless the Grand Dragon of the kkk showed up dripping with the blood of twelve Black servicemen after your first cousin who's about 6 feet 2 damn B i i i i i G beat him to within an ounce of Jack Daniels proving that a retarded 9yr old with a degree in I hate Bubba can do all things through my doctor who prescribes me 200 grams of Crack. The high profile, low down political pundits, and elected officials who sell us out when the opportunity presents itself, are not Israel. These are the people who are getting paid filthy lucre to walk confederate with those that seek our blood. Some people have trouble sleeping because their job calls for them to prosecute their people unfairly as District Attorney’s. You have a conundrum to deal with, call on Maaco. You can be as Daniel Cameron desires, hoping to become what Kamala Harris has become with even higher aspirations or walk away from your white bread world, and your white zaddy, saving your soul in the process. Believe it or

not God gave me a conscience that's why He has told me to GET OUT!!! Or else. For those who heed these words which are straight interpretations from the Bible, walking with God beats running with the devil of which the remnant will see a reward. Isaiah 28:5 5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people. If Yeshua wasn't full of grace and mercy, willing to sacrifice Himself for a greater reward that is His Father’s inheritance; the Jew, and the other gentiles would suffer more so had He not been ransom for Israel, and their souls. As I mentioned, Esau, and Jacob are forever at odds. Jacob's not the problem. God has seen fit for some of Esau who are not of Edom, but walk in line with the Fathers people that will enter into His good graces along with Jacob who's the beginning, Esau’s the end. 2 Esdras 6:9 9 Now Esau is the end of this age, and Jacob is the beginning of the age that follows. If the minority who are the people of the caucasus mountains cant get along with this amount of Black people on Earth today, you're not Kingdome ready. Jacob's future is bright, and the angels in heaven are Dark Black. Balsamic Black. You must question yourselves, and be truthful. do you believe you're of the chosen elect? Forget I even asked. Romans 11:1-5 11 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Life's cruelties has taught me not to trust anyone, almost giving up on humanity save the Son of man who is my Savior, and even He has led me into stony, dry places because of my hardened heart that cannot keep thoughts to itself or maintain a compassionate level of human kindness. If this were 1961, and God chose someone with a sane mind he would've been dead before they blew out the 13th candle on his birthday cake. That's the psychosis of Edomites. The remnant doesn’t consist of Israel only, they happen to be the major portion. God will bless those who pass the test that is Tribulation with a robe of white, and a diadem of gold. Don't expect your favorite tele evangelical pastor who supported trump to walk into the Kingdome unless he has an epiphany of the truth that is Yeshua. Many men of Jacob will teach you whereas you've taught us about our history while revising its truth, and reinventing yourselves based on your fallacies which denigrates you because it's based on our legacy, and heritage. Everything we've done here on Earth is chronicled in the heavens, with no stone left unturned. To the detriment of a baseless people who seek to exalt themselves over God's truths this is what the truth has boiled down to. It ain't in ya. Yet some of the gentiles will enter the Kingdome of heaven without ever having to face abuse, persecution, death, pain, fear, or sickness and disease ever again. When God told Abraham that all nations and families of the Earth would be blessed through his loins this was one of the blessings in the case of the gentiles he made conclusive because Abraham was faithful though Sarah's womb was barren, and he had not the strength to conceive a child in his old age, so he thought. Romans 11:21-26 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God

is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into

their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. The comforters in need of some Alka-Seltzer or Maalox. If you heed the teachings of Jesse Duplantis who teaches a Christian doctrine, that's a man made religion, based on a Hebrew Bible about Israelite people that the world refuses to acknowledge we are God's people not the squatters over in the Middle East which geographically is another fabrication like the size of Alkebulan that dwarfs all other land masses. Ain't nothing changed. Pat Robertson, Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Franklin Graham who supports Africa, and its people who are in need, yet is a staunch supporter of trump, and his all but dead lawless administration that's brought about the collapse of the Western hierarchy; makes him look schizophrenic. He could have a stake in the Motherland, and he's watching after his, our investment you tell me, but something's not adding up. I have an Apostle who I trust to a degree more so than members of my natural family which isn't a good look for Gomez, and the rest of the Adams Family. Israel is a forgiving people, because God is in them. I didn't include myself for reasons you'll find out by this time tomorrow as soon as I find the reasoning behind this façade of illusive illusions the world's trying to catch, and I'm trying to outrun called reality. Chase me down with a bag full of Bacon Cheeseburgers, and blow me a kiss before I eat from Frechelle’s goody bag. This is where I leave my computer. My senility is showing, and it looks like the ugliest dog in the pound entered in the Ms. America contest. Good morning. 10/1/2021

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enkelimagnus · 4 years ago

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Paperwork

Bucky Barnes Gen, 1832 words, rated T for Hydra shit

Jewish Bucky Barnes, pre TFATWS, post Endgame

Bucky struggles with paperwork, and thinks about his relationship with military service.

TW: this contains mentions of the Holocaust and antisemitism

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Part 12 of Making a Home - the Jewish Bucky series

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Bucky has been through a lot. He’s fought in most, if not all, wars since 1950, several of which involved aliens, has murdered hundreds of people. He has been a prisoner of war, has been tortured in every way known to man, has been experimented on, has lost everyone he loves; he has seen it all. He has been through it all.

But the absolute fucking worse of it all is probably the paperwork he has to do for the U.S. Army.

That’s a very specific brand of fucked up, and he’s this close to calling out mistreatment of the elderly on Lieutenant General Henricksen’s ass.

The desk they let him use is cramped and stuck between a wall and a copy machine. It’s constantly noisy and messy, with people coming in and out. He barely has space to sit comfortably. They all underestimate how much space he needs to be comfortable. He might not be large, like Steve used to be, but being stuck in small spaces and behind small desks make him want to run.

Besides, he’s generally terrible with paperwork.

At least that was the one advantage of being a brainwashed assassin for seventy years, he never had to do paperwork. He didn’t have enough free will to write reports. Small fucking mercies.

It would be nice if he could smoke, but that’s not allowed anymore. Which makes sense. But they’re truly making his life difficult.

He could just walk out of the base and go home, they would let him. He’s not actually a prisoner here, he just has very good incentive to stay. If he doesn’t keep on the straight and narrow path to ‘fix what he was responsible for’, he’ll be back in the Raft really quickly.

And despite his hatred for this desk, this office and this work, they’re a hundred times better than a Raft cell.

He doesn’t know exactly what it is with work and the base that put him in such a terrible mood. The people aren’t bad, per se. The actual building isn’t either, even if it will never lose its fragility in Bucky’s eyes. Perhaps he should punch one of the beams supporting the main entrance, see if it will sustain the full force of a vibranium arm and a supersoldier’s muscles.

There’s just something that happens in his mind when he’s sitting at this desk, on this uncomfortable chair emblazoned with the mark of the U.S. Army, with a slightly out of date computer in front of him and the report template open, cursor blinking stubbornly at the start of the empty line where his explanations are supposed to be written.

He suddenly finds himself calling onto every ounce of self-control he’s ever managed to train into himself so he won’t just walk away and flee the country. He just sits there, staring at the cursor, brain empty of any real thought except Get me out of here and Я готов отвечать.

He’s tried writing his report on the last mission five times now. He started in English and switched to badly transliterated Russian in the middle of it twice now. He can’t do it. He’s struggling to keep himself to only English, and that’s when he manages to vocalize what happened during the mission in a way that makes sense.

They need him to recall the specifics of what he did, in a specific amount of detail, and he struggles with that too. Half of the time, when he’s in combat, a part of him shuts off. When he comes out of it, he has the tendency to push all of it away and lock it behind a door in the back of his mind.

The paperwork, the reports, force him to open that door and analyze it further than just giving a target status update and a general maintenance report. It’s torture to him. He hates every second of it.

And then, there’s the stuff he has to sign without being allowed to read, files redacted to extremes so the only thing he can read is his name. He’s never told exact locations either, and he’s not allowed to know what they recover when they raid. His clearance level isn’t high enough.

He just stands on the sidelines until they tell him to go in, attack, and does what he’s told. When his job is done, they put the muzzle and leash back on him and make him wait in the corner.

And then they make him sign it. He hates signing stuff he can’t read. He doesn’t know what his name is being used for. He doesn’t know what’s under the black blocks. It could be horrifying acts that he is testifying to having committed. He could be tricked into confessing to something he didn’t do. And years down the line when he wants out, when his amends are made, they could keep him under their thumb by showing him those documents, by threatening to take him to justice for things he hasn’t actually done.

Fuck, he used to trust the army.

Or at least he used to believe in what they represented for the country, for the world. He used to be proud of that uniform they gave him when he was drafted. He used to be proud of the opportunity to serve, especially because he knew what was happening in Europe.

They’d known from the beginning. It had started with letters from loved ones in the shtetl, in the old country, telling them of heightened violence, of ghettoization. Accounts of the rising threat, of hiding necklaces under clothing, of putting shabbos candles in the corners of the house the farthest from windows. Accounts of cousins being harassed and assaulted.

And then, the first ones had managed to come by boat, through the tightening net of American immigration. They’d been worried, they’d told stories of how they feared for their families, of how they’d been put into boats with all the money their parents had, with the pictures and the items of value. How they’d been put into boats with the knowledge they would not come back, and that they were carrying with them the entire family’s survival.

Jews know when death is coming. That’s what his ma used to say. We’ve been through it too many times. We know in our bones. And they’d been right.

Soon, the persecution became big enough that ships came every week, filled with desperate faces and tearful eyes, seeking safety and half of the time, being turned away. The neighbor’s little cousin was supposed to come by ship and never made it. Katya cried for days.

There were bills, but none of them made it into vote, there were pleas but they were not heard. Bucky remembered hushed conversations between his ma and the neighbors, plans to send the kids to the countryside if it got worse. His mother had taken his hand one night once the girls were asleep and had told him: You’ll take care of them. We’ll send you with them. You’ll keep them safe. They’d packed suitcases, just in case.

The letters kept coming, telling stories about fear and lost jobs, violence in the street, people breaking into buildings to set fire to Jewish homes. Rabbis everywhere pleaded with the government, but the government did nothing to help. They kept the boats from coming.

And some families stopped getting letters. They all knew what that meant.

There was no official word on what was happening in Europe by then, but they all knew. They all knew silence meant death.

It took them so long to actively enter the war. Too fucking long. He had to be drafted in, he was old enough when the conscription was announced, and despite the fear that came with war, a part of him wanted to protect his people. Fighting was what he was supposed to do for his country, for his people.

Steve was mad at him for the almost casual way Bucky talked about it, especially when he himself couldn’t fight. So was his family. But he’d seen the fear and the pain, and he wanted to help. He’d been fighting all his life, mostly to get Steve out of trouble, but for himself too, and in the boxing championships. It felt… like the right step for him, despite everything. That, and the uniform looked good on him.

But he saw what war was really like. He felt it. He heard the brass making decisions that would send young soldiers to their death. He raged against it silently, because he respected the chain of command, because he believed that even if it felt unfair, it had to be right. They had to be doing this for the best strategic reason.

Eighty years of fighting and war later, he’s seen the torture and the cruelty, and the way governments will send people to die without much of a thought. He’s seen that to a lot of people, even some of the brass, the people that die are just numbers on a sheet.

The pride he used to have, the belief he kept, that’s gone. It died years ago. It survived the first months of the war, even the weapons’ facility, it survived until Steve rekindled it as Captain America, until the Howling Commandos gave him something to believe in. And then it died, with him.

And now, in 2024, he’s sitting at this fucking desk, chained to the United States Armed Forces who have never done anything for him, or for anyone. It feels like it’s never going to stop.

He’s probably stuck here forever now, with his signature on endless pieces of paper he’s not allowed to read. He doesn’t matter. He knows that. He’s a very useful Asset to the Army, and that will always be the extent of what he is to them. An Asset.

It’s bitter. He remembers the pride, and it still blooms into his chest sometimes, when someone calls him Sergeant. The way the Army functions is the most familiar thing about 2024. The Army never changes, and he hates how comforting it is to him. He hates how much comfort he takes in being someone’s soldier. Someone’s Asset.

He’ll never escape it. It’s hardwired into him. The brass knows that. Raynor knows that. SecDev knows that. He’s pretty sure the President knows that.

He guesses that’s why being here unnerves him that much. He just knows he can’t escape. That this computer, this desk, these sheets of papers, those are his hell. He just hopes that one day, he’ll have expiated his wrongdoings enough to make it out.

But he doesn’t hold his breath.

So he desperately tries to put his reluctant brain to work on another report, corrects his grammar and translates his thoughts into English, his country’s language. He’s an American, after all. At least, he’s supposed to be.

American soldiers don’t think in German or Russian.

#bucky barnes #jewish bucky barnes #fic #marvel #mine

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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The Church's Year - INSTRUCTION ON THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

INTROIT The Lord became my protector, and He brought me forth into a large place: He saved me, because he was well pleased with me. (Ps. XVII.) I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength: the Lord is my firmament, and my refuge, and my deliverer. Glory &c.

COLLECT Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy name; for Thou never failest to help and govern those whom Thou dost establish in Thy steadfast love. Thro'.

EPISTLE (I ,John III. 13-18.) Dearly beloved, Wonder not if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not, abideth in death; whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. In this we have known the charity of God, because he bath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shut up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

EXPLANATION People who are really pious have always something to suffer from the wicked world, as, Jesus foretold, but they do not cease to love their persecutors as their best friends, and are ready, if necessary, to give their life for ,their enemies, as Christ did. Thus should all Christians act; for the love of our neighbor and even of our enemies is a universal command, a law that binds all; it is the life of the soul. Hatred deprives the soul of this life and makes man a murderer, because hatred is the beginning of murder, and often ends in homicide. By love we know the true Christians. (John. XIII. 35.) St. John even considers love the certain sign of being chosen for eternal life, when he says: We know, we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. Alas! how few will be chosen from among the Christians of to-day, because there is so little love among them! Empty compliments, assurances of friendships &c. love appears only in words, only on the tongue; and such idle, ephemeral, worthless love is found everywhere in this world; but that which is love in truth and reality, which shows charity to the suffering, how rare it is! and yet only to this love is promised eternal life, because it alone rests on the love of God.

GOSPEL (Luke XIV. 16-24.) At that time, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees this parable: A certain man made a great supper,and invited many. And he sent his servant, at the hour of supper, to say to them that were invited, that they should come, for now all things are ready. And they began all at once to make excuse. The first said to him: I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out, and see it; I pray thee hold me excused. And another said: I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to try them; I pray thee hold me excused. And another said: I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. And the servant returning, told these things to his lord. Then the master of the house being angry, said to his, servant: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame. And the servant said: Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said to the servant: Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house maybe filled. But I say unto you, that none of these men that were invited shall taste of my supper.

What as to be understood by this great supper?

The Church of Christ on earth, in which His doctrine and His most precious Flesh and Blood are given as food to those who belong to her; also the Church triumphant in heaven, in which God Himself, in the beatific vision, is the nourishment. This supper is called great, because God Himself has founded the Church; because the Church embraces heaven and earth, hence many belong and will belong to her; and because having ended the contest on earth, she will last forever in heaven. There the saints of God will enjoy the Highest Good for all eternity, and will have nothing to wish for, since all their desires will there be realized. O, what happiness it is that we are invited to His supper, and as guests are nourished by the teachings of Christ, and by His most sacred Flesh and Blood.

Who is it that prepares the super?

It is Christ, the God?Man, who for our benefit has not only instituted His Church to which He has entrusted doctrine and the Sacrament of His Flesh and Blood, but has gained eternal salvation for us by His passion and death, and who has invited us first by the prophets, who foretold Him and His divine kingdom, and afterwards by His apostles, and their successors to His great supper.

Who are they who excuse themselves?

They are principally the Jews who bound by pride and avarice to earthly possessions, and blinded by the pleasures of the world, did not recognize Jesus, and remained outside of His church. By him who said he had bought a farm are understood those who by constant anxieties about the possession of earthly goods, and the riches of this world, become indifferent to eternal salvation. By him who had bought five yoke of oxen, is to be understood that sort of busy men who are so burdened with worldly affairs that they find no time to work for heaven, for they even appropriate Sundays and festivals to their worldly affairs. By him who had. taken a wife, and could not come, are represented the carnal, impure men who have rendered themselves by their lusts incapable of spiritual and heavenly joys. Since these different classes of people do not wish to have part in the heavenly banquet, God has excluded them and called others.

Who are meant by the poor, the feeble, the blind and the lame?

The humble and submissive Jews, the publicans, also the Samaritans and the Gentiles, who did not reject Jesus and His doctrine as did the proud, high-minded, carnal Scribes and Pharisees to whom Jesus spoke this parable. The former faithfully received Him, entered His Church, and became participators in eternal happiness. This is daily repeated, because God excludes from the kingdom of heaven those proud, avaricious, and carnal Christians who are ever invited by His servants, the priests, to the enjoyment of holy Communion, but who reject the invitation. On the contrary God welcomes the poor, despised people, the penitent sinners, by separating them from the love of the world by the inspiration of His grace, and by the adversities which He sends them. Thus, in a measure, He forces them to take part in the spiritual joys of a sincerely pious life in His Church on earth, and in the heavenly bliss of His Church in heaven.

SUPPLICATON I thank Thee, O most merciful Jesus that Thou bast called me into Thy Church, permitting me sc often to share in the banquet of Thy love, and that by Thy sufferings and death Thou hast obtained the joys of heaven for me. Urge me as seems pleasing to Thee, compel me by temporal trials that by the use of these graces I may obtain the place which Thou bast prepared for me in heaven.

MORAL LESSON CONCERNING THE VICE OF IMPURITY

I have married a wife, and therefore I can not come. (Luke XIV. 29.)

From this foolish excuse it would seem as if married life were an obstacle to arriving at the heavenly banquet, whereas lawful, chaste, Christian marriage is, on the contrary, a means of eternal salvation for those to whom the gift of continency is not given. The excuse of this married man was not grounded on his station in life, but on his inordinate inclination for carnal pleasures which render the one who gives way to it, unfit for spiritual or heavenly things, for the sensual man perceiveth not the things that are of the Spirit of God. (I Cor. II. 14.)

Unfortunate indeed are they who suffer themselves to be carried away by their sensual lusts, who give away the priceless jewel of chastity and purity of heart which makes man equal to the angels, (Matt. XXII. 30.) who for a momentary enjoyment of sinful pleasure lose that white and precious garment in which chaste souls will shine for ever in heaven before the face of God! What benefit does the impure man derive from the gratification of vile lust? He gains the anger and contempt of God; intolerable disgust when the sin is consummated; the torment of a remorseful conscience, and unless he repent, the eternal torments of hell, for the apostle says: Do not err: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate shall possess the kingdom of God, (I Cor. VI. 9, 10.) It is seen from the examples of the Old Law, hove much God hates and abominates the sins of impurity. Why did God regret having created man? (Gen. VI. 6.) , Why did He destroy all except a very few, by a universal deluge? (Gen. VI. 17.) Why did He lay the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha in ashes by pouring upon them fire and brimstone? (Gen. XIX.) Why did He punish the two brothers Her and Onan, by a sudden death? (Gen. XXXVII. 7. 10.) Why did He permit the whole tribe of Benjamin to be extirpated? (Judges XX.) Because of their detestable sins of impurity. And is not this vice an object of the just wrath of God? By these sins an impure man disgraces his body which should be a member of Christ, a temple of the Holy Ghost; he disgraces his soul the image of God, purified and purchased by the precious blood of Christ, and lowers himself beneath the animal, which, void of intellect, follows its instinct; he weakens the power of his body and soul, and ruins his health; he loses the respect of the good, scandalizes his fellowmen, voluntarily separates himself from the communion of saints, deprives himself of the sanctifying grace of God and participation in the merits of Jesus and His saints, and, if he continues like an animal to wallow in this vice, he finally falls into such blindness and hardness of heart that eternal truths, death, judgment, hell, and eternity no longer make any impression upon him; the most abominable crimes of impurity he considers as trifles, as human weaknesses, no sin at all. He is therefore but seldom, if ever, converted, because the evil habit has become his second nature, which he can no longer overcome without an extraordinary grace from God. This God seldom gives, because the impure man generally despises ordinary means and graces, and therefore despairs and casts himself into the pool of eternal fire, where the worm dies not, and where with Satan and his angels the impure shall be for ever tormented.

Do not suffer yourself to be deceived, Christian soul, by the words "love and friendship", which is sought to cover this vice and make it appear a weakness clinging to man. This impure love is a fire which has its origin in hell, and there it will eternally torment the bodies in which it has prevailed. That which God so much detests and so severely punishes, certainly cannot be a trifle, a human weakness! Impress deeply on your heart that all impure thoughts, desires and looks, to which you consent, all impure words, songs, exposures, touches, jokes, and 'such things, are great sins which exclude you from the kingdom of heaven, into which nothing defiled can enter. Remember that he who looks at a woman with a lustful desire, has already, as Christ says, committed adultery in his heart. (Matt. V. 28.) We must, then, carefully guard against "such trifles", as the wicked world calls them, if we do not wish to expose ourselves to the greatest danger of losing our souls. Although it is difficult for an impure person to be converted, yet he should not despair. God does not cast away even the greatest sinner; Jesus forgave the adulteress in the temple, and forgave and received Mary Magdalen. But he who wishes to repent must make use of the proper means to regain the grace of God, and prevent a relapse. Those who have not defiled themselves by the sin of impurity can make use of the following means:

Constant prayer. Hence the admonition of the wise King; As I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, I went to the Lord and besought him. (Wisd. VIII. 21.)

Mortification of the flesh by fasting and abstinence. Jesus says these impure spirits can in no other way be cast out but by prayer and fasting. (Matt. XVII. 20.)

The frequent meditation on the four last things, and on the bitter sufferings of our Lord; for there is, says St. Augustine, no means more powerful and effective against the heat of lust than reflection on the ignominious death of the Redeemer.

The quiet consideration of the temporal and eternal evils which follow from this vice, as already described.

The love and veneration of the Blessed Virgin who is the mother of beautiful love, the refuge of all sinners, of whom St. Bernard says: "No one has ever invoked her in his necessity without being heard."

The careful mortification of the eyes. The pious Job made a covenant with his eyes, that. he would not so much as look upon a virgin. (Job XXXI. 1.)

The avoidance of evil occasions, especially intercourse with persons of the other sex. "Remember," says St. Jerome, "that a woman drove out the inhabitants of paradise, and that you are not holier than David, stronger than Samson, wiser than Solomon, who all fell by evil intercourse."

The avoidance of idleness: for idleness, says the proverb, is the beginning of all evil.

The immediate banishing of all bad thoughts by often pronouncing the names of Jesus and Mary, which, as St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, have the special power of driving away impure thoughts.

The frequent use of the holy Sacraments of Penance and of the Altar. This last remedy in particular is a certain cure if we make known to our confessor our weaknesses, and use the remedies he prescribes. The Scripture says that frequent Communion is the seed from which virgins spring, and the table which God has prepared against all temptations that annoy us.

COLLECT Inflame, O Lord, our loins and hearts with the fire of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may serve Thee with pure bodies, and please Thee with clean hearts. Amen.

#second sunday after pentecost

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chronikkally · 7 years ago

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THE KH FANDOM IS TOXIC THAT'S WHY...

This is to an artist I wrote an article talking about. Basically a little something about me and pedophilia. She’s 19 or 20 and I don’t like her. I don’t like her or the girl that accused me of being a pedophile over art. But this was so confusing and I didn’t want to argue with someone that young. I’m 21. I should know better but this was another case of Not knowing all the facts.

I will start it off. Like this, this was last year mind you. I have an imvu account. I’m always off and on imvu. Creating an account. Deleting. I actually enjoy that site because of the avatars.

And I started my first time on imvu, when I was in elementry. I think, maybe middle school.

Imvu is a chat website with 3D avatars in a virtual reality. The site is between good and bad. It’s a 50/50 win or lose type of thing. But last year, back when I had my laptop working. I had an account and got back on it. I was bored and I decided to play with this new upgrade to the chat.

It worked like tinder! I wasn’t planning to date anyone because at the time I was in a so called relationship. Previously I was on a dating website, badoo. Bad choice, don’t do it.

This artist on tumblr. Draws Xaldin from Kingdom Hearts with Lexaeus. She’s lesibian. Not important but to me it was and she had the stupidest reason behind this thing I shall explain.

She accused me of fetishizing, an Iranian. So, I’m swiping on these avatars on imvu. And I come across this guy who doesn’t have an avatar, it’s his face and I’m like he’s kinda ugly but his nose is cute. The thing I notice about guys is their nose. Now, I will admit this. Which is accurate.

If there was anything I truly was fetishizing. It was white men! And I still feel bad and no longer like white guys, in a sexual nature, they have weird dicks. Another reminder I am black. POC. Brown. African american. Whatever. I’m a nigga.

At the time when I swiped right on this boy who was 24 on his profile. He’s 25 now. Moments later he sent me a message and I didn’t think anyone would swipe on my card so this was surprising.

I didn’t get on imvu to date because I thought a boy named Tony Holt was my boyfriend. He said he cuffed me and I believed it. I was wrong. He said he liked black girls but in that way, you know actually fetishizing.

He messages me and says, my interest are funny. And I like making people laugh it gives me good vibes. So I say, I try my best. Eventually he invited me into a private chat and I accepted.

I was nervous as hell because like I said imvu is 50/50 you have some really messed up guys on there. And the last time, some really weird and ugly white dude started kissing all over my avatar like no tomorrow asking if I loved him. So this nice man and I’m saying man because he was one. The first thing he said, would you date a Chinese man?

I was so confused and I moved avatar as far from him to simulate this weird behavior. I wasn’t trying to date him. I ask, are you Chinese? He goes, I’m Iranian. Me: Then why did you ask? Him: I was trying to be funny And goddammit if he wasn’t.

I didn’t know he was Iranian. Nor did I care. It wouldn’t have made a difference if he was or not!

What really made me swipe right. Was because in his card he said he wanted an intellectual conversation with someone. Me, I like to talk, that’s all I wanted.

I ended up moving my avatar to the couch in the private chat but there was still space between our avatars.

He introduces himself. I give him my name. He was confused to why I thought, the first thing he wanted to do was date. Because I was away from his avatar. I remembered being a bit mean. He asked, why are you way over there and I snapped and said this is the not too fucking fast position because the last time somebody put me in a private chat THEY ASKED ME RIGHT OFF THE BACK DO I LOVE THEM AFTER KISSING MY AVATAR.

I remember words like, I don’t bite. And not going to lie. I was smiling because it was cute and I was nervous like.

But when I moved my avatar we talked and it was the best shit ever. Realizing I was having a conversation with somebody that knew shit and wasn’t a dumb ass. I was high.

He asked me about the president and his policies and I said something like fuck him. And he’s surprised. He goes, you don’t like your president? I said fuck no!

The conversation is going. I find out he has an illness. I have an illness I asked how he felt in Canada and asked if he faced any decrimination and I really don’t understand why there is a hatred towards middle eastern people. And the last middle eastern that spoke to me was on tinder. I think he said he was Iraqi. And I feel bad for that. I dogde the shit out of Arab men. Out of respect! I would hate to have an Arab boyfriend and both our families are like why you bring an A-RAB home (my dad) and his family is like what the fuck did you bring home?

Because not everyone is open minded to their children dating outside their race. I hold middle eastern men to a high regard. Like respect the shit out of them. By not talking to them in fear I sound like a racist uneducated ghetto mess! It’s like, you’re a smart man please leave a poor black woman to her slave duties, sir. But the one on tinder was confusing like are you here for sex or a date? And I wasn’t into the whole sex thing. So I ducked and dodged. On imvu, I love Capricorns! I don’t know why. He was a Capricorn. And I was all FUCK YEAH. And I had made him laugh talking about dick because dudes send me ugly dick pictures and I lie to them. I said something about black guy’s dicks changing color and he shared a story how a chick he was dating was real conceited.

My favorite thing. We talked. Laughed and joked. Eventually this huge feeling comes over me. And I wanted to really know him. I was interested as fuck. And last time I spoke with him, it was real short. I messaged him on imvu and he was willing but… Ugh I can’t get that back. Even if he changed his relationship status to in a relationship and I was confused as to why. Because I’m a grandma. If you don’t ask me. Nigga I guess you not interested and I don’t play games so…

Tony Holt came back from working on a rig and all hell broke lose. I think I hurt him. He unfriended me and that hurt me. I still like him. But at the same time. I’m confused, I don’t know if it’s pity or that rich Arab hospitality. One of those, Imma be nice but I don’t like you…ANYMORE BECAUSE HE FUCKING CALLED ME DEAR THE SECOND TIME WE CHATTED. And I’m not going to force him to be with me. Never. But my actions hurt. And I don’t want to slip into another relationship now.

If this is about wanting to date outside my race however. That is the stupidest thing. Rihanna is courting a Saudi! Brittany Spears is courted by an IRANI. AND A DAMN KARDASHIAN IS WITH A MIDDLE EASTERN. So two white heterosexual women and one black Caribbean can do it. But my black ass can’t?

I tried to date outside my race multiple times. What I fetishized were white men! And If I was really fetishizing, I would like a fucking middle eastern to message me and curse me the fuck out then some ass kissing self entiled brat. I don’t like her. She’s 19 and full of shit. Talking about, I draw Arabs and write about them.

NIGGA.

I HAVE A SYRAIN MALE CHARACTER WHO HAS SEVERAL BROTHERS. AND A SISTER AND THEN THERE WAS THE TIME I HAD A CHARACTER FROM YEMEN. FICTIONAL CHARACTERS ARE NOT REAL.

THEY DO NOT HOLD THE SAME VALUES AS A TANGIBLE MOTHERFUCKER. I said a Desi/Arabic woman was super fucking beautiful and thick and I don’t know if it was lesbianism or I was jealous as fuck. I had a stroke and she came into my room while I was in recovery and I just lost my damn voice. Plus. Why are you so concerned with what I reblog? I reblogged Arabic men one time. Some of them were shirtless. They looked good. Maybe the reason I did it was inappropriate but they were good looking men! And some were gay asf.

Oh look at this happy gay Arabic couple. They look so comfortable. You see gay men just hug and suddenly get happy? I don’t know why but seeing guys have this. I’m envious. Because I want a dick and hate my vagina. I’m a transexual? I do not care for my lady parts.

Like what ever the argument is… It’s stupid. Your art doesn’t carry the same shit as an actual middle eastern who comes to America or Canada. They out here getting called all sorts of shit.

You draw a hajabi girl and she gets her hajabi ripped off in your fictional world. You don’t go to an actual breathing tangible hajabi girl and try to relate your fictional shit to her actual pain.

A scenario: Hajabi: Some guy snatched my hajab off An artist: Well, my character Shahira Mohammed got her hajab ripped off her head too.

Scenerio two: Black people: I got called a nigger, I’m biracial An artist: I have a character that’s a slave, so I totally understand.

Scenerio three: Jewish people: I was just breathing when somebody threw money at me and called me a Jew face An artist: I totally understand. Yousef was called a Jesus killer in Chapter eight. It hurt so much to write that.

I still like Ahmad. Him being Iranian doesn’t mean shit to me. But I’ll punch a nigga for him. Middle easterners and Jewish people get the dumbest hate. ‘Oh well, middle easterners uh, 9/11’

One person. Not a whole nation.

‘Jews love money’

First off. Don’t be mad at somebody Jewish for getting off their ass and going to work because you sat down and scratched your ass all day. But please tell me I’m fetishizing.

How the fuck is it okay for some goddamn lesibian of 19 fucking years old. Find it remotely acceptable to draw gay fictional characters in yaoi scenerio if yaoi is also the art of hypersexualized homosexuality.

Because if that doesn’t mean the same damn thing then I might have a second goddamn stroke and I don’t want to die. That’s hypocrisy. Lesibians get the fetishizing thing, too when two homosexual girls are caught in public and a heterosexual man comes and sees they wanna instantly have a three way.

But clearly you don’t understand this. And instead you want to focus on POC, like middle easterners can’t speak the fuck up. If I was doing wrong, why the hell didn’t somebody that was Arabic not come and tell me after all the shit I reblogged. Can you please not reblog my shit? Because if they did I would have gotten the fuck rid of it.

But please explain to my black ass once more how I’m wrong. You fucking brat. You wanna act like an adult be prepared to get talk to like one. No one ever comes out when black women get fetishized. But I guess, in the harshes reality.

1) You once upon a time had a crush on some Arab who rejected you and now your gay.

2) You’re low key fucking racist. You looked through my blog on my now deleted account and ignored that I was a POC who went through this bullshit. And everyone can come after me like. Dude chill she’s 19. Fuck off. She’s reaching a new age of 20 no one is holding your fucking hand through life because you can’t face these things. Grow up. You hurt yourself. Which led to this. I’m not going to let some 19 wannabe important child explain to me what fetishizing is!

I told Ahmad about this. He laughed, said it was amusing. Found out he’s short. He has two brothers. Is the middle child. Is a weed smoker. BECAUSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

SHUT THE FUCK

#kingdom hearts #accusing #‎thegaleandlance #hypocrisy #fetishism #bullshit

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lucretiars · 5 years ago

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David Berman: Honoring the Collective Void

In today’s world, through any medium you can write a eulogy. That is the magic of language; no matter the vehicle, if something is meaningful, there is no denying its impact. This is the way I felt when I read musician Kevin Morby’s Instagram post eulogizing the late great David Berman, former poet and songwriter of the Silver Jews and Purple Mountains. Morby writes, “David Berman one-liners are like verbal baseball cards. When you find yourself in the company of other Silver Jews fans you all wanna show off your favorite one. He’s been one of my secret handshakes over the past 16 years since discovering his work.” That same magic of language is something that Berman himself was a master of. A Berman-ism is at the same time instantly recognizable yet fascinatingly inventive. A completely refreshing way of seeing something we all internally experience. A deeply universal and profound observation of life disguised colloquial punch-line. No matter the channel, his fluidity, cleverness, and insight using words could forge some new association to a thought or a feeling that you thought was so deeply internal that is wasn’t able to be conveyed tangibly. In Berman’s absence, his words remain and waver potently through my headphones in my ears and on the page I graze my fingers across. And I think, is there a difference between the power of lyrics and the written word? As celebrated for his poetry as he was for his songwriting, Silver Jews was the initial and primary vehicle for Berman’s writing until his first and only book of poetry, Actual Air, was published by Open City Books in July 1999. After a decade of silence post-Silver Jews, Berman’s newest musical project, Purple Mountains, published an album just 3 months prior to his death in 2019. In his music, Berman’s distinctive baritone growling voice serves as an amplifier to his words etched against the background of melody. In his poetry, his words contain the ability to extend his experimental language further than the limits of a song. Through both channels, the writer is veiled behind the guise of the “speaker” or the “singer”. Both create worlds open to interpretation by the masses. Both can hold facets of yourself and both can be crafted with lies, dreams, and fiction. Born in 1991 wading between the grouped identifications of “post-Generation X” and “Millennial”, I was a guinea pig to the internet beginning at a fairly young age. I grew up online late enough that I didn’t have social media or a cell phone until high school, but early enough that I learned and adapted to the strange solace of screaming out into a collective void. I grew up in the emergence of the digital age early enough that when I hear a specific song, I still anticipate the opening chords of the next one on the album because I’d spun the CD over and over, but late enough that I only listened to music on tapes and vinyl for the experience of it, not the necessity. The Warehouse (a CD palace) was my church, and on some Sundays my mom would let me pick one out that I would later on be able to play on my very own boombox, sprawled on the carpet buried deep in the liner notes reading along the lyrics as they played. Words always meant something to me, and I found poetry in everything: in the comment section on songmeanings.com where anonymous users professed their love for a lost memory that the song was associated with, the comments section on Youtube videos where folks anonymously bonded over the gravity this music video had on their life, and the sprawling cacophony of chat rooms and IM exchanges expressing the mundane yet somewhat magical musings littered with typos and faces made with colons and parenthesis. The internet was there for you when nobody else was. It was a conduit to transform some sort of thought you had inside into words on a screen. Words that everybody else could read. When Berman died, that collective void of the internet erupted. Fans of Silver Jews and Actual Air alike joined forces shared their own Berman-isms on social media accounts, blogs, comments on Youtube videos, Reddit posts, etc. I had always heard that along with being a lyricist, Berman was a poet and had his own collection, and after finding myself beckoned through the screen of my laptop and immersed in the world of Berman’s words, I needed to get my hands on it. Amazon was selling books for $200 a pop. eBay was even more. And Drag City, the record label that produced the book, was sold out. On their website there was a button to select to put your name in for an order when they become available again, and though I was doubtful it would even work, I pressed it. Five months later, living in the same city that Drag City operates out of, the same city that Berman last occupied before he died, I receive notice that my book is on its way. Given my taste for always trying to find some meaningful intimacy in the written word, I held this email I received quite close to my heart. Hey there, loyal Drag City customer web 134064-5, We've actually lived up to our end of the bargain – your order has shipped! Keep in mind that all orders are shipped via USPS First Class or Media Mail, depending on weight, so they may take a few days to arrive and there's no tracking number. In our know-everything digital age, isn't it nice to get a surprise in the mail every once in a while? We think so and hope you'll agree. There was something about the candor and sweetness this message held that enveloped me in a wistful appreciation for my love of words and the power they convey. If I can find beauty in this 2-sentence email that was probably just mass-texted to hundreds of people, sandwiched between spam advertisements and bill notifications, I had the dawning realization that no matter the medium, language is hugely influential and the act of crafting it to deliver a feeling that once only lived inside is the raw and subtle beauty of existence. The difference between lyrics and poems is that through poetry, language is the instrument. In music, the words reverberate against a background of sound. Which is more vulnerable? Which is more exposed? Why did David Berman choose to publish the words he wrote on paper and the words he recorded through song? How do we compare the literary resonance between lyricism and poetry? No matter the vehicle, Berman was equally revered for both forms of work, who honored the righteousness of personal experience and was not afraid to expose despair and honesty through art. Through my dive into Berman’s work, I was thrilled to find hidden connections, especially ones that I couldn’t determine if they were purposeful or not. One particularly “deep-cut connection” I found was through the openings of Silver Jews albums The Natural Bridge and Purple Mountains: a slow, almost apprehensive “Well, I….” And “No, I….” (respectively). These articles prefacing the personal claims Berman gets ready to confess next almost serve to give both us and him a moment to prepare. The Natural Bridge kicks off with “How To Rent a Room”, a rumination on death, loss, and coping, and Berman conveys both unease and accepted reflection in “No I don't really want to die./I only want to die in your eyes.” Purple Mountains kicks off with “That’s Just the Way That I Feel”, a circular repetition of apathetic pleading. Berman sings in an almost comedic honesty, “Well, I don't like talkin' to myself./But someone's gotta say it, hell./I mean, things have not been going well./This time I think I finally fucked myself.” In addition to their trepidatious starts, another common aspect of the songs is the juxtaposition of a joyful, energetic melody and dark, pensive lyrics. Berman creates a tune so hypnotically catchy through the verses (including one of the most clever feats of wordplay I might have ever heard with “I've been forced to watch my foes enjoy ceaseless feasts of schadenfreude”) and slows us down in the hypnotic carousel of insatiability in the chorus, merely repeating: “The end of all wanting is all I’ve been wanting.” The want. How unbearable is it to want? We wake and we want, we rest and we want. We are overflowing with want. In addition to this voraciousness, another powerful aspect of “That’s Just The Way That I Feel” is the fact that these lyrics were the first words Berman gave us after a decade of silence. He illustrates his triumphant return of joyful self-hatred, quintessential honesty, self deprecation, and the confident lack of hope. Not everything has a happy ending. In a particularly notable YouTube video of one of the Silver Jews’ last shows, they jam through a standout song “Black and Brown Shoes” from the album, The Natural Bridge—a fan favorite that includes the palpable and dreamlike depictions of the views around us (“a jaded skyline of car keys”, and “the water looks like jewelry when it's coming out the spout”). Towards the finality of the piece, Berman slows the band, places two hands around the neck of the microphone and instead of continuing with the melody in his voice he reads the next lyric as if it is in fact a piece of poetry: “When I go downtown, I always wear a corduroy suit./Cause it's made of a hundred gutters that the rain can run right through.” After these words are spoken, the melody gradually begins to emerge once again, as Berman drawls the next and final lines in song. The break of song to highlight this almost absurd yet striking musing lets the audience absorb the gravity of the words. In “Pretty Eyes”, an introspective ballad that closes The Natural Bridge, a gentle guitar strums against the concluding verses: “I believe that stars are the headlights of angels/Driving from heaven to save us, to save us/Look in the sky/They're driving from heaven into our eyes/And final words are so hard to devise/I promise that I'll always remember your pretty eyes/Your pretty eyes.” Through an observation alluding to death, Berman illuminates the beauty in physical tangibility against the beauty in imagined personification. Heaven, a beacon of hope is observed against the permanence of memory in the subject’s eyes. Even if everything is lost and through the most delicate nature of fleeting time, that memory will remain. After Berman mutters the final line in “Pretty Eyes”, there is 43 seconds of gentle guitar strumming, almost allowing the listener to reflect on this closing observation. This instrumental decrescendo moans like a lullaby. This purposeful pocket of time in which no words are spoken almost acts as a space in which the listener can consciously do nothing. The song still holds us in its grasp, but we are given the opportunity to mediate on what’s been spoken through the absence of words. “Introduction II” begins the Silver Jews’ 1994 album Starlike Walker. Through slow and jagged guitar chords, Berman drones fragments of words and sentences almost inviting the listener into his psyche: “Hello, my friends/Hello, my friends/Come in, have a seat/Come on in my kitchen/My friends, take it easy”. After these drifting portions of thought, the music quiets and the final lines of the 1 minute song are sung in a juxtaposed conciseness: “Don’t you know that I never want this minute to end?/And then it ends.” This powerful reflection on the passing of time, introduced in such an intimate way, is a driving theme in many of Berman’s pieces. The poem “Classic Water”, which includes brief moments of anaphora and reminds me of Joe Brainard’s “I Remember”, reflects on the past in order to somehow solidify a lost memory into a tangibility. He writes, “I remember the night we camped out/And I heard her whisper, “Think of me as a place” from her sleeping bag/With the centaur print.” (Berman 4) Similarly in “Tableau Through Shattered Monocle”, after eight dense stanzas detailing a piece of architecture, the final line reverberates: “These words are meant to mark this day on earth.” (Berman 12) This remark serves to honor the virtue of personal experience—the power in documentation and creating a testimony of a life. Both convey this feeling of capturing the rawness of immediacy; the long-winded desire of marking a certain feeling or moment in a permanent way—making what has been lost somehow last. The final line of the poem “The Moon” acts as a portal through Berman’s process: “And the moon, I forgot to mention the moon.” (Berman 27) The lack of poetic intention in these words is apparent, yet the notion of needing to include that idea of the moon and the evident affect it had on the speaker further conveys the tenderness in capturing emotion and transitory feeling. There is power in observation and inspiration even in the mundane or ordinary. We cradle the things that we have experienced and use them as evidence that we have lived a meaningful life. In a similar notion of using writing as a vehicle to document and possibly further understand the world around us and how the past has influenced us, Berman’s work frequently reflects on the past versus the present, transcending time in order to unearth the absence or garnering of growth. In “Trains Across the Sea” on the Silver Jews’ Starlite Walker, Berman sings “Half-hours on earth/What are they worth?/I don’t know/In 27 years/I drunk 50000 beers/And they just wash within me/Like the sea into a pier.” Berman converses with himself, admitting a loss of the grasp of how time passes and using the organic image of something so cyclical in nature—the incessant serenity of crashing waves—to juxtapose against the perpetuation of habit. Tal Rosenberg remarks in The Fader about this stanza, “There’s the setup, the mechanical pleasure of routine beer drinking, and then the unexpected curve — the situation’s cinematic and symbolic equivalent, an image that beautifully corresponds to the same elegant manner of incremental decay.” In a similar notion of exposing honestly in the mundane and the contemplations of personal development through time, the poem “The Charm of 5:30” closes with the stanza: “In fact, I’ll bet you something./Somewhere in the future I am remembering today. I’ll bet you/I’m remembering how I walked into the park at five thirty,/My favorite time of day, and how I found two cold pitchers/Of just poured beer, sitting there on the bench./I am remembering how my friend Chip showed up/With a catcher’s mask hanging from his belt and how I said/great to see you, sit down, have a beer, how are you,/And how he turned to me with the sunset reflecting off his/Contacts and said, wonderful, how are you.” (Berman 44) In the perfected brevity of “Somewhere in the future I am remembering today” we succumb to the idea of our past selves, drifting in memory on loop in our heads—forever. Every splice of our lives is packaged into a pocket of our brains—and ranging from the absolute thrill to the dreadfully ordinary, the things that we experience serve to influence the way our present and future world is shaped. In addition to the contrast between the aural word and the written word, therein lies even a deeper contrast in experience through both of Berman’s mediums of work. The energetic connection through live performance and the detached, yet intimate connection through solitary listening. The act of presently hearing a reading performed without the ability to see the words on paper and the act of reading the work alone, able to analyze and study the words on paper. What is more significant? What hits you deeper? What experience feels more comfortable, and what experience feels more as if you’ve bore witness to something revelatory? In her article “Measuring the Immeasurable”, Sarah Rothenberg discusses the transformation of “active listening”, comparing the capacity of digesting music before and after the technologic revolution. Before recorded sound became a staple in our daily lives, she explains that music was only experienced two different ways: “One made it oneself or one was in a room where someone else was making it.” She goes on to illustrate an anecdote about a young music lover in the nineteenth century who hears of Beethoven’s newest symphony. After months of waiting, the piano reduction is received through mail, and she hastily stumbles through the piece, attempting to recreate whatever it is that Beethoven has just released to the world. Many months after that, she takes a four-hour journey into Vienna to hear the piece played by a professional orchestra for the first time. Rothenberg presses, “You do not know when, or if, you will hear this work again. How do you listen?” Berman held the capacity to create a realm of “active listening” whether the words were divulged live or not. The solitary experience and the collective experience were similarly an act of power. He reaches with a certain word or turn of phrase and it acts as a gentle tap on the shoulder, urging us to wake up! Look at the world around you! Wade in the reality of your life, because we are all experiencing it. The reverberation of his words by themselves are enough to create a resounding experience, but the haunting dynamic of this thought is the fact that Berman will not be able to perform live in front of us, ever again. His words ring, deafening, into the void forever. We know that we will never hear new work again. How do we listen? As Morby wrote on Instagram after his death, Berman’s words are a form of human connection. The collective celebrating of his work is a joyful and vulnerable experience, and that power of resonance, with anybody, about anything, is reverberating. Even sitting at my laptop last night as I put the final touches on this document, wishing I was a half-drunk hero on a barstool with a like-minded soul but instead, was I a half-drunk sap listening to the Silver Jews, I felt closer to these words I have been so obsessed with trying to understand over the past month. Berman paved the way for acceptance of the candid displeasure of the world; the honest beseeching of meaning; somewhere that the meandering search for identity can float without pressure to comfortably land. From his words, I’ve learned that that very discomfort of “not-understanding “can be the tarmac for our emotions. The process of coming to terms with the things that we witness and feel is just as important as the experiences themselves. As the man himself said, “final words are so hard to devise”. So with that, I salute a cheers to David Berman. Thank you for allowing the space to dismantle the fear of unknowing.

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tvdas · 6 years ago

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Banning Evil

In the Shadow of Christchurch, Quasi-Religious Myths Can Lead Us Astray

written by Michael Shermer

On March 15, a 28-year old an Australian gunman named Brenton Tarrant allegedly opened fire in two Christchurch, New Zealand mosques, killing 50 and wounding 50 more. It was the worst mass shooting in the history of that country. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was rightly praised for her response to the murders, declared: “While the nation grapples with a form of grief and anger that we have not experienced before, we are seeking answers.”

One answer took form a week later, when Ms. Ardern announced legislation that would ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Will such gun-control measures work to reduce gun crime? Maybe. They did in Australia following a 1996 mass shooting in Tasmania in which 35 people were murdered. A 2006 follow-up study showed that in the 18 years prior to the ban, there had been 13 mass shootings. But in the decade following, there had been none. Gun culture is different in every country. But there is at least an arguable case to be made that the newly announced controls will make New Zealand a safer country.

But banning certain tools that may be used to commit murder is one thing. Tarrant’s rampage also has led to calls to block ideas that allegedly fuel murderous extremism. In the immediate aftermath of tragedy, it is understandable that every conceivable means should be employed to prevent a recurrence. But censorship is almost invariably the wrong response to evil actions. You cannot ban evil.

Before the killings, Tarrant authored a rambling 74-page manifesto titled The Great Replacement. The document is difficult to find online, as most platforms took to blocking it as soon as its appearance was flagged. I was quick to grab a copy early on, however, because such documents inform my longstanding research into extremist groups and ideologies.

The Great Replacement was inspired by a 2012 book of the same title by the French author Renaud Camus—a right-wing conspiracy theorist who claims that white French Catholics in particular, and white Christian Europeans in general, are being systematically replaced by people of non-European descent, especially from Africa and the Middle East, through immigration and higher birth rates. The manifesto is filled with white supremacist fearmongering. “If there is one thing I want you to remember from these writings, it’s that the birthrates must change,” the author tells his audience (whom he presumes to be white). “Even if we were to deport all Non-Europeans from our lands tomorrow, the European people would still be spiraling into decay and eventual death.” The result, he concludes apocalyptically, is “white genocide.”

Like many cranks and haters of this type, Tarrant has a weakness for codes and slogans. He references the number 14 to indicate the 14-word slogan originally coined by white supremacist David Lane while imprisoned for his role in the 1984 murder of Jewish radio talk show host Alan Berg: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” Lane, for his part, explicitly extolled the writings of white supremacist William Pierce, who in turn inspired Timothy McVeigh to blow up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995, killing 168 people.

Accusations of racism and white supremacism are thrown around so casually these days that the meaning of these terms has become diluted and ambiguous. So, for clarity, I will state the obvious by emphasizing that the writings of Tarrant, Lane and Pierce all reflect attitudes that are completely racist and hateful, as such terms are properly used.

And yes, there is a connection with Nazism. The number 14 is sometimes rendered as 14/88, with the 8’s representing the eighth letter of the alphabet—H—and 88 or HH standing for Heil Hitler. Lane, who died in 2007, was inspired by Mein Kampf, in which the Nazi Party leader declared: “What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it by the creator of the universe.”

But even here, the bibliographical trail of hatred doesn’t end—because Hitler copied much of his anti-Semitic conspiracism from The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, a tragically popular hoaxed document purporting to record the proceedings of a secret meeting of Jews plotting global domination. Nor was the Protocols itself conceived out of thin air: It was plagiarized from Biarritz, a luridly anti-Semitic 19th-century novel; and a propaganda tract called Dialogues in Hell between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, which had been written by a French lawyer as an act of protest against Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte; both of which, in turn, drew on anti-Semitic tropes going back to Roman times. So if you’re looking to root out and ban the political ideology that produces Jew hatred, you’re going to have to purge whole library shelves. The same goes for Islamophobia, anti-black racism, and virtually every other kind of bigotry you could name.

And yet, there are those who argue that mass censorship is justified in the name of heading off hateful indoctrination. That group apparently would include leaders of the Whitcoulls bookstore chain in New Zealand. Late last week, the company announced it was banning one popular book, “in light of some extremely disturbing material being circulated prior, during and after the Christchurch attacks.” Yet the book wasn’t Mein Kampf, which you can still buy on the company’s site for $44.95—or anything of its ilk. Rather, the chain is boycotting Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life, a self-help book that has no connection at all with the mosque attacks or their perpetrator.

What is the “extremely disturbing material” in Peterson’s book? Whitcoulls doesn’t say. I’ve read the entire book, along with much of the University of Toronto professor’s 1999 massive first book, Maps of Meaning. And I’ve watched many of his YouTube videos and media interviews. I have yet to find anything remotely reminiscent of white supremacy, racism, anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.

On Twitter, I suggested that those who think Peterson is the ideological culprit behind the New Zealand massacre have lost their minds. I added that I’m no toady for Jordan Peterson, inasmuch as I disagree with him on many subjects—including his theory of truth, and his largely uncritical endorsement of religious myths as an organizing principle for human cultures. But the banning of Peterson on any theory related to preventing mass murder doesn’t even rise to the level of wrong: It’s demonstrably absurd—akin to banning spoons and skateboards as a strategy to stave off prospective arsonists.

When I asked my social-media followers for examples of anything Peterson had said or done that could be construed as inviting mass murder, the only remotely relevant responses I got pointed to photos that random fans had taken with Peterson, one of which featured a guy sporting a t-shirt proclaiming himself to be an “Islamaphobe,” and another (more ambiguous) example of someone holding a Pepe the Frog banner. But this proves nothing. Peterson has taken photos with tens of thousands of people at public events in recent years. In a typical fan-photo cattle call, fans are cycled into frame with a celebrity roughly every five or six seconds—typically by handlers, not the celebrity acting in his or her personal capacity. I’ve done a number of these during book tours and can attest to the fact that it’s completely unrealistic to think that Peterson could screen the clothes worn by all these legions of photo seekers for ideological purity—even if this were something he aspired to do.

On March 23, I received an email from Change.org, the left-leaning political action group whose stated mission is to “empower people everywhere to create the change they want to see.” In this case, the change users wanted to see in response to the New Zealand massacre was… to ban PewDiePie from YouTube. “One of the largest platforms for white supremacist content is PewDiePie’s YouTube channel,” the petition informs us. “PewDiePie has on many occasions proven once and again to promote and affiliate himself with white supremacist and Nazi ideologies.” The petitioners then list the YouTuber’s alleged sins, including using the N-word, playing videos of Adolf Hitler’s speeches, and giving the Nazi heil in a video.

For those unaware, PewDiePie is a Swedish comedian and video game player named Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, whose YouTube channel has a massive following and whom Tarrant referenced in his manifesto (along with Candace Owens, Donald Trump and others). It is true that PewDiePie once used the N-word during a video game competition (and then apologized profusely for doing so). He also has used brief audio and video snippets of Nazi imagery as part of satirical responses to attacks against him that he lampooned as melodramatic. The idea that any of this betrays PewDiePie as a closet white supremicist is absurd. Even without Change.org’s urging, YouTube already has demonetized the videos of such avowedly anti-racist and anti-supremacist moderates as Dave Rubin and Gad Saad, as well as anti-anti-Semite conservatives such as Dennis Prager. YouTube is acting on an ideological hair trigger: If there were any evidence whatsoever that PewDiePie had expressed real Nazi sympathies, he would have been axed from the platform long ago.

Responding to evil by banning random controversial authors or YouTubers is completely irrational. But that doesn’t make it inexplicable. Manifestations of great evil provoke a desire to do something—anything—to reestablish moral order. Remember when millions of people tweeted #BringBackOurGirls after the terrorist organization Boko Haram kidnapped dozens of Nigerian students in 2014? Murderous rapists don’t give a fig about being mobbed on Twitter. But it made people feel useful for an instant—as if they had done something. We all entertain some version of this instinct in times of tragedy—a reflex satirized by The Onion in the days after 9/11 with the headline Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake.

Intertwined with this instinct is the idea that there is some abstract force called evil that exists in the cosmos, a force that we are all called upon to confront and defeat. As I argued in my 2003 book, The Science of Good and Evil, this belief—that pure evil exists separately from individuals—is a myth. “Evil” makes literal sense as an adjective, but not as a noun (except in a figurative sense), because there is no quantum of something called “evil” that exists in human hearts, or, indeed, anywhere else.

Thus concluded social psychologist Roy Baumeister, as reported in his 1997 book about serial killers and other career criminals, Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty. Ironically, Baumeister found that the myth of evil existing as a standalone force may, itself, lead societies to become more violent: “The myth encourages people to believe that they are good and will remain good no matter what, even if they perpetrate severe harm on their opponents. Thus, the myth of pure evil confers a kind of moral immunity on people who believe in it…belief in the myth is itself one recipe for evil, because it allows people to justify violent and oppressive actions. It allows evil to masquerade as good.”

This helps explain the grimly bizarre manner by which violent criminals and terrorists find ways to justify even the most horrifying and nihilistic acts. Consider this 1994 police record of Frederick Treesh, a spree killer from the Midwest who explained, “Other than the two we killed, the two we wounded, the woman we pistol-whipped, and the light bulbs we stuck in people’s mouths, [my accomplice and I] didn’t really hurt anybody.” After killing 33 boys the serial killer John Wayne Gacy explained: “I see myself more as a victim than as a perpetrator. I was cheated out of my childhood.”

Modern campaigns aimed at shutting down this or that speaker implicitly present evil as something that may be communicated from one person to another, like bacteria. By this model, censorship is akin to quarantine. But Baumeister tells us “you do not have to give people reasons to be violent, because they already have plenty of reasons. All you have to do is take away their reasons to restrain themselves.” It is absolutely true that some extremist ideologies can encourage adherents to abandon the sense of restraint that Baumeister describes. But the campaign to ban the likes of Jordan Peterson and PewDiePie—individuals whose work bears no relationship at all to the extreme forms of hatred we should be most concerned about—suggests that censors aren’t actually thinking through such propositions. Instead, they seem to be operating on the idea of evil as a quasi-mystical force akin to Satan. In this conception, Peterson and PewDiePie are seen as carriers of evil, much like witches channeling demons from below, no matter that they never actually say or do anything evil in nature.

As Baumeister argued, this mythical idealization of evil as being an actual force in our universe, rather than a descriptor of human motivations, isn’t merely harmless ersatz spiritualism: It causes people to act worse, sometimes murderously so, by allowing them to imagine the locus of evil as lying completely outside their own intentions and actions.

Which gets to the (necessarily political) question of who should be identified, stigmatized, and even punished for being a “carrier” of evil? Who gets to define that class of people? Me? You? The majority? An evil-thought committee? The government? Social-media companies? We already have law enforcement and the military to deal with evil deeds. Controlling evil thoughts is far more problematic.

Campaigns aimed at banning evil in its own (mythical) right almost always include efforts to ban evil speech—or even, as in the aftermath of the New Zealand mass murder, speech from someone who has not said anything remotely evil, but is seen, in some vague sense, to be contaminated by evil. When western societies were religious, evil speech was tantamount to anti-Christian speech. In a secular age, we call it “hate speech,” a reformulation that does nothing to solve the always contentious issue of distinguishing between evil speech and free speech, and the problem of who gets to decide where one ends and the other begins.

It is my contention that we must protect speech no matter how hateful it may seem. The solution to hate speech is more speech. The counter to bad ideas is good ideas. The rebuttal to pseudoscience is better science. The answer to fake news is real news. The best way to refute alternative facts is with actual facts. This is just as true now as it was in the moment before 50 innocent Muslim lives were taken in New Zealand—even if our emotionally felt need to put a name and form to evil now makes this truth harder to see.

Michael Shermer is publisher of Skeptic magazine, a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, and the author of The Moral Arc.

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politicrap-blog · 8 years ago

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Politics

Someone on Facebook asked me if I’m one of the “we are mad trump won team.” Let me tell you that yes, I am. I very much am. If you aren't a multimillionaire, you should be, too, because he's already screwing you over. He's looking to take away either all of your healthcare or make what you do have more expensive so his rich cronies can get richer. He cut mortgage aid on the FIRST day in office to make housing and other real estate more expensive. He's a real estate mogul, and stands to directly profit from screwing the little guy. He's willing to cost you money both directly and indirectly via his pipe-dream wall. Both taxes and the cost of goods from Mexico go up, and it won't keep anyone out anyway. We'd have to arm the whole border, which would push us right into going to war against not only Mexico, but probably everyone else who would stand to lose from such an agreement, like China, Russia, and most of the UN. Every single decree we've seen from him, and are going to see from him, are about dollars going right into his pocketbook. Let's talk about the Muslim Ban for a second. Which countries are on the list? Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Yemen. How many refugees have caused death on American soil from these countries? 0. Not a single one. In fact, the last time refugees suggested a real threat to the American way of life, the Cherokee side of my family were being slaughtered and enslaved by them. So why the ban? There are a few reasons, but none of them are good. Using panic and fear to increase personal power. Using economic pressure to coerce poor countries into accepting skewed deals. Just plain hatred of brown people. Who knows? Well, now that we're depressed, let's talk about the ACA, or "Obamacare." Millions of people are going to lose their healthcare if the ACA is repealed. If people lose their only access to healthcare, they die. Period, there's no way around it. How high could the death toll be from repealing the ACA? Well, before the ACA was enacted, Somewhere between 40 and 65 THOUSAND Americans died every year due to inadequate health coverage. Afterward, the number dropped sharply, but it's still too early to get a reliable estimate. The number is anywhere between 12 and 36 thousand. That said, any number greater than zero means that the Republican party is literally more dangerous to the American populace than Muslim refugees. They will have murdered, without hyperbole murdered, thousands of innocent Americans, and people are cheering for that because they don't understand the ramifications of what they're doing. They're just bucking the rules of the last president because he was liberal or he was brown skinned or he had a foreign sounding name or whatever. I'd much rather we spend the money that we're currently spending on a pipe dream on infrastructure, education, and yes, healthcare. I didn't support Hillary Clinton, I supported Bernie Sanders, because I believe that all people need to stand together. I believe that everyone should be treated equally, rich and poor, white and black and hispanic and asian and other, straight and gay and trans and asexual and apache helicopter and whatever else people are calling themselves nowadays. The law should be written so that the variables that make us individual people do not matter beyond the social scope. Rich people should not get lighter sentences than poor people, and the same goes for respectively white and black, but that's exactly what happens, no matter what you think of the now polarized word "privilege" (frankly, I hate it, because it boils down a complex set of socioeconomic interactions to "if you're a white male people treat you better," which is just not always true.) Society doesn't need to change much to make the lives of everyone better. We live in the information age, and could be on the cusp of true greatness via the elimination of poverty through education and the free exchange of information. I believe that the floor of poverty should be lifted so that the lives of everyone gets better, not the ceiling raised so that the top becomes further unattainable to more people. I believe that food, water, shelter, education, and the ability to stay alive if you get sick should be rights unalienable to all people, no matter how much it costs multi-billion dollar corporations or the billionaire elite, or even the regular joes and janes. Life is by far more important money, and if the taxes on my already impoverished wages need to go up, then so be it, but the rich need to pay their share as well instead of hoarding the money in the sick zero sum game of keep away that we're already playing. Adjusted for inflation and cost of living increases, we the actual working people are already earning less than half of the buying power that the minimum wage was worth 50 years ago. We're literally being driven backward economically because of the insane wealth disparity in this country. On top of that, we already have a huge number of democratic socialist/outright socialist programs in place in the United States. Everyone knows about Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP (food stamps,) and WIC as socialist policies, but the roads you drive on, the schools your kids go to, the free parks, libraries, and hell, even the infrastructure that companies profit from, like power lines and water and sewer pipes are paid for via tax money. On top of that on top of that again, a seemingly endless stream of economists have stated that the move to single payer universal health care saves the average American over $1,000 a year. I'd be okay with over $1k in my pocket, and the savings to each and every one of us, as well as the Federal government, could be seriously monumental if we took the further step of regulating the price gouging pharmaceutical companies to keep costs in check and reforming hospitals to keep prices down. The savings to the Federal government after five years are in the high double digit to low triple digit millions of dollars a year. That said, the current administration wants to fleece us for what little we've got while they sail away on a solid gold boat, to hell with making everyone's lives better and actually improving the overall economy by giving the lowest economic class the ability to put money back into it. So am I mad that Trump won? Hell yes, I'm mad. I'm mad that an utterly abysmal businessman (the guy doesn't pay taxes because he lost almost a BILLION dollars in a single year. Somehow that makes him smart. He has dozens of failed businesses in his wake and settled a fraud lawsuit for $25 Million. The guy couldn't even sell steak,) appealed to the worst in people. I'm mad that the new president of my country, MY figurehead, went on air about how he would walk in on underage teenage girls changing, on purpose, and his staff would force them to dote on him in various states of undress. I'm mad that he openly states that he respects no one. I'm mad that he treats people like property, stating that because he is rich, he could do whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted with no consequences. I'm mad because he's a horrifically bigoted person, and always has been. It's not just calling out Mexico. It's stating that he doesn't want "blacks" handling his money, that he'd rather give it to the jews. I'm mad that he tried to impress Billy Bush with "locker room talk." Even if he were in a locker room, that speech wouldn't be acceptable. In every locker room I've ever been in (and having been a martial artist for a very long time, that's quite a few,) if a guy, ANY guy, bragged about sexually violating a woman without her consent, they'd have their throat punched in before they could say another word. Thing about that is, he wasn't even in a locker room. He was at a TV taping where he knew he was being heard by microphones and didn't CARE who heard him. He is nothing more than a pandering demagogue who appealed to the scared old WASP crowd who believes that they're being oppressed now that the playing field is finally starting to level a little bit. Why am I mad? He spouted nothing but bullshit, and it worked. I've never had much faith in humanity, but I've never been quite this sickened by the American people, or been quite so ready to tear down the establishment and start over, either. Why am I mad? We had legitimate candidates that could make the country better, even if you or I didn't like them, but the vast majority of the states decided to elect a man who has one redeeming quality: money that he was born into and has lost most of. Good luck with your reality star. He's going down hard if he makes it to four years without getting himself removed from office.

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nebris · 5 years ago

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‘It’s a Place Where They Try to Destroy You’: Why Concentration Camps Are Still With Us

Mass internment camps did not begin or end with the Nazis – today they are everywhere from China to Europe to the US. How can we stop their spread?

At the start of the 21st century, the following things did not exist. In the US, a large network of purpose-built immigration prisons, some of which are run for profit. In western China, “political education” camps designed to hold hundreds of thousands of people, supported by a high-tech surveillance system. In Syria, a prison complex dedicated to the torture and mass execution of civilians. In north-east India, a detention centre capable of holding 3,000 people who may have lived in the country for decades but are unable to prove they are citizens. In Myanmar, rural encampments where thousands of people are being forced to live on the basis of their ethnicity. On small islands and in deserts at the edges of wealthy regions – Greece’s Aegean islands, the Negev Desert in Israel, the Pacific Ocean near Australia, the southern Mediterranean coastline – various types of large holding centres for would-be migrants.

The scale and purpose of these places vary considerably, as do the political regimes that have created them, but they share certain things in common. Most were established as temporary or “emergency” measures, but have outgrown their original stated purpose and become seemingly permanent. Most exist thanks to a mix of legal ambiguity – detention centres operating outside the regular prison system, for instance – and physical isolation. And most, if not all, have at times been described by their critics as concentration camps.

We tend to associate the idea of concentration camps with their most extreme instances – the Nazi Holocaust, and the Soviet Gulag system; genocide in Cambodia and Bosnia. But the disturbing truth is that concentration camps have been widespread throughout recent history, used to intern civilians that a state considers hostile, to control the movement of people in transit and to extract forced labour. The author Andrea Pitzer, in One Long Night, her recent history of concentration camps, estimates that at least one such camp has existed somewhere on Earth throughout the past 100 years.

The definition of a concentration camp is sometimes fuzzy, but at root, such camps represent a combination of physical and legal power. They are a way for modern states to segregate groups of civilians by placing them in a closed or isolated location via special rules that are distinct from a country’s main system of rights and punishments. Many have been set up under military jurisdiction – by the British during the Boer war, for instance – while others, such as the Soviet gulags, have been used in peacetime to deal with social “undesirables”.

Cruelty and the abuse of power have existed throughout human history, but concentration camps have not. They are little more than a century old. The earliest began as wartime measures, but on numerous occasions since then they have become lasting features. They are a product of technologically advanced societies with sophisticated legal and political systems and have been made possible by a range of modern inventions. Military technologies such as automatic weapons or barbed wire made it easier for small groups of officials to hold much larger groups of people captive. Advanced bureaucracy and surveillance techniques enabled states to watch, count and categorise civilians in ways they couldn’t have done in earlier eras. As Pitzer writes, such camps “belong in the company of the atomic bomb as one of the few advanced innovations in violence”.

This innovation haunts the political imagination of liberal democracies. The concentration camp is a symbol of everything such societies are supposed to stand against: the arbitrary use of power and the stripping of people’s rights, the systematic removal of liberty; dehumanisation, abuse, torture, murder and genocide. When it is used to refer to contemporary places, the term “concentration camp” is often reserved for the locations of the most serious human rights abuses, as when Amnesty International used it in a 2017 report estimating that 13,000 people had been murdered by Syria’s Assad regime in the Saydnaya military prison outside Damascus. But politicians, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among them, have also used the term to describe camps such as the ones the Trump administration has been running on the US border with Mexico.

To some, these comparisons minimise the use of concentration camps by Nazi Germany in its effort to exterminate Jews. For others, the comparisons are a necessary warning, not least because one kind of camp can easily transform into another. Pitzer gives the example of a refugee camp: if people are not allowed to leave, and are systematically denied their rights, then it starts to resemble more sinister creations. As authoritarians and rightwing populists reach positions of power in various parts of the world, liberals are voicing fears that history is repeating itself.

Surveying what he called “a century of camps” in the mid-90s, the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman warned that the temptation for governments to use them would always be strong “when certain humans are declared redundant or forced into a superfluous condition”. There is no shortage of threats in the current century – from environmental catastrophe to the unfolding coronavirus pandemic – that are creating such conditions. The question is how to ensure that the concentration camp is not the state’s inevitable response.

* * *

It is tempting to regard the concentration camp as an anomaly, but for some observers, such camps are a grim reflection of the way modern states work. After the second world war, as knowledge of the Holocaust became widespread, leading theorists sought to offer explanations for the genocide that had taken place, and the methods used to carry it out. Writing in 1950, the Martiniquan poet and politician Aimé Césaire argued that the Holocaust “applied to Europe colonialist procedures” that until then had been reserved exclusively for people of colour.

Concentration camps were indeed colonial in origin. Their earliest uses came at the turn of the 20th century – by the Spanish in 1896 to put down a rebellion in Cuba, by the US in 1899 to do similar in the Philippines, and by the British empire in southern Africa during the Boer war of 1899-1902. The first use of concentration camps for a deliberate policy of extermination was not in Europe but in German South West Africa – modern-day Namibia – between 1904 and 1907. (Germany only recently officially acknowledged its treatment of the Herero and Nama tribes as genocide.)

For Césaire, the appearance of camps in Europe itself was a direct result of the way in which Europeans had attempted to dehumanise their colonial subjects in order to exploit them, but ended up dehumanising themselves. “Colonisation,” he wrote, “works to decivilise the coloniser, to brutalise him in the true sense of the word, to degrade him, to awaken him to buried instincts, to covetousness, violence, race hatred and moral relativism.”

The German-Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt also turned her attention to camps after the war. Like Césaire, Arendt drew links between the behaviour of European powers in their colonies and their conduct at home, but she also highlighted how some of the tools wielded by authoritarians had been put in place by democracies before the rise of fascism. In her 1951 book The Origins of Totalitarianism, Arendt pointed out that when France was occupied by Nazi Germany, for instance, the Gestapo was able to make use of draconian police powers already in existence to round up and detain civilians. These existed because France, like many other states in Europe, had been unable to deal with the mass displacement of people in the aftermath of the first world war and had instituted harsh measures to deal with unwanted migrants.

In 1940, Arendt had her own direct experience of this relatively novel form of containment. After fleeing Germany for France, she was placed in an internment camp at Gurs, near the Pyrenees. The camp had been established a few years earlier to detain republican refugees from the Spanish civil war; it was repurposed in 1939 for “enemy aliens” – a practice instigated by the British in the first world war and subsequently copied by many countries. The inmates had to endure overcrowding, disease and insufficient food rations, and were made to live together regardless of the fact that some were Nazi party members and others, like Arendt, were Jewish refugees. It was partly the memory of this that led Arendt to place internment on a continuum with the Soviet gulags and the Nazi death camps – as she saw it, the “Hades, Purgatory and Hell” of state violence.

That the British, Americans, Spanish, French and Germans, among other nations, had all used concentration camps led some thinkers to ask whether such camps were inevitable features of the modern state. Perhaps the most provocative answer comes from the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben, whose ideas have grown in prominence in the past two decades. For Agamben, the existence of the concentration camp reveals something fundamental about power – who holds it, and what gives them the authority to wield it. His work is dense, ranging across ancient Greek and Roman law, Biblical texts and Renaissance literature, but it has been influential on a generation of scholars and activists in the past two decades – particularly among those who wanted to understand the camp established by the US at Guantánamo Bay, under an emergency policy after 9/11, or the growing phenomenon of immigration detention at the borders of the rich world.

Sovereignty, as Agamben sees it, is founded on absolute power over human life, and has been since ancient times. The sovereign has the power not only to kill, but to strip people of rights through forms of banishment, reducing them to a state of what he calls “bare life”. In the past, sovereignty would have been concentrated in the figure of the monarch; modern states are supposed to have improved upon monarchy by restraining the arbitrary use of power through democratic checks and balances. But, according to Agamben, the tendency to banish and dehumanise keeps on coming back in the form of the concentration camp: a space where people are outside the law, yet more subject to its power than anywhere else.

For Agamben, this reveals the basis on which power is exercised by modern states. In his words, the concentration camp is the “nomos” or fundamental principle of modern societies, the “hidden matrix” of politics in our age. While they may only sometimes use it, governments retain the power to declare emergency measures – a “state of exception” in Agamben’s words – to strip us of rights, and confine us to spaces in which we live a kind of exile. The camp’s logic, he implies, pervades seemingly free societies through modern state techniques of surveillance, bureaucracy, violence and other forms of coercion.

Grand theories such as those of Césaire, Arendt and Agamben are valuable, but risky. By seeking to identify common patterns across specific societies, at different moments in history, they warn that all modern states have the potential to set up concentration camps. Misconstrued, however, they can end up obscuring crucial differences – such as the distinction between camps used in a deliberate policy of extermination, and those where people die through neglect. Holocaust deniers, for instance, or people who seek to downplay the severity of colonial massacres, often try to muddy these distinctions.

When theory becomes dogma, it can also limit our understanding of the present. Agamben’s own recent trajectory offers a cautionary tale: in late February 2020, he published a short essay in the leftwing Italian newspaper Il Manifesto criticising his government’s draconian restrictions on public freedoms aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus. The piece referred to “the invention of an epidemic”, and went further than merely questioning the long-term impact of these restrictions; it condemned them as “frenetic, irrational, and entirely unfounded”, arguing the virus was “not too different from the normal flu”. The piece has been widely criticised, and provoked a retort from the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy that had he listened to Agamben’s advice not to have a heart operation 30 years ago, he would now be dead.

Agamben is hardly the only person to have underestimated the threat posed by the coronavirus in recent months. As more governments pass emergency laws to deal with the pandemic, in some cases including draconian surveillance measures and the establishment of segregated quarantine camps, it is right to ask where these might lead, and whether states will be willing to give up their new powers once the immediate danger to public health has passed. But that shouldn’t obscure the fact that some emergencies are real: in these situations, the most important question is whether societies can respond to them without permanently destroying people’s rights.

* * *

Concentration camps are uniquely dangerous spaces. Their effects may vary considerably, from the horror of Auschwitz to the more mundane misery that Arendt experienced in Gurs, but the people caught up in them almost always end up being treated as less than human. And if the political and technological innovations of the late 19th century made them possible, does the 21st century make them any more likely?

In 2014, the Chinese government launched an initiative it called the Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism, focused on the province of Xinjiang, in the country’s far west. In the English-speaking world, details of the programme remained scarce until 2017, when reports started to filter through that thousands of people from Xinjiang’s ethnic Uighur population, most of whom are Muslims, were being detained. The following year, researchers who trawled through Chinese government procurement documents and satellite imagery pointed to the existence of a vast, newly constructed complex of internment camps, which they estimated had the capacity to hold anywhere between several hundred thousand and 1.5 million people. Former inmates have given testimony to journalists and researchers that they were forced into “education” programmes, made to eat pork and drink alcohol, and given compulsory sterilisation and abortions.

This is just one example of how globalisation and technology have added a new dimension to an old problem. China has a long history of running camps – the political “re-education” programme launched by Mao in the 50s was one of the world’s most extensive gulag networks. But the latest crackdown has new features. First, the Xinjiang camps are backed up by state-of-the-art digital surveillance methods provided by leaders in the global tech industry: a computerised CCTV network developed by a state-run defence manufacturer, designed to “apply the ideas of military cybersystems to civilian public security”, which tracks individuals and analyses their behaviour to anticipate potential crime; a tracking app that visitors to Xinjiang are obliged to install on their smartphones; DNA analysis equipment partly supplied by US biotech firms. Second, China has justified its crackdown to the rest of the world by adopting the same rhetoric that the US and its allies used after 9/11. In 2014, the Communist party launched its so-called “people’s war on terror” in Xinjiang. China’s methods may be extreme, but it is by no means the first country to have introduced policies that subject Muslims to collective suspicion and punishment, in response to violent Islamic fundamentalist groups.

What else could tempt states to open camps? In her 2014 book Expulsions, the sociologist Saskia Sassen argues that the particular form of globalisation the world has experienced in recent decades – driven by a new form of laissez-faire economics – has unleashed a dangerous new dynamic that excludes large numbers of people from economic and social life. The global shift to “privatisations, deregulation and open borders for some” has brutally punished the vulnerable and accelerated environmental destruction.

In richer countries, Sassen argues, this leads to low-income workers being forced out of established welfare and healthcare programmes into more punitive systems (such as the UK’s universal credit scheme), the impoverishment of sections of the middle class through austerity policies, and more and more people being locked up in prison. In poorer parts of the world, this means mass displacement and the warehousing of migrants as they try to move elsewhere.

One result of these global pressures has been the rise of political movements that promise to shore up national, religious or ethnic identities. But identities are ambiguous, and when governments start using the tools of state power to reinforce the line between insider and outsider, there are always large numbers of people who get caught in between. In India, the government of Narendra Modi has been trying to reshape the country along Hindu nationalist lines, undermining the secular and pluralist principles that have held sway since independence. The emerging camps in Assam, a north-eastern state on the border with Bangladesh, are a result: they target thousands of mainly Muslim residents who may have lived in India for decades, but because they originally came from across the border in Bangladesh – a legacy of partition – have never been registered as citizens.

The understandable response when confronted with injustice is to look for someone to blame. It’s easier to do so when oppression is perpetrated by villainous leaders, or in other people’s societies. But particularly in liberal democracies, the chains of responsibility can be complex. Who, for instance, is responsible for the arbitrary imprisonment, torture and slave-labour conditions that migrants and refugees in Libya are subjected to? The immediate answer seems fairly simple: the state officials and local militias, some linked to trafficking networks, who run the detention centres. Thousands of people, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, are imprisoned in a network of these centres where they are regularly subjected to starvation, disease, torture, rape, and forced labour.

But the reason those detention centres exist is because a range of European governments have been trying to get Libya to act as a block on unwanted migration across the Mediterranean for almost 20 years. The system was built with European support, both from national governments and at EU level – first through agreements with the government of Muammar Gaddafi, then, as the country collapsed after he was overthrown by a Nato-backed uprising, a patchwork of arrangements with state officials and local militias.

There is no shortage of information about what happens in Libyan detention centres – and European governments frequently profess their horror at the atrocities committed there. Yet the system persists, because those governments broadly agree that the goal of limiting migration is more important than dismantling Libya’s detention system. The political consensus in most European countries, including the UK, is that limiting unwanted migration is a reasonable and desirable aim, and large numbers of their citizens have voted in support of it.

When Zygmunt Bauman turned his attention to camps in the 90s, he argued that what characterises violence in our age is distance – not just the physical or geographical distance that technology allows, but the social and psychological distance produced by complex systems in which it seems everybody and nobody is complicit. This, for Bauman, works on three levels. First, actions are carried out by “a long chain of performers”, in which people are both givers and takers of orders. Second, everybody involved has a specific, focused job to perform. And third, the people affected hardly ever appear fully human to those within the system. “Modernity did not make people more cruel,” Bauman wrote, “it only invented a way in which cruel things could be done by non-cruel people.”

* * *

When something today is described as a concentration camp, it almost always provokes an angry dispute. If camps aren’t being used to exterminate people, as they have been in their worst instances, then the comparison is frequently condemned as inappropriate. But condemnation can be a way for governments to shield themselves from criticism of their decisions, and from criticism of the legitimacy of state power itself.

In 2018, Donald Trump’s government responded to a rise in the number of undocumented migrants – many of whom were asylum-seekers fleeing violence in Central America – crossing the US-Mexico border by drastically increasing the use of long-term immigration detention. Reports of overcrowding, filthy conditions and the denial of due process for asylum claims soon followed, accompanied by measures that seemed intended to make a symbolic display of cruelty, such as the separation of young children from their parents. In June 2019, amid the outcry from opponents of this policy, congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez recorded a video for her Instagram followers: “The US is running concentration camps on our southern border,” she stated, “and that is exactly what they are … I want to talk to the people that are concerned enough with humanity to say that ‘never again’ means something.”

This was a political intervention intended to shock people into challenging the Trump government’s immigration policy – and in the row that ensued, some commentators objected that Ocasio-Cortez’s reference to concentration camps and her use of the phrase “never again” was an inappropriate Holocaust analogy. As the historian Deborah Lipstadt commented, “something can be horrible and not be like the Holocaust”.

But much of the response from Ocasio-Cortez’s Republican opponents was to downplay the extent of abuses happening as a result of Trump’s policies, or to portray what was happening as normal and routine. Some pointed out, for instance, that Trump was only making modifications to a system built by his predecessors: deportations of undocumented immigrants, for instance, reached their peak under Barack Obama. These sorts of equivocations have accompanied the use of camps from their inception, and they always try to give the same impression: that what’s being done is normal and legitimate, that criticisms are overblown, marginal and extreme; and that states have the right to behave this way.

The story of Britain’s concentration camps during the Boer war illustrates how a society that thinks of itself as liberal can make excuses for a mass crime. In 1899, when the British empire went to war against two breakaway Afrikaner republics in South Africa, it set up a network of camps that quickly expanded to detain several hundred thousand people. At first the camps were justified as “protection” for Boer civilians who had signed an oath of loyalty; later, they were used to imprison Boer “undesirables” who had not signed the oath, as well as black South Africans who the British forced off their land to make them act as lookouts for troops. Due to poor sanitation, meagre food rations and overcrowding, diseases such as typhoid and measles frequently ripped through the camps; at least 28,000 white people and 20,000 black people were killed by this system in just a few years.

The two most prominent critics of Britain’s camps – the feminist campaigners Emily Hobhouse and Millicent Fawcett – both had to struggle against political and public opinion that initially saw the camps as a wartime necessity, and both fought hard to alleviate suffering. But the grounds on which they did so were radically different, as the author Vron Ware has recently argued. Fawcett, who visited South Africa with the government’s approval to produce a report on the camps, saw her concern for the welfare of vulnerable civilians as compatible with the wider aims of the camps. “Saving the children,” for her, was “as true a service to the country as that which men were rendering by going into the armies to serve in the field”. But for Hobhouse, who was the first prominent activist to visit South Africa and expose conditions in the camps, British military values and the nationalism that underpinned them were the fundamental problem. She was challenging the legitimacy of state power itself.

Hobhouse, who in her day was derided in sexist terms as a “mad” old lady, is now largely forgotten, while it is safe to say that Britain’s concentration camps are not well remembered: last year the Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg defended their use on an episode of Question Time, erroneously claiming that their mortality rate was only the same as that of Glasgow’s at the time. But without Hobhouse’s radical critique, it would have been harder to oppose the harm done by Britain’s camps a century ago, and would be harder to understand why camps still appear in the world today.

The point of historical comparisons should not be to find identical situations – no two events in history are identical – but to alert us to potential dangers in the way states exercise power. Not everyone, for instance, reacted with outrage to Ocasio-Cortez’s comments last year. While she drew criticism from some Jewish organisations, including a rebuke from the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, the row also energised a US protest movement against Trump’s immigration policy led by leftwing Jewish activists. The movement calls itself Never Again Action, explicitly drawing on a collective memory of persecution.

In his final book, The Drowned and the Saved, the Auschwitz survivor and author Primo Levi reflected on the conditions that had made the Nazi camps possible, and wondered what lessons, if any, could be applied to a world that had moved on. The unique combination of factors that had unleashed the horror of Nazism was unlikely to return, he thought, but that should not obscure the danger of violence in our own time, or the politicians who seek to wield it. Violence, he wrote, “is there before our eyes … it only awaits its new buffoon (there is no dearth of candidates) to organise it, legalise it, declare it necessary and mandatory and so contaminate the world”.

* * *

If the state as we know it is here to stay, then what can people do when governments start building camps? The history of the concentration camp has also been a history of people’s resistance to camps, from both inside and out. Even in the most seemingly hopeless situations there are stories of people who have fought back against their treatment. The uprisings in the Nazi death camps of Sobibor and Treblinka are among the most famous; and the Soviet Gulag system was beset by strikes and revolts. On their own, these may not have been enough, but camps work by enforcing a rigid distinction between people on opposite sides of the barbed-wire fence. Those inside are kept silent and invisible, while those outside are encouraged to ignore or accept what is happening. Successful resistance aims at breaking down this distinction: governments know this, and even states that operate relatively mild forms of mass detention make significant efforts to obscure the conditions inside, and to deter their own citizens from prying too closely.

One evening in February this year, I watched the Kurdish author Behrouz Boochani give a talk by video link to an audience at Birkbeck, University of London. Boochani, who currently lives in New Zealand, spent four years in Australia’s “regional offshore processing centre” for asylum-seekers on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Australia has pioneered a type of long-term detention for unwanted migrants that is now becoming more common elsewhere in the world. Boochani and his fellow detainees were not merely being held for “processing”, but in harsh conditions intended to act as a deterrent to future travellers. The Australian government forbade journalists to report on the full extent of these conditions, which included the beating and abuse of detainees, and introduced a law threatening doctors and social workers with up to two years in prison if they spoke in public about what they had witnessed.

Boochani, however, smuggled out accounts of life in detention, via text messages sent to his translator by WhatsApp, that were turned into articles for the Guardian and other outlets – as well as a memoir, No Friend But the Mountains. Boochani explained to us how he saw his detention as part of Australia’s – and Britain’s – longer history of treating non-white people as disposable. “It’s worse than a prison,” he said of the Manus camp. “It’s a place where they take your identity and freedom from you, and try to destroy you.” Detainees were given numbers, he said, which the guards used instead of their names; his was MEG45.

The camp on Manus Island was eventually shut down by the Australian government, after widespread public criticism, although its broader asylum policies remain largely the same. For Boochani, writing was not simply a way to expose his conditions and link up with campaigners against detention on the outside, but to challenge the very basis on which the treatment of people like him was justified. “I never use the language and the words that the [Australian] government use,” he said. “I say ‘systematic torture’, I say ‘political prisoner.’” One of the things that gave him hope in confinement, he said, was the fact that animals could wander in and out of the spaces where human freedom was limited – a reminder that the structure which held him was built by people, and could therefore also be dismantled. “Nature,” he said, “always tried to reimpose itself on the prison.”

Daniel Trilling is the author of “Lights in the Distance: Exile and Refuge at the Borders of Europe” and “Bloody Nasty People: the Rise of Britain’s Far Right.”

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/it-s-a-place-where-they-try-to-destroy-you-why-concentration-camps-are-still-with-us?utm_source=pocket-newtab

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superjournalslibrary-blog · 6 years ago

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Fight Extremes with Extremes

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; THAT MADE THE WORLD AS A WILDERNESS, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? Isaiah 14:12-17

Satan’s plans for you are extreme. Be extreme in your battles and strategies. The cross of Jesus Christ was an extreme response to the devil who has turned the world into a wilderness. Watch God’s response to the devil’s attempt to destroy His creation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for us all. This is an extreme response from God and by God. To give up your only begotten son and to use His blood as a weapon to fight your enemy, is to fight extremes with extremes.

Perhaps most ministers do not recognize the extreme plans that Satan has for them. If we did, we would be more extreme in the measures taken against the devil, his agents and his plans. One day, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me the need to fight extremes with extremes. He showed me a group of ministers of the gospel living in one of the prominent cities of the world. As I thought of these ministers, I realised that extreme attacks had taken place on their lives. Two of the pastors of large churches were in prison. One of them was in prison for apparently having sex with an underaged lady. Another was in prison for having sex with young boys. One of the pastors of a mega church was dismissed and disconnected from his church, living in poverty and in need. Another pastor of a huge church died of a mysterious illness in the midst of his years, whilst another battled with the authorities over various accusations and investigations.

It was only in observing the pattern of afflictions and attacks of ministers of big churches that I realised how extreme Satan’s attack and intentions are. Satan wants you to go to prison! Satan wants to kill you! Satan wants to kill you! Satan wants to silence you! Watch closely and keep your heart open and you will see that there is an extremely evil enemy planning great extremes against you and your future.

This is the essence of this book. We must fight the war of extremes. We have no choice because we have an extremely radical enemy with extremely radical plans for you and I. In the Second World War, Germany’s neighbours could not imagine the evil that was developing next door. Poland could not envisage or imagine the kind of murder and onslaught that was about to be unleashed on them. Millions of Poles died like dogs at the hands of the murderous German army. Most of the world could not imagine the kind of murder Hitler was about to unleash on everyone. He needed to be stopped and no half-hearted measures would suffice. Extremes had to be fought with extremes.

Every country which dealt mildly with Germany before the Second World War lived to regret their weak, half-hearted approach towards Adolf Hitler. Nerville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister of Britain tried to appease Adolf Hitler, making concessions and agreeing to many of Hitler’s demands. Stalin initially cooperated with Adolf Hitler, never imagining that he would be attacked and millions of Russians would die needlessly. When Winston Churchill became the Prime Minister of England, he vowed to fight Adolf Hitler to the very end. Churchill was the extreme that was needed to fight Hitler’s extremes.

Stalin was far more resistant and resilient than Hitler expected. The Russians were not easy to fight and were never defeated by Germany. Adolf Hitler was fought on two fronts by two men who were equally extreme in their posture against him.

I have watched as pastors fight disloyal people with mild, half-hearted efforts, trying to counsel people who have turned in their hearts against them. If God did not counsel Lucifer but cast him out of Heaven, why would you try to counsel a disloyal person? When I share the need to sack some people, some think it is too extreme. You will think it is extreme because you are not experienced. Today, Europe is a nuclear storehouse with many countries armed to the teeth. Most of the countries in Europe are nuclear powers and capable of destroying each other within the first few hours of any war. They have learnt their lesson from Hitler and are ready to meet any extreme attack with extremes.

Israel is another example of a nation that has learnt to fight extremes with extremes. The people of Israel were attacked by Adolf Hitler and six million of them were murdered in cold blood. Today, they are an extreme force, ready to fight the extremes of other Arab nations. Indeed, the nation of Israel has learnt that the extreme hatred that people have against Jews must not be taken lightly. If you notice an extreme you must fight it with another extreme! Israel is known to have acquired nuclear weapons and all other extreme but necessary arms to fight the nations around them whose aim is to extinguish them. You, O man of God, must take extreme measures to defend yourself and fight the enemy who wants to kill you.

The devil wants to put you in a grave so that you truly shut up. You must take every extreme measure to be well.

The devil wants to put you in prison. You must take every extreme measure to ensure that no financial or moral issue puts you into prison.

The devil want to close down your church and take away all your members. You must fight these ideas with extreme messages on loyalty and an extreme stance against disloyalty.

Rise up now and fight extremes with extremes. It may be your only chance to deliver yourself from extreme plans of your enemy.

Imitate God who has countered the devil’s extreme plan by sending His Son to die on the cross.

by Dag Heward-Mills

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faithfacts-blog1 · 6 years ago

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How You Can Stop Demons from Entering Your Body

Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27

Satan enters into someone he has been seducing and is able to do a mighty evil work.

Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.

Luke 22:3-4

Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Matthew 12:45

Do you enter a house from just anywhere? Do you not enter a house through its doors? If demons see you as a house, then you must have a door that the devils will target. Why are the devils interested in the doors of the house? Why are thieves interested in knowing where the doors of a house are? Because they are interested in gaining access to the house! Why do people strengthen the doors of their home? Why do people invest in security doors? Because it can be the point of entry of wicked and evil men!

If demons are to enter a body, they will have to do so through the entry points and doors. It is important for believers to know about these doors so that they do not become points of access to demons.

As a human being, you must be aware of the six openings in your body. Each of these holes leads to a deeper and inner section of your being. The human body has six main holes or portals of entry. Each of these can be an excellent and appropriate doorway to an evil spirit. You will notice that sinful activity in any of these holes leads to evil spirits entering human beings. You must guard these holes or doors carefully, because they are the doors that are targeted by evil spirits.

1. The door of the Ear

The ear is the most important door through which imaginations of demons are launched into the mind. What you hear makes you think! Jesus warned us to be careful about what we allow ourselves to hear.

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

Mark 4:24

What you think about develops into an idea and into a complex imagination. By hearing the wrong things, satan’s ideas and imaginations are launched into your mind. Once satan is able to capture your mind with depression, fear, lust and revenge, you come under his power. Adolf Hitler became anti-Semitic and a murderer of fifty million people by hearing common men on the street speak evil of Jews. He then gradually developed a hatred for Jews. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Imaginations also come by hearing. Thoughts and ideas come by hearing. Your ear is therefore a portal for the entry of demons. That is why Jesus taught us, “Take heed what you hear”.

To understand how satan can gain entry into your life, you must learn from Adam and Eve. How did satan become involved in two perfect human beings who were having a good time together? Satan spoke to them and tried to get them to sin. As soon as they sinned and disobeyed God, satan was a part of their lives.

To sin is to yield to the devil. It is to say “yes” to the devil, making him a kind of boss or commander in your life. Once satan is a commander in your life, you are under him and under his management. As you can see, anyone or anything that is under the leadership of satan is doomed to sin, wickedness, harshness, despair, depression, sorrow, pain and continual darkness. You will not want to have satan as your master. Any kind of sin opens a door and gives more access to evil spirits.

Satan entered the lives of the human race by talking to Eve and making her imagine something wonderful, like being like God. Her imaginations got the better of her and she decided to yield to the pressure that came on her through the serpent. She thought that the things satan promised would happen. She thought she would have something nicer than she had already. But satan did not fulfil any of his promises. She, her husband and the entire human race were destroyed when she opened the door by listening with her ears to the devil’s lies. You must be very careful about what you hear. Do not think that you are stronger or better than Eve. There are some things you should just not hear!

Quiet people are in greater danger of becoming demonized because they are often thinking instead of speaking. Instead of sharing their hearts, their problems and their lives with others, they think deeply and muse over many evil and dark thoughts. This is why the Bible teaches us to cast away imaginations.

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Imaginations are thoughts that are developing, growing and spreading. I am often uneasy in the presence of people who are unduly quiet. I can never tell what they are thinking about. Do they like me? Do they hate me? Do they think I am cheating them? Are they planning something? Recently, a pilot with dark and suicidal thoughts flew a plane full of passengers into the French Alps. When his computer was investigated, they found that he had researched several times on how to commit suicide! Such a person is full of dark thoughts but will not share what he is thinking. Every one on the plane was in danger of this man’s dark thoughts. Indeed, every one on that flight perished because they did not know what he was thinking! It is dangerous to assume that a quiet person is thinking good thoughts! If you are a quiet, moody person, you must watch out because you are in danger of having malevolent evil spirits enter you, live in you and roam through your soul!

2. THE DOOR OF THE EYE

The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

Luke 11:34

The eye is a welcome door to demons that want to enter you. You must remember that many imaginations and thoughts are the power of the devil in action. That is why Paul taught us to cast down imaginations which exalt themselves above the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians10:5).

The eye is the portal through which visions, pictures and ideas enter the brain. This is why the Bible warns us about what we see. Many evil spirits flood into men as they watch pornography and other perversions. Abnormal desires, abnormal feelings and lusts constantly swell up in young men as they watch pornography for hours on end. Many people are never the same again after their lives are impacted by pornography.

Many people become violent murderers after watching certain films. People learn how to kill, fight and destroy by watching certain movies. The presence of these evil spirits completely changes their personalities and makes them go contrary to their love for God.

There are several cases of murder that are linked to young people watching films and learning how to do it. Through the eye, imaginations are launched into the mind and the power of the devil is established.

This is why you must protect yourself from seeing the wrong thing. You must also protect your children from watching films that bring about the spirit of fear in them. Some children are never the same after watching certain ghost films. Many girls are filled with the spirit of fear after watching certain films. Many people are filled with the spirit of love affairs and adultery after watching soap operas. You must watch out for your eyes! Give yourself to watching preaching DVDs and other spirit-filled movies. Anyone who spends several hours a day watching movies is likely to be affected by evil spirits.

3. THE DOOR OF THE MOUTH

Death is not just the stopping of your heartbeat. Death is a person! Death is a spirit! Death is a rider of a horse! It is the coming of a spirit into your life. It is the spirit of death. Satan is originally a murderer. This means that satan is first and foremost a killer or a taker away of life. Death comes to people through many of the foods that are eaten. In the verse below, you see how death is actually a rider on a horse.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Revelation 6:8

The mouth is an important entry hole to your body. Many evil spirits and many diseases enter the body through the mouth. Many water-borne and water-related diseases come to the body through the mouth. Many diseases enter the body through food that is eaten. Salmonellosis, diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever also enter the body through the mouth. The guinea worm infection comes into the body when you drink contaminated water.

Today, scientists have confirmed how fats, oil and many other foods we take in cause disease, sickness and death. Death is a person, a spirit and a rider who can come into your life through your mouth.

One of the important things you learn from Jesus is how He gave thanks before He ate. Many animals are possessed with evil spirits and many evils come into your body through the mouth. Praying over the food you eat is more than a ritual. It is sanctification and cleansing of what is about to enter you.

4. THE DOOR OF THE NOSE

One of the greatest doors to evil spirits is the nose.

Many of the smallest but most deadly viruses come into human beings through the nose. Many worldwide epidemics which killed thousands of people came to the human body through the nose. The flu is caused by the influenza virus. As people sneeze and cough and breathe, they pass this virus to the next person who breathes it in. Some people do not travel on airplanes because they may breathe in a virus, bacteria or some kind of sickness that can kill them.

This is why very ill people are advised not to fly, because there are so many diseases they can get on board a flight where they are enclosed for several hours.

Did you notice how many people were killed by the Ebola virus and the bird flu virus? The spirit of death enters the human race through the nose. Science has shown us that it is viruses that are causing the diseases and deaths. Through the Bible, we know even more than what science can teach us.

When children are born, they are immediately vaccinated against tuberculosis, which is an airborne disease. Through medical science, we are able to block the spirit of death that wants to kill our new-born children.

Walk in wisdom by not inhaling evil into your life through your nose. Through the power and wisdom of science, you will block activities of murderous demons in your life.

5. THE DOOR OF THE VAGINA

Your vagina is a favourite door for demons! In every home there is a favourite door! There may be three entrances to a house but everyone may end up passing through the kitchen door. In the same way, there may be six doors to your body, but the vagina is truly a popular and favourite door for demons.

What is the vagina? The vagina is an opening in a female body through which babies are born. It is also the organ that is penetrated during sexual intercourse and during the sin of fornication. Through sinful sexual intercourse (which takes place through the vagina), evil spirits enter into women.

You will notice that many women fall down under the power of God and manifest with screaming, rolling and crying. Often, the vaginal door has been breached and evil spirits have entered these women. Indeed, fornication is the only sin that is directly linked to the entrance and presence of evil spirits and creatures. Notice this very clear scripture that tells us exactly how and why evil spirits entered into Babylon.

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Revelation 18:2-3

Why did Babylon become the habitation of devils? Why do people become the habitation of devils? Why would a woman become the habitation of devils? As you can see from this scripture, many evil spirits and many entities occupied Babylon, simply because of her fornication. This is a direct and clear statement that needs no interpretation or explanation.

When fornication is at a certain level, evil spirits of immorality flood the female body through the vagina and enter the woman making her a habitation. Such women, who are flooded by spirits of immorality, become even more sexually active, more sexually attractive and even more sexually inviting. This is why such women continue to fornicate with a longer and longer list of men. Demonised women are so sexually attractive that men are drawn to them like flies. Men are drawn to these women supernaturally because their attraction is supernatural and super-human. The demons inflate their beauty and their sexual appeal, so that the unsuspecting and the unspiritual cannot keep themselves away. Spiritual men are usually put off by such hyper-inflated beauties that seem to be nothing but a plate of sexual delights marching up and down in front of us.

The supernatural nature of this attraction can be seen when older and less attractive women with such spirits seem to continually and persistently draw men to themselves. Have you not noticed many old and unattractive prostitutes who inexplicably draw hundreds of clients to themselves?

It is not only the spirits of sexual immorality that flood women when they indulge in fornication. Spirits of disease and death also invade these women when they indulge in fornication. These spirits enter into the women through their vagina. Demons love fellowship and love to move in gangs. Diseases like HIV and other viral diseases, which have killed millions of people, entered women and the human race through the vagina. Demons love to form gangs and groups. Demons of perversion, immorality, disease and death are constantly teaming up to invade women through their vaginas.

Keep your vagina zipped up tight, lest you become the habitation of devils! Watch out which vaginas you go exploring! You could receive a gang of demons from your partner! As you live longer, you will notice how some people are unable to recover from certain bouts of fornication for the rest of their lives. It is the power of evil spirits that have come to legally dwell in them and harass them.

6. THE DOOR OF THE ANUS

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

Romans 1:26-28, NASB.

The anus is another hole in the body. Men commit indecent acts with each other by using the anus as a substitute for the vagina. This is clearly outlined in the scripture above. The anus exists for the passage of faeces. Unfortunately, the anus has been turned into an entrance for sexual organs. Some men have developed a loose anus which requires diapers to hold back their faeces.

The spirit of homosexuality and perversion enters the men through the act of forcing the penis through the anus. Homosexuality is a sin because the Bible says so. Several medical associations all over the world have come out clearly to say that no human being is born with that inclination. It is something that is acquired after birth.

The sin of homosexuality makes way for evil spirits to enter. The spiritual nature of homosexuality is seen by the strong desire that those who are involved in it have. It is one of the most debilitating and persuasive forces that can enter a man’s life. The drive and need to commit fornication seems to be less than the need to continue in homosexuality. There is need for more compassion to be shown to those who have been involved in this life-changing activity.

The strong irresistible nature of this craving is recognised even by the law. The law recognises that a young person’s life can be changed forever when he is molested by an adult. A person’s life can be completely re-oriented by a powerful and unchanging force, after one homosexual contact. There are many adult men who trace the beginnings of their homosexual cravings to molestation in their childhood. Adults who destroy children’s lives forever by penetrating their anuses are considered criminals. There is a great need for grace and compassion to help those who have been opened up to demons through their anuses.

It is not only spirits of homosexual cravings that enter through the anus. As usual, the gang of demons are ready to come into your body for fellowship. The HIV pandemic, which has slaughtered many people, came into the world through the homosexual spread of the HIV virus. Indeed, the anus has been the portal for the entrance of the spirits of death, abnormality and perversion.

by Dag Heward-Mills

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